The Path of Dreams

~Chapter 14~

Fifth Fleet Detention Center, Coruscant

They crouched on either side of the landing ramp and, when the two guards came into sight, the Jedi sprang up onto the ramp. With blasters drawn, they surprised the two noncoms and pushed them back into the shadows of the small transport. The transfer guards were dressed as Jaina and Zekk were in black and green armored uniforms with full shielded helmets, however the Jedi didn’t have their shields down. For their trick to work their voices couldn’t be changed in any way. “Put down your weapons,” Zekk said with all the authority of the Force behind his words. The startled guards had no option but to obey. Jaina used the Force to sweep them away.

The one on the right, who from the rank markings on the forehead of his helmet out ranked the corporal, looked at Zekk and said through his vocalizer surprised, “Hey! You’re a Jedi. Who are you?”

Zekk made a small gesture with his hand and simply said, “That is not important. We will take over from here.” His words were heavily laced with the Force.

The sergeant nodded and repeated in a slight monotone, “No, it’s not important. You’ll take over from here.”

“Serge, what are you doing? He’s using that Jedi mind trick on you!” he accused alarmed but he was unable to do much more than that as he stared down the blaster that Jaina held on him. “What are you doin’ here?”

She made a similar gesture with her free hand as Zekk had and, in a Force intoned voice, responded, “You don’t need to know. We are here to take over. You will leave your ship and go to the Jagged Edge. Neither of you are to return until tomorrow.”

Zekk looked over at Jaina, and she watched him raise his eyebrow at her. The Jagged Edge was a Lower Level dive known for its free flowing drink, unlimited spice and prostitution of several species and of both sexes. Oh, come on, at least they’ll have a good time for their troubles. Jaina sent to Zekk through their bond.

She heard in her head, Sure, if they aren’t killed first.

As Jaina rolled her eyes, she sighed and added without the Force, but with the authority she had long learned from being in command. “Take off your uniforms. You can’t be seen leaving the HQ, and you definitely don’t want to be wearing them at the Jagged Edge.”

The guards looked slightly confused at each other, but when she wiggled the blaster and glowered. “Do as I tell you and no one will get hurt.” They stared at her bewildered but, realizing that they were at the disadvantage, began to strip out of the armor down to their black leggings and tee-shirts.

“Good.” Zekk waved his hand, “You will not remember any of this. Now you may leave.”

“Yes,” intoned them both, and with that the two turned and headed down the ramp.

After they stepped onto the slidewalk away from the building that housed the Fifth Fleet, Zekk turned to Jaina and said, “That was almost too easy. Either they will come to their senses or they will be caught, which means we'll get caught.”

Jaina grinned, “Will you stop worrying? All it shows is just how simpleminded prison guards are.”

“Yeah, well,” Zekk returned his gaze back onto the dimmed landing pad where the guards disappeared, half expecting the two to come to come running with their blasters blazing—and with help. “That may be true, but I still think it was way too easy.”

After Jaina kicked the uniforms the guards had shed into a maintenance cabinet, they made their way down the ramp and headed toward the side entrance of the HQ. “It’s like that time when we were chasing those pirates before the Swarm War. Remember?”

Zekk snickered, “Yeah, now those three were really simpleminded.”

“Yep, makes you wonder how Three-Eye got so powerful. Her subordinates were about as stupid as they come.”

