The Path of Dreams

~Chapter 23~

Starlight Lounge and Tapcafe, Qaestar Town, Talus

No one would have recognized the Jedi as they looked around the nearly empty, dimly lit and smoke filled bar. He was dressed in a black spacer’s outfit that included a long black trench coat and on his right hip hung an old Imperial Stormtrooper BlasTech riffle, making him look very much like the dangerous fringe gangster he was pretending to be. His long sliver streaked black hair was bound with a tie at his nape. But the most concealing feature was the black goatee he sported for the mission. He actually felt silly with it, though his partner insisted that it made him look dashing during those more private moments when she became a partner of a different sort. However, its constant itching reminded Kyp Durron why he had always hated facial hair. He had joked that now he finally understood what was wrong with Corran Horn, he was being slowly driven nuts by his beard.

She was dressed in a skin tight bodysuit that accentuated a figure that would have been envied by most Twi’leks, causing him to have a hard time keeping his eyes off her. The low-cut neckline of the leather suit revealed quite a bit of cleavage. The high heeled stiletto boots brought her to his height and, though they made her long legs even longer, he knew that they were actually weapons that he wouldn’t want to encounter personally. She also had a BlasTech strapped to her shapely hip, which seemed to draw ones eyes directly to her perfect hips, regardless of how dangerously sexy she appeared.

They had been following leads for nearly a month and they were finally led to this bar. They were to meet with a pilot who supposedly had been out to Centerpoint Station. Luke Skywalker had gotten a tip three weeks ago that something more than what was reported officially by the Corellian government was going on at the disabled space station from a source that Luke wouldn’t divulge.

Jacen Solo and Ben Skywalker had shut down the massive ancient weapon three years ago and, since that time, had remained vacant. Even Hollowtown had been deserted after the Solo/Skywalker mission in year 40. The official report stated that the Gejjen government, in an effort to restore the historical value of the station and the living quarters for several thousand beings, had begun a reconstruction mission. Intel sources all seemed to confirm this with its detailed analyses of the types of crews employed.

However, apparently, Luke’s informant insisted there was a more sinister component to the renewed interest by the Corellians in the station. As far as the informant knew, the Imperial Remnant didn’t know about the clandestine activity. The Grand Master had also withheld the information from the Council. Being unable to check the information out himself, Luke contacted Kyp and asked him to follow up on the lead, warning him that something was going on, and that he felt it better if the rest of the Jedi didn’t know about it for now.

Kyp knew what that translated into: Luke didn’t want the military or Jacen’s corner knowing anything. It all made him wary to see how divided the Jedi Council was becoming. Worse, battle lines were being drawn; the twelve Council Masters barely agreed on anything. This division also filtered down to the other Masters who weren’t sitting on the Council and even on down to the senior Knights.

The latest struggle among the Masters only smudged those lines further when they recently regarded Jacen’s proposal in which the Jedi would come completely under the jurisdiction of the Justice Department. Kyp was totally against that idea, but to his astonishment, so was Corran Horn who actually entered the killing vote to the proposal. Normally, Kyp and Corran found very little to agree upon. Over the years, they accepted that they would never agree upon much, if anything, when it came to the Jedi’s place in the GA government. Corran’s dissenting concerned Kyp for some reason he could not explain, because only eight months ago Corran had proposed something very similar to Jacen’s idea himself. Something was spooking the Corellian, and whatever it was it was suddenly making Corran Horn extremely leery of the government. Kyp couldn’t help but wonder if what the Niathal government tried to do to Valin had something to do with it, or maybe he was finally seeing the individual trees in the forest.

Suddenly he felt his partner’s subtle brush up against his awareness, which prompted him to spare a glance at the woman beside him.

