Subject: [OTL]: (alt. Betsy/Star Wars) Fanged Butterfly 2: Knightcross 49/? (R) From: Phil Hartman Date: Mon, 26 May 2008 04:49:28 +0000 will1@earthling.net Fanged Butterfly Vol. 2: Knightcross Chapter 49 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: Violence, language, themes. ----------------------------------------------------------- 40 ABY: Bast Castle, Vjun, Outer Rim Territories, Galactic East: Day after the Battle of Corellia: ----------------------------------------------------------- He’d been showing Paaxis the dovin basal portal generator when the plea came, and Caedus acknowledged it gladly. #A little quick for him to come back, but once Ben sees Paaxis, he shouldn’t feel so ... afraid, of what being Shaped can mean,# Caedus thought, triggering the portal command, focusing the subspace lens ... Paaxis, he noted approvingly, was following the sequence of Force commands both with awe and attentiveness. The boy was PERFECT, Caedus projected, bringing a heartwarming smile to his son’s face. If only Ben would be so ... accepting. He could be MADE so, of course, but that would require Force alteration of his mind to such a degree that Caedus shuddered. Mental assimilation into a comforting groupmind and a therapeutic mindwipe to erase unnecessary memories were one thing. Sadistic, brutal reprogramming? Ben deserved better. Caedus didn’t want to hurt his cousin ... his effective son. He was careful what he let Paaxis hear, of course; the clone had a quaint idea that HE had been Ben, and had been ’purified’ by his Shaping into a higher state, freed of tiresome human morals. It certainly wasn’t a belief Caedus disagreed with. He just wanted the original as his adopted son, Shaped body and mind, also. #I’ll have to be careful how I explain this to Paaxis ... he’s a longlost twin? Not a bad idea ... he WANTS to believe, so ...# Caedus thought, watching the portal cohere and Ben stepping through, still wearing the robeskin he’d been given before Caedus had unShaped him. Ben started to speak, but then he caught sight of Paaxis, and Caedus winced; the original was shocked ... and the clone was TERRIFIED. He was irrationally afraid of being replaced, but Caedus certainly wasn’t going to butcher either boy. “You don’t NEED him, Father! *I’M* your son!” Paaxis sobbed ... and cold, horrified realization hit Ben, as Caedus’ eyes shifted; the situation was going to get tricky, fast. He caught Ben’s eyes, trying to empathically ensnare the boy 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; he didn’t want Ben to fear the glory awaiting him. He tried to explain, /Would it be so awful? You were OK with being Tace and Allana’s brother./ But Ben didn’t just have the Force. He threw everything he had into his OTHER mental shields, the other power he had ... Ben focused, shielding and counterthrusting - and Caedus WAS thrown back, snarling, “MORE of Braddock’s teaching!?” Caedus had suspected Ben had an extra, innate telepathy; Mara was more than *just* a Force strong ex-assassin, but her gift wasn’t as well developed as Braddock’s. But Ben HAD learned from the purple haired she-nek. “STOP getting so mad at her! SHE didn’t lie to me for YEARS! She’s tried to save me!” Ben yelled back, fighting his anger - it was DELICIOUS, and Caedus wished Ben would just give in ... He wanted to reShape the boy, but reShaped AND Sith? A worthy son indeed. Paaxis gasped, and sent - INSIDE Ben’s shields, Caedus heard it secondhand - ~He’s just trying to bring order! You wanted that once!~ /Wise point, my son,/ Caedus approved, even as he sensed dangerous doubt seeping from the clone ... Paaxis suspected the truth. ~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. Then, Ben stopped crying, becoming brave and caring, but determined, and said, “I won’t stop trying to save you, but I WON’T be your apprentice ... or your son.” Caedus was briefly shocked, then ... realized the EFFRONTRY of this whelp, whom he’d taught for the better part of a decade, REJECTING *HIM* ... ?! Worse, offering to *SAVE CAEDUS* ?! Caedus didn’t even think as he drew on the dark side, then on the groupmind - and mentally 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, suddenly - GLOWING!? - Caedus couldn’t reach Ben anymore, mentally - and a fiery CLAW of energy grabbed Caedus, pushing the groupmind back ...!? #What IS this thing?! It’s Force energy, but ... wild, unfocused! Pure!?