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Beyond - Legends The Fragile Peace (Skywalker-Jade Revival Society Challenge)

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by Revanfan1, May 22, 2014.

  1. Revanfan1

    Revanfan1 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2013
    Nyota's Heart, Briannakin, Jedi_Lover, NightWatcher91, Gemma, JadeLotus, Ewok_Slayer, ginchy, aleja2, AzureAngel2

    Chapter 8

    Han was not a happy man. He stormed back and forth across the bridge, hands behind his back, wondering how in the worlds two squadrons of TIE fighters had managed to destroy the forward shields of a Star Destroyer and take out over half of Rogue Squadron. He regulated his breathing; at least they had fought them off. The Jedi and Rogue Squadron pulled back into the hangar while a recovery shuttle picked up the EV pilots.

    "Have all of them gather in the war room, now," Han told one of his officers. "Captain Tubrimi, you have the bridge."

    The Mon Calamari saluted. "Yes, sir."

    Han walked to the rear of the bridge, where Chewbacca stood, arms crossed over his furry chest. Han patted him on the shoulder as he passed and Chewie turned to follow him. The turbolift took them down to the war room, where Han stood with his hands pressed against the terminal in the center of the room. He quickly typed in a few commands and brought up the schematics for the strange new TIE fighters.

    "The Empire's supposed to be at peace with the New Republic," Han said. "And these guys didn't fight like Imps. Who are they?"

    Chewbacca growled uncertainly.

    "A splinter faction, sure," Han agreed. "But who?"

    Whoever they were, they had some amazing tech. They had the firepower of an X-wing, plus the ion cannon–and they had shields, too. They appeared to be slightly slower than a TIE interceptor or an A-wing, but they'd easily kept up with the X-wings, too. And they'd carried enough torpedoes to create a hail of fire that should've, by all rights, demolished the Retaliation. If Han hadn't ordered all power shunted to forward shields...

    That thought was cut off as the war room door slid open, and Luke and Mara entered and sat on the front row of seats. Luke had a grim, worried look on his face and Mara's fists were tightly clenched. Han exchanged glances with Luke; his friend gave him a short shake of his head to indicate that he'd tell him later. The door slid open again, and Jaina, Ben, and Damien entered. They were followed shortly by the uninjured survivors of Rogue Squadron.

    "I think," Han said, "we're all in agreement about wanting to know who the kark we just fought."

    There was a murmur of agreement from the pilots.

    "First, though, we need to analyze their flight patterns, their armament–anything that can give us an edge." He gestured to the room in general. "So. Anyone have anything?"

    Ben raised a hand. "I noticed that most of them seemed intent on staying in groups. If we split them up, they died pretty quickly. It could be that they have some sort of mental connection that requires them to stay at close range, or maybe half the squadron were droid-piloted, and they had to keep in close proximity to their 'controlling' starfighter."

    "That's an interesting thought," Kameron said. "It could explain why they were able to fire their proton torpedoes with such accuracy and with such frequency. The droids were programmed to fire whenever their wingman did."

    "Possible," Han said. He shrugged. "Of course, this is all nothing more than speculation until we find these guys. I'll have the bridge crew trace their hyperspace jump and we'll be on them in no time. Until then, go crazy with the theories, try to figure out any possible ways to throw them off guard. Dismissed."

    The pilots rose to leave. Luke stood and cleared his throat softly.

    "Ben," he said. "Jaina, Damien. I'd like you to stay here a moment, if you would."

    The three young Jedi exchanged glances and nodded, moving down to the front of the war room until the five pilots in Rogue Squadron had filed out. The door slid shut. Only then did Luke speak.

    "I'm not sure if any of you noticed," he said, "but at least the squadron leader was Force sensitive."

    Damien frowned. "Now that you mention it...yeah. Yeah, something did feel off there. Something was guiding the other pilots, making them just a little faster, just a little more precise."

    "Sounds like Battle Meditation to me," Ben said. "How about the other two survivors? Anyone get anything from them?"

    "I was going against one of the other two," Jaina said. "I definitely sensed something funny. The third...not sure."

    "So," Han interjected, "what you're saying is we had a squadron of top-of-the-line TIE ships, at least two of them piloted by Force-sensitives? I don't like the sound of this."

    "Me, neither," Mara agreed. "This definitely has something to do with the darkness Luke sensed out here."

    "Well, until we know where they originated, we can't do much about that." Han shrugged. "I'm going to contact Admiral Pellaeon in the Empire, see if he knows anything about these TIEs. If he does, then maybe these guys just stole them from the Empire, at best. If he does, and he lies to me, then maybe the Empire's involved. But if he knows nothing..."

    "Then we've got a new enemy that can produce TIE fighters with shields and hyperdrives," Luke said. "I'll stay with you when you contact Pellaeon. I might be able to figure out whether or not he's lying."

    Han nodded. "Thanks, buddy. That'd be great."

    Mara, Ben, and Damien left. Han cast a glance at his daughter; she cautiously moved in and wrapped her arm around him. Han put his arm over her shoulder and kissed her on the top of her head.

    "How you doing, sweetie?" he asked.

