Disclaimer: See chapter 1

A/N: Special thanks as always to my Beta and Editor, Fallenstar2.

The New Jedi Order

Chapter 10

Letters from London

January faded into February; February into March. Anakin continued to improve, but at a much slower pace than he liked. Joyce had been unable to make any more trips to his home and, likewise, everyone else had been busy preparing for war. Unfortunately, that cut off his only avenue of intel on what was going on with his family.

He also found himself missing Vi - not for her healing hands, though he missed those as well, but for the joy she had brought into his life during the early days of his recovery. She was a true light in the Force and he missed her frank honesty and unlimited compassion. He received letters from her every so often and it awed him slightly to realize that nearly a year had already passed for her.

It was the middle of March when Buffy ended their session early. "I'm an idiot," she had told him, handing him a small holocam. "All the ways I've tried to pass a message on to your parents, I didn't even think about having you do it."

Anakin stared at the holocam uncertainly. "I don't know what to say."

Buffy smiled. "You'll figure it out."

So Anakin sat at his desk in his small room staring at the holocam, desperately trying to think of what to say. Taking a deep breath, he reached forward and turned the recorder on.

"Hey guys. Boo! Ahhh…" he reached forward and stopped the recording, then reset the device. "Hey mom and dad. You'll never believe what happened to me…" shaking his head, he reset the device again. "Hi mom, I'm having a great time at summer camp…" Disgusted, he turned the device off, then slumped back into his chair. How exactly could he explain everything? He sat there for a few moments gathering his thoughts, before reaching forward and turning the device on again.

"13th of March, noon Earth-standard time. This is Anakin Solo, recording a message for my family. Hi guys, it's me. I don't know exactly who's watching this right now - I know mom and dad will watch it first, then at least pass it on to Jaina and Jacen. Probably Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara, too. If you could, could you also let Tahiri see this?

"I hate not being able to say this to you in person, but the Doc says I got a ways to go before I'm healthy enough to jump dimensions." He laughed lightly. "Man, I've been here a little over five months now and I still have a hard time believing that. I'm sure you don't, despite the evidence to the contrary. Well, it is true, hard as it is to believe. We're still not sure how it happened - a combination of the power they use here combined with the Force is their best guess. The power they use - yeah, that's a long story. They use the Force here - there is an outpost of Jedi, from the Old Republic, that still sometimes uses this dimension as a sort of bolt hole. But for the most part, only some of the Jedi stay here and act as support for the Slayers - who are this dimension's versions of Jedi. As I've gotten stronger, I've begun to train with them. Maybe I'll learn something that will surprise the Vong when I get back.

"And I will be back - as soon as I can. Doc says I got a few more months of healing and I don't want to argue. She's kind of scary when she's angry."

"Mom, dad, I love you. Jaina - you'll do fine, just don't get so angry anymore. Jacen - well, we have a lot to talk about when I get back, so you better be there. Uncle Luke, Aunt Mara - I'll see you soon."

"Tahiri… I love you. And I'm coming back for you, I promise."

With that, Anakin leaned forward and switched of the recorder, then sat back in his chair with a sigh.

"General Antilles."

"Grand Admiral."

The tall, blue skinned form of Mitth'raw'nuruodo sat in a chair across from Wedge in the General's office at fleet headquarters. Wedge smile amicably at the Chiss. "I wasn't expecting to see you today, Grand Admiral. How are things with the Imperial Council?"

Thrawn sat back and steeped his fingers. "The same as always, General. Petty squabbles over inconsequential things." He sighed. "I do miss command most days."

"But on the flip side, you get to ensure the survival of the Empire and give it a positive legacy," Wedge noted.

"True," Thrawn allowed. "But I'm beginning to see what the late Emperor saw in dissolving the Council in the first place."

Wedge chuckled. "So what can I do for you, Grand Admiral? I'm sure there's more to this visit than trading stories with an old war horse."

