Disclaimer: Star Wars and all its characters are the property of George Lucas and
Lucasfilm Ltd. I'm not making any money off this piece, so let's not come bearing down
on me with a group of lawyers. Thanks much.
STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams
Chapter ten: "Pivots"
by Dave Ziegler
When the delivery droid finally opened the rear hatch of the speeder it had been
rather surprised to find both an enormous wookie and a diminutive human lying in the heaps
of soiled clothing. Despite this initial shock, M3-2V4 (the finest production model of
service droid in his estimation) calmly regarded the intruders as they scrambled to escape
the storage bin of his vehicle. "Identify yourselves," Emthree demanded, once his two
stowaways had tumbled from the speeder and regained their footing.
The small human female ran an embarrassed hand through her hair and smiled
apologetically at Emthree. "I'm terribly sorry, but my friend and I found ourselves
in desperate need of immediate transportation. I hope you don't mind." If Emthree had
eyebrows, he probably would have quirked one.
"Perhaps you could have tried a taxi, Miss," he retorted. The wookie bared its
teeth, sending Emthree scrambling back a few frightened paces before the girl laid a
restraining hand on her friend. "I would be well within my employer's rights to report
you to the authorities," he continued, throwing an anxious glance in the wookie's direction.
"Of course you would be, but in all honesty, would it really be worth prosecuting
us?" the girl challenged. "It's not as if we've caused any damage to either your speeder
or merchandise," she continued, wrinkling her nose. "I've a feeling that it would cost
your employer more to pursue this than it would actually be worth. After all, how much
in damages could you hope to gain from us merely borrowing a ride in one of your storage
bins?"
Emthree absorbed the logic of the girl's argument, considering the possible
repercussions of him having these two arrested in his employer's name. There would,
of course, be mountainous legal fees and expenses, and the possibility of any gainful
returns did seem minimal, as the girl pointed out. In fact, it stood to reason that
such a minor infraction might be thrown immediately out of the circuit courts. There
seemed to be no malicious intent on the part of the human and the wookie, so what kind
of case (aside from a very minor count of property infringement) could they possibly
hope to establish?
As the possibilities blazed through Emthree's circuits, he came to the only
conclusion he truly could. He was programmed to follow protocol, and protocol demanded
the immediate report of any on-the-job incidents or problems. The two stowaways should
be arrested, then detained, and Emthree could void himself of the problem altogether
until his supervisor issued a review of his actions.
Emthree turned back from his contemplations to relate his decision, but found
only his speeder and its load. Of the human and the wookie, there was no sign.
* * *
*TENEL KA!* The sheer force of the psychic blast caught Jaina unawares
as both she and Lowie fled from the laundry facilities and that problematic droid.
It's anguished desperation tore through the web of the Force, pushing ever outwards
and leaving a great brilliantly flaring crater at its point of origin.
Her senses momentarily overcome and effectively scrambled, Jaina tumbled into
the pavement slabs, both hands clutching her head in a futile gesture of agony.
Suffering the same trauma as his friend, Lowie staggered into the nearest wall and
howled as he was quickly overwhelmed. While it felt an eternity to both, the wave
subsided almost as quickly as it had begun, leaving both young Jedi somewhat stunned.
Lowie, having been able to clear his head and regain his senses first, strode
over to Jaina and gently pulled her to her feet. Her face had taken on a pale sheen
and rivulets of tense perspiration slid down a trembling cheek. That had been one of
the most intense things she had ever felt; the simple but pure pain that it had forced
upon them was both shocking and breathtaking. What had made the emotion all the more
potent for Jaina was the name with which it linked itself and the familiarity of the
voice that had cried out.
Jaina allowed herself to sink against Lowie, using all of his furry bulk to
support her still trembling body. She busied herself with gently massaging her temples,
trying ease the residual pain and empathy that still lurked within her being. Em Teedee,
meanwhile, had detached himself from Lowie's belt and was buzzing worriedly over them,
assaulting their ears with a barrage of whiny and frightened questions.
"I'm fine. I'm fine," Jaina protested, shooing the little droid away. She
needed a few moments to gather herself, that was all. Even caught unprepared, the
blast had actually done little more than batter her around a bit. It was nothing a
quick rest couldn't contend with until time allowed for her to more fully heal.
"Lowie, you heard that, right?" Her wookie companion nodded emphatically,
then posed a short question of his own. "Yes, that was definitely Jacen's voice,"
Jaina answered, allowing a slight smile to form on her lips. "At least we know
he's alive." All traces of the smile vanished, suddenly replaced by lines of
worry and doubt. "But what could have happened to Tenel Ka to make him sound like
that?"
* * *
Jaina hauled herself up the last rusty rungs of the ladder, over a slab
of aged and chipped masonry, and onto the roof of the building. It rose above any of
the other peaks of Shental, yet at the same time was still dwarfed by the incomparable
skyscrapers of the city that lay in the distance. Eyes closed in concentration, Jaina
allowed herself to move about the roof in something of a circle. Her arm stretched out
before her, a finger ready to mark her decision once she came to it.
Lowie and Em Teedee stood off to the side, watching in fascination as Jaina put
to work the natal bond she and her brother shared. It was something Lowie felt he would
never quite be able to understand; in fact, it was very similar to the difference between
empathy and sympathy. While he could imagine the intensity of such a link, for he
most definitely shared something of a lesser degree with both his friends and family,
he could never truly lay claim to an understanding of what it would be like to share
the most intimate and emotional details of one's life with another as they happened.
It was a truly an astounding phenomenon.
"There." Jaina's eyes snapped opened as she stopped her circular dance and
followed the length of her arm out into the distance. Her finger pointed straight
into the heart of the distant city, beckoning them toward Jacen's elusive location.
Lowie examined the city worriedly for a moment, then barked a few questions to Jaina.
"Master Lowbacca wishes to verify that you are sure the city is where Jacen's call came
from. He feels he need not point out that Lieutenant Graydon makes his headquarters
there, and that between Shental and the city are the plains that support those horrid
beasts that attacked and injured you," Em Teedee translated.
"Yes, I remember," Jaina whispered, putting a finger to the mostly faded bruises
that spotted her cheek. "In any case, we don't need to worry about either Graydon or
the jumpers. That is the direction Jacen's call came from, but it was from further out
than the city. It felt high, rocky; a range of bluffs or mountains or something. I'm
not sure. But I do know we are going to need something more than a speeder to get there
in time to help Jacen and Tenel Ka."
Lowie growled eagerly, his sharp teeth showing in a glinting, pointed row.
Jaina couldn't help but agree with her friend's excitement. They had spent so much
time wandering around in circles, unable to follow up or discover any kind of leads
to their friends' location, that she had begun to despair in earnest. This Gwynandra
Salanon had been like a specter that, once appeared and satisfied with its work, would
fade away into the darkness leaving not even the slightest hint that it had once existed.
To have this sudden call from Jacen light up his location like a spectacle of fireworks
was nothing less than the most divine and forgiving providence.
"Yes, Lowie, that's right. It's about time we put SUNRIDER'S SABER through her
paces and see if she really is the ship we thought we built."
* * *
Mercer dropped Tenel Ka's unconscious body on the floor of the hangar. Her
skin was raw and red, scorched from the force of the laser blast Mercer had needed to
use to take her down. He thought it sad really, such a fine warrior and beautiful
creature reduced to such a state. When she and her friend had put down so many of his
men before the arrival of the ysalamiri, Mercer had been quite surprised. He had been
wary of course, his grandfather used to regale him with tales of the Jedi when he was a
boy, and so he had learned to fear them. But only as children learn to fear the
mythical monsters that will come and snatch them away into the darkness of space unless
they eat up all dinner and keep their rooms clean and tidy. Mercer knew better now though;
this girl had truly shown him the folly of his previous beliefs. The Jedi were no longer
mere myth, and truly deserved to be feared.
Gwyn stepped up to Mercer, her eyes tracing Tenel Ka's prone figure. "What did
you bring her back for? I'm only interested in Jacen, you should know that by now, Mercer."
A rough kick to Tenel Ka's ribs emphasized Gwyn's distaste.
"Yes, I know, Gwyn. You are only interested in the boy. But take into
consideration what would happen if we were to leave her and she made her way back to
the authorities, or worse yet, brought back more Jedi," Mercer pointed out. "We would
not be able to stand against such a threat I think, and then you would lose your Jacen
for good."
"Nonsense Mercer," Gwyn snapped. "Nothing like that would happen if you would
just do as I ask and get rid of the girl. She cannot bring anyone upon us from death."
"And you should know, Gwynandra," Mercer roughly stated, "that I do not care so
little for my life that I would casually murder a Jedi. I would prefer not live the
rest of my days in fear of retribution from such a clan of supernatural beings. To do
as you ask would be sheer insanity."
Gwyn snorted. "You've listened to too many fairy tales, Mercer. Dispose of her,
then all our problems will be over. Now," she began scanning Mercer and his men, "where
is my Jacen?" Mercer rubbed his beard uncomfortably, momentarily avoiding eye contact with Gwyn. "Well, Mercer, where is he?" she demanded.
