Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars
Fate of the Force
The next morning, the sun shining in the sky and despite the fact that they were slightly apprehensive about these discussions with Jempa, they cheerfully headed to his office. Luke was going along as well, because he was quite interested to find out who this fellow was, and how he knew so much, they headed once more for Dr Jempa's office. Luke was quite impressed as they entered, and they saw Betty typing away at her station.
"Good morning. Dr Jempa will be with you in a moment, he's had to nip out to the shops. There was a distinct lack of tea, the damn cleaning droid saw the box and dumped it." She said irritably.
Luke smiled slightly. He had seen Han go a day without his usual morning cup of coffee, and he supposed tea could be a substitute for some people, so not having it could only make people incredibly grumpy, as Han proved when that happened. They had barely sat down in the waiting area when Jempa came bustling in, a bag of teabags in one hand and another bag in the other.
"Good morning Betty, we have tea, get the kettle on quick, I'm gagging for a cuppa. We also have cakes today, I felt we deserved a treat, particularly since Captain Solo is getting on so well in our discussions." He said, inclining his head to the group, who hadn't realised that he had seen.
"You got us cakes?" Han asked, confused.
"Yes. I suspected you are a maple and pecan swirl man if that's alright." Jempa said as he went through to his office, beckoning them to follow him as Betty headed off to make the tea.
"Um, yeah, they're my favourites...how did you...?" he asked, thrown as to how the large gentle Whiphid seemed to know what sort of cake to get him.
"And I suspect that Princess Leia was a gingerbread man sort of lass, and I suspect that Master Skywalker here is partial to a fudge doughnut." Jempa said, smiling up at Luke.
Luke, Leia and Han looked at each other in shock. Not only was he good at realising their problems to do with Jacen's recent fall to the dark side, and not only did he know Allana's true identity, he also knew what their favourites cakes were. And as Leia looked around the room, and to the seat in front of the desk, she saw that she had been right the night before. The three seater sofa was now in front of Jempa's desk. Leia looked at Jempa, and a thought began entering her mind. He himself had admitted that he had been watching their family, and that he had watched their father. Was it possible that he was perhaps a Jedi, at some time during the past, perhaps before the Great Jedi Purge? That would certainly explain how he always seemed to know exactly who was coming and how insightful he was if nothing else. She looked at her brother, but her brother was fixing Jempa with a penetrating blue gaze as he pottered about at his desk, and finally sat down.
"Please." He said, and they sat, Leia in the middle, with Han on her left and Luke on her right.
"So..." Luke began, but Leia smiled slightly and shook her head.
"We don't get down to business until after Betty has brought through the tea." She said, and Jempa chuckled.
"Yes, I feel a good cup of tea makes for much better conversations." He said, and wrote something on a small notepad.
Han craned his neck slightly, wondering if these were the notes about them, because now that he came to think about it, he hadn't actually seen him make any. However, he was sorely disappointed because all it said was 'must get sugar'. Jempa chuckled slightly as Han sat back, disappointment on his face.
They sat in silence, and Leia looked into the morning sky. The sun was just coming over a cloud, and she wondered if it was an omen of her dreams finally starting to go away. Because, she was beginning to think that a large part of her problem was that she didn't understand why Jacen had done what he had done. However, her dream the night before had been just as vivid as the other ones.
The dream had begun not long after the Shadow Academy had reared its ugly head. Jacen had captured a large Corusca Gem from Lando's GemDiver station, and when he had seen Leia next he had offered it to her
"Here mom, this is for you." He said proudly, presenting her with the large stone.
Leia gasped. Her son this time was fourteen, full of love, life, with a zest for learning and a fondness for animals. He wasn't at all Darth Caedus, or anyone remotely resembling the Sith Lord he had become. So, going with her gut instinct, she decided to repeat what had happened when he had first presented it to her.
"Jacen honey, its beautiful. But I cant accept it." She said gently.
Jacen looked slightly hurt, as though he was worried his mother didn't like her present. She smiled and hugged him tenderly, and although it was only a dream, she savoured the touch.
"It's not that I don't like it. But I think you should keep it. I'm flattered you think I'm worth that, because let's face it, that's probably worth as much as that junkpile your father calls a ship, but I think you should keep it. Call it a feeling from the Force, but I think you'll be quite pleased you kept it one day." She said, as it had in fact become the crystal in his lightsaber.
"You think so?" he asked curiously, cocking his head in the way he always had when he asked a question.
"Yeah I do. And you've already been through a lot with it haven't you? Think of it as another one of your pets if you want, ok?" she asked, smiling at her son.
"Ok, sure." He said, smiling happily, and Leia kissed his forehead.
But then he had suddenly changed before her eyes and had become how he was just before he had become Darth Caedus, his eyes haunted by his past and looking sad. He was older now, more jaded, and he had already endured the tortures of the Vong and the riddles of Vergere, and all this was even before Lumiya had gotten her claws into him.
"Here mom, this is for you." He said once again, still proudly, smiling at her in a way that he hadn't since the Vong War, presenting her once again with the gem.
Leia looked at him in shock. By the time he was on his way to becoming Caedus, his saber had had the gem in it for years.
"Jacen, you cant give me that, its part of your lightsaber." She said worriedly, wondering what was going on, why his crystal wasn't inside his saber and why it wasn't staying there.
Jacen looked down sadly, looking hurt, as though upset that his mother didn't want his gift.
"Ok, if you don't want it..." he said sadly, and turned away from her, a tear in his eye.
"Jacen..." Leia said pleadingly, then stopped short when she saw who had just entered her dream.
It was Lumiya, complete with triangular headdress and she was smiling underneath her veil, and in Leia's book that could only mean she was up to no good. And as a smiling Sith was never good news, a smiling Lumiya was even worse.
"Here Lumiya, this is for you." Jacen said, presenting the stone to her, using the same proud tone he had used with his mother.
Lumiya took it and actually looked genuinely pleased that he had given her the stone. She then hugged him slightly.
"It's beautiful Jacen thank you." She purred, and Jacen hugged her fiercely, a smile like the one he had just given Leia on his face, happy that she had liked his gift.
"No wait, you're a Sith, she's using you Jacen..." Leia interrupted, angrily, angry that Lumiya was once again taking her son from her.
"The stone is now mine Leia, when it should have been yours. And so is Jacen." Lumiya said in evil delight, and put her arm around Jacen's shoulder and started leading him away from Leia.
"Jacen, no, don't go with her!" Leia yelled desperately but he was already becoming eschewed by the shadows.
"Why not mom?" Jacen asked sadly, his eyes full of pain.
"She's evil!" Leia cried, igniting her saber to attack Lumiya and save her son from her evil Sith clutches.
Lumiya gave an evil cackle.
