A Force to Fear
Aesop


TITLE: A FORCE TO FEAR
AUTHOR: Aesop
EMAIL: ENOWON@JUNO.COM
CATEGORY: Crossover
SPOILERS: Nothing specific
RATING: PG-13 (Just to be safe)
SUMMARY: Be surprised
DISCLAIMER: I don’t own any of the characters from Babylon 5 or Star
Wars. I’m just borrowing them. Two of the characters are my own
creation. I gain nothing by writing this. It is strictly for my own
amusement. Any feedback, negative or positive is welcome. 

They were gone. That was all there was to it. One moment he had been
able to feel them, certain he had a positive lock on their position.
Their ship was a clear blip on his sensors.

Then they were gone. He had no way of knowing exactly where they had
gone, just that they had vanished. For a moment he considered the
possibility that the ship had been destroyed. Perhaps they had even
done it themselves, to keep him from finding their hidden base. This
was a vector through hyperspace that no one had ever explored before.
It was possible he was even getting close to their rumored home world.

He dismissed the idea almost immediately. If they had died he would
have almost certainly felt the death screams of so many telepaths. So
what happened?

"We're through Lyta." The pilot turned to the head of the Resistance.
Lyta didn't answer immediately. She was too busy looking. The familiar
red and black clouds of hyperspace had vanished, replaced by streaks of
light against a black backdrop. The pilot smiled. "Your first time?"

Lyta nodded. "It's incredible. Where are we?"

"We're not entirely sure. There are theories of course, but no way to
prove any of them. In about an hour we'll drop out of… whatever this
is… and arrive at the system where we've got our primary staging area
set up. From there, well there are lots of places for refugees to go."

One of the exploratory ships the Narn had provided had discovered the
passage a month before. They had immediately dropped out of hyperspace,
in an effort to return to normality. When they did that, they found
themselves in a completely different area of space. None of the stars
were familiar to them. There had been a brief panic before the captain
had turned the ship around and reentered hyperspace. Once there, they
stopped and waited, scanning the area. The readings they got were not
that different from those they got in normal hyperspace. 

It was mostly because of the differences that the anomaly stuck out
like a sore thumb. The scanners showed it as a lack of something. It
did not read like a jump point at all. It was just a hole in what
should be there. A few of the telepaths aboard had been scientists.
They spent hours, then days examining data and spinning theories. They
had even devised two new methods of scanning the anomaly. They learned
little more than that it was a stable gate of some sort. It led from
one place to another, although where or what that other place was, no
one knew. 

It had taken some time, but they had eventually convinced the captain
to test their theories by reentering the anomaly and emerging in
hyperspace exactly where they had left. They then turned around and
went through again. Careful mapping at each side had fixed a set of
coordinates for each side of the passage. When that was done they began
to explore.

The nearest system contained nothing of interest. It had two planets,
both of them inhospitable. They visited two more systems before they
found a world they could use. It was an earthlike world with compatible
organisms for food and a fairly hospitable climate. Three days of
exploring the planet and they were satisfied. This was the best place
they had found yet.

Since the anomaly was invisible on their side unless you knew what to
look for, there was little or no chance of the Psicorp finding it or
them. The evacuation began. 

The ship carrying Lyta returned to normal space as it entered the
system. They weren't the only new arrival though. One of their ships
was just entering orbit of the second planet. They began to pick up a
great deal of com chatter between the planet and the ship.

"Wonder what all the excitements about?" the pilot murmured. Lyta
glanced at him and shrugged.

"Guess we'll find out soon enough."

***

"Humans."

"What?"

"There were humans there. We counted almost a dozen races we'd never
seen before, but there were humans." 

The recently returned explorer ship had been out on the ever-expanding
rim of what the telepaths considered known space. Their new home world
was in a very isolated area. They had visited all of the neighboring
systems and found nothing that could interest anyone. Now that had
changed.

The ship had entered a new system to discover an inhabited world. It
wasn't merely inhabited either. It was some sort of way station for
trading vessels. There had been seven different types of ship in orbit,
none of them even remotely familiar. They had sat out at the edge of
the system listening to the com chatter for a while.

The planet belonged to a race called the Bothans, and it was a trading
post for races out on the rim. The Bothans, it seemed, were part of
something rather like the Interstellar Alliance back home. A group of
races that followed one government they referred to as the New
Republic. The most startling discovery came with the arrival of a ship
from a world called Corellia. The visuals they pulled out of the
transmission they were tapping confirmed that the pilot was human. 

Although it was a huge risk they approached the planet to gather more
information. Because the business of the ship was exploration they had
some of the best decryption and translation software available. The
language barrier had not been a problem. Their arrival had raised an
eyebrow or two, but unfamiliar ships were not uncommon so no one had
paid too much attention. They had managed to trade a few goods for
landing rights and proceeded to look around.

They had picked up language tapes, cultural and historical information
and as much data about the technology as possible. Then they had left,
taking a circumspect route back even though their information indicated
that these people lacked the technology to track them after they had
entered hyperspace.

"Incredible," Lyta said as she finished reviewing the information.
"They overthrow this Empire and set up a peaceful government, not
unlike the Alliance. But since they had a model to base their
government on, theirs is a lot more stable. The races seem to get along
much better as well. There's none of the infighting we've seen in the
Alliance or at least not nearly as much."

"Well," Captain Ta'lon put in, "they have had a lot more practice at
it. Apparently, before the Empire arose, the Republic had lasted for
thousands of years." Lyta nodded. 

"So, what next? I see no reason to approach these people. They don't
know we're here and since this region is so uninteresting it is
unlikely they will discover us any time soon." She considered
carefully. "We should continue to gather information though. Visit some
of the closer worlds and find out whatever there is to learn about the
New Republic and their neighbors."

***

Over the next year refugees poured through the passage. The Human
telepaths finally had what they wanted, a home world of their own. 

During that year they kept their existence a secret from their
neighbors. In addition to the Bothan trading post there was a mining
colony of the insect-like Aldreen and the home world of a pre-FTL race
known as the Brinn. They left all three alone, tending to their own
affairs. Sixteen months after the discovery of the anomaly there was a
respectable colony on the world they decided to call Camelot.

Lyta thought it a silly name, overly sentimental and bordering on
arrogant at the same time, but the others seemed happy with it. 

She spent some time at Camelot, but there was really too much work to
do back home. The Resistance was growing stronger, but the Psicorp was
still a dangerous enemy. They had also become bolder in their
disobedience of Earthgov of late. Lyta suspected they were building
toward something big. Maybe, she thought, they felt cocky enough to try
a takeover. 

It was all the more reason to step up their plans and get out as many
telepaths as they could. And the number that wanted to leave had gone
up enormously. Lyta wasn't the only one who believed that a storm was
on the horizon and she certainly wasn't the only one who wanted to be
well away from Earth when it broke.

As she walked down the main street of the colony, she felt a flash of
pride at what they had accomplished. There were almost a thousand
telepaths on Camelot, and the town they had built continued to grow. It
had been pretty ramshackle at first. The first arrivals had lived in
tents and prefab shelters while they explored their new world and
learned its dangers. 

Camelot had no large predators. At least none that posed a serious
threat to humans. Disease was another matter. So far two new strains of
bacteriological infection had been discovered. Both had responded well
to broad-spectrum antibiotics, but this was still a largely unexplored
planet.

The only town on the planet was located in the southern hemisphere, in
an area very like the American mid-west. It proved to be an excellent
place for farming and there was an incredible variety of animal life.
Only a few of the crops they had brought from home had thrived, but
there were native plants in abundance, many of which proved to be
edible.

The town, no one had bothered to name it as there was only one, was
growing to a plan. The design was laid out similar to colony towns all
over the Human colony worlds. New arrivals built houses and plowed the
land, or they set up workshops of various sorts as they saw fit or were
needed. Basically they got on with the business of living.

We were lucky, Lyta reminded herself. The planet seemed almost
perfect for their needs. It had its problems, but all in all, Lyta had
to admit they could have done much worse. Another earthlike planet had
been discovered thirty light years out toward the rim. It boasted harsh
deserts and large frozen, polar regions but little else. Although it
would support human life, it would never be a pleasant place to live. 

She set aside such thoughts as she turned into the Planning Office.
There, amidst blueprints and drafting tools and maps of the region
surrounding the town Lyta found Henry James. "Hello Henry." He looked
up and nodded.

"Good morning Miss Alexander. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes. You can pack. You're going for a trip."

***

Captain Ta'lon of the explorer ship Santa Maria settled himself
in his chair in the conference room. He looked to Lyta Alexander and
her companions. One he knew in passing. Henry James was one of the
colony planners, remarkable for his youth. He had a tremendous amount
of responsibility for a 21 year-old boy. He was a P-12 and a
telekinetic as well as a telepath. 

The other man was Hispanic and a few years older. He was a rather plain
looking man, the sort that got overlooked easily. Perhaps, Ta'lon
realized, that was the point. 

He looked to Lyta. She nodded. "Let's begin then." She looked at each
in turn. "Henry, Thomas, I have a very important job for you. We've
learned of a training ground for psionics in the New Republic. We have
very little information about this 'Jedi Academy' as it's called. I
want you two to go there and find out everything you can about it." She
glanced at Henry and nodded, obviously answering a question that Ta'lon
wasn't equipped to hear.	

He tried not to be annoyed at this; he had gotten used to the silent
conversations. But it did annoy him when he was part of the
conversation. Lyta glanced at him sharply, but her expression softened.

"I'm sorry captain. I did ask you to be here." She leaned back in her
chair regarding the Narn with a genuinely apologetic look. That's a
bad habit to get into. She chided herself. It's rude, and I need
to make allowances for norms.

"We don't have any information on these Jedi as they are called. It
seems that having and manipulating psi powers is the center of some
sort of religion. They could be as dangerous to us as the Psicorp. They
could be allies against the Corps if it comes to that. The bottom line
is, we don't know, and we have to find out." 

While they absorbed this, Lyta fished a data crystal out of her pocket
and put it in the viewer built into the table. She could feel their
curiosity and growing nervousness, and she knew that what she had to
say next would not be well received. 

"The three of you will go to the planet Tatooine. From there, you will
make your way to the planet Yavin where the Academy is located. I want
you to acquire a small ship along the way. It will be less conspicuous
than one of the explorer ships.

"Ta'lon, once they are safely in place at the Academy I want you to go
to the library at a place called Obra'Skai. It's said to be dedicated
to the history of the Republic. Gather whatever information you can and
return here. Go by the Jedi Academy on your way back to check on them
and to pick up their first status report yourself. I don't know how
long this will last, and I don't know what troubles you may find
there." She nodded to Thomas. 

"You are an experienced pilot, and you used to be a psicop. I want you
to make yourself familiar with their ships, especially how to get
around the security devices. You may have to steal a ship if things go
sour." 

There were questions asked and plans made and altered over the next
three hours. Finally though, they were ready. Two weeks later, all
preparations had been made.

***

Jaina Solo watched the transport descend toward the landing field. The
arrival of new students was always something of an event at the Jedi
Academy. There were two new arrivals today, and since Master Skywalker
was on Corruscant, she had been asked to greet them and show them
around before presenting them to Tionne, the Jedi historian who served
as instructor when Luke Skywalker was away. 

Tionne was conducting a lecture at the moment and couldn't greet the
transport herself. So Jaina and Lusa, a childhood friend, were serving
as the welcoming committee. 

The transport touched down lightly and they moved forward to meet the
passengers as they disembarked. Two men, one only a few years older
than Jaina, the other apparently about 30 came down the boarding ramp.
The younger one smiled, he felt open and friendly. The older was more
reserved.

"Welcome to the Jedi Academy. I'm Jaina Solo and this is Lusa. We've
been asked to get you settled and give you a tour of the place before
taking you to meet some of our instructors."

They both nodded and the older one stepped forward. "I am Thomas Diego.
This is Henry James." He hesitated a moment giving them an appraising
look. "We appreciate the opportunity afforded us to study here." Henry
nodded and grinned at her.

