Like Herding Nexu
By Andrew J Talon
Lando would admit, under duress, that he had hit some hard times. It wasn't like he was broke...
Okay, so he was broke.
His last company had gone belly up after the mole miners he'd invested in were used by Thrawn's forces. Just getting the damn things out of New Republic lock up had nearly bankrupted him, but that association meant no one wanted to touch them. Add in all the costs of fixing them, and he had to sell. Which had barely covered his debts. He'd had to live very, very leanly for a while.
So, when Luke asked for help in finding new potential Jedi, Lando had agreed to help. Leia had very generously let him put his expenses on the New Republic's credits, and he'd set out for Kessel thanks to rumors in the underworld of the Empire looking for Force Sensitives.
He had arrived, posing as a potential investor for Doole's operations. The Empire needed money, but also didn't want to attract attention. So they'd left Doole in charge and only arrived in force when they wanted their cut.
And he'd just had the luck to be taken on his tour during a prison riot... And ended up with this kid taking him hostage in one of the many metallic loading bays in the mining complex. Complete with duracrete walls that shot right up to the surface above them, and large, closed blast doors serving as a floor underneath them.
The kid, Kyp Durron, had hit the electronics and sealed them off, shutting the two doors out of the loading bay. Above was the repulsorlift tram system, holding several still crates that were frozen after the riot.
Kyp Durron himself was ghostly pale, with dark hair and green eyes in a sallow face. But he couldn't have been more than thirteen, fourteen standard years old. He held his blaster on Lando, his hands getting increasingly shaky. Lando, for his part, had just sat down on the metal floor and relaxed.
"Why are you so calm?" The kid finally demanded. "I have a gun on you! I've-I've had a gun on you all this time! You might die!"
Lando chuckled.
"Kid, Han Solo's coming for me."
"I don't know who that is!"
"He's my best friend," Lando explained, "And despite how rude he was over the holo, he's going to get me out of this mess."
"How do you know that?!"
"Because he always does," Lando said, smiling in a charming fashion, "So, how'd you end up here, Kyp?"
"I told you I don't want to talk-"
"It's been hours of silence," Lando pointed out, "aren't you getting a little bored holding that blaster on me?"
Kyp shook his head.
"N-No..."
Lando smiled his most disarming smile.
"Listen. I get that you're scared," he said, "I've been scared a few times in my own life. But the fact you got this far proves you're not stupid, right?"
"Right."
"So you wouldn't be doing this, after all the time you've been here, if you didn't think you had a chance out of here," Lando said pleasantly, "So, you must trust me on some level, right?"
Kyp licked his lips, slowly nodding.
"I... I guess."
"So... How about lowering the blaster, hm?" Lando suggested. "Since you do need me to get out of here."
Kyp hesitated... Then lowered the blaster. Just a little. Lando nodded.
"Much better," he said, "So. How did you learn about the Force?"
"That's what it's called?" Kyp asked, "Well, uh... After my parents..." He tensed, but went on, "An old woman who spent part of her sentence in the spice tunnels told me I had some sort of tremendous potential. She showed me how to use it."
"What was her name?"
"Her name was Vima-Da-Boda. Down in the spice mines she taught me only a few things before the guards hauled her away. I never saw her again, but I've been practicing what she taught me. The guards found out, and... Well..."
Lando nodded sagely.
"Started making you do it like a show hawkbat, huh?"
Kyp nodded, his eyes dark and angry.
"They still sent me into the mines, and then made me do tricks," he growled. "I... I couldn't stand it any more. I wanted to kill them all..."
"That's not the most productive line of thought," Lando pointed out gently. He did actually pay attention to Luke's explanations about the Jedi and the Force, reasoning that he should know more about it.
And he definitely paid attention when Ahsoka talked about it. It was amazing a woman that good-looking was still single. Eh, maybe she was hoping to make Jedi babies. In which case, good luck, Luke.
"Why?"
"Anger, hatred, fear," Lando recited, "this leads to the Darkside, or so I've been told. The Emperor and Vader went that way. Look what happened to them."
"What did happen to them?"
