Ben Skywalker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
momslilassassin) wrote2009-03-25 11:17 pm
momslilassassin) wrote2009-03-25 11:17 pm
Shedu Maad, GFFA [Wednesday night, Fandom time]
Ben sat as unobtrusively as possible in the room as Jaina made her case to the Council and to her parents. “Mom and Dad, I’m sorry for this,” she said, looking them straight in the eyes, “but I think we have to go after Jacen. I think it’s our duty.”
“What do you mean ‘go after’?” Saba asked when it was clear that Han and Leia weren’t going to speak. “This one knowz you have been training with Boba Fett, but that has not worked before.”
“I know,” Jaina said, “and it cost us some good people. I mean eliminate. I mean hunt down and kill.”
The words hung there, heavy in the air. Ben couldn’t tear his eyes away from his aunt and uncle, who sat there glassy-eyed. “That’s not Jacen,” Han finally said, voice full of anger. “Jacen was a hero. Caedus is just the monster who stepped into the hollow shell that was left behind…and if anyone here is capable of taking him out, I’ll gladly arm the detonator.”
Ben winced and glanced at his father, who’d spent much of the discussion staring out the viewport. “Thank you,” Luke said quietly. “I’ve been wondering when someone else was going to come to the same conclusion.”
“Assassinating a head of state?” Corran asked, sounding condemning as he shook his head. There was something in his Force-sense, though, that made Ben believe that Corran knew this was an argument he had no chance of winning. “There are a lot of legitimate ways to be rid of Ja—“ he cast an apologetic look at the Solos, “—to remove Caedus from power. Assassination isn’t one of them. It would make us no different than him.”
“We have tried arrest, and we have tried politicz,” Saba replied. “And we have failed because we refuse to see the truth: Caedus remainz in power because he never balkz at the kill. If we wish to remove him, neither can we.” She slanted a look at Luke. “This one wonderz why you waited until Jedi Solo brought it up if you had already decided.”
“To tell the truth, I was worried my judgment might be clouded by a desire for vengeance.” Luke’s glance toward Jaina was filled with genuine relief. “So I wanted to hear it from someone else first.”
Ben’s heart sank. Was his father going after Jacen—Caedus—whoever? Jaina seemed to be thinking along the same lines. “I’m going with you.” She amended herself immediately. “I mean, I’d like to help.”
Luke gave her a sad smile. “There’s nothing I’d like better, Jaina, but I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”
“Why not?” Jaina demanded. “You’re going to need support and I’ve been preparing.”
“I know you have,” Luke said softly. “But I’m not going to need support because I can’t kill Caedus.” He turned so he was looking out the viewport again. “To tell the truth, I’ve been looking forward to running him down.”
There was a long silence before Jaina finally spoke again. “You’ve been looking forward to it a little too much?” she guessed. “Is that what you mean?”
“Exactly.” Luke crossed his arms over his chest. “Every future that begins with me going after Caedus ends in darkness. I know I’m the only one who can be sure of stopping him, but not matter how I envision it, it always leads to darkness.”
Ben clamped down on his rising horror. No wonder his dad looked so exhausted.
“It’s not Master Skywalker’z judgment that is clouded,” Saba said. “It is him. It is not anger that cloudz him either,” she said, looking over at Han, who was very obviously seething. “This one thinkz it is what he did to Lumiya.”
“Killing Lumiya in vengeance tainted him with the dark side,” Ben breathed. That was scary. No other way to look at it.
“And this one believes you’re right,” Luke said. “If I go after Caedus, it will end in vengeance. Thank you for your honesty, Master Sebatyne.”
“Let me go,” Jaina blurted out.
Ben hissed in a breath.
“I know that you Masters—and several Jedi Knights—are more skilled in both Force and lightsaber than I am. But I’m his twin sister. I’ll have advantages no one else will. I’ve been preparing with the Mandalorians. He’ll expect me to fight like a Jedi and I won’t.”
“It’ll take more than Fett's tricks,” Corran replied. “Caedus won’t fight like a Jedi either.”
