Power and Betrayal: Chapter 9

"We're coming out of hyperspace." Kari announced to her passengers from the cockpit.

They'd spent the last two standard days making short jumps through what was now the edges of Imperial space in the Outer Rim to avoid detection and confrontation. Aside from meal times that they all shared together, Dianiss and Galadina spent most of that time in meditation. Aside from the combat mission they had both just recently completed on Oricon, this was the first time the two of them had been in such close proximity to each other since the Force bond had been forged between them--that is, without one of them being in a coma. It took a little getting-used-to for both of them, and the quiet of space travel helped.

Kinnan had spent some time early on connecting the White Parallel device to the Scoundrel's Vacation's navigation system, which--with Kari's help--went quickly. After that, he mostly hid away in the crew quarters that he was using to do reading and research.

Kari took care of piloting and navigation, but that still left her plenty of time to impishly harass Kinnan at every opportunity. Aside from the steady stream of inappropriate comments, this had included two separate attempts to barge into the refresher when he was bathing (once with an offer "to help", and then again later to carry out a theft of his clothes), and two attempts to sneak into his bed during the lights-out periods. Much to Master Sig-lapp's dismay, it seemed that locked doors could be unlocked at any time by the ship's Captain. Dianiss mostly found it funny (aside from when it disturbed her meditation), but Galadina's reaction was somewhere between embarrassment and mortification. That, of course, seemed only to encourage Kari further.

But just now, everyone felt the momentary distortion of gravity that was characteristic of dropping out of hyperspace--and knew that they were now just one jump away from their final destination. "Everyone meet up at the holo." Kari ordered.

Dianiss and Galadina were already there, in opposite corners of the room, again meditating. Dina was trying to focus on clearing her mind while at the same time staying alert and aware of Dianiss' condition. When Dianiss had contacted her on Oricon about this mission, she immediately informed Master Annanya, as she'd been asked to do. Annanya's instructions were a bit cryptic, but simple: Watch Dianiss carefully, and make sure that the lingering darkness that surrounded the Malachor system didn't affect her. The cryptic part, however, was the admonishment to keep it quiet that she was doing this.

Kinnan entered the room from the direction of the crew quarters at about the same time that Kari entered from the cockpit at the opposite end of the room. "Okay you party animals..." Kari said into the silent room, "please, please quiet down." Her voice echoed a bit in the quiet that her Jedi passengers had maintained, but the little joke did bring a smile to Dianiss' face.

"We are now holding one parsec out from the Malachor system, on final recharge, at my new lover's request." Kari said, looking over at Kinnan. "We have about one hour for a full recharge before we go in, so now's the time to prepare. Master Kinnan...?"

"Thank you, Captain Kari'arra." he answered.

"Oooo, he's so sexy when he pronounces it like that." Kari interrupted, with a playful look on her face.

"Um . . . yes." he said, stammering a bit. "Well . . . I wanted to prepare you all for what to expect when we jump in-system. Malachor V was the site of a massive space battle over three hundred years ago between the Republic Armada, lead by Revan, and the invading Mandalorian fleet. It was here that Revan used a sort of 'doomsday' weapon called a Mass Shadow Generator that created massive gravity fields all around the planet, which destroyed hundreds of ships--Republic and Mandalorian alike--by pulling them down to the surface to a violent end.

"This leaves us with two major problems that still persist. First, the physical damage done by the hyper-gravity left behind a planet that is barely stabilized. Quakes and fissures are common on the surface, so we'll have to be very careful. In addition, there are some surviving creatures that remain. These 'Storm Beasts' are the ones who themselves survived both the hyper-gravity of the Mass Shadow Generator AND the surface bombardment of the wreckage of all of those ships. They are apex predators and VERY dangerous. And before we even get to the surface, we'll have to carefully navigate through an orbiting field of debris and wreckage.

"But the second problem is arguably worse. Thousands of people died in that battle . . . horrible, fiery deaths. And as their ships went down, each and every one of them were cruelly provided just enough time to fully realize the horror and despair of knowing that they had no hope for survival. Those terrified souls left behind a massive dark impression in the Force that persists to this day, and maybe will for all eternity.

"I've been to this planet three times before, and I've been down to the surface once. I can tell you first-hand that those of us who are sensitive to the Force will hear their cries and feel their pain and despair. You will feel a constant, creeping fear all around you. It will be up to us to maintain our centers well enough to tune it out and keep it out. It is NOT easy, and the more sensitive to the Force that you are, the more difficult it is. This is the challenge before us."

Kari had a smug grin on her face as she interjected, "But not me! For once, I get to be the 'special' one with my wondrous immunity to the heebee-jeebees."  She placed her hands together in front of her in a mocking pose like a Jedi Master.  "The Force is gone in this one...."

