The Path of Dreams

~Chapter 18~

Skywalker Apartment, Temple District, Coruscant

After Luke startled awake and slowly sat up, he glanced at the chrono on the bedside table and took a deep breath; it was only 0300. Feeling Mara shift and roll over in the bed they shared, he looked over at her and swallowed. Then he swung his legs over the edge and leaned over, resting his elbows on his knees. Taking another deep breath trying to quiet the turmoil of the thoughts and emotions that swirled around in his head, he rubbed his face with his hands.

“You had the vision again.”

He turned to look over his shoulder as Mara sat up, looking at him. He nodded and then turned away again, murmuring, “But it was different this time.”

“How so?”

He was silent for a moment until he looked at her again. “The figure disrobed and challenged me to fight him.”

Even in the darkness he could see Mara’s green eyes widen as she asked, “You saw—”

His head shake stopped her flow of words. He stood and moved across the small room to the window. After tapping the control to remove the shading, he stared at the traffic flow for a moment before saying, “No, but I didn’t like what I saw.”

He was silent again as he remembered the vision. Although he had been having the same or similar visions for the past three years, lately they had become different, darker and more confusing. After the death of Tenel Ka, he began to associate Jacen’s voice with the black hooded figure. However, over the past year, the figure changed and so did his voice on the few occasions that Luke heard it. It no longer contained the similar cadence of Jacen’s voice, but rather a different voice altogether, one that was deeper and darker.

Finally, Luke turned and gazed at his wife, “No, it wasn’t Jacen. At least I don’t think it was. Not any more.”

Mara came off the bed and stood before him. “Luke, what did you see?”

“A masked and armored—thing.”

“Like Vader?” Mara was trying to remain serene, but Luke could sense her impatience and her fear.

“Not really. I think,” Luke furrowed his brow in concentration, “it was Vonduun crab. A complete set of Yuuzhan Vong warrior’s battle armor.”

“Luke, you don’t think that it’s a Vong, do you?” He could almost hear the hopefulness in her voice. The thought that this figure in Luke’s nightmares could possibly be someone close to them, and be the cause of the growing evilness he and the other Master’s felt, frightened Mara. She was willing to hope for any alternative other than the obvious ones.

Luke shook his head again as he slowly said, “No. It’s not a Yuuzhan Vong, Mara. I only hope that the figure isn’t who I think it is.”

“Luke, you’re really scaring me.”

Luke pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. Not wanting to voice his worst fears, or more importantly hers.

Suddenly, he felt a ruthless coldness rush though him from the place that belonged to his son. He gasped at the brutality he felt associated with Ben as he reached for him through the bond he shared with him by virtue of being his father. Mara’s sharp intake of air told him that she was feeling the same things.

She pulled away and peered into Luke’s face, meeting his eyes. “It’s Ben,” she breathed. “He just did something terrible.”

Luke pulled her close and whispered, “I know. We need to get him away from Jacen and we need to find out what Jacen is up to. I’m not buying his Unifying Force excuse any longer. Somehow, someway I think he’s learning the ways of the Sith.”

“Luke?” Mara stared at him, “What are you thinking? Jacen may not be my favorite person when it comes to what he’s doing with our son, but a Sith? Luke,” she forced a chuckle that came out more choked than anything else, “Jacen knows better.”

“Does he?” He moved away from her and looked back out the window. “Mara, I have more questions than answers. Jacen hasn’t really done anything completely dark since the early days of the war and even then they could have been more unfortunate outcomes then real acts of the Dark Side. But there is an evil presence out there and Ben is learning to let his emotions rule him from somewhere. Jacen is supposed to be a Jedi Master, and even the Unifying Force has limitations on what one does. I know, I’ve studied it and used it. But I’ve never let ruthlessness, anger and total Darkness rule me. Something isn’t adding up, Ben is being taught from someone how to use these and I want answers. Jacen may not have done anything in the open, but then neither did Palpatine when he tore the galaxy apart in his war.

Mara’s look of astonishment didn’t surprise him as much as her words, “It’s Lumiya, Luke. Somehow she’s gotten her claws into Ben, and Jacen may not even realize it. We thought that before and I’d believe that before believing our nephew, who used to worry that using the Force as a tool was a bad thing and talked to crystal snakes, is a Sith.”

