Past Redemption: Jaina's Quest
Chapter 1As Jaina walked down the rock lined corridors, she admired the intricate designs that the builders of the ancient temple has lined them with.
"I wonder how that long lost civilization would feel about how the current occupants used their handiwork." She thought to herself and smiled. While the origins, and original purpose, of the Jedi Temple lay in the forgotten past, it was recently used as a base from which the Rebel Alliance had launched the attack which had destroyed the original Death Star. While she and her brothers had been told this story many times by C-3PO, Jaina couldn't help but wonder why the Empire hadn't simply destroyed the gas giant planet as soon as they entered the system. It would have made things a lot easier for them.
Jaina smiled. "Then again," she thought, "that would have required some creative thinking on Tarkin's part…and military leaders in a dictatorship are not generally known as creative thinkers…it could prove dangerous if the dictator discovers that he has a free thinker in his mist.
As she approached the door to Uncle Luke's study, her attention returned to the present. Uncle Luke rarely called her here for a meeting, and even when he had, it has always been as part of a group…never on her own. When she had received the notice, her first thought had been to inquire the reason, but the Jedi student (there were so many, nowadays, that she had discovered that couldn't remember everyone's name) who was on duty that day had replied that he was only delivering the message. After thanking him, she headed off to the study…outside of which she now found herself.
As the door opened, she was startled to find that they weren't alone, as she had assumed, but the other two present weren't Jedi, either. She recognized Lando Calrissian immediately, but did not know the identity of the fourth person.
"Jaina," Master Skywalker (she realized this was an official meeting, and tried to get into the proper mood) smiled. "thank you for coming so quickly. Please, have a seat."
He gestured to the chair next to him. He and the other two were seated around a circular table that Luke liked to use for formal occasions, and she sat down in the single empty chair. She immediately remembered how uncomfortable it was, and suppressed a grimace. Having no "official" budget, the Academy was furnished by government surplus, and as a result, they usually received the items that nobody else wanted.
"You already know Lando." Master Luke said as Lando smiled and nodded. "Meet his friend, Liam."
Without realizing it, Jaina leaned forward, expecting a last name, which caused Liam to laugh.
"Just "Liam"." He said. "On my planet, last names are reserved for royalty, which, alas, I am not."
Although he was currently seated, Jaina noticed how short the man was (she would be surprised if he was five feet tall), but she also noticed how stocky he was. Proportionately speaking, Jaina reflected that he was probably the most muscular person she had ever seen. He was also one of the few people she had ever met who was completely bald…and it didn't appear that he shaved.
"I am what you might call a "Bounty Hunter"." He told her, and she reflected that his size and appearance would definitely be enough to instill fear into those he hunted.
"Liam has a story to tell." Lando said. "And let me preface it by saying that I have known him for over thirty years, and I trust him implicitly."
"You come with distinguished references." Luke told Liam. "Let's hear what you have to say."
"Thank you both for your kindness. I am humbled." Liam began. "I hope my story warrants that reception, and that it can aid you." He took a sip of the tea that had been offered him when he had arrived, and gathered his thoughts. "My story is, at best, a second hand telling of the memories of a panicked individual. Nonetheless, let be begin by saying that my species has the ability to tell when someone is lying to us." He smiled when he realized to whom he was speaking. "Much like my distinguished company…the ability serves me well in my…endeavors…and I have no doubt that, whatever the individual's motives, he was speaking truthfully."
He took another sip of tea. "Several months ago, I was tracking a mark and, by complete coincidence, stumbled upon another one for whom I had been searching for about a year. In an effort to convince me to release him, he told me a story that he claimed I could sell for a greater profit than what I was getting from his capture.
He claimed he was witness to a gang attack against two men. One of the two had taken quite a beating when someone interrupted them.
According to my mark, that someone brandished an orange light-saber."
Liam paused and looked at Luke, half-expecting him to ask for more clarification, but Luke motioned for him to continue.
