The Path of Dreams

~Chapter 2~

The Villa Hotel, Senate District, Coruscant

He sat on the couch near a window that overlooked the destruction of the Senate Building and other government buildings. Jacen let his anger wash over him and he used it to give him strength. Three days passed since the attack and he hadn’t slept well in those three days. He relished in its crackling power as it renewed and revitalized him. He viewed the still smoking rubble that was the center of galactic power and continued to funnel the dark emotions through him. He still was fuming at the lack of security that led to the attack, which made the GA government a refugee in its own capital. Now, the great power that governed the GA was forced to a private hotel that was temporarily turned into the Senate headquarters.

Jacen looked back to the door on the far side of the spacious sitting area and wondered how much longer his wait would be. He then glanced around the room. The furnishings were functional and yet elegant. He knew that the temporary office had been determined by the Mon Calamari Chief of State. The room boasted the couch he was sitting on and a few chairs with a low table. The only other furniture was a desk, placed at the main entrance where a secretary droid was busy fielding communications for the new Chief of State.

Finally, he turned his attention back to the inner door and reached out to touch the occupants of the Chief’s office. He felt Niathal burn with an unwavering authority and determination. He also felt her grief at the loss of the lives of friends and colleagues, as well as the lives of the many thousands of other beings. Although the Mon Calamari Admiral had been hoping for the opportunity to occupy the office of Chief of State, he knew she hadn’t wanted it to come about in this matter. However, she would use the situation to the best of her advantage and he would use that to the best of his.

The other presence was just as determined as the Chief of State. However, Jacen could feel the Admiral’s growing frustration as well. Cha Niathal wasn’t well liked among her subordinates and this man wasn’t any different. Jacen at first couldn’t believe the announcement that Niathal made immediately after her election and confirmation yesterday, but now he was certain that the Senate’s choice could work very well in his eventual plan.

Suddenly, the door slid open and Jacen stood up. As he did so, he took a deep breath and released some of the anger and frustration. The new Supreme Commander moved through the door and looked directly at Jacen. There was no pretence of friendliness in the older man’s face, but Jacen quickly saluted and said, “Admiral Darklighter.”

Gavin Darklighter tossed off an obligatory return salute to the junior officer. Then he said evenly, “Colonel Solo,” after which he simply turned to go. Jacen watched him as he moved past the desk to the exit doors. Jacen understood Darklighter’s animosity and knew what brought it about. The one-time Rogue Squadron pilot, who was a long time friend of the Solo/Skywalker families, felt that Jacen was responsible for the war. He believed the war was started two years ago when Jacen fired on the transport that his sister refused to. Gavin was also one of Jaina’s biggest supporting voices during her court-martial and he was the main reason Jacen’s responsibility following the trial was downgraded. After the attack during the Blockade of Corellia, Jacen was removed from command of Rogue Squadron and replaced with Zekk, who was promoted to the rank of Lt. Colonel. After Jaina was charged with the lesser charge of insubordination, rather than blatant refusal to carry out a direct order, she was demoted to major and returned to the Rogues to now fly under the command of her Jedi partner, fiancé and wingman.

However, despite the fact Gavin Darklighter disliked Jacen Solo, the secret Sith Lord smiled because in the end Darklighter’s stubbornness would prove fatal against Niathal’s durocrete determination and love for control. He knew it wouldn’t take too long before the nearly retired ex-fighter jock would tire of the bureaucracy and turn the coward’s way just as Tycho Celchu had, which would open a door Jacen had said he didn’t want. But times had changed. He had changed. Yes, Darklighter would prove to be quite useful, he thought as he entered the office.

Cha Niathal was seated at a large, elegant blackwood desk. She swiveled her large eyes to look at him, and opened her mouth in the Mon Calamari imitation of the human expression of smiling. Jacen bowed low and returned a genuine smile of his own as he said, “Chief of State Niathal, I am sorry that I missed the inauguration ceremony. I know how much this means to you.”

