Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to Lucasfilm Ltd. Not me. Thanks much.
STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams
Chapter Nine: "Strengths and Weaknesses"
by Dave Ziegler
"Who the hell in their right mind places Jedi under house arrest!?" Jaina Solo glared
out the windows of her suite at Shental and observed with growing agitation the collection of
security officers who had been watching Lowie and herself since they had returned from their
last chat with Lieutenant Graydon. There were three there now, all dressed in the bright
colors and costumes of tourists. A very thorough search had revealed similar groups loitering
within sight of every exit the building possessed. They were effectively trapped.
The way Jaina saw things, Graydon had to either believe they actually were in some way
involved with Mr. Mek's death, or he was just so damn proud he couldn't stand to let
someone else tread on his territory. She leant toward the latter, as Jaina couldn't
believe that even he would be stupid enough to believe a Jedi and the daughter of the
Chief of State would engage in activities such as murder and conspiracy. Then again,
the man was insane enough to waste a good twenty or so of his men on keeping her locked
away in a hotel so he could meander along on his little investigation, instead of having
them actually perform their jobs.
Backing away from the windows, Jaina began to frustratedly play with the loose end of
her tunic. Upon returning to the hotel she had immediately changed into her Jedi robes, though
what had possessed her to bring them with her on vacation she wasn't sure, and prepared to
leave with Lowie to try to unearth some leads concerning the whereabouts of Gwynandra Salanon.
They had planned on visiting a few of the lower class bars and tapcafes, and Jaina always found
that the traditional Jedi costume always went a long way toward loosening people's tongues
before she even went to work on them. The robes were something of a symbol, and always
got the hearts of the shadier folks beating faster than a Bith percussionist. Of course,
that had all been decided before they discovered Graydon's little surprise.
"Mistress Jaina, I really do not believe pacing in such a manner will help the
situation any," Em Teedee chimed from his nest on the bureau. "It would be much more beneficial
if we all went to sleep for the evening, dispelled this agitation, and began again in the
morning." Lowie quickly barked a terse response. "Well of course I want to find Master Jacen
and Mistress Tenel Ka, but if the security forces here do not wish us involved then there is
nothing we can do."
"Yes, there is Em Teedee. We can find ourselves a way out of here, and beat Graydon to
Gwynandra Salanon."
"And how do you propose we accomplish this feat, Mistress Jaina?" Em Teedee challenged.
"I don't know! Not yet anyway. But there has to be a way." Lowie roared his
agreement and the two Jedi set about to make plans for their escape.
* * *
Jacen ducked out of the way of the smoky lightsaber, the tip of its blade missing him
by only inches. He quickly rolled to his feet and twisted to bring his own weapon up in a
defensive parry. Tenel Ka's blade struck home, and she put all her weight into the thrust,
trying to take advantage of his precarious stance. "Your reflexes have become quicker, Jacen
my friend."
"Yeah," Jacen grunted. "Thanks a lot." As Tenel Ka furthered her attack, Jacen could
feel his feet slipping beneath him. His bent legs were beginning to shake with the exertion of
being used as the primary source of his counter thrust. He couldn't let her win, though. He
had to show Tenel Ka that he was a capable warrior. Only then would she respect him.
A sharp crack and puff of smoke snapped through the living jungle noise, and suddenly
there was no longer any pressure holding Jacen's blade. His legs uncoiled and propelled him
forward, and as he stumbled forward his lightsaber slowed behind him as if it had caught in
something thick. Jacen finally managed to snap the weapon off when he stumbled to a stop, but
refused to turn around and look at Tenel Ka. "No. Please, no." But he already knew what he'd
see; a beautiful girl he had marred by taking her hand.
"Don't you want to see what you've done?"
"You?" Jacen gasped in accusation as a lithe strawberry blonde girl slipped out of the
jungle and into the clearing they trained in. "You weren't here. How can you be. . ."
"Oh, don't worry about that," she said laughingly. "This is altogether different than
what you remember."
"Different? How? What do you mean?" Jacen wasn't sure what was going on. He felt
off balance and uncertain, unready to handle the situation before him.
"Well, that is for you to find out now isn't it?" Gwyn said. "She may have lost her
hand, she may be perfectly all right and waiting for you to come to her. Nothing will be
determined until you turn around and look for yourself. I can't tell you anything."
Despite Jacen's unease and mistrust of Gwyn, the glimmer of hope that she presented
him with was too much to bear. What if Tenel Ka really was all right? What if he hadn't
maimed her? Then she wouldn't blame him, wouldn't always harbor a resentment deep beneath the
surface. Though she denied it passionately, Jacen was sure it must exist somewhere within her,
no matter how far and how deep she had buried it. Gods, if only it was true. If only when he
turned around, he could see Tenel Ka as she had. . .
Jacen's eyes fell upon Tenel Ka and he couldn't help but vomit upon the writhing jungle
floor. Her body lay twisted and lifeless, a large piece of her abdomen missing where presumably
his lightsaber had struck her during the accident. And her hand, her hand was stilled attached,
but a charred lump of flesh, forever scorched from the explosion of her faulty lightsaber.
"Oh look," Gwyn said, "you've murdered her. Not really improving much with age are
you?"
"Shut up," Jacen managed to croak.
"Look at her, Jacen. Look at what you've done, what you still may do. The longer you
are with her, the more pain she will feel. You are a danger to her, Jacen. You are a danger
to what she always wished to become."
"That's not true."
"Of course that's true. You took her hand, Jacen. Without it she is limited in her
abilities and cannot function as a proper warrior. And you've become a liability yourself, or
didn't you realize that? How can you expect her to fight effectively when she always has to be
looking over her shoulder just to make sure you don't slip up and cause another accident," Gwyn
persisted.