"I already know I'm going to like it here." Jaina blushed slightly and
smiled. 

"Okay Henry, Thomas, lets get started on that tour." 

***

Their greeting wasn't what they expected. Rather than being greeted by
security forces and going through a lengthy processing procedure they
were met by two students and given a tour of the place. The most
talkative of their guides was a human girl of about 15 or 16. She had
an open enthusiastic nature that surprised both of them. During the
entire tour Henry kept up a steady stream of chatter while Thomas
dropped his defenses and listened. This was a technique they had
employed before with great success.

One of the pair would serve as a distraction, fully engaging the people
they met and spoke to, while the other would simply listen. An active
scan of another telepath would have attracted attention and caused the
target to raise his defenses, but a passive scan would go unnoticed
while often turning up more interesting information.

At least that was how it usually worked. The two Jedi were just what
they claimed to be. Thomas got no indication of suspicion or even
reservation. Both of them were as open and friendly as they made out.

Ah well, that is to be expected in teenage students I suppose. I
should
get more from the instructors. He continued to listen with his ears
and his mind as the two Jedi showed them about the place. There were
dozens of alien races at the academy. All who greeted them were polite
enough, but Thomas sensed a sadness in some of the older students. It
didn't seem to have any specific source though. There was no particular
thing that depressed them, at least not that could be detected by
simply picking up on surface thoughts and emotions. 

Henry and the Solo girl were getting on well. She had already told them
quite a lot about the history of the place and some of the key people
involved. Henry stuck to the cover story they had worked out and was
suitably vague when necessary. 

Thomas answered the few questions that were sent his way. Mostly
though, their attention stayed focused on Henry. The boy was definitely
beginning to impress Thomas. He kept his head, sticking to their story
and doing a first rate job of distracting their hosts while not
arousing any suspicion. Very good indeed, Thomas thought. They would
have made an excellent team had they both stayed with the Psi-cops. 

That thought brought him up short. He grimaced at the memory and
quickly returned his focus to the job. He definitely didn't need to be
thinking about the Corps, or the events that led to his hasty
departure.

The place itself intrigued him. In some ways it made him homesick. The
temple was very similar to Aztec architecture, the jungle, not unlike
those of Mexico where he had grown up. He had always had a keen
interest in archeology, and the similarities intrigued him. It would be
interesting to look into the history of the people who built the place.


Eventually, they were brought before one of the instructors a humanoid
named Tionne. She was not a strong psi, but she obviously held a
position of authority. Tionne made no efforts to scan them or even to
listen to surface thoughts. She greeted them warmly, and accepted them
for what they claimed to be.

"We are always happy to have new students to train in the ways of the
Force. More come to us each year, but still the Jedi are spread only
thinly across the New Republic." She regarded them keenly and Thomas
felt something, not a scan exactly, sweep across his awareness. It was
over before he could raise his defenses, and the experience left him
feeling very exposed.

"I see you are both strong in the Force. With proper testing we will
determine exactly how strong." She smiled in a reassuring manner. "But
it is your first day here. We don't want to put any undue pressure on
you." She addressed Jaina next.

"Jaina, why don't you show them their quarters and let them freshen up.
They can come to the lecture this afternoon." She turned back to the
new arrivals. "The subject is Jedi history and purpose. You will find
it most enlightening."

***

"Did you feel that?" Thomas asked, as soon as they were alone. "I've
never felt a scan like that before."

Henry shook his head. "I don't know. She couldn't have learned much
from such a quick scan. I think she was just generally getting a feel
for us. Maybe it was a test to see how we would react?"

"Possible," Thomas mused. "It was certainly a surprise. Perhaps she was
testing our reactions. She wanted to see if we would try to shield
ourselves."

"What would that tell her?"

"That we know how to shield ourselves, that maybe we're not the novices
we claim to be." It was a disconcerting thought. One that stayed with
them while they readied themselves for the lecture. 
***

Tionne readied herself for the lesson in private. It was one of the
first lessons a Jedi learned, and one that was repeated regularly as a
reminder. She had given it many times and always looked forward to
giving it. Even the older students would be attending. One of the Jedi
masters, whose life she had studied used to say, "The truth can never
be repeated to often."

A statement of purpose, a reminder of what it meant to be Jedi could
never be out of place. It was especially appropriate now, with the two
new students just arrived.

She thought about them as she finished her ablutions and donned a fresh
Jedi robe. There was pain in the older one, well hidden, but there for
those who had eyes to see. She knew that she had shocked them with her
scrutiny, although how wasn't quite clear. 

She had opened herself to the Force to gain some insight into them.
That act alone had caused them to flinch and raise walls. Tionne shook
her head in puzzlement. They felt like basically decent people, but
there were depths there that she suspected it would take time and
patience to plumb. Fortunately, she had adequate amounts of both.

The main meeting hall of the Jedi Academy was only about half full.
Many of the students were off planet or were practicing their skills in
private. Tionne always drew a respectable crowd though, and Thomas and
Henry found themselves seats near the back of the crowd. 

They spotted their guides from earlier in the day sitting with a group
of students. Most of them were human, but one was a large hairy
creature that resembled the old legend of the Sasquatch. He seemed to
communicate in growls, whines and bellows. Thomas listened briefly, but
couldn't detect any sort of pattern to the sounds, but since the others
responded and even laughed, he figured it must be some form of speech.
He adjusted his translator and moved to find a seat.

They shifted their attention to the stage as Tionne came in. Thomas
watched curiously as she took a stool at the front of the audience. She
was carrying what looked like a musical instrument of some sort. She
smiled at them and thanked them for their attendance, and then she
began to speak of the Jedi. She told them of the earliest days of the
Old Republic and of the Jedi that guarded that fragile structure. 

"The Jedi grew as the Republic grew. For more than a thousand
generations they were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old
Republic before the rise of the Emperor."

Thomas had been expecting a standard indoctrination, rather like the
one he had received when he was brought into the Psicorps. This was a
slightly different approach. It was subtler than anything the Psicorps
used. That was probably due to the religion angle he thought. Where
Psicorps dressed its people in military style uniforms and acted like
soldiers, these people wore robes and acted like priests. It was a fine
approach, but Thomas wasn't buying it.

Well, he thought, surprising himself with his cynicism, they
have had a lot longer to practice. Woven into the history were
moral lessons that a potential Jedi needed to learn. What unnerved both
of the new arrivals was Tionne's references to the Dark Side.

Thomas Diego had had a traditional Catholic upbringing. He had attended
Mass and observed all of the rituals that went with being part of a
traditional and very conservative Catholic family in Mexico. He
shuddered to think about it.

The perceived moral superiority and sometimes outright bigotry that
seemed defining principles in much of what he was taught had lingered
with him for years after he had been taken in by the Psicorps. His
parents had worried sick about him being out among soulless aliens and
the immoral members of his own race who had not had a proper
upbringing. 

Now he listened to talk of the Dark Side and he could not help but
think about the sermons on hell and Devil's easy path he had had to sit
through as a young boy. The 'Dark Side' she spoke of, however, seemed
less defined. She talked about fear and hatred. It was more generic
than what he was used to. There were no references, specific or oblique
to any one group. So they weren't being directed against anything
specific, not even the nebulous, all encompassing 'them' that Psicorps
instructors sometimes spoke of. 

He found himself beginning to wonder. What if these people were making
an honest effort to be what they claimed to be? Guardians of peace and
justice? The idea was almost laughable, but it was also sad in a way.
He knew what the Psicorps was supposed to be, and he knew what it
actually was. 

Thomas shook his head. If these Jedi had just been starting out he
could have believed that their claims were genuine, but they had been
around for thousands of years. He could not yet be sure that the Jedi
were not some sort of secret ruling class, but he found it difficult to
believe that when he looked at the people around him. He just didn't
know. I need more information, he decided. That was the only
answer he could think of, although a nagging voice in the back of his
head told him he was being cynical.

Still, he had time to learn what he needed to know.

***

Time was running out, and he knew it. Nevertheless, he couldn't stop
looking at all the amazing sights around him. There was so much to see
and learn here that could be put to use back home. There were new
technologies and goods, new sources of trade to be exploited, and of
course, new threats to be assessed. That thought put him back on track.
He quickened his pace and soon reached his destination.

***

"Thomas, Henry! Come on, there's some people I want you to meet." They
looked up from their quiet conversation to see Jaina and her friends
headed their way. There were seven of them, all under 20. Thomas smiled
and nodded to them as they approached. She gestured to them. "These are
the new arrivals, Thomas Diego and Henry James." The two nodded
politely as they were introduced.

She introduced her brother first. Jacen Solo gave them a lopsided grin
and stuck out his hand. Henry extended his own gloved hand but quickly
retracted it when Jacen's sleeve moved and a small reptilian head poked
out and looked around curiously.

"Oh, sorry about that. I forgot he was there." He quickly extracted an
iridescent lizard about nine inches long. "He's really harmless." Jacen
held the creature up for inspection. "He just likes warm places." Jaina
rolled her eyes.

"Not everyone is as fond of animals as you are Jacen." She gestured to
the others. "This is Tennel Ka, from Dathomir." The one-armed teenage
girl in brief reptilian hide armor nodded. Her face was studiously
neutral.

"This is Zekk." A tall young man with dark hair and emerald green eyes
nodded politely. "Raynar," a shorter boy in a brown Jedi robe and a
sash so brightly colored that it was almost blinding to look at smiled
and shook hands with both of them. The tall ginger furred biped turned
out to be Lowbacca. He let out a sound somewhere between a honk and a
growl.

"Master Lowbacca says that he is extremely pleased to make the
acquaintance of two such obviously promising new Jedi students." The
voice seemed to be coming from an oddly shaped badge or decoration on
the creature's belt. As they watched, it detached itself and floated
toward them on miniature jets.

"Really?" Henry asked, "and here I just thought he said 'hello.'"

The furry creature chuffed in amusement and the others snickered.
Thomas regarded the floating oddity suspiciously.

"What…?" he sidestepped as it moved toward him.

"Oh, this is Emteedee. He's a translator droid."

"Indeed mistress Jaina, I am fluent in more than sixteen forms of
communication, and can readily learn others." He moved closer to the
two new comers, apparently oblivious to their discomfort. "And if I can
ever be of service to you as a translator, please do not hesitate to
ask. I - Oh dear!"

Thomas had cut him off with a string of Spanish invective and a swat
that the small droid barely avoided.

Henry's jaw dropped briefly, but he quickly recovered and stepped in.
"I don't think anyone needs a translation of that. Thomas," he
explained as the older man watched the droid retreat to the safety of
his place on Lowbacca's belt, "does not like droids. He avoids them
whenever he can." Henry smiled apologetically. After a moment of
glaring at the cowering droid, Thomas nodded.

"I'm sorry. I have never liked the idea of machines moving about and
thinking as they please. There were no droids where I grew up." This
also fit with their cover story. It had been a last minute addition
since Thomas had never encountered a droid before going to Tatooine. "I
find it difficult to adapt to such things." The students stared at him
curiously for a moment then shrugged it off. 

"It's okay. Does he bother you too?"

Henry shrugged. "I don't mind droids in general, but I am curious why
you would use such an inefficient translator."

"Inefficient!" The little droid huffed. "Why whatever do you mean? Why
I…" While he spoke Henry removed a small clip from his earlobe. The
ones who had noticed it assumed it was a piece of jewelry. Now he held
it up to the little droid. Emteedee heard his own voice chattering on
in a language he did not recognize. The droid turned its sensors to
examine the device. "Whatever is that?" 

"It's a translator. It translates every word I hear verbatim so I can
understand it. There is no selective interpretation. It is incapable of
deciding how something should be said. It translates everything
literally." He replaced the device on his earlobe. 

Lowbacca made a thoughtful sound. Emteedee became even more indignant.
"Master Lowbacca, really! I cannot imagine why someone would want such
a limited device. Why literal translation is all well and good, but the
flavor of the message is entirely lost."

The young Jedi looked on tolerantly during this display of computerized
histrionics. Thomas made a rather pointed aside to Henry in Spanish.
EmTeeDee stopped at once.

