The New Jedi Knights

Chapter 8: Dealing with Jack's Past

The Peacemaker was a solemn and quiet vessel, its halls humming with the steady rhythm of hyperspace travel. The ship itself was large enough to house a small crew, yet empty except for the two Jedi Masters and their Padawan learners. The quiet only deepened the gravity of what Ben and Emily had to do.

As they walked side by side through the dim corridors, the faint glow of overhead lights cast long shadows behind them. The scent of polished metal and the sterile crispness of recycled air filled their senses. Each step felt heavier than the last.

Emily's hands were clasped behind her back, her mind racing with how she would approach the situation. She had always been the more outspoken of the two, but this time, words felt fragile. This was different. This was personal. She cast a sideways glance at Ben, his usually calm expression betrayed by the stiffness in his jaw. His presence in the Force was steady but tightly wound, like a string pulled taut, ready to snap at any moment.

Neither of them spoke as they turned a corner, passing by the meditation chamber where Master O'Neill often retreated. The doors remained closed, but the presence of the Jedi Masters was ever-felt, like watchful sentinels in the Force.

Emily swallowed. "Do you think he already knows why we're coming?"

Ben exhaled slowly. "Probably."

A short silence passed between them before Ben added, "But he won't say anything until we do."

Jack had felt them long before their hesitant footsteps echoed down the hall. Seated in his quarters, he closed his eyes, feeling the ripples in the Force as their emotions reached him. A mixture of anxiety, determination, and something unspoken. Doubt? No, not doubt. Reluctance.

They were coming to ask something of him—something difficult.

His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest of his chair. He could feel their hesitation, the way Emily's usually bright Force signature flickered with unease, how Ben tried to anchor himself in quiet resolve.

Jack sighed inwardly, a small smirk forming.

By the time they finally reached his door, he was ready.

The door slid open with a soft hiss, revealing Jack sitting in his usual relaxed manner, one leg draped over the other. He looked up at them, amusement dancing in his eyes, but there was also an understanding that ran deeper than words.

He didn't need to reach into the Force to grasp the weight of their visit. The tension in their shoulders, the unspoken words they carried—it was all there, plain as day.

Jack smiled and asked, "What can I do for you two?"

Even though Emily saw the images that the Force showed, she still asked him to tell the whole story of what happened. Before he started, he felt the support from them. He said as he looked at them both, "A parent shouldn't outlive his own child. I blame myself not just because it was an accident, but I blame myself because I could have prevented it from happening. I don't know if I can forget it nor forgive myself for it."

Since Emily knew she was about the same age as Jack's son, she came to him closer and put her hand on his. She said, "You should never forget the love you had for him. In fact, you still do. That is why it's hard for you to forgive yourself. It is that love that will help you become a great Jedi that Bodo Baas has stated. You aren't alone, my dear friend."

After what she said to him, tears came down from his eyes. The three of them hugged each other. Sam walked in. The two young Jedi looked at him and smiled. They left them alone.

He dried his face as she walked over to sit beside her husband. She sat there. Moments later he said, "We were talking about my experience with the Force in what happened with my son."