Dagobah

Dagobah turned out to be every bit as bad as the star charts had described it. The humidity was so near 100 percent that as soon as they went outside, they were soaked from the inside out. That is if it was not raining and you got soaked from the outside in. When you added in the unfriendly forest denizen, the nearly-always treacherous footing, and the perpetual gloom, it seemed to be the planet least likely to make anyone stay for long.

In other words, it was perfect for a renegade Sith Lord and a Jedi Master looking to hide.

Shemric and Julienne went out in the muck twice a day to train and though nothing else resembled their time on Zeltros, the affect was the same. They tested and tried each other over and over until they would return exhausted and grimy. Fortunately, since water was not an issue, they were able to take actual hot showers for as long as they wanted. It was a consolation prize for winning a no-expenses trip to such an unpleasant place.

Despite all that, Shemric could not say that he was not enjoying himself. Julienne's new attitude felt like a celebration of life compared to their past encounters. She laughed with him, told stories of visiting his family, relived some of their better moments in their shared past and speculated where they might decide to live when it was all over. She refused to answer him when he asked how long they were staying; the first time he had done so, she had given him a direct look and told him she would know when it was time. When he had asked again a few days later, she simply ignored him.

She had asked him on the spaceflight, if he had learned any new tricks and he had described something that Grand Master Shan had been teaching him.

"Do you remember the time when I caught your lightsaber in my hands?" Shem asked. When she nodded, he went on. "The time it happened was a creation of pure instinct for me. I had no idea what I was doing, but when I mentioned it to Grand Master Shan once she said it was a thing she had also done once, against Darth Malgus actually, when they fought on Alderaan. It is formed like a Force-shield but it is attuned to the elements of a lightsaber. While the science of it went over my head, you basically have to generate a containment field similar to the lightsaber itself so that the plasma flows back to the emitter, instead of continuing through your hand or body."

They had spent a good deal of time learning to create the shield and then practiced with a training blade. As usual, Julienne picked it up well enough to employ it and thanked Shem politely for adding another element to her arsenal.

Hopefully, I don't come up against other saber users without my own, she said. But now, if I do… she left the thought hanging.

When they had been on Dagobah for a week, Shem woke to find that Julienne was already up before him—a rare occurrence. When he went looking for her, he found her meditating in the hold and so sat down and joined her without speaking. She had closed off their connection and so he simply sought for his own enlightenment. Nothing of portent came to him, but he slowly came back to himself feeling call and centered. When he opened his eyes, she was smiling at him, something she also did frequently these days.

"Good morning, Shemric, did you sleep well after last night's vigorous activities," she greeted him with a hint of teasing. She had also informed him that she was resuming her official yum-yum duties and had an entire cabin in her ship devoted to that purpose. His face must have turned red because she continue giving him her knowing smile. Shemric knew that was a bad sign. She might smile more now, but when she smiled like that she wanted something; generally it was something she knew Shem would not like.

"We are going on a little expedition today," she said. "Maybe overnight."

Shem groaned. Overnight on Dagobah meant cold and wet.

"Are you providing the camping gear?" he asked.

"We are taking minimal gear," she said. "A small, elevated tent to keep us off the wet ground."

"Sounds lovely," he said, rising. "I will pack my stuff." Shem saw her eyes widen in surprise as he turned to leave. She clearly expected more of an argument, but he never won them, so he would try blind obedience for a change. He dressed and then picked out a change of clothes he would certainly need on the morrow. His boots were looking decidedly worse for the wear after a week of being wet and dried over and over. He pulled on a rain poncho, which he normally did not wear in training, when he decided he was not going to be wet and miserable all day long. When he met Julienne by the ramp, she looked him up and down and nodded.

What are you playing at, Shemric Norm, she asked? This non-questioning version of you is not normal.

Why argue when I always lose or end up giving in, he asked? If my yummers wants to spend the day tramping through the bogs, getting soaked and trying to avoid dragonsnakes, quick-mud, swamp slugs and other fauna we have yet to discover—well, who am I to argue? He punctuated his speech by pulling his rain hood over his head and hitting the lock mechanism for the ramp. Shall we? He trudged off down the ramp and, of course, it was raining.