"It's not. . ."
"True," a brokenly familiar voice said. Tenel Ka's bloodied corpse sat up and locked
eyes with Jacen. "It's. . . true. All true."
Jacen screamed.
* * *
It took a moment before Jacen realized he was no longer in the sweltering jungles
of Yavin IV, but suspended in a carpet of darkness somewhere on Candren V. In that moment,
he could hear his own fear filled cry echo startlingly down through the hangar until finally
fading into nothingness. Jacen allowed himself to indulge in a sudden and intense sense
of safety, knowing now he had escaped the horror of the academy grounds.
He hadn't allowed the dreams to concern him lately, as they hadn't plagued him
for the past few nights, and he had, on the whole, much more important things with which
to occupy his attention. There had been something about this dream though, something
different than the others. It had started out as usual, but then diverged, winding and
skipping through paths and events that had never actually occurred. Of course, the more
he thought about it, the more he tried to focus in on what exactly had been different and why
this dream had startled him so much more than the others, the more distant and fuzzy
the images became.
*Sithspawn,* Jacen silently cursed. The one time he actually wanted to confront
the dreams and face what had been happening to him, they up and fled, leaving him with only
a vague impression of horror and fear. It was becoming typical of his luck.
"Jacen?" Tenel Ka's voice floated up from his side.
"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" Of all the stupid things to do, disturbing her.
Tenel Ka needed all the rest and strength she could get, what with her shoulder and the pitiful
amount of food they were given each day.
"You are troubled," she stated. "Tell me, what is the matter?"
Jacen forced a grin and turned toward her voice. "You must have better eyesight
than I give you credit for, Tenel Ka. To be able to see. . . me . . . Jacen trailed off
as he suddenly realized that he could feel the warmth, love, and concern flowing from
Tenel Ka. If he could do that, then that meant. . .
"I can sense you!" they both exclaimed. And it was true. Each Jedi could feel
the bond between them restored. Not only that, but the Force currents once again were
swirling around the both of them, allowing each to tap into the encompassing sense of
life that surrounded all things. They basked in the sensation of completeness a few
moments longer.
"Jacen," Tenel Ka began, having gathered herself. "We should not waste this
opportunity."
"I wasn't planning to," he teased, sounding the most like his old self he had
since arriving at Shental.
Both the Jedi closed their eyes and began silently concentrating, tapping into
the Force they had been so long been denied access to. Having achieved this union, they
were able to slide their consciousness into the manacles that bound them and feel the many
tiny mechanisms that operated the locks. A few simple nudges produced a resounding
click in each of the manacles, allowing them to swing easily open.
Jacen groaned as he hit the floor, Tenel Ka landing lightly beside him. His
muscles were sore and stiff from disuse, and severely argued against any further such
activity. Slowly easing each leg forward, he tried to stretch and reinvigorate the
clenched musculature. "I think," Jacen gasped, grimacing as he continued to extend his
legs, "that I'm going to need some time to work myself up to walking."
"I too shall need a moment to adjust," Tenel Ka commented.
"Great. Then we can stroll on out of here," Jacen quipped.
* * *
"This had better be good, Mr. Wynor. I am currently working." The holoimage
that stood before Myx Wynor was blurred and distorted, its features masked so that it
could not be identified.
"I assure you," Myx assuaged, "I would not contact you at such a time unless it
was of dire importance."
"And what is of such dire importance, that you deem it worthy to risk us all?"
"Well," Myx began, nervously drumming his fingers against the communications
console, "it's about the boy."
"You were given explicit and infallible directions for how to deal with and
dispose of him."
"Yes. Unfortunately, the boy contrived to make both the directions and the
device fallible."
"I see," the voice said. "What are the damages incurred?"
"That's where we come to the root of the problem," Myx sighed. "It seems the
boy was also able to some how work his way into the encrypted database. We haven't
yet determined how much information was downloaded before he was locked out, but the
estimations have been rather sizable."
"And what of the records concerning Meecron?"
"Those were destroyed before he could get to them. Though now having access
to our own records, it seems to make little difference."
"Are there any other details I should be aware of Mr. Wynor?"
"Actually there is." Myx's fingers began to move faster. "The boy escaped
by stealing artifact number 978. The N-1 starfighter, sir." There was brief moment
of silence from the hologram.
"I understand. A suitable reception shall be arranged for Solo before he
divulges anything he has learnt. Meanwhile, Mr. Wynor, you shall continue with our
day to day operations as per custom. If this has somehow caused any disruptions
among the city-sectors, a suitable cover story should have already been issued. If
not, take care of it. We will only speak again when this situation has been resolved."
The signal terminated and the holoimage faded from the room. Stepping away
from the console, Myx considered the situation. That had gone better than he had
expected, actually. He had thought he would at least be pushed down the ranks for
his failure to perform. Well, best not look good fortune long in the eye, lest it
decide to take leave of you.
"Ah, captain," Myx greeted the arriving battle droid, "I'm glad you're here.
I need you to head down to the main factory and inform them that we are to again
proceed with production." The battle droid stared uncomprehendingly back at Myx, then
slowly removed the rifle from its shoulder. "Such a single minded creature," Myx sighed.
"Captain, I assure you there is nothing dangerous between here and there. You
are, after all, only going to be speaking with more of your kind." The droid remained
silent. "Captain?"
A short burst of blaster fire flared from the muzzle of the rifle and struck
Myx in the chest. He was blown backwards into a loose collection of chairs, thin
trails of smoke rising gently from his body. "Cleansing complete," the droid buzzed.
