Once again I apologize for how long it took me to get this chapter up. I rarely have time to write so updates may come only once a week or ten days. Thanks to all my reviewers. I too, had despaired at a lack of really good stories with Jacen Solo as the star, and I hope you continue to enjoy this story. Again, please let me know what you think. Thank you and enjoy.
One standard month later
With the Jedi Knights spread throughout the galaxy in an attempt to fight the Yuuzhan Vong where they could, it was difficult for even Master Skywalker to know where the majority of them were. Thankfully, most of the younger students and the new candidates that had been found during the course of the war had been secreted away to the Jedi base of Eclipse in the Deep Core.
So when General Wedge Antilles asked his old friend to gather the Jedi for a very important meeting, Luke was unsure how many he could find, and was even less certain of how many would be able to attend.
To his own great surprise, he had managed to gather a rather large number in his spacious, top-floor apartment on Mon Calamari.
Luke sighed as he looked around the room. So many faces were no longer with them. So many Jedi lost to the war.
Mara sat next to him along with Han and Leia, waiting patiently for Wedge and Iella to arrive. Jaina lounged against Jag Fel's chest on one of the sofas. Others were scattered around the room. Zekk and Lowbacca were off to one side chatting, Kyp Durron, Kenth Hamner, Corran Horn, and Tresina Lobi stood near one of the large windows, talking quietly and looking out at the great seas of the planet. Alema Rar, Tahiri Veila, Val Horn, Tekli, Ganner Rhysode, Octa Ramis, Marke Medjev, Waxarn Kel, Kyle Katarn, Saba Sebatyne, Cilghal, and a few others sat in chairs or stood by silently, some shifting their feet in nervous anticipation. Since Wedge hadn't even told Luke what they needed this meeting for, everyone had a right to be nervous.
Luke sighed again, thinking of the faces that should've been here too. Miko Reglia, Wurth Skidder, Raynar Thul, Eryl Besa, Jovan Drark, Ulaha Kore, Tenel Ka, and most dear to Luke, Jacen and Anakin.
The door chimed, and Ganner, standing next to it, welcomed Wedge and Iella.
Luke rose and embraced his old friend, and greeted Iella with a kiss on the cheek. Han pumped Wedge's hand and Leia embraced Iella.
"How you been, Luke?" Wedge asked, trying to break the ice.
The Jedi Master shrugged easily, pushing aside the broken heart he'd just been ruminating on. He felt something at the back of his mind.
Stay out of my mind, Jade, he joked to his wife.
"I've been good, Wedge," Luke replied, "Thank you for asking. Okay, everyone gather around. Wedge, you must have had a really good reason for getting as many Jedi as you could together, so don't keep us in suspense any more."
Wedge nodded to Iella, who produced a small holoplayer and put it on the center table. It activated, revealing a human-like being in a hooded robe.
"This is some person who is in the service of the Yuuzhan Vong," she explained, "We know that he has a great deal of authority and is considered very high up in the ranks. He's ordered the sacrifices of hundreds, maybe thousands of innocent people. This," she paused, "is how he defends himself."
She activated the recording. There was no sound, but something seemed to have garnered the person's attention off to one side. Whoever made the recording panned back a little, and a trio of humans rushed the person, armed with crude clubs. One of them had managed to scrounge up a blaster.
The person waved off the Yuuzhan Vong around him. Blaster bolts came right at him, but the mysterious stranger raised a hand, blocking the bolts with no discernable effort. The blaster suddenly flew out of the attacker's hand and hovered in the air. Before the attackers got within five meters, the stranger raised his hand again and the men were flung backwards, then floated up into the air. They seemed to be screaming.
Iella stopped the recording. "There's no need to see the rest of it. He takes an amphistaff from one of the warriors and kills all three of the men. Well, Master Skywalker, the rest of us in Intelligence have our theory, what's yours?"
Luke brought his blue eyes to match hers. "Whoever he is, he's definitely Force-sensitive, and he looks to be well trained in using his powers."
"He looked powerful," said Jaina, as a shudder ran through her, "I couldn't tell for sure, but from his body language he didn't seem concerned at all. It was like he knew there was nothing they could do to hurt him. If I had a lightsaber that would be one thing, but how did he block those blaster bolts? They should have torn his hand apart."