If you are going to be bad company the whole time, I am just going to leave you here, she said. She had followed him down the ramp a few moments later after donning her own rain poncho.

Who said I was going to be bad company, he said? I get to spend a lovely day on this paradise planet with my yum-yum. After years of being alone, I really do not care what we do or where we go as long as you do not tell me to leave. Shem stepped on a spot of ground that looked firm and sunk up to his ankles. After he extricated his foot, he decided to start employing his sports bat that he had brought along to help him check for questionable footing. It seemed to help.

You know what I find a little disturbing, she asked?

Tell me, he said.

After your initial sarcasm about this 'paradise planet,' you sounded perfectly sincere, she said. Are you well?

He snorted loudly and a nearby bogwing started and flew away screeching overhead.

I was sincere, silly woman, he said. If I have to go hiking in the mud to stay with you, then hiking it is. Shem was currently balance along a moss-slimy log as they crossed a fair-sized stream. It was almost large enough for a dragonsnake, but he did not sense any nearby for now. That feeling of being hunted had been the first sensation on this planet to which he had learned to pay strict attention. The snake's hide was tough and they were big enough Shem would only take them two or three bites.

Julienne was quiet until she asked him where he was going.

Shem blinked away a raindrop and stopped dead. This had been her idea and he had been leading them along at a decent clip. I am sorry. I just sort of … well, felt like going this way.

Well keep on going, she urged.

What do you mean, he asked? This is your expedition.

But you seem to know right where I want to go, so I am happy to follow you, she said.

Shemric took a few steps back to her and lifted her hood so he could see her face. Are you making fun of me?

I'm serious, she said! You are going in the right direction. He smiled said she found something amusing, but he could sense she was not making fun of him.

I am not even sure where we are going, he said!

Apparently, we are both listening to the same Force-whisperings, she said. She leaned in and gave him a very wet kiss. Lead on my intrepid explorer.

Now you are making fun of me, he said.

Maybe a little, she said. But she waited for him to take the lead again. He shook his head and continued to wander through the fog. He had not really been paying attention to where they were going and it occurred to him to wonder how they were going to return.

I brought a tracker with me, said Julienne.

Good, because I have no desire to go native on this planet, said Shem.

Shem continued to trudge along through the rain and decided that with the rain poncho, the misery level was considerably lessened and he was enjoying the slog through the depths of the Dagobahn swamp jungle. After spending entirely too much time on Coruscant, the unkept, messy, unpredictable terrain was not so bad. Plus, with Julienne right behind him, it was not that hard to cast out his senses and 'warm himself' over the "fire" of her Force aura.

You are such a drama queen, said Julienne. You act like the galaxy would not go on if I was not in the center of it.

Maybe someday you will grow up and understand, said Shemric. He smiled to himself, knowing that would irritate her.

After perhaps four hours of walking, they stopped for some lunch when they found cover from a particularly harsh downpour. Several trees had grown together and formed a canopy overhead that only let a few drips through, so Shem actually took off his boots, rung out his socks and situated a new chemical warming agent in the insoles. Julienne's synthetic-hide boots were a lot better for the climate than what Shemric had available, plus they went all the way up to her knees.

So when are you going to stop being so secretive and tell me what this is about, asked Shem? The rain was really coming down in buckets and it was hard to hear much of anything.

Why don't you tell me, she said. All I said was that we were going on an expedition and then you walk off in a huff, right in the direction I intended to go. You are still heading right for the place I sensed earlier.

I suspect we are headed for a Force nexus, he said. Once Julienne had remarked he was going in the right direction, Shem realized that something was drawing him onward through the swamp. Further tuning of his feelings helped him refine what he thought it might be. The Jedi Temple on Coruscant had been built over a mountain with a Force nexus and many Jedi became so used to it that they took it for granted. This thing towards which they were hiking felt like that.

Julienne gave him a shrewd look and nodded. I wondered if I was imagining it.

What do you intend to do there, he asked?

Look for answers, was her cryptic reply.

When the rain died down, they headed off again and Shemric judged they had covered a good third of the distance already, which meant they were not going to reach it by 'nightfall." Night in the overcast jungle was almost entirely black and Shemric had no desire to attempt to move about with no light. As they continued on, he started looking for likely places to set up their tent and as such, suggested a spot to stop before became too dark. At the rate they had been traveling, Shem estimated they were still two or three hours away from the location they sought. When he spotted a low hill with tree cover that looked mostly dry, he suggested they set up camp. Julienne agreed and then showed him their tent/cot combination that only took a few minutes to set up.

