Part 3:

"Well," Jacen said, pointing out the viewport, "there it is."

"Looks…cozy," Ben observed. He leaned forward in the captain's chair to get a better look at the planet, then glanced at Jacen. "You sure that's it?"

Jacen closed his eyes for a moment. "Absolutely sure."

Ben also reached out with the Force, then shuddered. "Yeah. Creepy."

Luke was also sure that this was the planet where they would find the being Jacen referred to as Abeloth. Even from orbit, the planet reeked of the dark side. He reached forward and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Take her in for a landing, Son."

"Yes, sir."

With the grace of a pilot much older than himself, Ben guided the Jade Shadow into the atmosphere of the strange planet. Ben had inherited his father's knack for flying and his parents had allowed him to fly the Shadow from an early age. Jacen, the de factor leader for the mission, sat in the co-pilot's chair, having guided him during the trip through the Maw. The two of them had found Abeloth's planet with little trouble. Jacen had focused on his past confrontation and Ben honed in on the strange being he'd felt while he lived at Shelter.

Luke glanced at his wife, who was wearing a satisfied expression. It had been her idea for Ben to fly with Jacen's guidance, and Luke had to hand it to her. The two hadn't argued since the first day and ended up working quite well together, almost as well as they had when they were still master and apprentice. Mara met her husband's gaze and smiled, gesturing at their son and nephew who were now conversing as if nothing was bothering them. Luke smiled back.

"Oh my," Vestara gasped as the ship approached the ground. "This is quite an odd planet."

"You can say that again," Jacen agreed. "When I Mind Walked, these landmarks are exactly what I saw. At first, I thought Beyond Shadows was an imaginary place, but as I meditated about my experience with Abeloth lately, I realized that the places I saw when I Mind Walked must have real counterparts. And since that was where I encountered Abeloth, that must be where I would find her."

Luke nodded, remembering all that Jacen had told them during their journey from Klatooine to the Maw. Jacen had first encountered a group of Force users called the Mind Walkers on a small space station known as Sinkhole Station. They taught him the technique to separate from their bodies and travel to a place they called Beyond Shadows, which they believed to be the true reality. There, Jacen had experienced a feeling of euphoria and peace…that is, until he encountered the dark being who called herself Abeloth.

She was enthralling and powerful and she had showed Jacen many things, but in the end Jacen was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her true self. He abruptly returned to his body and then his family, abandoning his quest to gather knowledge from different Force using sects in the wake of what Abeloth had showed him.

True to his nature, Jacen was reticent to describe the vision he'd seen while with Abeloth, but Luke knew that anything that could scare Jacen—the man who'd withstood torture from the Yuuzhan Vong and had become one with the Force while defeating the Yuuzhan Vong overlord, Onimi—deserved to be feared.

Mara leaned forward in her seat. "This is definitely the strangest planet I've ever been to."

"I agree," Luke said. Abeloth's planet orbited a blue star, tinting everything a deep azure color. Below them, Luke saw the crater of a volcano and a crimson river.

"Palpatine would have loved this place. If, you know, there wasn't already another powerful dark side being living here."

Luke smiled at Mara's quip. "Something tells me you're right."

Jacen suddenly pointed out the viewport. "See that beach, Ben? Set down for a landing there."

After a gentle landing, Ben turned around to face the rest of the group. "So, what now?"

Jacen released his crash webbing and stood up. "Now, Luke and Mara join me Beyond Shadows."

"Oh. That sounds like a great time. Why don't Vestara and I stay here and watch over the ship?"

"That's exactly the intention, Ben," Luke assured him. "Although technically you'll be watching over us."

Ben shuddered. "Right. Are you guys sure about this Mind Walking thing? It sounds really weird."

"Beyond Shadows was where I encountered Abeloth," Jacen said. "Something is telling me we need to go there first before confronting her."

"Then why don't Ben and I join you?" Vestara asked.

"Because we need you to watch over us," Luke said gently. "Not that I think we'll get stuck there, but you never know. Stranger things have happened."

"Yeah, like Natasi Daala becoming Chief of State."

Luke sighed. "Not now, Mara. Let's save the political discussion for later. Right now we need to get ready," he lowered his voice an octave, "for the trip Beyond Shadows."

"Ugh, that sounds so creepy, Dad."

"Just trying to lighten the mood."

