X-Wing: Rogue Jedi

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The characters and trademarks referred to in the course of the story are the properties of George Lucas and LucasFilm Ltd. Any new characters I create here are mine, and if you wish to use them, please ask my permission. My thanks to Brad Carletti and Nick Coghlan for help with the Star Destroyer principle, and to Vickie Boyd for unblocking the story when it was verging on unfinishable.

For the continuity lovers among you, this story takes place between 'I, Jedi' and ‘Children of the Jedi’.

Major Wes Janson of the New Republic's elite Rogue Squadron squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. The man in front of him had been his one of his best friends for nearly a dozen years, and yet he felt desperately uncomfortable with the conversation they were having.

"Bad dreams, Wes?" The man on the other side of the desk, General Wedge Antilles, asked. "You want my help because you're having bad dreams?"

"Wedge, this is serious. I've not been able to sleep properly for the past month now. I've never had anything like this happen before, not after shooting down Kissek Doran, not before taking on the Death Star, nothing. I don't have bad dreams," Wes stressed.

"And now you are, you don't know how to deal with it? OK, Wes. I understand." Wedge looked at his friend. He'd always thought bad dreams were part and parcel of being a pilot, all the death, on both sides, taking its inevitable toll on him. For Wes not to ever have experienced that… I wonder what it's like inside his head…

"I think I know someone who can help, Wes. Actually, two people. I think you won't mind them helping out. Try and get some sleep tonight, Wes," he held up a hand to forestall Wes' cynical reply. "I'll ask Luke and Corran to come here tomorrow, and perhaps they'll be able to suggest something.

Wes twisted and turned in his sleep. It was a bad dream, part of him knew, but part of him believed he was in space above Endor again, the Death Star firing its superlaser directly across Wes' flight path. Although the shot missed him by a kilometer, it was enough to shake his X-Wing, and allow an Interceptor a strafing run on his ship. The shaking resulting from the attack knocked the control yoke from his hands, and his head slammed against the cockpit canopy.

His head swam, and when his vision cleared he was back in the cave. He watched the scene unfold again, as he had for many nights before this. His hand stretched out, and the Sullustan kneeling before him was lifted up from the ground, slowly gagging as Wes closed his hand, crushing the alien's throat.

Wes watched in horror as his fingers spread again, and the Sullustan dropped to he ground, quite dead. His hand gestured again, and the corpse slid sideways into one of the lava pools that made up half the floor area of the cave.

Once again, Wes looked down at the rich purple and red robes his body wore. A gold trim completed the set, and Wes knew the clothes were very well made. The tailor wouldn't have been worried about this guy not paying if they were poorly made, he thought bleakly. Just that I, er he would have killed him.

Wes had done the calculations many times before. The virtual garrote technique, the robes, the immunity to the heat of the volcano, the fear in the eyes of the remaining Sullustans gathered around him.

Once again, Wes opened his eyes to find himself on the floor of his quarters. The dream fresh in his mind, he walked into the refresher, and splashed water on his face. He looked into the mirror, and leapt back in shock.

Facing him was the figure from his dreams. Or, at least, it was his head on the body from his dreams.

"You're confused. It's understandable. So was I. I've been asleep a long time," the image intoned. "And now I've been awakened, and here you are, here I am. It really is the most incredible luck. I can rule again, thanks to you. Join with me, Wesley Janson. Join with me, and we shall rule the galaxy as one." The Jedi smiled, an evil sneer that had nothing to do with friendliness or warmth

Wedge opened his door to find a wild eyed Janson standing outside it, clad only in a pair of shorts. For a second, he suspected one of the Taanabian's legendary practical jokes, then he realised that Janson looked absolutely terrified, a first, as far as he could recall.

"How do you mean worse? Was it more vivid? And what do you mean, 'dream'? I thought there were different dreams?"

"I… I didn't want to admit it. It's just one dream, not really combat, not most of it, anyway. This time, though I can't not say what's really happening…"

As Wes recounted the dream, and the aftermath in the refresher, Wedge listened intently. His partner, Qwi Xux, padded gently from the bedroom, and mixed a strong pot of caf, of the sort the Rogues drank before missions.