"Really? At least I wouldn't order the death of my own child." She purred triumphantly, and Leia stopped short, while Jacen looked down, hurt by the news that his own mother had sanctioned the mission to kill him.
"Bye Leia." He said, his voice full of tears as he called her by her name rather than calling her 'mom', and she could see that he was hurt, very hurt.
"Jacen, no, I love you!" Leia yelled, but he didn't hear her.
"Come on mom, lets go." He said to Lumiya, and she shot Leia a smug look and gave an evil cackle as she and Jacen had disappeared into the shadows.
Leia resolved to talk about it with Jempa, but first they had to go to the place he wanted to go to with his discussions today. As such, they sat in silence until Betty bustled in, with two trays, one with the teapot and four mugs, and one with their cakes, along with a chocolate éclair and a vanilla slice.
"Ah thank you my dear. Enjoy your éclair." He said, and she smiled before heading out with her bun.
After he had consumed his vanilla slice, and all of them their buns, he sipped his tea and fixed them with his gaze. Luke, who had been studying the aged Whiphid intently, sat back. The room was moderately comfortable and in soothing tones, designed to bring out the best of what people thought. But Luke couldn't shake the feeling that the place was relatively new, and as he hadn't seen anyone else, and neither had Han or Leia, he was beginning to think the place had been made into a counsellors primarily for them. Which he didn't know if it boded good or ill.
"So Master Skywalker, it is a pleasure to meet you at last. I have watched you a very long time, and I must say, I am fairly impressed with what I've seen." Jempa said, including his head gracefully as he shook Luke's hand.
"Um, thank you, I think. Nice to meet you too." He said, and the two sat back down.
"So you have joined us for these sessions. This is good. The more perspectives we get the better. Now, yesterday we began to discuss the point where Jacen started to go dark. So, what do you have for me?" he asked, sipping his tea and looking eager to get started.
Han cleared his throat, and sipped his tea before meeting Jempa's gaze.
"I reckon it was because of Vergere. He...changed after his time with her. She got him to follow her obscure version of the Force and he got convinced by it, and the way he went about things became a lot, well, darker." Han said reluctantly.
Jempa nodded in thought, going along with what he was saying.
"Yes, that is indeed a good point. Vergere was once a Jedi of the Old Republic. However, her views were always considered...unorthodox by the Jedi Council, and she was even more of a maverick than Master Qui-Gon Jinn. Her mission to Zonama Sekot before she joined the Yuuzhan Vong also introduced her to the Potentium view of the Force, which even Yoda described as heretical. And the fact that she was apparently a Sith..." he said, but Luke cut him short.
"What, Vergere was a Sith?" he demanded, wondering how they could have missed that during the war.
Jempa shrugged his large shoulders, gesturing with his hand as he did so.
"We don't know. Lumiya certainly told Jacen that she was, and that made him all the more eager to listen to her, but...while some of her acts were certainly very questionable, the fact that she believed in the Unifying Force, which in the past has led Jedi to make some controversial decisions, such as that of the Jedi Covenant, I do not believe she was a true Sith." Jempa elaborated, though he looked unsure, and Leia privately felt that even if she was, they would never truly know either way.
"But surely if she was a Sith, they'd have felt it?" Han demanded angrily, pointing at Luke and Leia. And if Vergere was a Sith, it would make sense that she would be setting Jacen up for a fall to the dark side eventually.
Jempa raised a cautionary finger, and Han simmered down a little.
"Your problem is that your views of the Sith are measured by Darth Sidious. Not all Sith were truly evil, or even truly with the dark side, such as Darth Traya. And anyway, if she was a Sith, she had to have been one when she left the Republic, meaning she would have had to have learnt from Sidious, and trust me, he was all too good at hiding his true nature." He said bitterly, and Leia's suspicions of him being a former Jedi were further aroused.
Silence reigned for a moment as all of them thought about it, and Jempa, and Luke as well, seemed to both be in deep contemplation. As Leia expected, Han's patience evaporated first.
"So, you agree that Vergere did start him off?" he asked.
Jempa sat back, his index fingers held against his lips.
"Yes, I admit she probably had something to do with it. However, on the other hand, Vergere did give Jacen what he needed in order to survive his torture at the hands of the Vong, and gave him the insight and power he needed in order to destroy Onimi. So she cant have been all bad." Jempa pointed out, taking a sip of his tea.
"Yeah, but she was setting him up to become a Sith eventually surely?" Han asked.
"But what's the point in getting him to save the galaxy and destroy it with another war later on?" Leia countered, and Jempa smiled.
"Good, debate is good. It will help us go places. Hmm, Vergere is an odd subject I feel. One that will require a long bit of thought on. So Princess, while we wait for that particular branch of enlightenment, perhaps you'd explain your views." Jempa invited.
Leia sipped her tea, then prepared to recall some painful memories.
"I think Jacen started going bad when Anakin died. Before then, the three of them were still relatively innocent but were still being pulled along by their destinies. Then, the Vong War started. They lost Chewie, and they lost a fair bit of their innocence when that happened. And the war got steadily darker, and Jacen...he was horrified when Tsavong Lah attacked me on Duro. He started to lose his faith in the good of the galaxy, and then Anakin was killed at Myrkr. I think thats what started him down it. He lost his little brother, and he knew things weren't the same anymore. He started to become more driven to protect the rest of us, and like you said yesterday, that might have been what convinced him to do what he did. And because he was captured right after Anakin died, he couldn't sort things through with everyone else like we could...and he didn't get a chance to...say goodbye." She said tearfully, remembering that Jacen hadn't been at Anakin's funeral.
Jempa nodded dolefully.
"Perhaps you are onto something there." He said musingly, then motioned for her to continue,
"Well, during the war, when we talked to Wedge, Wedge told us that every animal he saw had the face of a voxyn. When Anakin died, he lost a lot of the things that made him Jacen, and Vergere definitely didn't help him much. And he became less interested in all the stuff that he did, because I think he was doing it because he felt he had to, rather than wanting to like when he was a little boy. I reckon he broke the same time Tahiri did...when Anakin died." She said sadly.
Jempa pondered this.
"Yes, I must say, that is when his actions started to become a lot more questionable. After his capture and his apprenticeship to Vergere, it was when he started to believe in the Unifying Force. Perhaps he was a lot more open to it because of the loss of his brother. I believe we are in the right time frame for when he started to go dark. As such, now that we have that, we will have to examine where he was the most likely to accept the path of the Sith. However, first Master Skywalker, I would hear what you have to say on this subject." Jempa said.
Luke sighed.