Lando smirked.
"The Rebellion happened," he said, "They're both dead. And a good friend of mine is opening a school for people with your abilities. Teach you how to use them."
"I just want to get out of here," Kyp insisted again. Lando nodded.
"True... Never wise to count your kiros until they hatch," he said, "but it wouldn't hurt to have a dream beyond that, would it?"
"Doing that didn't keep me alive," Kyp said gravely. Lando couldn't help but mentally wince at how old those eyes were. Those were the eyes of a haunted veteran. They just looked so wrong on such a young boy.
"Life is a series of gambles," Lando said gently, "And we have to live with the results of every roll, and sometimes other people's gambits. But just as important as the rolls, are how we respond to them. You took a gamble taking me hostage. I took a gamble in talking to you. We don't know how it will turn out... But if we stop playing the game, we're sunk. You have enough courage to take a gamble, Kyp. A gamble on freedom. And that means there's still a part of you that hopes."
He grinned.
"And as long as you've got that... You'll be fine. As soon as we get out of here."
"How do you know this'll all work out?" Kyp demanded.
"I've faced longer odds, and come out on top," Lando said, "I've lost plenty of times, too. But you never know what you're going to get next... Nor what you can do with it."
Which is when the armored doors opened up.
The threat that Bariss sensed just got worse as they descended through the mines. Yet it remained completely elusive in the darkness, punctuated by occasional pools of light from overhead lamps.
"As you can see," Skynxnex went on, as though he was a tour guide, "the spice can only be extracted in total darkness, and the source of the substance is still unknown. Most of the veins up here ran dry a while ago, but occasionally we'll find new sources. Light activates the spice, which uses it up, so it has to be done in the dark-"
"I am fully aware of this, Mister Skynxnex," Daala growled, "We're on a schedule so if you would kindly stop wasting our time?"
She may have been an Imperial despot, but she was right. Skynxnex nodded quickly, tapping his earpiece as they turned down a corridor.
"Of course, of course," he insisted, "Almost there."
They came to a set of blast doors, where a few technicians and a droid were working on the door system. Skynxnex nodded with a beam that was almost not disgusting.
"The uh, the lad was in here. Managed to lock down the doors," he said, "But they should be working now."
Daala nodded, and turned to her Stormtroopers.
"We will go in, keep your weapons on stun-"
"Wait," Bariss said, raising her hand, "I don't believe that's necessary."
"My Lady, a young, desperate Force user can be dangerous-" Daala tried, but Bariss stepped up close to her and lowered her voice as she moved her lips close to her ear. Contradicting a military officer in front of their men was not a way to get on their good side, after all.
"Admiral, this boy associates the Empire with enslavement and the death of his parents," Bariss murmured, "If we come in, just the two of us, and talk to him, we will accomplish far more than with a squad of Stormtroopers."
Bariss moved back and waited. Daala thought things over, before nodding.
"Sergeant, please maintain security and overwatch in this tunnel," she said, "We will call if we need you."
"Yes ma'am," the lead Stormtrooper nodded, as he and his men took up positions around the door. The droid working on it beeped, and a light over the door lit up.
"We will go in," Bariss stated firmly to Skynxnex. The spindly man nodded, and bowed.
"Of course, My Lady, Admiral."
Bariss kept a hand on her lightsaber. The feeling of this being a trap just grew stronger. But she focused on the Force-sensitive in the room. Even from here, his fear, pain and anger were screaming out through the Force.
This is what she was here for.
The doors slid open, and she entered first. Daala followed. The doors slid shut behind him.
In front of them in the dull, dirty, metallic bay was a young, teenaged boy. He was so pale, so small, that Bariss's heart almost immediately went out to him. Beside him was a familiar, dark skinned human with a nearly trimmed beard and a warm grin. He adjusted his elegant cloak and walked up to them, fearless, even as Daala scowled.
"Well, what have we here? Hello ladies," he said, "I'm-"
"General Lando Calrissian," Daala stated coldly, "The man who destroyed the second Death Star."
"Ah, that makes things simpler," Lando said, offering a short bow, "And you would be...?"
