NOTICE: IF YOU HAVE NOT READ XJEDI VOL. ONE YOU WILL 
BE SOOOOO LOST THAT ANY ATTEMPT TO READ THIS BEFORE 
READING SAID WILL BE A PURE LIVING NIGHTMARE! YOU 
HAVE BEEN WARNED. VOL. ONE IS AT :
       gossamer.eng.ohio-state.edu 
       ftp.cs.nmt.edu 
       http://www.ftech.net/~monark/starwars/sw.htm 
       (starwars web page!)
OR YOU CAN JUST E ME... (74363.2566@compuserve.com) 


Disclaimer: 
     Most of the characters in this story belong to someone else. 
Specifically, Mulder, Scully, Skinner and certain other characters 
that true philes will definitely recognize all belong to Fox, 
Tenthirteen, Chris Carter respective actors or their mothers, 
estates, rich aunts, basically not to me. Also, Luke, Leia, Han, 
Chewie, etc., etc., true...<what do we Star Wars types call
ourselves?> well, you know who you are, you'll recognize the ones
from the galaxy far, far away. They belong to George Lucas and/or
LucasArts. But, I say all this to say, hey guys (and gals, it's
multiple choice) they don't belong to me, and none of the above
mentioned organizations even know who I am, much less gave me
permission. I am making no money on this and no infringement is
intended.  

     Also, any and all medical facts are derived from my trusty home 
medical advisor or my imagination. In other words, I made it up. So 
please, don't try this at home.

     And a very very big *THANKS*!! to Ainsley for editing. :)  I 
have seen the err of my ways and it ain't pretty.
                         
Once again, feedback is appreciated and welcomed. So complaints, 
criticism, oohs and aahs, outright flames, hugs, threats, screams, and 
anything else you can think of that I haven't covered, should be 
addressed to me: 74363.2566@compuserve.com    
 
 


Part 7 Volume 2

                              XJEDI
                                 by Jackee C.

                          BREAKING THE WAY
                          ----------------

<GFFA>  CEstallian System 


     Luke Skywalker piloted the small V-Eiker luxury craft into the
misty upper atmosphere of CEstallia, marveling at the hazy blue fog
that seemed to cling to the ship. CEstallia had few natural resources
that would have been in demand by the Empire. Luke supposed that 
was why it had been left alone, aside from the taxes, of course.

      The geological make up of the planet was unlike any Luke had
ever visited. It was a dual star system, yet the suns didn't appear
to burn away the heavy mists in the upper atmosphere. When the 
craft broke through the mists, a beautiful panorama opened before 
him. There were waterfalls everywhere, shining like glimmering steps 
among islands of land. The effect was beautiful. Some of the falls 
stood nearly into the mist of the upper atmosphere. The suns served 
to give the world a softly lit haziness.

      Immediately upon breaking through the blanket of mist, Luke felt
a profound peacefulness. He wondered if the telepathic race below
were projecting these feelings for the benefit of the children; they
could certainly use it, judging by their fear and disorientation when
he'd first met them. 

      A tracking beam directed the ship to the side of the larger of
the falls within Luke's view. Curious as to the reaction of the
children, Luke activated the ship's internal monitors. Two New
Republic doctors had accompanied Luke on the trip due to slight
variances in human and CEstallian physiology as well as to examine
the odd scars the children had received. Threepio was also along.

      The children were all watching the planet through the external 
monitors, awed. Luke smiled at that; he was awed himself. He 
wouldn't have been surprised to see unicorns dancing around the 
pools beneath the falls. 

      "CEstallian to V-Eiker," sounded over the comm system.
 
      Luke activated the channel for a reply, "CEstallian," he
returned, "this is V-Eiker, receiving you loud and clear." He replied
in the same manner as the speaker had spoken. But, he didn't know 
why the person had said 'CEstallian' instead of 'CEstallia'. He filed it
away. 

     "A delegation will meet you once you are in the landing port.
Welcome to our World, honored one." 

     Honored one? Luke thought. What had Leia told these people? 
They had taken no interest in the Empire as far as he knew, and even 
less in the rebellion.

     The information package that Leia had provided told him that 
this planet was ruled by a council, and tended to keep matters within
its society personal, and felt that others should do the same. It
was rare for a CEstallian to leave the home system, rarer still for
them to take sides in any battle or skirmish. The package had gone 
back 
500 years. It seemed that before that time there was little information 
regarding this mysterious race. For the past one hundred years,
though, people had brought their mentally damaged to CEstallia.

     The CEstallians prided themselves on their understanding of the
mind. Not only humanoid, but an extreme variety of other species as
well. The holo-images provided with the package showed the
CEstallians to be human in appearance, except for the unusual gray
eyes they all possessed. There also seemed to have a deep affinity
for their planet, since the CEstallians didn't wish to die or be 
buried elsewhere. 

     The space port itself, though carved out of the rock of the falls,
was thoroughly modern. Its walls were molded with gleaming plasteel,
and had serveral dozen landing stations and a transparent transport
tube system built into the molding. The transports' running lights
could be seen as they shot along their individual courses.  

      Threepio was ordered to remain with the ship due to the 
CEstallians' aversion to off world droids, even with a restraining
bolt. Threepio's services as a translator would not be needed,
anyway, since the comlinks he'd programmed as translators were
working fine. Each person wore their own personal link on their
lapels, including the New Republic doctors and Luke. Threepio had
taken care that a CEstallian language program was installed as well
as Basic.

     As the group exited the ship, they found that an honor guard
waited beyond the docking doors. The children's eyes widened even
more when a gold walkway shimmered into appearance through the 
middle of the guard. 

     A man dressed in flowing robes stepped around the guard and
approached. "Welcome," he said in accented Basic, arms spread 
wide to encompass all of the group. "I am Arric of Council CEstallian. 
I  will be your escort. If you will follow me." He turned and led the 
group through the guard and into one of the transport tubes. 

     Once they were inside the tube, Arric focused shimmering gray
eyes on Luke. The doctors and the children faded to the background 
of Luke's perception as Arric spoke softly to him. 

     <The Matriarch wishes to speak privately with you. A meeting has
been arranged and you will join her for refreshments after the
children and your associates are settled. The Matriarch wishes that
this meeting be kept confidential. You will comply.> Arric then
turned away from Luke and pressed a button in the wall. 

     Luke blinked, feeling almost as if he had been let go. He looked
at his traveling companions, but no one else seemed to have noticed
anything out of the ordinary. Luke didn't sense any deception from the
man, only a quiet sense of duty and professionalism. He would go
when they came for him, if for no other reason than curiosity. 

     The transport tube settled on a level that seemed only slightly
lower than the docking bay. Arric lead the group out of the lift,
down a hall and into the suite of rooms reserved for the children. To
Luke's surprise, they all adjoined. There were fourteen rooms, one for
each of the children and the young woman. 

     The rooms met in a large semi-circle. The central room contained 
toys that put more sparkles, if that were possible, in the children's
eyes. The rooms that filled the other half of the circle were an
eating area, rooms for the New Republic doctors and a room that 
Luke couldn't quite figure out the purpose of. It was just a big empty 
room. On a whim, he sent a mental question to Arric, <What's this 
room for?>

     Arric looked vaguely surprised for a second before answering him,
again mentally. <This is the imaging room. What you would call an
operating room. This is where we will heal their minds.>


*   *   *   *   *   *


     Luke's quarters were separate from those of the children and the 
doctors'. He'd asked Arric the reason for this on the way to his 
quarters and had received the reply that he was not a part of their 
circle of recovery. Had Luke been placed within their circle, the 
children would see his departure as an empty hole in their world. 
Arric said that it was vital for their circle to remain intact. 

     Now, Luke waited. Arric had left him nearly twenty minutes
earlier. So he decided to do some meditating. Since he wasn't sure
what to expect from the Matriarch that Arric had mentioned, he felt
it was best to at least be calm and relaxed when the time came. 

     Closing his eyes, Luke reached out to the force and allowed his
mind to drift among those who'd arrived with him. The doctors were in
conversation with one of the CEstallian doctors. The children were
being entertained; Luke couldn't help but to smile at that. Then, he 
reached further, trying to get a deeper feel of the place. 

     "STOP!" 

     Luke's eyes flew open. Who had said that? He looked around the
room. There was no one there, only silence. 

     A door chime broke the silence. "Enter," Luke called after a
final once over of the room. 

     A pair of guards stepped into the room. "You will come with us," 
one of them announced. 



<...?>  Somewhere in space, Millennium Falcon


     Scully, Mulder and Rae all stared at one another in shock as the
whine died down outside the ship.  

     "If I click my heels three times do you think we'd be home?"
Mulder asked, slipping into Mulder-mode. 

     "Couldn't hurt." Rae said from the spot on the floor on which
she'd landed after Mulder had pushed her onto this vessel. 

     "We need to stabilize this man," Scully told the two of them,
looking again at her patient. He was looking alarmingly pale. "I'm
going to look around to see if I can find some first aid." 

     "I'll help you," Rae said, getting up from the floor. 

     Mulder looked around the room, taking in the various panels and
odds and ends. "This must be the hooptie of spaceships," he 
murmured. "But, somebody has to be flying this thing." He didn't 
see anything that, to him, even remotely, resembled first aid. He 
wandered along a white walled corridor into a large open room, eyes 
scanning the various panels and unidentified mechanisms, seeing 
nothing at all familiar. 

     The corridor continued on the other side of the room, Mulder
followed it. This corridor was not nearly as bright as the other had
been. He debated drawing his weapon from its holster, then dismissed
it. He was the invader here, after all.

     The corridor opened into another room, smaller than the one that
led to the ramp. Mulder's eyes passed over the many objects, some
vaguely familiar, some downright strange. A bunk with a locker
beneath it gave him pause. It somehow seemed a likely place for
supplies. 

     Mulder opened the locker. At a glance the contents looked
useful. He pulled the locker out from beneath the bed and through the
corridor and back to the ramp room. "Scully, I think I've found
something," he called to his partner, who was back at her patient's
side.  

     The words were barely out of his mouth before a beeping sounded
and a strange rolling sound came from the doorway he'd just passed
through. The round barrel shaped body of a white and blue robot 
rolled into the room. 

     It focused its huge red light...eye? from Mulder to Scully. All
the humans in the room froze; Mulder was half bent over the locker.
The robot continued to make the strange squawks and beeps, that to
the humans sounded disturbingly menacing. 

     When its squawks grew in intensity, Scully instinctively huddled
closer to her patient. The robot began to rock agitatedly back and
forth. A panel in its body slid open, from which a three pronged
appendage slowly extended. 

     Scully's eyes widened in alarm as she looked at Mulder. The
robot continued to roll threatningly forward. She saw Mulder slowly
ease into a standing position behind the robot, who continued to
make the strange squawks and beeps at her. Scully looked back 
at the robot, careful not to make any sudden moves. She didn't 
want to upset the thing any more than it already was. 

     Suddenly an electric charge shot out of its arm and struck
Scully's shoulder. "Oww!," she shrieked, jumping back and rubbing 
her shoulder. "It shocked me!" 

     Mulder pulled his gun and aimed it at the thing. "Stay back!" he
yelled at the robot as he stepped around to face it. Rae ducked
behind him. 

     The robot's barrel shaped body rolled forward, throwing another
bolt of electricity at Mulder's hand. He dropped the gun. The robot
continued to roll forward, beeping and squawking nastily.

     Mulder pushed the two women behind him and continued to back 
away from the thing. He noticed that there was what appeared to be a
doorway behind them. If they could slip inside maybe they could find
a weapon of some kind.  

     Scully steered Rae toward the doorway, her thoughts echoing
Mulder's. When the door slid open behind them, they immediately
ducked inside. Scully and Mulder hid along each side of the door. Rae
ducked behind Mulder's side. Scully held her gun aloft in the ready
position, while Mulder searched for anything he might use as a weapon
as they waited for the robot to enter the doorway. All were stunned
when the door slid shut with a gentle swish.

     A span of a few seconds passed and the door didn't open. Scully
and Mulder looked at one another, realization dawning. They had 
been trapped! Outsmarted by a robot!

     "I can't believe it!" Mulder exclaimed, as he tried stepping
before the door that refused to open. He tried to push it open, and
Rae and Scully joined in. It didn't work. 

     After a minute Rae gave up and leaned against the door. Her
hands were on her knees and her head bowed, hair blocking her face. 
Both Scully and Mulder eyed each other uncomfortably as Rae's
shoulders began to shake. 

     Scully accepted the responsibility of dealing with crying
clients...witnesses...whatever Rae was.

     Stooping over, she placed a hand on her shoulder. "Rae, honey,
it's okay. We're going to get out of this. I know it looks a little
bleak right now, but you've got to have faith." 

     Rae's shoulders shook even more. Scully gave Mulder a desperate
look; this wasn't working. Just then, Rae stood up. Tears streamed
down her face, but she wasn't crying. She was laughing, so hard that 
she was choking.

     "You guys," she got out between giggles, "I'm so sorry," she
covered her face with her hands. "When I get really nervous or
scared...I laugh." She continued to laugh hysterically leaning
against the door. "I mean," she tried to talk again, "look at us."
She waved her arms around the room, "We're stuck on a runaway 
space ship, trapped in a...a closet, by a little white robot!"

     "Are you smacking her or am I?" Mulder asked.