Luke swallowed and quietly replied, “I only hope that you are right, Mara. But either way, Ben has to be taken away from Jacen and out of GAG.” Suddenly, he saw the armored figure of his dreams and Luke shuddered. Then in a voice barely audible he added, “Before it’s too late.”

~~~

Coronet Convention Center, Coronet, Corellia

Dur Gejjen quickly made his way down the corridor of the convention center to the room where he instructed the aide to have the uninvited guest wait for him. He couldn’t believe that she’d show up at such a public event. Somehow he knew that she was playing with him, testing him and his resolve. He still had no real idea as to who she really was. He had long ago learned that her name was not a real one, but she still remained his best source of information on the GA and, most recently, something very important to him—Centerpoint.

He finally came to the room and quickly scanned the hallway in both directions to make sure no one saw him enter it before palming the stud to open the door. Once inside, he quickly activated the lock, and then he turned to meet her gaze. Dressed in a dark green elegant pants suit that was covered completely with a shear gold robe, she provocatively stood in the center of the room. Her lower face was wrapped in a matching green scarf and she wore a large stylish black hat that possessed a veil of the same shear gold material as the robe. Dur quickly decided that Brisha Syo easily out classed most women he’d known in his life when it came to style.

But he also knew that didn’t mean she wasn’t dangerous. He trusted her, but showing up at the wedding of a Jedi wasn’t the smartest thing she’d done. He never knew what Jedi could and couldn’t sense. “What are you doing here?” he hissed.

She turned away and sat down on one of the couches by the dark paneled wall. She slowly lifted the veil over her hat and watched him intently, her green eyes twinkling. “I think you will forgive me my indiscretion.”

He moved further into the room and glanced back at the door. Satisfied that they were safe from discovery, he prodded, “Okay, I’m listening.”

He could tell that she was smiling by the way the corners of her eyes tilted upward as she announced, “I have the next set of data for your little secret surprise.” She reached into her small black handbag and pulled out a datachip and a small temperature regulated medical container which she held out to him.

Dur was both anxious and excited as he took the chip and vial from her. After sitting on the overstuffed chair by Brisha’s couch, he asked, “Are you certain no one is aware of this because, quite frankly, I don’t understand how you can get this information?”

Again her smiling eyes as she said, “Ahhh…I assure you that I have my sources.”

He assessed her for a long moment before answering. “I’m sure you do.” He looked at the silver tube by holding it before his eyes. “What’s this?”

She nodded once toward the datachip. Curiously nervous, he found a datareader on the end table and quickly removed the magazine chip to replace it with the one Brisha had given to him. After a moment of quickly scrolling though the data, he looked up at her astonished. “Is this authentic?”

“Yes,” was her simple answer and he immediately looked back down at the data scrolling by. As he stared at the vial of preserved cells of a boy long dead, his mind worked feverishly to comprehend what all this meant to him and to Corellia. Five months ago Brisha Syo showed up at his office after months of not seeing her with new information and an outrageous idea of restarting Centerpoint Station. He honestly was beginning to think she had been captured by Solo and his thugs. He didn’t ask why she had stayed away and she offered no excuse as to her absence either, but he definitely was interested in what she was proposing.

She brought to him information about the Hutts and their new guerilla group Freedom’s Avengers. He didn’t particularly like the terrorist group and refused to deal with them because he knew all to well that they could just as easily turn on him. The fact that its secret leader was an ex-Jensaarai turned bounty hunter, named Filex Marcia, was enough for him to know that the group was no good. Marcia was known for his ruthlessness and his double-crossing of his employers. Dur wasn’t above dealing with terrorists, he just didn’t want double-crossed by one.

The suggestion that he put a team of experts back on Centerpoint Station incited his imagination. He balked at that idea at first, knowing that his military leader would not warm to the idea. Wedge Antilles wanted to fight an “honest” war and he never liked the use of the station to begin with. While concerning the other leader, who seemed to be taking control of the Confederacy, Dur wanted to keep the station a secret. He assumed Jagged Fel would feel similarly as his uncle, but that wasn’t the only reason. Fel was positioning himself to become as good a military genus as Thrawn ever had been but, unlike the Chiss Admiral that nearly brought the New Republic to its knees, Jagged Fel had a really good chance of becoming Emperor. He had the backing of the military, the Moffs and the people of the Remnant.

That thought frightened Dur because he realized that, by allying Corellia and her sister planets with the Remnant, the Empire under strong leadership may decide to take control of its allies in the end. Therefore, the last thing Dur wanted was for Jag Fel to know that he had the means to restart Centerpoint Station, and thus possess the ability to protect Corellia from her “allies” as well as her enemies.

After pulling the chip from the reader and deleting the device’s memory, Dur peered at Brisha, “This is the missing piece to restarting the station. I just wish it wouldn’t take months, if not years to have the clone.”

Brisha nodded once as she clasped her hands in her lap, then she said, “I may be able to help with that as well.”

Dur stared at her incredulously. “How?” Even with Taun We and all of the Kaminoans’ accelerated growth techniques, the clone can’t be ready in less than a year.”

“Have faith, Prime Minister. You will have your clone.” Brisha abruptly stood and, as she smoothed her outfit, she said, “You should return to the party.”

Dur wanted to protest, but quickly forgot what he was going to say. Instead he slowly said, “Yes, I should.” Standing, he pocked the datachip and headed toward the door. “Until next time, Miss Syo.”

She appeared to be smiling again as she responded, “Yes, Prime Minister, until next time.” With their deal done, they both left the room, heading in opposite directions.