"Good work, good work." Mr. Alaciv stated, sweeping into the room. He wore
a crisp black suit and cape, and his matched mane of hair was carefully swept backward,
away from his face. "I do apologize, Wynor," he said, looming over the body. "But as
you know, orders must be followed precisely. Now captain, gather a burial detail and
dispose of Mr. Wynor here. You know where the garbage smashers are. Oh yes, and do
report to the factories as he requested. We wouldn't want to fall behind schedule,
would we?"
* * *
Gwyn awoke slowly from her trance, her mind fuzzy and slack from
exertion. It took quite a lot of effort to project the dreams into the mind of her
love, and with each new attempt Gwyn was becoming increasingly fatigued. There would
come a point in the future when she would be unable to gather the mental strength
necessary to perform such a feat, she was sure of it. This was precisely why she had
decided to institute such drastic measures during this evening's effort.
Tonight had been the first time Gwyn had ever attempted to take an active part
in the dreams. Originally, it had seemed all that would be necessary would be for her
to simply use them as a prompt, so that Jacen could see how strong he looked in her
eyes and how much she wanted to partake of his love. Of course, plans must change to
fit the circumstances. Gwyn had not counted on him becoming so attached to that red
haired harlot and developing such a resistance to her insinuations because of it. Before
Jacen would come to her, Gwyn knew she had to break him of his silly infatuation with
this girl. The best way to do that would be to play upon the fears she could feel
inside him every time she touched Jacen's mind during a dreaming. It would only take
a few sessions for him to crack, she was sure of it.
But why Jacen didn't see his actions all those years ago the way he should,
the way she did, truly disturbed Gwyn. Infatuated or not, why be so traumatized? He
had reached a pinnacle, and the one he had vaulted himself from was, after all, just
a silly little girl.
* * *
"Back! Back!" Jaina spun Lowie around by his waist and hurriedly pushed him
back up the hotel's hallway. Trailing modestly behind them were a pair of tourists
sporting very obvious bulges beneath their jackets. "More security agents. Damn, I
knew we shouldn't have tried just walking out the front door."
Lowie rolled his eyes and snorted quietly, all the while mumbling about how
Jaina had no qualms with the plan originally. It hadn't been his fault that the exit
they picked happened to be occupied by someone with enough strength of will to resist
the influence of the Force. "Why Master Lowbacca, do contain yourself. Such language
is not appropriate for a Jedi knight," Em Teedee scolded.
"Em Teedee, with all do respect, either offer us a brilliant escape plan or
shut up until we come up with our own. I have a feeling our earlier stunt sapped
the last bit of patience Graydon had. He's moving his agents in and trying to put
the noose around our necks."
"Well if that's the way you feel," the little droid pouted.
"At the moment, it is," she hissed, steadily pushing Lowie forward from
behind. Following a small cry of surprise from Lowie, Jaina found herself spun
about and thrown down a side corridor by the wookie. A large, furry hand clamped
firmly over her wrist, and she stumbled hurriedly after Lowie as he strode away.
Risking a glance behind her, Jaina saw what had disturbed Lowie; a pair of uniformed
security moving into the hall.
"Great," she mumbled. "If Graydon's deploying uniforms he could have
dragged half his station down here as reinforcements for the arrest."
"Stop right there!" Jaina peered passed Lowie just as two more uniformed
officers rushed round the bend and blocked their path. Each drew their blaster
and launched into a run, as the two Jedi hurried back the opposite way.
"We're trapped! Those other two security agents are moving down this way,
and I'm sure they contacted the others in the building to relay our position. A
dozen or more will be here within a few minutes, and there's nowhere else to run to.
We also can't fight our way out, that's what we have been trying to avoid since the
beginning."
"Surrender is perfectly acceptable in such circumstances," Em Teedee began,
but a quick growl from Lowie silenced him. The bounding wookie pointed toward a large
silver plate and frame set into the wall of the corridor and bellowed triumphantly.
"A laundry chute?" Jaina couldn't help but hide her surprise as her wookie
companion smacked a switch with his fist causing the silver panel to ride quickly up
into its frame. "That's a really wonderful idea, but don't you think it might be too
small for . . . LOWIE!" Jaina yelped in surprise as he grabbed her and tossed her
head first down the chute.
Flashes of dingy and dented metal flashed by her eyes as Jaina sped through
shaft, her cloak twisting and tangling in her limbs. The intense friction wrenched
holes in her robes at the knees and elbows, exposing her flesh to the same potential
trauma. Fortunately, the chute chose that particular moment to end, dropping the
young Jedi into a split second free fall, then a large bin of soiled clothing. Moments
later, a mass of hairy limbs and screaming droid fell next to her.
Picking her way to the top of the heap of clothing, Jaina wrinkled her nose
and frowned. "What an incredible smell you've discovered." The wookie simply grimaced
then forced her back underneath the clothing when a nearby door groaned loudly open.
Both Jedi huddled in silence, intent on making sure that none of Graydon's men
noticed them.
"Batch twenty-two to be removed immediately to the proper facilities," a
metallic voice grated.
"Understood," came the equally harsh reply.
The bin suddenly began to shake as the sound of hydraulics filled the room
and it was easily hefted from the floor. Jaina, pulling herself back to the top,
glanced over the lip of the bin and into the gaping maw of a speeder filled with similar
articles. "Oh no."
The service droid tipped the bin upside down, pitching its contents into the
speeder. Then, placing the significantly lighter container back upon the floor, yanked
the handle that sealed the rear hatch of the speeder. Its job just about finished,
the droid signaled the driver to leave before heading for yet another bin.
