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Jedi Headquarters, Imperial City, Coruscant
At first Helaine Trillium had a hard time identifying that the blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl, barely pausing for breath, was Miranda Sierr. Helaine half listened to her, amazed that while the girl had concerns, deeply hidden fears, nothing seemed to weigh down her spirit. That was why she'd gotten along so well with her. Miranda had been able to make her forget all her cares, if only for a moment. Someone else had an even better talent for it. Someone Helaine didn't dare think about out of fear of having to come to terms with her feelings for him.
Miranda finished her recitation of the horrors of Jedi children, which Helaine found amusing having worked in the crèche, and frowned at her. "You've changed, Lainey."
"How?" Helaine asked, a little surprised.
"Even you have more to say than 'oh', and an occasional half smile here and there." She touched Helaine's arm. "Does your stomach hurt?"
Helaine shook her head.. The slight ache had grown a little sharper, but it was endurable. "Not really. I'm just a little tired," she said, fighting the urge to roll over and fall asleep. Ever since Master Horn had left, her fatigue had started taking over. "How are Anakin and Julya doing?"
"They're fine, they've been up for hours," Miranda said, giving Helaine a funny look. "Since when do you have a Coruscanti accent?"
Helaine blinked. "When haven't I?"
"Since I've known you." Miranda answered. "It used to be slightly Corellian, like Master Horn."
"Oh," Helaine said, uncertain what to say. "How long do you think the interrogation will take?"
Miranda shrugged her shoulders. "A couple of hours, I guess." She studied Helaine's face. "You're worried about him, aren't you?"
Helaine nodded wordlessly.
"Well, you shouldn't," Miranda said, elbowing her. "He's quite capable of taking care of himself. Not to mention he'll be in a high security building, what could go wrong?"
"Anything," Helaine said softly.
"Well, it won't," Miranda said firmly. "Master Horn's pretty good at getting out of any scrape, you know." Noticing Helaine's expression didn't change, she hesitated, then gave her a bright smile. "Too bad Armand's probably already gone back to the hotel." She waggled her eyebrows at Helaine.
Helaine's chest tightened. "Why?"
"Because seeing him in that muscle shirt would cheer any girl up," Miranda said, giving Helaine a wink. "Especially if she knows he's hers."
Helaine shook her head, that was one thing she didn't need to hear. Not now. Not when Armand was the only person she'd ever encountered who could make her question the wisdom of the Council. Of the Jedi who had gone on before. Miranda started pointing out the reasons Armand was hers, but her voice started to drown out in the dimming lights of Imperial City. They were being watched, no followed. The shadows had eyes, but no presence in the Force. It took Helaine a moment to realize her eyes had closed, and she was picking up on Master Horn's perceptions through their bond.
He decided to let their tail follow them to see how far he would, when suddenly a small child's cry echoed through the Force. Helaine felt his well-contained fury, concern, and even fear for his young daughter.
The rest passed by in a blur, almost too quick to sting, but slow enough for Helaine to understand what was going on; and be left numb by the implications. Her Master was preparing to give his freedom up for his daughter, perhaps even his life. He had no other choice.
Helaine writhed in her bed, her lips soundlessly forming the word no.
There had to be some other way to save Jysella. Master Horn didn't seem to think there was. Seeming too quickly to Helaine, Master Horn gave himself up, urging his daughter to run, sending her his love.
Abruptly his presence in the Force was gone.
"Master!" Helaine cried out, rising quickly in her bed, ignoring the severe pain such action caused her. Calling on the Force to shunt away the pain, she hopped out of bed.
"Lainey!" Miranda exclaimed. "What are you doing?"
"Saving Master Horn," Helaine said, rushing to the window and sliding it open. Her room was only two levels up, an easy jump for any trained Jedi to make. Gathering the Force around her, she leaped out the window. Miranda yelled after Helaine, her voice unusually high from panic.
Helaine hit the grounds of the temple a little faster and therefore harder than she should. The impact jolted her body, knocking the wind out of her, and breaking her connection with the Force. Fatigue dropped her head to her knees, pain shortened her breath.
Giving herself only a few seconds recovery time, Helaine touched the Force again, seeking out the place where she last felt Master Horn's presence. Slowly rising to her feet, she staggered a few steps, only to fall to her knees again.
Wincing, Helaine called on the Force for strength, only gathering enough to stand shakily up, take a few more steps, and collapse to the ground. Trembling, she laid her face against the cool pavement, fighting the growing pain in her stomach. Realizing she didn't have the strength to walk, even stand, she started crawling toward her Master, refusing to accept defeat.
