Storm in the Void

[Trenton Vinh]

He hadn't been killed by explosive decompression, the ship had depressurized before its hull was penetrated by the Iskalloni frigate's Gores.
Moments before being dragged into space by the Iskalloni gore, Trenton had cocooned himself in The Force as much as possible, hoping to hold a bubble of oxygen around himself. His efforts didn't entirely succeed, and Trenton realized that he needed to shut down his body in order to survive the cold of space. He had studied the rituals of deep meditations, wherein one can separate their minds from their bodies, but had not attempted it in years. He had studied it during the second year of his Exile, with monks on a forgotten world in the deep core.
He closed his eyes, shutting out the explosions and destruction all around him, his mask fogging up in the cold. He began to count.

One

He was wearing his thick black robes, and they would only protect his body for a very short time. He was using The Force to hold some oxygen around his body, but it wouldn't help insulate him from the cold of space.
In the absolute cold, he would die. Unless he shut his body down as much as possible, and hoped that his body wouldn't atrophy before he was rescued.

Two

If he was rescued.

He tapped his transponder on his comlink then curled into a ball, his black robes pulled around him. He was drifting away from the battle, debris on his trajectory drifting alongside him. Companions as he spiraled into the dark.

Three.

He felt the chills gripping at his body, and felt doubt creeping in at him. It was so dark outside, but he kept his eyes shut, knowing it would help him focus if he didn't have the distractions of the slowly-growing-distant battle in his range of vision.

Four.

At the count of seven, his mind would separate from his body and enter a realm of The Force. Beyond this veil of shadows, he would wait and pray that he wasn't going to drift away, forgotten and lost in the dark.

Five.

His heart rate was slow. He inhaled deeply and held his breath, taking a last sip of the precious oxygen inside his mask.
His transponder pulsed with a soft red light, a gentle strobing that he saw through his eyelids. He was walking away...away from his body.

Six.

He was no longer aware of the cold, and Trenton hoped his body hadn't shut down permanently, as was the risk with leaving the body so dramatically.

Trenton's understanding of The Force had changed numerous times as he learned more and more during his travels, his morals guiding him to the best of his ability. He had made some bad decisions, and had changed many lives with his actions.
But all his guilt, all his doubts, all his fears, dissipated when he fell into The Force and felt it catch him, cushion him in its all-encompassing arms.
Nothing in the Galaxy is real but The Force, all else was merely smoke and shadow. All the stars and planets, all the animals and plants and sentients, they were merely passing through. No permanence. The Force was permanence, the canvas upon which the Galaxy was painted.
Beings, in their short lifespans, could paint on the canvas, make their mark. But time washed it all away.

Seven.

Trenton could see light now, now in a place outside of time. He had never before entered such a deep Meditative trance such as this without the presence of the masters that had taught him the technique. It was easy to forever remain here, and let the body wilt and die due to malnourishment.
Or freeze up in space and remain forever drifting through the murky Marcol Void.

The light grew blinding, and everything felt peaceful, but it was deceptively so. Trenton had to firmly remember his purpose, lest he stray and forget the way back to his body.
Life would go on, with or without him. Some people might even miss him, but even then, they move on, and eventually they would be gone too. The energy that makes up everything eventually goes back to where it came from.
The stars, the galaxies, the beings within the Galaxies, they are all one. There was a strange comfort that could be taken from this. All the atoms and molecules that made up all the people he had loved and lost were still here, in The Force.

Trenton had pondered death many times, and he felt others should contemplate death often. It was foolish to forget that the clock is always ticking, our time is up before realize it. It is so simple to lose oneself in the trivialities, and forget to do what they truly want.
Cause what else really mattered? All one had was their short time, and they should spend it at least being happy, or doing what makes them happy.
Trent couldn't say he was happy with his life, but his life was devoted to preserving the lives of others. He found his purpose in the fight to help others live happily and peacefully.
This was the path he had chosen, he had accepted that years ago.
And Trenton did take pleasure in his work. He enjoyed the discipline, the philosophizing. And he was a warrior at heart, battle was in his blood.
He had spent nearly ten years in relative peace, learning and educating himself.

And now here he was, on the brink of death in the middle of nowhere. His body could drift for thousands of years before nearing a planetary body. But his mind would survive in the realms of The Force, free of fears and the strife of living....