“I know,” Jaina said. “But it will trouble him that it’s me coming after him. We know from debriefing Allana how misunderstood he feels, how betrayed because we’ve all chosen to stand against him. It won’t protect me in a fight, but I can use it against him in other ways.”
“And there’s the whole Sword of the Jedi vision Luke had when he made Jaina a Jedi Knight,” Han said, his voice cracking a bit. “That’s got to mean something.”
Ben bit down on his lower lip to stop from tearing up. The emotions in this room were getting to be a little overwhelming.
Saba turned to look at Luke. “It seemz you were right.” She tilted her head at Jaina. “You have the sanction of the Masterz. What else do you need from us?”
“Were right?” Jaina asked. “The Master have already been discussing this option?”
“Of course,” Kyp said. “We’re Jedi Masters. Anticipate is what we do.”
Ben could hear Ender’s voice dryly questioning that fact.
“You knew I was going to ask for the Council’s sanction,” Jaina said to Luke. “That’s…creepy.”
“I’ve seen some things that have led me to expect it, yes,” Luke said, a note of distress entering his voice. “I apologize for not being more direct, but we had to be sure you were ready.”
“This was a test,” Jaina said. “And you reservations about killing Caedus—are you saying if I can bring him in alive, I should try?”
“And get yourself killed? Absolutely not,” Kyp replied. “You’re ready for this.”
“I never doubted she would be,” Luke said. He turned to Jaina, Han and Leia, then caught Ben’s eye. “Ben will accompany you to Coruscant.”
“Ben?” Han’s eyes bulged. “Luke, that’s got to be your worst idea since apprenticing yourself to Palpatine’s clone. You do know we may not be coming back from this.”
“I know that Ben is a Jedi Knight,” he replied. “And Jaina will need his contacts inside the GAG to get to Caedus. Anything else I know is irrelevant to my decision.” He folded his hands behind his back and turned to look out the viewport yet again. “I’m afraid your brother is expecting someone to come after him,” he said, catching Jaina’s gaze in the glass’s reflection. “I’ll be doing everything I can to keep him from seeing that it’s you.”
Ben wasn't sure if the bad feeling he was feeling was the Force or simply his own urge to get sick.
[OOC: Dialogue stolen from Troy "Whack Off More Limbs!" Denning and his book Invincible. NFB, NFI, etc., etc.]
“What do you mean ‘go after’?” Saba asked when it was clear that Han and Leia weren’t going to speak. “This one knowz you have been training with Boba Fett, but that has not worked before.”
“I know,” Jaina said, “and it cost us some good people. I mean eliminate. I mean hunt down and kill.”
The words hung there, heavy in the air. Ben couldn’t tear his eyes away from his aunt and uncle, who sat there glassy-eyed. “That’s not Jacen,” Han finally said, voice full of anger. “Jacen was a hero. Caedus is just the monster who stepped into the hollow shell that was left behind…and if anyone here is capable of taking him out, I’ll gladly arm the detonator.”
Ben winced and glanced at his father, who’d spent much of the discussion staring out the viewport. “Thank you,” Luke said quietly. “I’ve been wondering when someone else was going to come to the same conclusion.”
“Assassinating a head of state?” Corran asked, sounding condemning as he shook his head. There was something in his Force-sense, though, that made Ben believe that Corran knew this was an argument he had no chance of winning. “There are a lot of legitimate ways to be rid of Ja—“ he cast an apologetic look at the Solos, “—to remove Caedus from power. Assassination isn’t one of them. It would make us no different than him.”
“We have tried arrest, and we have tried politicz,” Saba replied. “And we have failed because we refuse to see the truth: Caedus remainz in power because he never balkz at the kill. If we wish to remove him, neither can we.” She slanted a look at Luke. “This one wonderz why you waited until Jedi Solo brought it up if you had already decided.”
“To tell the truth, I was worried my judgment might be clouded by a desire for vengeance.” Luke’s glance toward Jaina was filled with genuine relief. “So I wanted to hear it from someone else first.”
Ben’s heart sank. Was his father going after Jacen—Caedus—whoever? Jaina seemed to be thinking along the same lines. “I’m going with you.” She amended herself immediately. “I mean, I’d like to help.”