The two men sipped at the caf, and Wedge grimaced as his friend described the Sullustan's death. When Wes described the apparition he'd seen after wakening, Wedge made a snap decision. He made swift calls to both Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master, and his one time padawan, Jedi Knight Corran Horn. The four men arranged to meet at Luke's Imperial Palace office at dawn, which gave them each time to wake up.

As the sun rose over the horizon, spilling its light deep into the man made valleys of the city-planet, the four friends met in Luke's office. Sparsely decorated as it was, there was room for each of them to get comfortable, as Wes retold the tale of the Dark Jedi. Corran looked extremely uncomfortable, and cast a glance at Luke when Wes commented on how the Dark Jedi had asked Wes to join with him.

Luke caught Corran's look, but shook his head slightly. Clearly whatever the two were thinking isn't for mere pilots to think about. Only Jedi need to know their secrets, Wes thought angrily.

But you could know their secrets. Join with me, Wesley, be a Jedi. Know EVERYONE'S secrets.

"You know, calling me the wrong name isn't going to convince me!" Wes said out loud.

The other three looked at him, the Luke's expression changed, becoming more serious, darker.

The three turned to look at Wes, and he frowned, as he felt the presence of the Dark Jedi in his mind. Luke activated the historical database on his desk, and accessed the Jedi database that he'd helped compile. he looked through he records for Sullustan based Jedi, but drew a blank. He looked up, and met Corran's eyes. Both men's minds flashed back to when the Corellian had first come to Luke for help with his Force skills.

"Wes, I think I know something that may help," said Luke. "It's something I tried with Corran when first he came to me for help with his Force abilities.."

"But I don't have any Force abilities, Luke," Wes protested. "You must remember that time you tested the Rogue's for Force sensitivity with those holographic paddles. I got a fat zero."

"But if there is a Jedi setting up home in your brain, this may help flush him out," Corran commented. "Besides, it's not designed to work with the Force, just with what you have in your mind."

Luke smiled, a smile that spoke of trust, warmth and friendship. He took in a deep breath, and as he exhaled, Wes felt a wave of peace wash over him. He saw Luke signal to Wedge, and the General squirmed in his seat slightly, as he began telling a joke about a Bothan in a tapcafe.

Wes did as he Jedi suggested. The joke was an old one, and Wedge wasn't a good joketeller, but Wes' fondness for his friend carried past that. He remembered times Wedge had made him laugh, times the two had shared trusts and confidences, like the night just gone, when Wes had gone to him about…

"I am Lauer Jensen," Wes said. His voice modulated slightly, and a careful listener would have thought there were two people speaking synchronously. "I am of the Sith, and you," he looked balefully at Wedge, Corran and Luke, "are not. Puny light side conjurings are no match for the Dark Side of the Force." The capitals dropped neatly into place.

"Oh yes, Corran Horn, Jedi in training… Your father blamed you for his death, did you know that? In his dying moments, he looked up, he saw you, and he thought you'd pulled the trigger. He died hating his only son… Isn't that sad?"

"And a parallel life here in Luke Skywalker… except you actually killed your father, of course. With you dead, the Emperor would have fallen to Vader, who would have escaped the Death Star alive, and united the galaxy through use of the Dark Side, and the light side. But, no… You begged for help, saved your own life to kill off any hope of lasting peace in the galaxy. Feeble Jedi…"

"You are powerful, I will admit," he said. "But you cannot know these things. No-one can see what might have happened."

"I can, as did you, just once. You came close to a power that could have been yours. Pan-precognition is a talent that has blessed few Jedi, and indeed they are powerful."

"And that was your big talent? Why are you dead, if you could see the future?" Corran asked, still struggling to contain his temper.

"Eventually everyone dies, little man. I thought your father would have taught you that, at least. If not, then the Halcyon line was a total failure."

Even Luke and Wedge together could not contain Corran. He leapt at Janson/Jensen, his lightsaber flashing to life in his hands.

And hung in mid air, as Jensen raised an eyebrow, mildly. He plucked the lightsaber from Corran's immobilised hands, and used it to spear the Corellian through his shoulder. Corran couldn't even open his mouth to scream.

