Chapter 1: "The Son of the Suns."
He knew the place well.
He came to the little grove of Fasha trees with their jade colored leaves and buds of violet hue. The trees were a strange mixture of Vong biotechnology and the force of nature that combined since the war against the extragalactic invaders. The tree trunks vibrated orange veins that showed through the rough bark and appeared to pulse in tandem with the sun's rays. Red and yellow vines twisted up the tree trunks in a dance that only the Force knew. Auna vines they were called. They had become the indigenous fauna of the fourth moon of the gas giant Yavin.
So much had changed about the planet since it had been terra formed by the Vong, but it was all on the surface. Deep down it was still a planet full of lush growth, a planet full of vibrancy, and a planet that showed the struggles of life and death.
He knew each and everyone of these subjects from the Fasha trees to the struggle of life and death. He had been born during that struggle, had been a part of the struggle even before his birth.
Tracing a finger along a yellow Auna vine, disturbing luminescent Thespa flies as he went, he followed it's trail to where it wound around a block of Alderaniaan marble. The scarlet veined, deep black marble seemed a living thing all on it's own, blending beautifully among the planets multihued flora.
His fingers now scooped inside the grooves of the characters that were engraved standing out white against the marble.
Mara Jade Skywalker
Ben Skywalker knelt before his mother's grave and smiled sadly at the tombstone. "I'm sorry I'm late," he whispered, hesitant to disturb the calming peace of the jungle with spoken words.
Whenever his schedule allowed, Ben never missed a day without visiting his mother's grave. Although, his memories were of seldom but profound quiet time with her and his father, or with them and his aunt and uncle's family, he and his mother had been very close. Sometimes he found it difficult not to resent the fact that she had been taken away from him before he was ready.
Twisting his finger around one of the blades of the long blue grass that nearly reached his midsection when he knelt, he sought out the calming waves of the Force. At sixteen, Ben Skywalker had seen more death then he cared to remember, enough heartache. Some amongst the Order said that he would be a strong Jedi, with both his parents strong in the Force, and nonetheless, Luke and Mara Skywalker.
A burst of strong wind blew through his longish cinnamon hair. In his youth it had been the red-gold color that showed the mark of each of his parents, but as he aged his hair had darkened and now was a more ruddy brown. Subconsciously, he ran a hand through the locks and squinted the blue-green eyes that had of late been hinting of the grey that he'd been born with. The grey hue usually came out when he was in a bad temper or if he were upset over something.
If his mother had been alive to see the grey color in his eyes today, she would've sat him down and grilled him until he spilled his thoughts.
Now he was only left with these one-sided conversations. Still, they did help to focus his thoughts when he needed the turbulent swirl that was spinning in his head to be slowed and stilled.
He took a deep breath, the natural hesitancy that had always come when she was alive still clung to him as steep as instinct. "My dreams have continued," he started. "From talking with Father the planet must be Tatooine. I definitely see sand dunes stretch out endlessly. He has strictly forbidden me to go. I've been taking more of my solo trips then he would like and he's beginning to worry."
He refrained from explaining to Mara that his father was more than irate that he had taken off in his allotted X-Wing once more. Luke had been off of Yavin IV and left Ben under the direction of his cousin Jacen Solo. Imagine when Jacen had come into his room to start early morning exercises and found that his sixteen-year-old cousin had skipped out in the middle of the night. Well of course Jacen, being the good Jedi and nephew, had contacted Luke and had explained that Ben had gone missing. It hadn't been long before his father had found him on the planet Naboo, looking over a glass like body of water that was in the area known as the Lake Country. Naboo was one of the planets that hadn't been reformed by the Yuuzhan Vong. Just as Tatooine was.
"The last time I dreamed there was a voice. I don't recognize it, but it commands me to go to the planet I dream of," he explained. "The compulsion grows stronger every day. I know that I promised that I would obey Father more but I cannot ignore this compulsion." He snorted softly. "You always said that he and I were more alike then we thought. Perhaps you should never have explained to me that Father disobeyed his Masters."
He could imagine her laughter at this last comment. She had always laughed at his sarcasm. If he thought on it, she'd had been right. He and his father got into more arguments because they were alike, than because of their differences. It was like the same polar ends of a magnet being pushed together, they rubbed off each other the wrong way. Still, he loved his father as much as he loved his mother. Just sometimes he felt as though his father was bent on suffocating him, watching over his shoulder as if waiting for him to reveal a secret
"Perhaps you could have talked him into letting me go. You always managed to sooth our arguments," Ben continued. Drawing a shuddering breath, Ben looked to the gas giant Yavin. "But I have to go."
The Force was leaving him little choice. It spoke loudly in his dreams. Was it really the Force who spoke to him in his dreams or something different? Jacen often explained that his 'Vongsense' sometimes gave him information through his dreams. It had been his empathy with the Yuuzhan Vong that had finally allowed the two different galaxies to co-exist together, to let their differences become tolerated. And for them to find a common ground in life.
Brushing aside a red Auna vine, he kissed the two of his fingers and touched them to the engraved lightsabers above her name.
