Please note the new title of this story...

---The Path of Dreams---

Chapter 21

Aboard the Anakin Solo, Mon Calamari System

The battle was a brutal concerto of hissing lightsabers and the nearly continual electronic screech of the four clashing blades. Accompanying were the grunts and growls of the two men battling it out. The lights of the training room in the gym of the Star Destroyer were dimmed and several obstacles were placed around the traditional dueling circles for added drama. The outer perimeter of the room was lined with curious observers, who added their own contribution to the violent symphony.

Jacen was totally focused on his opponent, he had to be. He was exceptionally skilled in Jar'Kai, having learned it during his travels after the Yuuzhan Vong war. However, Ben was proving to be a challenging sparring partner. Ben was relentless and Jacen decided to move the bar a notch higher by leaping onto a platform that was placed just outside Ben's circle of defense. Ben quickly compensated with a leap and Jacen let a small smile touch his lips.

Ben had progressed unbelievably well for an Apprentice whose lightsaber skill had been less than desirable only three years ago. Someday Troddeln would have to thank Jysella Horn for her excellent instruction and encouragement. Jacen knew that Ben's and the young woman's styles were completely different but it had been Ben's wanting to spar with her that increased his eagerness in learning and eventually Ben developed his own finesse.

From his higher position, Jacen came down in a downward slash with his right-handed blade. The green lightsaber, which he had made nearly twenty years ago, was easily parried by Ben's newly acquired red. Before Jacen could bring his newer crimson blade in, Ben twisted away from his Master, leapt up to the next box and nearly got a killing point as he brought his right-handed blue blade around in a slash. However, Jacen got out of the way fast by leaping backward off the platform, Ben followed him, but Jacen easily batted the red blade away with his green.

Troddeln grinned with satisfaction. He hadn't told Ben yet of his true identity or the secret agenda concerning Ben's training. Over half of what Troddeln had taught his young cousin in the past week was pure Sith technique with only enough Jedi sugar coating to prevent him from getting too suspicious. Ben's touch of the Dark Side had truly left him shaken and contemplative. Ben had to reason though his Jedi teachings, discerning the Jedi falsehoods for himself before Troddeln could take the next step.

However, Troddeln knew that his young Apprentice was doing just that by the occasional shy question regarding the Code and the other lessons. Troddeln was glad that he had been Ben's primary teacher since the boy was ten, planting the seeds of doubt in the young man's mind. He had only taught Ben Jedi doctrine concerning the Unifying Force. Troddeln still believed in the Unifying Force, but he had come to realize that there was indeed a Light and Dark Side, regardless of what he told Ben. He had to fully embrace the Darkness to reach his true potential as a Sith Master. He felt that the Dark Side could be used for accomplishing good, not only for evil purposes; as the Light Side could accomplish evil if the Force-user failed to act when they should have. Ben had been taught that principle but under the trappings of the Unifying Force.

Nevertheless, Ben still wasn't completely ready to be introduced to the Sith Order. Troddeln hoped that in a few months he'd be able to take Ben to Korriban to the ancient Temple there. Lumiya had taken Jacen there following his final act that completed his tutelage with her, and he had finally been introduced completely to the Order his grandfather had been ordained to destroy, the Order that she told him he would complete rebuilding. There he had been given the title of Master which surprised Troddeln. Although he still didn't completely trust her, he never expected her to step aside and let him take over what she had spent years building. However, Troddeln understood why now. Lumiya wasn't strong enough or well connected enough to accomplish what Jacen Solo could. And there was that underlying desire for revenge toward Luke and Leia. He had long ago come to terms with that fact, because he knew with his power he could actually bring peace to the galaxy that seemed content with ripping itself apart.

Besides the ancient Sith, who were immortalized at the decaying Temple, newly renamed Darth Troddeln met Lumiya's other Apprentice—Qing Niao a Force-sensitive Yuuzhan Vong female who had been found by Lumiya and trained. Jacen had heard of her from the Jedi Council prior to meeting her. She had captured Jedi Knight Daye Azur-Jamin during the war and he dubbed her the name Vongerella. She and her small force of Yuuzhan Vong warriors served Lumiya's and now Troddeln's purposes as scouts on the Outer Rim.

