Star Wars Jedi Knight IV: Sith Empire

Chapter 15: Bad Blood

"Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will!"

―Yoda

Ben landed the yacht Lando had loaned him on Coruscant. It wasn't like the Lady Luck, Lando's personal ship, by any stretch of the imagination. The ship Ben was loaned was simple and it got the job done. Being a SoroSuub of a similar model to the Jade Shadow, the Skywalker family yacht, was, of course, a bonus. Ben was already intimately familiar with almost every nook and cranny. He intended to use that knowledge to his advantage soon.

Instead of landing it softly like he had intended, Ben accidentally let the ship drop onto the starpad prematurely. He winced as he heard the landing gear slam onto the permacrete. 

You really need to slow down. Ben thought to himself. It was easier said than done. To say that he wasn't happy about Ves cropping up in his life again would have been a vast understatement. Quite frankly he was furious. He was determined to bring her back to the Jedi Temple either in shackles or a body bag. Her games would stop one way or another. He couldn't go on living like this.

Even after not being in contact with the schutta for over five years, she kind of had Ben trained. He had a brief relationship with Seha Dorvald, another Jedi Knight about his age that he had worked with on missions for Jacen. But he managed to ruin it by subconsciously treating her like Vestara: questioning everything she told him and not believing her when it really mattered. He hated himself for letting it happen, but even more, he hated Vestara for causing him to mistrust in the first place.

Ben quickly went over the things he was taking with him, making sure he wasn't missing anything. Lightsaber, of course. Vibroblade. Medkit. A few credits, courtesy of Lando, just in case. Datapad. Comlink, so he could get spammed by a comm-marketer while he was in the heat of battle. He seemed to be ready for most any little escapade Sleemo Sith Girl might have in store for him.

The Jedi Knight took a deep breath and lowered the boarding ramp. Upon exiting the loaned yacht, he noticed the Coruscant cityscape...or lack thereof. Abeloth had wiped out a good portion of Coruscant, and even now the planet hadn't fully recovered from the catastrophe. 

Most notably, Ben saw that the Justice Center, a massive tower that once loomed over Fellowship Plaza opposite the Jedi Temple, hadn't been rebuilt yet. He recalled the smell of smoke, and the rip of millions of lives being torn from the Force in a matter of seconds as he watched the building collapse on itself and the Coruscant undercity below. He also remembered Vestara's cold indifference to the dying people as she sided with Abeloth.

Not far away, Ben could see Fellowship Plaza, where he was supposed to meet her. But he wasn't going there just yet. He was going to the Senate Building to speak with Chief of State Wynn Dorvan about the Sith, and, with any luck, get some help dealing with Vestara. In his mind, it seemed like a win-win scenario was easily within the realm of possibility.

It was a long walk, but Ben eventually made it to the Senate Building, and after jumping through various hoops with the Mon Cal receptionist, he made progress. Desha Lor, Wynn's Twi'lek aide, led Ben to Wynn's office. He expected to be asked to wait in the lobby outside, but instead, he was ushered straight into Dorvan's office.

"Ben!" Wynn exclaimed as the Jedi was shooed into his office. "Thank the stars! You couldn't have come at a better time. Please sit."

For the first time in his life, Ben saw a frazzled Dorvan. Granted he hadn't seen the man in years, but the office of Chief of State didn't appear to have been too kind to him. Poor Wynn's jet black hair already had a considerable amount of gray, and it was somewhat disheveled as if he had been sleeping in his office and hadn't seen himself in a mirror for quite some time. All in all the effects almost looked like the aftermath of someone who was on death sticks their whole life.