"That was our other problem," he grudgingly began. "You see Gwyn, these mountains
are riddled with cave systems, so none of the ground is as solid as it should be."
"What are you getting at?"
"When one of our shots hit near him, the earth all around his position collapsed
inward and he was swallowed into one of those cave systems. We tried to locate the body
from up top, but the ground was too unstable and too much debris had fallen in to make
any sort of retrieval viable. I can only assume that he was buried alive in the collapse."
Gwyn took the distance between her and Mercer in two quick strides, and slapped
him hard across the face. Mercer's head snapped to the side and a large thick welt began
to spread across his cheek. Quickly halting any action from his men by a stiffly raised
hand, he straightened himself and stared back at the seething Gwyn. "HE IS NOT DEAD!"
Gwyn's voice blistered their ears, her anger and fear snapping out from deep within in a
sudden torrent. "You will go back and find Jacen, and BRING HIM BACK TO ME!"
Gwyn turned dangerously on her heel and stalked off into the recessive darkness
of the hangar. Mercer made no move until finally he heard the metallic clang of the door
closing, then spoke quickly and forcefully to his men. "Shotz, Kafkebe, Oolu. Get the
ysalamiri and put her back on the rack. Without the boy, Gwyn has no one to send any
dreams to, which means we won't have to worry about moving the slugs back and forth to
keep the Jedi under control. This one," and Mercer indicated Tenel Ka, "will be permanently
out of action. The rest of you, you heard Gwyn. Fire up the speeders, we're going back
out to find the other one."
* * *
Jacen felt intensely warm. It was a claustrophobic, suffocating kind of warm;
the sort you feel whenever the lift tube breaks down and you're crammed among a group of
strangers struggling for both space and air. But unlike those unlucky few stuck within
the lift, Jacen found that he did not have to rely upon an invisible rescuer to come and
make things right, to rid him of this discomfort. He had himself, and all that power and
skill held within.
Not that it would do him much good if he didn't wake up first. And considering
the number of knocks he had taken to the head, that would be definitively easier said than
done.
Still though, Jacen was both a Solo and a Skywalker, and had something of the
stubborn streak inherent in both families bound within himself. Such being the case,
he refused to succomb to the injury any longer and fought through the pain, fugue, and
overall confusion. A low moan escaped his lips as he slowly started moving for the
first time in he had no idea how long, and at long last, a set of brandy brown orbs
cracked open and squinted in the low, dusky light.
Head injury or not, what he saw around him snapped Jacen's mind into full alert
straight away.
Gathered around him in a loose ring, one not so tight as to appear uncomfortable
but certainly close enough to prevent him from running anywhere, stood a group of
creatures. In fact, they were very large creatures. Long animals, with a set of thick
hind legs and tail, and a slowly tapering body covered in short hair and a pointed head.
Their bellies appeared hard and knotted with muscle, as did their deceivingly minuscule
forearms.
Jacen guessed them to be of varying ages, for some brandished bright golden hair,
while others showed patches or whole coats of grey. They were all distinctly disconcerting,
for not one made any move, nor so much twitched since he had awoken. Deep, black eyes
simply stared at him, unblinking and ominous.
"Uh, hello there," Jacen feebly stammered, trying to break the sense of fear
that was suddenly clouding his mind. Much to his surprise though, the animals seemed
to respond and slowly parted into two long columns along the rocky walls of what he
could only assume was some sort of cave. "I can go?" he ventured, then cautiously rose
to his feet and headed for the now clear passage.
This time the creatures certainly twitched.
Jacen quickly backpedaled as each and everyone of the animals took one deep
steep forward and returned to glaring at him. "Right. I guess my leaving wasn't on
the agenda after all."
*Fear not, Jedi. No harm shall be brought to you by their hands.*
"That voice," Jacen gasped. It seemed so familiar, like a gentle wave that had
once rocked him asleep.
*An apt description,* the voice stated. It was old, yet strong. A great pillar
of stone in an age that long since dismissed such things. As the voice continued, Jacen
suddenly realized that he was not hearing with his ears, but within his mind. Almost
as if he were speaking with a. . . .
*A Jedi? Why yes, another very apt description. It's an interesting mind you
have there, young Jedi. Sharp, quick, slightly muddled, but still, faults are prevalent
in all things. The matter is just that of finding them.*
"Where are you? Who are you?" Jacen whirled quickly around, taking each of
the creatures in its turn. None, though, seemed capable of making such contact. They
remained standing rigid, eyes emptily driving into him from each side.
*Patience, young Jedi. Youth has long since abandoned its alliance with my
fort. And so I must make the best of this dwindling battle on my own.*
"Dwindling battle?"
*Yes,* the voice chuckled. *Life is not only a journey, but a battle, my Jedi
friend. We begin flanked from every side by comrades and companions, feeling safe
amidst their warmth and confidence. As the scythe plows forward though, slicing away
the days and years, we find ourselves no longer as secure as we once were. The
attrition mounts, and so prices must be paid. Stripped first of our comrades, then
of our self, until finally it is all you can do continue to struggle against the tide,
bowed, but never really truly broken. For naked as you can be, there are just
some things that life cannot take away. And nor can death.*
"Right," Jacen said, making no effort to hide the confusion in his voice.
"If the philosophy lesson is finished, might I ask what I am doing here?"
As the last words slid from Jacen's mouth, the grayest, most hunched, and
definitely oldest of the creatures shuffled painstakingly into the passage. It
stopped at the head of the lines, and very gently eased itself into a comfortable
looking squat.
*To answer your questions in order, I am here.* The elder creature inclined
its head at Jacen. *My name is Nyar Anzi-Goud Neirad, and you are in our home. We
have taken care of you, young Jedi, and your injuries. Though I suspect most of them
still feel quite fresh.*
"Your voice, it's very familiar."
*It was necessary that I communicate with you after your injuries were
first sustained. Even in a state of semi-consciousness, you were worried about
your companion and making it difficult for my people to carry you. Such activity
would also make it difficult to help initiate the healing process.*
"Oh gods, Tenel Ka! What happened to her?" Jacen began to nervously fidget.
He could feel that daunting fear creeping its way back into him,
clawing for any foothold he gave it.
*Be at peace. The female Jedi, the one you call Ka, did not suffer injuries
enough to warrant the sewing of a shroud.* It almost felt as if the gaze the creature
gave him was one of profound sympathy.
*Nyar.*
"What?" Jacen coughed, suddenly caught off guard.
*My name was stated before. You may simply use Nyar if you prefer, for
I understand your people employ such shortenings. But not creature. After all,
I would expect better of a Jedi.*
Jacen bowed his head low, then looked solemnly at Nyar. "You have my
profound apologies. Jedi or not, as I believe you were trying to point out earlier,
I still have a lot to learn."
*Yes, yes. As I said before, a sharp, quick mind. Very enticing.*
"So, you can use the Force?" Jacen asked, hoping to steer the conversation
away from his innate idiocy.
*Of course, as well you know already. But from where I originate,
we did not call it the Force. I have been so long among you though, that I accept
that as its true name now.*
"How powerful are you? I sense a tremendous aura about you. Your strength
and skill must be considerable," Jacen commented, in awe of what he was sensing within
what he first thought to be nothing more than a wild animal.
*Perhaps, once they were, but now they wan. I've still influence enough
though to guide them when the occasion merits it.* Nyar head moved in dignified
semicircle, meant to encompass all the younger members of his race.
"Guide them?" Jacen's eyes flashed closed for a moment, and he removed his
senses from Nyar and onto the others. "They've potential," he stated, "but I feel
nothing even remotely close to what surrounds you."
*Yes. An explanation that perhaps requires. Understand this, young Jedi; I
have lived for a long time. A very long time. And this was not always my home. No,
quite some time ago, before you or perhaps any of your Republics were born, we lived
on a wild planet, very far from here.
*It was wondrous land, unmatched in its bountiful nature. As time and experience
would have it, my people learned to live in harmony with this natural world and their
technology. We even began to worship it, when we discovered that nature spoke to those
who were loyal. And so we grew, entwining these natural magicks with those created by
our science.
*But I think, perhaps, that we were not conscientious enough in our duties.
You see, young Jedi, we created starships and began to explore the galaxy around us.
Soon afterward, we discovered a neighboring planet that gave birth to another
intelligent species. We were much surprised to find that they too could hear nature
and tap into its power. And what power they wielded! We were in awe of them, for to
be as they were they must truly be the chosen of our benefactor.
*Upon returning from that stormy planet though, we found something was wrong.
Those, our ambassadors, who had been there the longest, they became contemptuous and
aggressive. They threatened us and our covenant. And so for the first time in many,
many years, my people fought and destroyed one another.
*When those who were no longer faithful were struck down, we were able to
trace their taint back to that planet and its people. A further expedition was now
able to detect the coldness that surrounded them, the same one that corrupted our
ambassadors. It was a matter, I think, of knowing what to look for.
*Acting on this new information, we quickly severed all ties with the planet.
We realized that its inhabitants did not worship nature as we did, and follow its holy
commands, but instead twisted its power to their purposes. We also learned that we
too were susceptible to such a vile fate, and had to guard against their wickedness'
temptation.
