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STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams
Chapter seven: "Brief Visits"
by Dave Ziegler
She's finally asleep now. I was beginning to wonder how long
it would take. I know that Tenel Ka is strong, far stronger in body
and spirit than I think I could ever hope to be. But we've been here
for a few days now, and even a will like hers would have to succumb to
the pain eventually.
I can barely stand to look at her arm, now. The disjointed angle
at which it comes to her shoulder incites waves of fear within me.
Fear of what might happen if we can't get out of here soon. Fear of the
further damage that might be done.
If only I hadn't been such a blindly driven fool then. If only I
hadn't cost Tenel Ka her other arm. The possibility of permanent damage
would be so much less with the weight of her body evenly distributed.
Gods, she is even wincing in her sleep. And here I am, the great
Jedi knight Jacen Solo, unable to do anything to help her. I
can't hold her up, support her, or even brush my fingers across
her cheek.
And I'm the one who should be hurt. Gwynandra has made it
perfectly obvious that I was her target. Tenel Ka has suffered too much
already for my mistakes.
*Jaina! Please hear me! You've got to! This is beginning to
shatter her resolve and her dignity. I can't bear seeing her like
this. I'm afraid if it continues much longer I may decide to end it
myself. By any means necessary.*
* * *
Meditation was part of the daily routine of any Jedi apprentice
at the Academy. Each tutor and his or her learner would come out onto
the commons as Yavin IV's primary passed directly over the temple, and
they would meditate. Together. Synchronously.
There were still some aspects of communal learning that Master
Skywalker favored.
Due to Anakin's absence, Luke and Mara had paired Elle with Master Beijould
and his current apprentice as a temporary fix. They didn't believe that
she was far enough along in her studies to be left to her own devices.
Dark potential lurked when an inexperienced padawan was without a master,
and that was something all three headmasters were fervently committed to
avoiding.
It wasn't the most successful of ventures, however.
Master Beijould was an older man who's rounded face sported little
hair save a very heavy mustache. He was of an ample girth, but moved
quickly and precisely. Beijould was practically feline in that respect.
Then, of course, there was his adoration of the Jedi robes. He
never removed his, even during the hottest of days on Yavin. So whenever
Elle tried to sit and listen to this barrel of a man, whom forever traced
an easy circle around you when he spoke, and had a burly mass of hair obscuring
the front of his face in conjucntion with sweat that ran profusely from
a slick and sparkling scalp, she constantly broke into fits of giggles.
So much so that after a week of her Beijould refused to attempt to teach Elle
any longer.
Which was just fine with her. The only person Elle was interested
in having instruct her was Anakin.
Beijould quickly passed her back to Mara and Luke for explanations. Elle
groused about the man's lack of humor throughout the interview until
Master Skywalker told her that if she couldn't get along with a master
who did not have such a prevalent sense of humor, then perhaps she would
be happier finding someone other than Anakin to be her tutor. He was,
after all, not the joking type.
That had quieted Elle faster than a gundark with an
attitude.
Now here she was, sitting for the meditation session, and once again under
the eye of Master Beijould. Elle was sure it had taken some fancy
talking on the parts of Luke, Tionne, and Mara to get him to take her
back. She would much rather have Anakin, though.
He would coax her, pressure her, and drive her. Anakin would be
able to help her achieve the focus necessary for the meditation. And if
nothing else worked he would simply stare her into compliance. Anakin
could be very domineering if he put enough effort behind it.
Elle knew he cared, though. There was more to Anakin Solo than his
simple reticent and isolated exterior. She thought she could feel it
sometimes, leaking out when he wasn't in complete control. He did care.
Elle was positive.
"Elle." The soft voice at her ear startled Elle out of any
semblance of mediation she had achieved. She knew that voice.
"Yes, Master Skywalker."
"Remember, there is no passion; there is serenity."
Elle blushed furiously, stuffed her face into her hands and
managed a muffled "Yes, Master Skywalker," before clamping a firm lid on
anything she might have inadvertently been broadcasting.
Behind her, Luke Skywalker hid a wide grin and chuckle with a
gloved hand.
* * *
Gwynandra crouched atop the small, comfortless bunk that huddled
in the corner of her room. It was a lifeless place, dim and grey. She
clutched a small datapad in her hands and stared at it transfixed.
