The Path of Dreams

~Chapter 17~

Mon Calamari Shipyards, Mon Calamari Orbit

Ben watched out the starboard viewport as the shuttle from the GAG flagship, the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Anakin Solo, passed by the damaged shipyard. The terrorist group Freedom’s Avengers were taking responsibility for the act that destroyed Mon Calamari’s most important shipyard which translated into one of the GA’s most important ship producers and repair yards. The group was made up of mostly Rodians and a few other species that allied themselves with the Hutts. Although, deciding they no longer wanted to be part of the GA, the government on Nar Shaddaa hadn’t officially allied themselves with the Corellians. The Hutts were determined to make their war on the GA a guerrilla war and remained isolationistic, stating that they had left one empire and had no desire to join another, referring to the Remnant’s increasing power and influence over Corellia and its allies.

Over the past seven months, the largest group of guerrilla fighters, Freedom’s Avengers, had been attacking GA shipyards all over the galaxy, but this was the worst attack so far. The infiltrators were able to plant several bombs and as a result nearly 4000 Mon Calamiri, Quarren, human and Verpine technicians were killed, not to mention the total destruction of the shipyard and tens of thousands of droids. Needless to say, the act was as detrimental a blow to the GA as the attack on the Senate eight months ago or the losses of the Bothan and Dubrillion Systems had been.

Ben felt cold inside as the shuttle flew by the wreckage to assess the damage. He had been angry that Jacen had canceled his leave that he had planned, but upon seeing this he could understand why and now he was only angry with the traitors. He had planned to use the week of shore leave that he had saved up to surprise Jys. Although, he hadn’t seen her since the night they had spent together, he had stayed in contact with her by comm and through written messages. The visit he hoped to make to Jys over his seventeenth birthday had been canceled due to a battle over Ord Mantell, now he missed out on another visit because of the attacks on Mon Cal. She graciously accepted his reasons, but he knew it hurt her not to see him; he missed her just as much.

His parents hadn’t confronted him about the night they spent together, but he knew they were less than happy about it. Jys refused to tell him about what they had said to her other than that they hadn’t approved of them being alone. He felt terrible that she had been subjected to what he was certain had been anything but a comfortable situation. He had to admit that he wouldn’t have relished spending a ten hour hyperspace trip with the Horns if their circumstances had been reversed. At least, as far as he could tell, Corran and Mirax were unaware of the night and, considering Corran didn’t care much for him to begin with, Ben figured Jysella’s father would have come after him if he’d known they had spent a night alone together.

Once they returned to Coruscant, Luke and Mara tried again to get Ben to leave Jacen’s apprenticeship. They threatened him with exile to Ossus, but Ben only refused, saying that he’d not stay on Ossus. In fact, he told them if Jacen couldn’t be his Master, he would leave the Jedi Order and ask GAG to station him somewhere other than Coruscant. They eventually relented; he knew they decided that at least if he was on Coruscant and still in the Jedi Order, they could watch him, which they did very carefully. They warned him that Jacen may have fallen to the Dark Side, but Ben didn’t believe it. Besides, there really wasn’t a Dark or a Light Side to the Force, only one Force. Sure, there was good and evil beings, people did terrible things and, if a person was a Force user, those things could be heinous, but the evil came from within, not from a side of the Force. Why couldn’t his parents, especially his father, understand this?

Jacen’s inflamed voice over his helmet comlink brought him out of his thoughts, “As you all can see, these swine are determined to continue in the cowards’ way by targeting defenseless citizens rather than face an army of trained soldiers. We are here to investigate how they were able to infiltrate the excellent Mon Calamari security procedures and to find ways to prevent this from happening again. The GA can’t afford to lose anymore shipyards.”

Jacen paused and then went on with the assignments of the teams, finally he concluded, “Lieutenant Skywalker,” Ben stiffened slightly at his name, “your team will investigate Shipyard Three. Since it is the next largest yard, it is possible that it would be targeted next.”

Ben took a deep breath before speaking hitting the comlink in his helmet with his chin, “Yes, Sir.”

