Family Found--Epilogue

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Noelani leaned against the wall, just a few meters short of the door to Mara's office. She knew that Ben was in there. She could feel it in the Force and occasionally, she could hear him screaming at his mother.

Her eyes flickered towards the door for a moment, and she frowned.

It had been two days since they were rescued from the catacombs. Two days since she had kissed Ben. Two days since she had even talked to Ben. Two days since she had found out the truth. She now knew more about who she was, and where she had came from.

She just was not sure if she trusted anyone here but Tahiri and Ben.

For a moment, she wondered just what Ben was to her. What he could be to her. She looked back down at the floor, and blinked as her frown began to shift towards a scowl. This would be the first time since they had kissed that she would see him. She inhaled deeply, and then exhaled slowly, performing that simplest of breathing exercises in a futile effort to calm her nerves.

The door to Mara's office slid open, and Noelani quickly glanced up to watch as Ben walked out. Storm clouds gathered on his face.

"So," she said, pushing forward, interjecting herself into his path, and looking at him. This felt weird. Her stomach felt like it was in zero-gee "Your mom told you everything?"

"Yeah," he nodded. His blue eyes flickered over her, appraising her with the intensity of a Force-lightning charge. "She told me everything."

"Ben?" she asked. There was an odd emphasis in his voice. "I'm sorry. I mean, we didn't know."

Ben shrugged, but it wasn't the usual, easy movement of his shoulders. In the Force he seemed taut and compacted somehow.

Clenched, she thought.

"What is it?" she asked. "Ben?"

"It's nothing." He seemed to be staring at something very far away. "Look, Noelani, I, uhh...."

She frowned, and tilted her head to the side, looking at him curiously.

"You sure you don't need someone to talk to about this," she asked. She took a breath. "Uhh, cousin Ben?"

He looked at her, his eyes flashing for a moment. "Heh, yeah," he nodded.

"My Mast-... my mom, wow that still seems so weird... Tahiri, mom... she says I'm good at talking," Noelani blushed. "So, uhh...."

"So if I want someone to talk to, you're available?" Ben's eyebrow lifted, and his lips twisted into a faint smile.

"Something like that."

Ben answered with silence, his face reverting to its impassive mask.

"Hey," she said. "Come on. It could be worse. At least we're not quite as closely related as your Dad and... wow, my grandmother...."

"Yeah, that's true. Not quite. Still pretty close, though." His brow darkened for a moment, and then he shook it off. "I guess it must be pretty smart, finding out you have a Princess for a grandmother, huh?"

"Something like that," she nodded. "I'm still taking it all in. Yeah, it is. Hey, come on, dummy. Anyone would think it was you had just found out about your birth parents."

Ben shrugged.

"I just found out that a girl I was starting to like is a pretty close relative," he countered, raising his hands to stare down at his palms. "Look, I don't know if I want to talk about this right now. But...." His blue eyes looked deep into her. "But it's not about you. I think you're a great person, and I guess I... I guess I'd appreciate any help you can think of."

"Sure," she said, taking him by the shoulder. "Come on. Let's go grab a bite to eat." She smiled again. "Cousin Ben."

"Stop that," he said, but she knew that beneath his pout, he secretly wanted the comfort. So she smiled, and didn't.

"Tell me about your dad," he asked, after a moment. "Your real dad?"

"You want to know?" She looked at him. "I'd have thought you would know more than me."

"I just realized today that I never really knew my own parents," he said. He looked at her. "You know, in a way, maybe I'm jealous of you. You know who your father is... and you have people like Tahiri and... And your grandparents, to tell you all the good things."

"Now you're talking like me."

"Maybe. But it's not your immediate family that's been lying about everything since you were born. It's mine... and that's, that's not fair, on you or anyone."

"O-kay," she answered carefully. "But the person you want to talk to about Anakin, my real father, is really Mast-... Tahiri... Mom."

Ben's eyebrows lifted at that, and he gave a laugh. It didn't sound like a boy's laugh any more, but the grin that followed was Ben's old smile.

"Yeah," he said. "I might just do that."

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"You know what our son said when I told him that he couldn't have a relationship with Noelani because she was his cousin?"

Luke glanced at his wife, his eyes narrowing. She was sitting on the sofa in front of the holo, her pose as relaxed and conversational as her tone.

But there was something about that casual poise that made him suspicious - and his unease was intensified when she spoke again, without waiting for him to answer.

"He pointed out that relationships between first cousins were legal on a lot of planets," she said. "He seemed to see nothing wrong with it."

"So what did you do?"

Mara's shoulders lifted, and she caught his eyes with a look that struck like a whip. "I told him Anakin was his biological father."

Luke blinked, and for a moment, he found he couldn't speak. "Mara?"

"He told me I was lying," she smirked. "But even if he half-believes it, it should keep him away from her."

"This is a joke, right. Some sort of punishment for, for...."

"It's your punishment for the mess you caused by taking Tahiri's daughter away from her, yes," Mara answered, an edge of ice in her tone. In her eyes. "Whether it's true or not...?" Her shoulders lifted. "That's something I guess you'll never know."

She leaned forward, picked up a little file from the table, and began to smooth the talons of her fingernails.

"Mara?" He looked at her, shaking his head. "This isn't funny."

"I moved your stuff into the guest bedroom," she said, without looking up at him. She laughed oddly. "It's funny, you know. I've spent more than twenty years trying to make you happy, suppressing my instincts to serve yours. I've spent more than a decade of Ben's life using him as a tool to make you feel good about yourself. And all along... you didn't deserve either of us."

"Mara." Look just stood there, stunned into numb disbelief.

Then she laughed, and smirked at him. "You know, I feel better already. Shift your stuff back into our room, and I'll fix supper."

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Tahiri stepped off the ramp of the Stolen Star. The wind and snow snapped at her parka, trying to drag her hood from her head. She bent her shoulder to the wind, the way she was taught to do for a sandstorm, and trudged ahead, heading towards the landing lights she could barely see through the storm.

She reached the battered tramp freighter, and punched in a code on the keypad next to its ramp. A moment later, machinery hummed to life, and the ramp lowered. Tahiri slipped aboard, and hit the close ramp button once she got inside.

"That's far enough," Han Solo's voice sounded from behind her.

She lowered the hood of her parka and turned to face one of the few people left in her life that she actually trusted.

He grinned as he reholstered his blaster. "Tahiri! I take it this means you're apprentice is okay?"

Tahiri fought the tears, swallowing the pain. "Yeah… about that, she's fine, but… but I need to talk to you, and Leia."

Han frowned, and gestured towards the common area, as Leia walked around the corner from that direction.

Tahiri took one look at her, and ran forward, throwing her arms around Leia's neck, burying her face into Leia's shoulder; surprised as the tears began to flow once again.

Before long, they were all seated around the Dejarik board, Tahiri feeling safe and secure between Han and Leia. She gripped a warm mug of hot chocolate in her hands, allowing the steam from the drink to warm her face, as she inhaled the savory aroma.

She took a sip, the Yuuzhan Vong in her enjoying the scalding sensation as it sliced down her tongue.

She took a deep breath, and then raised her head to slowly exhale. Finally, she focused on Leia and then she began.

"I… I found out who Noelani's parents are…"

Family Found Chapter 16

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Ben stormed closer towards his mother, anger pulsing off of him. He stopped a few paces from her, staring hard.

"What's your problem with Noelani?" He yelled at her. "Every time you see her, you stare at her so coldly. She thinks you hate her, you know."

His mother shook her head. "I don't hate her…" then she looked over at his father for a moment, before looking back at him. "It's… It's complicated."

Tahiri's voice came from behind him, her voice cold and hard. "Why don't you uncomplicate it for us then? Or is that my apprentice just isn't good enough for your son?"

"He just can't do that. Not with her." Mara said, her face falling slightly.

Ben barked a laugh. "I think I can do that with whoever I want to."

Mara shook her head, and replied, "But she's family."

"Mara!" Luke called out, near panic in his voice.

Tahiri brushed past him, a scowl on her face. "You know who her family is? And you've kept it from her all this time? Tell me. She deserves to know."