Others nodded in agreement. They all knew the story of how Darth Vader had blocked shots from Han Solo on Bespin, but most attributed it to his armored gauntlets. This stranger had just shown that he could defend himself from blasters without any defensive items.
"Luke, I have to tell you, Councilor Pwoe and a couple of his other anti-Jedi friends saw this recording a few hours ago, and well, he wants to go public with this," said Wedge sadly.
"Why would he want to do that?" asked Han, "Wouldn't that pretty much kill morale?"
"Somewhat," answered Iella, "but it'll discredit the Jedi a lot more than anything else."
"But that's not a Jedi!" protested Jaina, "Every Jedi that Uncle Luke has trained is either on missions, in this room, or is dead. That last group includes both of my brothers, make sure you tell the squid-head that."
Leia almost made a comment to her daughter, but saw that Jag had already gently taken hold of Jaina's arm and was pulling her back into a more relaxed position.
Wedge tried to make the young woman understand. "We both know that, Jaina. The problem is Pwoe doesn't care. He thinks your brothers got what they deserved. If this gets out, people will assume that it's a Jedi and they'll get scared."
Everything within Leia burned for her to mention the possibility that it was Jacen, but she couldn't. Everyone here knew that she was certain her eldest son was alive, but not one here believed her.
Well, maybe one did.
"General Antilles, is it possible that this could be Jacen Solo?" asked Ganner, "We never got any kind of confirmation that he was dead, and judging from how much Warmaster Tsavong Lah hated him, you would have thought that he would have tooted that horn immediately."
Leia wanted to bless the man. She knew that the other Jedi had long had problems with Ganner Rhysode's arrogance and hero complex, but he was at least open to the possibility that her boy was still alive.
"Ganner, shut up," snapped Jaina, "My twin brother is dead. Gone. Erased from existence. There hasn't been a twitch from him in the Force for nearly five years."
"Wedge, is the military or intelligence branch planning an operation?" asked Luke, steering everyone back to the matter at hand.
The Alliance general shook his head sadly. "None. Let's just say that the couple of people who have seen this footage, well, they weren't exactly enthusiastic about sending troops into what they think is certain death. So if anything is going to be done about this guy, it's the Jedi who will have to do it."
Luke turned and let his eyes roam over the assembled Jedi. "I can't ask any one of you for anything. Any mission involves going back to Coruscant. This is potentially more dangerous even than the mission to Myrkr."
"I'll go, Master Skywalker," said Ganner without hesitation.
"Uncle Luke," said Jaina, "there won't be a mission. At least not without me."
"If Jaina is going into this fight, then I'm going too," added Jag.
The two newlyweds looked deep into each others eyes. Even though Jag couldn't feel the Force, they were able to communicate their worries and reassurance without words. Jag pulled Jaina close to him and held her for several long moments.
Lowbacca howled something, while Zekk handled the translation. "Lowie and I will be going too. If there's any chance of learning whatever happened to Jace, then we want to find out."
"Well, where the Goddess leads, her servants follow," joked Kyp, "so I guess that means I volunteer too."
"You guys will need someone who speaks the Yuuzhan Vong language," added Tahiri, "maybe we can meet up with the heretical movement and get their help."
"And you'll need a healer, so I'll go too," added Tekli.
Almost unseen standing near the back of the group, Alema Rar volunteered as well.
Luke stopped it there. If he didn't, he was certain that the entirety of the Jedi would have volunteered for this mission. He wasn't sure if they all considered this stranger to be that much of a threat, or, if like Zekk, Lowie, and Ganner, they wanted to find out about Jacen.
His death had affected all of them, something Luke had never guessed at. The Force scream had affected every Jedi in the galaxy. Kam Solusar had even told Luke that the Jedi had felt it at the secret Eclipse base. Everyone had their favorite stories of Jacen's bad jokes or masterful pranks. While everyone had held Anakin in high respect, only with his death did the Jedi realize just how much Jacen had been a part of their lives.
"I can't ask any of you to go on this mission based on a hasty decision," Luke told them, "so you will all wait one week. Any who want to change their mind may do so. You are not cowards or traitors to your fellow Jedi."
"Everyone going on the mission will meet up with me tomorrow morning at the Trickster," ordered Jaina, "We'll take the Vong's coralship to Coruscant. That should give us the opportunity to infiltrate the planet's defenses and get groundside. This is a search and destroy mission everyone. Our goal is to kill this Dark Side user. He's dangerous, and obviously has sacrificed all the goodness of his heart. He's no better than a member of the Peace Brigade. Keep that in your heads at all times. Whoever or whatever this person is, he's a traitor."
