"Dark of Knight"-Chapter 1
Disclaimer: George ole buddy, I'm not making dime one off of this, I'm just trying to expand on the world that you have created! Thank you to all the authors who gave me these wonderful characters to work with!
Here's a bit of background info: It's set immediately after the YV invasion has ended. The YV made a mistake in believing that Centerpoint Station was not operational. Anakin Solo, the only person who can activate Centerpoint, flew there, despite the urgings once again of his brother Jacen not to, and fired on the entire YV fleet attacking Coruscant. The repulsor blast destroyed 80% of the Yuzhan Vong force. While this may seem a great victory....it is not without it's perils. Yes, the Vong have effectively been defeated (for the time being), but Kyp's Dozen have fallen to the Dark Side of the Force, and Anakin, lauded as a hero now, has to come to terms with the many beings that died through his actions.
(Whew! Now here's chapter number 1!!)
In the cold, silvery light of dawn, the dance began.
That was all it could possibly be described as; the flowing, rhythmic movements of two beings, highly skilled at their chosen activity. Each step, each spin accompanied by a flash of violet on icy green. With a mutual strike of particular intensity, the two Jedi stood practically nose to nose, the dance ground to a temporary standstill, their blades locked and crossed in front of them. Jedi Knight Anakin Solo, one of the youngest beings ever to achieve Knighthood, wondered for the thousandth time how his brother could be so good with the lightsaber, when he only seemed to practice minimally, spending all his spare time in meditation.
Jacen Solo, now a Jedi Master, and, like Anakin, the youngest ever to achieve his particular status, merely smiled. It's because I trust in the Force completely Anakin, sending the mental message out through the Force to his younger sibling. Anakin snorted and spun smoothly away, taking up a defensive position.
"How many times have we had this particular discussion Jace? I thought we decided that our differing views on how the Force is meant to be used was something that we were going to have to agree to disagree on.", he said as he abruptly dropped his defensive stance and glided towards Jacen, slashing with a blow that would split Jacen from left shoulder to right hip. Jacen parried the slash and answered with a horizontal blow at Anakin's midsection. "Indeed.", Jacen responded, giving Anakin the "Wise Jedi Master" smile that aggravated him so much. Jacen knew that Anakin liked nothing better to get a rise out of his brother, and that portraying a picture of classic Jedi serenity was sure to get him riled up. Instead, Anakin surprised him by merely grunting in acknowledgement, and pressing his attack. Again the dance was joined. Jacen was forced commit himself even deeper to the Force, to even catch a glimpse of what Anakin might do next. Whatever his feelings about how Anakin viewed the Force, he had to admit that his younger brother was a fine example of a Jedi, and that he wielded the Force in his way with confidence and surety. It didn't hurt that he was at least as Force-strong as Jacen himself was. Back and forth the two continued across the jungle landscape in front of the Great Temple. So strongly was the Force flowing in both these beings that it radiated power off of them, and wherever they moved, leaves and branches were blown back or stirred up as if by a passing wind. The fight continued smoothly for another half an hour, and by that time both Jedi were nearing the point of exhaustion. Sensing an opening in his brother's defense, Anakin feinted with a slow slash, then brought his blade around to crash into Jacen's with all the power that he could muster. Faltering, Jacen's blade met Anakin's high, but was slowly driven back. Grinning from ear to ear, Anakin poured on the pressure. Jacen risked a glance at Anakin, gave a tiny smile, and deactivated his blade. The sudden lack of pressure caused Anakin to lurch forward, and Jacen caught him on the emitter of his own lightsaber. Had his pressed the activation stud, the blade would have extended forward through Anakins stomach and out his back, severing his spine. Panting, both Jedi dropped to the ground. Jacen was the first to speak.
"Gotcha.", Jacen said, grinning like a madman.
"You know, for the serene Jedi Master that your reputation claims you to be, you sure seem to take all kinds of pride in defeating your younger brother in a lightsaber duel.", Anakin replied.
"Pride is not the Jedi way. Pride leads to the Dark Side.", Jacen responded in his best teaching tone. Anakin rolled his eyes and both Jedi slowly got to their feet, laughing the entire time. As they looked around, they realized that they had gathered a small audience. Master Luke Skywalker, along with his wife, Master Mara Jade, their sister Jaina, now a Jedi Knight, and Jacen's first official Padawan learner, Calron Acladia, a silent and intense 12 year old from Coruscant. Almost in unison the two brothers turned and walked towards the small crowd of family and friends.