"I love you," he whispered.
...............
Practiced ease allowed Ben to make his way to his X-Wing without being sighted by any of his family or family friends that might hint to his extracurricular activity. All he needed was to make it out of the hanger and into the atmosphere before his father figured out that he was missing.
No one understood how difficult it was to hide from Jedi parents, especially a Jedi Master. He was sure that his father had radar set on him, a spy network that kept an eye on his whereabouts no matter wherever he may go. Ben had to admit that he enjoyed the chase. He enjoyed all the many ways he could sneak out of the temporary Jedi quarters, which was home while the Jedi Temple was being restored on Coruscant. Not really restored but rebuilt. The one time city-wide planet had been subjected to the terra forming of Yuuzhan Vong technology and was now as lush and green as Yavin IV; on the surface anyhow. If you burrowed deep enough, as Ben had done on ne of his excursions, you could find the underground levels that still showed it's technological age.
Hopping agilely into the cockpit seat, Ben lowered the canopy over his head, planting his helmet and slipping his gloves on. Repulsors hummed to life as he switched them on, filling the hanger bay with their mechanical whir. Not all the crafts in the hanger bay would emit such a sound.
Yuuzhan Vong Coralskippers sat in their nutrient cradles, in the living version of powering down. To some they were repulsive twists of rocks like material, but to Ben they displayed a beauty as natural to him as his own X- Wing, despite his preferrence, much like his father, to tinkering around in engines and parts.
The X-Wing rose out of the hanger bay and Ben transmitted his flight pattern out of the planets atmosphere. It was never known whether he was going on an errand for the Jedi or one of his own personal jaunts, so he was quickly allowed passage as he deftly set his assigned flight path.
Absently he guided his ship, not that there was much traffic at this time in Yavin IV's cycle. He hadn't left his father a message and he knew that Luke would worry, he always worried. As if Ben hadn't proven himself capable. Jacen and Jaina would tell him that it was a father's perogative, that they had suffered the same thing, and with time it would pass. However, Ben had watched his uncle Han and he had observed that anytime his cousins told Uncle Han of a mission his uncle paled just noticeably. To Ben's way of thinking, Uncle Han hadn't ceased worrying about his children, he had just learned to hide it better. At this point in his life, Ben would accept it if his father could be a little more circumspect.
He was just about to key in a message to his father, to let Luke know where he was when his own communications light blinked, and it's indicator beeping.
Frowning, Ben keyed it on. "Apprentice Skywalker," he said into his helmet's inset microphone.
"Good morning, Ben," came Luke's voice into his ear.
Uh-oh
"Good morning, Father. Sleep well?" Ben didn't know what else to say, he never did when he was caught in his disobedience. It was as if his guilt flourished just then.
There was a momentary pause and Ben could feel Luke collecting his thoughts.
"You didn't sleep well, your agitation was very evident in the Force." That was a typical answer from his father, diplomatically put, but without pointedly answering him.
"Is that how you knew where I was?"
"That and I followed you to your mother's grave sight," the tension at the mention of his dead wife filled the distance between them, "I know we encouraged you to trust your feelings Ben, but the next time you feel such urgings, talk to me instead of taking off on your own. I'm not your enemy Ben."
Ben should have realized that Luke, as not only his father but a Jedi Master, would have sensed his anxiety in the Force. Not only had he worried his father without purpose but he had reminded his father of the pain Luke felt when he thought of his lost wife. "I'm sorry, Father. I promise I'll seek your next time."
"Good," Luke said, simply sounding pleased. "Contact me when you reach Tatooine."
Ben's ginger eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You mean you're letting me go?"
"On two conditions," amusement laced Luke's words, "One, that you contact me as soon as you reach Tatooine, because I want to know that you arrive safely; and two, stop by Obi-Wan Kenobi's hut."
Ben was all to willing to hold to the conditions that his father set, but couldn't help notice the way Luke tripped over the name 'Obi-Wan'. To Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi was a legend that he really didn't know. But Ben Kenobi had been Luke's father-like mentor, a very real person. Luke referred to his honored mentor by his former name instead of his latter because he knew that it put Ben at ease. Ben could really never know that the fondness that filled Luke's voice when he spoke his son's name was for him or for a that beloved mentor.
"Yes, Father," Ben agreed, quickly.
"Even if it is night cycle on Yavin, Ben," Luke admonished, and Ben could almost see his raised finger, holding a stern pose.
Smiling at the predictability his father often showed, Ben nodded despite the fact that his father couldn't see him. "Even then, Father. But why visit Master Kenobi's hut?" Ben never addressed Kenobi by any other means. It was always 'Master Kenobi'.
"You are not the only one to feel the Force's will, Ben. Safe journey, my son. And may the Force be with you," Luke said warmly.
"May the Force be with you, Father," Ben returned the customary Jedi greeting, equaling his father's loving tone.
He did love Luke. Especially at times like these.
Ahead the pinpricks of distant stars called to him. One in particular pulling harder then the rest: Tatooine, he could only distinguish it from all the other star formation because he had pulled up his star charts. With a burst of pseudo motion, Ben's X-Wing shot into lightspeed.