*Our isolation was not to last though. Many of your centuries after we broke
contact with them, dark ships of war arrived within our orbit. We fought back, but
they were too strong, too powerful. The evil covenant they perpetuated was enough
to make our holiness seem like an insubstantial dream. Quickly, our world was overrun
and destroyed. Even those who embraced their ways were obliterated. My ship, the
last if not only refugee cruiser to make it out of orbit, escaped.
*I find it odd that we were never pursued. To my knowledge that is. In
any case, that became the least of our worries as years and years of sustained
flight were eroding the ship to nothing. We directed the cruiser toward the nearest
world we thought habitable and crashed in a smoking heap.*
"Here?" Jacen asked, pointing to the earth with a finger.
*Yes, here,* Nyar said. *It has been a great number of your centuries, I
believe, since we first crashed. And over that time, the succeeding generations
have forgotten themselves, despite my efforts to teach them. Now they know nothing
of our world, heritage, or covenant. They simply act to survive.*
"That is why they don't speak, isn't it?"
*Yes. Though they are able to communicate with one another, such higher
languages now escape them. They are, as you thought before, animals. I can no
longer do anything about it, either. I have long since been too old to exert a
constant influence over them, as I used to.*
"Why did you?"
*At first I didn't, young Jedi. The world was free and they could hunt
their game at will. But when your people came to this world, your Republic, and
I first saw the Jedi, I knew that I could not allow them hunt you also. For while
they could not respect another people whom shared our covenant, I could. I did take
pains, though, to make sure I was not mistaken with you as we were with those who
inhabited the dark planet. In the end though, I grew too weak to keep them forever
from hunting your races. I can only now gather the strength to make occasional
bouts of interference. Such as I am doing now, and when I had them save you. As
I did when forced to extend that influence over another pack to save a different
Jedi from being devoured in the hunt.*
* * *
Jaina rested herself in the pilot's seat of her starship, calmly flicking
controls as the landscape outside rushed past in a blur of browns and greens. They
had long since passed over Shental, and were now streaking over the dangerous lowlands
that lie in between the resort and one of Candren V's major cities. Their mountain
destination still lay far off, but the nearer the city loomed, the larger and more
distinct the relatively low-lying peaks appeared to be. It was something of a great
comfort, being this close to Jacen; even if she could no longer exactly feel his
familiar Force presence.
Lowie ducked into the cockpit of the vessel, took his soon to be customary
copilot's seat, and offered his fellow Jedi and friend a concerned look. Jaina
easily followed his gaze to the newly acquired mass of welts and bruises that lined
her face and cheeks. He produced a cryo-pack from his pouch, snapped its seal and
admonishingly forced her to hold it against the injuries.
Jaina smiled her thanks, for in all her rush to get them up and away from
Shental she had forgotten to do anything about the bruises and their irritatingly
constant ache. Still, Lowie looked terribly upset by all that had transpired and
Jaina hoped to break him of it. "There is no reason to feel guilty, Lowie," she
said. "Remember, I asked you to do it."
Lowie grumbled an objection, muttering something about how they should have
taken more time to plan their escape.
Jaina realized it hadn't been easy for him, he had appeared horrified when
she first proposed her plan, but in the end, her nervous insistence to get things
moving had driven him to action. And so Lowie had hit her. Hard. Not once, but a
good three of four backhands across the face to make their story appear convincing.
Her makeup in place, Jaina had stripped out of her tunic and robes, so that
all she was left wearing was a weathered tank top, pants, and boots. Then, affecting
her best spacer's accent, she ran through Shental's spaceport and right into the group
of five security officers that were guarding SUNRIDER'S SABER. Throwing herself into
the arms of one of the men, she began screaming and weeping about a rampaging
Trandoshan and how it had attacked her while she had been coming to check up on
her ship.
Taking one look at the mess her face was, the officer she had accosted
pointed his men in the direction Jaina had indicated and told them find this
vicious alien and to bring it in. Once the other security guards had left,
blasters loaded and primed, Jaina made a Force enhanced suggestion that sent
the lone officer home for the night, aching for sleep. Then, the two Jedi
merely boarded the ship and took off.
"Please, Lowie, stop feeling sorry about this. No matter who was
right, whether there was more time or not, it happened and is finished. What
we need now is to concentrate our efforts on finding Jacen and Tenel Ka, who
could be in much worse shape than me at the moment."
The Wookie looked annoyed at how casually Jaina could dismiss this,
but grudgingly agreed to let the matter rest. "Good," Jaina began, smiling
now despite the slight pain it caused her. "Now, let's see if we can't come
up with some idea of what all has been going on here. I don't know about you,
but I feel like things have been spiraling around faster than I can keep up with
or make sense of. And I think we should start, again, with Gwynandra Salanon."
* * *
"Okay Artoo, do we know where we are yet?" Anakin Solo sat, trapped,
for the second day in a row, inside the cockpit of his stolen Naboo N-1 starfighter.
He began another repetition of slight knee bends, the only exercise he could manage
in the cramped quarters of the fighter, and hoped that they would be enough to stave
off the pending severe muscle cramps which he knew would wrack his legs eventually.
The starfighter had come out of hyperspace a little over a day ago, in a
relatively empty sector of space. There were no nearby planets or stars that Anakin
could see, nor any vessels or navigation buoys. It was completely desolate, except
for what looked like some sort of debris field in the very far distance.
It was definitely not Coruscant. Or any place close by, for that matter.
The only reasonable explanation was that the coordinates that had been
hurriedly assembled by Artoo, while Anakin had attempted to out maneuver a large
cluster of torpedoes aimed his way, had been in some way faulty. Of course, it
might have been overly optimistic of him to expect a perfect escape when flying
about a mass of orbital traffic and engaging in a fire fight with both a group
of extralegal droid smugglers and half the planetary defense force's fighters.
Perhaps Jaina could have manage such a feat of piloting skill, but not him. Not
yet, anyway.
Since that time, Anakin had set Artoo to work on trying to figure out just
where exactly they had ended up. He, meanwhile, had begun a series of deep Jedi
trances in an effort to conserve energy and negate the necessity of consuming too
much food and water. Anakin realized what he had charged the little astromech
with was a difficult task, something that could possibly take longer than he could
ever imagine. In fact, there was the very dark possibility that they would never
actually determine their location, and just float about forever.
Well, forever for Artoo perhaps. He would die long before that.
Despite all this though, Anakin could not help but harbor a deeply rooted
hope that he could defy the odds. It would not be right if he died now, not after
all that he had learnt from Eemar on Dasney. He would no longer deny himself his
feelings; Jedi or not, he was still a person and could love just as much as any one
else. Once he got back, he would find Elle and take her to Mon Calamari to see their
beautiful oceans. The great breathtaking, expanses of sparkling water would slosh
easily beneath them, as they floated along on a sort of non-hovering craft Eemar
had recommended to him for just such an occasion.
It would be the perfect day, more brilliant than any he had ever before
encountered in his life. Anakin was sure of this. After all, the mere thought of
such an afternoon was enough to dispel any of the dark nightmares he had been
having in both his meditations and sleep. They would be together, Anakin would make
sure of it.
Then, of course, there were the droids, and Gwynandra Salanon too. He would
have to take care of them first, obviously. It had been his mission after all, to
find out about Salanon's heritage. The information would be a great assist in their
attempts to find some way to help Jacen and Jaina on Candren, and find out what
exactly was going on in the Capital. Though Anakin was relatively sure he could
unravel most of that now that he knew that Salanon was related to the Senator
representing Dasney: Senator Meecron.
In any case, human or not, he was still a Jedi, and unfortunately, daydreams
aside, that duty would have to supersede any personal affairs. Right after all this
business with mysterious girls, corrupt senators, and quasi secret organizations
engaging in the illegal production of battle droids was over, he would speak to Elle,
and proffer the invitation he found himself so consumed with now.
A line of text rolled up the fighter's circular translation screen, allowing
Anakin access to Artoo's answer. He quickly scanned the response, and grimaced.
"We're that far out, huh? Well, I suppose we should both be thankful for that asteroid
field, or else you probably would never have been able to calculate our position.
Okay, four and a half days to Coruscant isn't that bad. I would have preferred to
get this information to mother sooner, but it can't be helped. Good job, Artoo."
The droid spat out a suitably sarcastic reply, that left a faint smile tracing
Anakin's lips. "Of course, of course. My mistake, Artoo. I should be very pleased
you found our location, and you always do good work." Artoo whistled appreciatively.
"Why don't you impress me even more, then, by decrypting those files you downloaded
during our trip back to the capital."
The small astromech bleeped irritably at the challenge to his abilities, and
promised to have them ready for Anakin's reading a full day before they dropped out
of hyperspace and into Coruscant's system. "Good," Anakin retorted. "I look forward
to reading them. In the mean time, have you input the new course for the hyperspace
jump?"
Artoo beeped in the affirmative.
"Right. Then hang on." Anakin reached forward and pulled the hyperspace
levers together, this time hoping to arrive where he was needed most.
