Chapter 1
Sleep was fitful as usual for Corran Horn. The unpadded durasteel bunk he was forced to retire on provided no convenient rest for his aching body parts, and the chill surface dashed any hopes of a comforting sleep. Regardless, his fatigue soon drove him into a kind of limbo, flashing with miserable dreams and worrying thoughts, all mashed together in an ethereal fog.
It seemed to him that a bright light was shining somewhere nearby, but he could not make out the source or direction of the glow, even as it swelled in intensity. Intellectually, he could tell that what he was experiencing was not within the realm of reality, but the rightness of the vision could not be denied, a rightness that he felt in his bones.
The glow built to a blinding wave of white brilliance that threatened to scour the lenses of his eyes into steaming pits, but it subsided suddenly, as if it was a wave of such light, resolving into a scene before him.
The ground he stood upon was sodden and unstable perforated with pools of stinking water and likely swarming with all manner of unpleasant life. Massive gnarled trees wove an enclosing tower around him, roots thrusting like massive wooden utensils into the swampy muck. Somewhere nearby, a bird croaked out a warning call, and the slurp and slap of some aquatic creature on the prowl punctuated the groan.
Corran felt eerily familiar with the place, as if it was somewhere he knew or at least should know, something he'd come into contact with before. That it was another planet was clear; not even the artificial landscapes dotting certain portions of Coruscant were like this.
He looked down and discovered himself to be clothed in a simple Jedi tunic and robe, the brown homespun fabric blending easily in with the drab surroundings of the swamp. A black belt cinched his waist, and the simple silver cylinder of his grandfather's treasured lightsaber hung loosely from it.
Corran unhooked the handgrip wordlessly and held it up before his eyes, blinking back unshed tears. In all these years, he had not followed the path his father and grandfather would doubtless have wanted him to take; and now, as a result, he lay captive in a Dark Jedi's lair, helpless to resist against their dark powers and evil methods.
"I'm sorry, grandfather," he whispered to the blade, but he felt no consolation or relief from the cold handle. Reattaching the grip to his belt, he decided that he might as well explore these surroundings, as unreal as they might be. Sighing heavily, he took a deep breath and started forwards.
As he moved out from the shadow of the trees, he discovered that the rest of this world, wherever his dream-self was, was much like what he could see from the inside of the tree cluster: dank, smelly, and filled with all sorts of twisted vegetation and slime, a veritable swamp. Hardly any stars were visible from under the massive canopy of trees, and Corran didn't think one would be able to climb their slick, winding trunks high enough to peer through their oppressive umbrella.
As he slipped along a line of boulders and blackened trees, he felt a patch of the swamp's already unstable soil twist and give way, and without warning, he plunged downwards through a convenient gap strung with roots, ending the short flight with a massive crash on a rock-hard floor.
Wincing in pain, Corran tried to sit up and catch his breath, gasping and spitting out twigs and patches of slick moss while he nursed a severely bruised tailbone and what he felt to be a sprained ankle.
He had fallen through the hole into a small, clean cut chamber in the ground, braced by a couple of critically placed rock pillars, that appeared to lead to a short tunnel shrouded in mist. Trying to peer through the mist, Corran thought he discerned a stone doorway, but he couldn't be sure.
A sudden noise brought him scrambling to his feet, activating his grandfather's lightsaber with a sharp hiss of released energy, only to discover moments later that it was merely a small lizard scampering across one of the many vines that lined the walls and ceiling of the small tunnel.
Get a grip, Horn, Corran told himself. You're stuck in a dream; nothing can happen to you. However, he did not relinquish either his grip on the lightsaber or deactivate the silver blade. Wincing again as he attempted to put pressure on the wounded ankle, and drawn by some inner desire, he placed his right hand on the wall of the cave, and hobbled forward, towards that door-like impression he had discerned.
As he moved forward into the darker recesses of the cavern, small sounds began to build in his straining ears: the plink of water droplets collecting and falling from leaves or crevices in the stone that seemed to permeate this portion of the cave, the scuttling and rustling of small animals moving about, and the harsh, rhythmic vibration of his own rasping gasps. The hum of the lightsaber was soon forgotten, though he was grateful for its guiding light as it severed its way neatly through chunks of mist and dangling vines.
