A/N: Some of you have been wondering about Eriana, where she comes from, etc. This is that story. I wrote this in 2006 as part of a 6 chapter plan to chronicle the start of Jacen's 5 year journey in the Force and I thought I had lost the file – hence the title. I had to dig through the files from an old computer and finally came across it. I've gone through and edited/rewritten parts of it to make it flow better with other stuff/characterizations (Eriana was pretty flat in this, as SiouxFan pointed out- thanks for looking it over ) and in general bring up the quality of writing. Surprisingly, I've improved a bit over the last 7 years. But the story hasn't changed. This is still the original story of how Jacen met Eriana, as I've held it in my own mind since her creation. The story starts at the end of Jacen receiving the Solo Quest from Booster, and Womprat/R12-47 from Lando, but he still hasn't named the ship at this point. To help fund his trip he's decided to trade goods between worlds and see where it takes him while following a somewhat thought out plan.
Main Characters:
Jacen, Jedi Knight
R12-47 "Womprat", Astromech-protocol-battle droid hybrid
Eriana Fostenon, Jensaarai Defender
Nabal WanQat, Jensaarai Defender
L'Nai Dukali, Jensaarai Apprentice
Minor Characters:
Tiglar Antrean, Saarai-Kaar
Jacen Solo sat cross-legged in the cargo bay of his new ship. Normally he would try to meditate on the vast intricate connections of the Force, sense the life forms nearby, or deepen his understanding of the various faucets of the Force. Sometimes he would practice with his lightsaber, trying to hone his mind and body into a greater connection with the Force. Today, he was trying to name his newly acquired YT-2400 freighter, something that seemed harder than years of Jedi training.
'Jacen's Ship.' No, to simple. 'Womprat Mobile.' Nah, too 60's. 'Coursca Voyager.' Oi. Dad would kill me for that one. 'Yun Harla.' or 'Yun Yammka.' Oh, wait, I don't have any Vong tattoos.
Nothing came to mind which he liked. Normally he would ask his sister, Jaina, who seemed quite capable of naming ships. Her affinity with machines was only surpassed with her piloting skills.
'Vergerian…' forget it. She'd haunt me to no end for that.
Jaina would likely be jealous of his new ship, though he was sure that an X-wing would keep her much happier. Outfitted with virtually every high-end illegal upgrade available, the YT-2400 Corellian light freighter had become Jacen's ride around the galaxy while he sought enlightenment within the Force scarce hours earlier. As a Jedi Knight who recently discovered that aspects of Force previously unknown to the Jedi existed, begging to be mastered, Jacen found himself with a lot of work to do and in need of a ship to get him there. A kind donor had given the ship to Booster Terrik as a gift to the Jedi not long before Jacen had started looking for a ship, and, frankly, he happened across Booster at the right time.
'Anakin's Legacy,' No, he hated the design of YT-2400s.
Many cultures existed which used the Force in ways the Jedi did not, such as the Fallanasi and the Aing Tii monks. Others, such as the Jensaarai, used the same area of the Force that the Jedi did, but in either philosophically or practically different ways. Jacen's goal was to merge all these Force cultures into his own unique understanding and, hopefully, gain some measure of enlightenment from it. Seeing as the Jensaarai were an off-shoot of the Jedi culture, they seemed to be as good a place to start as any.
'Millenium Mynock' … I should check the life support system to make sure enough oxygen is in the air.
Like the Jedi, many cultures were short-sighted, believing that their way was the only way. As far as anyone he spoke to knew, Jacen was the first to try bridging so many cultures together. He was sure that some would welcome him with open arms, but was also concerned that others would not want to share.
'Star Searcher,' Well, that one has potential. More than the last bunch, anyways.
Officially, one's status as a member of the Jedi Order would be suspended when a Jedi stopped taking orders from the council or the masters, so Jacen was politically on his own. This would both benefit and hinder his journey, as he would have to build relationships on his own, but would not have to worry about any negative reputation the Jedi Order might have incited over the years.
'Sekot's Dream.' I think its dream is to make its own ships…
So Jacen found himself dressed in Jedi Robes sitting in the middle of his cargo bay on the removable wall-to-wall training mat Mirax had specially ordered for him, trying to figure out a name for his ship.
I thought I was supposed to be learning about the Force, not naming ships.
He got up, and decided to clear his mind with some lightsaber drills. Rather than using a lightsaber, he found a wooden staff of the same length as a lightsaber blade that Mirax had also purchased. She found several useful training utilities, such as the six wooden 'lightsabers,' the training mat, a punching bag, and various other weapons and supplies. Unlike the lightsaber, the wooden staff had a weighted blade which could give the weapon momentum as it was travelling through the air. Jacen started with a slow infinity pattern with the blade to loosen his wrists, first with the right hand, then the left. After fifty rotations in each hand, he retraced the pattern in the opposite direction. For the next hour, he performed various patterns of lightsaber strikes and blocks, as per the traditional Form I routines that he learned years ago from Master Skywalker. In the years before Jacen was born, Luke Skywalker had come across various training documents from the old Jedi Order which explained the lightsaber forms, though a complete record of the form techniques were never found. What Luke had found and reconstructed were Forms I, III, V and VI. The other forms were all but lost to time, and the New Jedi Order had adopted Form V as their standard fighting form.
Form I was the purely basic blade combat style designed to teach a Jedi how to handle the blade, and was meant to ease the transition to the higher forms. It also provided an excellent base to fall back on when a Jedi found himself in a situation where form V would not help. Form III was highly defensive, while Form V was a more aggressive style of combat, both of which Luke had learned from Obi-Wan's diary. Where Form I was based on simplicity, Form V was based on dominating one's opponent through superior power. Form VI was a 'moderate' form studied by few, as it did not do any one thing well, but many things decently. Tionne was quite fond of this form. Master Skywalker had deemed this form to be too academic for practical Jedi use, and encouraged others to only study it after mastering Form V.
Little had survived from forms II, and IV. From various reports within documents Luke had found, it was known that Form II was made for duelling and IV was quite acrobatic, but the techniques that filled the forms were lost. Now that the war had ended, some masters were attempting to re-develop the forms, but none had been entirely successful thus far.
As Jacen finished his Form V patterns, his astromech droid rolled into the cargo bay. Not a regular astromech droid, R12-47, or "Womprat," contained the recovered brain of a 4000 year old assassin droid, and the eccentricities to match.
"Query: Master, might I ask where this solo quest of yours is currently leading us?"
Jacen replaced the practice weapon in the bin labelled "B-17" and turned to the droid inquisitively. "Sorry, Womprat, what did you say?"
"Irritated reply: I said 'Query: Master…"
"No," Jacen interrupted. "You said 'solo quest'?"
"Confirmation: Affirmative, Master."
"Hmm…I like that." Jacen said thoughtfully. "I think you just named our ship."
"Statement: Oh, what a dreary name that is, Master. May I suggest something like 'Krayt's Fire?'"
"No, I like it." Jacen replied. "And to answer your question, the Solo Quest is en route to the Jensaarai planet of Susevfi. Corran told me that the Jensaarai had moved back there with the events of the war after their new base got attacked by the Yuzzhan Vong."
"Acknowledged, Master. Query: Will we be leaving the ship upon arrival?"
