Disclaimer:  I don't own Andromeda or Star Wars so don't sue me.

A Path Found

            Jassen was flying his X-wing through space on his way to a remote planet where he had been told that there were few people.  He figured that he needed some time alone now that he was a Jedi knight.  He needed to find a place where he could practice with his lightsaber.  He needed a place where he could just think and practice.  That was what he needed at the moment.

            He had always wanted to be a Jedi and now he was one.  The thing was though he just didn't know how to deal with it.  It was a dream come true and yet the title didn't bring with it the respect that was usually due a Jedi.  People still hated him for being different.  They hated him for his long white hair and his ice blue eyes.  They hated him for reasons that he figured were his father's fault.

            His father had been a respected Jedi when he had turned over all his friends to a Sith.  They had all been killed and replaced by Clones.  They in turn killed many more and his father had been blamed and tried by the Jedi Council.

            Jassen had thought that he would never make a Jedi after that but the council had taken pity on him and allowed him the chance to join the ranks.  He had proven himself in every task beating everyone with ease and even learning a few new skills that had been thought lost.

            Jassen shook his head slowly to clear it of thoughts that were best left undisturbed.  They led to the Dark Side and that was a place he didn't want to go.  He didn't want to be a Dark Jedi.  He wanted to be remembered as a great man.

            Jassen looked out his cockpit window and his eyes widened in surprise.  What had been just a few moments before nothing but space was now a giant black hole that was slowly pulling him closer.

            "Why does this stuff always happen to me," Jassen wondered aloud.  It was true things always happened to him that seemed to be set there for him. 

            There was one time that he had found a lightsaber that someone had lost.  He had taken it to the council only to find out that it had been a test to see just how honest he truly was.  They had wanted to see if he would take the saber and keep it so that he could claim that he was a Jedi.  There had also been an instance when a bunch of his fellow apprentices had jumped him.  They had beaten him to the ground trying to make his lose his temper and hence open up the way to the Dark Side.  He hadn't lost his temper though and had just dealt with it like a man.  They had all been eighteen or older, and he had been but ten.  He had broken four ribs in that encounter and his face had been cut when one of them had kicked him with the toe of their boot.  The toe had been made to house a small knife.  The knife had cut him between the eyes diagonal and had left a scar.  His master had said that it made him look more manly but Jassen wore it as a badge.  He wore it as a reminder of what people could become and of the test that had been laid at his feet by the young men.

            Jassen said to himself, "Snap out of it Jassen.  That was the past."

            He tried to steer the X-Wing away from the black hole but it was as if it had a gravitational pull on him.  He used a lot of power redirected from his life support systems to the engines.  He was hoping that would be enough to pull him away from the hole.  At first his idea seemed to work but then he was slowly being pulled back to the hole. 

            He took a deep breath as the dark maw of death loomed before him.  "Well mother I guess your son dies this day," Jassen said as he watched the black hole come closer and closer.

            He wondered what it would be like.  He had never feared death but he hadn't looked forward to it either.  He had always known that death was a part of life and there was no use fearing it.  But he had always wanted to die in either battle or in bed as an old man like he had been told Yoda had died.

            The darkness seemed to call to him and he shut his mind to it.  He wouldn't allow his wanting to live consume him and make him lose his way down the path of light.  He wouldn't become a Sith Lord.  He wouldn't! 

            He lifted his head and stared at the dark pit of his doom and smiled.  He would accept it and when it came for him then maybe he would be judged worthy in the after life if there was one.  He felt something shift almost as if time itself or maybe space changed on him as he slowly entered the rift in space that was the black hole.

                        *                      *                      *                      *                      *

            Jassen found himself in a part of space that he knew he hadn't been in before.  In fact he wasn't sure where he was.  He saw a large blue giant off to his left many light years away along with a planet a long ways off as well.  He knew that he couldn't make it to the planet, not with as much of his life support system burned up as he had used in order to get away from the black hole.

            The black hole?  That caused him to look around.  There it was still in place still pulsating with the blackness that had seemed to call out to him.  He was still in it's clutches he could tell and he knew that hew as in trouble.  All he could do was convert all his power from the engines to the his life support systems and hope that the force would be with him.  He had to hope that someone would chance his way and save him or he was dead.  His life support systems would only keep him alive for about a week maybe a day or two more but that was all.