# Caedus thought, refusing to panic - he was the Dark Lord of the SITH! ~I can’t kill my OWN COUSIN!~ Ben begged the ... firebird? ... 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. Caedus watched, cursing inwardly as the firebird accelerated Ben’s hair regrowth; worse, whatever fragments of the Shaping virus might have been lingering in the boy’s body had been totally eradicated. Caedus had totally unShaped Ben before, but he regretted that choice ... and this firebird was too dangerous to let manifest again. #I have the Ben I need,# Caedus grieved, looking at Paaxis. Caedus sobbed, igniting his new, red lightsaber ... but when he swung at Ben, the Sith Lord yelped when Paaxis grabbed his arms, and ARTOO raced past between him and Ben - and the firebird vanished, pulling boy and droid away. Caedus cried in relief, shut down his weapon, and closed the portal - what had he almost DONE!? #Ben. I almost killed BEN. He spared ME, and I almost killed HIM. I threatened to BREAK him. What have I *BECOME*!?# Caedus thought ... and then, another sense of shock hit him, and he looked over at Paaxis. The boy’s tearful blue eyes held heartbreak ... and his hands held Caedus’ lit lightsaber. AND the boy’s own. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Father ... had called the OTHER, Ben. Had cried when the OTHER had left. Even after trying to kill the OTHER. Paaxis shivered, trying not to sob; Father loved him, had been teaching HIM. HE had been Ben; the other boy had to be a clone. Didn’t he? Father was on his knees, looking ... afraid, and Paaxis shuddered; Father was NEVER afraid. And Paaxis was the one holding the lightsabers, a small, nasty, wicked part of him whispered. “Paaxis? I can explain. Just ... please, give me my lightsaber back? Hilt first?” Father asked, hope, trust and love pouring across their bond. Just like before. When Paaxis HAD been weak, scared little Ben. Before the Guard training had helped peel away his fears about properly using the Force. Before the wonderful sensations of being Shaped, setting aside ridiculous body shame. And Paaxis’ mind had been cleansed of lies and needless memories. Who had blessed him with such gifts? Father would NEVER betray Paaxis. The boy shut down the lightsabers, handed Father’s back to him, and dropped to one knee, blushing in shame. How could HE betray Father? He snapped his fists to his opposite shoulders and asked in Vong, “Belek tiu, Father. I beg forgiveness.” /Oh, Paax ... son, you’ve done NOTHING wrong. Stand, please?/ Father asked, and Paaxis leapt up, starting to stammer an apology - He saw pride and warmth and an apology in Father’s eyes, and Paaxis said, “Father, I ... you MADE me who I am. I shouldn’t -” “You’ve committed no sin, son. And an inquiring mind is never a bad thing. You’re just wondering who that boy was. I ... you deserve the truth,” Father began, and Paaxis beamed. And then that kriffing firebird came back, and Paaxis gasped: The SKYWALKERS were here. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Mara had been horrified enough when she’d felt Ben’s Force signature be ... consumed, by the Phoenix. Then he’d vanished, not dead ... Replaced by a feral, frighteningly OBEDIENT Ben-like mind. Vonglike. Shaped. The Phoenix Entity was gone. But Mara knew how to wield the power, now. Going back to Vjun had been on the top of their agenda, anyhow. But what awaited them ... was even fouler than Mara’s worst nightmares. Ben ... the boy who had BEEN Ben, anyway ... turned on her and Luke, holding a red lightsaber ... afraid. Of *THEM.* “BEN!? Son -” Luke pleaded, but Mara didn’t think that was a smart play - Her heart still shattered as the boy’s expression and Force signature became terrified, and he shouted, “NO! My REAL father freed me! You stay AWAY! “I am Paxis, son of Caedus, Lord of the Shaped.” Luke gasped, his Force presence shrinking as his heart broke, and Mara supported him; the dark side was growing dangerously thick ... Worst of all, was the ... adoration ... Paxis looked at Caedus with, and that feeling of worship pouring from her boy. It was nightmarishly familiar. Mara was suddenly, awfully, back in a darkened Coruscant palace. The Hand’s durasteel wouldn’t bring Ben back. And ... showing her heart still scared HER. But it was BEN ... He ... Paaxis? Mara sensed him gently correct her ... radiated PITY, and sent, gently, ~Please, just ... go. I know you care, but I am his, now.