Chapter 21

U.S.S. Titan

Michelle returned to the Cargo Bay after making a call to Shazi and asking about Ryu. Relieved to know that her cousin was still alive, she promptly apologized to Rosim and Moro.

Rosim spoke first, "No apologies necessary Michelle. Family should always come first. At any rate, we've pretty much wrung all the information we can out of this speeder. Captain Riker informed Engineering that as soon as the investigation is complete, we are to repair the Admiral's speeder and install a deflector shield generator so that he can't ever be sniped again like he was."

Michelle said, "I didn't think there was enough space in a Diplomatic speeder for a shield generator."

Keichi spoke this time, "That would be the case if it used impulse and warp drives that come standard on all Starfleet craft, but since this thing uses a fusion power source to provide thrust, the shield generator won't have all the bells and whistles like on a Starfleet shuttle or runabout."

Michelle smiled and said, "I can probably get you a wide selection of blaster weapons to test with if you like. In all due honesty, if you pull this off and make it practical, I would strongly suggest that you apply for the secondary patents on it. There will be so much business for vehicular retrofits that you could go into business together, open your own shop, go to work and retire in only a few years with the royalties to live off of, if you wanted to."

Rosim and Moro shared a glance and then Rosim spoke, "Neither of us care about the money but I do like the idea of the secondary patent so that this little beauty will carry both our names and Starfleet gets the positive PR for it. A little good karma can go a long way."

Michelle smiled and said, "I thought you might feel that way." Taking a PADD that was clipped to her belt that neither engineer saw, she handed it over and said, "Truth be told, just last night I had a vision through the Force and knew that we would have this conversation. You'll find all of the basic information already filled out in the required fields, just add the technical specifications and get it back to me. As soon as the investigation is over, I'll send it to the Patent Office and you'll get your confirmation in a month or two."

Just then, Deanna's voice came over the COM panel, "Padawan Karú, to Shuttle Bay 2, Padawan Karú to Shuttle Bay 2 please."

Leaving the two bemused engineers behind, Michelle stopped at the COM panel by the main doors, activated it and said, "Padawan Karú acknowledges; on my way."

Shuttle Bay 2

A few minutes later, Michelle walked into the shuttle bay to be greeted by her fellow Padawan, Deanna Troi. With her was Michelle's master, Jaina Solo. Bowing at the waist to her master, and bidding the young woman with her mother's hair and eyes, but her father's touch with all things machine welcome, Michelle said, "Welcome aboard the U.S.S. Titan, Master Jaina. How was the flight up?"

Returning the bow Jaina said, "Uneventful; I asked the pilot if I could take the controls for a time to try them out since I've long since memorized the configuration of the controls, but they wouldn't let me so I just tore apart the wall panel at my seat and reassembled it just before arrival."

Shocked silence reigned for a few seconds as Michelle said, "Please tell me you didn't actually do that Master?"

Jaina smiled and said, "Tore apart, no, opened, yes and sent a Force touch through the pathways to gain a better understanding of some of the nonessential systems aboard a Starfleet shuttlecraft. I have to say, remarkably efficient for something so small and clunky looking." Changing the subject, she asked, "How goes your side of the investigation then?" Deanna made to leave the shuttle bay leaving the two women, Master and Student alone, when Jaina said, "Don't go just yet please Deanna. I think you'll be of great help once you hear me out." Deanna stopped where she was and turned her attention back to Jaina.

Michelle answered, "We've gotten just about everything we can out of the Admiral's speeder. I guess for now, I don't have anything going on. Would you like a tour of the Titan and some flight time with a shuttle? I'm sure I can arrange it with Captain Riker."

Jaina nodded her head and said, "Not right now, thanks, definitely later though. Right now, I have training for you."

"Training? What did you have in mind Master?" Michelle asked.

Shaznia Jayks is looking for someone versed in Psychometry. Are you familiar with it?" Jaina asked.

Michelle answered, "Only in passing. It's the ability to take a psychic reading off of an inanimate object, isn't it?"

Jaina nodded, "Right the first time Michelle. The Order does have a few skilled in Psychometry but they're all offworld right now so I said that I would see if you could get any images from this." Holding up an evidence bag with both the NRPOC and Starfleet Security seals on it, Michelle saw a small oblong object with visible connectors on top.