"I will be," Jacen replied. "I heard the Jensaarai have become rather xenophobic, keeping mostly to themselves. Rather than risk…" he was about to say "your shell," but decided to try an alternate approach "… the safety of the ship, I'd rather you stayed here to guard it."
"Statement: A wise course of action, Master. I will, of course, ensure the ship is well guarded, and prepared to leave, should you get blasted."
Womprat turned around, and rolled back out the door. Jacen checked his chrono – it would be another hour before reverting from hyperspace, which would be just enough time for him to record a journal entry to Jaina…
"Wa'cha trad'n?"
"Sorry?"
"Ya'a trad'a, righ? Wa'cha trad'n." Jacen could barely understand the Susevfian's native tongue. The spaceport official had met him as he departed the Solo Quest, but his accent was so horrible Jacen had to call on the Force to derive the meaning.
"Yes, I'm a trader." Jacen replied. "I'm looking for goods to deliver off world. Would you know who I should talk to?"
"Brin'n stuff en?"
"No, I couldn't find cargo on my last stop, but was told you export ag products here."
"Ri-o." the man grunted. "Re' buil'in on da lef'. Can' miss ie."
"Thank you."
"Oh, Trad'a," the man stopped Jacen before he could walk far. "En da mille ov da city ie a big roa'. Don' cross it. Ya do an' da J'saarai won' le' ya offworl'ers leave." The official walked away with a snicker.
I guess I know where I'm going.
Jacen spent the day scouting out the city. It was divided by a big stone road down the middle, with the spaceport on one side and, what appeared to be the walled Jensaarai facility on the other. The spaceport and facility were as far away from each other as possible, and between them were dozens of houses, businesses, and other structures that made up the city. While scouting the city, he spent the day collecting various items to construct an outfit to help him blend in with the locals, so he could slip into the Jensaarai side of the city without exposing himself as a Jedi. His efforts to communicate with the Jensaarai were ignored, requiring him to seek alternative ways of attracting their attention. Some helpful locals, none of which spoke like the spaceport official, told him that the Jensaarai had become reclusive since the war.
After several hours, Jacen grabbed a quick meal from a restaurant near the shipyard, and returned to the ship to 'arrange cargo shipments.' Two hours past sunset, Jacen slipped out of the ship wearing his local outfit, and headed straight for the Jensaarai side of the city. He focused his presence so it was small enough to go unnoticed as a Force user, but big enough to be recognized as a normal human to avoid detection.
After walking around for a short time, he found a bar which seemed to be the most active place on that side of the city. He walked into a room with approximately fifty sentients, all enjoying brightly coloured drinks. There were four droids rolling around, taking orders and delivering drinks while avoiding patrons. He took this in as he walked up to the bar and waited to order. Looking around, he saw several people throwing darts at a marked wall with no board, some playing sabbacc, others merely chatting, and some engaging in various activities ranging from arm wrestling to singing.
"What'cha want, kid?"
"Whyren's Reserve." Jacen said, holding up his right hand with his thumb about two centimetres from his index finger to indicate how much.
"What planet are you from?" The barkeep asked. "This is a juice bar."
"No juri juice?"
"Cute. Sure you haven't had enough already?"
"Dricklefruit juice."
Apparently satisfied, the barkeep disappeared for a moment and returned with a bright purple drink. Jacen tossed him a five credit coin, picked up his drink and walked towards the sabbacc table. Having Han Solo as a father, Jacen had learned a few things about the game.
As he walked up to the sabbacc table, a game between four people – two humans who looked like they could be father and son, a Deveronian, and a Rodian – had just ended. The Rodian mumbled something about his bedtime and left.
"Hey, you," the older man called to Jacen. "Care to join us?"
Taking a moment to evaluate the opponents – though hardly necessary as he already did from the bar – Jacen nodded and sat down.
"Name's Nabal WanQat." The older man spoke again. Roughly in his forties, he had a shaven head, a goatee, and an angry look. He gestured to the younger man, who appeared to be about sixteen with black hair, and about twenty centimetres shorter than Jacen. "He's L'Nai Dukali. The other guy, we can't really pronounce his name, but he likes losing, so we let him play." Everyone at the table laughed.
"Ramious Dorgrav'iata." The Deveronian said, bowing his head.
Deciding to go with a false name rather than scare off his new friends – either through his reputation as a Jedi, or as his father's as a card shark – Jacen said, "Quindos Selya"
Nabal started dealing. "First round we'll go easy on ya, so 5 credit buy in, standard rules, nothing fancy."
The four players tossed their coins onto the table and picked up their cards. Jacen held a Master of Sabres, Balance, 3 of Flasks, and 5 of Staves – a total of 11 and quite far from the 23 needed for Pure Sabbacc. Placing the 3 and 5 in the interference field, he discarded his other two cards and tossed another 5 credits onto the pile. The other three players matched his bet. Nabal dealt two more cards to each player, and Jacen drew the Star and the Evil One. Combined with his 3 and 5, that gave him -24 and a bust if someone called. Just as he was about to continue, the randomizer struck and changed the face of the two cards in his hand. He now held the 2 of coins, and mistress of commander of flasks – 22 points! With a bit of intuition and neutral expression on his face, he exchanged the 5 in the interference field with the 2, and tossed 10 credits on the pile saying "Call." All three opponents looked at him as if he had three heads, not because he did something wrong, but because they suspected him of bluffing. Suspecting the three opponents may be Force sensitive, Jacen willed himself to appear anxious, impatient, and excited, but maintained his stone-set facial expression. If they were Force sensitive, they would definitely be fooled.
L'Nai looked at his hand doubtfully, laid his cards down, and said "Fold."
Ramious looked at him calculatingly, and said "I'm in. Your ten, raise you thirty."
Nabal looked like he would eat his cards and grudgingly threw 40 credits on the table. Apparently he wasn't fooled.
Jacen matched the 30 credits, and as he reached for another 30, the randomizer struck again. He paused, holding the credits ten centimetres from the table to look at his cards, and then tossed the additional 30 on the table, looking up expectantly at Ramious.
Ramious wordlessly tossed 30 on the table, and looked to Nabal. Even without using the Force, Jacen could see he was happy – since the randomizer hit, he had sat up a bit taller and had a glint of a smile in his eye that was not there a moment before. Amateur. Nabal dropped 30 more on the table and said "Show 'em."
Nabal had a negative 23 and a win – if nobody held a positive 23. Ramious held the ace of all four suits, a value of 60.
"I seem to have lost a card, but I swear I'm playing the wrong game." Ramious said, getting a laugh from all the players.
Jacen retrieved his 2 and 3 from the interference field, and placed them on the table beside the Queen of Air and Darkness from his hand. Nabal had a ferocious smile on his face from his sure victory.
"I'm pretty sure that's 3 points there, but I feel like an idiot not knowing what to do with this card." He held the Idiot's Array on his forehead, facing Nabal with a wide grin on his face.
Nabal was not amused. "Cheat!" he shouted so the entire bar could hear him. Everyone stopped to look at the sabbacc table. "This man's a cheat!" He lunged at Jacen with his hands outstretched, to throttle Jacen.
Barely having time to react, Jacen knocked his chair over backwards with the momentum of Nabul, and used his foot to propel Nabal along his trajectory right into the bar. L'Nai shouted "Master!" and pulled his lightsaber out to try subduing Jacen. Jacen held out his hands in an attempt to ward off L'Nai.
