Star Wars: Fate Of The Jedi: Omen Part 6

He ran a hand through his fair hair and sighed, turning away from the window and crossing the marble floor, which had been almost perfectly reproduced. He eased into the carved stone chair, relaxing slightly. The view might be different, but this room still bore its link to the past. Although this was not the exact same room that had served the Jedi Masters well through centuries, the restoration had been painstaking, and the spirit was still here.

Kenth Hamner gave a ghost of a smile and wondered how Grand Masters past would have dealt with the predicament in which he now found himself.

Over the next several minutes, the Jedi Masters currently at the Temple came trickling in, sometimes one at a time, sometimes in pairs or small groups. He nodded to them quietly as they entered: Kyle Katarn, Octa Ramis, Saba Sebatyne, Cilghal, Kyp Durron. Leia Organa Solo and her daughter, Jaina, entered, their heads together, quietly talking. They were not officially Masters-not yet, though Hamner suspected that one or both might be elevated sooner than either woman expected-but this was not the first time their insight and positions made them welcome guests at a Masters meeting.

But there was one Master present whom Hamner did not see, one who most a.s.suredly ought to have been. And he had had no word from this particular Master about appearing via hologram in lieu of in person. Hamner waited a moment, letting the Masters settle in and murmur among themselves, then discreetly clicked his comlink.

"Master Horn," he said. "We are all a.s.sembled and awaiting your arrival. May I ask when we might expect to-"

"I'm on my way." The voice was strained and sharp. Such was to be expected, Hamner thought to himself. The Horn family did seem singled out for misfortune during this trying time.

"I'm glad to hear it. Shall we wait or-"

"Wait or go ahead, I don't care." There was the distinct sound of Corran's comlink being deactivated.

Hamner blinked, feeling the eyes upon him, and exuded calm in the Force. "Master Horn will be joining us shortly," he said. "As the main topic of conversation concerns him quite intimately, I suggest that if anyone else has other business to bring before the meeting, we address that first."

He spread his arms, indicating that they should take seats. Those who could not be physically present were here in holographic form. An uncomfortable silence stretched out.

Finally Kyp Durron spoke. "Well, I'll mention the bantha in the room if no one else will. Master Hamner, with all due respect, there is no business to be put before this a.s.sembly other than that of the Horns. Specifically Jysella, what happened to her, and how long it's going to be before Daala and the GA do something else to us."

Out of the corner of his eye Hamner saw Jaina relax. Clearly if Durron hadn't spoken up, she would have.

"I do not think it appropriate or considerate to begin discussions on that subject until Master Corran Horn-"

"I'm here."

Corran Horn stepped inside. He looked terrible. His vivid green eyes were bloodshot, and the creases around them, not unexpected in a man of middle age, seemed to have been carved by an unkind hand. He looked scruffy, as if he had not shaved in days, and there was a simmering feeling of suppressed, righteous anger hovering about him in the Force.

"Master Horn. It's good to see you. Please, come join us."

Corran strode toward an empty seat and dropped heavily into it, rubbing his eyes. Jaina and Leia-as they were not yet Masters, they had opted to stand rather than take one of the stone chairs-moved to stand behind Corran. Leia dropped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it in a silent gesture of rea.s.surance.

Hamner turned to Cilghal. "Master Cilghal, since you were present when the ... incident occurred, and have debriefed the two Jedi Knights who fought Jysella"-Hamner saw Corran flinch, ever so slightly, at the words-"I would appreciate it if you told us what you know thus far."

Cilghal glanced compa.s.sionately at Corran Horn, then twisted her body in the Mon Calamari equivalent of a human nod. Hamner, of course, had heard her report earlier. Most of the other Masters had heard about the incident, but not the details. He wondered how much Corran Horn himself had heard, and kept his eyes on the man as Cilghal spoke.

In her gravelly voice that nonetheless held a world of kindness, Cilghal recounted the painful events: Jysella's irrational fear and firm belief that everyone was an imposter; her pausing outside the locked door and subsequently escaping using knowledge that she could not possibly have had; her fight with her friends outside the Temple; the fact that this was on all the newsvids on what was apparently a brutal, endless loop.

"The inescapable conclusion, given the evidence," Cilghal finished up, "is that Jedi Jysella Horn was afflicted by the same mental disorder that affected her brother. Her reaction is virtually identical. I am convinced that if I had been given the opportunity to study her, the diagnoses would have been the same."