"Admiral," Bariss murmured softly, when she saw Daala going for her blaster. The admiral scowled, but relented. "I am Lady Bariss Pelaeon, Imperial Jedi Knight. This is Admiral Natasi Daala, of the Imperial Fleet."
"Ah, the wife of Captain Gilad Pelaeon? I find myself envying him," Lando said. Bariss held back a smirk, but didn't react. Lando seemed to mentally shrug, before turning to take Daala's hand, "And I'm delighted to make your acquaintance, Admiral. You must be as fearsome as you are beautiful."
Daala, flustered, yanked her hand away before Lando could kiss it.
"What do you think you're playing at?!" Daala demanded. "I should have you taken into custody right now-!"
"Admiral," Bariss again stated calmly, and Daala just grumbled. She glared blaster bolts at Lando, who merely smiled with a raised eyebrow. Bariss turned to the young man, who stared in disbelief.
"There are... Imperial Jedi?" He asked.
Bariss nodded.
"We have been able to return after the death of the Emperor and Vader," Bariss said. "I... We want to help you. Take you out of here. Train you."
"Why should I go with you and not them?" Kyp demanded. "The Empire put me here! Put my parents here! Destroyed my family-!"
"I know," Bariss said quickly. The boy was a roiling nexus of hatred, anger and pain. It was so strong it took a moment for her to continue. "I know. But we're trying to change that. Trying to fix that-"
The other blast doors opened up, and Moruth Doole entered. Lando and Kyp spun around as the Rybet entered, grinning with his sharp teeth. Behind him strode in a Corellian man with brown hair and spacer clothing who kept a blaster on the Rybet, and a tall, scowling Wookie.
"Han! Chewbacca!" Lando greeted.
"Lando," Han returned, as the Wookie growled. Daala scowled, pulling out her blaster.
"What is the meaning of this, Doole? You're double dealing with the New Republic?!"
"You led us into a trap, huh Doole?" Han growled, "I knew it. Little light on the ambush, aren't we?"
Chewbacca snarled and held up his bowcaster, pointing it at Bariss.
"Everyone should take a moment, relax," Lando said, holding up his hands, "No need to get too feisty-"
"It's worse than you all think," Doole cackled. Han made to squeeze the trigger... But one look up at a sudden metallic screech, and he immediately dove away from Doole. Chewbacca did the same, running with surprising speed and shoving Kyp out of the way.
Just as a huge metal container slammed down on Doole. It closed up like a Corellian clam, and ascended, just as the blast doors on the other side of the room slammed shut.
Bariss ignited her lightsaber and ran for the nearest blast doors. Whatever was about to happen, the easiest way to prevent it was to cut through and get them all out. She jammed the blue blade into the blast doors... When the alarms went off.
The floor burst open, the air pressure radically changed, and they all fell into darkness.
They had fallen, fallen... She had sensed the bottom, they were falling so fast... Barriss had reached out to the Force, tried to slow everyone down, just enough to keep them from dying... She'd hit her head... Then... Darkness...
"Hey. HEY! Stay with me, come on... Wake up!"
Barriss groaned. It was so cold, and the air was thin. She slowly opened her eyes. She could hear the faint hum of her lightsaber, and saw a dark figure illuminated from behind by bright blue light. She felt a bacta patch pressed to her forehead, and her eyes slowly resolved the figure.
"General... Solo," she muttered. The former smuggler turned Rebel shook his head.
"Don't try to move. You took a hard hit on the way down," he said, "Give me symptoms."
Barriss closed her eyes. She focused on the Force, and tried to diagnose herself. It wasn't easy with a head injury, but she had practiced battlefield trauma treatment so many times that it was second nature.
"I'm... Experiencing a bad headache, dizziness, some drowsiness," she managed, "There is a light pen in my belt, please check my eyes?" She opened them up. Han pulled out the light pen, and flashed them over her eyes for the ocular response. He grimaced.
"Left one's not responding," he said. Barriss nodded, and focused.
"I... I can focus on healing myself," she said softly, "But it will take time."