"You saw him attack me!"
"Now you'll see me end him." Nabal said, drawing his own lightsaber.
Abandoning his self-imposed Force exile, Jacen could sense Nabal and L'Nai trying to coordinate their attack. Deciding on a pre-emptive attack, he reached out and pulled L'Nai's lightsaber clean out of the teen's grip, and flung it through the wall that previously only had to contend with darts. Simultaneously, he shoved L'Nai backwards into the far wall, knocking him out cold.
While he had attacked L'Nai, Nabal saw an opportunity to lunge forward. Jacen spun out of the attacking blade's path, and used a Force-enhanced spinning back fist to hit the base of Nabal's skull and render the man unconscious.
With the lopsided smile learned from his father, Jacen turned around to collect his winnings, and faced an orange lightsaber held by another bar patron. "Hey, nice sword. Know where I can find one?"
"You're under arrest. Come with me."
"On what charges?"
The 39 other lightsabers activating around Jacen told him no answer was needed. His father got him into this mess, so he decided to let his mother's lessons in diplomacy get him out of it.
"Fine, fine." He said, yielding. He then used the Force to pick the credits up off the table and carry them to his hand. "But I did win these fair and square."
The next morning Jacen awoke on a bed with characteristics not unlike a rocky mountain face. He needed a Jedi trance to actually get to sleep, and almost regretted not sleeping on the floor instead when he woke up with his back in knots. After leaving the bar, he had been escorted to the Jensaarai facility and to the prison area. As far as he could tell the prisons were rarely used and he was the only occupant. He reached out with the Force and nudged the guard to indicate he was awake. Five minutes later, the cell door opened to reveal a full body suit of armour with a lightsaber hanging from its belt. The armour was decorated with the design of a bha'lir, a design which was incorporated into the lightsaber and helmet as well. The suit of armour walked into the room, and removed its helmet to reveal a cascade of long blonde hair, and the pretty face of a woman he thought he recognized from the bar. What struck him most was the intensity of her bright green eyes, almost the colour his lightsaber blade had been. Appearing to be not much older than Jacen, she carried an aging weight on her face which indicated disappointment and unhappiness, but Jacen felt it was not entirely because of his actions.
"Trader Quindos Selya?" she asked. "Or should I say 'Jedi Knight Jacen Solo'?"
"That depends. Who are you?"
The woman could barely suppress a smile. "Eriana Fostenon. I'm the Jensaarai Defender who has been chosen by the Saarai-Kaar to prepare you to defend yourself against Nabal, the man you insulted."
"Ah. In that case, sure, you can call me Jacen," he said, slightly overwhelmed. "How did you figure out who I am?"
"Ever hear of the holonet?" Eriana asked with an expression questioning his sanity on her face. "You are mildly famous."
"Mildly?" Jacen asked in an indignant tone. "The mildly famous aren't on the most-eligible lists the moment they turn eighteen. Those of us that are are a different breed of famous."
"What breed of famous would that be?" Eriana asked. "Stray mutt?"
"Wow, you Jensaraai must really hate me," Jacen said, holding a hand over his heart to feign an injury. "Maybe I should've started with 'I come in peace.'"
"Yeah, and you'd leave in pieces," Eriana muttered. "We just don't have time for self-important Jedi playboys trying to infiltrate our ranks. Now, back to things that matter, how well familiar are you in the Saarai Honour Duel?"
"Never heard of it."
"By using the Force to assault Nabal and L'Nai, the Defender and Apprentice you beat at Sabbacc last night, you insulted them. As per tradition, you must face off with them in an Honour Duel. This is as much to regain your own honour as it is for them."
"So, umm…" Jacen laughed and stood up. "You're telling me I have to beat up a kid and his master to regain my honour, when they insulted my character and attacked me unprovoked, and I only defended myself like any sentient being would?"
"I'm sorry, Jacen, I was unclear." Eriana said slowly. "The Honour Duel is to the death."
Jacen shook his head. "Then I won't participate. I came here to learn the Jensaarai ways in the Force, not to kill people."
Eriana had a look of bitter sadness on her face as she struggled to find the right words. Jacen realized that she, too, did not approve of the Honour Duel.
"If that is what you want, there is little chance of you learning our ways without winning the duel. Things have changed in recent years…" She sighed. "I pleaded your case to the Saarai-Kaar. I told her you were provoked, but Nabal was furious. He is very influential among the Jensaarai, especially with the Saraai-Kaar. His demands to have the duel fell on ears deaf to my own pleas."
"He seems like a lunatic."
Eriana said nothing, but shrugged apologetically.
"So you pulled the short straw and had to help me?"
"Something like that," Eriana muttered. "My job is to train you to fight for the duel. You must use our style of lightsaber fighting, not your Jedi ways. We have five days to prepare, and must start immediately."
"At least I'll learn something on this trip," Jacen said. "What if I refuse to participate?"
"Then you'll be put in the arena with Nabal and L'Nai, and they'll slaughter you where you stand," she replied. "Jacen, there is no way out of it, short of fighting your way out of here. If you do that, it would probably destroy relations between the Jensaarai and the Jedi, and possibly your relations with the Jedi, too." She paused for a moment in thought. "Why didn't you approach us as the Jedi normally do? Did you think running around our city and getting into fights was the best way to get our assistance?"
Jacen took a moment to collect his thoughts. "I tried communicating several times, without Jedi codes, but got rebuffed. And I didn't go through Jedi routes because I'm not on Jedi business – I'm here on my own."
"Okay. We should get started on your training immediately," she said insistently, walking out of the cell and gesturing him to follow. "Where is your lightsaber? They said you didn't have it on you when they picked you up."
"I don't have one."
She glared at him. "Pretending to not have a lightsaber will not get you out of the Duel."
As they walked along a stone corridor away from the cells Jacen tried to absorb as much detail as he could. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all a light brown colour and there were very few walls or changes along the way. The guard who was at the door followed just out of earshot behind them.
"My lightsaber is on my ship, but I don't think it'll help," he responded. "It got destroyed on the last day of the war. Right now it's a fancy display for the gem."
"My sources tell me the war ended almost two months ago," Eriana said. "Are you telling me that in two months you couldn't build a new lightsaber?"
"Oh, no," Jacen responded. "I wasn't planning to. I want to learn the ways of the Force, not the lightsaber."
Eriana looked flabbergasted at this revelation. "This complicates things. You will need a lightsaber for the duel, and you cannot use mine. No Jensaarai will allow themselves to be separated from their lightsaber willingly."
"I did find another lightsaber hilt, though I'd rather not use it."
"Oh?"
"It's old. Very old." Jacen said. "Pre-clone wars era, I think. It works, but it's a relic. I don't want to damage it."
"Jacen, you don't have a choice here," Eriana pleaded. She almost seemed desperate, as if everything she ever wanted was for him to fight this duel. "Is it on your ship?"
"Yeah, it's in the armoury," Jacen responded. "But I highly doubt your Saarai-Kaar would let me out of here, and I know my droid wouldn't let you into my ship without me. It is a tad protective. And I think it's insane, too."
