Chapter 9
(Hapes)
He was running along the darken tunnel that he recognized as a corridor of a spaceship. Bail felt the anxiety and the pain in the Force but what kept him going was the overwhelming evil that he sensed.
Suddenly, he found himself on the observation catwalk overlooking a large wardroom that he realized was that of an old Star Destroyer. Then he heard the clash of lightsabers. He moved around the circular balcony trying to see what was happening but the lower level seemed to be shrouded in a mist. Finally, the fog began to lift and his vision became clearer and he was able to make out more details of the scene below him.
Of to the left lay the mangled bodies of two humanoids. He stared at them noting that they were possibly Chiss, and one seemed very familiar. Bail could only remember seeing one male Chiss with skin that light and he knew the black beard on the nearly decapitated head was not a Chiss trait. Suddenly, he felt cold, because he recognized who it was—Cleven Fel. The other Chiss, a woman, was just as mangled; nearly cut in half by a lightsaber he was sure. She was lying a few meters away from his old acquaintance.
The thunderous clash of lightsabers brought his attention to the figures now clearly visible in the middle of the command center. He watched in terror as a dark cloaked, indistinguishable being battled with a double-bladed red lightsaber. He had never seen such a weapon before but he remembered studying about who used such a weapon in his history classes at the Academy. It was only ever used by the Sith.
However, shocking as that realization was, he was even more shocked by the recognition of who the wielders of the blue and the sliver lightsabers were. He tried to grab for his own lightsaber, he wanted to do nothing more than leap over the railing but he was completely frozen. He was a helpless bystander as he watched as the dark figure almost effortlessly lunged with the deadly double saber and impaled Jedi Master Doran Tainer in the chest.
"Nooooo—" Bail heard her scream before he saw Cassie run forward, brandishing her saber wickedly. He could feel her grief and her anger but he was unable to even yell to her. He watched morbidly frozen in place, not even able to blink, as the cloaked figure easily parried Cassie's ill-planned strike on one of the fiery blades only to twist the hilt to slice through the golden haired Jedi….
"Cassie!—" Bail called out as he sat straight up in bed. He used his hand to toss his long hair out of his sweating face and instantly scanned the dark of his lavishly decorated bedchamber, disorientated. He took a calming breath to slow his rapid breathing and heart as he tossed the coverlet off and swung his feet over the edge of the high ornately carved wood four-poster bed. Sweat glistened over his lightly dusted bare chest and shoulders. He rubbed his face with is hands and, after contemplating what to make of the dream, scratched his scalp and then stood up.
He made his way to the refresher and stood before the sink; there he splashed refreshing cool water over his face. As he used a towel to dry his face, he looked into the mirror. He dropped the towel and stared into the blue eyes looking back at him; suddenly, he realized that the dream was no dream at all. It had been a vision.
"Cassie, where and what are you into?" he suddenly wondered. He knew very little about the mission she and her uncle were on except that it was supposed to be very dangerous and would be a long one. She had been excited that the Council had selected her for such an important and dangerous mission, since she had just been Knighted before her mother's death. This was her first real assignment as a full Jedi Knight, but she told him nothing more than that. She had joked that it was top secret and if she told him she'd have to kill him.
Bail stared at his reflection for several moments as fear gripped him for the safety of woman he loved and the man who had been his Master. He wanted to protect them and he wanted to know what they had gotten themselves into. But he was also puzzled by the dark cloaked figure of his dream. He was certain that he had felt a great Force presence in the figure and for it to be able to fight and kill, not only a Jedi Knight but also a very experienced Master, had to mean it was fully trained and powerful.
He closed his eyes and fell into the Force again, trying to revisit some of the more shadowy aspects of the dream. He could tell that he was on a Star Destroyer and by the looks of its design, an old one—very possibly Imperial in design or New Republic. Then he tried to see the fallen figures of the Chiss. He was certain the male was Cleven Fel. He had only met the cousin of the Chief-of-State once at her inauguration but had seen a hologram of him recently on the HoloNet when the story of his capture got leaked to the media. The woman then would probably be his wife. He opened his eyes and frowned. Something was going on and he wanted to know what. Why would Cassie and Master Tainer be fighting what could be a Dark Force user and how were the Fels involved?