"Well I think both of those things did affect Jacen and start him off heading towards the dark side. But, we are also to blame. When Jacen and Vergere came back from Coruscant during the war, we were all happy to have him back and all that, but we knew what sort of stuff had happened to him under the Vong, and he even told us what sort of stuff she had done with him. We never actually checked to see if he was alright. He was back and relaxed, but he had been tortured for weeks. I know Han still dreams about Nil Spaar torturing him. Jacen had been tortured by a species that value pain above all else, and we never actually made sure he was alright, and that he had recovered. And then, after he saved us all from the Vong, he went off into the galaxy. We shouldn't have let him. After what he went through, what we all went through, Mara's illness, his torture, Ben withdrawing from the Force, Jaina's fall, losing Anakin, losing Chewie, we shouldn't have let him go. We just welcomed him back, celebrated the fact that he was alive, but we never actually made sure that he was alright. And then we let him go off into the galaxy, and he decided to be alone. We shouldn't have let him go, we should have kept him with us, so we could all recover after what we'd all been through." Luke said.
Jempa nodded, stood up and began pacing, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Perhaps you are also right young Luke. However, after he returned with Vergere, Jacen didn't seem like he needed help. He'd become tougher, more self reliant, as she had taught him. However, Jedi work better together, so what she was up to there I don't know." He conceded.
Leia looked at the large kindly Whiphid and sighed.
"Luke is right. We may have been delighted to get Jacen back. But we didn't try to get my son back, and that's the main difference. He was still Jacen, but he wasn't my son anymore. We just let him become the new version of Jacen, the one who had been shaped by Vergere. We didn't try to get our version back." She lamented, and the three looked pensive as they contemplated this.
Jempa turned to them, looking up from his pacing.
"Indeed? Perhaps you are on to something more than you thought my fine young Jedi. Perhaps because he wasn't the boy you all loved anymore, things began to change." He theorised.
Leia looked downward. If she was right it would certainly fit in with her dream from the night before.
"How do you mean? We still loved him when he came back from his journey." Han said, looking slightly insulted that Jempa was insinuating that they had stopped loving him just because he had gone off for five years.
Jempa raised a finger.
"Bear with me Captain Solo. I am not suggesting that you stopped loving him then, what I am saying is that perhaps your relationship with him changed." He said significantly.
"What do you mean by changed?" Luke asked, his eyes narrowed, not in suspicion, but in worry.
Jempa sat back down and clasped his hands in front of them, making his fingers into a steeple as he looked at them intently.
"When Jacen came back, he had changed. There is no denying that. He was more...well arrogant for a start, which is never a good quality for a Jedi and can lead down the dark path, but that's not what I'm getting at. He was more, otherworldly, more mysterious, than he had been, more reserved. Consider Luke, how much of his apprenticeship did he spend having philosophical debates with you about the nature of the Force? He was also far more open with you Leia, and he was a lot more like you when he left, even after his torture, but that had changed. And even you Han, he may have had his disagreements with you, but he still loved you, but he didn't talk to you as much. He had changed, and I think that made it more difficult for you to connect with him. You still loved the man he was, but not necessarily the man he had become, and I think perhaps a part of him felt, I don't know the right word, perhaps, hurt is the right word...?, that his parents and closest family members didn't love him the way he used to." Jempa elaborated, and Leia had to admit, that would probably fit in with her dream from the night before.
Luke looked confused.
"But what...?" he asked, looking bewildered.
"Well, look at you and Mara's relationship with Jacen. When he returned, neither of you trusted him like you used to, especially when Ben started hanging around him. Jacen was around you two for a long time, and you lot not trusting him probably hurt. Yes, he was a grown man, but children never stop loving their parents and loved ones and wanting the same love back I suspect...present company excepted of course." He added hastily, as Leia and Luke both looked stern.
Han looked thoughtful.
"That's an interesting point actually. He became harder to talk to, like he was always concerned with something else. Maybe we did accidentally hurt him." Han theorised, and Jempa nodded.
"As he hurt you. He didn't talk to any of you about his plans for the Killik War, and did any of you ever actually hear about what he did on his travels?" Jempa asked curiously.
Leia thought on this. Now she came to think about it, they hadn't really gotten much of his travels around the galaxy, only little bits at a time, never the full story.
"Exactly! He had clammed up from you. He might have been hurt, but so were you. Neither side is guiltless here." Jempa said.
"Even Jaina..." Leia said wonderingly, and Jempa cut her off with a low growl, that made them all jump slightly.
"You think Jaina is part of this?" Han asked.
Jempa narrowed his eyes grumpily.
"Oh yes. Jaina in my opinion has rather a lot to answer for." He growled.
"How do you figure?" Leia asked, concerned as to what he viewed as Jaina's problem, and as he scowled, she felt a shiver of repressed anger.
Whatever Jempa had to say about Jaina, she knew it wasn't going to be pretty.
"Consider, Jaina and Jacen used to do everything together, they were nigh inseparable, they were each other's best friends for all their early years. However, during the Vong War, Jacen withdrew from their Force bond to stop Jaina coming after him, and he continued to do it to protect her throughout his imprisonment. She did it to stop him finding out that she had briefly fallen to the dark side. And then they continued to hide, but it was still there. Until the Killik Crisis. When Jacen attacked Supply Depot Thrago, she began to cut off their bond, which was different from hiding from it, as you know."
"Well he did precipitate a war. We were all a bit taken aback by that one." Han reasoned, and Jempa nodded in agreement.
"Correct. While I personally feel he did the right thing, and I know full well that several Jedi also think that," he said, sending Luke a significant glance, and received a reluctant nod, "Jaina cut off her bond because she was bug lover at the time. She had become a Joiner, and so she was furious that he had betrayed them. But even after, she didn't bother trying to restore their twin bond to what it once was. And do you recall when she began to cut it off completely?" he asked.
Leia tried to think, but Luke nodded.
"Yeah. She cut it off when he became the leader of GAG." He said.
Jempa nodded.
"Correct. But it wasn't on a moral issue that she disagreed with what he was doing. She did it because she was annoyed that he had become a colonel straight away, whereas she had had to work to attain the rank. And that was when she cut it off completely. Not for a moral reason, not for a good reason, but because she was being childish and foolish. She was annoyed and started trying to pull out of it when she was a Joiner, and then she cut it off because she spat her dummy out." Jempa said harshly.
"Hey, wait a minute..." Han began, but Leia raised her hand and he went quiet, but he was still glaring at Jempa.
"And believe me, I have known the realities of a high military position. They aren't fun, as you and Luke may be able to attest Han." He said, inclining his head to them both, and they both nodded.
"Don't get me wrong, I think Jaina is a lovely young lass. However, I think she should have a serious think about her priorities." He growled.
Silence met these words, and Han and Leia were both struggling to hold back a vehement retort. Luke however, had a look on his face that meant he could only be considering what Jempa had said, and that he suspected the Whiphid counsellor may even have a point.