'Hey Gwyn,' it read. 'It is the morning before you arrive at the
Jedi academy. I know you're nervous, but don't worry too much. You
remember how kind that lady was, don't you? The beautiful one with the
silver hair? I think her name was Tionne. You'll meet people, make
friends. You won't be alone. And just think, you're going to train to
be a Jedi. A Jedi! Bet you never thought that was going to happen.'
Gwynandra idly sipped a glass of sparkling white wine as she
continued to read.
'Life has been rough before, I know. But you can do this. You can
make the most of this opportunity, Gwyn. Just believe and it will
happen. Bye for now.'
She drained the last of the wine from her glass and tapped a small
switch on the front of the pad. The text dissolved and just as quickly
reformed. Gwynandra began to read.
'Hello again, Gwyn. You were watching Jacen today again weren't
you? You do realize that if you keep skipping lessons Master Skywalker
and Tionne are going to be very annoyed with you. That's okay, though.
I understand. Jacen is perfect isn't he?
'You can get him, just be strong. You do need to introduce
yourself, though. Let him know you exist. Then do whatever you have to,
Gwyn. Whatever it takes. You deserve this. Have faith. Good-bye for
today.'
As she finished Gwyn threw the pad onto a nearby table and pulled
a thick black blanket around her. It was cold in her room. Very, very
cold.
* * *
Jaina felt absolutely terrible. Her body ached in several places
she hadn't realized before were quite capable of such intense feeling,
her head was still swimming from being out for so long, and she felt
inexorably drained.
Still, beat being dead didn't it?
The air inside the med station was warm and thick. Jaina
suspected something wasn't right with one of their air conditioning
units but didn't feel up to making a fuss. Instead, she kicked her feet
out and pushed the blanket toward the floor.
She lay back on the pillows, the thin gown now the only thing
between herself and the air, and closed her eyes. The blanket had
definitely made a difference. Jaina felt the faint breezes created by
the constantly opening and closing doors brushing across her legs and
swimming up underneath the garment. A small smile managed its way onto
her lips. Relief.
"Hello, Solo." On the other hand.
Jaina cracked her eyes to take a look at her visitor. Leiutenant
Ben Graydon loomed over her bed, standing so rigid he might as well have
been on the parade ground.
"Good, I see that you're awake."
"Try me again later, Graydon. I was just going to sleep," Jaina
mumbled. Twisting onto her stomach, Jaina forced her face into a pillow
and kept her eyes clamped shut. She had not even the faintest desire to
deal with this man at the moment.
"Not now, Solo." Graydon grabbed her shoulders and flipped Jaina
back over. "I have some questions for you. Not that your companion
hasn't been overly helpful. Well, in some instances anyway."
Jaina fought back a grimace. "Graydon, get your hands off me now.
I may be tired, I may have a headache the size of a Star Destroyer, and
I may be damn close to emotional collapse, but I can still throw you
across this room without so much as a second thought."
"Well, bacta treatments certainly don't agree with you," Graydon
sneered while moving a step back. "Now tell me, Solo, in what kind of
activities are you and your friend engaging while here on Shental that
would require someone to go to such trouble to try and kill you? What
are you really doing here? Drugs? Weapons? Money? Forceful
politics?"
"Graydon, you are paranoid! I came here on vacation with my
brother and my friends. I wanted to relax. I wanted to enjoy myself.
Instead, people I love have disappeared, I've been shot at, mauled,
chased, and harassed by a so called security official who jumps at his
own shadow! Do something useful why don't you?"
Graydon bridled, his posture becoming aggressive. "There is
something happening here, Solo, and YOU are somehow involved. I'll keep
watching you, and if you do something the least bit suspicious I will
have you back in a detention cell for the duration. That includes
trying to undertake your own investigation.
"If you came here to relax, then that is what you are going
to do. Nothing else."
Graydon marched off before she was able to formulate a reply. The
man was utterly infuriating, that much was certain. Calling off any
kind of personal search for her brother and Tenel Ka was also distinctly
out of the question. Which meant either avoiding Graydon or dealing
with him outright so he would no longer be able to interfere with them.
Easily said. Of course conjuring up a way to do it was something
else entirely.
Jaina flopped back down upon the pillows and began to gently
massage her temples. Before she started deciding anything the pounding
inside her head would have to go. Deep breath in. . .exhale slowly.
Deep breath in. . .exhale slowly...
