Ghosts of the Past

by Buffybot

Someone from Zekk's past is out to get him. Meanwhile, there is something wrong with Tenal Ka that she's not telling anyone.

5. Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

Jacen Solo walked into the hanger bay, scanning for the Lightning Rod among the other ships present. It did not take long for him to find the battered old ship, which was parked near his Uncle Luke's x-wing and a couple of other light carrier crafts that he did not know the name of. He spotted Tenal Ka already making her way towards the ship.

Throwing his duffle bag over his shoulder, he jogged towards the Lightning Rod.

"Need a hand?" Jacen asked coming up behind her on Rod's boarding ramp.

"No thank you, I already have two fully functional one's," she answered in all seriousness.

Jacen just shook his head, unable to keep the grin off his face. Sometimes, even now, Tenal Ka took things a little too literally.

"What I meant was do you want help carrying your bag?"

"Thank you, but I am perfectly capable of carrying my own bag," and she turned to head into the ship.

Frustrated, Jacen said, "what did I do to make you so mad at me?"

"I am not mad at you, Jacen," she said, turning back around so she was facing him.

"You could've fooled me. You've just been avoiding me every chance you've got since you've been back,"

"I have not been avoiding you,"

"Yes you have," he insisted, and then softening his voice, said, "did something happen while you were on Dathomir?"

She hesitated just a fraction of a second. "No, nothing happened," why can't he just believe me?

"You're lying," he had not meant to say that out loud it had just slipped out. When he looked at her face he could tell she was not angry with him for calling her a liar, but was angry because he would not drop the subject.

"If you do not believe me, that is your choice," she said gruffly, "but we have a mission to complete and that is my first priority," with that, she turned on her heel and stormed into the ship.

Jacen was not far behind her, but when they got in the ship, they each went their separate ways. Tenal Ka headed for the lounge area, and Jacen stayed where he was, throwing his duffle bag to the floor in disgust.

Jaina and Zekk, who were standing near the entrance to the cockpit, had heard the entire skirmish unfold.

"It's gonna be a long trip," Zekk whispered in Jaina's ear, then walked past her and into the cockpit.

Jaina did not disagree.

As the star lines of space stretched around them and the Lightning Rod plunged into hyperspace, Zekk leaned back in his seat, threading his hands behind his head in an effort to appear calm, though he was anything but. He could feel Jaina's eyes on him, searching him, trying to get an idea of what was going on in his head. He did not think she would stay silent for long, and he was right.

"What's got you so spooked, Zekk? You've had that haunted look in your eyes since Tenal Ka mentioned Dundas as our best lead,"

"It's a long story," he said without looking at her.

"It's a long trip," she countered.

He didn't say anything and Jaina could tell he was genuinely uncomfortable with the subject. "Look, if you don't want to tell me, it's okay," she said in an understanding voice.

"It's not that," Zekk said, turning in the copilot's seat so he was facing her, "it's just…hard for me to talk about the things I did while I was at the Shadow Academy."

So that's what has been eating away at him, Jaina thought. She knew better than most people the way Zekk had struggled to put his dark past behind him. Sometimes, even now, she would sense his thoughts dwelling on the things he had done as Brakiss' Darkest Knight. Even she did not know everything about Zekk's shady past. He had shared some of it with her, not the worst parts, though. She had always sensed him holding back whenever he had explained his time at the Shadow Academy. It was as if he thought that if she knew the truth about every horrible thing he had done, she would run away from him and he would lose her for good, like he almost had a few years ago when he had turned to the dark side.

She was not ashamed of Zekk or his past. Jaina had seen first hand the way he had tried to make up for it by working so hard to become and prove that he was a Jedi of the light. Still, she knew his past would always be a part of him, no matter how hard he tried to forget it.

Jaina watched him take a deep breath, as if he were preparing himself before revealing one of his dark secrets to her. She waited patiently in her pilot's seat, not wanting to rush Zekk into telling his tale before he was ready.

