Subject: [OTL]: (alt. Betsy/Star Wars) Fanged Butterfly 2: Knightcross 46/? (R) From: Phil Hartman Date: Mon, 19 May 2008 01:26:22 +0000 will1@earthling.net Fanged Butterfly Vol. 2: Knightcross Chapter 46 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: Themes, imagery, some violence. --------------------------------------------------- 40 ABY: Lower levels of Nar Shaddaa, Nal Hutta System, Hutt Space, Outer Rim Territories, Galactic South: Day after the Battle of Corellia: --------------------------------------------------- Considering that the escapees were a half-naked mutant, another half-naked mutant/Jedi, a teenage Jedi apprentice wearing a Vong robeskin, a temporarily blind and nauseous Jedi with 12 years of imprisonment issues, and an R2 droid, with one lightsaber between them... versus a roomful of half-intoxicated aliens led by a Hutt with her finger on a button for a trap door leading to a pit with Force knew what in it ... things were actually going fairly well, Betsy thought. She still didn't dare risk a telepathic shockwave, but the ysalamiri were gone, so her Force access was back. And between Remy's stolen, charged spear, Ben handling the blaster deflection duties, Ganner's ... enthusiastic hand to hand fighting, and Artoo shocking anyone who got too close, the five escapees were making their way to the door. Then Betsy's danger sense kicked in, as Ben pointed and yelled, "*DUCK*!!!" "Waugh?" Remy asked, his eyes widening ... and Tarfang walked out of the crowd, grinning as he took aim with a proton bazooka. {Tarfang, WAIT! I had that wall lined with THERMAL DETONATORS!} Gardulla shouted, but the Ewok pulled the trigger. Betsy flattened, Force pulling the others to the floor, and - FWOOOOOSHHHH - KWABOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! --------------------------------------------------------------- Ben hadn't believed explosives could be that loud, but that had been before the Guard and raids. Fortunately, he'd learned not only how to minimize blast waves, but also sound; Jacen had taught Ben a degree of sonic manipulation to compensate for Ben's lack of a helmet comlink in the early days. #That seems like a lifetime ago,# Ben lamented, helping Aunt Betsy and ... Knight Rhysode? ... channel the blast wave away from them. Once the wavefront cleared, the escapees ran through the hole - Ben made sure to set Artoo on his feet - as Gardulla RAGED, and Aunt Betsy pushed Tarfang back into a crowd of angry courtiers. "OK, that be ... different. Killer Ewoks ... anyone else feel a draft?" the guy with the black and red eyes - Remy, Aunt Betsy had called him - tried to joke, and they ran down a walkway toward a traffic stream. "Later, Remy ... Ben, Artoo, thank you. How'd you find us, much less get to Nar Shaddaa?" Aunt Betsy asked, smiling ... and Ben couldn't take it; he felt so guilty and empty and suddenly overwhelmed, he shuddered and stammered and just ... broke down. ~Ben!? Easy, it'll be all right! You saved us, why ... you're hurt ...?~ Aunt Betsy sent, as Ben sobbed into her shoulder. /I'm sorry ... Aunt Betsy, I've been such a JERK,/ Ben babbled, letting her scan his memories. After a moment, she leaned back, her face a mask ... but she was a storm of emotions, mostly a lot of anger at Jacen ... and then, Aunt Betsy hugged Ben, radiating love and comfort. ~You acted from compassion. And Jacen needs serious intervention, which the rest of us should have seen. We have to get away, but once we do, we'll talk more. For now, just know that you're not to blame, and we love you,~ Aunt Betsy sent as she released Ben. #Intervention ...# Ben thought, concentrating ... and suddenly feeling guilty for another reason. #Jacen relied on me even before Vjun. He might not've been able to tell me everything he was doing, but he did talk to me ... and then he sent me away. He's trying to protect me, but from what?