    "Fine, Dad," she replied softly. "I'm more worried about you."

    "Me?" Han gave her a Solo grin. "I'm fine. Promise."

    "Good."

    Luke cleared his throat. "There is, ah, one more thing. Something the two of you should know. It's about Leia..."
     
  2. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Enjoyed the theorizing very much and such a concise summation of who the adversary is. =D= =D=
     
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  3. Gemma

    Gemma Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 25, 2013
    Loved the space battle -- well described dog fight.

    I love the family stuff between Han and Jaina. Nice.
     
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  4. ginchy

    ginchy Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 25, 2005
    I'm loving the action you've written and the family feel of all the characters together. Excellent work and I'm so glad you continued!
     
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  5. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    "Sounds like Battle Meditation to me," Ben said. "How about the other two survivors? Anyone get anything from them?"

    So exciting! Can´t wait to have those two answers next time I check in. =D=

    Also liked to "see" Han in action. And with his daughter.
     
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  6. Revanfan1

    Revanfan1 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2013
    Nyota's Heart, Briannakin, Jedi_Lover, NightWatcher91, Gemma, JadeLotus, Ewok_Slayer, ginchy, aleja2, AzureAngel2

    Chapter 9

    The Retaliation came out of hyperspace over the green globe of a planet orbiting a bright yellow sun. The Jedi's X-wings were first out of the hangar–the five ships dived down toward the planet, their scanners and Force senses sweeping the world. Mara found the world beautiful; it reminded her of Dantooine. Two large oceans dotted the otherwise green landscape, which seemed to consist of mostly flatlands with a few mountains and forests interspersed.

    "Hard to believe this is home base to a bunch of dark siders," she mused.

    "Looks can be deceiving," Luke said softly. "Search your feelings; follow your instincts."

    "Right," Mara replied.

    "Let us know what happens down there," Han's voice said over the comlink. "Reinforcements will be right down if you need them."

    There was a bit of terseness in his voice. Ever since Luke had told him about the assassination attempt on Leia, he'd been on edge. He wanted very much to finish this up and get back to Coruscant, Mara knew. But if Luke was right, then the assassins might've had something to do with these dark siders. Mara was inclined to believe him.

    The discussion with Pellaeon had turned up nothing–Pellaeon had fully admitted to knowing about the TIE fighters, which he called TIE Defenders, but he told them that he had no knowledge of any being in service in the Unknown Regions. Luke had believed him. Pellaeon had also said that any threat to the New Republic could be a threat to the galaxy as a whole, and that he was sending a task force led by Chimaera to reinforce Han.

    "I'm scanning a trace of TIE fighters' engine particles," Damien said. "They're headed for the eastern ocean."

    "Follow them," Luke said.

    The five X-wings swooped down on the trail. They passed into the atmosphere and Mara realized the world was even more beautiful than she'd first suspected. Gentle breezes blew over rolling hills of grass that bordered the ocean. The X-wings quickly left the land behind, however, and were soon hanging over the water, with no land in sight.

    "There," Jaina said. "There's a...Force, what is it?"

    "It looks like...a temple," Luke replied.

    Indeed, the structure ahead, built on large platforms above the ocean, did resemble the old Jedi Temple on Coruscant, only far smaller. The platforms extended roughly half a mile away from the temple, giving plenty of landing space, most of which was empty. But some of it was occupied. Occupied by three TIE Defenders. Mara felt a cold certainty in gut turn into grim readiness.

    "No sign of anti-air defenses," Ben said. "Shall we land?"

    "Yes," Luke replied.

    The five X-wings passed over the temple once, arced around, and landed near the TIE Defenders. Mara hopped out and whipped her pistol out, leaving her lightsaber in its place for the time being. Jaina and Damien had their lightsabers in-hand but unlit, and Luke and Ben were empty-handed. Mara smiled softly. My two men, she thought. Always ready to just be normal people. Luke led the Jedi up toward the temple doors.

    * * *

    Etera Fett, standing on the top levels of the temple, tightened his jaw and reached for his blaster. A hand shot out from a dark cloak and grabbed his wrist. Fett turned and looked at his benefactor, anger in his gaze. The hooded figure shook its head.

    "Not yet."

    Fett nodded and lowered his hands back down to his sides. Then, he turned and stalked toward the long stairway that would lead to the bottom levels of the temple. Sooner or later, the Jedi would enter a conflict with Fett's employer. Then Fett would be ready, and he'd take his vengeance. He pressed a button on his gauntlet comlink.

    "They're here," he said.

    "Roger that," replied a gruff voice.

    Fett had returned briefly to Mandalore before coming here, and had recruited a squad of ten more Mandalorians. They had come here with him and were preparing for combat throughout the temple, hiding until the time was right. That time, Fett mused, would be soon. Very soon. He, and his family, would have honor again.

    * * *

    The temple was rather cold, Jaina thought. At least, to look at. It was all made out of dark gray stone, definitely not white, but not quite dark enough to be black, either. Maybe it was symbolic, she mused. Maybe whoever used this temple considered themselves to be less evil than the Sith. Whatever they were, she couldn't get a good reading with the Force. It was...odd.

