This mind would be a bit louder, and mixed with emotions. There was still pain, guilt and regret laced throughout his very being. Definite anger toward the Ohm. But there were more recent corners of joy and shreds of peace newly forming. He didn't feel as dead and empty as he had been when he first was on board, or even after nightmares, and learning his own memories.
Dean wandered in, staring at the surroundings. The fountains were rather relaxing to look at, peaceful. He then noticed Ben, and debated on saying something. Kid looked in the middle of something. So he just made a throat clearing noise to get his attention.
Ben glanced up, glad for the distraction. "Hey," he said, not stirring from his seat next to one of the room's many waterfalls. "What brought you up to the Temple?"
He shrugged. "I got to sit down with the ship. I asked for a memory back and," he blinked hard, dashing away a new round of sobbing before it could begin, "I got it."
It was hard to ignore your child's pain. It had had a particular sense through the Force when Ben had brushed against Luke's mind, and in response he'd come to find his son. Feeling a bit guilty that he hadn't spent more time with his son on board, but knowing at the same time that Ben was sixteen now and also completely capable of taking care of himself, Luke came up the steps to this level of the Temple. It had a different layout than the one he was familiar with, but the effect was similar. One of calm, closeness with the Force.
And with the turmoil he was sensing in his son's mind, Luke figured Ben needed that.
"It's just me," he called softly, spotting Ben sitting among rippling reflections cast by the light on the water and making his way over. Luke didn't hide the concern in his voice or his presence. There were definitely some instances in which a Jedi was more than allowed to drop the mystique. "What's going on, Ben?"
At times like this, it was hard to believe he'd spent years avoiding his parents whenever possible. Here, now, his father's presence was the most reassuring thing in the galaxy -- or an infinite number of galaxies.
"I went to the ship," he said, eschewing all the normal lighthearted family banter. "I wanted my memories of the Ohm back, and I got them. It was like -- I've seen holos of the fall of Coruscant, and this was worse, because they were breaking the whole planet apart, and attacking the rest of the galaxy at the same time." He rubbed at his eyes with the sleeve of his plantsuit, not wanting to cry again. " I felt the whole galaxy die and I couldn't do anything about it."
Taking a seat beside Ben, Luke slid his arm around his son's shoulders, listening as he spoke. His own heart ached to hear the slight roughness of tears in his son's voice, to hear what he'd seen--what Luke must have seen, though he'd opted not to have his memories given back. Some things were better left alone. But it had been Ben's choice, and Luke would stand behind his son no matter what.
As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced.
"What could you have done then to stop them?" he asked gently.
"I don't know," he said brokenly. "Maybe taken out their command ship or raised an alarm. Or -- maybe I couldn't have done anything. But that doesn't help me feel any better about thousands of trillions of beings getting snuffed out. And I can't do anything about it now because... dad, I don't even know when it happened. We could have been in hibernation for a thousand years. What if there's not anyone left to help?"
Vestara was quietly pleased by the Temple's elegance; she kept her head forward, not looking sideways or upward at the ornate fixtures, as much as she wanted to.
The room seemed to call to her, and once inside, it took Ves a moment to contain her amazement.
There were other presences here. There was one she knew in particular. Ves quietly made her way to Ben Skywalker.
"You look uncommonly pensive," she sneered, sitting down and allowing nearby water to trickle over her fingers. "Considering a modeling career?"
Actually, it was a small relief to have her here. Thinking about the Ohm created question after question -- none of them with answers; those would make saving the multiverse easy -- without any plan of action emerging. Dealing with Vestara, by contrast, was comparatively simple: don't let her get to you, don't share ancient secrets of the Jedi Order, stop thinking about how pretty she is, don't share the Shadow's activation codes, don't let her find Aunt Leia's spiceloaf recipe.
Being here was really starting to get frustrating; Ves had acquired much and learned even more, but she hadn't anticipated being cut off from her people for so long.
(Because thinking about it this way was easier than admitting they'd most likely been eradicated by the Ohm. Or, even worse: admitting that she missed them.)
She traced lazy circles in the water. At least Ben was familiar.
"You're ever so welcome."
Her goal today was to locate the Archives. Getting in and looking around without being grilled was an entirely different task, but her plans to at least mentally map the Temple were ahead of schedule.
Ben leaned back against one of the smooth stones scattered around the room and sighed. "I saw the Ohm. It looks like we're stuck working together here, too."
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Dean wandered in, staring at the surroundings. The fountains were rather relaxing to look at, peaceful. He then noticed Ben, and debated on saying something. Kid looked in the middle of something. So he just made a throat clearing noise to get his attention.
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And with the turmoil he was sensing in his son's mind, Luke figured Ben needed that.
"It's just me," he called softly, spotting Ben sitting among rippling reflections cast by the light on the water and making his way over. Luke didn't hide the concern in his voice or his presence. There were definitely some instances in which a Jedi was more than allowed to drop the mystique. "What's going on, Ben?"
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"I went to the ship," he said, eschewing all the normal lighthearted family banter. "I wanted my memories of the Ohm back, and I got them. It was like -- I've seen holos of the fall of Coruscant, and this was worse, because they were breaking the whole planet apart, and attacking the rest of the galaxy at the same time." He rubbed at his eyes with the sleeve of his plantsuit, not wanting to cry again. " I felt the whole galaxy die and I couldn't do anything about it."
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As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced.
"What could you have done then to stop them?" he asked gently.
Reply
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The room seemed to call to her, and once inside, it took Ves a moment to contain her amazement.
There were other presences here. There was one she knew in particular. Ves quietly made her way to Ben Skywalker.
"You look uncommonly pensive," she sneered, sitting down and allowing nearby water to trickle over her fingers. "Considering a modeling career?"
Not that he's attractive or anything. Eugh.
Reply
Actually, it was a small relief to have her here. Thinking about the Ohm created question after question -- none of them with answers; those would make saving the multiverse easy -- without any plan of action emerging. Dealing with Vestara, by contrast, was comparatively simple: don't let her get to you, don't share ancient secrets of the Jedi Order, stop thinking about how pretty she is, don't share the Shadow's activation codes, don't let her find Aunt Leia's spiceloaf recipe.
Reply
(Because thinking about it this way was easier than admitting they'd most likely been eradicated by the Ohm. Or, even worse: admitting that she missed them.)
She traced lazy circles in the water. At least Ben was familiar.
"You're ever so welcome."
Her goal today was to locate the Archives. Getting in and looking around without being grilled was an entirely different task, but her plans to at least mentally map the Temple were ahead of schedule.
Reply
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