Mara looked towards her father again, her face pinched in a scowl. A single tear slipped from her left eye, and then she turned back to Tahiri.

"You're her family."

Tahiri rocked back on her heels, her eyes opening wide. "But… I… I don't have any family."

Luke laid a hand on Mara's shoulder, and said, "That's enough."

Her hand shot out, and caught Luke just beneath the curve of the jaw. The Force flared with the impact of her punch, and Luke crumpled.

"Yes, that's enough," she said as she spun around to stand over him. "I'm guilty enough just covering for you these past few months. All the lies end now."

She exhaled, her body shaking slightly, and then she turned back to Tahiri.

"Tahiri… you do have family. Noelani is your family."

Tahiri frowned and shook her head. "But how? In all my searches, I couldn't find any records of either of my biological parents having any living relatives."

Mara's face darkened slightly, her eyes falling away from Tahiri's face.

Ben felt a niggle in the back of his head as he worked through his mother's words. He couldn't kiss Noelani, because she was related to him. But, she was Tahiri's family. Ben blinked, and his head snapped up to look at his mother.

"Mom, who's her father?"

She closed her eyes, and answered in a soft voice, "Anakin Solo."

Tahiri's skin paled, and her mouth opened and closed a few times. Her eyes were as large as saucers as she stared at the Jedi Master.

Finally, color seemed to seep back into her cheeks, and anger flooded the Force. "Anakin? My… My Anakin?"

Mara nodded her head.

"And… and she's thirteen… What? How?"

Mara sighed, and glanced down at Luke again. Then she turned once more towards Tahiri, and replied, "You were pregnant when you came back from the Myrkr mission. Sometime after Ebaq 9 you disappeared and Luke found you on the Outer Rim, having just given birth. He erased your memory, brought you to Mon Calamari, and took your daughter to Huff to raise. His plan was that you would never meet her. You were never supposed to be her Master."

Ben watched, as Tahiri looked between his parents, her jaw clenched as tightly as her fists. Finally, she spun around, and ran back towards her ship.

He watched his mother, as she first stared at the starship, and then turned towards Luke, looking down at him.

After a short eternity, she spoke. "It's over now." Then she turned back to Ben. "Come on son; let's go back to the Temple. I'm sure you have some questions."

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Noelani felt as if she were flying. She was kissing Ben Skywalker. She was ecstatic, happy. Those and a thousand other emotions were flying through her head.

Then her world shattered. His mother, Jedi Master Mara Jade Skywalker, scream broke through the desert air. "No! Stop!"

She jumped apart from Ben, and turned to look at Mara Jade where she stood on the steps that led into the Jedi Library. Guilt and embarrassment quickly replaced the joy.

No one moved for a heartbeat, the only sounds were the echoes of Mara's scream and the distant caws of a desert bird.

Her mind was still bouncing from one emotion to the next, all her thoughts a confused jumbled mess.

She blinked hard a few times, and then felt the first of her tears as it sliced down her face. The embarrassment faded, leaving only pain and rejection. I'm not good enough for him. Master Skywalker doesn't think I'm good enough for her son.

Tears, hot and wet, flowed freely, and she turned from them, towards the Stolen Star and ran. She almost knocked over Tahiri and she bolted up the ramp, and then darted into her cabin and flung herself on her bed.

Soon, the door shifted open, and Tahiri stepped into the room, tears flowing down her face, the Force whirling around her. She dropped into the chair beside Noelani's bed, watching her.

"I, I don't believe I missed it," she muttered. "It's so obvious, now that I know…"

She leaned forward, propping her elbows on her knees, and cradling her head in her hands. Her body shook with tears.

"I'm sorry, Noelani. I didn't know. When I asked you to be my apprentice, I didn't know. I wasn't told. If I had… I-I would have told you."

Noelani brushed the tears from her eyes, as she watched her Master. "Told me what?"

Tahiri lifted her head. Sorrow and pain and joy warred for dominance in her green eyes. "The truth. The truth about your family."

Noelani bolted to a sitting position, tossing her legs over the side of the bed so that she was closer to Tahiri. "My family? You know who my family is?"

Tahiri nodded, her tears still flowing down her cheeks. "Mara just told me. You must believe me, they kept it from me. Luke, he… he erased my memory. I had no idea. No clue."

Noelani blinked her eyes a few times as she processed Tahiri's words. "You knew my parents?"

Tahiri's body shuddered, as she nodded her head and sobbed.

"Who? Who are they?"

"Me. I'm your mother. They took you from me."

Noelani opened her mouth, but for the first time in her life, realized that she did not have anything to say. She blinked, and clamped her mouth shut again.

Standing, she began to pace. Finally, she stopped in front of Tahri. She watched her for a moment, as she cried into her hands. Her body shuddered with the tears, and the Force sang with her pain.

"Mast-… Mom?"

Tahiri lifted her head slowly. Their eyes locked, and Noelani forced a smile to her lips. Tahiri's shoulders hitched with a hiccup, and a small smile stretched her lips.

"Who's my father?"

Her voice was weak, hoarse from her crying. "Anakin was."

"Oh," Noelani said as she dropped back onto her bed. "So… so that's why Master Skywalker…"

Tahiri nodded her head. "Yeah, Ben's your cousin."

"Does, does this mean Jedi and Captain Solo are my grandparents?"

Tahiri nodded her head again.

Noelani brushed more tears away from her cheeks. "Why? Why is it this way? Why was I raised an orphan?"

Tahiri shook her head. "I… I don't know Noelani. I didn't wait around to get all those answers. As soon as Mara explained why she didn't want you to kiss Ben, I came straight in here. You needed to know."

Noelani scooted back into the corner, where the bed was pressed up against the wall. Tahiri stood up, and got on the bed beside her, pulling her into a hug. She leaned into Tahiri's grip, and allowed the tears to come again.

"How come everything seems to get piled on all at the same time?"

Tahiri laughed through her tears. "That's because you're a Solo."

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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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Family Found - Chapter 14

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Ben grasped the edge of the hole, his feet dangling back into the room from which he had come. Struggling, he pulled himself, up, and suddenly gravity shifted, and he flipped over, spilling onto the floor of the hallway.

He shook his head, and turned and looked at the hole, which had now become just another doorway on this particular section of wall.

He frowned as he looked at the darkened hole. Stretching out on the floor, he stuck his head through the door and was instantly hit with an overwhelming sense of vertigo.

Grinning, as he recognized the effects of multiple gravity fields, he stood back up in the corridor and looked around.

It was plain brown stone, the same stone used in the room he had been in. Every ten meters or so, there was a light set into the ceiling, casting bright cones of white light onto the floor. Closed doors lined one side of the hallway, with the only open one being the one to the room he had been in. Across from that door was the bright spotlight which had stared down at him while he was in the cell.

He turned and looked down the other direction and saw the same unending hallway.

Shrugging his shoulders, he set off. Walking down the hallway, he had no true destination in mind. No plan, beyond the need to move.

Soon, the walls changed. They were no longer the same cells stretched as far as he could see, but were rougher hewn stone. The doors were further apart, and side tunnels started appearing. Additionally, the corridor no longer ran straight, but curved and had sharp corners and angles.

He continued walking, wondering about the differences. Wondering where his friends were. He even was wondering where the boy who was talking to him earlier was. Why no one had come to find them yet.

He sighed, deciding that it did not matter.

If he was rescued, or if he managed to save himself, all that mattered was finding Noelani and the others, and making sure they were all right.

Finally, he turned another corner, and in the distance saw a single spot light shining brighter than the rest. Kneeling at the edge of the light was Noelani, even at this distance he could see the tears streaking down her face as they twinkled in the bright light.

Between him and her, stood Poll, his arm lifted near his head, a dull silver tube gleaming in his hand. After a second, he recognized what it was that Poll held against his head. His lightsaber.

"Kriff," he muttered under his breath, and took a step forward, even as Noelani slowly picked herself up off of the ground.

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Noelani knelt beside the dead. Her body was curled in around itself, arms pulled tight against her chest, and her forehead was resting against the cold stone floor.

All of it seemed real.

While none of it did.