    As they approached, she saw two guards, standing near the temple doors, walk down the massive flight of steps to meet the Jedi. Each was armed with what looked like a lightsaber hilt, but longer. Jaina recognized them after a moment as double-bladed lightsabers. She tensed.

    I see it, Damien said through their Force bond. Ben?

    I know.

    The guards were clad all in gray, and were hooded and masked except for their eyes. The one on the left, a female, appeared to be an alien of some type, with distant black orbs for eyes. The one on the right, male, was human, with a fire in his brown eyes. But there was no anger. No hate. No worry. Just passion. It unsettled Jaina, and she tightened her grip on her lightsaber.

    "You will not need those," the female said. She sounded...Rodian? "You will not be harmed here."

    "I am Jedi Master Luke Skywalker," Jaina's uncle said. "This is my wife, Mara; my son, Ben; and my students Jaina and Damien. Jaina is also my niece."

    The male nodded. "We know who you are. My Master is eager to speak with you. Come."

    They turned without waiting for a response and headed back up the stairs. Shrugging, Luke nodded to his companions and mounted the stairway. Still tensed for movement, Jaina followed. When they reached the top of the stairs, the female guard raised a hand and waved it, causing the door to open. Jaina felt definite ripples in the Force as she did so. The guards led them inside the temple. The entryway led into a grand hall, once again similar to that of the Jedi Temple.

    Inside were dozens more beings of all species and genders, every single one clad in gray. Some had lightsabers clipped to their belts, single and double-bladed. Some had more than one lightsaber. Others had none. Jaina resisted the urge to reach out and probe the room in the Force, because she knew everyone in here would sense it if she did. At the far end of the hall was a stairway leading farther up into the Temple.

    "My Master would speak with you in his private quarters," the male guard said. He looked at his female companion. "You may remain here."

    She nodded curtly and returned to the door. A different male–a Nikto, from the looks of him–joined her in guard duty. Their self-appointed guide gestured for Luke and the others to follow, and led them to a door about three fourths of the way down the hall on its right side. The door led into a hallway lined with bedrooms. The guard walked all the way down to the end of the hallway, made a left turn up a short flight of stairs, and down another hallway. Finally, they came to a small door, just like the others in the hall.

    "In here," he said.

    The door slid open, and the guard allowed them to enter. He followed them in and closed the door. Jaina cast a glance around the room. It appeared sparse but surprisingly comfortable–and light. The far wall was completely open in a wide floor-to-ceiling window that gave an amazing view of the ocean. Jaina realized it was oriented so that the room's occupant would see the sunrise every morning.

    "Beautiful," Luke said.

    He looked around. Jaina frowned. There didn't appear to be anyone in the room. The only other door was to a 'fresher, and it was open and appeared empty. So where was this Master?

    The guard stepped past them and pulled down his hood, and began to unravel his mask, his back turned to them. As he did, dark–almost black–hair began to spill out of the wrappings. The man finished unwrapping the mask and threw it down on the bed pallet in one corner of the room. Then he reached down to his double-bladed lightsaber, twisted it once, and as it came apart in the middle, threw one half to join the mask on the pallet. The remaining half of the lightsaber, he clipped back to his belt. Then he turned to face them, a familiar, warm grin on his face.

    "Hey, Uncle Luke, Aunt Mara, Jaina," he said. "Miss me?"

    Jaina's jaw dropped. "Jacen?"
     
  7. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Beautiful world. Pellaeon's assistance is welcome. But the final surprise! =D= =D= Brilliant! Was it Misty who said Jacen was still around? Super deducing there. @};-
     
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  8. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Great updates and beautiful descriptions. I KNEW Jacen was still around!
     
  9. Revanfan1

    Revanfan1 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2013
    Nyota's Heart, Briannakin, Jedi_Lover, NightWatcher91, Gemma, JadeLotus, Ewok_Slayer, ginchy, aleja2, AzureAngel2

    Chapter 10

    Ben felt his chest clench up as Jaina spoke her brother's name. He and Jacen had been good friends, though Jacen had been two years older than Ben–when Jacen had died, it had torn a hole in Ben that had taken years to heal. Seeing him here, now...how was this possible? Ben's first reaction was to believe that this whole thing was some crazy dream. But he probed Jacen in the Force, and knew it was real.

    "How...?" Luke asked.

    Jacen's smile did not vanish as he pulled his outer robe off and tossed it on his bed pallet. In the years since his "death," Jacen had matured into a full adult. His jawline was longer and he had a short, neatly-trimmed goatee. He was broad-shouldered and full-framed, and Ben could tell even from looking at him that his skill with a lightsaber had likely only improved.

    "When the Death's Head's bridge was hit," Jacen explained, "Kueller was killed on impact. I was mortally wounded from his lightsaber blow, and as I was sucked toward vacuum, the ship's emergency blast shield lowered and the atmosphere was retained. The Death's Head jumped to hyperspace and came to the Unknown Regions. Kueller's Dark Jedi followers took me in, healed me, and tried to train me as a dark-sider."

    "What happened?" Jaina asked.