...............
After contacting his father, Ben had decided to visit Master Kenobi's hut first. Although he always thought of the man in an honorary fashion, he did feel a certain kinship with the Jedi he had been named for.
It was early morning on Tatooine and the second sun had just crested over the horizon, bathing the sand dunes in long shadows that were slightly lightened by the rays of Tatoo I. Angling his X-Wing towards the flattened area just outside of the hut, Ben brought his ship down in a puff of blasted sand.
The postflight was as quick as he had been able to modify the X-Wing. In that instance he took after Uncle Han and Jaina. They were forever trying to make their ships that fastest and had not been above a friendly race. Or a friendly wager. Aunt Leia, of course, shunned such antics, however, she always wore a loving smile when she admonished her husband and daughter.
Popping the cockpit, he hauled himself up and over the edge of the canopy and ejected his ladder, attaching it to the side. As he climbed he once again mused over the idea of modifying his X-Wing to take an astro droid. Although considered outdated, Ben preferred them to his cold navicomputer and automatic mechanic system. He knew that Luke never went anywhere without his astro droid Artoo and that the squat cylindrical droid was a part of the family. He wanted something much the same.
Ben pulled off his helmet and gloves and flung them into his canopy before the cover snapped down. They were the only part of customary X-Wing gear that he wore, his other clothing consisted of the Jedi traditional robe, leggings, and tunic. He preferred them to the form fitting shipsuits that some of the other members of the Order wore.
The heat of two suns hit him, but not as hard as he had expected. No doubt once Tatoo II came to its apex overhead he would take back this thought. This was Ben's first trip to Tatooine.
He took a lazy turn around to examine the sand covered dunes. There was very little to distinguish from the sand, yet Ben felt he knew Tatooine as well as he did Yavin IV, where he had grown up. Save for the first years of his life when he had hidden with young Jedi at the Maw Installation while his parents and family fought the war against the Yuuzhan Vong.
Drawing his attention back to the hut that had housed one of the lone Jedi Knights, Ben's sense in the Force flared.
What you seek is in here. It was the voice from his dreams. A strong voice that carried a hint of sadness along with its cultured lilt. A male voice.
Hesitance filled Ben as he came to the front of Master Kenobi's hut. Despite the kinship he didn't feel right about intruding on the dead Jedi's privacy. He knew that his father had visited Tatooine from time to time to search amongst Master Kenobi's things in an attempt to learn more about the Jedi and the man himself, and also to preserve a little bit of the old Order.
Ben thought his hesitance utter foolishness but no matter how hard he convinced himself he couldn't deny the tingling sensation in the back of his head.
Mustering his courage, he palmed the door open and stepped in. The automatic lights had ceased working long ago and twin suns' rays drifted in through the slim windows casting the main room in light and shadow. Ben's unease stepped up another notch and he subconsciously arranged himself in a guard position.
Then he saw a flicker in the large shadow and an old, decrepit Yuuzhan Vong warrior stepped out into the light of pale blue, as Ben grabbed his lightsaber and ignited it.
"Jeedai," the warrior hissed.
"What are you doing here? And to what clan does your honor hold?" Ben snapped, not feeling the fear towards the Vong warrior that members of his Order might have fifteen years ago.
"Are you Jeedai infidel?" the creature continued without moving further into the light and closer to Ben's lightsaber.
Infidel? The Yuuzhan Vong had ceased calling the native members of this galaxy in such a defaming way after the war had ended. By the looks of the Vong, he may have been on Tatooine long enough to have had no knowledge of the war's end. The warrior did have the customary crushed nose, deformed facial scarring, and tatoos that were customary to that time period.
He eyed Ben under the sloped forhead of his people.
"I am Jedi," Ben answered, not willing to lie to this creature even if it did save his skin.
To Ben's surprise the Vong warrior deflated in relief. "Then my wait comes to an end and I can die with honor."
"You have not answered me," Ben said, using his best commanding voice. In Ben's mind the warrior was being blasphemous just by being in his father's beloved mentor's home.
The Vong warrior stumbled forward a step and beat a fist against his chest. "I am Vansar Tan, domain Tan holds my honor. And I, young Jeedai, am here to secure the safety of the gift to your people."
Ben lowered his saber but did not switch it off. "Gift?"
"To the Jeedai it had to be given. The priestess Laran insisted on it. I was commanded to guard it here until one of your kind came to retrieve it," the Vong warrior regarded Ben in what the boy could only interpret as fear. "You have come to retrieve it?"
Ben nodded with feigned confidence. "That's why I'm here." It was partially true, whatever had been the forces that had compelled him here it was evident that it was for this purpose.
"Follow me young Jeedai," the Vong directed and backed into the shadows.
"I'm Ben Skywalker," Ben supplied his name, getting fed up with being called 'young Jeedai'.
The Vong warrior did not react to his words but gave a pointed glare at Ben's lightsaber. "Do you think to attack an unarmed warrior?"
