Subject: [OTL]: (alt. Betsy/Star Wars) Fanged Butterfly 2: Knightcross 11/? (PG-15) From: Phil Hartman Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:14:13 +0000 will1@earthling.net Fanged Butterfly Vol. 2: Knightcross Chapter 11 by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: Marvel's are Marvel's. LFL's are LFL's. Any original characters are mine. The rest belong to their owners/creators. No money is being made off of this. Please don't sue. NOTE: Back to the rest of the galaxy for a bit ... darn prolific Skywalkers :P -------------------------------------------- 40 ABY: Somewhere between Phindar and Vjun: -------------------------------------------- They'd used the docking shroud to let Tahiri get back to her X-Wing, and Jaina had returned to the Shawnkyr. It was half hers, anyhow. Her floating home. She was more comfortable in it, now, instead of a starfighter. Kind of a sad thought, the daughter of Han and Leia Solo reflected. Five years, and a betraying twin, changed eveything. Yes, Jaina Solo-Fel DID have a bad feeling about this. "Nothing but comm silence when we tried to reach Ossus ..." she worried - the Shawnkyr was one of the fastest Incom heavy freighters out there, thanks to Dad and Chewie's "special wedding present" modifications to the hyperdrive. But the distance between Dathomir and Ossus was considerably greater than that between Nirauan and Dathomir ... at least six hours, pushing the `drive. "Master Skywalker did warn us not to trust Holonet communications," Jag said too calmly, the rakish white stripe in his black hair setting off his still-military sharp face beneath the 5 o'clock shadow. Jaina glanced over at her husband with a wry expression. "You're doing it again," she teased. "I was raised in a society which valued emotional self-control and attended military school from age 4. One would think a Jedi would appreciate not letting my emotions betray me," Jag taunted back - the smirk at the edges of his mouth weakening the phrase. "Sure, the uptight, emotionally-repressed, Old Republic, sat-on-their-'sabers-until-Order-66 Jedi. We master our emotions and allow ourselves to enjoy life," Jaina said, her eyes sliding sideways as she pointedly refused to look directly at Jag. He started running a hand up her thigh, thrilling her - this game was always SO fun ... "MARA!?" Jaina - SCREAMED - Whatever Jag had been about to toss back died on his lips as he caught his wife - Jaina had been Mara's apprentice, the women were attuned ... Jaina steadied herself, then let Jag hold her. "She just - vanished from the Force. Like ... something caught her," Jaina whispered. Jag tried not to shudder at that, asking instead, "And ... Jacen?" "Nothing." Not surprising - between his emotional self-control and the gaping years between them, Jaina hadn't been able to touch her twin brother through their bond for some time. It made her think she was guiltier than she'd let herself feel ... and Ben's horrified loss tore at Jaina's heart ... Jaina sat back in her seat, looking back at the expanse of space in the Shawnkyr, then met Jag's patient gaze. "That contract the Chiss gave you?" she asked. Jag nodded - he'd been ... wary of actually killing Jacen. One never knew if the twin-bond might take Jaina with it should Jacen die ... "I won't complain if you carry it out," Jaina said, steel and self-defense in her voice. The Sword of the Jedi started sharpening herself. First, Ossus. Then, Jacen. --------------------------------------------- Hydian Way, approaching Bogden: --------------------------------------------- If he hadn't been in a hibernation trance to avoid the effects of dialing down the inertial dampeners, Anakin Solo might've punched the X-Wing's yoke. Mara had been HIS Master, too, during Dantooine. He'd proven himself worthy of Uncle Luke's trust by protecting the then-ill Mara from waves of Vong hunting them. Later, he'd saved Tahiri at Yag'Dhul, from Vong shapers and from herself - she'd been brainwashed into believing herself a Vong named Riina. It'd been there that Anakin had Force-linked with a Vong lambent crystal, basically a bioluminescent grown jewel which proved to be both a useful `saber focus and a tool to let him detect the Vong through the Force. Anakin was GOOD at saving people. Like he was good with machines. Except when he wasn't, and it hurt. Eryl ... Jovan, Krasov, Bela ... Uhala ... #Force, I can't lose anyone else. The Vong War was enough ... what Jacen wanted to do to that blockade runner brought Myrkr back. Except that HE was acting Vong, screaming for blood ...