Aboard the Jade Shadow [just after Leia's arrest]
“ They took Leia,” Han said without preamble.
Luke stared at him. Han was contacting him via hologram, and he stood there in miniature, holding an Allana who was actually considerably calmer than her grandfather.
“What? Who took her?”
By now Ben, copiloting, and Vestara, engrossed in reading a datapad Natua had prepared for her, were paying attention.
“The GAS. Those sleemos took her away on a whole slew of trumped-up charges. You know about the anti-Jedi legislation that’s being enacted? And the whole news slant?”
“I’ve heard some,” Luke said. “But this is ridiculous. What were the charges?”
“Conspiracy to overthrow the rightfully elected government,” Han snarled. “Espionage. And get this. Spice smuggling.”
“Wow,” said Ben. “That's really stupid. Aunt Leia a spice dealer? Who's going to believe that?”
“And you simply let them take her?” asked Vestara.
Han shot her a furious look. She drew back a little, despite the fact that Han was only a third of a meter high. “I would have preferred to have blasted them into the next sector,” Han said, “but Leia wouldn’t let me. She told me I have this one to worry about. So she went quietly. I think the two guys sent to take her in were embarrassed.”
“They should be,” said Natua, who had overheard and poked her head in. “Leia Organa Solo? A traitor dealing in spice?”
Luke felt himself growing angry, and calmed himself in the Force. He knew it for what it was-Natua’s pheromones affecting his own feelings. “She’s a public figure,” Luke said, “and a well-loved one. Padnel Ovin is your friend. Someone on that subcommittee just wants to make a big gesture, that’s all. It’ll backfire and Leia will be released.”
“Yes,” said Han grimly, “she will. One way or another.”
“I bet Padnel is already working on it,” Luke said. “What time is it there?”
“Four AM.”
“The Chief of State’s office opens at eight,” Luke said. “Go talk to Padnel and Dorvan. I would offer my own help, but with the anti-Jedi sentiment growing there, I think any interference on my end would do more harm than good.”
“I don’t want to talk,” Han said, “I want my wife back. I want to knock heads together.”
“But you won’t,” said Ben.
“Not yet, anyway.” Han had calmed down somewhat. “I’ll go in first thing.”
“Bring your daughter,” Vestara said. Everyone turned to look at her. She shrugged. “It will be harder to turn her down than you.”
“Besides,” said Allana, “if you go, I go. She’s my mommy. They’ll have to deal with me and you, Dad.”
“That … wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, but that works, too,” said Vestara.
Han rested his forehead against Allana’s. “Okay, kiddo. Let’s try to get some more sleep, and then we’ll go in and, uh, persuade Dorvan and Ovin that a mistake has been made.”
“A really bad mistake,” said Allana, grinning. Han hugged her tight, nodded at Luke, and pressed the button.
Luke was silent for a while. Finally Ben said, “I can’t believe they did that. I had no idea they hated us so much.”
“If you mean the people of Coruscant, they don’t,” Luke said. “But someone in a position of power does. Patch us through to the HoloNet, Ben. Even at this hour someone will be reporting on this.”
Ben obliged. “Oh look, speaking of hating us …” he said. The station, BAMR, was a fairly new one, and very aggressive in its political leanings.
“Surprise, surprise,” said Vestara.
A handsome dark-skinned human male gazed intently into the holocam. “… able to obtain footage of the arrest of former Chief of State and current Jedi, Princess Leia Organa Solo, at her residence.” Behind him rolled a recording of Leia emerging from her home. There was no sign of Han or Allana, and Luke was glad. The last thing they needed was for Allana’s face to be all over the HoloNet, and for Han Solo to be yelling at some poor unfortunate being simply doing his job.
Leia looked tired, but regal and beautiful. She did not smile, but neither did she attempt to dodge the bright lights and cams shoved into her face. Luke ached for her.
“Solo had no comment as to the charges levied against her,” the anchor was saying. “BAMR did attempt to get an interview with Captain Han Solo, Jedi Solo’s husband, but we were refused.”
“I’ll just bet,” said Ben. He'd also bet Ender'd had something to do with why his uncle wasn't on camera hitting someone with a chair. Another image appeared behind the anchor. It depicted a handsome older man, graying, with a firm, strong jaw and intelligent, sharp eyes. “Senator Kameron Suldar, leader of the Senate Subcommittee to Investigate Jedi Activity, will be holding a press conference four hours from now at-”
There came a soft gasp. Luke turned to see Vestara’s eyes wide.
“Vestara? What is it?” Ben turned to look at her.
“I-that Senator. I know him.”
“Huh?”
She turned to Ben. “His name’s not Kameron Suldar. It’s Workan. High Lord Workan. He’s-”
“A Sith of the Lost Tribe,” said Luke calmly.
They stared at him.
“How-why-” stammered Vestara.
