Aboard the Jade Shadow [Monday, Fandom-time]

[momslilassassin]

Luke, Ben and Ender were sitting around the table in the galley when the holographic communications array chimed softly. Luke frowned. "I wasn't expecting to hear from Cilghal for four more hours," he said, reaching forward to tap the controls, "and you can set your chrono by her."

An image of the Mon Calamari Jedi, about a third of a meter tall, appeared in the center of the table. She nodded her head. "Much has happened in the last few hours, Grand Master. There's been another incident with a Jedi Knight. Jysella Horn. I witnessed it." Cilghal then went on to explain how Jysella had been fine on moment and fighting for her life the next--against the Jedi Master--and fled the Temple.

"She escaped the Temple? How? There's Jedi all over the place!" Ben blurted.

Ender	Ender looked up as soon as the interruption arrived, but when Cilghal delivered the news, there was an almost peculiar lack of surprise on his face. He could have faked it, of course, but in a room with two Jedi that would have been more telling than not trying to play them at all. "What's happening with her?"
Ben	"The same thing that happened with her brother Valin," Cilghal said, "but with one important difference: while he could fake a seizure and alter his brain waves, she...flow-walked. She seemed to know exactly where each of us would try to confront her, and disabled two security droids she shouldn't have known existed." Ben looked skeptical. "That's pretty basic Jedi stuff," he said. "Not like this," Cilghal replied. "It was too precise, even without what I felt in the Force--like someone was trying to manipulate space and time. I've never sensed when anyone is flow-walking before, but that's my best guess." Ben's eyes were enormous.
Ender	Well, that wasn't going to strike a chord with Ben at all, Ender reflected sarcastically. "Is there any chance she could have learned that somewhere recently?"
Luke	Luke shook his head. "The only beings who can teach it are the Aing-Tii and they are notoriously xenophobic. Jysella hasn't been anywhere near that sector of the galaxy."
Ben	"Jacen knew how to as well," Ben added quietly.
Ender	"And Jysella wasn't close to Jacen either," Ender concluded from that. "Now that's interesting."
Luke	"Where's Jysella now?" Luke asked, and Cilghal looked pained. "The GA has her," she replied, "and Chief of State Daala reports that she's going to be put into carbonite." "Without even an exam or a trial," Luke said. It was a statement, not a question, and Cilghal nodded. "GA security was on site immediately, and Chief of State Daala wasn't far behind. And Master...there was at least on reporter who broadcast almost everything."
Ender	Yes. Jane had told him that much - had summarised quite a bit, though he'd have to check his computer for any footage later. "Like she's eager to grab her ch-- dejarik pieces quickly," he said. "So she probably doesn't think she's defanged the Jedi all that much."
Ben	Ben smiled at that. "Not if she's ever met Master Saba, she hasn't." He turned more serious. "The attack was recorded?" "Yes, transmitting the broadcast now." Ben made a face when he realized that it was Javis Tyrr reporting live and snorted as the man fed blatantly leading questions to passersby about how long the Jedi had been hiding this problem from the public, but sobered quickly as the footage continued. Jysella's hair had come undone and dark strands flew around her hand. The cam zoomed in and revealed brown eyes wide with terror. "She does look crazy," Ben said softly as the footage continued to show several Jedi coming from the Temple to intercept her. Ben felt a shiver run up his spine as they watched the lightsaber sequence unfold. He'd never seen such Force anticipation, not even from his father. Jysella wasn't one step ahead--she was two.
Ender	Ender sat forward a little. It was one thing to have it described to him - the actual footage filled in the details. "She does," he said. "Daala wins the sympathy vote on this one, hands down."
Ben	Ben muttered a curse he wasn't supposed to know under his breath as he watched Daala's press conference where she promised to "investigate and explore all possible explanations" while simultaneously insinuating that there was something in the Horn blood that was responsible for the madness. "What about Seff Hellin?" Ben finally asked. "He's not a Horn and he was the first one to have any of these symptoms."
Ender	"Is there anywhere they might have spent time together?" Ender wondered. "Did they share meals, were they friends?" He glanced at Ben. "Any chance of Horn blood being anywhere in his genetic mix?"
Ben	Ben gave Ender a little grin. "None. Corran's not that kind of guy. And I don't think they really hung out. They were close to the same age, but Jysella and Valin had their own group. I don't think Seff was in it."
Ender	Ender looked thoughtful. "Who else was in the group?"
Ben	"Valin, Jysella, Yaqeel Saav'etu, and Bazel Warv," Ben said, pointing to the two Jedi that Jysella was fighting. "Those two."
Ender	Ender nodded, though his mind was racing, and he was already planning to get Jane to keep an eye out for those particular names. "That's three, now," he said. "Odds are high there might be another one. Unless Daala's right, and Seff's just an anomaly."
Ben	"And they're three for three for powers Jacen had, too," Ben offered quietly. "Stuff he learned out here that Seff, Valin and Jysella shouldn't know."
Ender	Ender processed that, but asked no further questions. Instead, he looked at Luke, interested in what the Jedi might make of it.
Luke	Luke's lips had thinned. "Thank for the information, Cilghal," he said. "Please send us everything you can find on the Aing-Tii monks. I think we'll be payig them a visit."
Ender	Once communications had ceased, Ender got up. He had plenty to talk to Jane about, and if the Skywalkers discussed anything of interest in his absence-- Well, he had plenty to talk to Jane about. "Please tell me the next planet has a view, so I can sleep easily," he requested.
Luke	"The Kathol Rift is one of the most stunning formations of nebula in the galaxy," Luke said, leaving off the part where they were stunningly difficult to fly through. He waited until Ender had left the room before turning to Ben, looking troubled. "The flow-walking could be the key to understanding this entire situation," he said. "If Caedus flow-walked and laid this...this mental instability as some sort of bomb rigged if he failed, understanding how he did it may help us understand how to undo it."
Ben	Ben looked sort of stunned. "Do you really think that Jacen--that Caedus--set this all up?" he asked. "The Jedi going crazy, the stuff they know--you really think he planned all this?"
Luke	Luke sat back in his seat. "It's a possibility, and it would explain a lot."
Ben	"Wouldn't explain how he was able to actually do it," Ben said a little acerbically.
Luke	"With any luck, we'll find the Aing-Tii in a congenial frame of mind, and they'll choose to enlighten us," Luke said, heading for the front of the ship.
Ben	"Do you think we'll have to flow-walk in order to find out?" Ben blurted, trying to curb his enthusiasm about the idea.
Luke	"I hope not, Ben," Luke said quietly. "I truly hope not."
Ender	A couple of rooms away, Ender stared at the deep background profile Jane had provided about Daala's personal assistant and snorted. She finished speaking. He started. "If that's the kind of thing Luke's trying to keep from me, I almost feel insulted." "Your boyfriend sounds a little eager," Jane replied. "He's not my boyfriend, but yes," Ender said, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "Skywalker plots to do something stupid with arcane knowledge. News at eleven." "Ah, but which one?" "I'll get back to you about that."