    "I escaped," Jacen said. "I learned some important lessons. I learned how the Jedi allowed Palpatine's rise to power, and were blind to it. I realized their critical flaw. They were so busy looking at the light that they couldn't even see the darkness."

    "What are you saying?" Mara replied.

    "I'm saying, how can you expect to see shadows when you're staring into the sun? You can't. It'll blind you. And then, when you're blind, you're in complete darkness. The Jedi caused this–the Jedi were so busy staring at the light that they were blinded–and the whole galaxy was forced into darkness. This can't happen again. I've learned the truth–to fight the darkness, you must be willing to see the darkness. Even look into it."

    Ben frowned. That, on the surface, seemed completely true. It made sense. But something, deep in Ben's gut, told him that it was wrong. Looking into the darkness was a dangerous prospect, and he felt himself instinctively taking a step away from Jacen as he spoke.

    "Intriguing theory," Luke said. "I'd love to discuss it with you."

    Jacen smiled. "You'll get your chance. I'd like you to invite you to stay here with me, as long as you'd like."

    The five Jedi exchanged glanced. "Of course," Luke replied. "We'd love to stay."

    * * *

    Jacen stood on one of the mid-level balconies of the temple, overlooking the ocean. Jaina walked up behind him, feeling cautious. She was amazed to see her brother here, alive...but it brought up so many questions. The TIE Defenders out on the landing pad seemed to suggest that someone here at this temple was involved in the attack on the Retaliation. In fact, Aunt Mara was currently snooping around to see if she could find any evidence to prove it.

    "Jaina," Jacen said without turning. "I'm glad you're here."

    Jaina walked up to stand beside him. "I...I'm glad you're alive, Jacen. Why didn't you contact us?"

    Jacen glanced at her. "I was busy. I had to teach all these students to fight Kueller's surviving Dark Jedi. Had to teach them how to see the darkness."

    "Yeah, about that..." Jaina frowned. "It seems to me that if you're looking into the dark, it could be awfully easy to fall in, wouldn't it? Couldn't you be teaching your students to use the dark side without knowing it?"

    "No," Jacen said harshly. "No, I would never. I know what I'm doing, Jaina."

    "I'm not doubting that, Jacen," Jaina replied. "You always have."

    Jacen chuckled. "I wish that were true, Jaina. No, when I came out here I discovered purpose. Before that, I was blind...blind to how easily the dark side could return to the galaxy."

    "Don't you trust Uncle Luke to see the darkness?"

    "I do," Jacen said. "But Uncle Luke won't be around forever...when he's gone, someone needs to be able to."

    "And you think that's you?"

    "Well, not to be prideful, but..."

    Jaina laughed harshly. "Jacen, don't you know how ridiculous you sound? After all that's happened to us out here, you look awfully suspicious to us."

    Jacen frowned. "What do you mean? What's happened to you?"

    "Well, first our ship was sabotaged and we were attacked by Mandalorians. Then when we got into the Unknown Regions, we were attacked by two squadrons of those TIE Defenders you have sitting out there on your landing pad. Only three TIE Defenders survived. Three are out there on your pad. Don't you think that's really suspect?"

    "You were attacked?" Alarm was clear in Jacen's voice.

    "Yeah. You mean...you didn't notice that twenty-one of your TIE Defenders didn't return?"

    Jacen's eyes darkened. "She told me she was out fighting Vagaari."

    "She?"

    "Follow me." Jacen stormed away from the balcony. "She has a lot of explaining to do."
     
  10. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Yup, on the surface that theory sounds credible, but there's something very skewed at the same time. There's a 'she' huh? She's the one possibly persuading Jacen of his new worlds-changing philosophy. :p
     
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  11. aleja2

    aleja2 Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Aug 4, 2005
    I can't wait to see who "she" is!
     
  12. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Someone has some explaining to do.
     
  13. Gemma

    Gemma Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 25, 2013
    Loved this last conversation and as others said I can't wait to find out who 'she' is.
     
  14. Revanfan1

    Revanfan1 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2013
    Nyota's Heart, Briannakin, Jedi_Lover, NightWatcher91, Gemma, JadeLotus, Ewok_Slayer, ginchy, aleja2, AzureAngel2

    Chapter 11

    Mara had been snooping around the temple for the last hour or so, ever since they'd left Jacen's quarters. So far, she'd found no sign of anything amiss; everything here seemed to be exactly what Jacen claimed: an order of Force sensitive beings dedicated to making sure the dark side never returned to the galaxy. Mara wasn't sure if she trusted Jacen's theories on the Force. It sounded right, on the surface, but there was something deeply wrong about the idea that you had to look into the dark side in order to be able to stop it.

    Mara, for her part, had her own theories on the Force, and they didn't line up with Jacen's. To Mara, there was no "Light" or "Dark" in the Force–it was the individual's choices that were light or dark. The Force itself didn't have a dark side, she reasoned, but the individual using the Force did. If one used the Force to strangle the life out of an innocent being, for example, it was obviously dark–but if that same being used the Force to strangle a man attempting to murder someone, then was it really wrong? Not intrinsically. Therefore, using the Force to choke someone wasn't dark, inherently–and thus you weren't calling on the "dark side" to do it. It was all about what a being did, not what they used to do it.

