From: JackeeC <74363.2566@CompuServe.COM>

Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative

Subject: NEW: XJEDI VOL FOUR 22/24

Date: 23 Jan 1996 04:07:14 GMT





DISCLAIMER <insert fav> 





XJEDI 22  



 



     "Okay, I think I have it," Luke said as he looked down at the 

floor board of the van he, Mulder, Leia, Han, Dana and CEstallia now

occupied. "This one is to go and it's pressure sensitive. This is to 

stop and it's pressure sensitive. This is to steer and it's so full of

play that we'll just have to take our chances..." Luke was grinning as

he repeated Mulder's words. When he caught a glimpse of his reflection

in the rear view mirror his grin broadened. 



     The Lone Gunmen had thought it would help them lose whoever 

was following them if they switched vehicles. The Gunmen's business 

owned a van and so they'd dressed Luke in Frohike's hat and spare 

set of glasses and sent the group out the back way, which led to a 

private parking area. 



     Now Mulder was giving Luke a crash course in driving until 

they could get out of the reach of whatever organization had 

chosen to follow Mulder and Scully.  



     "Okay, looks like we're ready to go," Mulder said, glancing 

back at everyone else in the van. They were all concealed from the 

sight of anyone they might pass once they left the private garage. 



     "Uh, Mulder," Luke began worriedly, "I'm pushing the gas pedal 

and nothing is happening." 



     "Oh yeah, forgot good ol' rule number one. Start the engine." 

Mulder reached over and turned the key. "*Then* you move the gear

shift to this symbol and push the gas pedal..." 







*   *   *   *   *   * 





     Mandy stood in the open doorway of her father's van wondering 

just what she'd gotten herself into. Her 'Big Foot' was now beginning

to stir and she didn't have a clue as to what to do about it. 



     When Mandy'd arrived at Wave's small house, she'd parked the van 

in the backyard, hoping to avoid the party obviously going on next

door. 

Then she'd grabbed a couple of blankets from the house, and despite

the loud rock-n-roll coming from next door, fallen asleep. 



     But now, the creature was awakening and Mandy simply didn't know

what to do beyond stare down stupidly at his very long, hairy limbs

as they became more active. 







     Chewie opened his eyes and stared into the air while the darkness

settled into the forms of a low ceiling and some sort of embedded 

light fixture. The next thought to enter his brain was how horribly 

uncomfortable he was. A chill breeze behind him caused him to roll

into a sitting position a bit faster than his body was ready to

handle. He couldn't stop the soft Wookiee moan. He grabbed a hold of

his head with both hands in an attempt to steady it. 

 

     When Chewie's vision stabilized into a single image, he saw that 

a young woman stood staring at him from the open door. Unlike his 

previous jailers, she looked terrified. 

 

     She spoke, mumbling a few words Chewie didn't understand. Chewie 

tilted his head to one side and barked a few phrases in Basic. Or at 

least what passed for Basic in Wookiee talk. To Chewie's surprise, she

jumped back nearly a foot at his words. She genuinely looked as if

she were ready to turn and run.



     Chewie made another sound in an attempt to reassure her and

reached a hand in her direction. He sensed that his situation had

changed; this young woman was not his captor. Suddenly a hazy memory

returned to him of this young woman leading him out of that white

room. She must have been his rescuer he realized. 



     He watched curiously as the young woman looked down at his hand, 

so large compared to her own, for a few seconds before hesitantly 

taking it. When her eyes lifted back to Chewie's face he gave her his 

best Wookiee smile, careful not to show his teeth. 



     "Mandy," she said, placing her other hand on her chest. "My name 

is Mandy." 



     Chewie took in her motions understanding clearly what she was 

trying to do. "Wwwrranwry," he growled her name in what was his best 

attempt, then laughed a deep Wookiee chuckle. This was going to be 

an interesting night. 



     Mandy laughed back at his attempt at her name. She thought she 

could almost decipher what he'd said. She was about to ask him what 

his name was when the party next door decided to spill out into the 

backyard... 





*   *   *   *   *   *





     Dana Scully jerked suddenly awake. It took a few moments for her 

to realize that they were all still in the van belonging to the Lone 

Gunmen. Leia was snuggled against Han and both were fast asleep, as

best Dana could tell CEstallia was meditating and Luke and Mulder

were in the front of the van talking softly.



     Dana didn't know what had awakened her, but a glance out of the 

front window told her that they were at the Starvin Marvin. The smell

of sea air assaulted her nostrils; they were at the beach. Dana knew

that smell anywhere. She scooted up toward the front to see what was

going on. 



     Both Mulder and Luke greeted her before she was even with them. 

"How'd you know it was me?" she asked. Both men just smiled secretly. 

'Great,' Dana thought, 'Two spooky's.' Then aloud she said, "Okay,

next question, how far to the Newman place?" 



     "According to this," Mulder said, pointing to the map now folded

into a square. "The street is about two miles up that way." He

pointed out of the parking lot and to the right." 





*   *   *   *   *   *







 

     "Brunswick here," Ian Brunswick spoke into his cellular as he  

paced before the fireplace in Newman's study. The fire had died down

and the room had grown chilly, but Normandy Newman had not put in an

appearance. "Are you sure about that? Alright, no, no, let it

through, but check on the other lead while you're at it. Right."

Brunswick clicked off his cell phone and placed it into an inside

suit pocket. He wondered who Newman's guests were. 





*   *   *   *   *   *



     Mandy and Chewie stood, caught off guard, as a man in ragged

jeans with no shoes or shirt stumbled out onto the neighboring back

porch. He wavered slightly on his feet as he relieved himself. When

he was done he turned to go back into the house. Halfway to the door,

he froze and turned fully in their direction, squinting against the

darkness. 



     "What the...!" the man muttered before he turned and ran into the

little house. 



     Mandy giggled nervously as she turned toward Chewie. "I think you

scared him," she said. "But just the same, I think we'd better get out

of here." She grabbed Chewie's arm to lead him into the van. But, just

then a shot rang out, shattering the window near her head. Mandy felt

the bullet whiz by. She screamed, covering her ears. 



     Chewie drug Mandy into a crouch on the opposite side of the van. 

Another shot rang around the van and then the sound of approaching 

footsteps. 



     Chewie cast around for anything that he might use as a weapon.

Finding nothing, he did the only thing left to do, he grabbed Mandy

by the hand and ran. 



     The street had been all but deserted, but now, dogs were barking 

and porch lights were coming on and in the distance the sound of a

siren could be heard. 



     "This way!" Mandy said directing Chewie through an alley between

an old grocers and cleaning supply store. She was hoping she could

somehow back track and get the van. Chewie followed, after all this

was her world. 



     Mandy and Chewie burst from the alleyway into an intersection. A 

car slid to a screeching halt to avoid hitting the young woman and the

ape man who'd run into the street. When the car began to move it was

forced to stop again by a gang of scraggly biker types chasing the

woman and the ape man. A couple of the men had guns and a German

shepherd was also tied up in the scuffle. 



     The middle aged woman behind the wheel shakily dialed 911 into 

her cellular. She'd told her husband it was a waste of money, but when

she got home tonight he was definitely going to be rewarded. 

      



*   *   *   *   *   *





     "You know, I've got a really bad feeling about this," Han said as

the van crept up the lane that led to Newman's house. 



     "With good reason," Luke said, "Someone definitely knows we're 

here." The trees that lined the lane cast long shadows in the

moonlight, providing numerous hiding spots for any would-be watchers.





     "There are seven of them," CEstallia spoke up. "All human, non of

them female. I do not believe your friend is here," she added. 



     Just then, something on the police scanner, which had been turned

down low, caught Mulder's attention. "Did you catch that?" he asked

Scully as he turned the volume higher. 



     "No," Scully shook her head. "What?" 



     Everyone listened as the dispatcher repeated her words. The

translator did not translate the words coming from the scanner, so

Mulder repeated them for the benefit of those who didn't understand

English. 



     Luke who'd developed a remarkable English vocabulary, was having 

difficulty with some of the police jargon, so he listened intently

to Mulder's translator. 



     "They said that an ape man and a woman chased by a large group of 

deviants and a German shepherd just crossed Oceannaire Drive heading 

east toward the beach!" 



     Mulder brought the van to a quick stop before slamming into

reverse and backing out of Newman Lane. Without needing to be told,

Scully grabbed up the map and navigated. 



*   *   *   *   *   *





     The sound of booted feet and a barking dog closed in on Mandy and

Chewie's position. The sirens also were nearing. Mandy could see the

lights of the Blvd. ahead, but she didn't know if she dared go that

way. Big Foot would be too easily spotted, but there was also the

very real possibility that they would be caught by their pursuers.

She wished she could run as fast Big Foot no doubt could if he were

not holding back for her benefit. 



     Mandy's heart sank when she heard the roar of a motorcycle behind

them, there was no chance now. Then, to her surprise, Big Foot lifted

her bodily and assumed control of their escape. He ran through a

fenced yard behind yet another convenience store before heading

toward the lights of the Blvd.



*   *   *   *   *   *



     "...hostage situation, I repeat the ape man has a woman hostage,

last crossing Sentry Ave headed toward Va. Beach Blvd. All cars..." 



     "Where's Sentry?" Mulder asked urgently. 



     Scully was scanning the map as fast as she could. "Turn left on 

Thurman! Here!" she replied. Scully remembered the case they'd had of

the so-called 'wild woman' in New Jersey, as did Mulder. They also

remembered the reaction of the local police department; shoot first,

ask questions later. 



     Mulder cut the wheel sharply to make the turn at Thurman Street

and then made another quick left on Sentry. The police lights were

visible at about two blocks distance.  



     "The subject is cornered at Sentry and..." the voice on the

scanner continued excitedly as Mulder suddenly pulled the van into a

small parking lot. He parked the van quickly stopping just short of

the building. 



     "I've got a plan," Luke said....



*   *   *   *   *   *



     Chewie stood frozen in the streets as the sirens wailed and

voices yelled at him. He growled in frustration, he couldn't

understand these people and they couldn't understand him. Mandy

whispered something to him that was as incomprehensible as what the

rest of the people said. The look on her face though, spoke of a

different kind of fear than she'd experienced at the van. Something

in her gaze reached across the language barrier. Chewie put her down

as she'd requested. 



     When Mandy was on the ground, she raised her hands in the air to 

the policemen ducked behind their open car doors, blocking the road on

both sides. She didn't want to think about how many weapons were

trained on Big Foot. But one thing she did know was that he wasn't

some ignorant wild man who didn't understand civilized behavior. He

was intelligent and brave and a long way from home. She couldn't let

these men shoot him. 



     "Please don't hurt him!" Mandy cried to the officer who'd been 

speaking into the bull horn. "He won't hurt anyone." 



     "Ms., we're going to have to ask you to step away from the

creature," the policeman repeated into the bull horn. "These

situations can be unpredictable and we don't want you to get hurt." 



     "No!" Mandy cried as she spread out her arms as if to provide a

barrier against these men. "I won't let you take him, I won't let you

hurt him anymore!"



     The policeman who'd been speaking to Mandy nodded to the man on

the opposite side of the car. The man stepped out from behind door

and slowly and deliberately replaced his weapon. Then he raised his

hands into the air. His movements clearly said: 'See, I'm not going

to hurt you.' 



     Mandy shook her head violently, "No! Stay back! I have a weapon!"

She pushed her hands into the deep uniform pockets in search of

something that would pass as a weapon, but there wasn't anything.

She'd even left the security badge in the van. And the policeman

continued to approach. 



     "Look!" Mandy pointed toward the men who'd chased them, now

standing among the growing crowd of onlookers. "They are the one's

you should be after! They shot at us! They're drunk and disorderly!"





     Suddenly the officer made a grab for Mandy. Chewie, in an attempt

to protect his new friend swung at the officer. Unfortunately, Chewie

didn't see the plain clothes officers behind him who jumped at the

other officer's signal. 

 

     The officer pulled Mandy from the scene kicking and screaming, it

seemed to Mandy that a mountain of men had descended upon Big Foot.

But he was holding his own. Then she saw a couple of officers pull

out their sticks. 



     "NO!" she screamed, trying desperately to pull away from the

officer who'd gotten her hands behind her back. Two more officers

came to his aid and then she couldn't see Big Foot anymore because

they'd taken her to the ground and cuffed her. The next thing she

knew she was shoved roughly into the back seat of a police cruiser.

She laid her head against the window and cried bitterly because she

had failed her friend. 



     Despite Luke's plan that they mingle in with the crowds until he 

could provide a distraction, when the policemen took out their sticks,

Han fought his way through the crowd into the thick of things. 

Mulder ran in right behind him. 



    





     Later





     Dana Scully stepped toward the officer who'd placed Han and

Mulder under arrest. "Are you the officer in charge?' she asked him.





     "Yes, I am. Emmett Barnett," he told her, sticking out his hand

in introduction. 



     "I'm Special Agent Dana Scully," she said, flashing her badge. "I

have  reason to believe that the man you have in custody is a

fugitive that my partner, one of the *other* men you have in custody,

and I are seeking." Dana thought it best not to tell the man that her

partner had left his F.B.I. credentials on a spaceship piloted by

droids, hiding behind the moon.



     That gave Barnett pause. "This man here," he gestured toward Han

who sat in the back seat of one of the cruisers. 