She lifted her head slightly, and looked to the left and right. There was Tahiri and her friend Jaina, and beyond that, Jaina's parents. To the other side, she could see some of her classmates. Behind her was her papa, Huff, and her family, killed by those Tuskens so many years ago.

All slaughtered, left here to rot in these tunnels with her.

At arms reach laid the weapon which had caused all this death and destruction. A simple lightsaber. Silver steel, black plastic. She knew what color blade would shoot out of the emitter if she just simply pressed on that activation plate, yet every time she did, another body appeared.

Another of her friends appeared: dead, decaying.

Her body shuddered, fear and despair warred within her, eating away at the hope that she used to think bubbled up out of her endlessly.

She lifted her head again, and focused on her lightsaber where it sat. Her vision blurred slightly as tears formed in her eyes once more. She shifter her hand slightly, and used her knuckles to wipe away the tears.

Then a scuffle drew her attention, and she lifted her head a bit higher, looking down the hallway.

She blinked her eyes, at the shadow shape that trudged towards her. It still stood off in the distance slightly, and Noelani wondered what new horror this place had decided to show her.

Lights flickered on, and she adverted her head, twisting away slightly, overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of light.

After a moment, she looked and saw Poll standing there, his saber pressed tight against his forehead. Odd emotions -- fear and despair chief among them -- flickered across his face and Force presence.

She blinked her eyes, looking at, watching, him. His pain provided a focus for her thoughts, a way for her to wrench her thoughts away from her own pain and despair.

"Poll?"

His eyes snapped to her, fear flaming in them, as he shook his head.

Beyond him, she saw Ben turn a corner, and her eyes narrowed as she wondered if this was the real Ben or if he was another shade created by the catacombs.

She leveraged herself to her feet, noticing for the first time that the dead had disappeared.

Poll took a step back, and then yelled, "NO! Don't move, stay away!"

She frowned, and paused, wondering what to do.

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Kor turned a final corner, and pulled to a stop. Standing stock still were Noelani, Poll and Ben. Noelani directly in front of her, with her back towards Kor. The two boys were further down the hallway, staring her way.

Poll's eyes focused on her, and she could smell the fear, the insanity as it poured off of him.

She blinked as she realized that he was not quite all there. That his time in the Catacombs had not hardened his resolve in the way it had for her. As it appeared to have done for Ben and Noelani.

She stretched out with the Force, and gently touched each them.

Noelani was a brilliant star, burning in suppressed fear and pain.

Ben was a steel trap. She could feel the power which leaked from his shields, but got nothing from his emotions, or what he thought of this whole situation.

Finally, she focused on Poll. His Force presence felt like a twisted, broken branch. Consumed by his pain and fear.

She sighed in resignation. He had failed. His pain and fear had driven him, if not Dark, then definitely insane.

Despair rolled off him, and crashed against her Force presence, the Darkness of it suffocating, and nearly drowned her in pain.

She shuddered, as she heard him scream out, "NO! Don't move, stay away!"

She watched, as Noelani stretched out her hand, "Poll, we're you're friends. We want to help."

Poll shook his head violently, and then stretched out his free hand. "I don't believe you."

Then a wave of telekinetic energy slashed down through the hallway, ripping out stones from the walls. The energy then slammed into Noelani. She was flung backwards, and thrown to the floor, skidding a short distance.

Seeing her friend knocked down, Kor quickly threw up a shield. The wave of energy struck her Force barrier and blasted through it. She howled in pain as she flew through the air, hearing the distinct snap from her arm as she landed.

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Poll held his saber to his temple, watching the dark shape as it shimmered and shuddered on the floor.

It raised its head, the blackness of its cloak transforming into waves of golden hair. The ice blue eyes of Noelani locked onto him, slicing through his core.

He snarled, recognizing her as just another shade. Another trick of this place.

His thumb caressed the activation plate again, and the voice hissed in his ear once more. "Yes. End this."

Another shade appeared behind the Noelani being. This time of Kor.

As he realized that this place was using her against him, something in his heart shifted. Something that had been bent to the breaking point, twisted just a bit more.

His heart breaking was the final straw.

His mind shattered, and he snarled, "No! Don't move, stay away!"

He noticed that at some point the Noelani-shade had stood up. He frowned at that, wondering when it had happened.

She then stretched her hand towards him, "Poll, we're you're friends. We want to help."

Friends? He laughed to himself, as he threw his head violently from side-to-side. They just want to consume my soul. Then he stretched out his hand towards her, and stopped moving, just stood and watched those blue eyes. "I don't believe you."

Before she could respond, he had gathered every bit of power at his command, and threw it down the hallway.

He felt a blood vessel burst beneath his lower right eyelid, and cackled as first the Noelani-shade and then the Kor-shade were thrown backwards.

"Noelani!" Ben's voice grated against his awareness from behind him, quickly followed by a snap-hiss.

Poll turned, dropping into a fighting stand and igniting his saber as he did so.

Ben struck fury on his face.

Poll easily blocked the strike, and then twisted around, his foot slashing out to catch Ben's shin.

Ben stumbled, and he slashed downward, in a move to cleave the Ben-shade into two pieces.

Unfortunately, the Ben-shade was too fast. He dropped with the kick, and rolled forward, bringing his saber up into a block.

Kor snarled, and sent a telekinetic push his way.

The Ben-shade threw up his free hand, and the wave washed around him, crashing against the wall.

A plume of dust flew up, and obscured Ben for a moment. The only sign of him that Kor had, was the diffused glow from his saber, its light refracted by the white stone dust.

Then the dust was moving, and the Ben-shade flew out. A snarl on his face, his blade held low. The Ben-shade thrust forward and Kor moved to block the blow.

Telekinetic energy smashed against his hilt, twisting it upright. Keeping him from being able to block the thrust.

Kor felt the Ben-shade's saber slide into his heart, evaporating the muscle and tissue. Pain flared for a brief instant, until the weapon sliced through his spinal column, severing his brain from the pain.

Sleep pulled at him, and he gladly succumbed.

---

Next Chapter

Family Found: Chapter 13

Previous Chapter

---

Noelani stared at the yellow, feline eyes. There was something about them that shot cold through her heart. They seemed to embody everything dark and twisted that she had ever came across in her short life.

Every brutal thing she had witnessed, from the massacre of her foster family to her torture at the hands of the Yuuzhan Vong.

They scared her on a fundamental level, reminding her of the dark shade of herself that she had seen a few hours ago, when she had first woken up in this place.

She fingered the saber hilt at her side, and then making a decision, unsnapped it, raising it into a guard position in a single smooth motion.

As she thumbed the activation plate, brilliant violet colored light flooded the area, and she saw the flash of teeth from the hooded figure as it smiled at her.

The thrum of her saber beat against her ears, oddly in time to the pounding of her heart was suddenly joined by a second thrum.

The dark figure had ignited its own blade, one that was a blood-red.

Noelani dashed forward and slashed at the shade. A wild attack without precision or planning.

It easily parried her attack, and the creature's elbow jolted out slamming into the small of Noelani's back.

She cried out in pain and stumbled forward, dropping to her knees as the dark shade laughed.

The sound was horrid, a ghastly tearing hiss, which sent shivers down Noelani's spine.

She spun back towards the shade, her anger growing. She stormed forward, a yell coming from her lips as she smashed the blade into the shade, easily shearing it into two different pieces.

Stunned, she stumbled slightly as the remains of the shade fell to the ground. She blinked her eyes, and stepped closer to the creature, pushing at its hood with the toe of her boot.

To find Tahiri's face staring out at her.

"NO!" she screamed out in pain and surprise. The fear and anger fled from her as she remembered her Master's words about giving into anger.

She allowed the saber to drop from her fingers as she collapsed to her knees. Tears flowed, and she bowed her head, covering her face with her hands. Simply allowing the tears to flush the pain from her.

-----------------------------------

Tahiri stood back away from the drilling droid, watching it as it tried to gain access to the underground caverns where her apprentice and her friends were trapped.

She scrubbed at her face once again; worry worming its way through her heart, clouding her sense of the Force. Exhaustion played its part as well; she had not slept in what felt like weeks, but was in reality maybe a day.