As he began to let himself slip away, he felt something. Like someone in the distance was calling his name.
He tried to turn around, tried to move, but he couldn't. He had open his eyes, he had to return from his Meditation, open his eyes. He had no idea how long he had been Meditating for, time was nothing in this place.
But something was drawing him back to his body, the shell that held him to the Galaxy. One day he would die, and return to this realm of the Force, where he could finally be at peace.
But before then, he had to do his best to ensure that he didn't leave the Galaxy in pieces.

Leave a better world than you found.

Trenton Vinh returned to his body, taking a deep, slow breath.
And then he felt something he hadn't felt in years. A presence that he had not expected to feel again in his entire life.
And he knew what he had to do before leaving this world, this galaxy, this plane of existence.
He felt clarity of mind that he hadn't felt in years, and kept his eyes closed as he reveled in the feeling.
He was still alive.

[Trenton Vinh]

Jedi Master Gani Torre had done his duty as a Jedi, saving Trenton Vinh's body from disappearing into the nothingness of the Marcol Void.
As the young man on the table slowly regained consciousness, Gani stood up, stretching after his Meditation.

He had arrived in the Marcol Void much later than the other fleets, having taken the time to inform the other Jedi Masters that he was going to investigate the outcome of the battle that could spark a war.
Gani had also gone for a more personal reason -- to keep an eye on Trenton Vinh. The young man had dodged the law because of the urgency of the situation. The Jedi knew what Trenton was capable of, they needed to make sure they could trust him.

Gani had found Trenton's transponder signal almost immediately after exiting Hyperspace; he had arrived closer to Vinh than the battle.
Perhaps it was the will of The Force, but it had taken mere minutes to spot Trenton outside his viewport.

The cockpit had been dark, and the floodlights on the hull of Gani's ship illuminated the murky space, searching for the source of the signal.
He had expected an escape pod, or a damaged starfighter.
Instead, from the darkness drifted a ball of weightless black cloth, wrapping around a body.
But Gani had felt...something. The Force told him Vinh was alive, and that Gani could retrieve him now, save the man from death.

And he did. Gani didn't trust Trenton, but he was a Jedi and he could not leave another person to such a terrible death. He carefully twisted his ship around and opened the cargo bay doors, with the Force he had drawn Trenton's body in, sealed the doors, and restored oxygen to the chamber.
He had sprinted to the airlock and carried Trenton to the Med Bay, warming his freezing body in a heated bacta tank. The young man had some small wounds, lacerations and a deep gash in his palm. Some debris had bruised him, but he had no broken bones, no internal injuries.

For a while, Gani waited. He knew Trenton was still alive...somehow.
Gani knew a bit about Trenton Vinh's time as a Jedi, and had heard of his potential and powers.
At forty-nine years of age, Gani Torre was one of the most powerful Jedi Masters alive, and he didn't know if he could perform the technique Trenton was using.


The lights in the Med Bay flickered and dimmed, some strobing on and off repeatedly. The shuttle quaked slightly, loose items rattled around noisily.
Trenton Vinh had opened his eyes, and The Force flowed around him chaotically. Gani raised a hand and the room stilled, Trenton turned his head to regard the Jedi Master.
Gani watched the young man sternly.
Trent snapped his straps and bindings with a thought, and threw his legs over the side of the gurney.
He stretched stiffly, and said to Gani hoarsely, "I certainly didn't think a Jedi would save my life, but thank you..."

The dark Jedi Master's eyes narrowed and he replied, "Spared, not saved. I am taking you into custody until a proper trial can be prepared for you."
Trent raised his eyebrows, and frowned, "I was granted the position of Vindicator and the charges were pardoned, Master Torre."
Trent stood up slowly, his hands at his sides. He was stiff, cold, tired. He had felt something in The Force, and needed to focus on it before he lost it; and Gani Torre was arresting him?