Suddenly noticing that his blade was still in his hands, Ben made a show of shutting down the energy blade and attaching it to his belt. "Forgive me, domain Tan, I did not mean you dishonor."
The Vong warrior's head snapped around to gaze at him in surprise. "The Jeedai have learned much about our ways since I was given my assignment."
Vansar lead him into what must have been Master Kenobi's bedroom. It was cluttered in objects that Ben couldn't imagine had any meaning for Master Kenobi. A temperature unit that showed the Vong's natural abhorrence for mechanics sat in one corner; a threadbare mat that could have been used in meditation; and a black, red veined rock that brought to mind his mother's gravestone, rested on a small dresser . However, the thing that stood out in the humble room was the cot bed that had been leaned against the wall and in its place was a block of two meters width and about a meter high. Underneath its hard, thin translucent membrane green gelatinous sludge slushed around a human man.
Ben gaped at the sight for a whole ten seconds before he dropped beside the encasement. "Your gift is a captive being?" he asked harshly, feeling bile rise in his throat. "How long has he been in here?"
"He is the gift infidel," Vansar answered. "And we have been restoring him for fifteen years."
Fifteen years? Without care for how Vansar would react, Ben grabbed for his lightsaber once again, thumbed it, on and carefully shaved the hard crust. Tossing it aside, he dug fists full of the green sludge away from the poor man's practically naked body save for the stitch of cloth that covered his waist. Several minutes passed before Ben got the poor man free of the sludge and uncovered the strange umbilical that came out of the his mouth.
"Can I remove this safely?" Ben asked, finally feeling calm return from his frantic anger.
Vansar nodded. "The oombassl has done it's job."
Ben's hackles rose at the casual tone of the Vong warrior. Disregarding it, however, he pulled the umbilical away from the man's mouth as quickly as he could without doing obvious damage. Ben was really struggling with his anger at this point. He couldn't imagine what this poor man would go through if, and that was a big if, he lived through this.
As the last of the umbilical came free, the man gave a shuttering intake of air and then coughed up a mouthful of the green sludge. Ben helped him to sit up and clear his passage ways.
As the man coughed and hacked, Ben gently cleared some of the residual sludge from his face and for the first time took stock of the man's features. His eyes were a startling blue, the color of ice. He had a cleft chin very similar to Ben's own and his hair was the color of chestnuts.
Several moments passed before the man could breath without a hacking sensation and he glanced around the room in such utter confusion that Ben's heart went out to him.
"Where am I?" the man's voice showed the long disuse it had endured during his captivity.
Vansar just stood their as if waiting.
Taking a calming breath, Ben answered, "You are on the planet Tatooine." He did not want to explain the passage of time to this man right now. He figured once he got him to Mos Eisley's med center he could tell him then. "What is your name, sir?"
"I'm Anakin Solo, Jedi Knight," the man--no Anakin--said.
Ben had to catch his jaw before it hit the floor. It couldn't be! His cousin Anakin had been dead for...fifteen years!
Shooting an accusatory glance at Vansar, the only thing that kept Ben from throttling the Vong warrior was that it would certainly throw them in another war. This poor man who must be a little over thirty was his once seventeen-year-old cousin. Ben shivered at his previous thought. What would Anakin go through now?
Anakin was watching him with that icy stare that appeared to see threw him. "You are Jedi?" At Ben's nod he continued. "Can you take me to them?"
"I will, but first you need to see a medic." Without thinking Ben gestured for Vansar to help him heft his much larger cousin.
A look of fright possessed Anakin's previously confused features at he fought to get out of Ben's grasp and away from the approaching warrior. Ben moved to steady him when he wavered on his feet.
Stupid, Ben admonished himself. "It's alright, Jedi Solo. He is a friend. He helped me find you."
A slightly restricted breath calmed Anakin greatly, but the fear still lurked in his features. Not surprising considering his current situation. Ben looped Anakin's arm around his shoulder and using a burst of the Force hauled himself and his cousin to their feet.
Precariously, Ben led them out of Master Kenobi's bedroom and into the hut's main chamber. Gently he lowered his cousin to a reclining chair. He saw that the small effort from moving Anakin from the bedroom to the main room had taxed his cousin greatly.
He knelt close to his cousin trying to contain his flaming curiosity and put on a facade of reassurance. "I'm going to leave you here with Vansar Jedi Solo." He couldn't begin to come up with the best way of explaining to Anakin that he was his baby cousin. "The transport I came here in will not carry you, I have to make arrangements for something larger."
Anakin nodded sleepily, automatically trusting Ben, for reasons neither understood. "Thank you," he whispered before his eyes closed in sleep.
Ben rested his hand on the slightly damp forehead and sent a burst of health and strength to his considerably weak cousin. After awhile passed, and he was assured that Anakin wasn't likely to awaken, Ben gestured to Vansar to come a little ways away from the sleeping man.
"Under no circumstances are you to tell him how much time has passed since his capture. If you do you will find how much the Jeedai have learned." Ben could care less that his anger was showing greatly. He fought to understand where it was coming from so that it did not start to control him but he didn't make a concentrated effort. He had more important issues to deal with. "I should return in an hour or two."