Luke and Wedge tried to rise to help their friend, but Jensen toppled Luke's heavy desk over on top of them, pinning the two men through the combined weight of the desk itself, and Jensen's Force power. Jensen grinned maliciously as he slipped out of the door.

Jensen strode through the Imperial palace, drinking in the glory of the New Republic, and the Empire before it. He relied on Wes' knowledge to tell him where he wanted to go, and soon found himself outside, with a dead security guard in front of him, in the VIP parking lot. He appropriated a luxurious speeder, and programmed the autopilot to take him to the Rogue Squadron base.

Back in Luke's office, Corran crashed to the ground, gritting his teeth as the pain flowed from his shoulder outwards, overwhelming his other senses. He passed out with a groan.

Wedge and Luke, meanwhile, struggled out from under the desk, Wedge nursing a badly twisted knee. He sighed, as he realised it would stop him flying until it healed. Bacta could do little for twists of this nature.

Luke was unharmed, and was quickly on his comlink, first to Palace security, then the medbay. The he called Leia Organa Solo, his sister and New Republic Councillor. She would have to inform the Council that there was a Dark Jedi loose on Coruscant.

Wedge had also activated his comlink. He keyed it to the headquarters frequency, and was answered by Emtrey, the 3PO droid.

"Emtrey, don't talk, just listen," he ordered the voluble droid. "If Major Janson comes to the HQ today, treat him as normal, but inform me as soon as you can. If you can't reach me, try Commander Skywalker, or Captain Horn. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir, Major Janson is to be treated as normal, but you are to be informed. I shall follow your orders to the letter, sir."

By now, the medics had arrived to transfer Corran to the medical bay. They eased the wounded Rogue onto a gravstretcher, and moved back out. Luke looked at his long-time friend, and half smiled.

Jensen strode Wes' body into the Rogue Squadron HQ. He passed the entry desk without a second glance, ignoring Emtrey's cheery greeting. The droid surreptitiously pressed a button beneath the desk as Jensen stalked towards the hangar door.

Wedge's comlink beeped urgently, a sign from Rogue HQ that something was wrong. He cursed, and spun the landspeeder in that direction, away from Wes' apartment, where he'd thought Jensen would likely head. As Luke commented, if he'd gone straight to Rogue HQ, Jensen had Wes' mind at his disposal.

"He's almost the same age as my father when he became Darth Vader. He's younger by far than the Emperor when he turned to the Dark Side. And he's apparently more powerful, after however long he's been disembodied, than I am. We may have a serious threat on our hands if we can't stop him."

Jensen stood beside Wes' X-Wing, admiring the snubfighter's sleek lines, and the sheer power the 12 metre long craft projected.

"Ah, a loyal Sullustan," Jensen said, as he turned. "Tell me… Aril," he continued. "What would you say if I were to tell you that Lauer Jensen had returned to rule the galaxy again?"

"I'd ask if you'd been reading children's books, Major," Aril replied. "Everyone from Sullust knows that Jensen is a fable, a myth constructed to scare children."

Aril looked at Jensen curiously, but eventually decided to play along with whatever joke Wes had running.

"That's about it, 'Master'… You have become a joke, a tale that even toddlers aren't impressed by," she said, with a smile.

"Laugh this off, then," replied Jensen. He stretched his hand out to Aril, then balled it into a fist. With a shrill scream, Aril dropped bonelessly to the floor, her back contorted in a series of unnatural places.

Wordlessly, Jensen levitated upwards to the cockpit level of his ship, and opened the canopy. Looking across the hangar, he selected one of the dormant R2 units, and with a twitch of his hand, brought the small droid across the divide, slotting it neatly into the space behind his cockpit. Jensen slid silently into the cockpit, sealing the canopy above him, and activating the power. A quiet thrumm greeted him as all four of the X-Wing's fusial thrust engines came online, and went to idle mode. Jensen began to run through the pre flight checklist which Wes' mind was desperately telling him was important.

In the hallway of Rogue HQ, Wedge and Luke were sprinting towards the hangar, where Emtrey had silently pointed. They entered the hangar as Wes' X-Wing came fully online, it's engines lighting the gloomy hangar. Silently, the X-Wing lifted on repulsorlifts, and angled towards the closed hangar door. It hovered for a second, as Jensen paused to work out what happened next.