"I don't think the flavor of that was lost at all," Henry muttered
dryly. The others chuckled, while the little droid sulked.

"What language is that anyway?" Jaina asked. I've never heard it
before."

"Nor have I mistress Jaina, and if making rude comments is all it is
good for I don't think I'm missing anything." Thomas spoke to the small
machine at length in his native language, his tone doing most of the
translating for him.

Henry found it hard not to laugh, but he stopped Thomas eventually and
deftly turned the conversation to other matters. He asked about
training and about the instructors. Soon the matter was behind them.
Henry still watched Thomas closely. He had not expected such a strong
reaction.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. The two telepaths learned a
great deal about the young Jedi and the history of the Academy. They
spoke only vaguely of their homes. A few well rehearsed anecdotes and
the names of places that their hosts might recognize, but that were
suitably remote were the only reference they made to their pasts. 

If the Jedi found this at all unusual they did not let on. And again
their surface thoughts revealed no trace of suspicion. 

***

Over the next two weeks their training continued smoothly. The
techniques they learned were reminiscent of some of the Psicorps
training that new telepaths received. The Jedi were taught to defend
themselves, but there was much more to it.

All of them were trained as warriors, but some concentrated on healing,
and some on negotiation. They learned that some of the Jedi would go
into the New Republic military but not many. There seemed to be no
fixed position for Jedi in the society. Once their training was
complete they would be turned loose to follow their own paths. The Jedi
were not an organized peace keeping force like the Corps.

It made little sense to Thomas and Henry, but they kept silent and
watched and learned. In all this time they had yet to meet Master
Skywalker. The Jedi master had been away on business for some time.
None of the instructors or students knew precisely where he was. 

Actually, the two telepaths were glad of this coincidence. Thomas had
found the run in with Tionne disturbing enough. He wasn't sure he
wanted to meet her teacher.

And they were learning a great deal about the Force. The conception
these people had of their psionic gifts was very different from the
view they had been given by the Corps. Henry wasn't sure he liked it,
and Thomas was sure he didn't.

"They've cloaked it in mystery and turned it into a quasi-religion. It
reminds me of the Drazi Hu'rosi."

Henry blinked looking thoughtful. "Hu'rosi? Weren't they some kind of
cult?"

"That's right. They believed their telepathy was a gift from the
Universe, that it set them above the rest of their race as a 'chosen
people'." Thomas shook his head. "I'm sure you remember how that
ended." The cult had isolated itself and come out only to preach their
own superiority, and to attempt to entice other telepaths to join them.
Drazi authorities had eventually had to crack down when rumors began
circulating about a plan to overthrow the government. The rumors had
turned out to be false, but by the time that was learned all of the
Hu'rosi and many normal Drazi were dead.

Henry shook his head. "If something like that were going to happen it
would have happened long ago. I think you're over reacting. It's not so
much a religion as a philosophy, although it's not entirely that
either." He trailed off, at a loss to explain what he meant.

Sighing, Thomas sat down on the bunk next to him. "I know. My own
biases are interfering. I've been a knee-jerk hater of organized
religion for a very long time." He smiled when Henry stared at him
incredulously.

"I suppose that sounds strange coming from a Mexican with a traditional
Catholic upbringing." Henry nodded.

"A little. What happened? If I'm not prying," he hastened to add.

"S'all right. I don't really have a good answer to that. My family is
old and influential. They are very proud of their heritage and proud of
their faith. They were very strict in their observation of catholic
doctrine, and they looked down on those who were not as diligent in
their devotions. They certainly wouldn't allow laxness in their own
family." He stopped and grimaced.

"Puritanical Catholics?" Henry asked, raising an eyebrow. The look
Thomas shot him made him regret it instantly. "Sorry."

"No. Actually, that is very apt. They were strict in raising me, so
strict that I came to hate the very idea of going to church. They were
so caught up in the letter of the church doctrine that they neglected
the spirit of it." He shook his head, sadly.

"I think I get the idea." Henry looked around for a subject change, and
perhaps, a smooth segue to go with it.

"Robes and meditation aside though, they don't appear to be training
monks here. I'm not sure the parallel applies."

"Perhaps not. What do you make of their training techniques?" Thomas
willingly went along with the change. He was happy enough to get back
to business.

"Very effective. I've learned a few things since I've been here. I can
block out the voices more completely now. I can focus more clearly on
what I want to accomplish with my TK. They know their stuff."

"Yes, they do. Do you think they might pose a threat to us?" Henry was
surprised by the question, stated so directly. Thomas raised an
eyebrow. "That is, after all, why we’re here, to gather information and
assess the level of threat they pose."

"Or to determine if they pose one at all," Henry reminded him. "I'm not
convinced they're a danger to us."

"We still don't know enough about them." Thomas sighed. "I tend to
agree, but that doesn't mean they're trustworthy. They might be
inclined to leave us alone, but that doesn't mean they won't betray us
to the Corps if it is in their interests to do so." Henry nodded
reluctantly.

"We'll have to be careful. We don't know that they wouldn't support us
against the Corps though. What we've learned of their history tends to
suggest that."

"Perhaps, but high minded ideals have a way of crumbling under
pressure. You know the kind or pressure the Corps can exert." Henry
shuddered as he remembered some especially terrible events. Some he had
only heard of, others, he had been involved in, much to his shame.

***

"-high-minded ideals have a way of crumbling under pressure. You know
the kind or pressure the Corps can exert." Thomas voice came faintly
through the closed door. Raynar hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but he
couldn't help overhearing what was said as he readied himself to knock
on the door to Henry's chamber. He frowned. Core? Could that have been
a reference to the Imperial worlds at the galaxy's core? He found it
difficult to believe these two were Imperial agents, especially after
what had happened to the Shadow Academy.

Almost against his will he listened. "I don't need to be reminded,"
Henry said irritably. "I was there too you know."

"Sorry," Thomas sounded it too. After a moment he continued. "We have
to be careful. It's too soon to be sure of anything yet."

The conversation lost any suspicious qualities at that point. They
talked about training techniques and schedules. 

After this began, Raynar counted to ten slowly and knocked. There was a
mystery here. Perhaps these two could be drawn out. His instincts told
him they were not enemies, but that didn't mean they were friends.

His knock brought an end to the conversation. A moment later Thomas
opened the door.

"Yes?"

"I was sent to ask you if you wanted to explore some of the ruined
temples on the other side of the river. You said you were interested in
the history of the builders." Thomas' face brightened.

"Yes, that would be pleasant." He turned to his friend. "Do you wish to
come Henry?"

"No thanks. I'm going to get in some Meditation time. Enjoy yourself
though." Thomas nodded and followed the boy from Alderaan. 

They met up with his friends at the main entrance to the Great Temple.
Jacen and Jaina were there as was the Wookie, Lowbacca. Tennel Ka and
Lusa, he was told, had a practice session to attend.

"We'll start with the Temple of the Blue Leaf," Jacen said. "It's one
of my favorite places." He babbled on enthusiastically about the
history of the temples and the people who had built them. EmTeeDee made
occasional noises like he might interject, but instead kept silent. He
tended to do that when Thomas was around. The afternoon passed
pleasantly enough.

***

That evening Raynar spoke to his friends of what he had overheard. It
was not unusual for the two new arrivals to speak in Thomas’ native
language, which none of them understood, when they were in private.
This conversation had been in basic. They had most likely believed
themselves to be safe with everyone else practicing or attending
lectures.

"Are you sure they mentioned the core systems?" Jacen asked.

"No" Raynar admitted. "They just used the word 'core'. It may have even
been a different word entirely. I do know they felt nervous when they
spoke of it. I believe they are afraid of whatever this 'core' is or
represents."

"So they, what, came here to get away from it?" Jacen asked, sounding
as puzzled as the others felt.

"Maybe. I think we need to learn more about them, whatever the case."

"What did he say exactly?" Lusa wanted to know.

After a moment of thought Raynar replied. "They were speaking of the
Jedi in general. I heard Thomas say, 'High minded ideals have a way of
crumbling under pressure, and you know what kind of pressure the Corps
can exert."

Lusa considered this for a moment. Finally she said, "I think you're
worrying over nothing. It… has the potential to sound ominous, but it
doesn't have a context. They could have been talking about anything."

"Perhaps, but I felt a flash of fear from Henry when this 'core' was
mentioned."

"Let's keep an eye on them," Jacen suggested, "but I don't think
there's anything to worry about yet."

They agreed to try to get closer to the two newcomers and learn more
about them, discreetly.

***

As it happened, they didn't have the opportunity. The twins were
recalled to Corruscant by their mother. They were required to testify
about the activities of the Diversity Alliance. The investigation was
almost a year old and new facets of the group's treachery were still
being uncovered.

They were conveyed by special transport to the capitol and spent three
days telling three different groups of senators the same things they
had told them at the outset of the whole affair. It was tedious in the
extreme. Finally though, it ended.

Jaina walked the streets of the capitol, just glad to be able to
stretch her legs and clear her mind. It would be good to get back to
Yavin 4 and the Academy. She missed her friends and instructors. It was
good to be home, but this was the kind of visit she dreaded.

Politics. She shuddered delicately. Why did it have to always get back
to politics? She stopped suddenly when she heard something. For a
moment it had sounded like someone was chuckling, as if at a private
joke, but the source seemed to be inside her head. She stretched out
with the Force but sensed nothing unusual. 

I must be tired, she thought. She was about to start again when a
man stepped in front of her.

"Good evening miss. I was wondering if you might help me?"

"If I can," Jaina said politely. The man seemed to have come out of
nowhere, simply appearing before her. She was startled, but assumed
that she simply hadn't been paying attention, besides, she would have
felt him through the Force if he were any kind of threat to her.

"I am looking for several people, perhaps you have seen them." 

"I don't think I'll be able to help you. I've only been on Corruscant
for three days, and this is the first time I've been outside." Again
she reached out through the Force, trying to get a feel for the man,
but there seemed to be no threat. In fact, there seemed to be nothing
there.

"Not here. I believe you've seen them elsewhere." He held out a flimsy
that contained several images, a red-haired woman she had never seen,
and one of two people she recognized readily. "They are very dangerous
criminals. I am here to apprehend them." Jaina hesitated, tried to
appear to be examining the picture. She felt something cold brush her
mind.

"You have seen them." The man stated, then he smiled, a decidedly
unpleasant expression. Now the alarm bells were sounding, but it was
far too late.

***

Henry sat bolt upright in bed, his heart pounding like a jackhammer. He
practically dove out of bed, grabbing at clothes and the few
possessions he had. He quickly began stuffing them into the duffel bag
he had arrived with. 

With an effort he stopped himself. What was he doing? He had had a
dream, nothing more. So why was he shaking like a leaf? It was just a
dream. The Corps wasn't there. There was no way they could have found
the passage, let alone the Academy or Camelot.

He sat on the bunk, still shaking. He used a Jedi calming technique to
try to settle himself. It didn't work. He tried again.

It took three tries before his heart rate and breathing began to slow
to something resembling normal. Once he was calm enough he closed his
eyes and reached out with his mind, just listening. Nothing.

There was no panic, not even worry from anyone in the Academy, and
there was certainly no sign of bloodhounds. He began to actually relax.
Although calm now, he knew he would not get to sleep. He dressed in a
standard Jedi robe and left his room.

Making his way outside, he climbed to the top of the temple. He found a
spot at the center of the platform and sat down cross-legged to
meditate. He had heard that Jedi sometimes received visions of the
future, but he had never believed it. Now, he did. The Corps hadn't
found them, yet, but they would. He was sure of it. Somehow though he
doubted he would be able to convince Thomas of that. 

Three hours of meditation later he was much calmer, the images from the
vision were more focused in his mind, and he was sure there was no
immediate threat to those at the Academy. It amazed him how little that
reassured him.

He watched the sun rise over the jungle, feeling if not safer then at
least calmer and more ready to face this potential threat. He had to
find Thomas and tell him. That, he decided, is the first
order of business. 

