Chapter 10: There is No Civility, Only Politics
"We were betrayed," the Yuuzhan Vong Separatist from the Bilbringi shipyards, Zasong For'lin, shouted, his clawed fingers balled up in a fist until the sharp ends punctured through the soft skin of his palm. His sloped forehead was corrugated in disturbed ruffles brought on by his tortured anger.
Representative Zorel, the Separatists' delegate in the senate, waited out the resounding wave of anger that rumbled through the small dome serving as a replacement for the Separatist Tower that had been destroyed in the Battle of Bellalt.
Warmaster Tarsvin Shraq had warned him of what was to come, had explained that the deaths of their brethren had sent them to exaltation with the Gods. Zorel had noted the fervor in Shraq's eyes when he had said this, and the Separatists' representative knew that the time they had been waiting for had finally come. The time to join their brothers and destroy the infidels of this universe, to purge the very machines that the Separatists had tainted themselves with, the blasphemy that they had so willingly grasped in hands that had only known the living organisms of their biotechnology.
The attacks had left a number of their people either dead or with wounds that were so severe that it was only a matter of time before they would join the Gods. None of the injured, however, asked for their lives to be taken, and it was an indicator, to Zorel, just how far the Separatists had come from the old ways.
Zorel had been an agent of the Devotees, a present-time Nom Anor, who didn't let the taint of the infidels contaminate him as his predecessor had allowed. He had learned the art of manipulation from the galactic Senate, and knew when it was time to get rid of a possible problem. Dorsca Cherrz, his onetime assistant, had been one of those problems, and Zorel's attempt to avoid the disaster at Bellalt had failed miserably. Somehow, Cherrz had survived.
"Thank you, domain For'lin. I think we all regret the loss of your daughter's life in the attack," Zorel began. He had to do this just right, or risk someone realizing he was more Devotee than Separatist. "First the strike on Linnal, the Battle of Bellalt, and now we are being singled out on our home planets. Our children are targeted!"
That caused the dome full of Yuuzhan Vong Separatists to cry out the injustice of it all. Zorel kept back the sly smile that begged to curl on his scarless features. Oh, how he longed for the day he could once again don the ritualistic marks of his ancestry, marks that had become shunned by the Separatist but soon would be honored.
"It would seem that we cannot go to the New Republic for help," he said into the microphone, his voice echoing with tones of betrayal. [I]What would these pawns of the Gods' ultimate goal do if they knew that it was the Devotee hierarchy that had planned these attacks, that had sent their brethren to honor with the Gods?[/I] "They are the ones who strike at us."
"Break away from the infidels," one voice from the crowd cried out, one that Zorel had personally placed among the emotionally turbulent of his race. There were some who were quick to join the placed warrior among them, crying out their rage, while thumping their hands to their right breastplate in the sign of the old age.
Others, those who had been prosperous in the New Republic, held back from taking sides, but their eyes darted to those of their quick-to-judge brethren, a nostalgic look crossing their sloped features. Those for whom the first wave of violence against the Yuuzhan Vong hadn't brought to mind a reunion with the Devotees, the true place of the Yuuzhan Vong, the second wave would.
He patted the air with his hands, as if the gesture could sooth the troubled cacophony from the air. Again, he was aware how easily a misdirected word could throw off the tidal wave he wanted to resurrect in his people. "Let us not be hasty with our judgment," he replied in a soothing tone that was as soft as shimmersilk but as deadly as an amphistaff. "We have led good lives under the direction of the New Republic." He needed to play the part of Representative of the Separatists to the Senate, he had to have the trust of his people and that of the infidels in order to crush the infidels completely.
As if he could tame the wild amphistaff, the crowd fell under his control, their arguments and counter arguments silencing under the slyly smooth tones of his voice. Once he was sure he had the attention of all those around him, he brought his hands down. "I suggest we give the New Republic an ultimatum. Divulge the names of those who are striking against us and allow us to take our justice. If they do not wish a war with our people, they will give them over without problem, but if it is true and we have been betrayed, we will make them pay."
Cheers erupted from all quarters of the dome, filling Zorel with morbid pleasure. Zorel's ambition didn't extend to just uniting his people, no - he had visions of honor bestowed on domain Zorel.
"We are still the warrior people we once were, tempered by the securities of the New Republic. But no more." Again, cheers erupted, even from those who had previously refrained from choosing sides.
Zorel felt the rush of power he had over his people, the Separatists that would soon be the unionist faction of the Yuuzhan Vong a clear majority compared to the diminishing Separatist sect.
When the time came for the brethren to come together, and once the infidels were swept from the galaxy, he would retake his place as leader of not only the Separatist Yuuzhan Vong, but of all those of his species that remained in the galaxy.
