Jacen eyed the dart that had been pulled from the back of Vekta's neck before he looked up at Flint. "Makes you feel itchy for a moment?" the human asked.
The Muun nodded. "A sting would have been much more noticeable and, therefore, suspicious. As well, the chemical concoction that was in it heightens positive feelings to make the subject much more agreeable; it may not seem as effective as something as sodium thiopental or any other truth serums that can affect other non-human species, but it is less noticeable for certain individuals to consciously resist. If they were trained for it, that is."
"You don't mind if the Jedi Order had some of this?"
Flint shook his head. "Trade secret, I'm afraid. Part of working for the GA government. You should consider it, through, if you really want to know."
"I'm not that eager."
Flint shrugged. "Very well. But if you or the Jedi Order need me again, if I'm available, Master Hamner has my number."
"Thank you, Mister Flint. I hope you have as much luck elsewhere as you had here."
"If only my other jobs were as easy as that one," the Muun said humorlessly before he turned and headed to the transport that was waiting for him.
Once the GA shuttle had taken off and soared out through the Jedi Temple's hangar bay exit, Jacen turned and saw his parents approaching him.
"Jacen," Leia said once she and Han stopped a meter away, "Kenth would like to see us. It's important; it involves Cal Omas and Admiral Peecar."
"The Chiss military advisor?" Jacen asked.
Han and Leia both nodded.
"Then let's go," Jacen said.
By the time they were in the corridor leading to the Masters' Council chamber, the youngest living Solo asked, "How's Ben?"
"Doin' as well as he can for a kid who lost his mom and had to endure torture and the dark side of the Force for over a week on his own," Han said bitterly.
Jacen grimaced. "At least he's home," he said solemnly, "and with his father. Hopefully, he'll get the support he needs from Uncle Luke."
"He will, Jacen," Leia said more consolingly. "He will."
"Oh, by the way, thanks again, Mom, for that idea with the Fallanassi illusion to trick that Sith infiltrator Vekta. I just wish I coulda been strong enough to sustain it without taking Luke away from Ben even for that while."
"Well, it was better than the simple torture that Mister Flint would have resorted to," Leia said with an airy tone; evidently, she was in a previous time, mentally, for a moment before she brought herself back to the present.
Soon, they entered the chamber, and they saw that Masters Hamner, Durron, and Kyle Katarn—who had just returned from a successful campaign in retaking Saleucami from the Chiss—were already seated around the room's circular table waiting for the Solos. Once they were also seated, Hamner activated the table's inset holoprojector, which displayed the faces of both Galactic Alliance Chief of State Cal Omas and the Chiss defector Admiral Peecar.
"Thank you for making it to this meeting, everyone," Hamner said. "So let's cut to the chase. Chief, Admiral, I assume you've both been apprised of the information that was obtained from the Chiss Sith infiltrator Vekta?"
"Yes, we have, Master Hamner," Omas said.
Peecar only nodded wordlessly.
"Good," Hamner replied. "Then you both understand the importance of the mission that I have proposed?"
"Very clearly," Peecar spoke up. "And if Admirals Ulaska and Iosha are both Sith as well, we can very well bring about an end to this war."
"For those of us who are not so understanding of Chiss politics, Admiral, please, enlighten us as to how this might end this war?" Hamner inquired.
"Gladly," Peecar replied formally. "Force-sensitivity among the Chiss is forbidden. Those who are discovered with it, especially when they use it to further their own ends, are banished from society, if not imprisoned and subsequently executed. Exposing the fact that there are Sith operating within the Expansionary Defense Force—or Chiss Expansionary Force, as it is called now—will allow those in the military hierarchy to reconsider the validity of this war. With the Jedi's help in eliminating the Sith within my people's military, it would be an essential element in bringing peace between our governments."
Kyle raised a hand.
"Yes, Master Katarn?" Peecar asked.
"But the whole reason that this war started was because of the actions of... certain Jedi who had refused to cooperate with the Chiss Ascendancy," Kyle said. It was obvious that he was uncomfortable with broaching the fact that it was Jaina Solo, Han and Leia's daughter and Jacen's twin sister, who had the alliance between the Jedi Order and the Chiss Ascendancy go to hell with her actions on Hlest over a year ago. Nevertheless, Kyle continued with, "Would your people's non-Force-sensitive leaders be willing to use that as a way to bridge the gap that started this war?"