     Scully looked over at Rae still giggling against the door as if 
considering her partner's proposal. Then, coming to the realization
that Mulder was seriously awaiting her reply, her brows went up in
surprise. "Mulder-" she started warningly, but she never got a chance
to finish her statement. Because suddenly, the entire ship shuddered
with a sickening BANG! 

     Both Agents' eyes widened. Rae, whose laughter had calmed 
to the occasional giggle, froze for a full second before bursting out 
again. Scully and Mulder sighed and turned away. What else could 
possible go wrong today?

*   *   *   *   *   *

     An hour later they could still hear the occasional mournful beep
and whistle coming from the other room. 

     Rae, who had managed to calm herself, now sat in a corner,
asleep, arms propped on her upraised knees. Mulder and Scully
mirrored Rae's position, having thoroughly checked the room for
anything that might help to get the door open. The search had been
fruitless, save for something that resembled a towel. Mulder had
taken the opportunity to clean what he could of the soot off of his
face and hands. He had a feeling his shirt was a total loss. The
smell of burnt warehouse now clung to the air in the small room.

     "You think our friend out there is a doctor?" Mulder asked, head
still down on his knees. 

     "Dunno," Scully shrugged, even though no one was looking. 

     "Think he has any food? I'm *really* hungry." 

     "What?" Scully taunted in an exhausted voice. "No seeds?"

     "Oh yeah..." Mulder said, searching through his pockets. 

     Scully looked up with interest. When Mulder pulled the half
filled zip lock from his pocket, she scooted near him. She placed her
open palm before him. 

     "You, Scully?" Mulder spoke, pretending shock.

     "I'm starving Mulder; don't make me wrestle you for those,"
Scully replied, only half serious.

     "Oooh, don't tempt me," Mulder said as he grinned and dumped
some seeds into his hand and then handed the bag to Scully.

     "What do you think they do for a trash can around here?" Mulder
asked around a mouthful of seeds. 

     Scully shrugged. "I was gonna use your pockets..." 

     "Oh no," Rae spoke from the corner, raising her head from her
knees. "I was really counting on this being a *really* bad dream. No
offense to you guys," she added. Then she saw what they were doing.
"Food!" she exclaimed, scooting closer. 

     Scully passed the bag to Rae. 

     "Where are you guys putting the shells?" Rae asked. 

     "Mulder's pockets..." Scully said gesturing toward him. 

     "Hey, I object!" Mulder said, trying to defend himself.

     "Shhh..." Scully said suddenly, "Do you hear that?" 

     They listened for a second. Then they heard...voices. Seeds
forgotten, all three sprang to their feet and immediately began to
pound on the door and yell. 
  

XJEDI  part 8 (vol. 2)



     Coruscant, Imperial Palace


     Leia Organa Solo was back to worrying. Luke had been gone for 
hours and still there was no sign of Han. Of course, it wasn't unlike
Han to be off doing something and then to forget the time. Yet...

     A soft chime sounded at the message center of her desk. "Yes,"
she answered it, after pressing a button in the panel in an upper 
corner of her desk. 

     "Madame Organa Solo, there is an incoming urgent personal 
message for you. Do you wish it delivered to your home computer or 
your office?" The mechanized voice of the message delivery droid 
ended with a soft click, which indicated the call was being recorded. 

     "Send it through to my office computer," Leia said, hope 
stirring. Perhaps this was word from Han. 

     "Very well," the voice responded before breaking the connection. 

     Leia chewed her lip as she waited anxiously for the file to make 
its way through the complex mail system of New Republic 
Headquarters. Because of the very real possibility of files being 
contaminated with virus bombs, each piece of incoming mail was 
thoroughly scanned.

     Before the computer could completely flash 'message ready', Leia 
punched the open file switch. It was a brief message from Han and 
Chewbacca. It read: 

     -POINT OF ORIGIN ALPHA
     CODE GRID: 30-12-17-3-2-22

Immediately following were a standard set of coordinates for their
heading. There was no further information. The time read twenty four 
hours earlier. 

     Twenty four hours and no word. Something was wrong--Leia could
feel it. Still hopeful, Leia searched the data base for the location the
coordinates represented. The information proved to be less than
helpful. It was a point in space, not a planet or star for light
years. Leia toyed with the idea of going out to those coordinates
herself, but then decided to talk to Luke first. His stronger force
ability would reach past the anxiety she was feeling. 

     Clearing the screen, she pulled rank and put in the very
expensive Interstellar call to the CEstallian system.


     CEstallia, somewhere in Central City.


     Luke was led to the outside of a room with a plain, white,
manually operated door. The guards led him there and then left
without a word. They walked to the end of the long hall and stationed
themselves there near the transport tube. 

     <Open the door, young man. It won't bite you,> A voice said to
Luke. He looked up at the door. It seemed to be made of wood, a very 
ancient practice. Grasping the knob, he turned it and pushed. Nothing 
happened. The knob turned but the door wouldn't budge. 

     A small chuckle sounded, <No, *open* the door. *See* what's
inside.>

     Luke frowned. What was going on in this place? Who was it that
was speaking to him? 

     <Use the force, young Skywalker.> the voice whispered.

     Luke gave up on understanding the game, closed his eyes and
reached out to the force... 

     A gentle breeze ruffled his hair and the soft scent of delicate 
flowers drifted over him. <I am CEstallia, Matriarch of CEstallian, 
come in, young man.>

     Luke opened his eyes. He was still outside the door. When he 
turned the knob this time the door opened. Cautiously, he stepped 
across the threshold. 

     A small featured woman with long shimmering silver hair stood
near an open window. A gentle breeze blew into the room bringing  
with it the smell of the delicately scented flowers that grew along 
the fall. The woman sat staring directly at Luke as he stepped 
fully into the room. Her eyes were the same shimmering silver gray 
as her hair. There was no dark pupil. 

     In one moment, she looked ancient, the next like a young girl.
Her skin looked as young and full as an infant's. Luke had absolutely 
no idea how old this woman might be.

     <Young Skywalker, Yoda has told me of you, I knew that someday 
we would meet.> 

     Luke looked at her in stunned amazement, "You knew Y- " he got
out before she silenced him with a hand. 

     <These are things we must not speak of aloud. One never knows
when the ears of the enemy are listening.>

     Luke nodded. 

     "Come," she said aloud, "let's have some tea."  <It will tell you
the story that I have kept for so long> she added. "It's probably not
what you're used to at home, CEstallian tea is unique. <You will feel
dizzy for a second, but it will pass quickly.>

     Luke took the tea she offered and sipped it. The warm, fruity 
smelling steam tickled his nose. 

     "Why don't we sit near the windows and enjoy the view?" 
CEstallia suggested. 

     Two lounge chairs sat near another window. As Luke approached,
the room began to slowly tilt. The tea cup slipped from Luke's hand 
in what to his mind was slow motion; it seemed an eternity before the
cup reached the floor. <Sorry dear, one has to guess at the 
constitution of certain humanoids. Let me help you.> He heard 
CEstallia's apology clearly. 

     If Luke hadn't been concentrating so hard on standing up, he
would have wondered if that was some sort of insult. He felt
CEstallia grasp him about the waist and help him to sit gently down.
He turned to thank her, but found he couldn't keep his eyes open. 


     <There, that's right, close your eyes.>


     
     Millennium Falcon



     "Wait a minute, you guys," Rae said, breaking off from her part
in trying to get the attention of whoever was speaking on the other
side of the door. "Look at this." She pointed to a faint edge in the
wall near the door. 

     Both Scully and Mulder quickly lost interest in what was proving
to be a futile effort, anyway. The voices simply continued as their
cries went unheard.

     "It looks like a panel of some kind," Scully said, stepping in
for a closer examination. The edges faintly formed a rectangular
outline. 

     "Well, let's open it," Rae said, reaching into her pocket. She
smiled in satisfaction as she pulled out her multitool. She'd always 
figured that one day the little gadget would come in handy. 

     Scully raised an eyebrow when she saw what Rae had in her hand.
She kept one just like it in her purse.  

     Rae pried at the faint edges of the panel with the knife section.
She was only able to get up an edge, just enough to see faint green
and red light flickering beyond. 

     "Hey! I think this is some kind of control panel," Rae said,
excited. "I just can't seem to get it all the way up," she gritted
as the panel popped back into place. 

     "Let me try it," Mulder said, reaching for the knife. 

     Rae handed it over reluctantly. She'd wanted to be the one to
open it. After all, things like this had been part of her job. 'Had
been was right' and inner voice replied. Rae forcefully pushed the 
thoughts of work away. It only reminded her of how turned upside 
down her life had become in the course of 24 hours. She was not 
ready to deal with that. 

     Mulder examined the area that Rae had worked on. He placed 
a hand on the rectangular surface for leverage and placed the knife in 
the bottom outline. Beneath his palm the panel gave slightly. He drew 
his hand back in surprise at the movement. The panel slid up and 
open. 

     "What'd you do?" Rae asked. She could have sworn that he'd 
barely even touched the knife to the wall. 

     Mulder shrugged. "I guess I've just got that Midas touch," he
said, preoccupied with what had been hidden by the panel.  

     Rae and Scully leaned in for a better look. Red and green
lights were illuminated within the enclosure. Several bundles ran
through the enclosed space. Beside and beneath the bundles was a
square control pad containing back-lit buttons. To one corner of the
enclosure were two valves with color markings. 

      "On T.V. there's always a manual override placed conveniently
near the locked door," Mulder said, already pondering which button to
push first. 

     "Yeah," Rae said, leaning in. "How about this one?" She pushed 
one of the green buttons on the panel. The color of the button seemed 
to darken. She pushed it again and held it for a few seconds. 
Everyone looked expectantly in the direction of the door. Nothing 
happened. 

     "Hmm. Maybe I should try one of the red ones," Rae mused aloud 
as the two agents looked on. There was a soft hissing sound and the 
red button went completely dark. 

     Everyone looked at one another for a second. Nothing else
happened. 
     
     "How about that valve?" Mulder asked, pointing toward the object
in question. 

     Rae made a face, "Dunno. It's worth a try." She stepped back
slightly for leverage. It wasn't easy to turn. She moved further back
to allow Mulder access after he made a gesture to help.

     Scully frowned thoughtfully. In her opinion, if something was
difficult to turn, there was a reason. That hissing sound that the
red button had made hadn't filled her with confidence, either. "We
don't know what we could do by indiscriminately pushing buttons," 
she spoke up. 

     "These can't be all that important," Mulder reasoned. "Since
they're in this...," he gestured vaguely about the room, "closet, we
could probably assume these controls belong to some of this door's
mechanisms or maybe some minor system for just this room."

     "Like what, Mulder?" Scully asked. "For all we know this could be
an auto-destruct switch." 

     Mulder shook his head. "The self destruct is always in the engine
room or on the bridge." 

     "But how can you know that? For all we know this could *be* the
bridge," Scully said, exasperated, rubbing a hand over her brow. She
was getting warm. And Mulder watched way too much T.V.  

     Mulder turned the valve before answering. Nothing happened. "It's
perfectly logical. Think about it, Scully..." He turned to face her.

     Rae tuned their debate out as she stepped closer to the door. The
voices outside were still going on but there was another sound. 

     "Uh-Ohh," she whispered. 

     Both Scully and Mulder froze at her softly spoken word.

*   *   *   *   *   *

     Han Solo opened his eyes to the sound of voices. The blurry
vision of white light focused into the corridor ceiling of the
Falcon's entry hall. Han couldn't quite remember how he'd gotten
there, but he knew continuing to lie there would get him nowhere. He 
made ready to get up from the floor. The tightness in his right 
shoulder stopped him--that and the way the room tilted disarmingly. 
He immediately squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, 
though it was very slowly, it still took several seconds before the 
room would settled down to one single image, instead of three. The 
voices, however, didn't go away.

     Han took in a breath and tried again. This time he leaned heavily
into a side panel, and hoped that the pounding in his head would
abate. No such luck. When Han was finally to his feet, he tried to
access the damage to his person. He grimaced when he saw what had
become of his favorite shirt; the one Leia had given him on their last
anniversary. Blood covered fully half of it and what wasn't
blood-covered was cut to shreds. 

     "Wonderful..." he muttered under his breath, pushing unsteadily
off from the wall. He had to find Chewie. But first he needed
something to steady his head. The med. locker, for some reason,
wasn't in the main galley, but sat near where he'd only just picked
himself up from. He figured Chewie had left it there.

     Han slapped a small stabilizer patch behind his ear and at his
temple. He felt relief from the headache and dizziness almost
immediately. The voices sounded much clearer than they had before, 
if a bit fast. 

     Han wondered where the voices were coming from. It sounded as 
if they were being piped over the Falcon's comm system--but from 
where?


     "Chewie?" he called out as he headed toward the front of the
ship. Along the way, his foot splattered into something wet. He
looked down to find a growing puddle of a yellow liquid being
released from a valve near a storage room. 

     "Chewie!" 

*   *   *   *   *   *

     Mulder jumped back toward the panel to try to shut off the valve.
The puddle beneath the door seemed to grow steadily larger despite
his efforts. And, unless it was his imagination, it was getting
downright warm. He could feel perspiration beading on his brow. 

     Rae looked at the switch pad and tried to remember exactly which
button she'd pushed first. Maybe pushing it again would shut whatever
was leaking off.

     Scully kept her 'I-told-you-sos' to herself. She did step back
against the wall, arms folded, to watch Mulder and Rae try to figure
out what they'd done, though. Then a sound caught her attention. A
sound other than the voices that were still speaking. "Listen." she
said, holding a silencing hand up to the two working at the panel.