(I know the ending of this first chapter is a bit lame, but I'm here at work writing this and my replacement just showed up. If you guys like it, I'm planning on writing several more chapters, and making this into a fairly long running fan fic. I was always intrigued by the idea of Kyp Durron and his dozen falling to the Dark Side, so I'm going to write them in as the main enemies. Let me know what you guys think!" )
"Dark of Knight"-Chapter 2
As Anakin and Jacen approached their Uncle Luke, they could sense that something was wrong. Luke Skywalker was the most powerful Jedi in existence, possibly of all time; he never had to be reminded to shield his emotions. Today was different. Luke was broadcasting his pain and sorrow quite clearly. With troubled glances at each other, Jacen and Anakin dropped all traces of their amusement and moved to talk to their Uncle and former Master.
"Uncle Luke….what is it?", Anakin was the first to speak.
Luke sighed. "We lost another one to the Dark Side.", he said in a voice that was barely audible.
Anakin and Jacen didn't know how to respond. Waves of sadness engulfed them both. Too many were following Kyp down the dark path. "Who was it?", Jacen asked, not sure if he really wanted to know the answer.
Luke sighed again. "That's the part that's hardest to take. It was Kenth. Kenth Hamner." Kenth Hamner was now a Jedi Master himself, and had always been one of Luke's strongest supporters.
Stunned into silence, Anakin could hardly breathe. "Kenth? But…why? He….Uncle Luke, how could this have happened?"
Mara stepped forward and answered for him. "How does it always happen Anakin? Kyp seems to be there in moments of weakness, striking where it hurts the most. Kenth and his apprentice were investigating a distress signal from the Naboo system, when there ship was surrounded by X-Wings, X-wings belonging to Kyp and his band of traitors.", Mara spat out in disgust. Luke held up a hand, and Mara fell silent, her face like a mass of thunderclouds on Yavin IV. "This is the first since the original Twelve fell to the Dark Side, and I should have seen it coming. Kyp wouldn't be content with only a dozen Darksiders. He needed more, and he needed someone with experience. Not only is Kenth an excellent military strategist and pilot, he's also an exceptional teacher. Although this was his first official apprentice, he's always been a valued teacher here at the Praxaeum, and his student was progressing along at a remarkable rate."
Jacen had remained still due to shock up until this point, but now he walked over to his Padawan and put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. The youth had been fairly radiating his fear to everyone in the group. "Calm yourself Calron. Find your peace within the Force." Jacen stated quietly. "Do we know how he was turned, Master?" At this, Jaina, and even Mara narrowed their eyes in hatred, but Luke, calm as ever, held up a hand to stop them from speaking. "His ship was set on an auto-pilot course back to Coruscant. The young boy, Jeryn was his name, was found with a lightsaber wound through his chest. Kyp set up a holocam, making sure we would see every second of the incident. As two of Kyp's darksiders held Kenth in check, Kyp forced him to watch as he drove his lightsaber through the apprentice's heart with agonizing slowness, slowly killing him. This was enough to send Kenth over the edge and into oblivion. As the boy died, Kenth screamed and calling upon the Dark Side of the Force, he crushed the throats of the two men holding him. With that act, he was lost. It must have taken Kyp awhile to get through to him, because the tape cuts off for close to an hour, according to the timer on the screen, but it starts again, with this message from Kyp." With that, Luke pulled a small holoprojector from inside the folds of his robes, and flipped it on. Anakin and Jacen stared, as Kyp's face filled the viewscreen.
"Hello Master Skywalker. I'm hoping this reaches you first, but if not…", Kyp grinned, "I'm sure it will reach you soon. It's a shame the boy had to die, but I needed a Jedi, and not just any Jedi, but a Master. It was the easiest way to get through to him really. As you can see, he has now tasted the true power of the Force, the power of the Dark Side. He's gone now, taken off in one of the X-Wings vacated by one of the poor fellows he killed…but he'll be back. I wanted you to see, as I begin to take your Jedi from you, that no one is impossible to turn. Kenth Hamner was one of your closest friends and supporters…but he's mine now. Mine. Remember this Master Skywalker, as it won't be the last time." With that, the screen went dead.
"Dark of Knight"-Chapter 3
The two brothers failed to react for an instant. "How could anyone be that cruel?", they both wondered. Jacen, in order to quell the hatred threatening to sprout in his heart, delved wholly into the Force; next to him, he felt his apprentice do the same. Anakin's reaction was nearly the exact opposite of Jacen's. The emotions flew across his face at the speed of light. From shock, to pity for the dead apprentice and for Kenth, to disgust, and finally to pure hatred. Due to Jacen's natural attunement to the living Force, Anakin's emotions washed over him like a tidal wave. Luke, sensing the change in his youngest nephew as well, fixed his gaze on him.
