Subject: [OTL]: (alt. Betsy/Star Wars) Fanged Butterfly 2: Knightcross 14/? (PG-15; imag From: Phil Hartman Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:58:41 +0000 will1@earthling.net Fanged Butterfly Vol. 2: Knightcross Chapter 14 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. WARNING: Graphic medical imagery - nothing quite as harsh as ER, but it is what it is. ------------------------------------------- 40 ABY: Medical Bay, GAG Flagship Ganner Rhysode, approaching Esseles: ------------------------------------------- He stirred, floating - no, he was horizontal and had no rebreather in his mouth, so he wasn't in a bacta tank. #Good, # Ben thought, blinking as his awareness returned - he felt his head and relaxed when he still felt fuzzy red hair there, and his braid. But he was wearing briefs, instead of shorts. #GREAT ... post-bacta,# Ben realized, as one of the medical droids walked over. "Lieutenant Skywalker, hold still. Your excessive Force use caused a hemorrhage in your nasal cavity - it healed itself, however. You underwent a short bacta immersion for the wounds to your torso," the droid pestered the boy, as Ben sat up and looked at his body. He had two long scar lines down the side of his right breast, down across his lower torso and stopping near his navel, while his wrists and ankles were bruised - he'd been spread-eagled when - #He didn't ... did he?# Ben thought, laying back on the repulsor field bed before looking over at another figure floating in a surgical field. Ben's eyes widened in shock when he realized it was *Jacen* floating there - also in briefs, and face-down - with a 2-1B droid *digging in the back of Jacen's head,* a patch of hair shaved away from some wound at the base of Jacen's head. "AH! Kriffit - you're sure there's no spinal or brainstem damage?" Jacen growled. "Affirmative, Colonel. I'm closing up now," the 2-1B said, applying a dermaseal to the incision at the base of Jacen's neck. Ben noticed - with a lot of relief - that Jacen had no signs of lightsaber burn wounds or a big bruise in the middle of his back. But the boy had to be sure. Jacen was rotated 180 degrees, then let his eyes shift over to Ben - healthy, non-yellow-orange eyes - and asked, "You got dunked too, huh?" "Bacta beachwear. Gotta love it," Ben tried to joke - but his gut twinged ... "Ben ... I'm so sorry. That Umbaran jumped me in the shower - I STILL don't know how that terantatek got onboard, not even an Umbaran should've been able to block me," Jacen sighed. His shields were down from the anesthetic - Ben could sense ... The boy teared up in relief - Jasa was telling the truth. "The Umbaran carbon-froze Mom and tortured me?" Ben still asked. Jacen nodded, wincing at the movement. "The recording was a setup. Someone hired that dark-sider to turn your folks against me. To turn - you -" he said, his voice hitching. "It's OK, Jacen. I ... what happened to him?" Ben asked, glancing around the room. One of the 2-1Bs pulled a sheet over something chalk-white and covered with purple bruises in the corner, and Ben gulped. "I ... was scared for you. In the hangar bay - you did great, driving that freak out of the Force-bond. I panicked, though, when I saw you kneeling ..." Jacen said, and Ben reached for him in the Force. Jacen WAS hiding something - Ben could sense it now that he'd awoken fully - and it was about what the Umbaran had done. The boy nudged at Jacen's stubborn protectiveness, and Jacen nudged back, giving Ben a chuckle which Ben laughed at. Just like old times. Almost. "Jasa ... don't you trust me? I believe you about the Umbaran, really," Ben asked. He *wanted* to believe Jacen. But something still felt weird ... a terantatek shouldn't be able to be smuggled onboard a Star Destroyer full of counterinsurgency troops. But then, who knew what Umbarans could do? Jacen sat up slowly, ignoring the looks of protest the droids gave him, and nodded as Ben echoed the movement. "I do, Bennie. It's ... just that I don't fully believe it myself," his cousin said, pulling a datapad to himself from a nearby table with the Force. Ben walked over - carefully - to sit beside Jacen as they moved to a bench near a row of lockers. "Evidence?" Ben asked, curiosity overriding his desire to dress more. "Girdun caught a fragment of comlink transmission between a couple of our old friends back on Coruscant. By itself, it might be nothing ... he holocommed this at highest priority after the attack, though," Jacen said, hitting the replay button. Ben's eyes narrowed as he recognized the voices - "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'vli G'sil, the Coruscant Senator, said sourly. "And neither Horn or the Butcher of Carida felt comfortable calling me?" Chief of State Cal Omas spat. "You're saying you'd rather have a Corellian Jedi or that maniac Durron in your office?" G'sil asked, sounding 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," Omas sighed. "The boy is in GAG. The wife seems like