"I will… explain the situation to the Saarai-Kaar and see about retrieving your lightsaber," she said. They stopped at a door along the hallway, and she opened it to reveal a sparsely decorated room. "This is where you are to stay. Please remain here until I return. If you need anything, ask Jorus here. If you're not here when I get back, I'll have to hunt you down and kill you myself, so, for my sake, please, stay here."
Her eyes softened for a moment as she held the helmet in both hands.
"Killing people is not something I want to do, either."
Without another word, Eriana replaced her helmet and walked away briskly. Jacen watched in curiosity as her long hair slowly disappeared into the back of her helmet as she walked away before he realized that his guard was staring at him with a blank expression on his face. Jacen smiled at him in return. Getting no empathy from his guard, he entered the room, looked around the nearly empty space, and was suddenly bored. He sat on the bed, the only piece of furniture there, and pulled his journal from his pocket…
From the Journal of Jacen Solo:
Hey Jaina,
I'm currently locked in the basement of a Jensaarai Training facility because I beat a Jensaarai Defender at Sabbacc, and then dishonoured him and his Apprentice when they attacked me for getting an Idiot's Array. I hope you get this message, because it will mean I'm not here anymore. At least, I hope so. If you don't get any others dated more than a week from now, please send Uncle Luke and Corran to pick up my body. I might be dead.
There's another Jensaarai Defender who has to train me for the duel. So far, it looks like the only thing I'll be learning here is how to fight a duel and how to upset Jensaarai Defenders. Not exactly what I had expected on this journey, but at least I'm learning something.
Umm…The room I'm in is nice. It has a bed. Some space. A bed. Oh, and did I mention the bed? It's quite lumpy.
I sense Eriana approaching again. I'll record more when I know more. Love you, bye.
The door to Jacen's temporary room opened and Eriana's helmet appeared.
"Come on, we've got half an hour to get to your ship and back here," the helmet said. "And if you try escaping, I get to kill you. What're you waiting for? Get up."
Jacen punched the entry code for his ship into the panel beside the boarding ramp with one hand cupped around the other to prevent Eriana from seeing his code. The ramp lowered with only a faint hiss of the hydraulics and he boarded his ship with Eriana right behind him. The Jensaraai Defender was acting almost like a shadow, keeping as close to him as possible without him actually wearing her.
"Warning: Master, there is meatbag behind you. May I kill him?"
"Stand down, Womprat." Jacen commanded. "Eriana, meet Womprat. Womprat, meet Eriana. Womprat, be nice. Eriana, keep your hand on your lightsaber around this droid." Jacen winked at Eriana, and went around the central corridor towards the armoury, opened the door, and entered.
More of a storage closet than an armoury, Jacen possessed very few weapons. There was space enough for dozens of rifles, hand blasters, grenades, rocket launchers…but only three blasters, a blaster rifle, a lightsaber, and an assortment of grenades rested on the shelves.
Jacen walked up to the lightsaber, and carefully opened the small glass door preventing it from dropping to the ground during ship movements. He picked up the lightsaber, feeling its ancient weight in his hand. For a moment he reached into the Force and peered into the lightsaber's presence…
"Find it?" Eriana had somehow gotten past Womprat, and her helmet appeared in the doorway. Jacen nearly jumped at seeing the angry bha'lir face looking at him, but caught himself before activating the lightsaber.
"Yeah, I just need to get some clothes from my room."
Jacen quickly went to his quarters and grabbed some clothes better suited for training. He packed them into a bag along with a change of clothes, and slipped on the leather jacket Mirax had bought him. He found a hook in the left armpit – one of Corran's favourite jacket modifications – on which he hung the lightsaber.
On the way out Jacen dropped a data chip for Womprat to find, continued down the ramp, and keyed the lock code for the ramp to seal the ship.
Upon arriving back at the Jensaarai facility, Jacen and Eriana proceeded to the cafeteria for mid-day meal. She had spent the trip back explaining some of the philosophy behind the Jensaarai culture, and how it had changed with the onset of the Yuuzhan Vong War. While the culture was originally one cohesive group with one Saarai-Kaar, survival tactics demanded that they separate into several groups on various planets. As a result, each group had a Saarai-Kaar, hand selected by the now Kaar Supreme. Over time, ties remained between groups, but each group had developed their own sub-culture. Some, like the one Eriana was part of, had become more aggressive thanks to the influence of people like Nabal. It was Nabal himself who designed the rules to the Honour Duel, something exclusive to this group of Jensaarai. Other groups took on more of an academic approach to survival and the Force, and were more passive.
"…so sometimes people who are in conflict with the group's overall philosophy will request their Saarai-Kaar for a transfer to another group." Eriana ended.
"Why haven't you been authorized for transferred yet?" Jacen asked, picking up a tray and joining the queue for food behind her.
"My skill with the lightsaber," she said with a grimace. "It's both a blessing and a curse. Tiglar Antrean, our Saarai-Kaar, equates lightsaber skill with usefulness, especially with her relatively aggressive ideology. I've been teaching virtually everyone around here to fight, but few can keep up. I'm stuck until someone gets better than me, but that's something I don't plan on letting happen." She winked at him, while accepting an orange glob of food on her plate from a surprisingly happy looking older human woman behind the serving counter.
Jacen accepted his own orange glob from the older serving woman, returning her smile, and followed Eriana to get drinks. Unsurprisingly, it was a choice between water, water, and water. In typical fashion, Jacen asked for the second option.
They entered the main eating chamber which was occupied by about twenty other Jensaarai, some of which Jacen recognized from the juice bar and others from around the compound. Two rows of five long parallel wooden tables, each that could seat eight people on either side, filled the large open room. At one end was a raised stage area, but Jacen suspected it was not for live entertainment over meals. This room likely doubled as a live theatre or assembly room. Most of the people were sitting close to the door Jacen and Eriana entered from, so they moved to the far end near the stage for privacy and sat facing each other.
"Jacen, tell me more about the Jedi Order," Eriana requested. "Our group hasn't kept in contact with the Jedi as much as others. I've heard that some Jensaarai served with the Jedi in the war, but none I knew personally."
"Umm…yeah," Jacen said. "I'm not too familiar with any myself. I wanted to go on one of our exchange programs between the Jedi and Jensaarai, but then the war broke out. But the Jedi? What about them? Us, I mean."
"I'm fairly familiar with the Jedi Order before the war, but how have things changed with it?"
"Oh," Jacen said. "Not much. We're still following Master Skywalker. Only difference is that we're a bit more experienced, we've learned a lot more about working as a team and not killing each other." He offered a smile, which she mirrored.
"I think the biggest change is that we have learned that there's a lot more to the Force than we thought before." He continued slowly. "Structurally, we re-established the Jedi Council. We had a heck of a time trying to get everyone working together at the beginning of the war because not everyone agreed with Uncle Luke. Now, with six masters leading everyone, it's more likely that majority of Jedi will agree with those higher up. Before we were pretty much 50-50 on everything. Either you were with Master Skywalker, or against him."
"Hmm…I wonder if such a change here would be beneficial," she mused. "Though Tiglar would never give up her power. More accurately, only our Supreme-Kaar can take it away or give it to whomever she believes is worthy."
A small ruckus broke out near the entrance to the room that caught Jacen's attention. Nabal and L'Nai had entered, and Nabal seemed to think the people walking past him were disrespectful. It appeared that he had pushed someone about 10 years old to the floor with the Force. His voice rang out across the hall, silencing everyone.