She responded in her customary dry tone. “Colonel Solo, I may have wished to be given this position eventually by the Senate and the beings of the GA, but I am sorry for how it had come about.”

Jacen broadened his smile and stepped closer to her desk. “I’m sorry if I offended you, Chief Niathal. That was not my intent. I know how much you are disturbed by what happened. I just meant that I’m finally glad that you are here. Now, you can implement your policies and achieve the goals you have for bringing a lasting peace.”

She turned her head slightly and looked upon him with slight suspicion. However, her comment didn’t give voice to that emotion; instead, it spoke of just how much she trusted the younger human. “Please sit. We have much to discuss.”

Jacen moved to sit before her desk and then she continued as she leaned over her webbed hands. “I am sorry to hear about your losses. The Guard is such a vital entity for all of our security. Also, I wanted to ask how young Skywalker is doing. He has proven to be quite brave for someone so young. And how are the four soldiers who were injured in the final blast?”

Jacen sighed and nodded to her in response, then he replied heavily, “Thank you for your condolences; I will pass them along with the communications I am sending to the Guards’ families. Ben is doing well, and I am quite proud of my Apprentice. He has proven his importance to the GAG more than once. The injured are still in the Medical Center but are scheduled to come out of bacta later today. They will be fine.”

Then he paused and asked, changing the subject, “What about Darklighter? I’m still surprised that the Senate chose him to replace you as Supreme Commander.”

“Yes, I am as well; I would have preferred Admiral Cheb from the Fifth Fleet.” She moved her narrow shoulders in a shrug and sat back as she went on, “I fear Admiral Darklighter is not being agreeable. He and I never have agreed on much and now his biggest argument, at the present moment, is that he wants you removed from the GAG.”

Jacen scoffed. “That surprises you? He has wanted me removed from the military since my sister’s court-martial.”
Niathal shook her head and responded, “No, I suppose it shouldn’t. I’m afraid politics are at work; however, Gavin isn’t in the majority with his thoughts. Most in power believe as I do, if you hadn’t had your hands tied by my predecessor I probably wouldn’t be Chief of State—yet.”

Jacen smiled, “The Force is mysterious at times. However, I’m not here to discuss military politics.”

Niathal returned the smile and said, in as lighthearted a tone the stoic Mon Cal had ever achieved, “No? I was under the impression that politics was your favorite topic of conversation.”

Jacen smirked despite the weight of the information he was about to present to his pawn. “Only when it involves a lightsaber, otherwise I want no part of it.”

“And that mysterious Force?”

Jacen shrugged and they shared a moment of laughter. Then Jacen quickly sobered and reported, “I have identified four of the bodies recovered from the Senate Building attack that we believe were involved in the blast.”

“Yes?” The Chief of State was instantly interested.

Jacen swallowed and continued, “One of them was Corellian but the other three were Commenoran, Adumari, and the last one was Eriaduan. All of them had lived here for over eight months. I am still waiting on the complete report on where they lived while they were on planet, but from the information I’m receiving, it looks like their base of operations was an affluent community in the Northern Hemisphere known as Mullin. I would like permission to deploy a unit into that neighborhood. My hope is that our presence will send a message that we will tolerate nothing more.”

The newly elected GFFA leader slowly nodded her head in a truly thoughtful way. Jacen smiled inwardly. He knew that she trusted him and believed in him completely. Yes, he thought, having her in the highest office would be exactly what I need to rebuild the galaxy and create a long and enduring peace.

Finally, she looked up at him with her large watery eyes. “Yes, Colonel, you have my permission to deploy the GAG as you see fit. In fact, I am proposing to have you promoted to General and putting you in charge of the 51st Infantry.”