[hr][/hr]
Jacen felt his skin crawl as he watched the footage from the Separatist Yuuzhan Vong meeting and saw the way that Representative Zorel so easily guided his constituents; it brought bad memories of the senator of Kuat to mind. Yet, by his very words, all Representative Zorel wanted was justice, or so it would seem. There was something in his words, the way they had torn through the Yuuzhan vocal chords that made Jacen all the more suspicious.
Although he had yet to learn the ability to sense the Yuuzhan Vong in the Force, he had never doubted that they were a part of the energy field that simultaneously thrived from and generated life. Due to his capture during the war against the extragalactic travelers, he had a greater understanding of the Yuuzhan Vong, their hierarchy, and the devotee religion. The two galaxies' different approaches to the life had been the greatest breach between them. With time, and through the help of those who had once been labeled Shamed by the Gods, Jacen and the rest of the Jedi had managed to show the Separatists that honor could be found in saving life.
In the beginning, the Separatists had agreed on a truce, knowing that their people would be destroyed, annihilated if they continued their pursuit to take over the galaxy for the Gods. An acquiescent approach, that Jacen was all too aware had been nothing more than a delaying tactic at first, the Yuuzhan Vong still clinging to the hope that they could somehow overthrow the New Republic and gain the galaxy they had been endowed.
Gradually, the distinction was made between Separatist and Devotee, then a separation. It had always worried Jacen that the break had been so clean, especially from a people that had been so tenacious about designation of the Gods. His father would have deemed it, "This is too good to be true." Now it was proving to be a nightmare.
"I don't need to explain to you how volatile the situation is,"Chief of State Kuantin Tiv's holoprojected presence said. Jacen probably would have been called to Mon Cal, despite the futileness of such a journey, and was thankful that Kuantin Tiv was a conservative in his government. To Jacen's left, Leia stirred against her husband's side. Jacen had invited his parents along to this conference with the Chief of State. Leia, who had once held the very position in the New Republic that Chief Tiv did, would have innumerable insights for Jacen later. Jacen had long since discovered the wisdom that his parents and uncles held was invaluable; at the time of the war he had begun to think he was the only one with the answers, had neglected the years of knowledge and hardship his parents, aunt, and uncle had gained. No longer.
He motioned his mother forward, sensing her hesitation to speak in a meeting that had only requested his presence. She gave him a brief smile as she stepped forward. "Chief Tiv," she greeted.
A moment of hesitation played on the Ardian's vine tattooed features. Leia Organa Solo had held so many titles in her life time, from Princess to Chief of State to Jedi Knight. Tiv and the ever-present pressure of politics had to select the right one. Jacen felt his mother's amusement, although it did not show one iota on her aging features. Uncle Luke's death and Ben's orphaned state made Jacen all the more appreciative of his parents, knowing he had almost lost them on a number of occasions.
"Jedi Organa Solo," Tiv decided not even a breath after Leia's greeting. The hesitation had only been long in the understanding the Jedi held, Jacen's father probably hadn't noticed it.
Chief Tiv had chosen well, by the acceptance that radiated off of Leia. "We are in threat of a civil war," she announced.
The Ardian sighed heavily. "I think there is no doubt that Civil War is upon us. The allegations they have thrown out, that our own people have reneged on the treaty and are attacking Yuuzhan Vong can neither be denied or verified. Those ships that were reported to be at each attack were scheduled for annual routine maneuver exercises. I've spoken with Admiral Gyser Feld, and he has no record of infiltration into our military, our finest internal affairs are working on the problem even as we speak, but Feld is not optimistic." Chief Tiv ran a finger down the vine tatoo, an Ardian custom that Jacen had yet to identify. "Whoever got those transponder signals needed a large amount of knowledge to access the mainframe."
Han, leaning on the table, his hands shoved into the pockets of his nearly threadbare Corellian blood-striped pants, asked, "You suspect someone on the inside?"
Tiv leaned back in the conforming chair, lacing his razor-clawed fingers, and shook his head. "It's a possibility, but then again we may never know. I'd hoped to speak with the High Council about transferring Jedi into our internal affairs unit," the Chief of State's statement was more like a question.
"As ambassador to the New Republic, I'm sure I can get those people for you," Jacen assured him. The High Council had already given him absolute jurisdiction in the matters of his position in the New Republic, and he himself could put together the team he wanted. "I'd also like to send my father along as well." Han blinked in surprise, and looked to his son questioningly.
