CHAPTER 25: TREACHEROUS ALLIES DEFEATED:
Viqi Shesh stood, on a cliff looking over the supposedly secret Chiss base. The fools, she mused. Didn't they see how superior she and her allies were? Well, she considered, at least SHE was.
Beside her, a Yuuzhan Vong commander stood. "The warmaster expects no less than successful capture, Senator," he rumbled.
Viqi nodded. "I've been waiting for a chance like this for a long time, Commander. Fear not, we SHALL deliver Jaina Solo to Tsavong Lah."
*********************************************************************
Leia started into the room when alarms suddenly blared. Mara and Jaina jumped up, the latter wiping her eyes, and instantly going into action mode. A Chiss lieutenant strode in quickly. "Major Solo, we have intruders."
All three women stretched out with the Force and sensed nothing. "Great," Mara muttered. "More scarheads."
Jaina sensed something else though. "And a certain Senator too," she said, surprise in her tone. Leia and Mara looked confused. "Viqi Shesh." she clarified, her voice dull. The other two reached out again, and saw what she was referring to. Leia looked determined, Mara looked raging. "I want that...witch dead!" she growled.
"Don't we all?" Leia and Jaina said at the same time.
"Major?" the lieutenant said.
Jaina sighed, and pulled her comm, walking over to the officer. Mara and Leia pulled their sabers and blasters, ready for action. Leia spoke quietly to Mara. "You talked?"
"Yeah. You must have heard some of it." Mara replied, a slight grin on her face.
"The call was to inform us that Vong were on the way. As if we didn't expect them already."
"We could have been given more time to get a better party started," Mara complained.
Jaina finished her conversation, and walked over to her mother and aunt, pulling her saber and igniting the blade. "Guess we have a few Vong and a treacherous cow to fight."
A sudden yell stopped any more comments, as they spotted Vong coming towards them. Leia immediately started firing at the weak spots in the armor, killing 5 in seconds. Mara dove in with her saber, with a feral expression. Jaina....
Jaina did nothing. Something called to her now, she didn't know what it was, the Force perhaps. Peace suddenly flowed through her, and she knew now, that whatever happened, her destiny would be on the light.
Then she heard Anakin's voice.
Fall in, Jaina....
What? Fall in? What the hell was he talking about? Then she saw the saber in her hand, and understood.
The barriers in her mind fell, and for the first time in so long, she felt the Force fully, felt its light flood her. A kind of intense joy passed across her, as she took a step forward, then another, and another as a Vong ran towards her...
Suddenly the Vong slowed, and she was able to just step aside, bring the blade up and chop his head off. Ok, she thought, either he is slowing or I'm speeding up.
Mara and Leia continued to fight, wondering what the hell Jaina was doing. Suddenly a blur rushed past Mara, brought the saber up in a rapidly smooth motion and decaptitated a warrior. Mara and Leia stopped, sensing Jaina wouldn't need any help with this one.
The Force continued to flow intensely through the young Jedi, as the fight became a dance between light and darkness. More warriors came, and she struck them down so easily. Why had all the fights in the past been harder than this? she wondered briefly, before pausing momentarily to ready herself for more, before realising that there WASN'T any more warriors. Coming back to reality, she saw Leia and Mara, looking stunned. "Wow," they both said in unison. Jaina simply sighed, before looking at the entrance, where someone stood. Her expression suddenly changed from a vaguely peaceful one to sheer anger. "Senator." she gritted out.
Viqi smiled, seeing the young Jedi's reaction. "And here I thought anger was of the dark side," she commented nastily.
A sudden urge to tear the traitor's head off came upon Jaina, before she felt Mara warn her. A slight hint of amusement passed through her as she realised that her Master wanted a piece of the action.
Viqi called for someone behind her, momentarily taking the focus from the 3 Jedi. Big mistake. Leia instantly raised her blaster as Mara fired a shot, taking the senator in the stomach. Leia's shot hit slightly above that. Yet the senator simply staggered, bleeding but still alive. Mara looked distinctly unpleased.
Viqi's gaze was focused not on the two that had shot her, but on the young woman, whose lightsaber was back on. Suddenly knowing what Jaina was to do, she turned and started to run.
Jaina gave her a few seconds, then hurled the saber at Viqi. The blade cartwheeled through the air at phenomenal speed, before hitting Viqi, going through her. The senator crashed to the floor, dead instantly. Calling the saber back to her hand, she regarded her weapon for a second. She definitely liked this one better than the last.
Mara spoke up, breaking the silence. "Nice throw."
"I seem to remember being criticised for a throw like that in training," Jaina replied wryly.
"I think we can kinda overlook that," Mara shot back, grinning.
"Yeah, it did some good" Leia added, a smile on her face.
Jaina didn't smile, her focus too great on the pain and hate still. Her comm beeped, distracting her from the emotions. "Yes?" she snapped, harsher than she intended.
"Oh that's great Jaina, attack your dad," Han's voice came through.
"Sorry. What's up?"
"We're heading your way, but we have some company you wouldn't like."
"Pwoe?"
"Got it in one."
"Great. Just bloody great." she muttered. "I think we have a load of Vong here as well."
Any comment Han made was silenced by the saber igniting in Mara's hand, coming up to intercept a sudden blow from the warrior that Viqi had been talking to.
