You Were My Brother

By Dashren Nolan

Part 2

"Vader died just after one last act of redemption. I can only hope you have the same luxury."

Despite every ounce of strength she had, her voice still managed to falter at the tail end of the statement. Everything around her, between the cold steel walls of the Command Chamber, to the battle raging just outside, had a layer of surrealism that she was unable to push aside. It was all rushing back to her: Every memory she held dear, every moment that defined who she was, every battle that put her one step closer to the unseen Force. And as she saw every convergence of her life with the world around her, she realized that hardly one had gone by without Jacen there.

After the Emperor's death inside the second Death Star, the Galactic Empire shattered into various War Lord-controlled factions, some allied, others in constant territorial wars. One of them called itself the Second Imperium and was spearheaded by the Shadow Academy. This new force was exactly what was needed to defeat the rising Rebel Alliance after such a great victory. However, the Solo twins had been there to stop them and their leader, Brakiss. How these two could've shared such a victory then, only to be facing one-another down now, simply seemed impossible to Jaina.

Her lips shifted ever-so-slightly, the first signs of approaching tears.

"I really don't want it to come to this, Jaina. You're still dear to me," Caedus said, allowing a bit of honesty to slip into his coldly-calm voice.

As he spoke, he pushed back the dark hood past his head, finally allowing the white ceiling lights to illuminate his face. Jacen had always been fairly attractive for a Human male, inheriting both the elegance of Leia Organa and the roguishness of Han Solo. As he had aged from his days at the Yavin VIII Jedi Academy, he had gradually shifted from almost effeminate to rugged and war-scarred.

However, from what Jaina could see now, it seemed the past year had aged him a decade-and-a-half. His jaw bone had never been as expressed as it was now, his skin had taken on a sickly-yellow tone, and the creases beneath his eyes were growing heavy. However, what struck her the most were his venom-yellow eyes. She could only assume they had been warped into such a color through the constant abuse of the Force.

"Is that Jacen saying that, or Caedus?"

"Jacen, of course," His response came, though a bit too quickly.

Jaina paused before her next question, allowing the living Force to course through her veins and calm her nerves.

"And whose Lightsaber is hanging at your hip?"

It was Caedus' turn to take a hit; the calm smile quickly disappeared and was replaced with the same scowl Jaina had always associated with Jacen not getting what he expected. The Jedi pilot could feel the Force swell around her brother, forming the first layer of a Jedi's awareness bubble. This meant that if Jaina were going to attack, Caedus would be ready for it just a moment before.

"Jaina, look around you," Darth Caedus waved his arm toward the battle behind him.

As if on cue, what appeared to be a Confederation Star Destroyer took a volley of concussion missiles to the face of its bridge tower. As the fire cleared, a train of bodies began to tumble out of the open crater that was once the main bridge viewport. The ship was now all but crippled. It was a toss-up whether or not it would descend into the planet surface below.

"The insurrection is over. I've utilized all the resources the galaxy has to offer and have restored it to peace," Though his words were grandiose, his voice was still just as calm and collected as ever. "We're about to see a new age of glory for the Galactic Alliance. In fact, I have to thank you."

"Oh?" Honest surprise found its way into her response.

"Yes. Thanks to the Corellian rebellion, the resulting Alliance victory will unify the galaxy like nothing before. A clear leader, a clear flag, a clear military, and a clear future…"

Had Jaina been willing to end the fight before it began, then would have been the moment. With his eyes watching the blazing engagement and a Jedi cloak separating his hand from his Lightsaber, Jaina could've summoned just enough speed to put her bright violet blade through his chest before he could defend himself.

But then she sensed something rustle in the Force, and she realized that Caedus was well-aware of this apparent weakness. The Sith Lord had established a link through the Force with one of the larger hanging lights between himself and Jaina. Had she gone for the kill, the high-intensity bulb would've smashed across her face and, in all probability, shocked her into unconsciousness.

"How did you get up here?"

The question caught Jaina off-guard. Instinctively, her gaze drifted down to the Galactic Alliance squadron mechanic jumpsuit she had grabbed a few minutes after the stolen Lambda-class shuttle had dropped her off in one of the lower hangars. Her mind continued to recall the rest of the quest to the observation deck, which could be summarized in a series of Force persuasion tricks and running by already-confused GA security rounds.

And unlocked doors. Even for a ship in the heat of battle, a time when every man and woman onboard has to get somewhere, Jaina remembered noting how there was an unusual amount of unlocked doors throughout the command tower.

Then it clicked.

"You knew I was coming." The statement came out as though Jaina had known it all along.

Caedus flashed a sympathetic smirk. "Knew you were coming? Jaina, I practically invited you. My gunners were about to blast you and Zekk out of the…"

Hearing Darth Caedus speak Zekk's name reestablished the little bits of surrealism Jaina had managed to shove through up until that point. After leaving the Academy on Yavin, Jacen and Zekk had little-to-no contact, their only communication often a direct result of sharing a Jedi mission. She had never been sure what her brother thought of him, though the irony of her falling in love with an ex-Dark Jedi was quickly becoming apparent.

Jaina finally noticed that her brother had stopped talking, and she looked up to see that he was staring at her with curiosity.

"Where is he now, if you don't mind me asking?"

The daughter of Han Solo knew better than to fall for such a gambit. Jacen, better than anyone in the new line of Jedi, had mastered the art of mental intrusion. And she knew, just as the latest Dark Lord did, that if she were to fall, her lover was the best chance at taking Caedus down. At least, considering Kyle Katarn was now out of the picture.

And it was in that moment, having caught Darth Caedus in his own web of treachery, that Jaina finally realized that her brother could not be saved.

"He's right where he needs to be to play his part in your downfall."

At this point in his life, Jacen betrayed little-to-no emotion in his face. So when Jaina saw that familiar burst of surprise flow across her brother's face, she knew that he knew the conclusion she had come to.

Jaina Solo felt that it was time to show her teeth; to show her last brother that she was not afraid. If there were ever going to be a threat in the universe that would scare her more than anything else, it would be the thought of facing her own brother in a fight that could only end in death.

The familiar sound of a lightsaber's snap-hiss echoed in the empty observation chamber.

"I love you, brother."