They shared a low chuckle, after which they closed their shields and opened the battle meld that they had with Valin as they entered the building that imprisoned him.

~~~

Skywalker Apartment, Temple District, Coruscant

Jysella couldn’t sleep. She had too much on her mind. One of the things she kept running through her thoughts was her heartbreaking visit with her brother. She regretted how she had left things with him. They had always been so close, and while she was with him she had barely said anything to him.

It wasn’t until she had left the building clinging to Ben for support, she realized that painfully, awkward visit would be the last time she would ever see her brother.

However Valin’s predicament wasn’t all that caused her insomnia or her tears, it was the news she received after returning to the Skywalkers’. She was scheduled to leave for Ossus in the morning with Mara and Luke. Originally it had been planned that she would return to Coruscant to be knighted in a ceremony which Ben and her parents could attend; however those plans had been changed.

Since Luke traditionally knighted all new Jedi, he would be going along, but Ben wouldn’t be. Her parents were actually planning on leaving tonight for Ossus to spend some quiet time there to help work through the ordeal they had endured for the past two months concerning Valin. After she passed a series of tests, which were simply called the “trials”, she would be granted Knighthood and could be sent on her first solo mission. Although the modern trials were vastly different from those of the Old Order, they still were difficult and required a certain proficiency of the Force. For most Apprentices, they were conducted at Ossus and overseen by the Academy Administrator, Kam Solusar. There were some exceptions to this rule, where the Apprentice goes through a personal trial and is granted full Knighthood, but the cases this occurred anymore were rear. Apprentices just weren’t sent on Myrkr type missions.

That night Luke and Mara shattered any glimmer of excitement she had been able to muster for her upcoming Knighthood, when they informed her that after the trials she would not be coming back to Coruscant. She would be knighted by Luke and then would go directly to Krylon with Tahiri Veila to relieve the Jedi stationed there. The most disturbing thing, though, was that the assignment was for an indefinite period of time. She nearly cried when the Masters told her the news. They spun it to sound like a great opportunity, but she knew the real reason behind the exile—her love for Ben and their parents’ disapproval of their relationship.

Although, the only parent that either one of them had actually admitted their feelings to had been Mirax, Jys realized the others knew as well. She and Ben didn’t hide their affections, they openly held hands and they had been spending even more time together than they had before, which was nearly impossible. There was no secret that they were more than friends, anyone who saw them could see that.

They talked constantly about what they’d do if separated after her trials, but Ben kept reassuring her that Jacen promised that he’d do all that he could to prevent it from happening. Apparently, Jys thought bitterly, he didn’t have enough power to convince Luke, Mara and Corran that she was needed more on Coruscant than on some backwater, two-chit rock in the middle of nowhere.

It crushed her to think about being away from him, and she knew Ben would take the news just as hard. As she fingered the smooth stone pendent at her bosom, she wondered how in the galaxy she was going to tell Ben that their worse fear had become reality. She had to tell him before the morning. Ben wasn’t going to be able to be present at her Knighting, and she wanted more time to say good-bye than just the few hours they could possibly steal in the morning.

Suddenly, she wished they were still babies in the nursery on Shelter. Jysella wanted to just hold him and be held by him, but how could she?

Hugging her pillow close, she tossed in the small bed again and signed. She glanced at the chrono on the shelf by her bed—midnight. She should have been sleeping for three hours, but she couldn’t. In fact, she was more awake now than before.

I could go over to Ben’s, she let the forbidden thought slip in as she watched the display on her chrono tick off another minute of Galactic Standard Time.

Jys, know you can’t do that! She chided herself. However as she lay there waiting for the next minute to change, the more she realized that she had to see him, even if going to him in the middle of the night was probably the worst thing she could possibly ever do.

Her decision made, she got out of bed and quickly dressed simply in leggings and a tank top. She didn’t even bother with a bra. Not looking back she slipped out of her room and into the kitchen of the apartment. Luke and Mara had already gone to bed, and a simple probe into the Force showed them soundly sleeping. She left a flimsy note near the caff machine telling them that she couldn’t sleep because of Valin, and that she had gone to the Temple to workout and to meditate. It was a lie and it wouldn’t fool either of the Jedi Masters, but she didn’t care. She needed to see Ben, and she would face them and the consequences in the morning.

~~~

Fifth Fleet Detention Center, Coruscant

Valin laid down after Allia left and relished the wonderful feeling of being immersed in the Force again. He realized he couldn’t openly look like he was meditating and that he had to appear to be lacking his sensitivity to the Force, but he still closed his eyes and reached out to feel the life around him. When he felt Zekk’s gentle nudge, he opened the battle meld with his friends and was flooded with their reassurance.

He thought about Allia and her role in what was becoming a several person rescue attempt. He knew his mother must have been involved because of her warning earlier that afternoon. Though, he wouldn’t have expected any of the others to come and help him; except maybe Jaina, because of her wavering. Of course, he thought, if Jaina was involved, Zekk wouldn’t be far behind. Nevertheless, Allia’s involvement did shock him a lot. He guessed her role was to get into the cell to destroy his barrier to the Force.

