{"id":2097,"date":"2017-07-29T07:15:14","date_gmt":"2017-07-29T12:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=2097"},"modified":"2017-08-02T07:25:14","modified_gmt":"2017-08-02T12:25:14","slug":"the-sith-empress-part-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=2097","title":{"rendered":"The Sith Empress – Part 9"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Sith Empress<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

by AJ Marks<\/span><\/p>\n

Part 9<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Luke walked around the house before finding Han out by the pool along with the children who were having some fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cUncle Luke,\u201d one said swimming to the side of the pool.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey,\u201d Luke said making his way over to where Han sat.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what\u2019s up kid?\u201d Han asked already knowing something was up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to be headed back to the academy, got some new recruits which are scheduled to arrive and I want to be there,\u201d Luke said to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about Gaia?\u201d Han asked, not surprising Luke at all despite the fact they had not seen her much since arriving here.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I was wondering if you could bring her back a bit later,\u201d Luke replied hoping he wasn\u2019t putting any pressure on Han to do such a thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the Falcon is almost done with her overhaul, and could use a test run, and I\u2019ve been meaning to take the kids out to see you so I guess we could,\u201d Han said with a grin on his face.<\/p>\n

Luke could tell that Han was actually excited to make such a trip.\u00a0 He might be the husband of a President, but he was still a rogue character at heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me go talk to her real quick and then I\u2019ll head over to the port and take off,\u201d Luke said moving back into the house and to his room.\u00a0 Finding his communicator he quickly called Gaia and had to wait several seconds before she finally answered.\u00a0 He told her the situation and told her to follow a day few days later and to try and complete her research if she could.<\/p>\n

With the conversation over he packed up and met Han as they headed to the speeder, the kids under the watchful eye of a nanny and C-3PO.\u00a0 Quickly heading off in the speeder they traveled a bit in silence before Han spoke up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there every a time where there is nothing going on around here?\u201d Han asked him.<\/p>\n

\u201cOccasionally, but that\u2019s when I get worried,\u201d Luke replied honestly.\u00a0 \u201cIt means something is being planned.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see, you\u2019re the \u2018it\u2019s the calm before the storm\u2019 type person,\u201d Han said to him.\u00a0 \u201cLeia says the same thing.<\/p>\n

Arriving at the dock which had his ship from the academy Luke gave Han a quick good-bye before walking on board the ship which R2 had gotten prepared.\u00a0 A short time later he lifted off and headed back to the academy.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Leia arrived back home to see Han waiting up for her.\u00a0 She heard from others in her staff that Luke had left already but had seen Gaia in the cafeteria after seeing the news and wondered about it.\u00a0 Now that she was home she could get the real story from her husband.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t see Gaia either and assumed she was either asleep or still at the library.\u00a0 They had given her access to a speeder so she could come and go as she pleased.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre the kids in bed already?\u201d she asked walking across the room giving him a hug.<\/p>\n

