You Set Me Free-Chapter 4 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`` "So, what you are saying is that the Yuuzhan Vong actually do, in fact, revere life, but not necessarily in a manner that compares to our system of beliefs. Yes?"

"Yes."

Jacen couldn't help but smile at the older woman sitting across from him in the lush officer's lounge on board the Widowmaker. Dr. Soron Hegerty's thirst for information about the Yuuzhan Vong was insatiable. He'd been answering her questions for almost three hours, and if he drank one more cup of stimcaf, he thought he'd explode.

But the conversation had been enjoyable because the woman seemed genuinely sincere in wanting to fully understand the Vong psyche, something not too many people were even slightly interested in attempting. Of course, he didn't tell her everything he had experienced, such as the minute details of the Embrace of Pain. His hair follicles still ached from that experiment in fine grooming courtesy of his captors. He also left out the fact that he was still telepathically linked to the world brain on old Coruscant in an effort to sabotage the Vong's attempts at reshaping. No, only he and Uncle Luke knew that bit of information for now. Not even Danni knew, even after their long talks at Mester's Reef back on Mon Calamari right after his return.

Danni. there she was again, right back at the forefront of his thoughts for the hundredth time. Several times he had caught himself drifting away from the discussion with the doctor and envisioning the pretty young woman hard at work solving another scientific mystery. He loved the way she bit her bottom lip when she was deep in thought pouring over an experiment and the way her face lit up whenever a solution suddenly popped into her mind.

I wonder how she's doing, he thought, but then he frowned. However and whatever she was doing, she was currently doing it with Dr. Ambross. The man was just too perfect. Weren't scientists supposed to be homely and clumsy, focused only on their work? At least all of them except for Danni. He desperately wanted her to be interested in something besides her work- namely him-and it startled Jacen to realize how deep his feelings for her were becoming. He'd grown used to having her around all day every day. If their present mission ended successfully, what would happen to their relationship when they returned to the Core? The possibility of life without her was troubling, so he refocused his attention on the present.

"Yes, Dr. Hegerty. You've got it," he reiterated. "While humans and most other sentients in our galaxy try to avoid pain at all costs, the Yuuzhan Vong, on the other hand, tend to rush toward it. To them, pain is life and life is pain-a concept quite contrary to our own. It's very difficult for us to even consider the possibility that a race of people would believe such a thing." Jacen enjoyed sharing his findings with anyone who would listen, and up until now that number had been very few.

"Hmmm. fascinating," she muttered while contemplating the young Jedi's words. "So they believe the only valuable lessons in life are learned through painful experience, and leave no room for any other methods of knowledge acquisition. Whereas, we prefer to exhaust all other means until pain is the only remaining option." The silver haired woman's eyes sparkled with comprehension.

"Exactly!" Jacen exclaimed excitedly. "You understand precisely what I've been trying to tell everyone. It's not necessarily the Vong that are evil and 'wrong', so to speak. It's their beliefs we should fault, and those are so deeply embedded into every aspect of their culture. To change the Vong, you have to change their beliefs. maybe give them something new to believe in," he suggested thoughtfully.

Dr. Hegerty nodded in agreement then leaned back in her chair and sighed heavily. "You have given this old mind something new to sharpen its teeth on. Thank you for sharing with me, Mr. Solo."

"Please, call me Jacen. 'Mr. Solo' makes me sound like my father," he joked. "And the pleasure was all mine. It's so refreshing to talk to someone who is willing to truly listen and learn about the Yuuzhan Vong."

Taking a quick survey of the other occupants of the lounge, Dr. Hegerty leaned in closer to Jacen. "I'm not like most of them, Jacen. I happen to value other races and their cultures even if they don't look exactly like us," she winked conspiratorially. "Now let me take you to your friends. Why, they probably think I've kidnapped you since we've been gone so long!"

Jacen laughed easily and then followed her out of the lounge. He liked her. She was as comfortable as an old shoe, and he looked forward to discussing the Yuuzhan Vong with her again.

On their way to the lab, she told him a bit about her Imperial career and what she knew about the crew of the Widowmaker.

"The captain has a decent heart, but she's all business. everything by the book on her ship. Well, of course, that was until this particular mission," she chuckled boisterously. "Then there's that Dr. Ambross fellow. I haven't quite got him figured out yet. Word is that he comes from one of the wealthiest families left in the Empire. went to all the best academies. has several awards for scientific achievements. and a nice little family waiting for him back home."

Jacen stopped and stared at her in confusion. "Family? You mean his parents, right?"

"Oh, no," the doctor clarified. "He's got his own brood from what I understand. beautiful wife and three perfect children. In fact, I've seen their holos in his office. They could be poster children for the ideal Imperial family," she scoffed.

Jacen tried to digest this newest piece of information without falling over from shock. If this man was married, then why had he ogled Danni like she was a piece of fresh meat?

"And one more thing," Dr. Hegerty interjected, "he's also a philandering buffoon. Well, now, here we are."

Jacen simply stared in silence as she paused in front of a large durasteel door guarded by two rather surly looking men with large blasters. Once he recovered, his hand automatically fingered his lightsaber hanging clipped from his belt. The two sentries stood at attention without flinching a muscle while the doctor punched in the entry code. The massive door swished open and Jacen followed her inside. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saba Sebatyne wasn't human, and she didn't have to be to realize the underlying intentions of the male Imperial scientist. The way he had been observing her friend Danni Quee for the past few hours spoke volumes about his physical interest in the human female. Saba had followed Danni after seeing the look of uncertainty on the Jedi scientist's face when Jacen Solo had been asked to leave with the other doctor. The Barabel had grown rather fond of the small blond woman and was concerned to feel her dismay. So she had come along for Danni's protection, if needed.