she's the one keeping Skywalker from moving forward," G'sil observed. The recording cut off there, and Ben's mind raced. "They ... they were talking about ..." Ben stammered, looking at Jacen in growing horror - Their bosses had conspired to hurt Ben's mom - to set up Jacen - but during wartime? "Hey - we can't go running around like crazed neks, OK? We need more proof. It might just be two old men griping about your folks taking their time to decide what to do," Jacen warned. "Yeah ... but ..." Ben worried. If they couldn't trust Chief Omas, then ... "Well, sirs, you take leading from the front seriously," Ben heard, and he managed to smile when Jori Lekauf walked over, toweling himself off after his own bacta dunk. At least Jori was able to walk - "What'm I thinking? Jori, I'm sorry you were hurt," Ben blurted, glancing at Jacen for a lecture about informality with the troops. "It's OK, Ben. I'd never be angry with you for worrying about a friend. Lekauf, thanks again - are you sure you're all right?" Jacen asked. "A little stiff, sir, but better than floating in that kriffing tank - er, sorry, Ben," Jori said, but Ben grinned conspiratorially. "Still wish they'd let us wear shorts in there. Stupid briefs," Ben muttered, as Lekauf chuckled and Jacen grew quiet. "Look ... Ben, I trust you. I do. But until we can be sure the ship is secure, I want you out of the line of fire - it's one thing for you to be on raids. It's another for you to be out here when we're closing on Corellia for a live-fire exercise," Jacen insisted. "You want me to go back to Coruscant?" Ben asked, trying not to whine - he was a soldier. He wanted to do his duty and help out. Even if part of him wanted to search Jacen's room for more evidence that the Umbaran was the only dark-sider onboard. "Just for now. I need my liasion with the Guard back at HQ, after all. Keep up the REBJ, and we'll crack some Corellian skulls out here. Lekauf, I expect you to watch Lieutenant Skywalker's back as faithfully as you have been," Jacen ordered. "Yessir," Jori said, returning Jacen's salute. Ben and Jacen also saluted each other, and Ben hugged Jacen briefly before releasing him. "Jacen ... thanks. For ... everything," Ben said, and Jacen grinned at him. "I'll see you soon. Now get dressed - it's approaching 1800, and I want you on a shuttle by 2000. We'll be stopping at Esseles for some tweaks to the hyperdrive - I have to remind Artoo to be careful with a shutdown," Jacen mock-grumbled. Ben tried not to wince at the mention of the little droid, and hoped Artoo was OK - that Ben's parents were OK ... "C'mon, Ben. They left our gear in the medcrew locker room," Jori said, and Ben followed his friend through a set of double doors, where they dug out their belongings. Once the doors swung shut and Ben had found his lightsaber - he'd need a new uniform and shorts, but he could handle that - Jori glanced at Ben and mouthed the words, "Do you trust the Colonel?" "I wanna, Jori. Umbarans CAN kriff with Force-users - but ..." Ben said, changing quickly - Force, was he glad to be clothed fully again ... Jori finished dressing, and he clapped Ben's shoulder carefully as they left to prepare for departure. "It's the Colonel. I want to believe him, too. At least that shavit-sucking Umbaran got his," he said, and Ben tried to smile back. He was too worried, though - for Jacen, who *still* didn't feel right in the Force, and for - [BEN!] Ben gasped - leaned against a wall, as his Mom reached for him - [Mom? Are you - is Dad -?] he called, more empathically than verbally. [Healing trance - he's stabilized. I can see again. Are you sure you're all right?] Mara sent, and Ben opened to her - she was worried, and he tried to reassure her, and Ben could hardly feel his dad's presence. After a long moment, Mom's Force-presence ruffled Ben's heart gently. [Thank the Force. Listen, whatever Jacen tells you, we're here for you - have to go, your dad's wound needs checking,] Mom assured him. [I love you, Mom,] Ben sent, and he smiled at her affirmative back. Then her attention shifted, and Ben opened his eyes to see Jori looking at him with worry. "My folks are OK - Dad's in a healing trance, after that terantatek stabbed him," Ben said, fighting back tears at the memory - he'd felt his dad get hurt. Trying to save Ben - "Hey. HEY. Grand Master Skywalker wouldn't want you to beat yourself up, right? He loves you - and he offered to help me. Maybe this'll work out," Jori suggested. "Thanks," Ben sighed, wiping his eyes - he was tired of crying. They walked for a while in silence, until Ben concentrated and asked, "Jori, when we get back, can you help me with something?" "I'm at your disposal, Loot," Jori said, snapping off a perfect salute which they both chuckled at. "Thanks. `Cause it's gonna be a little ... tricky," Ben whispered. "I need to see the Jedi Council ..." -------------------------------------- Caedus finished changing, then examined himself in the locker room mirror. The