Warning: Yes, another warning for an Anakin/Tahiri scene in this chapter. Again, nothing too graphic but just keeping the M rating to be on the safe side.
Chapter Four
Jag watched the face of Baron Soontir Fel transform from subtle surprise to amusement as he explained his reasons for contacting his father.
"You do realize there is absolutely no proof of a Jedi Master or any Jedi for that matter living within our borders," said Soontir Fel. "They are nothing more than children's tales designed to frighten them into behaving properly. Your mother told these stories to you and your siblings when you were young."
"I realize that, Father."
"And yet knowing that you would still leave your military duties to help this Solo boy."
"I have accumulated more than enough leave for this trip."
"You have changed, Jagged," was Soontir Fel's response. "Your time spent outside Chiss space has exposed you to some of the more common human frailties."
Though he hid it well, Jag was offended by his father's remark. "I was raised to help a friend in need."
Sontir Fel sighed. "Yes, that would be your mother's doing. However, your time spent at the academy and years of service to the Ascendancy should have taught you that duty and responsibility come before all else. Without that, Csilla and many other planets within Chiss space would have long been wiped out by the constant threats we face. That is exactly why I plan to recall you and the rest of Vanguard Squadron."
Only his years of military training allowed Jag to keep both his expression and tone neutral. "I had planned to stop by Csilla to provide a full briefing on the situation here as well as ask for more resources. There is still much assistance we can offer the Galactic Alliance."
"I have read each of the reports you've sent through previously. There is nothing in them that leads me to believe there is a significant chance of the Galactic Alliance winning this war. They are far too fragmented. You have even provided accounts of how they were at one point considering turning the Jedi over to the Yuuzhan Vong in hopes that would bring about a quick end to the war. A formal alliance with them would only serve to weaken the Ascendancy."
"Father, if you have read my reports then you know the Ascendancy alone cannot stop the Yuuzhan Vong. Perhaps if we weren't already stretched so thin with other threats that would be the case, but our best chance for survival is to ally ourselves with the Galactic Alliance, which already has an alliance with one of the biggest military factions in this galaxy – the Imperial Remnant. Soon, there will likely be an alliance with the Hapan Consortium as well."
"You were sent to galactic space to provide temporary aid to the then New Republic forces while understanding the magnitude of the Yuuzhan Vong threat. You were to report back all the information we would need to defend ourselves against that enemy. You have already been gone for too long. I will allow you to participate in this journey to Durace but you are to report back to Csilla once it is done. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Father."
"I will gather the hyperspace routes you requested and transmit them to you over a secure frequency."
Soontir Fel ended the transmission before Jag could say another word.
Jag stood there, his feelings mixed over being ordered to return home. He had always known this day would come. In fact, more recently he had been purposely delaying his return, using the excuse that there was still much intelligence to acquire on the Yuuzhan Vong. It wasn't exactly a lie, but he had his reasons for wanting to stay - as selfish as they were. But it appeared as though those excuses would no longer work and he would be forced to return to Chiss space – permanently.
[*[*[*[*[*[
Anakin dubiously eyed the small duffle bag Tahiri placed on the bed. "Are you sure that's big enough?"
She started throwing some toiletries inside it. "I know you're used to me over packing but I learned a thing or two about packing efficiency from Master Horn while I was away. We're only going to be gone a few weeks anyways."
"Hopefully," Anakin muttered but his tone wasn't filled with optimism.
"Hey," Tahiri said, dropping down onto the bed beside him. "You have this thing called Solo luck. We'll find what we're looking for."
"And if we don't?"
She shrugged and got up to grab a few more items from inside the dresser. "We'll figure something out. We always do."
"I'm glad one of us is thinking positively."
"It seems to be one of the few things I'm better at then you," she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"How long have you thought my visions were linked to you?" It was something that had been on his mind since she had brought it up the other day.
"Almost since I returned from Dagobah. I thought I might be a bit crazy at first but how else do you explain the fact that your visions returned almost the minute I got back? I believe in coincidences but that's a little much."