“I’ve been playing a rather delicate and high-risk game,” Luke said, “but it seems to be going in our favor. Why do you think I made such a big fuss over the Jedi departing? Think for a minute. We’ve searched several planets and we’ve yet to find the Sith. When you are hunting an animal and it keeps eluding you, what do you do?”
Vestara got it first. “You set out bait,” she said quietly.
Luke nodded at her. “Exactly. With the Jedi very publicly gone, Coruscant was wide open. Ripe for the picking.”
“Dad-you gave Coruscant to the Lost Tribe?” Ben's voice had gone a little hysterical because Ben was, perhaps, a little hysterical.
“I laid a trap,” Luke said. “That’s quite a bit different. The Lost Tribe believes it has a destiny to rule the galaxy. What better way to take a huge step toward fulfilling that destiny than to infiltrate Coruscant?”
“Uh, Dad, you maybe forgot one little thing.”
“And that might be?”
“SITH HAVE INFILTRATED CORUSCANT!”
“I’ve lured them all to one place. I know exactly what I’m doing, Ben. We’ll deal with Ship-and that should, I hope, mean dealing with Abeloth-and then we’ll come back to Coruscant and handle the Sith.”
“I wonder if it will be as easy as you think it will be,” said Vestara. “Sith do not flee from a fight. And you have no idea how many of them are on Coruscant-or how powerful they might grow while we deal with Ship.”
Ben could tell she was rattled, but he noticed in a distant sort of way: his mind was filled with Ender, and how Ben had never ever wanted him to fight again, and how he was now stranded on a world and surrounded by an enemy.
“Sith are also arrogant,” Luke said. “Ivaar Workan is posing as a high-profile Senator. I am willing to bet that you know most of the Lords and High Lords by sight.”
She nodded. “Yes. They are public figures on Kesh.”
“I can’t imagine any Sith Lord or even Saber being content with a job that doesn’t involve some ego-stroking.”
“They are proud of what they do,” Vestara said.
“And you’re proud of them,” Luke said. It was a statement, not a question.
Vestara hesitated, then nodded. “Yes,” she said. “It is difficult not to be. To have moved so swiftly and so thoroughly.” Ben sighed heavily. He'd long since stopped trying to figure out what Vestara's motivations were at any given moment. She'd become a sort of defacto consultant to the Jedi about Sith since she'd killed her father, and while the pull of the dark side on her motivations seemed to lessen overall as time progressed, her attachment to her people shifted with the winds, the time of day, and the color of the robes she was wearing.
“The Lost Tribe makes for dangerous opponents,” Luke went on. “I’ll give them that much. I didn’t enter into this lightly. But I thought it was the swiftest way to end the threat they pose. One planet-one strike by Jedi they think long gone-and we have the most powerful Lost Tribe members killed or in custody.”
“That’s … one of the craziest things I’ve ever heard,” Ben said. He meant "stupidest", and his tone gave him away.
“I’m glad you approve,” Luke said wryly.
“You might have told someone,” Ben snapped, glaring.
“I did. I told Leia and the Masters. The Masters know about the plan so that they can lead in the Jedi forces the second we’re ready. Leia was informed because, as the only Jedi staying behind, she could report to me anything she discovered.” His eyes met Ben's squarely. "And Ender put it together on his own. If he didn't tell you, it was for his own reasons."
Ben turned to Vestara, not trusting himself to talk directly to his father at the moment. “You know this Workan guy. What motivated him to arrest Leia? And do you think she’s in any real danger?” He wouldn't ask the question closest to his heart. There was an irrational thought that if he didn't mention Ender's name no one on Coruscant would remember him either.
“He took Leia to make sure the last Jedi on Coruscant would be safely watched,” Vestara said without hesitation. “And to cement his personal power. To capture and contain such a prize reflects well on him. As for whether he’ll harm her-I don’t think so. Not right away, at least. She’s too important and beloved a personage to openly harm, and any ‘accident’ would be far too suspicious. And she’s a marvelous bargaining chip if it comes to that-a famous political figure, and the sister of Grand Master Luke Skywalker. But she’s not going to be released anytime soon, I can tell you that much.”
“I agree with Vestara on all counts,” Luke said. “Upsetting as it is, we can’t make any attempt to rescue her until we’re ready to move on all the Sith on Coruscant. She’ll be all right.”
This from the guy--her twin brother--who'd broken her out of a Death Star detention cell. At the moment, Ben couldn't fathom that kind of detachment. "Uh huh," he said. “So we’re still going after Ship first?” he asked, voice clipped.
“Let me put it to you this way: do you want to handle Ship and Abeloth and the Sith all at the same time?”
“Uh … no,” Ben said.
“So plot a course,” Luke said. “The sooner we’re done with Ship, the sooner we can head home.”
The muscles along Ben's jaw clenched. "Vestara can do it. I have some calls to make."