"Well, we've got plenty of it," Solo deadpanned. Barriss looked around, trying to focus her eyes as best she could.
She saw the Wookie-Chewbacca-Helping Kyp out. Lando was checking over Admiral Daala. They were all alive, if in various states of injury. Her fears lessened a bit.
"Now just take it easy, Admiral-"
"Back off!"
She saw Daala yank out her blaster, and point it at Lando. He held up his hands, and she could imagine the disarming grin on his face.
"Woah, easy there! You've got what looks like a broken leg. And your left wrist isn't looking too good, either."
"You had to have planned this," she hissed.
"Oh yeah," Han deadpanned, "We decided to all get trapped down here just to take you out. Brilliant strategy. No wonder the Empire's losing. Did Thrawn take all your competence with him?"
Daala shot him a venomous look. Lando took a deep breath, and Barriss sensed his mild exasperation. With Solo or the situation, she wasn't sure.
"Admiral," Lando said carefully, "You have two options: You can stay down here and die of starvation, or we can work together, and get to the surface. You can go your way, we can go ours. No harm, no foul. Except to Doole, because he is the one we need to focus on here."
Daala grimaced deeply.
"... Logical," she admitted. She holstered her blaster slowly, scowling at him, "A temporary truce then."
"Lando!" Han hissed. Lando glanced over at Barriss.
"Look at it this way, Han: There's no way we're leaving her behind if Lady Pellaeon disagrees with that-"
"And I would," Barriss said, calm but firm. She could sense a hint of surprise in Daala, but it vanished underneath her very ordered mind.
"And what about Kyp?" Solo asked, nodding to the injured boy, "Chewie?"
The Wookie growled something almost optimistic.
"I-I can make it," Kyp managed. He struggled out of Chewbacca's strong arms, and managed to stand up steadily. He looked up at them, eyes filled with determination.
"I can make it... I... I know these tunnels."
"What can you tell us about them?" Solo pressed, but his voice was careful. Kyp frowned.
"I know the general route. It was always dark so I didn't know where I was going most of the time, but you kind of memorize the turns. This area though, they locked it down a few months ago. Mining teams kept disappearing. They don't know why."
"Swell," Solo sighed. "Still, if they shut it down, that might mean they won't be looking too hard at any exits. Barriss? Luke can sense where we're supposed to go, can you give us a reading or something?"
Barriss reached out with the Force... But her headache only got worse. She grimaced.
"I... I'm sorry," she mumbled, "I can't... Can't focus..."
"We should get moving anyway," Lando said carefully, "Doole might decide to check if we're dead. Better to not be waiting around here where he can finish the job."
"All right," Solo said. He hefted Barriss up onto his back, carefully, "Kyp? Got any idea what direction to go in?"
The young boy looked around, trying to focus. Barriss could sense his amateurish probes with the Force. She wished she could help, but her head just wouldn't cooperate. She tried to minimize the pain, but head injuries were always the hardest to self-heal.
Kyp looked to the right.
"That way, I-I think," he said. Solo walked over, and picked up the lightsaber-Her lightsaber. He motioned them all in that direction with a wave of the weapon.
"Then that way it is," Solo decided. Lando pulled the protesting Daala up onto his back and held her there.
"This is so undignified," she groaned.
"Now now, would you prefer I carry you like I would my bride? I know I would."
"Sh-Shut up!"
They trudged through the cold, barren caves. Occasionally, the dim light of her lightsaber would illuminate veins of spice, the substance lighting up in a riot of rainbow-like colors. The cold never relented though, and the air remained very thin.
They stopped every hour or so to rest, sitting around the lightsaber for warmth and light. Solo would check her injuries, and her headache gradually got better, but she was still in a bad way.
That said, the best way to handle a concussion was to keep the patient awake with conversation.
"You have good medical training," Barriss observed to Solo, as they huddled together. Solo nodded. He was still wary of her, so he still had tension in his body and Force signature. That was understandable, she supposed. Chewbacca had gotten up to scout ahead, and his warm presence was definitely missed.