All too soon her weary muscles refused to work, the Force offered no aid, and she could barely move. Finding herself facing the pavement once more, Helaine shook from more than fatigue. She could not get to Master Horn in time. She couldn't get to him at all. Just as she had been unable to toss a coin correctly to save Master Caine, she could do nothing while she felt the Jedi die off in the Force, and she could do nothing while Valdemar's men took away her new Master.
Tears formed in her eyes, blurring her view before splashing down her cheeks. What kind of a Padawan was she?
A slight wind blew by, rustling her infirmary gown and swirling her hair around her face. It offered nothing but a whisper, too soft to understand. The Force could provide the answer, but she was reluctant to seek its guidance. The Force had betrayed her, as it had every Jedi of her order. It sent a Chosen One promising balance, but they received destruction. It wasn't there when she needed it in Valdemar's prison, and it refused to give her the strength she needed to help Master Horn.
A soft cry escaped her lips as she realized there would be no help from the power she'd served her whole life, and one more person she cared for would die from her trust in it.
***
Cianna Darklighter walked toward the conference room, her mind racing. What did Lainey know about the prophecy of the one who would bring balance to the Force? Why was she so reluctant to say anything about it without Master Skywalker's authorization? And why had she asked how Darth Vader died? The question had seemed to come from nowhere, and was something Lainey should certainly know the answer to.
Even if she had spent a long time in carbonite, she should have heard that story. It was over twenty years old. Unless she had been frozen longer longer than that?. Cianna stalled her steps, remembering the first time she'd met Lainey. She had appeared much older then a teenager, older than Master Skywalker even. Had she seen a vision of Lainey's true age?
If she had trained in the Old Republic, it would make sense as to how she knew how to read and write Jedi Cyrillic, and knew more about the prophecy of the Chosen One than she was willing to say. It would also make sense that she didn't know how Darth Vader died, but in the week or so she'd been awake, surely she would have heard something about it.
The question had seemed so off topic too... or was it?
It had come right after Cianna had repeated the version of the prophecy Kyp used to proclaim himself the Chosen One. Cianna's breath caught in her throat as she recalled the words of the prophecy: And in that day when the Jedi Order has fallen into darkness, and chaos reigns, the Chosen One will flex his might, bringing balance to the Force, opening the way to a new, and stronger generation of the Jedi.; and the death of Darth Vader.
When he picked up Palpatine and threw him down the Death Star's reactor core, saving Master Skywalker's life, didn't that open the way for a new and stronger generation of Jedi?
Darth Vader, or rather, Anakin Skywalker, was the Chosen One, the one who would bring balance to the Force.
That was why Lainey had been so reluctant to talk about it if Master Skywalker hadn't. If Master Skywalker hadn't what? Which meant that Kyp Durron was not who he claimed to be, and support for him would hopefully drop.
Excited, Cianna started walking toward the conference room again, at a much faster pace. Reaching the conference room faster than she thought, she took a moment outside the doors to gather her thoughts, and assume the proper appearance of a Jedi.
The conference room was full of Knights and Masters, who all turned to watch Cianna enter the room. Master Skywalker stood at the front of the room, giving Cianna a smile in greeting. He opened his arms. "Welcome, Cianna."
Cianna bowed to him. "You called for me, Master Skywalker?"
"Yes," he said, beckoning her forward. "We've been discussing the problem on Mantooine. As you know, the killer has now directly attacked the Jedi. I feel that your vision will offer much needed insight to how he works."
Cianna nodded, took a deep breath, and described her vision of Manuel and Master Erien's death to the gathered Jedi. Afterward, Master Skywalker thanked her and invited her to take a seat. Cianna sat down next to Jacen as discussion about the killer's methods started.
Although she knew she should probably pay attention to the meeting, she found herself opening the Book of Prophecies, trying to find the prophecy of the Chosen One. Jacen raised an amused eyebrow at her, but said nothing. Cianna smiled at him, then focused her attention on the pages of the book.
Opening herself to the Force, she started sorting through the words, seeking out the prophecy of the Chosen One. Soon, she found the second half of the prophecy, referring to when the order fell into darkness. But the first half mentioned that a child born of the...midichlorians, would bring balance to the Force.
After allowing speculation and questions to be brought up throughout the meeting concerning Cianna's vision, and what had happened at the Old Temple, Luke Skywalker called a break. The Jedi began to form in discussion groups, all except for Cianna Darklighter, who sat huddled over something in her seat. Raising an eyebrow, Luke walked over to her, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Cianna."
The girl jumped, blinking dark blue eyes up at Luke. "Master Skywalker!" she exclaimed, her cheeks turning red. "What's wrong?"