Mara Jade came down the steps and stood beside her. Tahiri could sense that there was something which the older Jedi Master wanted to tell her, and while Tahiri wondered what it could be, she knew she could wait until Mara was ready to talk.

"Tahiri, why don't you go ahead and get some sleep. You look terrible."

Tahiri allowed her eyes to shift slightly and focus on Mara, a smirk coming to her lips, "We'll get enough sleep once we're one with the Force. For now, I'm going to wait here until those droids get my apprentice freed."

Mara snorted in amusement. "I had to try."

Tahiri nodded her head. "I know. And thank you."

Silence settled over the two women again.

As she watched the droid at work, she could feel the tension boiling in Mara. That need to tell Tahiri something; but to Tahiri it almost seemed as if she were afraid to do so.

Giving an internal shrug, she tuned Mara's Force presence out of her awareness and focused more fully on the droid.

-----------------------------------

Ben stared at the boy across from him and then stood up. "Why did you say I was dead?"

The boy laughed. "Aren't you? You were just sitting here, staring at the wall, content to let what ever happens to you happen. Then there is your whole unquestioning allegiance to Jacen Solo…"

Ben frowned and began to pace slightly. "I… I was just sitting here wasn't I? But I don't have blind faith in Jacen. He's my Master, I'm supposed to do as he says."

The boy shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe. Personally, I didn't listen all that well to my Master. I ran off on my own a couple times. Did lots of, well, random things that in the end didn't make sense."

Ben glared at him for a moment, and then replied, "And maybe that's why you're dead."

The boy shot him a look, and gave him an odd half-grin that Ben knew he had seen before. "Maybe. Possibly… probably actually."

Ben started walking around the room, knocking on the walls, listening at them for a difference in sound.

"What are you doing, Ben?"

Ben ignored him, just continued his circuit of the room. He completed the circuit and came back to stand in the center of the room, looking down at his hands as he stared at them. "I… I know there is a way out of this room. There has to be."

"Why does there have to be?"

Ben looked up at the boy, and smirked. "Well, for one, it's been over thirty hours since I woke up in here. If there was on way in or out, I would have ran out of oxygen by now. Secondly, I got put in here, so there has to be a way to do that."

The shade grinned again. "Are you using your head and thinking?"

Ben shot him a look, and shook his head. He suddenly grinned as an idea came to him. "Yes, I'm finally using my head."

He craned his neck, and looked up at the ceiling. The only place in the room he had not inspected yet. It was made from the same stone texture as the floor and walls, but set in the middle was a bright light, which Ben had to squint against.

He frowned, and looked down, uncertainty coloring his face. "I… I was certain that the answer would be up there…"

No answer came, and he looked around, to find that he was once more alone. He frowned again, and kicked at a pebble that was on the floor. "Lot of help you are…"

Sighing, he craned his neck back again, staring at that bright light. Then he took a step to the side.

Shrugging his shoulders, he centered himself in the room again, and pulled the Force to him, and jumped.

-----------------------------------

Poll twisted and turned, fear slicing through him with the anguished cries which echoed back at him from out of the darkness.

There was something broken and dark about those sounds. Something which both called to his heart and chilled him to the bone.

They were the product of a darkness and a misery which he could not understand or comprehend, yet at the same time, they called to him, begged him to find their source.

Whether it was to free it or to stop it, Poll did not know.

He kept his saber gripped tightly in his hand as he spun around on his heels yet again. The cries seemed to resolve themselves down into simple sobs. Anguished cries of misery and pain.

He shuddered, wondering just what was happening.

Suddenly, he spied the first bit of light he had stumbled across since he woken up in the catacombs. It was a bright spotlight a twenty meters or so down the hallway. He wondered how he had not seen it before, as it was there, shining brightly. No corners or doorways to obscure it.

Frowning, he took a single step forward, and squinted against the glare, just able to make out a dark shape that was sitting at the edge of the cone of light.

The dark form huddled on the ground, its shoulders shaking as it cried. Its misery and pain, and an overpowering sense of failure, beat in the Force, thrashed against his mental shields.

He shuddered at the feelings which that small quaking form woke in him.

And once again, he wondered if he was really worthy to be a Jedi.

A dark voice sounded beside his ear. "You're not."

Poll spun around, and looked, hoping to see who had spoke to him, but finding no one.

The voice sounded incredible close, yet infinitely distant. "You're not worthy to be a Jedi. You're a waste of time, energy and resources."

Poll shook his head, the despair in the Force beating against him, as he dropped to his own knees. "I… no… I…"

The voice hissed in his ear. "Useless. Less than useless. Just give in. End your life and yourself."

He suddenly realized that he still held his lightsaber in his hand. He looked down at it, remembering the pride he had felt when he built it.

Like a candle, that happiness was snuffed out of existence by a blast of cold harsh despondency.

He felt small and helpless and useless.

"Yes," the voice hissed in his ear again. "Use your saber on yourself. Give in. Give up. Join us."

He blinked open his eyes, and saw thousands of hands coming up out of the floor reaching for him. "Who? What are you?'

A dim form walked through a wall, a creature balanced on four legs, with massive tusks and sharp spines on its dark green hide. It stopped in front of him and stood facing him. Intelligence sparkled in its eyes, and the voice from before, not the cold echoing hiss, but the one that had laughed at him earlier, came from its mouth.

"They are the Darkness seeking more of the living. They feed on despair and despondency. They seek to feed on yours. This is a cusp. Live or die. Be a Jedi or not. But, decide you must." Its head bounced, and Poll got the impression that it was pointing towards the saber he still held in his hand. "They want you to use that on yourself. If you're going to do so, then do so and get it over with… otherwise grow up and walk out of here."

Then the figure was gone, and with that disappearance the despair crashed against him again.

Poll tightened his grip on his saber, lifting the weapon to his forehead as he listened to the voices that whispered all around him. The voices that promised relief and rest and freedom and an end to his pain.

A tear sliced down his cheek as his thumb rested lightly on the activation plate.

-----------------------------------

Kor struggled forward against the harsh biting wind, the cold which scalded her skin, even through her fur.

She struggled forward, determined to not give in, to not give up hope. She trusted in the Force and her friends.

She knew deep in her heart that she was a Jedi. She grinned as she strode through the coldness, a triumphant grin pulling her lips away from her teeth.

She had figured out the puzzle. Had discerned what these catacombs were for.

They were a test. A trial. You had to face yourself, your fears, even your very own darkness. You had to overcome yourself.

She wondered for a moment how many centuries these machines and ghosts had lain dormant until Noelani had activated them with that crystal of hers.

She saw a light shining brightly before her and she stumbled to a stop. This was the first time she had seen something like this in the catacombs. She frowned at it, sniffing the warm air that blew from the light.

Warmth! She thought to herself, and she began to stumble forward again, excited at the prospect of being warm once again.

---

Next Chapter

Family Found: Chapter 12

Previous Chapter

---

The Stolen Star dropped out of hyperspace with a flash of actinic light. As soon as she did so, she banked hard to port, diving towards the blue and green orb of Ossus. At her helm sat a determined Jedi Knight.

Tahiri was focused on her flying. She chewed at one half of her lower lip, while the other had an open wound that seeped blood, a small reminder to herself to not chew too hard. Her eyes were swollen and rimmed with red, after effects of the tears that she had cried.

"Stolen Star, this is Ossus Flight Command, please come to a course of 5663 mark 2."

Tahiri ignored them, and focused on the Force, letting it guide her on where to land.

"Stolen St-" Tahiri reached over and shut off the com-unit.

She broke atmosphere, the edges of her hull starting to glow red as she descended faster than her heat shields could compensate for. She hit some turbulence and the entire spaceframe shuddered and a bank of warning lights flashed from green to red.

She ignored it all, just continued to turn her starship into a bright jet of flame rapidly descending from the upper atmosphere towards the remnants of an old building.

When she reached an altitude of only a few hundred meters from the ground, she pushed power to the repulsors and then reversed thrust on the sublight engines. The entire ship lurched with the sudden deceleration and she slammed her forehead onto the console in front of her. Pain exploded across her forehead, but she just shunted it away, ignoring it.

It was only pain.