Jacen suppressed a smile and bowed his head. The 51st was Coruscant’s home guard; it had been commanded by the same commander since its conception after the liberation of the planet nearly 40 years ago. The battalion had gallantly fought the Yuuzhan Vong when they attacked the planet and narrowly escaped. In the years since the end of the war, it had become important for securing the planet. However since GAG was formed, the unit’s importance had become almost non-existent. “I would be honored to accept the command. However would General Wassin agree to this? I mean, I’ve always considered myself more of a fighter pilot than a groundside soldier. And the General wasn’t pleased when GAG was formed.”

Jacen was only giving lip service to a concern that wasn’t a real one for him. Wassin was an aging dinosaur from the end of the Clone Wars, much as Pellaeon was. He knew Wassin would be glad to be asked to retire, and since being in charge of the GAG, Jacen realized he was as well suited for ground command as starship command.

Niathal looked at him from the side again and smiled. “Jacen, the galaxy would benefit greatly if you were in command of one of the Alliance’s best infantry battalions. However, the best isn’t good enough. I want the 51st to be as elite as you have made the GAG, which will be adsorbed into the 51st. You have a gift for leadership and, if I didn’t believe your claim of disliking politics, I would be fearful of my new position.”

She smiled again and folded her hands over the desk as she finished, “I will contact you when the change in command will happen, General Solo.”

Jacen grinned and stood. After saluting his commander in chief, he said, “I will not fail you. Together we will bring peace.”

After a long moment, Cha nodded her head and said firmly, “Yes, together.”

