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Chapter 26

Jedi Offices, Vincent, Krylon

Ben was fidgeting. He must have tugged on the jacket of his dress uniform, which by some whim he didn't even understand he had brought along with him to Krylon, for the tenth time. If it became any straighter, it would have to become a gleaming sheet durosteel. But then he always fidgeted when he was nervous and at this moment he had never been more so.

Then he felt her presence deliberately brush his and he looked up through the arch way to the stairs beyond.

She was there.

She was more beautiful than he could have ever imagined.

And Ben had to force himself to breathe.

Jysella's garment had been just purchased the day before at the small clothing boutique owned by the friend with whom Tahiri had stayed his first night on planet. It wasn't elaborate but it was exactly what he pictured Jysella wearing on her wedding day. The dress was so pale that it was nearly white, but he knew it was a shade of green. A Corellian custom. Its skirt was long and simple in line and design. Its bodice, with a modest squarish neckline and long three-quarter length sleeves, held no decoration; save for a corsage of a large creamy white lily-like native flower with smaller pinkish hewed flowers pined at her left shoulder. She carried more of the same flowers in a simple bouquet. Her ebony hair laid in long loose curls that he knew were Tahiri's doing and her head was adorned with a halo of greens and pink flowers.

Suddenly, she looked more like an angel than he could ever imagine her to. And he found that he forgot to breathe again.

He quickly brought his eyes to hers and smiled. She smiled back and he detected a slight blush on her cheeks and he could feel her bashfulness through their bond. She turned from her position and continued down the stairs with him watching her every move. She was too captivating to take his eyes from.

Finally, she made her way through the arch, which with Grada's help had been decorated with more of the cheap but pretty local flowers and vining greens, as was the office waiting area of the Jedi offices where the simple ceremony was to take place.

Jysella and Tahiri's dress-shop owner friend, a Falleen female by the name of Banni Prog, had insisted on the flowers which filled the otherwise featureless room; almost transforming it into a beautiful indoor garden and bathed the area with a light citrus scent. It wasn't as intoxicating as Jysella's favorite flower and personal fragrance, Corellian white lilies, but it was still nice.

Jysella came to stand before him and he reached out to take her out stretched hand. Their eyes met and Ben was nearly overwhelmed with the torrent of love he felt for her. She was everything to him. He suddenly realized that she was the reason he was fighting the war, why he was determined to destroy scum like Macia and his band of misfits. She was the reason he wanted peace, so that she could while away her life as a Jedi helping good honest people like Grada and Banni and never have to face the evil of someone like the terrorists that Ben faced nearly everyday. She was the reason he wanted Jacen's plan for order.

Tahiri cleared her throat and as if remembering that they weren't alone, he and Jysella looked over at her. She was standing before them with a small datapad held in her hand. She was dressed in her traditional sand colored robes with the cowl pulled over her blonde curls in a somber fashion. Then she began, "We are—" Her voice cracked under her own nervousness and she smiled abashedly and stared again, "We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in the rite of the marriage union per the regulations of the planetary government of Krylon and the traditions set forth by the Jedi Council."

Then she turned to Ben and asked as was proscribed by Krylon law, "Please state your name, age and planet of origin for the official record."

Ben looked at Jys and smiled, "Ben Skywalker, age sixteen, Coruscant."

Turning toward Jys, Tahiri asked the same question. Jys softly said, "Jysella Horn, age nineteen, Corellia."

Tahiri grinned and nodded then looked back at her text. After reading it she looked up and said, "What is your request?"

In unison, "To be married."

"Are you making this request of your own free will?"

"Yes."

"Are you prepared to combine your lives and fortunes for the good and prosperity of your new family and of the larger society?"

"We are," they said again at the same time and Ben squeezed her hand.

Normally, that was all that was to the marriage vows of Krylon, but they weren't finished yet. Now came the Jedi portion of the union ceremony. They had decided that to make their marriage as binding as possible they would include both aspects to their vows. Krylon's marriage laws were somewhat lax but not any more so than those even on Coruscant. On Krylon any upper level civil servant could perform a wedding. Since the Jedi on Krylon held the same ranking in the government as a level one justice actually both Tahiri and Jysella could legally officiate a wedding. However, to even add to that binding power was the fact that Jedi could legally join a couple in matrimony, even if they preferred not to perform such acts routinely.