Lifting her head, she reached over and shut off power to the sublight engines. The sudden absence of the sound made Tahiri realize just how hard she had been pushing the engines. She shook her head and immediately regretted it as fire slashed across her awareness.

Frowning, she flipped a switch, lowering the landing gear. She hovered in place for a moment, noticing the four speeder bikes and the larger ground transport parked in front of the steps leading up into the ruins.

Then she turned her attention towards the doors that led into the ruins and saw four small figures standing there.

Slowly, she lowered the ship to the ground and with a blast of steam the Stolen Star settled onto her landing gear. Tahiri cut power to the engines and closed her eyes, listening to the slow pings of the starship as she settled.

Finally centered, she opened her eyes and stood up. The world wavered for a moment but she ignored it and walked towards the ship's egress hatch.

As she exited the ship, she noticed the other Jedi standing around the boarding ramp. Luke Skywalker stood in the center a scowl on his face, to his right is his wife, a worried expression on hers. To his left stood Corran Horn and beside him, Thann Mithric.

When she reached the ground she noticed that Luke's expression had changed from the scowl to one of concern.

Mara though, was the first one to speak. "You look awful, Tahiri."

Tahiri could only laugh. "I could feel Noelani's distress on Rhen Var. I got here as soon as I could."

"Yeah, and broke a few ordinances in the process,” Corran interjected.

Tahiri shrugged her shoulders. "So, any idea exactly what's happening?"

Luke shook his head slowly. "No. We think they're in the lowest level of the building, but we can't find a way in. The stairs that used to lead down there now lead to a blank wall.”

Tahiri nodded her head. “So, our plan then is to just sit here and hope for the best?”

Mara shook her head. “Nope, we’re waiting on another transport to bring some excavation equipment, so that we can bust through that wall.”

Tahiri turned away from the group, looking up at the Stolen Star and noticed the burn marks along her hull. She frowned for a moment at her starship.

“Did I really come in that fast?” she asked no one in particular.

From beside her, Corran answered. “Yeah. You had us worried for a moment. Afraid you were going to crash into the ruins.”

Tahiri dropped her eyes from the ship and then turned to face Corran. “Sorry Master Horn. I was just worried about my apprentice. If I had known this would happen, I’d have made her go with me to Rhen Var.”

Corran shrugged his shoulder. “But you didn’t, you couldn’t have. Such is the price of being a master of a padawan, or even a parent of a child.”

Tahiri nodded her head in acceptance. “I know you’re right…”

Just then, another landspeeder pulled up, and a couple technicians clambered out. A large droid with mining equipment in the place of one arm came out behind them.

Luke waved at them from the top of the steps. “This way.”

Then he disappeared into the building. The rest of the group followed him, and after a moment, Tahiri did so as well.

Hoping, praying to the Force, that her padawan was all right.

She stepped into the building, looking around at the murals on the wall. Then she noticed that the others were heading through a tunnel, one which her sense told her led deep into the earth.

-----------------------------------

Noelani stumbled into yet another room.

It had been nearly thirty hours since the cave in, and she was starting to seriously get worried. Hunger had begun to gnaw at her stomach, and her throat was dry and parched.

She looked around, her vision blurring for a moment as she saw yet another empty room.

Letting out a small strangled cry, she slumped against the wall, sliding down it until she was resting on her rump. She pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, rocking slightly back and forth.

She had spent the entire time since the cave-in, walking around this place, trying to find her friends. She had followed their Force presences, yet no matter how far she walked, she never drew any closer to them.

In fact, Poll felt further away from her than when she had started.

Then a scream cut through the room.

It was a sound that she had heard before. A sound that haunted her nightmares.

A sound that she had hoped to never hear again.

The nightmarish scream of a terentatek.

She reached down and gently touched her saber, stretching out with the Force. She could still feel her friends. All of them tired, scared, hungry and alone. All of them were still as far away from her as ever.

Frowning, she turned in a circle, hunting for the next path to take.

Muttering under her breath, she turned a corner and found herself staring at a shape in a dark robe.

Light flared from one of the wall sconces behind the dark figure, backlighting it, casting it further into shadows. Yet Noelani could still see two bright, shining feline-like eyes. Yellow and inhuman.

Fear clutched at her heart once more and she reached down for her saber.

-----------------------------------

“So, Ben… how was Ziost this time of year?”

Ben frowned and looked back up at the teenager sitting across from him. He shrugged his shoulders. “How do you know about that?”

The teenager threw his head back and laughed. “You’ve still not figured it out? I’m dead. Just like you.”

Ben frowned, his brow narrowing as he tried to figure out just what the other person was talking about.

The other shook his head for a moment, and then speared Ben with his ice-blue eyes. “Have you thought more about death? It’s a funny thing isn’t it?”

Ben slowly nodded his head. “Yeah. Not having to worry about anything anymore. Not having to live up to your parents. Not having to deal with right or wrong, life or death anymore.”

The other laughed again. “If only that were true. The dead do have to worry about such things. We’re watching the living quite intently. If we weren’t, do you think I would be here?”

-----------------------------------

Poll tripped and slammed against the floor hard, sprawled on his hands and knees he gritted his teeth and smashed a fist against the stone floor.

A chuckle came from the darkness, and Poll sighed again. Then he ran his hands across the floor by his feet, and found the stone which tripped him. Venting his frustration, he heaved it towards what he hoped was a wall, and smiled with satisfaction as the echoing crash came back to him.

“Up, youngling. You have far to travel, and little time to do so. And as you go, tell me what you’ve learned here.”

Poll sat up, and balanced on his haunches, twisting his head in the darkness, hoping yet again for a light.

“I… I’ve learned,” he replied. “That the Force hates us all, and enjoys torturing me this way.”

Again the laughter erupted from out of the dark. The sound of it surrounding him, echoing back at him from everywhere and nowhere.

Suddenly a nightmarish scream ripped through the darkness, sending shivers down his spine.

“W-wh-what was that?”

“That,” the voice replied. “Was the darkness made flesh.”

Poll frowned, twisting his head to the right and the left again, hoping to find even the tiniest hint of light.

-----------------------------------

Kor stumbled forward, exhaustion pulling at her. Thirty-two hours, lost in this Force-forsaken cavern has stolen her vitality, especially due to the biting cold. Despair and fear warred for dominance in her mind, as she continued forward.

She took a few more steps forward, and glanced into the next room. Finding yet another empty room, she dropped to her knees, covering her face with her hands.

Tears threatened to fall, and she screwed her fists against her eyes and looked around.

A part of her wanted to give up. To just stretch out and stop. Stop trying to escape. Stop trying to be a Jedi. Stop trying to live.

She just wanted to stop. To give up.

To just let herself freeze to death. To die.

Shivering, she glanced around her again. She frowned for a moment and then brushed away a tear.

Her body hitched. "I… I don't want to do this… I don't want to die…"

She sat down fully, pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and placed her forehead onto her knees, the tears flowing freely.

"I…"

She blinked, and then struggled to her knees, a low growl erupting from her throat. "I'm not going to die down here."

---

Next Chapter

Family Found: Chapter 11

Previous Chapter

---

Noelani winced at the pain that was throbbing in her skull. As she became more aware, a multitude of aches and pains flickered across her awareness. Finally, she felt the arms wrapped tightly around her, the rough-hewn floor against one side of her body and the press of a chest against her back.

She blinked her eyes open, a hazy cone of light extended from her handlamp half a meter away from her. She twisted around in the arms that were holding her finding herself face to face with Ben Skywalker. Dried blood decorated one side of his face, looking oddly black in the dim light.

She twisted her head as much as she was able, looking around, seeing the crumpled roof that surrounded them.

She tried to slip out of his arms, but they tightened against her, pulling her closer.

"B-Ben?"

His eyes flickered open. Shut. Then open again. She saw the confusion and pain which flashed in them. He then started to turn his head, and winced as the Force flooded with his pain.

"Noelani?"

"Are you all right, Ben?"

"Uhm..yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. I think."

She looked him in the eyes, finding a shining blue – almost the exact color she sees while looking in the mirror. She could feel the heat of a blush rising to her cheeks.

"Do you think you can let me go now?"

