Ben Skywalker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
momslilassassin) wrote2009-03-29 11:41 pm
momslilassassin) wrote2009-03-29 11:41 pm
Shedu Maad, GFFA [Early Monday morning, Fandom time]
Ben followed the sound of Han's whooping and wasn’t surprised to see everyone he wanted to in the same place. He loitered in the doorway and watched as Jaina stood in the grass and concentrated hard enough to shatter a disk of lightsaber-proof beskar with her mind. He didn’t blame Han for being excited at all.
“Ben?” Jaina cried, glancing over, then racing toward him. “You’re back!” She hugged him and whirled him back and forth, forgetting he might need to do important things like breathe. “Don’t you ever do that again!”
“Do what?” he asked.
“Move away from your backup! What were you thinking?”
“I was trying not to get you and Aunt Leia captured too,” Ben replied. “That’s the protocol for a situation like the one we were in, and it was the right thing to do.”
“Yes it was,” Leia agreed, walking toward him. “Please forgive Jaina. She was just worried about you. We all were.”
“Thanks, Aunt Leia.” He smiled at her, then frowned at Jaina. Why did the one at school, who knew him as a baby treat him more like an equal? “I’m a Jedi, Jaina, with a job to do, just like you. If we’re going to keep working together, you’re going to have to remember that, okay?” Which reminded him that he needed to ditch the braid soon. That haircut was for Padawans.
Jaina raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, sure, Ben. Sorry.” She looked to Trista and Taryn. “What have you two been feeding him?”
“Don’t blame us if you can’t handle your men,” Trista replied. “All we did was deliver him to Her Majesty as ordered.”
Ben shook his head--he'd gotten used to the Hapan form of teasing over the last few days--and turned to his father. “Good to see you, Dad. At least you’re not treating me like a kid any more. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” Luke said, “but there’s no need to thank me. All I did was give you a mission and you performed brilliantly. Without you, we wouldn’t have known to look for Caedus—and we wouldn’t have known what he was up to in the Roche system.”
Ben beamed for a second, then hugged Luke. It surprised him to realize that he was a little taller than his father now. He must've grown in the time he'd been to Coruscant. “I guess I had a good teacher.” He pulled back. “But there was a big problem with my escape.” He hesitated, then noticed the redhaired woman approaching them, holding a small child by the hand. “Maybe I should let Tenel Ka explain it.”
“My father was captured and taken aboard the Anakin Solo,” Tenel Ka said without preamble. “And Prince Isolder knew the location of this base. Apparently, Darth Caedus forced him to reveal it because the Anakin Solo has broken out of the Roche system and is heading here with the Imperial Remnant assault fleet. He could be here in twelve hours.”
“Caedus is coming to us?” Saba asked, looking almost smug, if you knew how to read Barabel facial expressions.
“I doubt your father revealed our location,” Luke said, walking toward Jaina, and pointed at stains she hadn’t been able to scrub off her face and neck. Ben had been trying not to look too closely at them, or ask where they had come from. “Do you recognize this?”
Tenel Ka’s jaw dropped. “Those are not burns?” She leaned closer. “That’s Caedus’s blood?”
Ew, Ben thought.
“That’s a blood trail,” Tenel Ka continued. “Some of the Nightsisters used the technique to mark their slaves, so they could always track them down.”
“I led him here?” Jaina asked, looking shaken as she turned to Luke. “And you knew? Why did you let me stay?
“I knew Caedus would be coming for me,” Luke said.
Jaina frowned. “But he saw me cut off his arm. He must know I’m the one hunting him.”
Ben tried not to wince at that. She'd cut off his arm? What else had he missed?
“He knowz you are the Sword,” Saba said. “Does one win a battle by breaking the Sword, or breaking the warrior who wields it?”
“Thank you for the warning,” Luke told Tenel Ka, “and I don’t want to be an ungracious host, but we have to prepare. Perhaps you and Allana should leave while there’s still time.”
“We are staying, as is my fleet,” Tenel Ka said firmly. “If the Jedi fall, so does my throne. Better to defend here than on Hapes, with more enemies at my back than in front of me.”
Jaina’s face closed off--it was obvious she hadn't really been following the conversation--and she turned away. When she looked back, Han was studying her sympathetically. “It finally happened, didn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Jaina replied. “I think it did.”
“What happened?” Ben asked.
“Her last hope died,” Leia said softly. “She realized Jacen is totally gone. There’s nothing left to bring back to the light.”
Ben thought about that for a moment. “How do you know when someone can be brought back toward the light?”
“First, they must want to be redeemed,” Tenel Ka said. “All Caedus wants is to control everything he sees. There is no use wishing otherwise, Ben.”
“I did some pretty terrible things,” Ben pointed out, “and no one gave up on me.”
“You got a little confused, kid,” Han said. “That happens. But you didn’t go around killing family members and burning planets.”
Granddad had, though, Ben thought. He shook his head. Tahiri wasn’t Granddad. Not even close.
“Ben,” Jaina said, “are you talking about Tahiri?”
“I’m just asking a question,” Ben said defensively. The less they probed into his conflicted mess of feelings for Tahiri, the better. “How else can I learn?”
“But you must have a reason for asking,” Leia pressed.
Ben looked at the ground. “I think Tahiri hated what she did. Killing Shevu, torturing me. She almost—“ He cringed, pulling up memories he didn’t have time to deal with right now. “Tahiri tried everything she could to avoid hurting me. And when Shevu died, she felt horrible. She’s not like Caedus. Not yet.”