Torre had his lightsaber in his palm, Trenton's weapons were nowhere to be found.
Gani said darkly, "I'm sorry, Vinh, but we can't be sure of your intentions, or if you have fallen to the Dark Side."
He added, "When I arrived in system, I felt your power. I felt your Darkness."
Trent said shakily, "I will use the Force as I see fit to, and I cannot be apprehended for using Force Powers that the Jedi consider wrong."
Gani waved his hand again, and ray shields snapped to life at Trenton's wrists and ankles. He was lifted into the air by the anti-gravity devices, restricting his movement.
Torre said, "I know that you can break free of that given enough time, so I'm going to stay right here and make sure you don't. We'll be arriving on Coruscant in a few hours."

Gani Torre was legendary for his patience and stubbornness. He wouldn't budge anytime soon. So Trenton unhappily conceded, and decided to use the time to rest, restore his body. After such a deep trance, it almost felt strange to be back in his body. A good rest would help him feel a bit more normal.
The anti-grav was not quite comfortable, but his body was suspended weighlessly, so he drifted off to sleep slowly, Gani Torre's dark eyes boring into him.

[Ghev Dralin]

The remainder of Razor Squadron landed in the hangar of the Nebulon-B frigate, and were immediately accosted by senior crew members. Andreas was initially surprised at how uniform they looked, then realised they probably weren't pirates at all, but officers who'd thrown their lot in with smugglers in retaliation of the GA joining forces with the Imperial Remnant.
It was a grim reminder that not everybody was so willing to forget the crimes of the Empire of old.
"You're on my ship now" the oldest of the officers said, his grey moustache quivering with every word. "We'll accomodate you so long as you keep your Imperial sentiment to yourself"
"If you hate Imperials so much, why accept us onboard?" Andreas asked, before Kayla or Captain Barka could shut him up.
"Consider it a favour returned, for showing up here and helping out" the Commander said curtly, then nodded at the other men with him. They advanced on the TIE pilots, stripped them of their weapons and helmets, then returned to the Commander's side.
"You look a little young to be subscribing to Imperial propoganda, son" the Commander said to Andreas, stepping forward. "Was it the thought of rebelling against your elders that drove you into their arms? The chance to offend the ones that still remember the tyrany of the Empire?"
"You look a little old to be rebelling against the established political regime, Grandpa" Andreas shot back. "The Senate not playing things by your aged standards anymore?"

A moment of tension passed between the two men. Kayla and Barka exchanged worried looks, expecting to be stuffed back inside their fighters and jetted into the void. Likewise, the officers with the Commander tensed, hands straying close to their weapon holsters.
Then the Commander laughed, and grabbed Andreas's hand, shaking it firmly.
"Welcome aboard the Eternal Liberty, son" he said, nodding at his men to stand down. "The name's Frisco, Commander Frisco. We'll have your ships refuelled. There's refreshments in the mess hall, through the doors to the right" he said, nodding in the right direction.
"Um... do we really have time to..." Barka began.
"Yes" Commander Frisco insisted sternly. "We may be at war, but we can't win if our pilots are dying of thirst".

The ship rocked, buffeted by a nearby explosion. Outside, through the hangar bay shields, Andreas saw an Iskalloni cruiser plow through the remains of a smuggler's freighter, and then disappear in a burst of light.
"Hey... where are they going?" he asked, as the others noticed it too.
"Report" Frisco said, his comm in hand and connected to the bridge.
"Commander, the enemy is retreating. We've held them off and they're retreating!" the officer on the other end said excitedly.
"Prep to rendezvous with the fleet at the predetermined co-ordiantes. Invite the GA, Mandalorians and whatever's left of the Imperials to join us" Frisco ordered. "Kicka and the rest of the fleet will know where to go"
"Uh... yes, sir" the officer replied, his excitement waning.
"What's wrong?" Kayla asked, looking from the Commander, to Andreas, then Barka.
"We're regrouping" Frisco said, turning to march away to the bridge where he'd be needed.
"We haven't routed them" Andreas said, numbly. "They've just been toying with us. Distracting us..."

[Trenton Vinh]

Aeolan was in one of the hangar bays on the Peaceful Infinity, waiting for Roth to return when the Iskalloni Gores tore into the shuttle.
Numerous puncture wounds and a dozen gaping gashes severely damaged the huge cruiser, the decks that weren't penetrated were severely shaken and battered. In the hangar bay, crates tumbled off racks and cables spat sparks as they rolled around.
A fueling line coupling broke from the turbulence, dark fluids onto the steel deck, the internal injuries of a steel giant.
He had not been idling during the wait for his friend, he was still in the cockpit of his shuttle, fingers flying across screens showing tactical data. His voice occasionally echoed through the ship when he sent an order via comlink.