"How dare you?! Are you blind? Did your memory fail to remember that this door has been here for longer than you?"
Jacen was up in a flash.
"Jacen, no!" Eriana tried catching him with a telekinetic pull, but he deflected it. He leapt over the tables and came down face-to-face with Nabal, on the opposite side of the child crying on the floor. Up close, Jacen realized the reason the child was crying was that Nabal was crushing him into the floor with the Force.
"Back off," Jacen said evenly. He let no hint of emotion seep into his voice, he merely said the words. He could feel the effort Nabal was using to crush the boy to the ground not abiding, so he used his own skills to counteract it. The boy got up and ran off, not even looking back at the Jedi who saved him.
Eriana ran up and grabbed Jacen's arm.
"Control your dog, Fostenon," Nabal sneered. "It'd be a shame for you if he died before the duel."
"Ignore him," she said, pulling Jacen away from the other man. Jacen held Nabal's glare a moment longer and finally allowed himself to be pulled away.
"That was not wise," Eriana said bitterly. "I appreciate what you did for Kortus, but we have a strict relationship between Defenders and Apprentices. Apprentices must listen to the Defenders at all times. It's how they learn."
"That's one lesson the boy could go without," Jacen said. "Nabal could have killed him. He was certainly putting enough pressure behind it."
Eriana spun him around to face him, jabbing a finger against his chest.
"You are on a slippery slope as it is! Don't make things worse for yourself!" She seethed for a moment, not taking her glare from his eyes. "You were probably right to help Kortus, but you shouldn't be messing with Nabal, especially not now. I told you, he has a lot of influence with the Saarai-Kaar. Our fates are practically in his hands! Get your act together, or I'll have to make sure you don't make it to the duel!"
"Are you threatening me?" Jacen asked. "Maybe I don't know a damn thing about the Jensaraai ways, but I know how to hold my own in a fight. Did you hear about what I went through in the war? Maybe you can out-fight me with a lightsaber, but with the Force, you wouldn't stand a chance against me in a real fight." He stalked back to their table alone, and she stayed behind for a moment.
"I've heard too much about you, Jacen," Eriana said to herself silently. "That's what scares me."
From the Private Journal of Jacen Solo
Hey Jaina.
I spent the day training with Eriana Fostenon, my very own personal Jensaarai Defender to train me so I don't disgrace people further. She knows her stuff, but she comes across as a complete pain in the ass know-it-all. Much like you, now that I think about it. But worse. After mid-day meal we went to the training gym. You should see the place! I think the Jedi should build something similar. It's got enough room for a squad of X-wings, and has designated areas for various training types – grappling, acrobatics, lightsaber training, hoverball, a running track, rock climbing...
We spent most of the time using lightsabers. I know the basics, obviously, so we focussed on the actual striking and blocking techniques unique to the Jensaraai style. Between her training and the versatility of Uncle Luke's, I think I've picked up about half the techniques over the 5 hours we trained. After that, we broke for evening meal. Pretty crazy, with over 100 people crammed into the cafeteria, all singing and dancing while trying to eat. Never seen a culture quite like it. I almost could have made a holocomedy about it.
In an hour I have a meeting with Eriana, Tiglar Antrean (the Saarai-Kaar), and the two fools I upset. I doubt it will be any more enjoyable than the time we were on Ryloth. Gonna meditate for a bit first.
Later,
Jacen.
The Saarai-Kaar's audience chamber was a very dull room, not much different from Master Skywalker's office, with bare stone walls, a worn old wooden desk and a few simple chairs were all that occupied the room. Tiglar herself sat behind the desk, and Nabal and L'Nai sat on her right. Jacen and Eriana took seats on her left, with Eriana between the two opposing parties.
"Greetings, Jedi Solo." Tiglar said. Jacen noticed she did not sound happy. "I hear you enjoy getting yourself in trouble."
"If trouble is keeping this maniac in line," Jacen said, pointing to Nabal, "its 'trouble' other people should be getting into."
A low growling sound came from Nabal. Jacen noticed that L'Nai seemed to cower slightly, but gave no other reaction. Jacen merely ignored Nabal, and looked at Tiglar, who seemed even more upset than she had a minute earlier.
"This 'maniac,' as you so delicately described him, follows our rules." Tiglar paused. "Can you say the same about yourself since you intruded on our territory?"
Jacen did not like where this was going. Tiglar was deliberately making it seem like everything he could do was wrong, and everything Nabal did was right – or more accurately, anyone who went against Nabal was wrong. While Jacen had the utmost respect for laws and customs, he did not like the impression he was getting that one man alone could dictate the laws for groups of people. He also knew the laws that had been set out were not of the traditional Jensaarai style, as the Jedi would never align themselves with people using such twisted philosophies.
"What rules in a just society uphold unprovoked assault, unwarranted accusations, child abuse, and bullying?" Jacen leaned forward to stare her directly into the eyes. "I think you should also consider the ramifications if everyone found out that he was sleeping with you in exchange for all this power he lords over everyone with."
Jacen could sense Eriana's heart rate jump. He could feel her surprise, but he also suspected she knew, but was pretending not to.
Tiglar and Nabal both jumped out of their seats, while L'Nai seemed to cower further. Concerned about an attack, Jacen erected a telekinetic wall between in front of Nabal using the Force, but remained seated and calm. He continued, "So how am I supposed to take you seriously when everyone is being manipulated by him and his dark influence in contrary to the beliefs of the Jensaraai? He's practically a Vader-wannabe as it is. If I could see that, anyone should be able to."
Nabal took a menacing step forward and Jacen's wall, earning him a smirk from the young Jedi as he felt the wall with his fingers with a mixture of fascination and confusion. Tiglar looked at Nabal and said "Sit down." Nabal looked at her with a hurt expression on his face, and sat down. At least she realized this Jedi was no mere beginner in the Force.
Jacen continued before she could. "Quite frankly, I'm shocked that nobody tried to usurp your rule. Or are you deliberately trying to breed cowards and fools amongst your ranks to keep them in line? Does the Supreme-Kaar even know about the abundant corruption here on Susevfi?"
"You are in enough trouble…"
"You fraking idiot!" Jacen cut her off, standing and placing his hands on her desk glaring directly at her. It was a political manoeuvre that his mother had sometimes used, one sure to intimidate Tiglar. It was defiantly working. He could feel her fear. He added feigned anger to his voice and used the Force to press her mind for further his intimidation. "I know you're not playing by the rules! This whole 'Honour Duel' thing? It's just a fancy way for 'Bals here to knock off anyone who gets in his way of power?"
Eriana decided to interrupt. She stepped up and grabbed Jacen by the arm and pulled him back to his chair. "Jacen, Tiglar, I think we're a little bit off topic."
"Indeed." Jacen said, allowing himself to be pulled into his chair. Eriana followed suit, but did not take a hand off his arm.
"I will go on the assumption that you do not understand the rules of the Honour Duel." Tiglar said, her face slightly flushed. "Nabal shall explain them to you."