A few minutes later, after working out some details with Wedge and Iella about the extent of the aid they could expect from the Alliance and the military, Luke dismissed the Jedi.
Ganner made a straight line for his room. This whole thing failed to make any kind of sense, and the best starting place for him was to go to the gymnasium. A hard workout should clear his head enough that he could then meditate. On the way to his apartment, a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder from behind and spun him around.
Ganner found himself face-to-face with Jaina, whose eyes burned with barely contained fury.
"If you, ever, mention my brother's name, Ganner, I will break you into a thousand tiny pieces," she threatened, "I know a few years back you disobeyed me. I know you went halfway across the galaxy looking for Jacen and found nothing. You listen to what I'm telling you. My brothers are dead! You got that? Don't ever breathe a word to contradict me again."
Without another word, Jaina turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Ganner stunned and breathless. Her angry Force presence had overwhelmed him, and even though he stood nearly a head taller, it had felt like she was talking down to him.
He didn't know what to do any more. Jaina had threatened before to hurt him when he went looking for Jacen, but that had been when she'd nearly been in the grip of the Dark Side. Ganner looked back at the way Jaina had left. Apparently she hadn't completely thrown off the Dark Side's hold.
"Sithspit Jacen," he whispered fiercely, "Where the hell are you? We need you. Jaina needs you."
Far away from Mon Calamari, in his quarters on reshaped Yuuzhan'tar, a lone figure knelt meditating. His body remained motionless, but his mind was scattered through the reaches of the galaxy, in total harmony with the Force.
Distantly, Jacen heard the dilating lock open and he pulled out of the flow of the Force. He opened his eyes to see Vergere standing before him. He smiled.
"They're coming soon," he said, rising smoothly to his feet.
"The ones you are expecting?" she asked.
Jacen grinned. "One can only hope."
At that moment, the lock opened again and one of the Slayer guards came in. "Priest Harrar answers your summons, my lord."
"Come in, Harrar," ordered Jacen.
The priest of Yun-Harla entered the room and saluted Jacen properly. "How may I be of service, my Lord Slayer?"
"My familiar, Vergere, has told me many interesting facts about you, and the work you have done in regards to the Jedi. Particularly in the case of poor Priestess Elan. I have also discerned that you have not been overly thrilled with the Supreme Overlord, especially lately as the war continues to grind on with no end in sight. Tell me priest, would Quoreal have done better?"
Harrar started at the mention of Shimrra's predecessor as Supreme Overlord. He instinctively began looking around for sensing biots. Jacen noticed Harrar's wild glances and laughed easily.
"Calm your mind, Harrar. Shimrra has no eyes or ears here," he said, "This is a simple conversation among a few conspirators. So? Answer my question."
Harrar steeled himself for whatever consequences might arise from his answer. "Quoreal would never have come to this galaxy. Shimrra will slaughter our people and lead us to ruin if this war is not ended."
"Is it your wish to see an end to this war then, priest?" asked Jacen.
"Yes."
The word came out hesitantly, breathlessly. Harrar had never before even admitted it to himself that ending the war might be the only course that could save the Yuuzhan Vong. Even if they did defeat the Galactic Alliance, the soul of their people that Yun-Yuuzhan had given them in ancient days was gone.
"I too, wish to see this war ended, Harrar," said Jacen kindly, meeting the priest's eyes as they came up from the floor, "I have been working for a long time to divine a solution that would give both sides a true victory, for simple victories in battle will not solve this war. I believe that I have found such a solution. What I want to know, is are you willing to aid me in this endeavor?"
Harrar nodded firmly. "My Lord Slayer, if one such as you desires an end to this war, then such must be the best course for our people. You are possessed of boundless wisdom. I will follow your lead into my Blessed Release."
Jacen smiled kindly. He had hoped that Harrar would be accommodating, but one could never be certain when it came to such a conspiracy.
"Good. Vergere, bring in our other conspirator," ordered Jacen.
The Fosh entered one of the other rooms and quickly returned with a woman. Harrar was startled. The master's hand and her writhing headdress indicated only one thing; a master shaper. What was worse, he knew this woman.
"Nen Yim," he growled.
