"Yun-Harla, that is the ugliest knot I have ever seen."
Jaina Solo looked up from her work to glare at the roughly woman shaped shadow that sat before her. She was draped in a hooded cloak, too heavy for this time of year on Borleias. She held her head down, causing the sun to cast a shadow over her face. None of the woman's features were visible, even to Jaina, who sat mere meters away from her. "It's a knot. How pretty can it get?" She bit out. "Besides, priestesses aren't supposed to correct a Goddess. I thought you said you were a good actress."
"I am an excellent actress. That still doesn't excuse your inability to create a simple Terwri knot." The old woman moved a bit closer to Jaina, taking the strings from Jaina's hands. She carefully undid the last knot Jaina had made on it. "You're not doing a proper loop. The way you've been doing this, it's going to one disorganized mess of knots."
"That'd be a shame." Jaina muttered under her breath.
"What was that?"
Jaina smiled sweetly at the woman. "Nothing, Amitia."
"Jaina Solo, I would appreciate it if you at least showed some interest in this. After all, it was your idea."
"And I would appreciate it if you would not address me as 'Jaina Solo'. We're supposed to be putting on a show, remember?" Jaina breathed a sigh and looked around. From her position on the rooftop, she could see mechanics and pilots working hard in the hot sun, tinkering with ships and droids. But more important than that, they were able to see her, lounging on the roof, doing nothing but making a pointless Terwri necklace.
"You know, where I come from, we don't treat our elders like that."
"Amitia, you're from Corellia!"
"That's right, and we don't treat our elders like that." She handed Jaina's strings back to her. "Now try again."
Jaina rolled her eyes, but attempted the knot again. This time, it came out to Amitia's satisfaction.
"Good. Now see if you can manage it again."
Jaina bit back a snappy remark that would have angered the old woman, and instead concentrated back on the necklace she was attempting to make. There's no use in fighting with her. After all, she is doing me a favor. Amitia had came to Borleias on a refugee ship a few weeks ago, and during one of the routine briefings, Wedge Antilles had recognized her as Amitia Neklee, a famous Corellian actress from when Wedge was a young man. They recruited the woman, now in her seventies, to pose as Jaina's priestess. Sharr Latt, Wraith squadron member and local psychological warfare expert, had a field day when he found out. Jaina almost felt sorry for her, knowing that she had been subject to spending a day with Sharr, learning about the role she would have to play. Jaina attempted to start up a civilized conversation with the woman. "So, what's the story with this necklace anyway?"
"'What's the story with this necklace?' I thought you were Corellian!" Amitia sounded shocked, but Jaina could sense nothing of the sort in her Force presence.
"Only on my fathers side, and he's not much of a knot maker."
"A Terwri necklace was made by women for thousands of generations. It is not made much anymore, but I had to learn it for a holo-history I was making at the time. The producers thought is would be more realistic if I knew how to make them myself, so they sent me to this old mad man who - " Amitia stopped, catching Jaina's expression of boredom. "All right, long story short: If a woman wears the necklace, it shows that she is single, and looking for a mate. If it is worn by a male," Amitia smiled, a smile that Jaina could not see, but could feel through the Force, "it represents that he is taken, and that his woman is warning off all other females."
Jaina looked down at her necklace, noticing for the first time that she had chosen to make it with several pieces of different green colored string. "Convenient."
"Hmm... So I take it that a certain Colonel will be receiving this necklace once it's finished?" Amitia smiled, turning towards the mechanics working below them. She seemed to search for someone in the crowd.
"Colonel? Why would I give this to Colonel Celchu? What are you implying?" Jaina retorted, trying to keep the blush from rising in her cheeks. She turned her eyes towards the necklace.
Amitia let out a quick laugh. "Not the Colonel I was referring to, and you know it."
Jaina let her voice drop to a growl. "You aren't supposed to know that."
"I'm also not supposed to live long enough to see 3 different governments destroyed in this galaxy, but here we are." Amitia smiled sadly. "Now, tell me, how long have you and Colonel Fel been dating, and why is it a secret?"
"A very strong 'no comment' to both, with an added 'You better keep it a secret' for the second one." Jaina answered, now even more engrossed in her necklace. It's actually coming along nicely. She shook her head at her own thought.