     The sound came again.  

     The panel was again forgotten. "Help us! Open the door! Help..."
the three of them again, returned to banging on the door hoping
someone would hear and take mercy on them. They were all stunned when
the door slid open, much slower than it had slid shut, to reveal the
man who had been shot, standing before them wearing a mutinous
expression. 

     It didn't matter that they didn't understand a word of the angry
torrent that followed; they got the message loud and clear: He was
not happy to see them. The sounds of the little droid rolling their
direction didn't make them feel anymore at ease. 

     They'd all jerked to attention at the sound. "What now, Mulder,"
Scully asked. "Are we going to be thrown out the airlock?"

     Mulder was about to respond when a voice, sounding very much 
like Scully, began to speak in a different language.

     The man looked up and about him in surprise. "Well I'll be..."
Han started then looked back to the trio. "And that isn't totally out
of the question," he said pointing a finger in their general
direction.

     Mulder, Scully and Rae were surprised to hear what he'd said
translated over the comm system. They were even more surprised 
when the meaning sunk in. The sounds of the little droid were rolling
closer. 

     Rae glanced at the two agents and at the man who'd just
threatened to throw them out of the airlock. Scully had taken off her
jacket, exposing her holster--and her gun. In a split second
decision, Rae dived for Scully's gun and swung it on Han. 

     "Alright!" she squeaked out. "You're taking us back to Earth!"
She had meant to be a little more forceful, but her hands trembled
and her voice was a little less than steady. It didn't help at all
that the translator mimicked the shakiness in her voice.

     Han looked at her as if she were a complete idiot. Scully sighed
and rolled her eyes. Mulder raised a hand to his brow squeezing his
temple. 

     "What do you think you're doing?" Han asked. The translator
tracked his words over the comm system. "Put that thing down!" 

     That was when Artoo rolled into the room. He let out a rude
sounding series of squawks and chirps. His extension arm came up 
and ready. 

     "Rae," Mulder said quietly, "I think you should give that back to
Scully now."   

     Rae glanced at Mulder uncertainly. "You sure?" she asked. 

     Mulder nodded ruefully. "I don't think our friend really means to
harm us." Mulder raised his eyes to Han, who still carried an
expression of utter disbelief. Han did nod his head, though, to
confirm the statement.

     Scully held her hand out to Rae. After a second, Rae carefully
placed the gun there. "Thank you," Scully said, none too happy. 

     Rae looked contritely around her. She'd been trying to save
everyone and now they were all mad at her. "I'm sorry I broke your
ship," she said, a giggle worked its way to the back of her throat.
Her eyes watered and she blinked rapidly with the effort of holding 
it back. 

     "Uh...it's...nothing," Han said. "Just a fluid leak." He didn't
want her crying all over his ship. It was probably better to tell her
later that the fluid that was leaking all over the floor was coolant
fluid. "It'll be okay,"  he added when she still looked close to
tears. 

     The fact that Han was trying to be nice pushed Rae over the edge.
From his expression alone, she suspected that the yellow fluid was
more important than he was letting on. The giggles won. 

     "Here we go again," Scully said. 

     
     Coruscant, Imperial Palace


     "I'm very sorry, Madame Organa Solo. We are unable to locate 
your party. Perhaps he is exploring." The voice responded wearily to
Leia's inquiry. At first the operator had acted as if there were no
Luke Skywalker on CEstallia. Leia had finally convinced her of her
credentials. 

     "Could you please just check one more time?" Leia requested
politely.  She would have asked that someone go and personally 
check his room, but that would probably be pushing it. She didn't want 
to become 'accidentally' disconnected. Besides, Luke wouldn't ignore 
a page. But she really felt the need to talk to him. Tapping a nervous
finger against her desktop helped a little.

     "Madame," the voice returned. "Once again, I'm sorry. I'll be
sure to inform him of your urgent inquiry as soon as he returns to
his rooms. CEstallian Out."

      The operator disconnected, more than a little irritated.  
      
      Leia rested her head in her hands, fighting the urge to scream. 
Where could Luke be that they couldn't locate him? Where was Han 
and Chewie? What was going on?! Leia, unable to sit behind her desk 
any longer, shut down her office systems and headed for her quarters. 
She wouldn't be able to get anything done, anyway. She needed to 
clear her head. She would do what Luke did. 

      
      Millennium Falcon 


      Han sat on the bunk across from his stowaways. Rae had finally
managed to calm herself and he'd gotten the valve shut off and had
recharged the hydraulics for the door before it had bleed off
completely. He'd allowed the red-haired woman to look at his shoulder
wound, reluctantly, after she'd said she was a doctor. And now that
she was done, he had questions. Lots of questions. 

      Han stared steadily across at Mulder, Scully and Rae. He still
didn't know what to make of them. But, at least Artoo had managed to
activate the Falcon's old translator program. It had come in quite
handy on several occasions in his former line of work. In the
business of buying and selling, however illegally, it was good to be
able to communicate in something other than Basic. But, he really
hadn't had occasion to use it since he'd met Leia. He was actually
surprised it still worked. It basically had the same programming as
Threepio, only in a less portable and less flexible form. It was
capable of accessing only a handful of languages at a time. It
was currently tracking his words, and replayed them in the language
Artoo had programmed it for--whatever that was.

     The voices he'd heard must have been the translator on audible
scan.

     "Alright," he said. "Let's take it from the top. Where's Chewie?"
Han's expression did not falter as he waited for the translator to
track.

     "They took him," Mulder said as if that explained everything.

     "Really?" Han asked sarcastically. "I sort of figured that. *Who*
took him? Where?" 

     Mulder glanced at Scully. 'They' had always been explanation
enough on Earth. How could he explain who 'they' were to an 
outsider? He didn't think calling them 'the bad men' would quite do 
it. So, he cleared his throat and tried again. "The men who shot 
you have him." So much for dramatic effect.

     "Was he hurt?" Han asked in a carefully neutral tone. He'd been
afraid *they* would be the 'they' Mulder was talking about. Whoever
they were, they had weapons, primitive, but deadly nonetheless. He
would need help getting Chewie back; especially with a hurt shoulder
that he wasn't sure would make it back to Coruscant, much less
survive a rescue. If Artoo had found it necessary to pull out of
there, they must have been in serious trouble. 

     "They shot him with a tranquilizer dart. It just slowed him
down,"  Mulder replied. 

     "Do you know where they took him?"

     "No," Mulder shook his head. "No idea." 
     
     Han sighed. For the briefest second, he wished he'd told Luke
where he was going. But, there was no time for that kind of thinking.
The Falcon wasn't going to fix herself. 

*   *   *   *   *   *

     Mulder found himself knee deep in dirty machinery. A foreign
looking tool of some sort fell from an overhead railing, narrowly
missing him.
 
     "Sorry," Han said. "Shoulder's not what it used to be." He stood,
balanced precariously atop coolant piping. He worked one-handedly, his
back propped against the lower paneling for the landing controls.
He'd tried to explain to Mulder what needed to be done, but telling
him what to do hadn't worked out so well. Since the translator had
turned simple words like 'hammer' into 'hand held impacting device';
instructional terms had become indecipherable. In the end, he'd
taught Mulder the name of the tools in Basic and did the work
himself, while Mulder passed him the tools.  

     Mulder handed the tool back to him. "So, there's been
interstellar travel for centuries?" 

     "Yeah," Han answered. "Far as I can tell. Where I come from, we
don't much think about it. It's a way of life. Back in my smuggling
days..."

     "You were a smuggler?" Mulder asked, awed. "Smuggling what?" 

     "This and that," Han replied. "I'm civilized now, just don't ask
my wife." 

     Mulder chuckled. Scully had told him to keep an eye on Han. With
his wound there was the very real possibility of infection or shock.
Mulder found that talking to Han was like talking to a long lost
friend. He didn't mind his assignment at all.

     Scully and Rae were busy refilling the coolant system with
whatever spare fluid Han had been able to dig up. It hadn't been
nearly enough. It was going to be nothing short of a miracle if they
could keep the engine temperature within spec. Of course, Han didn't
tell his passengers that.  

     "Do you think the temperature's going to come down in here?"
Mulder asked, running a sleeve over his brow. 

      "Dunno." Han said, checking over his handiwork before slamming 
a panel shut. "That oughtta do it," he murmured. There was a slight
twinge in his shoulder. He gingerly peeked under the jacket he'd
pulled on over the bloody shirt. He didn't want to know what it was
going to feel like if he didn't get back to Coruscant soon. There
weren't many pain blockers left. 

     "I wouldn't count on it though," he added, "had to reroute most
of the coolant fluid to the engines."  Han stepped slowly down from
the piping. While Mulder replaced the tools, he activated the
comlink. "Artoo, you done clamping that linkage?" 

     A series of beeps and whistles sounded over the link. 

     "I take it that was a 'yes'?" Mulder asked, looking up from the
tool box. 

     Han nodded following his train of thought. The translator had not
bothered trying to simulate a voice for Artoo. The only way to truly
know what he was saying was to read it from the tracking screen 
in the cockpit. Artoo had probably done that on purpose.

     "So where are we headed?" Mulder asked as they went up the
corridor toward the front of the ship.

     "Home. For reinforcements." 
 
 
     <MW> Earth  
     
Friday. 

     Chewie awoke to find himself in a brilliantly lit room. The walls
were made of a white padded material and extremely bright lights
shone from a ceiling that was perhaps 15 meters tall. The bed that he
lay on was made of the same soft padded material as the walls. There
was a fountain in the corner with water constantly circling down a
drain, there was a tray of a strange fruit near the water. 

     Chewie let out a mournful cry. He'd been separated from his honor
family. He took seriously the life debt he'd made to Han Solo for
saving him from slavery. That bond had long ago transferred to Leia
and their children. 

     They were his family now. 

     Chewie  remembered that Han had been hurt and the other 
human had taken him. He didn't remember much else. Chewie had 
one objective at the moment--escape and somehow find his friend, 
because he had a really bad feeling about this planet. 

  

XJEDI  Nine  (VOL. 2)
                       


<GFFA>

     Benjamin Adams was on a mission--a most secret one. The small 
Karamac  Cruiser that he piloted was said to be one of the fastest, 
most maneuverable ships in the MW galaxy. Ben knew this was true 
in both galaxies. They'd tested the thing with the Earth pilots, but 
they'd been too weak. The stress had made them ill. In the end, only 
those strong in the force could handle this one and he could handle it 
well. 

     The carrier ship had dropped him at the Auxillary Station in the 
Milky Way. The Cruisers had been moved there after that incident at 
Ellens when that F.B.I. Agent had managed to get inside. 

     The Group had been convinced by the incident that the 'aircraft' 
was incompatible with human physiology and not worth the risk of 
exposure. But, of course, they knew nothing about the force. Few 
did. They had killed the Project, which had fit quite well into the plan 
of the Inner Circle. The 'aircraft' had been ordered disassembled. The 
Inner Circle had acquired it and put it on a private carrier and 
delivered it to an auxilary base hidden in the Milky Way. There, it 
had been fitted with hyperdrive engines. 

     The true nature of the ship had remained secret to the Group 
and only the Inner Circle, an even smaller group within the Group 
knew of it. And only the General, the true Leader, knew everything. 
Even his own son, a much respected member of the Inner Circle in 
his own right, didn't have the complete picture. But, he was beginning 
to figure it out.

     Now, he piloted the ship toward a hidden clinic on a secret planet, 
in the heart of territory that few knew the Emperor had held. Precise 
coordinates had to be used if the ship was to go undetected by 
planetary scans. He'd committed the coordinates and names and 
places of each doctor to memory. He was due to collect the first 
member of the team. The Emperor had prepared for every 
contingency. Even his death.


     Millennium Falcon


     Dana Scully wiped her brow with the back of her hand. The thin 
blouse she wore clung to her back like a very irritating second skin. 
The yellow liquid in the coolant compartment gurgled and spewed as 
it sank slowly throughout the system. The fluid was meant to be added 
at a regulated pace by a pumping system, on the ground, in a well 
equipped hanger. But since they were hanging in space with engines 
off-line and no power to speak of to spare for a pump, Scully and Rae 
were given the unenviable task of refilling the coolant drum--by hand, 
using buckets. The two were forced to fill the drum and then wait while 
the liquid seeped into all of the necessary systems. The job had long 
since grown old. But, there was no way Scully was going to allow Han 
to do it. In fact, to Scully's way of thinking it would have been absolute 
justice if Mulder and Rae had been the ones to pull this particular 
task. 

     Han had explained that the engines needed to be repaired, but 
could not be restarted until the coolant level was high enough. So, 
she'd volunteered Rae and herself for refill duty while Han and Mulder 
worked on the  engines. The sooner they got Han to a medical facility, 
the better she'd feel. Judging from the amount of blood-loss he'd 
suffered, she was surprised he was still upright. Those medical 
patches must contain a pretty powerful stimulant. But, even a strong 
stimulant couldn't last forever. His body would eventually demand 
rest. At least Mulder was with him, helping with the engine repair, 
where he, and by extension, she, could keep an eye on him.

     Han had, at least allowed her to check his wound. Once. The 
area was completely covered over with what appeared to be a patch 
of human skin. It had sealed the wound nicely. Han had called it 
synthflesh. Artoo had done wonders. Her contribution to his care 
had been to convince him to wear a sling to immobilize his shoulder 
somewhat. 