"Oh," Ben began, and Noelani ccould just make out a blush cropping up on his cheeks as well. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

He released her, and a small part of her was saddened by him taking away his arms from around her. She had almost felt safe and comfortable there. Giving her head a small shake to chase away those feelings she looked around again.

She frowned as she doesn't see Kor or Poll. "Where are they?"

"Who?'

Noelani's frown deepened as she turned back toward Ben. "Who? Just our friends that we came in here with."

She noticed as Ben looked around the room as well. "More importantly, where are we?"

"Huh?"

Ben pointed towards the center of the room. "This isn't the same place that we were. There was a podium. It's not there now."

Noelani frowned again as she stood up and walked towards the center of the room.

Looking down at the floor where the podium should be. Where before there was a shaft of metal and stone that came up out of the floor to about her stomach now the floor was smooth and unbroken - though covered slightly in the rubble of the collapsed ceiling.

Still frowning she glanced up, and shined her light upwards as well, seeing the hole through which she must have fallen.

With her free hand she scratched at the top of her head. "I don't remember falling."

Ben shook his head. "Neither do I."

Noelani shined her flashlight across the various walls, and finally found an exit. Looking around again, she shrugged her shoulders and said, "I guess we go this way."

She noticed Ben turn the direction of her light as he nodded his head. "Unless you want to try to jump up the hole."

She shook her head. "We don't know how much floor is left up there. Or if it would fall down on us if we did."

"Good point."

Without anymore discussion the two teenagers walked down the darkened hallway.

The walls were featureless and there were no doors or markings. A sense of foreboding hung on the air, and Noelani stretched out with the Force. She could feel the others, small pinpricks of pain and confusion, indistinct and distant.

She frowned as she realized that she even felt Ben in the distance. Then she turned her light on him where he walked beside her. She stopped and he did as well.

"Who, what are you?" She asked, suddenly afraid.

"I'm Ben, what do you mean?"

She shook her head. "I can feel Ben in the Force, and you're not him."

The Ben before her laughed, a dark guttural sound, and then he seemed to melt. Ben's handsome features slowly dissolved into a mass of shadows and fear. The shade seemed to grow taller and towered over Noelani.

"I am Ben. I am the Ben that will be, here to help you in what you will become."

She took a step back, tossing her head side to side in denial until she bumped up against the wall. "I… I… go away!"

He laughed again, and then he lifted his hand pointing down the dark corridor. "Not going to happen. Look at your future."

Noelani looked in the direction he was pointing and saw herself. But at the same time she saw someone she did not, could not, recognize. The girl that stood a few meters away was older; her blonde hair was pulled back, and tinged with pink highlights from the blood-red lightsaber she held. A thin scar stretched from the top of her right temple, and ran down the side of her face, ending in a burn pattern at her throat. A malice-filled smile graced her lips, a mockery of joy that found no home in the girl's yellow and orange tinged eyes.

Noelani could hear herself utter a short weak sound of fear, and then she dropped to her knees, her handlight skittering away from her. She instinctively covered her face with her hands and began shaking her head in a negative motion. "No…no… no… NO!"

The shade laughed again. "Yes. And you're going to happily embrace that future. You're going to like being a Sith."

Her hands shot out, held straight in front of her, her fingers splayed wide and she screamed, "NO!" Then Noleani unleashed a wave of Force energy at the shade - a wave of energy which passed harmlessly through it and stroke the far wall, shattering it.

The future her, walked up to the shade of Ben and wrapped her arms around one of his, looking down at her. "Don't worry. You'll have more fun, and be happier like this."

She once more retreated behind her hands, allowing them to hide her face. Hide the tears that had sprung up to burn her eyes.

"No." She whispered in a hoarse, harsh voice.

Silence fell around Noelani, and the only thing she could hear was the ragged sound of her breathing. She huddled there on the ground for a few more minutes, her ragged breathing calming down into near silent whimpers.

Finally she looked up to discover that she was alone.

"Ben?"

No one was there to answer her, and she frowned She stood up, looking around her trying to figure out where she was going to go now, and how she was going to meet back up with her friends. Sighing, she continued walking down the hallway, hoping to find a way back to the others. To anyone.

-----------------------------------

Ben lifted his head and frowned.

Before the collapse he was with his friends, and had even thrown himself forward to protect Noelani, but now he was alone.

Without anyone to help him.

He looked around the room, enhancing his night vision with a Force trick that Jacen had taught him, one which allows him to see in the nearly perfect darkness that he was currently in. Four blank walls. A blank ceiling. And finally, a blank floor.

He sighed.

Wondering just how it was that he got into a room without any entrances.

Wondering exactly what was going to happen to him in here.

If he was going to be rescued.

If he was going to die here. Alone. With no one knowing where he was. His body decaying into nothingness and dust never to be disturbed, let alone found.

For a moment he wondered why that did not fill him with dread and fear.

He shrugged his shoulders with the realization that he was not scared of death.

Death was something he has seen. It was something he had handed out.

There was a part of him that looked forward to it. The unending embrace of death, which would allow him to escape the pressures of his life. Which would allow him to escape being Luke Skywalker's son.

Yet a part of him, a small still-innocent voice in the back of his mind, asked if that alone, that utter lack of a fear of death, was something he should be scared of.

Suddenly, Ben was no longer alone. Sitting across from him was a boy about his age, maybe a year or two older. Brown hair, brown eyes and dressed in an orange jumpsuit.

Ben recognized him from somewhere, but could not quite place it.

The boy looked around the room and then finally returned his gaze to Ben. "Nice little spot you've picked out for your death."

Ben shrugged his shoulders. "Not like it matters."

The boy nodded his head a few times. A bobbing motion which made Ben want to hit him. "True… true… not much matters to the dead."

Ben frowned, and replied, "I'm not dead yet."

The boy laughed. "Aren't you? Look around you; you're sitting here in this room doing nothing. If that's not death I'm not sure what is."

"What would you have me do?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just here to guide you to the questions; I can't ask them or answer them."

Ben looked away. "Then what good are you?"

The boy grinned, a lopsided slash of the mouth which Ben has seen so many times over the years. It was a grin which Ben practiced in front of the mirror when he was younger.

Finally, he spoke again, the grin not quite leaving his lips. "Now, isn't that a good question."

-----------------------------------

Kor Res'sal rubbed on her shoulders, the biting cold of the catacombs striking her through her fur. She slowly ambled along, searching for the others, or just a warm place to hide and rest. But everywhere she went, all she feels was that biting cold.

Shivering, she exhaled strongly, her breath a white plume in front of her.

She looked around, and for the first time since she started her training, she was scared.

She dropped to her knees, feeling the tears as they slipped down her face, and froze into the little drops of ice in the fur of her muzzle.

"I don't want to die. Not like this. Not in the cold." She said to the empty air around her, hoping for an answer but not really expecting it.

To her surprise, she was answered. "Then what are you going to do about it, young Jedi?"

She turned her head and saw a shimmering blue form standing a few meters further down the hall. He was dressed in old fashioned Jedi robes, similar to the ones worn by the Jedi in the murals on the upper floors.

Kor frowned. She knew she was alone. "What can I do? I don't have anything to stay warm with, and even if I did, I'm stuck in these tunnels."

The figure shrugged his shoulders. "That is the question, is it not?"

Then he disappeared.

Kor's shoulders hitched as she fought back tears. She stretched out her hand to where the figure had been standing and cried out, "No! Come back… tell me what I need to do. Tell me how to survive…"

-----------------------------------

"Hello?"

Poll's voice echoed back to him, a sure indication that he was in a wide open area. He did not know for certain because there was no light at all.

Just unending, complete, unbroken darkness. A black so thick Poll could feel it pressing down on his shoulders, attempting to crush him.

He dropped to his knees, feeling around him looking for his handlight, fighting back against the irrational terror which gripped his heart.

For as long as he could remember, the darkness has terrified him. Nightmares of being trapped in the dark terrorized his sleep and the irrational fear of it has long plagued his Jedi training.

He let out a sigh as he could not find his handlight and straightened up – straining his eyes trying to see.

I'm a Jedi, he thought to himself; a vain attempt to increase his fortitude, to keep from breaking down in tears and terror-stricken sobs.