He was sure that if he spent one more second in that cockpit, he'd do something he'd regret later. He turned and stalked away, already pulling his comlink out and scrolling for Tony's number.
Tony
Ben was just so lucky that Tony's phone didn't need cell towers to work out in the middle of nowhere.
"If you're exiled again, so help me, Skywalker..."
Hello, Ben. How've you been?
Ben
"Not exactly," Ben said, making it to his quarters and shutting the door. Everything in the room reminded him, suddenly and starkly, of Ender. "Turns out my father is a tactical kriffing genius."
That was sarcasm, Tony. So much sarcasm.
Tony
The guy with the brilliant plan that involved scarring Ben a lot? Sounded about right. "...what happened?"
Ben
Ben was not going to take a pillow and press it into his face like some kind of lovestruck teenager, thank you very much. Not while he was on the phone, anyway.
"So we've been on a wild nexu hunt looking for the Sith--they gave Dad the slip while he was recovering from having his ship blow up under him." Ben said that part without any real surprise to his voice: his family flew, his family flew fast and dangerously...occasionally his family blew up. "And the Jedi were involved in the last government coup, which wasn't great because we don't really want to run anything." He flopped back on the bed and closed his eyes. "So Dad combined these two problems and decided that the Jedi Order would leave Coruscant forever...and let the Sith take it over."
Tony
Tony was going to let the 'nexu' thing slide since... well, space.
"...um. Has your dad suffered a lot of brain damage lately?"
Ben
"No more so than usual," Ben said, "but this is really one of the stupidest plans ever." He blew out a frustrated breath. "Ender's still on Coruscant," he added more quietly. "There's no reason to think he'll catch the attention of the Sith, but--"
Ben was terrified anyway.
Tony
"For the love of--" Tony rubbed his forehead. "What can I do?"
Ben
"Still working on that part," Ben said, "but whatever I come up with has to be smarter than the plan Dad's working off of." He ran his hand through his hair. "Okay, I'm halfway to this creeptastic old Sith planet that I am definitely not inviting you to, and you're...kind of in the middle of nowhere. Want to meet on Naboo?"
Tony
Ah, the middle China. It was an awesome place to be.
"I'm sure enough money will get Portalocity moving," Tony replied. "Should I bring a suit?"
Ben
Ben didn't hesitate. "Bring a couple. I might be overreacting here, but Dad's not just going to let the Sith keep the planet that houses the galaxy's major government--"
Letting them have it at all was a whole other migraine...
"--and they aren't going to hand it back over nicely."
Tony
Tony grinned. "Sounds like a party. Try not to wake up any dragons, though."
Ben
"Nah," Ben said. "We're looking for a sentient ship, an unkillable woman, and a planet full of bugs that can cause hallucinations. Dragons were soooo three months ago."
Tony
"Oh, is that all?" Tony asked, putting the phone on speaker so he could get things prepped for a short trip to Naboo. Which mostly amounted to 'how can I transport several billion dollar suits of armor?' "
Meet you at Ender's place?"
Ben
"Just as soon as I get done with Planet Bug," Ben promised. "Hey, maybe we'll catch a break and Ender will just meet us there and we can go home."
Ben wasn't really counting on that.
Tony
"I'll make sure not to break anything while I wait for him."
...sorry, Ender.
Ben
"Yeah, you know how he gets about his vases," Ben said with something that was desperately trying to be his usual sense of humor.
Tony
Tony snorted at that, shaking his head. "Be safe, Skywalker. I can't stand hospitals. Even ones in space."
Ben
"Definitely not planning on ending up in one," Ben promised. "Bacta is gross. See you soon, Tony."
Petra
Shortly after his call to Tony, his communicator started ringing - so to speak - entirely on its own.
Ben
Ben frowned at the unfamiliar number. "Skywalker."
Petra
The impressive burst of half-Japanese, half-Russian curses that met him on the other side might've given him a hint as to the identity of his mystery caller.
"Where are they?"
Ben
There was a long pause.
"Petra? If someone took your kids again, I had nothing to do with it."
Petra
"My kids are fine, or as fine as they can be, being that it's Peter who oversees them," Petra said, sounding irritable. "But Dink, Alai, Fly-- and now Ender seems to have fallen off the planet. You telling me you have nothing to do with it, little boy?"
Ben
"Well, Ender's with me--" sort of, "--but I haven't heard from the other guys in months."
Petra
"I haven't heard from them for close to a year." Petra sounded a little deflated. "He's with you, then? No funny business?"
Ben
"He's with my uncle and cousin," he hedged. "I'm on a mission with my father and the Jedi right now."
He didn't think she'd buy that.
Petra
There was a short silence.
"You better cough up the truth now, kintama."
Ben
"It's the truth!" Ben said, then relented. "Just not the entire truth. As far as I know, he's fine, and I'll be trying to get in touch with him when it's not four in the morning there. But he's on a planet that's under occupation."