Spending this short amount of time on an Imperial vessel only reminded her of how lucky she was to be a part of the multi-species Galactic Alliance despite its faults. The Widowmaker's crew's contempt for her was palpable even though no one had spoken a word to her. The guards and other lab workers avoided her, and the doctor simply ignored her presence entirely. It was as if to them she didn't even exist.

Several times Danni had taken the opportunity to apologize for the others' rudeness. It was her way to show her concern for Saba's comfort, or lack thereof.

"It is not for you to apologize, Danni Quee," Saba assured her. "This one can handle it."

Danni reached out and warmly rested her small hand on Saba's scaly arm. "I know you can, Saba. I just hate for you to have to endure this. I promise, I'll finish as soon as I possibly can, and then we can get back to the Jade Shadow."

"Danni." It was Dr. Ambross. He had wandered over and placed his hand on Danni's back, a touch Saba thought much too familiar even for Danni. She forced down a low hiss, but was certain her friend sensed her distaste for the man.

It's all right, Danni sent Saba through the Force before turning her attention elsewhere. "Yes, Dr. Ambross?"

"Please, call me D'vin," he oozed, baring his insanely white straight teeth. "I insist on it since we'll be working side by side."

"Okay then. D'vin," Danny said.

"I think something might be wrong with our specimen," he informed her. Her brows instantly knit into a scowl and she hurried back to the examination table they had set up. Saba followed behind them and hovered just a few feet away in an effort to ascertain what was happening.

The dovin basal was not a very appealing creature. It was rather gelatinous on the outside with lumps and protrusions of yorik coral here and there. Grayish-green slime was covering nearly everything around it and the smell was putrid, even for a Barabel. As Saba continued to watch, the large mass began to quiver and spasm setting off several monitors and sensors located in the makeshift lab.

"Oh," Danni uttered quietly. "That's interesting."

"What's happening?" the doctor asked.

"I'm not for sure, but maybe it's some kind of reaction to being cut off from the rest of the mines. They're used to working together, linked telepathically in a manner of speaking. My gravitic fluctuation jammer has upset their connection."

Dr. Ambross observed the jerking blob with a grimace. "These Vong creations are really quite disgusting, aren't they?

Danni glanced up at him. "Actually, they are quite ingenuous," she refuted with a smile.

"I agree."

The two scientists turned around to find two visitors, Jacen and Dr. Hegerty, had joined them. Danni nearly beamed with relief to see Jacen, and he smiled in return.

Jacen continued to speak. "The Yuuzhan Vong, however different from us they may be, are truly advanced in the area of biotechnology. It might not be aesthetically pleasing, but it gets the job done without the need for any machinery. In that respect, they are superior to us."

D'vin Ambross snorted. "Superior?! I wouldn't call anything about those murderous savages superior! Son, I think you'd better reexamine the facts."

It was hard to miss the pointed 'son' comment, but Jacen managed to bite his tongue. He could make the good doctor's head spin with all the things he could tell him about the Vong. In fact, he'd probably enjoy the look on the man's face when he shared several rather vivid details about Vong torture methods.

"D'vin, Jacen has more experience with the Vong than anyone else," Danni interrupted. "He knows the facts by heart."

D'vin was startled by her vehement defense of Jacen, but quickly recovered and offered her a wide grin. "I'm sure you're right, Danni. Now, why don't we get back to our friend here," he said motioning to the dovin basal still twitching behind them. He placed his hand on her shoulder and Jacen cringed.

"What's wrong, Danni?" Jacen asked moving up to stand on her other side.

"I don't know. It just started spasming several minutes ago. I'm guessing it might be some kind of attempt to contact it's companions out there, but I'm not sure. Do you have any ideas?"

Just then, Dr. Ambross's comm. link beeped. He answered the call and then politely excused himself from the lab. Dr. Hegerty left soon after, and Jacen assumed they were reporting on their individual findings of the last several hours. Two lab assistants still remained, but they busied themselves with other tasks leaving the three Jedi alone.

Danni asked her question again. "Do you have any ideas? Right now, my mind is so drained. I've been examining this thing without stopping for the last few hours and all my thoughts are starting to run together. I need a fresh outlook."

She exhaled in frustration and puffed up her bangs. Jacen could see and sense how tired she was. It had been a long day for all of them and was beginning to take its toll. He reached out and rubbed her shoulder up and down.

"I'm not sure either. Saba?" he questioned their companion and she shook her head. "Well, then, I think we all just need some rest. Maybe after a good night's sleep, we'll-"

Danni didn't let him finish. "No! We can't stop now! I've got to figure this out. I'm so close. I think. and everyone's counting on me. Jacen, I can do this." The earnestness in her big green eyes broke his heart. She was taking this all on her shoulders, putting herself on the line for everyone else.

"Danni-"

"Jacen, please," she pleaded. "Just a little longer."

He finally shrugged and shook his head. "Like I could tell you no if I wanted to. Okay, just another couple of hours." Danni's face broke into a huge grin and so did his. She hurried back to the dovin basal and her datapad, frantically working to solve this puzzle. Jacen turned to Saba. "But, Saba, why don't you go on back to the Jade Shadow and let Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara know what's going on. I don't trust the communications on this ship even if they are our escort."

Saba nodded and then pulled him even farther away from Danni. "Jacen, this one has noticed something unsettling."

"Yes?"

"Yes. Keep your eyes on the male scientist. This one does not like the way he looks at our friend Danni Quee."

Jacen snorted. "Neither does this one. Don't worry. I'm getting the same vibes you are, Saba, and I'll keep an eye on him."

Saba nodded and then left purposely swinging her tail in the way of one of the lab assistants. The man had to jump to miss tripping, and Jacen stifled a laugh. Who said Barabels didn't have a sense of humor?