~~~

Zekk was crushed. He had suspected ever since they had agreed to help Allia Judday and Mirax Horn with Valin’s escape, that Jaina’s mind and ultimately her heart was focused on Jagged Fel again. He knew deep in his soul that she never really got over him. While they were Joiners, he was able to clearly feel her love for the Chiss raised pilot as strongly as he felt his own love for Jaina. However, the years since the Swarm War and their continued closeness eventually brought her to Zekk.

Zekk knew in his heart that she had felt something for him. She couldn’t lie through their bond. Even though the Joiner bond was gone, there remained a bond of trust and even love, but over the past months, she was becoming more and more distant, her emotions more confused. Now he understood why.

He let his anger at Jaina and at Jagged Fel flow out of him, knowing that to approach her angrily wasn’t going to get him anywhere. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out of the shadows and said to Jaina’s back, “So, when were you going to tell me about this?”

She spun around and stared at him. “Zekk?”

“I was the last time I checked.” He tried to smile, but he couldn’t his heart was breaking, and not for the first time concerning Jaina Solo. He moved over and stood beside her at the railing. Never taking his gaze from hers, he inquired again, “You haven’t answered my question, Jaina.”

She swallowed and looked away. She was shielding now—heavily. “Zekk, I’m sorry. I don’t know what to—Zekk, I’m so confused.” Then she looked up at him and he could see her pain in her unfathomable deep brown eyes. “Zekk, I can’t lie to you any more. Yes, I never got over him. I still love him. I still remember what we had together and what we could have had. I regret not saying ‘yes’ to him nearly every day of my life.”

Zekk turned away and he could feel the sting of his tears behind his eyes. “So, what was I? The same thing Kyp Durron was, just passing fancy to warm your bed?”

“No!” She grabbed his arm and spun him to look at her. “Zekk,” she said calmer, “what I feel for you is real. You’re my best friend and my partner. I trust you with my life and I would give mine to save yours. Don’t you understand? I do love you. It’s just—just that I still love him,” she ended in a whisper.

Pulling his forearm away from her, Zekk stepped away from the railing with his back to her and hissed, “Then why did you agree to marry me, Jaina?”

“Zekk…” Her voice was shaky and now he could feel her emotional turmoil as she pleaded, “I told you. I loved you. I still do. I’m happy with you. Please, Zekk, try to understand. I didn’t what this to happen. I didn’t want him to come back into my life and ruin what we have.” He turned to face her and wasn’t surprised at the fresh tears on her cheeks. “Zekk, please try to understand.”

He stared at her for a long time. He had spent years of his life sharing her with the other two men who had claimed Jaina’s heart. Jag hadn’t been the only one. Kyp Durron was there to pick up the pieces after Jaina and Fel eventually called it quits two years after the Vong War. However, after a passionate few months, her relationship with Durron fizzled out. They were too much alike and after the excitement and lust was quenched, they did nothing but argue. Eventually, even Kyp, who probably loved her as much as Zekk did, realized that they just weren’t meant to be. Without anyone ever learning about their affair, they went back to being friends. Eventually Jaina was assigned by the Council to search out the criminals that were trying to turn a credit on the misfortunate beings that were all but destroyed by the Yuuzhan Vong.