     Glancing over at Rae, she saw that her head was nodding. 
Scully elbowed her softly. They both needed to be awake, if not alert. 
Sleep was currently not an option. There was more coolant fluid to 
tote...whenever it worked  itself down sufficiently. Scully had come to 
find that the fluid compartment was a bit temperamental. She glanced 
at the face of her watch. It was 0507. Friday. Well, one thing was for 
sure, there would be no date tonight. 


 *   *   *   *   *   *


     Han eyed the gauge of the Falcon's backup panel. It wasn't going 
to hold. Mulder, with a pair of Han's overalls pulled over the once 
white T-shirt and dark dress slacks, was trying to work a pair of 
hydrospanners. Han pushed himself wearily away from the panel
on which he'd been leaning.  

     Han's lightheadedness was turning into outright dizziness. 
They'd been in hyperspace for quite a while, and were still hours 
out from Coruscant. But the Falcon, in true form, was limping her 
way home. None of the ship's systems had appreciated two rough 
rides through that vortex; no matter how short they'd been. And the 
'experiments' with the coolant system hadn't helped. "Come on, we 
gotta get this level up if we don't want these babies to burn up under 
us. That'll have to wait." 

     Mulder's bloodshot eyes looked to Han's equally exhausted ones, 
"Sure," he said. This flying around in outer space was not all it was 
cracked up to be. He followed Han to the engine chamber. Again.


     <MW> Earth

     The General puffed away on the ever present cigarette. The 
meeting would convene soon. He waited at the head of the table, 
pleased with himself. He had captured the Wookiee from that 
renegade ship. It could be the tool he needed to press his advantage. 
That traitor, One, would be punished for his failure. Someone had 
gotten through the Gate. That someone had to have had a 
key. There were no more keys in the home galaxy, except for the 
keys One and his people possessed. The General had made sure 
that no one else on Earth, save himself, had access to the keys in 
this galaxy.   

      The General's mouth twisted with distaste when he thought of 
the way that One had broken the news to him. He had been shocked. 
Worse than the shock of it, was that his father, Palpatine, had been 
betrayed by Vader himself! The General remembered vividly the 
occasion when his father had informed him that Vader would be his 
right hand. He had been bitter. But it was with a bit of grim satisfaction 
that he considered his father's reaction when he returned. Palpatine 
would have to admit that his son had been correct. Blood ties could 
be stronger than force ties.

     Palpatine had sent him to this place when he had first began to 
acquire power. To scout out this galaxy, to organize, to prepare, to 
conquer from within, to restart the work that had been left off so many 
years before by the ancient ones. It had taken time for him to build his 
Circle and acquire the needed materials for the ships. He had not 
needed his father's presence for the taking of this galaxy. The force 
was useful for some things. But, not for all. The General's own hard 
work had gained him his power in this place.This galaxy *would* be 
his. But, he had much more work to do. There were other *visitors* to 
contend with, now. He didn't have the time or manpower to retake the 
Empire. If he were to leave, the other *visitors* would gain the upper 
hand in this galaxy. He had one option. He would implement the plan 
his father had set in place so many years ago.

     The curtains rustled and four robed figures entered the darkened 
room.  They glided across the floor to the table, standing to one side 
of it--they chose not to sit. The hoods of the robes fully obscured their 
features. Anyone looking on might have thought they were a group of 
monks, for, these little ones projected an image of height that they 
didn't have. 

     "Report," The General ordered disinterestedly. 

     One of the elfin men stepped forward and removed his hood. The 
gray skin was slightly mottled green, showing that he was still 'young' 
among his kind.

     "Why are *you* here?" The general demanded in a softly ominous 
voice. 

     The elfin man held his ground. He was not afraid of the General. 
He disliked him as intensely as One did. But, the deal had been 
made. 

     "He attends other matters," the elfin man said.

     The general blew his smoke down the length of the table. He liked 
it better when he didn't have to see these creatures, only the evidence 
of their work. Perhaps he should have kept better tabs on them over 
the years, so that this situation might have been avoided. But, he 
knew, they only told him what he directly asked. He suspected that 
One had found other 'matters to attend to' because he did not wish to 
be punished. Perhaps One had chosen not to inform him of 
Palpatine's death because he wanted the other galaxy for himself. 

     The General smiled a humorless smile. One did not know what 
he did. If he did, he would not have revealed his duplicity. One 
*would* be punished for that indiscretion. 

     "Continue," he told the little man. 

     The little man's eyes narrowed. He would have to warn One. 
The General was too used to the humans inability to sense the 
emotions of others; humans ignorant to the power of the force. The 
General was far too satisfied with himself. He was hiding a secret 
knowledge. It was vital to survival for the little man and his kind to 
know the General's secrets. 

     "Someone else has taken the Hinderer. The probe ship recorded 
t and a Correllian freighter jumping into hyperspace."

     "Where did it go?" the General asked. 

     "We are not sure, we believe it may have gone to the capital city 
of Coruscant." 

     "Why did you not follow?" 

     "You forget, we cannot enter the galaxy proper. *You* have not 
lived up to that part of the deal. You have not found a way to remove 
this... impediment." Only the slightest amount of bitterness crept into 
his voice. 

     "I do not forget." The General smiled. "Patience. Have you 
devised a plan to retrieve your companions and any...cargo?" 

     "One is working on that." 

     "*I* have devised a plan of my own." The General said dismissing 
One's  work. Then, "there is another matter. The Correllian freighter 
came *here*.I wonder how they gained a key to the Gate? Surely, 
there is not a leak in your association?" 

     The elfin man's color deepened dramatically.  
     
     The General continued, "I have captured one of them. A Wookiee, 
find out who he is, and bring the information back to me, he is a 
bit...uncooperative."There were ways to make a Wookiee talk. But, 
none easily available on this planet. 

     "A Wookiee?" the elfin man asked surprised. "You have a 
Wookiee here?"

     The General looked icily at the little man. He would not stoop 
to repeat himself. "Do you know something of it?" was all he asked. 

    "There is a certain Han Solo, husband to Leia Organa Solo, who 
is a member of the New Republic Council. He possesses a Correllian 
Freighter and a Wookiee associate, Chewbacca. They are most 
influential people, known across the galaxy as heroes. If they have 
the Hinderer, matters are worse." 

     "Why is that?" the General asked, growing more irritated. One 
had warned of rough times ahead.

     "Leia Organa Solo is sister to Luke Skywalker son of...yes," the 
little man nodded as the General began to catch on. 

     "Son of Anakin," he finished. Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, 
the one who had betrayed his father. His children had stolen the 
Empire?! He remembered what his father had told him so long ago: 
'The Skywalker's will leave a great mark on the galaxy. Remember, 
son, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.' The General 
forced the hardness from his face. The anger would strengthen him, 
but he didn't want to give these ones the pleasure of seeing 
that they had affected him. A smile spread again. They would all pay. 
They didn't know what he knew. His father *would* avenge himself on 
the remaining Skywalkers. 



     <GFFA> CEstallia, somewhere in Central City


     Luke Skywalker lay stretched out on the lounge. CEstallia sat over 
him, watching him. He had known instinctively to trust her. Yoda had 
promised that he would when the time came. She had kept an eye on 
him in her meditations; he could still be trusted. His difficult time 
remained in his future.  

      CEstallia closed her eyes and joined him.   

   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Luke found himself standing on a path, the sound of running 
waters not far in the distance. He could smell the delicate aroma 
of the flowers that  peppered the nearby rock walls. CEstallia's 
double suns shone hazily through the treetops. 

     <What was in that tea?> he wondered. This would be a perfect 
place for   meditation. The very atmosphere of the place inspired 
calmness, tranquillity.

     A moment later, CEstallia appeared. 

     "What is this--," he began to speak, but his voice echoed distorted 
and unnaturally loud. 

     CEstallia placed a finger over her lips, <your mind, young 
Skywalker. I will hear you.>

     <What is this place?> Luke asked, gesturing at the beautiful 
surroundings. <It feels as if I'm really here. I can feel the wind, smell 
the flowers...>

     CEstalllia reached out a hand and plucked a berry. Handing it 
to Luke, she added, <and taste the fruit.>

     Luke popped the berry into his mouth. Lifting his brows he added, 
<and taste the fruit.>

     <This is a True Place. This planet is very special. It holds many 
secrets. Secrets that will remain secret.> She gave him a look full of 
meaning. <The tea contained an herb that grows out of the living rock. 
It has a...strange effect on the mind of a Jedi. It enhances sensory 
perception for a time. This place, is a garden near my home. Here, 
our thoughts can only be true. In your words, this is,> she raised her 
arms gesturing at all that surrounded them, <a dream.> 

      Luke's eyes widened. <A dream...but how...?> 

      <True CEstallia provides it, I speak for her.> Seeing that Luke's
questioning look only deepened, she continued. <She is the essence 
of our world. CEstallia lives, she's alive. Those native to CEstallia are 
a part of her, are truly CEstallian. There is only one true CEstallia and 
I am her spokesperson.

      <But, our time grows short and I have much to tell you. Come, 
let's be comfortable.> She led him to a rocky outgrowth that was just 
the right height for sitting and began her story. 

      <A very long time ago, a type of Gate was created by my 
ancestors. It was made of the living rock of this world. They were 
trying to find a way to speed up interstellar travel. The Gates were 
made to simulate nature. Wormholes, to be precise. Wormholes 
connect two points of space, but they are, by nature, unpredictable. 
But our Gates were meant to be stable. They were placed at seven 
precise points within our galaxy. 

     These Gates are tapped into the Galactic Infinity, or Subspace 
as it's now referred to. The project was plagued by many problems. 
One of them being the need of a mind, a living Jedi mind to make 
the Gates work. The chosen mind did not have to be willing. Within 
the Infinity the power of a force wielding mind is amplified to an 
unreadable degree. The project was eventually shut down do to 
certain unforeseeable...complications. Also there was danger 
involved in placing that much power in the hands of a single Jedi 
mind for any extended period of time. 

      A Jedi leader, one Domar Topeth a man very strong in the ways 
of the force, did not wish the project to end. He felt that with the help 
of the Gate technology he could create a 'Super Jedi' one capable of 
teleporting from one point in the Galaxy to another. He felt that it 
exists naturally in our minds, the knowledge to do so and that we 
only need to tap into it. Most disregarded him and his work as 
ludicrous. Until he proposed a demonstration. 

     He used children in his experiments. He felt that their minds were 
still open to the possibilities. He was able to train them, through the 
use of focusing cylinders, to teleport from room to room. And it 
worked. He tried to expand their range. Unfortunately, they lost 
themselves. They could not focus against the infinity. Their life...left 
them.> CEstallia paused to release a heavy sigh as she recalled a 
painful memory. Pushing it aside, she continued.

     <Domar, unable to handle the horror of what he had done, left in 
a self  imposed exile. No one ever saw him again. That was more 
than a thousand years ago.

     <Only a handful of Jedi Masters knew of the location of the Gates. 
I, alone knew on this world. Yoda was also aware of the location as he
and I saw fit to use them. 

     <A group of young Jedi, led by a descendent of Domar, also called 
Domar, discovered the family secret and sought to revive the Super 
Jedi experiments. He found Topeth's hidden laboratory in his family's 
old ancestral home. The young Jedi followed him willingly. Since, they 
were young and inexperienced, they easily fell to the dark side.  

     <They captured the minds of Jedi children, and imprisoned them 
to do their bidding. We were unable to stop them, since barriers had 
been erected in the children's minds and the leaders used them 
against us. 

     <What had originally been a small band of outlaw Jedi, was 
becoming a threat to the galaxy. They were preparing to take control. 
Had they been properly trained, we might not have been able to stop 
them.  But, the leaders were young and overly anxious. We were able 
to capture them. We had to act quickly because they were calling the 
children to them. We could not fight the children. So, for the first time 
in over 900 years a Gate was activated. 

      <We exiled them there, within the infinity, on a small world ship. 
No prison would hold them for long if they still possessed the power 
to call to the children.  So, you see, there was no other choice. The 
Gates, which had given them their power, became their prison.        

     <With the dark Jedi leaders out of the way, the children returned to 
normal and we were able to repair the damage that had been done.  
The dark Jedi had placed cylinders in their bodies, containing the
living rock I spoke of earlier. It allowed them to call to the children 
from anywhere in the galaxy. To control them.

     <Your children, the ones you brought here, contain cylinders that 
are very similar to the ones used by Topeth. We can repair your 
children, but, I fear, someone is again using Gate technology. This 
time, the Gates must be destroyed. >

     Luke had listened intently to CEstallia's tale; he'd had no idea. 
Yoda had made no mention of such things. He again wondered just 
how old this woman was. 

     <Yoda would not have told you of these things. They were difficult 
times. He had to imprison many of his own. And as for the question of 
my age, I am as old as True CEstallia. Each Matriarch at the time of 
her death, chooses her successor. Her knowledge is passed on to the 
next. I have the knowledge of all those who have been Matriarch of 
CEstallia. But, you have information that I  need. These children, 
where did they come from?>

     Luke told her of finding the beacon in the Palace and of his 
experiences with the young woman they'd found with the children. 
He told of the great distance across which he'd been able to reach 
her in hyperspace and of the brilliant white hot barrier in her mind. 

      CEstallia nodded <Yes, then it's true. That which you described i
s a focusing cylinder such as Domar used. You must take care in 
future, your mind could have been lost. The Galactic Infinity is 
dangerous. Beautiful, seductive and unrelenting, it will steal your 
mind. The beacon itself must have saved you. It must have provided 
a path for your mind.>

     Luke nodded, listening intently. It had been a fantastic story. He 
wanted to know more about these people. The CEstallians were so 
mysterious. Such a major technology...hidden. A sudden thought 
occurred to him. 