All of Troddeln's plans were falling into place. Lumiya was doing her duty as spy and counter-spy. Centerpoint Station was nearly operational; however there was still a very critical part of the whole equation missing. Troddeln had no intention of even letting Lumiya know that the station was useless until he personally sat at the controls. Alama Rar was also making herself useful; he had just ordered her to assassinate the pro-Corellian leader of Thyferra to allow the pro-GA vice chancellor to take over. Troddeln had no intention of letting the GA's largest producer of bacta join the Insurgents.

The only part of his plans that haven't thus far gone the way he had wished involved getting rid of Gavin Darklighter. He had considered having him assassinated and then convince Niathal to appoint him Supreme Commander in the ensuing power vacuum of the military, but he rejected that idea. He had a feeling if he was patient a less messy opportunity would present itself. And then there was the Jedi. He was working hard to split the Council. In his corner completely were Katarn, Hamner and Lobi. On the other side were Durron, Sebatyne, Ramis and the Skywalkers, who were totally against Jacen. While the Solusars and surprisingly Horn were caught in the middle, wavering between the positions—Jacen wanting the Jedi to be completely answerable to the GA and particularly the Chief of State, which if all went well would eventually be him. While the Skywalkers and their supporters wanted to remain totally free from GA regulation. Durron and Mara were the most vocal among this group.

Suddenly, another potentially deadly slash by Ben brought Troddeln back to the task at hand. He quickly parried and kicked out with both legs in hopes of turning the battle. Ben was hit in the abdomen with a force that threw him across the dueling area and knocked the wind out of him when he landed with a loud thud. The Sith Master simply leapt to stand over him.

Ben glowered at him and suddenly before Troddeln could claim victory by pointing his blue blade under Ben's chin, Troddeln felt a blast of Force energy hit him in the chest throwing him backward. Ben tumbled in a forward roll and came up to his feet. Snarling, he brought his red blade up and under the Master's surprised defenses and pointed the glowing tip at his heaving chest. Troddeln began to laugh and the applause of the crewmen watching seemed to bring Ben out of his battle fevered haze. He looked around and then back at his Master, surprise evident on his sweating face.

"I won?"

Jacen turned both of his humming blades off and smiled, "You won."

Ben whooped and turned his lightsabers off. He had never beaten Jacen before sparring. Troddeln was proud of him, but he suddenly hoped he'd never have to face Ben in an actual battle to the death. Ben was a natural for the form Jar'Kai. Belatedly remembering common sparring curtsey, Ben quickly cleared his throat and bowed his damp head of coppery curling hair. "Eh…Thank you, Master."

Jacen returned the bow and then stepped beside him. He patted him on his shoulder and said apologetically, "I know I promised you that vacation..."

They began moving toward the exit and Ben looked over at Jacen and said in a dejected tone, the pleasure of beating his Master for the first time completely gone, "I understand, Jacen. I am needed here."

Three days after Ben killed the leader of the Freedom's Avengers, Shipyard Three was destroyed. Several members of the GAG team that had been stationed on the facility to gather clues had been killed in the blasts. Jacen had to recall Ben's leave orders. However, there was an underlying reason why he denied Ben's shore leave. Troddeln wanted to frustrate and embitter his Apprentice. The Sith Lord even commented on the unfairness of Jysella's assignment to such a remote planet in the first place. He made Ben believe that it had been totally Luke, Mara and Corran's insistence that caused the Council to agree to the mission. Troddeln openly sympathized with Ben's feeling of anger toward their parents for forcing the young lovers' separation.

In reality, the Sith Lord considered Jysella an irritating distraction, but he was finding ways of using that distraction and Ben's attachment to her in his training. So, he decided to allow Ben his diversion. The cancellation of Ben's leave achieved its goal, but now the time had come to reward his Apprentice for his hard work. However for the next morsel, Ben would have to work harder. Troddeln let a smile touch is lips, Yes, Jysella Horn would prove to be very useful, indeed.

Ben looked at his Master questioningly, but before he could inquire about Jacen's bemused expression he said, "But I think the worse is over. Now comes the mop up and with the Fifth Fleet here as well, we should be able to handle it a few weeks without you were here."

Ben stopped walking and turned to face him, surprise and gratitude mixing on the boy's handsome face, "You mean?"