Tahiri's grin seemed to widen and she took a deep breath. "Since you are both Jedi and as a Knight of that Order I must ask: Are you prepared to serve the Force first and foremost, disregarding your attachments especially to each other?"

Ben thought of that question for a brief moment and had the impression Jysella was too. But as they had before they answered Tahiri in unison, "We are."

Then Banni, who was standing off to the side with Grada, their only witnesses, handed Tahiri a length of white ribbon. The Falleen took Jys's bouquet and then stepped back to observe the strange rite.

Ben then took Jysella's free hand as well as the one he already held. They turned again to Tahiri. She began to wind the ribbon around their wrists at the same time as she spoke. "This ribbon represents the Force as it binds all things together, it also binds you. You are stronger working together with the Force as your friend and your ally. Just as your love flows through you, so does the Force. If you use the Light that is your love, you will never become despondent. However, you must never lose sight that the Force is larger than you, even larger than your love." She paused and then when she began speaking again she began unwrapping their wrists. "And because of this, when the time comes for one of you to become one with the Force, the other must remember that grief and sadness are natural but true despair, anger and hate are things of the Dark Side and must be avoided. You must let go of these emotions at that time and remember the Light that you had shared. And most importantly remember that no one is truly gone but are part of the Force we serve." She pulled the ribbon away and as she held it up again between them over their hands, Ben swallowed. He had no idea how he'd ever be able to let her go if he ever had too. Well, I will just have to make sure that I never do.

Jys was smiling and then Tahiri, who had stepped back a few steps from them, ignited and raised her lightsaber over them in a solitary salute. "With the authority granted to me as both a civil servant of Krylon and as a Jedi Knight, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Ben glanced at Tahiri and she nodded and smiled. Her saber still raised, its familiar humming a counterpoint to the boisterous clapping of Jys's two friends. Ben then gazed at Jys and she was beaming. Tears streamed down her flushed cheeks and she absolutely glowed with love and utter joy. He then let go of her hands and reached around her slender waist. She stepped into his embrace and he leaned down and met her upturned lips in a tender kiss that sealed their vows and their promise.

As their kiss ended, Tahiri extinguished her blade and announced happily as her own tears of gladness flowed, "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Skywalker."

Command Salon, Intrepid, Mon Calamari System

Valin stood off to the side of the Grand Admiral and watched his father-in-law as he spoke with Jag Fel. Only Wedge Antilles could make jokes at a time like this, he thought with wry amusement.

"Good," the Corellian commander responded but before he would say anything else the holograph became first snowy and then completely disappeared.

It took Jag less than a half second to demand of the comm officer, "What happened?"

The young man with aristocratic and sharp features hit several keys on his display then announced, "I'm not sure, Sir. The message just—"

Suddenly, a pleasant female voice that only showed a hint of trepidation cut her crewmate off, "Admiral, the Revenger just disappeared from the display."

Valin spun around and headed straight for the tactical display. However, he didn't look at the hologram of the battle that was raging around him. Instead, he closed his eyes and concentrated and instantly they flew open. Jag came up to stand before him and the two men shared a knowing glance.

Valin swallowed the sudden emotion that rose to his throat and in a thick voice he softly said disbelievingly, "He's gone. Unc—Wedge is gone."

Jag stared at Valin for a long moment until the voice of the comm officer cut through the growing tension, "Sir." He waited for Jag's response to go on and then said, "Sir, Admiral Wekk of the Rancor reports that the Revenger has been destroyed." Valin could hear the note of sympathy in the young man's voice.

"Put her though, Lieutenant."

Instantly an image of a woman in her middle thirties, who Valin had always thought reminded him of the animal her ship was named for, appeared over the holoplate. She saluted smartly and in her no-non-sense way said, "Admiral Fel, I'm sorry to—"

Jag, showing uncharacteristic impatience, cut her off, "How many escape pods were able to get away?"