* * *
The door was old and stained, much like the rest of the hangar a testament to
the power of age. Jacen and Tenel Ka huddled against it in the darkness, and strained
to hear the mix of voices coming from outside. They were easily overshadowed by a
symphony of nighttime groans and shrieks, making it extremely difficult to pick up
any sense of the sparse conversation.
"There are two guards, I can feel them." Tenel Ka's voice was hushed and calm.
Even with everything that had happened she would only allow herself to present
composure. The wounds, the pain, her shoulder; they did not matter. Tenel Ka would
not bow to such constrictions. She would rather fight until ultimately overwhelmed.
"You're right, I think," Jacen whispered back. "There's one on each side of
the door. I can't make out what they're saying though. The walls are too thick and
the night life's too loud."
"It does not matter," Tenel Ka stated. "Nothing they say or plan will help
them now." Tenel Ka rose and faced the door, determination possessing her entire form.
"Tenel Ka, wait!" Jacen hissed, gesturing for her to sit back down. "Don't
you think we should come up with some sort of plan first? This is an opportunity
we don't want to waste." The Hapan princess glanced down at him and firmly
shook her head.
"No," Tenel Ka stated, then launched the door open with a swift kick to
its center. A brief scream echoed through the night air as the hurtling mass of
metal swung to the right and struck the first guard in the nose. Skipping through
the doorway and lashing out with another kick, Tenel Ka's boot connected with the
second guard's throat and caused a disturbing crunch before the man tumbled
backward into the dirt and died.
The first guard, a dazed looking Devaronian with blood streaming from
his nose, stumbled round the open door while trying to get a firm grip on his
blaster and straight into another kick. He too collided with the
earth and refused to pursue the issue any further.
As Tenel Ka surveyed the battlefield, evidently satisfied with the results,
she noticed Jacen staring at her in a curious fashion. She turned to him, her voice
suddenly indulging in a strange moment of emotion. "They thought they could cow me
by making useless my arm and stripping me of the Force. I had to demonstrate to
them their error." Jacen nodded in understanding, before gently pushing her away
from the scene.
"Come on. Let's get away from here as fast as we can."
* * *
The land surrounding the hangar was rough going. Its rocky earth undulated
in hilly peaks and crevices, all the while overlooking vast stretches of grass and
the brilliant expanse of city lights in the distance. Patches of browning grass
and equally decayed shrubs and tress sprouted sporadically throughout hillside,
creating a very drab and uninspiring vista.
"It will take some time to get to where the slopes are gradual enough for
us to climb down," Jacen commented and turned away from the edge he had been
peering over. "A day or two's travel I would guess. What do you think, Tenel Ka?"
"I would find that a reasonable assumption, Jacen my friend. Though we
should add a third day to that estimate to take into consideration any obstacles
such treacherous terrain may present us with."
"That's true. It also means we're going to need to find ourselves a
minimum of food and water. Even Jedi can only go so far on an empty stomach
before having to reduce himself to a state of meditative conservation. In any
case, we should worry about that tomorrow. We're still only about thirty minutes
out of the hangar and I'm exhausted. Finding someplace significantly secluded to
sleep for the night should be our first priority."
A brief flicker crossed Tenel Ka's face before she responded. "Secluded?
Why Jacen my friend, one might think from such a statement that you were trying
to proposition me."
A huge grin lighted Jacen's own features at the girl's statement. If
Tenel Ka was making the effort to crack a joke then her spirits, at least, had
to be on the mend. "I'd be honored my lady," Jacen said and bowed deeply, "but
to just spend the night near you would be reward enough." Jacen couldn't help
but snicker at how pathetically corny that had just sounded. "Well, I can't be
in top form everyday," he shrugged.
A mammoth bolt of blaster fire suddenly snapped from nowhere and
struck the earth between the two Jedi. A great plume of dirt and rock was spat
into the sky, choking the air between them. Jacen fell backward and scrambled
away from the smoking crater. "That was field artillery! Where's it coming from?"
"I cannot tell," Tenel Ka called back. "It came too suddenly."
"We need to get out of here, find some cover. Tenel Ka, run!" The
warrior girl nodded, then sprang forward into a sprint.
Jacen watched her for a moment, preparing to pick himself up and take
off after her. A second blast suddenly cut through the air and impacted with
the ground just in front of Tenel Ka. The explosion wrenched shrub and rock
free from the earth and propelled Tenel Ka backward through the air. Her body
struck the ground hard and rolled for a few feet before finally coming to an
eerily still stop.
"TENEL KA!" Jacen was on his feet and running before his mind had even
fully registered what had occurred. She wasn't dead, she wasn't dead, she was not
dead! The intense hum of a speeder intruded upon his frantic thoughts as the
craft sporting the artillery piece glided out from behind a far ridge. It's
long scorched barrel turned toward him and belched one last shot.
The mass of crackling energy flew toward Jacen. Ignoring his plight,
he continued to run. Almost there. Almost there. Tenel Ka's body was only a
small distance ahead. Almost there. The shot whistled closer. As Jacen's foot
slammed upon the earth, a fragile piece of its network crumbled beneath him and
swallowed his body. The blaster bolt struck home.
* * *
Jacen had the strangest sense that his body was moving. It felt almost
as if he were being carried. But that was impossible wasn't it? The only other
person who could had have helped him was Tenel Ka, and she was. . . she was. . .
Jacen struggled to open his eyes and force his battered body into motion. I need
to find her. I need to see if she is all right, his mind stuttered.
*Be calm, Jedi,* said a voice inside his waning consciousness. *Do not
fear for the other, in this moment she lives. And you yourself will be safe
and attended to.*
Unable to fight against his own weakness and the soothing message of
the voice, Jacen gave way to oblivion.