~ THAT was when Luke flared in the light, suddenly blinding, and ... HIS eyes turned WHITE, as he roared self-righteously, “NO!” “MINE! *MINE!*” And Mara knew, finally, EXACTLY, what had led to this disaster ... “And MY Yoda imitation freaked YOU out?” she sighed, cold cocking him. He fell into her arms, unconscious, and she teleported them, warning Caedus, “This isn’t over. We’ll be back ... “For BOTH the sons Luke taught.” ------------------------------------------------------------------ Lower levels of Nar Shaddaa, Nal Hutta System, Hutt Space, Outer Rim Territories, Galactic South: ------------------------------------------------------------------ Logically, Betsy knew getting the stang off of the Smugglers’ Moon was the smart play. Gardulla would want an even worse revenge, Tarfang was walking trouble, and Ben was IN trouble. Convincing three *illogical* fellow escapees, however ... “I’m NOT getting aboard a ship with the psychotic bird who LOCKED ME UP FOR *12 KRIFFING YEARS*!!” Ganner yelled, QUITE back to his old self after the carbonite thawing ... “Not to mention those leers she be givin’ me, oui?” asked Remy, who frowned at Vergere when the Fosh kept peeking at him, while Betsy commed Neal. “I am merely studying -” Vergere began - and then, she AND Betsy gasped: Ben. There, then gone, but not dead - and the PHOENIX had carried him off - and someone, LIKE Ben but too Vongformed and obedient to BE Ben, left behind. There was NO way the Phoenix would reShape Ben, Betsy realized ... Betsy whirled on Vergere as the shuttle’s ramp opened, and demanded, “WHAT connection could THEY have!? Mara’s telepathic, but -” That, of course, was when the blasterfire started, and Betsy was barely able to deflect even a few of the bolts telekinetically. “Perhaps we can discuss this after we leave behind the assassins, bounty hunters and various other local small businessbeings?” Vergere suggested. “FINE. Remy, there’s a spare combat bodyglove in the locker; refresher, or bathroom, first door on the left. Ganner, weapons; Neal, FLOOR IT! Vergere, squawk. Mara. Ben. Phoenix. Explain,” Betsy ordered as they retreated aboard the Angel’s Wing, quickly achieving escape velocity. “Zonama Sekot has traveled far, keeps deep secrets. And you are a lock seeking a key ... to why the Shaped Ones must start as humans, no other species,” Vergere replied, typically opaque. “Something unique in human genetics - NO!” Betsy - gasped - because if THIS GALAXY’S HUMANS had a unique gene - “Betsy, you can’t trust her, even if she IS telling the truth about the Shaped!” Ganner snapped, until Betsy glared at HIM. “I can’t trust EITHER of you. Not without a deep psiscan, and we have to get to - THERE,” Betsy sighed, finally relaxing once they were out of the gravity well, even if a few persistent bounty hunters followed. A question scrolled across Betsy’s comscreen as Neal toodled, and she nodded. “Endor? Makes sense. GO!” she told her astromech, and they jumped safely to hyperspace. Ganner opened his mouth, but Betsy just arched an eyebrow and said, as a now bodyglove clad Remy left the refresher, “My ship, my rules. I’m going to get changed. Anyone who acts stupid while I get changed gets telepathically knocked out for the week it’ll take to reach Endor.” “WEEK?!” Ganner and Remy both yelped, while Vergere looked annoyed. Betsy shrugged, getting up to get changed - and barely keeping from crying as she feared for Ben. She’d just let him go back to Jacen ... Over her shoulder, she said, icily, “Start working. Mood I’m in, the telepathic sedation might be kinder than putting up with me.” She slipped into her bedroom, relieved for a chance to vent, and got changed into simple underwear and Jedi robes before sitting on the bed and tearing up. It was all too bloody OVERWHELMING. But there had to be a way to fix this. And Betsy knew she had to keep it together long enough to do so. She left the bedroom and sat in the pilot’s chair, drawing everyone’s gaze, and