"Anyway, the deterioration of their twin bond may very well have been the reason that Jacen began to turn to another source of comfort, someone who still trusted him, and his relationship with hadn't changed in anyway." Jempa continued.
"Well ours..." Leia said, deciding to ignore the slight against Jaina.
"Yes, but you did become more distant. No one is to blame, I think it's just human nature, and his sojourn didn't help much either. But, his relationships with you weren't the same as when he left, and yours weren't the same with him. Hence his closeness to Ben I suspect. Ben was too small when Jacen left to have any clear memories of him, and so he could love him for the man he had become during his long absence. In Ben, Jacen saw a sort of surrogate brother, someone he could relate to without any great expectations, and someone who trusted him implicitly and loved him for who he was. And in Jacen, I think Ben saw someone he could look up to, someone he could strive to be like, a hero, a sort of big brother and a playmate that he hadn't had before then." Jempa said, and Luke did have to admit that before Jacen had gone dark he actually was good for Ben.
"So he pulled away from us, like we apparently pulled away from him, so he went to Ben for comfort?" Han asked.
Jempa nodded eagerly, pleased that they were getting his point.
"Perhaps he was trying to fill the void left by Anakin's death by bonding so much with Ben. He grew more distant with all of you, with his new approach to things and his new beliefs, and so he bonded with someone else to make up for this. Young Ben. And he continued to remain close to him throughout the war. You know Luke, that Ben was incredibly loyal to Jacen, and for all his flaws Jacen did also love Ben just as much as he loved Tenel Ka and Allana. I believe Jacen was so desperate to turn Ben to the dark side because he didn't want to lose his love for him...which he lost anyway when he found out it was him who killed Mara. I think Jacen must have felt very alone in the final days of the war, hence some of his rather questionable acts later on, which I will not utter here. Jacen didn't want to lose Ben, and perhaps in his mind he didn't want to lose another little brother, and someone he loved as much as his own daughter and lover. He was afraid of losing Ben and I think that's why he was so determined to make sure Ben fell. However, as we know, that plan didn't work, and perhaps that is for the best."
They went silent. At first, Jacen and Ben's relationship, despite Luke and Mara not being entirely enthusiastic about it, had helped Ben come out from his Force withdrawal, so much so that Mara had defended Jacen to Luke in the early days of the war, even when she didn't like his methods. And both Leia and Mara had thought that their relationship was quite sweet at first. As such, Leia wasn't that surprised that Jacen had loved Ben as much as he had loved his daughter, and that did perhaps explain his need to turn Ben. He had loved Ben, enough to try and make the galaxy a safer place for him as well. And that, Leia supposed, was pure Jacen, trying to protect the ones he loved. Perhaps...perhaps Caedus wasn't the great evil everyone thought he was. Yes, his actions had been horrific, but his intentions, and his goals had originally been good. He had wanted to make the galaxy a safer place for the ones he loved. Yes, he had become an evil monster, but he was still, in his heart of hearts, her son, the kind boy who would do anything for the ones he loved. But that knowledge just made everything he had done harder to accept. Or did it?
He had done things that they would never be able to forgive him for, murdering Mara and torturing Ben, but ultimately he had brought the galaxy together, unifying it in a way that it hadn't been since the Vong War, and the galaxy was actually now a lot safer. And no matter what he had done, he was her son...and even now she loved him. Looking back at Jempa, she saw him wink slightly.
"Oh good lord look at the time! I'm sorry, I really must dash." Jempa said.
"Eh?" Luke asked, coming out from his reverie as they all thought on what the counsellor had said.
"I'm sorry, I have a doctor's appointment that if I miss my counterpart will skin me alive. She says I have high cholesterol and need to lose weight, which as she is a plant based lifeform is a bit rude. It's alright for her, all she has to do is sit in some soil and she's happy. Me, I have to eat. Old bat." He grumbled, though Luke could tell that he did actually care a lot for his mysterious partner.
"So do we come back tomorrow?" Han asked as he stood up, while Jempa collected his briefcase.
"Yes, please feel free. I think now that we have ascertained the places Jacen started to go dark and their influences, and that your relationships with him changed, hence why he was so determined to turn Ben to the dark side with him. Now however I feel we must find where he marked the transition from, shall we say, morally ambiguous Jedi to Sith Lord." Jempa said, lifting a large conical straw hat from his hat stand.
Leia and Luke both stood up as he got the last of his things.
"Um before you go, can I have a word, in private?" she asked, glancing guiltily at Han and Luke, who looked at her in concern.
"Certainly, if it's quick. Go away you two." He said good-naturedly, and the two left his office, looking disgruntled.
Leia sighed as he collected his coat, which looked a lot more like a robe than a coat.
"I had another dream last night. When Jacen was a little boy, he offered me a Corusca Gem that he caught at GemDiver station." She explained.
Jempa laughed.
"Yes I remember that place, doing that was rather fun." He said, grinning.
"Well, at the time, he had just escaped the Shadow Academy using it, I said for him to keep it, and he eventually put it into his lightsaber. That's what the dream was last night, he was the same age he was when he offered it to me before, and I told him the same thing I did then. Then, it changed and he became the one he was just before he fell and offered it to me again, and as it was meant to be in his lightsaber I didn't take it. Lumiya appeared and he offered it to her and she took it instead, and when Lumiya told him I'd sanctioned the mission to kill him, he called me Leia and her mom, and left with her. What do you reckon it means?"
Jempa pondered, leaning his briefcase on the desk as he did so.
"Perhaps the gem in your dream represents his love for you. I suppose during the war before Luke killed her, after you and Han withdrew from him, Lumiya was the closest thing to a mother he had. And possibly it represents what we were discussing earlier, that his love for you might have changed, but he still offered it to you. Perhaps the dream represents a fear that you rejected his love for you, and that's what drove him towards Lumiya." He reasoned.
Leia frowned.
"I still loved him. And I still do." She admitted, and Jempa smiled and clapped her shoulder with his large hand.
"And that my dear is what I am counting on." He said kindly.
Leia smiled. Maybe she did fear that, and maybe Lumiya had loved Jacen in her own way, and perhaps he had loved her back. But Leia would always love him in a way she could never understand. Because he was her son, not Lumiya's. And she knew Jacen would always love his family more than any Sith. After all, wasn't that the reason he had become Darth Caedus?
"Now, I really must dash. Now, where's my hat?" he asked, and proceeded to put on another hat on top of the one he already had on and walked out the door.
"Cheerio!" he called as he departed, and Leia left his office, to see Betty, Han and Luke looking out the door after him in bewilderment.
"He just went out with two hats on didn't he?" Han asked.
Leia nodded, looking unfazed.
"And you trust him to be a counsellor?" Luke asked, as they waved goodbye to Betty and left.