     "No," Dana shook her head. "*That* man." She pointed very

deliberately toward Chewie, now in ankle irons as well as cuffs.

"Although I'd appreciate it if you would release him as well," she

gestured toward Han. 



     Barnett just stared at her for several seconds in disbelief. "You

do understand that I have to check this out," he said. 



*   *   *   *   *   *      



     Fox Mulder watched through a half swollen shut left eye as Luke 

Skywalker stood talking earnestly to Dana Scully. He didn't know what

they were talking about, but whatever it was Dana wasn't agreeing,

she shook her head and stared stubbornly back at him. Mulder grinned

when he saw Luke throw her a look that *had* to represent

exasperation. Luke then seemed to calmly ask a softly spoken

question. Mulder's jaw dropped as his partner, Dana-S-for-Stubborn

Scully, skeptic extraordinaraire, gave in with a sigh and then a wry

smile. 



     Mulder was equally surprised when Scully allowed Luke to lead her

toward the patrol car where the officer in charge was speaking into

his radio. Then the couple was lost from Mulder's vision as a crime

van pulled in to transport Chewie; seemed he wouldn't fit into the

patrol cars.



     A minute later when Emmett Barnett stepped around the van

followed by Scully and Han, Mulder's eyes saucered. And if it were

possible they grew even rounder as Barnett opened the car door and

undid Mulder's cuffs wordlessly. 



     Mulder was about to speak when Scully put a finger to her lips 

ordering her partner quiet. Han looked uncomfortably around the area

as if waiting for his luck to run out. Emmett Barnett spoke in a sing

song voice, "All charges are dropped," as the trio walked away. 



     "What's going on?" Mulder whispered as they faded into the crowd.

"That was almost too easy." 



     Scully didn't look at him as she replied, "Jedi mind trick."

Her peripheral vision caught the disbelieving grin, though. And she

cringed inwardly when he drew in a breath to speak. Dana was saved

from Mulder's reply, however, because just then Luke pulled up in the

Lone Gunmen's van containing Leia, CEstallia and Chewie. 





*   *   *   *   *   *



Sunday.



     "The sun'll be up soon and I guess that this is just as good a

place as any," Mulder said as he pulled the van to a stop along a

deserted stretch of dirt road, surrounded only by fields. An old sign

that had long since fallen from its mooring read: "Welcome to peanut

country".



     Mulder took a deep breath as if for strength before he turned to

face Scully. Dana stared steadily back at him. He drew his eyes away

and focused out the windshield.



     "Why don't we go outside and wait for the droids?" Luke said in

Basic to his companions. Leia and CEstallia were already moving

toward the exit, while Han and Chewie stared, confused, after the

women, wondering why they needed to wait outside in the cold. It was

Luke's suggestive look that got Han moving, even though he still

didn't have a clue as to what was going on. Han just shrugged and

urged Chewie out into the darkness. 



     Luke was the last to leave, after Scully handed him her cell

phone to make the call to the droids. 



     Mulder spoke first in the ensuing silence. "I'll...uh," he

sighed, "give you my I.D. and my gun and a statement I've written for

Skinner when the ship arrives." He continued to gaze out the

windshield.   

 

     Dana stared silently at his familiar profile. Their friendship

ran so deeply that she oftentimes felt that he was a part of her. She

knew how important the search for his sister was. It was the driving

force in his life and she would not think to even suggest that he

choose between the two of them again. No, she'd have to let him go, to

follow his own path. No matter how hollow her life might seem without

him there. 

  

     So instead of saying the words that came to mind. Instead of 

pleading with him to stay with her, she simply whispered, "Okay."

She drew her eyes away to watch as the Falcon settled to the ground.  



     "Dana," Mulder called softly. He stared silently for a moment 

before he spoke, gathering his words. "I cherish the memories we have.

You've supported me when there was no one else who would, stood by 

me through all the battles and been a truer friend than any I've ever 

known. I can't hope for better. You know I'd give anything for your

happiness, all you'd have to do is whisper the word." 



     Scully gazed into Mulder's eyes, so dark in the night. She heard 

the meaning behind his words and was touched by the offer. He was

willing to stay here, with her, if she asked, and give up this chance

to find Samantha. There was resolution in his gaze. He would do it,

without complaint. 



     "No," Dana shook her head. "Find her Mulder. You've been kept

waiting far too long as it is." She couldn't help but smile at the

excitement that burst forth, and the thanks that was there, too. "Try

to stay out of trouble, huh? You've got a bad enough reputation in

*this* galaxy." 



     They embraced and with a last gentle touch to Dana's cheek,

Mulder bound out of the van and up the ramp. Scully exited more

slowly.



     Luke stood silhouetted in the lights shining down from the 

Falcon's open rampway, waiting, as Mulder walked slowly backward up the 

ramp. Midway up, he gave a final wave and turned to enter the ship. 

Dana looked on through unshed tears, tightening her grip on his 

F.B.I. identification and the letter he'd written for the AD.

 

     When Mulder reached the top of the ramp, Luke placed a hand

on his arm and spoke softly as he passed. Dana closed her eyes to the 

scene and let the tears spill silently. Her last view was of the two 

men bathed in the light from the Falcon. She didn't want to spoil it 

by seeing them disappear inside.



     "Dana," Luke whispered from the ramp, enhancing his voice so that

she would hear. He didn't want to intrude physically into her private

moment. Luke acknowledged that there was an attraction between Dana

and himself, but there had been no time to explore it. He regretted

that. But he would regret it even more if he left her like this, so

lost and alone. 

  

     Scully looked up at Luke's whispered word, surprised to see that

he was still at the top of the ramp. She wiped uselessly at the tears

that just continued to fall. "Yes?" she whispered shakily. 



     Luke stepped toward her. "I know that you and Mulder have a very

close relationship," Luke started, "just like Leia and I. You are

twin souls. But I feel very strongly that this is not the end of your

partnership." 



     Scully looked up at him curiously. "How can you know if that is

really true? Can you predict the future, too?" she asked

challengingly. "Well, tell me, is it worth it? Does he find his

sister?" 



     "I don't know if he'll find his sister," Luke replied calmly.

"All I can tell you is what the force tells me about the two of you.

This isn't an ending." 



     Dana looked down with a sigh, she didn't want to take her hurt

out on Luke. "You know you were right," she admitted. "I was scared

to let myself believe. It was my...responsibility to be skeptical,

especially where Mulder was concerned. It was the only way to keep

him grounded. And now that I don't have that responsibility anymore,

I find that I'm still scared. But...I want to believe. That's why

I've decided that I'm going with you." 







     Silver Springs, Maryland





     When Asst. Director Walter Skinner opened his eyes, he saw a

patterned ceiling that seemed vaguely familiar. His eyes tracked

along the pattern and to a wall. He slowly turned a head that seemed

to throb at the hint of movement, and came face to face with a white

floor board. A moment later, when he looked in the opposite direction

he found his sofa pattern. That was when he realized that he was on

the floor behind his sofa. 



     His entire body seemed to protest when he pushed himself to his

feet. The pain in his head pounded in time with his too rapid

heartbeat and all 600 or so of his body's muscles put up their own

individual protests. With a groan he wandered stiffly in the

direction of the bathroom for a shower. 



     On the way, Skinner noticed that his computer was on. He couldn't

remember having used it. In fact, he couldn't remember much of

anything, least of all how he'd ended up fully dressed behind his

couch. When he entered his spare bedroom/office to turn it off, he

noticed that his mailbox icon contained envelopes. He had mail.

Curious, Skinner clicked on the icon and waited to see who had

written. 



     A piece of mail from "X" caught his eye. The message read simply:



     "Now we're even." 



     It was unsigned. 





end part twenty-two





=====================================================================

======



From: JackeeC <74363.2566@CompuServe.COM>

Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative

Subject: NEW: XJEDI VOL FOUR 23/24

Date: 23 Jan 1996 04:08:54 GMT





DISCLAIMER: <INSERT FAV...OR SEE ANY PREVIOUS CHAPTER> You must disclaim

ownership. Resistance is futile. Self-determination is irrelevant. 







XJEDI PART TWENTY-THREE 



 

     Millennium Falcon -- behind the Earth's moon       

     



     "Now what?" Han asked from the pilot's seat of the Falcon. He 

couldn't help but grin at his co-pilot who was back where he belonged.

Han had gleefully kicked Threepio out of the pilot's seat as soon as he

was back onboard his ship.



     "We hold position here," CEstallia said from over Han's right  

shoulder. It had been a tight squeeze, but all the people had managed to 

fit into the Falcon's cockpit, effectively squeezing the droids out. Artoo

and Threepio stood in the outer corridor of the open cockpit door during 

the short trip to the far side of the moon. Threepio, surprisingly had 

learned to be seen and not heard in CEstallia's presence. 



     "What are we waiting for?" Han protested. "I thought we were in 

such a hurry to get to this Gate for reasons other than 'holding position'. 

The Falcon doesn't 'hold position' very well." 



     'And neither does her owner', CEstallia thought to herself. But aloud

she said, "Surely at some point, Mr. Solo, you attended a mission briefing 

at least once? Where there is first no discussion, there is afterward no 

success." 



     Han rolled his eyes in Chewie's direction, he hated it when this 

woman started talking in riddles. If their mission was to go in and blow

up the place then why couldn't they just do that?



     CEstallia gave Han an admonishing look over her shoulder, before 

continuing. "I suggest we all retire to a larger area. The droids can 

monitor any approaching vessels or Gate activity." 









     5 minutes later...main cargo bay. 

     

     "First off," CEstallia began speaking to the assembled group. "I 

don't know everything there is to know about the Gates. I do know

that this Gate is not the only one. But, it is the only one that 

needs to be destroyed.



     "It was grown from the living rock within the infinity millennia ago

by the ancients, using ancient technology. The rock itself is self-aware

and can have a distracting effect on an unsuspecting or weak mind. You

all have very strong minds, only, a little preparation is necessary. 



      "Fox, there was something I asked you to keep for me?" CEstallia

asked of Mulder. He'd been wondering if she'd forgotten about it. She 

reached a hand out and took the little bracelet of stone he retrieved 

from his pocket. "Thank you," she smiled before turning to Luke. 



     "You must keep this at all times while you are in the infinity,"

CEstallia told Luke. She made a point of sliding the bracelet on the 

wrist of his artificial hand. "No matter what, Luke. It's important." 

      

     Luke considered the gray-haired woman's words. He wasn't sure 

why this was so important to him only. But the gravity behind her 

words was unmistakable. He nodded his understanding. 



     "And now," CEstallia continued. "Mr. Solo, since you and 

Chewbacca have no force potential, you will not notice that the Gate 

is trying to pressure you. You will both just began to notice very 

bad headaches that worsen over time. I suggest you both take a pain 

blocker. 



     "The droids should be deactivated completely, all 

self-determination circuits shut down. The Gate is capable of 

influencing artificial intelligence and we don't need to have to 

wonder if they are for or against us."

     

     "Luke and Leia, you both have already mastered the techniques

of mental blocking. It is the simplest of all the Jedi lessons." 

CEstallia gave them both a motherly look before moving on. "Fox and 

Dana, neither of you have any training," she lamented with a shake 

of her head. "That makes the two of you the most vulnerable."  



    Both former F.B.I. agents stared mutely at her. Mulder recovered 

and spoke, "Doesn't potty-training count?"



    "You both have force potential," CEstallia went on, "You're a bit

old for training, but it is necessary. Fox, I will teach you how to 

block the Gate's influence. And Dana, Luke will teach you. We will 

discuss strategy when we get there." 

     

     Dana watched, still in stunned disbelief, as everyone left the 

large bay to prepare except for Luke, CEstallia and Mulder. CEstallia

called Mulder over, leaving Dana and Luke alone on their cot. Dana 

looked on as CEstallia took Mulder's hands, who was grinning stupidly at 

her, and ordered him to close his eyes and clear his mind. And then 

Luke was taking her hands. 



     "But,...I can't...," Dana whispered. "I don't..." 



     <Yes, you can,> Luke spoke into her mind. He smiled as her eyes

widened in shock. <You wanted to believe, Dana. So trust your feelings. 

Believe.> 



     She drew in a breath as if to again protest. But Luke put a finger to 

his lips to silence her, shaking his head. 



     <Talk to me this way, Dana, I'll hear you.> Luke pointed toward his

temple. 



     Dana looked extremely uncomfortable for a second. Then, she turned to 

look at Mulder and CEstallia. When Dana turned back to Luke, she forced 

herself to relax. <Luke...?> she spoke uncertainly in his mind. 



     <Good,> Luke said, smiling at her. <Now close your eyes and I'm  

going to show you something...>





*   *   *   *   *   *





     "Now what?" Han asked, a feeling of deja vu coming over him. He 

glanced over his shoulder at CEstallia who stood in the same position, 

wearing the same expression. 



     "Is this the precise location?" CEstallia asked. 



     Han shrugged and looked over at Chewie who gave him a gruff 

reply that the translators didn't even bother with. "Give or take a few 

inches," Han modified. 



     CEstallia sighed, "I need the spot where I'm standing to be 

precisely at the co-ordinates I gave you. When we are there, the stars 

will take on a reddish tint." 



     Han gestured for Chewie to go ahead and settle the ship into 

CEstallia's required co-ordinates. 



     A moment later, all the surrounding starlight turned a surprising 

shade of deep red. "Well I'll be..." Han murmured. All eyes were focused on 

the phenomena through the view screen. 



