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The Path of Dreams	By : Flowerlady Category: Star Wars (All) > General Views: 4278 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Star Wars movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 25
- 26
- 27
~Chapter 25~

Jedi Offices, Vincent, Krylon

Ben was fidgeting. He must have tugged on the jacket of his dress uniform for the tenth time. He didn�t even understand the whim he had that made him bring the dreaded thing along with him to Krylon. However, if it became any straighter, stiffer or stifling, it would have to become a gleaming sheet durosteel. But then he always fidgeted when he was nervous, and at this moment he had never been more so.

Suddenly, he felt her presence deliberately brush his. He looked up through the arch way to the stairs beyond.

Standing there, she was more beautiful than he could have ever imagined.

And Ben had to force himself to breathe.

Jysella�s garment had been purchased the day before at the small clothing boutique owned by the friend with whom Tahiri had stayed his first night on planet. It wasn�t elaborate, but it was exactly what he pictured Jysella wearing on her wedding day. The dress was so pale that it was nearly white, but he knew it was a shade of green, as was the Corellian custom. Its skirt was long and simple in line and design. Its bodice, with a modest squarish neckline and long three-quarter length sleeves, held no decoration; save for a corsage of a large creamy white, lily-like, native flower surrounded by smaller pinkish hewed flowers which was pined at her left shoulder. She carried more of the same flowers in a simple bouquet. Her ebony hair lay in long loose curls that he knew were Tahiri�s doing, and her head was adorned with a halo of greens and pink flowers.

Suddenly, she looked more like an angel than he could ever have imagined. And he found that he forgot to breathe again.

He quickly brought his eyes to hers and smiled. She smiled back and he detected a slight blush on her cheeks. He could feel her bashfulness through their bond. She turned from her position and continued down the stairs, while he watched her every move. She was too captivating to take his eyes from.

Finally, she made her way through the arch, which with Grada�s help, had been decorated with more of the cheap, but pretty, local flowers and vining greens. The office waiting area of the Jedi offices where the simple ceremony was taking place was also dressed with the same flowers.

Jysella and Tahiri�s dress-shop owner friend, a Falleen female by the name of Banni Prog, had insisted on the flowers which filled the otherwise featureless room; almost transforming it into a beautiful indoor garden and bathed the area with a light citrus scent. It wasn�t as intoxicating as Jysella�s favorite flower and personal fragrance, Corellian white lilies, but it was still nice.

Jysella came to stand before him and he reached out to take her out stretched hand. Their eyes met and Ben was nearly overwhelmed with the torrent of love he felt for her. She was everything to him. He suddenly realized that she was the reason he was fighting the war, why he was determined to destroy scum like Marcia and his band of misfits. She was the reason he wanted peace. He wanted her life as a Jedi to be filled with helping good honest people like Grada and Banni. He never wished for her to have to face the evil of someone like the terrorists that Ben faced nearly everyday. She was the reason he wanted Jacen�s plan for order.

Tahiri cleared her throat and, as if remembering that they weren�t alone, he and Jysella looked over at her. She was standing before them with a small datapad held in her hand. She was dressed in her traditional sand colored robes with the cowl pulled over her blonde curls in a somber fashion. Then she began, �We are�� Her voice cracked under her own nervousness. Smiling abashedly, she started again, �We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in the rite of marriage union as per the regulations of the planetary government of Krylon and the traditions set forth by the Jedi Council.�

Then she turned to Ben and asked, as was proscribed by Krylon law, �Please state your name, age and planet of origin for the official record.�

Ben looked at Jys and smiled. His voice cracked as he softly said, �Ben Skywalker, age seventeen, Coruscant.�

Turning toward Jys, Tahiri asked the same question. Jys quietly responded, �Jysella Horn, age nineteen, Corellia.�

Grinning, Tahiri nodded, and then looked back at her text. After reading it, she looked up and asked, �What is your request?�

In unison: �To be married.�

�Are you making this request of your own free will?�

�Yes.�

�Are you prepared to combine your lives and fortunes for the good and prosperity of your new family and of the larger society?�

�We are,� they said again at the same time, and Ben squeezed her hand.

Normally, that was all that was to the marriage vows of Krylon, but they weren�t finished yet. The Jedi portion of the union ceremony had to be preformed. They had decided that, to make their marriage as binding as possible, they would include both aspects to their vows. Krylon�s marriage laws were somewhat lax, but not any more so than those even of Coruscant. On Krylon any upper level civil servant could perform a wedding. Since the Jedi on Krylon held the same ranking in the government as a level one justice, either Tahiri or Jysella could legally officiate a wedding. However, to add to that binding power, was the fact that Jedi could legally join a couple in matrimony, even if they preferred not to perform such acts routinely.

