Part 2: Rescue
Jag watched them leave, then ducked into the corridor after them and proceeded to where Allana was being held. He didn't like this. In fact, he was pretty sure he hated it. Being forced to split up was never a good sign. Being forced away from the plan was never a good sign. Jaina might call him rigid and she could be right all she wanted that he needed to loosen up, but when it came to missions, rigid was good. You could be vague and flexible when it came to lunches, but missions needed exact coordination.
But then, he hadn't expected this one to go according to plan anyway. It involved five Solos. It was amazing that they'd even started off exactly how they'd meant to.
He didn't encounter anyone until he reached his destination, a small carpeted hallway with two tall, wooden doors leading out of it. Guards were stationed on either side of the left one, looking bored. Nice of them to confirm that he had the right place. How to overcome them was another matter, but at least there were only two. Clearly, they weren't expecting anyone to come for her. If it weren't for Anakin's slicing skills, no one probably would have.
And they weren't expecting her to try an escape, either. Once, Jag would've thought that an obvious assumption. Then he'd met Jaina and shared some childhood stories with her.
But of course, Allana wasn't a Solo. Thanking the Force for small mercies, Jag straightened, holstered his gun, schooled his features into a stern expression, and marched down the hallway.
"Attention!" he snapped, and they straightened almost involuntarily as they turned to look at him. "Has anyone gone into that room in the last fifteen minutes?"
"No," one of the guards said, his hand resting on his blaster. "Who are you?"
"Irven Devrich," Jag said, using an old alias, and pressed the interrogation while he closed the distance between himself and the two guards. "Have you seen anything suspicious? Any servants or cleaners come by?"
"No," the same guard repeated. "Is something wrong?"
"Someone's trying to rescue the princess," Jag ground out. "The Queen Mother's visit is clearly—"
—and with that, he reached the first guard and smashed his fist into the side of the other man's neck. The guard staggered back and fell to the floor. Jag ducked and lunged for the other one, who almost managed to get his weapon free before Jag's foot connected with his stomach. Jag followed it up with a punch to the neck and the second guard went down to join his comrade.
Jag straightened up and nodded. Sparring with Jaina had done him some good, after all.
After making sure that they'd both be out for a while, he retrieved the key card from the second guard, drew his blaster, and opened the door. The scene that he walked into was entirely peaceful; it wasn't a child's nursery, but the room was pleasantly furnished with plush sofas and a low, wooden table in one half, and a fireplace and rocking chairs in the other. Two cages hung from the ceiling, housing the ysalamiri that had prevented Tenel Ka and the others from sensing Allana, the only indication that this room was functioning as a prison of sorts.. Jag couldn't imagine what it must be like to have a constant line open to your child, always aware of how she was doing, and to then have that line severed. It couldn't be pleasant. He knew how worried his mother got if she couldn't get him on the comm.
A red-haired girl was lying on the floor in front of a drawing pad. Seated in an arm chair nearby was a woman with black hair and dusky skin, a higher-ranking employee or family member of the president by the looks of it. Both of them looked up when Jag entered, but only the woman showed any alarm.
"Who are you?" she demanded. "What—"
"Don't try it, ma'am." Jag trained the gun on her. "Get up. Slowly. Keep your hands where I can see them."
"You have no right—"
"I'm well-prepared to shoot," Jag warned her, and she lifted her hands and got to her feet—slowly, like he'd instructed. Eying a small gadget that was lying on the table, nearby, but too far to reach.
"Don't," he said, moving forward. Seconds later, he had retrieved the gadget and pocketed it. "Princess Allana?"
"I'm Allana," the little girl said, looking up at him with calm, grey eyes. Jag didn't know much about kids, but this one seemed more collected and astute than they usually were. "Please don't hurt Navishka."
No fear, just a calm request. She was Tenel Ka's daughter, right enough. Jag kept his blaster on Navishka, but showed the girl a smile. "I won't. I'm here to take you back to your mother, Allana."
"Did she send you?"
"Yes," Jag said.
"What's your name?" the child demanded.
Of course Tenel Ka had taught her daughter to mistrust strangers. They lived on Hapes, after all.
"Jagged Fel," Jag said. "I'm here with your mother's friends, Jaina and Jacen Solo."
"Jacen's here?" Allana bounced to her feet. "What's the name of Mommy's Wookiee friend?"
"Lowbacca," Jag answered.
Allana looked hopeful now. "Are you really going to bring me home, Jagged Fel?"
"Yes," he said. "But you have to be really quiet. And you can call me Jag."
"Okay, Jag," Allana said in a soft voice.
"Go on out into the corridor," Jag said. "Wait outside the door."
The girl nodded and ran outside. "Navishka," Jag said, stepping closer, "I really hate to do this. But you'll raise the alarm as soon as I leave."
She stared at him, wide-eyes. "Don't kill me," she said. "I didn't hurt the girl, I just wanted to—I volunteered to look after her! I don't want to—"
Jag moved so fast that she probably never realised what happened. He hit precisely, a strong blow that knocked her unconscious and would probably lead to a big bruise. He caught her before she hit the floor, deposited her on the sofa, muttered an apology, and put his comlink's ear piece back in place.
"Jag here," he said softly. "I got her."
Anakin's voice came back immediately. "Roger. We're almost done."
Jag confirmed and ran to catch up with Allana.
"Come on, princess," he said. "Let's move."
She trotted along beside him, quiet and serious, until the comlink's ear plug cracked again. "Trouble," Jaina whispered, so softly that he could barely hear. "Group heading your way. Get out of the corridor."
