Here's another Ben/Tahiri chapter. Sorry if Tahiri's character isn't quite right, I'm having a hard time remembering what her personality was like in the books I've read. Hopefully it's close enough to make sense. There's also a few references to one of the earlier book trilogies here, though I don't remember what the name of that series was. I think the next chapter should have the Jaina/Luke fight flashback scene, and if I write it the way I'm imagining it, it should be a bit more flashy with fighting. In the meantime, enjoy! :-D

Chapter 10

"Tahiri? Tahiri!" Ben kept his senses alert, trying to pinpoint where the woman was. He pushed his way through clumps of bushes, using the Force to keep itchy bugs away from him. He had only been on ground for a few minutes, but he had already lost track of Caedus' apprentice. "Tahiri!"

He wasn't having any luck. He could see the broken remains of a temple a little ways away and he recognized it as the one the new Jedi Academy had been in. Muttering to himself, he made his way through the overgrown jungle and to the foot of the great structure. Once there he stopped, frowning. Something felt wrong, as if what had once belonged to the light side was being regained by darkness.

"That's odd." He pulled his lightsaber from his belt, holding it ready at his side. Keeping his composure, Ben entered the temple, going through the once familiar halls. The lights were dark from disuse, but Ben didn't need light to see with the Force.

"Skywalker…"

Ben spun around. That was not a voice he was familiar with. Something was here that definitely had not been here several years ago. "Identify yourself!" he demanded.

"Child of the Jedi… Broken spirit…"

Ben froze. The Jedi had defeated the dark spirit from before, hadn't they? "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Remaining for all eternity… lost…"

"This can't be good," Ben started to retrace his steps, then realized that he couldn't tell which way was out. "What in Yoda's name?" Without warning he was bowled over by an unseen force. His head cracked against the wall and he dropped his lightsaber.

"Jedi! My curse…"

"Sorry?" Ben muttered, getting back up. He ran his hand through his hair, feeling stickiness. Great; he was bleeding. He reached down and picked up his lightsaber, trying to discern which way was the entrance. There was no light to give him any clues, and something was blocking his from using the Force externally. Well, he would just have to go internal. He focused on drawing himself inwards, hiding himself in the Force. Just as soon as he tried he was suddenly ripped out of concentration, a painful grasp holding his attention tightly.

"Broken can be repaired… Jedi fall-"

"Back off, Kuny-boy!"

Ben saw a deep red light shine down the hall. "Tahiri!" he gasped as the dark spirit holding him let go. He scrambled towards her.

"Darkness… Prove your worth… Kill the Jedi…"

"You're dead, Kun. You've been dead for thousands of years, and your spirit was finally destroyed when you tried to capture Luke." Tahiri held her ground, her eyes staring fiercely past her lightsaber. "Just because a powerful Sith Lord comes into the galaxy doesn't mean you're anything more than an echo," she growled.

To Ben she snapped, "Get out of here, Jedi!"

"But what about-"

"Go! I'll take care of this!

Ben decided not to disagree. So far she seemed to be faring better against the spirit than Ben was. He took off running and didn't stop until he was outside and across the lake. When he turned around, he saw that Tahiri had followed him out. "What happened?"

Tahiri slapped him, switching off her lightsaber at the same time. "Don't you try that again! We don't need any more Sith running around, thank you very much. No one even listens to the 'Rule of Two' anymore, do they?"

Ben just stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Sorry, but I just spent the last week evading viscous wildlife, not that they were a problem, just annoying, but having to deal with a dark spirit, too? I've just had my entire world turned upside down, my beliefs questioned, my master killed, and I'm having to hide from a Jedi Grand Master gone bad. You think I might be a little grumpy?"

Ben blinked. "I think you're going to have to work on that, 'There is no emotion' part some more."

She clenched her teeth and made as if to slap him again, but she managed to only clench her fist. "You… you are lucky." She turned around and let out an aggravated grunt.

Ben nodded his head in inclination. Well, she was right about that. At least she didn't seem bent on killing him or converting him. That and she had probably just saved his life. "Sooo," Ben said slowly, trying not to raise her anger again, "What just happened in there?"

She shook her head, then finally turned back around to face Ben. She looked visibly calmer, and Ben guessed she had been trying to let go of the dark side of the Force during her exile. "As far as I can tell, a certain Sith spirit decided to make a comeback when Luke fell. I guess those things are really hard to get rid of, considering a team of Jedi defeated Exar's spirit quite a while back. Maybe it had something to do with Jacen having helped stave off the spirit when Luke was incapacitated."

"How come I couldn't react, but you could?"

"Jedi… Sith… I used the dark side against him, you were trying to use the light side, and you aren't nearly as strong as he is."

"And you are?"

"I gave it the hint that I was interested in his power, broken though it was. But enough about me. What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you. In case you hadn't noticed, my dad is trying to kill me," Ben said sharply.

"Right… Um, how's that going for you?"

He scowled. "Not good. Now how do we stop him?"

"You're asking me? He just killed my master, which isn't such a bad thing, but it doesn't leave me in a very good spot. I guess we need to make a decision soon, though, because a certain Force-sensitive child is coming our way."

Ben frowned. "Who?"

"You're second cousin, Allana. Somehow I don't think that she's flying a space shuttle by herself, so I would guess that Luke's got her."

"Is she…"

"Well, from the little bit I sensed of her, I think she's still good. It could still be a trap, though."

"I'd count on it. So what are we going to do about it?"

Tahiri put her hands on Ben's shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Play along. That's one thing Luke wouldn't be expecting."

Ben swallowed hard. This wasn't going to be good.