Beta Team was dropped off at the main landing pad of the orbiting shipyard, and immediately Ben began to dispense orders. He had been in charge of the team since his promotion and the members, for the most part, respected Ben enough to not question his authority. Ben had proven to be a born leader despite his age, but no one really was surprised by that. He had overheard someone say once that Ben came from a long line of leaders. Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker were legendary leaders, as were Leia, Jacen and Jaina Solo, why would Ben be any different. His company’s faith in him reassured him that his decisions were sound ones, but he never discredited input from the more senior members of his team either. To do so, would only cause problems, and Ben realized that admitting that he didn’t have all the answers and respecting the others’ opinions only heightened his subordinates willingness to follow him to their deaths if need be—a devotion which totally humbled the young commander.

Soon, Beta Team split into four small groups of three and went in the directions Ben had indicated. Ben, along with two other GAG soldiers, made their way through the darkened recesses of an access tunnel. Jacen believed the terrorists brought in their explosives and the supplies into the facility a little at a time to avoid detection by security. It was easy then to hide the contraband in the dark tunnels that primarily were used by construction droids and reconstruct the explosives into the bombs that destroyed the structures.

Ben moved through the narrow space with his eyes closed and his senses open to the Force. The yard felt dead, the only presences that he could feel were those of Beta Team as they moved through the different quadrants of the orbiter. The workers had all been evacuated after the attack for fear that the other massive facilities could be next.

His two companions watched him with great interest and Ben knew they wondered about what he was doing. They were both new to GAG, transfers from the Fifty-first to be cross-trained. Neither of them had ever worked with the Jedi before and Ben was amused by their curiosity. It really did sometimes surprise him that the Jedi were so rare that most beings in the galaxy still thought what they could do was a myth, to him it all seemed perfectly normal.

Finally, the youngest one, a Duros by the name of Zol Vens, quietly asked his companion an older Twi’lek named Marti Naren, “How’s he do that? I’m having trouble seeing with my eyes open.”

“He’s a Jedi,” Marti chuckled in his good-natured way. “I hear tell they can do a lot more than see with their eyes closed. So you better watch out, Private.”

Ben’s smile became larger when he felt Vens burst of fear, then he whispered, “Is it true that they can read minds?”

Ben shook his head and said, never opening his eyes or leaving the ebbs of the Force, “No, Vens, most Jedi can’t read random minds. I can, but only if I really concentrate and have a strong desire to, but all I, or any Jedi, can do is sense feelings and emotions.”

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” Vens groaned and Ben turned to look over his shoulder at the young Doros who wasn’t much older than he himself.

“Don’t worry, Private, all your secrets are safe with me.” Ben and Marti laughed at the wide-eyed expression of pure shock on the Doros grey-green face. Marti patted the private on the shoulder and shook his head, while Ben went back to studying the Force.

Suddenly, Ben stopped as he sensed a disturbance in the Force. The two enlisted men, noticing Ben’s sudden stop, immediately fell into defensive postures behind Ben and took the cue to drawl their blasters as Ben pulled his lightsaber. He motioned them to stay where they were as he cautiously moved forward, holding his lightsaber at the ready. He hadn’t felt the presence at first, but now he could and was surprised to find that the human male was Force-sensitive.

“Come out,” Ben commanded calmly and authoritatively. “I feel your presence and I know you sense mine.”

“Oh, very good, Jedi boy,” scoffed a disembodied accented voice. “I’m glad that Skywalker isn’t raising a simpleton after all.”

“Who are you?” Ben demanded and brought his lightsaber up to a mid guard. He could feel his companions concern, but they were trained well enough not to show their fear—

—At least, until they heard the distinctive snap-hiss and saw the column of red of a lightsaber down the corridor. Ben instantly ignited his and took a deep breath, opening up to the Force.

The figure stepped closer, his lightsaber producing an eerie red glow over his black bearded face and the grey jumpsuit of a shipyard worker. Ben took in his appearance realizing that this man wasn’t a Jedi but was well trained. He didn’t sense what could be called Darkness in him, but there wasn’t much Light either. Suddenly Ben was completely tossed out of the other’s mind, surprising Ben so badly he actually stumbled back a step.