"Anakin, you must be calm. You've seen what hatred can lead to. Do not take the first step down the dark path. Release you anger."
Jacen could feel the internal struggle in Anakin, could even understand it at some level. How one being could be as purely evil as Kyp Durron now was….it was beyond comprehension. Anakin gradually brought himself under control, and after a few moments, the only feeling radiating from Anakin was determination. Sensing this as well, Luke and Mara both nodded. Jaina looked visibly relieved. Silent until now, Jaina addressed her Uncle Luke.
"Uncle Luke….what can we possibly do in this situation."
Luke pondered a moment before responding. "I have thought about this since first receiving the transmission, and it has not been an easy decision. What I have come up with is this. We don't know where Kenth is at the time, but neither does Kyp. Kyp is full of confidence that Kenth will return to receive further instruction in the ways of the Dark Side, but until he does, we have a chance to get to him first. I need two Jedi to go to the Naboo system, and investigate all possible leads of where Hamner might have fled. The logical place to start would almost have to be the Nubian capital city of Theed. It's not likely that he merely fled to the planet, but maybe someone down there knows something. It's a longshot, but right now it's all we have to go on."
"Any thoughts on which Jedi you might dispatch?", Jaina replied.
"Actually, I wanted to send you and Anakin, if you would agree to go." At this, Anakin seemed to snap out of his reverie. "Us? Why us?", he asked. Luke regarded him soberly. "Because Anakin, not only are you two of my best Jedi, but it's no secret that Hamner always respected you two more than most other Jedi. You are both excellent pilots, and both had great success in the war with the Vong. Being a military man himself, Kenth respects that." Jaina merely nodded in acquiesce, but Anakin still looked troubled. "Master, I'm not sure I'm fit for this mission.", he quietly stated. Jacen was shocked. Never before had Anakin hesitated when presented with a mission. Luke knew this as well.
"Anakin what's troubling you?", he asked, concern filling his voice. "Since when do you back down from a mission?" Anakin opened his mouth as if to say something, but then clamped it shut. Jacen felt Anakin's mental shields tighten as all sense of emotion ceased to radiate off of Anakin.
"It's nothing, Master. I accept the mission and will be ready to depart first thing." He turned to Jaina. "Can you be ready to go by 0800 tomorrow? I think this is something we need to get started on right away. It's a big galaxy, and there are countless places that Hamner could be at this very moment."
Jaina nodded. "I'll be ready.", she said simply.
Luke, still casting troubled glances at Anakin, spoke up. "I would appreciate it if the two of you would stop by my rooms before you left tomorrow. I'll want to fill you in on all the available details of the mission before seeing you off. You'll each be given an X-Wing to fly during this, since you want to be prepared for any eventuality, especially a meeting with Kyp and his renegades." Anakin and Jaina both nodded, then Anakin bowed, made his excuses, and turned towards the Great Temple. Jaina hurried after him.
Jacen was staring after Anakin, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Jacen do you have any idea what is troubling him?", Mara asked. "He's normally the most self-assured person in the galaxy, and the thought of him hesitating to take a mission…that's almost unthinkable."
Jacen turned to her. "I know. I feel the rift between Anakin and I has slowly been healing since the first Centerpoint incident, but it hasn't healed to the point where Anakin will allow me access to his thoughts. At this juncture, your guess is as good as mine." He gestured at Luke. "Will you call a meeting of the Jedi here at the Academy? They need to know….many of the students were close with Jeryn, and Kenth was always respected here, by students, Knights, and Masters alike."
Luke nodded his confirmation. "I've already sent out the message. The meeting will take place in 3 days. Thankfully, all of the Jedi who are off-planet were still fairly close to the system. I won't be requiring your attendance though. I have a special mission for you and your apprentice. Stop by my rooms later tonight, around 1900 hours, and I'll fill you in."
Jacen bowed, and his apprentice hurried to follow suit. "Yes, my Master." With that, he turned towards the jungle, gesturing for his apprentice to follow him. Luke watched them go, and then turned to Mara.
"Tell me, am I falling back into my old farmboy optimism by believing that there is still hope for finding and redeeming Kenth?", he asked.
