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By Root 977 0

journey. The immediate reasons were very pressing and very dire. They were attempting to gather information that would help demystify and hopefully cure the strange mental illness that was affecting Jedi Knights Seff Hellin and Valin Horn, and also figure out what had gone so badly wrong with Jacen Solo so that Luke’s ten-year exile would be commuted. But Ben was also finding that the many hours of comfortable silence or quiet conversation the journey allowed him to have with his father had been honoring Mara Jade Skywalker in some way. He knew they wouldn’t have had these times together on Coruscant. In a way, Luke’s exile and this journey upon which they had embarked had been and promised to continue to be something that brought them together, slowed things down a little bit, despite the urgency of the mission.

Mara’s expensive holographic communications array chimed softly. Luke frowned. Ben did, too. Cilghal wasn’t expected to make contact for another four hours; one could set one’s chrono by her. Luke reached forward and tapped the controls.

A diminutive image of the Mon Calamari healer, about a third of a meter high, appeared on the little dais of the holoprojector. Mon Cal expressions were hard to read, but both Luke and Ben could tell from the way she moved her body that she was agitated.

“Cilghal, what is it?” Luke asked.

Cilghal inclined her head in a gesture of respect, observing the proprieties even when Luke was in exile and disgrace, even when she was obviously in distress.

“Much has happened in the last few hours, Grand Master. Shall I tell you the good news or the bad? Both are important.”

“Let’s start with the bad news,” said Luke.

“Very well. There has been another incident with a Jedi Knight,” she said.

“Oh, no,” Luke breathed. “Who?”

“It was Jysella Horn.”

The Skywalkers exchanged glances. Two thoughts slammed into Ben’s brain at once. One was Poor Jysella; the other, What’s this done to their parents?

“I witnessed it, Master Skywalker. She had come to the Temple to assist me in researching a cure for her brother. She seemed agitated and did not appear to have slept well, but I assumed that was to be expected, considering. She was seated beside me in the research room, when suddenly she stiffened and began to make excuses for why she had to leave immediately. I realized something more than simple worry was affecting her and attempted to engage her in conversation.”

Cilghal’s enormous eyes blinked rapidly, a sign of agitation. Luke listened, not interrupting, and Ben followed his father’s example although he was burning to ask questions.

“She rose and activated her lightsaber, accusing me of absconding with the real Cilghal.”

“Just like Valin,” Luke said.

“Exactly. Then—she fled the Temple.”

“She escaped from the Temple? How? There’s Jedi all over the place!” Ben had blurted the words before he could censor himself.

Instead of reprimanding him, Cilghal sighed. “An excellent question, Jedi Skywalker. Jysella is a trained Jedi Knight, certainly, but nonetheless, in our own Temple, we ought to have been able to capture her. Master Skywalker … Jysella Horn … flow-walked.”

Luke looked startled. “You’re certain?”

“I am reasonably so, yes. She seemed able to know exactly where each of us would try to confront her and took routes to avoid us. I can’t think of any other explanation than her seeing into the future.”

“That’s hardly incontrovertible evidence of flow-walking,” Luke said. “That could be tactics, smart use of the Force, and just plain luck. Part of being a Jedi is being able to anticipate what others will do.”

“It could be those simple things,” Cilghal agreed mildly, “had she not known exactly where two security droids—the very droids about to be activated to attack her—were hidden and disabled them. Two of her dearest friends tried and failed to capture her when she fled the Temple. They were in a tapcaf right outside and came out when the fighting began. Both Bazel Warv and Yaqeel Saav’etu report that she knew where they were going to be, knew what tactics they were going to use,