Jedi Knight Alexandria Winger met his gaze with a silent question. He sent through their growing bond reassurance. He had first met her years ago after the Vong war on Zonama Sekot, but at the time he had been too preoccupied by Jaina Solo to even give the tall black-haired, blue-eyed beauty even a second thought. She, at the time, was still a GA Fleet commander who defied convention and trained herself to be a Jedi, similarly to what Tyria Sarkin Tainer had done. Since the war, Alex retired her commission and devoted herself fully to the Jedi. She worked mostly on the Outer Rim where her past experience as a spy and infiltrator helped reduce pirate and fringe crime, much in the same fashion as Kyp himself had done nearly twenty years before, but with, as she put it, a little more finesse.

He then saw her again on Denon when he was sent to extract her from a safe house after a botched mission. That was seven months ago when she was sent to mining world of Dorvalla by the Council to investigate an assassination of the pro-Insurgent corporate leader by an odd untraceable poison dart. Then she was attacked by something that could have been Force-sensitive and was badly injured. She made her way to Denon was being nursed back to health when Kyp showed up to “rescue” her. Her mission was scrubbed and GAG took over, while Kyp brought her back to Coruscant.

Their first meeting ended with her slapping his face for a comment that he made about female Fleet commanders and their overbearing egos. He supposed he deserved the slap, considering she was still recuperating from her injuries. When she discovered out whom he was and that he was the Master sent to bring her back to the Temple, she tried to apologize for her impertinence, Kyp demanded that the only apology that he would accept was a dinner date once they got back to the Coruscant. That was the beginning. He found it odd that, even though she was six years his senior, she made him feel young again. It didn’t really take long to fall for her, and she said that she fell for him the moment he stood up to her, not many men ever did that before. Kyp tried to scare thoughts of the feisty brunette out of his mind by reminding himself that Alexandria Winger was one of Luke Skywalker’s many old flames, but alas he was lost.

“Hey, flyboy,” she whispered, “you still with me?”

Kyp was immediately brought out of his thoughts. “Yeah.” He then took a deep breath and reached out with the Force again and found nothing malevolent toward them personally. There wasn’t any curiosity directed at the rough looking newcomers. Good, Kyp thought, they were fitting in just as he had planned. They moved to a table in the back of the taproom near a door marked “Fire Exit Only”. Kyp pulled out a chair that faced the room. As Alex moved to take the seat, he quietly said, “That’s our contact. Third table from the bar near the main support most.”

Sitting in the chair, she pretended to watch Kyp with a dangerously nothing-but-business expression, as he pulled out his own chair beside her at the small square table, but in reality her eyes strayed to the Ryn sitting at the table Kyp pointed out. “So how are we gonna do this?” she asked, as she pulled up the holomenu, her eyes were still focused on the grey skinned being.

Kyp glanced at the floating listing of exotic and not so exotic drinks, then focusing on the alien, he replied just as quietly, “Sneakily, of course.”

She looked up at him with an amused expression. “Oh?”

Kyp raised an eyebrow. “Okay, you disagree. You’re the spy. How would you handle this?”

She took the challenge with a seductive grin and said so softly he nearly didn’t hear her, “Like I treat most things in life, including you—directly. I’ve discovered sneaky is for armatures and really only works for Corellians,” she added with a wink.

She then stood and moved toward the contact’s table. Kyp dared not watch her, but he followed her through the Force. Finally, she reached the table and bumped into it. Using the Force, she caused the tall glass of some exotic drink to fall over and pour right into the Ryn’s lap.

“Oh, dear!” she exclaimed in a low sexy voice. Kyp rolled his eyes despite the dangers they faced.

“You clumsy wench!” the Ryn contact sputtered as he attempted to sop up the neon blue, staining liquid from his clothes. “You ruined my clothes and my drink.”

“I’m truly sorry, sir,” Alex regrettably responded in the sensual alto. “Please, let me and my friend buy you a new drink.”

The contact looked sharply at her and huffed, “And have you dump it on me again. I think not.”

Kyp snickered as she purred, “But it was an accident. And I really do feel bad.” Before the Ryn could reply, Kyp stood and came up behind Alex with his hand pushing the trench coat back, his palm poised just above the riffle on his hip.

“No, we insist that you join us,” Kyp said with so much authority it came out menacing.