She swallowed visibly and responded ruefully, "Only five, Sir. I'm sending a shuttle to pick them up now."

Jag stared at her; the only emotion that the Imperial showed was a tick in his clenched jaw, but Valin could feel the anger and grief roll off of him through the Force. Valin could sympathize with the older man, because he was feeling the same things. Then Jag took a deep breath and, without taking his gaze from her, called out, "Major Vonis, I want you to increase your firing of the long range turboblasters on the Anakin Solo. However, I also want you aim at other targets as well as the opportunity presents."

Vonis acknowledged the order and the bridge lighting dimmed as another blast was fired toward the enemy ship. Then to the commander of the fighter wings, he turned fiery green eyes, "General Sarve, order all starfigher wings to engage."

Then Jag said to the Corellian Admiral, who was still waiting for orders from her new immediate superior, despite the fact that that had never officially been established, "Congratulations, Admiral Wekk, you are now in charge of the Corellian Fleet."

She nodded once and saluted again, "Thank you, Sir." Then before the image dissolved she added determinedly, "He was a great man. I will do my best to follow his lead."

Valin unable to contain the raging emotion of grief for a man that he had always loved and admired, and who in his heart would always be his "Uncle Wedge", clenched his hands into fists. "Why didn't he try to get out of there? He should have jumped to the back of the line. Why did he…"

Jag looked at the Jedi and reached out and, in a rare show of affection, laid his hand on Valin's upper arm. Then he quietly said, his voice rough, "He was a fighter, Valin. I would have done the same. But I understand, he was an uncle to you longer than he was to me." He swallowed and added, "Fortunately, you were here, not with him. Syal will be distraught enough."

Valin mutely nodded and immediately reached with the Force to try to find her fa miliar presence among the hundreds of battling starfighters. They were as bonded as a Jedi and a non-Force-sensitive could be. He eventually found her and sent her his love. He knew that she wouldn't be able to respond back and she may not even be aware that he touched her mind. She was upset but she was as much a fighter as her father. Valin knew that she would need him when they were reunited after the battle, until then her warrior instinct would keep her focused on the battle around her.

At least he hoped it would.

Suddenly, the tactical officer broke into the sudden silence upon the bridge, "Admiral, we have ships entering the battle from behind the Corellian/Bothan Fleets, Sir."

Jag turned to her and responded, "ID those ships, Major Cegg."

"Sir, they are from the GA Third Fleet, Sir. The flagship, Ocean is among them."

Jag nodded and thought for a moment. Then he coolly as possible said to the comm officer, "Get me Admiral Krieg."

Moments later the image of a man about Jag's own age appeared. He was tall, broad shouldered with blonde hair and startling blue eyes set in a handsome face with a square jaw. "Admiral Fel, I report that the Fifth Fleet is now engaged with the Hapan Fleet and I am pressing the locals, causing catastrophic damage."

"Good. It seems the GA may have been tipped with our plan. The Third Fleet is trying to out flank the Bothan and Corellian forces."

Masen Krieg scowled, "I will send a taskforce immediately."

"No, Krieg," Jag said, "we can handle it. However, the command of the Corellians is now held by Admiral Yentta Wekk of Rancor. Maintain your position and keep the GA and the Mon Cals from sending reinforcements to Solo."

Krieg acknowledged him with a nod. "I will await orders then. Krieg out."

Jag then ordered a taskforce to target the approaching Third Fleet and augment the Corellians and the Bothans who were finding themselves being crushed between the two GA forces. Exacting the same affect the Imperials and the Hapans were on the other side of the planet.