It wasn’t until Jacen left the hotel-turned-government-building that the significance of his new promotion hit him. His grandfather had commanded the 501st Legion of Stormtroopers, which became known as “Vader’s Fist.” He would command the 51st Infantry, which he was to transform into just as an elite group of fighting beings. Suddenly, a smile came across the face of the man, who was secretly the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Troddeln, for the irony was not lost on him.

~~~

Jacen Solo’s Apartment, Coruscant

She paced outside the door of the apartment that her friend shared with his Master. She was concerned and, despite her own Master’s displeasure at her skipping out on her studies, she was determined to see her friend. Her Master, Mara Jade Skywalker, and Master Luke saw Ben the day that he was involved in the stakeout and, from the sour mood her Master was in when she returned to the apartment Jysella Horn shared with the Skywalkers, she could discern they had another fight with Ben.

Jysella Horn sighed, crossed her arms over the light green robe she wore and leaned against the door. She really wished Ben could see his parents’ perspective, because she too felt Ben was in way over his head sometimes. When she felt his spike of anger, fear and hate through the powerful bond they were developing as friends, she became greatly disturbed as well. She knew Ben and what she felt coming from him the other day wasn’t how he normally felt.

As the daughter of Jedi Master Corran Horn, Jysella had inherited all of her father’s talents in the Force, as well as his limitations, but she also had the talent of empathy. It had bothered her greatly as a child to be able to feel so strongly the feelings of others and understand them so completely. It wasn’t until she was about twelve that she actually learned how to cope and channel the extra emotions. Ironically enough, her help came from another empathic Jedi who had no love lost for or from her father. The Jedi was Master Kyp Durron. She had originally wanted to Apprentice to Master Durron, but her parents wouldn’t even hear her out. She got a resounding “no” before she even had her request completely voiced. Her father didn’t like Kyp and her mother was afraid of her daughter being influenced by the rogue Jedi.

After going through two Masters, first Octa Ramis, who she just didn’t get along with, and then Kirana Ti, who was killed in a starfighter battle with the Insurgents, Jysella found herself with Mara Jade Skywalker. Her parents worried about the well-being of their seventeen year old daughter, who was nearly ready for her trials when the Dathomiri Master was killed. The death of her Master greatly affected Jysella, since she felt she was somewhat responsible; she had been Kirana’s wingman. Because of that feeling of responsibility, she didn’t feel like she was ready to be made a Knight. That was why Jysella asked her friend’s mother to take on and complete her training. She had been with Mara for a year, and the two of them had developed a great relationship, and according to Mara, Jysella would be ready for Knighthood within a few months.

However, it wasn’t just Mara who guided the young woman through her grief; it was also her dearest friend. She and Ben Skywalker had known each other their entire lives. She was almost three years old when he was born on her grandfather’s ship during the Yuuzhan Vong War. She still liked to torment Ben about how much he screamed as a baby and how ugly he was, all red and wrinkled, not that she thought those things about him now. They spent most of their toddler years together in the secret Maw installation that the Jedi simply called Shelter during most of the Vong War.

She still had fond memories of Ben’s first years; they had been two of the youngest children at the secret base and they became extremely close. After the war, she went back to Corellia for a while with her parents until she entered the Ossus Academy when she was seven. Ben was almost five and the two of them quickly became fast friends again, until it was Ben’s turn to enter the academy. He had shut himself off from the Force, and began to become very introverted. They were still friends, but her studies and his apprenticeship with his cousin put distance between them. For years they only saw each other briefly, but they had always tried to remain friends. However, during the past three years since her return to Coruscant, they not only resumed their friendship, they became inseparable.

She stretched out her feelings and reached for Ben. She easily found him and was glad that was coming closer. She felt Ben acknowledge her with a gentle brush against her presence. His touch was always warm and comforting, in which Jysella closed her eyes to envelop herself. She sighed as she opened her green eyes and really considered her true feelings for her younger friend. The thought frightened her, not because she was afraid he didn’t return the emotion, but rather because she knew he did.

Finally, she felt Ben come round the corner, and she smiled as she looked up at him. He was dressed as he usually was, in the black fatigues of GAG. His red-gold hair was unruly as it fell over his forehead and curled around his ears; it framed the handsome face that was losing its boyishness and taking on maturity. His blue eyes burned with an intensity that belied his age, and often caused her heart to skip a beat. As he came closer, she noticed that the Coruscant sun had bronzed his face and the few freckles that he still possessed over his nose became more prominent. She remembered when he had quite a spattering of them over his cheeks as well; now only the ones over his nose became apparent when he was in the sun.

“Jys,” he gave her a lopsided grin as he came to stand before her. He had gotten taller the past year too, and now towered over her. “I’m surprised Mom let you out. Have you been waiting long?”

She smiled. “Well, Master Skywalker doesn’t know that I’m here exactly. And no, I haven’t been waiting long.”

She gazed up at him and studied the blue depths of his eyes. Then she swallowed and asked almost shyly, “Ben, I sensed what you felt the other day. Do you want to talk about it?”