Next to Wedge, Luke raised his hand and pointed at the X-Wing. His body relaxed, and his breathing slowed, as he focussed his telekinetic ability on the snubfighter.

Inside the cockpit, Jensen felt Luke's hold on the ship, and sent a pulse through the Force at the light side Master. Luke staggered backward, blood streaming from his nose, as Wedge turned to stop his friend falling flat on the floor.

Jensen, meanwhile, had given up on opening the hangars door, and flicked the weapon selector switch to dual laser fire. He pulled the trigger, and the dual offset lasers quickly slagged the metal shutter guarding the hangar from inquisitive trophy collectors.

The X-Wing eased out the hole in the shutter before Luke could re-establish his Force grip on it, and Wedge swore loudly, as the ship pointed skywards, and began its ascent. He hobbled as quickly as he could to his own X-Wing, and clambered quickly up the ladder. Selecting an emergency start from the standby menu, he guided his own ship out of the hole left by the fleeing X-Wing. Luke, meanwhile, ordered clear air for the two X-Wings, as they headed upwards towards Coruscant's atmosphere, and dual layer of shields.

Wedge cursed his snap decision to chase after the fleeing ship. He couldn’t open fire on the X-Wing, nor could he force it to ground. The person in charge of the X-Wing felt no such compunctions, however, and Wedge could feel the tendrils of the other’s mind, trying to get a grip on his own.

Wedge had learned a little from Luke and Corran about shielding himself from a mind probe, but he suspected that his meagre defences would be blown apart by a serious attempt from the Dark Jedi. He was fortunate that the pilot of the other ship could not give Wedge sufficient attention.

Jensen had transmitted clearance codes allowing him access through the shields, and yet he was still prowling the upper air lanes of Coruscant’s atmosphere. He growled in anger, guessing that Janson’s clearance had been locked out of the Coruscant central computer. Reaching out with the Force, he probed the shielding, and began to peel away the layers of the lower shield, micron by micron.

In the hangar bay, Luke realised what was happening, as he studied the feed from one of the orbiting Golan defence stations. He looked on in frustration as the shield split open enough to allow Jensen’s ship through. As the Dark Jedi released the shield, it closed behind him, denying Wedge the chance to fire a disabling shot at the engines. Beaten, Wedge turned his hip around, heading away from a friend who desperately needed his help.

As often happened in such situations, Wedge felt the bile bubble in his stomach. Memories of the first Death Star haunted him, and he cursed.

Aboard Wes’ X-Wing, Jensen took the time to familiarise himself with the controls. He could feel Wes inside his head, but he paid no mind to the weak calls the other was trying to distract him with.

He focussed his attention instead on the second layer of shielding, and began to peel it away, quicker now than he’d been able the first time. Before long, he was outside the shields, and plotting a course for Sullust. Behind him, Jawaswag, Gavin Darklighter’s R2, blatted nervously, uncomfortable with the new pilot and ship. The computations took longer than normal, and Jensen’s control was sloppy as he bought the X-Wing around for the appropriate exit vector.

Luke stood before Rogue Squadron for the first time in many years. He looked around, and sighed when he realised how few of the faces he knew. Tycho Celchu, looking impassive, Hobbie Klivian, his trademark dourness in place, and Wedge, his knee wrapped in a heavy support bandage.

The other pilots all looked at him apprehensively. They’d picked up on the absence of Corran and Wes, and already rumour were susurrating around the room. Luke knew that none of them were even coming close to what was really going on.

Wedge stood and hobbled up to the podium. He gestured for silence, and the noise from the pilots cut out quickly. He looked out across his squadron, and took a deep breath.

"At approximately seven hundred hours this morning, an X-Wing containing Major Wes Janson escaped Coruscant’s shields, and took off into hyperspace on a vector likely to be aimed towards Sullust.

"Wes is not in control of the ship. His body has been taken over by a Dark Jedi, by the name of Lauer Jensen, who made his home on Sullust many years, maybe centuries, ago.