* * *
"I still say you should let me and Chewie go," Han Solo
complained.
For not the first time that night Leia squeezed her eyes shut and
prepared for another argument. Ever since they had received official
word from the police at Shental that Jacen and Tenel Ka were missing, Han
had been anxious to jump aboard the FALCON armed for outright war, and
bully everyone on Candren into revealing where his son was.
What was really irritating her, and it took quite a lot now to
spark her temper, was that Han considered her to be of an indifferent
attitude. She was not indifferent, Leia had been a proponent of
patience from the beginning. She had confidence in both Jaina and Lowie,
and knew that they would carry out their own, more skilled search.
The officials of Shental were also highly motivated to discover just
what was going on as they had two very unhappy governments demanding
answers of them.
Then there was Anakin. Leia wanted to be available when Anakin
returned from Dasney. She was hopeful that with the information he
brought back they could quickly determine what exactly had happened on
Coruscant concerning the records, and then discover what connection there
was to Gywnandra Salanon and consequently Jacen and Tenel Ka.
Between Jaina's suspicions and the way in which the records
disappeared as soon as Raynar had begun to investigate, one had to be a
fool not to conclude that this girl was definitely playing a large role
in these current events. What that was, though, Leia had little idea.
The puzzle was still too bare. She needed just a few more pieces to
flesh it out.
"We can even do it subtle like if you want, worship. Chewie and
I can sneak in, play smugglers, get a bit down and dirty, and squeeze
all the information we can out of the local low lifes. The Republic
won't even be mentioned once."
"Han, you know I need you here to help me. When Anakin returns
and we've finished with the internal matters at hand the first thing we
will do is drop on Shental hard and fast. Until then though, please
stay here."
"But..." Han began to protest.
"Jaina's there, Han. You should trust in your daughter," Leia
quickly cut him off. "Please?"
Han's face flashed through several emotions before finally
residing with resignation. "Ah, all right. You win your
worshipfullness. It's just that..."
"I know," Leia consoled, gently brushing her hand along the length
of her lightsaber. "You wish you could be doing it yourself."
* * *
An elderly freighter sliced rapidly through hyperspace, honing in
on Candren V.
To Be Continued...
STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams
Chapter seven: "Brief Visits"
by Dave Ziegler
She's finally asleep now. I was beginning to wonder how long
it would take. I know that Tenel Ka is strong, far stronger in body
and spirit than I think I could ever hope to be. But we've been here
for a few days now, and even a will like hers would have to succumb to
the pain eventually.
I can barely stand to look at her arm, now. The disjointed angle
at which it comes to her shoulder incites waves of fear within me.
Fear of what might happen if we can't get out of here soon. Fear of the
further damage that might be done.
If only I hadn't been such a blindly driven fool then. If only I
hadn't cost Tenel Ka her other arm. The possibility of permanent damage
would be so much less with the weight of her body evenly distributed.
Gods, she is even wincing in her sleep. And here I am, the great
Jedi knight Jacen Solo, unable to do anything to help her. I
can't hold her up, support her, or even brush my fingers across
her cheek.
And I'm the one who should be hurt. Gwynandra has made it
perfectly obvious that I was her target. Tenel Ka has suffered too much
already for my mistakes.
*Jaina! Please hear me! You've got to! This is beginning to
shatter her resolve and her dignity. I can't bear seeing her like
this. I'm afraid if it continues much longer I may decide to end it
myself. By any means necessary.*
* * *
Meditation was part of the daily routine of any Jedi apprentice
at the Academy. Each tutor and his or her learner would come out onto
the commons as Yavin IV's primary passed directly over the temple, and
they would meditate. Together. Synchronously.
There were still some aspects of communal learning that Master
Skywalker favored.
Due to Anakin's absence, Luke and Mara had paired Elle with Master Beijould
and his current apprentice as a temporary fix. They didn't believe that
she was far enough along in her studies to be left to her own devices.
Dark potential lurked when an inexperienced padawan was without a master,
and that was something all three headmasters were fervently committed to
avoiding.
It wasn't the most successful of ventures, however.
Master Beijould was an older man who's rounded face sported little
hair save a very heavy mustache. He was of an ample girth, but moved
quickly and precisely. Beijould was practically feline in that respect.
