Family Found - Chapter 15

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Ben stared at the bright blue of his saber blade where it entered Poll's chest. Poll blinked his eyes a few times, and looked down.

Ben thumbed the activation plate and the blade disappeared. For a moment, he stared into the darkened hole where Poll's heart should have been.

Ben lifted his gaze to find Poll staring at him. Their eyes locked and Ben watched as the insanity seemed to clear from Poll's. Then his eyes rolled back up into his head, and he just dropped.

He just crumpled to the ground, an empty shell.

Ben blinked. A shiver raced down his spine as he felt Poll die. As he felt him just fade away in the Force. Absently, he brushed a tear from his cheek.

Dead.

The boy who was probably his best friend among the Jedi was dead.

By his own hand.

He scrubbed at his face, not certain what he should be feeling. Not certain exactly what he was feeling.

He shook his head again, pushing away his concerns and thoughts. Then he spun around, and saw Noelani crumpled in a heap on the ground a short distance away.

"Noelani!" he called out and rushed over to her.

He dropped to his knees beside her, and pulled her up into a tight hug.

She was limp, her breathing slightly erratic.

He brushed the hair out of her face, leaning over her.

"Noelani," he whispered, feeling a tear running down his cheek, towards his chin. A moment later it splashed on her cheek.

He cupped her face with his open palm, and caressed her cheek with his thumb. Instinctively, he leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead, and then squeezed his eyes shut, cursing Poll for hurting her.

Then he felt her stir. Felt her head shift under her own power.

He opened his eyes, to find her shining blue ones looking up at him. He could feel the fire in his cheeks which matched the red on hers.

"Hey," she said; her voice weak. Strained.

He barked a short laugh. "Hey, yourself."

Then he crushed her tight against him. He felt her arms wrap around his neck, clinging to him as tightly as he clung to her.

Finally, the arms around his neck loosened slightly, and he pulled back.

Inquisitive eyes flickered across his face. "You are you, aren't you?"

He frowned slightly. "Yeah…"

The Force flared for a moment, and he could feel the gentle touch of her probe. She sighed, and he felt the tension draining from her shoulders.

"What was that about," he asked her.

She shook her head slightly. "You're not the first Ben I've seen since the cave-in."

He frowned, and blinked again. "Oh."

Giggling, she smiled up at him. "But I'm glad that you're you this time. What happened to Poll?"

Ben could feel his emotions darken slightly and his eyes flicked over to the body. "I… I had to…"

Her eyes widened, and she twisted around, looking down the hall to see Poll lying on the ground, unmoving. Then she looked the other way and gasped, "Kor!"

He turned, and saw her lying on the ground, unconscious.

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Sighing, Luke stared at the droid as it uselessly drilled at the collapsed wall that once lead into the catacombs beneath the old Jedi Library.

It had been so many hours since the collapse, and while he knew that his students were still alive, he still worried over them.

He could feel Kor, Noelani and Poll, and did not like what he felt from the latter two. Pain and despair seemed to radiate from them. Kor finally felt confident and almost exultant, after overcoming her own pain.

From Ben, he felt nothing. He knew that he was alive and well, but Luke could not feel what Ben was feeling. Just the phenomenal shields which he had always had.

He shook his head, and exhaled.

In the silence, he felt someone staring at him. Glancing over he saw Mara standing next to Tahiri. Mara's eyes smoldered with barely suppressed anger and pain as she watched him. Tahiri just stared at the droid. One knuckle lodged between her teeth, her body barely moving, her posture pinched and taut from the worry.

He suppressed another sigh, and turned away from Mara. She didn't need this worry over Ben, not while she was still angry at him about Noelani and Tahiri.

Frowning, he glanced back at her, noticing that she was still glaring at him.

Suddenly, Poll's pain spiked in the Force. Becoming a darkness that slashed out in the Force.

As the pain turned Dark, the droid broke through the wall, collapsing inward as the wall seemed to disappear.