"Who better to infiltrate the New Republic than Han Solo?" Jacen continued. "We could arrange a disguise easily enough, most of the holos the tri-D's are showing are the older ones from the war days. You could lead the Jedi team, and not be suspected by any people Lord Nefarion might have on the inside."
The cocksure grin that had made Han a well-holoed hero spread across the aging features. "You know I prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around," he countered, giving Jacen a hard time despite the fact his son already knew he was in.
Jacen grinned wryly back. "Just think of it as teaching an old nek new tricks."
"What about the Yuuzhan Vong?" Leia said, bringing the topic to its ultimate concern.
"I wish Anakin hadn't taken Dorsca Cherrz with him, his insight would be invaluable," Jacen said, yet again wondering at the recklessness of his younger brother. Yes, the old antagonism was still there, the differences that had pulled them apart fifteen years ago tearing them apart at present.
Leia gave him a scolding look, one that still got a reaction out of him despite his thirty-four years of age. "It wasn't as though he was conspiring against you, Jacen. Corran sent domain Cherrz to him, he had his reasons." [I]And you shouldn't question your brother's motives,[/I] Jacen read from her tone.
"Who is this Dorsca Cherrz?" Tiv asked, curiosity written in his albino eyes.
The three Solos exchanged questioning looks before Jacen turned to answer the Chief of State. "You are aware of my brother's and my cousin's ability to sense the Yuuzhan Vong in the Force?" Jacen asked. Tiv nodded that he did. "Well, while on Linnal, Anakin and Ben discovered that one of the Yuuzhan Vong was strong in the Force; later it was this Yuuzhan Vong that Master Horn brought to Coruscant and who revealed the plans for the next attack on Bellalt.
"Master Skywalker -" and the pain of his uncle's death rushed up and hit him unexpectedly. Jacen swallowed. "Master Skywalker found this a great opportunity to see if we could train a Yuuzhan Vong Jedi."
Chief Tiv leaned forward his elbows coming to rest on his desk. "Could domain Cherrz possibly be a spy for the Yuuzhan Vong?"
Jacen had anticipated the question; the old fears of the Vong and their tactics were hard to erase from the minds of any of the indigenous members of the galaxy. The priestess Elan had made them all wary of supposed Vong defection. "Ben and Anakin both feel that he is genuine."
"Yet, you say he can touch the Force, could he not mask his real intent?" Tiv pursued.
[I]How can I convince him without revealing Ben's ability as a seer?[/I] Jacen questioned himself. From Ben's shared experience with domain Cherrz, when Nefarion's men had tried to stamp out the inconvenient Separatist aide, Dorsca had become above suspicion. "Ben and Anakin are not easily fooled, and my own 'vongsense' is telling me that he is trustworthy."
That seemed to satisfy Chief Tiv for the time being, but it was only a temporary victory and Jacen knew it. It would take much more for the galaxy to trust the Yuuzhan Vong completely. Jacen believed, as had Luke, that Dorsca Cherrz was the key to building those relationships to security, frustrating Jacen all the more that Anakin had allowed the Vong student to tag along on his quest for Ben.
"In the meantime," Jacen said, relying on the momentum he had already gained with the Chief of State, "I will prepare the team and send them, along with my father."
"Just like the old days," Leia said, nudging Han in the ribs. But there was an awkwardness to the move, something that said there could never be anything like the old days, when Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia flitted from one side of the galaxy to the other, restoring freedom to a repressed galaxy.
"I welcome your help, Captain Solo," Tiv said, then his flickering image turned back to Jacen. "Inform me of any further developments."
"Of course, Chief Tiv," Jacen assured, bowing in customary Jedi fashion. The projected image of Chief Tiv flickered and dissipated.
"What do you think?" Jacen asked his mother, as they settled into the small living area of his parents' apartment in the Temple.
"He's playing it safe, or as safe as we can get with the accusations that are flying at the Republic. It was a good move to get your father involved, I wouldn't trust anyone else to lead the team," Leia said.
Jacen jerked at the implication. "You think we've got an intruder in the Temple?"
"All the signs point to it, junior," Han came into the conversation. "The Sith was waiting for Luke and his squad on Bellalt, knew how large our forces were to insure victory. We got lucky that Jag came in when he did. Lord Nefarion was after Ben, knew that he was a part of the team, and concocted a plot to get to him."
"But the plan failed," Jacen countered, although there was no solace in the statement.
"The whole thing stinks of the Sith," Han said. He caught Leia's attention. "Remember Bespin?"
Leia's eyes went wide and her face paled. "Do you think Nefarion will try the same thing? Find bait for Ben to succumb to?"