     <Was Emperor Palpatine one of the Jedi Masters who knew of 
the location of the Gates?> He had to have known, how else would 
the beacon have been in the War room?

      <He was not. I have heard that he had a way of gaining 
knowledge once secret. I did not have cause to meet him.>

     <If Palpatine knew of the Gates, there could be a whole fleet over 
there to make sure no one tries to take it.> Luke said. <If he knew, I'm 
surprised he didn't come here to steal your world so no one else could 
have it.>

     <No one can live within the Gate for any long period of time. The 
exiled ones were altered so that they could survive it. CEstallia will 
not allow the dark side to harm her children. She has been my haven 
during the storm that  nearly caused our extinction. She watches and 
protects. She has decided that  the Gate must be silenced. And you 
are to be the one to do it.>  

     CEstallia got to her feet and began walking in the direction of the 
running water. 

     Luke paused. Silenced? That had been an odd word to use. He 
got up to follow CEstallia's retreating form. <Wait a minute... >

     <I know you have questions and I will answer them, but our time 
here grows short.> She turned to face him. <Will you help us? Will 
you destroy the Gates?> 

     Luke looked at her. She was waiting for his answer as if she 
already knew what it would be, but was allowing him to say it for 
himself. 

     <You already know that I will.> Never mind that he had never even 
seen a Gate much less had a clue how to go about destroying one.

     She gave Luke an almost seductive smile before turning back 
toward the waters. <Good, Jedi, now we can go.>

     < Go? Go where?> Luke was both stunned and mystified. An odd 
sensation had come over him when she'd smiled; he'd lost his train of 
thought. 

      CEstallia sighed, pausing but turning only her head. <To destroy 
the Gate, of course.>


XJEDI  Ten (Vol 2)  


	<MW>  Earth, Silver Springs, Maryland
 
	Asst. Director Walter Skinner dialed the very familiar
cellular number  of Agent Scully for the fifth time in the past
hour. Strange things tended to happen to Agent Mulder's phone,
on an oddly regular basis. But, for him to be unable to reach
them at Scully's number was quite irregular. In light of his
last communication with Agent Mulder, Skinner was beginning to
feel more than a little uneasy. 

	 "...your party has either turned off the unit or is out of
range.  Recording C-12." The all too familiar recording echoed in
Skinner's  ear.       
   
	 With a sharp jab, Skinner shut off the cordless. Running 
a hand over his head, he tried to figure what he should do. There 
weren't many options open to him. Who was he kidding? There 
weren't any options. There was literally no one he could call to assist 
in a search. The local authorities might not appreciate his 
interference should they find out he'd sent his agents to aid
a, now, wanted woman out of the state. Of course, he could always 
use the excuse that Ms. Manning had requested his assistance 
before the bulletin had gone out. But now, his agents were 
missing, Ms. Manning was missing, and his hands were effectively
tied. So, unless he wanted to cast more suspicion on Ms. Manning
he'd have to move forward on his own. Quietly. 

	That decision made, Skinner dressed quickly in shorts and a
sweatshirt. He grabbed a small bundle that he'd prepared and headed
out into the brisk night air, hoping that any watching eyes would 
assume that he was out for a late evening run along his usual
route.
 
	When Skinner reached the lights of a small shopping center, 
he strayed from his routine. Instead of heading back toward home,
he went into the shopping plaza. The glass front of an all night
deli provided excellent rear surveillance while he pretended to
monitor his heart rate. No one appeared too curious about his 
movements.

	 Skinner continued along the street at a walk and stepped 
into the dim confines of a video store. A minute later, he slipped out
the back door, his wallet minus twenty dollars, and a quarter
for the phone call to the cab company. Thirty minutes later, he
slipped behind the wheel of a deep green Pontiac. Skinner paused 
only to pull the sweat pants over his shorts before he started the 
car. A sense of urgency had come over him, it had taken longer  
than expected to get to through the formalities without using his 
F.B.I. credentials.

	A knock came at the window of his passenger side door.
Hiding his surprise was a futile effort. The figure of the man
he saw there did not fill him with happy thoughts or lessen his
feeling of urgency. If anything, the bearded man increased
them.

	Skinner sighed, resigned. He deactivated the lock to 
allow the bearded man entry, and waited for the man to
speak.

	"Drive," the bearded man spoke. 
	
	Skinner swallowed the urge to just say no and started the
car. He drove casually through the lot, heading for the freeway.
		    
	"Were you contacted?" the bearded man asked. 
	
	"Yes." 
	
	"Something has gone wrong?" 
	
	"I don't know. " 
	
	"I'm going with you." 
	
	Skinner pulled over to the side of the freeway and slammed
on the brakes.  "No thanks." 
	
	"She's my daughter. Who's she with?" 
	    
	"Take a guess." 
	
	The bearded man looked stonily ahead. "I'm going. You owe
me."       
	
	Skinner looked down with a sigh. He took his foot off the 
break and continued down the freeway. 
 

	   Millennium Falcon


	"Any idea how to fly one of these?" Han asked from the
pilot's seat of the Millennium Falcon. With Mulder's help
he'd managed to get the Falcon mostly stabilized. But,  
because propping himself against walls was no longer working, 
Han had decided that they'd done all they could do
for the still over-heating engines. Unfortunately, sitting was 
having its problems, too. The room was beginning to turn in a 
a slow spin.      
							   
	Mulder had taken the co-pilots seat and, though he was
exhausted, was looking over all the instrumentation with a
childish gaze of wonder.  The urge to start pushing buttons
and flipping switches was almost too much, even considering
the potential disaster with the storage room control pad. 

	"Not a clue..." Mulder's voice trailed off and his grin
faded at seeing his new friend's features start to go lax. "Han,
are you all right?" he asked, worried.
 
	"I... don't think I'm gonna make it, friend," Han's words 
slurred as he leaned back into the seat. He knew they should
be coming out of hyperspace near Coruscant soon. Han fought to 
just hold on until they were due to pull out of hyperspace...
 
	 Mulder grabbed the comlink lying on the side console. 
"Scully, get up here."
	
	The computer's count-down started. Han saw the numbers
counting down from thirty and beginning to blur. He wasn't going
to make it.  That lever," he whispered, trying to point with
his good arm. "Push it when you hear the countdown get to two,
those levers...translator track...del...ay..." Han's voice was 
determined, but faded as the drugs gave up their fight for 
consciousness.  

	 "It's all right," Mulder nodded, patting Han's arm to reassure 
him, before he punched the button. Immediately the translator
tracked the audible countdown of the navigational computer.
	
	Seconds later, the approaching sounds of Scully and Artoo
could be heard as they came through the cockpit's rear door. The
voice continued to count,  first in Basic and then in English.
"Seventeen...Sixteen...Fifteen." Mulder watched the unfamiliar
symbols changing.
 
	 Scully saw Han and knew right away what had happened. 
His body's natural processes had finally taken over. Unfortunately,
those natural processes could not save him. Immediate medical
attention was his only hope. These were the things that went 
through Scully's mind as she took the vital signs Han hadn't 
allowed her to take earlier. "Seven...Six...Five..." 
She pushed the sound of the translator counting backward from 
her mind as she peeked under Han's jacket to examine the wound.
	
	"Mulder!" Scully exclaimed.
	
	"Just a sec," Mulder responded distractedly.

	"Three...Two..." He pulled the levers. The whirling tunnel 
of the vortex that was hyperspace dissipated and returned to the
star field of normal space.
	
	"This man is infected!" Scully exclaimed. Mulder left the
ship's levers and leaned over beside his partner as she 
examined the man they'd come to know as Han Solo.

 

	<MW> Earth, USA


	A young medical technician stood outside the chamber that
held the creature. He had been brought here the night before,
during her off shift. This was curious because this ward was
generally reserved for the criminally insane. 
   
	   THE man had been here. Mandy would know that even if 
she hadn't passed him on her way out of her most recent disciplinary 
hearing with Dr. Brunswick, who, friend of the family or not, had 
it in for her. The smell of THE man's particularly strong brand
of cigarettes lingered in the air, hearalding his presence like a 
noxious cologne.
	
	THE man always visited Brunswick whenever a John or 
Jane Doe appeared on the insane ward. Just like clockwork, when
this poor creature had arrived, so had THE man.
 
	According to office gossip, this poor creature was cursed
with a genetic illness that caused him to grow excessive hair.
He even went as far as actually believing he was an ape man. He
didn't even speak. Looking at him, she could see why. He looked
like a Big Foot to her.

	   THE man had only just left 'Big Foot's' chamber. If 'Big 
Foot' followed the pattern of other patients the man had talked 
to, he'd be transferred as suddenly as he'd appeared. 

	 Now, she stood in the door and watched the creature. It 
was time for her to deliver his meal. Usually meal delivery was
timed shortly after a dose of sedative, but the man had
interrupted his scheduled dosage. And so Big Foot's meds 
had lapsed.
 
	Big Foot's head rested forlornly in his hands. He seemed
more lost than anything else. Looking down at the food tray in
her hands, she knew she should just put it on the slot and push
the button that would ferry the tray into the chamber, but
something held her back.

	Her father, who worked for the state department and had
gotten her this job, had told her to mind her own business. But
she couldn't help it, she had inherited her mother's curious 
nature. She simply had to find out more about this creature.

	Finally, she put the tray in the slot and sent it on its way
into the chamber. Turning, she headed off to do some digging.


	<GFFA> CEstallia, Somewhere in Central City

	Luke Skywalker opened his eyes and found himself again 
on a lounge chair in CEstallia's chambers. He sat up and looked
around. One sun seemed to have set; it was noticeably dimmer
outside. The wind still billowed through the delicate curtains,
but there was a slight chill to the air. He could see CEstallia
standing out on the deck.

	Luke pushed himself up from the chair and stepped out
after her. The deck was built directly into the rock of
the fall. Nothing but air hung between the deck and the foam
covered rock at the bottom of the falls.  A fine mist sprayed 
the deck and its inhabitants, yet footing was not awkward or
slippery. The rock out here appeared to have sponginess that  
gently held ones feet to the ground.

	"Is all of CEstallia this densely covered with falls?" Luke
asked, noting that he hadn't had to raise his voice to be heard.
  
	CEstallia shook her head, "No. Only Central City is this
way. Of course there are other falls, but not like this. This is
the heart of CEstallia. You were privileged with a very special
view of our world. Most arrivals to Central City from off world
are scheduled at night or at least half dusk."

	 Luke looked out over the darkening landscape. "It's very 
beautiful here, peaceful. Is that intentional?"

	CEstallia looked at him and then smiled, "You've stumbled on
our secret. The rest of the planet is like most any
other planet. But, here, there is more peacefulness, as you say,
than usual. It's very helpful to those we treat."

	The second sun dipped almost out of sight now. Luke had let
the tranquillity of the place relax him. But now, a thought
suddenly returned to him. <Aren't we supposed to be going
someplace?> he asked, as the memories of the...dream? began to
wash over him.

	CEstallia continued to stare ahead at the second sun. <Yes,
I needed to know that you would be ready whenever it became
necessary.>

	The second sun slipped the last millimeter, the brilliant
colors of the sunset fading as the moons took prominence in the
night. CEstallia turned away from the view, distracted. 
Finally, she refocused gray eyes on him. "You should return 
to your rooms."   

	
	Coruscant  
	

	"Millennium Falcon, please transmit authorization code," an
official sounding voice said over the ship's intercom.
 

	Mulder and Scully looked at each other. Authorization code?  

	Mulder turned to Artoo, "You wouldn't happen to have a spare 
authorization code would you?" 

	Artoo responded with a barrage of beeps and whistles that
the translator, as usual, completely ignored. 

	Mulder sighed heavily and looked at the control panels
before and around him. "All right," he said and began flipping
switches, "Hello..." he called  between buttons. "Hello...is
anyone out there? Take me to your leader..."

	  Artoo spun his eye toward the strange human. Deciding this 
was getting them nowhere, he linked into the Falcon's computer to 
initiate the return audio. Unfortunately, droids weren't given 
authorization codes.

	 "What was that Falcon?" the voice replied. 
	 
	 "Hello?!" Mulder replied, looking back at Scully with a
self-satisfied grin. Without much of a clue, he'd managed to
contact this planet. What luck. 

	Scully raised a sarcastic brow and gestured her head in 
Artoo's direction. 

	Mulder shrugged. Can't win 'em all. 

	"Falcon, transmit authorization code, please." 

	"Uhh...We don't know what it is. Captain...?" Mulder paused,
that's what everyone who had their own ship in the movies
was called, "Captain Solo has been injured. He needs medical
attention." 

	"Falcon, stand by," the voice replied.

	"Soon, would be better, Mulder." Scully said from her
patient's side.       

	"Uh...Planet...?" Mulder called out again. 

	"Go ahead, Falcon." 

	"It's urgent." 



	 Luke Skywalker's Exercise Room, Imperial Palace



	Leia Organa Solo was attempting to relieve some of the 
tension that had built up over the past few days. It had begun 
with that strange beacon that had the strange effect on Luke. 
Then, those poor children... And Han and Chewie were still 
missing. Now, she couldn't even get in touch with Luke.

	 So, here she stood, in Luke's exercise room, dressed in a 
dark tunic much like the one Luke wore under his Jedi robe. Luke 
was always urging her to practice her Jedi skills, anyway. 

