BLUE DAY
Jaina was still out in the sun while Jag was in the shower. She felt exhausted and bereft. She had bad news for Jag. Jag had some sympathy with Force sensitivity, but she worried that he'd think she was being hysterical.
Her comm went off again. Anakin. She knew what the conversation would be about.
"Hey Ani, why aren't you working?" she teased her younger brother.
"I am working. But I can multitask. I know you're upset and I won't keep you long but don't buy that wreck of a vessel you put money down on. Even if they won't return your deposit, it's worth it. They fixed it, but only enough for it to last a week or so. Believe me, you don't want that godsawful piece of crap."
"I know. I had the vision last night." Anakin had not brought up the pregnancy and she didn't feel like telling him about it. If he raised it, she'd tell him she was already taking care of it.
"Seriously, go today. Like now."
"Jag slept in. He and I just got back from a two week road trip. I have to wait for him."
"If he's got questions, have him comm me."
"Thanks, Ani. We'll talk another time."
"Lemme know what happens. Later."
Jag came out to the balcony. He came over and kissed his wife tenderly.
"You look upset," he said gently, taking the other chair. "What can I do for you?"
Jaina was searching for the words. "I had two Force visions last night."
"Uh-huh. And you're sure they weren't just dreams?"
"Jag, I'm trained in the Force. And I know the difference." She felt herself getting defensive. "They weren't good."
"Tell me about them."
Jaina took a deep breath. "Our new freighter. We shouldn't buy it. It wasn't just me having the vision. It was Ani as well. We're being robbed."
"That ship's a bargain," Jag protested. "It's everything we need."
"No. It's not space worthy. Please, listen to me. I don't get these visions often, and when I've ignored them, I've been sorry. The sooner we take care of this, the better."
Jag looked more bewildered than anything. "If you don't want to buy the ship, that's fine, but we'd have a hard time finding anything at that price that's comparable."
"I don't. I'm sorry, Jag. I don't want to lose you because a malfunction takes place, and if we have to eat our deposit, I'm willing."
"Okay. We'll go there in a little while." He looked unhappy but he could tell how much it had affected Jaina. Her Force visions were usually on target, and he figured he'd ignore them at his peril.
"The other one is even worse."
Jag held her hands in his. "Go on."
"It's our babies."
"Babies? More than one?" Jag was puzzled.
"They're dying, Jag. They've got something called incomplete dysjunction. Jacen explained it to me. He had that vision, too. It means that the twins didn't properly separate and are not going to be viable."
Jag was very upset now. "There's no way to save them?"
Jaina shook her head. "No. There isn't. They die in the uterus between eight and twelve weeks. I looked it up. They can't do microsurgery because they don't have enough enough organ tissue to support even one of them. I'm so sorry." Jaina began to weep again.
"You're sure about this?" Jag asked her, trying not to threaten her. "We should see your obstetrician."
"They might not even be able to tell. It's only a month."
"Comm them and ask to see them today."
"I will, but I'm just warning you that...we're not going to have these babies."
Jag pulled her close to him as she sobbed. He wanted to do the same, but he was a man, and he knew what real men did.
They loved their women and believed in them, even when they didn't understand them.
"Just one thing. I'd like your dad to come along with us," Jag said. "I'm curious as to what he thinks."
Jaina looked up at her husband, her cheeks still damp with tears. "Thank you."
"He's the only thing close to a father that I have, and it's hard to put one over on him."
Whether or not it was because Jag felt Jaina was being overly emotional or not, Jaina didn't care. Jag was doing all he could to show her he loved her.
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Jag comm'd Han.
"Yeah?" Han said groggily after the eighth signal.
"It's Jag. You know that freighter Jaina and I put a deposit on?"
"Yeah. What about it?" Han had gone back to sleep after Leia left and was still comatose.
"Jaina's had this Force vision that we shouldn't go through with the deal. We'd like you to come with us and give us your recommendations."
Han groaned. "When?"
"In about an hour?"
"What does Jaina say about this?"
"She wants you to."
"Fine. I'll see you at the shipyard."
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As it turned out, Han showed up at the shipyard first. He was well acquainted with the proprietor, who was a cousin of Shug Ninx and owned the used spacecraft lot.
"Brann, what's going on?" Han asked him.
"Solo! Damn, I haven't seen you in forever!" The almost-human man gave Han an enormous hug. "Your kids were here just a few days ago and put a down on that freighter out there!"
"Yeah, well, that's why I'm here."
"Oh? Is there something wrong?"
"Yeah. How about you let me mess around with it for a while?"
"Go right ahead," Brann Ninx said to him, giving him the entry codes. As Han headed out, he met with Jaina and Jag.
"C'mon and see what's up with this lady," Han told them, motioning them towards the ship.
The three clambered into the freighter. Han did a visual check with Jaina and Jag.
"First off, this vessel's stolen," Han pointed out, pointing to a metalloplastic plate that all GFFA ships were required to carry that indicated its origin and chain of ownership. It had been obliterated. Han was aware that not all ships carried proper provenance and weren't necessarily a bad deal, but it posed a number of legal problems.
He walked through the ship with the two younger ones, indicating that nonstandard issue parts were used. It wasn't that they were nonstandard that bothered Han; it was how they were being used. "First time you hit a gravity well, you're screwed."