dark-side funnelling of the Umbaran's wasted life had healed the obvious damage caused by Luke's furious lightsaber assault. But the idiotic hireling had almost made things even worse than the fights with Mara and Luke ... #The vermin put Ben at risk. A distraction for the Skywalkers is one thing - Luke's wound, especially, was a fortunate stroke - but the terantatek was NOT to be released unless the Council attacked. Explaining THAT will take effort,# Caedus reflected angrily. Jacen resurged from within Caedus, shaking in fear at how close he'd come to losing his cousin - and in pride at Ben's strength. #He's got greater reserves and willpower than I'd thought. As long as he doesn't tear after Omas - yet - he'll be a valuable asset,# Caedus thought admiringly, disgusted at his sentimentality where Ben was concerned. #STOP it! He's your cousin, your apprentice, your little brother!# Jacen demanded. The fact that Ben had bought the "Umbaran as the dark-sider" story either meant the boy was more gullible - or more forgiving - than Caedus or Jacen had believed. #I can't do this. I love Ben - as much as I love Allana. I can't torture him,# Jacen insisted. #Perhaps you won't have to. There are many paths to the dark side,# Caedus purred ... Jacen shoved the monster back in his cage, sensing Lumiya's presence reaching for him. [Yes?] he replied,leaving the locker room to return to the bridge and comfort Captain Nevil's panic attack over the security breach. [Braddock overwhelmed me at the asteroid. I had to destroy it - she escaped. Worse, she fought off the darkside nexus,] the Dark Lady sent, and Caedus snarled. [Then she may know about Nelani. Shavit. I'll have to put a few pawns into motion which I'd intended to keep in reserve. And you - are you functional?] Caedus asked. [Quite. Your pawns aren't likely to stop a queen such as Braddock,] Lumiya warned. [You underestimate the dark side's effects in the material world, Lumiya. Stopping her is less than wise - misdirecting her, even keeping her out of play for a time, is all I need. She may yet still be of some use to us,] Caedus mused. [Very well. I'll set to slowing down the Bothans, then - and if I hear from Fyor Rodan, I'll let you know,] the cyborg replied. [The crotchety old nerf and his Commenorians will keep Omas on his toes until after we finish removing Cal from power. I'm sending Ben to Coruscant, also - he is NOT to be harmed, are we clear?] Caedus warned. [Sentimental fool. Very well ... my Lord,] Lumiya taunted, leaving Jacen's mind. Jacen leaned against the wall and shook his head. When had he come to work with one of his uncle's deadliest foes? #After three major wars in less than a lifetime? The galaxy needs the peace you bring,# Caedus said. Jacen determined to limit the number of corpses the fight was going to bring, though. He owed Allana - and Ben - that much. ---------------------------------------------- Dantooine: Jedi Enclave ruins: ---------------------------------------------- He stood, black hair buzzed short with five small horns jutting upward from a tan scalp, facial tattoos showing the story of his young life, as the Force rippled gently. Jedi robes, slightly damp around the legs from the morning dew, ruffled as the 24-year-old Iridonian Zabrak looked up from the archaeological dig and watched a familiar Lambda-class shuttle sweep in for a landing. "K'urod? That's the Angel's Wing, isn't it?" one of K'urod Var-Tasik's fellow Jedi Knights called - Bana Taro, a short Bimm with brown fur and long ears and snout - asked as he brushed dirt away from a lightsaber crystal half-buried in muck. "Yes, Bana. Forgive me, but I believe my Master has need of me. Will you and the others be all right without me for a time?" K'urod asked, knowing the mostly Force-blind group of students would be perfectly safe with Bana. A few kath hounds and kinrath spiders were no match for the well-trained group of archaeology graduate students from U-Coruscant, much less with a graduate of Ossus beside them. "Go, you overly-detached `exemplar.' Leave us to tell less-than-Jedi stories behind your back," Bana teased, and K'urod spared his classmate a faint smile before walking to where the Angel's Wing's hatch lowered. "Master Elizabeth," K'urod said - she felt exhausted, and traces of shadow clung to her. She'd battled the dark side directly. A memory of ice and shadows flickered in the Jedi's mind, but not without a smile. "Knight K'urod - thank the Force, K'ur. I need to rest, then ask your help. The Sith are back," Betsy said, bringing a brief look of surprise to her former Padawan's face. But K'urod was too Jedi to allow himself to panic. "We have shuura and fresh water through here, and fresh nerf steaks. Come, please," K'urod said, motioning Betsy toward the camp. ------------------------------------------ #Same old K'urod. Drop a bomb on him and he shrugs, then deals with it ...