From Scratch
Chapter 36
The four left the village in the early hours, their packs stuffed with goodies Chell had found to assist them on their journey. Their clothes were clean and their spirits high as they set off deeper into the underworld of the crumbling Coruscant undercity.
Jacen knew they were near the Force well, the underlying tension in the air almost an tangible thing to him as they crossed into sections where ships had been mothballed for storage. Ships that looked from another era.
They stepped into a hangar about 30 miles from the survivor's city around noon on their first day of travel and Jacen whistled. "Wow, this looks like it predates the Empire."
"Fact."
"Will it do, though, man?" Flynn looked critically at the ships that had been arranged in an order and covered to protect them, through out the area.
Several were crushed where places of the ceiling had fallen in, the floors above it following at some point or another. Others were rusted beyond recognition, their parts and pieces having fallen to the floor in disarray. Two looked as if they'd made it through the upheaval in the world, though they could see the debris around their protective coverings. How much of the ships had survived was yet to be determined.
The storage bay was now blocked from the sky however, and there were no ways that any of them could see to get the parts to the surface.
Jacen shook his head regrettably. "Even if we found parts here that could help, there's no way to get them to our ship. I think we'll have to try for something a little higher up with a better chance of escape."
"Flynn?"
Flynn turned to look at Vola, "Yeah?"
Vola smiled, "There is a depot on the way back to their ship, the old republic's depot, and perhaps there is something there that is more suitable?"
Flynn looked around inside the hanger and signed. "I suppose you're right. But it's at least a day's journey, maybe a little more. Do we want to look for anything small we might need here?"
Jacen shook his head. "Not on this trip. If we ever come back, maybe, but we don't have time to waste anymore. The sooner Tenel Ka and I return, the better for everyone."
Flynn made a face before nodding. "Alright, alright, man, it's your call. Come on."
They left the hangar by another route, passing by the hidden hulks and twisted metal. Jacen felt a pang of regret for not having the time to delve into the treasures that could be hidden in those ships. As he passed the last of them, he was compelled to look at it, as if something was calling him to the vessel.
"Stop."
They looked back at him to find Jacen furrowing his brow in concentration. He frowned, looking the ship over as if something was nagging at his consciousness. As if there was something familiar about it.
"Jacen?"
He looked at his wife. "I'm alright. Wait here, I have to see what's inside."
The trio watched bemused as Jacen crawled under the protective covering and under the low sitting ship to the entry hatch. The hatch was sealed, and he palmed it open. He entered the ship cautiously, the lights and power appearing to be working fine.
A very familiar voice halted him in his tracks. "Master Ani! So good it is to see you again."
Jacen spun, "3P0?"
A hologram of C-3P0 stood in the corner, half the size of the original model, but clearly the same droid that belonged to his mother. "I knew you'd return, Master Ani. The ship is as you left it, and I think you'll find the databanks in excellent condition with all of your holos and entries as you left them."
Jacen stated at the hologram perplexed. Master Ani? "Uh, 3P0, who's Ani?"
"Why, you, Master Anakin, of course."
Jacen felt the air leave his lungs as if he'd been sucker punched. "Anakin? As in, Anakin Skywalker."
The C3P0 hologram looked at him oddly. "Do you not know who you are sir, because I know several very reputable medics and can recommend one."
"No, 3P0, just answer the question."
"Of course sir. You are Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight and friend of Master Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Jacen's knees gave way as the magnitude of his discovery hit him. His grandfather's ship.
"Are you alright sir?"
He opened his eyes. "Fine, 3PO. Can you download all of the data from the database into data rods for me? I have to take a long trip and may need it."
"I'm afraid not sir."
"There's too much?"
The hologram nodded. "The backup memories you have for R2 and I will certainly not fit on a data rod."
Jacen stared at the hologram for long minutes. A live archive filled with information about his grandfather; his past. Outside was his future and he had to get as far as possible today.
Choose and Act.
And so he chose.
Tenel Ka, Flynn and Vola waited patiently as Jacen emerged from the ship a few minutes later and rejoined them. "Did you find what you were lookin for, man?"
Jacen nodded. "Sorry for the stop, let's go."
Tenel Ka observed him silently, noting the tension in his shoulders and the strain that was suddenly new. She said nothing as she dropped into the rear guard formation behind Jacen and became his shadow. He would tell her what he'd found when it was time. For now, she would guard their rear and do her job to get them home.
They spent the better part of the next week crawling through different caverns looking for parts and pieces that could aid their repair efforts. They came across a working speeder bike and managed to salvage energy cells from another site to have a platform to carry their materials. Vola and Flynn scouted areas in the vicinity of the water fall where they'd first entered the underground, for ramps leading to the surface. Through the week they amassed the supplies they would need, and Flynn began ferrying them to the surface. Jacen and Tenel Ka stood guard as the pile grew steadily.
