Diverging Paths

By jedishelly1

Chapter 1

Finally, after literally years of bitter fighting, the war between the GFFA and the Yuuzhan Vong had come to an end. It seemed like an uneasy peace had begun to spread across the troubled galaxy. A strange sense of unreality had descended upon most people. Billions of beings who only a few short weeks before had been living in utter terror, fearing for their very lives, were beginning to come to terms with the fact that there was now every likelihood that the rest of their lives would be measured in years, as opposed to days or weeks. It was a strange feeling for everyone, and for Colonel Jagged Fel it was no different.

Jag had never really given much thought to the issue of what he would do after the war. Besides the fact that often he had wondered whether there would even be an end to it all, Jag had simply never had a chance to give the matter much thought. Despite his young age at the start of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, Jag had by that stage already been an active member of the CEDF for several years. The coming of the Vong had done nothing whatsoever to change the role he played. Jag had simply swapped a constantly shifting myriad of minor enemies for one overwhelming force. Over the past few years, he had simply taken each day at a time; facing every encounter as it came. He hadn't once shirked his duty, and Jag knew he could stand up proudly and say with his hand on his heart that he had fought each battle bravely, as if it had been his last.

During the war, Jag had had a clear purpose; to kill the enemy, and manage if possible to avoid meeting a similar end himself. But now, he didn't know what to do. He knew what he wanted to do, of course… He'd love to be able to just whisk Jaina off to some secluded corner of the galaxy and hide her there forever, safe from whatever mess would undoubtedly crop up next.

Jag felt drained both physically and emotionally, and knew with certainty that Jaina was in a similar state. Jaina had been throwing herself at the enemy forces relentlessly since the very beginning of the war, and now it had all begun to catch up with her. Jag had seen the inescapable weariness on her face during their brief meeting on the Vongformed wreck that had once been Coruscant. He knew that Jaina had never even taken the time she needed to mourn the death of her brother, Anakin. Jag was certain that Jaina was still carrying all that grief bottled up inside of her, and he had a suspicion that those unshed tears of hers would only now be released.

But ultimately, Jag Fel was a realist, and as such he was able to accept that what he might want to do and what he should actually do were two separate and very different things. The war might have been as good as finished, but Jag was still a fighter pilot and knew that he would be expected to play a role in the mopping up of the last pockets of resistance. He had already decided that he would happily be involved in this, but indecision gnawed at Jag when he turned his mind ahead to the question of what path his life would take after that.

Jag's uncle, Wedge Antilles, had strongly hinted that Jag would be welcomed with open arms into the military forces of the GFFA if he so chose, especially after his recent display of flying over Coruscant, which had been nothing short of inspired. Jag had been very tempted to accept his uncle's offer and had even considered applying for a place in one of the GFFA's X-Wing squadrons. Jag hadn't followed through with this though, not because of any personal disinclination on his own part, but rather because Jag felt it was his duty as an officer in the Chiss military to await further orders from his father, General Baron Soontir Fel, before making any major decisions.

Jag just hoped that his father's orders wouldn't take him away from the Known Regions. He had been intrigued by the little he had seen of this quarter of the galaxy during his time fighting there, and would welcome the chance to see some of the planets in peacetime. If Jag was 100% honest with himself though, and he invariably was, he had to admit that mostly, he just didn't want to have to leave Jaina.

When Jag in his role as Spike Leader had come to the aid of some New Republic fighters almost five years before, falling in love had been the last thing he had expected to happen. Falling for a Rogue Squadron pilot had been even less anticipated! Not that he regretted meeting Jaina, of course. Quite the opposite. Being with Jaina was…indescribable, and the thought of being separated from her created a sensation in Jag's stomach as if his clawcraft had just been opened to cold vacuum. He loved Jaina more than he had believed it was possible to feel for someone, and was fairly sure that Jaina cared a lot about him too.