And he hoped desperately that this wasn’t all wishful thinking.
[OOC: I swear I'm almost done. Dialogue snagged from Troy "Why Yes, I Might Hate All of These People" Denning's book Invincible. NFB, NFI. OOC is love.]
“Ben?” Jaina cried, glancing over, then racing toward him. “You’re back!” She hugged him and whirled him back and forth, forgetting he might need to do important things like breathe. “Don’t you ever do that again!”
“Do what?” he asked.
“Move away from your backup! What were you thinking?”
“I was trying not to get you and Aunt Leia captured too,” Ben replied. “That’s the protocol for a situation like the one we were in, and it was the right thing to do.”
“Yes it was,” Leia agreed, walking toward him. “Please forgive Jaina. She was just worried about you. We all were.”
“Thanks, Aunt Leia.” He smiled at her, then frowned at Jaina. Why did the one at school, who knew him as a baby treat him more like an equal? “I’m a Jedi, Jaina, with a job to do, just like you. If we’re going to keep working together, you’re going to have to remember that, okay?” Which reminded him that he needed to ditch the braid soon. That haircut was for Padawans.
Jaina raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, sure, Ben. Sorry.” She looked to Trista and Taryn. “What have you two been feeding him?”
“Don’t blame us if you can’t handle your men,” Trista replied. “All we did was deliver him to Her Majesty as ordered.”
Ben shook his head--he'd gotten used to the Hapan form of teasing over the last few days--and turned to his father. “Good to see you, Dad. At least you’re not treating me like a kid any more. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” Luke said, “but there’s no need to thank me. All I did was give you a mission and you performed brilliantly. Without you, we wouldn’t have known to look for Caedus—and we wouldn’t have known what he was up to in the Roche system.”
Ben beamed for a second, then hugged Luke. It surprised him to realize that he was a little taller than his father now. He must've grown in the time he'd been to Coruscant. “I guess I had a good teacher.” He pulled back. “But there was a big problem with my escape.” He hesitated, then noticed the redhaired woman approaching them, holding a small child by the hand. “Maybe I should let Tenel Ka explain it.”
“My father was captured and taken aboard the Anakin Solo,” Tenel Ka said without preamble. “And Prince Isolder knew the location of this base. Apparently, Darth Caedus forced him to reveal it because the Anakin Solo has broken out of the Roche system and is heading here with the Imperial Remnant assault fleet. He could be here in twelve hours.”
“Caedus is coming to us?” Saba asked, looking almost smug, if you knew how to read Barabel facial expressions.
“I doubt your father revealed our location,” Luke said, walking toward Jaina, and pointed at stains she hadn’t been able to scrub off her face and neck. Ben had been trying not to look too closely at them, or ask where they had come from. “Do you recognize this?”
Tenel Ka’s jaw dropped. “Those are not burns?” She leaned closer. “That’s Caedus’s blood?”
Ew, Ben thought.
“That’s a blood trail,” Tenel Ka continued. “Some of the Nightsisters used the technique to mark their slaves, so they could always track them down.”
“I led him here?” Jaina asked, looking shaken as she turned to Luke. “And you knew? Why did you let me stay?
“I knew Caedus would be coming for me,” Luke said.
Jaina frowned. “But he saw me cut off his arm. He must know I’m the one hunting him.”
Ben tried not to wince at that. She'd cut off his arm? What else had he missed?
“He knowz you are the Sword,” Saba said. “Does one win a battle by breaking the Sword, or breaking the warrior who wields it?”
“Thank you for the warning,” Luke told Tenel Ka, “and I don’t want to be an ungracious host, but we have to prepare. Perhaps you and Allana should leave while there’s still time.”
“We are staying, as is my fleet,” Tenel Ka said firmly. “If the Jedi fall, so does my throne. Better to defend here than on Hapes, with more enemies at my back than in front of me.”
Jaina’s face closed off--it was obvious she hadn't really been following the conversation--and she turned away. When she looked back, Han was studying her sympathetically. “It finally happened, didn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Jaina replied. “I think it did.”
“What happened?” Ben asked.
“Her last hope died,” Leia said softly. “She realized Jacen is totally gone. There’s nothing left to bring back to the light.”
Ben thought about that for a moment. “How do you know when someone can be brought back toward the light?”
“First, they must want to be redeemed,” Tenel Ka said. “All Caedus wants is to control everything he sees. There is no use wishing otherwise, Ben.”
“I did some pretty terrible things,” Ben pointed out, “and no one gave up on me.”
“You got a little confused, kid,” Han said. “That happens. But you didn’t go around killing family members and burning planets.”
Granddad had, though, Ben thought. He shook his head. Tahiri wasn’t Granddad. Not even close.
“Ben,” Jaina said, “are you talking about Tahiri?”
“I’m just asking a question,” Ben said defensively. The less they probed into his conflicted mess of feelings for Tahiri, the better. “How else can I learn?”
“But you must have a reason for asking,” Leia pressed.
Ben looked at the ground. “I think Tahiri hated what she did. Killing Shevu, torturing me. She almost—“ He cringed, pulling up memories he didn’t have time to deal with right now. “Tahiri tried everything she could to avoid hurting me. And when Shevu died, she felt horrible. She’s not like Caedus. Not yet.”
And he hoped desperately that this wasn’t all wishful thinking.
[OOC: I swear I'm almost done. Dialogue snagged from Troy "Why Yes, I Might Hate All of These People" Denning's book Invincible. NFB, NFI. OOC is love.]