"Fortunately, I have something that can help." Kinnan continued, ignoring her. "For situations like this, we've developed what we call a Midi-chlorian Force Retardant serum that will temporarily suppress some of your Force sensitivity, allowing you to acclimate to the hostile environment slowly as it wears off."

"Hold it right there!" Kari interrupted, loudly, and with a sudden seriousness that contrasted starkly with the levity she'd had up until now. "I've been Annie's doctor for years now, and you are NOT giving her anything that can mess with her Jedi mojo without my approval."

"Kari...?" Dianiss blurted out.

Kari turned to Dianiss and pointed a finger at her. "Flashlight." she said with a curl of her lekku that indicated she was being serious.

"Captain, I understand your concerns." Kinnan replied calmly. "Dianiss and her . . . passenger . . . are a very special case here, and so I promise that I intend to be cautious. In fact, I plan to start with a very minimal dose and monitor exactly how it affects her before moving to a more typical dosage."

Kari stared at him for a few long, tense seconds before looking over to Dianiss and wordlessly twitched her lekku in a motion that she knew Dianiss (and probably Kinnan too) would recognize as "Is this okay?"

When Dianiss nodded her head in agreement, Kari turned back to Kinnan and said, "All right, but I will be administering the injection and monitoring her condition."

"That would be VERY unwise." Kinnan said, matter-of-factually. "This serum works by inhibiting Midi-chlorian activity, which causes Jedi a marked decrease in Force sensitivity. But Midi-chlorians are also necessary for sustaining life in ALL living things, and inhibiting them in a non-Jedi would be fatal. In fact, once the sub-ingredients are combined, this serum is arguably one of the most toxic substances ever developed . . . to non-Jedi. For your own safety, I would strongly recommend that you not even be in the same room while I administer it."

Kari's facial expression was just a couple of notches below seething rage as she listened to this man tell her that she not only couldn't help protect her closest friend in the galaxy, but also that she was not permitted to be present in a part of HER OWN ship.

Galadina broke the tension by speaking up. "Kari, I'll also monitor everything and keep in contact with you the whole time." She paused a moment before adding, "I KNOW how close you are to her." She hoped that Kari would fully understand her intended meaning: each of them shared a Force Bond of some sort with Dianiss, and because of it they each had an additional way to remain aware of Dianiss' condition that Kinnan did not.

Kari seemed to accept that compromise, since her emotional state softened considerably. "If this stuff is THAT dangerous, you're taking it to the cargo bay, and then . . . It. Does. Not. Leave. That. Space. Got it?"

"A wise precaution. ..." Kinnan answered, "...and an excellent suggestion. Thank you."

"Master Sig-lapp? Will you be taking the serum as well?" Galadina asked, trying not to appear suspicious.

"Actually, no . . . for two reasons. The first is that I've been to this system before and so I've already had some practice at resisting the effect. The second is . . . well . . . to be quite honest I personally lack the innate Force sensitivity of . . . basically any typical Jedi Consular, and because of that, I share some of our Captain's 'wondrous immunity'--at least, compared to someone like Dianiss and probably even yourself."

Galadina paused a moment to choose her words carefully. "In that case, I think I would also prefer not to take the serum. I promised to help monitor Dianiss' condition, and I'll need the Force to do that. I don't have eyes, but there are MANY things that eyes cannot see."

Kinnan smiled a bit and pointed to his ocular implants. "Yes, I know better than most what you mean. And yes . . . the connection you share with her will be a great asset."

"Also . . . you may think I'm stronger than you--and it could even be true--but I'm still not in her league. If the effect is worse with higher Force sensitivity, then I won't have the kind of struggle that she will." This lie was a calculated risk. Dina really WAS on a comparable level with Dianiss now, but didn't want to reveal that. But to not reveal it, she would indeed have to take on the kind of struggle that Dianiss would.

Dina could sense that Dianiss was confused at that, but said nothing about it. Dina made a mental note to discuss it with her privately when the opportunity allowed.

"All right then." Kari said. "Whatever you three decide to do, take it to the cargo bay so I can seal the area off. And you two little vixens better not be making any moves on my man while you're in there alone with him either, or I'll be forced to vent the air supply into space.  Don't think I won't."

Dianiss giggled, but Dina--to everyone's surprise--actually cracked a smile and said, "Well I'll try. But if he has a box of special outfits that we need to put on before we land, all bets are off."

--

The three Jedi were already sitting down around a small table in the cargo bay area when they heard a sharp hissing sound around the door, which they knew meant that the room was now sealed off from the rest of the ship.