\u201cYep, and hopefully asleep as well,\u201d Han replied back to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard Luke left to head back to the academy earlier in the day,\u201d Leia stated wondering if the rumor was true.\u00a0 The fact he wasn\u2019t here seemed to confirm it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, said he had some trainees or something, coming to the academy and he wanted to be there to greet them when they arrived,\u201d Han replied back to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cMakes sense, but what about Gaia?\u201d Leia asked sitting down at the table knowing she had seen the young woman earlier in the day as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Han replied and she knew something else was up.\u00a0 \u201cLuke asked if I could bring her back with me.\u00a0 The Falcon is almost ready and needs a shake down flight and the kids have wanted to see the academy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose, as long as it doesn\u2019t interfere with the twin\u2019s studies,\u201d Leia replied after a few seconds of thinking about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Chewie is arriving tomorrow,\u201d Han said to her.\u00a0 \u201cHe had a good visit with his family and is ready to see his other family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he\u2019ll probably want to go with you,\u201d Leia said knowing Chewbacca would go with Han unless he said otherwise.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, probably, wish you could go as well,\u201d Han said to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm, perhaps I could.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been meaning to pay a visit to the Jedi Academy for the Senate and this could be a good opportunity to do so,\u201d Leia said thinking about the situation a bit and how she might be able to go.\u00a0 The Senate was suspicious of the new Jedi and what they were doing.\u00a0 This could provide an opportunity to calm any nerves.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know some of the senators will want to come with you,\u201d Han said to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Falcon could comfortably fit a few of us,\u201d Leia said to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow comfortable do you want to be, there\u2019s already us, the three kids, Chewie, Gaia doesn\u2019t leave that much more room,\u201d Han replied to her.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d say no more than two other senators to go along any more would be uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leia looked up and nodded.\u00a0 She would work on who to take and informing the Senate and her staff.\u00a0 But it all could wait until the morning, for now she was tired and ready to go to bed.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Leia woke the next morning knowing she had a lot of things to do.\u00a0 Han was still half-asleep when she got up but managed a good morning kiss.\u00a0 Quickly getting dressed she made her way to the speeder waiting for her and noticed that the room Gaia was using was open.\u00a0 Taking a peek inside she was only slightly surprised when she didn\u2019t see the Jedi.<\/p>\n

She wondered if Gaia had heard the recent news as she continued on her way to the speeder.\u00a0 She stopped at a cafeteria for some breakfast and enjoyed the morning view while going over her appointments before she finally arrived at the capitol building.<\/p>\n

Walking down the corridor she could see the morning sky full of activity already, not that Coruscant ever really slept anyways.\u00a0 Not every race kept the same hours as she did, some were more nocturnal in nature as she arrived at the library and sought out Ysonne.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, morning Madam President,\u201d Ysonne said as Leia came walking up to her.<\/p>\n

\u201dJust the person I was looking for, have you seen the young Jedi, Gaia?\u201d Leia asked her.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s in the Jedi records area, follow me,\u201d Ysonne said leading Leia down into the library to where Gaia was and had been spending a lot of time.<\/p>\n

Leia stopped a bit in surprise as she looked around the room, full of books spread open all over the table and floor and in the middle of it all was the blonde-haired Jedi oblivious to the arrivals.\u00a0 Ysonne bowed to Leia and left to continue her duties.<\/p>\n

Gently clearing her throat she watched as Gaia looked up at the sudden noise from what she had been reading.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, hello Madam President,\u201d Gaia said rubbing her eyes a bit.\u00a0 \u201cWhat time is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout six,\u201d Leia replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cI should get some supper then,\u201d Gaia said getting up from where she had been sitting.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, actually its six in the morning,\u201d Leia replied back to her watching her eyes widen at the comment.\u00a0 \u201cHave you found anything you can use?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not really,\u201d Gaia replied a bit of frustration in her voice.\u00a0 \u201cIt just seems like every lead I might find ends up a dead end or has no information.\u00a0 Its like some missing link just out of reach.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about getting something to eat, sometimes a break makes things look clearer,\u201d Leia replied back to her.<\/p>\n

Gaia nodded and stood up, stretching her muscles which had been cramped for far too long.\u00a0 She left the books where they were and followed Leia out of the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not afraid the library staff will put up your work?\u201d Leia asked as they made their way down the hallway and out of the library.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I talked with Ysonne and she said I could leave it out and inform them when I was done.\u00a0 Until then they wouldn\u2019t touch it,\u201d Gaia replied back to her.<\/p>\n

