Dawn of Forever, Part XXXIV

Main Unity Dawn of Forever

Sebastian wasn't in the kind of condition to run, but he did the best that the cane and the sands of the desert allowed. He almost fell over as he drew to a halt a few meters away, then walked up slowly. Mrs. Sunspring was there, and she turned and hugged Sebastian tight enough to nearly bruise a rib. "Gavin tried to stop them," she lamented.

Sebastian just shook his head and squeezed back. "This is my fault, Jenna," he said. "They did this to get to me. I'm so sorry."

"Just make them pay, Bastian," Mrs. Sunspring said. She had murder in her eyes. "Make them pay!" She turned and embraced her husband, who led her away.

Sebastian looked into the empty hole. Janet stood respectfully back, as did General Marnisch, who had insisted on coming personally in case any Sith had remained behind, even though there were a number of guards around the area. The Klingon views of the dead probably made this an alien experience, but he must have understood the depravity of this act. Sebastian walked up to the gravestone, read his wife's name, and wept. It's not enough that they took you away from me, he thought, they had to defile your grave. I'm so sorry sweetie... I'm so sorry that they keep using you to get to me. "We're sure the Sith were responsible?" Sebastian asked.

Janet nodded. "The Sunsprings said they had lightsabers; I can't imagine any Jedi doing this."

"No." Sebastian rubbed the gravestone delicately, his hand trembling as he did so. He snatched it away and pulled out his commlink and contacted the Borg Queen. "The production data the Imperials provided, did it include the blueprints for the Arakyd Viper probe droid?"

"Yes," the Queen answered.

"I want us to convert a factory over for manufacture, right now. I want them in hyperspace saturating the Delta Quadrant."

"It will take several weeks-"

"Not weeks," Sebastian said. "Days, you hear me? I don't care what it takes, do it!" He thumbed the commlink off and jammed it back into his pocket. "The Oracle thinks she can play mind games with me?" he asked, pointing at Janet. "She thinks she can f*ck with me and get away with it?! With me?! This is it, Janet, this is the last kriffing straw! We're gonna melt the planet out from under her!"

"Prefect-" Marnisch said.

"She has no idea what she's in for!" Sebastian said.

"Prefect!" Marnisch said, grabbing him by both shoulders and holding him steady. "Listen to me!" Sebastian halted his rant for the moment. "I understand the righteous anger that burns in you! And I swear to you that we will find the woman who would dishonor your wife's memory and kill her for this outrage!" He looked into Sebastian's eyes and nodded slowly. "But that is not for today, prefect. Today you said you would lead us in battle against the Vong. You will right this wrong another day, I promise you, but today save your hatred for the Vong... let the Oracle witness the punishment that comes to those who earn your ire... let her quake in anticipation of your vengeance!"

Sebastian took a deep breath through his teeth, then nodded. "You're right, of course. Later... she'll be dealt with later."

"And harshly," Marnisch added.

"General."

"Yes, prefect," Marnisch said.

Sebastian looked up at the Klingon with hatred on his every feature. "Today is a good day for Vong to die."

Marnisch gave that sinister, toothy grin the Klingons were famous for. "As you command, prefect."

The door to Annika's cell opened; a Sith waited for her. "Come," she said, and Annika obeyed, because there was nothing to be gained by resisting. The Oracle had been paying little attention to her lately, which was good in some ways, bad in others. If her attentions were elsewhere, she was probably fixated on a problem, and bringing Annika meant she'd likely reached a point where a Borg's skill could come in handy. Saying no to her now, after the fury of Ben's defeat, was probably going to be very unpleasant if not fatal. Annika would just have to remain resolute; with the pendulum swinging back their way, any edge she gave the Oracle could be a catastrophe for the galaxies, possibly the universe itself.

She was brought to the Oracle's lab, where most of the other Sith stood gathered in silence. The Oracle herself was fussing over her equipment and didn't even bother speaking to anyone. Annika crossed her arms and stood silently; no sense speeding things up. However, if she'd been so inclined, the sight that soon followed would have stricken her silent anyway.

Ben Skywalker pushed a familiar coffin through the doorway of the room. It was black, its highly-polished surface now scuffed dull by sand and time, the crimson Imperial symbol faded almost orange. Ben adjusted the repulsorlift and the coffin was cropped in a mostly standing position against the wall. "Open it," the Oracle ordered. Ben visibly swallowed, then threw the lid opened. Annika turned and threw up, partly from the smell, mostly from the sight of what greeted her. Even the Sith were shuffling uncomfortably.

The Oracle, or course, was all business. She activated some equipment, and a low hum began, shifting into a dull whine. Then came the sound of crackling energy and discharges, and then a sizzling sound. Annika snuck a glance and saw what she'd expected... the cadaver was becoming less and less decayed as the seconds passed. The soupy substance in the bottom of the casket began absorbing into the body. Openings in the flesh sealed. As it neared the finish, there was absolutely no doubt left as to who this was - Jorielle Sunspring Skywalker.