Thomas was in the main dining hall eating breakfast with Tennel Ka and
Lowbacca. The two Jedi trainees seemed to be going out of their way to
be friendly and spend time with them. This would have made Henry
suspicious a week or so ago, but he had learned that the young Jedi
were naturally gregarious. Well, that word could not be applied to
Tennel Ka, but she was civil and far more open with them than many
people.

Thomas was clearly still suspicious, but he hid it well. He answered
their questions about home with suitably vague answers and enough
specifics to keep them from getting suspicious.

They were laughing at some anecdote he had just finished when Henry
joined them.

"Morning all," Henry put on a false cheerful face. They nodded
politely. "Thomas."

"Good morning Henry." The conversation continued. They talked about
trivialities. Henry turned the conversation to the Academy and other
students, trying to divert them away from talk of the two men from
Earth.

It worked to a degree, but they kept trying to turn it around, and they
were less than subtle about it. They gave up when the meal ended and
the group split up. Henry pulled Thomas aside to speak to him.

"The lecture is about to begin in the main auditorium," he reminded.

"Forget the lecture, we've got bigger problems."

"I noticed. They were pressing for details. You think they suspect us?"
Henry shrugged impatiently.

"Don't know and don't care. Bester is on this side of the passage."

"What!?"

"Keep your voice down. I saw him last night in a dream, a vision, I
don't know, but I do know he's found the passage and he's looking for
the colony."

"How do you know? What's this about a vision?"

"You’ve heard the instructors talking about visions of the present and
future. I think I had one."

"You've never shown any precognitive abilities before. Come to that no
telepath has." He sighed, obviously relieved. "You had a bad dream."
His friend shook his head emphatically. 

"This was more than a dream. It was too real. I tell you the Corps is
closing in on us. We have to warn the colony."

"Warn them about what? Even if I buy that you had a prophetic dream do
you think you can convince Lyta and the others? It won't work."

This brought Henry up short. Of course they wouldn't act on just his
word, especially if he told them he'd seen it in a dream. His
frustration showed on his face. "Do you believe me?"

"I think you believe it, but that's not proof that they know about the
passage, let alone that they've found us." He took a moment to think.
"All right, Bester is a nightmare, there's nothing new in that, but
even if you're right and he is here, what do we do about it? Do you
know where he is now?" Henry shook his head.

"I saw him coming here, to the Academy, but I'm not sure when or how it
will happen. Perhaps," he broached the next subject carefully. "Perhaps
we should talk to someone here about it. Not about the Corps or Bester,
but about visions in general. It might give us something concrete to go
on." Thomas nodded reluctantly.

"That sounds like a reasonable precaution." They began discussing
details of whom to approach and how to approach them.

Tionne was surprised when Thomas and Henry approached her. They had
kept out of her way since their first meeting. It was difficult to say
they were avoiding her as the Academy had so many students, but she
was, nonetheless surprised to be approached.

"How can I help you?" she asked, smiling gently.

"Well," Thomas hedged, "We've been wondering about certain aspects of
the Force and our abilities. From what I've learned the Force obeys our
commands, but it also guides our actions, sometimes in more than one
way."

Tionne nodded. "That is true. Do you have some particular interest in a
type of guidance?"

"I've been told that Jedi sometimes have visions of the future. Is that
right?"

"Yes," Tionne nodded, "and no. The future is always in motion. A Jedi
sees things that may happen, and even when an outcome seems certain the
vision has an odd way of being something different entirely." Strangely
enough, Henry didn't find this reassuring. Tionne seemed to realize
this.

"Has one of you seen something?" she asked gently. There was no
prodding, no pressure, just a concerned question. Henry looked at
Thomas, who nodded. He wasn't happy, but he decided to trust Tionne, to
a degree. Henry rose and began to pace as he thought about it.

"It's hard to say. It was a series of disjointed images. I have
meditated on the images trying to impose some order on what I saw but
have only had a little success."

"What did you see?"

"I saw my home in flames. Invaders in the streets of my home town." He
paused, wondering how best to put the next part. "I saw a face, a cruel
face." He shuddered.

Tionne was instantly concerned. "Are you sure of what you saw? Visions
are not always what they seem."

"So you said, but it's sort of hard to misinterpret seeing burning
buildings and people running and screaming. I don't think they were
having a cook out." Tionne grimaced, although whether at the point he
was making or the inappropriate humor it was hard to tell.

"Do you wish to return home? Some of our knights could escort you and
help-" Henry was shaking his head.

"That’s the strangest part. It starts here. I'm not sure how, but it
starts here. If what I saw is to be stopped it will be stopped here."

"So that's why you two have been on edge lately. I've been wondering."

"There are so many unanswered questions," Thomas frowned. "I don't know
how to proceed." Tionne considered the question carefully.

"Was the face familiar?"

"I've seen him before." Henry knew Bester only by reputation, but he
knew that Thomas and the notorious psi-cop had a history. That much
Thomas had told him, but he didn't know what that 'history' entailed.
Henry didn't know what the psi-cop was going to do. He could guess
though.

"You believe a threat is approaching the Academy, or that a threat will
originate, somehow from the Academy."

"Yes. I wish I could be more specific. I was hoping you could tell me
if there's some technique, some trick to bring the images into better
focus, to make some sense out of what I saw." She shook her head
sorrowfully.

"I'm afraid not. It simply takes time and experience. You are certain
that your home is in danger. What about the Academy?"

"That wasn't clear." He paused to think and inspiration struck. "Maybe
it wasn't clear because it will depend on what choices are made here."
She nodded thoughtfully.

"That is possible. We should inform Master Skywalker of this." She
turned to Thomas. "You seem to have doubts about his vision."

He hesitated. "I don't know. This is new to me. The entire idea of
prophetic visions is too much like hokey superstition. I know Henry is
concerned, though, and that is enough. If our world is threatened I
will do what I can." Tionne seemed satisfied with his answer and
tolerant of his doubts. She nodded.

"Don't worry," she said. "Whatever sort of trouble is headed this way,
you won't face it alone."

"Thank you," Henry said sincerely.

"I trust you will share anymore insights you have into this matter."

They both nodded agreement and left Tionne's chamber.

***

"How far can we really trust them?" They had returned to Thomas' room
to speak in private. Thomas sat calmly on the bunk, but Henry was too
keyed up. He paced like a caged animal.

"When the Corps comes," Henry pointed out, "and they will, we can't
face them alone. If the people here are unprepared some of them could
be killed. What will that do for our cause?"

"I see your point." Thomas admitted. He pursed his lips and leaned back
against the wall. 

"She doesn't know our business here. She doesn't know about the Corps."

"They will soon enough. You still don't have any idea when or if they
are actually coming."

"They are. I know it. It's just a matter of time."

"I hope you're wrong. I'm not looking forward to a reunion with
Bester." Henry looked over at him sharply.

"You never have told me what happened between you and him. Why do you
two have it in for each other?" Thomas didn't answer immediately. After
giving it some thought he sighed.

"Let's just say it's personal, for both of us." He changed the topic
before Henry could press for details. "We'd best get word to Lyta.
Ta'lon is due tomorrow. We'll need to prepare a full report." He
sighed. "Now we just have to figure out how to break this to her."

***

The small ship Ta'lon had acquired at Tatooine, a Verpine Adventurer
that was a century old if it was a day, landed in the field in front of
the main temple and Henry and Thomas were there to meet it. They went
aboard and spoke at length about what each had learned so far. Ta'lon
had a box of data crystals full of information about the history and
culture of the New Republic and the primary member races, the Humans,
Wookies, Mon Calamari and several others. Information about the Jedi
and the Force was sketchy. Much of what had been written about the Jedi
before the rise of the empire had been destroyed by the emperor. There
was enough thought to give them considerable food for thought.

"What do you think Lyta will do? This indicates that the Jedi might be
willing to help us, but the New Republic has policies which may prevent
them from doing so."

"We have learned one other useful thing though," Thomas reminded them
both. "The Jedi master, Luke Skywalker, is the president's brother. I
think if we can convince him he can convince her."

"Let us hope it doesn't come to that," Ta'lon said, his tone not
conveying much hope. He had been skeptical about Henry's dream, but he
was sure, now that Henry had told part of the story, however vague to
one of the instructors, that the rest would come out. It was only a
matter of time until Camelot was discovered, ready or not.

Lyta wouldn't be happy, but she would be practical. They all knew this.
It was possible she would find advantage in their current mess,
although, for the life of him Thomas couldn't guess how, but that was
one of the reasons she was in charge.

"I wish you'd learned more about the Jedi from the archive," Thomas
mused. "We could use a different perspective than we're getting here."

"Bias," the Narn reminded them, "is unavoidable." Thomas shrugged.

"Different biases then, would be nice." Over the next hour the two told
Ta'lon of what they had learned about the Jedi. There were precedents
in the history of the Republic for their situation, but there was no
consistent response. Politics of the time determined the response to
each crisis. The current government was less divisive. The memory of
the empire was only two decades old.

Ta'lon lifted off shortly thereafter and headed for the colony. His
outbound vessel made way for the returning twins aboard a New Republic
transport. Tennel Ka, Lowbacca, and Lusa came out to meet them.

"Welcome back. How are things on Corruscant?" Lusa asked.

"Okay," Jaina answered, somewhat distracted. Jacen picked up the
conversation and talked for both of them. Jaina smiled and nodded, but
her mind was clearly elsewhere. She brushed aside her friends' concerns
though and excused herself to go to her quarters. The others were
curious but shrugged it off soon enough. Jacen told them about the
testimony and earned several laughs with his imitations of several of
the notorious senators.

Jacen asked eventually about Henry and Thomas. The others looked at
each other hesitantly and they all went to find a quiet place to speak.

"So Tionne asked us to watch them and help them if we could?" Raynar
nodded.

"Henry at least seems convinced that a threat is approaching the
Academy. Tionne says he was vague though and she believes they know
more than they are saying."

"Why would they want to hide anything from us?" Jacen asked.

Raynar shrugged. "Fear perhaps. Maybe they're worried about how we'll
react to the whole story. We do know they haven't been exactly open
with us."

No decisions were reached during that discussion. They realized that,
short of confronting the pair, which might do more harm than good,
there was nothing they could do but watch them.

***

Thomas eyes flew open and he fought his way back to full awareness. The
Jedi trance he had entered had slowed his metabolism considerably, and
coming out of it quickly was not only dangerous but very nearly
impossible. There was plenty of motivation though.

A visiting Mon Calamari Jedi came at the sounds of his struggle and
used her talent for healing to calm him and help him come out of the
trance safely. 

"What happened? Are you all right?" Another Jedi student joined them
and was looking down at Thomas with evident concern. Thomas shook off
their efforts to help him and drew a deep breath. Gradually, he
mastered his wild heart rate and breathing. What he had just seen
terrified him, but he wasn't going to let the fear dictate his actions.

Instead he used the fear and the anger it sparked in him to fortify
himself. Control, he gritted silently. I will have
control. He literally forced his body to calm itself. "I'm all
right," he said calmly and rose to his feet.

"No, you're not," the Mon Calamari healer declared. "You can't come out
of such a deep trance that quickly without paying a price. What
happened? Did you have a vision?"

"Yes," he answered matter-of-factly. "Now I have to do something about
it." He turned and walked away. He was feeling a bit light headed and
he knew he would indeed pay for that later, but for the moment he
focused his mind on what he had seen and let the anger give him the
focus he needed to complete his task. He went to find Henry.

***

"I believe you."

"What?" Henry said distractedly. He sat cross-legged on the floor of
one of the many meditation chambers set aside within the temple. Three
stones floated before him at eye level. The stones wavered, but
stabilized again when he returned his full attention to them.

"Bester. He is coming." Henry was on his feet before the stones hit the
floor.

"What did you see?"

"Bester, coming here with blood hounds. I'm not sure when but it's
soon. Something else too. I got the impression that somehow he's
already here, after a fashion."

"Meaning?"

"I don't know. Maybe he has an agent here."