* * *
Leiutenant Graydon paced his field office, inside the confines of Shental
Resorts, agitatedly. He had received word that the SUNRIDER'S SABER had gone missing
from the docking yard some time ago, despite the fact that he had a security detail
guarding the blasted thing. He was beginning to think all the men under him utterly
inept, and spent a great deal of time cursing the cosmic forces that had somehow
deigned that his superiors should ever have given him this assignment.
On a substantially brighter note though, orbital control had contacted him
and reported that they had not dealt with nor made any sightings of a ship matching
the SABER's description. Such reports could only indicate that Solo and her wookie
friend had not attempted to leave the planet and escape prosecution, but were instead
making use of the vessel to hide in or get them somewhere not easily or quickly
reachable by foot or speeder. If one continued to follow such a line of reasoning,
Graydon concluded, then one could only assume that Solo was then pursuing this
Salanon girl she kept going on about and, indeed, had some idea of where she was
hiding.
Which was why Graydon had gathered all the information he had available on
this Gwynandra Salanon here at Shental and then some. He had called in numerous favors
garnered from earlier successful cases, and collected quite a file on this supposedly
dangerous young woman.
Gwynandra Salanon was a girl, eighteen years of age, who had lost her parents
in what authorities labeled a suspicious accident, involving a miscalculated hyperspace
jump. Their deaths had occurred when she was sixteen. Before that, she spent most of
her life trumping around the galaxy with said parents in an antiquated freighter, making
a life and living off of trading. And even before that, she had spent a somewhat brief
time in a mental recovery and aid institution. A nut house, to be more precise. And
for undisclosed reasons, to boot.
What really, rankled Graydon though, what raised the hairs on the back of his
neck, was what Miss Salanon had participated in before that. She had been a member,
however briefly, of Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy during a time that the Solo twins
were there as well. And that led credence to Solo's story about Salanon kidnapping
both her brother and her friend, because it established a connection between them.
If he cared to dig deeper, it was just possible Graydon might find what that was.
Of course, that would mean admitting that Solo was right all along and that he had
been a judgmental, thickheaded fool, who had severely botched a very important
investigation. After all, he was supposed to be figuring out who murdered the
late administrator of Shental, Mr. Mek.
Mr. Mek. That was where this had all started. Finding Solo and her Wookie
friend inside of his office, standing over his decaying corpse and rifling through
his various possessions. It had certainly looked like murder then. Possibly
politically motivated, or a hit ordered by a rival corporation. Realistically
speaking, Shental had not earned its reputation as the premier resort of the galaxy
by being kind to competitors.
Of course, if Solo was telling the truth, and that they had only barged
into the administrator's office in an effort to get some help in finding her friends,
then why had Mr. Mek been murdered? Was there, in fact, any connection at all between
the murder of the administrator and the disappearance of Solo's brother? She seemed
to think so, but then Solo was also one of his prime, and only, suspects. Neither
her word, nor opinions, could be given very much credit. Unless. . . unless, she
was right.
Graydon suddenly remembered something that had been found on Solo when she
had been arrested. It had been a datacard cataloguing an ever growing series of Mr.
Mek's bar bills for some seamy establishment called the Pay and Drink. At the time,
he hadn't thought anything of it. Not that he was much of an advocate of alcohol, but
Graydon allowed for other people to have their vices. Heaven knows he had his.
But now that he had been digging around Gwynandra Salanon, so he could once for all
prove Solo wrong, he knew that she had, until a very recent disappearance, been
working as a waitress at that very establishment.
*Perhaps,* Graydon thought, resigning himself to fate, *I should make a
visit to this Pay and Drink.*
* * *
Things could just not get any worse, he was sure of it.
Raynar Thul sat in his office, on board the lead starcruiser of the Thul
Merchant Trade Fleet, and stared at the blank screen of his data terminal. He
had made zero progress in discovering the identity of Banja Meecron's sibling
since he had last spoken to Chief of State Organa-Solo, who, Raynar understood,
had undertaken some methods of her own to obtain that information. He was positive
such a course of action was the result of his own miserable failure.
Raynar had run out of sources and out of ideas, and was more frustrated than
he had been in a very long time.
Now, normally, whenever he found himself unable to pull off one of his
information or part finding miracles, Raynar had his wife Lusa to fall back on.
He always found her a soothing presence, and the bond they had formed over the years,
using their abilities as both Jedi and lovers, had become so well established that
she could, near literally, lend him her strength and calm. However, Lusa was still
a long way off, acting as an intermediary on Kashyyyk. The Republic had requested
a Jedi presence there to keep both the Wookies and Trandoshans in line until their
dispute was settled and the negotiations had been finalized.
So Raynar was alone.
Well, not quite alone. There was, of course, the fleet, and all the friends
and family he had among its crew, but it just wasn't the same. No matter how much he
cared for them, Raynar found that nothing came even remotely close to the intimacy
and power of his relationship with his wife. He needed her. A lot.
"Damnit," he spat, pounding a fist against the console in frustration. "Why
can't I find anything on this woman's family?" He had to be able to dig something up
on her, elicit some small secret or hint that would lead him to the information both
he and the Chief of State desired. By the Force, this was his specialty! Even
having undergone full training and the trials of knighthood, Raynar had never been
much of a fighter and so usually contributed to the Jedi order by putting his vast
resources at their disposal. Sometimes this came in the form of money and falsified
documents, but most of the time it was information. Pure and untainted information.
If he failed here, when the well-being of his friends, and potentially the Republic,
was on the line, then how could he ever really consider himself of any true use to the
order? For that matter, how could anyone else?
Raynar sighed. He knew Lusa would tell him he was just being silly,
entertaining such thoughts. She would sit him down, adopt that stern tone of hers
that always made him feel like and an erring child, and tell him that he was of
plenty use to the Jedi and the Republic, even if he was too damned stubborn and
thickheaded to see it.
"Mr. Thul?" The voice of Raynar's second in command wafted into his
office through the ship's intercom, soft and melodious. Captain Haylee Vedries
was the first born of a family very close to his own. They were also fellow
Alderaanians, and Haylee herself of the same age as Raynar. She was a small
woman, soft and beautiful, but bullish as a gundark when it came to shoving back.
Raynar had known her since he was four, and Haylee was the one person he found that
could even partially fill the void he felt when Lusa was gone.
"Yes, Haylee. What is it?" he asked, thumbing the switch on console that
silently activated his end of the intercom.
"We have just received a message from your uncle on Mechis III. He says
the representatives from Dasney have arrived three days early and are demanding
the droid production capital they ordered."
"Right. Tell Uncle to keep them amused for the next day or two, and I'll
detour one of our cruisers to him immediately. Check the cargo manifests and
find out which of our ships is carrying that kind of equipment."
"Yes sir," she said.
"Oh, and Haylee. . ." Suddenly, a very large, and very illuminating
piece snapped into place within the puzzle that had been plaguing Raynar.
"Haylee, did you say the representatives from Dasney?"
"Yes sir," she confirmed. "There are three of them, and quite an obnoxious
lot from what I understand."
Dasney. Meecron. Damn! He knew that name had sounded familiar when he
first heard it. Meecron was the name of the man representing Dasney in the Senate.
Raynar had spoken to him not a month ago, when they had first made contact
about purchasing the machines necessary to refurbish some of their droid factories.
"Sir, Raynar, what's wrong?" Haylee asked.
"Haylee, send a quick burst to Mechis III and tell Uncle to hold the
Dasney representatives there. Then get me a secure channel to Coruscant and
Chief of State Organa-Solo. I need to talk to her as soon as possible."
"Right away, sir," came Haylee's crisp reply.
Raynar leant back in his chair. He had done it. Finally, he had done
it. Now, he could only hope the information arrived in enough time to help.
* * *
"Excuse me, your highness?" Leia Organa-Solo stopped in her effort
to escape from the vast halls of the Senate building and back into the
comfort of her apartments within the Imperial palace. Turning slowly around,
she forced on the best smile she could manage after another particular
frustrating session within the Senate, and inclined her head respectfully to
both the older man and young woman who stood before her.
"I'm sorry, I have not been called that for a long time now,
Senator . . .?" Leia prompted.
"Forgive me," the older man said. "I find myself rather old
fashioned and unwilling to change as quickly as the times do. And my name
is Meecron." He gestured to the woman next to him. "And this is my attaché,
Xayla."
"Now I must apologize," Leia said, her diplomatic awareness taking
over. "I sometimes find myself unable to keep pace with the number of new
planets and new faces entering the senate."
Meecron waved her off with a laugh. "No need, no need. I can truly
understand your predicament. And we senators are not an easy group to keep
in order. I would imagine once you leave the chambers you'd like nothing
better than to put us out of your head for as long as possible."
Leia smiled wanly. "On occasion. So, what is it I can do for you,
Senator?"
"There are some concerns that my government wishes address with you,
private ones that they did not want me to bring to light currently within
the Senate. If you would be willing to discuss this in a more confidential
arena?"
Leia quickly hid a sigh. It didn't look like she would be getting
that break quite as soon as she had hoped. "Of course, Senator. I'd be glad to
listen to whatever your government has to say. Please, lead the way."