"I've called a break," Luke replied, then noticed the book she held on her lap. "I see something else has held your attention over the past ten minutes."
"Sorry," Cianna said, bowing her head. "I just had to find the Prophecy of the Chosen One."
Luke tightened his hand on her shoulder. "Why?"
Hesitating, Cianna slowly raised her head to meet his gaze. "I... don't think Kyp Durron is the Chose One." She took a deep breath. "I think Anakin Skywalker was."
His father, the Chosen One? Impossible... or was it? There really was no explanation as to how the Force would be balanced, only that it would be. He studied his student's face. "How did you get a lock on that target?"
"When he saved your life on the Death Star, didn't that open the way for a new and stronger generation of Jedi, through you?" Cianna asked softly.
"I've never thought of it that way," Luke said, his tone matching hers. He raised an eyebrow. "Why did you?"
"Lainey gave me the idea when she asked me how Darth Vader died. I think it was her way of telling me what she knew, without really telling me," Cianna replied, risking a glance around the room. She lowered her voice. "I don't think she is who we assumed her to be."
"You may be right," Luke agreed. Lainey suggesting it gave definite credence to the idea. But was it enough proof against Kyp?
"Master Skywalker, can I ask you something?" Cianna asked suddenly.
Luke nodded. "Certainly."
"What are the midichlorians?"
Luke blinked. "The what?"
"The midichlorians. According to the Book of Prophecies, the Chosen One must be born of them," Cianna replied.
"I don't know." Luke shook his head. "I've never heard of them. How were you able to find it?"
"Lainey taught me how to read Jedi Cyrillic," Cianna replied.
Luke was about to comment when he felt a great disturbance in the Force. Luke closed his eyes, focusing on the danger. Corran. Concerned, Luke tried to locate his friend, when suddenly his presence winked out in the Force. He knew right away that Corran hadn't died...he had probably stepped into a ysalamir field. Or he had been injected with the same elixir Lainey had. Luke felt his blood run cold. Had Corran just been caught by the people who had tried to get Lainey?
Luke opened his eyes, feeling confusion in most of the Jedi in the room, and fear for Corran from his close friends. He was about to speak, when a panicked Miranda ran into the room. "Master Skywalker!" she yelled, her blue green eyes lined with red. "It's Lainey, she..."
Luke crossed the room, placing his hands on her shoulder. "She what, Miranda?" Luke demanded, feeling fear radiating from the girl.
"She said she had to save Master Horn." Miranda took a deep, shuddering breath. "And she jumped out the window!" She shook her head. "I couldn't follow, I don't know how to levitate myself like that."
Luke closed his eyes for a moment. Everything was happening in a rush. First with Cianna's announcement, Corran's disappearance, and now Lainey rushing into danger. "It's all right," Luke said, tightening his hands on her shoulders. He met her gaze. "Stay here," Luke said authoritatively. He nodded to his wife, who had come to his side. "Mara and I will take care of her."
***
Time passed slowly while Helaine Trillium lay on the hard ground, closing her eyes against the deceptive brightness of Coruscant's night. There were Force techniques she could use to quell the pain in her stomach, and ease the weariness in her spirit. But she refused to touch it, because it was never there when she truly needed it. Deliberately dampening her use of the Force, the flow of the universe slowly faded from her senses.
Suddenly she felt a shudder of anticipation course through her, arching her back and making her shoulders roll back, so she knew someone was close -- too close. The smell of sour ale invaded her senses next, while a rather large hand touched her back.
"Hey pretty gurlsh," a deep voice slurred, roughly rolling her over onto her back. Helaine found herself staring up into glazed brown eyes, belonging to a rather large, unclean human male. She didn't need the Force to know his intentions. Gathering whatever strength she had left in her muscles, she raised her right leg, planting a rather ineffective kick in his abdomen.
Laughing somewhat harshly, the drunken man pulled her up and over his shoulder, causing her to grimace with pain as her injured stomach met his sharp shoulder. "I likesh feisty women," he said, raising unsteadily to his feet.
"No," Helaine said, kicking her legs in an effort to release herself from his grubby arms. If she had not been hurt, a man like this wouldn't stand a chance against her. With or without the Force. But in her current physical state, she could not fight effectually against him. She could scream, or perhaps persuade his weakened mind with the Force to let her go. But she balked against using the Force in such a direct manner. It probably wouldn't even work.
But she couldn't let this man get away with what he intended.
***
Luke Skywalker immediately stretched out to the Force as he hurried down the corridor, seeking out Lainey's presence. She was harder to find than he thought, her light being somewhat diminished in the Force. She was shielding heavily, which caused Luke to frown. Then he felt a second presence around her, filled with dark intent.