"Well, I had to learn how to patch myself and Chewie up," he said, "And in the Rebellion, every medical droid was overworked. So, had to figure it out. You were a healer of some kind, if I remember correctly?"
Barriss didn't risk a nod.
"Yes. I was a battlefield medic for the Jedi order during... During the Clone Wars," she admitted. Solo gave her a dry look.
"And so you joined the Empire?"
"... At the time, I didn't have much choice," Barriss admitted. The memories were still painful, but they kept her focused, "I... I broke."
"Broke?"
"All the suffering, all the death," Barriss sighed, "I felt each and every one of my patients as they died. I tried to get help from my Masters, my mentors... Even Master Yoda. But their answers... It didn't help. So... So I broke."
She closed her eyes briefly. She knew what she would see-The Jedi Temple after the bombing.
"I fell. I bombed the Temple. I killed innocents. I even framed one of my best friends," she admitted, "I was caught. I was so convinced the Jedi Order had fallen to the Dark side. That they were making this war as horrible as possible. That they were plotting to overthrow the Republic."
"That... Doesn't explain how you ended up marrying an Imperial captain," Solo pointed out. Barriss was able to smile a bit.
"Gilad... We served together. Worked together. He was my friend... My best friend, really. He was always so concerned about us, young Jedi going to war. He visited me in the Jedi prison, just... Talking with me. Treating me like a... A normal person. He never bought into all the mysticism about the Jedi. He saw us... Saw me... As a person."
She sighed.
"He saved me when the Temple was destroyed by Vader. He took me to his family home. Married me. All just to protect me. I... I didn't think I deserved it. I didn't think I deserved to live. But he changed my mind. He made me believe in living."
"Yeah, but... That must have been tough," Solo pointed out, "Hiding in plain sight like that. Being treated like dirt."
"I don't pretend that the Empire is flawless. But Palpatine and Vader were responsible for most of the terrible things that happened," Barriss said, determined, "If I can change it from within... Then we can end this war. Peacefully. With no more bloodshed."
Solo stared at her for a long moment.
"You really think you can do it?"
"You're a father, aren't you?" Barriss asked. Solo nodded. "Is there anything you wouldn't do for your children?"
Solo shook his head.
"No."
Barriss nodded slowly.
"When my son was born, I... I knew I could never leave him. I could never leave Gil. I love them so much. So much so that I will put up with almost anything to make the galaxy a better place."
"You're still working with some serious monsters," Solo observed softly.
"I know," Barriss said, "But I can't stop now. I know I can make a difference... A real difference. For them."
Solo studied her.
"Well... I gotta say, I don't agree with your plan and think you're flat-out crazy. You've got a savior complex worse than Leia's."
Barriss was silent. Solo groaned, and looked aside.
"But... In some way, you're my kind of crazy."
"I will try to take that as a compliment," Barriss managed. Solo snorted.
Nearby, Daala shivered as she wrapped her arms around herself. She should have worn a heavier coat for this, but she'd never anticipated this happening.
She went through every step of her journey to this moment, this place. Every trooper, every officer, every thing. She sifted through the memories, trying to find something, anything, that hinted at who could have betrayed her.
Daala knew that she was not popular with everyone in the Imperial Remnant. She had killed a number of warlords for their refusal to even just sit down and work out a plan. She had removed subordinates in harsh ways to ensure discipline. She had taken no sadistic joy in the deaths of subordinates, but some of them had gone so far beyond the pale they needed to be removed.
That was how a military command functioned. It was the only way it could function.
She felt Calrissian wrap his cape around her shoulders, and she scowled.
"I'm perfectly fine-"
"Take it, it's freezing," Calrissian stated firmly. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close. She flushed, and scowled up at him.
"Are-Are you just insane, or did your parents drop you on your head?!"
"You're a pragmatic woman, Admiral, as well as a beautiful one," Calrissian teased, "Besides, how would it look if we showed up with you frozen to death?"
"Hmph," Daala grunted, "I could just order you all shot the moment we get back to the surface."
"You could, yeah," Calrissian said.
"And yet you still brought me along."
"We did, yeah. It was strategic." He nodded over to Barriss, who was talking with Solo, "Never hurts to keep a Jedi happy."