Tahiri�s grin seemed to widen and she took a deep breath. �Since you are both Jedi and as a Knight of that Order I must ask: Are you prepared to serve the Force first and foremost, disregarding your attachments especially to each other?�

Ben thought of that question for a brief moment and had the impression Jysella was too. Then they answered Tahiri in unison, �We are.�

Banni, who was standing off to the side with Grada as their only witnesses, handed Tahiri a length of white ribbon. The Falleen took Jys�s bouquet, and then stepped back to observe the strange rite.

Ben took Jysella�s free hand, as he continued to hold her other one. They turned again to Tahiri. She began to wind the ribbon around their wrists at the same time as she spoke. �This ribbon represents the Force. As it binds all things together, it also binds you. You are stronger working together with the Force as your friend and ally. Just as your love flows through you, so does the Force. If you use the Light that is your love, you will never become despondent. However, you must never lose sight that the Force is larger than you, even larger than your love.�

She paused, and then, when she began speaking again, she unwrapped their wrists. �And because of this, when the time comes for one of you to become one with the Force, the other must remember that grief and sadness are natural, but true despair, anger and hate are things of the Dark Side and must be avoided. You must let go of these emotions and the attachment you may have at that time, and remember the Light that you had shared. Most importantly, remember that no one is truly gone, but are part of the Force we serve.� She pulled the ribbon away.

As she held it up again between them over their hands, Ben swallowed. He had no idea how he�d ever be able to let her go if he ever had to. Well, I will just have to make sure that I never do.

As Jys smiled a bright smile that lit her tear-streaked face, Tahiri stepped back a few steps from them and raised her ignited lightsaber over them in a solitary salute. �With the authority granted to me as both a civil servant of Krylon and as a Jedi Knight, I now pronounce you husband and wife.�

Ben glanced at Tahiri. She nodded and smiled; her saber still raised, with its familiar humming a counterpoint to the boisterous clapping of Jys�s two friends. Turning back to a beaming Jys, he gazed deeply into her eyes. Tears streamed down her flushed cheeks, while she absolutely glowed with love and utter joy. Letting go of her hands, he reached around her slender waist. As she stepped into his embrace, he leaned down and met her upturned lips in a tender kiss that sealed their vows and their promise.