"Ah. I take it has something to do with this Goddess business then." Amitia commented, bringing her own concentration to the necklace in her hands. "A shame. The sludgenews reporters would love it. If most of them weren't dead, that is."
Jaina said nothing, keeping her attention focused on the Terwri necklace. She hated the fact that she had to keep her relationship with Jag Fel a secret, and had wanted to beat Sharr Latt into a pulp when he told her of this, but had been forced to accept it. By Jag's own words, he was an unknown quantity to the Yuuzhan Vong, and if she were to play her part as a Goddess, it wouldn't do to be associated with a simple pilot. Jaina sighed for the second time in minutes. At least Jag doesn't seem to mind. Much.
A few minutes later, with her attention finally focused on her work, she had produced a decent Terwri necklace. She handed it to Amitia for inspection.
"Not bad, Great One, not bad at all. Much better than my first attempt, which speaks volumes for my teaching ability. I have to say, I am very pleased with myself."
"Well, it's not like I had anything to do with making it." Jaina muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes. This woman could be a fighter-pilot, for all her ego!
"What did I tell you about respect for your elders?" the old Corellian woman admonished her.
"And what did I tell you about lecturing a Goddess?" Jaina retaliated. She brought up her wrist to check her chrono. "I'm sorry, Amitia, but it seems our time here is at an end. I have a previous engagement."
"A date?"
Yes, a date with the refresher, and then my bed. I only get an hour of free time a day, and I need it to relax. "I wish." She replied instead. She bent down to pick up the blankets she and Amitia had been sitting on, but the woman's cough stopped her. Jaina straightened and looked at Amitia, finally able to see her face from her new position. "What?"
"There's a reason I'm here, Goddess." Amitia put emphasis on the last word, and Jaina caught her meaning. A goddess does not work.
With a nod, and a quick look of apology, Jaina turned and walked away, leaving the old woman to deal with the clean up. She wondered if this was how her mother had acted on Alderaan, always depending on other people. She shook those thoughts away as she walked back inside from the roof. My mother may have been a princess at one time, but she has suffered more, and contributed more to this galaxy than anyone I have ever met.
Jaina walked back to her quarters on the top floor of an old military building. These rooms were reserved for high-ranking military and government officials, and their families, and were multiple room suites with elaborate decorations. Jaina had been given the smallest room on the floor, by her request. She knew that no one would notice the size of her room; all they would care about was that she was on the top floor. Above them. As a goddess should be.
She reached her room, and began to enter the access code, when she noticed the red light indicating the room was locked wasn't on. I know I locked this. Fingering her ever-present lightsaber, she stretched out with the Force into her room, and felt a familiar presence. Without further thought, she punched the door open and walked through.
He sat there, leaning back in a chair with his feet propped up on a table, a look of concentration on his face, staring at an orange colored datapad. He looked up as Jaina entered and smiled, placing the datapad on the tabletop and stood up. Jaina took a moment to take in his appearance. He was in standard off-duty military dress; loose pants and jacket, with a long sleeved shirt beneath the jacket. Jaina's clothes matched his in that sense, but while hers were orange and white, his were a matte black. The only exception was the gray symbol on his jacket - the Imperial patch. Not many people can make an Imperial uniform look good, but Jag Fel does it nicely. Jaina smiled back at him. Then again, if Jag wore a dress with Peace Brigade slogans spray painted all over it, he'd still make it look good. Jag's hair matched his uniform, except for a streak of white hair that ran along a scar that started at his right eyebrow; the patch and the white hair provided the only contrast to the rest of his outfit. She walked over to him and took hold of his jacket. She gently pulled him down closer to her, and gave him a soft kiss. A moment later, she felt his arms slide across her back, pulling her even closer to him. After a long moment, Jaina sensed something go off in his mind, and reluctantly pulled away. She looked up into his pale green eyes, and raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"
Colonel Jagged Fel smiled down at her. "What, I can't come and see you once in a while?"
"You could, and I would like that very much, but you have yet to do it." Jaina replied, easing out of his arms. "I can feel something's going on, so I ask again: What's up?"
Jag ran a hand through his hair, messing it up further. Jaina noticed for the first time that it was still wet. "Later. I don't want to talk about it now."
"Okay, sure. Let's talk about this, then. Why are you in my room, with my refresher full of steam, and your hair wet?"
