Deadpool and Onimi: Chapter 11
"Skywalker," Dubloch Velk said in the prerecorded holographic message now being viewed by Ben Skywalker and Boride Gatarry. "You're right. I'm a Sith. And I got two others with me. Their names are Waut Chauck and Derely Dith. You want us? Come to the world of Odacer-Faustin. If you don't arrive within the next galactic standard day, we will execute the hostages we have. Oh, I almost forgot to say you can bring at least one other Jedi; that way, it's a fair three-on-three fight. But if we even sense you have more than the three of you aboard the ship you'll be arriving in, those hostages will be dead, regardless of whether you neutralize us or not. Just be glad that we don't care who you bring along with you, whether it's some lowly apprentice or Grand Master Skywalker himself." With that, the message ended.
With Ben in the copilot's seat and Boride in the pilot's seat of the Skipray Blastboat that they were lent, the both of them sat there, contemplating the message.
"Do I even need to say it's a trap?" Boride remarked.
"No," Ben said. "It most certainly is."
"He's probably got more than just those two other Sith," Boride said.
"Still, we can't take the chance if he's serious about the hostages," Ben said. "At least we'll be able to take one more Jedi with us."
"You have anyone in mind?" Boride asked.
Before Ben could open his mouth to answer, the commlink beeped. Ben answered it, and a holographic representation of his dad appeared on top of the console.
"Report," Luke said.
"The mission regarding Dubloch Velk has taken an unexpected turn," Ben said. "After our failed interrogation of him in his apartment two days ago, Grand Master Skywalker, he has only now admitted to being a Sith. He has also revealed the names of his two accomplices, though Jedi Gatarry and I have our doubts that these are in fact Velk's only accomplices. Nevertheless, he has just sent out a threat stating that if Boride and I don't travel to the world of Odacer-Faustin in the next day, he and his friends will execute the hostages they have. We are allowed at least one other Jedi to accompany us, but no more; unless we want to the hostages dead."
"Well, Ben, I have your third Jedi right here," Luke said before he stepped out of the imaging.
Luke's fizzled away and it was soon replaced by the face of the one person that Ben never hoped to see again.
"Jacen!" Ben exclaimed as he and Boride stared wide-eyed at his image.
"Hey, Ben, how's it goin'?" Jacen said in a reserved yet laid-back tone. "I hear that this reality's Jacen did some pretty bad things to you here. Especially with your mom. I'm so sorry to hear that."
"This reality's Jacen?" Ben asked. "What are you talking about? How did you come back?"
Before Jacen could answer, his image faded away and was replaced with Luke's features. "It's a long story, Ben. Jacen will explain it along the way once he joins you to Odacer-Faustin."
"We're currently in the outer reaches of the Coruscant system, pointing Rimward," Boride clarified, allowing Ben to take in the shock at seeing his late cousin back from the dead. "How soon can we expect Jedi Solo?"
"Given that he already departed just several hours ago to help you along in the mission on Velk, he should be arriving in the next hour or so," Luke said.
"You sent him over to assist Boride and I?" Ben asked.
Luke nodded. "He insisted. He feels that he doesn't want all of his memories over his late cousin to be the bad ones, so he wants to introduce you to himself, in what our Jacen was before he was corrupted."
"This Jacen was the Jacen you knew from the Yuuzhan Vong War and before?" Ben asked.
"He is," Luke confirmed. "Grand Master Skywalker, out." With that, his image dissolved into nothingness.
Ben was quiet for a moment before he sat back in the copilot's chair and said, "We should begin studying up on Odacer-Faustin before we meet up with Jacen."
Neither of them said a thing as they got up out of their seats and proceeded to do just that.
An hour later, obscured from nearly all sensors except for the Blastboat's, a StealthX appeared out of hyperspace, and Jacen's presence aboard the starfighter was unmistakeable to Ben's senses.
Except it wasn't the Jacen he knew. It was definitely a different Jacen. His presence was absent of any intentions borne from the dark side of the Force. He seemed very... solemn.
After the StealthX boarded the Blastboat, Ben and Boride were at the Skipray's airlock, waiting to welcome Jacen aboard. Once he was on deck, Boride nodded and stuck out his hand, saying with a curt nod, "Jedi Knight Boride Gatarry. Nice to meet you, Jedi Solo."
"Nice to meet you, too, Jedi Gatarry," Jacen reciprocated through the handshake and a nod of his own.
Once the handshake was done, Boride said, "I heard many things about you. Especially from Ben. You sound like a real nice guy from what I've been told." His tone on that last sentence was laced in pure sarcasm.
"In case you forgot," Jacen said without sounding angry, still feeling very laid back and solemn, "I'm not that Jacen."
"Care to explain?" Ben interjected.
And then Jacen did.
"That sounds like an unbelievable story," Ben said. "But I doubt that my father would allow you to continue roaming the galaxy free if he didn't believe you. Therefore, I have no choice but to trust you myself. Besides, we're running low on time anyway. We have to reach Odacer-Faustin before Dubloch Velk and his comrades kill their hostages." At that, he and Boride rushed back to the cockpit, with Jacen following suit as he took the navigator's chair, relieving Ben of one duty aboard the Skipray.