Michelle asked, "That looks like a power pack to a weapon of some kind Master. How do you think I can be of any help?"

Jaina answered, "Right again. It is a power pack. In point of fact, it's a power pack from one of the weapons that was used on Ambassador Picard. Like me, your awareness of the Force is particularly in tune with all things mechanical and electronic. My little brother Anakin was the same way when he was still a toddler but as he grew up; his abilities shifted in the Force and now he only can 'see' into those mechanical or electronic things that he works with most, like his and Tahiri's lightsabers for example, or when the baby monitors that he and Tahiri were using with their newborn son Tahiran suddenly stopped working, Anakin checked all the usual things first, power supply, transmitter range, that sort of thing. When he took a moment and used the Force to 'see' into the units, he found that several wires had been pulled from their connection points on the circuit board. The only conclusion he could come to was that his son's unconscious pushing and pulling with the Force pulled the wires. Where your Force awareness differs is that for most of your life, you were surrounded by technology. Food Replicators, transporters, tricorders and warp drives to name a few. As soon as Jacen and I were old enough, we went to the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4 where our Uncle Luke intentionally kept things low-tech so that all of his students could get a better feel for the Force all around them."

Michelle nodded and said, "I see your point Master. If your nephew could do that while still in his crib, it makes me wonder how Jacen and Tenel Ka's daughters Allana and Padmé will manifest their abilities; or your own children, when you decide to have them."

Jaina rolled her eyes to the ceiling and said, "I'm in no hurry, especially since I have a better than average chance of having twins the same as my mother did with her first pregnancy. Anyway, back to the subject at hand; I told Shaznia that I would have you attempt a reading off of this power pack. To aid you in this, I'd like to ask Deanna to link with you and me through the Force and into what is referred to as Force-meld or Jedi Meld if you prefer. I'll provide overall direction in the meld and she can help you to interpret anything you see. She's got more experience with interpretation of perspective than I do."

Deanna said, "I'll be happy to help in any way I can Master Jaina. When would you like to start?"

Jaina said, "As soon as you can take us somewhere quiet with little likelihood of being disturbed."

Deanna considered for a moment and said, "I know just the place. Follow me please."

Holodeck 1

Entering the holodeck, Deanna said out loud, "Computer, close and seal doors, block all incoming messages until further notice."

The computer's voice replied moments later, "Working . . . complete. Any further directions at this time?"

Deanna said, "Yes. Access the design schematics for the meditation chamber inside the Captain's Quarters. Please inform me when you have done so."

Moments later, the computer said, "Working . . . complete. Any further directions at this time?"

Deanna said, "Yes. Please create three identical units as indicated in the schematics except place them in a circular pattern, each seat touching the other so that three adult human or near-human people may comfortably make a triangle."

The voice said, "Working . . . complete. Any further directions at this time."

The three raised and padded seats had appeared in the center of the holodeck, each touching the other, exactly as directed. The three women sat down on them in a cross-legged position and got comfortable.

Deanna said, "Computer, decrease ambient lighting by 50%; now please create a cone of silence that completely encloses the seats that will negate all exterior sounds and overlay an image of the 'Searcher' constellation as seen from Betazed in the middle of high summer. Also, overlay the sound of the high summer crickets within the cone of silence and set the temperature to 26.6° C."

"Working . . . complete. Any further directions at this time?" asked the Computer.

Deanna answered, "Not at this time, thank you."

The image of the 'Searcher' was overhead and was breathtakingly clear and beautiful. The cone eliminated all exterior sounds so completely that one could all but forget that they were on a starship, especially with the pleasant sound of the crickets as they chirped and the comfortable warmth within the darkened room.

Handing the evidence bag to Michelle, Jaina said, "I understand what your attempting Deanna; excellent idea; now, while you and I join hands on one side, with our free hands, place them on Michelle's knees. Ordinarily, we wouldn't have to make a physical connection but since this is our first attempt, it seems the right thing to do. Michelle, take the power pack out of the bag and hold it with both of your hands and then join with us in the Force. It may feel a little strange at first when you feel Deanna's and my minds make contact with yours but relax, trust in the Force and let it flow."