Han shrugged, somehow managing to show his worry in the nonchalant gesture. "You've read some of the archives from the Order. Palpatine was in a high ranking position, the Jedi answering to his whim, meeting with him a number of times." He splayed his hands to either side of him, giving Leia and Jacen a grimace. "They never suspected a thing until it was too late."
Jacen frowned, stroking the course hairs of his beard. "So what are you saying? We can't go around accusing every Jedi of being in league with a Sith Lord."
"That's what he would want," Leia agreed. "A wall of chaos to blind us from him."
"I'm saying we keep our guard up. Trust only those that we're sure we can trust," Han said. "Because it wouldn't take much for Nefarion to find the right bait." He gave his son a pointed look. "Tahiri is vulnerable, a Sith agent could come snatch her away without much of a fight because she wouldn't want to hurt the baby. Ben would easily trade his life for Tahiri."
Jacen cringed. Tahiri was nearly due to give birth to their little one, a girl if Ben's visions were true, and Jacen had no doubt that they were. It was one of the reasons he had been glad not to be called to Coruscant. He felt an irrepressible urge to run out and make sure his wife and child were safe in their quarters, but he remained seated. He would not give in to irrational fear. "We could forbid Ben from the trade-off if it came to that," Jacen suggested, his stomach roiling at the thought. But they couldn't give in to the Sith.
A bark of harsh laughter came from Han. "You can't forbid a Skywalker anything," he remarked, and brought a hand out to grasp Leia's. The look that passed between husband and wife was of complete love and understanding.
"That brings me to another issue we need to discuss. Once Anakin has brought Ben back, I think Mom should take up his training," Jacen suggested, mentally preparing himself for the onslaught from his parents.
"Absolutely not," it came from both Solos.
"The Council would back the decision," Jacen argued, pretending that this was the real issue.
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Leia countered smoothly. "Luke wanted Anakin to train Ben, and train him he will." There was such a finality to the statement that Jacen almost stopped pressing his point. Almost.
"Ben could very well be the 'Chosen One', and you're leaving his training into the hands of a virtual seventeen year old," Jacen stated evenly. He loved his brother, of course he loved Anakin, but this wasn't about love. This was about doing what was right. "Ben needs an older guide who can help him learn control of his gift."
"Jacen, one day you and Anakin will realize what you are missing in each other," Leia said softly, ignoring Jacen's reasoning. "I just hope that when it happens it's not too late."
[I]Cause one day one of you will be very gone, and you will wish that you could have said the things in your heart instead of the hateful words that came from your head,[/I] Ben's admonishment came to Jacen like a slap to the face. Here he was saying that Ben needed a guide for his own troubles when the boy was spouting such wisdom for Jacen's own.
All these years Jacen had harbored Anakin's death in his heart, had been guilt-ridden by the arguments they had shared, the misunderstandings that had come so easily, and Jacen's own ability to stop the Yuuzhan Vong strikes that had taken away his baby brother. During those long years he had one minute cursed his brother for his recklessness, the many actions without thought, and the next had seen such great honor in such a young boy, one he thought at times he would like to emulate.
Then, suddenly, after fifteen years of warring with himself, Anakin's ghost was made flesh before Jacen's eyes, regenerated by the very beings that had sought to take his life. Vergere, Jacen's short-time mentor, had rescued Anakin for a purpose- Vergere never did anything without meaning, even when that meaning seemed cruel and unreasonable. Had all those years of warring with Anakin and then within himself been the result of Jacen misinterpreting Anakin's purpose?
If so, was it too late to mend the breach between them?
He sighed as his parents continued to watch him. "I just want to do what's best for Ben."
"We all do," Leia assured him. "For Luke's own reasons, he chose Anakin to determine what is best. Do you think that your uncle would make that judgment lightly?"
"He was dying, Mom," Jacen protested. "He wanted to make sure that his little boy was taken care of."
"I think you underestimate your uncle," Han said, and it was obvious that there was a tinge of anger in his father's voice. Han's loyalty to his brother-in-law, and brother in every way besides blood, could never be doubted or broken, it had only been reinforced by Luke's death.
Jacen at this point was beginning to feel very pressed upon. [I]Why must they always take Anakin's side?[/I] he thought to himself, and immediately caught the childish thought. He remembered something his uncle had told him long ago. [I]Pride dictates sides, not truth.[/I] Was he letting his pride get in the way of his love for his brother, and if so, where would that lead them?
Leia saw the heartache in Jacen's features, and her own softened. "We just want you two to reconcile," she said. "This angry breach will not help Ben, nor will it help anyone else. That includes you and Anakin."
"I don't know how to fix it," Jacen admitted reluctantly.
"Sometimes it's better to start at what you don't know," Leia replied.