Luke was running through the hole, before anyone else could respond. Behind him, he could hear Mara and the others calling after him.

He stretched out with the Force, hunting for the students.

A wave of anger and hate washed over him. On its heels was a burst of fear from his son.

He raced through the corridors, trusting in the Force to lead him to the right spot. Behind him, he could hear the others following.

The Force whirled in the corridors, and then sang a mournful dirge, as own of its own died. Luke frowned, as he felt Poll death, wondering what had happened.

He turned a final corner, and found Noelani and Ben kneeling over Kor. Poll was lying on the ground a bit further down the hallway, a gaping hole punched open in his chest, where his heart should have been.

He stumbled to a stop, his mind trying to comprehend what he was seeing.

Ben looked up at him, and Luke could feel a wash of anger through the Force.

"About time you showed up, Dad."

Luke sighed. "We got here as fast as we could, son. What happened?"

He heard Noelani sniff, and shifted his gaze from Ben to her.

"It's… it's all my fault," she began. "I'm the one that found the crystal that activated this place. We were all trapped here because of me. And… and Poll is dead, and Kor is hurt…"

Then she broke down, her back curling, as she buried her face in her hands.

His son gave him a dirty look, and then shifted closer to her, draping an arm protectively across her back. He leaned his head down next to her, and Luke could see his mouth moving as he whispered things to her.

Then Mara and Tahiri arrived.

Tahiri's relief was palatable; a lightening throughout her presence; both physically and in the Force.

Mara had a different reaction. Shock and fear at how close that Ben and Noelani had become.

Luke winced, knowing that he would get another earful from her tonight.

Noelani looked up at her Master, the tears still streaming down her face. A heartbeat later, Tahiri was knelt down beside her, wrapping her in a hug.

Luke knelt down beside Kor, touching the artery on her neck to make sure that she was still alive. At his touch, she stirred, muttering something, and then she calmed once more. In the Force Luke could feel her shift from unconsciousness to a more regular sleep.

He scooped up the young Bothan, and then glanced over at Mara, where she had an arm around Ben, sadness flowing from her, almost strong enough to leak through her shields.

He followed her stare to find Tahiri and Noelani kneeling in front of one another, both of their eyes closed, forehead pressed to forehead, as tears flowed freely down their cheeks.

They pulled apart, and their eyes opened, each smiling at the other. Then they stood, Tahiri wrapped an arm around Noelani, and turned from them, heading back the way they came.

Shortly, they left the catacombs, and Luke passed Kor off to her Master, Thann Mithric, and the medical team. He watched for a moment, as they made preparations to take her back to the Temple for medical care. He then directed a utility droid to go recover Poll's remains.

Those chores done, he looked around. Mara was staring at the murals on the ceiling, pointedly ignoring him. Tahiri, Ben and Noelani were just walking out of the doors, heading outside.

He walked up behind his wife and placed a hand on her shoulder. She lowered her head, and tossed a glare at him over her shoulder.

"You should tell them," she said.

He shook his head. "I… I can't. Not now."

She stared hard at him, and he swallowed, lowering his eyes.

"I don't think I had ever been ashamed of you, until you told me what you did. And I didn't think it could get worse than what it was, until right this moment."

Luke dropped his hand from her shoulder, and turned from her, heading towards the door. After a moment, he heard the clap of her footsteps as she followed him.

He pushed open the heavy doors, blinking in the bright sunlight.

"No," Mara whispered, shock and fear rolling off her in the Force.

Spinning around, he looked for what Mara had seen. And found it in his son. His arms were wrapped around Noelani, their lips pressed gently together.

He blinked, as he realized that his son was kissing Noelani.

Then Mara screamed, "No! Stop!"

The two teenagers jumped apart, both of them turning to look up at her, guilty expressions on their faces. Tahiri paused at the ramp to her ship, and turned to look towards Mara as well, confusion on her face.

For a heartbeat, Noelani stared at Mara, and then she burst into tears, and fled, brushing past Tahiri and disappearing into the depths of the Stolen Star.

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