    Mara frowned as she wandered down the next hallway. Something felt a little off. Her Force senses had been clouded since she'd arrived, possibly because of the mass of gray Force users in the area. But even through the murkiness she could tell–

    As she rounded the corner, she groaned as a fist connected with her nose. She jerked back, blood dribbling down to her lips. Wincing, she wiped the blood away and jerked her blaster from its holster. In front of her stood a Mandalorian in green-and-gray armor, a blaster pistol now in his hand and pointed squarely at Mara. Letting out a feral growl, Mara surged forward. The Mandalorian fired, and Mara leapt over his head, spun around, and fired three shots into his back plate. The armor absorbed the bolts with no visible damage. The Mandalorian whirled.

    "You shouldn't have come here, Jedi," he said.

    "Funny," Mara replied, reaching for her lightsaber. "I was about to say the same thing."

    * * *

    Ben and Damien stood in the temple's archives, a massive hall lined with many holobooks, and–amazingly–even some leather-bound paper books. Ben had never even seen a paper book, let alone so many at once. He stepped toward one of the shelves, his hand slowly reaching for one of the books. He became aware of a presence behind him. He turned.

    Behind him stood a beautiful young woman, her skin as dark as Damien's, with black hair and dark brown eyes. She wore the same gray robes as everyone else in the temple. She giggled.

    "You look like you've just discovered the secrets of the galaxy," she said.

    Ben grinned. "Well, you'll have to excuse me. I've never actually been in the same room as a book before."

    She smiled. "Really. I'd love to see you try to open one..."

    Ben laughed. "I'd probably fail pretty miserably."

    She stepped toward him. "You are...a Jedi, aren't you? Master Solo has told us many stories about the famed Jedi Order. He told us how they were the guardians of the galaxy, until the great enemy, Darth Sidious, wiped them out. He told us that Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda survived and trained Luke Skywalker, who redeemed Darth Vader, and thus caused the downfall of Darth Sidious."

    "That's true. Luke Skywalker is my father, actually. My name's Ben. Ben Skywalker."

    She reached out and shook his hand. "A pleasure to meet you. My name is Ahli Keros."

    "Well, Ahli, I'm glad to have the chance to meet you," Ben said.

    "As am I." Ahli gestured behind her. "Would you like me to give you a tour of the archives? I've got nothing better to do."

    Ben nodded. "Sure. Lead on."

    * * *

    Jaina followed Jacen as he stormed to the upper levels of the temple. His temper was clearly building as he walked, and Jaina was worried that he would explode before they even arrived at their destination. Carefully, she loosened her lightsaber on her belt. She wanted to be ready for anything.

    Finally, they emerged on the temple rooftop. At the edge of the roof sat a single figure, cloaked and hooded in gray like the rest of the students. Unlike the others, this being had a black cowl over the rest of its outfit, and armor plating on the shoulders, at least; that was all Jaina could see over the cloak. Jaina stopped at the top of the stairway and let Jacen continue on.

    The figure sensed him coming and stood. The figure was tall, taller than Jacen–over six feet, at least. There was a lightsaber clipped to the figure's side, and Jaina got a sudden sickly feeling in her gut. Whoever this was, he or she was clearly a powerful warrior. On instinct, Jaina pulled her lightsaber from her belt and held it at the ready, though she did not activate it.

    "Brisha!" Jacen thundered.

    The figure turned and lowered its hood. It was a female human with short, blond hair and blue eyes. She was every bit as tall as Jaina had suspected even under the hood. She smiled as Jacen approached.

    "Master Solo," she said.

    "Brisha, you told me you were out fighting the Vagaari," Jacen said.

    Brisha frowned. "I was, Master."

    "Stop lying to me," Jacen said, exasperation clear in his voice. "You know that's not true. My sister told me that a squadron of TIE Defenders attacked her fleet when they exited hyperspace. Your squadron."

    Brisha exhaled through her nose. "Well, what was I to think? A warship exits hyperspace and launches starfighters immediately; I could only assume that they were dangerous."

    Jacen shook his head firmly. "You're still lying, Brisha. When will you learn that you can't lie to me? What about the sabotage to their engines, hmm? Or the Mandalorians that attacked them?"

    Brisha's gaze slid over to Jaina. "She said all that, did she?"

    "Yes, she did. Explain yourself, Brisha. This is now how one of my students should be acting."

    Brisha chuckled. "Oh, Jacen. I was only trying to protect you. Don't you see? What you're doing out here is for the betterment of the galaxy. These Jedi, in coming here, would've ruined that. We can't trust the Jedi to protect the galaxy, not when they're blinded by the light."

    Jacen glowered at her. "They are my family."

    "You're making a fatal mistake by trusting them with our secrets, Jacen. They shouldn't be here."

    "So you're not denying that you sabotaged their ship and sent a team of Mandalorians to attack them, and then intentionally struck at them with your squadron when they exited hyperspace in our region?"

    "No. I'm not denying it."