Mara smiled at him and interlaced his fingers through hers. "You wouldn't be my husband if you weren't optimistic, Luke. It's one of your more endearing traits." She leaned up to kiss his nose.
Luke sighed and slipped his arms around Mara's waist, pulling her closer to him. "Have I told you how much I adore you today?"
Mara grinned smugly. "Not in the last couple of hours."
Luke laughed briefly, and then sobered. "Mara, this situation with Hamner is serious. You know many of the Jedi will see this as being just one Jedi falling to the Dark Side, but it's so much more than that. Kenth was one of our closest friends. I would have never dreamed that he could be turned. If it's possible with him, it's possible with anybody. What are we going to say to the other Jedi when they arrive?"
"The same thing we always say: To trust in the will of the Force."
And finally…..
"Dark of Knight"-Chapter 4
Anakin leaned against the cool stone wall of his living room after entering and closing the door. Jaina had tried to talk to him, to get him to open up to her, but Anakin had fended her off with constant assurances that he was fine. He was absolutely certain that not just Jaina, but Jacen, Aunt Mara, and Uncle Luke knew that something was wrong now, but they respected his privacy too much to attempt to force an answer out of him. "Thank the Force for that.", Anakin thought. Sighing heavily, he unclipped his utility belt, along with his lightsaber, and tossed it on the desk in the corner of the room. Calming his breathing once more, he settled on the floor, readying himself for extended meditation. Thanks to a suggestion from his Uncle Luke, Anakin always liked to meditate for at least 8 hours before any mission, to center himself within the Force. Anakin slowly closed his eyes, and lost himself in the power of the Force.
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Deep in the heart of the jungles of Yavin IV, the other Solo brother was giving his young apprentice a lesson in Force-control
"Calm your thoughts Calron. Feel the Force flow through you. Release yourself into it's control, and all manner of things are possible.", Jacen quietly encouraged. Ten feet away from him, the young boy stood on one hand, eyes half closed, his face a mask of concentration. On both sides of him were two stacks of rocks, both 20 stones high. Jacen felt a light surge within the Force from his Padawan, and a fallen tree branch untangled itself from the dense forest vegetation, floating to stand on end behind him.
"Good. Peace and serenity, those are the pathways to the Force. Control is the key. Learn to control your emotions, and the Force will remain strong within you.", Jacen encouraged. He knew that his apprentice was probably hearing very little of his dialogue, if any, but he hoped that the sound of his voice would have a calming effect on the boy. Force control can be a tedious lesson, and for a 12 year old, complete concentration is a hard thing to achieve. Jacen decided to spice the lesson up a little. Pushing outward with the Force, he gently tickled Calron's ribs. Calron's eyes snapped open the the tree branch began to sway ponderously from side to side, as the youth struggled to keep it under control. Jacen increased the pressure and he felt the Force flow come to a halt in his Padawan, as the boy toppled to the ground along with the tree branch and the rocks.
Jacen sighed. "Control Calron. You must learn control."
The boy looked up at his master with mild indignation through a mask of weariness. They had been at this most of the day. "Master, you cheated!"
Jacen regarded his apprentice thoughtfully. "So you expect every mission to be distraction-free then, Padawan? A fine dream, but a dream nonetheless. You must learn to keep the Force within you, my young apprentice, at all times. As a Jedi, rarely will you find yourself in a situation in which distractions are not a constant presence."
Calron was still panting from the exertion, and merely nodded. "Yes, Master."
Jacen looked up and was startled to find that it was nearly dark. It was almost time to meet his Uncle for the details of this new mission. "Come Padawan," he said, "Let's get you cleaned up before we go to meet my uncle." He helped Calron to his feet and they started making their way back through the Jungle. Through the bond that they shared, Jacen could feel wisps of anxiety coming from they boy.
"Is something bothering you Padawan?", he asked.
The youth glanced at his Master a bit nervously. "Not exactly Master. It's just that I'm still a bit anxious around Master Skywalker and Master Jade."
Jacen laughed. "Why should they make you nervous Padawan? They are merely Jedi like any other." Jacen could fairly well predict his apprentice's response to that statement.
Calron's eyes widened. "Master, they are hardly the same as any other Jedi! They are….well, they're Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade! They're practically living legends!" The youth smiled with shy pride. "As are you and your brother and sister Master."
Jacen gave a small smile. "I have hardly done anything worthy of becoming a legend, Padawan. I can definitely see where you're coming from with Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara, however. Sometimes even I have a hard time remembering that they're my family." The two Jedi walked in silence for awhile before Calron spoke again.