Suddenly, the Intrepid suffered its first real strike of enemy fire as the Anakin turned away from the Corellians and was now firing full force on the Intrepid. It really was a battle of two giants, Valin thought as the largest and the newest Star Destroyers of what had once been the untied GA battled it out. Pelleaon in his usual shrewdness had ensured that the Remnant also had one of the new ships and had procured the second one produced for the Imperial Fleet. Two weeks later he had resigned his post as GA Supreme Commander. He then renamed the vessel Intrepid and presented it to Jagged Fel along with its captaincy. Shortly after that Jag was made an Admiral and given command of the fleet sent to Corellia. Once a treaty was signed between Corellia, her allies and the Remnant, Jag commanded the forces that freed Corellia from the GA blockade. Intrepid became his flagship and was perfectly matched gun for gun to the Anakin Solo.

Now, these two titans were in a heated battle that Valin only hoped would once and for all bring an end to the war that was tearing his fa mily apart more and more.

"Ahh!" Valin suddenly grabbed the edge of the one of the bridge stations to keep him from falling over. He bent at the waist and tried to gasp for air, he also clutched at his abdomen as if he had just been kicked in the gut.

Jag along with several others turned concerned or just curious eyes to the Jedi. Jag was the one who spoke, "What is it?"

Valin shook his head. He wasn't able to talk. He then pulled out of the battle meld with the other Jedi. The emotional backlash from the others was as brutal as the original shock and pain had been. Once he was able to he gulped air. When he looked up at Jag there were tears in his eyes. He had just felt the death of a fellow Jedi, a friend and a powerful presence. He finally whispered.

"Zekk."

Skywalker Temporary Quarters, Anakin Solo

Mara was pacing the entire length of the small sitting area of the comfortable appearing quarters that the GAG guards had lead them to. Her hands crossed defiantly across her chest, nostrils flaring, a fire in her green eyes, and the tail her hair was pulled in whipped around her shoulder as she turned at the end of the circuit. Mara wasn't just upset she was furious.

Then she turned that fury onto the man who sat trying to obtain a brittle calmness on the edge of one of the formflow chairs in the center of the room. Luke swallowed; he knew he was in for it.

"How?" she glowered, "How could he do this?" Damn it, Luke. We're being treated like prisoners." She then stopped and Luke stood up. She was working herself into a mess. Which, Luke had to admit, had only happened one or two other times in the over thirty years he had known her.

"Mara, calm down."

That was the wrong thing to say and he knew it.

"Calm down!!" She threw her hands into the air and spun away. However, before Luke could respond, she turned again, put her hands on her hips and huffed, "I'll calm down when that Sith Lord of a nephew allows me to leave this—" she waved her hands indicating the room, but Luke knew she meant the ship as a whole, "—this disgrace to go after my son!"

He took a deep breath and flooded their bond with love and reassurance. Then he placed his hands on her shoulders and said, "If you calm down we will. And aren't you being a little harsh concerning Jacen?"

That finally got through the fog of betrayal and anger. She stared at him and finally took a deep breath and Luke felt the tension fall away from her. After a moment she more calmly inquired, but she was now irritated at him for holding back, "You have a plan, Skywalker?" She completely ignored his question.

He shrugged and dropped his hands to his side. "Not really. But I'm not going to be locked away when there's a battle going on out there."

"I don't care about the battle, Luke. I want to find Ben. He's cut himself out of the Force again." She was referring to Ben's uncanny way of disappearing from the Force, just as Jacen was most of the time.

"I know. And we will." Luke then stepped over to the door. Laying his hand over the locking mechanism, he looked back at her and somberly said, "But first I'm confronting my nephew."

She moved to stand beside him and scoffed, "Now who's being harsh."

He didn't answer her but instead gave her a reproving look and then turned back to the lock and concentrated. Two seconds later the door slid open to reveal two surprised black armored guards outside.

Mara glanced at Luke and said with a quirked brow, "May I ask why anyone would think two accomplished Jedi Masters would need door guards?"

The one on the right, who wore the raking symbols of a sergeant, nervously cleared his throat and stammered, "Emmm…The general, he—he asked us to make sure you don't leave your quarters."

Luke, keeping his face impassive, simply asked, "Why?"

The two guards exchanged nervous glances and, even though Luke couldn't see their eyes through the black visors of their helmets, he could feel acutely their surprise and fear.