Viqi Shesh stood, on a cliff looking over the supposedly secret Chiss base. The fools, she mused. Didn't they see how superior she and her allies were? Well, she considered, at least SHE was.
Beside her, a Yuuzhan Vong commander stood. "The warmaster expects no less than successful capture, Senator," he rumbled.
Viqi nodded. "I've been waiting for a chance like this for a long time, Commander. Fear not, we SHALL deliver Jaina Solo to Tsavong Lah."
*********************************************************************
Leia started into the room when alarms suddenly blared. Mara and Jaina jumped up, the latter wiping her eyes, and instantly going into action mode. A Chiss lieutenant strode in quickly. "Major Solo, we have intruders."
All three women stretched out with the Force and sensed nothing. "Great," Mara muttered. "More scarheads."
Jaina sensed something else though. "And a certain Senator too," she said, surprise in her tone. Leia and Mara looked confused. "Viqi Shesh." she clarified, her voice dull. The other two reached out again, and saw what she was referring to. Leia looked determined, Mara looked raging. "I want that...witch dead!" she growled.
"Don't we all?" Leia and Jaina said at the same time.
"Major?" the lieutenant said.
Jaina sighed, and pulled her comm, walking over to the officer. Mara and Leia pulled their sabers and blasters, ready for action. Leia spoke quietly to Mara. "You talked?"
"Yeah. You must have heard some of it." Mara replied, a slight grin on her face.
"The call was to inform us that Vong were on the way. As if we didn't expect them already."
"We could have been given more time to get a better party started," Mara complained.
Jaina finished her conversation, and walked over to her mother and aunt, pulling her saber and igniting the blade. "Guess we have a few Vong and a treacherous cow to fight."
A sudden yell stopped any more comments, as they spotted Vong coming towards them. Leia immediately started firing at the weak spots in the armor, killing 5 in seconds. Mara dove in with her saber, with a feral expression. Jaina....
Jaina did nothing. Something called to her now, she didn't know what it was, the Force perhaps. Peace suddenly flowed through her, and she knew now, that whatever happened, her destiny would be on the light.
Then she heard Anakin's voice.
Fall in, Jaina....
What? Fall in? What the hell was he talking about? Then she saw the saber in her hand, and understood.
The barriers in her mind fell, and for the first time in so long, she felt the Force fully, felt its light flood her. A kind of intense joy passed across her, as she took a step forward, then another, and another as a Vong ran towards her...
Suddenly the Vong slowed, and she was able to just step aside, bring the blade up and chop his head off. Ok, she thought, either he is slowing or I'm speeding up.
Mara and Leia continued to fight, wondering what the hell Jaina was doing. Suddenly a blur rushed past Mara, brought the saber up in a rapidly smooth motion and decaptitated a warrior. Mara and Leia stopped, sensing Jaina wouldn't need any help with this one.
The Force continued to flow intensely through the young Jedi, as the fight became a dance between light and darkness. More warriors came, and she struck them down so easily. Why had all the fights in the past been harder than this? she wondered briefly, before pausing momentarily to ready herself for more, before realising that there WASN'T any more warriors. Coming back to reality, she saw Leia and Mara, looking stunned. "Wow," they both said in unison. Jaina simply sighed, before looking at the entrance, where someone stood. Her expression suddenly changed from a vaguely peaceful one to sheer anger. "Senator." she gritted out.
Viqi smiled, seeing the young Jedi's reaction. "And here I thought anger was of the dark side," she commented nastily.
A sudden urge to tear the traitor's head off came upon Jaina, before she felt Mara warn her. A slight hint of amusement passed through her as she realised that her Master wanted a piece of the action.
Viqi called for someone behind her, momentarily taking the focus from the 3 Jedi. Big mistake. Leia instantly raised her blaster as Mara fired a shot, taking the senator in the stomach. Leia's shot hit slightly above that. Yet the senator simply staggered, bleeding but still alive. Mara looked distinctly unpleased.
Viqi's gaze was focused not on the two that had shot her, but on the young woman, whose lightsaber was back on. Suddenly knowing what Jaina was to do, she turned and started to run.
Jaina gave her a few seconds, then hurled the saber at Viqi. The blade cartwheeled through the air at phenomenal speed, before hitting Viqi, going through her. The senator crashed to the floor, dead instantly. Calling the saber back to her hand, she regarded her weapon for a second. She definitely liked this one better than the last.
Mara spoke up, breaking the silence. "Nice throw."
"I seem to remember being criticised for a throw like that in training," Jaina replied wryly.
"I think we can kinda overlook that," Mara shot back, grinning.
"Yeah, it did some good" Leia added, a smile on her face.
Jaina didn't smile, her focus too great on the pain and hate still. Her comm beeped, distracting her from the emotions. "Yes?" she snapped, harsher than she intended.
"Oh that's great Jaina, attack your dad," Han's voice came through.
"Sorry. What's up?"
"We're heading your way, but we have some company you wouldn't like."
"Pwoe?"
"Got it in one."
"Great. Just bloody great." she muttered. "I think we have a load of Vong here as well."
Any comment Han made was silenced by the saber igniting in Mara's hand, coming up to intercept a sudden blow from the warrior that Viqi had been talking to.