To Be Continued. . .
Lucasfilm Ltd. I'm not making any money off this piece, so let's not come bearing down
on me with a group of lawyers. Thanks much.
STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams
Chapter ten: "Pivots"
by Dave Ziegler
When the delivery droid finally opened the rear hatch of the speeder it had been
rather surprised to find both an enormous wookie and a diminutive human lying in the heaps
of soiled clothing. Despite this initial shock, M3-2V4 (the finest production model of
service droid in his estimation) calmly regarded the intruders as they scrambled to escape
the storage bin of his vehicle. "Identify yourselves," Emthree demanded, once his two
stowaways had tumbled from the speeder and regained their footing.
The small human female ran an embarrassed hand through her hair and smiled
apologetically at Emthree. "I'm terribly sorry, but my friend and I found ourselves
in desperate need of immediate transportation. I hope you don't mind." If Emthree had
eyebrows, he probably would have quirked one.
"Perhaps you could have tried a taxi, Miss," he retorted. The wookie bared its
teeth, sending Emthree scrambling back a few frightened paces before the girl laid a
restraining hand on her friend. "I would be well within my employer's rights to report
you to the authorities," he continued, throwing an anxious glance in the wookie's direction.
"Of course you would be, but in all honesty, would it really be worth prosecuting
us?" the girl challenged. "It's not as if we've caused any damage to either your speeder
or merchandise," she continued, wrinkling her nose. "I've a feeling that it would cost
your employer more to pursue this than it would actually be worth. After all, how much
in damages could you hope to gain from us merely borrowing a ride in one of your storage
bins?"
Emthree absorbed the logic of the girl's argument, considering the possible
repercussions of him having these two arrested in his employer's name. There would,
of course, be mountainous legal fees and expenses, and the possibility of any gainful
returns did seem minimal, as the girl pointed out. In fact, it stood to reason that
such a minor infraction might be thrown immediately out of the circuit courts. There
seemed to be no malicious intent on the part of the human and the wookie, so what kind
of case (aside from a very minor count of property infringement) could they possibly
hope to establish?
As the possibilities blazed through Emthree's circuits, he came to the only
conclusion he truly could. He was programmed to follow protocol, and protocol demanded
the immediate report of any on-the-job incidents or problems. The two stowaways should
be arrested, then detained, and Emthree could void himself of the problem altogether
until his supervisor issued a review of his actions.
Emthree turned back from his contemplations to relate his decision, but found
only his speeder and its load. Of the human and the wookie, there was no sign.
* * *
*TENEL KA!* The sheer force of the psychic blast caught Jaina unawares
as both she and Lowie fled from the laundry facilities and that problematic droid.
It's anguished desperation tore through the web of the Force, pushing ever outwards
and leaving a great brilliantly flaring crater at its point of origin.
Her senses momentarily overcome and effectively scrambled, Jaina tumbled into
the pavement slabs, both hands clutching her head in a futile gesture of agony.
Suffering the same trauma as his friend, Lowie staggered into the nearest wall and
howled as he was quickly overwhelmed. While it felt an eternity to both, the wave
subsided almost as quickly as it had begun, leaving both young Jedi somewhat stunned.
Lowie, having been able to clear his head and regain his senses first, strode
over to Jaina and gently pulled her to her feet. Her face had taken on a pale sheen
and rivulets of tense perspiration slid down a trembling cheek. That had been one of
the most intense things she had ever felt; the simple but pure pain that it had forced
upon them was both shocking and breathtaking. What had made the emotion all the more
potent for Jaina was the name with which it linked itself and the familiarity of the
voice that had cried out.
Jaina allowed herself to sink against Lowie, using all of his furry bulk to
support her still trembling body. She busied herself with gently massaging her temples,
trying ease the residual pain and empathy that still lurked within her being. Em Teedee,
meanwhile, had detached himself from Lowie's belt and was buzzing worriedly over them,
assaulting their ears with a barrage of whiny and frightened questions.
"I'm fine. I'm fine," Jaina protested, shooing the little droid away. She
needed a few moments to gather herself, that was all. Even caught unprepared, the
blast had actually done little more than batter her around a bit. It was nothing a
quick rest couldn't contend with until time allowed for her to more fully heal.
"Lowie, you heard that, right?" Her wookie companion nodded emphatically,
then posed a short question of his own. "Yes, that was definitely Jacen's voice,"
Jaina answered, allowing a slight smile to form on her lips. "At least we know
he's alive." All traces of the smile vanished, suddenly replaced by lines of
worry and doubt. "But what could have happened to Tenel Ka to make him sound like
that?"
* * *
Jaina hauled herself up the last rusty rungs of the ladder, over a slab
of aged and chipped masonry, and onto the roof of the building. It rose above any of
the other peaks of Shental, yet at the same time was still dwarfed by the incomparable
skyscrapers of the city that lay in the distance. Eyes closed in concentration, Jaina
allowed herself to move about the roof in something of a circle. Her arm stretched out
before her, a finger ready to mark her decision once she came to it.
Lowie and Em Teedee stood off to the side, watching in fascination as Jaina put
to work the natal bond she and her brother shared. It was something Lowie felt he would
never quite be able to understand; in fact, it was very similar to the difference between
empathy and sympathy. While he could imagine the intensity of such a link, for he
most definitely shared something of a lesser degree with both his friends and family,
he could never truly lay claim to an understanding of what it would be like to share
the most intimate and emotional details of one's life with another as they happened.
It was a truly an astounding phenomenon.
"There." Jaina's eyes snapped opened as she stopped her circular dance and
followed the length of her arm out into the distance. Her finger pointed straight
into the heart of the distant city, beckoning them toward Jacen's elusive location.
Lowie examined the city worriedly for a moment, then barked a few questions to Jaina.
"Master Lowbacca wishes to verify that you are sure the city is where Jacen's call came
from. He feels he need not point out that Lieutenant Graydon makes his headquarters
there, and that between Shental and the city are the plains that support those horrid
beasts that attacked and injured you," Em Teedee translated.
"Yes, I remember," Jaina whispered, putting a finger to the mostly faded bruises
that spotted her cheek. "In any case, we don't need to worry about either Graydon or
the jumpers. That is the direction Jacen's call came from, but it was from further out
than the city. It felt high, rocky; a range of bluffs or mountains or something. I'm
not sure. But I do know we are going to need something more than a speeder to get there
in time to help Jacen and Tenel Ka."
Lowie growled eagerly, his sharp teeth showing in a glinting, pointed row.
Jaina couldn't help but agree with her friend's excitement. They had spent so much
time wandering around in circles, unable to follow up or discover any kind of leads
to their friends' location, that she had begun to despair in earnest. This Gwynandra
Salanon had been like a specter that, once appeared and satisfied with its work, would
fade away into the darkness leaving not even the slightest hint that it had once existed.
To have this sudden call from Jacen light up his location like a spectacle of fireworks
was nothing less than the most divine and forgiving providence.
"Yes, Lowie, that's right. It's about time we put SUNRIDER'S SABER through her
paces and see if she really is the ship we thought we built."
* * *
Mercer dropped Tenel Ka's unconscious body on the floor of the hangar. Her
skin was raw and red, scorched from the force of the laser blast Mercer had needed to
use to take her down. He thought it sad really, such a fine warrior and beautiful
creature reduced to such a state. When she and her friend had put down so many of his
men before the arrival of the ysalamiri, Mercer had been quite surprised. He had been
wary of course, his grandfather used to regale him with tales of the Jedi when he was a
boy, and so he had learned to fear them. But only as children learn to fear the
mythical monsters that will come and snatch them away into the darkness of space unless
they eat up all dinner and keep their rooms clean and tidy. Mercer knew better now though;
this girl had truly shown him the folly of his previous beliefs. The Jedi were no longer
mere myth, and truly deserved to be feared.
Gwyn stepped up to Mercer, her eyes tracing Tenel Ka's prone figure. "What did
you bring her back for? I'm only interested in Jacen, you should know that by now, Mercer."
A rough kick to Tenel Ka's ribs emphasized Gwyn's distaste.
"Yes, I know, Gwyn. You are only interested in the boy. But take into
consideration what would happen if we were to leave her and she made her way back to
the authorities, or worse yet, brought back more Jedi," Mercer pointed out. "We would
not be able to stand against such a threat I think, and then you would lose your Jacen
for good."
"Nonsense Mercer," Gwyn snapped. "Nothing like that would happen if you would
just do as I ask and get rid of the girl. She cannot bring anyone upon us from death."
"And you should know, Gwynandra," Mercer roughly stated, "that I do not care so
little for my life that I would casually murder a Jedi. I would prefer not live the
rest of my days in fear of retribution from such a clan of supernatural beings. To do
as you ask would be sheer insanity."
Gwyn snorted. "You've listened to too many fairy tales, Mercer. Dispose of her,
then all our problems will be over. Now," she began scanning Mercer and his men, "where
is my Jacen?" Mercer rubbed his beard uncomfortably, momentarily avoiding eye contact with Gwyn. "Well, Mercer, where is he?" she demanded.