	She ignited her lightsaber after Luke's practice remote
came to life. Immediately the sphere shaped remote shot a beam at 
her, which she blocked with the blade of her saber. Sparks
flashed and disintegrated into the air.

	 As the remote whirred around to her left, Leia changed her
stance and managed to block the beam that shot in her direction. 
But just when her confidence was starting to rise, the remote whirlled
to her other side, shooting off beams all along its path and dropping 
to floor level. Moving the saber in an arc, she caught most of the 
beams--except the one that got through and stung her on the thigh. 
"Ow!" she exclaimed, before making a hasty lunge to duck the next
volley of beams that bore down on her previous location. What was
that thing set for? Luke must have taught it some new tricks.

	Determined, she took her stance as it spun to track her
position. Again, she only deflected some of the beams--two got 
her in the ribs.  She gritted her teeth, tightening her grip on 
the saber. This floating ball was *not* going to get the best 
of her. 

	Three stings and a minute later, she realized that
the angrier she grew , the more hits she took from the ball.

	 Closing her eyes, she focused her mind on the force. She
could feel its energy flowing through her. The room vanished.
Calm settled over her. Her eyes were still closed when the
remote's beams shot in toward her with lightning speeds and almost
unconsciously she blocked it, and every one that followed...  

	She was surprised when twenty minutes later and covered 
with sweat, she noticed that the door chimes were ringing for the 
third time.

	Shutting down the remote, she turned toward the
door. "Come in." 

	"Madame," a messenger droid spoke, "your presence is 
requested urgently in the Palace Control Towers."
    

	CEstallia


	The guard completely ignored Luke as he left CEstallia's
quarters. He wondered if he'd passed some test and was now
allowed to wander on his own. As much as he would have liked to
look around, CEstallia had sent him to his quarters for a
reason. Perhaps later...

	Luke stepped into the lift he'd arrived on earlier. But,
before he could enter a destination, it took off of its own
accord. Luke chuckled softly to himself. So much for being
allowed to wander.

	When the lift's doors opened, he stepped out into the
familiar surroundings of his assigned suite. The doors slid shut
behind him. What? There had been no lift in his room! 

	Luke turned to find that the entrance into the lift was now
a seamless  wall. There was no evidence that there had ever been
a doorway there. He ran a hand over the surface of the wall.
Nothing.

	Reaching out with the force, he probed at it. 

	"STOP!" Again, the voice. 

	"Who *was* that?" Luke wondered to himself, eyes searching
for a presence. That voice was disconcerting, but there was no
one there. With a calming breath, he turned away from the wall.
The secret would have to remain secret for now.

	The sight of the blinking light at the message center was no
surprise. Luke went to see who had needed to contact him; maybe
there was news from Han and Chewie.
	
	Coruscant, Imperial Control Towers

	Leia didn't take time to change before going to the Control
Towers, since the droid had said the summons was urgent. But, that
didn't keep some of the controllers from giving her dark tunic 
and lightsaber odd looks.
   
	She brushed a few damp tendrils of dark hair from her 
forehead and got down to business. She'd worn stranger outfits 
than this one.   

	"What is it, Controller?" she asked, approaching the control
panel.  

	"Madame, a ship, whose identification carrier suggests that 
it's the Falcon,  is approaching. But, it has not submitted an 
authorization code and insists that it can't."  The Controller 
was obviously young and diligent, and didn't want to make any 
mistakes. 

	Recently, Grand Admiral Thrawn had gone through the 
trouble of using a replica of the Falcon to trick them. The Controller
had no doubt heard the story.

	"Is the channel open?" Leia asked.

	"Yes, Ma'am," the young Controller replied. 

	Leia flipped the switch to send. Not knowing what to expect,
she decided it was best not to identify herself.  

	"Falcon, please report, why are you unable to transmit
authorization?" 

	"We don't know what it is, and since the Captain is 
unconscious, it doesn't appear that he's likely to tell us," A 
male voice responded after a pause. Leia thought she detected a 
hint of impatience. Also, she caught the sound of Artoo's excited
beeping, but couldn't make out anything he'd said.  

	"Do we have a visual?" Leia asked the Controller. 

	"Just coming into range," He nodded, directing her to a
screen to the  right. The image of the Falcon appeared. The
visual of the internals of the ship faded into view.

	Leia paused when she saw the man on the other side. His 
face was smudged and dirty. A couple of days growth of beard 
showed on his jaw and he wasn't looking into the viewer pickup, but 
off to the side. 

	"Falcon," Leia said, "Stand by." 

	She saw him roll his eyes in frustration. "Red tape...a
universal invariant." He spoke meaningfully to someone
out of the range of the pickup. His words appeared to be 
delayed from the visual feed as if he spoke through a translator.

	Turning away from the viewer, Leia reached out to the force.
She could feel Han's presence. But something was wrong. His mind
was quiet. Too quiet.  

	"Falcon," Leia spoke again, forcing the anxiety out of her 
voice, "where's Chewie?" She couldn't decide if this were a trap. 
But the force never lied: it was true, something was wrong with 
Han. And this man, certainly didn't look like any of the Empire's
agents that she'd ever seen.  But, she had a responsibility. She 
had to be sure. 

	"They took him," the man said. "We barely got out of there,
ourselves."

	  Leia stood silent for a second thinking. What would Luke
do?  

	The man seemed to have found the correct video pickup spot. 
He was staring directly at it. Leia looked at his eyes.  He 
didn't look dangerous, he simply looked tired. 
	
	"Let them through," she told the Controller, still staring
at the man.  

	"Yes, Ma'am," he replied. He turned to the console to 
implement the necessary commands...

	"Artoo, can you land on the Security deck?" Leia asked,
speaking to the droid.

	Artoo beeped a short whistled response.   

	Leia sighed deeply, only partly relieved; the Falcon and Han 
were home, but the difficult issues of Han's injuries and 
Chewie's whereabouts and the strangers on the Falcon remained. 
Leia sighed again, collecting herself. Briskly, she arranged for 
a medical team to meet her on the Security deck. 



XJEDI part 11 (vol. 2)


     <MW> Earth


     The young medical technician slipped into the records office. A 
stern looking woman sat before a terminal, glasses half down her 
nose. 

     "Whatcha doing Maggie?" the young technician asked, 
peeping over the woman's shoulder. The monitor screen showed 
the prescribed medications for the patients in the wing.

     "Same thing you should be doing, Mandy," the woman spoke 
dryly, not turning around. "Working." 

     "I'm on break," the girl declared, leaning onto the woman's 
shoulder, making little pretense of not reading the screen. "Whoa! 
Look at how much Cordicorinal they're giving Big Foot," she said, 
spoiling what pretense there had been. "That should be enough to 
put down an elephant."

     Maggie turned in her chair, eyeing the girl. "Don't let them hear you 
saying that if you want to keep your job." The woman spoke softly, 
hoping Mandy would take the hint and do the same. 

     "Why?" Mandy asked, speaking barely above a whisper. "What 
does it matter what I call him?"

     Maggie eyed her for a minute, then suggestively directed her 
toward a side terminal with her eyes. At Mandy's wink of 
acknowledgment, Maggie went back to work. "Watch yourself, 
kiddo," she shot over her shoulder. 

     Five minutes later Mandy sat before the monitor pretending to 
read a journal. She 'accidentally' hit a key, deactivating the screen 
blanker.  Her eyes slowly rose to the information on the screen. Her 
mouth dropped, magazine forgotten, as she saw the blood work 
results on the strange man she'd called 'Big Foot'.

     Her eyes tracked down the screen. She reached out a hand to
page down for additional information, jerking back when she heard 
the sound of voices entering the office.  

     "What are you doing in my chair?" a disapproving voice asked. 
     
     "Reading. What does it look like?" Mandy replied lightly, moving 
away from the monitor, making a point of dropping the magazine on 
the keyboard. "Have your chair. I've got meals to deliver anyway."

*   *   *   *   *   *

     Mandy rolled the meal cart down the corridor toward her ward. 
The meals were prepared for each patient. The dinner label for the 
man she'd come to think of as 'Big Foot' was marked 'John Doe 2'.  

     She frowned at that, she couldn't remember ever having two John 
Doe's simultaneously on the criminal insane ward. At least, not two 
who'd arrived under mysterious circumstances. She shrugged it off. 
The other did look a bit loony. A short man in his late forties or early 
fifties with a shock of dark hair that stood at all angles. The rumor was 
that he'd arrived with a pocket protector. Not, in her estimation, the 
sign of a criminal mind. 

     Peeking under the tray lid, she saw that Big Foot would be dining 
on Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, green beans and an apple. 

     When Mandy reached Big Foot's room, it was to find that he was 
sitting despondently against a wall. The doctors must have given him 
another dose of Cordicorinal to make him manageable. She put the 
tray in the slot opening and watched as it was ferried into the room. 

      Big Foot looked up with dull eyes as the tray appeared through 
the food slot. The spoon the staff allowed was engulfed by his hand, 
causing his fur to drag through his plate as he ate. A low mournful 

sound escaped his mouth before he set the tray aside, unfinished.

     Mandy stood outside the glass looking sadly at him. She wondered 
what his crime had been to cause him to be labeled criminally insane. 
He'd been heavily medicated since the moment he'd arrived. Where 
had he come from? Why wasn't he wearing any clothes? Logically, 
if they were trying to convince him he was human, clothes would have 
only served to enforce that point. To leave a human without clothing 
was demeaning. Why did he look like he didn't belong here? 
Something did not fit. 

     A shocking thought occurred to Mandy. What if he really was Big 
Foot? She immediately dismissed the idea. Then, she allowed it to 
settle again in her mind. She watched him more closely. He was so 
tall, so very *un-human*... Mandy stood up straight as if shocked. He 
was Big Foot! It all began to add up. His lack of clothing, along with 
the heavy medication and security all proved the point in her mind. 
The government had found him and brought him here. This was, after 
all, a government owned facility. Her mind began to race as the idea 
took hold. 

     They were probably going to do experiments on him and had 
separated him from his family and the only home he knew. 'Normandy 
Diane Newman,' she said to herself, 'you have to *save* him.' 

     
     <GFFA> 
     

     Ben settled into the pilot's seat of the Cruiser. He'd delivered the
last doctor of the team to the planet. The last phase of the plan was in 
place. His grandfather, the great Emperor Palpatine, would live again. 
Now, he had one other thing to do before he returned to his father. 
The signal was still coming in clearly. He adjusted the ship's 
navicomputer to the coordinates displayed.
 


     Coruscant


     Leia stood watching as the Falcon's repulser engines cut in and the 
Falcon settled gently to the floor of the landing bay. She forced 
herself to stand still as the ramp lowered. A medical team stood 
by with a deactivated hoverbed. 

     Mulder stood at the top of the ramp gazing at the small group 
of people in the hangar. Three of the group looked human, but one 
was definitely alien. Artoo had been by Mulder's side. Now, the little 
droid rolled jauntily down the ramp and out of the bay. Leia watched 
him go, he was probably looking for Luke.

     Mulder began to descend the Falcon's ramp. Leia recognized him 
as the man who'd contacted Coruscant Control. She also noticed that 
he was dressed in what looked like Han's old overalls. Leia stepped 
toward him without hesitation. "Where's Han?" she asked anxiously. 

     Mulder looked down at her, the voice was familiar. And he 
recognized Han's name, but he wasn't really sure of the rest of her 
words. The range of the translator didn't seem to extend to the bottom 
of the ramp. So he just gestured that she follow him and lead her back 
the way he'd come. 

     "My partner didn't think it was wise for me to try to carry him," 
Mulder turned to informed Leia on the way to the front of the ship.

     Leia looked at him for a second, trying to figure out why he wasn't 
making any sense. When his voice came out of the com system, in 
Basic, she realized Han still hadn't told her everything about the 
Falcon. 

     "Thank you, for bringing him home," she said distractedly still 
gazing into the air. Then she pushed on past him toward the front 
of the ship, not pausing to see if the medical team followed. 

     The medical team, consisting of two humans and a Gamorrean, 
took Leia's entry into the ship as their cue. The Gamorrean hung back 
to activate the  hoverbed's air pocket, while the rest of the team went 
ahead to assess the patient. 

     Mulder hesitated in the corridor near the ramp. The woman 
seemed to know where she was going. And he had a feeling she 
knew Han quite well and thus his ship. He'd seen this planet's 
version of EMT's standing at the bottom of the ramp. So out of 
ingrained procedure, he waited to direct them toward their patient.

     "This way," he gestured to the human who entered the rampway 
first.

     Rae sat on a bunk in a room off the main corridor. She'd seen a 
dark haired woman rush pass. Now, she watched as Mulder passed 
along also toward the front of the ship. She figured if she just sat 
there, the entire situation would go away--or perhaps she'd wake up 
with this nightmare behind her. Rae closed her eyes and pinched 
herself. When she opened them, not only was she still on the ship, 
but a white bed was floating along the corridor followed by a green 
humanoid with pig like facial features and large hooked fangs 
spilling over his bottom lip. So, she did the only logical thing she could 
do under the circumstances. She screamed. 