    There was the sudden blast of a jetpack, and Jaina whirled and ignited her lightsaber as a dark-armored Mandalorian, helmetless, landed on the temple roof, followed by two red-armored Mandalorians. Jaina recognized the dark-armored warrior as Etera Fett. She held her lightsaber at the ready, pointing it at the three Mandalorians. Fett drew his electrosword, while the other two Mandos trained their blasters on Jaina.

    "Jacen..." Jaina said softly.

    "We can't trust the galaxy to the Jedi any longer," Brisha said. She reached for her belt. "It's time for us to take the reins."

    "Brisha, no!" Jacen growled.

    "You want to stop me, 'Master'? Then stop me."

    Brisha's lightsaber ignited, and its blade shone a bright red. Jaina heard the sound of Jacen's own lightsaber igniting, and an emerald light reflected off the dark stone. There was silence for a moment.

    "I think you'll find," Brisha said, "that you are far outnumbered."

    And then everything exploded into action.
     
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  15. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Loved Mara's thoughts on the Force and I agree. =D=

    Brisha is a piece of work, been out for her own agenda all along, sucked Jacen in with her smooth tongue and other assets :p

    I like Ahli ... she seems a straightforward sort, there hopefully for the love of books.

    And then everything exploded into action.

    Always does around here. =D= =D=
     
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  16. Revanfan1

    Revanfan1 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2013
    Nyota's Heart, Briannakin, Jedi_Lover, NightWatcher91, Gemma, JadeLotus, Ewok_Slayer, ginchy, aleja2, AzureAngel2

    Chapter 12

    Luke, meditating in the quarters provided for him by Jacen, sensed something wrong. He jumped to his feet and had his lightsaber in-hand just as the door slid open and two gray-and-black clad beings charged in and ignited lightsabers. Luke Force-blasted one into the stone wall, and there was an audible crack. Luke ignited his lightsaber and blocked the blow from the second warrior. Spinning, he slashed the gray-clad being across the belly.

    Quickly, he sprinted into the corridor. He reached out with the Force, probing for his fellow Jedi. Ben and Damien, he sensed, were in no danger. Not right now, anyways. Mara was intent and probably in combat, but Luke sensed immediately that it was nothing she couldn't handle. Jaina and Jacen...his decision made, Luke charged for the nearest stairway and leapt up the steps with Force-enhanced speed.

    A door above him opened and two more gray-clad beings, backed up by Mandalorians, charged down at him. Luke unleashed a Force-push that knocked one of the gray-clad beings back into a wall, and sent a Mandalorian stumbling. Luke leapt and slashed at the throat of one of the Gray Jedi. Luke frowned as he cut the man down. Why were Jacen's followers turning on the Jedi? Surely it wasn't at Jacen's behest...

    Luke finished off his attackers and paused for a moment, pulling out his comlink.

    "Han," he said. "Han, you there?"

    "I'm here, buddy," Han replied. "What's up?"

    "A lot, actually," Luke replied. He realized that no one had even told Han that Jacen was alive yet. "I don't think we need assistance yet, but stand by just in case. Things could get ugly."

    "Roger that," Han replied. "Keep me in the loop."

    "I will."

    "May the Force be with you, kid."

    Luke smiled as he tucked his comlink away. Then he charged up the stairway. Three more times, he had to stop and deal with Gray Jedi and Mandalorian attackers. He slashed them down without trouble and resumed his race to the rooftop.

    * * *

    Jaina's lightsaber flashed yellow as she cut down the first Mandalorian. She spun and deflected a bolt from the second Mando and then blocked a sword blow from Fett before spinning and Force pushing the surviving Mando away from her. The Mando activated his jetpack to compensate for the blast, but it took him far enough away from the fight that Jaina could focus on Fett.

    "Time for round two," Jaina said with a tight grin.

    "This time, there's no one to help you," Fett said grimly.

    Jaina and Fett clashed, their weapons sparking at they connected. Fett spun around and brought a heavy-handed blow toward Jaina's throat. She ducked under the blade and slashed up, attempting to cut Fett's hands off at the wrists. Unfortunately, his beskar-plated forearm armor took the blow and absorbed it without damage to Fett himself. Reacting immediately, Jaina jumped up from her crouch and kicked Fett hard in the chest with both feet. She pushed herself off as she did, back-flipped through the air, and landed on her feet.

    Fett growled and charged in, stabbing his sword toward Jaina's midsection. Jaina brought her lightsaber up to block the blow, spun, and gave Fett a Force-shove toward the edge of the roof. That gave her a moment to turn and hurl her lightsaber at the surviving Mandalorian, who was moving to rejoin the battle. The blade cleanly decapitated the Mando and returned to her hand. Jaina looked down over the temple's courtyard, and her gut sunk. Jacen's Gray Jedi were battling each other, and Fett's Mandalorian troops assisted those who had sided with Brisha.

    "Look at this!" Jaina exclaimed at Fett. "You want honor. Is this honor? Jedi turning on each other, cutting each other down? It's madness!"

    Fett glanced up at Jaina. "The dealings of Jedi do not concern me. Only honor for my family. Honor I can only regain by slaying a Solo."

    Jaina raised her lightsaber. "Well, then. Come on."