Ben and Mara rolled their eyes. "Gotta give him credit for trying," Mara said, "but I still think Daala jokes are funnier."

Ben nodded. "Have you heard this one? Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, and Natasi Daala walk into a lift. Your blaster only has two shots left. What do you do?"

Mara grinned. "Shoot Daala twice, just to make sure."

Luke groaned and walked toward the medbay, muttering to himself about the lack of respect for family members.

Behind him, he heard Ben whisper to his mother, "Shoulda changed Darth Vader to Grand Moff Tarkin, huh?"

The three adults got settled into the medbay bunks and Ben and Vestara helped hook them up to IVs. Once everything was prepared, Jacen glanced over at Luke and Mara. "Are you two ready?"

Mara nodded, eyes set in determination. "Ready."

Luke pulled Ben close to him. "You know what to do if we need your help, right?"

"Yes—although, please try not to get distracted. I really don't want to have to go in there after you."

Luke chuckled. "Don't worry, I don't want that either." He squeezed his son's hand, then let go to take Mara's. "Let's do this."


Ben and Vestara sat across from each other in the medbay, monitoring the bodies of Master Solo and the Masters Skywalker. The adults had been Beyond Shadows for only five minutes but the time already seemed to be dragging on forever. Master Solo had warned Vestara and Ben that there was no telling when they would return, as there was no sense of time in Beyond Shadows, and to only come in after them if their vital signs began to decline.

Vestara twirled a piece of hair with her fingers, lost in thought. The journey had been rather quiet since Ben's initial outburst, and she was grateful for that. She felt bad that her presence had caused Ben so much unease. She liked Ben. He was powerful in the Force, of course, but more than that, he was nice and seemed to like her, too. Vestara was unsure of how to feel about that. First of all, she had never had a boyfriend. Second, Ben was a Jedi, while she training to be an Imperial Knight. They weren't enemies, of course, but Vestara knew that Ben still held some lingering animosity toward the rival group. Not to mention that she was apprenticed to the man who'd abandoned him. Vestara would probably feel just as scorned if she were in Ben's situation.

Ben finally spoke up, breaking the awkard silence. "So, are you as creeped out by this Mind Walking thing as I am?"

"It does seem very dangerous," Vestara conceded, "and scary, to think that someone as powerful as Master Solo could be tempted to stay Beyond Shadows forever."

"Not to mention, almost being seduced by this Abeloth thing."

"That is true. She has to be very powerful for Master Solo to be so frightened of her."

"Well, we'll show her not to mess with the power of the light side."

Vestara smiled and nodded. "That's the plan."

Ben stood up from his chair and examined the monitors hooked up to the adults. "This is really boring. You want something to eat?"

"Sure."

Ben returned to the medbay and handed her a protein bar. Vestara took it and began carefully peeling back the wrapper. Ben, on the other hand, threw off the wrapper and began tearing off large bites, eating the entire bar in three huge chunks. Noticing Vestara gaping at him, Ben swallowed and made an attempt to eat his second bar more politely. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Vestara waved her hand. "It's okay. I'm used to it." They ate in silence for awhile.

"Hey Ves?"

"Yes?" she replied, smiling at his use of her nickname. She liked the way it sounded.

"Why do you always call Jacen 'Master Solo'?"

She furrowed her brow. "What else should I call him?"

"Why not just Jacen?"

"Isn't that disrespectful?"

Ben shrugged. "That's what I called him."

"But you are his cousin."

He shrugged again. "I call a lot of Jedi by their first names. I grew up hearing them called by title and names interchangeably, so I guess it just seemed normal to me. Plus, my parents are friends with a lot of Jedi outside of work, and it feels weird calling Corran 'Master Horn' when we're having dinner together."

"That is understandable. It still feels odd to me, though. I didn't know any of my teachers until I was already training. I try to be more polite with them, even though they encourage me to be casual."

"Are there many new IKs in training, or just you?"

"There are five of us who have had no previous training. The others, as you know, were former Jedi. I feel like I need to prove myself to them."

"And calling Jacen 'Master Solo' will help do that?"

