Chapter 34

The Planet of Mysteries

A/N- Sorry for the delay in posting, I couldn't get into my account all day yesterday and while I'm actually able to post and leave a note here, I'm letting everyone know that from the 10th to the 17th, I will be away so I'm not going to be posting for (exactly) one week. Sorry! Bad timing. If the site works tomorrow, I'll have a few more chapters up. Otherwise, I wish everyone a good week and I'll be posting again when I return.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ampistaph went forward, headed straight for Anakin's unprotected chest as he clutched at his bleeding neck. Tahiri started forward but was stopped by the other warriors. She decapitated one then another.

The warriors called to each other in Yuuzhan Vong then Tahiri responded in a loud Yuuzhan Vong battle-cry and force shoved two of the warriors into the one about to impale Anakin on its staff. Caught off balance, the warrior fell over only to be cut in half by Tahiri's glowing blade.

Anakin blinked and stared up at her; he reached for his blade and winced as a nozzle was pressed against his neck. The Shamed One was staring Tahiri down. She said something to the Shamed One in Yuuzhan Vong then it barked back, gesturing to the blaster pressed to Anakin's already bloody neck. He looked up; the Shamed One wasn't paying Anakin much attention. He used the force and his lightsaber flew into his hand, then he was up, slashing the Shamed One. It jumped back then fired, grazing Anakin's forehead. He didn't stop, instead he charged forward despite the blasts hitting him.

Then a furry white blur passed him and blood splattered across the floor. Anakin's voice left him. Ikrit had jumped to block a blast headed straight for his head. Anakin's mind snapped then. His hands felt like fire then suddenly that was exactly what was glowing around his fingertips then shooting at the Shamed One. Anakin then stopped himself, shocked that he'd created force fire from his fingers. He slumped against the floor. The burned corpse of the Shamed One lay on the floor near him. Anakin couldn't look at Tahiri. She was as shocked as he was.

Neither of them said anything as Anakin lifted Ikrit up, the small body was still breathing, but only just. He nodded to the cockpit and went over. He'd jump them to Zenoma Sekot.

For the next hour and a half, they sat in silence, the bodies of the Yuuzhan Vong pushed out of the ship and into space.

Anakin wasn't able to let himself let go. He'd used force fire, something he didn't even know was possible, but he knew it was of the dark side like lightening was.

As they approached the planet of Zenoma Sekot, Anakin was surprised to see it was mostly forest and that he could feel something alive about it, though not alive in the strictest sense, like Ikrit had said. As their ship touched down, Anakin got up, still holding his hand to his neck.

Tahiri came over to him, and pressed a cloth to his neck. Then she began to look for a first aid kit. Using the small amount of bandages and the two bacta patches on Anakin's forehead and neck, she tried to stem at least some of the blood flow. Although Anakin hardly felt that she should because of what he'd done. He had killed a creature, even though it was a Yuuzhan Vong, it had been killed in cold blood by dark method. Anakin was beginning to wonder if using his anger had truly been a good idea. Anakin wanted to embrace his emotions, but if they ended up killing so brutally, he wasn't sure if he liked the idea.

Anakin stepped onto the soft ground outside the ship. He gazed around. The planet seemed to be purely natural, nothing unnatural had ever touched this place, but it wasn't like the natural the Yuuzhan Vong had, this planet was definitely more welcoming. Anakin walked out, still cradling Ikrit in his arms. He took the cloth from his head and used it to stem the blood flow coming from Ikrit's bleeding body. The blaster wound had gone deep and Ikrit was unconscious. Anakin wasn't sure how long he could stay awake with the blood coming from his neck and head.

He held a hand to his face as his vision went in and out of focus in just seconds. He blinked, trying to regain control of his eyes, but it wasn't working. He lost his footing and fell against the grass around him. He could hear Tahiri's voice but didn't know what she was saying.

Then he heard another voice. "You can feel me, can't you?" Anakin raised his head. The voice was coming from the planet itself. "How strange, you must have been with the force completely to be able to know I exist right away."

Anakin's eyes drooped. "Who are you?"

The voice replied, "I am Zenoma Sekot. I am the non-living but force inhabited planet." Then Anakin passed out completely.

Much to his surprise, Jacen found that his parents were slowly getting used to the idea of him getting married. Han was particularly enjoying the thought of getting an excuse to throw Jacen a drinking party. Though Han made no mention of this to anyone but Jacen, Han was busy planning that event while Leia in her formal political sense, planned out the wedding setup. As far as Jacen was concerned he could care less if he was married in the Millennium Falcon, he just wanted to be with Tenel Ka. He was going to make that clear to her, though how, he wasn't sure beyond getting married, how could one hope to show that kind of feeling?

Jacen regretted that the wedding was something that came of their decision to have sex rather than it being a choice to be together because they wanted to be. He could only hope that Tenel Ka didn't think it was completely out of responsibility rather than feeling. He leaned over the cage he was tending to. He'd taken up brining in animals that were sold in exotic shops, and buying them with his saved credits. He didn't buy more than two, and that was enough. He needed something to preoccupy his scattered emotions.