Finally, they were able to bring all of the parts they would need to the area where their ship had been left. Untouched by any raiding parties or animals, they were able to recharge the cells and begin repairs.
Jacen, less technically inclined than his sister but still a decent mechanic, led the efforts. Slowly the holes were patched properly and an additional set of bunks added to the cargo hold for the two young people who would be joining them.
Tenel Ka was given the activation codes for the ship and spent most of her time running through diagnostics to ensure everything was in working order.
Finally, after long hours of work and several hard days, the four managed to get the ship space worthy. Exhausted and drained, they spent their last night on the planet around the campfire, reminiscing about their adventures and how far they'd come. They talked about what they would do when they returned to civilization, the steps they'd have to take and finally, with the sun beginning to rise over the tree tops, they turned in for a long rest. Once they woke, the friends would be taking another step in the journey; the biggest step of all. Home, for some, and into the unknown for the rest.
Jacen woke around noon, stepping from the make-shift shelter under which he and Tenel Ka had slept and stretched. The sun was high in the sky, the sounds of the world blending into a mixture of harmony around him. He smiled, stepping away from his wife and towards their campfire.
Flynn, he saw, was already up and cooking something in a pot.
"Are you ready for your next adventure, Flynn?"
Flynn hardly glanced at him, not saying anything.
"Flynn?"
Flynn looked up. "What?"
"I think it's time we had this out between us."
Flynn pushed himself to his feet, dusting off his knees. "Yeah, man, you're right. I don't appreciate what you did to me back at that camp. I don't like being used and I don't like being lied to."
Jacen regarded the younger man critically. "I do apologize for misleading you," he allowed.
"But?"
Jacen smiled faintly. "But if I hadn't, do you really think we'd be where we are now? We'd have a hunting party of Yuuzhan Vong on our trail. I know; I lived with them for more than a year as their prisoner. You may have lived on this planet for your whole life and be in love with one of their kin, but that doesn't prepare you for the cruelty these people are capable of."
"I know more than you think, man. Way more."
"Then enlighten me," Jacen folded his hand behind his back, taking a non-threatening posture.
"What good would it do? You already think you know all there is about them. You're on personal terms with their world and you fought off their warriors almost single handedly. I can't make you see my point of view; you're not a normal person like me."
"Jedi do have the ability to understand, Flynn. Please, I would like to hear your side of this."
Flynn began to pace. "I saw several of my friends torn apart by hunting parties. I've seen them captured and tortured by the Yuuzhan Vong for entertainment. They take a sick amount of pleasure hurting people who don't have their pain tolerance. I know what they're capable of; that was why I was so determined to get Vola away from them."
"Then why did you follow me blindly?"
Flynn glared at him. "What else could I do? You had all the answers. You're a Jedi, they're not supposed to lie, you're supposed to be honest and good and fight against evil."
"And I'm not?"
Flynn was quiet for a few moments. "You're not what I expected from a hero, man."
Jacen smiled. "I'm not a hero, Flynn. I'm a man, same as you; I just have a few more tricks. I will make mistakes; I never said I wouldn't. It sounds like you're disappointed with me."
"Shouldn't I be?"
"I think the correct question is; why should you be. We rescued Vola, I've placed my life on the line repeatedly for both of you and we accomplished the reason I was called back to this planet. I'd say we've accomplished a lot, even if it wasn't in the conventional way."
Flynn turned away, going to stir his soup. "You're right, but I still don't like what you did to me. You used me, man. Used me like I was nothin' but someone to get you where you wanted to go."
"I apologize you feel that way towards me, Flynn." Jacen stayed watching the younger man carefully, "I needed your help. You were so focused on rescuing Vola that if I'd suggested a plan that didn't even touch that possibility, you would have rejected it. I admit I used your own drive and focus against you for my own ends, but it was necessary to accomplish our goals."
"You –used- me, man!"
"I did."
"It's insulting, can't you see that?"
"Than I've offended you and I apologize."
"Thank you."
Jacen watched as Flynn seemed to lose the weight on his shoulders and become more relaxed. "You just wanted to hear me say that?"
Flynn shrugged. "Yeah, man. I just needed to hear that you don't think of me as beneath you, that I'm not good enough to apologize for, ya know? Nothing personal."
Jacen shook his head and chuckled, "Good to hear. Shall we get the ship packed for our departure?"
Flynn nodded, extending his hand to Jacen. "No hard feelings, man?"
Jacen shook his hand, smiling. "No hard feelings."
