The Arms Hotel- Saturday evening
Even if she was able to sneak a couple days in Fandom, Jaina wasn't about to let what she was doing back home fall by the wayside, which was why when she had a chance, she commed in to Luke and Ben aboard the Jade Shadow to check on things. She wasn't happy with the answer. And after reading about Tahiri's conviction, she'd started out not happy.
"They can't have just disappeared," Jaina said. "I mean, that's a lot of ships. They've got to be somewhere."
"Physics would dictate that," Luke said, a little holographic form on the desk in her hotel room. "But I get the feeling that Abeloth and the Sith aren't great believers in physics."
"All can be bent to one's will, if one's will is strong enough," Came Vestara's voice. She was just offscreen (offholo?), and Jaina didn't really mind not having to deal with her more.
"That some kind of Lost Tribe Sithy saying?" asked Ben, also just out of the picture.
"Nope. I just made it up. Do you like it?"
"No," Luke said, looking like he'd Had It with these two and their flirting. "Vestara, you could do a great deal of good if you'd simply tell us where our homeworld is instead of inventing platitudes."
"Good?" Vestara replied, sounding amused. "Master Skywalker, I'm Sith. I don't 'do good,' remember? Or at least, that's what you keep insisting."
"She's got you there, Dad," Ben said.
"Yeah, she does," Jaina admitted. Not that Luke was wrong, but.
"You would have me believe that you turned your back on such things," Luke said, presumably to Vestara. "That you're working with us now, not the Sith, nor Abeloth. As such, I'd think you'd be more willing to help us."
"I have helped as best I could without becoming something I despise," Vestara returned. "I may not agree with what the Sith strike force is doing. But that doesn't mean I want to turn them over for Jedi-approved genocide."
"Hey, just wait a minute, Ves-" Ben said, but in the hologram Luke lifted a hand to stop him, and he did.
"Jedi," Luke sad softly, "do not condone or participate in genocide. We've been on the receiving end of it. Or didn't you know about that?"
"Oh, I know," Vestara said. "And I know from what Ship told us that Order 66 was issued by a Sith, and carried out by a Sith who was your own father. If anyone has the right to hate my-" She stopped, quickly corrected. "-the Sith, it's Jedi- and you. You are making my argument for me. Why in the universe would I willingly lead you to my world when I know you will feel obligated to kill everyone?"
Jaina really had to wonder if it was like this all the time on that ship.
"Look," Ben said, "we're getting off track here. The Sith we're all agreed we want to find are the members of the former strike team. I know you want that too, Ves. We also need to find Abeloth."
"I'd tell you if I knew anything that would help you find Abeloth or the strike team," Vestara told him. "I think you know that. But I was never involved in the grander plans, and it's been far too long since they even trusted me with minor information. I've told you all I know."
"I believe you have told me what you know," Luke said. "But now it's time for you to tell me what you think. Give us your best guess. You know these people, in a way we don't. If you have any theory, any idea about where they might go or what their next step might be, I would ask you to tell us. Any starting point would be welcome."
"Well," she said slowly, "if we don't know where they were planning on going now- which I don't- we might want to think about where the Sith have been in the past. The Lost Tribe cherishes its own history and hungers to learn more about other Sith, and they would want to learn all they can."
"That makes sense for Sith, but what about Abeloth? I get the feeling she's going to go for the greatest source of either power or beings she can take advantage of," Ben said.
Luke frowned. "Vestara, do you think they would travel together?"
It sounded like she started to speak, and then rethought that. "The original plan was to capture and enslave her. That's why they initially joined with you. I... I don't know. If they think it would be a good decision, then yes, I suppose they might do so. If they're traveling together, it would be Abeloth who would dictate the direction. And we don't know enough about her yet to hazard a guess where she might go."
"So we're right back where we started," Ben sighed.
"Ship," Jaina said.
That got another frown from Luke. "What about Ship?"
Jaina shrugged. "Ship is the one thing both Abeloth and the Sith truly have in common. Although she's commanding him, we know that Ship doesn't seem overly fond of her. I picked up on that when I dealt with him, and Vestara's confirmed it. He exists to serve Sith and train their younglings. Abeloth doesn't fit into that programming, and he still serves her."