Now it was Vestara's turn to shrug. "It couldn't hurt." Since becoming Master Solo's apprentice, she had occasionally thought of him as Jacen, and had almost called him such a few times, but it had always felt wrong to her. Perhaps it was because she was still afraid to relax. Her parents had always expected the best from her. She'd been sent to the best schools, had the best tutors, and participated in the most challenging extra-curricular activities. When Head of State Fel established the Imperial Knights, Vestara's father had immediately taken her to be considered for the new academy. She'd been accepted, of course, and moved to the school to begin her training. Her parents had make it known to her, in no uncertain terms, that she was to be her best.

Vestara had never had a problem being the best, but among the IKs it was a different story. She was brand new to using the Force and it showed. That just made her more determined, and she swore to herself that she would catch up to her peers sooner rather than later. That meant she had very little free time, but that didn't matter to her.

Except now, sitting across from Ben Skywalker, Vestara began to wonder if maybe not having a social life did matter.

"Well," Ben said, "I think you should shake things up and call him 'Jacen' every once in awhile. Or 'Idiot'. Or 'Dork Lord of the Sith'."

Vestara burst out laughing at Ben's last comment. "Dork Lord of the Sith?"

Ben grinned. "That's what Jaina used to call him when they were little."

"It is amusing."

"As Jacen sometimes is."

Vestara looked down at her hands, suddenly feeling awkward. "I'm sorry that he left."

"Don't be. I'm not. I think this trip is finally helping me realize that. I mean, I'm still mad about how he left and that he won't tell us the real reason why. But, his leaving had a good impact—my dad gets to finish my training. I was always really close to my mom, but since Dad took on my training I really feel like I've gotten to know him. It's nice."

Vestara smiled. "I am glad, then."

"Do you know any of the IKs who've gotten ill?" Ben asked, changing the subject.

"A few, but I'm not very close to them. What about you? You must know them all."

Ben nodded. "I can't remember much of my time in the Maw, but some of the students I lived with in Shelter helped with my training. Plus, my parents are very close to the Horns. Valin and Jysella baby-sat me when I was little."

"That must be very hard for Master Horn and his wife."

"Yeah. My mom and Mirax Horn are best friends. She told Mirax that she was going to kick Abeloth's ass and get her kids back for them."

Vestara laughed. "Your mother seems like quite the woman."

"You have no idea. Maybe one day she'll sit down with you and tell you her life story."

"That would be nice…or, you could tell me…"

Ben met her gaze and smiled. "That would be nice, too."


Jacen pictured the numbers one at a time, ending in 'seven'. Just as it had been years ago, his spirit seemed to soar as it separated from his body. The euphoria and ecstasy was just as he'd remembered, and he had to struggle to remind himself that they'd gone Beyond Shadows with an important task—to prepare them for their confrontation with the being known as Abeloth.

After taking a moment to refamiliarize himself with this place, Jacen set off toward the landmark the Mind Walkers had called the Lake of Apparitions. He turned at a noise and saw Luke and Mara behind him, holding hands as they gazed at the new world around them. "Uncle Luke!"

The couple turned toward Jacen's voice and strode forward, their attention shifting as they remembered their purpose here. "This…is odd," Mara murmured.

Jacen smiled. "Just a bit."

"There's an entire station of Force sensitives who spend all their time here?" Luke asked incredulously.

As if in answer, they saw a few beings pass by, regarding them in a combination of contempt and curiosity. They Mind Walkers must have recognized Jacen, because they were allowed to pass by unchallenged.

"Yes," Jacen responded. "They are malnourished and constantly on death's door, but they don't care. To them, this is reality. Everything else is an illusion."

"I wish I could talk to them—"

"Luke," Mara interjected, "we have a job to do."

Luke glanced at his wife, then nodded curtly. "You're right. Later."

After several moments, the group stopped on the shore. "Is this it?" Mara asked.

Jacen nodded. "The Lake of Apparitions."

Luke stepped forward to peer into the Lake. "And here you can see…?"

"The dead. I…I saw Anakin when I came here."

"Will we find answers here?" Mara asked.

"Let's find out." Jacen strode forward onto the safe path of the Lake, careful not to stray too far to the side. He gestured toward the black depths of the Lake. "The Depths of Eternity."

"Sounds ominous."

"We're in a place called Beyond Shadows, Aunt Mara. I think it's requirement that every landmark here have an ominous name."

She chuckled but turned silent as she noticed the apparitions that gave the Lake its name. They floated among each other, as if waiting to be awakened from slumber.