"Jensen seriously wounded Captain Horn, as well as inflicting minor injuries on myself and Jedi Master Skywalker. I am unable to fly an X-Wing in any mission to bring home Wes, so I will be accompanying you in a Lambda class shuttle.

"Tycho, of course, is Rogue Leader. He has asked Master Skywalker to be his second in command…" Wedge paused for a second. "…And Luke has accepted.

"Jensen has already taken down two Rogues, and there’s no reason to suspect he isn’t capable of more. He needs to be stopped, but this is strictly a volunteer mission. Anyone who does not wish a part in this mission, see me afterwards. Luke has already been in contact with his Jedi academy, and a young pilot and Jedi initiate called Kyp Durron will be joining us in at Sullust as we attempt to find, and hopefully defeat Jensen.

"General, what do we do if we are faced with killing Jensen or letting him go? Do we have to kill Wes?"

"Hobbie… I don’t know. I’d hope we won’t be placed in that situation, but I can’t guarantee it. We’ll make the decision when we get to it."

"No. Not yet, anyway. We have been asked to go after Jensen first, because we know Wes. It’s thought there might be some advantage to us in that.

"If we can’t get the job done, a New Republic task force will be given the mission.

"They’ll have no qualms about killing Wes to get the job done, although that may only release Jensen’s spirit, or whatever is in Wes, to occupy another body."

"You’ll be assigned Wes’ droid for the duration of the mission," Tycho replied, speaking for the first time.

Gavin nodded, and then spoke again. "Why did this Lauer pick Wes? If I had to pick anyone to take over, it wouldn’t be one of us."

"We think there may be some distant connection between the two. There is a similarity between their names, after all, so maybe Wes is a distant relative."

"One other thing, before we set off," Wedge added. "Wes’ ship went into hyperspace very close to Coruscant. Ships that have done that in the past have almost invariably been damaged. We know Lauer has powerful Force abilities, but a damaged ship is something we all know how to work with."

He looked around the briefing room, wondering how many of the pilot’s might not return from the mission he’d just offered them.

Kyp Durron waited impatiently on Sullust. He’d taken Master Skywalker’s X-Wing, as he’d been requested to, and with Luke’s R2 unit, he’d made the flight from Yavin 4 to Sullust quickly and easily. He sat on the ground, in a Jedi trance, stretching out to try and locate the individual who’d spooked his Master so badly.

Kyp snapped out of the trance, but before he could move, the butt of Jensen’s lightsabre crashed down on his skull, knocking him out cold. Jensen looked at the prone figure, debating whether or not to finish him for good. He felt the strength of the Force running through the young man, and looked forward to see whether Kyp would become a threat to him or not.

What Jensen saw pleased him greatly, and he left Kyp lying on the ground. He looked up at Skywalker’s X-Wing, and a smile crossed his handsome features. He called up to the droid in the astromech’s slot.

"R2, you know, me. It’s Wes, remember? I’m one of Luke’s friends. Kyp said it would be okay. He’s meditating, and he’s gonna look after mine ‘til we can get a mechanic out to deal with it."

R2 slowly raised the hatch on the X-Wing, allowing Jensen to climb up the ship and slide into the cockpit.

"Okay, R2. Did you notice any seismic hot spots when you flew over the planet before landing?"

R2 bleeped an affirmative, and mapped out the location of a volcano, that had formerly been an Imperial base. Jensen looked curiously at the data, then shook his head.

"No, R2. The place I am looking for is an underground cave, perhaps 500 metres below the surface, but with several shafts allowing sunlight to reach down and light the interior. It houses a geothermal power plant, and several communities of Sullustans in the upper chambers that lead off from the path down to the main cave."

R2 scanned the planet as Jensen put the ship into orbit. Jensen circled the planet a number of times before accepting R2 couldn’t find the place he was looking for. They banked back through the atmosphere, eventually landing near the volcano R2 had suggested. Jensen had concluded that there might be some indication of other seismic activity inside the volcano itself, or perhaps someone would be able to tell him where to find his former home.

It bothered him to find his planet, and not know where to find his home. He climbed out of the X-Wing, and used the Force to lift himself over the rim of the volcano, and into the caldera.