As their kiss ended, Tahiri extinguished her blade and announced happily, her own tears of gladness flowing, �Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Skywalker.�

~~~

Command Salon, Intrepid, Mon Calamari System

Valin stood off to the side of the Grand Admiral�s command chair and watched his father-in-law as he spoke with Jag Fel. Only Wedge Antilles could make jokes at a time like this, he thought with wry amusement.

�Good,� the Corellian commander responded, but, before he would say anything else, the holograph became, first, snowy and then completely disappeared.

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.

�Wedge!� It took Jag less than a half second to demand of the comm officer, �What happened?�

The young man, with aristocratic and sharp features, hit several keys on his display, then announced, �I�m not sure, Sir. The message just��

Suddenly, a pleasant female voice, which only held a hint of trepidation, cut her crewmate off, �Admiral, the Revenger just disappeared from the display.�

Valin spun around and headed straight for the tactical display. However, he didn�t look at the hologram of the battle that was raging around him; instead, he closed his eyes. After concentrating for a moment, they instantly flew open. Jag came up to stand before him, the two men sharing a knowing glance.

Swallowing the sudden emotion that rose to his throat, Valin disbelievingly said in a thick, soft voice, �He�s gone. Unc�Wedge is gone.�

Jag stared at Valin for a long moment until the voice of the comm officer cut through the growing tension. �Sir.� He waited for Jag�s response before going on, �Sir, Admiral Wekk of the Rancor reports that the Revenger has been destroyed.� Valin could hear the note of sympathy in the young man�s voice.

�Put her though, Lieutenant Puliq.�

Instantly, an image of a woman in her middle thirties, who Valin had always thought reminded him of the animal her ship was named for, appeared over the command holoplate. She saluted smartly and, in her no-non-sense way, said, �Admiral Fel, I�m sorry to��

Jag, showing uncharacteristic impatience, cut her off, �How many escape pods were able to get away?�

She swallowed visibly and responded ruefully, �Only five, Sir. I�m sending a shuttle to pick them up now.�

Jag stared at her; the only emotion that the Imperial showed was a tick in his clenched jaw, but Valin could feel the anger and grief roll off of him through the Force. Valin could sympathize with the older man, because he was feeling the same things. Then Jag took a deep breath and, without taking his gaze from her, called out, �Major Vonis, I want you to increase your firing of the long range turboblasters on the Anakin Solo.�

Vonis acknowledged the order. Almost immediately the bridge lighting dimmed as another blast was fired toward the hated enemy ship. Then to the commander of the fighter wings, he turned fiery green eyes and commanded, �General Sarve, order all starfigher wings to engage.�

Jag turned back to the holocomm of the Corellian Admiral, who was still waiting for orders from her new immediate superior, despite the fact that that had never officially been established. The fire still in his eyes, he said, his voice flat, �Congratulations, Admiral Wekk, you are now in charge of the Corellian Fleet.�

She nodded once and saluted again, saying just as evenly, �Thank you, Sir.� Before the image dissolved, she added determinedly, �He was a great man. I will do my best to follow his lead.�

Unable to contain the raging emotion of grief for a man that he had always loved and admired, who in his heart would always be his �Uncle Wedge�, Valin clenched his hands into fists and raged, �Why didn�t he try to get out of there? He should have jumped to the back of the line. Why did he��

Looking at the Jedi, Jag reached out and, in a rare show of affection, laid his hand on Valin�s upper arm. Jag�s voice was rough as he quietly said, �He was a fighter, Valin. I would have done the same. But I understand. He was an uncle to you longer than he was to me.� He swallowed and added, �Fortunately, you were here, not with him. Syal will be distraught enough.�

Valin mutely nodded and immediately reached with the Force to try to find her familiar presence among the hundreds of battling starfighters. They were as bonded as a Jedi and a non-Force-sensitive could be. He eventually found her and sent her his love. He knew that she wouldn�t be able to respond back, she may not even be aware that he touched her mind. She was upset, but she was as much a fighter as her father had been. Valin knew that she would need him when they were reunited after the battle, until then her warrior instinct would keep her focused on the battle around her.

At least he hoped it would.

Suddenly, the tactical officer broke into the sudden silence upon the bridge, �Admiral, we have ships entering the battle from behind the Corellian/Bothan Fleets, Sir.�

Jag turned to her and responded, �ID those ships, Major Cegg.�

�Sir, they are from the GA Third Fleet, Sir. The flagship, Ocean is among them.�

Jag nodded and, after a moment of thought, he coolly as possible said to the comm officer, �Lieutenant Puliq, get Admiral Krieg on the comm.�

Minutes later the image of a man about Jag�s own age appeared. He was tall, broad shouldered, had blond hair and startling blue eyes set in a handsome face with a square jaw. �Admiral Fel, I report that the Fifth Fleet is now engaged with the Hapan Fleet and I am pressing the locals, causing catastrophic damage. In fact, Mon Mothma is damaged and jettisoning escape pods. The Hapans are picking them up now.�

�Good. I want Cheb, if at all possible.�

�Yes, Sir.�

�It seems the GA may have been tipped with our plan. The Third Fleet is trying to out flank the Bothan and Corellian forces.�

Masen Krieg scowled as he practically snapped, �Damn the loose lips among us!� A bit calmer, he added, �I will send a reinforcements immediately.�

�No, Masen.� Jag rejected his friend�s offer. �We can handle it�for now. But if I need your help, I�ll call for it. The Corellians are taking a beating.� Jag paused for a fraction of a second before adding, �Admiral Antilles has been lost.�

�Jag, I�m sorry,� Masen said, forgoing all military protocol. He and Jag had become fast friends after Jag entered the Imperial Navy. Both of them were young fleet captains who were promoted to admirals at the same time, and then sent into GA space to fight with the Corellian Confederacy. Many had called Pelleaon�s faith in the two untested �boys� misguided, but most of those who thought that were definitely doing a great deal of rethinking as the �boys� won battle after battle.

Jag simply gave his friend a simple nod of acknowledgement and said, �The command of the Corellians is now held by Admiral Jolana Wekk of Rancor. Maintain your position and keep the GA and the Mon Cals from sending reinforcements to Solo.�

Krieg acknowledged him with a smile and a salute. �I will await further orders then. Krieg out.�

After the comm went dead, Jag ordered a taskforce to target the approaching Third Fleet, augmenting the Corellians and the Bothans. The two forces were finding themselves being crushed between the two GA forces, exacting the same affect the Imperials and the Hapans were on the other side of the planet.

Suddenly, the Intrepid suffered its first real strike of enemy fire, as the Anakin turned away from the Corellians and fired full force on the Imperial flagship. It was a battle of two giants, Valin thought as the largest and the newest Star Destroyers of what had once been the untied GA battled it out. Pelleaon, in his usual shrewdness, had ensured that the Empire also had one of the new ships, by procuring the second one produced for the Imperial Fleet. Two weeks later he had resigned his post as GA Supreme Commander. He renamed the vessel Intrepid, and presented it to the Chimaera�s young captain, Jagged Fel. He promoted him to admiral and made the new Imperial II-class warship the flagship of the First Fleet, virtually retiring the old Star Destroyer, Chimaera. Shortly after that, Jag was sent to Corellia. Once a treaty was signed between Corellia, her allies and the Empire, Jag commanded the forces that freed Corellia from the GA blockade. Intrepid was perfectly matched gun for gun to the Anakin Solo.

Now, these two titans were in a heated battle that Valin only hoped would once, and for all, bring an end to the war that was tearing his family apart more and more.

�Ahh!� Valin suddenly grabbed the edge of the bridge railing to keep from falling over. Bending at the waist and gasping for air, he clutched at his abdomen as if he had just been kicked in the gut.

Jag, along with several others, turned concerned or curious eyes to the Jedi. Jag was the one who spoke, �What is it?�

Valin shook his head. He wasn�t able to talk. He then pulled out of the battle meld with the other Jedi. The emotional backlash from the others was as brutal as the original shock and pain had been. Once he was able to, he gulped air. When he looked up at Jag, there were tears in his eyes. He had just felt the death of a fellow Jedi, a friend and a powerful presence.

He finally whispered, �Zekk.�

~~~

Skywalker Temporary Quarters, Anakin Solo

Mara was pacing the entire length of the small sitting area of the comfortable appearing quarters that the GAG guards had led them to. Her hands were crossed defiantly across her chest, nostrils flaring, a fire in her green eyes, and the tail of her hair was pulled into whipped around her shoulder as she turned at the end of the circuit. Mara wasn�t just upset, she was furious.

Then she turned that fury onto the man who sat trying to obtain a brittle calmness on the edge of one of the formflow chairs in the center of the room. Luke swallowed; he knew he was in for it.

�How?� she glowered, �How could he do this?� Damn it, Luke. We�re being treated like prisoners!� She then stopped and Luke stood up. She was working herself into a mess. Which, Luke had to admit, had only happened one or two other times in the over thirty years he had known her.

�Mara, calm down.�

That was the wrong thing to say and he knew it.

�Calm down! � She threw her hands into the air and spun away. However, before Luke could respond, she turned again, put her hands on her hips and huffed, �I�ll calm down when that Sith Lord of a nephew allows me to leave this�� she waved her hands indicating the room, but Luke knew she meant the ship as a whole, ��this disgrace to go after my son!�

After taking a deep breath and flooding their bond with love and reassurance, he placed his hands on her shoulders and said, �If you calm down we will. And aren�t you being a little harsh concerning Jacen?�

That finally got through the fog of betrayal and anger. After several moments of staring at him, she took a deep breath, and Luke felt the tension fall away from her. Although she was calmer, she was now irritated at him for holding back. She completely ignored his question, asking instead, �You have a plan, Skywalker?�

He shrugged and dropped his hands to his side. �Not really. But I�m not going to be locked away when there�s a battle going on out there.�

�I don�t care about the battle, Luke. I want to find Ben. He�s cut himself out of the Force again.� She was referring to Ben�s uncanny way of disappearing from the Force, just as Jacen was most of the time.

�I know. And we will.� Luke stepped over to the door, and, after laying his hand over the locking mechanism, he looked back at her. Somberly, as the lock tripped, he said, �But first I�m confronting my nephew.�

She moved to stand beside him and scoffed, �Now who�s being harsh.�

He didn�t answer her but instead gave her a reproving look. Two seconds later the door slid open to reveal two surprised black armored guards outside.