said, “All right. Here’s how we play this. Ganner: Psiscan. That should establish your bonafides. Remy: Fill in the past almost year. You, at least, I trust. Vergere: I’m not stupid, so I’ll stay out of your mind. However, you DO owe me an explanation for the Mara/Ben/Phoenix connection, and your and Ganner’s survival. Ganner goes first.” Ganner shrugged, and let Betsy into his mind. #I WAS near death when I fell into the Well of the World Brain, but Jacen had a vial of Vergere’s healing tears stashed away - he Force-pushed them into my hand. The little karkbrain had some Vong vines grab me, and the next thing I knew, I awoke healed in the dungeons of Bast Castle. I spent the next 12 years there, well-treated, but a prisoner in a cage Raynar would’ve appreciated,# he thought, as Betsy skimmed his memories ... She tried not to cry; it WAS him. And he’d clung to her memory as a way to keep sane ... even if the occasional Shaped woman had visited him ... They hugged, and Betsy sent, ~I am SO sorry. If we’d known ...~ #You’re not to blame. I understand if we’re ... not going anywhere. The real you and the Betsy who got me through the loneliness aren’t the same. I just ask ... can we remain friends?# Ganner inquired, his beard scratching her cheek. ~Completely. I’ll do what I can to help, also,~ Betsy promised, and Ganner returned her smile as they separated. She glared daggers at Vergere, who sighed and said, “I kept Rhysode on Vjun because his death inspired the Forceblind AND the Jedi against the Vong. As for my survival at Ebaq 9 ... the Force projection skill of Darth Vectivus is not only known to Lumiya.” “LUMIYA!?” Betsy gasped. “I *KNEW* you were Sith!” Ganner snarled. “And she still peeking at Gambit,” Remy pouted, shivering when Vergere smiled at him. She resumed her usual expression of vague disdain, then said, “I did study with Sidious for a time, before I broke from the Jedi Order. But it was not to become Sith; it was in misguided admiration for Kreia. She held very similar beliefs to Leor Hal, seeking balance. Tragically, she sought to silence Force users, and became Darth Traya. Likewise, Sidious proved unwise to emulate, hence why I fled in 29 BBY.” “So why ally with Lumiya? Jacen’s becoming a cancer on the galaxy! You HAD to know what he was doing on Vjun! Shaping people isn’t helping them!” Betsy insisted. Vergere almost looked offended as she said, “Of course I KNEW what Jacen is doing, Elizabeth. I needed him to sympathize with and comprehend the Yuuzhan Vong so he would form the basis of an army to counter another Jedi tortured by the Vong ... A’Sharad Hett. “Or ... Darth Krayt, Sith heretic.” Betsy concentrated; she knew Hett had been a Jedi during the Clone Wars, but ... alive and SITH? “Wait, I’m lost. Ain’t there supposed to be just two Sith? And what about Marie and her holocron?” Remy asked, looking like he had a headache. Vergere gave him a look that was a little too sympathetic, and replied, “Darth Bane’s tradition is of a master and an apprentice, which Sidious passed on to Vader, then Lumiya ... and now, Jacen. However, Krayt believes in a so-called ’One Sith,’ with as many Masters, apprentices and acolytes as he can convert, focusing their power to him. Thus why he practices heresy, in Banite Sith eyes. Your Marie ... she would be welcomed by Krayt. Which Sith Lord’s holocron was hers?” Remy sighed, as close to an expression of worry as he gave to strangers, and said, “She kept repeating the name ’Malak’ in her sleep ’fore she left.” Vergere looked ill, and Betsy exclaimed, “MALAK!? Remy, are you SURE?!” “Oui ... this sounds worse by the minute. And that’s factoring in that she killed Raven just before leaving,” Remy said, his eyes widening. Betsy gasped; Rogue had killed MYSTIQUE? Her own FOSTER MOTHER? “Malak was one of the most dangerous Dark Lords EVER! He had access to an ancient Rakatan munitions factory that could tap STARS for power and raw material! If the Star Forge schematics are in his holocron, and it’s reactivated ...” Betsy trailed off. The magnitude of their problems was finally hitting her. TWO Dark Lords, probably both thoroughly insane by now, with access to vast resources and armies ... and the Jedi on the run ... Betsy whirled on Vergere and demanded, “Lumiya. How does she