# Ben worried ... and he decided. He sent a specific ripple through the Force, then caught Aunt Betsy's eyes and said, "Please, take Artoo and find Mom and Dad. Tell them I'll catch up. I have talk to Jacen one more time, try to find why he's pushing me away. I love you guys, too." Aunt Betsy gasped, but wasn't able to stop Ben before he stepped through the dovin basal portal - and he was hit by an ... echo? ... through the Force. Jacen looked at Ben, but it was the person next to Jacen who held Ben's stare: VERY familiar blue eyes, set in a face without eyebrows, beneath a shaved scalp, body with claws and talons and groin pouch ... giving off fear. Of *Ben.* "You don't NEED him, Father! *I'M* your son!" ... Paaxis? ... said ... and cold, horrible realization hit Ben, as Jacen's eyes shifted. It was Caedus who locked eyes with Ben, like an amphistaff hypnotizing a ranat, the Force ebbing from the boy as the ... Sith Lord tried to trap him. "*That's* what ... who ... you want me to be. You were OK before you Shaped the Hapans, but THEN ... you ... fell," Ben realized, tearing up. Caedus' face softened, and THAT was the worst, Ben decided; the twisting of his cousin's sincere ... brotherliness into something ... Sithly. /Would it be so awful? You were OK with being Tace and Allana's brother,/ Caedus hissed through the Force, trying to twist Ben's feelings, weaken him - - but Ben didn't just have the Force. He threw everything he had into his OTHER mental shields, the other power he had ... ************************************************* 34 ABY: Varshasti Beach, Mon Calamari, Outer Rim, Galactic East: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Ben sat on his towel in his blue swimshorts; the swim had been fun, and he was having a great time with Aunt Betsy. But ... He ran a hand through his damp hair, wishing he could get it cut short, and watched Aunt Betsy get sandwiches and drink bottles out of the picnic basket. "Aunt Betsy, how come we went on vacation NOW, when ev'rything's all crazy with the Killiks?" Ben asked. Aunt Betsy sat on her own towel, underneath the sunbrella she'd set up over their beach stuff, and handed Ben a nerf sandwich and shuura juice before she smiled that funny little smile Ben saw grownups get sometimes. "You're a very sharp boy, Ben. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, just because you're 8. We came here ... well, because I had a Force vision, that the Killiks ... or some of them, might hurt you," she said, adjusting a shoulderstrap of her one-piece purple swimsuit before she started on her lunch. Ben nodded. He concentrated as he ate, trying just to listen to the Force and not be such a baby about it like before ... ~... forgot the suntan oil ... ... kriffing freighter surcharge ...~ Ben looked around; that WASN'T the Force. It was too ... narrow, like people's minds, but without their Force auras ... Aunt Betsy looked right at Ben, and he REALLY concentrated, and tried to ... mindspeak, without the Force, ~Can you hear me?~ She smiled, REALLY big, and Ben laughed at how surprised and happy Aunt Betsy felt. ~Yes! Ben, how long have you been able to mindspeak without the Force?~ Aunt Betsy asked, but Ben could just shrug. ~I dunno. I guess just since now. It's different, like what you do,~ Ben sent; it was hard to concentrate, to separate it from Force speech. ~It's *JUST* like what I do. Or like your mother can ... may I show you some telepathy skills?~ Aunt Betsy offered, and Ben grinned. ~Please!? I'll only use it for good, like with the Force, I promise!~ Ben sent, and Aunt Betsy smiled again. ~I trust you. We'll start with basic mindspeech, to help you separate it from Forcespeech, and defensive skills,~ Aunt Betsy sent, adding with a smile, ~AFTER lunch.~ ~Gotcha,~ Ben agreed; he didn't want his stomach rumbling when he had to listen ... *********************************************** Ben focused, shielding and counterthrusting - and Caedus WAS thrown back, snarling, "MORE of Braddock's teaching!?" "STOP getting so mad at her! SHE didn't lie to me for YEARS! She's tried to save me!" Ben yelled back, trying not to be mad - Jasa had to still be in Caedus somewhere, and even the ... Ben-clone wasn't evil, just scared ... ... Paaxis gasped, and sent - INSIDE Ben's shields, both frightening and weirdly friendly - ~He's just trying to bring order! You wanted that once!~ ~Not if it destroys people's CHOICES! And that's why I can't come back to him! HE'S GONNA ENSLAVE THE GALAXY IF WE DON'T STOP HIM!