"I require a favor, General." Wedge leaned forward and indicated for him to continue. "Over the past few years, the information your source has provided has been invaluable. But for me to be entirely successful in predicting and outthinking my enemies, I truly have to know them - to study them. Now, I can't do that since they are not here yet; but I can do the next best thing." His red eyes locked onto Wedge. "I would like for you to set up a meeting between your source and myself."

Wedge leaned back, surprised. "That may prove to be problematic, Grand Admiral."

"How so?"

"Well, you are aware how the Jedi survived the purges?" he asked.

"By staying in a sanctuary, some say in another dimension. Most in the Imperial government seem to think that is a myth."

"It's quite real, I assure you," Wedge stated. "Dimensional portals are the source of those jump drives our own government has been contesting so hotly right now. And our source came for yet another dimension, where they are fighting this war right now."

Thrawn took a moment to process that. "Even more reason then for me to speak with him."

"I'm not saying you can't," Wedge put in. "It's just that he's still recovering and isn't strong enough to travel. You would have to go to him."

Thrawn considered that for a moment. "That would be acceptable. If you can arrange the meeting, I shall go to him."

Wedge considered the Chiss for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. I shall arrange the meeting for you. I'll call you as soon as it's set up." The two men stood and Wedge gave the Grand Admiral a sharp salute, which was returned. Without further word, Thrawn turned and walked out, while Wedge sat back into his chair. After he was sure the Admiral was gone, he spoke. "You'll make the necessary arrangements?"

Joyce emerged from the shadows where she had been hiding. "Give me a few weeks. It will be easier to have him over during the solstice party." She bent down and gave her husband a kiss, then turned to walk out - but was stopped when Wedge wrapped his arms around her and plopped her down on his desk.

"Not so fast," he grinned, leaning in for a kiss.

The holorecorder flickered to life once more and Anakin stepped in front of the lens. "Hey, guys!" he said happily. "It's me again. Well, Joyce can't make the trip over for a few days and nobody else is available. So I decided to just keep recording messages until she can go." He paused for a minute. "Um… I thought it would be good for you to see where I've been living these past few months, so today I'll just carry the holocam around to show you the Watcher's Council." He picked up the camera and panned it around the room. "This is obviously my room, for the time being. Up until a few months ago I was staying in the infirmary…" he trailed off, thinking about that horrible Christmas night. He shuddered slightly. "Sorry, bad memories. Anyway, this is where I've been living. The room is in the administrator's wing, where all of the Watchers and Jedi Masters have their quarters." Anakin stepped out of the room and started pointing at doors. "Across from me is where Dawn - the resident healer, and Master Jukassa sleep, and next to hers is Masters Kenobi's room. That would be Obi-Wan and Buffy Kenobi."

Anakin proceeded across the sky bridge, making sure to get a good view of the grounds and explain what everything was, then moved into the main building. "This is where I spend most of my time. There's a gym downstairs that I exercise in, a study that contains - get this - the entire Jedi archives. Jacen would have a ball in there - so would you, Uncle Luke. Down here is the main chamber that the Jedi Council used while they were on Earth; mostly it's just empty now…" he paused and heard voices coming from within. "But somebody's here today." He opened the doors and couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter. Inside Buffy, the elder Anakin, Padmé, Aayla, Obi-Wan, Zett and Roan were seated around a large round table to which they had moved the Council chairs around. And all held a hand of cards in their hands and had colored chips before them. Anakin Sr. noticed his younger namesake and waved.

"Hey, Junior. You need something?"

"I'm recording a message to my family. I thought I could show them how the old Council worked," Anakin replied, smirking. The Jedi Master nodded sagely.

"Well, here you have discovered our deepest secret. For all of our major decisions - the best hand wins."

Padmé let out a small laugh and gently slapped her husband on the arm. "Be serious."

"We are enjoying a well-earned day of rest after weeks of training and preparing for an invasion," he grinned. "Besides, were Jedi. Not priests."

"You'll have to forgive Anakin. He's usually not this boisterous, but Padmé's here on a three day pass, so…"

"Buffy!" the couple exclaimed together, both blushing furiously like teenagers.