[OOC: It's a new book! Taken from Christie Golden's Omen, preplayed with the always fantastic endsthegame, and NFB for distance, but totally open for emails and phone calls!]

Comments

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

Instead of the usual email, there was a text message. Because someone was spending too much time making sure he wasn't going to be too fat for the suit.

Second weekend of being someone else. Other me's are messed up.

[momslilassassin]

What was this one like? More stupid facial hair?

No, Ben, that was you.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

One: I have nightmares of you with a weasel glued to your face. Two: Yes, a mustache. Three: I was super fat. Which I guess is better than a dramatic alcoholic?

Not in the slightest.

[momslilassassin]

Ben reply took a little longer because it was hard to type through a giggle-fit.

Pictures or it didn't happen.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

Tony sighed and sent a screencap of the security footage in his lab. It featured one obese Tony Stark chasing a turkey.

I regret telling you that.

[momslilassassin]

Please tell me that turkey's okay.

A second later, he added:

And that is my datapad's new wallpaper.

What a supportive friend Ben was.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

He's fine.

One day he'd laugh about this. One day.

I'm mailing you a gremlin and telling Ender to take pictures.

[momslilassassin]

Oh, speaking of which, we're stopping on a planet with mail before we head to our next location.

That was followed immediately by:

Don't ship a gremlin.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

I can't promise that, Dave.

[momslilassassin]

Dave?

Sometimes Ben missed references.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

Tony stared at his phone for a very long time before responding.

I'm making you guys watch GOOD movies to understand these things.

[momslilassassin]

The car movies are good!

No, not really, Ben.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

They fail engineering forever.

THEY DO.

[momslilassassin]

Well, yeah, but it looks really astral!

And everyone knows that's what's important, Tony.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

I'm crying on the inside here, Ben.

[momslilassassin]

Come on, when I watch meaningful movies, Ender picks something about a guy in prison or gay Jesus.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

...really, Ben? Really?

Gay Jesus.

[momslilassassin]

Definitely gay Judas, anyway. Jesus seemed to be trying to let him down easy.

Ben had not really been paying attention to the movie. Did it show?

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

Not at all! Don't be silly, Ben.

Wow, Ender has weird choices in movies. Did he make you watch one about gay cowboys too?

[momslilassassin]

...no. Is it any good?

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

Kind of long.

What? Sometimes he liked to have things playing in the background while he worked.

[momslilassassin]

Ben snickered, but didn't send back "that's what she said."

Boring an arty? Or do things explode?

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

But it was the thought that counted at least!

Super arty. I might have paid more attention if it was half as long.

There was a pause before he added, Though, there was a nice topless scene to even out the two guys.

Oh, Anne Hathaway's breasts. You made that movie so much better for Tony.

[momslilassassin]

I like boobs!

Thank you, Ben.

It's been a long few months stuck in a ship, then in a hole, that's all.

Because Tony clearly needed to know that.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

Clearly.

...Do I need to send /those/ kind of movies?

Just because he'd never done anything before dating Stephanie, didn't mean he was an innocent little flower.