Leia nodded. There was just something about Jempa. Yes, he knew far more than he should, but he was incredibly insightful, and maybe a tiny bit eccentric, but Leia felt she couldn't have a better counsellor...not that she would mention it to Threepio. She did trust him. But she wanted to see if her brother shared her thoughts.
"I'm beginning to think he was a Jedi at one stage." She stated as they headed for the speeder.
"Yeah, so am I. Maybe as far back as the Clone Wars." Luke agreed as he and Han got into the front of the speeder.
Han looked sceptical.
"He must be really old then, because if I read what he was saying about Jaina and the GAG thing right, he must have been a general during the wars, which means he must have been at least twenty odds when the wars began." He reasoned.
"Maybe. Whiphids are relatively long lived species, it's possible." Leia said as they drove off and saw Jempa get onto the bus.
"I'll have Tionne look into Old Republic Jedi, see if she can find a Whiphid Jedi. I reckon you're right, we can trust him. But if he is, why has he appeared now, and helping us talk about Jacen?" Luke asked.
"He'll want something." Han said grimly.
Leia smiled at her husband's cynicism, but did have to admit that he probably had a point. And as whatever he was truly after had obviously gotten an old Jedi out of retirement, it couldn't be any good for anyone concerned.
XX
Loneliness. She had been so alone, for so long. But, recently, she had been able to extend her will beyond the confines of her own planet, and of the Maw Cluster. And what she felt intoxicated her. She could feel Force presences, both light and dark out there, in the wider galaxy. And she wanted them. Soon, she would be free, and they would be hers. And all those she had touched during the chaos she had felt would soon return to her.
The presence she had felt ten years ago, the shining, intense Force presence that had reawaken her hunger and had whetted her appetite once more, was gone. But there were others like him. And she would soon escape, and consume those she felt in the outside galaxy. Her will and hunger would not be denied.
Soon, Abeloth would be free.
XX
"He reckons now we need to find out when he started to become a Sith. And, we figured that you probably know that best kid." Han said as Ben sat down.
It had taken them a while, but he and Leia had eventually persuaded Luke to involve Ben in this. After all, in the final days, even when he was a Sith apprentice, Jacen was still closer to Ben than anyone else. And whether he liked it or not, the entire family needed to find out where they went wrong with Jacen and put their consciences to rest. And also Leia wanted to know why Jempa was interested in her most of all, and also why he had come out of retirement, because she knew that something big must be in the offing for him to have come out of hiding.
Ben looked at them sadly. Yes, he hated Jacen for what he had done and what he had become, but he still recalled the other Jacen, the one he had loved, the one he had wanted to be like, the one he had idolised. And a small part of him, the part that wasn't devoted to hating what Jacen had done to him and his mother, slightly missed him.
And he could see the pain in his Aunt Leia and Uncle Hans' eyes, and he could also see the determination and the lack of understanding in his fathers, and he knew that if he could do anything to make them feel better, he had to do it. Jacen, and his mother, had taught him that since day one.
"I reckon he started thinking something else needed to happen when we attacked Centerpoint the first time. I mean, all that happened was that it devolved into another war, after we'd not long had the Vong War or the Killik War. We attacked first, and let's face it, the government should have known what Sal-Solo would do, and that he'd create some way to fight back. He may have been an idiot but he wasn't stupid. And an act of aggression like that would only make things worse not better. Maybe if we'd done what I said, gone in and kidnapped him, or dealt with him quietly, we might not have had a war, and the Corellians would have been seen as the aggressors." Ben stated.
"The Corellians..." Han said, but Leia cut him off with a glare.
"Dont start Han. You knew as well as I did that the Corellians were just being stubborn. And the fact that it was Thrackan who was in charge of them should have meant that we didn't get involved, but we did. And I doubt his own parents being on the opposing side did much for Jacen either." Leia said irritably.
"Yeah but the Alliance was exploiting them." Han argued.
"Perhaps Han, but what the Corellians wanted was outright extortion. We were trying to rebuild the galaxy, and they were content to just let everyone else struggle along. Maybe, in hindsight, Ben was right. We should have gotten rid of Thrackan the dirty way. I'm not saying it would have stopped the war, but it might not have gotten so bad." Luke said sadly.
Han looked grumpy, and Leia rolled her eyes and ignored him. She should have put her foot down and said that they shouldn't have gotten involved. No wonder Jacen had fired at them during the Battle of Hapes. And with Sal-Solo in charge, things were always going to get out of hand. After all, he'd kidnapped the kids before hand during the First Corellian Crisis and had tried to use them to control Centerpoint to destroy other worlds in the Starbuster Plot, so they should have known that as he was quite capable of committing genocide, he would have no qualms about taking Corellia into a full scale war. He couldn't be trusted. Mind you, they had just elected Admiral Daala to become the head of the Galactic Alliance, so maybe they couldn't judge...
"Ben?" Luke asked in concern, as his son seemed to be very far off.
"Oh, sorry dad, I was just thinking...a lot of that time, Jacen really did miss Tenel Ka and Allana. I think that might have been part of the reason...yeah, he wanted them to be safe, but he also wanted them to be with him. I think it hurt him, because he was definitely in love with Tenel Ka, and he loved Allana, and so I reckon that when he became Chief of State and when the war ended, I think he would have wanted to be with her." He concluded, looking faintly sad.
"I can sympathise with that." Luke said in a sad voice, and Han looked at him sympathetically.
"You reckon he was lonely?" Leia asked.
"Probably, especially after Ben found out who really killed Mara, because we all disowned him. And remember what Jempa said, he did something when he was alone that he didn't want us knowing." Han said.
Leia frowned. She had a sneaky suspicion that she knew what Jacen had done, but a part of her could understand it. He had no one left, and the love of his life had turned on him, taking his daughter with her, and his family had also turned their backs on him. He had no one left to turn to. And if he had done what she thought he had done, the one he had done it with, he probably had loved on some level, but she had to face facts, the person hadn't been right since Myrkr, and if he had done what she thought he had done to win their loyalty, it would probably confuse their feelings intensely.
Ben gave a sigh.
"I reckon he turned for the right reasons, if you can do that. He turned to protect us all and give us a better galaxy to live in. He wanted the people he loved most in the galaxy, Tenel Ka, Allana, me, you guys, all to be safe and not have to fight another pointless war anytime soon. And I think that's why he wanted to turn me to the dark side so much, because aside from Tenel Ka and Allana, he loved me most of all. He wanted us all to be safe, and thought becoming a Sith was the way to go about it. He just...got it wrong." Ben lamented, looking sad, though over the loss of Jacen, or the fact that the war had lost him his mother, he didn't know.