"Except you weren't," Horn said, his voice low and calm-deceptively so, Hamner suspected. "She was hunted down and dragged off, a holocam catching every minute of it. Her guilt and sentence were determined before anyone had even examined her."

"Yet there is a difference between Valin and Jysella, one that fortunately I was able to witness-to sense in the Force," Cilghal continued. "And it could be an important clue. As I said, I dearly wish I could verify whether or not Jysella's brain wave pattern is similar to her brother's."

"By that you mean if she was able to project artificial readings?" asked Kyle Katarn.

"Exactly," Cilghal said. "Because if my theory is correct, she would not be using that Force ability. It is my belief, from everything I experienced, that she is using another Force ability entirely." She turned to Leia and Jaina, her large eyes expressive. "I believe that Jysella Horn flow-walked."

Leia and Jaina exchanged glances. Hamner waited. Jaina frowned and looked down, and Leia sighed.

"That's ... another ability that Jacen had that most Jedi don't," Leia said. "You're certain she flow-walked?"

"I am," Cilghal said gently. "Both the evidence and what I felt in the Force confirm it."

Hamner turned to Corran. "Master Horn, I've no wish to cast aspersions, but in light of the evidence-"

Corran, who had been listening with increasing emotion, now spoke. "You don't even have to say it. Of course Mirax and I will come in for a thorough medical examination. Don't you think that was the first thing that popped into our minds when we were told about Jysella? Whether this sickness was something she or I had pa.s.sed along to them?"

"Thank you, Master Horn," Cilghal said gratefully. "The more information we have, the better. Currently, I confess, no one has any idea what might be causing this tragedy. I must eliminate what possibilities I can." She turned to Hamner. "Master Hamner, I and a team must be permitted to examine Jysella. It is vital to our investigation into what is causing this."

Corran laughed, a short, harsh bark. "Good luck with that, Cilghal," he said. "Mirax and I aren't even being permitted to see her."

"What?" The single word erupted from several throats. Some of the Masters literally rose from their seats. Saba Sebatyne hissed.

Hamner held up a calming hand. "That's utterly inexcusable, Corran, and I'll make a formal request that you and your wife be allowed to see your daughter before she is put in carbonite. I'll be seeing Chief of State Daala in three days and-"

"Three days?"

"I am endeavoring to persuade her that this is a matter that requires her immediate attention."

"She shouldn't keep you waiting for three hours, let alone-" Kyp burst out.

"Master Hamner." The voice was feminine, cool, reasonable, and it cut through the raised voices and tension in the room like a vibroblade through cheese. After all these years, Leia Organa Solo still had what it took to draw the attention of a room full of people.

"If I may-my husband and I have been allowed to act as go-betweens before. With your permission, I would like to contact Chief of State Daala and speak with her on this subject. She is a grandmother herself. I'm convinced that she's not as callous as this action would indicate."

It wouldn't do to have Leia undermining his efforts. Hamner thought for a moment before responding. "While I am grateful for your offer, I think that the Order needs to speak with a united voice."

"You misunderstand," Leia corrected him gently. "I do not intend to speak with the authorization of the Order, merely as myself. This would not be in the place of your meeting with her, but in addition to it."

Hamner pressed his lips together. He liked and respected Leia, and she had certainly been able to help out the Order on more than one occasion. It would be foolish and, worse, arrogant to refuse her help now.

"Then of course. Thank you. So," he resumed, mentally ticking things off, "I will endeavor to speed up my meeting with Chief of State Daala. At that meeting, I will request that Cilghal and any team she chooses to accompany her be permitted access to Jysella Horn before she is encased in carbonite, and also that her parents be allowed to visit her. Any information that the GA has obtained on her during their initial examination is to be shared with the Order, and we will, of course, do likewise in the spirit of cooperation. Master Horn and his wife, Mirax, will report immediately following this meeting to the medcenter for whatever tests Cilghal deems necessary. The Horn children's maternal grandfather, Booster Terrik, will also need to-"

"No."

The single word, blunt and stubborn, caused Master Hamner to blink.

"I beg your pardon, Master Horn?"

"No. Mirax and I are not going to report immediately after this meeting to the medcenter. And I think it highly unlikely that any order you issue to Booster Terrik will be obeyed like he's a loyal pet, either. What I will be doing after this meeting is finding my wife, kissing her, and trying yet again to find a way to see my own child before she's frozen in carbonite like a common criminal."