A Jedi who was injured, and couldn't protest much of anything. Daala was not foolish enough to point that out.
"Or hold me hostage," she said.
Calrissian winked.
"Well, given someone on your crew might have wanted you dead, that's not a surefire bet either, is it?"
She hated that he had a point.
"Yet I am your enemy," Daala stated, "A fearsome one."
"Yes, you are," Calrissian said. Daala scowled harder.
"Do you think you can endear me to you with some trite, emotional Rebel manipulation?"
"Hey now, I have a reputation for endearing ladies to me with trite, emotional Rebel manipulation," Calrissian responded, his cocky grin shining in the dim light, "There are plenty of Imperials I wouldn't mind seeing dead. But leaving you to starve to death down here doesn't sit right with me."
"Your rationalization knows no bounds," Daala grumbled.
"I could say the same for you. Destroying planets isn't exactly a great way to endear yourself to the people-"
"I despised the Death Stars," Daala growled, "I had to manage their development, I had to put up with them draining all the funds from my projects just for Tarkin's delusions of grandeur! Using those things turned half the galaxy against us! If it had been up to me, those abominations would never have existed!"
"Oh?" Calrissian asked, raising an eyebrow, "Then what's your vision for a peaceful, orderly galaxy then, Admiral?"
He's gaining intelligence on you. Intelligence he can use against you, part of Daala's mind pointed out. But this infuriating man made it so difficult to focus on that!
"I want a galaxy where no one would ever think to break the law," Daala decided, "where they police their behaviors because the right people are in charge. A control so total that no one will start a war or cause chaos because the consequences are ever-present. A galaxy where one day, people won't ever commit violence or crime because we've trained it out of them! Made society so perfect, they don't want or need to! That's my vision!"
"So, it's a prison," Calrissian deadpanned.
"If we do it right, they will never know they're in prison," Daala insisted, "Isn't that worth all this struggle? A galaxy without war, poverty, violence-"
"Freedom."
Daala snorted.
"Most people abuse their freedom."
"Yeah, but it's not freedom without the ability to make the wrong choices," Calrissian pointed out.
"Why should they be allowed to make the wrong choices? In my galaxy, Alderaan would never have been destroyed, because they would never have had a reason to rebel, or even the inclination," Daala shot back. "I know some of your history, Calrissian: Wouldn't it have been good if you didn't live in poverty? If you didn't have to break the law? To steal and con? If you could have had everything you wanted?"
Calrissian smiled, and this one was sad. Almost vulnerable.
"Of course it would. And if dreams powered hyperdrives, we'd all fly to the next galaxy. But there are no beings in this galaxy, or any other, who you could trust with absolute power. I know about you, Daala. You've probably killed more Moffs than we have."
"They abused their power," Daala stated, "They'd gotten away with it for too long. They needed to be punished, and it was long overdue. The justice of the Emperor-"
"The Justice of the Emperor kept those men in power," Calrissian argued back, "Or do you think he was unaware of how corrupt his Empire was? If he was so great, why didn't he stop all this?"
"He was only one man!" Daala retorted. "He needed-We needed, to restructure the galaxy! He didn't have enough time-!"
"So how much time will it take to get your ideal galaxy?" Calrissian asked, dark eyes narrowed, "How many Alderaans do you need to get your perfection? Because it doesn't matter how hard you try, or how many resources you expend-People are always going to be people. Imperfect. And you can't make perfection out of imperfection."
"Yet you insist on your Rebellion, which has taken many lives, and devastated worlds, all to restore a corrupt government that failed everyone in the galaxy?" Daala sneered.
"That's the difference: We don't promise perfection, we promise freedom. Freedom is messy, freedom makes the wrong choices, freedom is a gamble."
"Freedom tore this galaxy apart," Daala retorted. Calrissian shrugged.
"Maybe. But it's preferable to you promising perfection and always, always justifying your failure to achieve it with another pile of bodies."
Daala fumed, turning away. Calrissian shook his head.
She took a few deep breaths, as many as she could in the thin air.