Troddeln smiled and nodded, "Yes. Go. Get cleaned up and packed. I want you off the Anakin in a standard hour."

Ben whooped again and, completely forgetting that Jacen wasn't just his cousin and Master but also his commanding general, he wrapped the older man in a tight embrace. "Thank you, Jace."

Before he could say a word about the inappropriate behavior of the lieutenant toward the general, Ben let go and took off at a full run to the nearest turbolift that could take him to his quarters. Darth Troddeln, the first Master of the Sith since Emperor Palpatine, continued to smile. His plans were all coming together quite nicely.

Kiris Asteroid Shipyards, Imperial Flagship Intrepid

General Han Solo of the Corellian Defense Force and member of Admiral Antilles staff chaffed against the dark navy blue dress uniform that he was forced to wear. He hated all this stuff. He shook his silver head at the irony of it all. He first became a general over forty years ago to defeat the Empire. Now he was taking orders from it to fight against the government he spent his life's blood defending. However, Han sadly admitted that he would rather take orders from an Emperor such as Jagged Fel then from the corrupt Chief of State who took hers from Han's own son.

Han didn't lie to himself. He knew Jacen had crossed the line. He had known for a long time. He just couldn't believe Luke or the other Jedi Masters were so blinded by what Jacen had become. Then there was that dream Allana had been having. When Leia told him in their latest communication that Allana knew about Jacen being her father and then she told him about the dream, his heart broke. He couldn't believe that Jacen, the little boy who would catch all sorts of creatures and cared so deeply for them, could have done anything to hurt Tenel Ka. Kriff, the boy about drove himself crazy with sorrow after he accidentally amputated her arm. He just couldn't even imagine him killing her. He wanted to believe the dream was nothing more than spooks in the closet, but his gut told him that wasn't so and his gut feeling never lied to him. Allana Djo was proving to be a very powerful little Jedi, which considering who her father was, scared him to death.

"What do you think all this is about?"

Han was instantly brought out of his thoughts by the quiet words from the young man who sat down beside him. Han looked over at the newest member of Wedge Antilles' staff and gave him a crooked grin; he looked as uncomfortable in the dark blue dress uniform as much as he was. "I donno. My guess is Fel has something up his sleeve. At the last meeting like this, he announced the plan to attack Bothawui."

The young Jedi pursed his lips and looked around, "Oh."

Suddenly, Han remembered what happened to the Jedi during and after that battle and said, "Hey, kid, I'm sorry. I forgot what that meant for you."

Valin Horn met Han's eyes again and let a smile play on the corners of his mouth. "That's okay. I am on this side now, so I'm glad that battle turned out the way it did. It's just the memories of it, the friends lost and what came after that I could do without."

Han nodded solemnly. He liked the son of Corran Horn. Han had always liked Corran even though sometimes he thought he was a too cocky for his own good. However, Valin hadn't inherited that arrogance. Han assumed it was Valin's Jedi training that checked it. Since Leia's resignation from Wedge's staff, Valin became her replacement. Han didn't mind all that much. Leia's heart really hadn't been in the war anyway. She felt like she was betraying the Jedi and the government she had once served as Chief of State, even if she didn't agree with it any longer.

"So, do you think something is going to happen?"

Han snickered, "Aren't you the Jedi?"

Valin laughed and replied, "Yeah, I am but I don't know everything. This being an advisor is all still pretty new to me."

Suddenly, all comment from Han was cut off by the swishing sound of the main door. He looked up and followed the rest of the officers in the room to his feet.

Jagged Fel along with his executive officer stepped into the room. Wedge came in next. As the last member of the party entered, Han felt as if he was going to fall off the riser when he recognized the sharp-featured, broad-shouldered man. He hadn't seen him in probably closer to fifty years, and despite the near engagement of their children, Han couldn't help his shook. He was dressed in a plain black suit with the only insignia on his double breasted jacket being that of Imperial Baron.

Jag and the other two officers moved to stand behind the podium. Between the podium and the risers that held the commanding and staff officers in attendance was a large holoprojector. Wedge and the second in command of the Remnant Fleet, whose name was Mason Krieg, stood on either side of the Grand Admiral, while Baron Fel remained off to one side. Soontir noticed Han's gaze and gave a minute nod of acknowledgment. Han swallowed and nodded back. Han chuckled to himself, What the kriff is happening to the galaxy that would bring Soontir Fel and me to the same meeting on the same side?