A deep, guttural voice emanated from the darkness. "You young Jedi have gotten so pathetic."

Poll twisted around, trying to see. Finally, he found his voice, "Wh-who's there?"

The voice barked a laugh. "Just a ghost of the past, youngling. The more important question is… who are you?"

"I don't-"

The voice sighed deeply, interrupting Poll. "You don't understand. How many times have I had to answer that question? Yet the Force felt I need to do so yet again."

Poll frowned, trying to figure things out.

"Good. You're less scared. Now think boy," the voice growled at him. "You're trapped here, all alone. What are you going to do?"

Poll shook his head. "I don't…"

The voice sighed again.

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Next Chapter

Family Found: Chapter 10

Previous Chapter

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Mara Jade was leaning back in her Council seat, listening to the latest reports from the war. Around her were all of the available Masters and directly next to her was her husband. She glanced towards him, his blue eyes focused intently on the Galactic Guard Lieutenant. His prosthetic hand, cupping his lower face, the thumb pressed beneath his chin and the arc of the pointer finger lying over the lips.

It was a pose that she had seen him take thousands of times before. Whenever there was something preying on his mind or a tidbit of activity that he was thinking hard about, that was a mannerism that he adopted.

It was a sure sign to her that he was intently listening.

And for a moment, she wondered why she was having so much trouble paying attention.

She allowed her self to carefully look around the room. Her eyes lingering for a moment on each of the Masters; noting that they too were paying attention to the young lieutenant with nearly the same focus as Luke.

She closed her eyes and probed the Force, hunting for the cause of her sense of disquiet.

And was met with images of a dark hallway and inaudible whispers.

She lifted her right hand, the nail of her thumb slipping between her teeth as she started to worry at it. Realizing that she was about to bite off her fingernail she dropped her hands into her lap and twined her fingers together.

She saw a flicker of interest from the lieutenant in her movements and she pushed down a burst of annoyance at being noticed.

The sense of something being off slowly changed to a pressure, a knowing that something was about to happen. And that that something was not necessarily a good thing.

One of her hands shifted down to her lightsaber. Another movement noticed by the lieutenant.

If the pressure in the Force was not growing so large, so ominous, she was certain that she would be disturbed and annoyed by being so closely watched by a non-Jedi.

Then the pressure crested – shifting from the knowledge that something was about to happen to the knowledge that something dangerous was happening at that precise moment.

In an eyeblink she was up out of her seat, twisting in a circle trying to find the source of the danger.

Ben!

And with that heartbeat of intuition she knew that the danger was not directed towards her or Luke, but towards their son.

Then the room rumbled as an earthquake shook the Temple.

Luke looked up at the ceiling and then towards Kam. "I thought that the Temple was built on stable ground away from any fault lines."

Before Kam could reply, Mara spoke up. "Not important, Luke. Ben's in trouble."

"What do you mean?"

Mara did not answer. Instead she turned towards the windows and stared out across the landscape of Ossus, facing the distant mountain ranges where the old Jedi Library stood.

She pulled out her comlink and thumbed it on, her fingers twisting the dial automatically to the frequency Ben's comlink uses. "Ben?"

Static returned to her and she frowned down at the device.

Turning back towards her husband, she asked, "Where did he say they were going?"

"He said something about visiting the catacombs beneath the old Jedi Library."

Without another word, she stormed out of the Council Chambers, Luke following close on her heels. His comlink chirped and he pulled the device out and activated it.

"This is Luke."

Tahiri's voice came to him over the device, thin and scratchy with the distance between them. "Master Skywalker, is something wrong with Noelani? I can feel her distress and fear."

Mara grabbed the comlink from Luke. "Did she go somewhere with Ben?"

"Yes."

Mara sighed and glared over her shoulder at Luke for a moment. "We just had some type of earthquake. I felt a pulse of fear from Ben immediately after it."

"I'm on my way back to Ossus now."

"Fine. We'll meet you at the old Jedi Library when you get here."

She turned off the device and threw it at Luke. "This is all your fault."

"Mine?"

She glowered at him, her fists clenching and unclenching unconsciously. "So Noelani went with them. Who else?"

"I think he said something about Poll Syth and Kor Res'al."

Mara nodded her head. "Poll doesn't have a Master, but we need to talk to Kor's."

She turned away again, as she heard Luke trying to get a hold of Thann Mithric on the comlink. She glanced around, trying to figure out her location in the Temple and then making up her mind turned left, heading towards the garage.

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Tahiri shrugged into her heavy parka, and glanced at Han and Leia. "Sorry. I have to go. I… I'll let you know about what you want me to do."

Leia took her hand, giving her a calm smile. Tahiri's heart hitched at it, and she fought the urge to drop to her knees and cry.

"Trust the Force, Tahiri, and let us know how things turn out. Are you sure you don't want us to go to Ossus with you?"

Tahiri bit at her lower lip, her eyes flickering between Leia and Han, seeing the concern etched into both of their faces. She wanted them to come, but knew that if they do someone would probably try to arrest them again.

Finally she shook her head, fighting back her tears. "No. I don't want to risk the two of you being arrested."

Han spoke up. "The Kid wouldn't do that, not while Ben's in trouble."

Tahiri frowned for a second. "I… I don't think I would trust Master Skywalker even that much."

Tahiri lowered her head, noticing as she does so that Han and Leia shared a look between each other. Finally, Han spoke again. "Why do you say that? Has he down something? Well something even more stupid than trusting my son?"

Tahiri shook her head. "No. Nothing. I guess it's just a Jedi thing. I've got to get back to Ossus now." She threw her arms around Leia's neck. "I hope I'll be able to see you soon."

Leia returned the hug. "It will be all right."

Tahiri dropped back to the flat of her feet and turned towards the ramp, walking down it as it lowered. Then the wind cut through even her heavy parka, stealing her breath and warmth.

Hunching her shoulders against the wind, she slowly made her way over the frozen ground heading towards the Stolen Star where she rested a couple dozen meters away from the Falcon's boarding ramp.

She thumbed a small device in her pocket, and a seam appeared towards the rear of the craft – the Star's boarding ramp lowering into position. As she arrived she glanced back towards the Falcon once again, wondering if she would get to see Han and Leia again, or if Jacen would capture them first.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, she quickly boarded the ship, sealing the ramp behind her. Then she was climbing the short ladder into the cockpit and preparing for launch. Rushing off in what she knew was a vain effort to get to her apprentice.

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Thann Mithric sat in a classic meditation pose, happy at the solitude afforded him because his apprentice was off playing with some of the other Jedi trainees her own age. His awareness was diffused out, stretching across the entire Temple, feeling the ebbs and flows of the Jedi and the non-Jedi as they went about their business.

The harsh tone of the door buzzer drew him back into his body, abruptly ending his meditation. Frowning slightly, he heaved himself to his feet and walked the short distance to the door. He jabbed the button there which opened it, revealing Jedi Master Kam Solusar standing there, looking annoyed.

Thann bowed towards him. "Master."

"Did your apprentice go somewhere with Ben Skywalker and Noelani Darklighter today?'

Thann frowned, wondering why that would matter to the Master, wondering what sort of mischief his young apprentice had gotten herself into. "Yes…I believe she said something about exploring the Jedi ruins."

"You haven't felt anything off? Or disturbing concerning her?"

Thann shook his head and then closed his eyes, he stretched out with the Force, hunting for Kor through their training bond. He found her, a small, confused and fear-filled awareness in the back of his mind.

His eyes popped open. "She's afraid of something. What's happened?"

"We're not sure, but we think they might have gotten trapped during that earthquake."

Stepping the rest of the way through the door, Thann frowned at the Master. "Then why are we standing here talking? Shouldn't we be trying to rescue them?"

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Next Chapter

Family Found: Chapter 9

Previous Chapter

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"This is boring."

Noelani glanced back at Kor and shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe."

She looked past Noelani, towards where Ben and Poll stood, Poll's handlight shining into yet another room, one that was probably as empty as the rest of them.

Kor turned her light away from the boys, playing it out over the walls again. "We should probably go. There's nothing here – it's all been taken away already."