Leia looked out at the dark night sky. She felt a moment was approaching. A moment that had been unprecedented in the history of the galaxy. How, or why, she knew this, she didn't know. But she knew it. And she had a feeling it was something to do with Jempa. And her, she could feel it. But what was it?
XX
His counterpart looked at him gravely as her entire holo shook.
"It's getting worse." She said, as she toppled out of sight, and came back up again, swearing.
"I can see that. Do not worry my old friend. I feel the time we have waited for is approaching. Scout, otherwise known as 'Betty' has got her ysalamiri for what is to come. Are the others ready on the ship?" he asked in concern, and she nodded.
"Yes they are, their ysalamir is ready too. And it means it wont be able to sense them until they land on the planet. Provided we succeed." She said worriedly, but Jempa shook his head.
"We will succeed. We must. We have no other choice." He said gravely.
"Are you sure I'll be alright?" she asked worriedly, and he nodded.
"Yes my dear. Well, at least as certain as I can get. If not, get Korto to bring down a ysalamir for you as well." He advised, and she looked thoughtful.
"What if it all goes exactly as you say? This has never been done before. What if something goes drastically wrong, or things don't turn out exactly like we hope?" she asked in concern.
Jempa sighed.
"Then we trust the Force to fix our mistake. I know, this is filled with risks, but the threat of our greatest foe is greater than any other we have ever faced. We must do this, because I feel we shall need all the help we can get in the days to come. And besides, we owe it to the dead." He said sadly.
She looked at him in sympathy.
"I know we do. We will get her back for the deaths of Kina Ha, Jempa and Ferus Olin my dear, never fear." She soothed.
"Indeed. But either way we are running out of time. And I do not like the fact that the others have decided to confront her head on. I firmly believe on a force of Jedi and Sith working together can save the galaxy from Abeloth." He said gravely.
"I know you do. But we must try. And then, we can begin to focus on that dark threat I've been sensing stirring in the Force. It feels...Vongish. Which cant bode well." She said, her voice grim.
"Agreed my dear. We can focus on that after we stop Abeloth. Ah, I sense them approaching. Excellent. We are close. Hang in there. And have another word with Quinlan. He isn't listening to me, but he might listen to you. Having them confront her is a bad idea." He said grimly, full of worry for his compatriots plans.
"I will. And all the others have their ysalamiri too. So, aside from us, the only ones who will be confused if we succeed are the inhabitants of Myrkr itself. And that could be a bit tricky to explain." She said with a slight grin.
She certainly hoped that she and Jempa's plan would succeed, and that would hopefully be enough to save the galaxy from the destructive force that was Abeloth, and whatever other dark threats were stirring in the darkness. And besides, she wanted to explain just to see how the hell they would explain it all to Myrkr.
"Oh, they're coming. Hang tight my dear." He said kindly.
"You too. And put me on speaker when you pass your judgement. I want to hear your rant." She said with a smile and vanished.
Jempa, as he was known for the moment, smiled and sat back. Yes, he had a feeling the time was approaching.
"Scout, or Betty, or whatever the hell I call you when they're not here, prepare the tea. Five cups, biscuits and the holo projector. It is time for Dr Jempa to pass judgement." He said.
"Yes master." She said happily, as it meant this charade would soon come to an end.
Jempa nodded. All was in readiness. He had to be careful. What he said here...the entire galaxy could depend upon it. He could only hope he was up to the challenge.
XX
They entered, smiling at Betty as they did so. She looked up and smiled. Luke, Leia and Han had come again, and this time, Ben had decided to tag along. And as an added bonus, Jaina, who they had encountered when leaving the apartment as she had been dropping off Allana, had also decided to come along, despite the others reservations.
They entered the room, and sure enough, it had changed once again. The three seater sofa had been moved back a little bit, and now there were two armchairs flanking it. Jempa was sitting, tea already in hand, and a ginger snap in the other, and he smiled at them and beckoned for them to sit. Leia poured them all tea, and they turned to face Jempa.
"Welcome back my friends. Young Ben, a delight to meet you, as it is you, young mistress Jaina." He said smiling, but his smile did not quite reach his eyes when he greeted Jaina.
"Well we talked about when he decided he would be better off as a Sith, and Ben figured out that he started heading towards it when we attacked Corellia rather than wiping Thrackan out sneakily." Luke said, looking at his son, who blushed slightly.
"Indeed. A fairly astute observation young Ben." Jempa said with a smile.
"But what's that go to do with anything?" Jaina asked in confusion.
He turned to her, and his expression was more kindly than it was before.
"Everything young one. Princess, would you do me the honour of contacting Queen Mother Tenel Ka?" he asked.
Leia looked at him in confusion, and he indicated the holo.
"Please. I have something to say to you all, and she must hear it also." He said, and reluctantly, and using the emergency channel against her wishes, Leia did so.
The beautiful red-headed leader of Hapes, with pale grey eyes and a lonely expression materialised, and her expression quickly became one of alarm.
"Leia, is Allana alright?" she asked urgently, and Leia nodded.
"Yes Tenel Ka. I'm sorry I used the emergency channel, but Dr Jempa here is quite insistent." She said, indicating the Whiphid, who bowed.
"An honour and a pleasure your majesty." He said and she visibly relaxed a little.
"So this fellow is the reason Jaina has been looking after Allana this week. I'm actually surprised you of all people are seeing a counsellor Han. You always dismissed it as hokey." She said with a tight smile.
Han waved his hand.
"Yeah, I'm usually wrong about things I describe as hokey." He admitted, and Luke smiled, while Jempa chuckled.
"So what is it that is so urgent that you tried to give me a coronary in trying to reach me Dr Jempa?" Tenel Ka asked, and everyone looked intrigued.
Jempa then stood up, clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing.
"Princess Leia, when you first came here a few days ago, you arrived with a guilty conscience. Anyone could see that. Not survivor's guilt as you thought however. Another type of guilt." He said sternly, then his eyes narrowed.
"As you once passed judgement on Jacen Solo, otherwise known as Darth Caedus, I now cast judgement on you all." He said, and Tenel Ka seemed quite impressed that he seemed determined to speak his mind even to the queen of an entire sector.
"Jacen Solo was incredibly powerful, arrogant, and stubborn. I am not suggesting he was blameless in his own fall to the dark side. Actually, far from it. If Jacen had truly wanted to fall, then very little would have stopped him. He was in a large part responsible for his own actions, as much as Vergere and Lumiya's manipulations were, and as much as Anakin's death and his torture at the hands of the Vong were. However, as I have told you many times now, I have watched you all for a very long time. And quite frankly, the thing that disgusted me the most in the Second Galactic Civil War was not in fact the obscene tactics used by all players, was not the deaths of the undeserving innocent, and was not even Jacen's fall to the dark side." He said, and gestured, and the comm to his partner silently clicked on.