To Be Continued. . .
STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams
Chapter Nine: "Strengths and Weaknesses"
by Dave Ziegler
"Who the hell in their right mind places Jedi under house arrest!?" Jaina Solo glared
out the windows of her suite at Shental and observed with growing agitation the collection of
security officers who had been watching Lowie and herself since they had returned from their
last chat with Lieutenant Graydon. There were three there now, all dressed in the bright
colors and costumes of tourists. A very thorough search had revealed similar groups loitering
within sight of every exit the building possessed. They were effectively trapped.
The way Jaina saw things, Graydon had to either believe they actually were in some way
involved with Mr. Mek's death, or he was just so damn proud he couldn't stand to let
someone else tread on his territory. She leant toward the latter, as Jaina couldn't
believe that even he would be stupid enough to believe a Jedi and the daughter of the
Chief of State would engage in activities such as murder and conspiracy. Then again,
the man was insane enough to waste a good twenty or so of his men on keeping her locked
away in a hotel so he could meander along on his little investigation, instead of having
them actually perform their jobs.
Backing away from the windows, Jaina began to frustratedly play with the loose end of
her tunic. Upon returning to the hotel she had immediately changed into her Jedi robes, though
what had possessed her to bring them with her on vacation she wasn't sure, and prepared to
leave with Lowie to try to unearth some leads concerning the whereabouts of Gwynandra Salanon.
They had planned on visiting a few of the lower class bars and tapcafes, and Jaina always found
that the traditional Jedi costume always went a long way toward loosening people's tongues
before she even went to work on them. The robes were something of a symbol, and always
got the hearts of the shadier folks beating faster than a Bith percussionist. Of course,
that had all been decided before they discovered Graydon's little surprise.
"Mistress Jaina, I really do not believe pacing in such a manner will help the
situation any," Em Teedee chimed from his nest on the bureau. "It would be much more beneficial
if we all went to sleep for the evening, dispelled this agitation, and began again in the
morning." Lowie quickly barked a terse response. "Well of course I want to find Master Jacen
and Mistress Tenel Ka, but if the security forces here do not wish us involved then there is
nothing we can do."
"Yes, there is Em Teedee. We can find ourselves a way out of here, and beat Graydon to
Gwynandra Salanon."
"And how do you propose we accomplish this feat, Mistress Jaina?" Em Teedee challenged.
"I don't know! Not yet anyway. But there has to be a way." Lowie roared his
agreement and the two Jedi set about to make plans for their escape.
* * *
Jacen ducked out of the way of the smoky lightsaber, the tip of its blade missing him
by only inches. He quickly rolled to his feet and twisted to bring his own weapon up in a
defensive parry. Tenel Ka's blade struck home, and she put all her weight into the thrust,
trying to take advantage of his precarious stance. "Your reflexes have become quicker, Jacen
my friend."
"Yeah," Jacen grunted. "Thanks a lot." As Tenel Ka furthered her attack, Jacen could
feel his feet slipping beneath him. His bent legs were beginning to shake with the exertion of
being used as the primary source of his counter thrust. He couldn't let her win, though. He
had to show Tenel Ka that he was a capable warrior. Only then would she respect him.
A sharp crack and puff of smoke snapped through the living jungle noise, and suddenly
there was no longer any pressure holding Jacen's blade. His legs uncoiled and propelled him
forward, and as he stumbled forward his lightsaber slowed behind him as if it had caught in
something thick. Jacen finally managed to snap the weapon off when he stumbled to a stop, but
refused to turn around and look at Tenel Ka. "No. Please, no." But he already knew what he'd
see; a beautiful girl he had marred by taking her hand.
"Don't you want to see what you've done?"
"You?" Jacen gasped in accusation as a lithe strawberry blonde girl slipped out of the
jungle and into the clearing they trained in. "You weren't here. How can you be. . ."
"Oh, don't worry about that," she said laughingly. "This is altogether different than
what you remember."
"Different? How? What do you mean?" Jacen wasn't sure what was going on. He felt
off balance and uncertain, unready to handle the situation before him.
"Well, that is for you to find out now isn't it?" Gwyn said. "She may have lost her
hand, she may be perfectly all right and waiting for you to come to her. Nothing will be
determined until you turn around and look for yourself. I can't tell you anything."
Despite Jacen's unease and mistrust of Gwyn, the glimmer of hope that she presented
him with was too much to bear. What if Tenel Ka really was all right? What if he hadn't
maimed her? Then she wouldn't blame him, wouldn't always harbor a resentment deep beneath the
surface. Though she denied it passionately, Jacen was sure it must exist somewhere within her,
no matter how far and how deep she had buried it. Gods, if only it was true. If only when he
turned around, he could see Tenel Ka as she had. . .
Jacen's eyes fell upon Tenel Ka and he couldn't help but vomit upon the writhing jungle
floor. Her body lay twisted and lifeless, a large piece of her abdomen missing where presumably
his lightsaber had struck her during the accident. And her hand, her hand was stilled attached,
but a charred lump of flesh, forever scorched from the explosion of her faulty lightsaber.
"Oh look," Gwyn said, "you've murdered her. Not really improving much with age are
you?"
"Shut up," Jacen managed to croak.
"Look at her, Jacen. Look at what you've done, what you still may do. The longer you
are with her, the more pain she will feel. You are a danger to her, Jacen. You are a danger
to what she always wished to become."
"That's not true."
"Of course that's true. You took her hand, Jacen. Without it she is limited in her
abilities and cannot function as a proper warrior. And you've become a liability yourself, or
didn't you realize that? How can you expect her to fight effectively when she always has to be
looking over her shoulder just to make sure you don't slip up and cause another accident," Gwyn
persisted.