With a piece of food between his fingers, Jacen opened the cage door and placed the food in the cage. But he didn't close the door, instead he sat with his knees drawn up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, watching the small furry creature nibble at the piece of food Jacen had put in the cage. Then the creature found itself being lifted and held in Jacen's arms. It was barely bigger than a young puppy and looked like a furry ball of cat fur with its strands falling in all directions. The owner of the shop had said it was a Rowler, a new species found in forests all over the galaxy. He cradled the Rowler and after a minute the small creature nestled against Jacen's arms.

With a smile on her face, Leia left the doorway of Jacen's room without alerting her son to her presence. There was little doubt left in her mind that Jacen would be able to handle the responsibilities of parentage, he certainly had the passion for it too.

She looked up to see Han on the couch, watching her. "We did okay, Princess. He's going to be a good father." Han cocked his famous grin. Leia came over and sat next to him.

"I never doubted it. Jacen had to decide for himself if he could handle it. I just gave him a much needed push." She smiled back at a stunned Han. Leia had managed to fool him, she'd just been testing the two kids so she could see if they were able to handle raising a child? Boy, did I miss something. Han thought with some amusement.

Tahiri heard the sound before she saw the approaching warrior. She ignited her blade and stood in front of Anakin's unconscious form.

"Don't move, I'm going to give you one chance to get out of here." Tahiri said, not taking her green eyes off the warrior, who didn't seem to be paying her any mind nor making any distinct move to attack her. He kept walking at a slow pace and came around to kneel next to Anakin. He touched Anakin's neck.

"Your friend is badly injured." The Yuuzhan Vong said in clear cut basic. He tilted his head. "If you will lower your weapon, I will help you take him to Kada."

"Kada?" Tahiri repeated, not lowering her lightsaber for one second.

"She is the healer here. I am sure you are already aware that this planet is not uninhabited." The Yuuzhan Vong's voice was almost gentle and soothing, not rough like warriors that had jumped Tahiri and Anakin's ship not too long ago.

"I will not harm you, Jeedai. I am a shamed warrior. I have no reason to follow the sins of my kind." The warrior then lifted Anakin in the warrior's battered arms with no sign of strain on his part.

"If you're shamed, why are you here?" Tahiri questioned, still not lowering her lightsaber. The warrior turned his head to face her.

"Because here there is no caste, no rank for me to obey as I am an outcast, there is no reason for me to return to be a slave of the system that cast me out. I have cast it aside as well." The warrior turned his head to look at Tahiri's scars. She noticed his gaze and scowled.

"Pitying me?" She asked coolly.

"Merely observing that you must have gone through a great ordeal to escape becoming one of my kind."

"Well, I had help." She said, glancing at Anakin. The warrior arched his brow.

"Your friend broke your free of the shapers?"

"Yeah, he did. What about it?" She continued to regard this warrior with suspicion. He was asking too many questions. Was he a spy?

"It is not easy to defeat the warriors who guard a shaper. They are regarded highly in the Yuuzhan Vong castes, so their protectors are strong. There are also many of them." He looked down at Anakin.

"Your friend is a Jeedai as well?"

"He is. Mind telling me something? Why did you get-"

"Exiled?" The warrior filled in. Tahiri frowned but nodded. "I was accused of letting prisoners escape from the hold I was at. This made the leaders angry. I was responsible for keeping them guarded. They stripped me of my rank and I was demoted to the level of a slave."

"Your prisoner was a Jedi." Tahiri stated, knowing why the Yuuzhan Vong would react that way over a prisoner. All the better, she thought. Whoever the prisoner was, he or she was lucky.

"What's your name?" Tahiri asked. The warrior turned his head. "I am called Vua Rapuung. Your name, Jeedai?" The warrior asked, though again, it was not a demand. It was hard to believe this warrior used to be as ruthless as the others.

"Tahiri Veila and my friend is-" Once again the warrior filled in for her.

"Anakin Solo. I know the prisoner who escaped under my jurisdiction." Then the warrior to Tahiri's surprise inclined his head to her. "Your friend may have been sent by the gods to right our wrongs."

"That, I'm not sure about." Tahiri said quietly to herself. Even if Anakin did a lot of things right, he definitely wasn't sent by some deities to fix the problems of the Yuuzhan Vong.

Jaina swore under her breath. If she had to put up with Jag Fel's obnoxious flying tactics for another minute, she would shoot him and say she misfired. Better yet, she'd tell Wedge she got the bastard off his hands.

She stomped down the hallway, her helmet tucked under her armpit and found herself walking behind the very person she wanted to avoid. She sped up so her walk was level with his.

"Solo." He turned his head and nodded then continued to face ahead.

"You're a real arrogant asshole." Jaina spat at him. Jag's cool eyes faced Jaina.

"For what do I owe the compliment?" He smiled wryly. Jaina Solo certainly had a way with words, though their etiquette left much to be desired.

"Your fighting style, it's like your own space." Jaina replied dryly.

"I am simply completing the mission to the best of my abilities, Solo." He replied curtly.

"Yeah, well, you're really terrible at it. Because you almost got your comrades killed."