fit?” “Lumiya ... was a mistake on my part. As was Krayt. I imparted Sith knowledge to make him a weapon against the Vong. But his exposure to suffering as a means of refocusing him was befouled by his retaining the Force. He embraced HIS dark side ... and fell,” Vergere admitted. “Jacen, I blocked of his Force access, but he became obsessed with a flawed moral ideal, and began taking it to an extreme. I believed giving him access to Sith teachings would balance his lightside fanaticism, and when Lumiya put herself in his path, I stepped aside. She misdirected him. The boy forgot how to take strength from pain, instead of hiding from it. He now spreads numbing mindlessness, stagnant uniformity,” she concluded. “YOU were the mindless one, putting an empath in the Embrace of Pain! Of COURSE Jacen’s not going to find strength from pain, not if he finds a more comfortable path from the dark side! And even IF the Jedi Code is flawed, you can’t turn a decent young man into a bundle of psychoses to kill someone ELSE *YOU* drove barking mad!” Betsy yelled. She shook her head, finally allowing herself to grieve for Jacen, as well as detest what he was exposing Ben to ... “You are a bloody IDIOT, Vergere. Jacen tried the Jedi way, and he struggled, flailing when he should have been excused from war. Instead, YOU mangled him, and when he tried to be a good Jedi, he felt he never measured up, so he had no choice BUT to fall!” Betsy snapped. Vergere regarded her, then simply said, “It is not *my* flawed measure.” Betsy rolled her eyes, then growled, “Don’t give me that Potentium kark. The problem isn’t whether the dark side exists; it’s that we as Jedi have been facing a fundamentally flawed philosophical guideline. We’re set up to fail, or rather, the Order scapegoated those who don’t conform. Jacen tried to live up to an impossible standard that drove him mad, but the Council never threw him away for his actions.” Ganner looked uncomfortable, while Vergere arched a feathered brow. “ScapegoatED? Or has that unfortunate practice continued?” she countered. Betsy raised her own eyebrow and replied, “They let me come and go on exploratory missions into the Unknown Regions, after I finished training my Padawan, K’urod. If my foibles are tolerated ...” Vergere made a disdainful, clucking noise that annoyed Betsy and made Remy snicker. “You are no typical Jedi. Jacen is a relative of the Grand Master; his dissident behavior draws less tolerance. Or perhaps it drew MORE, to a point. And are you any closer to your Earth?” the Fosh asked. “What the bloody SHAVIT do those two questions have to do with -” Betsy began to snarl, losing her patience - And then she saw what was the problem. Or ... WHO. “They have no direct relationship, but they cut to the heart of our discussion,” Vergere said, nodding as Betsy’s jaw dropped. “LUKE? But he loves Jacen like a ... son. He stood aside during the Council deliberations over Jacen’s actions against the ... Chiss ... who limited my travels in the Unknown Regions ... ” Betsy breathed. She turned to Ganner and Remy, explaining, “Almost six years ago, Jacen launched a preemptive strike against the Chiss, to get them to attack the Killiks and prevent them from overrunning the galaxy. Instead of exiling Jacen, they gave him Ben, his younger cousin, as a Padawan, trying to teach Jacen responsibility ... “But Luke ignored, even exiled, Tahiri, Lowbacca and Tesar when they tried to warn him Jacen was acting recklessly ... and Luke was trying to minimize his attachments ... because he’s ...” “The term is ’blinded by the light.’ Giving up his son, but naming himself Grand Master ... rather hypocritical for a hero, hmm?” Vergere insinuated, ignoring Ganner’s glare. Betsy blinked; Luke, a ... religous fanatic? LUKE SKYWALKER? “Why would Luke’s fanaticism drive the Chiss to block ME?” Betsy asked. Vergere just smiled annoyingly and replied, “Because their Kree forebears are terrified of mutants like yourself spreading across the universe.” “And one of the Chiss brought a certain Hand to Sidious, FROM Earth.” “The Chiss are KREE - and *THRAWN* found Mara!?” Betsy gasped - “Then ... Mara COULD be a ... Grey!?” “Telepathically sensitive to a fanatic husband whose moral hypocrisy set his nephew up to fail. No, dear Elizabeth ...” Vergere breathed. “It is not *my* flawed measure.” And as she headed for the refresher, Betsy KNEW this would be a LONG trip. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Endor, Outer Rim Territories, Galactic West: Eight Days after the Battle of Corellia: ------------------------------------------------------------------ She could corral feuding Senators, she could deal with snarling Imperials, she could even keep from strangling her brother when he acted ... bizarre. But Leia Organa-Solo was never quite comfortable as a Jedi. Which, she admitted sadly as she looked over the temporary encampment of the reunited Coruscant and Ossus Jedi, was probably why she and Han were being looked to as leaders during this exodus, since Luke ... The Council wasn’t looking forward to facing Luke. They felt manipulated, but nobody wanted to accuse LUKE SKYWALKER of ... evil. #He can’t have acted from malice. I’d KNOW. Unless ... my defenses against his ... illness ... blind me to HIS ... insanity?# Leia worried, watching with some joy as Jaina played with some younger Jedi students. At least her daughter was safe. Jaina had proven to understand the REAL duty of a Jedi: Protect those who can’t defend themselves. Without forcing one’s own beliefs on the innocents in question. Leia sat on a rock, grateful for a break; setting up an encampment for almost a thousand people hadn’t been easy. But she did organize well. It was a good distraction from worries. Jacen was dark; Tenel Ka and Allana were ... masked, somehow, from Leia’s Force sense. And Anakin, Luke, Mara and Ben were ... distant, or hidden. Tahiri smiled sadly over at her from the lunch line, and Leia returned her “daughter in law’s” smile. The young woman had never OFFICIALLY married Anakin, but ... Part of being a good diplomat was knowing when to break protocol. And, as the Force blazed at LAST with a familiar signature, Leia finally let herself laugh ... as a shuttle landed, disgorging her baby. Leia decided to ignore Lumiya in chains, and savored her son’s hug. #Her *sane* son,# a mournful whisper reminded her, but she shushed it, and beamed as Anakin hugged and kissed Tahiri. For a moment, the galaxy was all right again. And then a firebird exploded amidst the Jedi Council. ------------------------------------------------------------------ They’d had to teleport across the galaxy in hops, taking their time; Mara had had to absorb large amounts of energy to fuel the Phoenix, and she didn’t want to eat a star. And Luke ... was numb. “LUKE!?” he heard, letting Leia hug him as he hit his knees; she’d always been there, hadn’t she? Since Yavin? “I don’t deserve you,” he whispered, as she and Mara helped him stand, and he faced the Council. And Han, Chewie, Anakin, Tahiri, and a crowd. A wracking sob shook Luke, before he breathed, “I don’t deserve ANY of you. My ... I tried to be some Jedi example. But I’m not Yoda.” He looked at Tahiri, sincere remorse welling up in him as he begged, “I am ... SO sorry. You were right, warning me about Jacen, and I ... I cast you out, when I should have been listening.” “... Grand -” Tahiri began, but Luke shook his head, hoping he didn’t look crazed ... “LUKE. Please, Tahiri - all of you, I’m not WORTHY to be a Grand Anything. That requires wisdom and listening, and I’ve lacked both. Worse, I mindthralled all of the Council, maybe even the Knights ... Corran, Kyp, Saba, all of you, I’m TRULY sorry. We need to be working together, not following some ... arrogant farmboy who jumpstarted an order,” Luke pleaded, letting the other Masters examine his mind. They, at least, were free again ... and gasped in horror at what Luke and Mara had found on Vjun, as he turned, grieving, to Leia and Han. Leia finally sensed what Luke meant, going pale at the sight of Jacen ... and Tenel Ka, and their *twins* ... and *another* ... Vongformed. /Yes. Leia, I’ve failed you and Han worst of all. I failed Jacen, and I .../ Luke sent, unable to keep going ... Mara hugged him as he broke down. Luke knew, he had failed everyone. Including ... A noise at the edge of the crowd made Mara GASP - sudden HOPE flooded their Force bond, as Leia shouted something, happily surprised, and a girl with a strange accent laughed. And an IMPOSSIBLE Force signature - fearful, hopeful, relieved, caring, young HUMAN teenaged male - preceded a 60-kilo redheaded hug. And Luke Skywalker sobbed in amazement: “*BEN*!?” ------------------------------------------------------------------ “Dad, what’s wrong!? I’m sorry I was so far away, but the Phoenix sent me to Earth! I couldn’t reach you guys in the Force, but I found -” Ben stammered; Dad felt HURT, and it was awful - he didn’t want to hurt him ... but then he, Mom, and Ben shared a telepathic flash, and Mom and Dad felt a LOT better, and Dad apologized, “We thought - Ben, I’m SO sorry -” “No, Dad, Mom, it’s OK! I *was* Shaped for a while - and ... Paaxis is what Jacen wanted to turn me into,” Ben admitted, hugging his parents. His REAL parents, and he’d NEVER forget. And - Ben smiled, turning to the edge of the crowd as a ship landed, and said, “There’s some people who’d like to meet you ...” Mom caught Ben’s thought, as Grandpa John and Grandma Elaine stepped forward, and they all gasped - and Mom SQUISHED Ben in a HUGE hug, sending, ~THANK you, baby,~ before she ran, crying but happy, and hugged Gran and Gram, as everyone else slowly realized ... Dad’s jaw dropped as Grandpa said, “Luke ... I AM YOUR FATHER-IN-LAW.” “That ... that’s impossible!” Dad said, but he smiled, and Ben grinned back. “Search your feelings, dear. You know it to be true,” Grandma said, winking. Dad just laughed, and hugged Mom and Gram and Gran, and everyone CHEERED, and Ben couldn’t help crying a little, he was so happy ... but how could he tell Mom and Dad he wasn’t sure he could be a Jedi? He walked over to his parents and grandparents, and said, “Dad ... when I was on Earth, I saw how Mom’s family, my other aunt and uncle and cousins, lived ... and ...” “They were more like Betsy? I’m not sure that that’s a bad thing. And after everything you’ve been through, I’m NOT going to force you to follow my path. You’ve behaved a lot better than I have lately, Ben. I’m proud of you,” Dad said, and Ben hugged him and Mom in relief - they UNDERSTOOD, and then Ben sensed ... “Did someone say my - BEN!? *JOHN*?! *ELAINE*?!” Ben heard, and he beamed, as Aunt Betsy ran up, smiling, with - There were a few shrieks, as Ganner came into view, and he was mobbed, while Remy waved at Gram and Gran, and Ben hugged Aunt Betsy. ~I’m really glad you’re OK. The X-Men asked me to tell you hi. And ... ~ Ben sent. Ben just smiled, then let Aunt Betsy go when she saw Mr.Worthington. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- If Betsy had believed the last week purgatory, she was at the pearly gates. Because there was an Angel standing before her, smiling sheepishly. Betsy walked slowly, her senses - telepathy, sight, even smell - drinking in this ... impossibility. She said, softly, as a hush fell over the crowd, “You ... look well.” And he replied - and his awed voice, and that eerie sensation Betsy now knew as the Force knot that defined Warren Worthington III, CONVINCED her - “You ... look INCREDIBLE. I ...” ~Oh, just shut up and KISS me, you great bloody parakeet!~ Betsy mindsobbed, laughing and crying as she closed the distance and let Warren hug her, their lips meeting ... She sobbed; almost SIXTEEN BLOODY *YEARS* had passed since the last time she’d felt feathers on her back. #I’m not going anywhere, Betts. My board of directors can run Worthington Industries; this is where I BELONG. If Jedi are allowed to love,# Warren thought, and they both laughed, kissing again as the crowd cheered ... “Ben, how - never mind. Just ... thank you,” Betsy called, beaming at her godson as he blushed and smiled. Then Betsy felt ... a malevolent, ALIEN thought - dangerously FAMILIAR - and barely pulled Warren to safety as Zekk - wild-eyed, swinging a lightsaber and feeling deranged - leapt forward ... ?! “ZEKK!?” Anakin shouted, and Betsy tried not to fry the younger Knight’s brain as she knocked him out ... but she gasped as Zekk SHIFTED, hitting the ground ... with green skin, chin wrinkles and pointed ears. “W - who - what ... is THAT?” Jaina gasped, as Katarn and Kyp tied up the infiltrator. Betsy’s elation turned to cold fear as she replied: “That was a Skrull ... and they’ve learned to replicate Force users.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------- tbc ...