            He closed his eyes and decided that he would sleep even though he didn't need the sleep.  He had to pass the time someone and he had heard of men going insane after being alone in space for only a couple of days.  He knew he was going to be there for awhile and so he had to pass the time somehow.

                        *                      *                      *                      *                      *

            "Dylan that black hole appeared out of nowhere.  I say that we go check it out," Harper said as he walked onto the command deck.

            "Yes Harper I know that it appeared out of nowhere but the question is how.  Those things don't just pop up," Dylan said as he looked at the screen again.  There it was, the black hole.  Something that Dylan really didn't like.  He and black holes seemed to have a lot of history and they seemed to now want him to continue with his life.  They always seemed to be there somewhere.

            "Well that machine that Harper built that brought me to all of you might have made this black hole appear in another time in our future which just happened to turn out to be now," Trance said.  The person who claimed to be Trance though she wasn't nearly so purple or so nice.  This Trance was much more grown up and much more, well different. 

            "Well Dylan do you want me to go to Slipstream and get us there to check this out.  We were asked to you know," Beka said reminding Dylan of the message that they had received.  The message had asked them to check out a black hole that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.  It had been there for eleven days and it wasn't affecting anything but they had wanted to know about it.  They wanted to know if it was something that they should worry about.  Beka knew that bringing up the fact that they were asked to check it out would make up his mind and that they would be going near a black hole once again.  Beka was getting tired of black holes as well.  It was because of a black hole after all that she was now on a ship, with a man that hadn't aged in three hundred years, trying to restore the ancient Commonwealth.

            "I say we either check it out or not.  Just make a decision," Tyr said as he looked around at his shipmates.  Sometimes they were just so inferior to him that it made him wonder once again why he was traveling with them.  Then he remembered that Dylan had something that he wanted and that possibly they were his friends.

            "Beka take us there will you," Dylan said taking command.

            "Going to slipstream," Beka said as they flashed through normal space into slipstream.  It never ceased to amaze her when they entered the slipstream.  The colors and how bright it was along with how fast they moved from one point to another in space.  It was all truly amazing.

            The ship shifted again as they came out of slipstream and they all looked upon the giant black hole.  "Well once again we are too near one of these things for me," Harper said as he shivered to himself.  He didn't like the thought of dying because of some black hole.  Of course Harper didn't relish the idea of dying at all.  He liked life and he liked his life in particular.

            "Well it would seem that Trance's idea is the best that we have.  The only thing is did this black hole trap any ships like I was trapped or did it destroy anything important," Dylan asked his crew as he looked at the darkness that was blacker than the darkness of space.

            "I don't know boss.  I think that we should just turn around and leave now.  Personally we have fulfilled what they asked.  We looked at it and now we can leave," Harper said a bit nervous.

            "Harper grow up a bit will ya," Beka said as if scolding a child though she didn't totally disagree with Harper's assessment of the situation.  She would have liked to leave as well.

            "Oh come on Beka I am grown up it is just that black holes that appear our of thin air kinda you know make me nervous.  Call it a weakness," Harper nearly pleaded.

            "Rommie scan the area and see if you can pick up any other ships or debris or anything," Dylan said trying to ignore Beka and Harper though smiling at their antics.  He really did like his new crew.  True they would never be his old crew but that was what was nice about them.  They were different and they were friends.

            Tyr looked at the black hole and couldn't help but wonder to himself one thing.  What a wonderful weapon it would make if you could learn to create a black hole out of nothing like this one apparently had been.  If you could just learn the usage of a black hole as a weapon it would make a nova bomb appear small and insignificant. 

            Tyr though wasn't so sure anymore though that he would use it.  He had changed in his time with Dylan.  He wasn't quite so heartless and cold.  He had learned to care a little and amazingly he had learned to care for a certain woman though he would never admit it to anyone.

            Tyr gazed across at Beka who was still talking with Harper and he almost smiled.  She was beautiful for a human woman.  She was also strong and intelligent the perfect things to look for in a mate.  Only Tyr was starting to wonder about his emotion that humans called love.  He wasn't sure that he would ever feel it but he was starting to contemplate it.  It was something that he wanted to learn about if for no other reason than to perhaps better understand the human thought process when it came to their lifelong mates. 