Nabal stood up and stood behind L'Nai. His face was the colour of a red dwarf star. "The rules are simple: You may not use the Force against your opponent. You can use it on yourself, but in no way shall any Force energy or ability strike your opponent, either primarily or secondarily. You may only use the Jensaarai lightsaber style, not your other Jedi methods. Your lightsaber blade, bare skin, and any article of clothing not transferring power from the Force are all that may touch your opponent. It is a battle to the death, and you may not leave the designated fighting zone until the battle is over. Once the battle has begun, nobody may enter or leave the fighting zone."
Jacen looked at Nabal with an amused look on his face. "So does that mean if I'm taking my sweet old time dragging your sor…" Jacen's words were unheard due to Eriana coughing, "…across the ground as painfully as possible, until you're nothing more than a smear of red on the landscape, nobody can do anything?"
Something seemed to crack in Nabal's jaw. "Yes." he muttered through gritted teeth.
"Okay." Jacen said. "I agree to your terms."
"But know this:" Jacen's voice became menacing and his eyes locked onto Tiglar's. "Once I have defeated this coward, I will ensure that the Supreme-Kaar knows about the corruption in this place. And if she does nothing about you, I will."
Without another word, Jacen left the room. Eriana bowed to the Saarai-Kaar, and quickly followed.
"Jacen!"
About 300 metres from Tiglar's office, well out of ear-shot, Jacen turned around to face Eriana. "Yes?" he asked politely.
"What do you think you're doing?" Eriana demanded.
"Ruffling their feathers," Jacen said with a smile. "You told me yourself that they weren't playing by the Jensaarai rules. I thought I'd help you sort out the mess they made."
"I didn't ask for your help!" she exclaimed. "None of us did! If you think you or any other Jedi can just travel around the galaxy and tell people what to do…"
Jacen raised a hand, palm forward, as if to block an attack.
"Eriana, I realize the severity of what I said in there." His tone was calm, an attempt to slow her down. "But they can't continue this. Have you stopped and looked at what they're doing?"
Eriana could not meet Jacen's eyes. He continued. "Nobody asked me to help. But I've seen it in everyone's eyes, in their feelings. That boy who Nabal attacked, I don't think he believed being crushed was what he signed up for when he jumped on this ship. The others who saw me save him, almost all of them wished they could do what I did. I could feel it. And I know you did, too. Even the way L'Nai cowers when Nabal gets angry makes him see that this needs to be done. Nabal's own apprentice! Not one of the people who saw me interfere felt I was doing anything wrong. Not even you."
She looked away, knowing she could hold no argument against his statements.
She finally looked back at him and said, "You're skirting the Jedi's Dark Side."
He took a moment to consider. Since he spent a year in captivity with Vergere, and more time with Sekot, he believed he had curbed any dark desires. He knew the Jensaarai, like himself, did not believe in a Dark Side to the Force, but she did not know he shared that idea. He knew she really meant his dark side, not that of the Force. He paused and analysed his actions over the last few days, but could not see what she was referring to. "How?"
"You let your emotions slip into your battles," she started. "You use anger to fuel your draw on the Force. You attack people in ways that they aren't able to defend themselves against you. You seek to dominate other people's way of life. You're doing no better than what Nabal is doing. You…you're acting like a Sith Lord!"
Slightly surprised, Jacen snorted a laugh and shook his head. "No, Eriana. I'm not." He paused to collect his thoughts. "Yes, I use emotions to draw on more of the Force. But I do not allow them to control me. The Sith lose control over themselves when they draw on emotions when using the Force. Do you believe I have lost control of myself?"
She thought for a moment. "No."
"And, yes, I do attack people in ways they can't defend," he continued. "But have I permanently injured them? Have I caused unnecessary damage to anyone beyond what I needed to ensure my safety, or that of others? In the bar, did I attack those who did not intend me harm?"
She blushed, and said the obvious answer. "No."
"And am I not seeking to restore you to the path your cultural leaders, both past and present, wanted you to be on? The one you, and many others, believe you should be on and have asked for my help with through obvious body and emotional language?"
"I…" Eriana did not know what to say. She blushed and looked him in the eye. "When you put it like that, I apologize. I'm sorry I doubted you, Jacen."
"Not at all," Jacen smiled, realizing she just shed a layer of armour she had kept between them. In turn, he decided to do the same. "I should be thanking you."
"Thanking me?" Eriana looked stunned. "I just accused you of being a Sith Lord! Of crimes of cultural interference and immorality. How can you thank me?"
"I sometimes need to check myself. I'm not infallible, but sometimes I need help seeing that." He paused to consider, then smiled. "And I would appreciate if you keep doing that. You seem to have a pretty good moral compass yourself, when you remind yourself to use it."
"It can be hard, sometimes," she returned his smile. "But, thank you. I think it's time for me to draft a statement to the Supreme-Kaar to request an inquiry."
"Not just yet." Jacen said, taking her arm in his and leading her in the direction of the gymnasium. "First, you have some teaching to do."
Jacen spent many hours training with Eriana. When he was not training, he was eating, sleeping, and preparing to train. The more he trained with Eriana, the more he realized how likeable and skilled she was. Despite being regarded as one of the better Jedi with a lightsaber, even when he fought Eriana with full intensity, Jacen felt like a beginner. She continually dropped him on his butt, disarmed him, or pinned him against a wall with relative ease, but her newfound softness towards him made him feel comfortable as she picked his techniques apart and helped him rebuild them. Against her, his every strategy and tactic seemed to be anticipated and reacted to even before he could use or even think of them. He wondered if the legendary Luke Skywalker was half as good a fighter as she was.
After the third day of learning the intricacies of the distinctive Jensaarai lightsaber style, as they were practicing leg sweeps, Jacen finally asked a question that had been bugging him since he first met her.
"Eriana, why were you picked to train me?"
She caught his sweep on her blade and made a return slash, biting her bottom lip in hesitation. "I wasn't picked. I offered."
"You offered?" Jacen deflected three strikes from her and made a sideways sweeping strike with his blade as he spun in a pirouette, dropping to the ground and trying to swipe her leg out from under her, but she lightly jumped over his attack and back flipped out of range. "Why would you do that?"
"Several reasons," Eriana said, moving back into attack range. "First of all, I couldn't stand by and see you face Nabal unfairly. Secondly, I haven't had much of a challenge lately. I thought you might be an interesting specimen."
Jacen nodded. Her motions with the blade were smooth, fluid, and controlled. She definitely knew how to fight – and how to teach. He was learning the style quite quickly thanks to her abilities, but he sensed that was not enough reason for her to help him. "And third?"
"Third," she said with a smile, "I'm too smart to not do anything."
This caught Jacen by surprise. While her assessment of her lightsaber skills may have been taken as an arrogant statement if one did not recognize she did not mean it to be, the previous statement sounded quite presumptuous and out of character for the woman he was starting to see as a honourable, humble and selfless warrior.
"You don't seem like the kind of person who has too high an opinion of themselves." Jacen commented.
She deactivated her lightsaber, and walked away from him. They were alone in a large open gymnasium within a training circle marked for grappling matches. She got about twenty metres from Jacen, to the centre of the next circle, when she turned around and said "How well versed are you in Jedi philosophy? I mean, relative to other Jedi."
"Quite well, I believe." Jacen said, and then smiled. He deactivated his own lightsaber when he realized she wanted to talk. "Uncle Luke keeps telling me I ask too many questions and think too much, but I think he's rather happy that I've taken such an interest in philosophy. Why?"