"We were betrayed," the Yuuzhan Vong Separatist from the Bilbringi shipyards, Zasong For'lin, shouted, his clawed fingers balled up in a fist until the sharp ends punctured through the soft skin of his palm. His sloped forehead was corrugated in disturbed ruffles brought on by his tortured anger.
Representative Zorel, the Separatists' delegate in the senate, waited out the resounding wave of anger that rumbled through the small dome serving as a replacement for the Separatist Tower that had been destroyed in the Battle of Bellalt.
Warmaster Tarsvin Shraq had warned him of what was to come, had explained that the deaths of their brethren had sent them to exaltation with the Gods. Zorel had noted the fervor in Shraq's eyes when he had said this, and the Separatists' representative knew that the time they had been waiting for had finally come. The time to join their brothers and destroy the infidels of this universe, to purge the very machines that the Separatists had tainted themselves with, the blasphemy that they had so willingly grasped in hands that had only known the living organisms of their biotechnology.
The attacks had left a number of their people either dead or with wounds that were so severe that it was only a matter of time before they would join the Gods. None of the injured, however, asked for their lives to be taken, and it was an indicator, to Zorel, just how far the Separatists had come from the old ways.
Zorel had been an agent of the Devotees, a present-time Nom Anor, who didn't let the taint of the infidels contaminate him as his predecessor had allowed. He had learned the art of manipulation from the galactic Senate, and knew when it was time to get rid of a possible problem. Dorsca Cherrz, his onetime assistant, had been one of those problems, and Zorel's attempt to avoid the disaster at Bellalt had failed miserably. Somehow, Cherrz had survived.
"Thank you, domain For'lin. I think we all regret the loss of your daughter's life in the attack," Zorel began. He had to do this just right, or risk someone realizing he was more Devotee than Separatist. "First the strike on Linnal, the Battle of Bellalt, and now we are being singled out on our home planets. Our children are targeted!"
That caused the dome full of Yuuzhan Vong Separatists to cry out the injustice of it all. Zorel kept back the sly smile that begged to curl on his scarless features. Oh, how he longed for the day he could once again don the ritualistic marks of his ancestry, marks that had become shunned by the Separatist but soon would be honored.
"It would seem that we cannot go to the New Republic for help," he said into the microphone, his voice echoing with tones of betrayal. [I]What would these pawns of the Gods' ultimate goal do if they knew that it was the Devotee hierarchy that had planned these attacks, that had sent their brethren to honor with the Gods?[/I] "They are the ones who strike at us."
"Break away from the infidels," one voice from the crowd cried out, one that Zorel had personally placed among the emotionally turbulent of his race. There were some who were quick to join the placed warrior among them, crying out their rage, while thumping their hands to their right breastplate in the sign of the old age.
Others, those who had been prosperous in the New Republic, held back from taking sides, but their eyes darted to those of their quick-to-judge brethren, a nostalgic look crossing their sloped features. Those for whom the first wave of violence against the Yuuzhan Vong hadn't brought to mind a reunion with the Devotees, the true place of the Yuuzhan Vong, the second wave would.
He patted the air with his hands, as if the gesture could sooth the troubled cacophony from the air. Again, he was aware how easily a misdirected word could throw off the tidal wave he wanted to resurrect in his people. "Let us not be hasty with our judgment," he replied in a soothing tone that was as soft as shimmersilk but as deadly as an amphistaff. "We have led good lives under the direction of the New Republic." He needed to play the part of Representative of the Separatists to the Senate, he had to have the trust of his people and that of the infidels in order to crush the infidels completely.
As if he could tame the wild amphistaff, the crowd fell under his control, their arguments and counter arguments silencing under the slyly smooth tones of his voice. Once he was sure he had the attention of all those around him, he brought his hands down. "I suggest we give the New Republic an ultimatum. Divulge the names of those who are striking against us and allow us to take our justice. If they do not wish a war with our people, they will give them over without problem, but if it is true and we have been betrayed, we will make them pay."
Cheers erupted from all quarters of the dome, filling Zorel with morbid pleasure. Zorel's ambition didn't extend to just uniting his people, no - he had visions of honor bestowed on domain Zorel.
"We are still the warrior people we once were, tempered by the securities of the New Republic. But no more." Again, cheers erupted, even from those who had previously refrained from choosing sides.
Zorel felt the rush of power he had over his people, the Separatists that would soon be the unionist faction of the Yuuzhan Vong a clear majority compared to the diminishing Separatist sect.
When the time came for the brethren to come together, and once the infidels were swept from the galaxy, he would retake his place as leader of not only the Separatist Yuuzhan Vong, but of all those of his species that remained in the galaxy.