      Mulder spun toward the sound to see what had happened. The 
medical team came to a full stop. The young tech operating the 
floating bed forgot to direct its remote mechanism to halt and so it 
continued on its path toward Mulder's midsection. The technician 
caught himself and managed to halt the bed before it actually hit 
Mulder. But still, the shock of seeing a floating bed was a bit 
unexpected. Alien bounty hunters he'd dealt with. Giant sucking 
sewer creatures he'd faced. Interstellar travel he'd believed. But the 
floating bed... Suddenly the absolute bizzareness of their situation fell 
upon him. Everything he'd believed in, hoped in, had been affirmed. 
This ship and this planet were absolute, living proof that he'd been 
right. He had to sit. He sank to the floor where he'd stood.

     "Sorry, I wasn't expecting..." Rae said apologetically to one of the 
human techs. Realization dawned on him and he directed the team 
forward. One of the team members stopped to examine Mulder who 
was now sitting, stunned, on the floor. 

      Scully stood back to allow the dark haired woman, who'd launched 
herself into the close quarters of the cockpit, access to her patient. 
She had a feeling this was the wife or girlfriend.  

      Leia bent over Han and placed a hand on his face. His skin was 
pale and clammy. "Don't you even think about leaving me, Nerf herder," 
she whispered softly. 

      Scully took in the scene silently. The translator had given her the 
gist of what the woman had said. The term of endearment, though, 
was lost on her. 

      Scully's entire body jerked when she heard Rae's scream. She 
scooted through the doorway that led from the cockpit. There, she saw 
Rae sitting on the bed, now calm. And what appeared to be a human-
alien medical team approaching the cockpit, a floating bed trailing 
between the two of them. That was when Scully realized that she was 
going to have to do a *lot* of creative arranging of the facts on her 
field report if she didn't want to be laughed out of the Hoover building.  

     She followed Rae's gaze and found Mulder sitting on the floor 
behind her. Another of the medical techs was bent over him, 
apparently gauging his vital signs. At least, that's what she hoped 
he was doing with the flat instrument he was waving over Mulder's 
head. She stooped beside him and informed the tech that she was 
a doctor and would look after him. 

     The tech shrugged and went off after his companions. 

     Dana Scully turned toward her partner. He was flushed and glassy 
eyed. "Mulder, are you all right?" she asked, brushing bangs back off 
his damp forehead. 

     A grin spread across his face as he looked at her, a slight giggle 
slipping past his lips. "Scully," he said, "We're on another planet!" 

     Dana Scully swallowed. The unreality of the situation was sinking 
in. She'd dealt with her own feelings during her time with the coolant 
fluid and had decided just to move forward and not think too hard on 
it. But, she knew Mulder, she would need to ground him before he did
something she would regret. But, how did you ground someone when 
you really *were* on another planet?

      Mulder began speaking before she could come up with a proper 
response. "Scully, do you realize *we're aliens*?" 

     Dana Scully looked into her partner's wide, excited gaze and 
slowly nodded. It was too late. It was already time for damage control. 
"Mulder, we've got to get home," she stated as calmly and rationally 
as she could. 

     A confused expression crossed Mulder's face. Why would he want 
to go home? There was an entire world to explore and there were 
aliens, nice aliens from the look of it. 

     "But, Scully," he began, gesturing around them, "this opportunity..." 
He couldn't find words to encompass it all. 

     "Mulder," Scully insisted trying to catch his eyes, "people are going 
to be looking for us. We would be missed. Rae would be missed. Our 
duty is clear, Mulder." Scully watched her partner as a little of the light 
died in his eyes. 

     "Not for me, Scully. Those duties were left on a planet far away. 
They don't apply here. But, don't worry. I'll make sure you and Rae 
get home." 

     Mulder saw Scully's mouth clamp shut. This discussion wasn't 
finished, but she needed time to regroup. He knew she hadn't seen 
that one coming. Honestly, he hadn't either. But, it was true, he did 
want to stay here. Nothing waited for him back home. Scully, he would 
miss, but she'd be better off without him, anyway.

     He looked down the corridor, toward the open ramp. This place 
called to him in a way he couldn't explain. Working and talking with 
Han had felt so  natural. Here, he felt that he could fit in. 

     Scully was stunned by Mulder's admission. She knew that he really 
didn't have any family to speak of and his life was his work. Here, all 
of his beliefs were affirmed. But, she couldn't let him be so reckless. 

     "Mulder," she started reasonably, "you haven't even set foot off 
this ship. How can you know what it's really like? How do you know 
that they don't have secrets to hide, too?"

     Mulder looked back at his partner. She had folded her arms and 
set herself firmly in her position. How could he explain what he could 
feel inhis bones? He gave her a soft smile, knowing what she was 
trying to do. He didn't want to fight with her about it. 

     "Everyone has secrets, Scully," he said softly, pushing himself up 
from the floor.

     The hoverbed floated out of the room behind them and off down 
the ramp where two uniformed men stood. When the group from 
Earth exited they gestured that they follow them. 
     

     < Alpha Point Base >


     One, also known as Domar, stood silently staring out into the void. 
There were no stars here. He missed the stars. The world ship was a 
poor imitation of his home world. If he closed his eyes he could smell 
the deep, pungent odor of the marshes. But when he opened them 
again, he only smelled recycled air. 

     One hated what his brother, Yoda, had done to him. They were 
part of the most ancient race in the galaxy. They were it's rightful 
rulers. Yoda, though, had rejected that idea and thus had also rejected 
One. 

     When Palpatine had come so long ago promising to return them to 
their rightful places, they'd readily made the deal. Palpatine had taken 
in their knowledge, ancient knowledge of which precious few even 
knew existed.  

     The portal between the two galaxies had been labeled a myth. One 
had known it to be true, his people had once traveled freely between 
the sister galaxies. That had been millennia ago, long before the 
Great War. Palpatine had also learned of the truth. When he'd found 
the location of the Gates, he knew he could restart the work of the 
ancients. The ancients spoke of one who would control the fate of 
both galaxies. One felt that he was that individual.

     One closed his eyes in meditation. He felt the deep, rich tones of 
the  dark side flow through him. It made him feel powerful, invincible. 
But, there was trouble ahead. One had seen it in his meditations 
before. There was an ending coming for him. An ending brought by a 
Skywalker. He had to make sure that Skywalker came to his own end. 


     <MW> Earth, Charlotte, North Carolina

 
     Walter Skinner drove in silence along darkened streets.
He and his traveling companion had driven to Richmond and caught 
a flight to Charlotte. He'd kept his companion in sight at all times 
during their journey and was fairly certain that they hadn't been 
followed. But then, considering the presence of his passenger, they 
might not need to be. Skinner had mulled the possibilities during the 
flight and had come to the conclusion that he didn't know if his 
passenger's reasons were as simple as he had claimed. Was his 
daughter's safety the main objective here? 

     Skinner's destination and his mission were dangerous. The
city itself wasn't dangerous and unless renting cars and taking flights 
had become classed as deviant behavior, he had no fear of 
prosecution. No, the nature of the danger involved was less than 
obvious. Skinner was beginning to wonder if he were becoming as 
paranoid as Agent Mulder.  

     The sign of the Doubletree Inn flashed invitingly in the night. It had
been a long, silent journey. Stopping for a rest was tempting. The 
digital display of the radio read 10:07. 

      "What can you tell me?" Skinner asked, turning to his passenger. 
They were here, now. It was time to begin. He knew his passenger 
would not give him everything, but slightly armed was better than not 
armed at all. 

     "She worked for a company called Acme Industrials Warehouse. 
They did some specialized government work in the past. Acme 
burned down early Thursday morning and the local authorities want to 
know if she knows anything."The bearded man spoke calmly, in a 
detached voice, as if it wasn't his daughter they were speaking of, but 
some unknown individual or case file. 

      Skinner looked at his passenger for a second, then returned his 
eyes to the deserted road. He felt something strangely akin to 
sympathy for the man. He'd given up a lot; his life, his name, his 
daughter and for what? To protect someone elses idea of national 
security? Skinner knew a little of how this type of position was set 
up. He also knew that their security program was impartial. Yes, he 
knew about 'deny everything'. Destroy everything in opposition. He 
knew what would happen if *they* got a hold on this man's daughter. 
They would get all of the information they could out of her. If she 
knew nothing, perhaps she would go home feeling a little less secure. 
If she knew anything, she would disappear. If they found out who her 
father was, she would die. The battle lines in this little war were 
indiscriminate. There was no time for rest. Skinner and his passenger 
had to find them first.

      "Do you have an address on Acme?" Skinner asked, reaching 
into the back seat for the convenience store bag containing a 
Charlotte map.

     The bearded man gave him a look as if he were kidding. He 
handed the map back to him. "Turn here," he said. 

     Skinner looked at his passenger wonderingly. He wasn't surprised 
that he knew where the company was. But why hadn't he asked why 
they were going there? Then, it occurred to Skinner that this man 
knew Agent Mulder and his gift for being precisely where he shouldn't 
be just as well as he did. 


     CEstallia


     Luke Skywalker waited while the operator connected the 
interstellar link. He'd received several messages from Leia, all 
insisting that she needed to speak with him urgently. 

     There was a soft click on the other end before audio reached him. 
The symbol for Coruscant Communications was emblazoned across 
the screen. 

     "Coruscant Communications, how may I direct your call?" a 
pleasant voice asked. 

     Luke gave her the authorization code for the palace and waited 
while the operator switched the line. He'd tried to get her at her office 
and at home, but there had been no answer. 

     "Imperial Palace, how may I direct your call?" another pleasant 
voice asked. 

     "I'm trying to contact Leia Organa Solo," Luke said, relaxing back 
into his chair. He wondered when it was that he had gotten tense. 
Surely, it must have had something to do with the fact that he'd been 
trying to reach his sister for the past twenty minutes.

     "I'm sorry, sir, but Madame Organa Solo is unavailable." 
     
     "What?" Luke asked. "Is some thing wrong? This is Luke 
Skywalker, her brother. Is she on Coruscant?"

     "Oh, Commander, she's still here. She did state that you are 
allowed to override the block. Just a moment." The operator's voice 
was kindly.

     Luke's alertness had heightened. There was something going on at 
home.He felt a sudden urgency that he get back as soon as possible. 
It was with the patience of a Jedi that he waited for his sister to 
answer the page.



XJEDI 12 (vol. 2)



AUTHOR'S NOTE: From this point on, it is assumed that everyone
understands the translators are tracking. (Read: Everyone will
appear to speak English until the author so deems it cooler for
them not to) 

     <MW>  Charlotte, North Carolina

     "Cut the lights," the bearded man said, as Skinner pulled the
rental car onto the darkened road that lead to what used to be Acme 
Industrials Warehouse. 

     The path ahead was plunged in sudden darkness. Only the sounds 
of the car's tires crunching along the roadway could be heard above 
the soft purr of the engine. Skinner's eyes adjusted to the sudden 
change, and aided by the glow of the full moon, they continued to roll 
forward. Almost unexpectedly the trees alongside the road ceased, 
revealing the stunning wreckage of Acme Industrials Warehouse.  

     Skinner figured that Acme must once have been a pretty 
impressive looking building, judging by the size of the rubble. But 
now, there wasn't much left; a few shadows cast by some large burnt 
out hull of machinery or a fire-proof cabinet here or there.

     Skinner parked the car in what had once been a back parking area.
It was odd to see the marked off spots behind the rubble. He didn't 
have much hope of finding anything here. But this was the only other 
place he could reasonably think to look. Rae's apartment was 
currently not an option, the local law enforcement would no doubt be 
keeping an eye on it. The longer he was out of touch with his agents 
and their protectee, the greater his worry became. Yet, his cellular had 
remained maddeningly quiet. 

     Skinner grabbed a flashlight from the back of the car and set out
toward the building. 



     <GFFA>  Coruscant

     Luke Skywalker put the V-Eiker luxury craft down in the security
bay of the Imperial Palace. He eyed the Falcon with a bit of
trepidation. Leia had been very upset when he'd spoken to her four 
hours earlier. Han had only arrived minutes prior on Coruscant, 
unconscious and she'd wanted to speak with the doctors. Luke had 
left CEstallia immediately.

     Luke's passenger, seated in the co-pilot's seat, watched him
openly. She saw the tenseness in him, though he hid it well beneath a 
mask of Jedi calm. She had trained many Jedi Knights, or at least a 
previous Matriarch had. But, she could not tell Luke that; it was too 
dangerous. He had a difficult path ahead of him. CEstallia had seen it. 

     Luke looked up when CEstallia placed a gentle hand on his arm.
"That's the Falcon over there," he said, gesturing toward the old 
Corellian freighter. It sat alone to one side of the bay. 

     "A very interesting ship," CEstallia said. She would have  
picked it out even if he hadn't pointed it out to her. "It has survived
much and will survive much more," she continued, "So will her 
owners." 

     Her statement gave Luke pause. "Have you seen this?" he asked.
"Yoda said the future is always in motion." 

     She gave Luke another of her mysterious smiles. "CEstallia has
seen it," she told him. 

     Luke found himself again bemused. He would definitely have to
find out about that someday. "CEstallia the planet or the woman?" 
he asked, half amused.

     CEstallia shrugged. "They are one and the same."



     Luke reactivated Threepio on the way to the exit ramp. The lights
behind the droid's eyes illuminated and its body assumed its usual
uprightness. 

     "Master Luke, so good of you to reactivate me, I feel absolutely 
refreshed..." Threepio's audio circuits were off and running when he
was back on-line.

     Luke couldn't help smiling at the talkative droid. He'd actually
missed Threepio's banter. He turned to CEstallia and gestured that 
they proceed off the ship. As the trio stepped down the ramp into the 
bay, Luke was unsurprised to find his sister running across the bay 
toward him. He caught her in a brotherly hug, sensing that her worry 
had relaxed, but something was still wrong. 