Tyr just wondered if perhaps he could have something with Beka Valentine.  He almost hoped that he could and at times it seemed there was a connection there.  Like the time they had been training and she had tripped him and sat on top of him.  The look that had passed between them had been one that hadn't ever happened to Tyr before.

            There had also been the time when he and Beka had been the only ones on the ship.  They had a conversation and it was that conversation about the differences of humans and Tyr's own people the Nietcheans that had first started him thinking.  It had been that day that he had almost kissed Beka and oh how long ago it seemed!

            "Dylan I have picked up a small ship.  It is of a kind that I have never encountered before and it seems that there is someone inside.  Also it is very close to the black hole.  In fact it seems as if the black hole is making the ship move around the black hole's perimeter," Rommie said in her practiced tone.

            "Well let's go take a look shall we.  Take us there Rommie," Dylan said though not without a little hesitation.  If the ship was that close to the black hole there was a chance that they could be pulled in as well.  Dylan though couldn't leave a person out there to die though if he could help in any way.

            The Andromeda Ascendant moved forward and started to head for a small one person ship that was off in the distance.  The large yet sleek vessel flew gently not wanting to get too close to the black hole.  None of the crew wanted to get caught by the black hole and so they were extra careful.

            The Andromeda moved alongside the small ship that had wings in the shape of an X and stopped.  "Ok Dylan we are as close as I can get unless you want to hook it up and pull it away from the black hole," Rommie said as her image appeared on the screen.

            "Attach the cables Harper so we can get away from this damn black hole," Dylan said.

            "Aye, Aye, Captain.  That I can do," came Harper's voice from his retreating back.

            "Well I hope that whomever is in that ship is still alive to tell us something.  This will all be a wasted effort otherwise," Tyr said as he leaned on the console.

            "Tyr why do you always have to be so negative," Beka said though she too hoped that whomever was in the ship was still alive.  She didn't want to risk her life for nothing and that would be what they had done if the person was dead.

            Harper put the cables onto the small ship and guessed that they would hold.  After all they were the same cables that they had used on the Andromeda and they had moved that so they should work in theory.  Harper hated theories though because sometimes bad things happened.  Things like when he had built his machine not too long ago and, well, a new Trace showed up.

            Harper hooked the cables up as best he could and said into the intercom, "Ok Boss we have a go."

            "Ok Harper," came the reply. 

            "Well a thanks wouldn't be too much to ask for once in a while would it," Harper said to himself.  No one ever thanked him for his genius they just took it for granted.  Well Harper didn't really care.  He loved himself and that was all that really mattered.

            The Andromeda slowly started to turn around and as it did the small ship moved with them.  It weighed nearly nothing to the Andromeda and so was no heavy load.  As they moved farther away from the black hole they picked up speed.  They didn't stop until they were far away from that dark pit of hell.  None of them wanted to near it at all.

            "OK people we will bring the ship on board and then we will see who or what is in it.  Tyr you will be on guard while Harper and Trance check out the ship," Dylan said to his crew and they nodded as they all went to work.

            In less than ten minutes they had the small ship on board and they were all in their positions waiting for Dylan's order.  "All right crew let's get this done with shall we," Dylan said as he held his force lance at the ready.  Tyr had his customary gun as did Beka.  Rommie stood there as well though she wasn't armed.  After all a android had little need of a gun.

            Harper climbed onto the top of the ship and looked down.  He was surprised to find that there was no real door.  All that there was, was a large piece of what looked like glass that covered the cockpit of the small vessel.  Trance climbed up next to him and looked down at what he saw.  Inside the small vessel was a man that looked to be unconscious.  They couldn't see his face due to his helmet but they knew they needed to get him out of there.

            Harper went to work right away trying to open the cockpit.  The system was one that he had never encountered before but it wasn't too difficult for him to override.  In fact it was very simple but was also effective.  He was surprised to find though that he had never seen a system like that before.