[hr][/hr]
Jacen felt his skin crawl as he watched the footage from the Separatist Yuuzhan Vong meeting and saw the way that Representative Zorel so easily guided his constituents; it brought bad memories of the senator of Kuat to mind. Yet, by his very words, all Representative Zorel wanted was justice, or so it would seem. There was something in his words, the way they had torn through the Yuuzhan vocal chords that made Jacen all the more suspicious.
Although he had yet to learn the ability to sense the Yuuzhan Vong in the Force, he had never doubted that they were a part of the energy field that simultaneously thrived from and generated life. Due to his capture during the war against the extragalactic travelers, he had a greater understanding of the Yuuzhan Vong, their hierarchy, and the devotee religion. The two galaxies' different approaches to the life had been the greatest breach between them. With time, and through the help of those who had once been labeled Shamed by the Gods, Jacen and the rest of the Jedi had managed to show the Separatists that honor could be found in saving life.
In the beginning, the Separatists had agreed on a truce, knowing that their people would be destroyed, annihilated if they continued their pursuit to take over the galaxy for the Gods. An acquiescent approach, that Jacen was all too aware had been nothing more than a delaying tactic at first, the Yuuzhan Vong still clinging to the hope that they could somehow overthrow the New Republic and gain the galaxy they had been endowed.
Gradually, the distinction was made between Separatist and Devotee, then a separation. It had always worried Jacen that the break had been so clean, especially from a people that had been so tenacious about designation of the Gods. His father would have deemed it, "This is too good to be true." Now it was proving to be a nightmare.
"I don't need to explain to you how volatile the situation is,"Chief of State Kuantin Tiv's holoprojected presence said. Jacen probably would have been called to Mon Cal, despite the futileness of such a journey, and was thankful that Kuantin Tiv was a conservative in his government. To Jacen's left, Leia stirred against her husband's side. Jacen had invited his parents along to this conference with the Chief of State. Leia, who had once held the very position in the New Republic that Chief Tiv did, would have innumerable insights for Jacen later. Jacen had long since discovered the wisdom that his parents and uncles held was invaluable; at the time of the war he had begun to think he was the only one with the answers, had neglected the years of knowledge and hardship his parents, aunt, and uncle had gained. No longer.
He motioned his mother forward, sensing her hesitation to speak in a meeting that had only requested his presence. She gave him a brief smile as she stepped forward. "Chief Tiv," she greeted.
A moment of hesitation played on the Ardian's vine tattooed features. Leia Organa Solo had held so many titles in her life time, from Princess to Chief of State to Jedi Knight. Tiv and the ever-present pressure of politics had to select the right one. Jacen felt his mother's amusement, although it did not show one iota on her aging features. Uncle Luke's death and Ben's orphaned state made Jacen all the more appreciative of his parents, knowing he had almost lost them on a number of occasions.
"Jedi Organa Solo," Tiv decided not even a breath after Leia's greeting. The hesitation had only been long in the understanding the Jedi held, Jacen's father probably hadn't noticed it.
Chief Tiv had chosen well, by the acceptance that radiated off of Leia. "We are in threat of a civil war," she announced.
The Ardian sighed heavily. "I think there is no doubt that Civil War is upon us. The allegations they have thrown out, that our own people have reneged on the treaty and are attacking Yuuzhan Vong can neither be denied or verified. Those ships that were reported to be at each attack were scheduled for annual routine maneuver exercises. I've spoken with Admiral Gyser Feld, and he has no record of infiltration into our military, our finest internal affairs are working on the problem even as we speak, but Feld is not optimistic." Chief Tiv ran a finger down the vine tatoo, an Ardian custom that Jacen had yet to identify. "Whoever got those transponder signals needed a large amount of knowledge to access the mainframe."
Han, leaning on the table, his hands shoved into the pockets of his nearly threadbare Corellian blood-striped pants, asked, "You suspect someone on the inside?"
Tiv leaned back in the conforming chair, lacing his razor-clawed fingers, and shook his head. "It's a possibility, but then again we may never know. I'd hoped to speak with the High Council about transferring Jedi into our internal affairs unit," the Chief of State's statement was more like a question.
"As ambassador to the New Republic, I'm sure I can get those people for you," Jacen assured him. The High Council had already given him absolute jurisdiction in the matters of his position in the New Republic, and he himself could put together the team he wanted. "I'd also like to send my father along as well." Han blinked in surprise, and looked to his son questioningly.