# Anakin shuddered. Jacen might have killed Shimmrra, but it was Anakin whom the public equated with the Order's future. The very idea of Uncle Luke naming him a Master - much less a Council member - gave Anakin nightmares. Vader ... had been a Master at a young age. #I'm not Solo enough. If I was more like Dad ... I might've shot down JACEN at the Corellian blockade. If it wouldn't've broken Ben ...# Anakin worried. "Ani" was old enough to respect his uncle's wishes. The Council had to be warned of how insanely Jacen was acting, who he'd crossed. But the "Son of Solo" had every intention of turning around once his message was delivered. The rivalry between Jacen - intellect - and Anakin - emotion - had been friendly, until the Vong War. Jacen had panicked that they were going to tip the galaxy into darkness unless they meditated to the point of stasis. Anakin ... did things. #Leia and Luke,# he realized. That wasn't fair. Mom DID things, too - she was just smarter about it. Mom had brains and wisdom; Uncle Luke, wisdom ... and Mara provided the brains, the joke ran. Nevertheless, Vergere had obviously driven Jacen further than any of them had thought. Worse, he'd rather baldly dragged Ben back into his womp rat nest of a secret police. Betsy always cautioned patience, THEN action. She and Mom got along pretty well. Mara had the best mix of them all. She was nigh-unflappable ... so her disappearance from the Force was especially disturbing. #Nothing you can do about it now. Sound the alarm, help evac the Temple if the GAG's gone over the edge ... DO, or do not,# Anakin reminded himself. He slipped back into his trance, the hyperdrive likely to be fried once he reached Coruscant - he was pushing it well into the red. That was all right. Pushing things was among the Solos' better qualities. ----------------------------------------- Inner Rim, passing Obroa-Skai: ----------------------------------------- Her Mommy was hurt and sad. Allana knew she was only 4, but she could already read people in the Force. It was a useful skill, her Mommy said. Allana wasn't sure. She worried about how her Mommy could feel Jacen ... being mean. BAD mean, not the-tea-service-doesn't-match mean. It was nice to have a new Grandma and Grandpa, too - Grandpa Isolder was nice, but he was busy. Being the leader of Mommy's army kept him away a lot, even if he loved Allana and Mommy very much and called a lot. Grandma Leia and Mommy were sitting in the "main hold" of the ship Grandpa Han called the "Falcon." It was a little grimy, but Allana liked a little dirt. Nobody ever let her play in the garden, and everything was TOO pretty at home. And now the Force was hurt, like a hole had been torn in it from something digging. "Leia ... can he do NOTHING moral? Did that horrible creature Vergere take Jacen's heart?" Mommy cried, as Grandma Leia held her - Allana peeked from the crew quarters where she was supposed to be sleeping. "I have to believe something of Jacen is still there. He cried out for Ben when Fett confronted them - and he seemed remorseful when he admitted killing Vel," Leia said, stroking Mommy's hair. Mommy sat up and wiped her eyes, then smiled at Grandma Leia. "I should have trusted you and Han with Allana sooner. Can you -" she began. "Tenel, believe me - I know all about Hapan court politics. Had things gone differently, I could've been your mother. I do think of you as a daughter," Grandma Leia said, and the women hugged. Allana couldn't help but giggle - and then that hole got bigger - She woke up in Mommy's arm, as Grandma Leia felt Allana's forehead. "Are you OK, sweetie?" Grandma asked. "Yes," Allana said, hugging Mommy. "Are you OK?" Mommy never lied to Allana. "Not really, my angel. You ... a friend of mine, your Aunt