Leia nodded knowing that Ysonne would do such a thing for someone doing research.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know if you\u2019ve heard but Luke went back to the academy,\u201d Leia said.\u00a0 \u201cSomething about some new recruits coming in that he wanted to be there to meet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, we talked already, and I guess I need a ride back to the academy soon,\u201d Gaia replied and appeared to be thinking about her possible solutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have that covered.\u00a0 We can take you back in the Falcon,\u201d Leia told her.\u00a0 \u201cThat is if you don\u2019t mind sharing a ride with a wookie, three kids, two senators and my over-excited husband.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds intimidating,\u201d Gaia finally replied as she thought about it.\u00a0 Leia knew being close to so many heroes of the rebellion, and in the Falcon could be overwhelming to some.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let it get to you, we\u2019re just people as well,\u201d Leia replied.\u00a0 \u201cGiven time and your status as a Jedi, you could be looked at the same way when others are around you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess, but somehow I doubt that,\u201d Gaia replied pushing a lock of blonde-hair out of her face and tucking it behind an ear.\u00a0 They reached the cafeteria and parted ways.\u00a0 Gaia wanted to do a bit more research before heading back to the Solo residence and Leia promising to contact her on when they might leave but it might be a few days.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Gaia looked at the books in front of her and everything which had gone on.\u00a0 She had read about some truly great Jedi and their exploits and could barely imagine doing even half of what some had done.\u00a0 The biggest problem was she still had not found what shew as looking for now and wondered if that information had been destroyed.<\/p>\n

With a sigh she realized she had been at it now for over two weeks and still no closer to finding out a solution to her questions.\u00a0 She heard Chewie had taken the Falcon on a test run of the hyperdrive to Tatoonie and ran into some trouble with some mercenaries, but managed to get out with the help of another Jedi named Jaden.<\/p>\n

She had heard a few things about this new Jedi from reports from the academy as Fie-Tel continued to check up on her progress.\u00a0 There were also whispers of conflicts in the hallways of the capitol building as she passed with people unaware she was listening.<\/p>\n

Closing the book in frustration she looked at the stack once more in front of her.\u00a0 She thought she had gone through all of it without success to the point she was ready to call it quits and return back to the academy.\u00a0 She wondered if Master Skywalker or Fie-Tel might have some direction she could go.<\/p>\n

She returned the book to the stack to be reshelved and reached down to put a few more up.\u00a0 With a stack of books one fell despite her efforts.\u00a0 Putting up the books and bending down retrieved the book and started to close the book when she stopped.<\/p>\n

Something in the book caught her eye and she sat down and read the entire passage.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t long, and was from a doctor on board the Chu\u2019unther and an unusual recovery.\u00a0 She read though a bit more uncovering that it spoke about an injured Jedi Master and how they managed to heal her, and not in the normal way, but something called a healing sleep which had no connection with the Force.<\/p>\n

Gaia skimmed the article looking for a name or something but only discovered the Jedi had been injured during an explosion on board the ship.\u00a0 Something about the event sparked excitement in Gaia, as if she was on the right path now.<\/p>\n

Looking up the history of the Chu\u2019unther she now was looking for any explosions which might have occurred on board.\u00a0 There were several articles which came up, most involved combat but one caught her eye.\u00a0 It mentioned sabotage of the ship and a resulting trial on board.<\/p>\n

It took only a few minutes to find the listing of the trial and reading though the names of the parties involved came across several.\u00a0 She noticed several Jedi Masters, including Master Yoda and another one called Lightner, and a Jedi Knight Knit.\u00a0 She looked up and discovered Knit was a male, but the only thing she found on Lightner was a name, Jedi Master Bri Lightner.<\/p>\n

She felt sure that name was the one she was looking for and tried a new search.\u00a0 But the results came up with an error and nothing found no matter what combination she used.<\/p>\n

She would have to talk to Master Skywalker and see what he thought.<\/p>\n

End part 9<\/p>\n

Continued in part 10<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Sith Empress by AJ Marks Part 9 Luke walked around the house before finding Han out by the pool along with the children who were having some fun. \u201cUncle Luke,\u201d one said swimming to the side of the pool. \u201cHey,\u201d Luke said making his way over to where Han sat. \u201cSo, what\u2019s up kid?\u201d […]
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