"When I was at the Shadow Academy," he began slowly, " there was another apprentice there about the same age as me, training to be a Dark Jedi. His name was Karsay. He grew up on the streets of Dundas, and was the leader of the gang, Snake Eyes. The gang was made up of mostly runaways and orphans, like the Lost Ones back on Courscant. Except Snake Eyes are a lot more ruthless," he added.

The Lost Ones were a gang that inhabited the dingy and less hospitable lower levels of the Imperial City, living in run-down buildings that had not been used since the days of the Old Republic. They were a tough-looking bunch that mainly stayed below the surface, scavenging for whatever food or other materials they could find in order to make a living. More than a few times they had tried to convince Zekk to join their gang because he knew his way around the lower levels so well. Zekk had turned them down every time, preferring to keep his independence and freedom.

"Once you've pledged allegiance to the gang," Zekk continued, "you're in it for life. Karsay was an exception, though. As soon as Tamith Kai found him and told him he had force potential, he was out of there faster than a gundark with its ears on fire.

"But before he left, he got a tattoo, just like every other member of the gang had to when they joined. To identify the gang they belonged to, each member got a snake with blood red eyes and its fangs open tattooed to their left forearm," Zekk explained, pointing to his own arm for emphasis.

Jaina gave him a confused look. "So, if you already knew all this, why didn't you say something after you were attacked?"

Zekk shrugged, uncomfortably. "Maybe because I was hoping it would turn out I was wrong, even though in my gut I knew the truth."

Jaina asked, "how does Karsay fit into the picture?"

"He has a score to settle with me," Zekk answered in a grim voice. "The only problem is he's been dead for almost two years."

"Maybe he's still alive,"

Zekk shook his head emphatically. "Impossible. Brakiss told me he was dead, and he was injured to badly to survive anyway,"

"Maybe Brakiss lied to you," Jaina suggested.

"No," he replied, stubbornly, "Brakiss wanted Karsay dead just as bad as everyone else at the Shadow Academy. Karsay was too cocky for his own good. He started fights with the other Dark Jedi on the station, and wreaked havoc wherever he went."

"How did Karsay die?" Jaina asked curiously.

Zekk heaved a sigh, clearly he did not want to explain this part of the story, but had gone this far so he might as well go on. "Brakiss had told Karsay more than once that he wasn't the ring leader of some punk street kids anymore. That he was now a servant of something far greater, and had better fall in line. Karsay refused to listen, leaving Brakiss with no choice but to get rid of him for the good of the Second Imperium.

"As his Darkest Knight, Brakiss ordered me to take care of him when we went on our next mission. He sent me, Karsay, and some of the new trainees to Nar Shaddaa. We were to take a shipload of spice back to the Shadow Academy, where we would sell it the highest bidder, then receive a generous percentage of the profits and then give the rest to the Hutts. It was a way for the Hutts to sell their spice without having to fear smugglers dropping their cargo at the first sign of a New Republic cruiser. And it was a way for the Second Imperium to gain the funds necessary to finance the ships and weaponry that it needed.

"Karsay and I rode the turbolift up to the twelfth floor of this abandoned building. The Hutts had hid the spice for us there, in order to try and keep the fact hidden from their associates that they were having dealings with the Second Imperium.

"The entire thing was all a setup, a trap that I had set for Karsay ahead of time. But he was smarter than I gave him credit for. He had sensed he was walking into a trap the moment he walked into the building. Once the lift opened, he used the force to propel himself forward fast enough to dodge the vibroblades that were triggered to shoot out from the wall. He was fast enough to avoid the vibroblades, but couldn't escape the monofilament wire. The wire cut straight through his boot, severing his foot.

"I couldn't go back to Brakiss and tell him I had failed, so I went after Karsay with my lightsaber to finish him off. He fought surprisingly well for a guy who had just lost his foot. But he was weak, and a final blow from my lightsaber along with a strong nudge from the force, sent Karsay through the glass of the window and falling twelve stories. The trainees had seen him fall, and rushed him back to the space station. Brakiss told us soon after that Karsay's injuries had been too severe and he had died," Zekk finished.