I also found this firelog in the ship's stores, said Julienne. So we can have a campfire.

Don't you think that will draw too many curious critters, he asked?

I don't care, she said. We are camping and I am going to have a campfire.

Which is how they found themselves sitting in the opening of the tent some time later, warming their hands and feet over the fire log. Shem felt like the flesh of his feet were going to fall off in the beginning, but after half an hour, they were dry and toasty and he was satisfied to sit there, rubbing hips with Juju and enjoying the dancing flames.

Do you think the nexus drew you here on purpose, asked Shem?

I hardly believe in coincidence anymore, she said. Things happen for a reason around us. Just imagine if I had been scarred and unattractive when we met. Do you think we would be here now? Or if you had a thing for blondes?

Shemric could sense her amusement at her line of reasoning. He certainly had no intention of answering her question. He was not a big believer in coincidence either, so it was not so hard for him to believe that the planet had drawn them to this place, for some purpose, just as they were about to enter the most important conflict of their lives.

Perhaps the Emperor is a great imbalance and seeks to further skew the problem with his crazy rite to absorb all the galaxy's energy, said Shemric. The galaxy seeks balance by having us destroy him. And something, here, will guide to that task.

Perhaps, she said. Let's just enjoy the fire and then go to bed.

After another half-hour or so of companionly silence, Shem created a Force-sheild around the log and deprive it of oxygen until the flame died. They crawled into their sleeping tubes and lay with their foreheads touching until Julienne worked her psionic 'magic' and they slept.

The rest of the trip the next day was uneventful, but as they neared the nexus, Shem's sense of foreboding increased until he was very uncomfortable. Flashes of Force-vision crossed his mind and were gone in an instant, leaving only confusion and more questions. He had no idea was Julienne was feeling; either it was much worse for her, or her experience and psionic skills protected her. When they finally reached the nexus, it was centered around an enormous gnarltree that sat in the middle of a clearing that was uncannily round.

As he looked at it, Shem was not so sure it was not a growth of several gnarltrees that all intertwined over hundreds and hundreds of years. Just standing outside of it, made Shem nervous; he had no desire to go any closer, but he was sure that was Julienne's intent.

I want you to stay outside, Shemric, she said suddenly. I think I need to go in alone.

What?! Are you kidding?!

I am not, she said calmly. I can sense the Force timestream here more strongly than anywhere since I stood in the Valley of the Dark Lords on Korriban. That place nearly drove me mad.

Then why are we here, he asked quickly?

Because the Valley on Korriban was the final resting place of many Dark Masters of the Force and many of them are nearly mad by the time they pass on, Julienne explained. It was a Dark Nexus. This is not that. It is just very powerful. Please, she said.

Shemric could sense the pleading in her tone and since he really did not want to go in anyway, he nodded.

If you want to follow me, then rest lightly on my consciousness, she offered. Look out of my eyes. I am not sure if you will see what I see, but … She shrugged and removed her poncho and pack, which Shemric took and walked back to the edge of the clearing to the closest cover. He found a small root and sat down to close his eyes. In a moment he was looking out of Julienne's eyes as she made her way carefully through the roots of the tree and down into the cave. Instead of getting darker, it became lighter and the cave walls became more visible. It looked like the walls of a fortress, which made no sense at all. Julienne sucked in a breath and Shem wondered if she recognized something.

The light continued to increase and it became evident from the reddish tinge that it emanated from a red lightsaber just out of sight. When the Sith came into view he or she wore an armored mask and approached Julienne warily.

"Well, woman, you have come to the end of your road," came a man's voice. "All your years of scheming and it goes for not. I am the Emperor's tool now and when you are dead I will go and destroy the Jedi in their own temple."

"I will not fight you," she said. When the man laughed and attacked her, Julienne held up a hand and caught his blade in her fingers. Energy crackled and she sent lightning into his body until it convulsed and then collapsed. The previously-ominous figure fell on his back and did not move. Julienne bent over and put her hand on the mask.