Mara, has ..." she said, unable to say the words. Allana reached out, and managed to smile when she felt Ben - he hurt, but he was still in the Force. He felt back for her and seemed a little better - then was quiet. But he was still there. "Ben's OK. I think he's hiding," Allana tried to explain, as Mommy and Grandma Leia looked at each other. "You're sure?" Mommy asked, but Grandma Leia nodded, slowly smiling. "Ben's a survivor. And his heart is strong, and good," Grandma Leia said, letting Allana hug her. "Yes. He'll be OK," Allana said, and she turned her head - there was an echo from the hole, like a cry of pain - "But I'm scared for Uncle Luke." ------------------------------------------ Hydian Way: Approaching Taris: ------------------------------------------ Ben was still alive - even a little happy, finding hope in SOMETHING - Luke had none left for himself. He didn't want to believe it. Stranger things had happened; Jacen had turned up alive after Myrkr. #Which, really is the whole PROBLEM ...# Luke quashed the thought; he had to try and have faith. The Jade Shadow could keep up with the Ganner Rhysode, but his job had been to trail the Super Star Destroyer. That Mara had even let Luke touch the controls, much less fly her ship, showed how desperate she'd been for Ben. Mara had been the one to sneak aboard with a plan to get Ben, force a hyperdrive emergency shutdown and drop the shields for an extraction. Then she'd been wrenched from the Force. Luke returned Leia's gentle, worried caress in the Force - Jaina and Anakin were just as nervous, while Betsy felt like she wanted to turn around and Tahiri was pained and quiet. Nobody abandoned their missions, though. #Trust in the Force. Mara's got to be alive,# Luke thought ... One thing was certain. Once the Ganner dropped out of hyperspace, it was going to get a very unpleasant forced boarding. And Jacen ... Jacen was ... #I'll cross that hyperlane intersection when I come to it,# the Grand Master thought. Determination kept him from wallowing in despair. Gave him focus. Made him *stronger.* A farmboy once called "Wormie" had been determined to destroy the first Death Star; had been driven to defeating Palpatine; had been devoted to stopping the Yuuzhan Vong. Those were nothing next to the fight he was preparing for now. Luke Skywalker was coming for his wife and son. The dark side didn't know what was about to hit it. ---------------------------------------------- Coruscant: Chief of State's Office: ---------------------------------------------- Cal Omas was ... "Aghast" was too weak a word. "Aghast" was high-falutin', as an Adumarian fighter-tech might say in their unique accent. #Karked upside the head?# he thought, reviewing the latest intelligence feed. Jacen Solo had been ghastly in his tactics since the start of Corellian internment. But the brutal death of Ailyn Vel - and the following traumatic flight of young Ben Skywalker - screamed ... #Vader. Vader, Vader, Vader ...# Cal thought, shaking his head and looking out on the mid-day sun streaming over the metallic landscape. A survivor of Alderaan should never have to resort to letting a ... #SITH, say it, Cal,# the portly Chief of State reprimanded himself ... run the secret police. Luke had, reportedly, left the Council the day before with Mara, to pry Ben from Jacen's clutches. That was a very good sign - even better had been a sketchy report that the boy had left a GAG raid with Betsy Braddock. #A practical, noble woman. Helped defeat the Vong and kept her soul. A Jedi with a touch for the common folk,# Omas sighed, before his comm rang. "Sir? We have ... bad news from Dathomir," his GAG liasion, Lieutenant Jonat, said in that icy-silk voice of hers. It reminded him of that Vong-mounting schutta Viqi Shesh, may she rot in the netherworld of the dark side. Promised conspiracies. "What kind of news, Lieutenant?" Cal muttered - knowing full well his words were probably going directly to that kark-brained Girdun intel drone of Jacen's. "Colonel Solo recovered Lieutenant Skywalker, but the meeting was attacked by Corellian bombers. The colonel and the lieutenant escaped, but Her Majesty Tenel Ka of