"Who better to infiltrate the New Republic than Han Solo?" Jacen continued. "We could arrange a disguise easily enough, most of the holos the tri-D's are showing are the older ones from the war days. You could lead the Jedi team, and not be suspected by any people Lord Nefarion might have on the inside."
The cocksure grin that had made Han a well-holoed hero spread across the aging features. "You know I prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around," he countered, giving Jacen a hard time despite the fact his son already knew he was in.
Jacen grinned wryly back. "Just think of it as teaching an old nek new tricks."
"What about the Yuuzhan Vong?" Leia said, bringing the topic to its ultimate concern.
"I wish Anakin hadn't taken Dorsca Cherrz with him, his insight would be invaluable," Jacen said, yet again wondering at the recklessness of his younger brother. Yes, the old antagonism was still there, the differences that had pulled them apart fifteen years ago tearing them apart at present.
Leia gave him a scolding look, one that still got a reaction out of him despite his thirty-four years of age. "It wasn't as though he was conspiring against you, Jacen. Corran sent domain Cherrz to him, he had his reasons." [I]And you shouldn't question your brother's motives,[/I] Jacen read from her tone.
"Who is this Dorsca Cherrz?" Tiv asked, curiosity written in his albino eyes.
The three Solos exchanged questioning looks before Jacen turned to answer the Chief of State. "You are aware of my brother's and my cousin's ability to sense the Yuuzhan Vong in the Force?" Jacen asked. Tiv nodded that he did. "Well, while on Linnal, Anakin and Ben discovered that one of the Yuuzhan Vong was strong in the Force; later it was this Yuuzhan Vong that Master Horn brought to Coruscant and who revealed the plans for the next attack on Bellalt.
"Master Skywalker -" and the pain of his uncle's death rushed up and hit him unexpectedly. Jacen swallowed. "Master Skywalker found this a great opportunity to see if we could train a Yuuzhan Vong Jedi."
Chief Tiv leaned forward his elbows coming to rest on his desk. "Could domain Cherrz possibly be a spy for the Yuuzhan Vong?"
Jacen had anticipated the question; the old fears of the Vong and their tactics were hard to erase from the minds of any of the indigenous members of the galaxy. The priestess Elan had made them all wary of supposed Vong defection. "Ben and Anakin both feel that he is genuine."
"Yet, you say he can touch the Force, could he not mask his real intent?" Tiv pursued.
[I]How can I convince him without revealing Ben's ability as a seer?[/I] Jacen questioned himself. From Ben's shared experience with domain Cherrz, when Nefarion's men had tried to stamp out the inconvenient Separatist aide, Dorsca had become above suspicion. "Ben and Anakin are not easily fooled, and my own 'vongsense' is telling me that he is trustworthy."
That seemed to satisfy Chief Tiv for the time being, but it was only a temporary victory and Jacen knew it. It would take much more for the galaxy to trust the Yuuzhan Vong completely. Jacen believed, as had Luke, that Dorsca Cherrz was the key to building those relationships to security, frustrating Jacen all the more that Anakin had allowed the Vong student to tag along on his quest for Ben.
"In the meantime," Jacen said, relying on the momentum he had already gained with the Chief of State, "I will prepare the team and send them, along with my father."
"Just like the old days," Leia said, nudging Han in the ribs. But there was an awkwardness to the move, something that said there could never be anything like the old days, when Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia flitted from one side of the galaxy to the other, restoring freedom to a repressed galaxy.
"I welcome your help, Captain Solo," Tiv said, then his flickering image turned back to Jacen. "Inform me of any further developments."
"Of course, Chief Tiv," Jacen assured, bowing in customary Jedi fashion. The projected image of Chief Tiv flickered and dissipated.
"What do you think?" Jacen asked his mother, as they settled into the small living area of his parents' apartment in the Temple.
"He's playing it safe, or as safe as we can get with the accusations that are flying at the Republic. It was a good move to get your father involved, I wouldn't trust anyone else to lead the team," Leia said.
Jacen jerked at the implication. "You think we've got an intruder in the Temple?"
"All the signs point to it, junior," Han came into the conversation. "The Sith was waiting for Luke and his squad on Bellalt, knew how large our forces were to insure victory. We got lucky that Jag came in when he did. Lord Nefarion was after Ben, knew that he was a part of the team, and concocted a plot to get to him."
"But the plan failed," Jacen countered, although there was no solace in the statement.
"The whole thing stinks of the Sith," Han said. He caught Leia's attention. "Remember Bespin?"
Leia's eyes went wide and her face paled. "Do you think Nefarion will try the same thing? Find bait for Ben to succumb to?"