"I believe that that will very much be the case, Master Katarn," Peecar answered. "I know my people well. It could only be that there is a dark influence among them that could have brought them to so readily engage in this war when it goes well beyond our borders. That is even considering the trouble that was stirred up by Jaina Solo on Hlest and her subsequent killing of several CEDF officers in the Qoribu system. No offense to the Solo clan."
"None taken, Admiral Peecar," Leia said diplomatically. Han and Jacen remained stoic and silent in their seats.
"So," Peecar continued, "to address the plan that Master Hamner alluded to earlier. For those of you who may not be in the know, to use your vernacular, your acting Grand Master has proposed that, if the Sith are to be uncovered, it will take the simultaneous capture of both Admirals Ulaska and Iosha. To do that, however, will obviously be quite an undertaking. Which is why we ask you, Masters Durron and Katarn, as well as the Solo clan to apprehend said admirals so that they could be brought in for questioning."
"But to do that," Hamner chimed in, "their personal Star Destroyers must be located. And they haven't been seen for quite some time since the Chiss began to lose some of their gained territory within the past few weeks."
"Assuming that they haven't changed their flagships," Peecar said, "Ulaska's flagship is the Klasseu, while Iosha's is the Elash."
"Is there any way we can draw them out?" Kyp asked.
"Like most highly-placed military commanders," Peecar started, "they take their flagships for high-priority targets, just as Iosha did for Adumar. Failing that, however, they would have stationed their vessels in either one of the fortified planets that the CEF has taken or, of course, in a far-off, unlikely system that no one in the GA would think to find."
"Well, even if we were to only look at the systems that the Chiss have a strong foothold in," Han spoke up, "that's still quite a number of systems; they have well over several dozen territories under their belt as we speak."
"In that case, it sounds like it would be more feasible to draw them out," Omas suggested. "But what kind of target could lure both Ulaska and Iosha out of hiding?"
Silence followed as everyone tried to think. When Han snapped his fingers to get everyone's attention, he said, "I got it! Centerpoint Station!"
Jacen looked at his father concernedly and asked, "What?"
"It's the biggest gun in the galaxy," Han elaborated. "If we could somehow find a way to make the Chiss think that the Corellians have got it working again-"
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Captain Solo," Omas cut in, "but there are already rumors that that may very well be the case."
Han straightened in his seat along with everyone else. "What are you talking about, Cal?"
Omas sighed. "Several weeks ago, there was a GA mission enacted for the express purpose of destroying Centerpoint, as there had been reports that the Corellians had gotten it working again. Though the mission failed, the agents in question had assured me that it was permanently inoperable. Unfortunately, it turns out that agent, whose identity I'm unable to disclose, may very well have been mistaken; Thrackan Sal-Solo and his Centerpoint Party may have found a way to reactivate it in a little over eight months from now."
As Omas spoke, however, Leia couldn't help but notice how particularly uncomfortable Jacen seemed to look, more so than any of the others who were present. Her son, for his part, was deliberately avoiding her gaze and was heavily shielding his Force-presence from her.
"I see," was all Han was able to say, who had been fully engrossed in what the Chief of State had told everybody in the meeting.
"Of course," Peecar said, "that doesn't mean that the Chiss are aware of this information."
"Perhaps not," Hamner said. "But we can't rule out the possibility that they aren't aware of this information. After all, it wouldn't be too difficult, I imagine, for a Chiss to pass as a human just with makeup and contact lenses. Is that true, Peecar?"
"It is possible," Peecar admitted. "Of course, if Ulaska and Iosha really are Sith, if not simply collaborators with them, then they may very well have non-Chiss Sith who may have infiltrated the Corellian government, if not Centerpoint Party directly. And those potential infiltrators may be able to tell them or their Masters about the station's viability as a weapon."
"And if that's the case," Kyp said, "if we were to somehow leak false information to the Chiss that Centerpoint may be activated much earlier than expected, their possible agents in the Corellian system could be in a position to deny that information."
"And Ulaska and Iosha will stay in place wherever they're hiding, leaving us right back tt square one," Hamner concluded grimly.
"Not necessarily," Jacen said.
"Why not, Jedi Solo?" Hamner asked.
"If we were to find out who the Sith infiltrators in the Corellian system are," Jacen elaborated, "and that's assuming that there are, we could either incapacitate or kill them. Either way, once they've been neutralized, we can find a way to feed Ulaska and Iosha false information, such as the idea that the schedule has somehow been pushed up so that Centerpoint will be able to fire again much sooner than expected."