Then, of course, there was his adoration of the Jedi robes. He
never removed his, even during the hottest of days on Yavin. So whenever
Elle tried to sit and listen to this barrel of a man, whom forever traced
an easy circle around you when he spoke, and had a burly mass of hair obscuring
the front of his face in conjucntion with sweat that ran profusely from
a slick and sparkling scalp, she constantly broke into fits of giggles.
So much so that after a week of her Beijould refused to attempt to teach Elle
any longer.
Which was just fine with her. The only person Elle was interested
in having instruct her was Anakin.
Beijould quickly passed her back to Mara and Luke for explanations. Elle
groused about the man's lack of humor throughout the interview until
Master Skywalker told her that if she couldn't get along with a master
who did not have such a prevalent sense of humor, then perhaps she would
be happier finding someone other than Anakin to be her tutor. He was,
after all, not the joking type.
That had quieted Elle faster than a gundark with an
attitude.
Now here she was, sitting for the meditation session, and once again under
the eye of Master Beijould. Elle was sure it had taken some fancy
talking on the parts of Luke, Tionne, and Mara to get him to take her
back. She would much rather have Anakin, though.
He would coax her, pressure her, and drive her. Anakin would be
able to help her achieve the focus necessary for the meditation. And if
nothing else worked he would simply stare her into compliance. Anakin
could be very domineering if he put enough effort behind it.
Elle knew he cared, though. There was more to Anakin Solo than his
simple reticent and isolated exterior. She thought she could feel it
sometimes, leaking out when he wasn't in complete control. He did care.
Elle was positive.
"Elle." The soft voice at her ear startled Elle out of any
semblance of mediation she had achieved. She knew that voice.
"Yes, Master Skywalker."
"Remember, there is no passion; there is serenity."
Elle blushed furiously, stuffed her face into her hands and
managed a muffled "Yes, Master Skywalker," before clamping a firm lid on
anything she might have inadvertently been broadcasting.
Behind her, Luke Skywalker hid a wide grin and chuckle with a
gloved hand.
* * *
Gwynandra crouched atop the small, comfortless bunk that huddled
in the corner of her room. It was a lifeless place, dim and grey. She
clutched a small datapad in her hands and stared at it transfixed.
'Hey Gwyn,' it read. 'It is the morning before you arrive at the
Jedi academy. I know you're nervous, but don't worry too much. You
remember how kind that lady was, don't you? The beautiful one with the
silver hair? I think her name was Tionne. You'll meet people, make
friends. You won't be alone. And just think, you're going to train to
be a Jedi. A Jedi! Bet you never thought that was going to happen.'
Gwynandra idly sipped a glass of sparkling white wine as she
continued to read.
'Life has been rough before, I know. But you can do this. You can
make the most of this opportunity, Gwyn. Just believe and it will
happen. Bye for now.'
She drained the last of the wine from her glass and tapped a small
switch on the front of the pad. The text dissolved and just as quickly
reformed. Gwynandra began to read.
'Hello again, Gwyn. You were watching Jacen today again weren't
you? You do realize that if you keep skipping lessons Master Skywalker
and Tionne are going to be very annoyed with you. That's okay, though.
I understand. Jacen is perfect isn't he?
'You can get him, just be strong. You do need to introduce
yourself, though. Let him know you exist. Then do whatever you have to,
Gwyn. Whatever it takes. You deserve this. Have faith. Good-bye for
today.'
As she finished Gwyn threw the pad onto a nearby table and pulled
a thick black blanket around her. It was cold in her room. Very, very
cold.
* * *
Jaina felt absolutely terrible. Her body ached in several places
she hadn't realized before were quite capable of such intense feeling,
her head was still swimming from being out for so long, and she felt
inexorably drained.
Still, beat being dead didn't it?
The air inside the med station was warm and thick. Jaina
suspected something wasn't right with one of their air conditioning
units but didn't feel up to making a fuss. Instead, she kicked her feet
out and pushed the blanket toward the floor.
She lay back on the pillows, the thin gown now the only thing
between herself and the air, and closed her eyes. The blanket had
definitely made a difference. Jaina felt the faint breezes created by
the constantly opening and closing doors brushing across her legs and
swimming up underneath the garment. A small smile managed its way onto
her lips. Relief.
"Hello, Solo." On the other hand.
Jaina cracked her eyes to take a look at her visitor. Leiutenant
Ben Graydon loomed over her bed, standing so rigid he might as well have
been on the parade ground.