Then the call from Rayner Thul came to them. Zekk and Jaina had decided when the inclination to become Joiners became too great to resist any longer to join their minds together to help them from totally losing themselves. Zekk hadn’t been prepared for that sort of intimacy with her. He thought that he could hide his own feelings from her, and he knew she thought the same thing about hers. That wasn’t what happened, though; she realized that Zekk loved her, while he was bombarded with her deep love for Jag. The memories he shared with her nearly drove him mad at first. He saw them all—those with both of her former lovers, but Jag’s were always paramount. The only aspect that saved his sanity was that he also saw her memories of the two of them as teenagers. He was able to use those memories of the sweetness of the innocent love they had shared in a way to get her to see him again. However, he never was truly successful at dispelling Jag Fel from her system. It wasn’t until after they lost their Joiner bond leaving behind a deep friendship connection that she began to consider him more than just her Jedi partner; though it would be years later until her court-martial before they would be together intimately.

Zekk would never forget the utter joy he felt when she told him that she loved him and opened up to him within their bond. However, now as he remembered it, he finally admitted to himself what he couldn’t then. He may have felt her love, but there was a shadow over it, a shadow that never really went away—the shadow belonging to Jagged Fel.

Finally, he very quietly said, “I can’t, Jaina. I love you with every fiber of my being, but I cannot share you any more. You have to choose. But when you do, you have to let the other go. There is no room in a marriage for the three of us. Remember that.”