~ Ben mindcried. Caedus' face fell, and he recoiled as Ben stopped crying, and said, "I won't stop trying to save you, but I WON'T be your apprentice ... or your son." Paaxis looked ... relieved, and left Ben's mind, but Caedus' expression became ... well, Ben had seen scrolls on Ossus of ancient Sith like that - and BILLIONS of minds pressed against Ben's, focused behind Caedus, who SNARLED, ~You're already unShaped, Jedi. I HAVE my son ...~ ~YOU WILL BE RESHAPED, HOLLOWED OUT AND USED AS A *SLAVE.*~ "Father, STOP! He's not a traitor!" Paaxis begged, over another voice - ~Mom?~ Ben called, feeling ... like he was filling with a light, the Force flickering more and more powerfully WITH his telepathy ... Another entity was in his mind, but ... it was ... trying not to hurt HIM ... ~BEN!~ Mom called - he stared to GLOW - and Mom's voice faded ... ~TORTURER. BETRAYER,~ the ... bird? ... accused, and Ben felt it glare at Caedus through Ben's eyes - and a fiery CLAW of energy grabbed Caedus, pushing the groupmind back ...!? ~I can't kill my OWN COUSIN!~ Ben begged the ... Phoenix? The firebird released Caedus, as Ben levitated, and the raptor contracted, replacing Ben's robeskin with a black bodyglove, a shining gold stylized firebird on the chest. Ben felt his head, and the red fuzz on his scalp ... the Phoenix had sped up his hair regrowth ... But then OTHER minds - not the groupmind, but a weave of light, fire becoming sound, and Ben couldn't FOCUS - it was all too MUCH - but when Caedus swung at Ben with a red lightsaber, the Sith Lord yelped when Paaxis grabbed his arms, and ARTOO raced past between him and Ben - ~Escape. Learn control. Bring droid,~ the Phoenix promised, gently picking up the droid, whom Ben hugged - Artoo came for him again - - and - they - were - stretched - ----------------------------------------------------------------- and reappeared over a LAKE ... !? "HANG ON!" Ben yelled, trying to focus his telekinesis, but he was so tired - Impact. They hadn't fallen far, but Artoo was dragging Ben down, and Ben cried inside at having to release his friend ... Ben managed to break the surface, relieved when Artoo's scope popped up nearby, and they swam to shore (well, Artoo used a small motor or something), where Ben collapsed, exhausted. He managed to get his shields back up, watching as Artoo rolled up beside him, then spewed water and whistled, "Vroot wroo?" "Jus' ... tired, pal," Ben panted, trying not to black out; he was tired and hungry ... and not alone. Ben looked around, sensing a LOT of life - powerful lifesigns, almost all of them radiating that special mental energy Aunt Betsy said was the sign of mutants like her ... like Mom and Ben ... And a LOT of kids, around Ben's age or a little older, were swimming in the lake or playing along the beach, with some running toward him. "Holy - you OK?! Someone call Dr. McCoy, either of them! Don't try to move - my name's Frank. Was that the Phoenix!? And - NO WAY, that IS a functioning R2 unit!?" a boy with buzzcut blond hair, wearing a blue swimbrief, asked, dropping to one knee beside Ben as a crowd of kids in swimsuits approached. "Yeah ... you ... speak English? Aunt Betsy taught me telepathically ... but it's been years ... what planet is this?" Ben asked, letting Frank help him sit up. Frank's eyes widened, but his shields were strong enough that Ben only felt a little of the other boy's surprise, while a girl in a green two-piece swimsuit knelt at Ben's shoulder. "Earth ... how can you know Betsy!? She's ALIVE!? Who ARE you?!" the girl gasped ... but Ben gaped, as he took in the girl's green eyes and shoulder length red hair; she looked a LOT like ... !? "Ben Skywalker ... we were escaping Nar Shaddaa ..." Ben stammered, before he saw the huge school behind the others: Earth. Xavier's School. All the sleeptime tales Aunt Betsy had told him were TRUE ... Ben was overwhelmed, and knew the rest of unconsciousness. ----------------------------------------------------------------- He heard snatches of conversation, felt gentle hands ... Ben stirred, blushing when a woman with dark skin and tightly braided hair wearing a