"... I will give you this though," Calrissian said, "I wouldn't mind a galaxy where the Clone Wars, where this war, never happened again. I can at least respect that."
Daala started and looked at Calrissian. He seemed so sincere, so open...
Daala flushed and elbowed him away.
"Is this your idea of flirting?!"
Calrissian grinned.
"When did we stop flirting?"
"GAH!"
Barriss had felt Kyp's gaze on her for a long time. She knew he'd been listening in, too. She looked over to him, past her lightsaber.
"You have questions, Kyp?"
The boy frowned but walked around the lightsaber to sit a bit closer.
"Yeah... Lots," he admitted, "You want me to be a Jedi for the Empire?"
"If you choose to," Barriss said carefully.
"Why should I?" Kyp demanded.
"Because we aren't the Imperials who put you here," Barriss said.
"Your Empire still did."
"The Empire made many terrible mistakes," Barriss said, "We're trying to make up for them-"
"You're trying to make up for yours," Kyp stated. Barriss nodded.
"Your insight serves you well. I do have a lot to make up for," she said calmly, "But that just means I want to do right by you."
"And if that means I join the Republic?"
Barriss slowly nodded.
"Then you join the Republic," she murmured. She was glad Daala wasn't listening.
Kyp huffed through his nostrils.
"... You're having trouble focusing," Barriss observed.
"It's... It's hard to," Kyp admitted.
"I know... I know an exercise that can help," Barriss said quietly. "May I teach it to you?"
Kyp frowned.
"Can't you... Just fix it? Do something in my head so I can do Jedi stuff?"
Barriss held back a laugh, because it would hurt.
"My son asked the same thing, when he was a little younger than you."
"What did you tell him?"
"That's not how the Force works," Barriss said, "Your internal battles must be won by you. The people who love you will help you in every way they can... But you must overcome your struggles. No one else can. Now... Close your eyes."
Kyp did so.
"Calm yourself. Silence your own thoughts, keep them still," Barriss went on, the ancient exercise flowing through her like water from an ancient glacier.
"Imagine a room of a thousand fountains, each stream suddenly falling silent, and still. Imagine the ice of Hoth, cold and smooth, as it encompasses the entire planet. Imagine the desert of Tatooine at night, only the moons shining overhead, the sands noiseless and stretching as far as the eye can see... Stretch out your feelings. Can you sense the life in this world, all around you?"
Kyp nodded slowly.
"Yes," he whispered, overwhelmed.
"Strip away the rock, and feel them. All the hopes and worries and desires, so many they could fill the galaxy," Barriss went on.
Kyp stretched out his feelings. He trembled. He held his focus.
"I... I can see... I... Chewbacca found something..."
A moment later, Chewbacca howled loudly, calling for them all to join him. Han picked up the lightsaber, and he and Kyp helped Barriss to plod along. Lando carried Daala again, despite her protests.
They made it to a large, open cavern, carved out by mining lasers long ago. Fresh glitterstim spice hung in webs above them, glinting in the pale blue light. Chewbacca was standing over several dark forms. As they drew closer, Barriss made out what they were:
Bodies.
"Oh geez," Kyp muttered, "These... These are some of the missing workers..."
Han knelt down to check them over, helping Barriss kneel with him. She examined them with him, her keen eyes and experienced hands assessing the corpses.
"No broken bones," she reported, "No blaster marks, no carbon scoring... No breaks... Some bruises, but they look like they came from falling."
The bodies were rock solid, cold as cometary ice.
"So what killed them?" Han asked, "It's not cold enough for them to have frozen to death in here. Somewhere else-?"
"Let me check the blasters," Daala said. Chewie, Han, and Lando all looked skeptical, but she scowled, "I am a scientist, I know how blasters work. Maybe it can give us a clue."
"Fine," Han said. He picked up one of the blasters, and checked the power cell before he handed it over. Even that was strange, though.
"No charge," Han said, "Not even a trickle."
Daala examined the weapon, turning it over in her hands. She took it apart, even as she sat perched on Lando's back. Calrissian didn't seem to mind though.