     "It's the red-shift effect," CEstallia explained worriedly. "But this

shift is much too great." 



     "What does that mean?" Mulder asked. "What's the red-shift effect and 

how can you tell it's too great?" 



     "Well," CEstallia started, "within the infinity time is...different. 

It doesn't exist as we know it and so the Gates have to be temporally

calibrated so that their time meshes with our time. This shift is very 

heavy. I fear the dark side has so tainted this gate that time is distorted

with in. This explains much," she nodded thoughtfully. 



     Scully frowned at the woman. "Wait a minute," she said. "You can't 

just distort time. It's a universal invariant." 



     "No, dear," CEstallia said, "the force is a universal invariant. Time

is a slave to the force."  



     "Well, this is all as clear as mud to me," Han said. "Why not let's 

say this all over again so everyone can understand?"



     CEstallia started again. "At the beginning of a gate, which is this 

point where we stand now, there is a sort of temporal flux. We are in 

a time bubble stabilized by this cylinder." She pulled a chain from 

beneath her neckline that had a cylinder like Mulder's and the one 

found in the war room. 



     CEstallia continued, "This bubble extends all around the ship. 

Outside of the bubble time is and is not. The stars that we can still 

see are outside of the gate where time is. The bubble is inside the 

gate where time is not. So the shift is the stars moving incredibly 

fast in comparison to our relative lack of motion in time, hence the 

red shift effect. But this red shift is very dark, almost purple, 

actually. This means that the temporal setting of the gate has been 

distorted. It is no longer aligned to a specific time. A dark mind is 

operating the Gate, now. This is why it must be destroyed." 



     "I think I follow," Mulder said. "But what happens once we 

destroy it? Where will we all end up?" 



     CEstallia paused a long time before answering. "We are all

where we belong at this point in time, Fox. And if we are 

successful in our roles, we will all end up just there, right where 

we belong." 



     Before anyone could ponder out the meaning of her last words, 

CEstallia changed the subject. "All right, so now we begin. Mr. Solo

if you would move the ship vertically, please. We will fully enter 

the Gate." 



     Before everyone's eyes the star field seemed to rise, a plane of 

absolute blackness took their place. Within moments the Falcon was 

surrounded by darkness so thick that it felt almost alive, enclosing

the ship in its infinite depths. The stars became a pin point of light

directly overhead. 



     The darkness gradually gave way to mottled gray space. A 

hulking asteroid sat in the foreground as the Falcon continued

its journey into the infinity. Faintly, in the distance a small speck

stood out against the grayness. There was an eerie stillness all 

around. 



     "Is this the gate?" Leia asked as her eyes took in the strange

sight before them. 



      "Actually, this is the infinity," CEstallia corrected. "The Gate 

is that asteroid straight ahead. That's where we're going." 



     "If there is no time, why is this called the 'infinity'," Mulder 

asked. 



     "Because the possibilities are endless, infinite. Because the 

infinity is empty of time, you can fill it with time, any time." 



     "But how big is the infinity?" Mulder asked, "Could an 

entire galaxy fit in here?" 



     CEstallia smiled indulgently at Mulder's curiosity. "There

is no time. There is no size. Size is infinite. It is every size. The 

infinity would be in your way of thinking, another dimension. 

One that your scientists have not even theorized about." Then

CEstallia added thoughtfully, "Not yet, anyway." 



     "You can land the ship there," CEstallia pointed to a rocky 

plateau, beneath a slight outcropping. Should any ships pass 

the gate, they would not see the ship sitting in the shadows 

of the plateau. 



     "We will enter through the reclamation and waste system, 

located at the bottom most point of the Gate. Once we leave

the ship, the air will be thin, but it will become more comfortable 

as time passes."



     "Won't someone notice we're here?" Scully asked. "If this

rock is aware, surely it knows we're here." 



     "We are in a time bubble created by this cylinder," CEstallia

said. "The cylinder is made of the same material as the Gate. 

The Gate is only aware of something natural, its own. When 

we enter the gate, though, all of that will change. But then,

it will be too late." 



     There was a soft hiss of air as the Falcon's systems settled 

in the odd atmosphere of the asteroid. Han secured the locking

mechanism's with a manual code after everyone had exited the 

ship, save for the droids, who were deactivated. 



     Moments after they turned to leave the ship, the Gatemind

pressed against the minds of those with force potential in an 

almost physical way. CEstallia and Luke were prepared and 

already had their guard up when it descended. Leia had hers 

up barely a millisecond later. Scully and Mulder were taken 

off guard and gasped audibly. 



     "Use the techniques," CEstallia urged them. A few seconds 

later, they were ready. The Gatemind was held at bay, for the 

time being. 





     Alpha Point Station





     One looked, unseeing, off into the distance. There was suddenly

another very familiar presence, one that he hadn't felt in quite a long

while. 



     One's eyes drifted back to his prisoner, who sat chained to a wall

in the corner of his office. The chains were held tightly with the power

of the force, but given time and sufficient power, Benjamin would be 

able to loosen them. With the toss of a hand, One dealt Benjamin a mental

blow that he was ill prepared for. Benjamin would not be waking up any 

time soon. With a gleeful grin, One left the room. 





     The Gate





     The bright light from the small hand held light-throwers flashed

against the rocky walls and reflected off the pool of knee-deep water 

on the underside of the asteroid. A loud groan erupted from Chewie as 

his toe struck something under the water. 



     "How much more of this is there?" Leia asked as she continued to 

slosh through the dank cavern behind Dana and Mulder.  



     "It's not too much further, now." CEstallia whispered back from 

the lead position. Han and Chewie followed Leia, while Luke brought 

up the rear. 



     "Is there a force technique to block the smell?" Mulder asked. 

The group had been following CEstallia through the watery cavern for 

nearly twenty minutes, and still the smell seemed to only worsen. 



     "Not one I could teach you quickly," CEstallia replied. This 

portion of the Gate was not meant for human habitation. The rock 

required the water as a back up energy source for the machinery

in its control center. The water was also useful as a medium for waste 

products should there be any visitors who required such things. 



     The cavern was beginning to narrow and the water became more 

shallow. "Ahh, here we are," CEstallia breathed. They were now in 

a wide rocky corridor. Rocks seemed to have grown haphazardly here 

and there. There were outcroppings in the walls and even large chunks

in the center of the corridor, partially blocking passage. 



     "It's this way," CEstallia said, now leading along the rock

strewn corridor. After a few steps she came to an abrupt halt. She 

held a hand up for silence. A moment later, blaster fire seemed to

come from the walls ahead of them. Everyone, though, managed to 

duck back behind an especially large rock formation near a side wall, 

extinguishing their light-throwers. In the scuffle, however, one of the 

light-throwers fell to the floor, leaving the corridor lit as their 

attackers stepped into view. 



     "Scully!" Mulder gasped out. "These are the aliens that so many

abductees have described!" Dana just stared speechlessly at them. 



     Han frowned at Mulder, "Those aren't aliens! Those are the 

droids that attacked me on the Hinderer while I was fixing the 

engines. And let me tell you, they aren't too brilliant when it 

comes to combat technique, either." 



     "That's because these droids are probably controlled by the 

Gatemind. But they shouldn't be here, we did not leave any droids 

behind." 



     "Well, obviously somebody did and I don't think they're just 

gonna go away if we ignore them." With that, Han threw himself out

from behind the rock and opened fire with his blaster slamming two 

of the droids into the wall in a pile of sparks. One of the shots 

went wide and hit the rocky wall. 



     All five force sensitive individuals winced as the pressure of 

the Gatemind suddenly increased. 



     "Uh...everyone," CEstallia said, shaking off the remnants of 

the increased pressure. "The droid weapons aren't harmful to the rock,

ours are. You'd probably want to not miss." 



     "Right," Han grimaced, pulling the droid weapons, that he'd taken  

back on the Hinderer, from the inner folds of his jacket. He'd known 

they would come in handy someday. Han tossed two of them over to the

group. 



     Mulder and Scully used the droid weapons, while Leia, Luke and 

CEstallia drew their light sabers. Chewie drew his crossbow. The battle

began in earnest. After a dozen droids were put out of commission as 

soon as they stepped into the light, the droids seemed to realize their

plan wasn't working and shot out the light. Only the eerie glow

of the light saber's now lit the caves. The droids seem to literally spill

into the space. 



     Luke ran into the source, slicing droids in half as he went. Leia 

and CEstallia followed his lead. The droids that managed to get by the 

three, we're handled by either Mulder, Scully, Han or Chewie. Soon, no 

more droids appeared. 



     "Would you look at all those spare parts?" Han said with a grin as

Luke, Leia and CEstallia returned from further up in the corridor. 

Leia retrieved her light-thrower from beneath a droid, triumphantly. 

It still worked. 



     "Is everyone ready?" CEstallia asked. "The control center is at 

the top of the asteroid. We still have a long way to go." 



     The corridor continued upward, all the while the rough hewn 

rock changed until the rocky walls became smooth and the outgrowths

and upshoots in the floor became non existent. Openings in the wall 

began to appear at regular intervals that gave a view of the infinity 

outside. 



     "Hey, what's that?" Luke asked as they passed another 'window'. 

He pointed outside to the specks of light, barely visible against

the mottled grayness, that were moving steadily toward them. 



     "Uhh ohh," CEstallia said. "We're going to have company. Looks 

like someone took the liberty of providing the exiles with shuttles 

so that they could come here. We'd better hurry. They are not coming

over for a tea party." 



     The group picked up the pace. They entered a large flat room with a 

symmetrical opening at one end. The ships were so close that the outline 

of the pilots could be seen through the view windows. 

     

     "This is obviously the landing bay," CEstallia said as they passed 

through it toward a far wall. At her touch a panel opened. She pushed at a 

flickering light within and a portion of the wall slid away. "Come on," 

she called urgently over her shoulder. Four oddly colored Imperil 

shuttles put down in the bay. 



     Just as the doors of the shuttles folded open, CEstallia 

slammed the doorway she'd just opened shut. 



     The new area was lit with artificial lighting along the walls 

and very much resembled a large observatory. They stood at the beginning 

of a wide bridge. Behind them the wall stretched perpendicular to the 

bridge, and was covered with myriad's of flashing lights and displays 

showing odd images and switches and levers that reached far overhead. 



     Beneath the bridge a large transparent tube was visible. Light 

swirled in random patterns within the tube. One end of the tube was 

far darker than the opposite end. At each end of the tube was what 

looked like a stone arch. 



     "What is this place?" Leia asked in an awed whisper, pausing to  

stare up and around them. 



     CEstallia was trying to urge the group of awed humans along 

the bridge. "This is the path," she answered continuing to rush 

along the bridge, hoping they would take her hint--they did. "At one 

end of the tube is the starting point and at the other end is the 

destination. The darkness indicates a flaw in the time calibration. 

But, there is no time for this, we *must* move faster." 



     The doorway slid opened behind them when they were halfway along

the bridge. "Matriarch!" a commanding voice boomed throughout the 

chamber causing the humans in the center of the bridge to cover their 

ears.



     CEstallia halted and turned, "Domar, I see you are well. But, 

really our hearing is fine." 



     "Matriarch, what are you doing here in my domain--the only one 

left to me?" Domar asked as he stepped out onto the bridge proper. The 

small crowd of humans behind him followed. 



     "This is not your domain, Domar. This is your prison and you should

not be here on this rock. You were exiled to the vicinity of the 

world ship. Tell me, who is that gave you the shuttles?" CEstallia 

slowly stepped toward Domar, so that she would be in front of her group

of friends.



     "Someone who no longer matters," Domar said with a flick of a

three-fingered hand. "Give up, Matriarch, you are not the one to 

destroy me. I will instead destroy you." With that Domar threw his 

palm in the direction of the group at the center of the bridge. Blue 

lightning stretched out toward the group. 



     Luke whipped his lightsaber out and drew up beside CEstallia so 

that he could protect his friends from the worse of the blue lightning.



     The instant CEstallia saw Domar's intent, she clapped her hands and  

stepped forward. She'd known that he would try something. And then the 

lightning was upon them. It bent and arched over her body but could not 

go further. 



     "Come on," CEstallia called from behind the group. 



     Everyone in the room gaped in amazement. Even Domar hadn't known

that trick. CEstallia had projected an image of herself at the front 

of the group, which also had the power to act as a FORCE-field against

the blue lightning. 



     Luke replaced his lightsaber and spun on his heel to run after 

his companions. He didn't have any idea when that FORCE-field would 

dissipate, but he didn't want to be around to find out just what 

Domar would do when it did. 



     The door at the end of the bridge opened on their approach. "How'd 

you do that?" Luke asked as the door slid shut behind them. 



     "Let me just say, I don't have any other tricks up my sleeves," 

she hurried on in what was another corridor. A dark panel ran along

the lower wall. No one paid it much attention to it until CEstallia

stopped running and kicked at it. 



     The section of wall in which CEstallia had kicked slid up and 

open. Inside was a small room. "This is the lift that leads to the 

control center level. We will have to go in shifts," she said.



     Han, Chewie and CEstallia went up first, after a moment of

disagreement on Han's part; he wanted Leia to go first. The rest

of the group stood restlessly in the hallway as the lift whined its

way to the top of the asteroid. 



     As the lift was making its return trip, the running footfalls

of their pursuers could be heard coming into the corridor. 