"That was our other problem," he grudgingly began. "You see Gwyn, these mountains
are riddled with cave systems, so none of the ground is as solid as it should be."
"What are you getting at?"
"When one of our shots hit near him, the earth all around his position collapsed
inward and he was swallowed into one of those cave systems. We tried to locate the body
from up top, but the ground was too unstable and too much debris had fallen in to make
any sort of retrieval viable. I can only assume that he was buried alive in the collapse."
Gwyn took the distance between her and Mercer in two quick strides, and slapped
him hard across the face. Mercer's head snapped to the side and a large thick welt began
to spread across his cheek. Quickly halting any action from his men by a stiffly raised
hand, he straightened himself and stared back at the seething Gwyn. "HE IS NOT DEAD!"
Gwyn's voice blistered their ears, her anger and fear snapping out from deep within in a
sudden torrent. "You will go back and find Jacen, and BRING HIM BACK TO ME!"
Gwyn turned dangerously on her heel and stalked off into the recessive darkness
of the hangar. Mercer made no move until finally he heard the metallic clang of the door
closing, then spoke quickly and forcefully to his men. "Shotz, Kafkebe, Oolu. Get the
ysalamiri and put her back on the rack. Without the boy, Gwyn has no one to send any
dreams to, which means we won't have to worry about moving the slugs back and forth to
keep the Jedi under control. This one," and Mercer indicated Tenel Ka, "will be permanently
out of action. The rest of you, you heard Gwyn. Fire up the speeders, we're going back
out to find the other one."
* * *
Jacen felt intensely warm. It was a claustrophobic, suffocating kind of warm;
the sort you feel whenever the lift tube breaks down and you're crammed among a group of
strangers struggling for both space and air. But unlike those unlucky few stuck within
the lift, Jacen found that he did not have to rely upon an invisible rescuer to come and
make things right, to rid him of this discomfort. He had himself, and all that power and
skill held within.
Not that it would do him much good if he didn't wake up first. And considering
the number of knocks he had taken to the head, that would be definitively easier said than
done.
Still though, Jacen was both a Solo and a Skywalker, and had something of the
stubborn streak inherent in both families bound within himself. Such being the case,
he refused to succomb to the injury any longer and fought through the pain, fugue, and
overall confusion. A low moan escaped his lips as he slowly started moving for the
first time in he had no idea how long, and at long last, a set of brandy brown orbs
cracked open and squinted in the low, dusky light.
Head injury or not, what he saw around him snapped Jacen's mind into full alert
straight away.
Gathered around him in a loose ring, one not so tight as to appear uncomfortable
but certainly close enough to prevent him from running anywhere, stood a group of
creatures. In fact, they were very large creatures. Long animals, with a set of thick
hind legs and tail, and a slowly tapering body covered in short hair and a pointed head.
Their bellies appeared hard and knotted with muscle, as did their deceivingly minuscule
forearms.
Jacen guessed them to be of varying ages, for some brandished bright golden hair,
while others showed patches or whole coats of grey. They were all distinctly disconcerting,
for not one made any move, nor so much twitched since he had awoken. Deep, black eyes
simply stared at him, unblinking and ominous.
"Uh, hello there," Jacen feebly stammered, trying to break the sense of fear
that was suddenly clouding his mind. Much to his surprise though, the animals seemed
to respond and slowly parted into two long columns along the rocky walls of what he
could only assume was some sort of cave. "I can go?" he ventured, then cautiously rose
to his feet and headed for the now clear passage.
This time the creatures certainly twitched.
Jacen quickly backpedaled as each and everyone of the animals took one deep
steep forward and returned to glaring at him. "Right. I guess my leaving wasn't on
the agenda after all."
*Fear not, Jedi. No harm shall be brought to you by their hands.*
"That voice," Jacen gasped. It seemed so familiar, like a gentle wave that had
once rocked him asleep.
*An apt description,* the voice stated. It was old, yet strong. A great pillar
of stone in an age that long since dismissed such things. As the voice continued, Jacen
suddenly realized that he was not hearing with his ears, but within his mind. Almost
as if he were speaking with a. . . .
*A Jedi? Why yes, another very apt description. It's an interesting mind you
have there, young Jedi. Sharp, quick, slightly muddled, but still, faults are prevalent
in all things. The matter is just that of finding them.*
"Where are you? Who are you?" Jacen whirled quickly around, taking each of
the creatures in its turn. None, though, seemed capable of making such contact. They
remained standing rigid, eyes emptily driving into him from each side.
*Patience, young Jedi. Youth has long since abandoned its alliance with my
fort. And so I must make the best of this dwindling battle on my own.*
"Dwindling battle?"
*Yes,* the voice chuckled. *Life is not only a journey, but a battle, my Jedi
friend. We begin flanked from every side by comrades and companions, feeling safe
amidst their warmth and confidence. As the scythe plows forward though, slicing away
the days and years, we find ourselves no longer as secure as we once were. The
attrition mounts, and so prices must be paid. Stripped first of our comrades, then
of our self, until finally it is all you can do continue to struggle against the tide,
bowed, but never really truly broken. For naked as you can be, there are just
some things that life cannot take away. And nor can death.*
"Right," Jacen said, making no effort to hide the confusion in his voice.
"If the philosophy lesson is finished, might I ask what I am doing here?"
As the last words slid from Jacen's mouth, the grayest, most hunched, and
definitely oldest of the creatures shuffled painstakingly into the passage. It
stopped at the head of the lines, and very gently eased itself into a comfortable
looking squat.
*To answer your questions in order, I am here.* The elder creature inclined
its head at Jacen. *My name is Nyar Anzi-Goud Neirad, and you are in our home. We
have taken care of you, young Jedi, and your injuries. Though I suspect most of them
still feel quite fresh.*
"Your voice, it's very familiar."
*It was necessary that I communicate with you after your injuries were
first sustained. Even in a state of semi-consciousness, you were worried about
your companion and making it difficult for my people to carry you. Such activity
would also make it difficult to help initiate the healing process.*
"Oh gods, Tenel Ka! What happened to her?" Jacen began to nervously fidget.
He could feel that daunting fear creeping its way back into him,
clawing for any foothold he gave it.
*Be at peace. The female Jedi, the one you call Ka, did not suffer injuries
enough to warrant the sewing of a shroud.* It almost felt as if the gaze the creature
gave him was one of profound sympathy.
*Nyar.*
"What?" Jacen coughed, suddenly caught off guard.
*My name was stated before. You may simply use Nyar if you prefer, for
I understand your people employ such shortenings. But not creature. After all,
I would expect better of a Jedi.*
Jacen bowed his head low, then looked solemnly at Nyar. "You have my
profound apologies. Jedi or not, as I believe you were trying to point out earlier,
I still have a lot to learn."
*Yes, yes. As I said before, a sharp, quick mind. Very enticing.*
"So, you can use the Force?" Jacen asked, hoping to steer the conversation
away from his innate idiocy.
*Of course, as well you know already. But from where I originate,
we did not call it the Force. I have been so long among you though, that I accept
that as its true name now.*
"How powerful are you? I sense a tremendous aura about you. Your strength
and skill must be considerable," Jacen commented, in awe of what he was sensing within
what he first thought to be nothing more than a wild animal.
*Perhaps, once they were, but now they wan. I've still influence enough
though to guide them when the occasion merits it.* Nyar head moved in dignified
semicircle, meant to encompass all the younger members of his race.
"Guide them?" Jacen's eyes flashed closed for a moment, and he removed his
senses from Nyar and onto the others. "They've potential," he stated, "but I feel
nothing even remotely close to what surrounds you."
*Yes. An explanation that perhaps requires. Understand this, young Jedi; I
have lived for a long time. A very long time. And this was not always my home. No,
quite some time ago, before you or perhaps any of your Republics were born, we lived
on a wild planet, very far from here.
*It was wondrous land, unmatched in its bountiful nature. As time and experience
would have it, my people learned to live in harmony with this natural world and their
technology. We even began to worship it, when we discovered that nature spoke to those
who were loyal. And so we grew, entwining these natural magicks with those created by
our science.
*But I think, perhaps, that we were not conscientious enough in our duties.
You see, young Jedi, we created starships and began to explore the galaxy around us.
Soon afterward, we discovered a neighboring planet that gave birth to another
intelligent species. We were much surprised to find that they too could hear nature
and tap into its power. And what power they wielded! We were in awe of them, for to
be as they were they must truly be the chosen of our benefactor.
*Upon returning from that stormy planet though, we found something was wrong.
Those, our ambassadors, who had been there the longest, they became contemptuous and
aggressive. They threatened us and our covenant. And so for the first time in many,
many years, my people fought and destroyed one another.
*When those who were no longer faithful were struck down, we were able to
trace their taint back to that planet and its people. A further expedition was now
able to detect the coldness that surrounded them, the same one that corrupted our
ambassadors. It was a matter, I think, of knowing what to look for.
*Acting on this new information, we quickly severed all ties with the planet.
We realized that its inhabitants did not worship nature as we did, and follow its holy
commands, but instead twisted its power to their purposes. We also learned that we
too were susceptible to such a vile fate, and had to guard against their wickedness'
temptation.