Finally, he reached the doorframe, and collapsed tiredly against the solid surface, breathing heavily. His hobbling pace had taken quite a toll on his already confused body, and he decided that a rest break would probably be a good idea before attempting an exploration of whatever lay beyond the door.
As he lay there by the door, he had ample time to think, a strange thing for a dream. Inexorably, his thoughts were drawn to his activities before being forced to retire for the night, exhausted.
K'talla M'niisonn was a twisted, evil example of a sentient being, Corran had no doubt. But regardless, he could admire her slow, sure methods, her effective use of situational simulations to anger him, to force him to succumb to her plans for doubtless turning him fully to the Dark Side.
Anger built in Corran's mind again, and his fist clenched tightly around the now-deactivated lightsaber. It had never struck him as clearly as it did now, but he suddenly realized that he actually wished to cause someone pain. He wanted to flay K'talla M'niisonn and her Jedi followers slowly, so that they died screaming in pain for what they had done to the galaxy, to him.
Instinctively, he shied from that response. He had talked with Luke enough times to realize that that way was the path of the Dark Side. But he could not help but wonder: was revenge not justified in some cases? Was there not a point at which you could legitimately say that you were right in causing pain and fear in another being? If Jedi did not at some point take the opportunity to strike hard at the Sith, what then was there to prevent the Sith from overrunning the galaxy as the Emperor had?
Corran squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out images of Wedge being tortured, blood flowing from jagged wounds, bruising eliminating his ability to move, talk, or see. He had no choice but to go along with K'talla's commands. First and foremost to a Jedi was the commitment to preserve life, and he would take whatever steps necessary to keep Wedge alive.
Breathing a little easier now, Corran decided that, since he had obviously not awakened yet, he might as well explore the doorway and whatever lay beyond. He had nowhere else to go.
Grunting in pain as the effort to rise put additional pressure on his twisted ankle, Corran hefted the lightsaber in his left hand, and activated it again with the distinctive snap-hiss. Sucking in another deep breath, he grasped the edge of the door frame, and propelled himself through the entrance with a vigorous hop.
And found himself in a brightly lit corridor, a corridor surprisingly familiar to him. He looked about in wonder and discovered that he was back on board the Imperial Star Destroyer Chimera, Grand Admiral Thrawn's flagship.
Where he'd been captured.
The scene was exactly identical: the two In'ca Din'ca trotting ahead in point position, Wedge and Corran and the Rebel commandos in the rear. Bewildered, Corran found that he seemed to have no control over his own body, and he was simply carrying out the actions by rote.
No! I will not let this happen again! He screamed the thought to himself as the party of infiltrators drew close to the fateful armory room. He remembered every step, every glance, every flick of the lightsabers that the Jedi were holding.
As before, the squad cut through the door and leapt to engage the stormtroopers attempting to inventory weapons stored against the far wall, blaster bolts flying as thick as raindrops, while the whirling lightsabers covered the trained commandos.
Then, as the firefight stopped, the last of the Imperials falling to the ground with smoking pits in their pristine armor, Corran began to feel control return to his limbs, and he felt the cool haft of the lightsaber clasped in his sweaty palm. Please, he begged silently, let the Force be with me, just this once.
As he felt full control of his body return to him, he leapt forward, lightsaber igniting and swinging into attack position. The In'ca Din'ca both jerked back in surprise as they raised their weapons to defend themselves.
"It's a trick!" Corran screamed. "They're Dark Jedi!"
Any shocked objections the strike team thought to make were drowned out in a sizzle of lightning as the Jedi on the right lifted a hand from the haft of his weapon to send a blast of dark energy coursing at Corran's onrushing form while striking blindly with his lightsaber to bring his companion down, blood gushing from a vicious slash on the side of the head.
Corran caught the attack on the front of his blade, and swept forward to batter furiously at his opponent's raised blade while another burst of lightning lanced forth, this time concentrated behind him. Corran heard Wedge and the others scream in anguish as the Dark Side energy attacked their nervous systems.