"Oh-kay. That's more than I needed to know," Anakin said. "Well, let me introduce everybody. The blonde is Master Buffy and next to her is Master Kenobi - I'm sure you recognize him, Uncle Luke." The two nodded. "Then we have Master Skywalker senior and his wife Padmé,"

"Hi kids! Make sure to brush your teeth before bed…"

"Will you stop?" Padmé laughed at her husband before facing the camera. "Leia, you and Han raised a wonderful son. You should be very proud."

"And last are Masters Jukassa, Secura and Shryne."

"Greetings, Master Skywalker," Aayla said with a smile.

"Leia," Zett started, "I've been a Jedi since I was just a small baby. I was raised into this life, literally. And I must say that if Anakin here is any measure of how your Jedi are trained in your dimension, you all have reason to be very proud - of your students and of yourselves."

"I agree," Roan added.

Buffy snorted. "Laying it on a bit thick, aren't you?" she teased, before turning to the camera. "But I have to agree. He's been a godsend for us. We've already begun preparing for the invasion and thanks to him I expect we'll save a lot of lives. But don't worry - we'll have him back to you as soon as possible."

Anakin said goodbye to the small group who went back to playing cards and headed through the building again. He introduced several of the Slayers before finally making his way to the infirmary.

"And here's where they kept me alive in the very beginning. And here's one of the people responsible. Dawn, say hello to my folks."

"Hello, folks," Dawn replied in a teasing tone, then looked to Anakin. "Good. Since you're here, you can help change out the beds." She held out her hand. "I'll hold on to the recorder while you do that."

Anakin sighed and turned it off, handing the holorecorder to Dawn. "You're such a slave driver."

Dawn smirked. "I have to finish up some paperwork. Just come in when you're done."

Anakin set to work and Dawn went into her office and closed the door. With a sigh, she turned the recorder back on.

"Sorry for the bit of subterfuge, but Anakin probably won't give you the whole story on his health. As his doctor, though, since he is a minor I need to brief you on his condition. And Anakin, if you watch this before you send it, don't delete this! They need to know."

"He was clinically dead for four minutes before we were able to successfully revive him. He had multiple fractured bones, internal injuries, lacerations and unknown toxins in his bloodstream he says came from amphistaffs. He had swelling in his brain, a punctured lung and his right leg was…well, a mess. It's taking quite a while for that to heal because of the damage done."

"We've alternated between bacta treatments and Force healing; my daughter is quite skilled at that and in fact used it to save his life. I understand that it's a lost technique for you, so I'll send over some materials with this message detailing how it's done. It's the least I could do for the lives the information he has given us will save."

"I know you want him back now, but he needs to heal fully before its safe for him to travel across. Plus, he's started training with our Slayers - and they excel on teaching a person how to stay alive. I promise, Leia - we'll take good care of him."

Dawn turned off the recorder and placed it on her desk just as Anakin came in.

"All done," he announced. Dawn smiled and handed him his recorder, then moved to her file cabinet and pulled out a data chip.

"Send this along with your message, Ani. It's all the study I've done on Force healing. Your family would probably appreciate it."

"Thanks, Doc," he smiled. "So, what did you say?"

Dawn shook her head. "That's between myself and your parents," she replied. "Oh, by the way - Vi should be paying us a visit soon, for our yearly gathering."

Anakin nodded. He realized she was changing the subject, but he didn't mind. "I'm glad. I've missed her."

"I know she's missed her brother," Dawn smiled. "Now, off with you. We both have work to do."

Anakin spent the next several days recording more messages. He introduced Angel, whom he was working with on restoring a couple of old cars in the Council's garage. "They're not exactly X-Wings," he explained, panning over the combustion engine-powered vehicles, "but they can still move on a dirt track." He gave a more comprehensive tour of the grounds, including the lake and the Memorial Wall.