There were a fair number of things - mostly minor and nothing that would make Han say not to purchase it, but then they checked the stabilization. What was wrong was subtle and likely to be missed by anyone as obsessive-compulsive as Han was.
"It's on you guys," Han said to them. "I wouldn't buy it, but I'm not gonna make that decision for you."
Jag put his arm around Jaina's shoulders. "We're not going to take it."
"Good. Now let's get your credits back."
The three headed back to Brann Ninx's office.
"We'd like our down payment returned," Jaina said in a tone that brooked no argument.
Brann appeared to be somewhat flustered. "Uh...well...I'll have to get in touch with the seller."
"No, you don't. Your cousin Shug would be ashamed of you," Han retorted.
"But he said he needed the money till the sale on the ship was final," Brann protested.
"And you believed him?" Jag scoffed. "Is this how you run your business?"
"I usually allow sellers to keep their credits - "
"Shut up, Brann. If it was just me, I'd simply take you out into the parking lot and have my fists show you a good time. But these are my kids, and you're gonna hand them over NOW."
Brann looked beaten. "I work only on commission, you know. I'm just trying to make a buck like everyone else." He groaned and tapped out a line of codes on his datapad. "All right, all right. I'm giving you your deposit back. But this is the only time. I'll be happy to show you something else."
"I think we'll go somewhere reputable," Jaina said, her tone businesslike.
"You won't find better deals elsewhere," Brann warned him.
"Yeah, the hell we won't," Jag muttered as they left. "Thanks, Captain Solo."
"He's almost as shady as Uncle Lando," Jaina remarked.
"Now there's being damned with faint praise," Han said. He gave Jaina a hug. "You go home and take care of yourself. It's not just about you anymore."
Jaina looked up at Jag as her father left. "I guess we'll have to tell him sooner or later," Jaina said.
"Let's get you to the medicenter," Jag said to her gently.
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"I am sorry, Madam Fel," the OB droid said gently. "But it is too soon to tell."
"No, it's not. I felt it. I know they're dying."
"We cannot tell whether or not this is more than one baby."
"I've seen it," Jaina told him stubbornly.
The droid looked at her. "Are you Jedi?"
"Yes. What of it?"
"I know that there are times when Jedis have visions...but we require more evidence than that. Now if you want to discontinue the pregnancy, that can certainly be performed, but you must be very sure you want to end this pregnancy. You should both discuss this."
Jaina nodded.
"Let me know what your decision is," the droid said softly.
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"At least we got our credits back," Jag said to Jaina when they arrived back at their apartment. "I was thinking we'd go look at some other freighters."
Jaina looked at her husband sadly. "Would you mind if I stayed behind? I'm really tired."
"Not a problem. I'm not going to make a decision without you, of course."
"I love you so much, Jag."
"You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Jaina."
"Even today?"
"Even today. Maybe especially today. Get some rest."
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Jaina was surprised to find that she could fall asleep,. When she awoke, Jag was still out. He'd left a holonote that he'd been contacted by Anakin and Jacen and he would return in a few hours.
She picked up her comm.
"Mom?" She said as Leia picked up on the first signal.
"Hi, sweetie. What's going on?" Leia's voice was gentle; she was determined that her anxieties were not going to filter to her daughter. "Your dad said you got your credits back on the faulty ship."
"Yeah, we did. Daddy helped a lot."
"I'm glad."
"Mom," Jaina said, fighting her tears, "my babies are dying."
"I know, honey."
"I went to my obstetrician. He said that if I wanted to terminate the pregnancy I could. I know the babies won't survive."
"But you must survive," Leia said to her. "I was talking to your brothers earlier."
"I don't think Jag wants me to terminate. He thinks I could be wrong." Jag had said nothing to that effect, but Jaina knew he was thinking it.
"Jaina, sweetie, you have to do what's best for you. And for your babies."
"What if I could never have another baby?"
"I don't think that will be a problem, sweetie. I asked Jacen about it. Clearly, his specialty isn't humans, but he knows from his experiences that it doesn't preclude future children."
"Do you think this happened because I wouldn't rest?"
"No, not this. This is one of the vagaries of the universe. Misfortune doesn't care about fairness. It doesn't care where or who or what it hits." Jaina felt her mother wince a bit; she was thinking of Alderaan and her father. But Leia never allowed herself to dwell on it.
"Is this filed under 'shit happens'?" Jaina asked her mother, half laughing and half crying.
"I'd say that's accurate," Leia said, smiling a little. Jaina was strong. She'd be all right. "Honey, I love you. But more importantly, I trust your judgment. You're not a teenager anymore."
"Yeah, it's been a while."
"I may not have agreed with all of your decisions, but I have no argument with how you arrived at them."
"Mom, I just feel awful right now," Jaina said to Leia.
"You need some mother-daughter time?"
"Yeah. I do."
"Tomorrow, we'll get our nails done and have a calorie laden lunch."
"I like that idea. I love you, Mom."
"I love you so much, Jaina. Please don't lose hope in the future. It's there for you."
"It's not feeling great right now."
"I know. But it's amazing what a lunch of fried foods and chocolate to finish it can accomplish."
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