The Ryn looked from Alex to Kyp and, deciding that it would be best to oblige them, nodded, but they didn’t wait for the begrudged invite. The two Jedi had already begun to sit at the table. Kyp waved down a serving droid and ordered them all drinks—the Ryn the same as before and he and Alex each a whisky. Once the droid brought their drinks, Kyp leaned in and looked intently in the contact’s eyes. He probed him and found no deceit, only a slight fear and lingering anger at Alex.

Finally, Kyp asked in a low tone, “You’re a pilot?”

Lifting the glass to his lips, the Ryn suddenly stopped and stared at him. Then he said hesitantly, “Yes.”

Alex gave him a slight smile, “Good. We were hoping to talk to a pilot. Get some information…” she discretely looked around the nearly empty bar. There were only two other tables of customers, but either one was paying any attention to them. Then she looked back at the Ryn, “…about a recent delivery to a dangerous place between the worlds.”

The Ryn slowly sat his glass down and instantly his demeanor changed. The last part of Alex’s statement had been the code words. He flashed them a toothy grin and looked back at Kyp and whispered, “You’re a Jedi?”

Kyp raised a brow. As he slightly opened the trench coat opposite the blaster, simply said, “What do you think?” The Ryn’s grin grew wide when he saw the silver and black hilt of Kyp’s lightsaber tucked into his belt.

The contact then nodded and gulped down his drink. Standing, he said, “Follow me.” Then he turned on his heel and casually, but quickly, headed for the main door of the tapcafe.

Alex shrugged and stood. When Kyp tried to follow, the serving droid was suddenly behind him and said in a tinny voice, “That will be a one-hundred and thirty credits, sir.”

Kyp stared at the waiter, and then looked at Alex’s retreating back. “A hundred and thirty? We only ordered three drinks. And whisky is the cheapest drink in the galaxy.”

“Yes, but your companion had two prior to you joining him. And Zeltron ale is quite hard to come by, especially with the war going on.”

You would have to spill an expensive drink and offer to replace it, Kyp thought regarding Alex’s stunt.

Kyp looked to the front door to see that Alex had already left. Suddenly, in his head he heard, Come on, Kyp.

That ended his arguing; he pulled an untraceable one-hundred-fifty creditchit from his pocket and handed it to the droid. After the droid’s photoceptors scanned it, he said, “I’ll be back with the remaining balance.”

Kyp only looked back at the door and, after feeling Alex’s urgency, said, “Keep it.”

The droid looked up and blinked his photoceptors, as if shrugging, and moved to clean the table of the empty tumbler and untouched whiskies.

Kyp eventually caught up with Alex and they followed the Ryn through a more sordid area of the already seedy spaceport city. Once they were in an alley seeped in shadows, Kyp demanded, “Okay, you know who we are. Who are you?”

The Ryn looked at him and said defiantly, “Actually, I only know that you are a Jedi. But even that could be debated. You could have stolen that fancy sword, or it may not be a lightsaber at all.” Then glaring at Alex, he went on, saying, “I have no idea who or what she is except that she is a clumsy bimbo.”

Alex rolled her eyes and responded before Kyp was able to. “Trust me, buddy, we’re Jedi. And if you don’t want to find out if my partner really knows how to use that ‘fancy sword’ or not, I’d suggest that you answer our questions. Is that clear?” she finished with a raised delicate, black eyebrow. Then she began to move away and began to search out the ally for any dangers, her hand poised on the handle of her blaster.

The Ryn, whose species were known galaxy wide as information gatherers and gypsies, held out his hands before him and said, “Okay. I just have to be sure. Name’s Losten and I work for Droma. He told me that you’d recognized that name.”

Kyp grinned despite himself. “Yes, I recognize the name.” Droma had been a Ryn who worked as Han Solo’s co-pilot for a while early in the Vong war after Chewbacca had been killed. Since the Yuuzhan Vong War, Droma had been the head of a network of spies known as the Ryn Network; obviously with the new war, they were becoming active again. “So, what do you have to sell us?”