white coat started unzipping his bodyglove. "Awake, huh? Nice to see you're a normal teenage boy in some regards. Relax; I'm a doctor. We need to do an exam, make sure your dip didn't break any bones," she said, letting Ben sit up on what felt like a medbed. It was a medlab, all right; the white walls and smell of disinfectant and weird machines all confirmed it. Ben relaxed a little, until he felt his combat belt gone - and Mom's lightsaber, and where was - "Wreooo BWURT!" an aggravated whistle rang out, and Ben smiled when Artoo rolled in, ignoring the doctor's frown ... and the droid was followed by a TALL ... well, a sentient who looked like a Shistavenan with a feline snout and blue fur, wearing a coat like the doctor. The newcomer smiled, calling, "Welcome back from the land of sleep, my mysterious young friend. Your diminutive bodyguard refused to depart from your side, and our esteemed hyperintelligent psionics student confirmed the good intentions of said mechanical compadre." Ben rubbed Artoo's dome in relief and welcome, before shyly smiling at the ... blue doctor and asking, "You're ... the Beast? Aunt Betsy told me you were a good friend of hers ... and you use a lot of big words, like she described." "Oh my stars and garters. You HAVE met Elizabeth, then? She DID survive the teleportation accident?" the Beast asked, amazed, and Ben smiled; the doctor felt safe enough empathically, and shone with lightside emotions in the Force. "Yeah. She landed on Sernpidal and saved Chewie, about a year before I was born. She's like my aunt, and she's a Master in the Order," Ben explained, starting to peel off the bodyglove - it was damp, yet, and if he didn't start trusting people, he was never going to figure out how to get home ... That was when Ben noticed the doctors looking at each other with wide eyes, and he could feel their surprise - they weren't gonna attack him, but they were ... stunned? The Beast managed a smile, then said, "Forgive our surprise ... Ben? ... but we think we're going to owe a certain friend of ours a LARGE bet. "Marrissa is going to be EXTREMELY happy to meet you ..." ------------------------------------------------------------- After the exam - Ben trusted the Beast, or Dr. McCoy, as the felinoid doctor was also known, to draw blood and swab Ben's mouth for DNA sampling - the doctors left Ben some shorts and what they called sweatpants and a sweatshirt, basically pullon clothes, with socks and slipon shoes. Ben sat in both Dr. McCoys' (the doctors were married, and the lady's name was Cecilia Reyes-McCoy, Ben had learned) office, Artoo beside him, waiting for ... Ben wasn't sure. The ... X-Men, Ben knew Aunt Betsy had called them, were friendly, but he didn't think they quite trusted him. He had been given a sandwich and what looked like cooked tuber sticks, with a glass of WHITE milk (and THAT was gonna take some getting used to), so he at least wasn't starving. Two POWERFUL minds, kind but pretty much untouchable, approached, and Ben finished his food, standing as Doctor McCoy (the blue one) walked in, followed by a tall bald man wearing what Ben thought Aunt Betsy had called a business suit ... and behind them ... Ben's jaw PLUNGED; it was a woman, kind and radiating curiosity, wearing a yellow and black jacket and tight black pants. Who looked like holos of his Mom from around the start of the Vong War ... and whose mental signature was INCREDIBLY close to Mom's. "Jean Summers ...? Ma'am? And Professor Xavier, sir?" Ben said respectfully; Aunt Betsy had described her fellow telepath as a good friend, and Charles Xavier had been a strong memory of Aunt Betsy's. "Yes ... Ben? Rachel, my daughter, told me your name ... we don't mean to drop a lot of questions on you, but ... may I examine your mind? I won't tamper, I promise," Mrs. Summers asked, and Ben nodded. "Sure. Aunt Betsy said you were really trustworthy," Ben agreed; Mrs. Summers FELT safe, anyhow. She gently brushed his thoughts ... and after a moment, she teared up, amazed, and smiled, saying, "He's trustworthy, Charles, AND he knows Betsy ... and he IS telling the truth about his ... R2 unit ... and his surname ..." Ben gasped, asking