"What disgusted me the most was you people, assembled here in this room, and your actions. Fair enough, Jacen was very dangerous. But in the year it took for Jacen to fall completely to the dark side and become a Sith Lord, not once, from any of you, did I ever see one attempt to redeem him, and that is what disgusted me the most. You may have thought you were wasting your time, but the lack of any attempt is what has revolted me the most. Admiral Daala intends to bring Master Skywalker up on charges of dereliction of duty. It is my firm belief that all of you belong up on the block there with him." He spat.
His audience seemed shocked, their eyes wide in shock, guilt and shame. Ben looked on the verge of tears, as did Jaina and Tenel Ka. Tears were already brimming in Leia's eyes, and even Han and Luke looked slightly shaky. But they were captured by their own curiosity, and he knew they would stay and here out what he had to say.
"There was no attempt to save Jacen from the dark side, and there were opportunities, believe me! Times when Jacen hated what he was doing, what he had to do...and you failed to act. You all stood back, and let Jacen Solo, who was once the saviour of the galaxy, fall to the dark side of the Force, become a slayer of his own kin, become a tyrant, a murderer and a Sith Lord. And that is why you truly came to me. And as I promised, I now pass judgement on you all." He said firmly, and turned to his first target, Luke.
"Master Luke Skywalker, Grand Master of the New Jedi Order. Jacen's uncle, and the man he respected the most throughout his life. And you did nothing. The man who redeemed Darth Vader did not extend the same courtesy to his own nephew. Darth Vader destroyed the Jedi Order, killed his own wife, murdered children, decimated entire species, pillaged entire worlds, murdered your friends in the Rebellion and hunted you and your friends down like dogs. He also cut off your own hand and tried his hardest to turn or kill you at every opportunity. Yet you went to the Death Star at Endor with the express intention of saving him, and you did. Now, compared to Vader, Jacen was a mere Dark Jedi with funny coloured eyes. Yet you redeemed Vader, but did not extend the same courtesy to your nephew, who you had loved all his life. You had no reason to love your father when you went to face and redeem him. Jacen was another matter. You were meant to love him, and you did nothing, while a man who made your life a misery you went and saved from the dark side and you did not do the same for Jacen.
You have to been to the dark side Skywalker! You served the Emperor on Byss. You know how seductive it is. And you still decided Jacen was a lost cause. I can understand after you discovered he killed Mara that you did not wish to try, and I can sympathise with that fact. But you had plenty of time before that. You knew he was going dark, and you did nothing! You retained your foolish naive optimism that Jacen would come back around, even when you knew that because of his power and because of what he had been through he was in grave danger of falling! You knew and you did nothing! You redeemed Darth Vader over your own nephew! I'm not saying he would have responded to any decent attempt to redeem him, and he may not have, but the lack of effort on your part sickens me. Your best shot at it was asking him he would come back at Kashyyyk. And that was the only attempt you made. And we know how that turned out. Consider, the man who turned Vader back to the light...let his nephew fall to the darkness without a fight." Jempa said harshly.
Luke was looking up at him in shock. Confident that he had gotten through to him, Jempa turned to his next victim, who had tears running down her face: Leia.
"And as for you Princess Leia...Jacen was always closest to you. You were his mother, and he looked up to you and wanted to be like you just as much as he wanted to be like Luke. You knew him better than anyone else, as you were his mother. You are right to have a guilty conscience. All of you did. You stood back and let Jacen fall. Again, I stress that he probably couldn't have been stopped...but that did not mean that you should stand back and make it easier for him. You lament the boy you lost...you did nothing to save him either! You knew he was changing, his actions during the Killik Crisis were a clear warning sign that your son had changed...but rather than try to talk to him, find out why he made those decisions, you never questioned them, even though they did not follow your example, which he had followed all his life. You were always his closest parent, and never once did you notice that he had changed, for the worst. You never questioned why he was doing those things, and you actively condoned the mission to kill him, even though you hadn't even tried to redeem him at all. He still loved you, and agonised over the fact that he thought you would be his sacrifice, and even your stupid betrayal of the Alliance didn't change his love for you. His own mother stood back and let her son fall to the dark side. You ought to be ashamed to call yourself his mother." He growled sinisterly, and tears came streaming down her face and she let out a sob as his words hit her.
Jaina and Han opened their mouths furiously, but he quelled both of them with a look.
"And as for you Captain Solo...I understand it was harder for you. Your son changed drastically, and you didn't quite know where that left you. You were confused and disgusted by what he had become, and I'm not saying it could have been prevented, but once again, it was the lack of an attempt to reverse it that has revolted me the most. When Jacen accidentally killed Ailyn Vel, you disowned him. Believe it or not Han, Jacen did not intend to kill her, and her death was an accident. But your lack of Force sensitivity is both a blessing and a curse. And as soon as you found out about the accident, you walked away from him. Your son was clearly different, damaged, and you did nothing to try and figure out how he had changed from being the kind little boy you and Leia raised to being the sort of man who accidentally kills prisoners! You too stood back and let your son fall. You did not try to understand why Jacen had been doing such a thing, and never did you or Leia actively talk to him about what he was doing or joining GAG because you were off playing 'nationalist', when in my humble opinion you had no damn business doing so! I appreciate that it harder for you to understand as you couldn't feel his fall, but you could see it if you looked hard enough. You just didn't want to." Jempa snarled.
Han was looking at Jempa with a slack mouth while the counsellor rounded on Jaina, who gulped.
"And you are the worst of all. During the Vong War, the two of you withdrew from your bond at different times and for different reasons. That is understandable to me. However, the first time when you truly started to abuse your bond was when he betrayed the Killiks. Because you were a Joiner, you turned away from him, citing his betrayal as a reason. You were so incensed that your brother had betrayed your new creepy crawly friends that you began pulling away from your bond. And it continued, your trust in him diminishing until your bond was barely noticeable. And then, he became colonel instantly, and that was when you truly stopped your twin bond. You pulled away, not for some reason that you could use to claim the moral high ground, no, you didn't pull away because you disapproved of GAG, you pulled away because you were angry and bitter that he had become a colonel without working for it. Trust me girl, I was a general and I didn't work for it, and it wasn't all it cracked up to be, believe me! At Corellia, you told Luke that you felt Jacen was going dark. You knew he was going dark, you could feel it...yet you did nothing! I will quote 'Jacen is going dark, I don't know him anymore...and one day I'm afraid he is going to break my heart'. Of all of you, you, as his twin probably had the best chance anyone had of redeeming him if you had but tried, but you did nothing, because of some childish squabble, and because you were to busy flattering your eyelids at Zekk and Jag! You cared more about your bruised pride and your stupid little love triangle than you did about your own brother! You left it until it was too late before you even acknowledged that he had changed. You knew he was changing, what he was becoming, and you kept putting it off. If you had truly loved him, you would have gone to him long before you did, but to redeem, not to kill! You have to have a long serious think about your priorities girl." He roared, and Jaina was white and shaking.