Black Beard’s amused laugh was harsh in the enclosed area of the access tunnel. “Well, I see Skywalker hadn’t taught his Jedi brat any manners either. I wonder, is invading one’s privacy part of the Jedi Code?”

Ben steadied himself and watched as the older man stepped closer. “You’re Jensaarai.”

“Very good.” He said with a mock salute with his saber. “But not totally correct.”

“Then please enlighten me because I’d like to have my facts straight before I end your miserable life.” Ben waved behind him and hoped that the two noncoms got the message to move out of the way.

His harsh laugh again, “I was Jensaarai but I’ve left the order and now I simply work for the highest bidder.”

Ben felt his restraint on his anger slip. He hated this kind of Hutt’s slime and he suddenly wanted nothing more than to kill him. “So, the Hutts pay well?”

“Emmm…” a smug half grin and a shrug was his answer.

Then he began to move forward again and Ben sensed his impatience. Good, the sooner you’ll die.

“I have to wonder, Skywalker, I thought it wasn’t the Jedi way to feel anger and hate.” He moved his saber in an aggressive pattern as he went on, “But then I forgot it’s only not okay for everyone else, but for you Skywalkers it’s perfectly fine. Isn’t that how it goes?”

Ben’s restraint broke and he let his anger at what this animal had done to the people of Mon Calamari, to the capability of the GA to build new ships, and even his personal anger at this man for preventing him from visiting Jysella flood through him. He used that anger as Jacen had taught him and Ben suddenly felt the cold strength grip him. He felt invincible and with a snarl he struck.

Ben’s blue saber was caught high against the red. But the bounty hunter soon untangled his blade and spun away from Ben to give himself some fighting room. Ben, however, had no intentions of letting him figure out a strategy. He came across with a slash, again the older man parried. This time it was Ben who disengaged his saber first to come at him with a back-handed thrust that somewhat caught the other by surprise. However he quickly recovered, back-flipping out of range before Ben’s blade found a home in his chest.

“So, the boy has some skill,” the Jensaarai sneered. Then suddenly Ben watched as the he pulled another saber from behind him and ignited it. “Let’s see how you handle Jar’Kai.”

Ben took a deep breath knowing that he was the better dualist just by what he’d already seen, but he didn’t have time to consider a strategy before Black Beard attacked with both blades. Ben parried the strike of the first blade and immediately had to counter attack in order to prevent being beheaded. Feeling the heat of the blade, he knew that he had to disengage himself before the other blade could come up and do the job the first blade didn’t. By leaping up and kicking out as hard as he could with the Force behind it, his feet connected with the other’s gut and he went flying in the opposite direction. Ben continued the momentum and flipped the rest of the way over his center to land on his feet again.

Letting the anger fill again him, he used it to give him strength, but the bounty hunter quickly regained his feet and was coming at Ben again. This time Ben used a fast attacking motion, knocking one blade away and ending his slash by parrying the other. At the same time, Ben let the motion of the attack carry him in a controlled spin. He again kicked out and forced the other back several meters, but he didn’t dislodge him from the fight. Ben barely had time to regain his stance, getting his saber up to parry when the Jensaarai attacked again.

Suddenly, Ben realized he needed to end this soon.

Ben back-flipped twice out of the way and, once on his feet again, he reached out to grab one of the pipes that lined the ceiling in a Force grip. Pulling, he dislodged it, bringing it about to slam into the older man’s head. However he had too much warning before it could have made contact, the bounty knocked it out of the way with his left saber. Snarling, Black Beard came at Ben again with his dual sabers. Ben ducked to avoid the first slash and barely caught the other on his blade. Ben was becoming angrier; he couldn’t let this thug beat him. Then a blaster bolt rang out and Ben realized one of the soldiers was shooting.