The Iskalloni were retreating.
Aeolan's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. This Iskalloni force they had been defending against wasn't their push into G.A. space.

This was their diversion.

He spun around in his chair, comlink already in hand, coming up to his face, "All ships break off and head to the rendezvous point immediately! The Iskalloni are already through the Void! Repeat, the Iskalloni are already through the Marcol Void."
The implications were very bad. If this fleet had been their expendable diversion, what was their main fleet comprised of? How many ships could they have at their disposal?

The ship around Aeolan rocked violently, the deck bouncing beneath his chair. The Corellian toppled to the floor, crying out in surprise and pain as he landed hard on the shaking floor.

His comlink dropped from his grip, rolling away into the corner.
The comlink beeped, and Roth's stern voice emerged amidst a burst of static,
"Aeolan, the bridge got hit. The Commander and his crew are going to the engineering level to take manual control of the ship's systems. There was a Sith out there, Aeolan."

Aeolan stumbled over to the comlink and plucked it from the ground. he stood up as the deck stabilized,
"Roger that, Roth. A Sith? Was that why Trenton needed your help?"

Roth's comlink was silent for a moment, save for the static filtering out background noises, then Roth said slowly,
"Yes, but...Trenton's gone, Aeolan."
Staring at the comlink in his hand, Aeolan asked, "What do you mean, Roth?"

Roth's tone was even, but the tension could be heard in his voice,
"He's gone, Aeolan. Do you copy?"

Now Aeolan was silent, a blank look having crossed his face. He said softly, "Copy that." he paused, then added, "Kicka out."

He dropped back into the pilot's seat, eyes sightlessly gazing out the viewport, at the space outside the hangar bay. The stars twinkled at him amidst the debris of the battle, and he swallowed bitterly.
Then Aeolan Kicka swiveled around in his chair, taking his sight off the starfield, and returning to his duty. He had a job to do, and he couldn't focus on the casualty list yet. Too many good people had died today.

*****

Spector watched from his stealth shuttle as the Peaceful Infinity slipped from his fingers into Hyperspace. It had sustained moderate damage in the battle, the bridge was destroyed however, and that made Spector's plans of taking it to the G.A. capital was obliterated along with it.
The ship had backup control systems and disappeared into Hyperspace a moment later, leaving Spector and his skeleton crew in their silent ship without a target.

Grinding his teeth in frustration, the Iskallon Warmaster twisted around to his nearest crewmen and bellowed, "Find us a ship with an active Hyperdrive! We will destroy the inhabitants and take the coordinates from their vessel."
Normally he didn't speak aloud, but when he was sufficiently angry he made sure his subordinates knew it.

A moment later the shuttle rotated and nosed towards a small shuttle that had been distantly watching the battle.
Spector's stealth vessel, Poltergeist, was large enough to house a tractor beam and hangar bay, and within a minute, the tractor beam projector was targeting the smaller vessel.
Spector willed his men to activate the tractor beam, and it did, gripping the vessel and dragging it towards the gaping maw that would swallow it entirely.
The Warmaster said aloud, "Enter Hyperspace as soon as the vessel is secured, we will deal with its occupants while en route. Download the ships data to the memory core and find us a target."

His teeth were bared in a bloodthirsty grin. More infidel blood would be spilled soon.

*****

Trenton's eyes snapped open when the shuttle shook violently. He was only mildly buffeted by the motion; his bindings kept him in an anti-grav stasis. Gani Torre was no longer staring at Trenton, his back was to the younger man and he was staring out the viewports, craning his neck to try to see the ship that was just out of sight.

"Tractor beam." Torre said aloud, "Oh, no...That's an Iskalloni ship..."

Gani contemplated his options. There was no way they would break out of the tractor beam; they'd overheat their engines and cripple the ship in the process. He shut down the engines with a resigned growl, deciding that it would be best to keep the ship in as good of condition as possible in case they had a chance to escape later. The Iskalloni would soon capture them...
Trenton's voice came from over his shoulder, "They won't take you prisoner, Master Torre. They'll overwhelm you, and destroy you."