"Come on," Leia murmured under her voice in an attempt

to rush the lift along its path. 



     "Please come on," Dana added as the footsteps began to close

in on their position. Just as the footsteps were nearly upon them

the lifts doors slid open. 



     While Dana, Mulder and Leia ran into the small space, Luke 

drew his lightsaber, blocking the volley of blaster fire aimed at 

the lift. Then he slipped through the closing door with only 

inches to spare. 



     There was a collective sigh of relief as the lift made a 

return trip to the upper level. The original trio was waiting

outside the doors when they opened. 



    "Alright, here is where it's going to get a little tricky," 

CEstallia said.  "I need a few minutes in the chamber alone.

So, If you could split up, you could provide a diversion until

I've started the sequence. Once it's set, you'll need to

get back to the ship as fast as possible." 



     "Aren't you coming with us?" Han asked with an odd look.

Her words had sounded pretty final to him. 



     "No," CEstallia said. "My Time has come. Now get started." 



     "Wait a minute," Han protested. "Wait. What do you mean 

you time has come? Can't the destruct run on automatic?" 



     "You don't understand and I don't have time to explain it to

you. Let me just say that your children will grow into great 

Jedi. But they will need their father, so please, do as I ask." 

CEstallia then turned to enter another lift that was to lead to 

the control center. 

 

     "Han wait," Luke said, catching his arm. "She knows what

she's doing. And I don't think she has a choice." Luke spoke in 

such a way that CEstallia turned to look back at him.



     "That's right, Luke. I don't have a choice. This is the 

focus of my life, right here and now." She looked around at the

assembled group, touching each mind in turn with a feeling of 

affection. "I have to go," she said. And then she left. 

 

     Han grumbled but followed along as they spread out along 

the corridor to act as bait. He was convinced that he would 

never understand the Jedi mindset. 



     A few minutes later as the everyone was staggered along 

the hall in groups of three. "Do you think they got lost?" Han

called back down the hall in a stage whisper to Luke's group. 



     Luke shrugged. It had been a few minutes and the lift 

hadn't so much as creaked. A moment later, he stiffened. There 

was a single set of footsteps approaching. He relaxed when he

noticed that it was CEstallia. 



     Everyone stood up from their positions when they saw her. 

"What happened?" Luke asked. 



     CEstallia sighed, "It seems that someone has rearranged 

things. That lift no longer leads to the control center. We 

are going to have to try all of the upper level lifts, there 

are 30 of them. Let's get started." 



     The group trudged along the corridor in the very slow 

process of checking each lift. Two people, CEstallia and Luke

would take the lift to it's preset destination, while the rest

of the group waited and guarded the hallway. After they'd tried 

the thirtieth lift and found that it, too, lead elsewhere, they  

found that the lift that had brought them up, no longer took 

them down. 



     "Well, at least this explains why they didn't follow us up 

here. They were leading us into this trap," CEstallia said. "I 

should have expected something. This was too easy." 



     "So what do we do, now?" Leia asked. 



     "We go the hard way." 













end part twenty three





=====================================================================

======



From: JackeeC <74363.2566@CompuServe.COM>

Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative

Subject: NEW: XJEDI VOL FOUR 24/24

Date: 23 Jan 1996 04:10:18 GMT





XJEDI PART TWENTY-FOUR     



Disclaimer: Been there. Did that. I think I'll print up a T-shirt. 

Check any previous chapter.... 



     

     

 

     



     "I told you not to look down!" Han exclaimed as Chewie growled 

his displeasure at the current situation. The rocky sides of the 

asteroid were jagged and very large; not entirely suited for human

climbing pleasure. 



     CEstallia had led them through a ventilation shaft that lead out to 

the side of the asteroid. The small currents of wind that had blown at 

the beginning of their trek seemed to have increased in force as they 

climbed higher and now threatened to blow them down off the asteroid. 

The air, as if working against them also, seemed to thicken, 

making breathing difficult. 



     "How much further?" Dana gasped out against the force of the 

winds that threatened to steal her breath. Thunder began to be heard

from the top of the asteroid, drowning out her words.  



     "About twenty meters," CEstallia called down to her, hearing in

spite of the rumblings. She'd called for a pause so that everyone 

could rest a bit before the final leg of the trek. She had no doubts 

that they would have company waiting for them at the top. But now it  

was time to move.



     The group again began to move along the side of the asteroid,

climbing slowly against the forces that fought against them. When 

they finally neared the top, they found that the top plateau was  

barren, save for a raised platform at its center. The sides of the  

platform were covered with panels, much like the ones from the 

bridge room. Extending up from the platform was a shimmery 

transparent FORCE-field which extended up and into the infinity. 

The thunderings calmed to a loud eerie hum that emanated from 

the platform, itself. 

     

     "I have to get inside that field," CEstallia said, lifting 

a weary arm in the direction of the platform. "Those panels will 

unlock the FORCE-field. No one else must be allowed to enter." 



     Another sound was beginning to take prominence above the hum 

of the FORCE-field. Suddenly the Hinderer came into view as it 

entered the level of atmosphere around the asteroid, closely 

followed by the shuttles.



     CEstallia turned to Luke. "I have something for you," she 

said, "You must return them safely for me. Remember." With that, she 

quickly removed the chain containing the cylinder from her neck and 

placed it on his. She then reached beneath her heavy shawl and 

withdrew the ancient lightsaber and clipped it to his belt. "One 

other thing," she whispered before grasping his temples. 



     Luke's mind jolted as if from a physical blow. When CEstallia 

released him, he stumbled back slightly, mind reeling from the many 

images and emotions and thoughts and voices screaming for attention. 

He shook his head to clear it and still the voices whispered on in the 

back of his mind. And then suddenly they were silent. 



     When Luke refocused on his surroundings, it was to find that only

seconds had passed. CEstallia still stood before him and the ships were 

only just putting down between them and the platform. 



     "That's everything, now," CEstallia said with a quiet smile. 

"It's time." She'd wanted to do that later, when it would have been 

easier on him. But she could see that now there wouldn't be time. He 

would have to experience the Time with her. 



     People began to spill out of the shuttles in a steadily growing 

pool of gray clad humans. Though the door was open on the Hinderer no

one came out. 



     "Suggestions?" Han asked, shifting uncomfortably as the crowd 

began to move toward them. Chewie growled something under his breath 

and Han chuckled a bit. "Never quote me the odds," He whispered back 

at him. 



     "Wait a minute," CEstallia said, calling a loose rock to her hand

from the ground beneath her. She carefully chose a target near the front 

of the group and let the rock fly. 



     When the rock hit the man, there was a slight ripple and then the

man disappeared. 



     "Projections with no substance," Luke said, understanding. 



     "Well, what are we waitin' for?" Han put in, already drawing 

the droid blaster. "Let's narrow this crowd down." He ran wildly toward

the crowd. Everyone else followed his lead. It only took a few moments 

for them to realize that the droid blasters did not work here.



     Luke and CEstallia took out a number of the projections by 

sending a small storm of loose rocks in the direction of the crowd. 

The crowd narrowed to fifty or so human males and females wearing no 

expression. A stray swing at a not-quite-real human revealed that at 

least one of the four shuttles was also a projection. Since it was 

Mulder's stray swing he decided to see what else wasn't 'real.' 



     Three kicks and a sore toe later, one shuttle and the Hinderer 

were the only ships left standing on top of the asteroid. That job done, 

Mulder turned to rejoin the fight. He saw Scully across the plateau 

fighting with what appeared to be a 'real' woman among the two 

dozen still fighting.  



     When everyone seemed caught up in the fight, CEstallia made 

a run for the FORCE-field. She was half way through the unlocking 

sequence when the children began to come out of the Hinderer led 

by the young woman who'd been brought with them to CEstallia. Her 

sense of urgency intensified; these children were the equivalent of 

the big guns. 



     The dozen humans left fighting began a retreat. Those in 

combat stance simply stepped back. Those on the ground ceased 

fighting. Luke had been rendering those he fought unconscious 

as quickly as possible and moved on to the next; they were so 

much like zombies that it hadn't taken much. But when he felt 

the sudden tension in the air, he paused. The man he'd been 

about to render unconscious scuttled away from him toward his 

other retreating comrades.



     From the corner of his eye, Luke saw CEstallia at the 

control panel trying to get the field down. He also saw Domar 

heading in her direction from the back of the Hinderer. Luke 

was amazed at how clear his objective was; protect CEstallia 

until her mission is complete. Before he even had a conscious 

thought to move he found himself between Domar and CEstallia.



     "I am Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight." The words left Luke's

mouth unbidden and his lightsaber was up and ignited. 



     Domar paused at the man standing before him. He had his

own brother to thank for this. "Stand down, Skywalker. I'll 

deal with you later," he said. 



     Luke continued to hold his fighting stance. "No, Domar, 

the time is now. You will not go any further." 



     Domar's mouth tightened. 'The future is always in motion' 

he whispered softly to himself. Then aloud: "I am the master 

of my destiny!" With that he erupted in fury toward the 

young man standing before him. A piece of the rock beneath him

liquefied and leapt toward the young Jedi, still liquid. 



     Luke blocked it with his right hand halting it in mid-air. 

The force behind it, though, was such that it pushed him backwards

to land sprawling on the ground. 



     Domar took the opportunity to make a grab for Luke's lightsaber

and attempt to cut him through with it. 



     Luke rolled away before the blade could break the skin. He did 

however get a nice singe mark on his tunic. 



     Domar halted the lightsaber millimeters from the asteroid's 

surface. 



     Luke shut down the lightsaber mentally just as Domar was 

bringing it back up to try another attack. And while Domar was in 

confusion over what happened to the blade, Luke dove at him. 



*   *   *   *   *   *



     

     "These are the kids we saved before," Han said. "I thought they

were on our side." 



     "Well, not anymore, I'd say," Leia spoke up wryly from behind 

him. "And who are they?" she added when she saw the little aliens 

step out behind the children. 



     No longer required to control the now retreating humans, the 

exiles stepped forward to lead the battle personally. The woman and

the children were of the new breed. They did not require direct 

mental control. 



     Both Scully and Mulder were staring oddly at the young woman. 

She seemed very familiar. The hair was longer, the expression very

hard and intent. Not at all like the slack expressions the previous 

humans had borne. 



     "Sam?" Mulder whispered. "Samantha?" he called again, stepping 

away from the group toward the children.



     Dana put out a hand to stop him. She didn't like the looks of

this. If this was indeed Samantha, she didn't look at all friendly. 

"Mulder...wait," she said. 



     Mulder shook her hand off and continued forward. This was his

sister. He couldn't imagine in his wildest dreams that she would 

mean him harm. 



     The young woman seemed to smile in Mulder's mind. The expression

of malice faded into welcome; her arms raised to embrace. But to the 

rest of the group, the truth was obvious. Samantha did not smile. 



     Scully stepped cautiously behind Mulder, watching his back as 

she had always done. She ignored Leia's pleas for her to stay back 

and not follow, to remember to keep her guard. In the span of a 

breath, a white wall of nothingness overrode her defenses. The wall

told her to sleep, and she was so tired. So very tired. She closed

her eyes. 



     The children held Leia, Han and Chewie at bay with a torent 

of wind that threatened to blow them off the asteroid as they 

loaded their recently aquired hostages unto the Hinderer. 



 

*   *   *   *   *   *



     CEstallia saw the events around her unfolding in her peripheral

senses. The main focus, though, was to get that FORCE-field down. The 

last sequence fell into place just as she 'saw' the battle between Luke 

and Domar began. The field disintegrated into silence. 



     CEstallia ran the few steps up to the upper platform that was 

invisible to the plateau below. There embedded in the rock was the

Dark Jedi who was now the Gatemind. 



     She pulled a small, deadly-looking weapon from a boot and very 

deliberately disintegrated the being. Dark acrid smoke rose in his 

wake. The rock literally sizzled where his body had once been. 



     When CEstallia was sure no trace was left of him, she disrobed 

and settled herself flat against the rock. The rock melted around 

her and conformed to her body. As her last physical activity, 

CEstallia reinstalled the FORCE-field and destroyed the unlocking

circuits. They were no longer required. There would be no new 

Gatemind. 



     In the instant the rock settled around CEstallia's body, the 

Gateknowledge washed over her. She could sense the richness of the 

Infinity, see the outcome of the scuffle taking place beneath her. 

The deep beauty of the music of Infinity tore at her. Before she

could allow its influence full reign, she began the ending sequence. 



*   *   *   *   *   *



     Luke and Domar struggled for the lightsaber both having the 

power of the force as their ally; one light, one dark. Luke suddenly

let go of the lightsaber as Domar was attempting to pull it away from

him, thus throwing the little man off balance. 



     Luke pulled the lightsaber back toward himself igniting it as 

he drew back. 



     The little man lay winded on the ground a hand thrown in the 

air for mercy. 



     Luke caught himself before he struck. He couldn't ignore such

a plea, it was simply not in his nature. 



     "Fool." Domar whispered as he threw a bolt of blue lightning,

full of all of his hatred. The blue lightning reflected off a 

stunningly brilliant FORCE-field, that suddenly erected itself 

before Luke. The blue lightning amplified and struck Domar, 

and penetrated into the rock of the Gate. A crack formed and 

a rumbling began beneath the surface of the rock. 

 

     Luke covered his ears in the ensuing violence that followed. 