    * * *

    Jacen stood, uncertain, facing Brisha. She'd always been there for him. Ever since he'd started his order. She'd been his protector, his guide, his loyal aide. She'd helped to teach his students his philosophies, she'd gone out and found new students for him and brought them back...she'd been with him since he'd escaped from Kueller's allies. He frowned.

    "You...you helped me escape Kueller's Dark Jedi Academy," he said. "You intended this all along, didn't you? You helped me escape because you knew I'd form a new Jedi Order out here, and you could use your influence to mold them to your image. Kueller's image."

    Brisha smirked. "You had it right the first time, Jacen. Not Kueller's image. Mine."

    "Why, Brisha?" he demanded.

    "You fool," Brisha said, shaking her head. "You never understood. Kueller was more than just another Dark Jedi. He was an opportunity. He could've reformed the Sith Order, remade it from the ashes left behind by Palpatine and Vader."

    Jacen's jaw tightened. "You want to recreate the Sith?"

    "Yes," Brisha replied. "And you made it so easy. By telling your students they had to look into the dark, see it for themselves to see what they had to stop...it only took a little nudge, and they followed me to the dark side. Oh, not all of them; only the ones I had influence over. But still, more than enough to conquer those loyal to you." Brisha giggled. "You know, Jacen, the funny thing is...you wanted to ensure that the Jedi would never be blind to the rise of the Sith again. And you were more blind than any other."

    Jacen's breath came haltingly. "I'm a fool."

    Brisha twirled her lightsaber. "Well, Jacen? The choice is yours. Fight me, in which case you die. Or join me...and rise to a new role as the conqueror of the galaxy."

    "I won't join you, Brisha," Jacen said firmly. His shoulders sagged. "But I...I can't fight you. I trusted you."

    * * *

    Ben was looking intently at one of the books, Ahli standing just behind him. He turned one of the pages, fascinated by the ancient history of the Jedi the text contained. Suddenly, he heard the soft scraping of a blade removing itself from a leather sheath.

    "Ben!" Damien cried.

    Ben whirled, his lightsaber came up, and he slashed through the small dagger that Ahli had removed from her forearm sheath. A wicked grin played across the girl's features, she flipped back, and ignited her lightsaber. Ben noticed that across the archives, some of Jacen's Jedi were drawing their own lightsabers...and began murdering their fellows. Some of the others seemed to realize what was happening, and duels began to break out through the archives. Damien ignited his own lightsaber and stood at Ben's side.

    "Let's take this crazy girl," Ben said.

    Damien nodded. "Yes, let's."
     
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  17. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Luke is something else altogether =D= [face_love] Ben and Damien's situation - :eek: so Ahli isn't what she originally appeared either. Yup, I was right. Brisha had Jacen snookered good. :p
     
  18. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    I'm caught up. Nice action! Great updates!
     
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  19. Gemma

    Gemma Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 25, 2013
    I really liked Mara's thoughts about the Force and how it is used in Chapter 11.

    Wow I can't wait to see what happens between Brisha and Jacen.
     
  20. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Phew, I also caught up after my look-down (including a pyjama party at the kindergarten where I happily work & meeting two fellow members of the GSFFG who are close RL friends since a couple of years).

    Anyway, I like that Jacen is also in the story. Even though I would like to hit him hard on the head with a brick stone or another heavy object, which would not be very pedagogical, I know. And even worse, it would bring me to the dark side of the Force. But it gives me the creeps when somebody walks around and preaches improvements for betterment.

    [face_nail_biting]
     
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  21. Revanfan1

    Revanfan1 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2013
    Nyota's Heart, Briannakin, Jedi_Lover, NightWatcher91, Gemma, JadeLotus, Ewok_Slayer, ginchy, aleja2, AzureAngel2

    Chapter 13

    Ben's lightsaber flashed toward Ahli. The girl spun her orange-bladed lightsaber in a parry. Ben ducked and let Damien's lightsaber sweep over his head. Ahli stumbled back as the blade came close to her throat. Still crouched, Ben swept his leg out and tripped Ahli. She stumbled, hit the ground, and sent out a blind Force push in their direction. Damien tripped and dropped his lightsaber; Ben hit the ground and winced, but kept a hold of his saber.

    Damien rolled instantly to his feet, regained his lightsaber, and snapped it back to life. Ahli sent out another Force push. Ben rolled aside and sent back a Force push of his own. Ahli skidded back several feet, and Damien advanced on her, twirling his saber. Before he could reach her, two Dark Jedi jumped down and attacked. Damien briefly dueled one before cutting him down, while Ben came up behind the other and hit him over the head with his saber hilt.

    Damien and Ben nodded to each other and surged toward Ahli. She had by then regained her footing, and now she twirled his lightsaber in preparation for defense. Reaching out with the Force, she snagged a fallen lightsaber and jerked it to her hand, igniting it. Now armed with a pair of lightsabers, she gave them a wicked grin and charged in, a tornado of light.

    "I think we're in trouble," Ben said with a grimace.