"It's not. . ."
"True," a brokenly familiar voice said. Tenel Ka's bloodied corpse sat up and locked
eyes with Jacen. "It's. . . true. All true."
Jacen screamed.
* * *
It took a moment before Jacen realized he was no longer in the sweltering jungles
of Yavin IV, but suspended in a carpet of darkness somewhere on Candren V. In that moment,
he could hear his own fear filled cry echo startlingly down through the hangar until finally
fading into nothingness. Jacen allowed himself to indulge in a sudden and intense sense
of safety, knowing now he had escaped the horror of the academy grounds.
He hadn't allowed the dreams to concern him lately, as they hadn't plagued him
for the past few nights, and he had, on the whole, much more important things with which
to occupy his attention. There had been something about this dream though, something
different than the others. It had started out as usual, but then diverged, winding and
skipping through paths and events that had never actually occurred. Of course, the more
he thought about it, the more he tried to focus in on what exactly had been different and why
this dream had startled him so much more than the others, the more distant and fuzzy
the images became.
*Sithspawn,* Jacen silently cursed. The one time he actually wanted to confront
the dreams and face what had been happening to him, they up and fled, leaving him with only
a vague impression of horror and fear. It was becoming typical of his luck.
"Jacen?" Tenel Ka's voice floated up from his side.
"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" Of all the stupid things to do, disturbing her.
Tenel Ka needed all the rest and strength she could get, what with her shoulder and the pitiful
amount of food they were given each day.
"You are troubled," she stated. "Tell me, what is the matter?"
Jacen forced a grin and turned toward her voice. "You must have better eyesight
than I give you credit for, Tenel Ka. To be able to see. . . me . . . Jacen trailed off
as he suddenly realized that he could feel the warmth, love, and concern flowing from
Tenel Ka. If he could do that, then that meant. . .
"I can sense you!" they both exclaimed. And it was true. Each Jedi could feel
the bond between them restored. Not only that, but the Force currents once again were
swirling around the both of them, allowing each to tap into the encompassing sense of
life that surrounded all things. They basked in the sensation of completeness a few
moments longer.
"Jacen," Tenel Ka began, having gathered herself. "We should not waste this
opportunity."
"I wasn't planning to," he teased, sounding the most like his old self he had
since arriving at Shental.
Both the Jedi closed their eyes and began silently concentrating, tapping into
the Force they had been so long been denied access to. Having achieved this union, they
were able to slide their consciousness into the manacles that bound them and feel the many
tiny mechanisms that operated the locks. A few simple nudges produced a resounding
click in each of the manacles, allowing them to swing easily open.
Jacen groaned as he hit the floor, Tenel Ka landing lightly beside him. His
muscles were sore and stiff from disuse, and severely argued against any further such
activity. Slowly easing each leg forward, he tried to stretch and reinvigorate the
clenched musculature. "I think," Jacen gasped, grimacing as he continued to extend his
legs, "that I'm going to need some time to work myself up to walking."
"I too shall need a moment to adjust," Tenel Ka commented.
"Great. Then we can stroll on out of here," Jacen quipped.
* * *
"This had better be good, Mr. Wynor. I am currently working." The holoimage
that stood before Myx Wynor was blurred and distorted, its features masked so that it
could not be identified.
"I assure you," Myx assuaged, "I would not contact you at such a time unless it
was of dire importance."
"And what is of such dire importance, that you deem it worthy to risk us all?"
"Well," Myx began, nervously drumming his fingers against the communications
console, "it's about the boy."
"You were given explicit and infallible directions for how to deal with and
dispose of him."
"Yes. Unfortunately, the boy contrived to make both the directions and the
device fallible."
"I see," the voice said. "What are the damages incurred?"
"That's where we come to the root of the problem," Myx sighed. "It seems the
boy was also able to some how work his way into the encrypted database. We haven't
yet determined how much information was downloaded before he was locked out, but the
estimations have been rather sizable."
"And what of the records concerning Meecron?"
"Those were destroyed before he could get to them. Though now having access
to our own records, it seems to make little difference."
"Are there any other details I should be aware of Mr. Wynor?"
"Actually there is." Myx's fingers began to move faster. "The boy escaped
by stealing artifact number 978. The N-1 starfighter, sir." There was brief moment
of silence from the hologram.
"I understand. A suitable reception shall be arranged for Solo before he
divulges anything he has learnt. Meanwhile, Mr. Wynor, you shall continue with our
day to day operations as per custom. If this has somehow caused any disruptions
among the city-sectors, a suitable cover story should have already been issued. If
not, take care of it. We will only speak again when this situation has been resolved."
The signal terminated and the holoimage faded from the room. Stepping away
from the console, Myx considered the situation. That had gone better than he had
expected, actually. He had thought he would at least be pushed down the ranks for
his failure to perform. Well, best not look good fortune long in the eye, lest it
decide to take leave of you.
"Ah, captain," Myx greeted the arriving battle droid, "I'm glad you're here.
I need you to head down to the main factory and inform them that we are to again
proceed with production." The battle droid stared uncomprehendingly back at Myx, then
slowly removed the rifle from its shoulder. "Such a single minded creature," Myx sighed.
"Captain, I assure you there is nothing dangerous between here and there. You
are, after all, only going to be speaking with more of your kind." The droid remained
silent. "Captain?"
A short burst of blaster fire flared from the muzzle of the rifle and struck
Myx in the chest. He was blown backwards into a loose collection of chairs, thin
trails of smoke rising gently from his body. "Cleansing complete," the droid buzzed.
