(no subject)
[ooc: dialogue in comments from legacy of the force: bloodlines, by karen traviss.]
The galaxy doesn't feel as normal when Ben awakes this morning. He takes a moment to sit cross-legged on his bed and reach out with the Force, but all he can sense is that Coruscant is -- edgy.
He sighs and lets go. It's a city planet -- of course the citizens are edgy.
When he wanders through to the living room after his shower, Jacen's standing behind the couch with a mug of caf and a frown. He waves Ben over without looking away from the holoprojector.
"--treating the attack as retaliation--"
"What happened?"
Jacen finally glances at him and his expression clears a little. "The Corellian Sanctuary was attacked. Revenge for the bombing, apparently -- just mindless violence."
Ben blinks and stares at the projection on the screen. "That's horrible."
But then, he thinks, so was the explosion yesterday.
"Yes," Jacen agrees. "Listen -- I've got a meeting at the Senate Building today. You've got an assignment. I want you to go out to the Elite Hotel -- as close as you can get, anyway -- and the Corellian Sanctuary. See what you can sense of the people and events surrounding them."
"Find out who's responsible?"
"Not exactly -- just see what you can feel. Motives, what people might have been thinking around the attacks; any strong emotions."
Ben thinks about it, and when he's confident he knows what Jacen wants, he nods. "I can do that."
"Good." Jacen smiles briefly and ruffles Ben's hair with his free hand before the boy has a chance to duck. "I'll see you for dinner tonight, okay?"
Again, Ben nods, and goes to get his breakfast as Jacen leaves. He'll go to the hotel first, he decides, since it's closer. He's not sure what he'll find at either site, if anything; but he's genuinely interested, so he'll try his best.
He wants to understand; he's not entirely sure he ever will.
There wasn't much to sense at the hotel, not at the distance Ben had been. Coruscant Security Force hadn't let him get very close at all. He'd thought of using a mind trick to make them let him past, but it hadn't seemed right, so he'd stayed behind the lines. From there, he'd reached out in the Force, but sensed little other than the remnants of panic and confusion from the guests who'd been caught up -- and died -- in the explosion.
He thinks about that on the way to the Corellian district, sitting quietly in the back of an air taxi. He could sense the guests, but nothing of whoever had planted the bomb. But that didn't mean very much, really. It would have had to have been someone with very strong emotions for him to have felt it anyway, wouldn't it? Still, he's a little disappointed that he'll have no answers to give Jacen.
Hopefully, he'll be able to pick up more at the Sanctuary.
The galaxy doesn't feel as normal when Ben awakes this morning. He takes a moment to sit cross-legged on his bed and reach out with the Force, but all he can sense is that Coruscant is -- edgy.
He sighs and lets go. It's a city planet -- of course the citizens are edgy.
When he wanders through to the living room after his shower, Jacen's standing behind the couch with a mug of caf and a frown. He waves Ben over without looking away from the holoprojector.
"--treating the attack as retaliation--"
"What happened?"
Jacen finally glances at him and his expression clears a little. "The Corellian Sanctuary was attacked. Revenge for the bombing, apparently -- just mindless violence."
Ben blinks and stares at the projection on the screen. "That's horrible."
But then, he thinks, so was the explosion yesterday.
"Yes," Jacen agrees. "Listen -- I've got a meeting at the Senate Building today. You've got an assignment. I want you to go out to the Elite Hotel -- as close as you can get, anyway -- and the Corellian Sanctuary. See what you can sense of the people and events surrounding them."
"Find out who's responsible?"
"Not exactly -- just see what you can feel. Motives, what people might have been thinking around the attacks; any strong emotions."
Ben thinks about it, and when he's confident he knows what Jacen wants, he nods. "I can do that."
"Good." Jacen smiles briefly and ruffles Ben's hair with his free hand before the boy has a chance to duck. "I'll see you for dinner tonight, okay?"
Again, Ben nods, and goes to get his breakfast as Jacen leaves. He'll go to the hotel first, he decides, since it's closer. He's not sure what he'll find at either site, if anything; but he's genuinely interested, so he'll try his best.
He wants to understand; he's not entirely sure he ever will.
There wasn't much to sense at the hotel, not at the distance Ben had been. Coruscant Security Force hadn't let him get very close at all. He'd thought of using a mind trick to make them let him past, but it hadn't seemed right, so he'd stayed behind the lines. From there, he'd reached out in the Force, but sensed little other than the remnants of panic and confusion from the guests who'd been caught up -- and died -- in the explosion.
He thinks about that on the way to the Corellian district, sitting quietly in the back of an air taxi. He could sense the guests, but nothing of whoever had planted the bomb. But that didn't mean very much, really. It would have had to have been someone with very strong emotions for him to have felt it anyway, wouldn't it? Still, he's a little disappointed that he'll have no answers to give Jacen.
Hopefully, he'll be able to pick up more at the Sanctuary.