     "Oh Luke, I'm so glad you're here," Leia said, relief evident in
her voice. Then, she noticed the petite woman who stood beside 
her brother and wondered why she hadn't seen her before. She took 
a step away from Luke and turned to formally meet the woman. 

     "Hello," Leia said politely to the woman, waiting for Luke to
introduce them. 

     "Leia, this is CEstallia, there is something she wishes to
discuss with us." Luke said, omitting that she was Matriarch of 
CEstallia. He knew he could trust Leia with the information, but 
for some reason it didn't come out, though he was thinking it.

     Luke turned to CEstallia. "CEstallia, this is Leia Organa Solo,"
he said. He didn't add her title. If CEstallia kept up with interstellar 
news she'd know already, anyway. 

     Leia shook the woman's hand warmly. "Welcome to Coruscant,
CEstallia. Allow me to show you to a place where you can relax." Leia 
turned and directed the group toward guest quarters. She wanted to 
get rid of CEstallia so that she could have a word with her brother--
privately.


     Medical Wing, Imperial Palace


     Dana Scully stood before a large clear enclosure, gazing at the
man suspended in a translucent red solution. There was some sort of
breathing apparatus covering his face and he wore nothing else, save 
a pair of boxers. He'd been in there now for 3 hours. One of the 
doctors, Two-one-bee, a droid, had said that he should be coming out 
of it anytime now. Dana had almost seen his wound healing. 

     Mulder and Rae had remained in the suite that they'd been
assigned. Dana had wanted to see the outcome of her one-time 
patient. This reddish fluid, bacta Leia had called it, had been placed 
in the tank with Han. It was some sort of curing agent. It looked 
horribly sticky and uncomfortable, but it was working.

     Leia had just been notified that someone important had arrived.
And so Dana had promised to stay with Han until she came back. 
Dana took another opportunity to look around the medical wing. 
Medicine here was different from anything she'd come in contact with. 
She had wanted to help, but here, her skills were useless. Everything 
was taken care of while she'd watched. 

     Dana looked down with amazement at the outfit she now wore. 
She and Rae were about the same size as Leia, so she'd loaned them 
a couple of outfits. This particular one was body tights with a semi-
sheer overshirt that clinched at the waist. Leia had given her a pair of 
black, flat-heeled knee boots to complete the ensemble, since her 
beige pumps were in no way suitable. When she'd stepped out of her 
bedroom into the common area of the suite, she'd given Mulder a 
look, daring him to comment. Mulder's eyes had spoken volumes, but 
he'd managed to bite back whatever he'd been about to say. 

     She'd taken in Mulder's mostly normal outfit. He still wore Han's
overalls, since he hadn't had his turn with the shower. But she had a
feeling whatever Leia had sent up for him would look amazingly 
normal, while she, on the other hand, had gotten to look like a 
super hero. 

     Rae had been still showering when Dana had left for the medical
wing with a droid guide. She wished her the best in the outfit 
department. 

     Scully's head snapped up at a voice over her shoulder. 

     "Interesting take on medicine," Mulder said, looking at Han
suspended in the bacta tank. 

     Scully took in Mulder's appearance. The blue pants were baggy on
him and the tunic was a bit 70's, but he could still have fit in on earth. 
All he needed were bushy sideburns, and he could have been...
"Eyl-vis," she let the word slip out, giggling. 

     Mulder struck a pose, "Think the bad guys'll take us seriously in
these get-ups?" 

     "What?...us?...the crime fighting duo, Electro Woman and Elvis
Man?" Scully returned. 

     "I guess we could look on the bright side. At least these aren't
draw string pants or worse yet something in a white brocade," Mulder 
said, looking again at Scully's outfit with a wicked grin, "And you--" 

     Han began to thrash about in the tank, capturing the attention of
both agents and cutting off Mulder's remark. Scully took a step toward 
the tank and stopped when she noticed the medtechs taking care of 
the situation. She dropped the hands that she'd risen to her sides and 
turned to her partner, "We should probably give him some privacy 
while they clean him up." 

     Mulder agreed. The two agents moved to step outside the bay. 


*   *   *   *   *   *


     "Luke," Leia said when they were in his quarters, which were
closer to the guest wing. "I'm glad you came back," she began, 
breathless. "Chewie has been captured on a planet called Earth. 
Only, no one is really sure where Earth is. Artoo gathered some 
data during the trip, but the scientists still aren't done analyzing it."

     Luke's eyes widened at what Leia was telling him. "Chewie's
captured!" he asked stunned. She hadn't told him that over the stellar 
link. "What happened? Does Artoo know?" 

     Leia nodded, "Artoo was on the Falcon at the time. There are
three humans who arrived back with Han; they saw what happened. 
The external monitors also picked up some of it. The humans say 
that the people who shot Han are the ones who have Chewie." 

     Luke had felt that something was still bothering her, he had at
first thought it was Han's condition. He understood why she hadn't 
told him about Chewie and had been very unspecific about the nature 
of what had happened to Han during their earlier communication; the 
stellar link was less than secure. Aside from operators listening in, 
the carrier was open to anyone who wished to tap in. And this 
probably wasn't a good time to tell her about the Gates and what 
CEstallia suspected concerning the children. He would wait until he 
felt her worry over Han abate. "I'm sure Han will be okay and he can 
probably help us find the planet again." Luke said, placing a hand on 
his sister's shoulder.
 
     Leia sighed and looked at her brother ruefully. She felt that he
was holding something back. She wondered what else he had on his 
mind...or perhaps it was someone else. Her mind went briefly to 
CEstallia, who in her mind, was just plain too old for Luke. But, Leia 
knew that he'd tell her what it was when he was ready. 
 
      "I thought it would be easier for everyone if we discussed it
after you had gotten home. Right now, I'd like to go check on Han. 
I left him with one of the humans when I got the message that you'd 
arrived. So you'll meet her first and then we can arrange the meeting 
with the other two." 

     Luke was curious. Why had Leia done that? Why would she 
leave a woman she'd only just met to look over her husband? And 
why would the woman want to?

     Leia continued, inadvertently answering Luke's unasked questions,
"She's a doctor where she comes from. She tried to take care of him 
when he was hurt. She just wanted to see it through." 

     Luke mouthed, "Ohh," and nodded.  

     "Oh, and by the way," Leia started again, as they entered a lift. 
"The humans don't speak Basic. Artoo was able to activate some old
translation program on the Falcon, that Han *forgot* to tell us about. 
The scientists were able to download it into a lapel-link like the ones 
the children have." 

*   *   *   *   *   *


     Scully and Mulder were exiting the medical bay when they spotted
Leia approaching with a sandy haired young man dressed in a brown 
cloak. Mulder noticed the hood that hung at the back. Privately, he 
was hoping for an outfit like it. 

     "Dana Scully and Fox Mulder, meet Luke Skywalker," Leia said
introducing the agents to her brother. Her eyes kept returning to the 
medical bay behind them, though. Luke didn't need the force to know 
where her thoughts were. 

     Luke gave both Scully and Mulder a slight bow, before sending his
sister off to see her husband. Luke already knew Han would be okay; 
CEstallia had seen it. Turning back to the two agents, he gestured that 
they walk. He looked sideways at them from the corner of his eye. 
These two were an interesting pair. There was something about 
them... 

     "Mr. Skywalker," Scully started, "is it possible for us to be
returned home to Earth soon?" Scully did not look in Mulder's 
direction. But, she knew he was looking at her. 

     Luke caught the undercurrent of unfinished business. "Call me
Luke," he said. At Scully's nod he continued, "I don't know how much 
Leia has told you, but we don't know *where* Earth is. Could either of 
you find it if we provided you with star charts?" 

     "Afraid they didn't cover star charts in GS training," Mulder
said. "We sort of figured that since Han got there one time, he 
could get there again." 

     Luke nodded. "Well, when Han comes out of that tank he isn't
going to be very coherent. Our people are working with the data Artoo
recorded. Maybe that will give us something." 

     "Dana?" Luke spoke to Scully, testing her name. 

     "Yes," she responded. 

      Luke smiled. "Leia said that you are a doctor and that you
helped Han, I want to thank you for that." Luke had sensed her feeling 
of intense uselessness, even as he and Leia had approached the bay. 
"I want to thank both of you for getting him home," Luke added, 
encompassing Mulder. "He means a lot to me."

     Scully smiled back at Luke. "You're welcome," she said. "But,
Artoo is really the one who did the most for him." Scully felt an instant
liking for Luke. He seemed amazingly calm and yet there was 
something about him that struck a chord in her. 

     Mulder looked curiously at his partner and then back to Luke.
"Sure," he had muttered softly, along with Scully's 'You're welcome'. 

     Luke looked up at Mulder suddenly. "Are either of you hungry?" he
asked. 
     
     They were. 

     The trio headed back to the room to get Rae. She would surely be
starved too. When they reached the room it was to find CEstallia 
coming out of Rae's bedroom door.

     "What are you doing here?" Scully questioned. The little
gray-haired woman didn't look like a maid. Besides, that was a duty 
generally assigned to a droid around here.

     CEstallia looked up and smiled calmly at the group, her eyes
settling on the men. "She was hysterical. I calmed her, poor child. She 
was going on about being unemployed now or something."

     Mulder threw Scully a glance but she was still looking
suspiciously at CEstallia. 

     "Dana," Luke said calmly. "This is CEstallia. She's a friend of
mine and you can trust her." He gestured for CEstallia to come 
nearer. 

     Dana's eyes darted to Luke's and then to Mulder's. They were both
looking at her as if they were waiting for her to realize that she was
being silly. Slowly, her eyes tracked back to CEstallia. She looked
like somebody's grandma. She wondered why she hadn't noticed that 
before.


*   *   *   *   *   *


     Fox Mulder sat in the common area of the suite they were 
assigned. He couldn't sleep and hoped it wasn't due to an intergalactic 
case of Montezuma's revenge. He smiled grimly at his own joke. 

     Where were the televisions in this place? How did they sleep

without one? Perhaps it was sign of progress. 

     Mulder got up from his seat on the thing, that must have passed 
for a couch, and left the room. He didn't want to wake Scully and Rae.
It had been decided that the meeting would be held in the morning, 
after everyone was rested and Han was better able to offer an 
opinion. That plan of action also gave the scientists more time to 
study Artoo's data. 

     At the end of the hall, Mulder boarded the lift he'd seen someone
use earlier. He looked at the mysterious symbols and recognized an 
arrow pointing in the upward direction. "Must be universal," he mused 
aloud. 

     Mulder chose the symbol at the top of the list. If it was at the
top it had to be good. The ride had lasted only a couple of minutes 
when Mulder began to feel uncomfortable. A green up arrow was still 
flashing and something was scrolling across a readout. He assumed 
that meant that everything was all right. A small bell chimed and the 
doors slid open. 

     A cool breeze of night air blew through Mulder's bangs. Night
smells accosted his nostrils as a smile spread across his lips. He 
stepped out onto the roof of the Imperial Palace.  

     Mulder remembered seeing pictures of city scapes on postcards. 
Generally, the photos had been taken at night, while the lights were 
shining brightly from multilevelled skyscrapers. Even the largest of 
them didn't approach this place. As far as Mulder could see, from his 
considerable height, was city. Tall brightly lit buildings were
everywhere. Atop many of the buildings were brightly lit advertisements...
at least that was what Mulder thought they were. Ships could be seen 
flying here and there as people commuted from place to place. This 
city was busy. Mulder was so engrossed that he didn't notice the form 
which silently crept up to his side. 

     "Couldn't sleep?" Luke asked, gazing out across the city. He 
often came up here to think. These signs of bustling life grounded
him. The universe was a big place, but it was made up of just people. 
'Just  people' bustled all over Coruscant's Capital City.

     Mulder started at Luke's voice. He turned to see that Luke was
leaning against the stone railing in much the same way he was. 
Mulder also noticed that Luke was no longer wearing his cloak, 
but a snug fitting black outfit and black knee boots. There was a 
long cylindrical object hanging from a utility belt 'A cape and he 
could definitely be a super hero,' Mulder thought as he turned back 
toward the city's lights. 

     "Probably a galactic case of jet-lag," Mulder said. "I haven't
slept in..." Mulder glanced down at his watch calculating, it was just
approaching midnight back home, "2 days," he finished.

     Luke laughed, "I know the feeling; seems like there's always
something." 

     "Yeah," Mulder agreed, distractedly. "I like it here," he said
suddenly. "I've told Scully I want to stay and as you can probably 
guess she disagrees."

     Luke's brow furrowed momentarily. His head turned toward the
night sky, obviously looking for something. 

     Mulder's words faded away as he tried to figure what Luke was
doing. Luke pulled his light saber from his utility belt, holding it in
a guard position at his side. 

     "Uh...excuse me," Mulder said, "mind filling me in?" He didn't
like the looks of this. That cylindrical object that Luke had taken 
from his belt was beginning to look ominously like a weapon. He 
wondered how it worked. Did it shoot like or gun or did he just 
throw it?

     "There is an intruder in the palace," Luke said calmly. 

     Mulder accepted that, but he did have a question. "How do you
know that?" He was sure that a place like this would have plenty of 
guests. So, how could one person just *know* when someone was 
crashing.

     "I can *feel* it." Luke said suddenly running toward a door 
Mulder hadn't seen before. Mulder ran after him.



 End Volume Two
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