"We have the coordinates already," Boride said as he input the coordinates that would lead them to Odacer-Faustin's system. "It'll take us about less than twelve hours or so. We should be there with a few hours to spare in successfully neutralizing the Sith there."
"Good to know," Ben said sardonically. "So what're you waiting for? Punch it."
And at that, the Blastboat disappeared into hyperspace.
~o~
As the Skipray spent the next several hours in the blue velvet of hyperspace, the three Jedi decided to retire to their compartments to relax and prepare themselves for the confrontation against the trio of Sith they'd meet on Odacer-Faustin.
But as Ben sat on the floor of his room, peacefully meditating, he was taken out of his calming techniques when he heard a knock at the door. Opening his eyes, he knew who it was... and he didn't even need to use the Force to discern that fact.
"What do you want?" Ben asked.
"Can I come in?" Jacen asked.
After some hesitation, he said, "Sure."
As the door opened, Jacen walked in, and it scarcely closed behind him before he joined Ben on the floor. "So what's up, man?"
"I was meditating," Ben said with a tone that he thought should have told Jacen that he wasn't in the mood of being social. "Is that all you wanted to know?"
"Well, I was just really making idle chitchat, but whatever," Jacen said. "But you know why I'm here, right?"
"You're not the same Jacen who killed my mom and tortured me, so you can't change my mind about him," Ben said. "Nothing you do will ever redeem him in my eyes. So I suggest you stop wasting your breath and go back to your guest cabin. We all have to be ready for those Sith on Odacer-Faustin."
Jacen threw up his hands. "No argument there. At least not with the Sith. But if you do keep that in mind-that whole thing where I'm not the Jacen who killed your mom and tortured you-why are you treating me as if I am?"
"What do you mean?" Ben asked.
"Well, you're acting very distant from me, and I don't really appreciate that, man," Jacen said. "I know it's because the face you see before you is pretty much the same as the one who almost ruined your life. But you have to know, if you're gonna take anything away from me, is that the Jacen you knew wasn't always bad."
"I know that," Ben said.
"Sure, you may know it intellectually," Jacen said. "But subconsciously, whenever you hear the name Jacen Solo, you're always gonna think of that monster named Darth Caedus, who nearly made you into his apprentice and propagated the Second Galactic Civil War, among other crimes. And unlike your dad, your aunt, or uncle, you're never gonna think of Jacen Solo as the man who saved the galaxy from the Yuuzhan Vong while you were still in diapers-or the Jacen Solo who opened you up to the Force when you were to fearful too step into it by yourself, or by the guiding hands of your parents. That's what I'm here for: to remind you of who your Jacen was before he fell to the dark side, so you may keep in mind of who he was, not what he ultimately became."
"You came to this reality to do that? To introduce me to a man I never knew?" Ben asked.
"Well, actually, I had no idea what the hell Onimi sent me here for, but at this point, I think I have a pretty good idea of what he has me here for," Jacen said.
"Onimi. Jaina told me about him," Ben said. "He was the real Supreme Overlord of the Yuuzhan Vong, who our Jacen defeated and ended the war against the invaders."
"I did the very same thing," Jacen said. "And, man, you will not believe the all-encompassing nature it feels to become one with the Force. It's an experience beyond words, believe me."
"Oh, I do believe you," Ben said. "I've felt it, too. In my battle against Abeloth."
"Oh, yeah, Abeloth, Master Skywalker told me about her," Jacen said. "It's scary that she may just come back, ain't it?"
"No argument there," Ben replied. "But tell me. You're saying there's another Onimi who travels realities?"
"Yep," Jacen said with a nod of his head. "Just like I said."
"Do you know where he is now?" Ben asked.
Jacen shrugged. "Hell if I know. He does whatever he wants."
"Well, at least he's not the same Onimi who wanted to wipe out every single being in the galaxy," Ben said. "So at least he's not a top priority for us. At least for now. Still, there's something I need to get through your head, Jacen."
"And what's that?"
"Even if we do get along," Ben began, "no matter what you do for me, you still won't change my opinion of the Jacen I ultimately came to know. You got that?"
"I wasn't really expecting to do that, in all honesty," Jacen said. "I was just-"
"All honesty? What have you been lying about to me?" Ben asked. His tone stated that he wasn't really serious; he was just being a hard case to Jacen.
Ignoring Ben's attitude, Jacen said, "I was just intending to get it through your head that the Jacen you knew wasn't all bad, even as Caedus, believe it or not."
"And how are you gonna convince me of that?" Ben asked.
"Because from what I do know," Jacen said, "Caedus still had some good to him that was reflected in who he was before. After all, is that not why he sacrificed himself for his own ex-lover and daughter?"
Ben was silent for a moment. He broke it when he leaned in and said, "This doesn't change a thing. So may you leave now?"
Without another word, Jacen stood up and walked out of the room, allowing Ben to return to his meditation.