"Oh, dear Shemric, this was not how things were supposed to go," she said. When she removed the mask, it was Shemric's face, though it wore a malevolent expression that it had never had before the assault on the Emperor's citadel.

That is enough, Shemric, wait for me until I come, said Julienne. She cast his consciousness from her and back into his own body. Shemric felt like someone had given him a full-armed slap across the face. He lurched across the clearing even before he thought about it until … something, stopped him. Whether it was his own good sense, the power of the nexus or a 'suggestion' from Julienne, he did not know, but he staggered back to his resting spot and collapsed against the bole of the tree.

Julienne stood in the center of the nexus and cast her mind upon the timestream. The first vision of Shemric had been only one possible future, of Shemric suborned by the Emperor's power and turned against the rest of the galaxy as Revan and Malak had been hundreds of years earlier. But there were more. Julienne watched herself die. Watched Shemric die. Saw them succeed. Saw them fail. Saw them living happily with children surrounding them and laughing and feeling such joy that Julienne knew tears were streaming down her face. Saw the galaxy a dried out husk as the thing previously known as the Emperor rampaged across the universe. To a normal person, even a Jedi, it would have produced madness, but Darth Monikas had been surfing the cosmic timestream since she was a small girl, though she had not recognized it at the time. She never guessed. All her decisions were informed.

The power of the nexus increased the clarity of the visions but also the frequency, so that she could never remember them all. At best, something would spark a memory at the moment of decision and she would know what to do. Like Shemric had once done, she tried to latch onto a positive future; a future that assured the continuation of life in the galaxy and happiness for Julienne. The threads remained as slippery as ever and she howled in the swirling maelstrom of possibility.

ENOUGH!

This voice in her mind was unfamiliar but also unforgiving and she cringed back from it.

YOUR MORTAL MIND CANNOT BEAR THIS, SMALL ONE. GO BACK AND BE SATISFIED. YOU ARE MEANT TO STRUGGLE AND LEARN WITHOUT TOO MUCH KNOWLEDGE OF THE FUTURE. DEPART!

Julienne stumbled away, unaware of the direction she was taking, but in a moment familiar arms encompassed her and she collapsed, physically exhausted from the flow of Force visions she had endured.

Shemric lay back next to Julienne, exhausted and wondered what the next day would bring. As she had insisted, he had waited out next to his tree until he felt her severe psychic distress and rushed to the base of the tree to find her staggering blindly. She had passed out then and Shem had been determined not to stay anywhere close to the nexus that night. Unfortunately, that meant he had to carry both their packs and Julienne over his shoulder. When his physical strength had given out, he found a place for their tent, laid Julienne down in the driest place he could find, and set up camp. The natural heating element in the tent was keeping them warm, but it was solar powered, so it was unlikely to last through another night.

When Julienne had not awoken the following morning, Shem inventoried their equipment and discarded anything that he thought was replaceable. That reduced his weight by half, but even so, his progress was very slow as he tried to balance precariously with her over his shoulders. Sometime after noon, his exhaustion had caused him to stumble headlong into a cold stream, dumping Julienne unceremoniously in the muck. After dragging her out of the water, it started to rain and Shem knew that hypothermia was going to be a very real possibility soon. He searched for the best location nearby and set up the tent on a slightly less squishy location than everywhere else. Using his saber he started the fire log and laid it as near the tent mouth as he dared while using the provided rain cover to capture some heat. Meanwhile he stripped Julienne to her skin, dried her off with the last remaining dry towel and put her in one of the sleep tubes. By that point he was shivering violently, so he stripped off his own clothes and sat awkwardly on the edge of the tent, while he tried to warm himself over the fire. It barely warmed him up, but at least he was dry, so he extinguished the log and clothed the tent flaps before crawling into the same tube with Julienne. They were not really meant for two people and he was surprised his clammy skin did not wake her up. Fortunately, she was quite warm by then and eventually the shivering went away and he dozed off to sleep.