"Hmm... They were fired, several times, and then... They were drained without being fired further," she mused aloud, "Like they suffered from deep freeze damage. Look: There are cracks in the power packs, as though they were dunked into liquid nitrogen."
"So they opened fire on something," Solo concluded, "And kept firing, on maximum setting... But then the power packs just froze with them? What kind of sense does that make?"
Barriss lifted the coveralls of one of the corpses. She saw marks on their pale stomachs. As though something huge had grabbed them...
"We need to get out of here, now," Kyp stated, eyes wide. Through her pain, Barriss felt it too.
Chewie growled, as the scent of rich, fresh spice filled the chamber. Something huge entered, and Han held out the lightsaber.
Hundreds of eyes, mouths, and spider-like claws, all glowing like prisms, lurched out of the darkness. Screams like something out of every nightmare he'd ever had put together deafened him, as the monstrosity as big as the Falcon herself charged.
"RUN!"
Omake:
Leia had arrived for a visit with Luke, and she brought the twins. Luke happily held his nephew and niece as they babbled, while Leia went over some documents with Luke.
Leia: "Luke, you really need to file your documentation correctly. You're big enough to be a non-profit, after all, you should take advantage of that!"
Luke: "Ugh... But Leia, we're no where near as big as the old Jedi Order!"
Leia: "So? You need to do this properly! You're operating a school slash non-government paramilitary unit! You need to do your taxes correctly!"
Luke: "It's also a religious order, isn't there an exemption for that?"
Leia: "If your religious order didn't have a habit of blowing up Imperial warships and space stations, probably."
Luke: sighs, bouncing Jacen and Jaina on his knees "You two better enjoy your time of not doing financial paperwork."
Leia: "Come on, Luke! It's not that hard! You got this planet, after all."
Luke: "Wait, I own this planet?!"
Leia: exhausted sigh "Yes, you own Yavin IV! It was bequeathed to you when you asked for a place to set up your Jedi Academy!"
Luke: "I thought Mon Mothma was just giving me the temple complex and grounds-The whole planet is mine?!"
Leia: "How did you survive as a squadron commander with this low level of self awareness?!"
Luke: deadpan "The Force."
Leia: "The Force doesn't work that way!"
Luke: "Yes it does!"
Aphra pops in, and picks up Jaina and coos over her.
Aphra: "Awww... Your uncle owns a planet! Auntie Aphra is gonna have to rethink her friends only policy towards him! Yes she is, yes she is!"
Mara enters as well, scowling.
Mara: "You seriously didn't know you owned the planet, Farmboy?"
Luke: "No, I didn't!"
Aphra: "Hey, he's handsome, powerful, rich, and dumb. Perfect combination, if you ask me!"
Jaina giggles and Aphra's cap floats off her head.
Aphra: "Woah! She can already do that, huh?"
Jacen, crying a bit, reaches out his hand and Mara's lightsaber strains against her belt.
Mara: "Oh geez-No! None of that!"
The two babies begin to cry. Leia takes them into her arms and sooths them gently.
Leia: "Yeah, they're pretty excitable. Our nannies have their hands full when they throw tantrums."
Aphra: "You didn't have to make them upset, Mara."
Mara: "I didn't! He shouldn't have a lightsaber!"
Luke: "So... Can you two help me with this financial paperwork, by any chance?"
Aphra: "HA! Last time I did any real financial paperwork was for my student loans!"
Mara: "Don't look at me. Talon's got accountants for that."
Luke: sigh
Rotta enters.
Rotta: "Master Luke! I uh... Oh! Hello Your Highness."
Leia: gentle smile "Hello Rotta..."
Luke: "Hey Rotta. What's up?"
Rotta: "I was working on building my lightsaber but I... Oh! Republic 1134 forms? Applying to be a non-profit, huh Master?"
Luke: "Uh... Yeah, we are. You're familiar with them?"
Rotta: "Sure! I grew up learning financial forms and taxation-All of that! I got shoved with all the paperwork and uh..."
Everyone is suddenly smiling at him.
Rotta: "... Oh."
And this is how Rotta became the New Jedi Order's accountant...