Just as on the Hinderer, he was unprepared, but now he knew the cause.

The Gate felt pain. Although the screaming wasn't as bad as it had

been on the Hinderer, it was close. The thunders also returned and 

increased and the entire asteroid seemed to shake and swirl rocks in 

a violent whirlwind, which emanated from the point of the crack. 

After a few moments it died away to a manageable level. With a heaved 

sigh, he pulled himself up from the rocky ground to stand among the 

swirling winds. Domar was no where in sight. 



     Across the plateau, Luke could see Han helping Leia to her feet. 

Chewie was shaking his head to clear the ringing in his ears. Luke 

knew that CEstallia had managed to penetrate the field, and that she 

was one with the Gate. The Hinderer and the one shuttle could be seen

against the backdrop of the infinity as they departed. "Where are Mulder 

and Dana?" Luke asked as he came up to his friends. 



     "They're gone," Leia said. "These little creature's took them

away on the Hinderer."  



     "What?!" Luke asked. "We've got to go get them. There isn't much

time, now." 



     "Much time before what, Kid?" Han asked. He didn't like the sounds

of this already. 



     "I'm in contact with CEstallia, somehow," Luke said, "and she's 

already started the sequence. She's holding it off as long as she can, 

but when this rock blows, no life will survive here. We've got to get 

everybody off that planet or it will be too late." 



     "Well that's just great!" Han exclaimed. "She didn't happen to 

tell you a short cut back to the Falcon did she? It'll take us at 

least an hour to find it." 



     "I know a way..." 





     Hinderer





     Dana Scully opened her eyes slowly. In the back of her mind she

could hear music playing; beautiful music that haunted and demanded 

attention and begged her to follow. Follow where? Dana shook her head 

to clear it. Where was Mulder? Luke? Leia, Han and Chewie? Where was 

she? Her thoughts fought their way up through what seemed to be an 

endless haze.  

  

     Suddenly memory returned, and with it renewed fear. Leia's words 

about remembering to keep her guard returned to her. The music was 

growing louder. She tried to focus her mind as Luke had shown her, 

to marshall her mental powers to block the music. It wasn't working. 

Was she doing it wrong? <You must reach for Jedi calm, Dana> a voice 

spoke in her mind, Luke's voice. 



     She relaxed. Luke was guiding her. 



     When Dana had her block in place, she pulled herself up from 

the floor in her rocky cell. She was surprised to find that the rock

was warm to the touch. The small chamber that she was in opened into

another larger chamber. One end of the chamber was open to a narrow 

corridor. Dana approached the open end cautiously. Even she had seen 

enough science fiction movies to imagine that there might be some kind

of force field there. And unlike those she'd seen in the movies, she 

searched around in her pocket for something to throw at the opening. 





 

     Millennium Falcon







     "I've found Dana," Luke said aloud from his seat behind Han. 

"She's got her mental block back up. I can't touch Mulder's mind 

right now, perhaps he's still out." 



     "So, do we have a plan?" Han asked, gesturing out the view 

screen. Their destination loomed ahead. 



     "I think so," Luke said. "Do you think you could disable the

Hinderer? Just make sure it can't take off?" Luke asked Han. 



     Han grinned and threw a look at Chewie. "Are you kidding?" 

he asked. "Piece of cake." Chewie growled in agreement. 



     "So what are we doing while these two are off playing?" Leia

asked with a smirk in Han's direction. 



     "We are going to be doing something that hasn't been done in 

decades. Since we can't bring the Gate to this world ship, we're 

going to bring the world ship to the Gate," Luke answered. 



     Leia gave her brother a confused look. "Why would we want to 

bring the world ship to the Gate?" she asked. She felt as if she'd 

missed a couple of steps along the line. 



     "I'm sorry," Luke apologized. "It's just that CEstallia's put

all this stuff in my head. Information seems to appear as I need it. 

And right now, we need to get everyone on this world to the Gate. 

The fastest way to do that is to bring the world to the Gate." 



     Leia nodded her acceptance. Luke hadn't really answered her 

question at all. But she trusted that he knew what he was doing. 





*   *   *   *   *   *





     Domar limped into his office to see that his prisoner, Benjamin

Adams, was still there, unconscious, as he'd left him. He ordered

the limp form carried to what was now to be the Flag ship to his

new Empire. There would be a use for this one, as well as for the 

other two from Earth.  



     When Benjamin had been carried from the room, Domar looked 

over the office that had been his personal place of meditation 

for over a hundred years. There was nothing here that he would 

miss. He had the stone bracelets and he had the seed stock for 

the newer breed of Jedi children and he had a ship. Nothing else

was required. Except to kill Skywalker. He hadn't been able to do that

at the Gate, because it must have been protecting the young Jedi. Even

according to ancient knowledge, only the wisest and oldest of Jedi

Masters could invoke a personal FORCE-field that repelled the blue

lightning. But here, on the world ship, Skywalker would again be 

vulnerable. Domar allowed a smile to form as he headed back toward

the Hinderer to plan his attack. He needed nothing more from this 

artificial planet. 



*   *   *   *   *   *





     Dana Scully sat in a corner of the cell in which she'd been 

placed. The, now non-functional, light-thrower lay beside her on 

the cell floor. She now wished she'd thrown something else to test

for the force field, because the dim glow rods in the corners of 

the ceiling gave only sparse illumination, at best. 



     Dana must have dozed off again, because she startled when she

heard the sound of a body falling to the stone floor. She gasped when

she saw who lay, literally, at her feet. 



     A bruised and unconscious Benjamin Adams lay face down on the

hard cell floor. He was still dressed as he had been the last time

Dana'd seen him, only the holsters were obviously empty.



     After a half second of uncertainty, Dana went to him. Regardless

of what he might have done, the doctor in her would not allow her to 

ignore the fact that this man might need medical attention. His pulse 

was steady and there didn't appear to be any broken bones. Dana rolled 

him unto his back to get a better look at his bruises. Because of the 

condition of the bruises, Dana guessed that he'd had previous facial 

contact with another hard surface. 



     As Dana gingerly examined one cheekbone more closely, Ben 

suddenly opened his eyes. She snatched her hands away from his face

as if in fear of being burned, but she remained stooped beside him. 

The touch of fear and uncertainty in her eyes, though, was telling. 



     Benjamin focused immediately on Dana. Very carefully, he moved 

to a sitting position, not once removing his eyes from hers. Then, 

he blinked. "We've got to stop meeting like this," he said with a 

small smile as he touched a hand to the side of his head that was 

bleeding. He winced. When he saw that Dana's expression had not 

changed from one of watchfulness, he added, "See, it's red like 

yours." 



     "Some of the worse monsters are red-blooded and walk upright," 

Scully said, pursing her lips. "What are you doing here?" she 

asked as she stepped back toward her light-thrower. 



     "Same as you," Ben said as he eased himself back down to the 

floor. "I'm a prisoner." Ben eyed her wariness for a few moments. 

She sat in farthest corner of the room from him, but kept him where

she could see him. "For the record," he spoke up, "I'm not a monster."   

      

*   *   *   *   *   *



     Luke directed Han to land the Falcon near the 'underside' of the

world ship. The controls for the biosphere were topside, on the surface 

of the world, but the maneuvering controls were embedded in the 

world ship's underbelly. 



     The increased humidity was immediately obvious once the Falcon 

penetrated the atmospheric barrier. All of the land area seemed 

designed to imitate a very large swamp. 



     'This takes me back,' Luke thought to himself when he saw the

land forms. This world ship was a convincing imitation of Yoda's

swamp on Dagobah, only the large organisms that had been present in

abundance on Dagobah did not exist here. 



     "Leia and I will go from here and meet you at the Hinderer," 

Luke said as he and Leia headed out of the cockpit. 



     "The Hinderer's on the other side of this great big greenhouse,"

Han called after Luke and Leia. "Are you sure you don't want us to 

wait for you? It could be a pretty long walk." 



     "We're sure," Luke called over his shoulder. "I know another 

way." 



     "Alright, Kid," Han muttered under his breath as he monitored 

his wife and brother's departure from the Falcon. 



     Chewie growled a word in comment about Luke's 'knowing a way'. 



     "Yeah, spooky is the word, pal," Han said. 



*   *   *   *   *   *



     "Just how much are you in contact with CEstallia, Luke?" Leia

asked as they wound their way through the thick growth of trees and

brush. 



     "I know what I need to do almost instinctively. I think that 

CEstallia is doing that. She's giving me information I couldn't 

possibly know on my own. For example, even the exiles don't know

where the maneuvering circuits are for this world and neither

should I. But I do." Luke came to a stop before the mouth of a 

rather ordinary looking cave. It was similar to the other many 

caves that dotted the forest. 



     Leia could sense the difference in her brother. He was still

the same old Luke, but there was an added dimension, something not 

entirely to the fore, but there nonetheless. 



     The cave was completely dark. Luke moved into the cave 

purposefully, and was immediately swallowed by the darkness. Leia

followed more slowly after she turned on her light-thrower to 

illuminate the way for both of them. 



     Luke walked toward a pock-marked section of the cave's wall. 

Then, he reached beneath his tunic and removed the necklace CEstallia

had given him and pressed the cylinder into one of the holes. When he

removed it, the wall slid to one side and revealed a lighted tunnel 

beyond. 



     Leia's eyes widened with interest as she followed her brother 

into the tunnel. The walls were made of a thick transparent material 

which enabled them to view the inner supports of the world ship. The 

metal underpinnings reminded her vaguely of the death star. 



     After they had walked several hundred meters the walls began to

darken until they were no longer transparent, but resembled obsidian. 

The white light that had emanated from the floor was now a soft 

purple. The purple lights led to an intersection. At the spot where the

corridors intersected the lights in the floor flashed in a square pattern.

 

     "Come on," Luke said as he grabbed his sister's hand and drew her 

onto the square. A few seconds after they stepped onto the square, four 

walls slid slowly into place around them. Luke placed a hand on the 

panel that appeared after the walls were secure, and uttered a word 

that Leia could not place. 



     "What did you say?" Leia asked. Sure, Luke knew quite a few 

languages, but so did she. And the one's she didn't know she could 

recognize, but this one wasn't at all familiar.



     "Oh, I just told the transport to take us to the control room." 



     "Well, I guessed that," Leia said. "What language were you 

speaking?"



     Luke looked confused for a second as if sorting through strange

or unusual data. "You know, I really have no idea." He shrugged it off

as the transport came to a stop with a soft 'ping'.  



     The transport opened into a square situated in the corner of a 

large oblong control center. The view screen and various panels and

systems began to activate as they entered the room. A soft voice 

began to utter greetings and information in a language Leia couldn't 

decipher. Luke responded to the computer in the same language as 

he punched commands into the console in the center of the room. 



     Leia rubbed her arms where the goose flesh appeared. This was 

getting downright spooky, even for a Jedi. She looked on as Luke 

continued to operate the machinery with a solemn deliberateness to 

his movements. When Luke stood up from the console eerie red lights 

began to flash around the perimeter of the room. 



     "Alright," Luke said, leading Leia back toward the square of 

lights, "it's time." 



*   *   *   *   *   *



     Fox Mulder opened his eyes to find himself lying on a raised 

platform in a white room. When he moved to sit up, he found that he

was restrained by some sort of invisible field. His head was mobile, 

so he took in as much of the room as he could with that limited 

motion. 



     Displays and equipment were lined against a far wall. The rest 

of the room was painted a brilliant white. The light in the room seemed 

to come from the paint itself. At one end of the room was a door, which 

slid open as his eyes settled on it. 



     A short gray skinned figure dressed in brown robes entered the 

room. "So good to see you again," Domar said. "I am called One. I am

the leader here. You will call me One also." 



     Mulder took in the creature that stood before him. He wanted to

struggle in defiance at being held down, but his curiosity got the 

better of him. "Where's Samantha?" he asked. 



     "She is safe, Fox Mulder." Domar responded. "She is very strong

in the force. Her powers have blossomed under my tutelage, and so can 

yours." 



     Mulder watched the little man for a second before responding. 

"You kept her away from me," Mulder said. "Why should I believe 

anything you say?"



     "She's nearby," Domar said, taunting. "Would you like to see

her?" Domar stepped over to a view screen built into one of the 

walls and turned to await Mulder's answer. 



     "Yes," Mulder responded after a moments hesitation. He was 

sure that Domar was toying with him, but he couldn't dismiss the 

possibility that this little man might just keep his word. 



     Domar reached for the button on the screen and then drew back. 

He turned again to face Mulder. "Oh, yes. I forgot to mention. Who 

is it that you'd like to see? You see, I have Ms. Scully and I'm sure

you'd like to see how she is. She's been with us before, you know. 

Why don't I give you a moment to decide?" With that the little man

left the room, leaving Mulder with a very pained expression.







     When Han poked his head out from behind the knarled branches

of the giant paraka tree, he was amazed at the bustle of activity. 

Dozens of the gray-clad human zombies appeared to be loading things 

into the shuttle and into a side section of the Hinderer that Han 

hadn't noticed during his first visit. Han ducked his head back

behind the tree when he noticed Domar exit the Hinderer. 



     Han watched as Domar walked quickly across the square and 

into a central building. Judging from the amount of light and noise

emanating from the building, this was where the rest of the exiles 

were. Han took a chance and wandered out into the square, careful

to walk slowly and expressionlessly. When he was near the entry door

of the Hinderer, he ducked inside. 