Corran Horn had always been forthright. His was not a delicate or diplomatic tongue. But always before, he had come down firmly on the side of focusing on what was important. This sudden divergence on his part to putting his offspring first-an understandable desire, and one that everyone here felt sympathy for, but one that could not be accommodated-was unsettling and perhaps dangerous.

Before he could speak, Cilghal said quickly, "We have much data that needs to be processed before we are ready for you and Mirax. Perhaps in a few hours? And if you could speak with your father-in-law, I am certain he would wish to do everything he can to help his grandchildren."

Corran's posture did not relax, but his anger dissipated somewhat. He nodded curtly. "A few hours then. And Mirax is already talking to Booster."

The tension had been defused, but Hamner sighed inwardly. He suspected it was only a momentary reprieve.

JEDI TEMPLE, CORUSCANT.

IT WAS, LEIA MUSED AS SHE STOOD BATHED IN FLATTERING BLUE LIGHT, not all that unpleasant a place as far as prisons went. She herself had been in worse. More than once.

She was currently in an isolated corner of the detention center located deep within the Jedi Temple, along with her husband Han, their daughter Jaina, and the person they had come to see. This particular Asylum Block, a two-story cellhouse with a barrier field erected around it, could almost be taken for a comfortable apartment at first glance. The interior had flowform couches, tables and chairs, and a state-of-the-art holographic center that her gadget-loving nephew Ben would likely envy. Two doors opened from the main living area to a bedroom and a refresher.

Just a pleasant apartment-if one's apartment had transparisteel walls in the living area, had all its furniture bolted to the floor, and was surrounded by Force-suppressing ysalamari housed in olbio trees, expensively and swiftly brought from their native Myrkr. Leia and her family were standing on an observation balcony with a barrier field safely between them and the inmate.

"Where can I sign up to be a Jedi prisoner?" Han said. "This place is nicer than my first living quarters."

Standing within a centimeter of the transparisteel wall, Seff h.e.l.lin, square-jawed, curly-haired, stared stiffly up at the Solo family. He gave no sign of recognition. His arms were folded across his chest, and his eyes were like chips of ice.

Jaina, Jag, Tahiri Veila, Winter Celchu, and Mirax Horn had taken him down a few days earlier. He had been spotted disguised as a worker outside of the Armand Isard Correctional Facility where Valin Horn was contained. It was one of the rare strokes of luck they seemed to be having that they were able to capture him both alive and without the Galactic Alliance knowing a thing about it, although a great deal of damage had been done to the prison during the incident. It had been all over the newsvids, but thus far no member of "Darkmeld," as Jaina had dubbed the team, had been identified.

Leia kept her eyes on h.e.l.lin as she spoke to Jaina.

"I'm glad you removed him from the medcenter. This feels better."

Jaina and Leia had commed Han right after the exquisitely uncomfortable Masters meeting and asked him to meet them here. Now Jaina stood between her parents, small and dark-haired like her mother, vitally energetic like her father, watching not the prisoner she had helped to bring down but Han's and Leia's reactions.

"He's a patient, not a prisoner, but of course we have to keep him contained. The incident with Valin Horn painfully demonstrated the need for that."

Han frowned. "Although I gotta say, I think the blue light would start to bug me. Hey-is that a PV-One-Eight-Seven holographic display unit?"

"Dad," Jaina said. She turned to her mother and continued. "The bedroom and the refresher are screened off to give him some amount of privacy, although we have the ability to check them if we feel there's a need. We want to make him as comfortable as possible while making certain he's absolutely confined. And we hoped the change of venue might calm him."

"Oh, he looks calm," Han said. "Calm and contemplating how best to dismember us."

"Dad," Jaina repeated.

"I gotta say, I never thought we'd see this guy again," Han said, smoothly s.h.i.+fting from acerbic humor to deadly seriousness. "And we're not so glad about it, to be honest."

"You're certain it's the same man you saw?" Jaina asked, directing the question to both parents.

"Yep. I recognize him."

Seff did not move.

"And I recognize his feel in the Force," Leia said quietly.

"Has it changed at all?" Jaina inquired.