The machine died down, and the process ceased. She still looked dead, but freshly dead, just like Ben had been after the duel, and it was obvious what that meant. Annika was heavily conflicted. On the one hand, she knew the Oracle would never do this for any reason unless it somehow furthered her cause, and that meant it was bad for the galaxies. But on the other, Jorri was Seven's daughter-in-law, which as far as Annika was concerned made her the daughter she'd never had. She'd always found the girl to be a good friend for her son, and when he had asked her to be more than that, Annika had been thrilled. She had never bothered hiding her affection for Jorri, especially after Annika was hospitalized and she was the only family that could visit, and to have her back was almost as much a boon for herself as it would be for her son.

"Captain," Annika said, "please." All eyes, including the Oracle's, turned to her. "Leave her alone. Let her rest."

The Oracle strode, silent except for her footsteps, which seemed to echo like the hoofbeats of a coming apocalypse. She stopped, inches from where Annika stood. "What will you do for me in return?"

"I can't help you," Annika said. "I can't. Just, please, for whatever friendship we might have once had, please don't do this. That poor girl has had to suffer enough."

The Oracle's voice was almost like an escape of pressurized steam. "I disagree." She leaned in closer. "There's much more suffering to come if any choose to oppose me."

"Kathryn, please," Annika said. "I'm begging you-"

"No you're not," the Oracle said.

Annika paused, then got down on her knees, bowing her head. "You have the power," she admitted. "You can do this terrible thing to her, and I can't stop you... no one can. Please, Kathryn, please! Don't do it! Let her have the peace she's found!"

"Then join with me, Annika," the Oracle said.

Annika shook her head. "I can't do that!"

The Oracle grabbed Annika's throat and pulled her to her feet until their eyes were even. "Then it's all just words," she rumbled. "And while the sight of you on your knees may be amusing, Seven, entertainment isn't going to conquer the galaxy in the name of the Sith." She pushed Annika away and stormed towards the corpse. Her hand reached out and a hypospray flew into it from off the bench, and she put it to her own throat. A hiss, and the hypospray dropped from her shaking fingers. The Oracle's whole body began to tremble, and then came the burst, same as before, light and energy and wind and screams oh the screams and Annika could only lean against the wall in helplessness as the dark Force magics were unleashed. And then, just as quickly, the storm ended, and they all stared at Jorri.

But Jorri never moved.

The Oracle seemed puzzled, then reached out and tried to take a pulse on the wrist, then on the neck. She glowered at the corpse, as if it were Jorri's fault that she hadn't come back to life. "You shot her with a starship cannon," she said to Ben, eyes never leaving the cadaver.

"Yes, master," Ben said.

"Nothing else. You didn't do anything to her before or after... nothing with the Force."

"I shot her, that's all," Ben said.

"Perhaps it's because she was embalmed," Molly said. "That's standard-"

"No, you twit!" the Oracle said. "Her body has been restored to physical condition before she suffered her fatal injuries. It's pristine. All that's required is the infusion of life into it..."

"Have you-"

"Be silent!" the Oracle said, and the Sith unconsciously all took a step away from her. "You," she said, pointing a gnarled digit at Annika, "come here." Annika did so, but when she got within reach, the Oracle grabbed her by the throat and began crushing her windpipe. Annika resisted, but the grip was superhuman. Spots began to appear before her eyes, but then she was tossed to the floor. "No," the Oracle said, "no, you're an anomaly. That would prove nothing." She turned instead and her arm flashed out, grabbing Triss. "But you're about the same age. You'll do just fine." She gave a twist and the Sith's neck snapped, and she dropped lifelessly to the floor.

"Ben," she said, and the mere mention of his name caused him to flinch. "Get Skywalker's corpse out and put it on the bench over there. Di'Bol, Mareth, put our Mistryl in the coffin and close it, then place it on the floor." No one thought to disobey or question what had happened; they had enough of a sense of self-preservation to know better. When they were done, a sheet was placed over the coffin, then the Oracle went to work at her equipment. Annika slipped over to where Jorri's body lay. She had been too sick to attend the funeral... she hadn't had a chance to say goodbye. She put her hand on the swell of the girl's belly and cried quietly for mother and daughter.

Annika turned her attention back for a moment as energy crackled, and the coffin vanished from sight. The Oracle gave some orders to the Sith, but Annika wasn't listening; her attention was again on the fallen girl, so much so that she jerked up in surprise when the Oracle stepped to the other side of the bench. There was hatred in those sunken eyes. "Did you interfere?" the Oracle demanded.

"If I could interfere, I wouldn't have been on my knees," Annika said.

The Oracle seemed less than convinced. "If I find out that you did," she warned, "and you don't tell me.... I'll torture her to death in front of you again and again. I don't have time for meddling!" Annika said nothing, and the Oracle grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the lab.

Han Solo walked down the ramp of the Falcon, closely followed by Kilana and Roger, then paused. He'd never seen the inside of a Borg ship in person, and even with all that had changed he was less than thrilled at the sight of it. The massive docking facility where he'd landed the Falcon was swarming -and Han felt that was a perfect word for the situation- with Borg drones. The sheer number of tasks were staggering, and they went about it with slow, deliberate motions, including the work they were doing on the troop carriers being prepped. "I will never get used to this," he said under his breath. "Even having stormtroopers around I could learn to tolerate, but this..."