In the X-Wing, R2 recorded all of this, noting that Janson, Major W. (Starfighter Command) was not recorded as being Force capable. He cautiously raised the X-Wing on its repulsorlifts, and tracked the rising figure, from a distance.

Rogue Squadron came out of hyperspace above Sullust. Data on the planet scrolled across the pilot’s display panels. Hobbie stared vacantly at the screen, taking the data in. Somewhere on the planet below, Luke assured them, was the body of his best friend, with a Dark Jedi loose inside it.

Compared to that, what did it matter that Sullust was a formerly desert world, transformed to a pleasant savannah planet, and further transformed into a half-heaven, half-hell several thousand years before?

"Rogues, prepare for battle. It looks quiet, but as we descend towards the planet’s surface, chances are things will heat up."

The X-Wing’s and Wedge’s shuttle plummeted groundward. Luke ordered everyone to search for sign’s of a lava cave, as featured in Wes’ dream. It was Wedge, with the shuttle’s better sensors, who spotted it first.

"Rogues, this is Beta," he said. "Heading 291.2, volcano. Could be things got a little heated in there sometime before now."

"Rogues, Lead," said Tycho. "That volcano is a former Imperial base. The Rogues took it out about a year after Yavin. Thought you’d like the history lesson."

"Appreciated, Lead," came Gavin’s voice over the comm. "Now, you old timers might want to wait back and see how the new Rogue Squadron takes on a volcano."

The X-Wings went into a dive, one after the other, skimming through the atmosphere at ninety degrees to the surface. Their nosecones glowed hot, giving them the appearance of a meteor shower. Wedge, in the Lambda, followed more cautiously.

Jensen stood on a misshapen metallic mass in the centre of the volcano. He looked around, seeing through Wes’ eyes the remains of the former Imperial base: A walker carcass here, the husk of a turbolaser emplacement there. The former shield generator had been dispatched by a well timed volley of torpedoes, and had crashed into the broiling magma, where it was slowly dissolving under Jensen’s feet.

He looked skywards, and noted the glowing dots moving through the atmosphere. Stretching out through the Force, he felt the minds inside the dots, knew that they were Rogue Squadron. He also knew that a meteor shower was renowned on some worlds as the portent of a prince’s birth. Certainly this artificial phenomenon marked the rebirth of a king.

He smiled, and reached out through the Force again, seeking the atmosphere around the fighters. With a thought, he buffeted the X-Wings, throwing them around, scattering them, and disrupting their flight

Looking around, he settled on the shell of a disabled missile launcher, tearing it into shrapnel, and sending it skywards in the direction of the Rogues. He followed it up with a volley of destroyed walker parts.

Inside the Lambda, Wedge cursed. Without any co-ordination, the Rogue's efforts to defeat Jensen would be a disaster. He flicked the comm over to Tycho's personal channel.

"One, recommend that me, you, Four and Alpha take the direct route down while the rest of the Rogues fly distraction."

"Rogues, listen in. Four, Alpha, Beta, follow me in. The rest of you, fly distraction. We're going to bring Wes home."

As Jensen continued to send Imperial debris into orbit, the four long time Rogues landed unnoticed outside the volcano. Luke hopped out of the X-Wing, and looked at the volcano. His Alliance training allowed him to trace out a possible route to the rim of the volcano. It became a moot point however, as each of the four was suddenly yanked off their feet, and hauled rapidly up and over the rim of the volcano, and dropped hard in front of Jensen.

"Wes!" Hobbie blurted, struggling to his feet. Then he stood stock still, as Jensen locked the four men in place.

"Derek 'Hobbie' Klivian," he said, walking around the four men, his hands clasped in the small of his back. "Major in the New Republic Starfighter Command. Best friend of the man you believe you see before you. He appreciates your friendship more than you know. I think you should know that, before you die."

"Wedge Antilles, Tycho Celchu, Luke Skywalker. General, Colonel, and Jedi. All of you are friends of this one as well. How fitting that you four are the ones who will witness my rise to power. Something, by the way, that will only come to pass when your friends mind is fully absorbed into my own. Any time now, really..."