"It would have to be someone new. Someone who's arrived since we did."
Thomas shook his head.

"Not necessarily. Remember the case of Michael Garibaldi." Henry paled
slightly as he remembered the rumors that had circulated. The Babylon 5
security chief had been captured and reprogrammed by the Psicorps, and
they both knew that it wasn't the first time it had been done. It was
only one of the horror stories that involved Bester and the upper
levels of the Psicorps. Talia Winters, Jason Ironheart, Sophie Ivonova,
and many others had suffered or died because of the Corps' agenda.

"So what do we do? We should tell Tionne about this." Thomas shook his
head.

"At this point we'd have to tell them everything. We can't do that
without word from Lyta. I doubt Bester is going to be alone when he
comes. I think they're coming in force."

"What sort of force? Is he bringing an army of bloodhounds? A warship?
What?"

"I don't know. You know how vague these visions are you were the one
who came around trying to convince me first, remember?" Henry nodded
glumly.

"I remember, and I remember how frightening it was. Sorry." Thomas
nodded.

"Believe me, I understand now." They settled down on a bench, each
silent for a time, brooding over their predicament. Henry didn't know
how to proceed, but Thomas had a few ideas.

"Lyta should contact us soon, based on what we told Ta'lon. Whether she
believes us or not she'll take some sort of action, even if it's just
to pull us out."

"I hope it's soon," Henry lamented. Then he turned to his partner. "Why
don't you do what I did, spend some time meditating on the vision. Try
to bring it into focus and make the imagery clearer. We'll want to have
more than vague warnings when we go to Tionne or Lyta, whichever comes
first." Thomas nodded. That made sense. He rose and headed out. Henry
knew that the former psi-cop had his own favorite place for meditation.
He waved good-bye and tried to go back to his exercises. He found
though, that he couldn't lift more than one stone at a time.

***

Splash! EmTeeDee stopped and hovered where he was. He had been out
looking for Master Lowbacca and the others. He knew they favored this
stretch of river for swimming and as a meeting place. He turned toward
the sound and moved through the trees. There was another splash and he
picked up voices as he drew closer to the river. EmTeeDee stopped as he
came out of the trees. 

Thomas was sitting on the bank alone, throwing rocks into the water. He
was talking to himself.

"Things fall apart." Splash.

"The center cannot hold." Splash.

"Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world. The blood dimmed tide is
loosed." Splash! That one had been thrown with extra force behind it.
Thomas picked up another stone, but stopped suddenly. Dropping the
stone he whirled and glared at the small droid. EmTeeDee backed up
sputtering an apology. Or at least, he tried to back up. Nothing
happened.

"What do you want?" Thomas asked, annoyed now rather than angry. The
invisible grip on the small droid abruptly vanished.

"Oh, I do apologize master Thomas. I was looking for master Lowbacca
and mistress Jaina. I thought they might be down here, as this is one
of their favorite places to swim."

"I haven't seen them," he answered shortly and turned back to the
river, dismissing the small droid's existence.

"If I may say so sir, you seem rather upset. Is there a problem I may
be of assistance in solving?"

"Doubtful. What I need I can't get from you." Another rock splashed
into the river.

"Indeed? What might it be that you need. I have worked hard to become
more than a translator. I can now boast a wide variety of skills.
Perhaps in my experience serving with your fellow Jedi knights I may
have learned something that could indeed be of use to you."

"All right," Thomas' tone was equal parts resignation and amused
tolerance. "Consider this then. You are up against an enemy who is far
more powerful and who has far greater resources, an enemy both
malevolent and intractable. You have two obvious options." He turned to
face EmTeeDee. "The first is to retreat, which is a temporary solution
at best, and as an added drawback, innocent people could get hurt if
you run. The second option is to stand and fight, knowing that it's all
but useless to do so. The best you can hope for is to go down
fighting." He paused and turned back to the river. After a moment
EmTeeDee broke the silence.

"I can't say sir that either is terribly attractive. I can certainly
see why you would desire a third option."

"I have one." His voice was level, but even the normally oblivious
little droid could see the tension in him.

"And what would that be?"

"I can stop him, but only by setting loose something worse." EmTeeDee
didn't have a ready answer for this. For the first time since he had
met the little tin irritant, it was at a loss for words. "Can you offer
me another option?" Thomas was honestly curious. There was none of the
sarcasm that might have normally colored his tone. I'm asking the
advice of a decoration with delusions of grandeur, he chided
himself. I must be desperate. 

"All I can suggest," the droid began hesitantly, "is that you remember
you are not alone." Thomas shook his head.

"I can't involve your friends in this. It isn't their problem, isn't
their fight."

"Why not let them decide that?" Thomas gave the droid a rueful smile.

"One of these days, your friends' altruistic tendencies will get them
killed. I really don't need that on my conscience." He turned away,
ending the conversation. EmTeeDee considered making another attempt at
convincing him but thought better of it. He turned and moved off,
barely overhearing Thomas' last words before he got out of range. "The
best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate
intent."

EmTeeDee moved quickly to locate his friends. Something was very wrong.

***

"We have to leave. I don't see any other way."

"Tionne has said they would be willing to help," Henry reminded his
friend without much hope of convincing him.

"We can't put them at risk, if we leave the Corps won't have any reason
to come here. It is possible we have a chance against them alone."
Henry stared at him in disbelief.

"Really? How?"

"I'm still working on that," the other admitted. "Succeed or fail
though we leave tomorrow. We go away from here and away from the
colony." Henry desperately tried to think of another option or a way to
get Thomas to change his mind. He knew there wasn't much chance of
accomplishing either.

"All right then, we go tomorrow. There's a supply transport coming in.
We should be able to get to Corruscant on that. From there, we can go
practically anywhere." Thomas nodded approvingly.
***

"This does not sound good," Jacen said. "Did he say anything that would
give you a clue as to what he's planning?" Jacen, Jaina, Tennel Ka,
Raynar, Lusa, and Lowbacca sat together in a corner of the auditorium
where lectures were normally held. The lesson for the day was over, and
they were the last ones there.

"I'm afraid not master Jacen. He was not very forthcoming."

"So all we know is that he has an enemy that he thinks is coming here.
He knows he can't handle it himself, but he doesn't want to accept our
help. Why?"

"When I suggested that he ask for help he only said that someday your
altruistic tendencies would get you killed and that he didn't want that
on his conscience. I believe he wants to protect us. What I find
disturbing is his reference to the only means he had to achieve
victory."

"What do you mean?" Jaina asked. She had shown a keen interest in the
problems of the two new Jedi trainees. It was the first time since
their return from Corruscant that she had shown any interest in
anything. Jacen had assumed she just needed to rest, but he found her
sudden interest curious.

"He said the only other option was to 'set loose something worse.' It
is a rather ominous statement wouldn't you agree?" Lowbacca gave a
growl of assent. The others nodded or murmured their agreement.

"We better talk to them," Jacen decided. "Let's get to the bottom of
this."

"No." Jaina's voice stopped them as they started to get up. They looked
at her curiously. "I think we should tell Uncle Luke, er, Master
Skywalker first. He'll be back later tomorrow night anyway. I'm sure
he'll know what to do about this, and he can speak for all of the Jedi,
not just us." This made sense to the group. They still felt the urgency
to act, but they agreed to wait for the Jedi master.
***

"AAAGGHH!" Henry could not repress the scream that rose in his throat.
Must escape! Without any conscious volition he put the thought
into action. Diving out of bed he grabbed his clothes, but dropped them
just as quickly. No time! his mind shrieked.

Abandoning his possessions, he made for the door, barely conscious of
what he was doing. He turned to the door just as it opened. A human
student he vaguely recognized from training stood in the door. He was
short and wiry with dark hair and weathered features. He looked at
Henry, clearly concerned. As he opened his mouth to speak though, Henry
saw another set of features superimpose themselves over those of the
hapless trainee, a very familiar set of features.

"Away!" he shouted, falling back on a bad habit the instructors in the
Corps had worked hard to break him of. The shocked trainee was
catapulted across the corridor and slammed into the wall, where he
slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Henry was already out the door, but as he turned into the corridor to
run he found himself facing a man in a black jump suit. He was only of
average height with dark blonde hair. There was nothing physically
imposing about the man, nothing at all threatening in his manner. Henry
stopped in his tracks.

"Breathe," the stranger instructed. Henry found himself trying very
hard to comply. He took deep ragged breaths that gradually slowed. 

"Clear your mind." Again Henry did his best to comply, though he wasn't
sure why. He still felt the urgency to escape.

***

Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master watched the stranger, obviously a new
student, in confusion. The young man was clearly terrified, but there
was no readily apparent cause. He had come barging out of the room and
attacked another student, before trying to flee. He was dressed for
bed, and Luke doubted it had been a deliberate attack. The stranger was
panicking.

His unplanned return a day early was fortuitous it seemed. Tired though
he was, he found he couldn't ignore the itching at the back of his
brain. When he had been drawn to this part of the Temple by a vague
premonition, this is not what he had expected to find. The slight
tugging on his awareness had been like a forgotten task. At first he
wondered if that was indeed what it was.

After a difficult and exhausting mission for Leia and the New Republic
he had wanted little more than to crawl into bed for a few hours. Sleep
had eluded him and he had followed the vague feeling to this section of
the temple. He had rounded the corner at the far end of the corridor
just as the young man had screamed. Although puzzled as to the reason
for the outburst he knew he wouldn't get any answers unless the man
first calmed down.

Luke reached out to the man through the Force trying to help him with
the Jedi relaxation technique that kept eluding him. 

"Henry!" 

The shout broke Luke's concentration, and he turned to see another
stranger coming down the hall. He sidestepped the trainees who were
caring for their unconscious friend, and came to a stop next to the one
called Henry.

"Henry what happened?" The newcomer spared a glance for Luke and did
something that broke his connection to the young man. Luke blinked in
surprise as he suddenly found himself shut out of Henry's mind. There
was now a wall there, quite unlike anything Luke had encountered
before.

"Who are you?" he asked aloud. They ignored him as the younger man
began to babble.

"I saw him Thomas, he knows we're here and he's coming. I saw him."

"Now? Are you sure? What happened Henry?"

Luke heard the sound of running feet and turned to see Tennel Ka and
Lowbacca running towards them. EmTeeDee soared ahead on his micro-jets,
but abruptly changed direction as he approached the dusky skinned man
trying to calm his friend.

"The Corps Thomas," Henry gasped as he slumped against the wall. "They
know. I saw him, Bester is here!"

Luke noticed Tennel Ka's reaction when Henry mentioned the Corps. Maybe
now they would find out what was going on. He did not interrupt but
stood and listened, as did the others.

Thomas whole manner changed at once. "Bester?" He flashed a suspicious
glance at the people around him. Now something was coming through the
barrier he had raised.

Luke felt anger.

"How close, how many, and what weapons?" His voice was deadly calm.
Luke could feel him reaching out, searching. This one was strong in the
Force.

"I-I'm not sure. I know he's close though. He knows we're here. I mean
he's certain of it. If he brings the Corps-"

'I know. Our plans just got moved up."

"You had a vision." Luke spoke up. Thomas looked at him incredulously.
"A vision of the future. I think we need to talk."

"There may not be time for that," Thomas countered. "It would be better
for all concerned if we left, quickly." 

"Running away won't solve your problem." Jacen stepped into view from
behind the Jedi master. "And don't worry about us. I assure you, we've
faced worse. Come on, let's talk." The two telepaths exchanged a look,
and seemed to come to an agreement.

***

"Who is Bester? And what is the Corps?" Luke was asking the questions.
They had moved to his office. Jacen, Tionne, Tennel Ka, and Zekk had
joined them.

Both were silent for a moment. Henry was embarrassed now that he had
calmed down. Thomas was tense and angry although he hid it well.
Finally, Henry spoke.

"The Psicorps is made up of what you would call Jedi, not dark or
light, just people with talents. Most are probably fairly limited by
your standards, having only some of the abilities I've seen the
students here demonstrate." Zekk latched on to a key part of Henry’s
answer.