Petra
"You're giving me your portal address right now," Petra said, "Or however that works." She'd been worried sick for months, and this was the final drop in the bucket. (She was not, she reminded herself, going to be upset she hadn't been invited to this party, for she suspected something bigger was going on here than Skywalker was aware of.)
Ben
"I'll do one better," Ben replied. "I'll give you a portal address that won't drop you onto a malevolently evil planet." He rattled off the coordinates for Naboo. "Ender has a house there. I'll meet you as soon as my mission here is finished."
Petra
"You'd better," said Petra, in a tone of voice that insinuated some portal caretakers were going to have a rough time of it soon.
Ben
"I'll help you find your people, Petra," Ben said quietly. "I promise."
Petra
"I'll see you, then," she said stiffly, and hung up.
Tara
Tara was playing with Mr. Moxy when her phone rang, and she grabbed for it with one hand while she threw the little catnip ball with the other. She answered without looking at the caller ID.
"Hi, what's up?"
Ben
"Hey, Tara," Ben said, sounding a little wiped out. "It's Ben. Um. Skywalker?"
Yes, Ben, she knew who you were.
Tara
"I know," Tara said. "I -- I mean, you're the only Ben who would call. And I know your voice. So --"
She made herself stop babbling, because he really didn't sound good.
"Are you okay?"
Ben
"There have been less stressful days," Ben replied after a moment. "Um, Ender's probably going to miss his class."
Tara
"Oh." Tara went quiet for long enough to pull the cat onto her lap. "Well -- I can cover for him, no problem. Where are you guys?"
Ben
"I'm with my dad, and Ender's on Coruscant," Ben replied. "He's kind of...stuck...for a while."
Tara
Tara swallowed. "Not, like .... in a really big tar pit?"
Weak attempt at humor. Very weak. It was Tara's nerves.
Ben
"Metaphorically, kind of?" Ben said. "It turns out that the planet isn't quite as safe as I thought it was when I left him there."
Hello, Tara, welcome to Ben's guilt.
Tara
"Oh, no." Tara's dismay was clear even across the miles. "What -- is there anything I can do? Do you know how you're getting him back?"
Ben
"Not really," Ben admitted quietly. "And it's a planet of trillions. The possibility of him being where I saw him last are not great. Plus the people who have taken over the planet aren't exactly huge fans of mine."
Tara
"So, not the best place for you to go hunting," Tara said, chewing on her lip. "Maybe somebody could ... scan for his DNA or sense him or something."
Give her a minute, and she might remember she could scry.
Ben
"I can sense him, but I'm probably going to have other things I'm supposed to be doing first," Ben said, sounding extremely frustrated. "I should have made him get a computer chip or something."
That's a really healthy option, Ben, really.
Tara
Tara made a sympathetic noise. "Maybe he wouldn't have been too into that," she suggested sympathetically, and then went quiet for a second to think. "... oh. Oh, hey, remember that thing I did to find Jaenelle last year? That would ... maybe work, if I wasn't too far away."
Ben
"Oooh," Ben said. "You wouldn't mind trying? I mean, from Coruscant. Not from Fandom."
Tara
"I never mind trying," Tara said, quickly. "Only ... I don't want it to turn into a thing where you and your dad have to save me and Ender. Not that I don't think he can take care of himself."
Ben
"No, he's very capable," Ben agreed. "But, you know, I worry."
She'd dated Kennedy. Ben was certain that Tara understood the worry.
Tara
"Of course. Anybody would," Tara said. "... and by anybody, I mean 'anybody who'd, y'know, date people things like this happen to'."
So yes, she got the worry.
Ben
"A wider group of us than I would've initially imagined," Ben said a little wryly. "Okay, I have to finish up this mission with Dad, but would you want to meet me on Naboo? Portalocity should still have the coordinates to get you back there."
Tara
"Really? I mean ... absolutely," Tara said, a tiny nervous wobble in her voice. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
Ben
"Thank you," he said softly. "I owe you one."
Tara
"Don't even think about that," Tara said. "Just ... stay safe and I'll see you soon."
Valentine
When the phone rang and Valentine looked up from her computer to have Jarvis inform her who was calling, she blinked, feeling a knot tighten in her stomach.
Still, when she had her connect him to a voice line, she answered, "Wiggin Roadkill Roadhouse. You kill 'em, we grill 'em."
Because she could.
Ben
There was a long pause at that. "Val?"
Valentine
"Hi, Ben." There was a faint smile and a long pause before the next part because she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know the answer to her following question. "What's up?"
Ben
"Um."
Not helpful, Ben.
"I went on a mission with Dad and Ender stayed behind on Coruscant and it turns out that Coruscant has been kind of overrun with Sith and I'm so, so, so sorry, Val--"
[OOC: Taken and turned into a paper swan from Christie Golden's Ascension. Preplayed with the stupendous hoorayimrich, life_inshadow, a_demosthenes, and endsthegame as Petra.]
