Chapter 52

Ben stands before the large doors which lead into the Jedi Council chambers.

The winged lightsaber inlay gleams slightly in the hall lights. In the Force he can feel Jysella and Sannah beside him, calm and prepared. He reaches out and caresses Jysella's Force presence, a quick gentle kiss, and then stretches out further, feeling what is on the far side of the wall.

Power. Unlimited power.

He frowns for a second, and Sannah speaks up. "How're we going to get in? Only the Council has the passcode, and the door was built with cortosis in the center of it to stop lightsabers."

Ben lets a smile come to his face; he wants to laugh at that. "Oh? I was thinking about just knocking."

He grabs the Force, pulling it to him, and then reaches out for the doors, grasping them, he pulls. With a wrenching sound they tear free of the Hapan marble they were set in. Ben shrugs and they fly off in different directions, tumbling down the hallway.

The Council Chambers are darkened, but Ben can easily feel the four people within it. Three of whom are vast, untapped pools of Force energy. It nearly writhes around them, and for a moment Ben wonders why it's not a physical glow surrounding their bodies.

Then he hears his dad. A voice he hasn't heard in years. The old anger and frustrations surface, and Ben quickly pushes them down.

"Was there really a need for that Ben? We would have let you in."

Ben raises an eyebrow. "I just didn't trust you enough to let us back out Dad. So tell me, where's Mom?"

Lights come up, and it reveals Jedi Masters Luke Skywalker, Jacen Solo, Corran Horn and behind them and to the side is Valin, an angry scowl is plastered on his face as he stares at Ben.

Luke speaks again. "I don't know what you're talking about Ben."

Ben sighs, and thumbs on his saber, lifting it into a guard position. "It's over Dad. Let those in the green room go."

As he says this his father pulls the Force to him, and thrusts out. A wave of Force energy more powerful than anything Ben has ever felt before. He feels Jysella and Sannah fly through the air even as he uses the Force to anchor himself to the spot. But even still, he feels himself slipping back, away from the Council chambers.

Pain blossoms in the Force, and he glances towards Jysella, noting the streak of red running from where she impacted the wall to where she lays crumbled in a heap on the ground.

He growls and starts forward.

"Valin, you can kill Whitesun now."

He rushes forward, the blood pounding in his ears, cutting out distractions. He swings in hard, his saber flashing forward to cut into his father, when it is suddenly stopped by a silver-white blade.

Ben glances to the left, and sees Valin standing there an angry scowl on his face. Ben starts to shift, even as Valin's fist collides with his jaw. Grunting in surprise, he twists around, stepping back from his father.

His and Valin's blades are pointed at each other, both of them occasionally twitching them, testing the other's stance and readiness to attack.

They slowly circle around a common point; Ben tightens his jaw, as he sees the anger and hate forming on the older Jedi's face.

"I don't want to do this Valin."

"All you've got to do is die Whitesun. Suitable punishment for what you did to my sister."

Ben frowns at this, and glances towards where Jysella was laying, noting that Corran and Luke had picked her up and were dragging her down a hallway.

"I'm not the one that hurt Jysella. My dad and yours did that."

"LIES! You killed her!"

Valin strikes. His blade slices in towards Ben's, crashing against his. He advances, his blade constantly probing, trying to get past Ben's defenses.

Then the ground shakes, and a shaft of coherent light slams through the ceiling, the edge of the first turbolaser strike. It rips a whole in the structure of the Temple, leaving the Council Chambers exposed to the elements.

Ben continues to fight defensively, falling back and away, heading towards the exterior of the building. Every move he makes a defensive gesture.

He is hoping that Valin will wear himself out.

Hoping that he won't have to kill the brother of the woman he loves.