Chapter 47 - Healing Wounds

Anakin watched from a hiding spot behind some boxes of what he'd at first assumed were illegal goods. Until his Padawan had errantly opened one to reveal: diapers. These pirates were smuggling clean, unused baby diapers. 'What is this universe coming to?'

He watched as Obi-Wan revealed his Jedi powers to the Pirate, and watched the Pirate freak out. Fortunately his son was on the other side of the hanger, and Anakin knew his Master could handle himself in a fight. 'The old man hasn't given the signal yet, so everything must be fine.'

Then Leia ran over to him behind their hiding spot. When she arrived she was out of breath and her eyes were wide open as she announced, "The Black Squadron is here."

"Where did you get that from?" Juno asked.

"Luke" Galen and Anakin answered at once. It was not a strange thing to either of them that the Twins communicated telepathically from time to time.

"We're twins with this twin bond thing," Leia explained. "And he was hacking the ship's computers, when suddenly it rescinded it's firewall and let him in. That's what that Pirate was doing in the ship this whole time. Calling for backup."

"I see," Juno observed. Just then they started to hear the ships land outside. "I presume that's Vader. This isn't good. What are we going to do now?"

"Galen, go with Leia. Build a barricade around that door with whatever you can find. If anyone tries to stop you, use a mind trick," Anakin ordered, and Leia smirked at the opportunity to use one of her Uncle's favorite force tricks. She so rarely is allowed to back home. Anakin turned back to their Rebel comrad. "Juno, tell me about Vader. I knew him as a Jedi. You knew the man he is today. What should I expect him to do?"

"Well first, he's probably already got this place surrounded. That means no one is getting out of here until he's either defeated or gets what he's after," Juno started.

"Okay, so stealing the droid and running is off the table. What else?"

"Vader is a very cut and dry general. He always obeys the written mission prerogatives without any deviation. Ever," Juno started.

"That sounds like the man I knew," Anakin breathed.

"And he has zero tolerance for anyone under his command doing so. Sometimes this causes resistance among the men, like in my case, but most of the squad is afraid of him. I wasn't the first he's tried to kill for failing to follow orders. Or the last."

Anakin nodded, his empathy causing a painful knot in his chest.

Juno continued, "What he'll do next depends on the mission classification. If it's classified as negotiate and barter, he'll use the ship's microphone to project his voice and give his demands. And he won't let anyone out until every one of those demands are fulfilled."

"Then it's a good thing no one knew we were Jedi until moments ago," Anakin added.

Juno nodded, then went on. "If it's classified as an outbreak to quell, that's what we have to fear. He'll push his way in. The Squadron will prevent escape, while he cuts down every opponent he sees. On these types of missions he has a hard time recognizing friend from foe. Those pirates down there, even the one who let him in, toast."

"Master?" Luke questioned once Venham had left them behind.

Obi-Wan placed a hand on Luke's back. He looked like he was about to say something, then a scream was heard from the ship's interior. Obi-Wan pulled his lightsaber from its hiding place, and Luke did as well. Only before he could follow his Uncle, Obi-Wan pulled out a hand to stop him. "Wait out here," he ordered.

Luke didn't exactly disobey the order. But he was too nervous to stay put outside either. So he crept up and watched from the doorway, out of sight so he wouldn't get in trouble.

Venham was on the floor, clutching a still bleeding wound and another pirate, Aco-Ness presumably, was standing over him holding a blood soaked knife. He looked up when Obi-Wan went through the door. Aco-Ness's expression looked horrified for a second, then angry the next as he raised his knife again towards Obi-Wan. The Jedi Master didn't bother activating his lightsaber. Instead he raised his hand and with a force-push, knocked the crazed pirate back against a wall. The next thing he did was he lifted his hand up, then swiped down again, as if he was turning out an invisible lightswitch. Aco-Ness was sound asleep.

"Luke, come in here." Obi-Wan ordered, barely above a whisper as if he knew the boy would be watching. He turned and reached for the bleeding captain.

"N-no!" Venham nervously tried to pull away from the Jedi.