"I've never actually seen one in person," Roger remarked. "I wonder if they have an extensible limb as well." Han turned and gave him a look that Roger no doubt had become used to. "They embrace the advantages of mechanics," was all he offered.

"You stay here," Han said. "Get the ship taken care."

"The drones-" Roger began.

"I'm not letting those damn things anywhere near my ship," Han said sharply. "Just get her refueled so we can get out of here."

"Why do I have to do it?" Roger said. "It's because I'm a droid, isn't it? How typical."

"Sebastian's an old friend," Kilana explained. "I just wanted to check up on him. And Han's the point man on this, so he needs to speak to Sebastian in person. Don't take this the wrong way."

"Hmph," Roger said, which was odd sounding because he actually pronounced it. "Just run along and do your humanoid things without me then. I'll toil away down here with the cyborgs."

Janet Fields exited the turbolift as Han and Kilana started walking over. "Mr. Solo, Ms. Kilana, the prefect's been expecting you. Please follow me." She led them into the turbolift. "The Alliance is preparing for a major incursion against the Vong," she explained, "so I'm afraid Mr. Skywalker won't have a great deal of time."

"How is Sebastian doing?" Kilana asked.

Janet seemed uncomfortable, but knew about Solo and Kilana. "He's been under a great deal of pressure, and the news about his wife's grave hasn't helped matters. But, he's a professional; he's going to go ahead with his duty as Alliance Prefect regardless of his personal feelings."

"I'd imagine he's pretty angry right now," Han said.

"He has a lot to be angry about, Mr. Solo." The turbolift opened and she led them out and down the hall, which was good because the layout made the place look like a labyrinth. They passed through a dozen doors until they had no chance of finding their way back, until finally Sebastian was revealed, looking over several holograms. He turned, smiled and hugged them both.

"Glad to see you," Sebastian said. "It's been too long."

"There's a lot of things that need doing," Han said. "And not all of them can be done with patrols and sensors and politics."

"True," Sebastian said. "Things are really busy so I don't have much time; are you sure you can't stay-"

"We've got to get moving while our leads are hot," Han interrupted.

"You still believe the Imperials were behind the Death Star?" Sebastian said. "I really don't think they'd do something this foolish."

"Kid, I've learned one thing: assuming someone won't do something foolish is a quick way to a quicker death."

Sebastian gave a dismissive shrug. "If that's what you feel, I'll help however I can."

"We have a lead taking us to Danoob," Kilana said. "But we haven't been able to follow up."

"Ah, the Core," Sebastian said. "Probably under control of one of the remnants."

"Yeah," Han said. "It's way outside Borda's influence. We were hoping maybe you could do something."

Sebastian limped over to the table and picked up a datapad. "Gorren and I uncovered a mole on Danoob a few years back; he gave us a pile of useful intel on Alexis' organization in exchange for his freedom. Last I heard he's still there, and I'm sure the Imperial ruler wouldn't be happy knowing a traitor was in their midst. You can probably get him to help you in return for silence."

"What's his name?" Han asked.

"Bohls, Den Bohls," Sebastian said, passing the datapad over. "Also, do you know Frin Dade? Corulag?"

"Dade, Dade," Han snapped his fingers. "Smuggler, right?"

"He owes me a favor," Sebastian said. "He can sneak you into Imperial space without a problem. One of the best I've ever seen."

Han slipped the datapad into his vest pocket. "Thanks, kid." Sebastian laughed a little. "What?"

"Family," Sebastian said. "It doesn't matter if you command the most powerful army in the galaxy, you're still just that runny-nosed toddler."

Han looked down a little embarrassed. "Sorry, got my mind a thousand light-years away. You've done good k- Sebastian. Your old man would be proud." They embraced again. "Sorry we've got to run, but we know you're busy and we've got our own missions to take care of." Kilana and Sebastian exchanged a few words, then they said their goodbyes, and Janet led them back to the turbolift. They took it down alone. "I'm worried about him," Han confessed.

"He's holding up fine," Kilana said.

"He's going to snap," Han said. "I've seen it before. He's trying to carry the weight of the galaxy."

"He's got to unite us," Kilana said. "He knows that, that's why he has to do it."

Han held up a finger. "Remember what Kalib said about prophecies. Sebastian's going to unite us, that's what they say."

"Yeah? So?"

There was a glimmer of fear in his eyes. "What if it's because we're united against him?"

Kilana's breath froze for a moment. "He wouldn't do that," she said finally.

"He's a good kid," Han said. "But he's been pushed to the edge, and now he's got the responsibility of running all this, and Jaina says that he admits he's approaching darkness."

"I won't accept that," Kilana said sharply. "He's a good man, he won't cross that line. Just like with the Borg... maybe for a while he gave in, but it didn't last. Maybe he picked up a few things from his mother with them, but obviously he's much more like his father."

Han looked down, showing the weariness of his age. "That's what I'm afraid of."

Go To Part XXXV
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