Jag looked back and forth between the refresher, Jaina, and the door. Seeing his gaze linger on the door, Jaina sidestepped and put herself in his path. She smiled innocently. Jag shook his head, and smiled back at her. "Wes Janson arrived in system a few hours ago. General Antilles warned me ahead of time to keep away from him for my own good. Considering it's bad enough I have to share the public refreshers with the Wraiths and Rogues, which have a combined mental age of 10, I figured adding Wes Janson to the mix probably wasn't a good idea, so - " He gestured to the refresher. "I didn't think you'd mind."
"I don't. I just wanted to know." Jaina worked hard at not bursting out laughing. Being in Rogue squadron, she had been subject to many practical jokes, and had heard many stories about Wes and Wraith squadron. "Is Wes back with the military?"
"Seems so. He came in on a Mol Cal cruiser, and Kyp and I were scrambled for escort duty while you were playing Goddess." Jag let a small smile come to his lips. "My uncle introduced us as soon as Wes stepped off the landing ramp. Nice guy. Likes Ewoks. Told me I need to smile more. Gave me his datapad." Jag pointed to the table where the bright orange datapad he was working on lay.
Jaina walked over and picked it up, this time not able to contain her laughter. "Ewok Adventures, Second Edition'? You were playing games?"
Jag nodded, and smiled sheepishly. "I can't get past level 5. I just can't destroy that blasted shield generator!"
"Wait 'til you get to the next level. You're going to have to make a run on the Death Star."
"As an Ewok? You're kidding." Jag made a face. "It's not going to be in an X-Wing, is it?"
"Hey, watch it." Jaina sat the datapad down. "I happen to like X-Wings."
"That's only because you've never flown my ship."
"And that's only because you've never let me!" Jaina shot back at him. "You don't let anyone come near that ugly version of a TIE fighter."
Jag opened and closed his mouth several times before he finally seemed to be able to control his thoughts. He frowned at Jaina. "You're provoking me again."
"And it's fun." Jaina smiled. "You should try it sometime."
"I'll keep that in mind." Jag replied dryly. "So, while I was actually working, what have you been up to the whole day?"
Jaina reached into one of her pockets and pulled out the Terwri necklace she had finished earlier. "Making you a present."
Jag took two steps to stand directly in front of Jaina, and took the necklace in his hands. He studied it for a few seconds, before looking up and raising an eyebrow to Jaina. "Green?"
Jaina shrugged. "I like it. Plus, it matches your eyes."
Jag nodded and gave the necklace back to Jaina, indicating with his hands for her to tie it around his neck. "Did your new handmaiden teach you how to make this?"
Jaina reached up behind his neck, and started working to tie a knot. She nodded in response. "Apparently, according to Old Corellian customs, a man who wears it is taken, so it warns off other women." Jaina finished tying the knot, but left her arms to rest around Jag's neck. She looked up, and saw an amused smile on his face. "You got a problem with that?"
"Not at all." Jaina felt his arms slide around her waist. He pulled her closer and kissed her, making it last longer than their last kiss. Again, Jaina pulled away first.
"Jag, what's going on?" She could feel something was wrong, and sensed that he was reluctant to tell her.
He released her and ran his hand through his hair again. Jaina could see in his face that he was weighing his words, not sure how to say something. Finally, he just let it out. "I have to leave. Tomorrow."
Jaina just stared at him, in shock, not bothering to hide her feelings. "What?"
"I'll be back, in a week or so." He added hastily. "Janson arrived with a message for me from my father. He had been in contact with Pallaeon, who in turn passed on the message to Admiral Kre'fey, who gave it to Janson when they finally learned of my location."
Jaina said nothing for a few moments. He can't leave. He can't. He told me he wouldn't. He said he didn't want to. Jaina blinked once, slowly, and tried to calm herself down. He'll be back. Finally sure that her voice would be under control, she asked, "What did the message say?"
Jag sighed. "Shawnkyr and I haven't been diligent in filing our reports. The Holonet hasn't exactly been functional, and we've been busy with everything..." He trailed off, looking a little self-conscious. "It's also... It's also somewhat of a Chiss holiday this week. The academies will be closed, and the military on leave..."