The thug used his free blade to deflect the green bolt and, before Ben even could shout a warning, Vens was dead. Ben’s anger instantly raged, magnifying his strength. He felt it crackle along his body, filling him with a heady, invincible feeling of the likes he had never had before. It was intoxicating and addicting as it coursed through his body. Taking one of his hands off the saber, he held it out and let the Dark energy flow down his arm. Every nerve tingled, every fiber of his body sang and he knew that he had the power to take this man’s life. Even though he had never done this before, he felt the flow of energy build as his hate and anger for this man and everything that he stood for fed his desire to kill him, and within seconds a stream of blue lightning shot from his fingers as the Dark energy traveled through him.

Instantly the Jensaarai lost his hold on his blades and flew back against the corridor wall in a convulsing lump. Ben let go of barrage after barrage of energy until he couldn’t hold it any more. Then he moved over to the withering figure that looked up at him with a pained look of awe.

Finally, he let out a choked chuckle as he said in a weak voice, “You’re more Sith than Jedi, Skywalker.”

After Ben called one of Black Beard’s dropped sabers to his hand, he studied its weight before he ignited it, finding a heady excitement in the feel of Dark energy that the blade emanated. Turning hate filled eyes to the enemy, he hissed, “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. But at least, I fight for peace and justice, and for the GA, not for its total destruction.”

The other choked a laugh as he spat, “You know, they say Vader thought that way too, except it was for the Empire.”

Ben actually smiled but it looked more like a snarl, saying, “He was my grandfather, you know.” And with that he ended the discussion by using the two sabers in a quick scissor action that completely beheaded the defeated man.

Ben stared at the corpse with nothing but cold hatred and anger. Then unexpectedly he felt the gentle loving brush of Jysella, like the wings of a flutterby on his mind, but before he could acknowledge her touch she was gone. Not thinking any more about Jysella he clipped the two lightsabers to his belt, deciding that he wanted to keep the Jensaarai lightsaber. As the decapitated head stopped rolling next to his foot and turned until its unseeing eyes looked into eternity, Ben looked at the dead man’s eyes, feeling nothing more than pride and exhilaration. Suddenly he heard the shrill call from his dreams and felt the terror of the krayt dragon.

He frantically looked around and, realizing he was still in the access tunnel and not on a Tatooine dune, he checked his impulse to run. However, when his eyes fell upon the slain man’s cold eyes again, Ben crumbled as the realization of what he had done crashed down on him.

He fell to his knees and began to shake. Corporal Naren laid his hand on Ben’s shoulder, “Hey, Lieutenant, you okay?”

Ben continued to shake his head as tears began to slide down his cheeks and stammered, “I—I killed him.”

The older man knelt down beside the young Jedi and said, “Yes, but he could have killed you. Or me. Vens is already dead. Surely, this isn’t the first being you’ve killed.”

Ben looked into the Twi’lek’s red eyes. “You don’t understand. He was defenseless. I killed him in cold blood. I was out of control. I let the—” Ben didn’t finish his thought. He shook his head and started again, “I should have detained him for questioning.”

“Sure, that would have been nice.” Marti stood and went on, “But we don’t live in a perfect galaxy. Come let’s call this in.”