"And how are we supposed to do that?" Hamner asked.
"Tell me, Chief Omas," Jacen said, "does the Galactic Alliance have a database on any known associates of Thrackan Sal-Solo?"
"We do, Jedi Solo, but it's not as detailed as we want it to be," Omas said carefully. "Why, what are you thinking?"
"I want to see if there's anyone from Thrackan's party who I can pass off as," Jacen explained, "with a few prostheses and a little makeup."
"Jacen, even if you were to find someone like that," Han said, "how can you possibly know how precisely to say and act if you were to even get close to Thrackan or any Sith infiltrators who might be around him?"
"You forget, Dad, that I spent some time with the Theran Listeners of Nam Chorios; which means that I have the ability to take the memories of others and use them for my own."
"Are you sure you'd be able to do that, Jacen?" Leia asked. "You have said that your more esoteric powers, the ones you learned on your sojourn like what you've learned from the Theran Listeners, aren't as great as they have been since... well, you know..."
"It's probably the best chance we have, Mom. And I'm gonna take it."
Leia nodded. "Alright then."
"How about it, gentlemen?" Jacen addressed Omas, Peecar, and Hamner. "Do you agree to this plan?"
"This might take more time than we'd like," Peecar said, "but if you think it's feasible, Jedi Solo, I agree to it."
"I'm confident in your abilities, Jacen," Omas said evenly.
"You understand what's at stake, Jedi Solo, by taking on this assignment?" Hamner asked pointedly.
Jacen nodded. "Yes, Master Hamner, I do."
"Then you have my approval," Hamner said just as straightforwardly.
"Great," Han remarked sarcastically. "So we have to find one of Thrackan's minions who even passably resembles Jacen so he can infiltrate the Centerpoint Party, root out the Sith infiltrators, and then feed their leaders false info that'll draw them out so we can end this war. Am I following along here?"
"Quite well, Captain Solo," Hamner remarked dryly.
"Chief Omas, if you can forward me the info that the GA has on Thrackan's minions, I can start looking through it to tonight for any viable candidates that I can replace in his organization," Jacen said.
"I'll get right on it after this meeting is over, Jacen," Omas replied.
"In that case," Hamner spoke up, "does anyone have any other questions?"
No one said anything.
"Then this meeting is over," Hamner declared.
After Omas and Peecar signed out, everyone present in the chamber stood up from their seats and proceeded to the exit.
Once the Solos were walking alone down the corridor outside, however, Leia stepped in front of Jacen and stopped him dead in his tracks. Han stopped, too, much to his own confusion.
"What was that back in there?" she asked her son.
"What was what?" Jacen asked.
"Why were you shielding yourself through the Force when Omas brought up that Centerpoint mission?" she elaborated.
Jacen breathed through his nostrils, unable to answer his mother's question.
"Well?" Leia asked, waiting.
Then it was Han who said it. "You were part of that mission, weren't you?"
Jacen looked to his father. "And if I was?"
"If you were, Jacen, I doubt that would have been the only reason you would have been blocking yourself off from me," Leia said. "And you didn't outright close yourself off from the Force because you didn't want to attract the attention of the other Jedi there. There was something about that mission, wasn't there? Something that has nothing to do with official state secrets."
"Mom, please don't ask me," Jacen said in a subtle pleading tone.
"Jacen, what happened on Centerpoint?" Leia asked with a firm voice.
He sighed. "You're not going to like it."
"Try us," Leia said with folded arms.
With reluctance, Jacen slowly but surely relayed what exactly had bothered him about the Centerpoint mission. By the time he was done, Han and Leia had to hold each other to keep the other from emotionally collapsing over the idea that their late son, Anakin, had been, in a sense, brought back from the dead through a droid before having to die again to make sure that Centerpoint couldn't be a threat to the galaxy once more.
"Luke knew about this, didn't he?" Leia asked as tears threatened to come from her eyes.
"Mom, leave him alone, please," Jacen said with his hands held up. "You can't-"
But then Leia ripped herself out of Han's grasp and turned to head to the nearest turbolift.
"Mom, where are you going?" Jacen called after.
"To see Luke, just like I am," Han said as he rushed after her.
"Mom, Dad, please, stop!" Jacen said as he called after them, rushing in their wake.