"Master, I didn't know you were so good with the lightsaber. I've never seen you in a practice duel with another Jedi before. You've only worked with me, showing me the various steps, and working with the remote.", the boy said quietly.
Jacen nodded his head to the compliment. "Thank you Padawan, although I certainly have much room for improvement."
Calron's eyes widened incredulously. "Master…you defeated your brother this morning! Knight Solo is widely known by the other trainees as the best swordsman amongst the Jedi!"
Jacen chuckled softly. "You have only seen one duel, my apprentice. Anakin bests me more often than not."
Disbelief rolled off Calron in waves. "I find that hard to believe, Master."
Jacen smiled and led his apprentice up the steps into the Great Temple. "Hard as it may be to believe, it's true.", he said with a self-mocking tone in his voice. "Let's visit the refresher to get cleaned up, and perhaps grab some dinner before our meeting with Uncle Luke."
With a shock Anakin's eyes opened immediately, frantically searching the room. Breathing heavily, Anakin's mind slowly registered that he was in fact in his own rooms in the Great Temple on Yavin IV. The chrono on the wall told him that it was 10 pm….he had indeed been meditating for almost the entire day. Emitting a sigh of relief, he slowly got to his feet and walked to the sink in his refresher, hitting the button that despensed the cool water. Dipping his hands in it, he splashed some on his face and looked into the mirror. The visions had invaded his meditation now. That had never happened before. Previously, the visions had only come in the form of nightmares when he slept. The screams, the yells in inhuman anguish, immediately silenced. The ressurected guilt over the death of Chewbacca, the first Centerpoint crisis accompanied by the destruction of the Hapan fleet. Anakin flinched at that thought. And worst of all….the millions of lives forfeited by his own hand, when he fired Centerpoint Station at the end of the war with the Vong. How many times had he tried to reason that he was defending Coruscant and the galaxy in general? It never seemed to work. All he could think of was how many lives he had taken. Before when he killed the Vong, it had always been with his lightsaber, or with an X-Wing. He had been in contact with them, and had been defending himself and others. With Centerpoint….he was light years away. Nobody else seemed to make the distinction except for him. Even Jacen had now accepted what he had done as right. "So why do I feel this way?", Anakin wondered. "Why do I feel as if I've commited some terrible act? I rid the galaxy of the Vong….an alien species responsible for millions, even billions of deaths." Sighing heavily, Anakin dried off his face, put on a sleeping tunic, and crawled into bed. Maybe tonight would be different……
"Come in.", Luke called from his bedroom as he heard the door chime. He stretched out briefly with the Force and felt the distinct presences of his nephew and his apprentice. "I'm in here."
Jacen smiled at his Uncle Luke and looked around. "Where's Aunt Mara?", he asked.
"You know her.", Luke responded dryly. "She's off on a run through the jungle right now, blowing off some steam. This whole situation with Kyp has her more than a little, shall we say…miffed?"
Jacen's face grew serious. "It affects us all, Master." Moving to a chair next to Luke's desk, he gestured for his apprentice to do the same. "What do you ask of us?"
Luke tossed Jacen a datapad. "A diplomatic mission actually. I need you to go to Coruscant and try to get the Inner Council to let us use New Republic Intelligence to track the whereabouts of Kyp and his group of renegades."
Jacen's eyebrows shot up and he whistled softly. "Not an easy task. You know how much Borsk Fey'lya looks down on the Jedi."
Luke's face took on a troubled look. "I know, but we have to have those intelligence contacts. Kyp is too strong and well trained in the Force for us to track him solely with it. The Bothan spies are the best in the galaxy. We need to try to use every available resource to find where he will strike next. On that datapad you'll find the details of the mission. I'd appreciate it if you could leave tomorrow morning. It shouldn't take you more than three days to reach Coruscant. We've got a shuttle for you, it's sitting at docking bay 4-b right now."
Jacen nodded. "It shall be as you say Master. Come, Padawan, we must prepare." Jacen rose to leave as his apprentice did the same.
Luke smiled at the pair of them. "Contact me when you reach Coruscant, and say hi to your mother and father for me. Tell them Mara and I should be back there as soon as the meeting here has ended…probably by the end of the week. May the Force be with you both."
(That's the end of the fourth installment. I promise some serious action within the next two chapters, as I feel I've built of the story just about enough. I appreciate any feedback that you guys can give me! Don't flame toooooo hard though, it's just my first time! ;-) )