Finally, Jag's voice brought Han's attention off the man, who Han had been in competition with while at the Imperial Academy all those years ago. "Please, at ease," Jag paused to allow the hundred or so senior officers of the Imperial Fleet and the Corellian Defense Force to settle into their seats. Then he hit a switch on the console before him and over the holoplate the Calamari System came to life. Han suddenly had a feeling that the future was about to become very strange indeed. He pulled his eyes off the hologram to stare at the young man who would bring about that future.

"As most of you have been informed, the shipyards of Mon Calamari have suffered considerable damage over the past two weeks due to terrorist attacks. So far two of the largest shipyards have been completely destroyed. The GA has sent the Fifty-first Infantry which includes the Galactic Alliance Guard under the command of General Jacen Solo in an attempt the to capture the terrorists who did this." Han clinched his jaw at the thought of his son as a general. Jag went on as he came out from around the podium, "Since GAG's arrival the Fifth Fleet has also joined the Anakin Solo and its taskforce." Now, Han wondered if Fel was just trying to irritate him. He felt the curious glances of several of his fellow officers, mostly from the Imperials in the room, and he felt his face redden with anger. Again he wondered what Jacen was thinking when he named his Star Destroyer after his dead brother.

"The intelligence from Mon Calamari suggests that the military is focused on tracking down the terrorists." Han suddenly held his breath. He watched as Fel instructed Krieg to bring up a new hologram, one of the watery world of Mon Calamari and its orbiting satellites. He realized what Jag was up to and he swallowed hard. "Mon Calamari is far from defenseless but it isn't unreachable." Using a pointer that he picked up from the holoplate base Jag pointed to one of the Golan space defense platforms and said, "Mon Cal has two defense platforms stationed at either pole but the planet was also dependant on the two destroyed shipyards to provide planetary defense. Without those yards and the ships that were destroyed in the blasts from the terrorists, Mon Calamari's ability to protect itself is greatly diminished. Now is the time to take advantage of our enemy's weakness."

Looking over at Admiral Krieg, Jag nodded and the image changed again, this time the entire Mon Calamari Sector floated above the plate. "My proposed plan, which Admirals Krieg and Antilles will elaborate on, is simple—we attack Mon Calamari. We have a fantastic opportunity here, one that will turn the battle in our favor." Several of the Corellian officers gasped and Han wasn't sure what he felt. When Jag suggested attacking Bothan Space he agreed because the Bothan's were their allies. He felt the same for the Dubrillion System, because they wanted to be free of the GA as well, even if it was the Remnant that the system wanted to join. But this was different. Mon Cal was one of the GA's main supporters and it was the home planet of the Chief of State. The Insurgents had been winning, at least maintaining the planets that were their allies, but to take such an important planet from the GA would indeed be the turning point of the war.

"The sector is relatively defenseless except for the force at Mon Calamari. The New Empire…" suddenly Han felt the hair on the back of his neck rise at the mention of that word and he didn't need to be a Jedi to feel the odd mix of tensions rise in the room. "…and Corellia can defeat those of the GA at Mon Calamari. Together we can finally become free and independent from the Galactic Alliance of Free Alliances, which has become a sham of what it was meant to be. It has become a tyranny worse than that of the Empire under Palpatine. The kind of tyranny we will not tolerate. It is time for us to put an end to this war and declare ourselves free and independent."

And there it was. Han found himself applauding along with those around him both Corellian and Imperial caught up in the emotion behind the word. Han was astonished; he had never known Jagged Fel to have so much passion. It wasn't until Valin Horn spoke that Han Solo realized what he just witnessed. "The New Empire? Does that mean Admiral Fel is the new Emperor?"

Han stared at the Jedi. He honestly didn't have an answer and before he could speak, Wedge Antilles stepped forward and held up his hand to halt the applause. As soon as the room was quite again the Corellian Admiral began to explain Corellia's role in the coming offensive operation. Then Krieg outlined the larger part the Imperial Navy would play in the plan that could win the war.

Han found himself looking over at Sootir Fel and suddenly hoped that Corellia was indeed independent when it was all over.

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