Dr. McCoy, "My DNA - !?" "Yes. Somehow, you have Grey DNA ... close enough to be Jean's nephew," Dr. McCoy said, smiling as he added: "Welcome ... home, Ben Skywalker." ------------------------------------------------------------- Even after facing her clone, a son she'd given up for adoption, and a daughter-in-law and grandson she'd not dared dreamed existed, it was still a shock for Jean Grey-Summers to meet unexpected relatives. The question and answer session had moved upstairs to Charles' office; Artoo (and he alone was just TOO stunning not to be amazed over) had faithfully followed ... Ben ... along with her and Charles to the professor's office. Ben seemed both a little awed and amused at some of the architectural features, but he wasn't condescending; Jean could sense her ... nephew's? inherent decency and kindness, even after he'd been through a HORRIFIC few months ... If Jean ever caught Jacen Solo, the Force would NOT be with him. "Ben ... please forgive us, if we're shocked or act ... oddly. Even for us, meeting entities whom we believed were fictional characters is ... quite outside our usual experience," Charles tried to explain, but Ben just smiled and shrugged. "It's OK, sir. No offense, but you were ... well, kind of like holobook characters, from Aunt Betsy's stories. Meeting that Remy guy was pretty odd, too," Ben said, and Jean recalled what Ben meant - She wasn't able to hold in her giggles at the memory of Remy wearing a gold bikini. Ben looked at her curiously, then asked, "If we share DNA ... Aunt Jean ... how could my mom get all the way to Coruscant?" "We have some contacts within our government working on that question, Ben. For right now, we have to ask you to please remain on the grounds. While we have proof that you are who you claim to be, mentioning the name 'Skywalker' freely here on Earth might draw unwanted attention," Charles explained, as Ben nodded in understanding. "Aunt Betsy warned me, sir. Is ... do people REALLY worship my family?" Ben asked, wisely wary. Jean tried not to sigh as she replied, "Worship ... not exactly. Obsess over ..." She tilted her head, as Scott thought, #Jean? *SHE* KNOWS.# ~Oh, crap. Can you - never mind,~ Jean replied, sensing ... HER ...come racing into the mansion ... Marrissa Suzanne Jones-Summers burst in, saw Ben and Artoo, and SQUEALED. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ben TRIED not to leap at what sounded like a sonic squealer going off, much less the brown-haired woman bursting through the door and HOPPING ... but she calmed down, then blushed and said, "Sorry ... so sorry ... I SWORE I wasn't going to do this ..." Then she saw Artoo, SHRIEKED, and hugged the little droid, who squawked in protest until Ben said, "Artoo, don't panic! I think she's a friend ..." "Oh! I am ... sorry. I'm Marissa Summers, Jean's daughter-in-law. Which makes us ... COUSINS-IN-LAW!!!" Marrissa ... exploded, and Ben winced until the young woman released Artoo and looked sincerely sorry. "'Riss, who else ... forget it. It's a school full of students with psionics and enhanced senses. The instant the DNA test came back positive, the whole student body probably knew," Aunt Jean (Ben figured he'd better get used to that) sighed. "Don't worry. Jake locked down the campus, and his intel spooks are screening all civilian cel phone and e-mail traffic. Ben's secrets are safe," Marrissa promised, and Ben wondered ... "Aunt Betsy said you work with your country's government, to fight bigotry and stuff. Do you have a ... Planetary Alliance Guard?" Ben asked. Marrissa looked at him VERY strangely, and her feelings became a mix of wariness, affection and ... sorrow? "My husband, Jake, is Jean's oldest child, and he's the liasion between the U.S. government and the X-Men. His office, the Commission on Superhuman Affairs, is ... NOT like the GAG," she said, and Ben gulped; he hoped his old job wasn't gonna upset anyone ... "BEFORE we scare Ben needlessly, where IS Jake? And doesn't Siri need her mother?" Aunt Jean asked, sounding peeved. "Jake was coordinating with SHIELD, the CSA, and Hulkbuster Base. He'll be along in a minute. And Siri and Chase are safe with Rachel. Siri's