"Well, that's about all," he said into the recorder one last time. "Hope you all enjoyed the tour…" he laughed hollowly, then sighed. "I miss you all. I wish I was there… no, wait. I wish you were here. I think that would be better for all of us. Not so much for everyone else, though." He looked into the lens and smiled. "I love you all. And I'll see you as soon as I can. I promise. May the Force be with you." He smirked. "Or as Andrew would say, 'live long and prosper.' Don't ask." With a final wave, the image faded and Luke Skywalker sat back heavily in his chair. He was sitting in a communication booth on board the Widowmaker, in orbit around Yaga Minor. He, Mara, Jacen and several other Jedi had traveled here to enlist the Empire's help in both fighting the Vong and in locating the lost planet Zonama Sekot. They had arrived, though, in the middle of a massive battle around Bastion and had it not been for the timely intervention of Grand Admiral Pellaeon, they might have been destroyed by Imperial Forces. They had assisted the Remnant forces in fleeing to the Yaga system and though Pellaeon had been severely injured, his orders ensuring their safety had continued to be followed and Captain Yage was proving to be most helpful in his latest request - authentication of the messages Leia had forwarded to him, which she had found in her guest quarters on Bakura.

"It appears to be authentic," Yage said, truing off her screens. "Voice prints for that Anakin Solo match the files you provided. What's more, we still have Emperor Palpatine's records and we have a voice print match on Anakin… Skywalker. As well as Padmé Amidala."

"No evidence of old clips being used…" Mara asked.

"It was Anakin," Jacen said with finality. "And it was made recently, not with old clips. Jaina was telling the truth."

"I never doubted her honesty; I doubted what she saw," Luke clarified. "But it seems I was the one mistaken…"

"This… this is impossible, though! Another dimension? The dead coming back to life?"

"That's fairly normal for this family," Mara said dryly. "I said it before and I'll say it again. I won't believe it until he's standing in front of me." With that, she turned and walked out of the room.

Luke sighed. "I want to believe, but I'm afraid to," he said to his nephew. Jacen smiled.

"Anakin was always doing the impossible. This is just one more example."

"Let's not tell anybody else, though," Luke decided. "Just in case."

"Agreed," Jacen replied. "I'll go check in on the Grand Admiral, then head back to the Jade Shadow. Master Luke, Captain Yage." He nodded to each in turn, then left the room. Yage shook her head.

"Just tell me - is this a Jedi thing, or something else entirely?"

Luke smiled. "The thing with Anakin? That's something else. This," he indicated the second chip that contained Dawn Jukassa's notes on Jedi healing techniques, "is a Jedi thing. And give me a few hours to study this and I might be able to speed Admiral Pellaeon's recovery."

Yage smiled slightly. "Any help would be appreciated." She looked around the room. "Do you require anything else?"

"No. Thank you, Captain, for all your help," Luke replied. Yage nodded and left the room, leaving Luke to his thoughts.

In a dark alley on the streets of Bakura's capital, Tahiri Veila stumbled against the side of a building, pausing for a moment to catch her breath. She was running from a number of things - the Solos, her pain of loss, the damned voice in her head… and the confusion. The confusion of seeing Anakin Solo - the boy, no man, she had loved, whom she saw die - alive and well in a holorecording made not a week ago.

How?! She thought to herself. How can he be alive! I saw him die!

You felt him die, Riina corrected in her mind. You never saw.

He can't be alive, he can't…

They've been lying to you. Riina pressed, a smugness creeping into her voice. They've been hiding him from you. They knew you were weak, too, that you couldn't handle it…

Shut up. Tahiri growled. You're in my head, not the other way around. If I was so weak, you'd already be out.

I've already been out, Tahiri. Riina shot back. You can't keep me in here forever. But don't worry- when I get out, I'll make them all pay for hurting us…

I'll die first.

You'll die anyway. And then I'll send your boyfriend to join you. Again.

"SHUT UP!" Tahiri shouted out loud, and the voice in her head fell silent once more. Letting out a groan of frustration, she pushed herself off the wall and began running once more, to a destination unknown. The only thought that now kept her going was that familiar voice on the holorecording.

Tahiri… I love you. And I'm coming back for you, I promise.

TBC

Coming next chapter - Vi returns, a little different… the summer solstice party…. Anakin and Thrawn have a chat… and Andrew, Wedge and Xander play high stakes poker.