Luke gave her a sad smile. “There’s nothing I’d like better, Jaina, but I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”
“Why not?” Jaina demanded. “You’re going to need support and I’ve been preparing.”
“I know you have,” Luke said softly. “But I’m not going to need support because I can’t kill Caedus.” He turned so he was looking out the viewport again. “To tell the truth, I’ve been looking forward to running him down.”
There was a long silence before Jaina finally spoke again. “You’ve been looking forward to it a little too much?” she guessed. “Is that what you mean?”
“Exactly.” Luke crossed his arms over his chest. “Every future that begins with me going after Caedus ends in darkness. I know I’m the only one who can be sure of stopping him, but not matter how I envision it, it always leads to darkness.”
Ben clamped down on his rising horror. No wonder his dad looked so exhausted.
“It’s not Master Skywalker’z judgment that is clouded,” Saba said. “It is him. It is not anger that cloudz him either,” she said, looking over at Han, who was very obviously seething. “This one thinkz it is what he did to Lumiya.”
“Killing Lumiya in vengeance tainted him with the dark side,” Ben breathed. That was scary. No other way to look at it.
“And this one believes you’re right,” Luke said. “If I go after Caedus, it will end in vengeance. Thank you for your honesty, Master Sebatyne.”
“Let me go,” Jaina blurted out.
Ben hissed in a breath.
“I know that you Masters—and several Jedi Knights—are more skilled in both Force and lightsaber than I am. But I’m his twin sister. I’ll have advantages no one else will. I’ve been preparing with the Mandalorians. He’ll expect me to fight like a Jedi and I won’t.”
“It’ll take more than Fett's tricks,” Corran replied. “Caedus won’t fight like a Jedi either.”
“I know,” Jaina said. “But it will trouble him that it’s me coming after him. We know from debriefing Allana how misunderstood he feels, how betrayed because we’ve all chosen to stand against him. It won’t protect me in a fight, but I can use it against him in other ways.”
“And there’s the whole Sword of the Jedi vision Luke had when he made Jaina a Jedi Knight,” Han said, his voice cracking a bit. “That’s got to mean something.”
Ben bit down on his lower lip to stop from tearing up. The emotions in this room were getting to be a little overwhelming.
Saba turned to look at Luke. “It seemz you were right.” She tilted her head at Jaina. “You have the sanction of the Masterz. What else do you need from us?”
“Were right?” Jaina asked. “The Master have already been discussing this option?”
“Of course,” Kyp said. “We’re Jedi Masters. Anticipate is what we do.”
Ben could hear Ender’s voice dryly questioning that fact.
“You knew I was going to ask for the Council’s sanction,” Jaina said to Luke. “That’s…creepy.”
“I’ve seen some things that have led me to expect it, yes,” Luke said, a note of distress entering his voice. “I apologize for not being more direct, but we had to be sure you were ready.”
“This was a test,” Jaina said. “And you reservations about killing Caedus—are you saying if I can bring him in alive, I should try?”
“And get yourself killed? Absolutely not,” Kyp replied. “You’re ready for this.”
“I never doubted she would be,” Luke said. He turned to Jaina, Han and Leia, then caught Ben’s eye. “Ben will accompany you to Coruscant.”
“Ben?” Han’s eyes bulged. “Luke, that’s got to be your worst idea since apprenticing yourself to Palpatine’s clone. You do know we may not be coming back from this.”
“I know that Ben is a Jedi Knight,” he replied. “And Jaina will need his contacts inside the GAG to get to Caedus. Anything else I know is irrelevant to my decision.” He folded his hands behind his back and turned to look out the viewport yet again. “I’m afraid your brother is expecting someone to come after him,” he said, catching Jaina’s gaze in the glass’s reflection. “I’ll be doing everything I can to keep him from seeing that it’s you.”
Ben wasn't sure if the bad feeling he was feeling was the Force or simply his own urge to get sick.
[OOC: Dialogue stolen from Troy "Whack Off More Limbs!" Denning and his book Invincible. NFB, NFI, etc., etc.]