The Ryn looked intently at Kyp and said, “Not before I know who you are.”

Kyp nodded and smiled slyly. “Fair enough. I’m Zeth Fost and this is Colette Turhaya. Jedi Knights.”

That seemed to satisfy the Ryn. Alex had just walked the perimeter. As she came back to the two males in the center of the ally, she said, “It’s clear.”

The Ryn took a deep breath and began telling the two Jedi an interesting tale. “I recently shuttled a Kaminoan scientist, by the name of Taun We from Vohai to Centerpoint Station…”

~~~

Jysella’s Apartment, Vincent, Krylon

The young lovers with their fingers entwined sheepishly entered the common area of the apartment and Tahiri couldn’t help but smile at them. She was sitting at the dinning table eating a bowl of warmed cereal and fruit. Laying her spoon down onto the table, she smirked, “I was beginning to wonder if you two were ever going to get up.”

The instant red faces made her laugh. However, Jys recovered quickly enough to say, “We were up late talking.”

Tahiri pinned her with a skeptical look but said nothing.

The young woman chose to ignore the look, but Ben stammered, “Really, nothing happened. We just…” Jys peered at him and he stopped trying to convince the Jedi of their innocence.

Jys pulled a blushing Ben into the kitchen behind Tahiri. Changing the subject from their questionable sleeping arrangements, she asked, “So, when did you come back? I didn’t hear you come in.”

Tahiri took a sip of her caf and answered, “About an hour ago.”

She began eating again not offering any more details of her imaginary mission. She wanted to give her young friend some privacy, so she stayed with one of their many new friends last night. At first, she hadn’t been thrilled to hear of the romance between Ben and Jysella. She still thought Ben was too young to know what he wanted, but she knew that he loved her young friend, and that Jys loved him just as much. She had seen the way Jysella would light up when a comm call from Ben would come through. And she knew how miserable Jysella was when she would let her loneliness dominate her mood.

The two younger Jedi sat down beside each other at the table and began to eat their own breakfasts. Tahiri asked Ben inconsequential questions about his missions with GAG and other basic things, but for the most part, the three eat in relative silence. She watched, as Ben and Jysella stole glances at each other, and got the feeling that they were hiding something. Ahh, young love. I remember those feelings all too well.

She finished her caf and, as she sat the cup down, said with a smirk, “Okay, I get the feeling that you two would prefer to be alone. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go open up the office.”

Before she could stand, Jysella cleared her throat and, after glancing at Ben, said, “Tahiri, Ben and I would like to ask you to do a favor for us.”

As she eyed them both, Tahiri sat back in her chair and wearily replied, “Okay…”

After a pause, Ben announced, “Jys and I would like you to marry us.”

“What!?”

Jysella quickly responded, “Tahiri, Ben has asked me to marry him and we don’t want to wait.”

Tahiri stared at them and wondered what had gotten into them. Finally, after a long tense moment, she said, “I’m flattered that you’d ask me to do this, but I think you both know why I can’t.” She paused for a moment and then went on, “You both are very young and marriage isn’t something to be rushed into.”

Surprisingly, Ben was the first to respond, “I won’t deny what you say is fact, but I know that I’ll never love any one else. I’ve loved Jys since I was twelve years old, Tahiri. Before that even, I’ve always loved her. I’ve wanted to marry her since I was fourteen.” He looked at Jysella and Tahiri was amazed by the intensity of his blue eyes—blue eyes that suddenly and hauntingly reminded her of someone she had loved long ago...

He went on, as if he was talking to Jysella more than to her, “I know that I’ll never want anyone else.”

Then he looked at Tahiri, and she swallowed as his piercing eyes bore into hers. Again, reminding her of her first love. Suddenly it hit her—Ben is exactly the same age as Anakin when…

Ben’s pointed question broke into the emotional thought, jarring her. “Tahiri, how old were you when you realized that you loved my cousin Anakin?”

She wondered if he had somehow caught what she was thinking as she whispered, “Fourteen.”

He nodded and went on, “Would you have married him if he had asked you?”

She stood abruptly, picked up her bowl and mug and quickly moved into the kitchen, but Ben pushed again. “You were young then too. Did that make your feelings for Anakin any less real?”

She closed her eyes and swallowed back the stab of the old pain that she thought was long behind her. She would always love him and she knew it. Although she loved Doran Tainer enough that she would give her own life for his; the boy, who had been her best friend and first love, would always haunt her heart. Anakin was the reason she couldn’t commit totally to Doran. He had asked her several times to marry him, and each time she told him that the timing wasn’t right. But the real reason was more complex than that. To say yes to Doran would mean saying good-bye forever to Anakin and to the love they had shared. Something she just couldn’t do. It was all she had left of him.

She sat her dishes on the counter and leaned over it. Finally, she quietly responded, her voice shaky. “No. I loved Anakin. He loved me. I blamed myself a long time for his death because I didn’t give him his kiss that he wanted before—before he—” She let the sentence trail away and sniffed at the sudden emotion. Then she turned and looked at them. “I would have married Anakin. He was my soulmate. At least, he was until Doran.”

Jysella moved over to her and slipped her arm around her waist. She smiled and Tahiri let herself be enveloped in the younger woman’s arms. After they moved from the embrace, Jysella said, “Then you understand how Ben and I feel for each other. We only want to be together. If you do not want to perform the service, we will seek someone else out. But we really wanted you to do it. You’re like family to both of us.”

Another silence spread over them, then Tahiri straightened and said, “Okay. I’ll do it.”