# Betsy knew if she was going to confront Jacen with force of arms - no pun intended - she'd need numbers on her side. At the same time, she didn't dare call on the scattered Skywalkers and/or Solos for backup. Their missions were just as important as getting Ben away from Jacen. And in a fight, a level-headed Zabrak warrior with a staggering amount of pain control and resilience could be extremely helpful. #Bloody good thing I trained one, then,# Betsy said after she'd showered and changed into clean robes, then explained the situation to her former Padawan. They sat, watching the Dantooine sunset, beneath a cantine tent and ate a quiet dinner. After he'd processed Betsy's story, K'urod looked at her and asked, "You do realize that to assault a Galactic Alliance Star Destroyer is technically an act of war." "An act the Masters Skywalker have, apparently, been foiled at attempting. No, I agree - we need to approach Ben with the news about Nelani when Jacen's not around. The boy trusts me, and I hope he won't dismiss our concerns out of love for Jacen," Betsy sighed, reaching out for Ben. No, even she had limits in how far she could reach in the Force, when the subject wasn't blood-tied to her. And Luke had shut down deeply, while Mara was focused on his survival - they were headed directly opposite from Betsy's location, toward galactic "south." Leia, Jaina and Anakin all were worried, but also all faint. Dantooine's lingering taint of death from the Vong War, combined with its distance from the rest of the galaxy, made it both a safeworld for Force-users to hide on and a difficult place to communicate from using the Force. "Then how do we track Padawan Skywalker? Using the Holonet would seem a chancy idea, if the GAG are monitoring it," K'urod asked - ever the devil's advocate, Betsy appreciated. Betsy chuckled and said, "K'urod, there are ways around every spynet ..." There was one place, even after its razing and the bloodbath of Order 66, which could focus a Force-user's powers like no other. "Come. We have to rally the Council, and the meditation chambers will help us find Ben," Betsy said, taking K'urod's hand as if he was still her student. "Come with me to Coruscant." ----------------------------------------- Coronet, Corellia: ----------------------------------------- Dur Gejjen ran a hand across his cropped black hair, then sat back in his chair and looked out over the wartime afternoon of Corellia's capital. He was young to be a Chief of State; few had expected Thrackan to be assassinated. Fewer had mourned. #Fett deserves a slice of the post-war merc work,# the swarthy-skinned Corellian thought, checking the flimsi again. It was a hastily-scribbled note. It could've been from his wife or kids. Instead, it was passed on from CorSec, found dropped outside a `fresher on Coruscant. I'm willing to discuss terms before this becomes a bloodbath. Solo is on the move, and is crazed, the flimsi read. With the initials, C.O., scrawled on it. #If this is real ... the blockade's starting to bite into our shipping. Best smugglers in the galaxy, and we're getting swatted down by one of our own ... technically,# Gejjen thought, scowling. They needed to send a message to Solo. Nobody was untouchable. And after Dathomir, CorSec knew who to target. It was risky, but the Hapans understood blood feuds VERY well ... "Nashtah? I have a job for you," Gejjen said after dialing a specific commcode. ------------------------------------------ Ossus: Jedi Academy: ------------------------------------------ The Shawnkyr landed, Jaina's eyes narrowing as the Force pulsed with warning. "They're likely expecting me," Jag said, watching his wife get up and check the security system - and the external holocams. There were GAG troops all over the place. The Academy headmaster, Kam Solusar, radiated frustration and welcome to Jaina, and she projected comfort back to her old teacher as she went down the ramp. Kam waited there with his silver-haired wife Tionne, the Jedi historian ... and a sharp-nosed GAG major. "Jaina. A pleasure, especially in these times," Tionne said, her musical voice both comforting Jaina and warning the younger woman of the major's obvious issues with Jedi. "The Sword of the Jedi. And Colonel Solo's ... twin," the major said, his nametag reading "Serpa." He executed a nauseating Imperial bow, and Jaina's breath caught for an instant - He reminded her, suddenly, of holos of Wilhulf Tarkin. "Major. Grand Master Skywalker asked me to check on the Academy and make sure things were ... secure," Jaina said, sensing Jag descend the ramp behind her. "Quite. I'll have to ask you to turn over your weapons, though - we have a bit of a problem with a former associate of yours running around the forest," Serpa said with a thin smile as he activated a holoprojector in his watch. Jaina's heart skipped a beat - even after five years with Jag - as an image of a dark-haired man with a furious look and a blue lightsaber flickered from Serpa's watch. "Zekk ..." Jaina breathed. ---------------------------------------- tbc ...