CHAPTER 7
"Kyp!" Xaria exclaimed. "What is it?"
"Jacen. Jacen's hurt." Kyp's pained expression told Xaria everything she needed to know.
"But I thought that you weren't that close to Jacen," Jag piped in.
"I'm not, but Jaina is, and this is what she's sending to me through the Force."
"Wait! Who's Jaina?" Xaria asked suspiciously.
"My wife and Kyp's partner." Jag said.
"Partner? Do you three have some kind of kinky 'thing' going on that I should know about?" Xaria asked teasingly.
Jag seemed to redden slightly. "I hardly think so, Ms. Bian." His tone became glacial.
"Hold on, Colonel! I was joking!" Xaria held her palms up in a non-threatening way.
Jag softened slightly and nodded before he turned back to Kyp, who had been silent through the whole exchange. "What is she telling you?" he said.
"Jacen's hurt, badly, but she thinks she can manage it."
Jag let out a laugh of surprise. "No offense to my lovely wife, but she can barely manage a healing trance on herself, let alone healing someone else. You tell her that we're coming after her."
Kyp was silent while relaying Jag's message. Then his eyes shot open.
"What?" Xaria asked. "Something's not right."
Kyp nodded, his stomach frosting over. "She says not to come. That if Jag and I go, we'll be killed."
"But-" Jag started.
"They're right. If you and Kyp leave Hapes, you will die." The trio turned to face the new voice, that of Tenel Ka. "Jaina has had the same vision that has been plaguing me for the last few weeks."
"Wait? Visions? So I'm not going mad?" Xaria asked incredulously.
Kyp turned to the small redhead. "You're having visions, Xar? What are they of?"
Xaria kept a steady eye on Tenel Ka as she spoke. "Two men of green fire, great pilots and warriors alike. Both trying to save a woman they love. Another comes. Another green fire. The Darkest Knight. It consumes the men, and their fire burns out. Two of brown ice melt. Turn to the dark. The green fire consumes all. Fire, ice, all gone. All that is left is green."
"It is as I feared, then," Tenel Ka said as she turned to Jag and Kyp, "I cannot allow you to go."
"You cannot tell me whether or not I am 'allowed' to go after my wife!"
"Colonel! Come to your senses! Do you really want to leave your wife and children alone? If you leave Hapes now, you will die. Nothing you can do can change that and to chance it would be a fool's errand!"
Jag hung his head as tears stung his eyes. "Then what do I do?" he said, despairingly.
"You may help coordinate the attack on Coruscant. I cannot do it alone. Your tactical genius is what won the last battle here at Hapes." Tenel Ka said gently.
Jag nodded and followed Tenel Ka out of the hangar bay, more determined to save his wife.
Kyp and Xaria were silent for a long time. The newfound knowledge of Xaria's visions had rendered Kyp flabbergasted, as did the actual vision itself.
Could it be possible? Could she be Force-senstitive? Kyp thought
"I don't know," Xaria said. "Is it possible?"
Kyp shot her a wry glance. "I don't think there's any question now. Let me try something. Master Skywalker did this to me to test my Force potential."
"Alright." Xaria said.
"Okay, I need you to relax. You should feel me probing your mind."
"Wait a minute! Probing?! Nobody said anything about a probe! I don't think so buddy!"
"A mental probe, Xar. It won't hurt you. I promise. Please, trust me."
"Alright." Xaria said warily.
"Close your eyes then." Kyp replied.
Xaria closed her eyes, allowing an almost peaceful expression to cross over her features.
Force, she looks beautiful, Kyp thought. He stood still in front of her for the longest time, admiring her.
"Anytime there, Kyppie."
"Oh, right." Kyp said, thankful that her eyes weren't open so she didn't see the reddening of his face. He put his hands to either side of her face, his fingers touching her temples. He opened himself to the Force, searching for a connection to Xaria. He found her easily and forged a tentative link to her. He gently touched his mind to hers. Her reflexes brought up her mental shields as he touched her.
Relax. Kyp told her.
Sorry. Xaria replied, sending him a sheepish smile.