"In the end, Ship is a vessel," Luke said. "He will always obey his programming, whatever his personal preferences. We know that about him, and that gives us an advantage."
"Well... that depends on how you define his programming," Vestara said thoughtfully. "Ship wants to help the Sith, and he is programmed to do so. But he must also obey one with will enough to command him. Abeloth is simply too strong for him to disobey right now."
"He would come to you if he could, wouldn't he?" Luke asked. "Even if you were helping us?"
"Yes. I think so," she said. "He wouldn't like it. He would come, even if just to try to get me back onto what he sees as the right path. But I'm a Sith youngling, and well- not to brag, but he sought me out. I do think I have a bond with him."
Jaina had fought Ship over the last few years, and she'd always come out of it okay. But she'd also seen what he reduced Zekk to when he was really able to get inside of his head, and the thought of Vestara, an actual Sith, having a bond with that thing was scary. "So if we can find Ship, we'll find Abeloth," she said. "And if he's managed to escape her somehow, then he'll have sought out the Lost Tribe. We could find one or both of our targets by shifting the direction of our search to finding him instead of chasing them."
"That's a great idea, Jaina," Luke said. "Ben, Vestara- you've both been inside Ship. Jaina, you've encountered him twice, and the second time you gave a good account of yourself. The three of you put your heads together and see what you can come up with."
"I'd like to utilize what resources we have back at the Temple," she said. "Have someone start pulling whatever research we've got on ship, have it ready when I get there."
"Get right on that," he nodded. "Anyone in particular you'd like to work with?"
She only had to think about it for a moment, and the one that really came to mind was the young Jedi she'd faced in the livestock expo when she snapped, who kept wanting to prove herself now. "I think it Natua Wan's available, I could work with her. I know that most of the Jedi Knights affected by Abeloth are still having a close eye kept on them, and since I'm the one who brought her in when she snapped... I'd like to let her do something useful."
Luke nodded, not seeming totally surprised that she'd gone with that choice. "Let's get to it, then."
[Establishy! Taken from Ascension by Christie Golden.]
"They can't have just disappeared," Jaina said. "I mean, that's a lot of ships. They've got to be somewhere."
"Physics would dictate that," Luke said, a little holographic form on the desk in her hotel room. "But I get the feeling that Abeloth and the Sith aren't great believers in physics."
"All can be bent to one's will, if one's will is strong enough," Came Vestara's voice. She was just offscreen (offholo?), and Jaina didn't really mind not having to deal with her more.
"That some kind of Lost Tribe Sithy saying?" asked Ben, also just out of the picture.
"Nope. I just made it up. Do you like it?"
"No," Luke said, looking like he'd Had It with these two and their flirting. "Vestara, you could do a great deal of good if you'd simply tell us where our homeworld is instead of inventing platitudes."
"Good?" Vestara replied, sounding amused. "Master Skywalker, I'm Sith. I don't 'do good,' remember? Or at least, that's what you keep insisting."
"She's got you there, Dad," Ben said.
"Yeah, she does," Jaina admitted. Not that Luke was wrong, but.
"You would have me believe that you turned your back on such things," Luke said, presumably to Vestara. "That you're working with us now, not the Sith, nor Abeloth. As such, I'd think you'd be more willing to help us."
"I have helped as best I could without becoming something I despise," Vestara returned. "I may not agree with what the Sith strike force is doing. But that doesn't mean I want to turn them over for Jedi-approved genocide."
"Hey, just wait a minute, Ves-" Ben said, but in the hologram Luke lifted a hand to stop him, and he did.
"Jedi," Luke sad softly, "do not condone or participate in genocide. We've been on the receiving end of it. Or didn't you know about that?"
"Oh, I know," Vestara said. "And I know from what Ship told us that Order 66 was issued by a Sith, and carried out by a Sith who was your own father. If anyone has the right to hate my-" She stopped, quickly corrected. "-the Sith, it's Jedi- and you. You are making my argument for me. Why in the universe would I willingly lead you to my world when I know you will feel obligated to kill everyone?"