Jempa then turned to the holo of Tenel Ka, which was crying.
"And with all due respect your majesty, you are not blameless in this. I understand it was harder for you. You didn't see him nearly as much as anyone else, but even then you must have sensed that he was getting steadily darker. And the fact that hr took over the Alliance and led a secret police...didn't that strike a chord with you as wrong? When did Jacen ever want power? That was a sign, and you missed it." He said in disappointment, and he sat down.
"Now, the last thing I want to do is speak ill of the dead, but Mara also did not do much. She too feared that he was going dark, and it was her love for Ben that kept her from acting. But she too knew how seductive the dark side can be. For the love of the Force, she was Palpatine's assassin! However, out of all of you, she probably made the best attempt at a redemption. She told Jacen to cut out the dark side crap before she had to hurt him. It failed yes, but perhaps that's because it wasn't heartfelt. She was the only thing that could even vaguely be recognised as an attempt." He said forlornly, then turned to Ben.
Ben was crying, and was shaking, fearing what was coming. But Jempa's eyes looked more kindly than he had when he had been yelling at the others.
"And you young Ben. You were a minor at the time, entrusted to Jacen's care, and his meddling with your memory didn't help matters at all. But, your love and loyalty to him also kept you from acting against him until it was too late. But as I said, he should have been the one watching you, not the other way around." He said firmly but kindly.
And then he sat back in his seat, his rant clearly over.
Luke was weak, and looked short of breath and was white as a sheet. Leia was sobbing into her hands, and they couldn't see her face. Han was slack jawed and looked devastated. Tears were running silently down Tenel Ka's face. Ben's blue eyes were filled with tears that continued to stream down his bloodless face. However, Jaina had regained her fighting spirit, despite the fact that she looked distraught, and there were nail marks on her face and tears were running down her face.
"How dare you...?" she demanded angrily, but she was quickly silence with a glare.
"Quite easily. I am not saying Jacen would have listened. I am not saying he could have been redeemed. Heck, I am not even saying that you had any opportunities. But the fact that you all sat back and let it happen...that is what revolts me." He said in distaste, his eyes narrowed, but not at her, at the entire thing, the entire war, the entire galaxy.
"Then what do you suggest we do?" she demanded tearfully, but still angrily.
"Search inside yourselves for the answer. And I pray that you find it." He said gently, and with that Jaina rose and stormed out.
Tenel Ka's holo flickered out sadly. Han pulled Leia up and she buried her head in his shoulder as they left, her still sobbing. Luke and Ben then rose silently, and Luke hugged Ben to him and the two left, tears coming from both of them.
And Jempa then let out a long breath.
"Feel better?" his companion asked in an amused voice.
"Immensely." He said cheerfully.
Yes he had been very harsh with them. But they had deserved it. He had been digusted by what he had seen during the last war. And perhaps now, one of them would develop the strength to do what had to be done. And if he was to make a bet on who it would be...it would be Leia, he thought certainly.
He hadn't seen the last of her at least. Smiling, he busied himself with the teapot and poured himself another cup of tea.
XX
Jaina was sitting in a bar drinking. She had already had far more than she could take, but she just wanted to get away from it all, forget everything that Jempa had said. But she couldn't. Because in her heart, she knew it was true. She had never even tried to get her brother back. And that thought made her sick to her stomach. Jempa was right. She'd been more focused on dealing with Zekk and Jag that she had totally ignored what Jacen was becoming.
"Never again." She vowed as she swigged her ale.
And in the corner, Iella Wessiri Antilles was watching her, on the orders of Leia, to make sure her daughter didn't do anything foolish.
XX
"Are you alright cousin?" Trista Zel asked.
Tenel Ka sniffed and cleared away some tears.
"Not really. I heard some home truths...they were hard to hear. But I think I needed to hear them." She said sadly, and retired into her private chambers.
XX
Ben was cuddled up to Luke as they sat on their sofa. At sixteen, most boys would reject this with a passion. But tonight, neither of them cared.
"He's right isn't he?" Ben asked sadly.
Luke nodded grimly. Jempa had been right. They hadn't tried to save Jacen. And it was about time they stopped living in denial and faced the truth.
"Yes. Like he says, we might not have been able to save him. But the fact that we didn't try is what is bad. He was right. I redeemed Vader. And I didn't even try with Jacen." He said, tears in his eyes.
"It's my fault." Ben whispered, but Luke shook his head vehemently.
"No. Jempa is right, you were the least to blame out of all of us. But, I think the rest of us are nearly equally guilty. Some more so than others." Luke said guiltily.
XX
Han was sitting drinking in his guilt ridden depression in the living room. Leia had just went straight to her room and had stayed there ever since, crying her eyes out. Threepio was thankful that he had heard from Dr Jempa. The Whiphid had said that it might be wise to arrange for Allana to go somewhere else for the night. Threepio figured something had happened and he had asked Mirax Terrik Horn to step in, and she had happily agreed. But Threepio knew that whatever had upset his master and mistress had also upset mistress Jaina and master Luke, and master Ben. Which meant it was his fault that they were so upset. He had gotten Leia to go to Jempa in the first place.
"Oh dear, I feel so helpless." He lamented, as Han keeled over on the couch, unconscious at last.
XX
Deep in the shadows of Korriban, a man clad in Yuuzhan Vong armour awoke in a stasis chamber, and looked up at his red and black tattooed Chagrian servant, Darth Wyyrlok, who was visible through the top of it.
"A critical moment is approaching." Darth Krayt stated.
A very critical moment indeed. But what was it?
Well here we are. I told you Dr Jempa was going to pass judgement.
I feel loads better now I've got that off my chest. A fair few of those are my personal opinions. Now, I'm not saying that Jacen could have beem saved, far from it. But the fact that no one even bothered trying is what annoys me. They said 'oops, hes fallen, become a Sith, lets kill him', whereas Luke for example redeemed Vader even after all he had done.
So, the mystery deepends. What does Dr Jempa want? Who is his companion? What is he hiding? What does he believe Leia will do? What is this approaching critical moment? And why is it so important that Krayt has awoken? Who is this group preparing to go after Abeloth, deep within the Maw? What does Jempa and his companion wish to do, and why are they worried about Myrkyr?
All will be revealed next chapter, the final chapter of episode one! I hope you're enjoying this, and I feel so much better now I've written this. And be prepared for soemthing unexpected and very surprising...and potentially controversial as well, and perhaps morally wrong.
Bet that has you confused. Until next time, enjoy, and please read and review!