Torre didn't face the younger man, keeping his eyes on the debris of the battle outside. He didn't want to look at the man that was giving voice to Gani's thoughts.

Trent continued slowly, his voice stronger now than it had been earlier.
"Diplomacy won't help you, You won't be able to reason or bargain with them."

As the shuttle vibrated a more, Gani widened his stance to keep balance.
The enemy ship was closing around them now, the steel walls of the ship covering the view outside the windows.
Then the jaws of the ship closed underneath the shuttle, and it gently dropped onto the deck as the space was sealed out beneath it.
An echoing cry of steel on steel was followed by a profound silence.
Trenton's voice was louder now, the urgency causing him to grow frustrated,
"They will be here any moment, Master Torre. Standing here will get us killed."

Gani shook his head slowly, "We're already dead men, Trenton. They've got us trapped here."
He turned to stare at Trenton, who was glaring at him. His arms were held spread-eagled by the binders suspending him, hid legs spread shoulder-width apart.
Gani strode close to him, until his face was a foot away from Vinh, who peered into his eyes intensely.
Trent spoke slowly and darkly when he pleaded,
"Cut me loose."

Gani glared back, unyielding, "No. You will flee."
Trent almost laughed, "There's nowhere to run to now, Gani Torre."
The seriousness in his eyes was unwavering, "There's only one thing we can do now, we have to fight them. Attack. We have to catch them by surprise and get ourselves out of here."

Torre waited for Trenton's composure to break, for him to look away or blink, but he didn't. Their faces may as well have been carved from rock by how unbreakable they held gazes.
The Jedi Master responded, "A Jedi does not attack, Vinh. But if you have a plan, I want to hear it -- before I agree to it."

Trent snarled, "This is bigger than you and me, Torre, let it go! Stop being a Jedi for one fragging second and open your eyes. You need to realize that we have to work together on this. Its not just our lives at stake."

Gani knew Vinh was right. He was trying to keep Trenton in his clutches, when he needed Trenton's help to get out of this problem. But if he uncuffed him, he knew he would never get the chance to capture him again. Trenton would be sure of that.
Gani Torre answered, "Lives are in danger, and both you and the iskalloni pose a threat to those innocents. I can't just let you go."

Trent responded, "I'm no threat, but if you believe I am than I'm definitely not the most immediate one. We share a common cause right now. Make the decision, Torre, or die with the consequences of inaction."

Gani glared. Then he blinked, and Trenton's binders shut down, dropping from his wrists and ankles as he landed on the deck.
"Thank you..." He said softly to Torre, who had already turned away. The Jedi Master tapped a command and the landing ramp lowered.
Trent looked out the open exit into the hangar bay. It was deserted...for now.

The entire ship suddenly lurched forward, throwing Torre and Trenton off-balance for a moment. When the ship smoothed out and the deck steadied beneath their feet, Torre announced, "They entered Hyperspace."

The shuttle's command console began to beep, and Trent turned to look at Gani, who was reading the screen gravely. "They are hacking the shuttle's systems...I can't stop it, they're going to get all its information."
Trent wondered aloud, "Why would they want the data?"
Gani answered, "Coordinates to G.A. planets, outposts, stations. Access to the Holonets, comm networks."

Vinh waved his hand urgently, "We need to go now, Torre."
Torre nodded and turned to face Trenton. In right hand was his own lightsaber, in his left was Trenton's.
The Jedi Master held the weapon until he had exited the shuttle via the ramp, where Trenton was waiting.
The Jedi Master extended his hand to Trenton, the weapon in his hand.
Trent tentatively took the handgrip, but Gani did not release the weapon from his grasp. Trent made eye contact with the man, and Torre said sharply,
"Don't make me a fool for sparing you. And don't make me regret giving this back to you."

He released his grip on the weapon, and Trent hefted it, the familiar weight was comforting in his palm.
"You won't regret anything, Master Torre."
The Jedi Master had Trenton's Discblade, his gift from the Zeison Sha, on his belt. Gani patted it gently, "I'll hold onto this for now, it might be useful to me later."

Trent shrugged, his lightsaber was the only weapon he would ever need. Then the two sprinted side by side towards the hangar bay doors.