Jaina sat there wide-eyed, as she had through Zekk's entire story, not knowing what to say, which was a rare occurrence for her. She had not been expecting any of this.

"Say something, Jaina," Zekk said in a quiet voice.

She gently shook herself out of her reverie.

"See, this is why I never told you," he went on, "because my past is my problem and you shouldn't have to deal with it,"

Jaina straightened in her seat. "I can handle your past, Zekk. I only wish you would trust me enough to tell me everything," she said, looking at him with sad eyes.

"I do trust you," he said, grabbing her hands, "but my past is just that – the past – and I want it to stay that way. Talking about it won't change anything, except maybe the way you think and feel about me. I know you're going to say that's not true," he hurried on before she could interrupt him, "but you're only human, Jaina, and there's only so much you can understand and forgive. So please don't be mad that I'm not ready to tell you everything. All I can tell you for now, is that I promise to tell you everything one day when we're both ready to deal with it."

Jaina wanted to shout that she was ready to deal with it now, but she knew Zekk was not, so was willing to wait until that time when he was ready to talk about it. He was right about one thing, though. What happened in the past was the past, and she would love Zekk no matter what his past mistakes were.

"You should tell the others about Karsay," she suggested.

"What for?" Zekk said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'm telling you whoever was behind the attack on Yavin Four is just trying to mess with my head."

"You don't know that. Look at all the evidence we've found that points to Karsay. Not to mention what you just told me." Jaina persisted. "Did you ever actually see Karsay's body?"

"Well, no," he admitted, and then sighing, he added, "can we please just drop this?"

Jaina said, "fine, but I think you should stay open to the possibility that somehow Karsay managed to survive."

Grumbling a non-committal reply, Zekk busied himself with the controls in front of him.

Jaina leaned back in her seat. Zekk seemed entirely convinced that Karsay was not behind the failed kidnapping attempt, but Jaina was not so sure. She only wished that she knew why Zekk was so against accepting the obvious.

Jacen watched in silent fascination as Tenal Ka practiced honing her lightsaber skills with a floating remote hovering near her. She used a piece of lizard hide as a makeshift blindfold, leaving her with nothing but her force senses and her sharp hearing to figure out where and when the floating remote would strike next.

Tenal Ka preferred to rely on her own wits and strength, but knew that there would be times in battle when knowing how to use the force could save her life and possibly others. She had learned the hard way what happened when you refused to use all your senses to their fullest extent. It had cost her her arm in a lightsaber duel with Jacen. Only a few months ago she had decided to get a replacement one, finally realizing that she would not be seen as weak if she wore one and that she had only been limiting herself by refusing to get her arm replaced. A Jedi had no limits except for the ones they placed on themselves. Master Skywalker had taught her that.

After the accident she had learned to let the force guide her actions, and eventually accepted it as a part of her everyday life. It had saved her and her friends more than once.

The remote was at the highest setting possible, so the lasers would come at her faster and from all different angles. Even that was not challenging enough for her but it would do for the time being.

Reaching out with the force and using her acute hearing, Tenal Ka would knew when the remote would throw another volley of stun laser fire before it actually happened.

Sensing a burst of laser fire about to come from behind her, she turned her athletic body around in one fluid motion, swinging her lightsaber to deflect the five shots fired at her in succession.

Having completed another round, the remote closed its ports and hovered silently, waiting to be programmed for another training session.

Not even sweating from her workout, Tenal Ka removed her blindfold, placing her hands on her hips in satisfaction. The remote had not presented her with much of a challenge, but it served the purpose of helping keep her mind sharp and focused.

"Wanna try a living opponent?" Jacen said, a challenging grin on his face.

Anakin snickered from where he sat beside his brother, and Tahiri put a hand over her mouth in an effort to stifle a giggle. They both figured Tenal Ka could wipe the floor with Jacen just as easily as she had the remote. The truth was, the two of them were pretty equally matched, even more so since Jacen had upped his training and started practicing on a daily basis. He knew Tenal Ka would show him no mercy, regardless of their relationship, and Jacen was fine with that. He had come to expect no less from her.