"'Not dark or light?' You don’t acknowledge the Dark Side?" he asked,
obviously worried. He and Tionne had joined them as they headed for
Luke's office to talk. Thomas regarded him tolerantly.

"It's all one. The gift is there to use, and any power can be misused.
Nothing inherently evil in any of it."

"It's a difference in how we see the Force as you call it. Our people
don't shroud it in mystery and mysticism. Instead it's studied and
documented, catalogued and categorized. There are things we don't know
about our abilities, but it isn't for lack of trying."

"It is difficult to maintain any conception of magic when all the
tricks are studied and dissected under a microscope." Zekk mused. Henry
went a little green at that.

"Please, don't say 'dissect'." Their hosts looked at him curiously,
then Zekk paled.

"You can't be serious."

"He is," Thomas assured him. "The Psicorps was founded more than a
century ago to guide and train Telepaths. That was the idea anyway.
Actually, it is an instrument of control. Every human telepath, or
Force user, is given a choice. They can join the Corps, they can take
drugs to suppress their abilities, or they can go to prison." 

"None of them are very attractive options," Henry put in. "'The Corps
is mother, the Corps is father'." He snorted, "Big Brother is more like
it." At the confused looks this earned him Henry elaborated. "It’s a
reference to an old novel about a totalitarian society, one in which
everything is controlled, even the thoughts of the people. The
government was 'Big Brother'."

Luke nodded his understanding. "Yes, the emperor tried to achieve
something similar. Why are you here? Did you run from the Corps?"

"And how. The first chance we got we broke away. The Corps does not
allow any telepath to move about unchecked. Rogue telepaths are hunted
down and taken in for 'adjustment'. Then they're paraded in front of
the rest of us as examples." Henry didn't have the stomach to go into
details about what he now knew about the Corps. "Suffice it to say, the
people who run the Corps have their own agenda."

"The Corps was originally founded with good intentions, but ambition
got in the way somewhere along the line. There are those in the Corps
who see norms as lesser animals. For children raised by them, it seems
natural."

Luke could barely believe what he was hearing. As bad as it was, some
of the things he sensed they were holding back, he was certain, were
far worse. 

"You mentioned a name," he coaxed when they stopped talking. "Who is
Bester?"

"He's a psi-cop. Telepaths aren't allowed to scan normals without
permission. There are strict rules of conduct for us. Bester is one of
those charged with enforcing those rules. That doesn't mean he follows
them. He has a somewhat broader mandate than most telepaths. At the
level he's reached, you pretty much do as you please."

"You're afraid of him," Zekk said, not a question.

"Damn right I am," Thomas gritted. "He's responsible for countless
atrocities. He murdered a dozen escaped telepaths on Babylon 5 a couple
of years back. He ordered monstrous tests done on people in order to
find a way to create stronger telepaths. Genetic manipulation, neuro-
surgery,…" he trailed off, shuddering at the memories.

"We escaped. So did a lot of others. Bester wants to find us and take
back proof that no one can run from the Corps." The Jedi were silent
for a time, absorbing all of this. Luke turned to Tionne.

"They confided some of this in you?"

"Some," the Jedi historian confirmed, "but I had no idea how much they
were hiding." She turned to the two telepaths. "Why did you come here?"
This topic made them nervous, Luke could see, but Thomas answered
truthfully.

"Recon. When we learned of the Academy we had to find out what you were
all about, and whether or not you posed a threat to us. We came here to
learn only. Now it seems, that, just by being here we've put you at
risk. That was never our intention." The two young men shared a look
and Thomas continued. "We've discussed it and decided that the best way
to draw attention away from you is to leave. We know Bester is close,
so there isn't much time. The sooner we're away from the Academy the
better it will be for you."

"Where would you go?"

"Anywhere but home. We couldn't risk it." Luke and Tionne conferred
quietly for a moment. Thomas had to stop himself from listening.
Instead he turned to the other Jedi students, trying to gauge their
reactions. They all looked serious; Zekk looked downright suspicious.
It was at this point that Henry noticed an absence.

"Where's Jaina? I would have thought she would be here with you?" The
others seemed to notice now and looked around. 

"That is curious," EmTeeDee piped up from his place on the Wookie's
belt. Henry hadn't noticed when Lowbacca arrived, he was so caught up
in the story. "I thought she was right behind us. Perhaps she was
delayed tending to the student that master Henry injured."

Henry winced at the reminder, but Thomas paid no attention. His mind
was elsewhere. Luke noticed as the young man across the desk reached
out through the Force, looking for something.

"Suddenly," Thomas said, rising from his seat, "I have a very bad
feeling. We better find her."

"Why?" Jacen asked confused.

"I sense nothing wrong," Luke added.

"Call it instinct." Thomas rose and headed for the door. "Come on
Henry." His friend looked uncertain.

"Are you sure-"

"Talia Winters." Henry was on his feet and headed out before the Jedi
had a chance to wonder who or what Talia Winters was. They followed the
pair quickly, catching up as they tried to decide where to look.

"Talia Winters?" Luke asked as he came along side. Henry closed his
eyes briefly at the painful memory.

"She was a friend." He didn't say more. He didn't see a need to tell
them that Talia had been a loyal, law-abiding member of the Psi-corps.
She had been what the Corps should have been, honest, generous, not a
mean bone in her body. His expression darkened in, for him, an unusual
display of anger as he remembered what she had been like the last time
he had seen her. The Corps' Sleeper Program had changed that. Talia had
been the sort of person that people liked and trusted. She was the
perfect spy after the Corps finished reprogramming her. One look at
Henry's face convinced the Jedi not to press for information.

"Jacen," Thomas spoke up. "I want you to check her room, Lowbacca, see
if she went to the infirmary with that student. I want to see if the
rest of us can get a line on her from the main communications room,
contact us there if you find her." The others were a little taken aback
by the snap of command in his voice, but the two younger Jedi were
moving to obey before they thought about it. They paused and glanced at
their uncle.

Luke nodded. "That sounds like a good idea." The two students moved
off. Thomas kept going, either assuming he would be obeyed or not
really caring what they did. He kept going till he reached the
communications room. Luke and Zekk followed them to the their
destination, the other Jedi having gone to search elsewhere for Jaina.

At this time of night the facility was practically deserted. There was
only a night security guard and a single technician doing routine
maintenance. When the two telepaths entered the room followed by Luke,
Zekk, and Tionne, both the guard and the technician were fast asleep in
a corner of the large room. The only person awake and active was Jaina.

She looked around as they entered the room and turned back to the com
board working the controls with the speed and confidence of long
practice. Under the circumstances, her calm demeanor set off alarms for
Thomas. He reached out to scan her, but drew back as if slapped. He
changed tactics.

Of all those present Henry was probably the most surprised when Jaina
flew backwards away from the console. "Thomas?" he asked incredulously,
incredulous because Thomas had never demonstrated any telekinetic
abilities before now.

"What are you doing?" Zekk demanded as he reached for Thomas. His hand
skidded off a barrier of some sort.

"Henry," Thomas snapped, "find out what she's done." Henry broke off
staring at Thomas and rushed forward. The system was a little different
than the standard Earthforce controls he was used to but not too
different. He quickly found the information he wanted.

"She sent a transmission," he said tightly, "on a frequency the
Psicorps uses. I don't think it's a coincidence." He manipulated a few
more controls. "It's encrypted. I don't know what she sent." He turned
back, and his jaw hit the floor.

Jaina was suspended a foot off the floor, struggling to break free of
the invisible grip that held her aloft. Master Skywalker, Zekk, and
Tionne were trying to intervene, but they were kept at bay by a
crackling blue barrier that had sprung up between them.

"Thomas," Henry asked, beginning to be afraid for a different reason,
"how are you doing that?" Even as he asked, a possible answer occurred
to him.

"It's a long story," Thomas answered distractedly. He touched Jaina's
cheek and her struggles ceased. She seemed to drop off to sleep
immediately.

"What did you do to her?" Zekk demanded.

"She's not hurt, just asleep." He turned to face them and lowered the
field. "I do apologize for this, but I didn't know what kind of safe-
guards she might have. I couldn't risk you distracting me." Luke put a
calming hand on Zekk's shoulder.

"What 'safe-guards' do you refer to?" Thomas took a deep breath and let
it out slowly.

"She has telepathic blocks all over the place. Level 12 blocks. They
can only be put in or removed by a psi-cop. Bester must have caught her
alone on Corruscant." 

"You've admitted to spying on us," Zekk pointed out. "How do we know
you're telling the truth?" Luke was calmer, but still he needed
convincing.

"You must offer us proof of what you say. I sense no deception, but-"

"But you've been hiding a lot from us," Zekk finished. "Let's hear the
truth. What the hell are you doing here?"

"People toss that word around far too easily," Thomas said in apparent
non sequitur. "You want to see hell?" He faced the Jedi master and his
irate pupil. "Then look."

Luke found himself awash in a sea of images. It took him a second to
realize that he was seeing someone else's memories. He saw a street on
Corruscant and a man with a predatory smile. He saw a darkened room and
felt what it was like to have others picking casually through his
brain, easily sifting and discarding memories of names, faces, and
places. He could feel the person whose memory he was reliving
struggling, but it was futile. He had never encountered such a powerful
mind. Luke Skywalker knew what it was like to be completely helpless
and vulnerable. And he knew pain as memories were snipped away or
altered. Even second hand, it was agony.

Then there were other images. He watched helplessly for a moment,
stunned by what he had just experienced, and by what he was
experiencing now. With a supreme effort of will he tore away from the
horror show playing out before his mind's eye. He wasn't sure which
disturbed him more. The things he had been shown, or the amusement he
sensed in Thomas as the telepath let him go. Luke had no doubt that he
had been released. He had not broken free. He had been released by the
young man standing before him. 

Luke glanced over at Zekk and saw that the Jedi trainee looked as
shaken as he felt. "All right," he said. "We believe you." Zekk nodded,
wide-eyed and pale.

"Believe what?" Jacen asked from the door. Raynar, Lusa, Tennel Ka and
Lowbacca were with him. They stopped when they saw Jaina floating in
mid-air. "What's going on?"

"Later," Henry called from the control console. "We got problems. I
know what was in that message she sent."

"You decrypted it?" Thomas lowered Jaina to the ground next to the
sleeping guard and technician.

"No, but the transmission was short." As he spoke, the main view screen
came to life and filled with an image of nearby space. Just beyond the
perimeter maintained by the New Republic task force in orbit something
was happening. "The odds are excellent that it contained one word."
Suddenly a swirling vortex opened on the screen and something, no
several somethings, emerged from it. "Now."

Luke wasted no time. Opening a channel he hailed the task force. "New
Republic task force this is Luke Skywalker. Go to full battle alert.
The incoming ships are hostile, repeat hostile."

"Acknowledged Master Skywalker. We're on it." Two frigates came into
view on either side of the screen, facing the vessels emerging from
hyperspace.

"What is that?" Zekk asked.

"A jump point," Henry answered. "Our ships access hyper-space by
creating stable openings between normal space and hyper-space then
passing through them."

"A stable opening?" Zekk protested, "that's impossible."

"I'll give you a physics lesson later, right now I suggest we get this
place ready for a fight." One glance at the screen showed that things
were not going well. The New Republic ships had stopped. There were no
signals from them and no weapons fire. The other ships, three in all,
had cleared the jump point and were moving past the apparently immobile
task force. Luke hailed them, but he was getting no response.

"Thomas? That ship, the one in the lead, that’s the Grisolm. And
there," he pointed at another. "That's the Sarratoga and the
Nelson."

Thomas nodded. "Well, that answers several questions doesn't it?" He
turned to the young Jedi. "Every so often a ship simply disappears into
hyper-space. No one knows what happens to them really. Some think their
navigation equipment failed and they got lost in uncharted space.
Others think some of them were destroyed by raiders or by some unknown
enemy. There've been other rumors, unrelated we thought, that the Corps
was building a fleet of it's own, in preparation for a takeover bid
back home. No one knew how that could be true though, until now."