Deftly parrying Corran's furious attack, the In'ca Din'ca slowly and methodically forced him back towards the wall, passing the twitching forms of Corran's friends as they did so. Corran could feel his energy beginning to flag, and he realized that his untrained deflections were not going to be able to fend off the trained warrior before him.
He lunged in attack once again, but this time, the In'ca Din'ca dodged the strike, grabbing a handful of Corran's uniform and yanking him forwards, adding Force strength to his own to send him catapulting furiously for the far wall. A sickening crunch heralded his impact, and Corran blacked out momentarily.
When the static in front of his eyes cleared, Corran saw the Dark Jedi standing tall and terrible over the still forms of Wedge and the other commandos, lightsaber raised for a finishing blow.
"NO!" Corran screamed, and he leapt forward as the Jedi's blade struck downwards into Wedge's neck.
Corran flew into a rage, whirling onto the attack with unparalleled fury, swinging with monstrous blows that would have cut through armor plating in a nanosecond. Again, the In'ca Din'ca dodged the strikes and deftly disarmed Corran with a numbing blow to the wrist with the haft of his weapon.
Corran only felt the beginnings of the lightsaber sawing into his neck.
The cave reappeared suddenly around him, and Corran slumped to the ground, tears of rage pouring from his eyes in harmony with the wracking sobs coming from his chest, from the very center of his being.
"No, no, no," he murmured furiously, trailing off as his throat choked him with an iron grip. He pounded his fist on the cold stone flooring of the chamber, not caring that his strikes were beginning to bloody his hands.
"Much anger, yes," said a calm, somewhat squeaky voice from behind him. "And much pain."
Corran swiped at tears still coursing down his cheeks as he turned on his side to view the intruder, nearly screaming as his injured ankle caught on a snag in the floor and angled sharply, stressing the bone incredibly.
The figure he saw was very short, and faintly luminous, almost seeming to fade into the mists beyond. Wrapped in diminutive Jedi robes, the creature leaned heavily on a walking stick, and pointed ears thrust out of a sparsely covered head. It seemed to be regarding him quizzically.
"Who," Corran croaked out of his still-constricted throat, "who are you? I want to be left alone."
"Heh," the creature laughed shortly. "Alone you are, yes, all alone. Always alone, are you."
Corran felt irritation at the strange being. "Who are you?" he demanded angrily.
"You see, much anger," the being said softly, almost as if to himself. "Yoda am I."
Corran frowned for a second, and then his eyes flew open in astonishment, tears and anger forgotten completely. "You are the actual Yoda? You instructed Luke Skywalker?" A thought struck him. "But you're dead, aren't you?"
"Heh," Yoda said again. "To friends, you are dead, yes? Relative, death is."
Corran felt faintly confused, but was still too much in awe of the little Jedi Master to object to the conundrum he posited. "Then... I'm on Dagobah? I'm having a vision of Dagobah?"
"A quick mind, yes, very quick," Yoda nodded his assent, coming forwards slightly. "A Force vision, this is, yes, very hard to distinguish from reality. Called you I have."
More astonishment filled Corran's mind. "Called... me? Why?"
A frown wrinkled Yoda's brow, and a sigh followed that seemed to deflate him. "Darkness, there is, moving across the galaxy." His eerie gaze drifted across Corran to pierce his eyes. "Connected to it, you are."
"Me?" Corran asked weakly, and then fell back, squeezing his eyes shut in remembered pain. "I had no choice."
Yoda's voice hardened. "Do all you can, you must, to prevent the dark side from spreading. If much further it reaches, all hope is lost."
Corran shot up, anger blazing like a torch inside him. "I will not be responsible for my friend's death!" he snapped.
Sadness engulfed Yoda's eyes. "Told you he did, not to relent. Willing, is he, to sacrifice for the greater good. Why let you the Dark Jedi have their way? Tipped the balance is already."
"I cannot, I WILL NOT!" thundered Corran.
"Called, the Jedi are, to maintain the balance," Yoda returned quickly. "If a Jedi you hope to be, practice these beliefs you must."
"I- will- not- do it," hissed Corran.
"Then everything you risk," Yoda said, and Corran felt the vision dissolving around him, and felt himself descending back into a more peaceful, dreamless sleep.
-Sci-Fi Nerd