Mara, who wasn't trying to hide any of her displeasure from her facial futures, scowled, "And remember, we can detect if you are lying."

Finally, the sergeant brought his attention back to Luke, "General Solo instructed us to keep you from wondering the ship. During battle not all areas are safe. To fire the long range turboblasters the power—"

Mara impatiently said, "Yes. Yes. We know all about what happens when the Anakin fires its guns. However, keeping us under lock and key with armed guards makes no sense, since we've been on this ship before during battle and are well aware of what can happen if the power is shut down in certain areas and a person is trapped."

The sergeant seemed relieved but still leery, "Then you understand why it is important to stay here."

Luke smiled at the guard's effort, "No. We are not staying here. Instead, if you are so concerned, you could lead us to General Solo. I'm certain he's on the bridge."

The two guards looked at each other and Luke suddenly felt a spike of fear. Fear not directed at him but at something, someone else. Were they afraid of Jacen?"

Mara must have felt the change too that his suggestion brought to the guards. Now she was as determined as him to get to the bottom of things. She pushed past the corporal and headed toward the nearest turbolift. Luke gave the guards another glance and then headed off to follow his wife.

"Hey!" said the corporal, who up until now was quiet. "I guess we should tag along just to keep you out of restricted areas.

Luke glanced over his shoulder at the two guards and smiled, "That may be a good idea. And less likely to get you into trouble with your commander."

Luke missed the look shared between the guards. The Anakin seemed to also be under fire now and lights in the corridor dimmed and never came back up as the batteries continued their constant stream of fire.

The guards caught up with Luke and Mara just before they passed an adjacent corridor. The sergeant pointed and said, "Let's take this lift. It will get you to the command deck just as fast as the main one."

Luke waited for Mara and nodded. Seconds later they were speeding through the convoluted twists and turns of the lift, as the car sped to the command deck. The ship seemed to buck a little and Mara said, "It seems that Jag is playing for keeps as well."

The guards looked at her and the corporal said, his disdain showing through the vocalizer, "You say that as if you know the Imp."

Luke looked up at the status bar of the lift, a series of blinking numbers and letters that symbolized the decks they were passing. "He nearly became our nephew-in-law a few years back. So yes, we know him. Ironic, don't you think?" He then looked at the guards, "And sad."

"Isn't this lift taking a long time to get to the bridge?" Mara's impatience was as clear as the scowl on her face.

The guards then became extremely nervous but before anything else could be said the car stopped and the lighting within dimmed to nearly non-existent. Luke looked at Mara and she was livid. They had just been duped. Luke could only smile at his own gullibility. The power had been diverted from all non-essential systems, which included all but the main turobolifts. Obviously this wasn't a main lift. The guards would have known that and had hoped that by trapping the Jedi Masters into the lift car would prevent them from getting into trouble later.

He turned his grin on the guards and said, "Very smart and quick thinking. I applaud you. Not often can someone fool two Jedi Masters and trap us."

However, Mara wasn't amused at her falling for the stunt. "Well, we won't be trapped for long." Then she pulled her lightsaber from her belt and the two guards cowered into the corner and pulled their weapons. Mara raised an eyebrow and said, "I'm not going to cut you to ribbons, even if that is what I'd rather do. Put those things away before someone gets hurt."

When neither guard made the move to do so, she reached out with the Force and simply pushed the barrels toward the floor. Then she looked at Luke, gave him grin and said, "We need to go up, right?"

He chuckled; he knew what she had planned, "Yes, up would be good."

She then ignited the blue blade of her saber and proceeded to cut a half meter hole into the ceiling of the car. Luke caught the disk as it began to fall at the end of her cut. She closed down the saber and glanced once more at the guards, then she simply leapt up and through the hole. Luke deposited the disk to the side on the floor and followed his wife through the opening, to land beside her on the roof of the car. The lift tunnel was completely black with the only light coming from the blinking red lights to indicate the repulsers were still operational every ten meters or so. The deck doors from the lift shaft would be between those indicators.