Realizing who would probably help clear up some of his questions, he turned and left the 'fresher grabbing his robe on the way out as he passed his bed.
X
Kyp smiled contentedly at his wife as she rested her head on his shoulder. He gently caressed her arm and she sighed as she looked up at him. Smiling, she quietly chided, "I can't believe you just thought that."
Kyp shifted so that he could better see her face and grinned, "I couldn't help it. I'm nearly seventy and you still have the same affect on me as when I was thirty."
She completely turned and leaned over her forearms which rested on his bare chest. She snickered, "We were not together when you were thirty. I see old age has at least affected one of the parts of your body one would expect."
He laughed, "True, Goddess, we weren't together then but I still had my dreams," he winked at her and added huskily, "and my fantasies."
She rolled her eyes and Kyp couldn't help but grin. They had been married for twenty-five years and she still could make him burn with desire with just a toss of her hair or an unguarded smile. Then he said, "But I couldn't help the memory of the first time we made love in this bed, after the evening we've just had." He twisted and flipped her over onto her back, as he looked down into her still stunningly beautiful face, he huskily added, "Of course, I really hope we don't have the same consequences as that first time. I'm too damn old to keep with them now let alone a young one." Then he kissed her passionately. She moaned and entwined her arms around his neck.
As he broke the kiss and pulled away he watched her slowly open her eyes and smile. After a moment she said, "If we do have the same—ahh—'consequences' I will never let you touch me again Kyp Durron. First of all, I'm too damn old and second and most importantly, enduring three pregnancies containing your offspring, with the first 'consequence' being twins, has been quite enough for me."
He snickered, "Don't blame your hardships all on me, Goddess. They are as much you," he bent down and kissed her on the nose, "as they are me. But two of the three were conceived in this very bed. I find that slightly interesting, don't you?"
She looked at him puzzled, "Why do you find that so interesting?"
He snickered, "Because this is your brother's house basically."
She laughed, "Yeah, that may be true but this 'house', as you called it, could house almost an entire Star Destroyer crew. It only has nearly hundred bedrooms, three ball rooms, six kitchens, at least thirty separate sitting rooms, not counting the ones connected to at least eighty or so of the bedrooms, an archive that nearly takes up an entire floor—" He began to caress her bare breast, slowly taking the nipple between his thumb and index. It instantly pebbled and she closed her eyes and moaned, letting the sentence trail. He could feel her desire begin to flare again and his became a raging fire. When she opened her eyes to meet his, she smiled wickedly and whispered, "Okay, you shut me up. Now you better kiss me, you nerfherder."
Kyp hissed as one of her hands slid down his still toned chest and abdomen finding and grasping his manhood. She gave it a long slow stoke and after he let the sensations she produced wash over him, he grinned roguishly at her. But before his lips captured hers, he huskily whispered, "I think I can do better than just kiss you, Goddess."
As he kissed her, she shifted until he lay in the cradle of her legs and he easily slipped into her. He never knew a more complete feeling than what he felt when he first joined with her—at that moment they were truly completely one being, mind and body. In his mind, it was nearly as fulfilling as the inevitable end and he wished he could stay this way forever. As they slowly began to move together lifting each other to that breathtaking completion, Kyp wondered yet again what his life would have been like if he had never had Jaina Solo in it.
X
A little over an hour later Kyp was aroused from sleep by a soft knocking on the outer door of their rooms. He looked down at Jaina, whose head was in its customary place on his chest. He laid his head back down and closed his eyes hoping whoever it was would go away. But when the knock sounded again, he knew he had no such luck. He expected it to be Liam who probably suddenly thought up some new way to fix something that wasn't broke or remembered something that he felt just couldn't wait until morning. He sometimes wondered where his youngest son got his gift of gab. Jaina had more than once assured him that Liam would out grow the need to bombard in on his slumbering parents in the middle of the night once he got past puberty. However, he still occasionally did so even at age nineteen; the young man just couldn't wait until morning to unload his latest ideas off on his parents. He used to tease Jaina that she coddled the boy too much when he was little, letting him sleep in between them more than she ever did the others. But he knew that if Liam's quarks were from coddling, he was just as guilty because he also found something too gentle in the boy, something that needed protecting and support that seemed to bring out the overprotective parent in both of them, and especially after Han's death.