"Roger." Sith, it never was easy. Jag glanced around. He found a door a few meters off, seized Allana's hand, and hurried through it, blaster in hand. It led to a 'fresher, of all things. He hoped fervently that whoever was heading their way wasn't looking for just that.
He shut the door, locked it, and kept hold of Allana's hand. He looked down into her wide-eyed face and put a finger to his lips as outside, footsteps passed. She mirrored the action and grinned, apparently enjoying herself. He wanted to shake his head, but remembered that he'd loved hide-and-seek as a kid, too. At least she wasn't terrified.
Someone tried the door then, grunting when it didn't open. Kriff. This was trouble.
But a memory flashed in his mind as he stood braced against the wall with bated breath, and he acted without thinking. He breathed hard a few times, growled something, and finally spoke up. "Do a guy a favour, man, I'm kinda busy—busy here."
Allana gasped when he spoke, but he looked at her and shook his head. Of course she didn't understand this, she was fiour years old. But if the man had heard her, he'd hopefully assume that she was a great deal older, and likewise "busy".
The guy outside said something that sounded like "Kriff, I ain't ever using this one again", another man laughed, and Jag heard receding footsteps. He breathed a sigh of relief, but it was followed by chagrin. Sith, he was using Solo tactics now. Scoundrel tactics, in fact. He wondered if it were immoral to bribe Allana not to tell anyone.
He waited a few more moments before opening the door and pulling Allana back out with him. She kept a faithful hold of his hand, keeping up with him by a combination of fast walking and running that Wynssa had always used when she'd followed their Dad around. As long as no one started shooting, Jag thought, it was all fine by him.
They made it to the speeder bay without further incident, and Jag pulled Allana into a corner.
"All right," Jag said. Seven seconds until Anakin's alarm was due to go off. "We have to wait here, for Jaina and Anakin. Okay?"
Allana just nodded.
"You're doing really great," Jag told her. "You make a great partner."
She grinned, grey eyes sparkling, and in that moment, she looked more like a Solo than like her mother, despite the conspicuous red hair. That family really had the monopoly on mischievous grins, Jag thought.
Jaina and Anakin arrived five seconds later, and Jaina nodded at him. "Should be—"
Somewhere, an alarm started blaring.
"—now," Anakin finished. And grinned.
They waited another ten seconds to give the guards time to respond to the alarm and get distracted, then Anakin led the way into the speeder bay. There were four guards standing around, looking vaguely confused, hands near their holsters. When they noticed Anakin, they drew and started firing, but by then Anakin already had his lightsaber out. The purple blade wove intricate patterns through the air and deflected the shots through the bay.
"Jag!" Jaina ignited her own lightsaber, a different shade of purple than Anakin's—but Jag never knew the proper terms for different shades of the same colours—and gestured at one of the speeders. Jag nodded and lifted Allana off the ground, shielding her with his body as he ran for the speeder. Anakin and Jaina wove a shield between them and the guards, years of practice and experience showing as nothing got through. Jag shot the speeder's door lock, deposited Allana in the back seat, and jumped behind the controls. He was about to hotwire them when he realised that the key was in the ignition.
"Let's go!" he yelled as the repulsorlifts hummed to life.
Seconds later, Jaina and Anakin had jumped in and Jag was piloting the speeder smoothly out of the bay. Shots glanced off the hull, but Jag poured on speed, and moments later they were out of reach.
"That went better than I thought it would," Jaina remarked.
"Don't jinx it, please," Jag said. In the back, Anakin was fastening Allana's crash restraints. Jag glanced past him. No sign of pursuit yet.
"Chewie," Jaina said into her palm comlink. "You on the way?"
A faint roar answered her. Jag didn't speak Shyriiwook, but judging by Jaina's nod and lack of worry, it was affirmative.
"Jag's driving," Jaina added. "So make sure to have it perfect, or you'll never hear the end of it."
The corner of Jag's mouth quirked. "Better than perfect, please," he said as another roar echoed out of the comlink.
Jaina laughed. "Now let's not get cocky, flyboy."
Moments later, exactly at the point where Jag had expected it, the Millennium Falcon swooped down from the sky, cargo bay doors open. Jag concentrated on the controls. This was one of very few manoeuvres he'd never done before. Scoundrel tactics again.
"Hang on," he said as the Falcon came closer at terrifying speed. "I hope we fit. Everyone duck."
In the back, Anakin put his arm over Allana, the better to protect her. Jag ducked down in his seat as much as he dared. Then he slammed on the brakes and reversed thrust, coaxing as much speed as he could out of the little speeder.
And then the Falcon was all around them, the cargo bay swallowed them, and its far wall was coming up far too fast. Jag remained calm as Allana shrieked, the first sound of fear that he'd heard from her, stayed on the accelerator, kept the speeder moving backwards even as, relative to the Falcon, it sped forwards—
—and then they slowed, first marginally, then noticeably, until the speeder bumped into the wall with barely a sound and Jag hit the brakes and killed thrust. The speeder settled down, sedately, just like it was supposed to. Jag let out a breath. His arms were shaking slightly.
"Well," Jaina said. "That couldn't have gone any better. You okay back there?"
"Fine," Anakin said.
"Yeah, fine," Allana echoed, sounding like she was back to normal. "What a ride!"
"Glad you liked it, kiddo," Jag commented wryly as he finally let go of the controls and got out of the speeder.
Jaina jumped out on the other side and lifted Allana out. "I'm Jaina," she said. "Welcome aboard the Millennium Falcon, Allana."