my little girl, just turned a month old, and Chase is my son, almost 5," Marrissa explained, and Ben smiled. "Wow. Did you name her after Siri Tachi?" Ben asked, almost regretting the question when Marrissa ... bubbled ... with glee, but it faded to what he recognized as maternal love; it reminded him of ... Ben shuddered in realization: HE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO GET HOME. The Phoenix was ... gone, and he didn't have a ship or coordinates ... "Ben!? I'm sorry!" Marrissa exclaimed, as Ben tried not to cry, and Artoo rolled over to him, toodling comfortingly. "Don't worry, hon. We THINK we have an explanation," Ben heard. He looked up, seeing two tall men walk in; one had red hair buzzed as short as Ben's, and wore a forest camoflague uniform. The other was older, with graying brown hair and red glasses, wearing a skintight black bodyglove with a hood pulled back and some weird visor attached. They were obviously father and son, and Ben recognized the older one ... "Cyclops, sir ... Uncle Scott, I mean," Ben said, standing to shake Scott Summers' hand, then the younger Summers - Jake, Ben guessed. Scott smiled wryly and replied, "Good to meet you ... Ben. This is ..." "What Dad means is, don't mind the craziness. We have a working theory, but we need to download some data from Artoo, if that's OK?" Jake asked, and Ben looked at Artoo. "Wroo bwoodle," Artoo replied, sounding a little worried, and Ben rubbed his dome. "Can I stay with him? He's ..." Ben tried to explain, blushing; these people were his family, he could FEEL it, but ... Jake gently patted Ben's shoulder and nodded. "He's your friend. Believe me, I know how important it is to have someone you can turn to when your world gets kicked out from under your feet. When I learned Scott and Jean were my parents, 'Riss and Chase were there to help me adjust to having the X-Men as relatives, and so were my troops," the officer said, and Ben felt better. "C'mon, Artoo. We can trust them. Er ... did anyone see the lightsaber I had with me? It's pretty dangerous in the wrong hands," Ben worried, until Jake handed Ben Mom's lightsaber ... and Marrissa held up a lightsaber of her own, which had been hanging off of a loop of her pants, as she smiled and said, "Believe us, we know." Ben gasped, following the adults outside with Artoo, and asked, "How - where'd you get -" "A storage locker in a government warehouse that isn't supposed to exist. I was cleared to give that 'saber to 'Riss when Chase was born, since terrestrial tech had caught up to ... well, what our contacts discovered in the Roswell files," Jake said, making Marrissa gasp, and Ben sensed she was thinking hard - Jake kissed Marrissa's cheek, and something passed between them telepathically; Ben gave them their privacy, and looked around. The school grounds were pretty; it seemed like spring, with flowers, green trees, and kids running around and playing. But there was also a knot of office buildings, surrounded by what Ben recognized as laser fencing, and armed guards with firearms in uniforms similar to Jake's. They snapped to attention, and Jake returned their salutes as he led the group into the biggest building. Inside, Ben's eyes adjusted as they entered a room lit mostly by the glow of viewscreens and control boards; most of the techs had HUD visors, so excessive lighting was contra-indicated. Jake sat in the prime control chair, nodding at a woman when she brought him a datapad. "It's like the listening post back at Guard HQ," Ben whispered, blushing when a few dozen people looked at him, then went back to what they were doing ... except for one eager-looking guy with buzzed *blue* hair, who saluted Jake and looked at Artoo with anticipation. Artoo SCREECHED in panic, and Ben blurted, "GHENT!? But you're WAY too young!" Amused laughter came from some of the troops as the soldier blushed and said, "Corporal Rhys MacGaren, actually." "Oh. Sorry ... I oughta know better. I hope your squadmates don't give you a hard time," Ben said sincerely; he knew what it was like, being a young soldier. At least his pals' teasing had been kind. "No problem, er ... weren't you a lieutenant, if I remember right?" MacGaren said, hooking up an input/output cable to Artoo before typing furiously at a keyboard. "That was a whole other life ago," Ben breathed, realizing he'd probably never be Lieutenant Skywalker again ... Marrissa put a gentle hand on his shoulder, and sent, ~I'm sorry if we're scaring you or making you sad. Here we are, excited to meet you and Artoo, and we're not thinking of you.