Jaina closed her eyes, seeing where Jag was going with this. "And your family together at home."
Jag smiled sadly. "My brother and sister go to different boarding academies, and my father is always away on military business. My family hasn't seen each other like this since..." He trailed off again, and Jaina got the distinct impression that she shouldn't push him for answers.
"What time do you leave?" She managed to say.
"19:00 tomorrow."
They stood in silence for a few long minutes, neither sure of what to say. Jaina folded her arms across her stomach, and looked at the ground. Why am I so upset over this? He's coming back, for sith's sake! Jaina shook her head, unable to comprehend her own thoughts.
"You're angry." Jag's voice brought her out of her thoughts.
"No, I--, "Jaina let out a long sigh, and looked Jag in the eye. "I am. I shouldn't be, but I am."
Jag smiled at her, and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be back before you even notice I'm gone."
"You better be."
"What I would like to know, Leia, is why my daughter is not in her room at this hour of the night." Han Solo stalked down the corridor, opening every unlocked door and peering in to find his daughter. His wife trailed a few steps behind him.
"Han, it's late. We'll talk to Jaina tomorrow."
"No way. I'm angry now. I still haven't given her a good yelling at for that stunt she pulled before we left for the Maw. It's always 'Can't talk now Dad, I have sims' or 'Sorry Dad, Kyp wants to train right now'. Well, no more! I want to know exactly what she thought she was doing."
"Han, I think there were extenuating circumstances on that one."
Han stopped short, and twirled around to face his wife, a suspicious look on his face. "It's that Fel boy, isn't it? There's something going on there. Do you know something I don't?"
Leia Organa Solo sighed and rolled her eyes. "You mean that Fel boy who saved you from a severe beating a few weeks ago?"
"That's the one." Han narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me you approve?"
"Han, we don't even know if there's anything to approve of."
Han looked at her for a moment, before returning to his search for Jaina. "We'll see about that." He told her over his shoulder. Han keyed another door open, and muffled a curse as an old-styled sweeping broom fell out and hit him on the head. He shoved it back in and closed the door, messaging the place the broom had hit him. He led the way to the turbolift, ready to try another floor.
Leia followed him. "I think you're over-reacting."
Han turned to face her, disbelief evident on his face. "You think I'm over-reacting? Our daughter is out at all hours of the night, possibly with the son of an Imperial Baron, and her comlink is turned off!" His voice turned to sarcasm. "What could possibly go wrong there?"
"Would you feel better if she was out at all hours of the night in an asteroid field with a smuggler and a wookie?"
Han opened his mouth to answer, but stopped to rethink his words. He scowled at Leia. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Leia smiled easily, sensing victory. "It's supposed to mean that she's an adult being, and that we should trust her to make her own decisions."
"Legal age is 21."
"What?"
"Legal age is 21 on Borleias." Han smiled as he punched the door open, and walked out of the turbolift on the pilots floor. "Which means that as long as we're on Borleias, I get to yell at her."
Leia sighed, but said nothing. She understood Han's sudden over-protectiveness. Jaina was their only daughter, and now, due to the fortunes of war, possibly their only child left. No. Jacen is alive. Jacen, their oldest son and Jaina's twin was currently missing, presumed dead at the hands of his Yuuzhan Vong captors, and Anakin...
It still hurt to think about Anakin.
"Aha. Here we go." Han's voice cut through Leia's thoughts, and she was thankful for the distraction. "Pilots Lounge" read above the door, and looked like it had been hastily welded into the door by one of the pilots. Han turned a smile on her.
Leia shook her head and gestured for him to open the door.
The lounge was a small room that had served as a workout room before the Yuuzhan Vong occupation on Borleias, judging from the hard, uncarpeted floors and the mirrors on one side of the room. But that was all that remained of the old gym; the machines were destroyed by the technology hating Vong, and the New Republic pilots had brought in extra couches, tables, sabbac decks, and other forms of entertainment. Currently, a holo movie Leia had never seen before was playing, but the volume was turned down so not to disturb other pilots who might be sleeping near the lounge.
Or in the lounge, in this case.
"Nothing going on, huh, Leia?" Han growled, staring at the two figures seated on the couch. Leia allowed a small smirk to cross her face. There, half-sitting on the couch was their daughter, sound asleep and leaning on Jag Fel's shoulder for support. Jag's own head was rested on top of hers, and he had an arm wrapped around her shoulders. "Of all the people in the galaxy, Jaina, you have to choose a Fel."