"Good work, good work." Mr. Alaciv stated, sweeping into the room. He wore
a crisp black suit and cape, and his matched mane of hair was carefully swept backward,
away from his face. "I do apologize, Wynor," he said, looming over the body. "But as
you know, orders must be followed precisely. Now captain, gather a burial detail and
dispose of Mr. Wynor here. You know where the garbage smashers are. Oh yes, and do
report to the factories as he requested. We wouldn't want to fall behind schedule,
would we?"
* * *
Gwyn awoke slowly from her trance, her mind fuzzy and slack from
exertion. It took quite a lot of effort to project the dreams into the mind of her
love, and with each new attempt Gwyn was becoming increasingly fatigued. There would
come a point in the future when she would be unable to gather the mental strength
necessary to perform such a feat, she was sure of it. This was precisely why she had
decided to institute such drastic measures during this evening's effort.
Tonight had been the first time Gwyn had ever attempted to take an active part
in the dreams. Originally, it had seemed all that would be necessary would be for her
to simply use them as a prompt, so that Jacen could see how strong he looked in her
eyes and how much she wanted to partake of his love. Of course, plans must change to
fit the circumstances. Gwyn had not counted on him becoming so attached to that red
haired harlot and developing such a resistance to her insinuations because of it. Before
Jacen would come to her, Gwyn knew she had to break him of his silly infatuation with
this girl. The best way to do that would be to play upon the fears she could feel
inside him every time she touched Jacen's mind during a dreaming. It would only take
a few sessions for him to crack, she was sure of it.
But why Jacen didn't see his actions all those years ago the way he should,
the way she did, truly disturbed Gwyn. Infatuated or not, why be so traumatized? He
had reached a pinnacle, and the one he had vaulted himself from was, after all, just
a silly little girl.
* * *
"Back! Back!" Jaina spun Lowie around by his waist and hurriedly pushed him
back up the hotel's hallway. Trailing modestly behind them were a pair of tourists
sporting very obvious bulges beneath their jackets. "More security agents. Damn, I
knew we shouldn't have tried just walking out the front door."
Lowie rolled his eyes and snorted quietly, all the while mumbling about how
Jaina had no qualms with the plan originally. It hadn't been his fault that the exit
they picked happened to be occupied by someone with enough strength of will to resist
the influence of the Force. "Why Master Lowbacca, do contain yourself. Such language
is not appropriate for a Jedi knight," Em Teedee scolded.
"Em Teedee, with all do respect, either offer us a brilliant escape plan or
shut up until we come up with our own. I have a feeling our earlier stunt sapped
the last bit of patience Graydon had. He's moving his agents in and trying to put
the noose around our necks."
"Well if that's the way you feel," the little droid pouted.
"At the moment, it is," she hissed, steadily pushing Lowie forward from
behind. Following a small cry of surprise from Lowie, Jaina found herself spun
about and thrown down a side corridor by the wookie. A large, furry hand clamped
firmly over her wrist, and she stumbled hurriedly after Lowie as he strode away.
Risking a glance behind her, Jaina saw what had disturbed Lowie; a pair of uniformed
security moving into the hall.
"Great," she mumbled. "If Graydon's deploying uniforms he could have
dragged half his station down here as reinforcements for the arrest."
"Stop right there!" Jaina peered passed Lowie just as two more uniformed
officers rushed round the bend and blocked their path. Each drew their blaster
and launched into a run, as the two Jedi hurried back the opposite way.
"We're trapped! Those other two security agents are moving down this way,
and I'm sure they contacted the others in the building to relay our position. A
dozen or more will be here within a few minutes, and there's nowhere else to run to.
We also can't fight our way out, that's what we have been trying to avoid since the
beginning."
"Surrender is perfectly acceptable in such circumstances," Em Teedee began,
but a quick growl from Lowie silenced him. The bounding wookie pointed toward a large
silver plate and frame set into the wall of the corridor and bellowed triumphantly.
"A laundry chute?" Jaina couldn't help but hide her surprise as her wookie
companion smacked a switch with his fist causing the silver panel to ride quickly up
into its frame. "That's a really wonderful idea, but don't you think it might be too
small for . . . LOWIE!" Jaina yelped in surprise as he grabbed her and tossed her
head first down the chute.
Flashes of dingy and dented metal flashed by her eyes as Jaina sped through
shaft, her cloak twisting and tangling in her limbs. The intense friction wrenched
holes in her robes at the knees and elbows, exposing her flesh to the same potential
trauma. Fortunately, the chute chose that particular moment to end, dropping the
young Jedi into a split second free fall, then a large bin of soiled clothing. Moments
later, a mass of hairy limbs and screaming droid fell next to her.
Picking her way to the top of the heap of clothing, Jaina wrinkled her nose
and frowned. "What an incredible smell you've discovered." The wookie simply grimaced
then forced her back underneath the clothing when a nearby door groaned loudly open.
Both Jedi huddled in silence, intent on making sure that none of Graydon's men
noticed them.
"Batch twenty-two to be removed immediately to the proper facilities," a
metallic voice grated.
"Understood," came the equally harsh reply.
The bin suddenly began to shake as the sound of hydraulics filled the room
and it was easily hefted from the floor. Jaina, pulling herself back to the top,
glanced over the lip of the bin and into the gaping maw of a speeder filled with similar
articles. "Oh no."
The service droid tipped the bin upside down, pitching its contents into the
speeder. Then, placing the significantly lighter container back upon the floor, yanked
the handle that sealed the rear hatch of the speeder. Its job just about finished,
the droid signaled the driver to leave before heading for yet another bin.