"I shall keep that in mind. Though I'm not the one who needs a crash course in steering." Jag arched his eyebrow as Jaina's brown eyes flared.

"Fel, next time I fire in your direction, it might not be an accident that it hits you." Jaina replied evenly. Although she thought it was not a good idea to threaten to shoot her squad members, she made an exception for Jag. She then turned on her heel and walked down the corridor to the left. Jag watched her go.

Jaina Solo wasn't much to look at, but she was a skilled pilot. That much Jag would give her credit for. He couldn't imagine why Wedge would let such a hot headed person be the leader, though. Jaina couldn't keep her act together. It was unprofessional and under Chiss standards, she'd be removed immediately. Jag regretted that his father insisted that Jag be on the squadron with such an incompetent leader.

Though it was a challenge, and a Chiss never backed down from that either.

Anakin felt a twinge in his neck which didn't go away so he muttered, "Ouch, that hurts, Tahiri." He opened his eyes and turned his head to look at not Tahiri, but the skeletal gray blue face of a Yuuzhan Vong with heavy scarring. Anakin tried sitting up but found that the warrior was the one pushing him back down.

"You are badly injured, Jeedai. Do not try moving." Anakin stared at the warrior then noticed a blonde haired figure in the background behind the warrior. Then he noticed something else. Two small green creatures with stretched ears and round heads came around to Anakin's left side. The first one was older, her hair graying and the second was smoother skinned, his body shaped well and even for his small stature, he was clearly strong. Anakin also sensed the force around the younger one.

"You're Yoda's family." He said. The female nodded.

"Kada I am. A Jedi, are you?" She spoke just like Yoda did, her voice even similar in its rise and falling pitch.

"Yes, I'm a Jedi. Yoda sent me here." He knew it would sound strange but his surprise Kada didn't ask him how Yoda told him.

"After the Empire fell, came here no one did. Little news we've had, until Vua Rapuung came." Kada nodded.

"I'm sure you'll find this a little strange, but I'm supposed to become your son's teacher." Anakin said to Kada. The younger one stepped forward.

"Told me, my uncle did, of the force, enough to see that I am force sensitive," Then the younger relative of Yoda lowered his head to Anakin, who found himself stunned. "If told you to teach me, my uncle did, then teach you shall."

Anakin opened his mouth then nodded. His neck still hurt but it felt better than before. "Edo, I am called."

"I'm Anakin Solo." Anakin said, inclining his head to Edo.

"Master Solo, an honor it is to have a Jedi Master here." Edo said. Anakin felt somewhat unsure of himself, he really wasn't a master yet, the council hadn't acknowledged him, even though the long dead Jedi Master Yoda, had told Anakin he was strong enough to become a Jedi Master and have a student. That had to stand for something.

"Anakin." Tahiri came over. The three others took their leave, noticing the tone Tahiri took as she spoke Anakin's name. She sat cross-legged next to him. Anakin knew what this was about.

"Tahiri, I lost it back there, and I'm sorry." He said. "I have no idea why I completely went and used a dark method."

"I didn't even know you learned that. But I could tell you weren't holding back then. You really wanted to kill those warriors, you let yourself in to your anger." She frowned, though more out of concern than trying to chide Anakin. "I don't understand what you're doing, but whatever it is, using the force to choke someone to death isn't the answer."

"I- that wasn't me. For some reason when I let my emotions go, they just do things on their own. I mean I want them to, but it's all subconscious thoughts."

"Then you have to stop thinking about it, Anakin." She replied firmly, "Because the next time, you could end up doing something you'd regret."

"I already did." Anakin replied. "Even if the Yuuzhan Vong were trying to kill me, it doesn't make my actions okay." He lowered his eyes. If this continued, he'd have to accept dark methods because by then he'd truly be on the dark side. He'd already used force fire.

"Anakin, it could have been my imagination but did you use-?" He nodded.

"No, you saw it. I used force fire."

"Fire? I didn't even know that was possible." She said, more confounded now than afraid. He shook his head.

"I didn't either and I don't want to find out how I did it." He scratched the back of his neck since he couldn't touch the injured part.

"Is it dark side power?" Tahiri asked. This brought Anakin to be confused.

"What? Of course it is. That kind of force has to be of the dark side." He said. She shrugged.

"It's nothing that the masters know about, so it could be either one." She thought for a second then posed a question, "What were you feeling when you used it?"

"I don' know, I was feeling anger, but also I was feeling a lot of positive things too. I was thinking about how I had to protect you and Ikrit." He explained, Tahiri listened carefully, taking note of the fact that he said his emotions were mixed. It wasn't purely dark or purely light. Anakin's emotions had all come out at once.

"I think you might be wrong, Anakin." She said, smiling, "The choking may have been a dark method, but the force fire wasn't made out of fear, anger, or aggression, at least not completely."

"So what are you saying? I used a method that was halfway between light and dark?" Anakin asked, raising an eyebrow. He couldn't believe that, it just wasn't possible. "Tahiri's impossible, no such technique exists."

"Until now." She grinned at him. "Maybe you really are cut out to be a master."