As another knock sounded Kyp sighed and shifted. Jaina awakened and looked blurry-eyed at him. After she moved to allow him to sit up, he sat on the edge of the bed and looked over his shoulder at her, "Go back to sleep. I'll see to him."
She smiled, yawned and closed her eyes again, sleepily she said, "I hope he doesn't do this when he's married."
Kyp pulled on a pair of sleep pants, stood up and pulled on his robe as he tied it he looked at the chrono and rolled his eyes, "I thought they were to out grow this by the age of three."
She made a noise that may have been a small laugh and groggily said, "He is your son."
"Yeah, yeah," he countered the old jibe, which she used to use on him when their children were babies and needed a feeding or a changing in the middle of the night. He stepped out of the bedchamber into the sitting room, pulling the old fashioned hinged door closed behind him.
Kyp padded across the thick carpeted floor of the sitting room and opened the door saying as he ran his had through his still unruly, too long, curly, silver hair, "Okay, Liam, now why can't you—Bail?" He finished surprised at the sight of his clearly upset nephew standing at the door.
Bail nervously looked around and shyly asked, "Uncle Kyp, may I come in? I know it's late but I need to talk to you."
Kyp stepped back and allowed the young man entrance, "Of course. What's the matter?" he said with concern. He could feel his nephew's agitation and that alarmed him because Bail was one of the most laid-back people he knew.
Bail stepped over to the couch that sat before an old wood burning fireplace and sat down on the edge of the seat. He leaned over his lap, rested his elbows on his thighs and rubbed his hand together. After Kyp sat down on one of the overstuffed chairs that he pulled over from the window, Bail looked at him and quietly said, "I had a vision."
Kyp's interest was more than just a little piqued by that announcement, "And?"
Bail took a deep breath but before he could say anything the bedroom door opened and a be-robed Jaina stepped through, she too wore a concerned expression. "Bail, I could feel your fear and worry even in there. What's wrong?"
She came to sit on the arm of Kyp's chair, half in his lap and half on the arm; he wrapped an arm around her still slender waist. Kyp watched Bail but answered Jaina, "Bail had a vision."
"Oh." Kyp instantly felt her tense. Kyp himself had very few visions during his life as a Jedi. But it seemed that almost every descendant of Anakin Skywalker was cursed with the gift. Jaina's most accurate vision had been the one she had about a year before they married. She had envisioned Kyp's poisoning at the hands of the cyborg pirate, Marolosa. The poisoning that nearly killed him.
Finally, Bail said, "I don't know what to think. I never had a vision like this one before." Bail then sighed heavily and told them what he saw in the dream. Then he asked, "I need to know, what are Cassie and Master Tainer doing?"
Kyp looked from Bail to Jaina and then stood up. He walked over to the mantel of the stone fireplace and leaned against the edge. He really didn't know what to make of the boy's vision. He, Luke and Corran Horn have all felt the disturbance in the Force from time to time. A darkness at the edges that couldn't quite be grasped. He and Corran, during times when the older man wasn't in an argumentative mood, had talked about what it could be lurking out there on the edges. But none of them had considered this. Possibly a Dark Jedi, but who? No one who had left the Order had taken that path. In fact, there were only six Jedi who ever left the New Order—Tenel Ka, Danni Quee, Jacen Solo and two others a Chiss male who decided he wanted to serve the Ascendancy first and foremost and a Bothan female who wanted to be a full-time mother to her litter of cubs, and finally, Rayner Thul who had died about fifteen years ago. However, none of those living had turned Dark.