~~~

Anakin Solo, Mon Calamari System

Troddeln watched as the two Jedi Masters quickly exited the Jade Shadow and approached him across his private hangar of the Anakin. Sensing their concern and determination, he knew what they were there for. In fact, he was surprised they hadn’t shown up sooner. However sooner or later would have been better than now, he wasn’t at all happy with their timing. He had a battle to prepare for.

The Jedi Masters came to a stop before their nephew. Troddeln smiled and said in greeting, “Uncle Luke, Aunt Mara, what a surprise.”

Luke’s face was a mask of hard determination, while, not surprising, Mara’s was a scowl. Before Luke had a chance to say anything, she announced, “This isn’t a social call, Jacen.” She scanned the hangar behind him, where techs were getting ready for the attack that was expected within the next few hours or days. As she met his gaze again, continued on by demanding, “Where’s Ben?”

Troddeln gave them a concerned look and replied with mock sincerity, “I’m sorry. He isn’t here. He’s not with you?”

In a tone that the Sith Lord was surprised to find to be disdainful, Luke demanded, “No. And you didn’t answer her question, Jacen.”

Troddeln nodded and redirected by saying, “Ben’s on leave. I thought he went back to Coruscant. But I expect him back in another ten standard days.”

The Sith had never seen his aunt and uncle look so suddenly bewildered as they glanced at each other. They know where their son is and they don’t like it.

Then Mara confirmed it with, “You know as well as I do, he wouldn’t come to Coruscant. We know where he is, but first we need to talk to you…In private.”

They followed Jacen through a short corridor to arrive at Troddeln’s quarters. The Sith keyed the door and it slid open.

“After you.” He stepped to the side and gestured for them to enter. He watched and felt as they stretched out into the Force. They wouldn’t sense anything in the rooms of his private sanctum, he made certain of that. Luke’s eyes fall upon a dark wood cabinet that sat against the bulkhead of the sitting area, Troddeln wondered if the Grand Master sensed its sinister contents, but when the Jedi Grand Master never pushed though the illusion Troddeln spun around the Sith artifacts contained therein, he couldn’t help but smirk to himself. Luke Skywalker, the greatest Jedi of his time, was fooled by a simple parlor trick. Within the cabinet were two ancient Sith Holocrons and the tassels that foretold of Jacen Solo’s destiny.