Chapter 36
The four left the village in the early hours, their packs stuffed with goodies Chell had found to assist them on their journey. Their clothes were clean and their spirits high as they set off deeper into the underworld of the crumbling Coruscant undercity.
Jacen knew they were near the Force well, the underlying tension in the air almost an tangible thing to him as they crossed into sections where ships had been mothballed for storage. Ships that looked from another era.
They stepped into a hangar about 30 miles from the survivor's city around noon on their first day of travel and Jacen whistled. "Wow, this looks like it predates the Empire."
"Fact."
"Will it do, though, man?" Flynn looked critically at the ships that had been arranged in an order and covered to protect them, through out the area.
Several were crushed where places of the ceiling had fallen in, the floors above it following at some point or another. Others were rusted beyond recognition, their parts and pieces having fallen to the floor in disarray. Two looked as if they'd made it through the upheaval in the world, though they could see the debris around their protective coverings. How much of the ships had survived was yet to be determined.
The storage bay was now blocked from the sky however, and there were no ways that any of them could see to get the parts to the surface.
Jacen shook his head regrettably. "Even if we found parts here that could help, there's no way to get them to our ship. I think we'll have to try for something a little higher up with a better chance of escape."
"Flynn?"
Flynn turned to look at Vola, "Yeah?"
Vola smiled, "There is a depot on the way back to their ship, the old republic's depot, and perhaps there is something there that is more suitable?"
Flynn looked around inside the hanger and signed. "I suppose you're right. But it's at least a day's journey, maybe a little more. Do we want to look for anything small we might need here?"
Jacen shook his head. "Not on this trip. If we ever come back, maybe, but we don't have time to waste anymore. The sooner Tenel Ka and I return, the better for everyone."
Flynn made a face before nodding. "Alright, alright, man, it's your call. Come on."
They left the hangar by another route, passing by the hidden hulks and twisted metal. Jacen felt a pang of regret for not having the time to delve into the treasures that could be hidden in those ships. As he passed the last of them, he was compelled to look at it, as if something was calling him to the vessel.
"Stop."
They looked back at him to find Jacen furrowing his brow in concentration. He frowned, looking the ship over as if something was nagging at his consciousness. As if there was something familiar about it.
"Jacen?"
He looked at his wife. "I'm alright. Wait here, I have to see what's inside."
The trio watched bemused as Jacen crawled under the protective covering and under the low sitting ship to the entry hatch. The hatch was sealed, and he palmed it open. He entered the ship cautiously, the lights and power appearing to be working fine.
A very familiar voice halted him in his tracks. "Master Ani! So good it is to see you again."
Jacen spun, "3P0?"
A hologram of C-3P0 stood in the corner, half the size of the original model, but clearly the same droid that belonged to his mother. "I knew you'd return, Master Ani. The ship is as you left it, and I think you'll find the databanks in excellent condition with all of your holos and entries as you left them."
Jacen stated at the hologram perplexed. Master Ani? "Uh, 3P0, who's Ani?"
"Why, you, Master Anakin, of course."
Jacen felt the air leave his lungs as if he'd been sucker punched. "Anakin? As in, Anakin Skywalker."
The C3P0 hologram looked at him oddly. "Do you not know who you are sir, because I know several very reputable medics and can recommend one."
"No, 3P0, just answer the question."
"Of course sir. You are Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight and friend of Master Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Jacen's knees gave way as the magnitude of his discovery hit him. His grandfather's ship.
"Are you alright sir?"
He opened his eyes. "Fine, 3PO. Can you download all of the data from the database into data rods for me? I have to take a long trip and may need it."
"I'm afraid not sir."
"There's too much?"
The hologram nodded. "The backup memories you have for R2 and I will certainly not fit on a data rod."
Jacen stared at the hologram for long minutes. A live archive filled with information about his grandfather; his past. Outside was his future and he had to get as far as possible today.
Choose and Act.
And so he chose.
Tenel Ka, Flynn and Vola waited patiently as Jacen emerged from the ship a few minutes later and rejoined them. "Did you find what you were lookin for, man?"
Jacen nodded. "Sorry for the stop, let's go."
Tenel Ka observed him silently, noting the tension in his shoulders and the strain that was suddenly new. She said nothing as she dropped into the rear guard formation behind Jacen and became his shadow. He would tell her what he'd found when it was time. For now, she would guard their rear and do her job to get them home.
They spent the better part of the next week crawling through different caverns looking for parts and pieces that could aid their repair efforts. They came across a working speeder bike and managed to salvage energy cells from another site to have a platform to carry their materials. Vola and Flynn scouted areas in the vicinity of the water fall where they'd first entered the underground, for ramps leading to the surface. Through the week they amassed the supplies they would need, and Flynn began ferrying them to the surface. Jacen and Tenel Ka stood guard as the pile grew steadily.