~ ~Thanks, but it's OK. Everyone's nice, and Aunt Betsy warned me people here were a little ... wild about Dad and everyone. Anakin kind of gets this reaction from women, years after the Vong War,~ Ben sent ... gulping when Marrissa gasped. "ANAKIN SOLO IS *ALIVE*!?" Marrissa squeaked - but she was interrupted when a galaxywide hologram appeared in midair, and began to flicker, as star systems were added. "Where are these coming from? Artoo?" Jake asked MacGaren, who nodded excitedly. "It's a match for the Roswell data, sir. The galaxy maps line up precisely; SHIELD didn't trust Thrawn's data, even if they did incorporate repulsorlift and blaster tech into the Helicarrier," MacGaren said, but Ben focused on one word: "THRAWN!?" he blurted, as Marrissa yelled, "ROSWELL?!" "Relax, you two. It was the Cold War, and we cut a deal." Ben turned toward the source of the voice - a gravelly baritone - and saw an older man with graying black hair, wearing an eyepatch over his left eye and a tight blue jumpsuit walk in, a blonde woman in an official looking business suit close behind him. Jake stood and saluted, but the older man just shook his hand, then Professor Xavier's and Uncle Scott's, as Aunt Jean said, "Ben, this is Colonel Nick Fury, director of SHIELD, sort of a global security force, and with him is Dr. Valerie Cooper, Jake's boss. Nick, Val ... Ben Skywalker, my nephew." "Sir, ma'am," Ben said, shaking first Fury, then Dr. Cooper's hands. Fury looked at Ben with what Ben THOUGHT was amusement, while Dr. Cooper looked ... shocked, then pulled herself together. "Still surprised somethin' like this didn't happen sooner. But the Chiss are keepin' Republic, or GA now, I guess, folks outta our end of the galaxy. Their remit from the Kree, t' prevent us native humans from spreading too far, too fast. As for the Roswell/Thrawn thing - Coop, you wanna tell them, or do I?" Fury said, lighting a foul smelling thing Ben guessed was a local deathstick. Cooper glared at Fury for a second, then dug a datapad out of the bag she was carrying, and said, "Basically, in 1947 A.D. local reckoning, a Republic shuttle on deep reconnaisance in what Ben knows as the Unknown Regions - essentially, our end of the galaxy - suffered a massive system cascade and crashed at Roswell, New Mexico. "Only one survivor was recovered, a Chiss exiled from the Ascendancy ... a Mit'thrawn'nuodo." Marrissa gasped, and Ben asked, "How long ago was 1947 here?" "61 years; how old is your mom?" Aunt Jean asked - but Cooper answered, "58. Right, Ben?" "Yes, ma'am ... how do you know ...?" Ben asked, watching Cooper sigh and recheck her datapad. "Because, an unethical deal was cut between elements within Earth's governments, and Thrawn, after an Imperial Star Destroyer that showed up three years after Thrawn's capture. Our planet faced orbital bombardment, so we accepted some advanced tech, and let Thrawn ... take one human infant back to the dawning Empire, for 'cultural exhange'," Cooper said, wincing. Ben tried to process that and asked, stunned, "... MOM ...?" "Wait! My parents were 19 in 1950! They never said ANYTHING about alien abduction, OR having a daughter before my sister Sara was born. And she was born in 1961!" Aunt Jean insisted. She blushed, looking at Jake, and added, "Of course, we kept quiet about Jake for 10 years, too ..." "Well, there's a birth certificate for a Mara Rhiannon Grey, c. April 12, 1950. No date of death. Parents, John and Elaine Grey. The records were sealed by ... a Colonel Randolph Gyrich," Cooper said. "Well, there's only two people who can verify this, besides SHIELD," Aunt Jean said, putting an arm around Ben. "C'mon, kiddo ... let's introduce you to your grandparents." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- tbc ...