With that said, he moved quickly across the balcony and entered the main glass door to rejoin the party. Somehow, despite the possibility that he may not be her choice, Zekk didn’t feel overcome with grief. He only hoped that Jaina would finally find the happiness she deserved and that she realize he was willing to give that to her.

~~~

Anakin Solo, Mon Calamari Orbit

Ben sat on his sleepcouch and stared at the open palms of his hands.

He had taken a life in cold blood today.

He hadn’t felt this frightened and upset since that very first time when he deflected a blaster shot back into a man, killing him. He had been thirteen at the time and it occurred during a GAG raid on Coruscant. Eventually, he had spoken to his parents about it and, despite their displeasure in the situation Ben had been in, they reassured and understood him. They helped him cope with the guilt that came with ending a living being’s life, but this time it was different. That time had been done in self-defense with no emotion but fear and determination involved. This time, he had dipped into the basest emotions of hatred and anger to power his blood-thirst.

Staring at his hands and imagining blood on them, Ben realized that was what bothered him the most. He had wanted to kill the Jenasaarai, not just defend himself against him. He wanted to feel his fear, his helplessness. Ben wanted to feel the rush of the power that coursed through him as he ended the guerilla’s miserable life.

Jacen tried to help him put it all into perspective—the welfare of the galaxy would always out weigh the life of one worthless criminal. No matter if that being was armed or not.

However, as Ben remembered that lesson, he couldn’t help but feel that today he crossed a line.

Suddenly, the door slid open and Ben turned helpless tear filled blue eyes to his mentor as he moved into the small cabin.

“Master, I’ve failed today.”

Jacen pursed his lips into a tight line as he pulled the chair from the small desk over to sit before Ben. After the Jedi Master was seated, he gazed deeply into Ben’s eyes and asked, “Why do you feel this way, Ben?”

Ben swallowed, feeling uncomfortable under the intense gaze from Jacen’s amber eyes. However he didn’t pull his eyes away as he quietly answered, “He wasn’t armed, Jace. I took his life because I was too out of control to realize that he was defeated. I only wanted him dead. I was angry because of what the terrorists are doing to the galaxy, because of the people killed for no reason expect that they went to work that morning, and because his actions kept me from Jysella. I hated him more than I ever hated anything.” Ben let out a sob and finally dropped his gaze to his fidgeting hands in his lap.

“Ben, you should hate that type of scum.” Ben looked back up at Jacen and the older man went on to say, “What really bothers you is that you think you touched the Dark Side.”

Ben nodded his head and averted his eyes again. Jacen then forcefully said, “Ben, look at me.” Once his watery blue eyes met Jacen’s hard brown, the Master went on, “There is no Dark Side, Ben. That is an old concept that is just wrong. There is only one Force, Ben.”

Ben swallowed, “Master, I know that. But I still feel that when I took his life, I did something terrible—that I touched something that I shouldn’t have. I felt invincible. I felt like I could have beaten anybody when I reached out into the Force with my anger.”

Jacen again gazed at Ben as if he was judging him and Ben felt his cousins probe. He wondered about that but it was gone nearly as quick as he felt it. Then Jacen moved over to the bunk to sit down beside Ben. After another moment, he said, “Ben, let me ask you this: Would you have been able to beat him if you hadn’t used your anger?”

Ben looked up at him again and shook his head. “No. It was the Force lightning that allowed me to turn the battle.”

Jacen smiled and went on to ask, “Do you know who you killed?”

Again Ben shook his head.

“His name is Filex Marcia and he’s a bounty hunter known for his callousness that makes the hunted wish Baba Fett was after them. He likes dealing with the Hutts probably because they are the only ones who will. He has turned on more than one employer when they decided that they didn’t like the way he did business. He never brings a bounty in alive.” Jacen paused and let Ben absorb that. Finally, he went on, “Marcia, as head of the terrorist group Freedom’s Avengers, has taken nearly twelve thousand lives altogether. Not mentioning the trillions of credits that he has cost the GA and its member planets.”

Again Jacen paused and, after a moment, gazed deeply into Ben’s eyes, saying, “Where would’ve been the justice in him beating you and getting away just because you were afraid of using the entire Force to stop him?”

Ben stared at Jacen. What he said made so much sense. “It—there wouldn’t have been any justice.” Ben’s voice was weak.

Jacen smiled and put his arm around Ben’s shoulders. “You’re right; there wouldn’t have been any, because, my Apprentice, you are far more important to the galaxy then that bounty hunter. Ben, I’m proud of you. You have saved thousands of people today.”

Ben felt his chest fill up with love for his cousin but, remembering his bond with his other loved ones, he said, “Jacen, you know Dad and Mom won’t like this. I know they felt my feelings,” then he looked down as he added softly, “and so did Jys.”

Jacen continued to embrace him as he said, “Then I think it’s time that I teach you how to sever your bond with your parents and—”

Ben was shocked and shook his head, looking up he said, “Not with Jysella. I—I need her.”

Jacen nodded his understanding and smiled. “Then you can keep that bond but I will teach you how to disconnect it, if you will, whenever you want.”

Ben nodded and smiled. He would love to be rid of his parents’ interference. They just didn’t understand him.

“Good. Then as soon as we get a chance I’ll teach you.”

Patting him on the shoulder, Jacen looked down at the lightsabers clipped to Ben’s belt. “Did that one belong to Marcia? I don’t remember ever seeing it. Rather simple in design.”

Ben looked down and pulled the lightsaber off his belt. It wasn’t a fancy hilt but there was something about it. He had destroyed the other saber once he had gotten under control again after the fight, but this one he decided to keep. It was the one he used to kill the bounty hunter. “Yeah.” Ben could read Jacen’s unasked question. “I don’t know why, but I feel like I should keep it.”

Jacen nodded his understanding and went on, “But what are you going to do with both sabers?”

Ben held the black hilt for a long time then looked up at Jacen. “Can you teach me how to fight with two blades?”

Jacen stared at him and Ben got the sense that he actually surprised him. Eventually, his Master smiled and nodded, saying, “Jar’Kai isn’t easy to learn. But yes, I’ll teach you. If that’s really what you want. Jar’Kai isn’t a Jedi lightsaber form, though.”

Ben looked back down at the red bladed saber. “I know. It’s a Sith style.” Then he met Jacen’s eyes again and said, “But it can be used by Jedi. I know Dad can fight with two blades and so can Masters Solusar and Katarn. And you.”

Jacen grinned and ruffled his hair. “Then come on. I have some time right now, in fact. Let’s go and have our first real lesson.”

Before Ben could ask about Jacen’s choice of words, Jacen went on to say, “Afterwards I think it’s time for that vacation I promised you.”

Ben felt a sudden thrill run through him. Excitedly he inquired, “You mean that I can visit Jys?”

Jacen laughed and responded as he stood to head out of the cabin, “Yes, you can visit Jys. It might be better to do so before the Anakin heads back to Coruscant.”

Ben grinned and jumped to his feet, “Oh thanks, Jace. You’re the best.”

Jacen put his arm around Ben’s shoulders again even though they were nearly the same height. Smiling, he said, “Okay, let’s go and see if I can find my spare lightsaber or we can use practice sabers.”

Ben’s mind was still bubbling with excitement at the prospect of finally seeing Jysella, but he shook his head and said, “No, I hate using them.” Grinning, he added, “I think I can trust you not to remove anything I may need later.”

Jacen snickered as he said, “No, I’ll let that for Corran Horn to do when he discovers you visited his daughter.”

“Jace, you’re terrible.” As they moved down the hall, Ben laughed and added, “But I could take him, though. So, maybe he should be the one to worry.”

Jacen continued to smile, but Ben could sense the subtle change in his mood. “Yes, you probably could,” his Master finally said almost too low for Ben to hear.