"If that is what you wish," said Tenal Ka, gesturing with the handle of her lightsaber for him to join her.

Maybe a good duel will work out the tension between us, thought Jacen hopefully.

They ignited their shimmering blades.

Jacen, wanting to catch Tenal Ka off guard, immediately went on the offensive. Tenal Ka was ready for it. She parried his blade aside with little difficulty until Jacen began to apply more pressure to his thrusts. They let the force guide their movements, knowing Zekk would not appreciate a gouging hole in the hull of his ship.

Jacen, wanting to get a reaction out of Tenal Ka, said in a cocky voice, "had enough?"

Enjoying herself and caught up in the exhilaration of the battle between them, she gave him a feral grin, rising to the bait as Jacen had expected. "Not unless you wish to give up now,"

"Not on your life," he replied as a sizzling sound filled the air of the lounge when their blades collided.

Not wanting either one to gain the upper hand, their movements became precise and filled with finesse. Each testing the other's abilities and then backing off.

The two spectators looked on in respectful silence, admiring the tight-knit battle going on in front of them. Also not wanting to distract either opponent, which could turn out to be deadly if either one lost their concentration.

Jacen blocked Tenal Ka's thrust at his knees, countering with a swipe of his own. Tenal Ka jumped harmlessly out of the way, bringing her knees up to her chest and then planting her feet firmly on the ground where Jacen's emerald blade no longer was.

She was sweating now, much to her dismay, which amused Jacen to no end to see how much of a challenge he was proving to be for her. He pressed his attack, feinting to the right and then slashing at Tenal Ka's midsection. Anticipating Jacen's movements, and too close to him to use her own blade to block it, she did a backwards flip, landing a few feet in front of his extended blade.

This time, however, when her booted feet made contact with the hard surface, her legs had difficulty supporting the rest of her body weight. Failing to summon the strength to maintain her balance, Tenal Ka felt her knees buckling beneath her.

Jacen was instantly aware something was wrong the moment his blade completed the swipe through open air where Tenal Ka's body no longer was. He saw it all happen in a matter of seconds. The look of surprise and horror on her face when her legs began to tremble and then collapsed beneath her. Luckily enough, Tenal Ka had the presence of mind to shut off her deadly blade before it sliced through her exposed legs.

He was at her side in a heartbeat, Anakin and Tahiri right there with him.

Tenal Ka tried to get up but her legs refused to cooperate. That was a probably a good thing since she was not sure if she could keep standing once on her feet.

"I'm all right," she insisted to them, and on her second try managed to get to her feet with Tahiri's assistance.

Jacen frowned. Why did she have to be so stubborn? But he did not dare tell the proud warrior girl that he thought otherwise. He would rather take his chances with a group of piranha beetles.

Tenal Ka gently shook Tahiri off now that she was able to stand on her own. Hooking her lightsaber onto the utility belt she wore around her waist, she turned without a word and headed in the direction of the ship's sleeping area, having endured enough embarrassment for one day.

Tahiri nudged Jacen. "Go after her,"

"She doesn't want me to,"

"You don't know that,"

Yes I do, Jacen thought, but followed Tahiri's advice regardless and went after Tenal Ka.

The ship was relatively small, so he caught up to her in moments. He opened his mouth to speak but Tenal Ka beat him to it.

"I am sorry I ruined our training session," she apologized.

"It's no big deal," Jacen assured her.

She said nothing and continued walking.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" he said, trying a different approach to get her to open up to him as they reached the first of two sleeping cabins on the ship.

"I know that," she said softly. She knew what he was trying to do, and it was working. She wanted so badly to tell him, but she couldn't, not yet.

He could see it in her face that she wanted to open up to him, but there was something holding her back. What was she trying so hard to keep hidden from him?

Knowing that she would not be able to keep her secret any longer if she continued to stare into those deep brandy brown eyes of his, Tenal Ka moved away from him and walked into the cabin without saying another word. She did not breathe easier until the door was closed behind her and she was truly alone.