“Please, sit,” he indicated the comfortable curved nerfhide couches placed in a conversation circle. Once they were all seated, with the Jedi on one couch and Troddeln across from them, he asked, “Could I get you something to drink?”

Finally having enough of his hospitality, Mara snapped, “I told you this isn’t a social call, Jacen. We’re here to take our son home—our seventeen-year-old son who isn’t where he is supposed to be.”

“Again, I’m sorry that he didn’t go back to Coruscant, but I think I know where he is. We could comm him?”

Luke spoke up by declaring, “No, we’ll go by Krylon and pick him up. However, I’m disappointed, Jacen. I thought you understood that we didn’t want him to visit her. I had made that very clear. Corran had made that very clear. They are too far in over their heads to understand.”

Troddeln smiled and said, “Jysella Horn is an honorable person, Uncle Luke. And, Aunt Mara, I’m surprised, she was your Apprentice. You both should know that she would never harm Ben. She loves him too much.”

Mara scoffed, “That’s the problem! She does love him. However, that’s not why we’re here.” She paused and then went on, “We’re discontinuing his apprenticeship with you.”

“Why? Ben has done nothing but flourish under my teaching,” the Sith forced just enough anger into his voice and into the Force to be convincing.

Luke responded, his voice sounding as if he was barely containing his emotions, “You call his act of cold blooded murder while crossing the line into the Dark Side flourishing? I’m sorry, Jacen, I’ve given you too much latitude when it comes to what you’ve taught him. I will not lose my son the way I’ve lost my father. You may not consider his actions as evil, but I do. And quite frankly, his actions of late frighten me. As do yours.”

Troddeln sat straighter and defended himself with, “Why do you think I’ve given him leave? I disciplined him and removed him from duty. Maybe going to Jysella is what he needs. He missed her terribly. I think if you force him to return with you, you will only make him angrier. He already blames you for sending Jysella away.”

Luke suddenly stood and moved away. The Jedi was desperately trying to remain calm. Finally, he turned and said, “We did that for his own good and for hers. She is too old for him. And she knows it, but refuses to see it.”

Mara stood also, but Troddeln remained sitting, with a mask of concern on his face and in the emotion projected from him. In truth, he was fuming. He could not allow Luke and Mara take his Apprentice from him, but he remained calm as he said, “Ben is an exceptional young man. He has excellent leadership abilities and is very well respected for his command decisions,” he paused for a few heartbeats before adding, “by beings with as much as a hundred times more experience then him. Jysella sees Ben as what he really is—older beyond his years.”

Mara glowered and huffed, “For Force sake, Jacen, that is precisely the problem. Ben is too young to be making these types of decisions.”

Troddeln leaned forward and, as he leveled her with a severe gaze, very quietly said, “If my seventeen year old brother wouldn’t have led a mission of individuals whose average age was only eighteen, none of us may be here today.”

Luke stared at him and replied, his voice heavy, his eyes intense, “Despite the outcome of that mission, Jacen, it wasn’t a success.”

Suddenly, the intercom buzzed. Jacen pulled his comlink and keyed in the code to answer it. “General Solo.”

An excited, but professional, voice sounded over the comm. “I’m sorry to interrupt, Sir, but we have ships exiting hyperspace and they don’t look friendly.”

Troddeln frowned and stood as he said, “Prepare for starfighter launch and get Admiral Cheb on the comm, Colonel Shevu. I’ll be on the bridge momentarily. Sound the warning for personnel deployment.”

“Yes, Sir.” Lon said and Troddeln severed the call.

Turning to his uncle and aunt, he announced, “I will have someone show you to quarters.” Just then a series of warning alarms went off over the ship’s intercom. By the type of sounds, the crew and personnel would know what to do. They were instructing all non-essential personnel to be confined to quarters and those with essential duties to man their stations.

“What’s going on?” asked Luke.

Smiling, Troddeln nonchalantly responded, “Nothing, except Jagged Fel is trying to win the war.” At the others’ surprise, his smile turned into a parody of his father’s crooked grin, “However, he will be the one surprised, because I can be sneaky too.”