Luke stared at him. Han was contacting him via hologram, and he stood there in miniature, holding an Allana who was actually considerably calmer than her grandfather.
“What? Who took her?”
By now Ben, copiloting, and Vestara, engrossed in reading a datapad Natua had prepared for her, were paying attention.
“The GAS. Those sleemos took her away on a whole slew of trumped-up charges. You know about the anti-Jedi legislation that’s being enacted? And the whole news slant?”
“I’ve heard some,” Luke said. “But this is ridiculous. What were the charges?”
“Conspiracy to overthrow the rightfully elected government,” Han snarled. “Espionage. And get this. Spice smuggling.”
“Wow,” said Ben. “That's really stupid. Aunt Leia a spice dealer? Who's going to believe that?”
“And you simply let them take her?” asked Vestara.
Han shot her a furious look. She drew back a little, despite the fact that Han was only a third of a meter high. “I would have preferred to have blasted them into the next sector,” Han said, “but Leia wouldn’t let me. She told me I have this one to worry about. So she went quietly. I think the two guys sent to take her in were embarrassed.”
“They should be,” said Natua, who had overheard and poked her head in. “Leia Organa Solo? A traitor dealing in spice?”
Luke felt himself growing angry, and calmed himself in the Force. He knew it for what it was-Natua’s pheromones affecting his own feelings. “She’s a public figure,” Luke said, “and a well-loved one. Padnel Ovin is your friend. Someone on that subcommittee just wants to make a big gesture, that’s all. It’ll backfire and Leia will be released.”
“Yes,” said Han grimly, “she will. One way or another.”
“I bet Padnel is already working on it,” Luke said. “What time is it there?”
“Four AM.”
“The Chief of State’s office opens at eight,” Luke said. “Go talk to Padnel and Dorvan. I would offer my own help, but with the anti-Jedi sentiment growing there, I think any interference on my end would do more harm than good.”
“I don’t want to talk,” Han said, “I want my wife back. I want to knock heads together.”
“But you won’t,” said Ben.
“Not yet, anyway.” Han had calmed down somewhat. “I’ll go in first thing.”
“Bring your daughter,” Vestara said. Everyone turned to look at her. She shrugged. “It will be harder to turn her down than you.”
“Besides,” said Allana, “if you go, I go. She’s my mommy. They’ll have to deal with me and you, Dad.”
“That … wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, but that works, too,” said Vestara.
Han rested his forehead against Allana’s. “Okay, kiddo. Let’s try to get some more sleep, and then we’ll go in and, uh, persuade Dorvan and Ovin that a mistake has been made.”
“A really bad mistake,” said Allana, grinning. Han hugged her tight, nodded at Luke, and pressed the button.
Luke was silent for a while. Finally Ben said, “I can’t believe they did that. I had no idea they hated us so much.”
“If you mean the people of Coruscant, they don’t,” Luke said. “But someone in a position of power does. Patch us through to the HoloNet, Ben. Even at this hour someone will be reporting on this.”
Ben obliged. “Oh look, speaking of hating us …” he said. The station, BAMR, was a fairly new one, and very aggressive in its political leanings.
“Surprise, surprise,” said Vestara.
A handsome dark-skinned human male gazed intently into the holocam. “… able to obtain footage of the arrest of former Chief of State and current Jedi, Princess Leia Organa Solo, at her residence.” Behind him rolled a recording of Leia emerging from her home. There was no sign of Han or Allana, and Luke was glad. The last thing they needed was for Allana’s face to be all over the HoloNet, and for Han Solo to be yelling at some poor unfortunate being simply doing his job.
Leia looked tired, but regal and beautiful. She did not smile, but neither did she attempt to dodge the bright lights and cams shoved into her face. Luke ached for her.
“Solo had no comment as to the charges levied against her,” the anchor was saying. “BAMR did attempt to get an interview with Captain Han Solo, Jedi Solo’s husband, but we were refused.”
“I’ll just bet,” said Ben. He'd also bet Ender'd had something to do with why his uncle wasn't on camera hitting someone with a chair. Another image appeared behind the anchor. It depicted a handsome older man, graying, with a firm, strong jaw and intelligent, sharp eyes. “Senator Kameron Suldar, leader of the Senate Subcommittee to Investigate Jedi Activity, will be holding a press conference four hours from now at-”
There came a soft gasp. Luke turned to see Vestara’s eyes wide.
“Vestara? What is it?” Ben turned to look at her.
“I-that Senator. I know him.”
“Huh?”
She turned to Ben. “His name’s not Kameron Suldar. It’s Workan. High Lord Workan. He’s-”
“A Sith of the Lost Tribe,” said Luke calmly.
They stared at him.
“How-why-” stammered Vestara.