Bail's voice brought him out of his thoughts, "Uncle, I have to know what is going on. I need to save them from whatever this is."
Kyp turned slowly and looked keenly at his nephew, "Bail, I honestly don't know what to make of your vision and I can't really discuss Master Tainer's mission. You know that the future is in motion. That this could just be a picture of what the future could have held if the Force hadn't given you insight." Kyp paused then added, "Or, this could be a picture of the future if you try to interfere in it."
Bail stood up and stepped away from the couch and Kyp knew that he wasn't satisfied with that assessment. Agitation and frustration laced with fear and anger swirled around the lanky young man, Kyp knew his nephew's emotions were dangerous if he didn't calm down. Bail spun and looked at Kyp, "But I can't just sit back and wait to see which is correct. I can't lose her! I need to know what is going on!"
"Bail," Jaina stood and stepped over to him and gently put her arm around his waist. He looked down at his aunt and she went on soothingly, "Bail, sweetheart, you need to calm down." She directed him back to the couch where she sat down beside him with her arm still around him. "We will try to help you in anyway we can."
She looked up at Kyp and he took the hint and he too recovered his seat. After a moment Kyp asked, "Would you like to explain?"
The young handsome Jedi turned his bright blue eyes to Kyp. Kyp was often amazed at the similarities in appearances between his nephew and the man who had became Darth Vader. Sometimes like now Kyp could see Anakin Skywalker in the boy's strong features even more clearly then he ever saw them in Luke. Of course, Kyp only had the images of the man to compare. The most accurate being the painting of him that Luke and Leia had done of him. About twenty years ago they had commissioned an artist to paint portraits of their parents using the holograph footage recovered from R2-D2 during the Killik Crisis. The paintings hung in the library in the Ossus Academy. Anakin's served to remind the young students of one of the Jedi Order's greatest heroes and one of its most fearsome foes.
Bail sighed and Kyp could see him calm himself some before saying, "I'm in love with Cassie. She doesn't know and I don't know if she feels anything for me outside of friendship but I have to let her know. I have to let her know how sorry I am." He looked down at the floor and Kyp thought he heard him sob, which surprised him, Bail went on to add quietly, "I can't lose her. She means everything to me." Bail looked up at his uncle pleadingly and said, "Please, Uncle Kyp, I need to know what is going on. What is so important about this mission that no one can know anything?"
Jaina looked over at Kyp and he nodded, resigned. It was better to inform Bail than to have him running off half cocked. Which probably would be the worst thing for him to do, Luke's story of when he abandoned his training with Yoda to run off to save Leia, Han and Chewie on Cloud City came instantly to mind.
Jaina took a deep breath and began, "Bail, she and Master Tainer have infiltrated Dro'godda."
He looked at her incredulously, "They what?" Then he turned sharply to Kyp, "You sent an inexperienced Jedi Knight on a mission that fully trained spies couldn't pull off?" Bail shrugged Jaina's comforting arm away and stood up. "I can't believe the Council would do that. I thought the Jedi learned from its mistakes."
Kyp saw Jaina flinch at Bail's angry words but before Kyp could respond she did, there was no anger or even real remorse in her word only gentle truth, "Bail, Cassie is a fully trained and very capable Jedi Knight. And yes, we did learn from our mistakes. But that mission to Myrkr, if that is what you mean by mistakes, had been a much needed one. I lost many friends in that mission and I lost my brother. Your own father was captured and tortured. And I almost fell to the Dark Side, but we succeeded in more than just destroying the voxyn queen, we became Jedi during it. That was our trial, Bail. The same as you, Cassie and every other Apprentice went through to become Jedi."
Bail stared at her a moment then said, "That may have been true, but most Apprentices aren't killed during their trials." Then he turned to Kyp, his eyes hard, "Where are they?"
Neither Kyp nor Jaina moved from their seats, Kyp matched his stare and calmly commanded, "Bail, sit down." After a moment of the younger man glaring between the two Jedi Masters, he bowed his head and complied. Kyp then took a deep breath and said, "I, nor the Council, will be able to protect them if what I'm about to tell you leaves this room, do you understand this?"