"Is that why you started sleeping in your own quarters?" Anakin asked, although he already knew the answer.
"Maybe," she admitted, zipping up her travel bag.
"Now, you are being crazy," he said, earning himself a playful punch in the shoulder. "I'm still having visions so there's no sense in you staying there."
"I suppose we should make the most of the time we have before we leave. I doubt we'll have any time to ourselves during the trip."
"Not only that but we'll be on a tiny ship full of Jedi. It's not as if it will be easy to hide our, er, thoughts from them."
"Are you saying you're planning on having inappropriate thoughts about me?"
Anakin's cheeks flushed. "Not planning, no. It might just happen."
Tahiri pushed him back onto the bed, saying, "maybe we should get them out of your system before we leave so that doesn't happen."
Judging by her tone and actions, Anakin knew he was going to like where this was heading. He rolled them over so Tahiri was pinned beneath him. She leaned up and kissed him, slow at first but it quickly deepened. With Anakin's arms wrapped around her, she pressed herself against set to work on kissing his way down her throat before his hands found their way up her sides and underneath her shirt. His hands danced along her bare back and it wasn't long before both his and Tahiri's shirts ended up somewhere on the floor.
They opened themselves up fully to the bond between them and it was an overflow of everything the two of them were feeling. It was almost overpowering – but in a good way – feeling the strength of their love for the other.
Since their little encounter in the shower, Anakin felt bolder – or maybe confident was the better word for it. His hand trailed up the inside of her thigh, grazing, teasing before finding its way to her center and eliciting moans of pleasure from Tahiri. He wasn't experienced by any means – Tahiri had been his first kiss, his first everything and it had been the same for her. But even with his new found confidence, there were still some nerves and uncertainty. They were figuring things out as they went but their connection made it easier, simple almost. They already knew each other so well that everything that happened felt like a natural evolution in their relationship.
They shed the remainder of their clothing. Both were breathing hard as Anakin hovered over Tahiri, his body pressed against hers in all the right places. She lightly stroked his cheek, using their bond to communicate what she wanted without having to say a word.
His eyes widened slightly. "Are you sure?"
She nodded up at him. "I'm sure."
With a bit of help from Tahiri, he found his way inside her. Once he was in, Anakin groaned and clutched at the covers on the bed. Try as he might he couldn't stop himself from beginning to thrust, even though he was trying to allow her to adjust to him.
"It's okay, Anakin, move," she said to him.
He did as she asked, feeling her reassuring brush against his mind. He started off with slow steady strokes until he got the hang of it, then he started moving faster. He pressed his lips to hers, trying to make this better for her because moving in and out of her was incredible for him. There was that unavoidable moment of pain for Tahiri but Anakin was there lessening it, making everything better until the only sensation she could feel was him moving inside her. Neither thought it was possible to be any closer than they already were but being connected on such an emotional and intimate level seemed to add another layer to their bond. When it was over, they both lay there breathing hard. Any emotional barriers between them were nonexistent after what they had just shared.
Anakin turned his head to look at Tahiri. "Are you okay?" Those were not the words he wanted to say to her after their first time.
"I'm fine," she assured him. "I swear if you apologize for anything I'm never having sex with you again, Anakin Solo."
He didn't want to chance her making good on that threat so he kept his mouth shut. Although he had hated to cause her any kind of pain, he had felt for the most part it had good for her – better than good actually, he thought with some pride.
Tahiri picked up on his thoughts and giggled. "It's good to see how in some ways you're just like every other male, Anakin."
"It would be great if just for once our minds weren't always an open book to each other," he said with a slight groan.
Tahiri propped herself up on one elbow saying, "I think it's more fun this way."
"Oh really?"
Her entire face flushed at the flood of emotions Anakin was purposely sending her way, along with the exact thoughts that occupied them. There were even a few visuals thrown in for good measure.
"Anakin!"