"Despite my…proficiency with the lightsaber, it is not my choice area of study," she said carefully. "I probably know more about the Jensaarai ways than the Saarai-Kaar herself, having read all the ancient texts and listened to the holocrons. I've spent hours analysing, cross-referencing, thinking…" her voice trailed off for a second, staring at nothing. Her eyes returned to Jacen's before she continued. "From the understanding I've gained, I believe some of the more aggressive ideologies should, perhaps, not be pursued. It is a concept that few choose to believe, especially in light of the Yuuzhan Vong war." She looked helplessly at Jacen. "I wanted to set an example for the other Jensaarai that needless or thoughtless aggression is not our way. That's why I'm still here, that's why I train so hard with the lightsaber and study techniques and philosophy when I'm not – my people need an example to follow that isn't Nabal."
Nodding, Jacen re-ignited his lightsaber. "Then let's give them an example they'll never forget."
On the fifth day of Jacen's time in the Jensaraai compound, Jacen awoke in his room and was surprised to see Eriana sitting against the wall opposite his bed. It took him a few moments to realize she was watching him, with tears slowly running down her face.
"Eriana? What are you doing here?"
"Hi, Jacen," she responded, wiping the tears from her right cheek. "Sleep well?"
He almost said 'Obviously better than you' but decided on "Well enough. What's wrong?"
Even in the dark room, Jacen could see Eriana was distressed over the day's scheduled event.
"Jacen, there's something I didn't tell you. Something you need to know."
Sensing how upset she was, Jacen got up, walked across the room, knelt in front of her and took her hands in his. "What is it?"
"I had an apprentice. Three years ago. She was about 14. Nabal had another apprentice at that time, who is now 20. Evylin was…she was so sweet. A beautiful child in all ways," Eriana sobbed again, and Jacen pulled her into a hug, trying to ignore her armour digging into his chest. A moment later Jacen continued the story for her, guessing the outcome.
"Nabal tricked his apprentice to confront her in an Honour Duel to get back at you for being a better fighter than him?"
She said nothing, but nodded against his shoulder, pulling him tighter against her. Nothing more needed to be said for Jacen to realize that she was worried about his upcoming duel. He could sense that she did not doubt his abilities, but her own abilities to teach him. He held her for another minute and then released her. He gently cupped her cheek with his hand and gently forced her to look at him. He looked into her brilliant green eyes, wet with tears, and tried to smile.
"Eriana, don't worry about me," Jacen said softly. "I've gone up against much worse than a school yard bully."
She had a doubtful look on her face, so he continued. "Seriously, you should try my aunt's cooking. One taste of it and Nabal would be crying for his mother."
Eriana finally choked out a laugh. "Jacen, even if things don't work out well, I want you to know…I enjoyed training you."
"You're a good teacher, Eriana. One day, I expect you'll hear that from many of your students," Jacen said. "And don't worry about today. I have a feeling everything will work out well."
"I hope so, Jacen. I hope so." Eriana's distress seemed to abide, then she stepped away tentatively. "I should let you get ready. May the Force be with you."
She embraced him one more time, and then left the room to let him ready for the Jensaarai Honour Duel, still unable to tell him the one thing she wanted to say.
The arena chosen for the battle was an open field about three kilometres from the Jensaarai academy. Spectator stands were erected in the field on the rolling hills covered in tall light yellow grass. The highest point, approximately five metres off the ground, had a box in which the Saarai-Kaar and Eriana sat. The other Jensaarai, the defenders and the apprentices, sat in the stands on hard wooden benches. Jacen faced Nabal and L'Nai, approximately four metres away looking as bored as Nabal looked full of himself.
"Jedi Solo, do you know why you are here?" The Saarai-Kaar's voice rang out.
What would Dad say to a fool? "Because this idiot attacked me for no good reason, and you're too gullible to see my side of the story?"
"Silence!" Nabal yelled. "You will not address the Saarai-Kaar like that!"
"Why not? She's obviously about half as bright as you are," Jacen taunted. "And I've seen black holes brighter than you. I doubt she even understands Basic better than a ronto. Shall I grunt my responses for you?"
"Enough!" Tiglar Antrean yelled. "You are here because you dishonoured Nabal WanQat, Jensaarai Defender, and L'Nai Dukali, Jensaarai Apprentice. Are you prepared to fight according to the honour code of the Jensaarai?"
"Bring it on," Jacen responded, "In fact, get a few more of your goons out here. I prefer a fair fight!"
"Your arrogance shall be your demise," Tiglar chided him. "Then the duel shall begin…NOW!"
Three lightsabers – yellow, orange, and purple – flashed into existence. Each lightsaber was held by the right hand in a reverse grip, with the left hand resting on the pommel. Jacen was dressed a dark green version of the armoured jumpsuits that became common battle gear for a Jedi during the war, the Jensaarai were in their traditional armour. It made sense to Jacen to take out L'Nai first, as he was the easier target due to his youth and inexperience. Strategically, if he could focus on the harder target, Nabal, without having to worry about a weaker target attacking from the outside, this fight would be much easier.
Immediately after activating his blade, Jacen used the Force to enhance his speed, jump, and disguise his intent, while bringing his left hand to his chest. With the blade facing directly forward, and Jacen travelling nearly at the speed of sound while parallel to the ground, L'Nai barely knew what hit his shoulder before he collapsed to the ground from the force of Jacen hitting him and the pain of a hole in his shoulder. Rather than separating the joint, Jacen turned his lightsaber off after penetrating the teen's shoulder so he could sail past his target without causing unnecessary damage.
One down, one to humiliate.
With L'Nai down, and stunned from the pain, Nabal was furious. His prize student had been defeated in less than a second by a non-Jensaarai. Nabal moved towards Jacen with calculating precision.
"You won't get me that easily, Jedi." Nabal sneered.
"Good." Jacen replied. "I was hoping for a bit of light exercise."
Furious, Nabal launched a flurry of attacks at Jacen, all aimed at his limbs – the circular path of the Jensaarai style limited possible attacks to the head and torso without leaving wide openings. Jacen easily intercepted the attacks with his blade. Even though he was relatively limited in his knowledge about the Jensaarai form, he had been deflecting attacks he could barely perceive for years, both with and without the Force. Between improvising Jedi techniques and drawing on Eriana's excellent training, Jacen held his own against the Defender with relative ease.
And so it continued for over an hour. L'Nai was trying to recover on the ground, but was unable to move from the pain - pain unknowingly enhanced by Jacen just enough to keep him down. Nabal furiously attacked Jacen, who refused to counterattack. With boredom and frustration mounting in the crowds, the Saarai-Kaar called out "Enough!"
Nabal stopped attacking, but kept his eyes on Jacen ready to defend. Jacen, likewise, did not drop his defensive stance, and glared at Nabal.
"Jacen Solo, you are a coward. You do not honour the Jensaarai Honour Duel."
"With no due respect," Jacen responded, "A coward would've fled from a fight he knew he could not win. I fought, so you need to redefine what a coward is."
"You refused to fight according to our code," Tiglar responded. "And are now no longer welcome among the Jensaarai. You will leave immediately, and shall never return so long as I am Saarai-Kaar."