As his friend's body gestured, causing several tons of metal to lift, fragment, and speed skywards, Hobbie's mind was cluttered with images of Wes. He couldn't reconcile the idea of his friend being the vessel of an insane Dark Jedi. How could...

"Wes! Remember those Bothans? Just before the mission where we tried to rescue Sate Pestage? You were the one who lost their comm number!"

"Have I not already told you? I am Lauer Jensen. Almost nothing remains of your... That's it Hobbie, keep talking. And you lost the comm... Enough! This will not work. It cannot work. I applaud you for trying, but you cannot break my concentration so easily."

"Yub yub Wes!" Wedge cried, desperately. "You remember how that started? You remember how that ended? You remember everything that went in between? That was far harder than this. Snap to it and fight, Wes!

"Yes Sir, General!... No! I refuse to... Tycho, Luke, you too! His concentration is weakening. I'm holding him!"

The telekinetic hold on the men's bodies faded drastically. Wes' body dropped to the ground, clutching his hands to his head as though trying to hold something in.

"Remember Eiattu!" Tycho called, struggling to reach his pistol. "Remember the way in which you pounded that Imperial garrison!"

Jensen/Janson screamed, and the four men were released from the Jedi's telekinetic grip. The body in front of them writhed, and shifted. It seemed to the four of them that a faint shape of Wes was visible, out of sync with the body, it's movements becoming ever more frantic.

Wes' body screamed once more and twisted painfully. The shape of him writhed as it tried to stand. Hobbie, watching, thought it looked as though the shape was being attacked by an unseen force.

Wes' body collapsed, and the shape tumbled backwards. It tried to stand, but could not. As Hobbie rushed to Wes' side, he realised the shape had form, had features. It looked like Wes, but was dressed in purple and red robes that even Wes would have only worn on a dare. Then he, Wedge and Tycho were tending to their friend, and their concern was focussed only on him.

Luke moved to confront the shape, and stood between it and Wes. He held something out in the palm of his hand.

"It doesn't want to," Wes said, climbing uneasily to his feet. He had one arm curled protectively over his ribs, the other holding his service blaster.

"It stores the personalities of former Jedi as digital information," Luke explained. "It will hold the memory of Lauer Jensen, and the gatekeepers will ensure that he is never again allowed to return."

"I think it fitting," Luke said, a faint smile on his lips. "As you discovered, Wes, the light side is a powerful antidote to the dark. With so many great former Jedi acting as gatekeepers, Jensen would never stand a chance of escaping again."

Luke faced the shape again. It knelt forlornly on the ground, defeated, stripped of its powers. As Luke activated the holocron, an alien form was projected.

"Master Baas," Wes said, surprising the others. "We seek the containment of the spirit known as Lauer Jensen."

The hologram turned to face Jensen's shape. Leaning forward, it reached out to the form, which began to fade. At the last second, it turned to face Wes, and stared until it faded from view. The holocron dimmed, and the gatekeeper vanished.

Wes turned to face the others, and then slumped forward into Hobbie and Tycho's arms.

Wes smiled from his bed in the medbay. The pilots of Rogue Squadron, along with Wedge and Luke, were gathered around him.

"Honestly, I'm fine," he said. "There's a couple of minor after effetcs, but Luke and the EmDee droids say they'll be gone in a day or so."

"After effects of having a Dark Jedi in your mind? Why is that not a comforting thought?"

"Hobbie, relax. Now, all of you, go off and prepare the party I'm holding tomorrow when I get out of here."

The group turned to leave. Wes grinned as he pointed at them. Each member of the group began to scratch themselves, first gently, then more insistently, until all of them were writhing and hopping, trying to scratch the non existent itch they were all convinced they had.

Eventually, Wes' laughter reduced him to the point where he couldn't keep up the Force illusion anymore. As tears streamed down his cheeks, he saw the group advancing on him.

Wes twisted and turned in his sleep. It was a bad dream, part of him knew, but part of him believed he was in space above Endor again, the Death Star firing its superlaser directly across Wes' flight path. Although the shot missed him by a kilometre, it was enough to shake his X-Wing, and allow an Interceptor a strafing run on his ship. In time, however, the dream passed, and Wes smiled as a nicer dream took its place.