Part 13

Ben swallowed his surprise as he studied the solar system before him. The dovin basals and the rings were in their place, but defenses were not as thick as expected.

"Looks like those asteroids are still there." Someone commented over the radio.

"It's not like Hoth or Alderaan. It wouldn't be difficult to fly around that ring." Ben replied.

"Let's just get rid of those dovin basals while nobody knows we're all here. Flames, we'll cover you if you need to concentrate." Ben's wingmate replied.

"Mind if I send you first, Crest?" Ben offered. When the young woman agreed, Ben allowed for the Force to flow through him. As his range expanded, Ben sensed the hard, cold metal that composed the starfighters and the somewhat unanimous excitement that radiated from the mix-and-match group of pilots that had been brought together a year ago. He knew he did not feel every member of the group, so he reached further into the Force to extend his probes by a few kilometers.

At last, Ben was able to feel everyone. Everyone plus Sil. The Jedi reached out toward his cousin, but her presence receded upon his touch, as if she was hiding something. Then, almost as quickly as the presence withdrew, it was back, but different from before. Ben could tell that his cousin was showing him some mask and he reached out to undo the trick.

The young Skywalker returned his attention to the pilots when he received a flash of fear from them. He could use that old technique to unveil his Hapan cousin's deception anytime, but he could only guide the battle at the moment. He focused his attentions on a starfighter and allowed the Force to show him what the other pilot perceived. Then, using what he knew of the ancient battle meditation that Jacen had rediscovered, Ben sent the fighter to the perceived location of the dovin basal and hoped that no gravity shields would crush his friend.

Ben maneuvered himself slightly to avoid the attackers broke through the circle of pilots who defended his ship. Curse it! I'm not fast enough. Jacen, why do you always have to wait 'til there's a huge fight to meld us all? Ben then shook the thought off. The lack of speed was not Jacen's fault, for he was the only Jedi in the system who was willing to participate.

"Buy me a few more seconds. I think that princess might help me speed this up." Ben pushed a lock of hair back and once again reached out to his distant cousin. His high hopes were demolished as he received the most languid of responses from Sil.

Whatever words Sil might have been thinking of were transformed into static by the time Ben heard her thoughts, but he knew she had said something about a touch from another Force user.

"Hey Flames, it's about time we get moving!" Someone complained over the comm.

"Do your thing, but be a bit more careful! You only have the planet's gravity to speed you up! I'm going into that ring." I hope I won't get any attention! Ben thought as he evaded asteroids, ships, and plasma.

"Want me to blow that up, Two?" Ben did not realize that he had an enemy on his tail until the friend's offer. Ben considered his options before speaking. The first choice was to lose the skip in the artificial ring around the planet and the second was to have it blown to oblivion.

"Take him out and make sure nobody else decides to follow me on that joyride." The Jedi finally decided, for the pilot of the skip was likely to know the area better than any of the natives of the galaxy.

Ben's X-Wing shook as a bolt of plasma hit the shield on the rear end. Pretending as if nothing had happened, Ben dove into the ring that was once Coruscant's moon.

Infected… not with Alpha Red… but still weak. Ben heard the voice through the Force almost as soon as he found a place large enough to hide his X-Wing.

Can you repeat that a bit louder? I don't think I caught what you're saying. Ben sent back, wishing that Streen was present.

Tell the Alliance, TAKE OUT THOSE DOVIN BASILS WHILE THEY'RE STILL WEAK! It took a while, but Ben Skywalker finally recognized the presence as that of Jysella Horn's. So my cousin's been trying to point at you. It made sense, for if Jysella had somehow lived through being blown up in space, she would have attempted to any Force sensitive in the area, especially when there was urgent news.

Thanks, 'Sella, but how do I trust that? Ben thought at Jaina's former student using her nickname.

-scene change-

Sil winced as she saw her crimson blood on the fingertip of the gray-faced person before her. There was no pain, but the Jedi child knew that it was due to the Yuuzhan Vong depressant that had kept her asleep for hours and made her body staticky in the Force.

"My child, you can just tell us about all the other heirs of Hapes. You'll be released and we'll your rivals and then your mother will have no choice but to crown you. All you have to do is tell us who they are." The apparently young shaper offered.

Sil nearly smiled and opened her mouth to blurt out every last detail on her mother's family, for the captors had truly hit home on her desires. She would never willingly admit it, but for years, she had wanted every last prince and princess, perhaps save her sister and grandfather, dead. No, if Murra wants to live, she'll have to either stay out of my way or kill me. Mother's too nice and those cousins will see it should I ever inherit the crown.

The princess instinctively drew her presence in the minute a mind probe hit her, for it was more than disgraceful for a Hapan to be caught plotting, especially by a Jedi. The stakes multiplied when the person was a Jedi who had still had much to learn about self-defense. Then, using what little access she had to the Force in her condition, Sil summoned a façade. A moment later, the other Jedi returned with an offer of a meld that resembled the battle meditation that Father sometimes used, but he quickly revoked it when he apparent felt her condition.

Upon realizing that Ben Skywalker was in the system despite the threat, the girl sent him the impression she had felt from someone on the planet, hoping that his needs might be met.

-scene change-

"Tell the brat to speak of her crèche-mates! She's given us enough excuses." Kodachi Cha ordered the man who had spied on the Hapan government for Nom Anor the minute he arrived on the scene.

"Princess, you have much incentive to tell us of the children of your mother's house and of your father's house. Especially Ben Skywalker and the hidden children of the twins." The spy gave an elaborate translation in Hapan.