* * *
The door was old and stained, much like the rest of the hangar a testament to
the power of age. Jacen and Tenel Ka huddled against it in the darkness, and strained
to hear the mix of voices coming from outside. They were easily overshadowed by a
symphony of nighttime groans and shrieks, making it extremely difficult to pick up
any sense of the sparse conversation.
"There are two guards, I can feel them." Tenel Ka's voice was hushed and calm.
Even with everything that had happened she would only allow herself to present
composure. The wounds, the pain, her shoulder; they did not matter. Tenel Ka would
not bow to such constrictions. She would rather fight until ultimately overwhelmed.
"You're right, I think," Jacen whispered back. "There's one on each side of
the door. I can't make out what they're saying though. The walls are too thick and
the night life's too loud."
"It does not matter," Tenel Ka stated. "Nothing they say or plan will help
them now." Tenel Ka rose and faced the door, determination possessing her entire form.
"Tenel Ka, wait!" Jacen hissed, gesturing for her to sit back down. "Don't
you think we should come up with some sort of plan first? This is an opportunity
we don't want to waste." The Hapan princess glanced down at him and firmly
shook her head.
"No," Tenel Ka stated, then launched the door open with a swift kick to
its center. A brief scream echoed through the night air as the hurtling mass of
metal swung to the right and struck the first guard in the nose. Skipping through
the doorway and lashing out with another kick, Tenel Ka's boot connected with the
second guard's throat and caused a disturbing crunch before the man tumbled
backward into the dirt and died.
The first guard, a dazed looking Devaronian with blood streaming from
his nose, stumbled round the open door while trying to get a firm grip on his
blaster and straight into another kick. He too collided with the
earth and refused to pursue the issue any further.
As Tenel Ka surveyed the battlefield, evidently satisfied with the results,
she noticed Jacen staring at her in a curious fashion. She turned to him, her voice
suddenly indulging in a strange moment of emotion. "They thought they could cow me
by making useless my arm and stripping me of the Force. I had to demonstrate to
them their error." Jacen nodded in understanding, before gently pushing her away
from the scene.
"Come on. Let's get away from here as fast as we can."
* * *
The land surrounding the hangar was rough going. Its rocky earth undulated
in hilly peaks and crevices, all the while overlooking vast stretches of grass and
the brilliant expanse of city lights in the distance. Patches of browning grass
and equally decayed shrubs and tress sprouted sporadically throughout hillside,
creating a very drab and uninspiring vista.
"It will take some time to get to where the slopes are gradual enough for
us to climb down," Jacen commented and turned away from the edge he had been
peering over. "A day or two's travel I would guess. What do you think, Tenel Ka?"
"I would find that a reasonable assumption, Jacen my friend. Though we
should add a third day to that estimate to take into consideration any obstacles
such treacherous terrain may present us with."
"That's true. It also means we're going to need to find ourselves a
minimum of food and water. Even Jedi can only go so far on an empty stomach
before having to reduce himself to a state of meditative conservation. In any
case, we should worry about that tomorrow. We're still only about thirty minutes
out of the hangar and I'm exhausted. Finding someplace significantly secluded to
sleep for the night should be our first priority."
A brief flicker crossed Tenel Ka's face before she responded. "Secluded?
Why Jacen my friend, one might think from such a statement that you were trying
to proposition me."
A huge grin lighted Jacen's own features at the girl's statement. If
Tenel Ka was making the effort to crack a joke then her spirits, at least, had
to be on the mend. "I'd be honored my lady," Jacen said and bowed deeply, "but
to just spend the night near you would be reward enough." Jacen couldn't help
but snicker at how pathetically corny that had just sounded. "Well, I can't be
in top form everyday," he shrugged.
A mammoth bolt of blaster fire suddenly snapped from nowhere and
struck the earth between the two Jedi. A great plume of dirt and rock was spat
into the sky, choking the air between them. Jacen fell backward and scrambled
away from the smoking crater. "That was field artillery! Where's it coming from?"
"I cannot tell," Tenel Ka called back. "It came too suddenly."
"We need to get out of here, find some cover. Tenel Ka, run!" The
warrior girl nodded, then sprang forward into a sprint.
Jacen watched her for a moment, preparing to pick himself up and take
off after her. A second blast suddenly cut through the air and impacted with
the ground just in front of Tenel Ka. The explosion wrenched shrub and rock
free from the earth and propelled Tenel Ka backward through the air. Her body
struck the ground hard and rolled for a few feet before finally coming to an
eerily still stop.
"TENEL KA!" Jacen was on his feet and running before his mind had even
fully registered what had occurred. She wasn't dead, she wasn't dead, she was not
dead! The intense hum of a speeder intruded upon his frantic thoughts as the
craft sporting the artillery piece glided out from behind a far ridge. It's
long scorched barrel turned toward him and belched one last shot.
The mass of crackling energy flew toward Jacen. Ignoring his plight,
he continued to run. Almost there. Almost there. Tenel Ka's body was only a
small distance ahead. Almost there. The shot whistled closer. As Jacen's foot
slammed upon the earth, a fragile piece of its network crumbled beneath him and
swallowed his body. The blaster bolt struck home.
* * *
Jacen had the strangest sense that his body was moving. It felt almost
as if he were being carried. But that was impossible wasn't it? The only other
person who could had have helped him was Tenel Ka, and she was. . . she was. . .
Jacen struggled to open his eyes and force his battered body into motion. I need
to find her. I need to see if she is all right, his mind stuttered.
*Be calm, Jedi,* said a voice inside his waning consciousness. *Do not
fear for the other, in this moment she lives. And you yourself will be safe
and attended to.*
Unable to fight against his own weakness and the soothing message of
the voice, Jacen gave way to oblivion.
To Be Continued. . .