    * * *

    Jaina batted away Fett's slash and punched him hard in the temple. Fett groaned and rammed his head forward, slamming it into Jaina's face. Jaina shrieked in surprise and pain and jerked back, bringing her lightsaber up in blind defense as Fett hammered three hard blows down toward her head. After she'd blocked all three strikes, she lifted Fett with the Force and hurled him toward the edge of the roof.

    "Jacen!" she growled. "What are you doing? Fight her!"

    Jacen stood, uncertain, his lightsaber in his hand and ignited, but down by his side, not in a defensive posture. Brisha was moving slowly toward the stairway; Jacen did not move to stop her. Growling, Jaina advanced toward the tall woman and raised her lightsaber in readiness. Brisha gave Jaina a wicked grin and sent a bolt of Force lightning at her. Jaina caught the bolt on her blade and swept it aside. Brisha began to move down the stairway...

    And suddenly, a Force blast caught her in the back and sent her scrabbling forward onto the rooftop. Luke emerged from the stairway, lightsaber in hand, pointed down at Brisha. Jaina grinned and slowly lowered her lightsaber. She turned to look back at Fett. The man was slowly regaining his footing, rubbing his head, but his sword was not in hand. Jaina half-turned, keeping her attention evenly divided between Fett and Brisha.

    "Brisha...don't do this," Jacen said.

    "I've come too far to stop now, Jacen," Brisha snarled. "One way or another, this will end in blood!"

    Luke gave her a hard look. "I'd prefer not to kill you. But I am not going to let the Sith return."

    "I won't be taken prisoner," Brisha said.

    "We'll see about that."

    Luke advanced on her...and she blasted him with a bolt of Force lightning. Almost contemptuously, Luke batted the energy away. Brisha fired another bolt, and another. Luke deflected or absorbed every blow. But it gave Brisha time, time to crawl away from the Jedi Master. She had a crazed look in her eye, like she actually believed she had a chance of escaping. Jaina turned her attention again to Fett; with a growl, he turned and rocketed away, leaving the battle behind. Shrugging, Jaina advanced on Brisha.

    The woman, seeming to realize that Luke was not going to be harried by the blasts of lightning she was sending, snarled madly and pulled back both hands, preparing a powerful blast of Force energy. Jaina's eyes narrowed.

    "Oh, no you don't," she hissed.

    Leaping forward, she swung her lightsaber down toward Brisha. The yellow blade came within centimeters of cutting open the woman's blond head...and a green lightsaber interposed itself between them. Confused, Jaina looked up...and found Jacen standing between her and Brisha, his lightsaber gripped tightly in his hands. He looked vaguely ill.

    "Don't," he begged. "She's one of my students."

    "She's gone mad, Jacen!" Jaina exclaimed. "Don't you see that?"

    "She...no," Jacen argued. "It must be my fault. I must've failed her somehow. You can't kill her for it."

    "Jacen, she's trying to kill Uncle Luke; she's trying to restore the Sith Order!"

    "I...I can fix this!" Jacen insisted, fear and confusion evident in his eyes. "I...I have to. It's my fault. I couldn't see that I was making the same mistakes I was preaching against. Don't kill her!"

    Jaina batted Jacen's lightsaber away impatiently and advanced on Brisha. Jacen leapt backwards, fully planting himself between them. His expression hardened and he brought his lightsaber up.

    "Jaina. I said don't. It's not the Jedi way to strike down an unarmed foe."

    "Unarmed? She's frying Uncle Luke!"

    Jacen looked up. As Jaina had said, Brisha had unleashed her gathering of Force energy and was now unleashing it in constant waves of lightning on the Jedi Master. Luke was taking it fairly well, but he was starting to grimace a bit. Jacen hesitated.

    "I..."

    And then, it happened all at once. Brisha unleashed a final burst of energy, causing Luke to stumble. The woman shot to her feet, hit Jacen and Jaina with a blast of lightning that incapacitated them both, and then ran for the edge of the temple. Jaina tried to get to her feet. As she did, she noticed that Brisha had an unconscious Jacen by his collar. She leapt off the roof of the temple...Jaina scrambled toward the edge and looked down. Brisha slowed her fall with the Force and landed safely. Then she carried Jacen's body away toward the landed TIE Defenders.

    "Blast it," Jaina growled.

    Luke walked over to her side and put a hand on her shoulder.

    "Come, Jaina," he said. "We'll find Brisha and Jacen later. We need to finish off the rest of these Dark Jedi and Mandalorians for now."

    Jaina nodded grimly. "Yeah...right."
     
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  22. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    I wonder how Jacen can fix THAT! Honestly!

    *makes a stern face and taps right foot with her arms folded

    :mad:Jacen!

    * mutters curses in English, Irish-Gaelic AND German
     
  23. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Joins Nicole/Azure in frustration :rolleyes: Dude needs one heckuva reality check :p =D=
     
  24. ginchy

    ginchy Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 25, 2005
    LOL, I love the exchange about Brisha being 'unarmed'. You're doing a great job writing the action!
     
  25. Gemma

    Gemma Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 25, 2013
    This was an impressive battle. I kinda of figured Jacen would be torn up about Brisha. This whole story is excellant. I'm running out of ways to send you my praise. Keep up the great writing.