     The familiar rocky walls greeted him as they had before. The

zombies didn't seem to be in this section of the ship for the moment, 

so Han headed for the engine room. Even though he didn't know what

would do the most damage to these engines to prevent them from 

starting, he did know what would happen if he removed the part that

he'd originally replaced. 



     A few moments later, Han grinned in satisfaction as he held the

small part in his hand. There was a wheezing sort of whine as the 

engine's power drained away. As he was about to make his way back 

toward the ship's entrance, he noticed that the door to the white 

room was closed. He paused in mid stride. Then, as if coming to a 

decision, he shook his head and went back toward the door to the 

white room. The door slid open at his direct approach to reveal 

Fox Mulder bound to the bed with energy straps. 



     Han jumped to action and hurled himself toward the low 

platform. Mulder struggled ineffectively against the straps. 



     Han reached beneath the platform, seeking the source of the 

straps' power. Of course with the engines down the power would drain

away, but that could take an hour. They didn't have that kind of time. 

Someone was gonna figure out, and fast, that something was foul. Han's 

fingers finally caught on the source of the field and blocked it, 

allowing Mulder to break free. 



     "Come on," Han said urgently as Mulder got to his feet. They 

had reached the door when an alarm was heard ringing out over the 

camp.



*   *   *   *   *   *



     Dana Scully sat in her position in the back corner of the cell 

she shared with Benjamin Adams. She continued to watch him as he 

closed his eyes and napped or meditated or whatever he was doing. 

Then suddenly his eyes flew open and his head jerked in her 

direction. 



     "Come on!" he hissed, jumping to his feet and grabbing one of

her arms. 



     For a second Dana went limp with shock as Ben dragged her toward

the force field. When she saw where she was headed, she fought at his 

hand that gripped at her wrist and dug her feet into the cell floor. 



     "Stop fighting me!" Ben ground out under his breath. "The field 

is down!" He didn't let go of her wrist. "Do you want out of here or

not?" 



     "How do you know that the field is down?" Scully asked as she 

yanked her wrist from his grasp. She moved toward the place that 

she'd been sitting and picked up the defective light-thrower and 

heaved it in the direction of the force field. It went right through

and clattered against the far stone wall. 



     Ben gave her a sarcastic smile and gestured that she should 

lead. 



     Scully returned the sarcastic smile with one of her own and 

shook her head and gestured that he lead. And so she followed him 

down the rocky corridor. A moment later the alarms started. 



*   *   *   *   *   *



     Luke and Leia were again winding through the woods toward the

exiles' camp when they heard an alarm sound. A knowing look passed 

between the two of them. Han must have been in the village. They 

broke into a full run, there was no more need for stealth. 



     They broke into a clearing just as the exiles began to pour 

out of a large central building. The sound of the Falcon's engines 

could be heard as the ship approached. 



     Leia was surprised when she looked out over the trees,

searching for the Falcon against the grayness of the Infinity,

and saw the Asteroid right there sharp as if it were almost upon 

them. The Falcon broke into her line of vision as Chewie settled 

down in the center of the square, effectively separating the exiles 

and the Hinderer, at least for a few extra seconds. 



     Leia turned to Luke for confirmation that their job was done and 

then they both made a dash for the waiting Falcon. They saw when Ben

followed by Dana ran into the waiting ship. 



     When Luke saw Dana run up the Falcon's ramp, he had a brief, 

sharp flash of a future event. He came to a full stop in the square.

It was an image of Capitol City at Coruscant lying in ruin and himself 

standing in the middle of the awesome destruction with Dana looking at 

him with terror and betrayal in her eyes. Mulder laying dying at their 

feet. 



     "No," Luke whispered urgently against the sight, denying it. He

didn't fully understand what it meant but he knew that he could not 

bear to continue on with Dana knowing what the future might hold. 

"The future is always in motion," he reminded himself. And then the 

answer popped into his mind. He silently thanked CEstallia for 

showing him a way to resolve the problem. He continued to run toward

the Falcon, nearly catching up to Leia before she headed up the 

ramp. 



     As soon as Luke entered the Falcon, Leia was turning to head 

back out. "What is it?" he asked her. He would have to talk to 

Dana later. 



     "Han and Mulder aren't here, Luke," Leia said urgently. 



     Luke's eyes reflexively took in the room. Dana, Benjamin Adams,

Chewie and Leia were the only persons on the ship. His eyes went back 

to Benjamin Adams. Chewie stood menacingly over the man, who, though 

a Jedi himself, did not resist. Luke reached out into the force and 

felt both of the missing men. They were in the engine room of the 

Hinderer fighting with the zombies. 



     "I'll get them, Leia," Luke said. "Make sure everything is 

under control here." Leia nodded in understanding and let her 

brother go. 



     Leia re-activated the Falcon's force field as Luke exited the 

ship and then she turned toward the group behind her. "Lights out, 

Mr. Adams," she said to Ben as she stunned him. 



     



*   *   *   *   *   *



     

    The exiles were spilling around the Falcon as Luke came down the

Falcon's ramp. He leapt over the side of the ramp and knocked one 

of the exiles off his feet. 



     The little men threw dirt and energy blasts at him with the 

force. Everything they threw at him was deflected by the FORCE-field

that continued to protect him. Luke made his way unharmed into the 

Hinderer. Some of the exiles fled to their caves in fear at what they

saw as the Gate itself protecting the young Jedi. Domar simply became 

enraged. He decided to bring out his secret weapon.



*   *   *   *   *   *



     Luke made his way toward the engine room of the Hinderer. The sounds 

of the scuffle taking place there drifted to his ears as he entered 

the rocky corridor. 



     Han and Mulder were holding their own against the dozen or so 

zombies that were left standing. "Glad you could join us," Han 

called toward his brother-in-law as he decked another zombie. As best

as Luke could guess they were both having the time of their lives. 



     "Well, everybody's waiting," Luke quipped as he took down a 

zombie himself. "Think you could hurry this up a bit?" 



     Suddenly, as they had done before, the gray-clad humans retreated. 

All of the zombies left conscious ran from the room. Han stood up from 

his position and looked at the other two men. "Why do I have a bad 

feeling about this?" he asked. 



     A light step sounded before the children and the young woman 

spilled into the room. "Sam!" Mulder called and stepped toward his

sister. 



     "No...Mulder!" Luke tried to pull him back. But he was too late. 

Samantha raised her arms and shot a volley of the blue lightning at 

Mulder knocking him into a bank of consoles. Han reached for his 

blaster, but it was knocked from his hand by a pocket of air sent 

by one of the smaller children. Mulder got back to his feet and tried 

again to approach his sister, this time more uncertainly.  



     Samantha sneered at Mulder as he limped toward her. When she 

raised her hands to attack Mulder this time, there was a dark 

murderous malice in her eyes. The lightning pushed Mulder against  

the only console that still stood. 



     "No!" Luke yelled and threw himself between Samantha and 

Mulder, breaking the connection of the lightning on the former  

F.B.I. agent. The lightning lit around Luke's field, crackling at

its edges as it sizzled in the artificial air. Samantha continued

her attack on Luke, determined to break through his barrier. 



     "Han, help Mulder and get out of here," Luke called to 

his brother-in-law. "And keep the shield up on the Falcon. It's 

me she wants." 



     Han backed slowly toward the now stirring Mulder as he 

continued to debate with his brother-in-law. "What does she want 

you for? And just how are you going to get back to the Falcon if 

we keep the shield up?" 



     "Domar sent them," Luke called, raising a hand to reinforce

the field as the children joined in with a wind storm. "And don't 

worry about the shield, I know a way." 



     "Why didn't I guess?" Han muttered to himself as he half carried,

half drug Mulder off the Hinderer and toward the Falcon. 



     When they were gone, Luke turned back to Samantha, mentally 

tracking Han and Mulder's progress. The wind buffeted the FORCE-

field, but the Jedi stood firm. 



     "Can't you see that this isn't working?" Luke called to her,

satisfied that his friends had made it to the Falcon. The field 

fell away as soon as Samantha stopped sending the lightning.  



     The children and the young woman linked hands and focused their 

minds to send the white hot mental energy wall at Luke. Luke clapped

his hands and then he was gone. The group stood staring blankly at

the empty spot where Luke Skywalker had stood. 



*   *   *   *   *   *



     When Luke materialized on the Falcon, Han and Leia gaped at him. 



     "How'd you do that?" Leia whispered. 



     "Long story," Luke said. "Where's Dana?" 



     "She's in the back with Mulder. He's pretty messed up, had to 

sedate him," Han said, gesturing his head in the direction of the 

of the back room. 



     "Go back to the Gate," Luke said as he headed toward the

back of the Falcon.



*   *   *   *   *   *



     Dana sat beside Mulder's limp form as he lay on a cot. She

rested her head in her hands and fought tears of futility. At least

he was out of it for now and wouldn't have to think about what his 

sister had tried to do to him. They had searched so long for Samantha

and now to find her only to have her try to kill him was too much. 



     She looked up as the door slid open. Luke stood in the doorway

sadly gazing across the space toward her. With a heavy sigh he 

stepped fully into the room. 



     "Dana," Luke began, "I need to talk to you, but there isn't 

much time." 



     "Alright," Dana said, pulling herself together and standing up

from the cot. 



     Luke took her hand and led her toward the other cot in the room. 

"Dana, I'm sorry about everything that's happened here. And I deeply 

regret the fact that I will not get to know you." 



     Dana frowned at Luke in confusion. 



     "Dana, I'm sending you and Mulder home. It's...safer that way 

for both of you." 



     "But Luke,...how?" Dana shook her head. "What...?" 



     Luke looked at her and sighed. The knowledge was all in his head,

but he could not tell her. She wouldn't remember anyway even if he 

could. So he simply pulled her into his arms and held her.



     After a moment he pulled away and looked softly into her eyes. 

"Dana," he said. "This is good-bye." With that he softly touched his

lips to hers. Very gently, he rendered her unconscious. 



*   *   *   *   *   *



     Luke walked into the bay of the Falcon carrying Dana. "I take it

we're back at the Gate?" Luke said to his astonished family. 



     "What's going on, Luke?" Han asked, too casually. 



     "They are going back home. Bring Mulder and Adams," Luke's voice

carried toward them as he walked down the Falcon's exit ramp to stand 

the top of the Gate near the platform. He laid Dana on the rock and 

brushed her hair away from her face. 



     A minute later, Han appeared carrying Mulder over his shoulder and 

Chewie appeared carrying Benjamin Adams. Luke arranged them all side by

side on the surface of the rock. When he was done, the rock liquefied 

beneath their feet and the three humans sank beneath it. 



     Han and Chewie stared speechlessly at Luke as he stared at the 

point where three humans had once been. With a last sigh, Luke looked

up at his friends. "It's time," he said. 



*   *   *   *   *   *



     "What about the children, Luke?" Leia asked when her husband and 

brother and Chewie arrived back and headed for the cockpit. 



     "The Gate will take care of the children. They will be fine. But

for now, I don't think CEstallia can wait any longer." 



     As the words left Luke's mouth, a quake began beneath the surface

of the asteroid. 



     "Well, you don't need to tell me twice," Han said as he powered 

up the Falcon's engines and lifted off the rock.



     "Luke! Look!" Leia said, pointing toward an aft monitor. The 

Imperial shuttle had lifted off of the world ship and was headed out

of the Gate. 



     Beneath them the rumbling of the Gate grew louder. Suddenly there

was an explosion in one of the Falcon's aft panels. Before anyone could 

react to the explosion, Luke began to grab at his head. 



     "Luke! Luke! What is it!?" Leia cried out to her brother, his face 

was turning unhealthy shades of blue and white. 



     "Got...to...g-get...out of...here!" He gasped out. Then the screaming

started. Deep awful screams. Chewie covered his ears and whimpered at 

hearing his friend in mortal pain. Leia cried and tried to help, but it 

was no use. She could not reach him. Han set his jaw and flew the Falcon 

out of the infinity as fast as he could. 



     By the time they reached normal space, Luke was catatonic. His mind

was untouchable. All that Leia could do was hold his hand and wipe away

the slow tears that crept down her face. 











     <MW> [a long time ago]





     Chunks of hot meteorite flung into the atmosphere of 

a glowing blue planet. The boulders soon burned themselves down

to large rocks, before crashing into the ground and borrowing

themselves in the silent forest.

      

      A lone Indian boy stooped, hiding in the mouth of a cave,

watching the beautiful, yet fearful sight of the stars that came to 

the Earth. He would tell his grandfather when he returned to the 

village of the great things he'd witnessed. 



THE END.... 



(OH YEAH, YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ THE EPILOGUE IF YOU WANT TO 

HAVE EVEN A CLUE OF HOW THIS ALL TURNS OUT) :)











From: JackeeC <74363.2566@CompuServe.COM>

Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative

Subject: NEW: XJEDI VOL FOUR EPILOGUE <end>

Date: 23 Jan 1996 04:12:59 GMT





DISCLAIMER: Okay, folks, if you made it this far, we've been together for 

quite a while. Soooooo, I'm sure you know that these folks aren't mine. They 

belong to straAsucaL and snoitcudorP3101> <1013Productions and LucasArts. 

(sorry got a little turned around) No money made (or else I could buy 

better jokes/or a life). No infringement intended. On with the show.