How she accomplished that feat was simple; she had used a small electronic transmitter to emit a high voltage shock into the yuumiri chamber. Although the creature fed on electricity, a single high voltage shock would kill the worm, and thus end its ability to repel the Force. It was the only flaw the Vongformed animal had, and the ease at which it could be killed could cause great damage for those trying to detain a powerful Force wieldier.

But what really surprised Valin was that Allia ability to smuggle in the transmitter. Somehow, he got the impression there was more to her than met the eye.

The door to his cell slid open bringing him out of his thoughts. Valin sat up on the edge of the bed to see the Centax-3 prison transfer guards move in. The taller one waited on the guard droid to eject the datachip that he had inserted into a slot on the droid’s chest. Valin could feel Zekk’s concern when the droid seemed to be taking a long time to analyze the documentation on the chip.

Jaina moved in to stand before Valin and said through the vocalizer of the helmet she wore, making her voice completely sterile. “Turn around and put your hands behind your back, Mr. Horn.”

Valin complied with the order and Jaina applied a pair of stun cuffs. They turned to look at Zekk who was still waiting on the chip to be returned. Valin reached out into the Force to see if he could sense anything, but he couldn’t get a thing. He felt Jaina’s spike of concern and wondered if she and Zekk were communicating through their personal bond which was deeper and more complex than the trio’s battle meld.

Finally, the droid spit out the chip and in a tinny, but authority ridden voice, said, “The orders have been verified. Mr. Valin Horn is hereby turned over into your custody, Sergeant Mimmer and Corporal Kosen.”

“Thank you, Guard YHV-712,” Zekk nearly sighed relief as he said the droid’s name.

Zekk then moved to stand on the other side of Valin. “Okay, Mr. Horn, let’s get moving. It’s a long way to where we’re going.” They then begin moving out of the cell. Valin was happy to finally be out of it, but he knew they had a long way to go before they were completely out of the rancor’s den.

~~~

Just Beyond the Coruscant System

The old Imperial-class Star Destroyer reverted to real space and hide in the shadow of the Coruscant sun. The captain knew it wouldn’t bode well for those on the planet if he was spotted. There the famous ship (or infamous, depending on one’s perspective) would wait for its cargo to take it home.

~~~

General Solo’s Private Office, 51st Infantry Headquarters, Coruscant

Darth Troddeln read the report again and cursed his luck. Jag Fel had been named successor to Pellaeon. He supposed he should have guessed as much when Fel showed up on the scene two years ago as head of the Imperial Fleet allied with Corellia. His sister’s old boyfriend was proving to be quite the pain in his backside. Now that he was the Grand Admiral, Troddeln wondered what the former Chiss would do.

He didn’t underestimate Fel’s cunning and skill as a leader as he did Dur Gejjen. The imbecile in charge of the Corellian government could easily be taken care of, or just manipulated, but Fel was another matter. What worried Troddeln more than anything was the same reason he kept Gejjen around. The demise of the Insurgent leadership would create power vacuum among the worlds that were in alliance with Corellia. The strongest leader and most likely to succeed in that vacuum was now Jagged Fel, and Darth Troddeln definitely didn’t want the Insurgents to become part of the Imperial Remnant. The last thing the Sith Lord, who was trying to rebuild the galaxy to fit his vision, wanted was for the Empire to become a major power again.

Troddeln turned the datapad off and sat back in his nerfhide chair. He had to find away to prevent that from happening, but he needed it to appear to the GA that Gejjen and Fel were the ones tipping the scales of the war.

Suddenly, Troddeln knew exactly what to do. An evil sneer passed over his face as he pulled his comlink. He called his apartment and left a message for Ben that he would be gone for the next few days. Then he contacted the office of Admiral Darklighter, informing the droid that answered the comm that he had an urgent issue which demanded his attention, making unavailable for at least three days. He dodged the military protocol droid’s insistent questions by simply explaining that he was personally following a lead for GAG.