But Jag hadn't so much as spoken with Jaina in the weeks since the defeat of Shimmra. He had been charged with the task of escorting the transports that were to carry the tens of thousands of Yuuzhan Vong to their new home on Zonama Sekot. Jaina, along with many of her fellow Jedi had gone directly to the living planet. In the intervening time, Jag had tried in vain to contact Jaina through both the Millennium Falcon and the Jade Shadow , but with no success. For the moment, he had accepted that Jaina was out of reach for the present. The fact that he had accepted that actuality didn't mean that he was happy about it though.

Jag's mind was racing, going over all this and more as he waited for the call from his father he had been advised of just that very morning. He knew that his fate would soon be decided one way or another, and for the moment at least things were firmly out of his hands.

Suddenly, the holocom unit on the desk chimed shrilly, demanding an answer.

Jag, seated at the desk, raised his head from where it had been resting on his arms and straightened up. After quickly tugging at the collar of his uniform jacket, ensuring that it was neat, he pressed a flashing button on the console. Instantly, the head and broad shoulders of Soontir Fel appeared onscreen. At this Jag's own posture stiffened instinctively, and he drew back his shoulders in unconscious imitation of his father.

"Sir," Jag said, saluting smartly.

"Colonel," Soontir replied, returning the gesture. "I think congratulations are in order, yes? According to my sources, I have been led to believe that you acquitted yourself admirably in recent events. Good work."

"Thank you, Sir," Jag said, permitting a subtle smile to break through his grave demeanour. "Although, I personally played but a very small part in the overall scheme of things. I shall be sure to pass on your praise to the pilots under my command, however. I'm sure they'll be very proud."

"It's you who should be proud, Jagged," the general put in, allowing some of his formality to fall away. Jag said nothing as his father continued speaking. "Now, allow me to say father-to-son, just how proud I am of you, and how thankful I am that you survived. Your mother was worried about you, son."

"I know, Father," Jag replied, fully aware that Soontir himself had been just as anxious as his wife Syal had. "How is Mother?"

"She's all the better for knowing that she'll soon be seeing you here at home again, Jagged." Soontir answered.

Jag's heart sank to somewhere in the region of his boots. He didn't like the sound of that at all. "Seeing me there at home, as in on Csilla?" he echoed.

Soontir nodded, smiling grimly. "Yes, son. Here, on Csilla, very soon, I hope. It is both my duty as an officer and my very great pleasure as a father to inform you that the Chiss have decided to appoint a CEDF liaison to the Galactic Alliance, and you're it." The pride in the ageing Corellian's voice was almost palpable as he made his announcement.

"Me?" Jag repeated numbly.

"Yes, you," Soontir replied. "Congratulations, Jagged. This decision wasn't made lightly, I assure you. The Chiss council have been giving serious thought to appointing such a liaison for some time now. I know that they've considered all the possible candidates for the position, and they seem to think that you're simply the best man for the job."

For once, Jag was lost for words. He felt torn; a part of him was rejoicing, overwhelmed at the honour of being awarded such a prestigious appointment at his young age. He had had no idea that the Chiss ruling houses held him in such high esteem…

On the other hand though, accepting this position would almost certainly mean leaving Jaina and returning to Csilla for several months at least, to facilitate properly setting things up there at that end. He couldn't possibly do without Jaina for so long, could he?

Jag's heart felt like it was splitting down the middle. One part of him was desperately yearning to accept the offer and go home to Csilla again. It felt like far too long a time since he had last been there. But an equal part of Jag wanted nothing else that to stay with Jaina. How could he possibly be expected to choose between the two options? The simple answer to that question was that he couldn't. Unless…

An idea had begun to form in Jag's keen mind. True, it was rather rash, very spur-of-the-moment, and most unlike the usual kind of decision he made, but still, at that moment it appealed to Jag greatly. He could only hope that Jaina would feel the same way, once she heard.

Locking gazes with his father once more, Jag's icy-green eyes gleamed intensely. "Father," he said, inhaling deeply, "I gratefully accept."