"Well, dear, he's also an Antilles, if that makes you feel better."
"You know, for some strange reason, it doesn't." Ham smiled bitterly at Leia. He took a step closer to the table situated in front of the couch, and gave it a nice, loud kick. The noise, combined with the pain from the impact of the table hitting their shins was enough to cause the two sleeping forms to jump up. Leia noticed, with mixed feelings of admiration and dismay, that both her daughter and Jag had weapons drawn before they were fully awake. Jag was already holstering his charric, but Jaina's lightsaber remained pointed at Han's throat. If she had ignited it...
Jaina appeared to be thinking along the same lines. "Dad! I could've beheaded you! What in the name of the sith are you doing?"
"I was going to ask you - Jaina, you can put the lightsaber down, now - I was going to ask you the same thing." Han growled, his eyes shifting between Jaina and Jag.
Jaina complied with her fathers request, and placed the lightsaber back on her belt. "I was sleeping." She answered simply.
"Yeah, I noticed that." Han waited for Jaina to continue. She didn't. Leia could tell from Jaina's sense in the Force that Jaina was just itching for a good argument, especially when she was right. She also noticed Jag growing more and more uncomfortable with each passing second. This is probably the first time Jag has been uncomfortable in any situation! Leia noted to herself with amusement.
Jag cleared his throat. "Sir, maybe this isn't the best time to have this conversation. It's getting late."
"Quiet, Fel. Nobody asked you." Han fixed Jaina with a challenging glare. "I want to know what happened."
Jaina raised an eyebrow in response. "We were watching a holo, and we fell asleep. Not exactly an uncommon occurrence."
"'Not an uncommon occurrence?'" Han threw up his hands in the air. "Jaina, I thought you had better sense than that!"
"Dad!"
"Han!"
"Ouch." Jaina and Jag exchanged quick glances, and both smiled. Leia let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. At least Jag wasn't taking Han's insults personally. Yet.
"Colonel Fel is right. Now is not the time to be having this conversation. We'll continue this conversation tomorrow morning over breakfast. We're all tired, and are saying things we don't mean." Han mumbled something under his breath, but the rooms other occupants chose to ignore him.
Jag nodded at Leia, and bowed slightly. He turned to Jaina, "I'll walk you to your quarters."
"Oh, in blazes you will! I'll walk her to her quarters." Han interjected himself between Jaina and Jag. He shot Jag a glare.
"Dad!"
"Stop 'Dad'-ing me. He's getting off pretty easy, considering what I had to go through when I met Leia's father. Tortured for days! Frozen in carbonite for months!" Han sneered. He led Jaina down the corridor towards the turbolift doors, his voice dropping in volume. "All he has to put up with is a couple of insults."
Departure time had come all too quickly for Jag. He had hoped to see Jaina before he departed for the Unknown Regions, but duties had kept them both away. And continue to do so. Jag had hoped Jaina would make the trip to see him off, but he knew that would be impossible; she needed to maintain her goddess image. That still didn't help with the sting he felt. Just because I understand it doesn't make it better.
He shook the thoughts away for the moment; there would be enough time on the daylong hyperspace trip to contemplate his relationship with Jaina. He grabbed the last of his belongings and showed them in the cockpit compartment. He glanced over at Shawnkyr Nuruodo, his wing pilot and second-in-command. Since he has been flying with Twins Suns squadron under Jaina's command, Shawnkyr has been leading Jag's Hapes squadron. She was now giving last minute details to one of the pilots. They parted ways, and Shawnkyr made way to her own clawcraft, nodding to Jag on the way.
He was about to jump into his ship as well, when he caught sight of a figure entering the hangar area. Shorter than he was, the figure was shrouded in a dark cloak that appeared to be living from a distance. Jag recognized it immediately.
"Amitia." He nodded when the woman had stepped close enough.
"Colonel Fel." She extended her hand, and Jag hesitated for a moment before shaking it. Only when he let go after a second did he realize that there was a small weight on his wrist now. He glanced out of the corner of his eye, and saw a small package attached to it. He tried to ignore it.