Ben nodded and slowly came to his feet. However as he glanced one last time at the corpse, he knew he’d crossed the fine line that separated good and evil and he wondered if he’d ever be the same. Then again in the distance he heard that dreaded call of the krayt dragon.

~~~

Coronet Convention Center, Coronet, Corellia

Jaina smiled up at the groom as the Corellian waltz ended and they stopped moving. She hugged her younger friend close, saying, “It was a beautiful wedding, Valin. I wish you could have seen your face when Syal stepped through that door.”

He cocked his head questioningly but, before he could ask, she snickered, “She had told me about the dress and I knew that she’d be beautiful. But she also told me that you thought that she’d wear her uniform, so—”

“So, you wanted to see my reaction,” Valin grinned. “I can only imagine.” Then to change the subject away from his openmouthed expression when he had seen his bride step into the hall, he said, “Of course, there’s going to be another wedding soon. What will you be wearing?”

Jaina continued to smile but somehow it suddenly seemed forced. “Yeah, I suppose there will be, but I haven’t thought about my clothes. Oh, hi, Syal.” She was glad that Syal came over to claim her husband for the next dance. She smiled at the bride as she moved away from her friend, snickering, “He’s all yours. Though, you better watch it; he’ll step on your feet.”

Syal laughed as she moved before Valin and took his hands. Looking him, she responded, “Yeah, tell me about it. I wish they had given him dancing lessons at the Academy.”

“Hey!—” Valin’s indignant plea was lost as Syal claimed his lips in a tender kiss.

Jaina chuckled as she watched the two of them, after a moment she moved to the side of the dance floor just as the orchestra began playing again. She hadn’t seen Zekk for a while and, quite frankly, she was glad. Nor had she spotted Jag among the crowd, and that made her just as happy. She had no idea what she’d say to him if he’d—

“The Alderaanian waltz. It has always been one of my favorites.”

Jaina suddenly had her breath completely taken away. She didn’t turn to look at the speaker. She didn’t need to; she knew that clipped, precise voice so well that it haunted her dreams. “It’s one of mine too.”

Then she turned to find herself looking into the hard green eyes of Jagged Fel.

“Hello, Jaina. It’s been a long time.”

She tried to still her rapid heart but she couldn’t. She found herself drowning in those green eyes. “Ye—yes. It has, Jag.”

They found themselves staring at each other for what seemed an eternity until she whispered, “People are staring at us.”

“Emm…I’m sure they are. Almost everyone here knows our history.” Then Jag surprised her by holding out his hand and saying, “Would you like to dance? For old times sake.”

Jaina looked down at his hand and swallowed. Looking back into his eyes, all she could do was nod. She reached a slightly trembling hand out to his, gasping at the contact as he took hers. However the surprise she seen in his eyes was just as astonishing, for a moment they were lost again. Suddenly realizing that he needed to move, Jag took Jaina in much the same stylized manner as Valin had held her in earlier—one hand on her slender waist, the other holding her hand high by their shoulders. She placed her slightly trembling free hand on his other shoulder and Jag swung her into the waltz.

They didn’t talk while they danced, if that was what it could be called. Although their moves were perfect, precise steps and spins, there wasn’t any emotion in the way they dance. They almost looked like they were mimicking moves of a starfighter rather than a graceful, intricate waltz. Then suddenly the music stopped.

He dropped her hand and pulled his hand off her waist as if to hold her one second longer would burn him. Without a word, he turned and moved off the dance floor, making his way through the gathering crowd. Jaina didn’t know what to think, much less do. She sensed Zekk coming toward her and, before he could enter the dance floor to claim her for the next dance, she moved through the dancers to follow Jag, realizing she had to talk to him.

She followed him out of the convention center onto a wide balcony that overlooked most of Coronet, which fortunately was deserted. The air was cool and she rapped her arms around herself in as much an effort to find warmth as it was to mask her nerves. He continued to look out over the darkened cityscape as she came up behind him. Finally, he said, “I suppose, congratulations should be in order.”

She stopped behind him, wishing that he’d turn and look at her as she shook her head, answering, “I don’t know what you mean.”

Jag turned, lifted one side of his lips in a slight crooked grin and raised his scared eyebrow, saying, “I’m sorry. I was under the impression from your mother and father that you were now engaged to Jedi Zekk.”

Jaina flinched slightly and nodded, but she couldn’t look at him. She moved over to the edge of the balcony, and eventually she looked up at him with her dark eyes intense as she said, “Jag, I’m sorry for what happened at Tenupe.”