Hapes and her heiress, the Chume'Da Allana, were in the line of fire. They were last seen departing Dathomir aboard the Millennium Falcon. And ... Mand'alor Fett and an unknown bounty hunter confronted Colonel Solo," Jonat said, *almost* with compassion. "I don't suppose Fett shot first," Cal whispered, covering his eyes at the mention of Hapes - they needed the Consortium's firepower if the war went south. On the other hand, Leia was with Tenel Ka. That meant something ... hopefully good. Leia always had her head on straight. "Lieutenant Skywalker stepped between Fett and the Colonel, and somehow defused the situation. There were sharp words - still unclear what - exchanged between the Colonel and Her Majesty. The bombing raid resulted in 70 Dathomiri casualties, but the Ganner Rhysode destroyed both the bombers and the carrier. Several ships, including the Falcon, the Jedi courier Angel's Wing, the private freighter Shawnkyr, Master Jade-Skywalker's yacht Jade Shadow, and two X-Wing fighters escaped Ossus without damage," Jonat concluded. #Hmm. Ben's got guts - good to see he's thinking instead of just kicking down doors. So the Skywalkers had a family reunion on Dathomir? With Tenel Ka AND her heiress? And the wayward Jaina?# Cal pondered ... He liked Luke. Good man - a bit too principled, but he'd kept the Jedi from flying off in Force knew how many directions while the Vong War threatened to splinter the Order. The idea of a Kyp Durron setting up an opposing order in some pocket Jedi empire was almost as haunting as a Corellia allowed to secede with half the GA behind it. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I'll reflect on the message," Cal said, switching off the comm - let the little hoojib chew on that for her report. Something had happened at Dathomir. The Skywalkers didn't gather their clan - some after five years away - for no good reason. And Jacen had managed to incense both Fett AND Tenel Ka, AND recapture poor Ben - Centerpoint had been nice, but the boy belonged home. #Luke. If you're looking to put an end to Jacen, all you had to do was ask. I'd love to help you ...# "Cal?" he heard - G'vli G'sil, the Coruscant Senator, was calling him - "Here, G'vli. You sound ... urgent," Cal said into his comlink - G'sil was his closest rival for the COS seat, but also an ally against the growing ambition of Jacen Solo, who had been chatting uncomfortably with various Senators ... "It's the Jedi Council. Kenth Hamner and I had lunch ... and Skywalker's sudden departure left Horn and *Durron* in charge. We'll get no movement from the Jedi before the next thrust at Corellia, I'm understanding," G'sil said sourly. #WHAT!?# Cal growled inwardly - he'd been hoping the Council would at least send a diplomatic envoy to Corellia and officially approach him, maybe try to fix the disaster that the talks at Kuat had turned into with Aidel Saxan's death ... "And neither Horn or the Butcher of Carida felt comfortable calling me?" Cal spat - Durron was an embarrassment to the Jedi, after the Sun Crusher had nova'd Carida's sun decades ago under Durron's control. "You're saying you'd rather have a Corellian Jedi or that maniac Durron in your office?" G'sil asked, a little surprised. "NO. Of course not. But we need Luke to stop being domestic and instead get to a Jedi quorum and direction. Force knows, being a father and husband is important, but the Jedi carry political import," Cal sighed. "The boy is in GAG. The wife seems like she's the one keeping Skywalker from moving forward," G'sil observed. "'The wife' is an ex-Imperial Hand. And a friend. And a proven guardian of our legitimate government. `Removing' her, as you seem to be insinuating, is both a revolting and conspiratorial line of thought," Cal muttered. "Just saying, Cal. Maybe you should encourage the Jedi to move to Ossus," G'sil said. "Completely? No, having some of them here keeps them in our sight. Transparency, after all. I have a 14:30 meeting - keep in touch," Cal said, closing the link. He never noticed a parabolic antenna across the street, in the hands of one GAG Captain Heol Girdun. ----------------------------------------------- tbc ...