He knew the place well.
He came to the little grove of Fasha trees with their jade colored leaves and buds of violet hue. The trees were a strange mixture of Vong biotechnology and the force of nature that combined since the war against the extragalactic invaders. The tree trunks vibrated orange veins that showed through the rough bark and appeared to pulse in tandem with the sun's rays. Red and yellow vines twisted up the tree trunks in a dance that only the Force knew. Auna vines they were called. They had become the indigenous fauna of the fourth moon of the gas giant Yavin.
So much had changed about the planet since it had been terra formed by the Vong, but it was all on the surface. Deep down it was still a planet full of lush growth, a planet full of vibrancy, and a planet that showed the struggles of life and death.
He knew each and everyone of these subjects from the Fasha trees to the struggle of life and death. He had been born during that struggle, had been a part of the struggle even before his birth.
Tracing a finger along a yellow Auna vine, disturbing luminescent Thespa flies as he went, he followed it's trail to where it wound around a block of Alderaniaan marble. The scarlet veined, deep black marble seemed a living thing all on it's own, blending beautifully among the planets multihued flora.
His fingers now scooped inside the grooves of the characters that were engraved standing out white against the marble.
Mara Jade Skywalker
Ben Skywalker knelt before his mother's grave and smiled sadly at the tombstone. "I'm sorry I'm late," he whispered, hesitant to disturb the calming peace of the jungle with spoken words.
Whenever his schedule allowed, Ben never missed a day without visiting his mother's grave. Although, his memories were of seldom but profound quiet time with her and his father, or with them and his aunt and uncle's family, he and his mother had been very close. Sometimes he found it difficult not to resent the fact that she had been taken away from him before he was ready.
Twisting his finger around one of the blades of the long blue grass that nearly reached his midsection when he knelt, he sought out the calming waves of the Force. At sixteen, Ben Skywalker had seen more death then he cared to remember, enough heartache. Some amongst the Order said that he would be a strong Jedi, with both his parents strong in the Force, and nonetheless, Luke and Mara Skywalker.
A burst of strong wind blew through his longish cinnamon hair. In his youth it had been the red-gold color that showed the mark of each of his parents, but as he aged his hair had darkened and now was a more ruddy brown. Subconsciously, he ran a hand through the locks and squinted the blue-green eyes that had of late been hinting of the grey that he'd been born with. The grey hue usually came out when he was in a bad temper or if he were upset over something.
If his mother had been alive to see the grey color in his eyes today, she would've sat him down and grilled him until he spilled his thoughts.
Now he was only left with these one-sided conversations. Still, they did help to focus his thoughts when he needed the turbulent swirl that was spinning in his head to be slowed and stilled.
He took a deep breath, the natural hesitancy that had always come when she was alive still clung to him as steep as instinct. "My dreams have continued," he started. "From talking with Father the planet must be Tatooine. I definitely see sand dunes stretch out endlessly. He has strictly forbidden me to go. I've been taking more of my solo trips then he would like and he's beginning to worry."
He refrained from explaining to Mara that his father was more than irate that he had taken off in his allotted X-Wing once more. Luke had been off of Yavin IV and left Ben under the direction of his cousin Jacen Solo. Imagine when Jacen had come into his room to start early morning exercises and found that his sixteen-year-old cousin had skipped out in the middle of the night. Well of course Jacen, being the good Jedi and nephew, had contacted Luke and had explained that Ben had gone missing. It hadn't been long before his father had found him on the planet Naboo, looking over a glass like body of water that was in the area known as the Lake Country. Naboo was one of the planets that hadn't been reformed by the Yuuzhan Vong. Just as Tatooine was.
"The last time I dreamed there was a voice. I don't recognize it, but it commands me to go to the planet I dream of," he explained. "The compulsion grows stronger every day. I know that I promised that I would obey Father more but I cannot ignore this compulsion." He snorted softly. "You always said that he and I were more alike then we thought. Perhaps you should never have explained to me that Father disobeyed his Masters."
He could imagine her laughter at this last comment. She had always laughed at his sarcasm. If he thought on it, she'd had been right. He and his father got into more arguments because they were alike, than because of their differences. It was like the same polar ends of a magnet being pushed together, they rubbed off each other the wrong way. Still, he loved his father as much as he loved his mother. Just sometimes he felt as though his father was bent on suffocating him, watching over his shoulder as if waiting for him to reveal a secret
"Perhaps you could have talked him into letting me go. You always managed to sooth our arguments," Ben continued. Drawing a shuddering breath, Ben looked to the gas giant Yavin. "But I have to go."
The Force was leaving him little choice. It spoke loudly in his dreams. Was it really the Force who spoke to him in his dreams or something different? Jacen often explained that his 'Vongsense' sometimes gave him information through his dreams. It had been his empathy with the Yuuzhan Vong that had finally allowed the two different galaxies to co-exist together, to let their differences become tolerated. And for them to find a common ground in life.
Brushing aside a red Auna vine, he kissed the two of his fingers and touched them to the engraved lightsabers above her name.
"I love you," he whispered.