Shemric woke in the pre-dawn almost-light and quested out to Julienne's mind, in hopes that she was conscious again. When he sensed nothing, he knew he had decisions to make. He was extremely hungry and the pattering of the rain on the tent made clear it was going to be cold and wet outside. It had taken them the better part of seven or eight hours to reach their first camping spot and three more to come to the nexus point. He might have managed to cover half of the distance on the way back so far, but carrying Julienne, it could still be upwards of another day of travel. Food was not really an issue and he began to chew on some energy bars that were as tasteless as ever, but eventually, the gnawing in his stomach receded.

Having left his clothes outside, Shem knew he had nothing dry to wear, nor did he have anything for Julienne. He needed to figure that out first. It occurred to him that he could keep her warm by just carrying her in the sleep tube, if he could figure out a way to do so comfortably. He still needed to find a way to dry his clothes as he heard the patter of rain increase in intensity.

Are you a Force-user or a clown? The words in his mind were so clear and familiar he thought Julienne had awakened, but in that he was disappointed. He crawled out of the sleep tube regretfully and cringed at the cold and clammy feel of the tent against his bare skin. He needed some cover and some dry clothes. Shem meditated for a moment and reached out to feel the abundance of Force-connections between him and all the living things of the planet. It felt like an immense well and he tapped into it to create a shield over their heads that stopped the rain. He stepped out into the clammy air and found his soaking wet clothes and began to wring them out by hand.

When they were as dry he could manage, he held them before him and imagined pressing them together between two layers of a Force-shield. More water came dripping out the bottom of his pants until it stopped and he felt them again. They were still damp, but he thought they might dry with a fire. He started the log and curved the Force-shield down over the tent, while leaving a hole for the smoke to vent. The increase in warmth because noticeable immediately and he made a couple of makeshift clotheslines with the tent canopy strings. He repeated the squeezing process with the rest of his wet clothes and Julienne's and hung them all up to dry. With nothing to do but to wait, Shem sat down and concentrated on shaping his Force-shield to best capture the heat. The log was not going to last forever and he wanted to be warm and dry in his clothes before it burned out.

In no time, the clothes were steaming and Shemric was as comfortable as he had been since crawling out of the sleep tube. When he deemed the clothes were all dry, he took them off the line and tossed them inside the tent. The log was not even producing a flame anymore and its heat was minimal, so he crawled inside the tent and released his shield. That his plan had worked was pleasing to him, but the effort of doing all those things with the Force had left him exhausted and Shem lay back and dug into the food stores again until he was satisfied. When Shem decided he could delay no longer, he pulled on his clothes, packed up the remainder of their supplies and then dragged Julienne, still inside her sleep tube, out into the pathetic light of day. Fortunately, it was not raining and Shem's little drying experiment had sucked a lot of moisture out of the ground near the tent. He thought about leaving it to save weight but ultimately decided against it. They would need it if he could not make it back to the ship today.

Shem hefted Julienne over his shoulder again and set off, feeling tired already. When it started to rain again, he created a shield over their heads and thereby managed to keep them mostly dry. After a couple of hours he was exhausted and the beacon said he was still several kilometers away. He decided to start taking regular rest breaks in between hiking. He was becoming very tired and knew it was going to get tricky if he did not arrive by nightfall.

Unfortunately, his rest breaks became longer as his walking breaks shortened. He still had over a kilometer to travel and the light was fading.

Why does a Jedi need the light, Shemric? came another voice in his head. Master Keddis' kindly voice was a sharp counterpoint to Julienne's. You cannot pick up the Force and put it down when it is convenient for you, Shemric. It has to be a part of you. Let go and be.

Shem took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He knew he was terrible about letting go and being subservient to the will of the Force. This side trip was a ridiculous way for two warriors to die. He let out a breath calmly, shifted his grip on Julienne, and took a step. And then another. Something happened then, not only in his awareness of the proper footstrike, but in how he balanced and carried Julienne, how he maintained the umbrella-shield, even how he used the energy inside his body. He became … efficient.

Time passed and Shemric became aware of a looming presence that was not living or Force-imbued. He had arrived back at the ship. Shem had never been so happy to put down a burden in his life as he was when he dropped Julienne in their bed. He rolled her over against the wall, stripped off his damp clothes, pulled the blanket over himself and slept like a dead man.

I am hungry, came Julienne's quiet voice in his head. Did I just have a horrible dream?