"The Great One sends word that she wishes you a safe journey, and she hopes you return to your rightful place under her command soon." Amitia kept her voice at an even level, neither whispering nor shouting, so that her statements would not seem suspicious.
Jag nodded. "Tell the goddess I shall be back in her service soon enough."
"I will relay the message." Amitia bowed slightly, and turned on her heel. Jag watched her retreat before turning around and jumping into his cockpit. He noticed Shawnkyr had been watching him, and wondered how much of that conversation she heard. Or how much she deciphered, for that matter.
They got their clearance as soon as they powered up their systems, and rose in a simple two-fighter formation. "Co-ordinates?" Shawnkyr asked as soon as they had left the atmosphere.
Jag relayed them to her.
"These take us straight to the Hapes cluster." Jag heard Shawnkyr comment, but her voice was devoid of any emotion. What she thought of their course remained hidden.
"I know." Jag answered. "I want to make a pass through there to check out the situation, and whether it has gotten worse. Also, it would do good not to go straight back to Nirauan. We don't know what kind of tracking devices the Vong have, and I don't want to lead them home."
"Understood." Shawnkyr answered. They flew in silence for a few moments, as they passed various ships in the planets orbit. Jag could make out the bow of the Super-Star Destroyer Lusankya as it orbited the planet. Jag took this time to unravel the package Jaina had sent to him. He pulled out a datacard that looked vaguely familiar, with a piece of folded up flimsy tied around it. He opened it up, and read the message written there. Wouldn't want you to be bored on your long trip. Love, Jaina.
Love, Jaina.
Love, Jaina.
Deciding that he would have enough time to ponder this new development in hyperspace, he slipped the datacard into his ships main computer. One of the screens blinked for a second, and then a familiar music filled his cockpit. "The Ewok game..."
"Sir?" Shanwkyr's voice overrode the music for a second, and Jag took the time to pop the datacard out of his computer. The screen came back to its regular mode, and Jag noticed that they had cleared the planets gravitational pull, and were able to make the jump to hyperspace.
"Yes, major?"
"I take it your taste in music has changed in the time spent with the Reps?"
Jag's lip twitched slightly, but he chose to ignore the question. "10 seconds to jump."
"Copy. Oh, and sir?"
"Yes?"
"Nice necklace."
Han found his daughter in a small corridor overlooking the kill zone. Or, what had once been the kill zone. Now, most of the area looks about the same. The high transpirasteel windows gave onlookers a perfect view of all the ships and vessels situated there. Jaina was leaning against the railing, staring at something down there. She only glanced at Han out of the corner of her eye to confirm it was him. He walked up to her and rested against the railing himself. "What are you so interested in."
Jaina didn't offer a verbal answer; instead, she just gestured out the viewport with her head. Han noticed two ships rise up and hover for a second, before starting their climb into the sky. He recognized them as the Chiss clawcraft. "Fel's on one of those?"
Jaina nodded.
"Where does he think he's going?"
"Home." Jaina answered, her voice a little bit shaky.
"I didn't think I scared him that much."
Jaina laughed for a second. "Military business. He said he'll be back."
"He better be. I would hate to have to go all the way to the Unknown Regions to kick his butt." Han said, trying to make Jaina cheer up again. She only offered him a sad smile.
Han sighed and put an arm around Jaina, pulling her closer. "You know, you can do better."
Jaina looked up at him, the same sad smile still in place, but this time accompanied by a single tear. "There's no such thing."
Han could only smile back. "If you say so." They stood there until the Chiss ships left their line of sight. "Come on, let's go to the sim room. I want to see if you're better than me yet."
"I've been better than you since I was 14, Dad."
"That's what you like to think. I'd like to see you prove it."
Jaina wiped the tear away from her cheek, and pulled away from her father. "I'd love to, Dad, really, but I have a lesson scheduled with Kyp now."
"Well, Kyp will just have to deal with it. Come on!" Han started down the corridor toward the turbolift doors. Jaina lingered by the window still, apparently unsure what to do. Han turned and frowned at her. "Hey, don't you listen to your father anymore? Let's go!"
Jaina rolled her eyes, but followed her father. "So, who else is going to be in this sim?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You said you're going to beat me." Jaina smiled, and Han could see a hint of humor in her eyes. "You and what army?"