Mara glanced at Luke. With a quirked brow, she said, �May I ask: why anyone would think two accomplished Jedi Masters would need door guards?�

The one on the right, who wore the raking symbols of a sergeant, nervously cleared his throat and stammered, �Uhhh�The general, he�he asked us to make sure you don�t leave your quarters.�

Luke, keeping his face impassive, simply asked, �Why?�

The two guards exchanged nervous glances. Even though Luke couldn�t see their eyes through the black visors of their helmets, he could feel acutely their surprise and fear.

Mara, who wasn�t trying to hide any of her displeasure from her facial futures, scowled as she said, �And remember we can detect if you are lying.�

The sergeant brought his attention back to Luke, saying, �General Solo instructed us to keep you from wondering the ship. During battle not all areas are safe. To fire the long range turboblasters the power��

Mara impatiently said, �Yes. Yes. We know all about what happens when the Anakin fires its guns. However, keeping us under lock and key with armed guards makes no sense, since we�ve been on this ship before during battle and are well aware of what can happen if the power is shut down in certain areas while a person is passing through.�

The sergeant seemed relieved but still leery. �Then you understand why it is important to stay here.�

Luke smiled at the guard�s effort. �No. We still aren�t staying here. Instead, if you are so concerned, you could lead us to General Solo. I�m certain he�s on the bridge.�

The two guards looked at each other, and Luke suddenly felt a spike of fear. Fear not directed at him, but at something, someone else. Were they afraid of Jacen?

Mara must have felt the change too which his suggestion brought to the guards. Now she was as determined as him to get to the bottom of things. She pushed past the corporal and headed toward the nearest turbolift. Luke gave the guards another glance, and then headed off to follow his wife.

�Hey!� said the corporal, who up until now was quiet. �I guess we should tag along just to keep you out of restricted areas.�

Luke glanced over his shoulder at the two guards and smiled. �That may be a good idea, and less likely to get you into trouble with your commander.�

Luke missed the look shared between the guards, but he felt their trepidation.

The Anakin seemed to be under fire now. Luke could sense the determination from the gunners as the lights in the corridor dimmed never came back up as the batteries continued their constant stream of fire.

The guards caught up with Luke and Mara before they passed an adjacent corridor. The sergeant pointed and said, �Let�s take this lift. It will get you to the command deck just as fast as the main one.�

Luke waited for Mara and nodded. Suddenly, they both shared a meaningful glance as they felt a shocked elation spread through the crew. He considered reaching out to outside the ship to get an idea of what happened, but restrained himself as they entered the lift. Seconds later they were speeding through the convoluted twists and turns of the tunnel as the car sped to the command deck. The ship bucked a little harder than it had previously had, indicating some of the fire was getting through the shields. Mara sniggered as she said, �It seems that Jag is playing for keeps as well.�

The guards looked at her and the corporal said with disdain and a hint of suspicion, �You say that as if you know the Imp personally.�

Luke looked up at the status bar of the lift, a series of blinking numbers and letters that symbolized the decks they were passing. �He nearly became our nephew-in-law a few years back. So yes, we know him. Ironic, don�t you think?� He then looked at the guards and added, �And sad.�

�Isn�t this lift taking a long time to get to the bridge?� Mara�s impatience was as clear as the scowl on her face.

The guards became extremely nervous, but before anything else could be said, the car stopped and the lighting within dimmed to nearly non-existent. Luke looked at Mara and she was livid. They had just been duped. Luke could only smile at his own gullibility. The power had been diverted from all non-essential systems, which included all but the main turobolifts. Obviously this wasn�t a main lift. The guards would have known that and had hoped that, by trapping the Jedi Masters in the lift car, would prevent them from getting into trouble later.

He turned his grin on the guards. �Very smart and quick thinking. I applaud you. Not often can someone fool two Jedi Masters into a trap so simply spun.�

However, Mara wasn�t amused at her falling for the stunt. �Well, we won�t be trapped for long.� She pulled her lightsaber from her belt, causing the two guards to cower in the corner and pull their weapons. Mara raised an eyebrow as she watched them. �I�m not going to cut you to ribbons, even if that is what I�d rather do. Put those things away before someone gets hurt.�

When neither guard made the move to do so, she reached out with the Force and simply pushed the barrels toward the floor. Giving Luke a grin, she said, �We need to go up, right?�

He chuckled; he knew what she was planning. �Yes, up would be good.�

She then ignited the blue blade of her lightsaber and proceeded to cut a half meter hole into the ceiling of the car. Luke caught the disk as it fell at the end of her cut. She closed down the saber, glancing once more at the guards with gleam in her eye Luke knew all too well. With their full attention, she simply leapt up and through the hole.

