At the moment, Jacen was slumped down in the cockpit of the Flyer,
nervously strumming his fingers on the arm of his chair. It had been three
hours since Jaina's last message, and he was still unable to reach her.
He knew, deep down, that something was terribly wrong.
'Jacen, we are here.' Jacen leaped from his seat and ran to the view port as the large, brown planet loomed up ahead.
* * *
Zekk's eyes drew open slowly, coming to focus on the familiar stonewalls of the Jedi Academy Infirmary. He turned his head, confused as to why he was there, when his gaze fell on the nearby cot. Zekk stared at Jaina's sleeping figure, his hand flying to his chest as memories rushed back.
'Jaina?' he whispered. An answer came, though not from whom he expected.
'She won't be awake for awhile, I'm afraid." Master Skywalker stepped into the room, hands clasped behind his back.
Zekk looked at him, his face hard. 'Did they hurt her?' If they did...Skywalker shook his head.
'No, she did this to herself.' Without allowing time for Zekk to question him, he spoke quickly. 'Zekk, what happened out there? Jacen told us that Jaina needed help and we left immediately. When we arrived, you were both lying unconscious next to a rather battered shuttle. We had to pry Jaina off of what was left of you. You were pretty badly hurt.'
Zekk shook his head regretfully. 'We had just found the Anmica and were heading back to camp. An ion blast came out of nowhere. Our lightsabers were no match.' Skywalker rubbed his chin.
'And it was aimed at you?'
Zekk cleared his throat. 'No sir.'
'So how did you manage to get in front off it, if I may ask?'
'I jumped, sir.'
'Ah,' Luke said, thinking for a moment. 'I am very grateful, Zekk, for doing that. Jaina's a lot shorter than you. If it had hit Jaina, she more than likely would have been decapitated.'
'I know, sir,' Zekk said gravely. It was his turn for reflection as he remembered Luke's earlier comment. 'Sir, what did you mean by 'she did it to herself'?' he asked, gesturing toward Jaina.
Luke paused. "She poured almost all of her life force into, Zekk. If we hadn't arrived when we had to break the connection, she wouldn't have made it.' Zekk closed his eyes. If Jaina had died...but she hadn't; she was lying right beside him in the nearby cot. Zekk looked at her to reassure himself, and then back at Luke.
'Master Skywalker, what about the shuttle?'
'Jaina had apparently deactivated the ship. We hauled both you and the shuttle back here, and we managed to get inside of the ship. There was one passenger, the pilot. He was dead, a suicide. Apparently he was more afraid of the reward for failure than he was of us. The shuttle is unlicensed, with no distinguishing marks, and no way to find out where it came from. Just another assassination attempt.' Zekk started. How could it be 'just another assassination attempt'? But, he realized, Jaina's life had been full of things like this.
'Sir, when will-' his question was cut off by a rather larger yawn that nearly split his head in half. Luke grinned.
'Go to sleep Zekk. She'll wake up before you do." Zekk nodded, stifling another yawn as he closed his eyes.
'Jacen, we are here.' Jacen leaped from his seat and ran to the view port as the large, brown planet loomed up ahead.
* * *
Zekk's eyes drew open slowly, coming to focus on the familiar stonewalls of the Jedi Academy Infirmary. He turned his head, confused as to why he was there, when his gaze fell on the nearby cot. Zekk stared at Jaina's sleeping figure, his hand flying to his chest as memories rushed back.
'Jaina?' he whispered. An answer came, though not from whom he expected.
'She won't be awake for awhile, I'm afraid." Master Skywalker stepped into the room, hands clasped behind his back.
Zekk looked at him, his face hard. 'Did they hurt her?' If they did...Skywalker shook his head.
'No, she did this to herself.' Without allowing time for Zekk to question him, he spoke quickly. 'Zekk, what happened out there? Jacen told us that Jaina needed help and we left immediately. When we arrived, you were both lying unconscious next to a rather battered shuttle. We had to pry Jaina off of what was left of you. You were pretty badly hurt.'
Zekk shook his head regretfully. 'We had just found the Anmica and were heading back to camp. An ion blast came out of nowhere. Our lightsabers were no match.' Skywalker rubbed his chin.
'And it was aimed at you?'
Zekk cleared his throat. 'No sir.'
'So how did you manage to get in front off it, if I may ask?'
'I jumped, sir.'
'Ah,' Luke said, thinking for a moment. 'I am very grateful, Zekk, for doing that. Jaina's a lot shorter than you. If it had hit Jaina, she more than likely would have been decapitated.'
'I know, sir,' Zekk said gravely. It was his turn for reflection as he remembered Luke's earlier comment. 'Sir, what did you mean by 'she did it to herself'?' he asked, gesturing toward Jaina.
Luke paused. "She poured almost all of her life force into, Zekk. If we hadn't arrived when we had to break the connection, she wouldn't have made it.' Zekk closed his eyes. If Jaina had died...but she hadn't; she was lying right beside him in the nearby cot. Zekk looked at her to reassure himself, and then back at Luke.
'Master Skywalker, what about the shuttle?'
'Jaina had apparently deactivated the ship. We hauled both you and the shuttle back here, and we managed to get inside of the ship. There was one passenger, the pilot. He was dead, a suicide. Apparently he was more afraid of the reward for failure than he was of us. The shuttle is unlicensed, with no distinguishing marks, and no way to find out where it came from. Just another assassination attempt.' Zekk started. How could it be 'just another assassination attempt'? But, he realized, Jaina's life had been full of things like this.
'Sir, when will-' his question was cut off by a rather larger yawn that nearly split his head in half. Luke grinned.
'Go to sleep Zekk. She'll wake up before you do." Zekk nodded, stifling another yawn as he closed his eyes.