Finally, they were able to bring all of the parts they would need to the area where their ship had been left. Untouched by any raiding parties or animals, they were able to recharge the cells and begin repairs.
Jacen, less technically inclined than his sister but still a decent mechanic, led the efforts. Slowly the holes were patched properly and an additional set of bunks added to the cargo hold for the two young people who would be joining them.
Tenel Ka was given the activation codes for the ship and spent most of her time running through diagnostics to ensure everything was in working order.
Finally, after long hours of work and several hard days, the four managed to get the ship space worthy. Exhausted and drained, they spent their last night on the planet around the campfire, reminiscing about their adventures and how far they'd come. They talked about what they would do when they returned to civilization, the steps they'd have to take and finally, with the sun beginning to rise over the tree tops, they turned in for a long rest. Once they woke, the friends would be taking another step in the journey; the biggest step of all. Home, for some, and into the unknown for the rest.
Jacen woke around noon, stepping from the make-shift shelter under which he and Tenel Ka had slept and stretched. The sun was high in the sky, the sounds of the world blending into a mixture of harmony around him. He smiled, stepping away from his wife and towards their campfire.
Flynn, he saw, was already up and cooking something in a pot.
"Are you ready for your next adventure, Flynn?"
Flynn hardly glanced at him, not saying anything.
"Flynn?"
Flynn looked up. "What?"
"I think it's time we had this out between us."
Flynn pushed himself to his feet, dusting off his knees. "Yeah, man, you're right. I don't appreciate what you did to me back at that camp. I don't like being used and I don't like being lied to."
Jacen regarded the younger man critically. "I do apologize for misleading you," he allowed.
"But?"
Jacen smiled faintly. "But if I hadn't, do you really think we'd be where we are now? We'd have a hunting party of Yuuzhan Vong on our trail. I know; I lived with them for more than a year as their prisoner. You may have lived on this planet for your whole life and be in love with one of their kin, but that doesn't prepare you for the cruelty these people are capable of."
"I know more than you think, man. Way more."
"Then enlighten me," Jacen folded his hand behind his back, taking a non-threatening posture.
"What good would it do? You already think you know all there is about them. You're on personal terms with their world and you fought off their warriors almost single handedly. I can't make you see my point of view; you're not a normal person like me."
"Jedi do have the ability to understand, Flynn. Please, I would like to hear your side of this."
Flynn began to pace. "I saw several of my friends torn apart by hunting parties. I've seen them captured and tortured by the Yuuzhan Vong for entertainment. They take a sick amount of pleasure hurting people who don't have their pain tolerance. I know what they're capable of; that was why I was so determined to get Vola away from them."
"Then why did you follow me blindly?"
Flynn glared at him. "What else could I do? You had all the answers. You're a Jedi, they're not supposed to lie, you're supposed to be honest and good and fight against evil."
"And I'm not?"
Flynn was quiet for a few moments. "You're not what I expected from a hero, man."
Jacen smiled. "I'm not a hero, Flynn. I'm a man, same as you; I just have a few more tricks. I will make mistakes; I never said I wouldn't. It sounds like you're disappointed with me."
"Shouldn't I be?"
"I think the correct question is; why should you be. We rescued Vola, I've placed my life on the line repeatedly for both of you and we accomplished the reason I was called back to this planet. I'd say we've accomplished a lot, even if it wasn't in the conventional way."
Flynn turned away, going to stir his soup. "You're right, but I still don't like what you did to me. You used me, man. Used me like I was nothin' but someone to get you where you wanted to go."
"I apologize you feel that way towards me, Flynn." Jacen stayed watching the younger man carefully, "I needed your help. You were so focused on rescuing Vola that if I'd suggested a plan that didn't even touch that possibility, you would have rejected it. I admit I used your own drive and focus against you for my own ends, but it was necessary to accomplish our goals."
"You –used- me, man!"
"I did."
"It's insulting, can't you see that?"
"Than I've offended you and I apologize."
"Thank you."
Jacen watched as Flynn seemed to lose the weight on his shoulders and become more relaxed. "You just wanted to hear me say that?"
Flynn shrugged. "Yeah, man. I just needed to hear that you don't think of me as beneath you, that I'm not good enough to apologize for, ya know? Nothing personal."
Jacen shook his head and chuckled, "Good to hear. Shall we get the ship packed for our departure?"
Flynn nodded, extending his hand to Jacen. "No hard feelings, man?"
Jacen shook his hand, smiling. "No hard feelings."