Bail nodded and swallowed, "Yes, Master."
Kyp silently recognized Bail's realization this conversation had gone from one between family members to one between Jedi Masters and a Knight. "Bail, the Council cannot allow you to interfere either. You must accept that your vision may come to past no matter what you do. I understand your fear and your need to want to prevent it but we need to use it to gleam information that could be helpful to possibly preventing it. Not rush off without any clear understanding of what the Force is really trying to tell us. For, that will more likely than not bring the events you saw in your dream to life."
Kyp paused and Bail with head bowed quietly said, "I—I understand, Master."
Kyp went on, "Master Tainer and Cassie were assigned by Dro'godda to pick up the Chiss on Tatooine. They were to take them back to Ord Mantell where the captain and his wife would have been given over to their Dro'godda contact. According to Master Tainer's last communication, the exchange didn't happen," at Bail's concerned expression, he quickly elaborated, "They were instead ordered to bring the captives to a star system deep in the Unknown Regions not controlled by the Chiss and is only known by the old Imperial number MRE19961016.
"The new commander of the Fifth Fleet, Admiral Fel is aware of this. He will be taking command within the next day or two and plans to get as close to the star system with either the Fifth or with the Chiss fleet commanded by his brother Captain Cem Fel." Kyp was quiet for a moment and stood up, scratching his head of silver curls. After coming to the window where the first rays of the Hapan pre-dawn were swirling the darkened sky in bright colors, he turned back to his nephew and said, "Master Tainer and Cassie and even Captain Fel and Commander Florin understand that to find out all we can about Dro'godda and its leadership they need to complete the mission. Even Admiral Fel and General Shawnkyr understand this. Master Tainer informed me that the Fels and he and Cassie are trying to come up with a plan to use the Fel's captivity and the Jedi infiltration to their ultimate advantage."
Kyp paused again and Bail asked, "But what of my vision? I saw the Fel's in it and they were dead. I would think that by them trying to stay together or doing whatever Master Tainer has planed, and I'm sure it will be something brilliant," Bail actually allowed a small smile at the thought of his old Master, "is exactly the wrong thing to do. Maybe that is what my vision is trying to tell us."
Kyp was reflective for a moment then turned back to the window, "I don't think that is the case. I think your vision is trying to tell us something else entirely. What we have in your vision is information that has been hidden from not only me but even Master Skywalker. The idea that a Dark Force user is involved. What we need to do is find out just who this being is and then we can figure out just how to stop them."
Jaina who had remained unusually quiet the entire time finally smiled up at Kyp and then said to Bail, "Your uncle is right. What I think we should do is have you relate your vision to the entire Council including Master Skywalker." She looked back to Kyp who nodded and she smiled and went on, "Bail, the Masters, as you know, are calling for a Conclave within a few weeks for the new Grand Master to be named. I doubt Cassie and Doran will be there but they may be. The call will go out and everyone who can is to attend. Go back to Ossus with us and we will study your vision and try to ascertain answers."
Then she sighed and looked up at Kyp, he then heard through their bond, I think we should send him to the Fifth Fleet after the Conclave and after we determine what to make of the vision.
Kyp pursed his lips and thought about it for a moment while rubbing his jaw. He nodded once and then said to Bail, "Your aunt thinks we should send you to work with the Fifth Fleet. I happen to agree. But I want to keep your presence there completely secret. No one can know. Hopefully, Zeth will be able to break away long enough to come back for the Conclave, you will return to the Fifth with him."
Bail looked from Kyp to Jaina and then said, "Okay. But if I have another vision I will go and find her on my own." And with that he got up and left Jaina and Kyp contemplating what had just happened as they stared after him for a few moments.
Finally, Jaina met his gaze and smiled, "Kyp, you handled that like the next Grand Master."
Kyp stared at her and sighed heavily, "I hope it gets easier than that. Because, Goddess, if it had been me having visions about you, I would have never even talked to Luke, I'd be in my X-wing right now headed to wherever I thought I'd find you."
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