Noelani nodded her head. "Yeah, but let's see the third level and the catacombs first."

Kor frowned slightly and Noelani noticed that the fur on her snout rippled with her displeasure at the situation. "Yeah. I guess we can do that."

Noelani smiled brightly for her. "Thanks, Kor!"

"You've got it bad don't you?"

Noelani stopped walking and turned to face Kor. "What are you talking about."

Kor's grin grew larger. "Ben. You like him."

"Do not. Now hush." Noelani turned away and started walking faster towards the boys.

Kor laughed and grabbed Noelani's arms, slowing her down slightly. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. You know my feelings about Poll. It's only fair that I know who you like."

Noelani dropped her chin to her chest, watching her feet as they slowly walked down the hallway.

"Guess so," she said. Then her head bounced up and she looked over at Kor. "But I don't know if I like him like that or not. And then there's Chase…"

Kor shrugged her shoulders. "That's okay. I know. And forget Chase, he's somewhere on Coruscant, playing delinquent. Bens' right here."

Then Ben's voice called out from in front of them. "Hey! I found the stairs leading down."

The two girls rushed ahead, just in time to see the light of Poll's lamp fading away down the stair well. They turned the corner and began quickly skipping down the steps. Hurrying to catch up to the two boys.

They arrived at the bottom to find Poll and Ben waiting for them. Poll's light flashing over the various walls of the room they were in. Noelani began walking a circuit of the room, her own light playing out over the walls and the baseboards, searching both visually and in the Force for something interesting.

A small niggle in the back of her mind stopped her, and she let the light flash along a blank wall.

She frowned as she looked at it, glancing to the right and then the left.

Visually there was nothing different about this stretch of wall than all the rest of the walls in the room.

Yet the Force said otherwise.

She reached out and traced her hand along the wall at about shoulder height. Then she stopped and dipped her hand, pushing against the wall.

She frowned as nothing happens. Reaching out with the Force, she grabbed onto that part of the wall and pulled. A small square slid out from the wall and Noelani laughed.

Kor stepped up beside her. "Hey! Did you find something?"

Noelani glanced at her, a smile twisting her lips. "Yes I did. Now to find out what it does."

She grabbed the square, feeling a tingle rush through her body and tried to twist it to the right. When nothing happened she frowned again, looking at it. Shrugging she pushed against it. The square easily slid back into the wall and settled home with a subtle snickt.

Then with a loud groan a section of wall swung inward, revealing another room.

The noise attracted the two boys and they came over as all four teenagers crept into the room.

Weapons, jewelry and holocrons lined the shelves and racks which filled the rooms.

Noelani picked up an amulet and a wave of Force power rushed over her – but the energy felt different, corrupted somehow. She dropped the trinket and took a step backwards her head shaking as she bit at her lower lip.

"You all right, Noelani?" Ben's voice sounded worried.

She quickly nodded her head while still looking at the amulet where it laid on the ground. "Yeah, everything's fine. Just… just a chill."

Turning from the shelves, she looked at the small desk set by the door. She saw a crystal about the size of her hand – it had been polished and cut to have numerous facets. Something about the crystal yanked at the back of her mind. She knew that she had seen something like that before, but she could not quite remember where.

Shrugging her shoulders, she dropped the crystal into a pocket, intent on figuring it out later. She then continued into the room weaving through the shelving until she came to the back end of the room. And let out a scream at what she found.

"Noelani!"

The other three were by her side in a flash, even as she stared in fright at the mummified remains of the massive creature. It towered over them all, its rough, scaly hide coated in a layer of dust. Small glassy eyes stared out from above a mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth, two of which were long, thick fangs.

"What is it?" Poll asked.

Noelani, still shaken by seeing the creature, hesitantly answered. "It's called a terentatek. They're animals… beasts infused with the Dark Side of the Force."

Ben stepped forward and poked at the creature. "This one is dead though."

She rubbed her arms as she stared at the massive creature – a cold hard knot resting in the pit of her stomach. She stopped rubbing her arms, and looked down at her palms, remembering how the dark energy erupted from them when she had fought the terentatek in the Deep Forest of Kashyyyk.

"'Lani, you all right?"

"Huh?" Startled out of her thoughts and memories, Noelani's head darted up to find Poll staring at her, a confused expression on his face.

"I asked if you're all right. You look like you've seen a ghost."

Noelani looked over his shoulder at the mummified remains of the terentatek. Then she returned her gaze back to Poll. "I feel as if I have."

Poll looked at her for a moment more and then shrugged his shoulders and turned away from her to look through some more of the artifacts that lined the shelves.

She lifted her head again to stare into the glassy eyes of the dead terentatek. Then in a simple, smooth movement, she ignited her saber and sliced at the creature's head, severing it from the body.

She shut down the weapon, staring at the now headless corpse, the splash of blood on the back wall seeming somehow incongruous to the desiccated corpse.

"Why did you do that?"

Noelani turns to see Ben looking at her with an odd expression on his face. She just shakes her head. "I… just because."

Before he could respond, she stepped away from him. Quietly, Noelani slipped through the shelves and walked from the room, taking a deep breath of air. She frowned as she considered that it just smells fresher out here. As if the air was better in some fundamental way when she was away from the terentatek and the weird artifacts in the room.

She heard a noise behind her and turned to see Poll stepping from the room. An odd-shaped amulet hung from the thin chain around his neck.

Noelani frowned at it for a moment. "You sure you want to take that thing?"

Poll grinned at her, a mischievous light in his eyes. "Yeah, I think I do."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Suit yourself."

Then Ben and Kor stepped from the room. Ben glanced back over his shoulder for a moment before turning his blue eyes onto Noelani. "I think Master Tionne and my dad would love that room."

Noelani nodded her head. "Maybe. So what's left? The catacombs?"

Ben grinned happily. "That should be it. And if I remember right, they should be over this way."

He started walking down the hallway, and soon came to a stone arch with steps, hewn from the very bedrock itself, leading into the depths of the planet.

The four stared into the blackness, a cold wave of air struck them and Kor muttered something under her breath.

Noelani found herself frowning again. "What's supposed to be down there?"

Ben replied. "No one really knows what the Jedi used to use it for. It wasn't listed on any of the archives, and none of the holocrons I asked would tell me. In fact most of them didn't even know the place existed."

"Maybe," Poll began with a laugh, "you just weren't advanced enough to find out."

Then Kor spoke up. "Well, if that's the case, then maybe we shouldn't go down there. Ben's ahead of all of us – Jedi wise – and if the holocrons don't think he's advanced enough to know about this place, and then maybe we shouldn't be down there."

Ben shook his head. "No. I think the holocrons just didn't know. The only ones I talked to were the ones created after the Jedi left Ossus. The secret of the catacombs could have been something so simple and mundane that no one ever bothered to actually record it."

Noelani glanced between her friends and then stepped forward. "Well we won't find out by hanging around up here."

With that said, she darted down the steps into the darkness.

She heard the others stomping down the stone steps behind her as she reached the bottom.

Playing her light along the walls, she saw a room carved from the rock walls with two corridors on the far side. A podium was set in the middle of the room. She stepped up to it just as the rest of the group arrived in the room.

The podium was a flat console, its glossy surface marred only by a raised holder for some type of object. She ran her fingers into the holder, feeling the hard angles.

"Ah. I know now," she muttered out loud.

"Know what?" Ben asked from beside her.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the crystal. "What this is for. It's a data matrix. Information is stored in the light trapped within the crystal. I saw one once on Tatooine. It's an old technology and not really used anymore."

She lined the crystal up with the holder, and pushed down. The crystal seated itself with a snap and a bright white light flared around them.

Floating in the air in front of the podium was a being. He wore a blue cloak with a golden metal collar. Grey skin was stretched over a curving skull with wide set eyes and rows of carnivorous teeth.

His voice seemed to come from everywhere. "Greetings, Young Jedi. I am Master Odan-Urr. Welcome to your trails."

Then before any of them could react, an earthquake shook the Jedi Temple. Noelani found herself being knocked off her feet, arms wrapping around her as the stone ceiling began to drop on top of them all.

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Next Chapter