*Our isolation was not to last though. Many of your centuries after we broke
contact with them, dark ships of war arrived within our orbit. We fought back, but
they were too strong, too powerful. The evil covenant they perpetuated was enough
to make our holiness seem like an insubstantial dream. Quickly, our world was overrun
and destroyed. Even those who embraced their ways were obliterated. My ship, the
last if not only refugee cruiser to make it out of orbit, escaped.
*I find it odd that we were never pursued. To my knowledge that is. In
any case, that became the least of our worries as years and years of sustained
flight were eroding the ship to nothing. We directed the cruiser toward the nearest
world we thought habitable and crashed in a smoking heap.*
"Here?" Jacen asked, pointing to the earth with a finger.
*Yes, here,* Nyar said. *It has been a great number of your centuries, I
believe, since we first crashed. And over that time, the succeeding generations
have forgotten themselves, despite my efforts to teach them. Now they know nothing
of our world, heritage, or covenant. They simply act to survive.*
"That is why they don't speak, isn't it?"
*Yes. Though they are able to communicate with one another, such higher
languages now escape them. They are, as you thought before, animals. I can no
longer do anything about it, either. I have long since been too old to exert a
constant influence over them, as I used to.*
"Why did you?"
*At first I didn't, young Jedi. The world was free and they could hunt
their game at will. But when your people came to this world, your Republic, and
I first saw the Jedi, I knew that I could not allow them hunt you also. For while
they could not respect another people whom shared our covenant, I could. I did take
pains, though, to make sure I was not mistaken with you as we were with those who
inhabited the dark planet. In the end though, I grew too weak to keep them forever
from hunting your races. I can only now gather the strength to make occasional
bouts of interference. Such as I am doing now, and when I had them save you. As
I did when forced to extend that influence over another pack to save a different
Jedi from being devoured in the hunt.*
* * *
Jaina rested herself in the pilot's seat of her starship, calmly flicking
controls as the landscape outside rushed past in a blur of browns and greens. They
had long since passed over Shental, and were now streaking over the dangerous lowlands
that lie in between the resort and one of Candren V's major cities. Their mountain
destination still lay far off, but the nearer the city loomed, the larger and more
distinct the relatively low-lying peaks appeared to be. It was something of a great
comfort, being this close to Jacen; even if she could no longer exactly feel his
familiar Force presence.
Lowie ducked into the cockpit of the vessel, took his soon to be customary
copilot's seat, and offered his fellow Jedi and friend a concerned look. Jaina
easily followed his gaze to the newly acquired mass of welts and bruises that lined
her face and cheeks. He produced a cryo-pack from his pouch, snapped its seal and
admonishingly forced her to hold it against the injuries.
Jaina smiled her thanks, for in all her rush to get them up and away from
Shental she had forgotten to do anything about the bruises and their irritatingly
constant ache. Still, Lowie looked terribly upset by all that had transpired and
Jaina hoped to break him of it. "There is no reason to feel guilty, Lowie," she
said. "Remember, I asked you to do it."
Lowie grumbled an objection, muttering something about how they should have
taken more time to plan their escape.
Jaina realized it hadn't been easy for him, he had appeared horrified when
she first proposed her plan, but in the end, her nervous insistence to get things
moving had driven him to action. And so Lowie had hit her. Hard. Not once, but a
good three of four backhands across the face to make their story appear convincing.
Her makeup in place, Jaina had stripped out of her tunic and robes, so that
all she was left wearing was a weathered tank top, pants, and boots. Then, affecting
her best spacer's accent, she ran through Shental's spaceport and right into the group
of five security officers that were guarding SUNRIDER'S SABER. Throwing herself into
the arms of one of the men, she began screaming and weeping about a rampaging
Trandoshan and how it had attacked her while she had been coming to check up on
her ship.
Taking one look at the mess her face was, the officer she had accosted
pointed his men in the direction Jaina had indicated and told them find this
vicious alien and to bring it in. Once the other security guards had left,
blasters loaded and primed, Jaina made a Force enhanced suggestion that sent
the lone officer home for the night, aching for sleep. Then, the two Jedi
merely boarded the ship and took off.
"Please, Lowie, stop feeling sorry about this. No matter who was
right, whether there was more time or not, it happened and is finished. What
we need now is to concentrate our efforts on finding Jacen and Tenel Ka, who
could be in much worse shape than me at the moment."
The Wookie looked annoyed at how casually Jaina could dismiss this,
but grudgingly agreed to let the matter rest. "Good," Jaina began, smiling
now despite the slight pain it caused her. "Now, let's see if we can't come
up with some idea of what all has been going on here. I don't know about you,
but I feel like things have been spiraling around faster than I can keep up with
or make sense of. And I think we should start, again, with Gwynandra Salanon."
* * *
"Okay Artoo, do we know where we are yet?" Anakin Solo sat, trapped,
for the second day in a row, inside the cockpit of his stolen Naboo N-1 starfighter.
He began another repetition of slight knee bends, the only exercise he could manage
in the cramped quarters of the fighter, and hoped that they would be enough to stave
off the pending severe muscle cramps which he knew would wrack his legs eventually.
The starfighter had come out of hyperspace a little over a day ago, in a
relatively empty sector of space. There were no nearby planets or stars that Anakin
could see, nor any vessels or navigation buoys. It was completely desolate, except
for what looked like some sort of debris field in the very far distance.
It was definitely not Coruscant. Or any place close by, for that matter.
The only reasonable explanation was that the coordinates that had been
hurriedly assembled by Artoo, while Anakin had attempted to out maneuver a large
cluster of torpedoes aimed his way, had been in some way faulty. Of course, it
might have been overly optimistic of him to expect a perfect escape when flying
about a mass of orbital traffic and engaging in a fire fight with both a group
of extralegal droid smugglers and half the planetary defense force's fighters.
Perhaps Jaina could have manage such a feat of piloting skill, but not him. Not
yet, anyway.
Since that time, Anakin had set Artoo to work on trying to figure out just
where exactly they had ended up. He, meanwhile, had begun a series of deep Jedi
trances in an effort to conserve energy and negate the necessity of consuming too
much food and water. Anakin realized what he had charged the little astromech
with was a difficult task, something that could possibly take longer than he could
ever imagine. In fact, there was the very dark possibility that they would never
actually determine their location, and just float about forever.
Well, forever for Artoo perhaps. He would die long before that.
Despite all this though, Anakin could not help but harbor a deeply rooted
hope that he could defy the odds. It would not be right if he died now, not after
all that he had learnt from Eemar on Dasney. He would no longer deny himself his
feelings; Jedi or not, he was still a person and could love just as much as any one
else. Once he got back, he would find Elle and take her to Mon Calamari to see their
beautiful oceans. The great breathtaking, expanses of sparkling water would slosh
easily beneath them, as they floated along on a sort of non-hovering craft Eemar
had recommended to him for just such an occasion.
It would be the perfect day, more brilliant than any he had ever before
encountered in his life. Anakin was sure of this. After all, the mere thought of
such an afternoon was enough to dispel any of the dark nightmares he had been
having in both his meditations and sleep. They would be together, Anakin would make
sure of it.
Then, of course, there were the droids, and Gwynandra Salanon too. He would
have to take care of them first, obviously. It had been his mission after all, to
find out about Salanon's heritage. The information would be a great assist in their
attempts to find some way to help Jacen and Jaina on Candren, and find out what
exactly was going on in the Capital. Though Anakin was relatively sure he could
unravel most of that now that he knew that Salanon was related to the Senator
representing Dasney: Senator Meecron.
In any case, human or not, he was still a Jedi, and unfortunately, daydreams
aside, that duty would have to supersede any personal affairs. Right after all this
business with mysterious girls, corrupt senators, and quasi secret organizations
engaging in the illegal production of battle droids was over, he would speak to Elle,
and proffer the invitation he found himself so consumed with now.
A line of text rolled up the fighter's circular translation screen, allowing
Anakin access to Artoo's answer. He quickly scanned the response, and grimaced.
"We're that far out, huh? Well, I suppose we should both be thankful for that asteroid
field, or else you probably would never have been able to calculate our position.
Okay, four and a half days to Coruscant isn't that bad. I would have preferred to
get this information to mother sooner, but it can't be helped. Good job, Artoo."
The droid spat out a suitably sarcastic reply, that left a faint smile tracing
Anakin's lips. "Of course, of course. My mistake, Artoo. I should be very pleased
you found our location, and you always do good work." Artoo whistled appreciatively.
"Why don't you impress me even more, then, by decrypting those files you downloaded
during our trip back to the capital."
The small astromech bleeped irritably at the challenge to his abilities, and
promised to have them ready for Anakin's reading a full day before they dropped out
of hyperspace and into Coruscant's system. "Good," Anakin retorted. "I look forward
to reading them. In the mean time, have you input the new course for the hyperspace
jump?"
Artoo beeped in the affirmative.
"Right. Then hang on." Anakin reached forward and pulled the hyperspace
levers together, this time hoping to arrive where he was needed most.