Luke pulled a length of thin but strong line from his belt and with the Force as a guide tossed the grappling hook up to catch and wrap around a pipe above where the doors were to the deck above them. He then tested it by tugging on it and looked over at Mara, who was grinning.

"Need a lift?" he asked and held out his hand.

She sniggered as she let him wrap his arm around her and she put hers around his neck, "Never. But I'll humor you anyway, farmboy."

Then he touched the switch on his belt and the line began to retract, pulling them upward as it did. Mara reached out to the Force and pushed the doors above them open and when they reached the opening, she pulled her lightsaber from her belt and leapt from Luke's arms into the safety of the corridor above. It was dimly lit but everything seemed functional and was void of guards. Luke followed her into the corridor, undid his grappling hook and allowed it to rewind the rest of the way into his belt pouch.

He turned and followed Mara down the corridor to the main lift when suddenly he felt the disturbance in the Force. Mara looked back at him and he knew that she felt it too.

She swallowed and disbelievingly asked, "Zekk?"

He sadly nodded. The Order had just lost another great Jedi.

Zekk pulled up and maneuvered into a twisting dive that nearly caused him to black out form the exertion. However, he held on, he had too. He had to get what was left of his squadron out of this.

The Angels and a Bothan squadron of A-wings were protecting a Corellian Corvette against two squadrons of Mon Calamari and Quarren X-wings and Eta-5s when things went sour. There had been some comm traffic that hinted at the destruction of Revenger, but he ignored most of it, until he felt Valin's grief and anger fill the battle meld. Then he knew something was up. However, before he could really think too much about the loss of the admiral, out of no-where four squadrons of GA starfighters seemed to appear at the edge of the fight.

At first, Zekk and the other squadron of A-wings he was working with weren't concerned, until they began to focus completely on them by turning away from their main line and engaging them. Within minutes Ennth's Angels lost six of the ten pilots Zekk had left. With the remaining three pilots from his squad and the four fighters from the Bothan squadron now looking at him for direction, he thought about ordering them to jump to safety. The Corvette was destroyed and they had no reason to stay, except that they couldn't even get free enough to jump. The enemy was literally trying to crush them. And as he saw another two fighters blink out of existence on his status board, he thought that they were doing a very fine job of it too.

Zekk completed his dive and pulled sharp to starboard. As he leveled out some, he took aim and fired at an X-wing that crossed his path. Zekk's laser hit the top S-foil and knocked its laser cannon completely away. As it tried to twist away into an evasive maneuver, Zekk took aim again and this time blasted it to bits. He then pulled a climb that would take him over the blast field. That was when he noticed the battle.

The unknown fleet that jumped into the battle had been identified as the Third Fleet and was trying to flank the Corellians, while Jacen's taskforce and the Mon Calamari continued to fight in front of the Corellians. The Bothan taskforce which was further out in the line from Zekk's position was having a hard time of it. However, from the battle meld he got a feeling from Jaina that near her position closer to where the Imperial Fleet appeared, things weren't quite as bleak.

Suddenly, a laser got lucky and Zekk's R-2 droid squealed its last as its dome was blown away. But the lack of the R-2 wasn't as bad as it could have been in a battle this hot, he still had the Force. Totally relying on the Force to guide him and with his shields nearly gone, he knew if he was hit again he was liable not to make it. He continued in the upward loop and hoped that he could shake the tail.

However, the pilot was a good one and followed him through the climb. Zekk pulled sharp to starboard and hit the lasers as an Eta-5 came into view and was headed his way. He then flew though the ball of expanding hot gas that had once been the GA Interceptor and went into a corkscrew dive. For a moment Zekk thought he had lost his tail, but as his lock alarm sounded he realized too late that he hadn't.

It was a mistake he'd never live to regret.

A/N: I would like to explain my lack of knowledge concerning the wedding ceremony. I would have loved to been able to make Ben's and Jys's wedding more canonial. However, I never read Union, which I think was the only place the Jedi Union ceremony would have been explained. I could not find any info on this rite and decided to just come up with something that seemed to fit. The Krylon bit was easy, its a secular service, nothing more. The Jedi portion I'm not too sure about.

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