Wondering if Mara had sensed the same thing, he turned to her, their gazes briefly meeting. She nodded to him. "We'd better hurry, Skywalker."
Luke started to run, with Mara at his side. They soon made it outside of the headquarters building, just in time to see a rather large figure hoist a smaller one over its shoulders. Lainey.
She kicked a little bit, but was obviously unable to fight him off. Luke brushed her attacker with the Force, noticing instantly his drunken state. Lainey could have easily turned him away with a Force suggestion. Luke frowned. What was going on with her?
Mara raised an eyebrow at him, holding her lightsaber. "Think lightsabers will be enough to scare him away?"
Luke nodded, drawing his own. "Hey!" he called out, igniting his lightsaber as he ran. "Let go of her!"
The drunk stiffened, turned to face them, and froze with fear. Muttering something under his breath, he dropped Lainey to the ground and started to run. Luke caught her with the Force, easing her gently to the ground. A security officer caught up the drunk, ensuring that Luke or Mara wouldn't have to follow him.
"Are you all right?" Luke asked, dropping to one knee beside her. She nodded slightly, propping herself up on her elbows. Resting his hand behind her back, he helped her to sit up. Almost instantly she arched her back, taking a sharp breath. "You're hurt," Luke said, laying her back down with concern.
Lainey shook her head. "Not any worse than before."
Mara glanced up at the Headquarters building. "You jumped pretty far. That probably aggravated it."
"Trivial jump for a Jedi," Lainey breathed.
"For a healthy one, yes," Luke said, touching her with Force to relieve some of her pain.
She tensed, turning her head slowly to look at him, her blue eyes fogging briefly with a haunted look Luke could remember seeing in Obi-Wan's eyes when he talked about his former apprentice. Dropping her eyes from his, Lainey whispered, "Thanks."
"You should thank the Force you weren't killed," Mara said, clipping her lightsaber to her belt.
Lainey winced, opened her mouth to say something, then quickly closed it. Luke slipped his arms behind her back and legs, lifting her gently into his arms. "We better get you to the infirmary."
***
After the general commotion of Miranda's announcement calmed down, Cianna Darklighter still found herself pacing. Corran Horn may have been in danger, but Ganner was as well. She wanted to run after him as Lainey had done with Corran, but almost instantly she felt the danger diminishing around him. But his inner turmoil grew. Reaching out with the Force, she brushed his presence. Almost immediately she was assured he was all right, and that she needed to stay where she was.
Jacen Solo came over to talk with her for awhile, obviously trying to keep her mind off of Ganner. She ended up allowing him to steer her toward her chair, and she started to teach him how to read Jedi Cyrillic, when she felt Ganner's closeness to the Headquarters. Instructing Jacen to work on reading, she dashed out of the conference room, barely noticing she passed by Master Skywalker, and met Ganner outside.
He carried a sleeping Jysella in his arms, a haunted look shadowing his blue eyes. "I thought I told you to stay here," he weakly admonished her.
"When there was danger," Cianna said, stalling her steps toward him. "What happened to Jysella?"
Ganner winced. "She was bait for Corran." He lowered his head, studying the little girl's face. "The farther we got away from him, the harder she fought me. I had to use the Force on her to induce sleep."
Cianna bowed her head, recalling how she hadn't stopped Jysella from running as she knew she should have. Ganner, sensing the sudden change in her emotions, shifted Jysella to one arm, wrapping an arm around his apprentice's shoulder. "It's not your fault," he told her softly.
She lifted her head, meeting his gaze,causing a jolt that sent tingles down her spine. Mere centimeters stood between them. She moved her head closer, seeking the warmth of his spirit... and then caught herself. Taking hurried steps backwards, she mumbled, "Thanks."
Brilliant, Cianna, she chided herself.
Ganner studied her for a moment, then smiled, eager to lighten the mood. "I'm glad you came, Cianna," he said before allowing the smile to fade from his lips. "I'll need all the support I can get explaining this to Mirax."
***
Cilghal was waiting for them the moment they reached the infirmary. After firmly admonishing Lainey for taking off in the condition she was in, she directed Luke and Mara to Lainey's infirmary room. Luke laid her carefully down on the bed, then stepped aside so Cilghal could examine her.
After running a medisensor over Lainey's abdomen, Cilghal shook her head. "You're lucky you didn't tear the wound back open."
"Good," Lainey said, sounding relieved. "I don't want to spend any more time in the bacta."