Shimrra's personal heretical shaper. The one who had been involved in the blasphemous shaping of the Jeedai Tahiri. She who performed research and tried to innovate.
Harrar didn't realize how much he was broadcasting his thoughts, which came across as easily to Jacen as if he were reading them off a datapad.
"I know you believe Nen Yim to be a heretic, priest," he said calmly, "and in truth, she is one of the worst according to the Yuuzhan Vong. But she is even worse than that. She is like you."
"What!" cried Harrar, indignant of any comparison between himself and the blasphemer.
"You are both terrible heretics," continued Jacen, "for you carry a weapon that is far more dangerous than an amphistaff, bo'tus, or even a grutchin. You both carry ideas. A capacity for peace. This is what makes you two similar. Now listen carefully. I have learned of a planet known to this galaxy as Zonoma Sekot. It is a living planet, one that I believe is very similar to the way the ancient texts describe primordial Yuuzhan'tar. Vergere will lead you both into the downlevels, where the Prophet of the Shamed Ones is waiting for you. He will lead the three of you to one of the heretics' secret coralcraft. Vergere will then take the both of you to Zonoma Sekot, where you must try to uncover the secrets that it holds for the Yuuzhan Vong."
"You truly believe that this planet is the key to ending the war, Lord Slayer?" asked Harrar, wanting to know the truth.
"Yes, I do," Jacen admitted, "I think this Zonoma Sekot is crucial to peace. The gods will bless you all on this journey."
Nom Anor watched as that feathered freak Vergere led the other two towards where he and several of the Shamed Ones were waiting. A shaper and a priest. Whatever Jacen Solo had planned, it wasn't war.
How he hated Jacen and Vergere. It had been his plan to turn Jacen into the avatar of Yun-Yammka. He had been the one to oversee his conversion to the True Way. He had risked the fury of Warmaster Tsavong Lah. Yet, here he was in the downlevels of shaped Coruscant, hiding for his life, surviving only by the good graces of Jacen Solo.
Dark thoughts of betrayal crossed Nom Anor's mind, even as he properly greeted the three conspirators as the Prophet. He and the other heretics led them on a confusing path to the secret coralcraft. As they boarded for their journey to who-knows-where, Nom Anor began to wonder if there was a way that he could somehow send word to Shimrra that Jacen Solo was not the paragon of the gods that everyone thought he was. In fact, Jacen Solo was a traitor.
Somehow, he would regain his power. Nom Anor swore this silently as the coralcraft lifted off the ground.
Vergere gently landed the coralcraft on the same grassy field that she and Jacen had come down on nearly two months ago. She turned to Harrar and Nen Yim, trying to gauge their reaction to the planet.
It wasn't difficult.
Both of them were staring with wide eyes and open mouths at the serene beauty that surrounded them. Even being her third visit to Zonoma, Vergere could still get overwhelmed by the sense of peace and harmony that seemed to totally encompass everything about the planet.
They descended, and were met.
"Welcome to Zonoma Sekot," greeted Commander Ekh'm Val. Vergere noticed that he no longer wore his vonduun crab armor, but rather a loose-fitting tunic similar to that worn by the Ferroans.
Vergere realized that although it seemed like Jabitha stood next to him, it wasn't her. It was Sekot in the Magister's form.
"Why do I truly feel that I know you?" mused Sekot. Harrar and Nen Yim turned to the projection, not understanding.
"Harrar, Nen Yim, allow me to introduce you to Sekot, the guiding intelligence of Zonoma," said Vergere, "Sekot, these are others of the Far Outsiders, the Yuuzhan Vong."
Sekot seemed to grin in both a confused and superior grin. "This I know from long talks with Ekh'm Val. But that was not long ago. My memory goes back many turnings, but the sense that I know this people stretches before that."
Harrar cleared his throat nervously. "Lord Jacen Solo believes that Zonoma Sekot is similar to the way our ancient histories have described our homeworld, a planet that we called Yuuzhan'tar."
"I have great knowledge of our life-forms," added Nen Yim, "and just from looking around I see many things that are amazingly similar here."
Sekot smiled at the shaper. "Then I think you and I will have to work together to understand each other. Perhaps we can solve this mystery, as partners."
Harrar nodded silently to himself. Jacen Solo had been right. This planet was the key to peace for the Yuuzhan Vong. He wondered why he felt like he had known of this planet for his whole life. Why did it feel like… like home?