Jacen took a step back from Nabal to ensure he had reaction time, and addressed Tiglar. "I should hope this does not affect Jedi relations."
"The Jedi are friends of the Jensaarai," she responded. "You, are not."
"Fine," Jacen said. "Escort me to my ship. I'll be glad to leave." He deactivated his lightsaber, hooked it to his belt, and turned to walk to the edge of the arena. After two steps, he felt danger approaching from behind, and turned quickly to face an oncoming Nabal. Drawing on the Force as he did when facing certain death on Ebaq Nine, and the anger about the dishonourable attack on his life, he accessed the energy of the Force to defend himself. Encasing his body in a tight energy field, similar to shield systems on starfighters, he trapped the oncoming lightsaber blade between his left elbow and ribcage, twisted while dropping, and used his right hand to strike the blade just above the hilt with his palm. The hilt flew from Nabal's hand, and a surprised Nabal flew over Jacen, only to be hit by a stun bolt from a blaster.
Jacen glared down at Nabal for a moment, then up at the Saarai-Kaar. Tiglar's eyes were not directed at Jacen, but behind him.
"Statement: Master, I do believe this mission was successful. However, I do wish you'd have let me blast that meatbag much more thoroughly."
Jacen turned to Womprat "Good work. Do you have it?"
"Confirmation: Affirmative, Master." A panel opened on the droid to reveal a manipulator arm holding a bottle of water. Jacen used the Force to call it to his hand, and he walked over to L'Nai.
"L'Nai," Jacen said. "I'm sorry you got drawn into this." He focused on the water for a moment, then opened the bottle and poured it onto the hole he made in L'Nai's shoulder. The teenager winced in pain, but in a moment his breathing slowed, and the hole in his shoulder didn't hurt so much.
"I'm going to put you into a Jedi healing trance so your shoulder can regenerate itself." Jacen continued. "You'll wake up in a few days, but you'll be perfectly fine." The younger man nodded, so Jacen placed a hand on his forehead, and focused one more time. Within seconds, L'Nai was asleep, deep in a Jedi healing trance.
By the time L'Nai was unconscious, a dozen Jensaarai reached Jacen with lightsabers drawn, but not lit, to escort him back to the Solo Quest.
An hour after the duel, Jacen finally completed the pre-flight checklist for his YT-2500. Womprat was uncharacteristically quiet, not speaking about where he got the modified heavy blasters from that he had integrated into his shell. Jacen himself did not feel like talking. He blew the first chance to get to know a unique Force culture in depth, and ended up injuring a helpless teenager in the process. At the same time he felt dismayed, he was also concerned that the Jensaraai might not have been what he was looking for. Aggression had seeped into their culture from their paranoia surrounding the Yuuzhan Vong War, and seemed to twist them into an aggressive culture. He hoped that the damage he did to Kabal's reputation would help pacify their culture.
Just as he was about to ask for takeoff clearance, Jacen sensed a presence outside his ship and looked out to see Eriana standing about five metres from the cockpit, her helmet tucked under her arm against her hip. He pressed the button to lower the boarding ramp and walked back to meet her. When he arrived, she was at the bottom of the boarding ramp looking up at him. She had a bag slung over her shoulder that he hadn't noticed before, which appeared to be quite full.
"Permission to come aboard, Captain Solo?"
"This boat's leaving," Jacen said. "With my reputation here, I doubt it will return any time soon."
"Perfect," she responded. "I don't plan on coming back any time soon."
Jacen hesitated. "Eriana, I think I've messed things up enough for you as it is. You're a great person. I don't want to make things worse for you."
"Can't get any worse for me," she said. "They kicked me out. I'm as unwelcome here as you are."
"What?"
Eriana seemed momentarily distressed, as if she didn't know how to proceed. "Jacen, when I agreed to help you, it was on the presumption that you would decide my fate." She paused, letting him soak up the words she said. "They said, if you won, I could stay. If you lost…" She didn't have to finish for Jacen to realize she would have been killed as well. "Your exile is my exile, Jacen. I have nowhere else to go."
"Why would you have agreed to that without even meeting me?"
Eriana looked away for a moment, focusing on a repair droid wheeling across the hanger bay for a couple seconds. She finally looked back at him.
"I've heard the stories about how you saved the galaxy. I was hoping you might be able to save my little corner of it, too."
"Even after that whole speech about not wanting help?"
"We were being watched." Eriana grinned sheepishly. "I had to put on a good show. Well, part of it was a show. I did think you were an arrogant jerk before I got to know you better."
Jacen rolled his eyes. "So I came in and made everything worse for you, and you still want to leave with me."
"No, not worse. Maybe this is for the best. Maybe the Force has other plans for me that don't involve the Jensaraai. I just feel like this is the right path for me."
"Well," Jacen smiled. "I guess I have to make this up to you somehow. Permission granted. I could use the company."
Jacen meditated in the cargo bay. Womprat was worked on calibrating the sensors. And Eriana found herself adjusting to life on the ship. She had rarely been in hyperspace during her life with the Jensaarai, so she spent half the journey to Dathomir sitting in the cockpit watching the swirl of colours characteristic to hyperspace travel with utter fascination. To most humans, the hyperspace swirl could only be described as 'beautiful.' Sometime into the trip, Eriana finally moved to the cargo bay to speak with Jacen. She sat down cross-legged before him, and stared at his face until his eyes opened. She did not have to wait long.
"Thank you, again, for taking me in," she said. "I wish I could pay you somehow, but…I don't have anything of value. We all lived as a community…"
"Of course you do!" Jacen said. "You have knowledge of the Jensaarai ways, exactly what I went to Susevfi to learn. If you will consent to teaching me your ways, and I'll consider us even."
Relieved, Eriana smiled. "I'm glad keeping my nose in all those books finally found a way of paying off. Though I was wondering…"
It was Jacen's turn to smile. "I'll gladly teach you the Jedi ways. I'll need someone to practice with to keep up on everything, after all." He winked at Eriana, and held out his hands. Eriana took his hands in hers, and they both closed their eyes. Together, they reached out with the Force and started their first lesson.
From the Private Journal of Jacen Solo
Hey Jaina,
Well, I survied. Bit of a nasty fight, but nothing I couldn't handle. I ended up taking on a passenger – Eriana Fostenon. She's not as bad as I made her out to be before. She's been exiled from the Jensaarai because she sided with me, and she asked me for a ride around the galaxy because I was the only fool in the spaceport. She's pretty hot (see enclosed picture), but we're keeping it professional. She's agreed to teach me the Jensaarai ways, and in exchange I get to teach her the Jedi ways and have some company. Not a bad trade, considering that before all I had was a crazy R12 droid who calls everyone a "meatbag" and wants to kill everything and anything.
The fight with Nabal itself didn't last long. Not much to talk about. I grounded the Apprentice quickly, and then held off the Defender for about an hour until everyone got bored and they kicked me out. The Defender attacked me from behind – which is, surprisingly, legal in an honour duel – but my crazy droid got its claws on a pair of heavy blastes to upgrade himself with. The guy met a nasty pair of stun bolts as a going away present. I patched up his apprentice before leaving. He'll be ok. I left him in a healing trance when I left.
Hope all is well. Don't bother sending Uncle Luke and Corran after me, unless they have some Corellian spice steak and a droid memory-wipe kit.
Jacen