“I’ve been playing a rather delicate and high-risk game,” Luke said, “but it seems to be going in our favor. Why do you think I made such a big fuss over the Jedi departing? Think for a minute. We’ve searched several planets and we’ve yet to find the Sith. When you are hunting an animal and it keeps eluding you, what do you do?”
Vestara got it first. “You set out bait,” she said quietly.
Luke nodded at her. “Exactly. With the Jedi very publicly gone, Coruscant was wide open. Ripe for the picking.”
“Dad-you gave Coruscant to the Lost Tribe?” Ben's voice had gone a little hysterical because Ben was, perhaps, a little hysterical.
“I laid a trap,” Luke said. “That’s quite a bit different. The Lost Tribe believes it has a destiny to rule the galaxy. What better way to take a huge step toward fulfilling that destiny than to infiltrate Coruscant?”
“Uh, Dad, you maybe forgot one little thing.”
“And that might be?”
“SITH HAVE INFILTRATED CORUSCANT!”
“I’ve lured them all to one place. I know exactly what I’m doing, Ben. We’ll deal with Ship-and that should, I hope, mean dealing with Abeloth-and then we’ll come back to Coruscant and handle the Sith.”
“I wonder if it will be as easy as you think it will be,” said Vestara. “Sith do not flee from a fight. And you have no idea how many of them are on Coruscant-or how powerful they might grow while we deal with Ship.”
Ben could tell she was rattled, but he noticed in a distant sort of way: his mind was filled with Ender, and how Ben had never ever wanted him to fight again, and how he was now stranded on a world and surrounded by an enemy.
“Sith are also arrogant,” Luke said. “Ivaar Workan is posing as a high-profile Senator. I am willing to bet that you know most of the Lords and High Lords by sight.”
She nodded. “Yes. They are public figures on Kesh.”
“I can’t imagine any Sith Lord or even Saber being content with a job that doesn’t involve some ego-stroking.”
“They are proud of what they do,” Vestara said.
“And you’re proud of them,” Luke said. It was a statement, not a question.
Vestara hesitated, then nodded. “Yes,” she said. “It is difficult not to be. To have moved so swiftly and so thoroughly.” Ben sighed heavily. He'd long since stopped trying to figure out what Vestara's motivations were at any given moment. She'd become a sort of defacto consultant to the Jedi about Sith since she'd killed her father, and while the pull of the dark side on her motivations seemed to lessen overall as time progressed, her attachment to her people shifted with the winds, the time of day, and the color of the robes she was wearing.
“The Lost Tribe makes for dangerous opponents,” Luke went on. “I’ll give them that much. I didn’t enter into this lightly. But I thought it was the swiftest way to end the threat they pose. One planet-one strike by Jedi they think long gone-and we have the most powerful Lost Tribe members killed or in custody.”
“That’s … one of the craziest things I’ve ever heard,” Ben said. He meant "stupidest", and his tone gave him away.
“I’m glad you approve,” Luke said wryly.
“You might have told someone,” Ben snapped, glaring.
“I did. I told Leia and the Masters. The Masters know about the plan so that they can lead in the Jedi forces the second we’re ready. Leia was informed because, as the only Jedi staying behind, she could report to me anything she discovered.” His eyes met Ben's squarely. "And Ender put it together on his own. If he didn't tell you, it was for his own reasons."
Ben turned to Vestara, not trusting himself to talk directly to his father at the moment. “You know this Workan guy. What motivated him to arrest Leia? And do you think she’s in any real danger?” He wouldn't ask the question closest to his heart. There was an irrational thought that if he didn't mention Ender's name no one on Coruscant would remember him either.
“He took Leia to make sure the last Jedi on Coruscant would be safely watched,” Vestara said without hesitation. “And to cement his personal power. To capture and contain such a prize reflects well on him. As for whether he’ll harm her-I don’t think so. Not right away, at least. She’s too important and beloved a personage to openly harm, and any ‘accident’ would be far too suspicious. And she’s a marvelous bargaining chip if it comes to that-a famous political figure, and the sister of Grand Master Luke Skywalker. But she’s not going to be released anytime soon, I can tell you that much.”
“I agree with Vestara on all counts,” Luke said. “Upsetting as it is, we can’t make any attempt to rescue her until we’re ready to move on all the Sith on Coruscant. She’ll be all right.”
This from the guy--her twin brother--who'd broken her out of a Death Star detention cell. At the moment, Ben couldn't fathom that kind of detachment. "Uh huh," he said. “So we’re still going after Ship first?” he asked, voice clipped.
“Let me put it to you this way: do you want to handle Ship and Abeloth and the Sith all at the same time?”
“Uh … no,” Ben said.
“So plot a course,” Luke said. “The sooner we’re done with Ship, the sooner we can head home.”
The muscles along Ben's jaw clenched. "Vestara can do it. I have some calls to make."
He was sure that if he spent one more second in that cockpit, he'd do something he'd regret later. He turned and stalked away, already pulling his comlink out and scrolling for Tony's number.