...............
Practiced ease allowed Ben to make his way to his X-Wing without being sighted by any of his family or family friends that might hint to his extracurricular activity. All he needed was to make it out of the hanger and into the atmosphere before his father figured out that he was missing.
No one understood how difficult it was to hide from Jedi parents, especially a Jedi Master. He was sure that his father had radar set on him, a spy network that kept an eye on his whereabouts no matter wherever he may go. Ben had to admit that he enjoyed the chase. He enjoyed all the many ways he could sneak out of the temporary Jedi quarters, which was home while the Jedi Temple was being restored on Coruscant. Not really restored but rebuilt. The one time city-wide planet had been subjected to the terra forming of Yuuzhan Vong technology and was now as lush and green as Yavin IV; on the surface anyhow. If you burrowed deep enough, as Ben had done on ne of his excursions, you could find the underground levels that still showed it's technological age.
Hopping agilely into the cockpit seat, Ben lowered the canopy over his head, planting his helmet and slipping his gloves on. Repulsors hummed to life as he switched them on, filling the hanger bay with their mechanical whir. Not all the crafts in the hanger bay would emit such a sound.
Yuuzhan Vong Coralskippers sat in their nutrient cradles, in the living version of powering down. To some they were repulsive twists of rocks like material, but to Ben they displayed a beauty as natural to him as his own X- Wing, despite his preferrence, much like his father, to tinkering around in engines and parts.
The X-Wing rose out of the hanger bay and Ben transmitted his flight pattern out of the planets atmosphere. It was never known whether he was going on an errand for the Jedi or one of his own personal jaunts, so he was quickly allowed passage as he deftly set his assigned flight path.
Absently he guided his ship, not that there was much traffic at this time in Yavin IV's cycle. He hadn't left his father a message and he knew that Luke would worry, he always worried. As if Ben hadn't proven himself capable. Jacen and Jaina would tell him that it was a father's perogative, that they had suffered the same thing, and with time it would pass. However, Ben had watched his uncle Han and he had observed that anytime his cousins told Uncle Han of a mission his uncle paled just noticeably. To Ben's way of thinking, Uncle Han hadn't ceased worrying about his children, he had just learned to hide it better. At this point in his life, Ben would accept it if his father could be a little more circumspect.
He was just about to key in a message to his father, to let Luke know where he was when his own communications light blinked, and it's indicator beeping.
Frowning, Ben keyed it on. "Apprentice Skywalker," he said into his helmet's inset microphone.
"Good morning, Ben," came Luke's voice into his ear.
Uh-oh
"Good morning, Father. Sleep well?" Ben didn't know what else to say, he never did when he was caught in his disobedience. It was as if his guilt flourished just then.
There was a momentary pause and Ben could feel Luke collecting his thoughts.
"You didn't sleep well, your agitation was very evident in the Force." That was a typical answer from his father, diplomatically put, but without pointedly answering him.
"Is that how you knew where I was?"
"That and I followed you to your mother's grave sight," the tension at the mention of his dead wife filled the distance between them, "I know we encouraged you to trust your feelings Ben, but the next time you feel such urgings, talk to me instead of taking off on your own. I'm not your enemy Ben."
Ben should have realized that Luke, as not only his father but a Jedi Master, would have sensed his anxiety in the Force. Not only had he worried his father without purpose but he had reminded his father of the pain Luke felt when he thought of his lost wife. "I'm sorry, Father. I promise I'll seek your next time."
"Good," Luke said, simply sounding pleased. "Contact me when you reach Tatooine."
Ben's ginger eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You mean you're letting me go?"
"On two conditions," amusement laced Luke's words, "One, that you contact me as soon as you reach Tatooine, because I want to know that you arrive safely; and two, stop by Obi-Wan Kenobi's hut."
Ben was all to willing to hold to the conditions that his father set, but couldn't help notice the way Luke tripped over the name 'Obi-Wan'. To Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi was a legend that he really didn't know. But Ben Kenobi had been Luke's father-like mentor, a very real person. Luke referred to his honored mentor by his former name instead of his latter because he knew that it put Ben at ease. Ben could really never know that the fondness that filled Luke's voice when he spoke his son's name was for him or for a that beloved mentor.
"Yes, Father," Ben agreed, quickly.
"Even if it is night cycle on Yavin, Ben," Luke admonished, and Ben could almost see his raised finger, holding a stern pose.
Smiling at the predictability his father often showed, Ben nodded despite the fact that his father couldn't see him. "Even then, Father. But why visit Master Kenobi's hut?" Ben never addressed Kenobi by any other means. It was always 'Master Kenobi'.
"You are not the only one to feel the Force's will, Ben. Safe journey, my son. And may the Force be with you," Luke said warmly.
"May the Force be with you, Father," Ben returned the customary Jedi greeting, equaling his father's loving tone.
He did love Luke. Especially at times like these.
Ahead the pinpricks of distant stars called to him. One in particular pulling harder then the rest: Tatooine, he could only distinguish it from all the other star formation because he had pulled up his star charts. With a burst of pseudo motion, Ben's X-Wing shot into lightspeed.