            The top opened and Trance jumped down into the cockpit.  Once there she took the man's helmet off and looked at him for the first time.  He was handsome was the first thing that she noticed.  He had long red hair that fell to his shoulders and his face was a bit angular.  He was just handsome in her eyes.  She then felt for a pulse and found one that was extremely weak.  What shocked her more than anything was that his skin was as cold as ice.   

            "We have to get him to the infirmary," Trance said as she unhooked him from his seat and handed him up with ease to Harper who staggered under the man's weight.

            Trance glanced over at the readouts and noticed that his life support systems had failed almost a day ago and he was still alive which was amazing.

            "Since when did you become so tough huh Trance," Harper grunted as he handed the man down to Tyr and Dylan who took him and headed to the infirmary.

            "I have always been this way Harper," Trance said as she cocked her head to the side and looked at him with a half smile though she was worried for the man.

            Trance jumped down to the floor and looked at Beka.  "Beka I can't believe that he is alive.  His skin was ice cold.  I have never felt a person's skin that was so cold while still being alive," Trance said and her worry was reflected not only on her beautiful face but in her voice.

            "You are amazing with medicine Trance.  If anyone can save him you can," Beka said and was sure of what she had just said.  Trance was truly amazing with some of the things that she could do with medicine.

                        *                      *                      *                      *                      *

            Trance sat in a chair and just looked at her patient.  In the room with her were Tyr and the rest of the crew.  They all wanted to see the man come out of his coma or whatever he was in.  They just didn't know when it would be.  Trance though out of all of them felt the most worthless.  She knew that all she could do was sit and wait.  Things just needed time and that is what the man needed though she didn't want to admit it.  She wanted to do something instead of just sit there.  They all just sat there and waited.  After a while they started to depart in order to get some sleep all that is but Trance.

                        *                      *                      *                      *                      *

            Darkness was all that he knew for the longest time.  Darkness and then there was coldness.  Jassen fought them both but he knew that he was fighting a losing battle.  After all no one could cheat death and he feared that was what had a grip on him.  Still he fought and fought.  He wouldn't go without a fight.  He had been trained better than that.

            Jassen clawed and fought and finally he felt a bit of warmth emanating from somewhere.  He didn't know where but he pulled himself towards that warmth and it wasn't long until he was feeling the warmth suffuse him.  Slowly the cold disappeared and then he felt light on him. 

            Jassen knew then that he was going to live though he was so tired from his ordeal that he couldn't hardly believe that he was alive.  He knew though that he had to wake up or he was going to die out in space.  His falling asleep may have saved him but now he had to get up and he had to stay awake.

            Slowly ever so slowly he opened his eyes.  He wasn't in pain but he felt drained as if he had just fought a great battle.  As his eyes opened he expected to see nothing but darkness but he was surprised to find that he saw light and a ceiling.  They were two things that he had never thought to see again in truth.

            He knew that he was laying down though he didn't know how he had gotten there or in fact how he had gotten to wherever here was.  He was totally lost and didn't know if they were friend or foe.  He really wasn't in the mood for them to be enemies.

            He swung his legs off the bed and stood up slowly.  Thankfully they had left his cloths on.  He looked around and saw the he was in a med lab of some sort.  There were all sorts of plants and other things around the room but what truly caught his eye was the woman that was sitting in a chair near where he had been laying. 

            She was unlike any other woman he had ever seen.  True he had seen many different races in his days as a Jedi but she was just stunningly beautiful with her slightly purple skin.  In fact her skin almost looked sun bronzed with a purple tint to it.  He hair was pulled back from her face and she had the most amazing look of peace on her face that he had ever seen on a person before.

            He figured that he owed her his life and so he would at least wake her and thank her.  Slowly he walked towards her careful not to make a sound least it shatter the peace that she felt.  He would never wish that a person forget that there was indeed peace.  As he neared her he heard a cold voice say, "Don't move or you will die."

            Jassen turned and saw a man with dark skin standing in the doorway to the room.  He held a blaster in his hand and had it trained on Jassen.  Jassen also noticed that the man had extrusions on his forearms that looked as if they could be used as weapons but that didn't bother him.  What did was that there was a gun trained on him and the man appeared as if he wasn't afraid to use it in the least. 

            The man looked at him and said again coldly, "Step away from her and I may not kill you outright."