Jacen crouched down, remembering his conversation with his deceased brother many years ago. Remembering the strange being he'd seen beyond the shores of the Lake. Remembering the strange adoration the Mind Walkers gave her, and the warnings Anakin made against going near her. Jacen, like so many times in his life, had ignored his brother's warning, thinking he was strong enough to face Abeloth.

He was wrong.

Anakin had known who she was. It was time to find answers, no matter how painful it would be to see him again.

"Anakin," Jacen whispered. After several moments, one of the spirits in the Lake began to rise. Jacen's breath caught in his throat.

The boy who had once been Anakin Solo opened his ice blue eyes and smiled. "Hey, big brother. Long time no see."

Jacen sobbed and laughed at the same time. "It's been too long."

"On the contrary, I'm glad I haven't seen you since. I'd be concerned about your return if it wasn't for your choice of company. Hi Uncle Luke, Aunt Mara."

Jacen had almost forgotten that he wasn't alone. Swallowing hard, Luke stepped forward and gazed down at the spirit of his dead nephew. "Hi, Anakin." His voice was choked. Jacen knew that Luke still blamed himself for Anakin's death, just as his mother did.

Just as Jacen did.

"How is Ben?" Anakin asked.

Mara smiled. "He's very well."

"He didn't come with you."

"He's watching over us."

"That is good. Although I would have liked to see him. He was so young when I…"

Luke crouched down, tears in his eyes. "I blame myself every day."

"You shouldn't. I wanted to go. It was my choice. But now is not the time for reminiscing. You came here for a reason."

Mara, ever the practical one, nodded. "Yes. Young Force sensitives have been going mad and claiming that they are the only 'real' people, and everyone else has been replaced. It's like the Mind Walkers, who believe that this is the true reality."

"You've come for Abeloth, then."

"Yes," Luke said. "We must stop her, before it's too late."

The boy who had been Anakin sighed, suddenly seeming much older, as he would if he had lived to grow to adulthood. Jacen felt a pang of grief. Perhaps if Anakin had survived, things would be different…perhaps he wouldn't have seen those horrible visions…

"She is one of the old ones. You should leave her alone."

"We can't," Luke insisted. "If she's the reason that the Jedi and Imperial Knights are sick, we need to defeat Abeloth to bring them back. We can't just let them stay the way they are forever."

"Wait—Imperial Knights?" Anakin looked back and forth between the three adults. "What exactly have I missed since I've been dead?"

"That's a question for your sister and new brother-in-law," Mara responded. "Luke is right, Anakin. We need to confront Abeloth. Can you tell us where we can find her?"

Anakin looked down for a moment. When he glanced up, his eyes locked on Jacen's. "You know where to find her."

Jacen nodded. "She will be there?"

"I would imagine that she is waiting for you. But remember—she is never what she appears to be."

"I remember." Jacen shivered. His memories of that were far too clear…

"I wish I could change your mind, but I know the three of you better than that. I guess stubbornness runs in the family."

Despite himself, Jacen laughed. "You should know."

"We miss you, Anakin," Luke whispered. "You would have been a great Jedi. You were a great Jedi."

"I did what I had to do. And now you will do the same. May the Force be with you."

"You too, little brother." Jacen reached out his hand, wishing that he could touch his brother one more time. Wishing that he could make things right.

Would things ever be right?

Anakin did not move, and Jacen tilted his head curiously. "What is it?"

"Somebody else wants to speak to you."

"Who?"

"You'll see." Anakin began to sink down into the Lake. Jacen instinctively surged forward, trying to bring his brother back, remembering Anakin's death on the Baanu Rass and how he'd been unable to stop it. Tears sprang to his eyes and he felt like a teenager again.

Luke's gasp pulled Jacen out of his reverie. He opened his eyes and saw a familiar young man floating before them. He had dark blond hair and blue eyes and scar running down the right side of his face. Luke leaned forward and reached out his hand. "Father."

Startled, Jacen looked from Luke to the apparition, then back again. Indeed the figure in the Lake was none other than Anakin Skywalker, the Hero with No Fear, before he had turned to the dark side and become Darth Vader. Jacen remembered him now from the holos. He had never before encountered Anakin's Force ghost, but had heard his voice while fighting in the Yuuzhan Vong war, telling him to 'stand firm'."

Anakin Skywalker nodded. "Son. I am glad to see you again."

"You too. I wish it was in better circumstances."