Han shrugged, somehow managing to show his worry in the nonchalant gesture. "You've read some of the archives from the Order. Palpatine was in a high ranking position, the Jedi answering to his whim, meeting with him a number of times." He splayed his hands to either side of him, giving Leia and Jacen a grimace. "They never suspected a thing until it was too late."
Jacen frowned, stroking the course hairs of his beard. "So what are you saying? We can't go around accusing every Jedi of being in league with a Sith Lord."
"That's what he would want," Leia agreed. "A wall of chaos to blind us from him."
"I'm saying we keep our guard up. Trust only those that we're sure we can trust," Han said. "Because it wouldn't take much for Nefarion to find the right bait." He gave his son a pointed look. "Tahiri is vulnerable, a Sith agent could come snatch her away without much of a fight because she wouldn't want to hurt the baby. Ben would easily trade his life for Tahiri."
Jacen cringed. Tahiri was nearly due to give birth to their little one, a girl if Ben's visions were true, and Jacen had no doubt that they were. It was one of the reasons he had been glad not to be called to Coruscant. He felt an irrepressible urge to run out and make sure his wife and child were safe in their quarters, but he remained seated. He would not give in to irrational fear. "We could forbid Ben from the trade-off if it came to that," Jacen suggested, his stomach roiling at the thought. But they couldn't give in to the Sith.
A bark of harsh laughter came from Han. "You can't forbid a Skywalker anything," he remarked, and brought a hand out to grasp Leia's. The look that passed between husband and wife was of complete love and understanding.
"That brings me to another issue we need to discuss. Once Anakin has brought Ben back, I think Mom should take up his training," Jacen suggested, mentally preparing himself for the onslaught from his parents.
"Absolutely not," it came from both Solos.
"The Council would back the decision," Jacen argued, pretending that this was the real issue.
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Leia countered smoothly. "Luke wanted Anakin to train Ben, and train him he will." There was such a finality to the statement that Jacen almost stopped pressing his point. Almost.
"Ben could very well be the 'Chosen One', and you're leaving his training into the hands of a virtual seventeen year old," Jacen stated evenly. He loved his brother, of course he loved Anakin, but this wasn't about love. This was about doing what was right. "Ben needs an older guide who can help him learn control of his gift."
"Jacen, one day you and Anakin will realize what you are missing in each other," Leia said softly, ignoring Jacen's reasoning. "I just hope that when it happens it's not too late."
[I]Cause one day one of you will be very gone, and you will wish that you could have said the things in your heart instead of the hateful words that came from your head,[/I] Ben's admonishment came to Jacen like a slap to the face. Here he was saying that Ben needed a guide for his own troubles when the boy was spouting such wisdom for Jacen's own.
All these years Jacen had harbored Anakin's death in his heart, had been guilt-ridden by the arguments they had shared, the misunderstandings that had come so easily, and Jacen's own ability to stop the Yuuzhan Vong strikes that had taken away his baby brother. During those long years he had one minute cursed his brother for his recklessness, the many actions without thought, and the next had seen such great honor in such a young boy, one he thought at times he would like to emulate.
Then, suddenly, after fifteen years of warring with himself, Anakin's ghost was made flesh before Jacen's eyes, regenerated by the very beings that had sought to take his life. Vergere, Jacen's short-time mentor, had rescued Anakin for a purpose- Vergere never did anything without meaning, even when that meaning seemed cruel and unreasonable. Had all those years of warring with Anakin and then within himself been the result of Jacen misinterpreting Anakin's purpose?
If so, was it too late to mend the breach between them?
He sighed as his parents continued to watch him. "I just want to do what's best for Ben."
"We all do," Leia assured him. "For Luke's own reasons, he chose Anakin to determine what is best. Do you think that your uncle would make that judgment lightly?"
"He was dying, Mom," Jacen protested. "He wanted to make sure that his little boy was taken care of."
"I think you underestimate your uncle," Han said, and it was obvious that there was a tinge of anger in his father's voice. Han's loyalty to his brother-in-law, and brother in every way besides blood, could never be doubted or broken, it had only been reinforced by Luke's death.
Jacen at this point was beginning to feel very pressed upon. [I]Why must they always take Anakin's side?[/I] he thought to himself, and immediately caught the childish thought. He remembered something his uncle had told him long ago. [I]Pride dictates sides, not truth.[/I] Was he letting his pride get in the way of his love for his brother, and if so, where would that lead them?
Leia saw the heartache in Jacen's features, and her own softened. "We just want you two to reconcile," she said. "This angry breach will not help Ben, nor will it help anyone else. That includes you and Anakin."
"I don't know how to fix it," Jacen admitted reluctantly.
"Sometimes it's better to start at what you don't know," Leia replied.