Chapter 14

Ben stares at the older man, his face a mask hate and anger. He closes his fist a little tighter, and starts to smile as the sound of breaking bones can be clearly heard.

Then she touches his face, a cool, gentle caress, reminding him of everything he holds dear. He looks at her, his features softening while she watches on. "You don't want to do this, not this way, do you Ben?"

Releasing Argor and the Force, Ben slumps into her embrace as Argor falls to the floor.

The guards seem to recover their wits after the display between Ben and Argor and surround the two young Jedi. One of them nervously steps forward. "By order of the Perator of Adumar, you are under arrest."

Ben lifts his head and looks at the guard, and then spares a glance for Argor who is groaning in pain. Standing he turns toward the guard and calls his saber back to his hand. He ignites it, looking down at the cobalt blue blade as it thrums in his hand. He turns his attention back to the guard and as Ben steps forwad, he offers the guard a predatory smile. "No. I don't think we will be going with you."

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Tearfully, Cheriss talks to Adumari Air Force, telling them of her defection. She watches as her IFF switches from a Federation signal to a distinctly Adumari one. She banks to starboard, and watches as Twin Suns begin a run towards her and the flightknife of blades coming up behind her. She keys her com, trying to talk to one of her former subordinates.

"Syal?"

She hears Syal's voice, pained though it is with the betrayal she is feeling due to Cheriss' actions. "What Cheriss?"

"Please don't do this. Stand down. I don't want to shoot you. I respect your dad too much for that."

"You should have thought of that before you switched sides."

Cheriss starts jinking her X-Wing as the laser blasts start heading towards her. "Just remember those words when you end up in the Corellian system fighting against your father."

Cheriss twists her etheric rudder, causing her X-Wing to slide to the right. Her face is grim, her thoughts more so, as she targets the engines of one of her former squadmates. She hesitates for a split-second, before squeezing on the trigger, sending the two powerful blasts of energy out towards the other ship.

Without waiting to see if her shot hits, she pushes her throttle all the way down, and pulls back on the stick, raising her starfighter above the others, then she twists the ship down and falls on the tail of another X-Wing.

The sudden taste of salt on her lips is when she realizes that she is crying. She lines her sight up on the X-Wing, noting by the markings on it that it is Twin Suns 4. Her voice is a soft whisper that she herself is barely able to hear. "Good bye, Annisa."

Then she squeezes the triggers once more, spitting out the lasers which shred the engines of Twin Suns 4. Cheriss banks away as the ruby bolts of an X-Wing fly past her cockpit. She glances behind her, noting the markings of Twin Suns 9. With a frown, she flicks her com over to the Twin Suns frequency. "Damn it Syal. Go away."

"I can't do that, Cheriss. I have my orders."

"Your orders are wrong! Don't do this. Don't make me do this."

Cheriss aims her X-Wing closer to the planet, skirting the atmosphere, even as Syal comes on, firing at her. Muttering a curse under her breath, she banks to port, actually dipping into the atmosphere. Then a Blade 32 appears on Syal's tail and fires on her, taking away her starboard s-foils.

Cheriss frowns as she watches Syal's craft bounce on the atmosphere before veering off back into space and towards the Viscount.

As Cheriss banks towards the battle once more, she silently hopes that her friend makes it back safe and sound. Then she is once more in the thick of the fight, dodging and destroying her friends and those she trained. Each explosion an ache in her heart.

As a Y-Wing's rear gunner manages to land a successful shot with an Ion cannon, she can't help but smile, as the decision to fight or flee, the decision to fight for who she promised obedience to or for what she believes in, is taken out of her hands. Cheriss leans back against the crash couch, as her craft continues on the trajectory she was on when hit, rocketing straight for Adumar.

With a smile, she pulls on the ejection level, and with a puff of the flash charges she is free to watch her X-Wing as it flames into incandescence.

Then she recognizes the continent of Cartann, and what she sees paints a look of horror on her face.

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Jaina Solo leans back in her chair in the Council's Chambers, the argument between the Jedi Masters a fierce debate, with her mother leading one side and Tresina Lobi the other. She sits between them, their voices assaulting her in the black void where she spends her days.

Finally she has had enough.

"I think I understand why Uncle Luke declared himself the Grand Master now."

Her voice is soft, and calm, yet it cuts through the nearly screaming voices of the other Master's. She allows a flicker of a smile to cross her lips as she can feel in the Force those in the room with her as they focus their attention on her.

"For good or ill, we are standing by the principles of the Galactic Federation. Uncle Luke made that clear before he retired."

Leia's voice floats out of the darkness. "But how does that apply to Corellia? The Articles of Federation allows member states to leave the Federation, and that is what Corellia chose to do. What Omas is doing with the Defense Fleet is an invasion force?"

She shifts her head slightly, waiting for Tresina's voice. "But Corellia is a part of the Federation, and is trying to leave, merely to bypass the law."

Then she focuses on the door leading to the foyer. "This debate must wait, for now we have a guest."

At this point, Cal Omas walks into the room. Jaina can imagine the politician's smile, and a frown appears on her face. "What can we do for you, Chief Omas?"

"I want Jedi in the Corellian System, assisting the Defense Fleet with putting down this rebellion."

Jaina's frown deepens at Omas' choice of words. "I'm certain that Diktat Antilles does not see his actions as rebellious."

"I won't let the Federation fall apart the same way that the New Republic did."

Jaina cringes as her mother speaks up. "I will go to Corellia, maybe I can help defuse the situation before more lives are lost."

"I'm sorry mother, but you are too close to this issue, you will stay on Coruscant. Master Durron, you and Master Lobi will go to Corellia."

She can feel Omas' bright burn of outrage. "Is that all? Just two Jedi?"

She turns her head towards Omas. "Two Jedi should be more than enough Chief Omas. After all, they are going to attempt a diplomatic solution to the conflict which your actions have started."

Jaina stretches out with the Force feeling the bright tensions among all the Jedi, and the anger and outrage emanating from Omas. Jaina focuses on him slightly, noticing that his Force presence is even darker than it had been on his last visit.

With her Force sense focused on Omas, Jaina realizes that what she had just said was wrong somehow, that the repercussions of her statement will be something that is not good for the Jedi.

She knows in the bottom of her soul that he is about to say something that everyone in this room will regret in the coming days. As she bites her lips for a second, she searches in the Force for a way to change this, a way to stop the words she can feel are coming.

Yet for the first time in years, the Force is strangely silent in her inner ears, clouded in her mind's eye. Then the words she had feared fall like stones from Omas' mouth.

"I had wanted to not to have to do this, but because Jedi build their weapons, the Jedi Order is subject to the Military Procurement and Nationalization Act. It is now under the direct control of the Office of the Chancellor."

Jaina grits her teeth as she feels the shock roll through the Force. She probes the Force trying to find some way to bring the Jedi through this, some way to get through this and still retain their place as the guardians of peace and justice.

From the Force all she gets is silence.

From Kyp Durron she gets something even more heartbreaking. "If the Jedi are now under the direct control of the Chancellor's office, that means I'm no longer a Jedi."

Everyone in the room watches as he gets up and leaves, and Jaina can see the fractures his leaving is causing among the Masters as others start wondering if such is what they should do, and Jaina knows that Kyp's actions will be taken by a great many of their padawans and Knights.

Silently she wonders if she should follow his lead as well.