Jaina really had to wonder if it was like this all the time on that ship.
"Look," Ben said, "we're getting off track here. The Sith we're all agreed we want to find are the members of the former strike team. I know you want that too, Ves. We also need to find Abeloth."
"I'd tell you if I knew anything that would help you find Abeloth or the strike team," Vestara told him. "I think you know that. But I was never involved in the grander plans, and it's been far too long since they even trusted me with minor information. I've told you all I know."
"I believe you have told me what you know," Luke said. "But now it's time for you to tell me what you think. Give us your best guess. You know these people, in a way we don't. If you have any theory, any idea about where they might go or what their next step might be, I would ask you to tell us. Any starting point would be welcome."
"Well," she said slowly, "if we don't know where they were planning on going now- which I don't- we might want to think about where the Sith have been in the past. The Lost Tribe cherishes its own history and hungers to learn more about other Sith, and they would want to learn all they can."
"That makes sense for Sith, but what about Abeloth? I get the feeling she's going to go for the greatest source of either power or beings she can take advantage of," Ben said.
Luke frowned. "Vestara, do you think they would travel together?"
It sounded like she started to speak, and then rethought that. "The original plan was to capture and enslave her. That's why they initially joined with you. I... I don't know. If they think it would be a good decision, then yes, I suppose they might do so. If they're traveling together, it would be Abeloth who would dictate the direction. And we don't know enough about her yet to hazard a guess where she might go."
"So we're right back where we started," Ben sighed.
"Ship," Jaina said.
That got another frown from Luke. "What about Ship?"
Jaina shrugged. "Ship is the one thing both Abeloth and the Sith truly have in common. Although she's commanding him, we know that Ship doesn't seem overly fond of her. I picked up on that when I dealt with him, and Vestara's confirmed it. He exists to serve Sith and train their younglings. Abeloth doesn't fit into that programming, and he still serves her."
"In the end, Ship is a vessel," Luke said. "He will always obey his programming, whatever his personal preferences. We know that about him, and that gives us an advantage."
"Well... that depends on how you define his programming," Vestara said thoughtfully. "Ship wants to help the Sith, and he is programmed to do so. But he must also obey one with will enough to command him. Abeloth is simply too strong for him to disobey right now."
"He would come to you if he could, wouldn't he?" Luke asked. "Even if you were helping us?"
"Yes. I think so," she said. "He wouldn't like it. He would come, even if just to try to get me back onto what he sees as the right path. But I'm a Sith youngling, and well- not to brag, but he sought me out. I do think I have a bond with him."
Jaina had fought Ship over the last few years, and she'd always come out of it okay. But she'd also seen what he reduced Zekk to when he was really able to get inside of his head, and the thought of Vestara, an actual Sith, having a bond with that thing was scary. "So if we can find Ship, we'll find Abeloth," she said. "And if he's managed to escape her somehow, then he'll have sought out the Lost Tribe. We could find one or both of our targets by shifting the direction of our search to finding him instead of chasing them."
"That's a great idea, Jaina," Luke said. "Ben, Vestara- you've both been inside Ship. Jaina, you've encountered him twice, and the second time you gave a good account of yourself. The three of you put your heads together and see what you can come up with."
"I'd like to utilize what resources we have back at the Temple," she said. "Have someone start pulling whatever research we've got on ship, have it ready when I get there."
"Get right on that," he nodded. "Anyone in particular you'd like to work with?"
She only had to think about it for a moment, and the one that really came to mind was the young Jedi she'd faced in the livestock expo when she snapped, who kept wanting to prove herself now. "I think it Natua Wan's available, I could work with her. I know that most of the Jedi Knights affected by Abeloth are still having a close eye kept on them, and since I'm the one who brought her in when she snapped... I'd like to let her do something useful."
Luke nodded, not seeming totally surprised that she'd gone with that choice. "Let's get to it, then."
[Establishy! Taken from Ascension by Christie Golden.]