EPILOGUE

--------



         [a long time ago]   





     <GFFA> CEstallian System



     Millennium Falcon





     "Well, there it is," Han said grimly as he stared down at the

hazy atmosphere of the planet CEstallia. He glanced back at his still

uncomprehending brother-in-law. It had been nearly a week and Luke 

still had not come out of the state he'd fallen into. The New Republic

doctors were at loss.



     Leia held onto Luke's slack hand as the Falcon traveled along the

beam that would take them to the CEstallian landing bay. 



     "What took you so long?" Asked the tall man who greeted them in 

the bay. 



     "Huh?" Leia asked as she led her brother down the gangway. She'd 

only made the appointment with the CEstallian medical officials

earlier in the day. The man at the bottom of the ramp simply shook

his head in disapproval and led them to a transport tube. 



     Once they were inside, he studied Luke's eyes carefully. Then,

with a satisfied smile he started the lift on its way. 



     "What was that all about?" Han demanded. 



     "Oh...uh, preliminary," the man said. "All is as it should be." 



     Han was gearing up for battle mode when Leia grabbed his arm and 

shook her head ever so slightly.



    The man led them to a plain wooden door and left them standing on 

the outside. Han and Leia stared at one another before Han reached out

and opened the door. 



     "Welcome," a voice said, accompanied by the smell of flowers.

"I am S'carria, Matriarch of CEstallian. Please, bring him in." 



     The woman standing before them bore little resemblance to

CEstallia save for the pupil-less gray eyes. Brown hair hang in a halo

around her thin face, not a steak of gray was visible. 



     When they'd seated Luke on a chair, S'carria stepped over and sat

across from him. She gently brushed his hair back from his forehead. 

"You are highly honored here, Luke Skywalker. Your name will go down 

in our books as a hero." The hand that had brushed his hair back, 

paused at his temple. For several seconds she stared intently into 

Luke's eyes. 



     When S'carria released Luke's temple, they both closed their 

eyes briefly. When Luke opened his, he was back. He stared at the 

strange woman before him. He turned and looked at Han and Leia. 

"What am I doing here?" he asked. "What is this place?" 



     "What is your name?" S'carria asked. 



     "Luke Skywalker," he answered immediately, looking to Leia 

in confusion. 



     "He will remember in time," S'carria said, removing the 

chain from his neck. "Thank you for bringing this home," she said. 



     Luke did not dispute her. The gray strands mixed in her brown 

hair, though, seemed vaguely familiar. 



     "He needs to rest," S'carria said. Immediately Luke's eyes closed

and he slumped in the chair. 



     "Mr. Solo," S'carria turned to Han. "Would you help him to the 

sleeping chamber through those doors?" She pointed toward a curtain in 

the corner of the room. 



     "Yeah, sure." Han said, helping the groggy young Jedi to his 

feet and through the door. 



     "What happened to him?" Leia asked as she handed S'carria the 

other item CEstallia had given Luke. 



     "He carried within him the memories of all the Matriarch's since

the start. The human mind does not have the plurality that the CEstallian

mind is capable of, and so he essentially became CEstallian for a time. 

The bracelet saved him physically, but could not protect him mentally. 

The weight of dying destroyed all his barriers and eventually crushed his

mind beneath the added pressure." 



     "I'm afraid I don't understand," Leia said. "What dying? And the 

bracelet protected him physically from...what?" 



     S'carria smiled understanding Leia's confusion. "It is difficult 

for those unaccustomed to these things to understand. CEstallia choose

him to be her Intermediary. He became the carrier of her memories and 

those of the others who went before her, thus he became...CEstallian. 

He had to witness her death and essentially experience it...to pass 

it on to us. Becoming CEstallian increased his perception and 

heightened his senses. So when CEstallia died along with the Gate, he

became overwhelmed by the intense pressure placed upon his mind.



     "The bracelet protected his physical body from experiencing 

death. You see, the Gate itself is true CEstallian and because of the 

implanted CEstallian memories the Gate saw him as an extension of 

itself. But because the bracelet is made of DEAD rock, he was spared. 

That is why the Hinderer was destroyed, it was perceived by the Gate 

as a part of itself."



     "So then, that explains why the panel with the cylinder 

exploded," Leia mused to herself. "But, were the exiles CEstallian, 

as well?" 



     "No," S'carria shook her head, "they were 'of the gate'. This 

was done artificially so that they could not reenter the galaxy 

and threaten society again. They perished with the Gate. CEstallia's

memories mention those who had bracelets. Those ones were sent." 



     Leia waited for S'carria to finish her statement and when she

didn't she shook her head, "Sent...sent where?" 



     S'carria gave her a strange look before she responded, "Where

they belong." 





            [present time]





     <GFFA> Somewhere in space. 





     A gleaming jewel shaped ship slipped into an entry port of 

Infinity. The young woman at the helm watched through the view

port for evidence of that for which she waited. The ship's flood

lights shone brightly against the rocky surface of the Gate. 



     "Is there any sign, yet?" A male voice called from a corner 

of the room. His pupil-less gray eyes scanned the view screen just 

as the young woman's had done. 



     "No," the young woman said. "But, everything will take place

just as it should. The memory record that Luke returned was valid

and besides, we've only been here two minutes. Patience." Though

she spoke seriously, there was a mischievous glint to her 

pupil-less blue eyes. 



     "Just because you're gonna be Matriarch someday..." the young

man said, leaving the rest of the familiar taunt unsaid. 



     "And just because you're..." she returned, but didn't finish 

her statement because just then they felt that for which they had

been waiting.  



     "They're here," the young woman said as she gazed down at the 

group of humans lying against the surface of the rock. The young 

man did not need to be told what to do next. 







      CEstallian System







      Samantha opened her eyes to see a white ceiling overhead. 

There was the pleasant scent of flowers in the air, in deep contrast

to her rapidly beating heart. She'd hadn't expected peacefulness, but

darkness...or at least physical pain. She wasn't sure why she

expected those things. The reason was only a hazy memory. The softly

lit surroundings and the warmth of the cot beneath her, though, were

beginning to calm her, ebbing away her body's tenseness.    



     A soft swish announced the opening of a door out of her view.

"Hello, I see you're awake," a voice said. The form of a blonde

headed woman with pupil-less blue eyes came into view. "I'm Callie

Skywalker and I've been waiting for you a very long time."  



     "Skywalker...?" Sam asked, brow furrowed. She remembered that

name. Luke...Luke had been called Skywalker. The memories began to flood

back into her mind. She remembered everything. Her breath caught and

her face crumbled. 



     "Oh Fox! Fox! What have I done?" she began to cry. She pushed 

herself up from the cot, remembering with startling clarity the things

that had occurred; the things she'd done to her brother. 



     Callie closed her eyes and briefly brushed her sense against 

Samantha's. "Child," she began. "He is all right. He's alive and he's 

fighting for you. Close your eyes and listen." 



     Sam shook her head sadly.  "No! No! I can't be here! I've got to

go to him...to beg him to forgive me!" She jumped from the cot and

made ready to run out of the room's door. 



     Callie easily restrained her. "Sam, listen to me," she said, 

injecting the Force into her words. "He's not here. You can't go to 

him, now. Listen to me and I'll tell you the story. Listen to me.

Close your eyes and listen to me." 



     Sam obediently closed her eyes as Callie had asked, but the tears

slipped through and continued to roll down her cheeks. 



     Callie lead her back to the cot and began her tale. 



     "A long time ago, your brother was able to come here through a

Gate. He helped one of my ancestors overcome an enemy, to set matters

straight in this galaxy. You knew him as Luke Skywalker. That was

over a thousand years ago. I am Callie Skywalker, mien-Matriarch of

CEstallia. Because of what took place back then, Luke Skywalker's name

has become great in the galaxy. Luke and your brother made it

possible for a correction in time to occur. The duty to await your

arrival here was passed on to me. You and the others have been cared

for and in time, when it's safe, you and the others can return home."





     Samantha opened her eyes and sniffed. "So, am I in the future?

Will I ever see Fox again?" 



     Callie smiled, almost indulgently. "No, child," she said. "You

are in what in your galaxy would be the present. Those things that

you remember occurred in this galaxy's past. The gate sent you to us

here, where we've been waiting." 



     Sam eyed Callie curiously. This was a strange story, but no

stranger than what she had begun to remember of her life or of the

past day. The thought of those events brought back the sight of her

brothers face in the Infinity. Tears again welled in her eyes, "His

memory of me will be of my trying to kill him," she whispered. "Why

did I do that?" 



     "Sam," Callie said, covering one of her hands with her own. "He

won't remember it. He won't remember a thing. You only remember

because you had a cylinder within you." 



     Callie forced back her own tears at seeing the pain and confusion

in those hazel eyes. She wanted so much to ease this young woman's

pain. She'd suffered enough in her lifetime. Maybe there was

something she could do...





            [present day]





     <MW>   Earth

     

     

     Silver Springs, Maryland







     Skinner sat in front of his computer trying desperately to

remember the previous day. Nothing made sense. He'd remembered going

to Charlotte on Friday, but he had no memory of Saturday, much less

returning to Maryland. 



     Tired of not remembering he clicked on the television. A news

report caught his attention. 



     "On the outskirts of Arlington Va., a meteorite, heretofore 

undetected by scientists fell to the earth this afternoon,

crashing into a mobile unit on a construction sight..." 



     Skinner chuckled, wondering at what type of conclusion Agent

Mulder would draw from this incident. 



     His phone rang. 







     Georgetown Memorial Hospital





     "There are eyewitnesses who swear you were found encased in a 

meteorite," Skinner said when he found his two agents in the emergency

room starring dumbfounded at one another. 



     "Sir," Mulder stammered, glancing uncertainly at Scully. "We woke

up here." Dana nodded in agreement at their superior. 



     Skinner glared at the two battered and exhausted Agents and felt

the beginnings of a real whopper of a headache. Where was that

Exedrin?

 







     Washington D.C. 





     Friday







     Fox Mulder ran through the rain to his apartment building. The

cool October wind combined with the rain cut through his shirt front as 

he bundled a stack of files under his overcoat to protect them from

the elements. The rain, in his opinion, only provided a depressing

end to a depressing week. As the elevator creaked its way to his 

floor, he mentally reviewed the events that had taken place since he 

and Scully had woke up in the hospital. 



     Because he and Scully had been unable to account for their 

whereabouts from Thursday to Sunday, they'd been been scheduled

for a review by one of the federal psychologists, that was, of 

course, after they'd been grilled by AD Skinner and a board with

Cancerman silently in attendance.  



     To add to the troubles, the construction company had 

filed a suit against the F.B.I., since its Agent's had been found

embedded in the meteorite that had destroyed the trailor; it

seemed that someone had a video camera. They'd claimed that a 

secret government experiment had gone foul, thus causing loss to 

their property. 



     The owner of the video camera had taken the liberty of sharing

with the local news media, hence every talk show and tabloid in the

continental U.S. was seeking an interview with the two Agents. And 

as the icing on the cake, at some time during the weekend, someone

had stolen Scully's car. 



     Mulder simply could not imagine what could possibly happen to 

top the last two days. When the elevator dinged upon reaching his 

floor, he stood there with his back against the wall for a second before

he could urge his tired body forward.

 

     As Mulder stepped from the elevator, he noticed a shrouded 

figure standing near the wall. He couldn't tell if the figure belonged to 

a male or female, as a long gray hooded cloak obscured all tell-tell

signs of gender. He moved to continue on toward his door with a nod.

 

     "Fox Mulder?" a voice asked. 



     He paused in motion. The voice was soft, female and strangely

familiar. He turned back in her direction. "Yes?" A drop of rain hung

on the edge of his nose. He wiped at it unconsciously. 



     "I have a gift for you." A small boned hand came out from one of 

the huge sleeves, to reveal a small tin box. It was decorated with 

intricate swirls of various colors and patterned indentations, all 

in all, an odd looking box. 



     Mulder slowly reached out and took it from her hand. He looked at

it silently for a moment. "What is it?" he asked at last. 



     A sound from behind him down the hall caught his attention. He

turned briefly to see what it was. Seeing no one, he turned back to

his strange visitor. She was gone. The entire hall was deserted, save

for one F.B.I. agent dripping wet, files clutched to him in one hand

and a tin box in the other. 



     There was but one thing that came to mind to do. Mulder decided 

he wanted to know what this gift was. It never occurred to him that

there might be a bomb inside or some poisonous insect. This gift, he

felt, must be precious indeed. He went into his apartment. 







     Mulder dropped his files on the table as he stepped into his 

entryway. Then he reached behind to flip a light switch and kicked

the door shut. Not once did he remove his eyes from the box. He sat

in the living room and removed the lid. The box contained a tea bag.





     Mulder rested his chin on a fist, contemplating what to do. Maybe

his instincts were incorrect. How could a tea bag warrant the

delivery this one had gotten? The idea of poison now occurred to him.

Maybe Cancerman was behind this whole thing...  



*   *   *   *   *   *



     Dana Scully sat at her computer desk writing field reports. She 

paused to arch her back, removing the thin rimmed glasses that were 

beginning to irritate her nose. This was taking longer than it should 

have. The knock at the door was a welcome reprieve. 



     When she looked through the peep-hole, she was surprised to see

Fox Mulder standing on the other side. He seemed a little

preoccupied. Not too unusual. She opened the door.



