Chapter 56

Sannah says, "If you're going to kill me, can you at least kiss me one last time?"

Valin hesitates. Ben doesn't.

He reaches out with the Force, and quickly puts Valin to sleep.

Valin crumples into Sannah's arms, her expression quickly changing from one of fear and depression to one of shock. She glances towards Ben. "What?"

Ben smiles at her. "I put him to sleep."

Then Ben looks over the edge of the building, seeing his lightsaber in the rubble below. Reaching out with the Force he draws it to himself, and then starts back towards the Council Chambers. "Keep an eye on him. I'm going after Jysella."

Sannah nods her head, and Ben rushes off.

He enters the remains of the Council Chambers, and reaches out with the Force, looking for Jysella, his father and his cousin. He steps out into the hall, and turns left, running down the hallway, following the feelings in the Force.

He's a dozen or so meters from a heavy wooden door when pain rips through his mind. Sympathethic agony. The pain is Jysella's.

He opens his eyes, to find himself on a level with the floor. Grimacing, he picks himself up, and pats down his body to make sure nothing's broken. He pulls his saber, and closes the distance to the door.

He looks at the door, noting the manual lock. Without hesitation, he ignites his shoulder and slams it into the door, slicing away the lock. With a flick of the wrist, he cuts horizontally through the door, and then slices away the hinges.

He reaches out with the Force and pushes, slinging the doors inwards.

He grins at the "oof" that sounds from in the room beyond.

He steps into the green room. Pain and misery, despair and betrayal assault him in the Force. A physical slap in the face as he stares at Jacen and his father standing beyond the table situated in the center of the room. Beneath the halves of the door, Ben can just make out the unconscious form of Corran Horn.

Luke smiles. "You like damaging doors, don't you Ben?"

Ben ignores the banter. "Where's Jysella and Mom?"

Ben sees Luke's eyes flicker to one of the containers. "Who?"

Ben snarls, and dashes forward, running over the door halves, hearing Corran grunt again, then he is up on the table, sliding across it, his saber held aloft. Luke steps backwards, and Jacen flicks a hand upwards slapping Ben away.

Ben grabs the Force, and uses it to ensure he land on his feet. Then Jacen is before him, his saber flashing in for a killing stroke.

Ben deflects the slash, and flicks his blade around and up, slicing away Jacen's hands. As Jacen drops to his kneeds, Ben slams the pommel of his saber into the top of Jacen's head knocking him unconscious.

Ben is looking down at Jacen when a warning comes to him through the Force. He drops and rolls and can hear the thrum of a saber slash over his head. Standing, he turns around, and sets himself into a mid guard. His father is standing there with an angry snarl on his face.

He takes a step forward, and Luke's hand slashes out, lightning erupting from it, smashing into and through Ben. A wave of directed energy, greater than anything Ben has ever felt before in his life. The sheer force of it, throws Ben against the wall, pining him there.

The lightning stops and Ben slumps to the ground, his body twitching from the energy slowly being released from him. Luke steps closer.

"I'm sorry it's come to this Ben. But this is for the best for the galaxy. The galaxy needs a strong Jedi Order. And this allows us to be strong." Luke extends his hand. "Join me, join the Jedi, and we can ensure that peace rules."

Ben shakes his head. "You're just as bad as Palpatine."

Luke's extended hand drops as does his face. A wave of sadness washes through the Force. "Then I'm sorry son, there's no hope for you."

Ben can feel his father gathering the Force to himself. A gathering, which he realizes comes from those in the capsules which line the far wall as it does from within Luke himself.

He remembers what Cilghal said on Mon Calamari.

And he stands, hefting his saber, igniting its blade. He lifts the blade high, up by his right ear.

"There's always hope. Someone will always stand against you dad. You talk about peace, but you just want power."

He glances around the room, and finds what he's looking for, then with a grin, he attacks. His saber slicing in fast and hard.

But his attention is focused almost exclusively on Jysella's lightsaber.

As his body is on auto-pilot, and swinging his blade with a savage intensity, he picks up Jysella's blade, ignites it and cuts through the locking mechanism of the first capsule.

The Force writhes, as a flood of red fluid washes out of the container. A smell slightly reminiscent of bacta hangs on the air. A curled human male, with blonde hair, and hard knobby, armored prosthetics falls out from the container.

Luke snarls, and yanks Jysella's blade from Ben's mental grip. But Ben is already moving, and slashes through two more tanks. He absently notes that those contained his mother, and a blonde who looks familiar.

A bolt of lightning strikes the container to the left of Ben, and it explodes in a gush of red fluid, coating Ben with the stuff. Ben ducks another blast of lightning, which scribbles dark lines against the green paint of the wall, and then stands, and slices away the door of the next container.

Ben dances backwards, as lighting strikes the next container, and it explodes, the locking mechanism showering him with sparks. A crack appears running down the front glass plate, and Ben notes that as the fluid flows out, flames rest on top of the liquid.

Then Ben is at the final container, and slashes through its lock. The fluid rushes out as the door swings open, and from the corner of his eye, Ben can see Jysella flop to the floor, unconscious.

Ben turns back to Luke, putting his saber between himself and the lightning which Luke sends his way.

The onslaught stops, and Ben lowers his blade slightly. His face hardening, as he protects the Jedi spread out on the floor behind him.

"It's over dad."