"'Big deal." I told him…it was probably one of Skywalker's wannabes." He paused and smiled at Jaina. "No offence." He told her, but continued when she didn't respond. ""No." He said. "None of Skywalker's students have an orange blade…and all of the Dark Jedi have red blades."
He paused and took another sip of tea.
"Whether or not he was correct about your students, Master Jedi, he was correct about the Dark Jedi." He concluded.
Luke took a few seconds to ponder what he had just heard.
"And he is correct concerning my students, too." He finally said.
"Could he have been mistaken about the color?" Jaina asked.
"That was my first question, too." Liam laughed. "Although anything is possible…he claims that it was dusk at the time, and the blade shown like a sun in the darkness. He was quite adamant that it was an orange blade."
"Did he say when this occurred?" Luke asked.
"That's the kicker of the whole story." Liam sighed. "He claimed that the event occurred roughly five years ago."
If Luke was disappointed in the timeline, he didn't show it. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingertips in deep thought.
"And your certain he was telling the truth?" He finally asked.
"I am certain he believes that what he told me is what happened." Liam replied, "Whether or not it is what actually occurred…I am afraid the question is beyond my abilities."
Luke nodded and continued to consider what he had just been told.
"Where did this…event…occur?" Jaina asked. Although, in hindsight, it was probably the most obvious question of the entire story, she had only just thought of it.
"On a small planet known as Targon V." Liam answered. "It began as a mining colony, then prospered rather well under Imperial rule as a safe-haven for smugglers." He smiled. "The end of the Empire forced it to become…legitimate, and, since a large quantity of precious metal was discovered about fifteen years ago, it has fared rather well."
"Although it is still a…friendly…place for smugglers to resupply." Lando added.
"Your…client…didn't happen to know the names of anybody involved, did he?" Luke asked.
"Alas…no." Liam shrugged. "Needless to say, he didn't hang around afterwards for introductions."
"Thank you the information." Luke said as he stood, the meeting clearly over. "I am afraid our current circumstances prevent me from providing any…gratuities."
"Think nothing of it, Master Jedi." Liam held up his hands. "In fact, you can even consider it a repayment…of sorts." He smiled at Luke's confused look. "My family has been in this business for several generations, and my father liked to tell of a story where he was helped out of a rather nasty situation by the sudden appearance of a Jedi. His advice to me was to always be on a Jedi's good side."
Luke smiled. "If there is anything the Jedi can do to continue the friendship…just let us know."
"Good day to you, Master Jedi." He bowed. "And to you, young Jedi." He said to Jaina.
"May the Force be with you." Luke replied as the on duty Jedi, who Luke had Force-summoned, arrived to escort Lando and Liam to their ship.
When they were alone, Luke turned to Jaina.
"What do you think?" He asked.
"What is there to think?" Jaina asked, incredulous that Uncle Luke even considered the tale worthy of conversation. "I mean, I person of…questionable repute comes here and tells us of a story told to him, probably under extreme duress, of an event that supposedly happened five years ago…What can we possibly do with such information?"
"You don't consider Liam a reliable source?" Luke calmly asked.
For a few seconds, she didn't know how to respond. "Just where is this line of questioning going?" She thought.
"There's probably a warrant out for his arrest." She finally answered.
"So, because he…doesn't see eye to eye with the government, he shouldn't be trusted?" Luke asked.
"Among other reasons." She said, getting visibly emotional.
"Consider that, for many years, your parents and I had warrants out for our arrest." Luke calmly retorted.
"That was different, Uncle Luke." She countered. "It was the government that was corrupt."
"From our point of view." Luke said. "Understand that that were many systems that were perfectly content under Imperial rule. They considered us criminals, too."
For a few seconds, Jaina simply stared at him, not knowing how to respond.
"I want you to go to Targon 5 and find out what happened." Luke said after an uncomfortable silence.
If Jaina was shocked before, this last statement really threw her off balance.