She watched as he quickly pulled his gaze from hers and began to key the door panel. After the door slid open, he said as he turned back to her, “No, not really. Nothing happened, Jys. I know what you want me to say. Mom and Dad were here the day after the attack, and wanted the same thing. I was mad. Those Sithspawn on that freighter were responsible for over 5500 deaths, not to mention all the injured. So what? I was angry when I deflected the laser blast. I used that anger to give me the strength to do so. Jys, if I hadn’t, I’m not sure that I would have been able to deflect it.”

Then he stepped through the door into the sparsely furnished apartment. Jysella followed and watched as he removed the carry-all from his shoulder and threw it onto one of the chairs in the sitting area. He turned and she said, “But Ben, to use anger for such a purpose is of the Dark Side. That is what worries your parents.

“That’s what worries me,” she added quietly.

Ben held her gaze for a moment, and then he swallowed as he moved closer to her. “Do you mean that? Do you worry about me?”

Jysella said incredulously, “Of course I care for you, Ben. You have become my best friend. I don’t want anything to happen to you, and that includes going someplace from where you may never return. Promise me that you won’t do that sort of thing again.”

Ben stepped closer to her, and she was more than a little lost in his mesmerizing eyes. Finally, he grinned again and reached out to tug on one of her black braided pigtails as he said softly, “I promise.”

He didn’t let her braid go immediately; instead, he rubbed his thumb over the silky strands. Jysella felt her heart pound in her chest. She knew she shouldn’t feel like this for Ben. She kept telling herself that he was still a child, barely into adolescence. She wasn’t even sure if he shaved yet. She, however, was two months away from turning nineteen. How she could feel anything other than friendship for a sixteen-year-old boy was beyond her.

However, her heart kept telling her something else. He wouldn’t always be a boy and he had already lived more life than most men twice his age. She still wouldn’t give a name to how she felt; it was too frightening a concept.

Finally, he moved away from her and flopped down on the couch with a grunt. He leaned his head on the top of the seat back and Jys sat comfortably beside him. After a moment of just gazing at him with his eyes closed, he took a deep, calming breath. She asked the other question that had been bothering her, “Ben, you are still having that nightmare, aren’t you?”

She didn’t really know what the dream was about, but she knew it frightened Ben. He sat up; looking at her, he said, “Yes, but it’s nothing to worry your pretty little head over. I will tell you the same thing I told Major Shevu; I’ll talk to Jacen when I get a chance. But right now, he’s been too busy with trying to find out just who the Corellian-supporting scum were that attacked us.”

She inwardly cringed at the thought that her native people could do such horrible acts, but she didn’t say anything about it. Instead, Jys nodded and replied, “Good. Master Solo will know what to do about your dream.”

She paused and looked down at her folded hands in her lab, waiting him to tell her about the dream. Eventually, she looked over to him and quietly inquired, “You won’t tell me?”

Ben opened his eyes again, sighed and, after standing, moved across the room to gaze out the window at the dazzling blurs of air traffic. He finally clasped his hands behind his back and quietly replied, “It’s not pleasant, Jysella. I run and run and I still know that the thing chasing me will catch me someday. I just don’t know how to stop it. Each time I have the dream it’s closer. At first I thought it was a sign that bad things were going to happen. Like the attack,” he said as he glanced back at her over his shoulder. He turned back to the window and went on. “But I’ve had the dream when good things happen too, like when Jaina finally accepted Zekk’s proposal of marriage or when I was officially given a rank in the GAG last year.”

Jysella stood and came to stand beside him. She laid a hand on his shoulder and he turned to look at her. “What is the ‘thing’ that’s chasing you?”

He swallowed and simply answered, “A krayt dragon.”

She seemed to digest that, and then she responded thoughtfully, “But you’ve never been to Tatooine and, as far as I know, the krayt dragon is only native to that planet. It must mean something, right?”

He spun away from her and snapped, “Of course it means something. That is why I need to talk to my Master about it. I’ll do that as soon as things settle down some. Hopefully, I don’t have the dream again.” He turned back toward her and grinned mischievously as he added, “I’d much rather dream of something else...”

She was sure he was changing the subject to something silly. This habit of his, when the topic of conversation got too personal, drove her crazy, but never failed to cause her to smile in the end.

She decided to play along. “What else?”

She watched as his eyes scanned her face, searching. When his eyes came to her lips and stopped there, he swallowed; her heart slammed into her chest. He was so close and she wondered if she’d ever be able to breathe again. She knew what he wanted and even though she wanted it too, she realized how terribly wrong it would be. He’s still a boy!

“This…” he whispered as he leaned closer.

Suddenly, his comlink buzzed and he scowled as he pulled it off his belt to answer it. She let out a sigh of conflicted relief as he turned away and announced, “Sergeant Skywalker.”

She waited for Ben to finish his short conversation with whoever was on the other end. He turned back to her and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, Jys, but I have to go back to base. That was Shevu. Jacen wants to talk to me.”

She furrowed her brow and shook her head. “But you are exhausted. You need sleep. What does your Master want you to do, fall over from complete and utter fatigue?”

“I’ll be fine. But I have to go,” he said as he picked up his black bag again. Then he grinned lopsidedly and asked, “Walk with me to the HQ?”

She let out a breath, knowing that her time with him was limited, but at the same time she was glad to be away from the apartment where she was alone with him. “Sure, it’s on the way back the Temple anyway.”