"They must have hijacked those ships and replaced their crews with
force users completely loyal to the Corps." Even as the words left his
mouth, Henry could barely make himself believe it. Loyal Earth citizens
committing acts of piracy and treason to help the Corps' insane
leadership achieve their goals. He couldn't accept it.

"I can't raise the defense shield," Tionne said from the next console.
"Something's wrong."

"Jaina sabotaged it," Thomas answered calmly. The others looked at him
incredulously.

"She wouldn't do that!" Jacen protested.

"She didn't have a choice. The Corps got hold of her and messed with
her head. I can put her right, but right now we have bigger problems. I
don't think those ships of yours are going to do us any good." The task
force still hadn't moved to intercept the oncoming Earth vessels.
Jacen, now at the view screen controls, brought up a new image from a
different angle. The Earth ships were taking up station keeping
directly over the Academy.

"Incoming transmission," he stated.

"Let's see it," Luke ordered.

"Wait," Henry raised a hand to forestall any action, "make sure they
can't see us. Telepath's work best with line of sight. We'll have the
advantage if he can't see us." Jacen glanced at his uncle, who nodded.
On screen a man appeared. He was short and wiry with dark hair and a
tanned face. Luke recognized him from the images that Thomas had shown
him earlier. This was the man who had taken Jaina and used her against
them. For the first time in a long time he found he had to fight to
maintain his Jedi calm.

"Are you receiving us?" the man asked curiously.

"We are," Luke answered. Everyone else remained quiet. "Who are you?
And why have you come here armed?"

"My name is Alfred Bester. I'm here representing the Earth Alliance. As
to what I'm doing here, I've come to take two dangerous criminals into
custody."

"They must be dangerous indeed if you feel the need to bring three
warships just to apprehend two criminals."

"Let us not bandy words," Bester said smiling that unpleasant smile. "I
know you are harboring them. I also know that they haven't been honest
with you as to their identities or their motives. You have no reason to
protect them. Turn them over to me and I'll be on my way. They will
cause you no more problems."

"The only problem I see at present," Luke replied calmly, "is you. What
have you done to our ships in orbit?"

"Nothing permanent," Bester assured him. "The crews will wake in an
hour or so with out even a headache. Now please, release Thomas Diego
and Henry James into my custody."

Luke glanced at the two boys. They looked at each other, nervous, but
resolved, and nodded. Luke gave them a small smile and turned back to
the screen. "I'm afraid that's impossible. Your acts of aggression here
and on Corruscant have raised serious doubts in me about your motives.
It is unlikely you are acting on behalf of legitimate authorities of
you home world. If such authorities wish to petition the New Republic
for custody of these criminals then they can go through the proper
channels. For now, I strongly suggest you leave."

Bester only smiled and shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that. I'm
not going back without them. You will turn them over to us now or we
will open fire. I know your shield generator is down and that you have
no ground to space weapons. If you don't turn them over now, you will
be destroyed." His smile vanished. "I'll give you a few moments to
think about it." His image vanished.

"Now what do we do? What's going on anyway?" Lusa looked around at the
others. Most were as lost as she, though.

"It's a long story," Henry sighed. "Hopefully I'll get the chance to
tell you about it later." He turned to Jacen, Lowbacca, and Raynar who
were working on the shield generator controls. "Any luck?"

"Yeah," Jacen said, "all of it bad. We know what Jaina did, but it will
take at least an hour to undo it. In the meantime we're perfect
targets."

"Might I suggest that you have the students and staff scatter into the
jungle, away from the Temple?" Luke glanced at Henry and nodded.

"That's a good idea. Tennel Ka, Jacen, and Lusa, I want you to organize
the evacuation. Get everybody out as quickly as you can." The three
nodded and ran out. Luke turned to Lowbacca. "Any chance of a distress
signal?"

The Wookie groaned and shook his head. EmTeeDee piped up dutifully.
"Master Lowbacca says the hostile vessels are jamming our transmissions
quite effectively. We have no way of getting a signal out." Thomas
rolled his eyes at the verbose little droid. 

"I think I may be able to do something," he said. Luke glanced at
Thomas and raised an eyebrow. "The crews of those ships are asleep,
nothing more. I think I can wake them."

"From here?" Henry asked. "Have your powers grown that much?"

"It'll be a stretch, but I can manage. After they're awake I should be
able to protect them from any further such attempts as well."

"Just how are you able to do this?" Tionne had been silent for a long
time, watching and learning about the two strangers. Now she asked a
question that Henry was fairly sure he knew the answer to. "You have
not demonstrated these kinds of abilities before. What has changed?"

"He has," Henry spoke up, glancing at Thomas. "You were part of the
project with Jason Ironheart weren't you?" Thomas nodded. Henry turned
to the others. "A few years back the Corps started a project to find a
way to boost a Force user's powers, to make them stronger. They had
various degrees of success. Some died. Some experienced no changes
whatsoever. Some became a little stronger, changing from a P-10 to a P-
12 or something like that. Ironheart was the breakthrough though."

"What do you mean, 'breakthrough?'" Zekk asked curiously.

"He went farther than anyone else ever has, or was meant to." Thomas
replied distractedly as he concentrated on the crews of the ships in
orbit. "He told me before he escaped." His chest tightened at the
memory of his lost friend and teacher. "One day, after months of being
injected with all manner of concoctions and being subjected to a
variety of tests and probes, Jason Ironheart woke up. He told me it was
like being given sight and hearing after a lifetime of being blind and
deaf.

"He told me he could see everything. He knew the Corps' plans and the
lengths they would go to in order to achieve them. Jason killed the
head researcher, the only one who could replicate the procedure, and
escaped. Before he left though, he saw that I was on the same road he
was, it was just going to take longer. At my request, he put in certain
safeguards to keep it from happening."

"What happened to Ironheart?" Luke asked.

"He escaped to Babylon 5, but his powers were growing beyond his
control. He escaped from B5 in a ship, but it exploded before it
reached the jump gate." Thomas shook his head. "You wouldn't believe
what happened next." He smiled ruefully. "Or maybe you will. You're
going to get to watch it happen to me."

No one said anything for a while, not knowing what to make of this.
Luke glanced at Henry who looked pale and worried. Whatever was going
to happen, Luke was sure it probably wouldn't be good. Surprisingly, it
was EmTeeDee who broke the silence.

"Is this what you meant when we spoke earlier by the river? You said
you could stop your enemy by 'setting loose something worse'." Thomas
didn't respond he was tensed up, a grimace of pain on his face. After a
moment it passed.

"What about the safeguards Jason installed?" Thomas glanced at his
friend. "Did they break down?"

"Sort of. One of the safeguards was my memory of what he had told me
and what he had done. He made sure that there was nothing there for the
Corps to find. A month ago the memory started to come back. I figured
out, eventually, that the rest of the barriers were kept in place by my
will alone." He nodded to Luke. "The training I have received here has
made it easier. For Jason Ironheart the transitions between levels were
difficult, torturous events. I've learned, though, that I can ease the
discomfort and the risk to the people around me. I have your Academy to
thank for that."

"Don't mention it," Raynar quipped. "Please." No one reacted to the
attempt at humor. "Um, Bester, your friend up there is still waiting
for an answer." Thomas nodded.

"Well then, let's give him one." He closed his eyes and concentrated.
The Jedi could feel his actions through the Force. It was like being
next to a powerful electrical field. They could feel the current
without actually being in contact.

On board the New Republic Frigate, Watch Keeper, the crew began
to stir. They awoke with knowledge of the situation, and what had to be
done. The crews of the other ships in the task force were experiencing
similar awakenings. 

***

"I grow weary of waiting," Bester informed them. "If you do not agree
to my terms immediately, I will open fire."

"By all means," Thomas stepped up to the view screen, which was now
transmitting his image along with that of the rest of the group.
"Fire." Bester opened his mouth to speak, perhaps to give the order,
but all that came out was a surprise squawk as he was nearly tossed out
of his command chair.

"Sir!" one of his officers said, staring at his readings. "We're under
attack. The Grisolm has opened fire on us." Bester gestured to
his communications officer to close the channel, but even as he did the
Nelson rocked again.

The image which replaced the ship's bridge was one of an ensuing space
battle. The NR ships were now firing on the renegade Earth ships. They
were taking a beating though. The Grisolm had switched targets and had
already disabled one of the frigates.

Thomas grimaced. "I've lost control of the Grisolm's gunner.
They're blocking me." All they could do now was watch. The
Grisolm and the Nelson were both heavy cruisers, but the
Sarratoga was an older, Nova class destroyer. It was taking the
heaviest beating, but was still giving a good accounting of itself.

It was a peculiar conflict. The NR ships' energy shields gave them a
distinct advantage, but the sheer firepower brought to bear by the
heavy cruisers and the maneuverability of the destroyer evened the
odds.

A spread of proton torpedoes from the Watch Keeper was vaporized
by the Grisolm's forward interceptors while the frigate's
shields wavered and finally died under the withering fire from the
Nelson. Even as the group watched helplessly, the Watch
Keeper broke apart and died, the second to do so since the battle
began. A second barrage of HE warheads crippled the drive of a third NR
ship. This left only two that could fight effectively, and they were
both being swarmed by enemy fighters. The NR x-wings fought bravely,
but they were outnumbered by the star furies which were a little
slower, but much more maneuverable. 

Even as they watched an x-wing closed on a star fury from behind,
certain of a kill, only to have the enemy fighter spin on it's axis and
fly backwards while concentrating all fire on the surprised x-wing.

"This isn't going at all well," EmTeeDee fretted. Zekk was examining
the Earth ships with a pilot's critical eye.

"Interesting design. They don't have artificial gravity do they?" Henry
shook his head. "Clearly, they've compensated though. Very clever
design indeed."

Lowbacca's concerns were more practical. He told them through EmTeeDee
that he had found a way to get through the jamming. They gathered round
him as he prepared a tight beam transmission to Lando Calrissean's
mining operation in low orbit of the planet Yavin. From there, beyond
the jamming, it could be sent out as a general distress call. The
message was sent a few seconds later, even as, on screen, the
Sarratoga blew apart, the blast destroying several x-wings that
were flying too close.

"That should even the odds a bit," Henry said with some small
satisfaction. "Your troops are tenacious, I'll give them that." None of
the Jedi responded. They looked on grimly or monitored the progress of
the evacuation and the shield repair.

"Can you do anything to help them?" Zekk asked, turning to Thomas. The
telepath shook his head.

"I'm fending off telepathic attacks, and that is taking a great deal of
my attention. I dare not try anything else. If my concentration wavers
your fighter pilots could fall asleep at their controls." He lapsed
into silence, a look of determined concentration on his face.

"We should consider ourselves lucky he can do that," Henry said. "It's
beyond the scope of any one ordinary telepath, even a fully trained
psi-cop." 

"Incoming transmission," the translator droid called, even before
Lowbacca could speak.

"What is it?" Luke asked urgently, moving to the Wookie's side. The
transmission consisted of two words, no encryption. "Cavalry's coming?"
the Jedi master blinked. "What does that mean?" Henry came over to read
the message for himself and grinned.

"Help's on the way." 

Less than a minute after the transmission was received a jump point
opened and two ships emerged. One was an NR heavy cruiser that jumped
directly into the fight, issuing orders to surrender. The Earth ships
showed no interest in doing so. The other was the Santa Maria.

Henry glanced over at Thomas who was showing signs of strain. "Bester
is signaling the cruiser," Zekk said. "Looks like he might be ready to
talk."

"No", Thomas gritted. "Line of sight."

"What?" Luke asked. Thomas doubled over, groaning.

"What's wrong with him?" Raynar asked, worriedly.

"The change," Henry answered, "it's accelerating." He glanced back up
at the screen as the cruiser suddenly changed course and accelerated
toward one of the remaining frigates. "Bester and the other psi-cops
must be manipulating the bridge crew somehow."

"Illusion," Thomas gasped. "They've got the bridge crew confused."

"Can't you do something?" Zekk asked. "They're going to ram that
frigate." Thomas concentrated and the others looked up in alarm as the
temple actually shook.