     "What brings you to this neck of the woods?" she asked, a smirk

on her face. "If you're hankering for a home-cooked meal, you're out

of luck, Mulder."  



     Mulder barely smiled at her joke. Dana frowned at that, not that 

she felt the joke was remarkably funny, but she'd expected at least a 

rejoinder. 



     Instead Mulder produced a tin box, opened it, and held what

appeared to be an ordinary tea bag in the air. "Do you know what this

is?" he asked seriously. 



     Scully's eyebrows went up. "Well, at a guess, I'd say it's a tea

bag. What do you think it is?" 



     "Do you have any?" Mulder continued, ignoring her question. 



     "Y--es," Scully responded giving Mulder an odd look. She decided

to wait him out on this one. 



     "Care to join me for some tea, then?" Mulder asked. Smiling for

the first time since he'd entered her apartment. 



     "Mulder, please tell me you didn't come all the way to my

apartment to get me to make tea for you." 



     "Nope," Mulder grinned, "I came all the way over here to make it 

for you, so go back to what you were doing and I'll be out in a

minute." 



     Dana didn't even try to hide her surprise. What had gotten into 

Mulder? She knew they were both weirded out about their strange 

disappearance and reappearance, but this seemed different, somehow.

"I don't think I want to leave you in this condition," she joked. "You 

might pass out from shock when you realize what you're doing. I think

I'll just sit right here and watch--for the record." Dana sat at her

table and watched her partner riffle through her dishes. 



     While they waited for the water to boil, he told her about a

strange woman who'd come to his apartment building that day. When the

pot began to whistle, he poured a good measure of hot water in each.

He added sugar to Dana's and one of her bags of peppermint tea.



     "What did she say?" Scully asked as he handed her the mug. 

     

     Mulder shrugged. "She said she had a gift for me." He dunked 

his tea bag, watching the water darken.



     "Really?" Scully said, surprised. "What was the gift?" 



     Mulder gestured toward the odd tin that sat between the two of 

them on the table. As Scully picked it up for closer examination,

Mulder took a sip of his tea. His brows lifted. It was good, in a

rich fruity sort of way. He took another sip. 



     Scully looked curiously inside of the empty tin. "Is this it?"

she asked. "Was there anything inside?" 



     Mulder nodded. His head was beginning to feel light all of a

sudden, perhaps earlier would have been better for telling Scully

about the tea. "This tea bag..." he got out in a slurred voice before

his head began to nod forward. The last thing he remembered seeing

was his partner's expression as she jumped up from her chair...



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~





     Fox Mulder found himself standing in a garden. The sound of

rushing water could be heard in the distance. His brow furrowed. How

had he gotten here? He had been in Dana Scully's apartment drinking

tea.



     He began to hear another sound over the sound of the waters. A

horse galloping. Mulder began to walk in the direction of the sound.

For the first time, he began to notice a path. It lead off in the

direction of the pounding hoof beats. 



     A young woman with long dark hair blowing freely behind her sat

atop a beautiful bay gelding. She seemed to be looking for someone.

When she saw Mulder she drew the horse to a halt. 



     Mulder stood there and watched the woman. A strange feeling came

over him. It worked its way through his chest and his gut. A

thickness arose in the back of his throat. A word came unbidden from

his lips. He blinked when he realized what it was. "Samantha?" 



     The woman was off the horse and in his arms in the span of a

second. "Fox! Oh Fox, it's true, it's true," she mumbled in his

shoulder, through her tears. 



     Fox Mulder held his sister close for a while, then drew away.

"What's true?" he asked, not removing his hand from her arms for fear

she'd disappear. She felt so warm and alive and real.



     A shadow crossed Sam's face. "That you're alive...and well," she

said. That was good news. The last time she'd 'seen' him was when she

tried to kill him. Callie had told her that he wouldn't remember that. She 

was glad he wouldn't. She cleared her throat, pushing the thought aside.. 



     "Fox, there isn't much time," she said. "I just wanted you to

know that I'm happy and safe. I'm with friends now. I'll be home for

good, but I don't know when..." Sam paused, looking up at her

brother. "I'm supposed to tell you that your work is very important

and not to give up." 



     Mulder nodded at her words. 



     Sam looked back over her shoulder as if hearing someone. She

turned back to her brother. "I have to go now, Fox." She stood on tip

toe and kissed his cheek. 



     She then stepped back, allowing the hand that had been holding her arm 

to trail down to her hand and then her finger tips. She tilted her

head slightly to the side as she looked up at her brother; a gesture

Mulder remembered vividly from childhood. Then Samantha faded away.  

                   



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





     And Mulder opened his eyes. He found himself on Scully's kitchen

floor, her worried eyes looked into his. "Mulder, are you all right?"

she asked breathlessly.



     Mulder nodded a tear spilling from the corner of one eye. The

memories of the dream flowed over him. Mulder sat up and took a deep

breath. 



     "Yes..." he whispered, "I'm fine."





     Later

--------------------------------------------------------------------  

  



From: <Accounting and Finance>AcctFin@gov.org

To: <SpAgt Fox Mulder>1013@gov.org

subj.: Cellular phone charges



Agent Mulder, we received a confirmation of unusual roaming charges

from our cellular carrier. An itemized bill has been placed in your

inter-office mail. We would appreciate an immediate reply. 



Thank you, 



     J. Morgan



-------------------------------------------------------------------



From: <Accounting and Finance>AcctFin@gov.org

To: <Xfiles Supervisor>1013@gov.org

subj.: Cellular phone, gun, etc.





Agent Mulder, 



Please confirm replacement request for two cellular phones and two 

sidearms and holsters for your division. Our records show that your 

division personnel list contains two names. Please send updated list 

if necessary. 



Thank you, 



     J. Morgan



---------------------------------------------------------------------



From: <Records>Rec@gov.org

To:   <Xfiles Supervisor>1013@gov.org

subj.: Identification



Agent Mulder, 



Please be informed that you did not complete the section of 

the form 1713 Request for Identification Replacement describing 

how your identification had probably been lost. Please be informed

that Agent Scully was negligent in this duty as well. Please rectify

situation. 



Thank you, 



     M. Manness

----------------------------------------------------------------------



From: EJFar@dfm.org  

To:   <F. Redlum>1013@gov.org 

subj.: "Theory of Infinity" 



Mr. Redlum, we are very interested in the article you submitted via 

email. The theory in itself is fascinating and logical. The editors 

feel that it ranks in the same league as 'Newton and Gravity'. 

Via postal mail (snail!) you will receive our standard contracts 

and publishing statements. Mr. Redlum, please carefully consider 

our offer. 



Thank you, 



E. J. Fahrenkrug,  



Discovery Frontiers Magazine



---------------------------------------------------------------------

To: <Fox Mulder> 1013@gov.org

From: annon@canyon-library.com

subj.: our weekend :)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 



FORWARDED MESSAGE FOLLOWS



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Hi there, 

I didn't get to say good bye to you when I left. And since 

some rather unexpected things happened that might have 

caused worry. I'm E 'ing to say I'm fine. My name has been 

changed and I'm in a new place. It was all very mysterious. 

But, it's all right. So here's me saying Thank You! and 

good-bye. I was only allowed one contact and then I wasn't 

allowed to send it, so I don't even know your e-address!:( 

Please share this message with Dana. And thanks again to 

both of you! 



remembering always, Rae





---------------------------------------------------------------------

To: <Fox Mulder> 1013@gov.org

From: <Frohike> Lonegun1@lgm.com

subj.: My van 



Hey Mulder, 

I know you've been busy and all. But, my

van, I need it, dude. 



BTW, when are you coming to get Agent 

Scully's car?





Frohike









                         

END OF STORY.







personal disclaimer: All of you brilliant mathematicians out there with

logical theories on infinity and time and such, feel free to correct me

on anything that appears to be based on anything already theorized. 

And bear in mind that any technical explanations sent my way will be 

read, but the reader (me) will be bogged down in a very deep mire

of confusion as I made this all up based on nothing. I really did 

try to research it, which is why I *know* I will be lost.



 



 

And another thing, if anyone wants to carry on with this in any form,

feel free, just let me know. I'm curious about any ideas of a sequel

or alternate (read: more exciting) ending. I mean, where *did* the

"exiles" go? There were quite a few threads I wanted to tie up, but,

I kinda wanted to bring this story in at least under a Meg!





For all who stuck it out to these very last words: Truly my very

deepest gratitude. Constructive, or non, criticism welcome, hoped

for, begged for. No comment is too small...

 



e me at 74363.2566@compuserve.com or jackeec@aol.com



  

personal disclaimers: I took some really indecent liberties with

National Zoo for all of you who live there. I asked my sister to

describe it to me over the phone (I've only been there in my

imagination and all, see) so it's the 74363.2566@compuserve.com

enhanced version. Also, I wrote this story for fun, even though it

did take over and on, respectively, my life and a life of its own. 





This story is c. 1995 by Jackee C., and is submitted FREELY for your

reading pleasure. For distribution in whole or in part on any medium,

please contact the author for permission. 

 

=====================================================================

======



From: JackeeC <74363.2566@CompuServe.COM>

Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative

Subject: NEW: XJEDI -- ENDNOTES  (join in!)

Date: 23 Jan 1996 04:15:01 GMT





XJEDI ENDNOTES



You have now entered the realm of end notes... The disclaimers from 

all of the previous xjedi stuff in force in case needed. (ya never 

know) 



=====================================================================

=

Following are a list of possible plot inconsistences. If you don't

want to ruin what you just read, bail now! Otherwise, join the game.

These are answers that should clear up any "holes". They are multiple

choice. If you find some that I didn't see, feel free to send them my

way. I don't even mind if you add your own 'creative' (multiple

choice, please) fixes. 



Following the above is a semi-explanation if you are a touch confused.





END NOTES: If you saw the fact that Mulder didn't make a connection

between the kidnapped children, who were taken from CEstallia and

one's taken from Earth as a plot hole, here's me paving it over:

(pick one) 



1. The call came for CEstallia and she being all secretive anyway told



Luke in a "mind message". 



2. The call came for Luke and he didn't tell a soul, just rushed out

and told his sister. CEstallia was told later, perhaps by Luke. They

did call in the Coruscant F.B.I, after all. 



3. Mulder was too awed with the idea that he was in another galaxy to 

put two and two together and get five! ;)





If you can't make the mental leap to why Mulder figured CEstallia knew

something about his sister: 



1. His nickname is "spooky" for a reason. He was right wasn't he?



2. Dramatic liscense. Really, couldn't you see that one coming? I 

sure hope not. <EG>



Where are the droids when everyone finds out that CEstallia 

sabatoged Becter's stuff and is forced to 'fess up by Luke?



1. Artoo is still doing the memory diagnostic thingy on 

Threepio and they(the droids) need privacy. 



2. CEstallia requested that they not be there of Luke since she 

doesn't trust droids. 



3. CEstallia "really" had something to do with it. After all 

somebody did something to the john. And Cestallia was there when Luke

found her. 





How did Luke force her to 'fess up?





1. He said, "Listen, chicky, if you want my trust, you're gonna

have to come clean." 



2. He suddenly adopted a policy to "trust no one".



3. He said, "no telly, no potty" . :)



Plot inconsistency: If the rocks are alive, how come the ones 

on the Hinderer got cold in Volume one?



1. I hadn't decided to make them living yet. 



2. They needed the energy from the engines. 



For those who are super curious as to what happened after Luke and 

CE did their Jedi jumping thing at the zoo.



1. Everyone jumped around clapping their hands and said "do it again!"



2. Mulder announced "10" 



3. Luke lost his balance and fell on his butt. CEs laughed





How did Chewie get the cuffs and Chains off?



1. Come on folks, this one is a no brainer!



2. He did an incredible hulk impression.



3. He did a Hercules impression. 





Why in the world did I spell CEstallia, CEstallia instead of say:

Cestallia

or Scestallia or C'est' alia?



1. Reaccuring typo.



2. For the express purpose of group torment. 



3. Because I couldn't consistently spell CKJGl'mmaan'na thoaia! 



Pillow fight: "But, why?!" you exclaim



1. <shrug>



2. whistling nonchantly pretending not to hear the question. 



3. what pillow fight scene?



Don't forget to feel free to find your own and e me or post it on the 

group. I shall make a valiant effort to respond in kind to each and

every one.



Okay, first off. For anyone who is confused about what the heck just

happened. Here goes...in plain english. We all know that Lucas'

galaxy is 'a long time ago and far, far away' right? Well, it still is

in my story. (sorta) But fixing the gate rift caused everyone within 

the gate to be sent on their merry ways to their own time. With the 

exception of those embedded with the cylinders. We just couldn't let 

Mulder coherently remember all of this...he'd crack up!!! And Scully 

she'd be so deeply in denial it wouldn't matter if she remembered or 

not. But Rae...who knows? Also, there is this little phrase that sticks

with me: "Take only what you need, but leave the land as you found

it." I tried! I really tried! So basically: Nothing really happened?

Also, this is not meant to be a story taken seriously. It was meant to 

be lighthearted and fun, so bear this is mind when the characters seem 

a little giddy/silly when the situation may have warranted tension 

and seriousness. 



If this doesn't help in any way...well, then, e-me for the one on one

therapy session... :)



-- 

                Reality. It's not for me. 



-------------------------------------------------------------------

        Jackeec@aol.com  or 74363.2566@compuserve.com