"You have come for Abeloth."

"You know her?"

"All too well. She's almost worse than…well, you know who. Thankfully she has been contained and her power has not yet grown. I assume since you've come seeking information that I cannot dissuade you from confronting her?"

"What do you think?"

Anakin smiled. "I think that you are the same stubborn man who challenged Darth Vader and the Emperor." He turned to Jacen, seemingly noticing him for the first time. "Hello, Jacen."

"Grandfather," Jacen replied respectfully. Part of him wanted to admire Anakin Skywalker's accomplishments as a Jedi, and part of him wanted to revile him for his horrible actions as Darth Vader. He suddenly understood why his mother had had such a hard time accepting the fact that Darth Vader had once been Anakin Skywalker, her father.

Anakin smiled and glanced to Luke's other side. "I must admit that I have absolutely no idea what to call you."

Mara knelt down and smirked. "Well, I guess you can call me Mara now—or Daughter-in-law."

Anakin rolled his eyes. Jacen suppressed a guffaw, never expecting to see such a normal gesture from the man who'd been feared by the entire galaxy. "To be honest, I never, ever saw that one coming."

"Me neither. And I guess I shouldn't be calling you Lord Vader anymore…" She trailed off, wearing a mischievous grin.

Anakin laughed. "You sure know how to pick 'em, Son."

Luke put his arm around his wife. "I know."

"As fun as this family reunion is—"

"Still always focused on the task at hand, Mara?"

"Was that supposed to be a pun?"

Anakin's eyes twinkled. "Maybe. But yes—Abeloth. My grandson was right. She is never what she appears to be. Remember that. Do not believe any of her lies."

Jacen remembered back to a time long past: Everything I tell you is a lie.

"We won't," Luke assured. He placed his hand closer to the Lake. "It was good to see you again, Father."

"You, too. It was good to see all of you."

Luke and Mara stood up but Jacen remained crouched, somehow knowing that this conversation was not yet over.

"Jacen?" Luke questioned.

He glanced over his shoulder. "Give me a second." It was an illogical request to make in a place like Beyond Shadows, where time had no meaning, but Luke nodded anyway and guided Mara back to the shore.

Jacen looked back down at the man who had been his grandfather. "You have more to say."

Anakin nodded. "You can't keep running from your past, Jacen—or your future."

"I don't know what else I'm supposed to do."

"Visions aren't real."

"But they could be. Jedi are taught to rely on visions. They've helped save lives. Surely you know this!"

"I do, far too well. But I also know from personal experience that visions can destroy a person's life. Don't make the same mistakes I did, Jacen. You need to be honest about what you've seen—only then will you truly be free."

"But the visions…the things I did…how can anyone possibly trust me when I've seen myself do such horrible things?"

"Do you really think that your uncle would disown you because you experienced a vision?"

"You don't know the things I did…he could never forgive me."

"He forgave me."

"What I saw was worse than anything you ever did."

"That's debatable, but also irrelevant. Your visions haven't come true. The things I did were very, very real."

His grandfather had a point. But still, even if Luke could forgive him…could Ben?

Could he forgive himself, for harboring such darkness inside his heart?

"You can, and you should," Anakin insisted. Jacen was not surprised that his grandfather had read his mind. "You saw a vision of a possible future and chose to act to make sure it didn't come true. We all have darkness inside ourselves, Jacen, and it is how we confront the darkness that makes us who we are. I refused to fight the darkness, and my visions became real. You have made hasty decisions, but they all came from a good place—not wanting to fall to darkness. That is all that matters."

"But...they were so real..."

"They weren't, but they could be if you keep refusing to confide in your family."

"I don't know if I can…"

"You want to confront Abeloth, the most powerful dark side being in the galaxy, but you're scared of something as trivial as a conversation?"

"Sounds silly, I know."

"It actually makes perfect sense to me."

Jacen stared at his hands for a moment, contemplating his grandfather's words, knowing that he was telling the truth. "Don't make the same mistakes I did," Anakin repeated.

"I don't want to." Jacen bit his lip, holding back tears. "I don't want to follow in your footsteps."

"Then don't." Anakin descended into the depths of the Lake. Jacen remained in place, watching until he could see his grandfather no more.

Even after Anakin was gone, Jacen heard his grandfather's voice inside his head: Remember, she is never what she appears to be…and she only has as much power as you give her.