Jag stared at her for a long time and Jaina actually was beginning to feel uncomfortable under his scrutiny, but she knew to look away would discredit what she had said. Jag then shocked her by giving her a true and honest smile. “You know, I almost believe you,” said Jag and turned away again to lean against the railing of the balcony.

“I spent two years on that miserable planet.” His voice was so low that she nearly didn’t hear him.

“Jag?”

He turned and looked at her, saying, “Two years, Jaina. I had ample time to rethink my life.”

“I’m so—”

He held up his hand and glared at her as he practically spat, “Don’t say you’re sorry again, Jaina. No amount of words will correct what you have done to me.” She was actually taken aback by the hatred she seen and felt from him. “I come to many conclusions while defending myself against becoming either a Killik Joiner or a spidersloth’s dinner. The worst thing I’d ever done was fall in love with you. The second was to believe that you ever loved me.”

Jag moved away and Jaina recoiled at the venom in his words. When he turned, he went on by declaring, “I was finally rescued by a private search party that my parents hired. I went back to the Ascendancy, since the Chiss were the only people I’ve ever related to. That was home. However upon my return, I discovered that I had been stripped of my rank, my honor and my family had been disgraced. The only friend that I had left was Shawnkyr, but even she couldn’t show support for me. My father, who had also been disgraced by my actions—Actions that I did out of love for you!—had been in contact with the contacts he had in the Empire and with Admiral Pellaeon. My sister and brother—” At Jaina’s slight surprise, he smiled and answered her unspoken question, “Yes, I have another brother. Cem. He had been our shadow child. But even he wasn’t safe from the Chiss’ displeasure in me. We defected to the Empire. My father became an advisor on the Chiss and my siblings and I were all given commissions.”

“But you’re the Grand Admiral. How?” Jaina’s voice was shaking from the emotion she felt for what had happened to him and to his family.

Jag ran his hand through his short hair and actually laughed. “Well, it seems Pellaeon remembered me from the Vong war and had taken a real liking to me. He made me a fleet captain, directly under him. I commanded the Chimaera for about six months until I was promoted to admiral and put in command of the First Fleet with the new Star Destroyer Intrepid as my flagship. After the hostilities broke out and he resigned his position of Supreme Commander of the GA, he requested that I come to Corellia to offer a treaty and our Navy. I was given command of the First and Second Fleets which were sent to aid the fight with the GA. As for how I became the Supreme Commander, I guess I impressed him.”

Jaina didn’t know what to say and an uneasy silence stretched between them. Finally, he turned to her again and softly said, “So, I guess as much as I blame you for everything that has gone wrong in my life, I can thank you for this opportunity to do something great for the galaxy and for the Empire.”

“Jag, what did you mean?” Jaina whispered.

He stepped closer to her and she shuddered as he reached up and used his thumb to wipe the silent tears from her cheek. “I intend to cure some of the wrongs from the past wars and this one, Jaina. The Moffs like my ideas and, over the past eight months, I’ve overseen much of my plans put into place. Of course, they’ve seen what my ideas can do.”

At her questioning look he smiled, “Much of Dubrillion’s success the past year has been due to my ideas. I’ve also helped revitalize three other planets within the Empire. Not to mention, my success as a commander. Even Wedge seeks my counsel regarding strategy. Some say I have a destiny that I could never have fulfilled as a low ranking officer in the Chiss Ascendancy.”

Jaina furrowed her brow and stared at him; then she very quietly said, astonished, “You want to be Emperor.”

Jag continued to stroke her cheek, shrugged and smiled as he replied, “Remember, those are your words, not mine.” Suddenly, he leaned closer and Jaina felt her breath catch as his warm breath caressed her lips, while his eyes peered into her soul. “But then that is why I should thank you for ruining my life.”

Her heart raced as she drowned in his eyes. She sensed his emotion rage inside of him, but she was too fearful of what she would find there to probe him. He seemed torn and she frantically wondered if he was going to kiss her. Then, dropping his hand, he quickly moved away, leaving Jaina to stare after him with her heart racing and her breath coming in rapid spurts. She had never wanted to kiss anyone as much as she did him within that moment. As he turned the corner and vanished into the shadows that would take him back into the party, she whispered to the air, knowing that he couldn’t hear her. “Jag, I still love you.”

Or so she thought no one would hear her desperate confession. She had been so caught up with Jag that she never felt the presence that followed them out of the hall. Nor did she feel his heart break as he overheard her sorrow filled words spoken to the disappearing figure of Jagged Fel.