"You want me to…" Jaina couldn't even finish the question. Her first impulse was to ask him if he was joking, but considering the circumstances, she quickly realized he wasn't.
She reflected that she had probably never seen him more serious.
"If there is even a possibility that a, presumably, Force sensitive individual out there that is taking the law into his own hands, we have to find out who he is…and what his true motives are." He cocked his head. "And I use the word "he" purely for convenience…I didn't notice anything in Liam's story that identified gender, so you might just as well be looking for a female."
She saw the futility in trying to dissuade him from sending her, so she resigned herself to questioning him concerning specifics of the assignment.
"How long should I take?" She asked.
"Take however long you need." He replied. "While I am certain that you will do everything possible to succeed, if you are satisfied that there is nothing to be found, then end the mission and return."
Jaina nodded, turned to go, then paused and turned back.
"And on the off chance I do find this person." She asked.
It was Luke's turn to pause as he considered his reply.
"Ascertain his…motives…and take appropriate action." He finally said. "Ideally, since whoever it is appears to be helping those in need, the person would be willing to return with you for training. But the possibility is very real that he has fallen to the Dark Side, and was merely protecting his allies…you must be prepared for whatever you find."
She nodded, and turned to go.
"May the Force be with you." Luke told her as she walked through the door.
"And you, too." She replied as the door closed.
As she made her way back to her room, she began planning for her mission. As Uncle Luke said, the ideal outcome would be that the person would return with her to the Academy for training…which meant that she would need a vehicle that could transport two people, so her fighter was out. No problem there, the Academy had numerous shuttles that she would be able to use. Also, she didn't want to take her astromech droid, she would rely on the navigational computer in the shuttle.
Before she returned to her room, she stopped by the flight line to sign for a shuttle and program the computer to plot that best course for Targon V. That done, she returned to her room and began packing when her brother showed up.
"You going somewhere?" He asked.
"Very good." She paused from her packing and clapped her hands. "What gave it away?"
"I hear you requisitioned a shuttle." Jacen said. "What's going on?"
"Uncle Luke is sending me on a mission." She replied.
"You gonna tell me what it is?" He asked and a lengthy silence.
"A wild goose chase…in all probability." Was all she said.
"How long are you gonna be gone?" He asked.
"Don't worry." She laughed. "I'm sure you'll find someone else to pick on."
"I'm just…concerned." He blushed. "As a younger brother, I mean."
"You're only younger than me by a few minutes." She laughed.
"There are some species whose entire life-span is but a few minutes." He deadpanned.
"And if we belonged to one of them, I would acknowledge your "youthful" concern." She retorted.
When he only shrugged, she turned serious.
"Uncle Luke is sending me on a mission." She said. "I don't know how long it will take, or where the ultimate destination will be."
"Promise me you'll be careful." He said.
"I will be." She replied, then smiled. "Like I said, I believe it will be a wild goose chase."
When she finished packing, he helped her carry her packs to the shuttle, where the flight-line crew was finishing loading up the supplies she had requested.
She set her pack down and checked the navi-computer.
"Targon V is a definitely a remote system." She said aloud.
""Targon V"?" Jacen repeated. "Never heard of it."
"My first…and probably only stop." She answered. "Roughly a week's travel."
"You're not even taking a droid?" He asked.
"Don't know what to expect." She said. "And I don't want to take anything that might slow me down. Besides, the navcomp is more than capable of providing any computations I might need."
"I'll let you get going." He said as he headed to the boarding ramp. "Like I said earlier, be careful…and may the Force be with you."
"And you, too." She replied. "I will send a message when I get to Targon V…but I can't promise anything beyond that."
He nodded and headed down the ramp, which immediately closed as she verified the pre-flight checks that had been performed by the line crew.
Jacen watched until the shuttle disappeared in the clouds, then turned and headed to the courtyard to continue his daily exercises.
After the shuttle entered hyperspace, Jaina sat down and entered a deep, meditative trance.
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