Doing as instructed, Michelle took the pack out of the bag and held it in both hands. Taking some deep breaths to clear her mind and focus her intent, she soon felt the minds of her Master and her fellow Padawan. Allowing them past her defenses took but a moment. Feeling the circle of mind energy like a circuit connecting was exhilarating. Focusing her intent to the power pack in her hands, Michelle soon saw an incoherent stream of images, sounds and feelings when Deanna's voice was heard, "Relax Michelle. Don't try to fold or bend the images to your senses. Instead, let your senses piggyback on the images and they'll begin to solidify. A little slower now . . . almost there . . . yes, you have it now Michelle. Let us see what you see and hear what you hear."

In her mind's eye, Michelle could see everything around her like the images in a recording going in reverse. The power pack was being handed to Jaina by a man in dark green robes with a graying beard on his chin and his hair militarily short. Michelle didn't know who he was until Jaina's voice identified him as Corran Horn, the Jedi Investigator. The images continued as the pack continued to change hands with Starfleet Security and NRPOC personnel and still it moved backwards until it was seen to be thrown out of a weapon. Without being told, Michelle let the images run a short way further then slowed them down a little further and started them running forward. The shooter that had discarded the pack so thoughtlessly was a Rodian. The Rodian was at the window with a blaster rifle on a bipod perched on the ledge as the long fingered hands slammed the pack into the weapon. The shooter was seen to exhale and slowly squeeze the trigger until it clicked. Nothing happened. The shooter squeezed the trigger twice more and still nothing happened. It was then that the shooter ejected the pack and threw it away as he inserted another pack. His fleshy lips could be heard to mumble a stream of what Michelle was forced to assume was Rodian invective as that she didn't speak or understand Rodian. The Rodian was seen to try and get another shot off but couldn't. Soon after, the Rodian closed the bipod legs into their carry position along the barrel of the rifle and left the room.

Michelle, Deanna and Jaina all took a deep breath in unison and let the meld dissipate. Michelle felt both drained and wired at the same time, almost like she had just gotten off of an 18 hour shift in Engineering with nothing but Lieutenant Commander Mason Kovatch's coffee to keep her going.

Michelle was the first to speak, "That was kind of intense Master. Is the Force-meld always like that?"

Jaina answered, "It depends entirely on the situation. This does confirm one thing for me though. As I thought, you are skilled in Psychometry. We'll definitely have to put more time into your training in that regard."

Deanna asked, "How does this really help in the long run Master Jaina? I doubt that anything that we saw and heard is admissible in a court of law. As to the Rodian we all saw in the vision, I didn't see anything that would qualify as a distinguishing characteristic. Scars, tattoos . . . nothing."

Jaina spoke, "You're both right and wrong Deanna. You're right about nothing that we saw being admissible in court, but how this does help us is that while there may be a large Rodian population on Coruscant, not very many of them have access to the funds that would allow them to have the type of blaster we all saw in the vision, still fewer have any reason to even have those weapons in the first place. Rodians, like most people are just trying to live their lives like anyone else. This helps us narrow the search down to Rodian criminals or clans that may be trying to make a name for themselves. A group like that would be prime recruitment material for a group like H.A.T.E. Once we have a likely suspect or group of suspects, we can request warrants to detain them for questioning. In the course of an official warrant, that's when anything the Jedi get can be used as evidence. Thoughts, feelings, lies or attempts to hide a lie. You've done well Michelle, especially for a first attempt."

Michelle shook her head in negation, "Thank you Master but Deanna deserves the credit for this more than me. Without her guidance to get me to control the flow of images, it would've been little more than junk that any of us saw. I don't know about anyone else right now, but I feel pretty well tapped out right now."

Jaina said, "That's to be expected since we were in that meld for a little over two hours. That kind of extended, active use of the Force can leave a person feeling pretty drained."

Michelle and Deanna both exploded, "Two hours!"

Jaina nodded again, "Yea, two hours. I suggest that we all get something to eat and then go to bed early. Deanna, would your husband mind if I borrowed some guest quarters on the Titan for tonight? I'm feeling more than a little drained myself right now since I was acting as overall guide for this exercise."

Deanna shook her head and said, "Not at all Master Jaina. In fact it would be better if you stay here tonight anyway since your Padawan owes you a tour of the ship and some time on a shuttle. I'll set you up in the guest quarters right next to Michelle." Putting deed to words, the three women got up from their respective seats as Deanna said out loud, "Computer, end program." Leaving the holodeck behind, Deanna led the other two women to their respective quarters and then went to talk with her Mother who was staying on the Titan.