"I can help you. Let me try." The man didn't reply so Obi-Wan reached out again and examined the wound.

"Master, are you going to heal him?" Luke asked, when he ran inside.

"No. You're going to."

Luke looked up disbelievingly at his Master.

"It took a powerful wave of force energy getting that one to sleep. I don't have the reserves for a healing left in me. Not of this sort.. You'll have to do it. Put your hands here." Obi-Wan demonstrated.

Luke had learned how to do force-healings before. He'd even done it a few times back home. But those were all for minor injuries. Mere cuts and scrapes a man doesn't die over. This man, Luke had only to reach out with the force to tell, was quickly depleting. As he was using the force to read Venham's energies, estimating how much of his own lifeforce he'd need, the Pirate blinked, barely aware of what the youngling was doing.

It takes energy from one's soul to do a force healing. Give up too little and your sacrifice doesn't make a difference. Give up too much, and… Well, it is the energy keeping you alive, that should explain enough. Luke pulled it up from his soul and it passed over to its new home, then stopped when he felt he'd given enough..

Venham's breathing steadied and he opened his eyes. He moved to jump back from the Jedi above him.

Luke just felt winded after giving up so much of his lifeforce. He stumbled, and Obi-Wan reached out to steady him. Luke could feel inside his chest a link thrumming with extra energy and he had to resist the urge to latch on to it like the only source of water in the desert. That was his sister, and their constant bond. If he touched that bond their lifeforce would equalize, and he didn't want to do that.

'How dark siders use the force to heal, that is,' Luke remembered Master Yoda's lessons. 'Of course, Sith mainly steal from secret bonds they've formed with unsuspecting people,' Luke finished. 'And no way I'm stealing anything from Leia.'

Venham looked around as his world cleared. The Jedi were standing over him and the younger one had his hand over him, like he was doing some force-trick. Venham jumped back and pulled out of his reach. He then reached down to examine himself. 'Good, nothing. Wait.' A faint memory of a stabbing pain and blood came back to him. Then he turned looking for…

"Aco-ooo! No. What did you do." Venham turned accusingly towards the older Jedi, who was holding up his younger associate. Venham didn't think to ask why exactly Luke needed to be held up to stand.

All Venham saw was his old friend lying unconscious on the floor mere feet from a Jedi. The bloody knife had been moved and was now lying on the floor nearest to Ben, 'If that is even his real name.'

"Your brother is just sleeping. He was quite disagreeable when we came in here. I didn't have a choice."

Venham glared at the Jedi, and he reached down to check for a pulse. 'Good, he's alive. I couldn't have lived with myself if…'

"M-mmm-master." The youngling Luke slurred.

"It's alright Luke, just rest now. You did good," The Jedi said as he patted the youngling's shoulder. Venham just watched the interaction with the alertness of an animal who'd already been hit once.

"Captain!" Venham could hear his men calling him from outside. He stepped out to see what was going on. Three of his men were standing there, struggling to hold onto two teenagers. "Caught them building a barricade around the door. The little girl's got weird powers. She made three of our men cluck like cuckoos before we got a hold of her."

"Leia." The Jedi walked out behind Venham and scolded the youngling with his hands over his hips.

"I got permission first. Dad said, if they try to stop you, mind-trick them. So that's what I did," Leia said defiantly.

"She's right, Master Kenobi. Though I think what Master Skywalker meant was to mind trick them into letting us go."

"But that's not what he said, was it? No. I said what I thought of at the moment. It was funny though. You should've seen it, Uncle Ben." Leia argued back.

"Okay, so Anakin ordered you to build a barricade to the entrance?" Ben questioned.

"Yes. When Vader landed outside, he thought it best." The young boy answered.

"That sounds like a good plan. How far did you get?" Ben asked.

"Wait a minute." Venham was starting to lose count. "How many Jedi are in my establishment? I might've been knocked in the head, or something. But I could swear I only let in two of you."

"Another knight and two padawans followed to provide backup incase of emergency. Along with an associate from the Rebel Alliance." Ben answered. "And you were stabbed earlier. My Padawan brought you back."