Thomas used his anger at Bester to focus past the pain and
disorientation. At the moment his abilities were limited, but there was
one close by that could do what needed to be done.
***

Aboard the Santa Maria, Leia Organa-Solo watched in horror as
the cruiser increased speed, apparently intent on ramming the frigate.

"What are they doing?!!" she demanded.

"Calm yourself, madam president," Lyta advised. "I can stop it." She
cocked her head, as if listening and nodded. Her eyes, much to Leia's
surprise, began to glow bright green. The cruiser turned aside at the
last moment. "Now then Mr. Bester. Let's see if you like having your
strings tugged." She concentrated.

Leia watched as, first Lyta and then more and more of her eerily silent
crew turned their eyes toward the screen. Badly wanting to know what
was happening, Leia opened herself to the Force and found herself in
the middle of a storm. It seemed as if a great gale was blowing around
her, threatening to sweep her away. It was the kind of power only the
dark side could raise. The dark, powerful emotions of anger and hate
were driving the storm. Gasping and trembling, she withdrew. 

She stared at Lyta, suddenly wondering what she had gotten into. There
was a huge struggle going on, and there were three distinct areas from
which the storm was being generated. One was aboard the two enemy
ships. It seemed to be a large number of dark Jedi working in concert.
The second was on Yavin 4, at the Academy. Her concern for her children
and brother caused her to reach out again, trying to sense them.
Instead she found herself buffeted about like a leaf in the ongoing
storm, and had to withdraw. The third was standing right beside her.
The woman who had presented herself as Lyta Alexander was pounding her
enemies aboard the alien ships. It was obvious that her abilities in
the Force far exceeded Leia's. It was equally obvious that she had no
reservations about drawing on the dark side of the Force. 

There was something peculiar about the conflict, Leia realized. There
was no physical aspect to it. The battle was being waged on one plane
alone. It was strictly mental. It was just one more puzzling aspect of
the current crisis. When Ms. Alexander had come to her asking help with
this 'Psicorps' problem it had seemed so urgent, especially when she
learned that the Academy might be targeted. One cruiser was all she
could spare on such short notice, fortunately Ms. Alexander had
resources of her own.

Leia approached captain Ta'lon. "There's a battle being waged out
there, fiercer than anything I've seen before." Ta'lon glanced at the
screen. Actually, the battle had all but ended. The ships were only
exchanging occasional salvos now, and none of them had come close in
some time. Then he realized what she meant.

"A mind war?" Leia thought this a curious appellation, but it fit.

"Yes. The crews of those ships out there are caught in the middle.
They're being pulled one way, then another by this struggle between
your boss and her enemies. There must be some way to end this. They
can't survive that for very long." Ta'lon nodded gravely.

"There is one thing we can do." He gestured to his communications
officer. 'Send it now."

***

Luke understood what was happening now. It had taken time to see the
pattern in the chaotic struggle going on above Yavin 4. Thomas and
someone aboard the newly arrived alien vessel were attacking Bester and
his psi-cops. The two were enormously powerful, but they were only
making a token effort to work together. There was brute force and a
fair degree of skill involved, but it wasn't enough. Bester and his
crew fought with amazing tenacity and skill. Either Thomas or the
stranger aboard the ship alone might have been defeated by now, but
they were forcing the dark Jedi, as Luke had come to think of them, to
divide their attention.

Bester and his people worked in concert. Luke thought he detected at
least a dozen minds all coordinating their attacker's defense, working
in concert. It was a stalemate. The constant hurricane like battering
they were taking kept the psi-cops on the defensive. They couldn't
mount an effective, decisive strike against either, but their defense
was so solid and well coordinated that even the combined efforts of
their enemies weren't making any headway.

It couldn't last. Less than 10 minutes before, Thomas had been rendered
almost helpless by the spasms that Henry told them marked the increase
in his powers. It was only a matter of time before another such
increase took him out of the fight for a few crucial seconds. While
Luke understood the conflict there seemed to be nothing he could do to
affect the outcome either way.

He had always avoided using the Force in the way they were using it.
The conflict was, frankly, beyond him. They were using techniques that
were unfamiliar to him, techniques and strategies that seemed to draw
directly from the dark side. He had pulled his students aside to try to
devise a strategy, but the battle had grown so fierce that interfering
at this point would only serve to distract Thomas and whoever was
aboard that other ship. If something didn't happen soon to change the
balance Bester might win.

Then something happened. Three jump points opened and more alien ships
began to emerge. A broadband transmission directed toward Bester's
ships was picked up by all of them.

"This is Earth Alliance warship Rasputin, Captain Susan Ivanova
commanding, to renegade vessels. You are ordered to stand down and
prepare to be boarded. Resist and you will be destroyed."

"Who are they?" Raynar asked for everyone else.

"Earth troops, legitimate ones. Those other ships are White Stars. The
Interstellar Alliance showing support for a member world." Henry smiled
openly for the first time since he had had his first vision. 

Bester's focus wavered. Luke could sense it. Then the focus changed.
Bester attacked. Without warning Thomas whipped around to face them,
his eyes going wide with shock and recognition.

"No! Not again!" Luke was thrust back by an unseen force and thrown
against a wall. Without hesitation Henry stepped forward and slapped
his friend soundly. Thomas' eyes crossed briefly, and then he shook his
head, clearing his mind.

"What?" Then he realized what had happened. "Damn that little…" He
broke off, doubling over in pain. "Not now," he gritted. Suddenly, he
bolted for the door. 

Luke, Henry, and Jacen followed, while the rest continued to work
frantically at their various tasks. They didn't know what he was doing,
but he was clearly in trouble. 

They followed him as he left the temple and began climbing the outside
stairs to the top. Unable to keep up despite Thomas’ evident pain, they
could only watch as he reached the top. He spread his arms and a wave
of raw physical energy expanded from his body, forcing them back. It
passed quickly, but they found that reaching him now would be too
dangerous.

Thomas’ body was surrounded by a crackling corona of energy. Henry
stared, as did the others, in awe, as his form seemed to expand,
gradually losing cohesion as it grew.

"This isn’t possible," Jacen whispered. Henry thought it a rather
foolish statement, but he was too caught up in his own amazement to say
anything. 

***

They were in trouble. Leia could feel it. The attack from the planet
had ceased, and the dark Jedi aboard had turned their full attention
toward Lyta and the ships that were supporting her. When the
Rasputin and the White Stars had arrived a moment ago, it looked
like victory was assured. Then the presence on the surface of Yavin 4
had vanished and now the ships were wallowing.

Captain Ivanova had told her that their gunners couldn’t get solid
target locks on the renegade vessels. Their eyes seemed to blur and
lose focus. The Rangers aboard the White Stars were having a little
better luck. They had fired on the ships with increasing accuracy.

It wasn’t going to be enough. Leia could tell that already.

Then things changed. A massive disturbance in the force, like a shock
wave, rose from the moon’s surface. No, it had come from something
rising from the moon’s surface. She focused on Yavin 4 and could see
point of bright blue light moving fast toward the renegade ships.
Ta’lon came to stand beside her.

"What is that?" Leia shook her head.

"I have no idea, but it shines so brightly in the Force. It seems to
be… bending the Force around it. I’ve never seen anything like it."

The point of light flared and grew and assumed a recognizable, humanoid
shape, looming over the battle. Leia, Ta’lon and everyone else on the
bridge stared, slack-jawed.

"ENOUGH." The voice filled their minds, overpowering and yet
remarkably gentle. "THERE WILL BE NO MORE DEATH TODAY." A huge
hand encompassed the renegade vessels and they blazed brightly for a
moment.

Leia expected the ships to be gone when the light faded, but they
remained, floating helpless in space. "What is that thing?" Leia
whispered as if being afraid it would hear her.

"I think its Thomas," Lyta answered, in an awed tone. "The question is,
what did he do?" There was a sudden change in the atmosphere on the
bridge as if they could feel the weight of the being’s attention.

"I HAVE MADE THEM WHAT THEY DESPISE MOST," a voice in their
mind’s answered. "THEY CAN NO LONGER THREATEN YOU, OR ANYONE."
It seemed to regard them silently for a moment. "GOOD-BYE LYTA. I NO
LONGER HAVE A PLACE HERE. I GO TO JOIN THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED BEYOND THE
RIM. WE WILL MEET AGAIN THOUGH, IN TIME."

***

Bester and his men were quickly collected. Their ships were dead in
space. All vital circuitry, save what was needed for life support had
been melted and fused. The telepaths themselves were in little better
shape. It quickly became obvious to the Mimbari telepaths that had come
to deal with them, that no special accommodations would be necessary.
Their telepathic abilities were gone.

Captain Ivanova, Lyta Alexander, Luke Skywalker and Chief-of-State Leia
Organna-Solo, sat around a small conference table onboard the
Rasputin.

"There’s no doubt," Luke confirmed. "Their link to the Force has been
severed. They are now what they would call ‘norms.’" Ivanova nodded. 

"A fitting end. Of course there’s still a lot of cleanup to do at home,
but when this comes out, the power of the Corps will be broken,
permanently." She turned to Lyta. "You don’t look terribly happy about
that?"

"Hmm? Oh I am. I was just thinking about Thomas. I can still hardly
believe that happened."

"I know what you mean," Ivanonva said. "I’ve seen it before, and I
still have trouble believing it." The others looked at her, astonished.

"Ironheart?" Lyta asked. 

"Yes, I was in Command and Control on B5 when it happened. Amazing."
She shook her head.

"I’d heard rumors of course but…"

"Sinclair had me arrange a little ‘accident’ in data storage. There’s
no record of it. Best it were buried, forgotten." After a moment of
consideration the others nodded. Lyta decided to change the subject.

"What about the girl Bester used against you? Has she recovered?"

"She has," Leia nodded. "Jaina woke up a couple of hours ago. She
doesn’t remember anything since her trip to Corruscant."

"Thomas said he would help her," Luke looked at each of them in turn.
"I guess that was the last thing he did before he left."

"He knew Bester and his methods pretty well," Lyta said thoughtfully.
"If anyone else had done the work, I might be worried about hidden
booby-traps or other surprises. I’m fairly sure Thomas would have
cleared them out though." Leia looked relieved.

"So," Ivanova spoke up, deciding a change of subject was in order,
"What’s next? When I report back to Earth what happened here there will
be those who will move for immediate sanctions against the Psicorps. It
could get ugly." She glanced at Lyta as she said this. The telepath
nodded.

"I’ll be there to do what I can, but the telepath’s who’ve taken refuge
here are out of it. They fled Earth to avoid exactly this type of
conflict, and there are others who want to get away too."

"We can’t delay long," Ivanova reminded her. "Maybe enough time to get
another load of refugees out. Pack up as many as you can. There’ll be
no need to be subtle about it."

"Yes, I’ll do that." She considered the other woman carefully. "What
will you do about the colony?" Ivanova smiled.

"What can I do? Even if rounding up rogue telepaths was in my job
description I don’t know where your colony is, and soon enough, Earth
is going to have more pressing problems than a relative handful of
escapees." Lyta didn’t need to scan her to know she was being truthful.
The grateful look she gave the other woman was heartfelt.

"That only leaves you, madam president. What will the New Republic do?
Now that you know of the anomaly that brought you this new problem?"

"It’s not a problem," Leia shook her head. "What happened here was
regrettable, but I don’t hold you or your people responsible. You are
welcome here. The colony, what did you call it? Camelot? Will receive
as much or as little help as you like." She looked to her brother.
"Perhaps the Jedi Academy will be able to help some of your people."
Luke nodded.

"The Academy always welcomes new students and the New Republic will
have a shortage of Jedi knights for some time to come. Our training can
help the telepaths you bring here to learn how to better defend
themselves if ever someone like Bester comes here again." Lyta nodded
thoughtfully. 

"There are those who would take that offer, I’m sure." She smiled.
"Besides," she said, in a rare display of whimsy, "what would Camelot
be without knights to protect it?"

THE END