* * *
Leiutenant Graydon paced his field office, inside the confines of Shental
Resorts, agitatedly. He had received word that the SUNRIDER'S SABER had gone missing
from the docking yard some time ago, despite the fact that he had a security detail
guarding the blasted thing. He was beginning to think all the men under him utterly
inept, and spent a great deal of time cursing the cosmic forces that had somehow
deigned that his superiors should ever have given him this assignment.
On a substantially brighter note though, orbital control had contacted him
and reported that they had not dealt with nor made any sightings of a ship matching
the SABER's description. Such reports could only indicate that Solo and her wookie
friend had not attempted to leave the planet and escape prosecution, but were instead
making use of the vessel to hide in or get them somewhere not easily or quickly
reachable by foot or speeder. If one continued to follow such a line of reasoning,
Graydon concluded, then one could only assume that Solo was then pursuing this
Salanon girl she kept going on about and, indeed, had some idea of where she was
hiding.
Which was why Graydon had gathered all the information he had available on
this Gwynandra Salanon here at Shental and then some. He had called in numerous favors
garnered from earlier successful cases, and collected quite a file on this supposedly
dangerous young woman.
Gwynandra Salanon was a girl, eighteen years of age, who had lost her parents
in what authorities labeled a suspicious accident, involving a miscalculated hyperspace
jump. Their deaths had occurred when she was sixteen. Before that, she spent most of
her life trumping around the galaxy with said parents in an antiquated freighter, making
a life and living off of trading. And even before that, she had spent a somewhat brief
time in a mental recovery and aid institution. A nut house, to be more precise. And
for undisclosed reasons, to boot.
What really, rankled Graydon though, what raised the hairs on the back of his
neck, was what Miss Salanon had participated in before that. She had been a member,
however briefly, of Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy during a time that the Solo twins
were there as well. And that led credence to Solo's story about Salanon kidnapping
both her brother and her friend, because it established a connection between them.
If he cared to dig deeper, it was just possible Graydon might find what that was.
Of course, that would mean admitting that Solo was right all along and that he had
been a judgmental, thickheaded fool, who had severely botched a very important
investigation. After all, he was supposed to be figuring out who murdered the
late administrator of Shental, Mr. Mek.
Mr. Mek. That was where this had all started. Finding Solo and her Wookie
friend inside of his office, standing over his decaying corpse and rifling through
his various possessions. It had certainly looked like murder then. Possibly
politically motivated, or a hit ordered by a rival corporation. Realistically
speaking, Shental had not earned its reputation as the premier resort of the galaxy
by being kind to competitors.
Of course, if Solo was telling the truth, and that they had only barged
into the administrator's office in an effort to get some help in finding her friends,
then why had Mr. Mek been murdered? Was there, in fact, any connection at all between
the murder of the administrator and the disappearance of Solo's brother? She seemed
to think so, but then Solo was also one of his prime, and only, suspects. Neither
her word, nor opinions, could be given very much credit. Unless. . . unless, she
was right.
Graydon suddenly remembered something that had been found on Solo when she
had been arrested. It had been a datacard cataloguing an ever growing series of Mr.
Mek's bar bills for some seamy establishment called the Pay and Drink. At the time,
he hadn't thought anything of it. Not that he was much of an advocate of alcohol, but
Graydon allowed for other people to have their vices. Heaven knows he had his.
But now that he had been digging around Gwynandra Salanon, so he could once for all
prove Solo wrong, he knew that she had, until a very recent disappearance, been
working as a waitress at that very establishment.
*Perhaps,* Graydon thought, resigning himself to fate, *I should make a
visit to this Pay and Drink.*
* * *
Things could just not get any worse, he was sure of it.
Raynar Thul sat in his office, on board the lead starcruiser of the Thul
Merchant Trade Fleet, and stared at the blank screen of his data terminal. He
had made zero progress in discovering the identity of Banja Meecron's sibling
since he had last spoken to Chief of State Organa-Solo, who, Raynar understood,
had undertaken some methods of her own to obtain that information. He was positive
such a course of action was the result of his own miserable failure.
Raynar had run out of sources and out of ideas, and was more frustrated than
he had been in a very long time.
Now, normally, whenever he found himself unable to pull off one of his
information or part finding miracles, Raynar had his wife Lusa to fall back on.
He always found her a soothing presence, and the bond they had formed over the years,
using their abilities as both Jedi and lovers, had become so well established that
she could, near literally, lend him her strength and calm. However, Lusa was still
a long way off, acting as an intermediary on Kashyyyk. The Republic had requested
a Jedi presence there to keep both the Wookies and Trandoshans in line until their
dispute was settled and the negotiations had been finalized.
So Raynar was alone.
Well, not quite alone. There was, of course, the fleet, and all the friends
and family he had among its crew, but it just wasn't the same. No matter how much he
cared for them, Raynar found that nothing came even remotely close to the intimacy
and power of his relationship with his wife. He needed her. A lot.
"Damnit," he spat, pounding a fist against the console in frustration. "Why
can't I find anything on this woman's family?" He had to be able to dig something up
on her, elicit some small secret or hint that would lead him to the information both
he and the Chief of State desired. By the Force, this was his specialty! Even
having undergone full training and the trials of knighthood, Raynar had never been
much of a fighter and so usually contributed to the Jedi order by putting his vast
resources at their disposal. Sometimes this came in the form of money and falsified
documents, but most of the time it was information. Pure and untainted information.
If he failed here, when the well-being of his friends, and potentially the Republic,
was on the line, then how could he ever really consider himself of any true use to the
order? For that matter, how could anyone else?
Raynar sighed. He knew Lusa would tell him he was just being silly,
entertaining such thoughts. She would sit him down, adopt that stern tone of hers
that always made him feel like and an erring child, and tell him that he was of
plenty use to the Jedi and the Republic, even if he was too damned stubborn and
thickheaded to see it.
"Mr. Thul?" The voice of Raynar's second in command wafted into his
office through the ship's intercom, soft and melodious. Captain Haylee Vedries
was the first born of a family very close to his own. They were also fellow
Alderaanians, and Haylee herself of the same age as Raynar. She was a small
woman, soft and beautiful, but bullish as a gundark when it came to shoving back.
Raynar had known her since he was four, and Haylee was the one person he found that
could even partially fill the void he felt when Lusa was gone.
"Yes, Haylee. What is it?" he asked, thumbing the switch on console that
silently activated his end of the intercom.
"We have just received a message from your uncle on Mechis III. He says
the representatives from Dasney have arrived three days early and are demanding
the droid production capital they ordered."
"Right. Tell Uncle to keep them amused for the next day or two, and I'll
detour one of our cruisers to him immediately. Check the cargo manifests and
find out which of our ships is carrying that kind of equipment."
"Yes sir," she said.
"Oh, and Haylee. . ." Suddenly, a very large, and very illuminating
piece snapped into place within the puzzle that had been plaguing Raynar.
"Haylee, did you say the representatives from Dasney?"
"Yes sir," she confirmed. "There are three of them, and quite an obnoxious
lot from what I understand."
Dasney. Meecron. Damn! He knew that name had sounded familiar when he
first heard it. Meecron was the name of the man representing Dasney in the Senate.
Raynar had spoken to him not a month ago, when they had first made contact
about purchasing the machines necessary to refurbish some of their droid factories.
"Sir, Raynar, what's wrong?" Haylee asked.
"Haylee, send a quick burst to Mechis III and tell Uncle to hold the
Dasney representatives there. Then get me a secure channel to Coruscant and
Chief of State Organa-Solo. I need to talk to her as soon as possible."
"Right away, sir," came Haylee's crisp reply.
Raynar leant back in his chair. He had done it. Finally, he had done
it. Now, he could only hope the information arrived in enough time to help.
* * *
"Excuse me, your highness?" Leia Organa-Solo stopped in her effort
to escape from the vast halls of the Senate building and back into the
comfort of her apartments within the Imperial palace. Turning slowly around,
she forced on the best smile she could manage after another particular
frustrating session within the Senate, and inclined her head respectfully to
both the older man and young woman who stood before her.
"I'm sorry, I have not been called that for a long time now,
Senator . . .?" Leia prompted.
"Forgive me," the older man said. "I find myself rather old
fashioned and unwilling to change as quickly as the times do. And my name
is Meecron." He gestured to the woman next to him. "And this is my attaché,
Xayla."
"Now I must apologize," Leia said, her diplomatic awareness taking
over. "I sometimes find myself unable to keep pace with the number of new
planets and new faces entering the senate."
Meecron waved her off with a laugh. "No need, no need. I can truly
understand your predicament. And we senators are not an easy group to keep
in order. I would imagine once you leave the chambers you'd like nothing
better than to put us out of your head for as long as possible."
Leia smiled wanly. "On occasion. So, what is it I can do for you,
Senator?"
"There are some concerns that my government wishes address with you,
private ones that they did not want me to bring to light currently within
the Senate. If you would be willing to discuss this in a more confidential
arena?"
Leia quickly hid a sigh. It didn't look like she would be getting
that break quite as soon as she had hoped. "Of course, Senator. I'd be glad to
listen to whatever your government has to say. Please, lead the way."
To Be Continued. . .