Kinnan opened a small case with some basic medical equipment and a series of small vials. "The serum is quite literally a kind of artificial virus." he explained. "It is pre-calibrated to have a very specific lifespan during which it can replicate itself. This is how the level of concentration is controlled. It also makes the serum reusable, since it doesn't last long enough for the body to need to produce immunoglobulins."

"How is it administered?" Dianiss asked.

"Once activated, it can be administered almost any way: injection, ingestion, skin contact--depending on species. But the most efficient way for all of us here is via the lungs."

"That's why you didn't want Kari in the room then." Dina said with a tone of sudden realization. "In a gaseous form, it could pass to her accidentally if she breathed it in."

"Exactly." Kinnan responded. "The air-tight door seal is a bit of an over-reaction, but if it makes her feel safer, there's no harm in it. Still, even this minimal dosage would be lethal to her within a few days, so it is best to be cautious."

Kinnan continued by using a syringe to combine the contents of three different vials together inside one container, then attached an alternate cover on the vial. "Dianiss, I trust that a trained healer knows how to use this...?" he said, while handing it to her.

"Of course." Dianiss responded, pretending to be insulted. She put the cover to her mouth and squeezed it together, inhaling as she did.

"How do you feel?" Kinnan asked. "It should take about 20 to 30 seconds to take full effect." He took back the vial and swabbed a sample of Dianiss' saliva from it, transferring it to a glass slide and examining it with his implants.

"I'm feeling a bit warm, actually." Dianiss answered. "And a little dizzy."

Galadina said nothing but reached out in the Force and studied Dianiss carefully. There was a small 'dimming' of her natural aura and a perceptible weakening of the Force bond between them, but the inner presence of her Sith ancestor seemed to brighten--or maybe darken was the better description--in response.

Dianiss herself was also reaching within using the Force, examining herself down to the sub-cellular level. Throughout most of her system, the M.F.R. 'virus' was penetrating her cells and attacking her Midi-chlorians.

But Kallig was reacting to it. He was, while bound to Dianiss, limited to doing only what she did--and only if she allowed it. But basic bodily functions were also things she did and allowed, so his power was already reinforcing her immune system, attacking the virus directly, and burning it from her system like he did to the drugs that the Imperials put in her system to interrogate her.

By the time 30 seconds had passed, Dianiss confirmed that she no longer felt any of the initial symptoms.

"That was disappointing." Kinnan said. "Would you be willing to try a stronger dosage with a longer incubation time?"

Dianiss nodded her head.

Again, Kinnan combined the contents of some different vials this time and connected the aerosolizer. Again, Dianiss inhaled the serum. Again, Kinnan examined the swab of saliva.

The initial effect lasted longer this time, but again, after 40 seconds, the symptoms had completely passed.

"It doesn't work on her." Galadina said.

"I was afraid of something like this." Kinnan responded. "If her passenger is capable of acting against it independently, without also being affected by it, then it could never work. Not unless...."

"Not unless WHAT?" Kari's voice suddenly coming in over the intercom nearly startled all three of them.

Kinnan paused a moment to put his thoughts into words. "I was thinking that it is likely that her Sith ancestor's presence would have to exist as a distinct set of Midi-chlorians, which the M.F.R. is ignoring for some reason. It may be possible to reconstitute the formula to act against both. But aside from the White Parallel machine, I don't have the equipment nor the expert assistance I would need here and now."

"So where does that leave us?" Dianiss asked.

"I think..." Kinnan answered, "...that we have little choice but to go in without the assistance of M.F.R. and trust that you--both of you--will be strong enough to handle the strain."

--

Kinnan sealed up his equipment and had to actually SHOW that it was sealed to the security camera before Kari would unlock the door. Within a few minutes, Kari announced that they were ready for the final hyperspace jump.

"Entering Malachor system in 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . ."

Again, they all felt the familiar momentary disruption of gravity as the ship surged ahead and immediately came to a halt.

Despite Kinnan's warnings, Galadina was surprised at what she suddenly felt. It was an intense sense of despair and hopelessness that she knew was not coming from within, but still penetrated every part of her. Yes, the sensation was VERY strong, and she had to concentrate to fight it off. The meditation that she instinctually began doing helped quite a bit. After a few moments, she believed that she could manage this and shield herself from the worst of it. The only remaining problems were the headache and slight dizziness she was feeling, and the sounds of screaming that did not quiet.

And then, to her horror, it suddenly dawned on her WHY it would not quiet.

The screaming voice was not an echo of the Force; it was physically there on the ship.

It was Dianiss' voice.

Continue to Chapter 10 . . . .