...............
After contacting his father, Ben had decided to visit Master Kenobi's hut first. Although he always thought of the man in an honorary fashion, he did feel a certain kinship with the Jedi he had been named for.
It was early morning on Tatooine and the second sun had just crested over the horizon, bathing the sand dunes in long shadows that were slightly lightened by the rays of Tatoo I. Angling his X-Wing towards the flattened area just outside of the hut, Ben brought his ship down in a puff of blasted sand.
The postflight was as quick as he had been able to modify the X-Wing. In that instance he took after Uncle Han and Jaina. They were forever trying to make their ships that fastest and had not been above a friendly race. Or a friendly wager. Aunt Leia, of course, shunned such antics, however, she always wore a loving smile when she admonished her husband and daughter.
Popping the cockpit, he hauled himself up and over the edge of the canopy and ejected his ladder, attaching it to the side. As he climbed he once again mused over the idea of modifying his X-Wing to take an astro droid. Although considered outdated, Ben preferred them to his cold navicomputer and automatic mechanic system. He knew that Luke never went anywhere without his astro droid Artoo and that the squat cylindrical droid was a part of the family. He wanted something much the same.
Ben pulled off his helmet and gloves and flung them into his canopy before the cover snapped down. They were the only part of customary X-Wing gear that he wore, his other clothing consisted of the Jedi traditional robe, leggings, and tunic. He preferred them to the form fitting shipsuits that some of the other members of the Order wore.
The heat of two suns hit him, but not as hard as he had expected. No doubt once Tatoo II came to its apex overhead he would take back this thought. This was Ben's first trip to Tatooine.
He took a lazy turn around to examine the sand covered dunes. There was very little to distinguish from the sand, yet Ben felt he knew Tatooine as well as he did Yavin IV, where he had grown up. Save for the first years of his life when he had hidden with young Jedi at the Maw Installation while his parents and family fought the war against the Yuuzhan Vong.
Drawing his attention back to the hut that had housed one of the lone Jedi Knights, Ben's sense in the Force flared.
What you seek is in here. It was the voice from his dreams. A strong voice that carried a hint of sadness along with its cultured lilt. A male voice.
Hesitance filled Ben as he came to the front of Master Kenobi's hut. Despite the kinship he didn't feel right about intruding on the dead Jedi's privacy. He knew that his father had visited Tatooine from time to time to search amongst Master Kenobi's things in an attempt to learn more about the Jedi and the man himself, and also to preserve a little bit of the old Order.
Ben thought his hesitance utter foolishness but no matter how hard he convinced himself he couldn't deny the tingling sensation in the back of his head.
Mustering his courage, he palmed the door open and stepped in. The automatic lights had ceased working long ago and twin suns' rays drifted in through the slim windows casting the main room in light and shadow. Ben's unease stepped up another notch and he subconsciously arranged himself in a guard position.
Then he saw a flicker in the large shadow and an old, decrepit Yuuzhan Vong warrior stepped out into the light of pale blue, as Ben grabbed his lightsaber and ignited it.
"Jeedai," the warrior hissed.
"What are you doing here? And to what clan does your honor hold?" Ben snapped, not feeling the fear towards the Vong warrior that members of his Order might have fifteen years ago.
"Are you Jeedai infidel?" the creature continued without moving further into the light and closer to Ben's lightsaber.
Infidel? The Yuuzhan Vong had ceased calling the native members of this galaxy in such a defaming way after the war had ended. By the looks of the Vong, he may have been on Tatooine long enough to have had no knowledge of the war's end. The warrior did have the customary crushed nose, deformed facial scarring, and tatoos that were customary to that time period.
He eyed Ben under the sloped forhead of his people.
"I am Jedi," Ben answered, not willing to lie to this creature even if it did save his skin.
To Ben's surprise the Vong warrior deflated in relief. "Then my wait comes to an end and I can die with honor."
"You have not answered me," Ben said, using his best commanding voice. In Ben's mind the warrior was being blasphemous just by being in his father's beloved mentor's home.
The Vong warrior stumbled forward a step and beat a fist against his chest. "I am Vansar Tan, domain Tan holds my honor. And I, young Jeedai, am here to secure the safety of the gift to your people."
Ben lowered his saber but did not switch it off. "Gift?"
"To the Jeedai it had to be given. The priestess Laran insisted on it. I was commanded to guard it here until one of your kind came to retrieve it," the Vong warrior regarded Ben in what the boy could only interpret as fear. "You have come to retrieve it?"
Ben nodded with feigned confidence. "That's why I'm here." It was partially true, whatever had been the forces that had compelled him here it was evident that it was for this purpose.
"Follow me young Jeedai," the Vong directed and backed into the shadows.
"I'm Ben Skywalker," Ben supplied his name, getting fed up with being called 'young Jeedai'.
The Vong warrior did not react to his words but gave a pointed glare at Ben's lightsaber. "Do you think to attack an unarmed warrior?"
Suddenly noticing that his blade was still in his hands, Ben made a show of shutting down the energy blade and attaching it to his belt. "Forgive me, domain Tan, I did not mean you dishonor."