"You're scheduled for another dunk anyway," Cilghal said, glancing at her wrist chronometer. "In about five minutes, actually."
Luke turned to her. "Can it wait?" he asked, resting his hand on Lainey's arm. "I need to speak with her."
Cilghal frowned slighlty, considering his words. "Let me give her something for the pain first," she said, slipping out of the room for a minute.
Lainey raised an eyebrow at Luke. "You wished to speak to me, Master Skywalker?"
"Yes," Luke said, his voice gentle. "I want to know what were you thinking going after Corran?"
Lainey hesitated. Closing her eyes, she took a deep, shuddering breath. "I had to fight."
"No, you didn't," Mara corrected her. "Not when you don't have the ability to do so."
Luke squeezed Lainey's shoulder. "What could you have done?" he asked softly.
Considering his words, Lainey took a moment to answer. "I don't know," she said finally, her tone slightly high pitched from a suppressed sob. "I thought the Force would guide me."
Detecting the slight sense of betrayal in her words, Luke realized that she had just given him the reason why she had not used the Force on the drunk. Luke touched her cheek, slipping his thumb beneath her chin and lifting her face up to look at him. "You think it hasn't?"
She stared at him. "What do you mean?"
"The Force doesn't always work the way we think it should," Luke answered. "When I was training with Master Yoda on Dagobah, I had a vision of Han and Leia being in danger. I thought I had to go rescue them, leaving my Master during the most critical part of my training. Even though Master Yoda told me if I honored what they fought for, I should not go.
"I ended up facing Darth Vader when I wasn't ready, losing my hand in a fight with him, and having to be rescued myself," Luke told her, the bittersweet memories flooding back to him. "So tell me, Lainey, was my vision a warning, or misleading?"
Helaine Trillium stared at Master Skywalker, considering his question. At first she had found his familiar blue eyes disconcerting as they reminded her of Anakin. But his eyes were filled with warmth and concern, over harsh recklessness in Anakin's and, later, barely contained fury. They also revealed a deliberate nature, contrasting sharply with Anakin's impulsiveness. Which meant his seemingly simple question was leading somewhere. "A warning," she answered cautiously.
"Why wasn't it misleading?" Master Skywalker asked.
"Because you misinterpreted it."
Master Skywalker nodded. "Could you have misinterpreted its will tonight?"
So that was where his question was leading. Had she misinterpreted the will of the Force? It certainly wouldn't be the first time. Or the last. But why wouldn't it want her to help Master Horn?
Because she couldn't. She knew that a Jedi could not do everything, but accepting it, was something entirely different. Especially because she hadn't been able to do much of anything lately. Instead of going to war against the Empire, it had been decided that she could serve the Force best by hiding out on Mantooine. When she had been caught by Valdemar, she thought she had been sent to her death by going to Mantooine. But instead, going there had enabled her to live.
And had being unable to chase after Master Horn enabled her to live as well? But it hadn't allowed him to. She hadn't misinterpreted the will of the Force at all.
In her frustration, her right hand subconsciously started pulling on her braid. The familiar feel of it brought back Master Yoda's words to her: Great tragedy it is, that the Jedi are dying, young Padawan, that forgotten, they will be. But an even greater tragedy would it be, if forget themselves, the Jedi did. Master Yoda's words came back to her, reminding her of why she had kept her Padawan braid. I'm sorry, Master Yoda, Helaine thought, closing her eyes against sudden tears. Taking a deep breath, she finally decided to answer Master Skywalker. "Possibly," she sighed. "Yes."
He rested his hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"
Helaine shook her head. "Nothing. It's just... frustrating."
"What is?" Master Skywalker pressed gently.
"How easy it is to forget the important lessons in life," Helaine replied, still fingering her braid. "And how hard it is to relearn them."
Master Skywalker smiled, giving her shoulders a squeeze. "I know the feeling."
Helaine nodded, but was growing uncomfortable with the discussion, so she decided to change the subject. "Can I ask you a question, Master Skywalker?"
He nodded. "Certainly."
Hesitating, Helaine debated whether or not to ask him. Finally, she decided she'd have to ask it sooner or later anyway. "Master Horn is under the impression that Master Yoda trained you only to be a weapon." She paused. "Do you believe that?"
Master Skywalker stiffened, opened his mouth speak, when Cilghal entered the room, carrying something small. She approached the bed. "I'll give her this perigen patch now, but it can effect her concentration," she said, placing the patch on Helaine's neck. "Which means you can't keep her up much longer."
"Thanks, Cilghal," Luke said. She shook a flipper at him, drawing a smile. "I promise."
Copyright 2002 by Luney.
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