After Luke deposited the disk to the side on the floor, he followed his wife through the opening, to land beside her on the roof of the car. The tunnel was completely black with the only light coming from the blinking red lights to indicate the repulsers were still operational every ten meters or so. The deck doors from the shaft should be between those indicators.

Luke pulled a length of thin, but strong, line from his belt and, with the Force as a guide, tossed the grappling hook up to wrap around a pipe above where the doors were to the deck above them. After tugging on it to test it, he looked over at a grinning Mara.

�Need a lift?� he asked as he held out his hand.

Sniggering, she let him wrap his arm around her and she put hers around his neck. �Never. But I�ll humor you anyway, Farmboy.�

By touching the switch on his belt, the line began to retract, pulling them upward. Mara reached out to the Force and pushed the doors above them open. When they reached the opening, she pulled her lightsaber from her belt and leapt from Luke�s arms into the safety of the corridor above. Luke easily followed her, his lit saber in his right hand. The corridor was dimly lit, but everything seemed functional.

�No guards. That�s good,� Luke commented nonchalantly as he undid his grappling hook and allowed it to rewind the rest of the way into his belt pouch.

Mara didn�t respond, only headed down the corridor toward the main lift. Luke followed her into the turbolift when suddenly they felt the disturbance in the Force.

She swallowed and disbelievingly asked, �Zekk?�

He sadly nodded. The Order had just lost another great Jedi.

~~~

Upper Corellian Line of Battle, Mon Calamari

Zekk pulled up and maneuvered into a twisting dive that nearly caused him to black out from the exertion. However, he held on; he had to. He had to get what was left of his squadron out of this.

The Ennth�s Angels and a Bothan squadron of A-wings were protecting a Corellian Corvette against two squadrons of Mon Calamari and Quarren X-wings and Eta-5s when things went sour. There had been some comm traffic that hinted at the destruction of Revenger, but he ignored most of it, until he felt Valin�s grief and anger fill the battle meld. Then he knew something was up. However, before he could really think too much about the loss of the admiral, out of no-where four squadrons of GA starfighters appeared at the edge of the fight.

At first, Zekk, and the other squadron of A-wings he was working with, weren�t concerned, until they began to focus completely on them. By turning away from their main line, they engaged them hard and fast. Within minutes Ennth�s Angels lost six of the ten pilots Zekk had left. With the remaining three pilots from his squad, and the four fighters from the Bothan squadron now looking at him for direction, he thought about ordering them to jump to safety. The Corvette was destroyed and they had no reason to stay, except that they couldn�t even get free enough to jump. The enemy was literally trying to crush them. As he saw another two fighters blink out of existence on his status board, he thought that they were doing a very fine job of it too.

At the bottom of his dive, Zekk pulled sharp to starboard. As he leveled out some, he took aim and fired at an X-wing that crossed his path. Zekk�s laser hit the top S-foil and knocked its laser cannon completely away. The fighter tried to twist away into an evasive maneuver, but, before it completed it, Zekk took aim again. This time his laser blasted it to bits. He pulled into a steep climb that would take him over the blast field. Near the top of his loop, he noticed the battle.

The unknown fleet that jumped into the battle had been identified as the Third Fleet. They were trying to flank the Corellians, while Jacen�s taskforce and the Mon Calamari continued to fight in front of the Corellians. The Bothan taskforce, which was further out in the line from Zekk�s position, was having a hard time of it. However, from the battle meld he got a feeling from Jaina that near her position, closer to where the Imperial Fleet appeared things weren�t quite as bleak.

Suddenly, a laser got lucky and Zekk�s R-2 droid squealed its last as its dome was blown away. But the lack of the R-2 wasn�t as bad as it could have been in a battle this hot, he still had the Force. His shields were gone; he knew if he was hit again he was liable not to make it. Totally relying on the Force to guide his hands, he continued in the upward loop and hoped that he could shake the tail.

However, the pilot was a good one and followed him through the climb. Zekk pulled sharp to starboard and hit the lasers as an Eta-5 came into view, heading his way. He flew though the ball of expanding hot gas of the destroyed GA Interceptor, going into a corkscrew dive as he exited the blast field. For a moment Zekk thought he had lost his tail, but as his lock alarm sounded, he realized too late that he hadn�t.

It was a mistake he�d never live to regret.

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The Path of Dreams