The Vong warrior's head snapped around to gaze at him in surprise. "The Jeedai have learned much about our ways since I was given my assignment."
Vansar lead him into what must have been Master Kenobi's bedroom. It was cluttered in objects that Ben couldn't imagine had any meaning for Master Kenobi. A temperature unit that showed the Vong's natural abhorrence for mechanics sat in one corner; a threadbare mat that could have been used in meditation; and a black, red veined rock that brought to mind his mother's gravestone, rested on a small dresser . However, the thing that stood out in the humble room was the cot bed that had been leaned against the wall and in its place was a block of two meters width and about a meter high. Underneath its hard, thin translucent membrane green gelatinous sludge slushed around a human man.
Ben gaped at the sight for a whole ten seconds before he dropped beside the encasement. "Your gift is a captive being?" he asked harshly, feeling bile rise in his throat. "How long has he been in here?"
"He is the gift infidel," Vansar answered. "And we have been restoring him for fifteen years."
Fifteen years? Without care for how Vansar would react, Ben grabbed for his lightsaber once again, thumbed it, on and carefully shaved the hard crust. Tossing it aside, he dug fists full of the green sludge away from the poor man's practically naked body save for the stitch of cloth that covered his waist. Several minutes passed before Ben got the poor man free of the sludge and uncovered the strange umbilical that came out of the his mouth.
"Can I remove this safely?" Ben asked, finally feeling calm return from his frantic anger.
Vansar nodded. "The oombassl has done it's job."
Ben's hackles rose at the casual tone of the Vong warrior. Disregarding it, however, he pulled the umbilical away from the man's mouth as quickly as he could without doing obvious damage. Ben was really struggling with his anger at this point. He couldn't imagine what this poor man would go through if, and that was a big if, he lived through this.
As the last of the umbilical came free, the man gave a shuttering intake of air and then coughed up a mouthful of the green sludge. Ben helped him to sit up and clear his passage ways.
As the man coughed and hacked, Ben gently cleared some of the residual sludge from his face and for the first time took stock of the man's features. His eyes were a startling blue, the color of ice. He had a cleft chin very similar to Ben's own and his hair was the color of chestnuts.
Several moments passed before the man could breath without a hacking sensation and he glanced around the room in such utter confusion that Ben's heart went out to him.
"Where am I?" the man's voice showed the long disuse it had endured during his captivity.
Vansar just stood their as if waiting.
Taking a calming breath, Ben answered, "You are on the planet Tatooine." He did not want to explain the passage of time to this man right now. He figured once he got him to Mos Eisley's med center he could tell him then. "What is your name, sir?"
"I'm Anakin Solo, Jedi Knight," the man--no Anakin--said.
Ben had to catch his jaw before it hit the floor. It couldn't be! His cousin Anakin had been dead for...fifteen years!
Shooting an accusatory glance at Vansar, the only thing that kept Ben from throttling the Vong warrior was that it would certainly throw them in another war. This poor man who must be a little over thirty was his once seventeen-year-old cousin. Ben shivered at his previous thought. What would Anakin go through now?
Anakin was watching him with that icy stare that appeared to see threw him. "You are Jedi?" At Ben's nod he continued. "Can you take me to them?"
"I will, but first you need to see a medic." Without thinking Ben gestured for Vansar to help him heft his much larger cousin.
A look of fright possessed Anakin's previously confused features at he fought to get out of Ben's grasp and away from the approaching warrior. Ben moved to steady him when he wavered on his feet.
Stupid, Ben admonished himself. "It's alright, Jedi Solo. He is a friend. He helped me find you."
A slightly restricted breath calmed Anakin greatly, but the fear still lurked in his features. Not surprising considering his current situation. Ben looped Anakin's arm around his shoulder and using a burst of the Force hauled himself and his cousin to their feet.
Precariously, Ben led them out of Master Kenobi's bedroom and into the hut's main chamber. Gently he lowered his cousin to a reclining chair. He saw that the small effort from moving Anakin from the bedroom to the main room had taxed his cousin greatly.
He knelt close to his cousin trying to contain his flaming curiosity and put on a facade of reassurance. "I'm going to leave you here with Vansar Jedi Solo." He couldn't begin to come up with the best way of explaining to Anakin that he was his baby cousin. "The transport I came here in will not carry you, I have to make arrangements for something larger."
Anakin nodded sleepily, automatically trusting Ben, for reasons neither understood. "Thank you," he whispered before his eyes closed in sleep.
Ben rested his hand on the slightly damp forehead and sent a burst of health and strength to his considerably weak cousin. After awhile passed, and he was assured that Anakin wasn't likely to awaken, Ben gestured to Vansar to come a little ways away from the sleeping man.
"Under no circumstances are you to tell him how much time has passed since his capture. If you do you will find how much the Jeedai have learned." Ben could care less that his anger was showing greatly. He fought to understand where it was coming from so that it did not start to control him but he didn't make a concentrated effort. He had more important issues to deal with. "I should return in an hour or two."