With the necessary calls done, picked up the datapad and headed for the hangar. Less than an hour later found him in his X-wing, heading for the asteroid near Bimmiel where he first met the woman who brought him to his destiny. He had known for sometime that Lumiya was trying to play both sides of the war; however she wasn’t as skilled as her former Master had been. When Troddeln discovered Lumiya’s duplicity, he had wanted to kill her immediately but, once he thought about what she was doing, he decided to allow her to continue her double spying. He even let her believe that some of what she did was totally put there for her to discover. It had almost become a game to the Sith Lord to play with his Acolyte. But Troddeln was growing weary of the game, he now wanted in charge. Now, he had every intention of using Lumiya’s connection to Gejjen to do what he wanted done.

It was time to give the Corellians exactly what they wanted—Centerpoint Station back in operation.

~~~

Public Hangar 22WP, Westport, Coruscant

Valin let Jaina and Zekk lead him through the detention center to the ship which brought the real transfer guards to Coruscant. However, before they could finally leave the heavily guarded center, Zekk had to supply the datachip to the exit guard, a Bith, who took an agonizing amount of time to confirm and sign off on the transfer of Valin to the Centax-3 guards. Eventually, the Bith had handed the chip back to Zekk who pocketed it and tossed the Fifth Fleet noncom a sloppy salute.

They came to the boxy transport ship and Valin noticed a group of reporters near the landing strip entrance. Although a group of guard YHV guard droids were holding them back, they shouted questions at Valin nonetheless. He felt Jaina’s concern but she didn’t show any of it when she not-so-gently pushed Valin in the back and said with authority, “Get in there, Jedi.”

Valin stepped into the transport and watched as Jaina and Zekk followed. Zekk pushed the control at the door and it slid closed. After the reassuring thud of the seal catching, Zekk and Jaina pulled off their helmets and looked at each other. “I’m glad that mess wasn’t out here earlier when we got rid of the real guards,” Zekk said to Jaina.

“Yeah, me too. I wonder how they found out about the transfer—the maggots.”

Jaina then grinned at Valin and, as he turned around to allow her to remove the stun cuffs, she said, “Hello, Val, you really didn’t think we’d let you go to prison for doing what was right, did you?”

He rubbed his wrists and turned to face her again. Returning her smile, he replied, “Well, I have to admit that thought had crossed my mind more than once.”

Jaina hugged her younger friend and snickered, “Trust me, Val. If we didn’t get you out someone else would have, but that could have gotten a slightly more messy.”

He laughed and sat down on the acceleration couch. He began to strap himself in as Zekk moved over with transceiver. “Here, even with that thing dead in there, I don’t think you want to go where you’re going with it around your neck.”

Valin gave Zekk a lopsided grin, “Nope, the sooner I get rid of this thing the better.” He then twisted the collar around, allowing Zekk to hold the transceiver’s end to the sensitive button that held the collar closed. Zekk punched in a code they had bought, and the collar fell open into Valin’s waiting hand. Glancing down at it with utter disdain, he promptly tossed it into a corner of the hold, never watching where it landed.

While Zekk removed the collar from Valin, Jaina moved to the cockpit and got the ship ready for takeoff. After a few moments, they were lifting off the durocrete strip and heading for what appeared to be orbit.

“Will we be taking this crate to where we’re going?” Valin asked Zekk after a moment.

Zekk grinned from where he was strapped in on the opposite side of the cabin. “No, we’re heading for Westport.”

“Westport? What are we going to do in Westport?” Valin asked incredulously. The longer they remained on Coruscant the better the chance of detection.

Zekk thought about it a moment then said, “Well, our ride is in Westport, for one thing. Secondly, Allia is waiting there for us.”

Valin nodded, but his expression became curious. He leaned forward and inquired, “About Allia, why’d she help me? I mean she and I were wingmates, sure, but that was only for a short time. And what she did went beyond being just my wingman.”

Zekk laughed and scratched his chin, “Oh, where do I begin concerning Allia.”

“How about the beginning,” Valin smiled, but said dryly, “I get the feeling this is a long story.”

Zekk snickered again, “Yep, you could say that. It seems Allia isn’t who she says she is.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do the names Tarkin and Na’al mean anything to you?”

“Since you are asking that in the same breath, I’ll answer: as in the Rebellion spy and the historian?”