He just laughed, pulling Tahiri into his arms.
"I've heard it's supposed to get better the more you do it," she said a few moments later, her face turning an even deeper shade of red.
He grinned at her. "Is that so?"
She snuggled up against his chest. "Practice makes perfect, right?"
He definitely liked the sound of that.
[*[*[*[*[*[
With her travel pack slung over one shoulder, Jaina stood and admired the Jade Shadow. Her aunt had offered the use of her personal ship for their trek to Chiss space – much to Jaina's surprise and delight. Though there was no place she felt quite at home like the cockpit of her X-wing or her father's prized ship, the Falcon, the Jade Shadow was an incredible vessel. With all her upgrades and modifications, Jaina was just itching to get behind the controls. Of course, she had promised her Aunt Mara she would bring it back without a scratch.
No matter how much the Yuuzhan Vong war had changed her, the one thing it couldn't change was her love of flying or tinkering with ships. Although she didn't have the kind of downtime she used to, it was a long trip to Durace, which meant there would be plenty of opportunity to explore the inner workings of the Jade Shadow. With Anakin's help, the two of them might even be able to improve the ship even more. His affinity for anything mechanical was even better than her own.
"Looks like you're going to be traveling in style," commented Kyp, standing beside her.
Jaina wasn't at all surprised by the Jedi Master's presence. She knew her Uncle had asked Kyp to accompany them; something about wanting them to have as much support as possible. Jaina was confident she and the others could handle whatever came up but she wasn't about to turn down additional help.
"The Dozen are coming as well?" Jaina asked him.
Kyp nodded. "This is entirely a Jedi operation so the Dozen seemed like the best escort. We'll give Vanguard Squadron a run for their money."
"I'm surprised you'd go along with a task my Uncle gave you."
Kyp shrugged. "He asked and it seemed like a good cause. Just because he and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of things doesn't mean I won't help out. Besides, I'm always willing to help a fellow Jedi in need."
Kyp might be more the aggressor – a decision Jaina agreed with more times than not – which had put him at odds with her Uncle and many of the other Jedi. When it came down to it, though, he was just trying to do what he thought was right. However, his view of what was right didn't always sit well with the more pacifist group of Jedi.
"Should be a fun trip," said Kyp good-naturedly. "Two Jedi Masters who can barely stand each other; three next generation Jedi and one stuffy Colonel."
"The only reason you're saying that about Jag is because he follows the rules."
"No need to get defensive. Jag is great but he's a little rigid. You of all people should agree with me on that."
"I may not always agree with Jag but his tactics have gotten Vanguard Squadron out of a lot of difficult situations with minimal casualties."
Kyp chuckled. "I see the Colonel has made quite the impression on you."
Jaina scowled, which only served to increase Kyp's laughter.
"If you're nice, maybe I'll even let you fly my X-wing while we're gone," he said, changing topics. "Wouldn't want you to get rusty."
"You mean try and convince me to leave Rogue Squadron for the Dozen?" She said, knowing his intentions without even having to use the Force to read him.
"If you said yes, it would be one less thing I'd have to hound you about."
The other thing he was referring to was agreeing to be his apprentice. For a short while some time back she had actually given it serious thought but her military duties and the fact that she still wasn't sure how much she trusted Kyp to have her best interests at heart had led to her declining his offer.
"You know Rogue Squadron is my priority," she said, feeling like they'd had this conversation already.
"I know and you've put being a Jedi on the back burner. You're only hurting your own development."
"So you've said to me several times already. Maybe this is as far as my Jedi training is supposed to go."
Kyp stared at her in disbelief. "You can't really believe that. I know you're not happy your mom decided to forgo her Jedi development by choosing to throw herself into politics instead."
"I'm not my mother," Jaina snapped. "Just respect my decision and back off, Kyp."
She turned on her heel and stalked toward the waiting landing ramp of the Jade Shadow, hearing Kyp mutter, "it's definitely going to be a fun trip."