Tony
Ben was just so lucky that Tony's phone didn't need cell towers to work out in the middle of nowhere.
"If you're exiled again, so help me, Skywalker..."
Hello, Ben. How've you been?
Ben
"Not exactly," Ben said, making it to his quarters and shutting the door. Everything in the room reminded him, suddenly and starkly, of Ender. "Turns out my father is a tactical kriffing genius."
That was sarcasm, Tony. So much sarcasm.
Tony
The guy with the brilliant plan that involved scarring Ben a lot? Sounded about right. "...what happened?"
Ben
Ben was not going to take a pillow and press it into his face like some kind of lovestruck teenager, thank you very much. Not while he was on the phone, anyway.
"So we've been on a wild nexu hunt looking for the Sith--they gave Dad the slip while he was recovering from having his ship blow up under him." Ben said that part without any real surprise to his voice: his family flew, his family flew fast and dangerously...occasionally his family blew up. "And the Jedi were involved in the last government coup, which wasn't great because we don't really want to run anything." He flopped back on the bed and closed his eyes. "So Dad combined these two problems and decided that the Jedi Order would leave Coruscant forever...and let the Sith take it over."
Tony
Tony was going to let the 'nexu' thing slide since... well, space.
"...um. Has your dad suffered a lot of brain damage lately?"
Ben
"No more so than usual," Ben said, "but this is really one of the stupidest plans ever." He blew out a frustrated breath. "Ender's still on Coruscant," he added more quietly. "There's no reason to think he'll catch the attention of the Sith, but--"
Ben was terrified anyway.
Tony
"For the love of--" Tony rubbed his forehead. "What can I do?"
Ben
"Still working on that part," Ben said, "but whatever I come up with has to be smarter than the plan Dad's working off of." He ran his hand through his hair. "Okay, I'm halfway to this creeptastic old Sith planet that I am definitely not inviting you to, and you're...kind of in the middle of nowhere. Want to meet on Naboo?"
Tony
Ah, the middle China. It was an awesome place to be.
"I'm sure enough money will get Portalocity moving," Tony replied. "Should I bring a suit?"
Ben
Ben didn't hesitate. "Bring a couple. I might be overreacting here, but Dad's not just going to let the Sith keep the planet that houses the galaxy's major government--"
Letting them have it at all was a whole other migraine...
"--and they aren't going to hand it back over nicely."
Tony
Tony grinned. "Sounds like a party. Try not to wake up any dragons, though."
Ben
"Nah," Ben said. "We're looking for a sentient ship, an unkillable woman, and a planet full of bugs that can cause hallucinations. Dragons were soooo three months ago."
Tony
"Oh, is that all?" Tony asked, putting the phone on speaker so he could get things prepped for a short trip to Naboo. Which mostly amounted to 'how can I transport several billion dollar suits of armor?' "
Meet you at Ender's place?"
Ben
"Just as soon as I get done with Planet Bug," Ben promised. "Hey, maybe we'll catch a break and Ender will just meet us there and we can go home."
Ben wasn't really counting on that.
Tony
"I'll make sure not to break anything while I wait for him."
...sorry, Ender.
Ben
"Yeah, you know how he gets about his vases," Ben said with something that was desperately trying to be his usual sense of humor.
Tony
Tony snorted at that, shaking his head. "Be safe, Skywalker. I can't stand hospitals. Even ones in space."
Ben
"Definitely not planning on ending up in one," Ben promised. "Bacta is gross. See you soon, Tony."
Petra
Shortly after his call to Tony, his communicator started ringing - so to speak - entirely on its own.
Ben
Ben frowned at the unfamiliar number. "Skywalker."
Petra
The impressive burst of half-Japanese, half-Russian curses that met him on the other side might've given him a hint as to the identity of his mystery caller.
"Where are they?"
Ben
There was a long pause.
"Petra? If someone took your kids again, I had nothing to do with it."
Petra
"My kids are fine, or as fine as they can be, being that it's Peter who oversees them," Petra said, sounding irritable. "But Dink, Alai, Fly-- and now Ender seems to have fallen off the planet. You telling me you have nothing to do with it, little boy?"
Ben
"Well, Ender's with me--" sort of, "--but I haven't heard from the other guys in months."
Petra
"I haven't heard from them for close to a year." Petra sounded a little deflated. "He's with you, then? No funny business?"
Ben
"He's with my uncle and cousin," he hedged. "I'm on a mission with my father and the Jedi right now."
He didn't think she'd buy that.
Petra
There was a short silence.
"You better cough up the truth now, kintama."
Ben
"It's the truth!" Ben said, then relented. "Just not the entire truth. As far as I know, he's fine, and I'll be trying to get in touch with him when it's not four in the morning there. But he's on a planet that's under occupation."