It's alright. Just relax. I'm not going to hurt you. Kyp touched Xaria's mind once again and this time she managed to keep her shields down. He worked his way back to the unconscious nub that Master Skywalker had told him about. He found it and gently pushed against-
Kyp was thrown back into the Amethyst with enough force to soundly knock the wind out of him. Xaria opened her eyes at the resounding THUD! Kyp's body made as it hit the ship.
"Oh gods! Kyp! Are you alright?! Did I hurt you!? What happened!? What in the hell did I do?!"
Kyp held up a hand to silence Xaria's questions. "I really don't think there's any question as to whether or not you're Force-sensitive now. And as for what happened, you didn't do anything. I was testing you. And believe me, you passed! When Master Skywalker tested me, I threw him across the room!"
Xaria laughed aloud. "So now what do I do?"
"Well, if you'd like, I could train you. But you'll owe me big time for it." Kyp gave her a roguish grin.
"And what would I owe you?" Xaria said flirtatiously.
"Another dinner date, or two, or three…." Kyp said in mock seriousness.
Xaria paused for a long while, inadvertently putting Kyp through agonizing torture.
"Hmmm…how badly do I want to be a Jedi?" Xaria mused aloud, twisting the knife and prolonging Kyp's agony. He didn't know why, but for some reason, he wanted Xaria to accept his 'bribe'. He wanted to train her to use the Force. He wanted to get to know her. He didn't want her to be another meaningless fling in his book.
Xaria looked up from her mock consideration, her eyes locking with Kyp's. For a moment, she couldn't remember how to breathe. The deep emerald green of Kyp's eyes captivated her. She wanted more than anything to say 'yes' to his offer. Without even realizing what she was doing, she stepper closer to him, her eyes still locked with his. She nodded her head in acceptance of both his offer and the attraction she could no longer fight or flirt around with. She took another step toward him, closing the already short space between them. Kyp's intense gaze held her for several long moments. Then, Kyp abruptly stepped back, breaking the spell he had over her.
Kyp managed to regain his composure quickly.
"So, when do you want to start your training?"
* * * * * * * * * * *
Kyp decided to start with levitation. It was the best way to evaluate how well an apprentice caught on to using the Force. Xaria took to levitation easily, and, within an hour after learning the basics, she was levitating a few small tools, the toolbox, and Kyp's lightsaber all at the same time.
Kyp watched the objects whirling around his head. "So, I think we've covered intermediate levitation techniques," he said wryly.
Xaria laughed as she directed a hydrospanner past Kyp's head and back into the toolbox, which was now resting on the ground. "Only intermediate?" she asked. "And here I though I was just a beginner."
"Well, you are, but you catch on pretty quickly. I honestly couldn't ask for a better student." He smiled as her face lit up at his unexpected compliment. "So now that we've got levitation down we should move on to meditation."
Xaria scrunched up her nose and stuck out her tongue. "So all that stuff about Jedi being all 'Oh, let's think about it' is true?"
Kyp laughed. "No, not all of it, but meditation is essential to being a Jedi. Meditation helps us clear our mind and listen to the Force. The Force directs us, it strengthens us. It speaks to us."
"And there's no way I can get out of it?" Xaria asked jokingly.
"No, now sit."
Xaria obliged by taking up a cross-legged position across from Kyp, who was, by this time, sitting on the ground.
"Clear your mind," he instructed. "I'll walk you through this the first couple of times. After that, you're on your own."
Kyp linked his mind to Xaria's and they easily fell into deep meditation. Since this was Xaria's first time, Kyp did not push the direction in which the Force guided her. They were simply caught up in the flow of the Force, reaching out and touching the native life-forms. Xaria let out a small gasp of surprise as she realized the true magnitude of the Force and just how insignificant she was compared to it. She tried to reach out and immerse herself in the energies coming toward her when the vision blasted through her senses, assaulting both her and Kyp's consciousnesses.
Two men of green fire, great pilots and warriors alike. Both trying to save a woman they love. Another comes. Another green fire. The Darkest Knight. It consumes the men, and their fire burns out. Two of brown ice melt. Turn to the dark. The green fire consumes all. Fire, ice, all gone. All that is left is green.
Xaria jerked herself out her connection to Kyp, gasping in pain. Kyp opened his eyes slowly, not quite sure what he should say. The pain was etched in her face, engraved in her eyes.
"Don't leave me, Kyp. You can't die on me now."