"Good, I see that you're awake."
"Try me again later, Graydon. I was just going to sleep," Jaina
mumbled. Twisting onto her stomach, Jaina forced her face into a pillow
and kept her eyes clamped shut. She had not even the faintest desire to
deal with this man at the moment.
"Not now, Solo." Graydon grabbed her shoulders and flipped Jaina
back over. "I have some questions for you. Not that your companion
hasn't been overly helpful. Well, in some instances anyway."
Jaina fought back a grimace. "Graydon, get your hands off me now.
I may be tired, I may have a headache the size of a Star Destroyer, and
I may be damn close to emotional collapse, but I can still throw you
across this room without so much as a second thought."
"Well, bacta treatments certainly don't agree with you," Graydon
sneered while moving a step back. "Now tell me, Solo, in what kind of
activities are you and your friend engaging while here on Shental that
would require someone to go to such trouble to try and kill you? What
are you really doing here? Drugs? Weapons? Money? Forceful
politics?"
"Graydon, you are paranoid! I came here on vacation with my
brother and my friends. I wanted to relax. I wanted to enjoy myself.
Instead, people I love have disappeared, I've been shot at, mauled,
chased, and harassed by a so called security official who jumps at his
own shadow! Do something useful why don't you?"
Graydon bridled, his posture becoming aggressive. "There is
something happening here, Solo, and YOU are somehow involved. I'll keep
watching you, and if you do something the least bit suspicious I will
have you back in a detention cell for the duration. That includes
trying to undertake your own investigation.
"If you came here to relax, then that is what you are going
to do. Nothing else."
Graydon marched off before she was able to formulate a reply. The
man was utterly infuriating, that much was certain. Calling off any
kind of personal search for her brother and Tenel Ka was also distinctly
out of the question. Which meant either avoiding Graydon or dealing
with him outright so he would no longer be able to interfere with them.
Easily said. Of course conjuring up a way to do it was something
else entirely.
Jaina flopped back down upon the pillows and began to gently
massage her temples. Before she started deciding anything the pounding
inside her head would have to go. Deep breath in. . .exhale slowly.
Deep breath in. . .exhale slowly...
* * *
"I still say you should let me and Chewie go," Han Solo
complained.
For not the first time that night Leia squeezed her eyes shut and
prepared for another argument. Ever since they had received official
word from the police at Shental that Jacen and Tenel Ka were missing, Han
had been anxious to jump aboard the FALCON armed for outright war, and
bully everyone on Candren into revealing where his son was.
What was really irritating her, and it took quite a lot now to
spark her temper, was that Han considered her to be of an indifferent
attitude. She was not indifferent, Leia had been a proponent of
patience from the beginning. She had confidence in both Jaina and Lowie,
and knew that they would carry out their own, more skilled search.
The officials of Shental were also highly motivated to discover just
what was going on as they had two very unhappy governments demanding
answers of them.
Then there was Anakin. Leia wanted to be available when Anakin
returned from Dasney. She was hopeful that with the information he
brought back they could quickly determine what exactly had happened on
Coruscant concerning the records, and then discover what connection there
was to Gywnandra Salanon and consequently Jacen and Tenel Ka.
Between Jaina's suspicions and the way in which the records
disappeared as soon as Raynar had begun to investigate, one had to be a
fool not to conclude that this girl was definitely playing a large role
in these current events. What that was, though, Leia had little idea.
The puzzle was still too bare. She needed just a few more pieces to
flesh it out.
"We can even do it subtle like if you want, worship. Chewie and
I can sneak in, play smugglers, get a bit down and dirty, and squeeze
all the information we can out of the local low lifes. The Republic
won't even be mentioned once."
"Han, you know I need you here to help me. When Anakin returns
and we've finished with the internal matters at hand the first thing we
will do is drop on Shental hard and fast. Until then though, please
stay here."
"But..." Han began to protest.
"Jaina's there, Han. You should trust in your daughter," Leia
quickly cut him off. "Please?"
Han's face flashed through several emotions before finally
residing with resignation. "Ah, all right. You win your
worshipfullness. It's just that..."
"I know," Leia consoled, gently brushing her hand along the length
of her lightsaber. "You wish you could be doing it yourself."
* * *
An elderly freighter sliced rapidly through hyperspace, honing in
on Candren V.
To Be Continued...