Shem let out a cry and rushed from the hold to their sleeping quarters. Julienne was sitting up, tousle-hair and groggy-eyed, but awake when he arrived. When he leaped on the bed and tried to squeeze her she protested.

What are you doing? I am just waking up in the morning.

You have been asleep for five days, Julienne, he countered.

What? Really?

Shem could sense her thoughts trying to make sense of her surroundings and trying to piece together the past few hours. Finally, she shook her head.

I remember hiking to the tree, she said. That is all.

I am guessing you regret your decision to visit the Force-nexus, he said.

She shook her head. I have no idea what even happened. She must have caught the look on his face. Something bad?

Something bad?

Yeah, if you call frying me with Force-lightning bad, he said.

Well, that won't do, she said. Show me. She groaned as she tried to move and looked at the IV line attached to her arm. Can I get some real food first?

Shem headed off to the food prep area and tried to whip up something more tasty than food concentrates. Julienne ate it all, belched loudly, looked embarrassed and then asked for more.

You should let that digest for a bit, he suggested. Let me show you what happened. Once she had seen the entire vision, Julienne sat back and was lost in thought. Or maybe she was trying to see more possibilities. With her you never knew. When she finally came back to the present, she blinked several times and then focused on Shem.

I can't recall anything that I saw there, she said.

Then it was a waste of time, he asked?

Hardly, even if all we get out of it was the vision you just showed me, it was well worth the trip, she said.

What, you wanted to know if you were capable of killing me, he asked?

Don't be petty, Shem, she said. And use your head. What did you say to me? Something about being the Emperor's tool to punish the Republic? Well, we knew, or I did, that something like that was possible going in. He is immensely powerful and psionic attacks or mind control should easily be within his capabilities. So we need to make sure he can't do that to you.

And how are you going to do that, he asked?

I'll be there to watch over you, she said. Her expression and feelings changed from one of pleasure to be the one in charge to determination that no one was going to take her Shemric away from her now that she had decided to keep him. When he smiled at her phasing, she gave him a too-sweet smile in return. I'm gonna keep my good boy safe. Shem might have complained about her condescension, except that she bacedk up her teasing with such an overwhelming feeling of affection that he had to blink away tears for a couple of seconds.

How are you going to protect me from an all-powerful being, he asked?

We will attacked him with joined consciousness, she said. He won't be able to get to you without going through me. Of course, that assumes he can't break me as well, but we have to make some positive assumptions or this whole thing in futile. She sat up out of her sleeping tube and noticed Shem's unfocused expression. Why am I sleeping naked in bed?

Well, that is a long story, my dear, but the short version is that we had no dry clothes and were in danger of hypothermia, so I stripped you down and dried you off before stuffing you in that tube. After that I carried you in it to keep you warm until we made it back to the ship. Your vessel's excellent med droid took care of the IV and the catheter.

Well, I can't blame you this time for getting me in trouble, but I can thank you once again for saving me from it, she said. Now how about getting me something else to eat?

Shem chuckled and went off in search of more food.

"Is there a reason we are going to Kor Vella?" Shem asked as he noted the destination that Julienne had punched into the navicomputer. Kor Vella was a swank destination city in the Corellian System.

"Several, though for you and I, we are going to spend a day in a luxury hotel and then I am going to send you off to Tython," said Julienne.

"Are you really leaving me again?" he asked."I thought we were in this to the end, this time."

"That time is not yet," she said. "I think I will have to meet you on Tython."

"You are going to come to the Jedi Temple? That will be a sight," he mused.

"Please don't pine away without me, dearest," she said as she pulled back on the hyperdrive level and the stars blurred. "I am sending you back to Tython because I think that is as safe a place as any for you. Train hard. It is us or him now, Shem. I don't think either of us will survive much longer unless we eliminate him."

That was a cold thought and one that did not help him sleep well.

From Corellia, Julienne hired a private ship to take him directly to Tython with an android pilot that was known to see and hear nothing.

I won't be long this time, dear, she said at parting. And remember that you need to keep all this to yourself, she said. The first thing your Grand Master should hear about this conflict with the Emperor needs to come from me.

As you say, he agreed. I will wait, he said. Maybe not patiently.

She favored him with a smile and last kiss and Shem was again on his way back to the Temple alone after a parting with Julienne. He hoped this one was short.