Petra
"You're giving me your portal address right now," Petra said, "Or however that works." She'd been worried sick for months, and this was the final drop in the bucket. (She was not, she reminded herself, going to be upset she hadn't been invited to this party, for she suspected something bigger was going on here than Skywalker was aware of.)
Ben
"I'll do one better," Ben replied. "I'll give you a portal address that won't drop you onto a malevolently evil planet." He rattled off the coordinates for Naboo. "Ender has a house there. I'll meet you as soon as my mission here is finished."
Petra
"You'd better," said Petra, in a tone of voice that insinuated some portal caretakers were going to have a rough time of it soon.
Ben
"I'll help you find your people, Petra," Ben said quietly. "I promise."
Petra
"I'll see you, then," she said stiffly, and hung up.
Tara
Tara was playing with Mr. Moxy when her phone rang, and she grabbed for it with one hand while she threw the little catnip ball with the other. She answered without looking at the caller ID.
"Hi, what's up?"
Ben
"Hey, Tara," Ben said, sounding a little wiped out. "It's Ben. Um. Skywalker?"
Yes, Ben, she knew who you were.
Tara
"I know," Tara said. "I -- I mean, you're the only Ben who would call. And I know your voice. So --"
She made herself stop babbling, because he really didn't sound good.
"Are you okay?"
Ben
"There have been less stressful days," Ben replied after a moment. "Um, Ender's probably going to miss his class."
Tara
"Oh." Tara went quiet for long enough to pull the cat onto her lap. "Well -- I can cover for him, no problem. Where are you guys?"
Ben
"I'm with my dad, and Ender's on Coruscant," Ben replied. "He's kind of...stuck...for a while."
Tara
Tara swallowed. "Not, like .... in a really big tar pit?"
Weak attempt at humor. Very weak. It was Tara's nerves.
Ben
"Metaphorically, kind of?" Ben said. "It turns out that the planet isn't quite as safe as I thought it was when I left him there."
Hello, Tara, welcome to Ben's guilt.
Tara
"Oh, no." Tara's dismay was clear even across the miles. "What -- is there anything I can do? Do you know how you're getting him back?"
Ben
"Not really," Ben admitted quietly. "And it's a planet of trillions. The possibility of him being where I saw him last are not great. Plus the people who have taken over the planet aren't exactly huge fans of mine."
Tara
"So, not the best place for you to go hunting," Tara said, chewing on her lip. "Maybe somebody could ... scan for his DNA or sense him or something."
Give her a minute, and she might remember she could scry.
Ben
"I can sense him, but I'm probably going to have other things I'm supposed to be doing first," Ben said, sounding extremely frustrated. "I should have made him get a computer chip or something."
That's a really healthy option, Ben, really.
Tara
Tara made a sympathetic noise. "Maybe he wouldn't have been too into that," she suggested sympathetically, and then went quiet for a second to think. "... oh. Oh, hey, remember that thing I did to find Jaenelle last year? That would ... maybe work, if I wasn't too far away."
Ben
"Oooh," Ben said. "You wouldn't mind trying? I mean, from Coruscant. Not from Fandom."
Tara
"I never mind trying," Tara said, quickly. "Only ... I don't want it to turn into a thing where you and your dad have to save me and Ender. Not that I don't think he can take care of himself."
Ben
"No, he's very capable," Ben agreed. "But, you know, I worry."
She'd dated Kennedy. Ben was certain that Tara understood the worry.
Tara
"Of course. Anybody would," Tara said. "... and by anybody, I mean 'anybody who'd, y'know, date people things like this happen to'."
So yes, she got the worry.
Ben
"A wider group of us than I would've initially imagined," Ben said a little wryly. "Okay, I have to finish up this mission with Dad, but would you want to meet me on Naboo? Portalocity should still have the coordinates to get you back there."
Tara
"Really? I mean ... absolutely," Tara said, a tiny nervous wobble in her voice. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
Ben
"Thank you," he said softly. "I owe you one."
Tara
"Don't even think about that," Tara said. "Just ... stay safe and I'll see you soon."
Valentine
When the phone rang and Valentine looked up from her computer to have Jarvis inform her who was calling, she blinked, feeling a knot tighten in her stomach.
Still, when she had her connect him to a voice line, she answered, "Wiggin Roadkill Roadhouse. You kill 'em, we grill 'em."
Because she could.
Ben
There was a long pause at that. "Val?"
Valentine
"Hi, Ben." There was a faint smile and a long pause before the next part because she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know the answer to her following question. "What's up?"
Ben
"Um."
Not helpful, Ben.
"I went on a mission with Dad and Ender stayed behind on Coruscant and it turns out that Coruscant has been kind of overrun with Sith and I'm so, so, so sorry, Val--"
[OOC: Taken and turned into a paper swan from Christie Golden's Ascension. Preplayed with the stupendous hoorayimrich, life_inshadow, a_demosthenes, and endsthegame as Petra.]