Leia sighed, peering down at the tall, attractive young man whom she'd known since he was fourteen. She and Han had run across Seff h.e.l.lin just a few months before. He had alarmed their granddaughter, Allana, by how he felt to the girl in the Force. Allana had fled, screaming, to Leia, crying out Jacen's name. The girl was perceptive ... there was indeed something dark and dangerous in Seff h.e.l.lin's energy.

And about ten minutes after that encounter, h.e.l.lin had shocked everyone by tearing loose a dozen blasters from the hands of GA Intelligence, throwing them against the wall, and then paralyzing his enemies as if literally freezing them dead in their tracks. A neat little trick, one that he shouldn't have been able to do.

But one that Jacen Solo had.

"It's gotten more intense," Leia said, wis.h.i.+ng she had better news to report. "Stronger. Darker."

"Sounds like a cup of caf," Han said. He ran a hand over his stub-bled face. "You know, I could use one."

They had left Kessel as soon as word had reached them about Seff's capture, and little things like food, drink, and sleep had been pushed aside. Leia had to smile. "Me too. I think I've seen enough here. Let's go upstairs, get some caf, and take it somewhere private, where we can talk."

They had all turned and were about to leave the prison via the catwalk that surrounded the cell block and led down to the main level when Seff spoke, startling them all.

"Yes," he said, his voice laced with hatred. "Pretend to be just like us. Drink your caf, eat your nerf steaks, swing your lightsabers like real Jedi. But we'll stop you. We'll stop you and get back the people you've stolen."

Leia fixed him with a compa.s.sionate gaze, her brown eyes soft. He stared back. And without another word, the Solo family turned as one to leave.

"Han, you and I need to meet with the Horns. They could use some support now."

"After caf," Han muttered, but his expression was troubled, and he added, "I can't imagine how Corran and Mirax must be feeling."

The Solos had had to mourn the deaths of two of their three children: Anakin and Jacen. Jaina, who had been their only daughter, was now their only living child. Beside her, walking swiftly like her mother in order to keep pace with the longer strides of Han as they headed to the security door, Jaina frowned.

"It's been very hard on them. First Valin, now Jysella. And Daala's comments didn't help." Her mouth was a thin line as she punched in a code and pressed her face to a small aperture for a retinal scan. She stepped back and let her parents emulate her.

"Yes," said Leia grimly. "We saw the newsvids."

"It's disgusting," Jaina blurted as the door opened and they headed toward the turbolift. "She all but declared that the reason Valin and Jysella went crazy is because of who their family is."

"Well, come on, honey, not everyone can be Solos," Han said, reaching out a hand to squeeze his daughter's slender shoulder as the turbolift doors opened.

Being born a member of the Solo clan had never been easy, although it did have its privileges. Jaina offered Han a small grin, but her brow remained furrowed in righteous anger.

"Seriously, Dad, if you saw it, you know what I'm talking about. And you know how steady Jysella and Valin are. Were. Now, I don't know anything about Seff h.e.l.lin."

"I have to say, I was surprised at how Corran behaved in the meeting," Leia said. "Han-you remember when we were aboard the Errant Venture a few years ago? How Wedge was grumbling about his daughter 'seeing a boy' and it was Corran who steered everything back on topic?"

"I do. Lost it, did he?"

Leia shook her head. Even now, her long hair was only slightly tinted with gray. "No. Not yet, anyway. But he's taking it harder than I expected."

"It was bad enough with Valin, but when Jysella snapped-right in front of Cilghal and her two best friends-and got hauled off and ordered to be put in carbonite before Corran could even see her ..." Jaina frowned. "It was like something broke in him."

Han said nothing, but his brows drew together. Leia slipped her hand into his and squeezed it rea.s.suringly. She understood that there was a special bond between fathers and daughters. Whether the daughter needed sheltering and protecting, like Allana did right now, or was quite capable of handing said father his rear on a platter, as Jaina unquestionably was, didn't matter in the slightest.

Jysella Horn was a full-fledged Jedi Knight. She had been entrusted with dangerous missions that sent her all over the galaxy.

She would also always be her father's little girl, whatever happened to her.

"Everyone's fond of Valin and Jysella" was all Leia said. "Corran needs to keep hope alive. And so do we," she added, glancing at her husband and daughter. "I'm sure we can get to the bottom of this."

"Hopefully Daala will agree to meet with you two. You did pretty well with the negotiations concerning Valin."

"Didn't stop him from ending up in carbonite," Han muttered.