“Yep, that is exactly who I mean,” Zekk then went on to explain Allia’s story as she had told him and Jaina the week before.

Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the small public hangar primarily occupied by the ships of business beings, but at this late hour it was virtually empty. After Jaina shut the ship down, Zekk open the hatch and Valin gasped. Before them sat a ship that was as familiar to him as the Millennium Falcon was to Jaina. He looked at Jaina and she smiled, “Your mom insisted on this, Valin.”

“But if she’s gone the same time as they discover my escape she will be under suspicion,” Valin challenged. “No, I won’t endanger my mother.”

“Actually, they have an alibi,” Zekk calmly replied. “And changed transponders, just as Jaina had changed ours. No one will ever know they were here.

However Valin was focused on only one word from Zekk, staring he inquired, “They?”

Jaina grabbed his arm and grinned, “C’mon, you’ll see.”

Valin let Jaina guide him to the Pulsar Skate and up the short ramp into the familiarly comforting main hold. There Allia came forward and Valin hugged his friend for a long time. After coming apart, he raised an eyebrow when he saw that she was dressed in a nondescript flightsuit and her hair was back to its natural auburn. “What happened to Judy?”

She grinned back and shrugged, “Judy? A mystery woman? I don’t know who you’re talking about. I hope Syal never finds out about this Judy. Maybe that thing they had around your neck addled your brain some.”

“Emm—Who knows it may have.” Valin chuckled and said, “That thing was worse than being in the cage. But, if you ever run into her, let her know that she has my gratitude.”

“I’ll do that.” She winked, smiled and returned to the acceleration couch beside Zekk and Jaina.

As they began to strap themselves in, Valin looked around the hold one more time. Hearing the repulsors whine to life, her announced, “I’m going up to the cockpit with Mom. She’ll need a co-pilot.”

The door slid open and as Valin stepped through he was truly shocked by the second person he saw at the controls in the co-pilot’s chair beside his mother.

Jedi Master Corran Horn turned to look over his shoulder and gave Valin a slightly crocked grin.

“Dad?”

Corran stood and met Valin’s gaze. “Son, I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye. But I want you to know that I really do think you did the right thing. I—emmm—” He glanced down at Mirax, she gave him a small smile, encouraging him. He swallowed and turned back to Valin, in a stronger voice he continued, “I’m sorry for not publicly backing you.”

Valin let out a breath, “I guess I was a little hard on you too, Dad. If I’d been in your place, I may have done the same thing.”

“No,” the older man shook his head, “Valin. I forgot what really comes first in a man’s life. My father had always been there for me, up until the day he died in my arms. I haven’t always been there for you or your sister.” Corran swallowed hard and added, “I put duty before my love for my family too many times.”

Valin could feel his father’s serenity and regret through the Force and suddenly he realized that he also felt his love. As Mirax lifted the old Baudo-class yacht out of the hangar, Valin stepped forward into his father’s embrace.

Corran held him close and, in a shaky voice, quietly said, “I love you, son. Don’t you ever doubt that.”

Valin choked back the sudden lump in his own throat and, just as softly, replied, “I love you too, Dad.”

Mirax looked up at them and grinned through the tears that sparkled in her eyes, “You two had better sit down and strap in, because when I punch this baby you’ll end up splattered on the bulkhead if you don’t.”

Valin and Corran both nervously chuckled at Mirax’s attempt at levity as they heeded her words. Corran reclaimed the co-pilot’s seat and Valin sat in behind his mother in the never used navigator’s chair. As he finished strapping in, he looked through the view port to watch Mirax skillfully weaved her way through the never ending streams of traffic and head into Coruscant’s orbit. “So, where we going? I’m assuming we aren’t going to Corellia.”

Mirax looked over at Corran and said, “You, Jaina, Zekk and Allia will be. We’ll be going to Ossus for your sister’s knighting. But first we need to drop you off at your ride there.”

Then Valin felt as much as saw the pained expression on Corran’s face, and knew it wasn’t the thought of Jysella’s Knighthood that caused it. Valin snickered and wasn’t at all surprised as he asked, “Granddad?”

Corran turned to Valin, shrugged and dryly responded, “Desperate times call for desperate means.”

Valin slapped his knee and laughed heartedly as he sat back into his chair. “Well, if Errant Venture and Booster Terrik are involved, desperate isn’t the word.”