"Oh, that's what happened to Luke!" Leia said.

Somehow the realization that he was stabbed, didn't break through the wall of anxiety that formed when Venham heard there were five Jedi, 'FIVE Fierfek Jedi,' in his base. Nor did the fact that the Imperial General was parked just outside. All Venham could picture were the evil Jedi traitors from his childhood nightmares killing him and his men.

"Why don't you folks go gather more supplies. Leia and Galen will tell you what goes where to best keep out a force user like Vader."

"No!" Venham vetoed what Ben had just suggested to his men. "No. We've got Aco-Ness, now you can just take the droid and get out of here."

"Didn't you hear what he just told you?" Boomed another voice. Venham knew who it was before either of them had turned around.

"H-Hondo!" Venham couldn't believe it.

"Oh Be One," Hondo said, and Venham almost looked down for a droid with those call numbers to roll out from somewhere.

Instead Ben answered. "You decided to help after all."

"Well, with my boys in trouble, I couldn't just leave you to have all the fun now, could I."

Venham watched, eyes wide and brimming with tears. Hondo Ohnaka was the best captain any pirate could hope for. The man practically raised him and Aco after finding them as boys camped out in their cargo. Then things started drying up, and the old man was so resistant to change. They argued over going after the waystations. They were such easy marks, not even the imperials cared about them. Plus if any of your men were caught, the bail to get them out was very low, unlike other imperial targets. But Hondo refused to even consider it. Venham had to leave him and strike out on his own. Be his own man. He felt lucky Aco and some of the others decided to go with him.

But Hondo was here now. Venham didn't even think the old Pirate knew their location. He had come here to help them, Venham gathered. Though why he was being so friendly with the Jedi, Venham couldn't comprehend.

Hondo grinned and slapped Ben across the back. "What are you all standing around for? You heard the plan." He bellowed to Venham's men.

"I'm afraid we don't have the time," another man with shoulder length blond hair approached.

"Anakin?" Ben greeted him in question.

'Oh great! Another Jedi.' Venham glared at the men as they talked.

"I can sense him. He's here. Slipped in through there." Anakin pointed to a door a few levels up that opened onto the roof.

"What do we do now then?" asked one of the pirates as they all looked at eachother trading wide eyes filled with anxiety.

"We stand together. Obi-Wan and I have defeated Sith before." The men found Anakin's voice empowering. The younglings found it stirring.

Venham just found it dreadful. "No, no. I'm not trusting you folk. You say this Vader is here and he's going to kill us all. What if he's not even here. What if it's you who's going to kill us all!

"Venham!" Hondo's voice boomed. "I trust them. Your men can come together to survive this or fall apart and die. It's up to you which happens today."

Venham looked Hondo in the eye. The old Pirate did not waiver. "Okay. Do as he says." He ordered, and with it left a huge weight of stress off his shoulders. His men had their Captain Ohnaka back. He had his Captain back.

Hello again,

Another chapter here for you. Surprise Hondo's back! I hinted at it back when I had Obi-Wan go off alone to where he would not say. In my mind Obi-Wan struggled to convince him to help. He didn't bite right away but he did follow them in.

And when I had Luke heal Venham here, I tried to explain the process as I saw it. It may not all be Canon. And that line in there about how the Sith heal, was inspired by theories of how Padme died in ROTS. Some people don't buy the 'she gave up on life after Anakin died,' theory. They think Palpatine was somehow using her life force to save Anakin from his burns. Just a theory anyways.

In the next chapter I haven't forgotten about Huyang or the TX Stormchaser ship he's on. He and Luke will meet and break canon again! Just a little way this time, lol. They'll find out what happened to Aco-Ness to drive him insane. And they'll need to face Vader too. Remember folks he used to be Tel-Mac. Then on top of all that, they'll have to find a way out of this trap. It's too early to say for sure, but I think just one more chapter to this adventure, maybe. Then after that I'll begin another story line I've had planned more or less since I began this piece. So stay tuned…