Nothing and Everything

by Spaced Out Anna Bailie (gbailie@cyberus.ca)

A sequel to 'After Genocide', hope you enjoy it! Please review!

The Errant Venture loomed up on screen, and Jaina flagged the landing controls. She wasn't feeling at her most civil after 15 hours in her X-Wing and would be very grateful to escape the small cockpit.

"Xx-wing, pleassse identify yourrssself," a voice hissed over the comm.

"This is Jaina Solo, Rogue 11, asking to land."

There was a short silence and then a very familiar voice burst over the comm. "Jaya! You made it!"

Jaina had never been so glad to hear her twin's voice. "Yeah, Jasa, I made it. Can I just land?"

"Oh yeah, sure." Jacen's voice faded as he turned away, "You can land in Landing Bay 3, next to the Falcon, and the Sabre."

For the first time in nearly six months, Jaina sat at a table with her whole family, recounting tales of the battles they had all been through lately. Jacen finished telling the story of the 'Princess of Blood' and it's pilots, and turned to his twin.

"What 's been happening with the Rogues lately? I saw a brief holovid about a few casualties in a battle." Jacen asked her, sipping from a glass of iced Hoth water.

Jaina averted her eyes, "We got a tip from someone, about a superweapon the Vong were building. Bigger than the Death Star." Around her, the table silenced, as her family listened closely. "They lied, the Vong were creating a worldship at Sernpidal," both Han and Anakin twitched, "not a weapon."

"Who gave this tip?" Luke asked gently, repositioning the sleeping Ben in his arms.

Jaina looked at him steadily. "Kyp."

"What?!" Han excalimed, "C'mon,Kyp wouldn't pull a stunt like that. He wouldn't lie."

"Yes he would, Han." Mara said quietly. "He hasn't exactly been the model Knight lately."

"Kyp's not like that, he may not be meditating all day, but he's still a good Knight," Han inisisted. "He's just trying to protect the galaxy from the Vong."

"No, Dad, he lied. He lied to the brass, to Gavin... and he lied to me." Jaina shoved away from the table, "Excuse me." She left the small galley.

Leia stood up quickly to follow her daughter, running to catch up to her. In the corridor, she grabbed Jaina's arm, forcing her daughter to turn and face her.

"Young lady- you will come back and return to your father." Leia told her angrily, "You don't have the right to say things like that. You don't know Kyp-"

"Actually, Mom, I think I know Kyp a lot more than you. I don't need to apologize to anyone. If you need me, I'll be going to my room." Jaina turned on her heel and stalked off down the long corridor. Leia sighed angrily, and a hand touched her arm. Mara smiled at her sister-in-law.

"I'll go talk to her."

"No," Leia shook her head, " I'll do it."

"She won't talk to you. She doesn't need a mother right now, she needs a sympathetic ear." With that, Mara took off in a jog.

She made her way along the organized hallways of the Venture, towards the staterooms which had been assigned for Booster's favoured guests, the Skywalkers and Solos being among them.Mara sent a brief tendril of thought, where Ben lay sleeping in her and Luke's cabin, lulled to sleep by the movemnt of the ship. She came to Jain's staeroom, and rapped lightly on the metal door.

"Jaina?" There was no answer, so Mara tried a different approach. Jaina? She was met by shields being slammed up. Quietly, Mara laid her hand against the keypad, and then tapped in the lock code, obvious to the Jedi. She stepped into the dark room, seeing Jaina curled up in a large easy-chair, staring out the window.

"So am I the only Jedi, Master Skywalker has never taught that to?" Jaina asked her aunt bitterly.

"I don't quite understand what you mean." Mara confessed, stepping in, and letting the door close behind her.

Jaina sent Mara a sharp glance, "Kyp pulled that on me after Sernpidal."

"Kyp..." Mara let out a long exhalation of breath. "What happened between you two, Jaina?"

"Nothing. Everything."

Mara's eyes narrowed, and she moved closer to her niece, to take a seat on the bed, so she could look Jaina in the eye. "Out with it, Padawan."

"Y'know, Kyp asked me to be his Padawan." Jaina started.

Mara snorted, "What did you say?"

"I told him I'd think about it," Jaina said quietly.

Mara fixed her with a look, one which had sent qualms into the souls of many a Jedi Apprentice. " Whatever happened between you two, it wasn't nothing."

"No sith," Jaina muttered, watching the stars move, then turning her gaze to her aunt. "Could I have some time alone. I'm actually not sure what really happened. We got really ... close for a while. And then, after Sernpidal... I put my career on the line for him. I assured everyone, that he was reliable- after the Centerpoint, we had to be so careful. And then he lied... it wasn't a Vong weapon, and he knew it."

"What was it?" Mara asked quietly.

"A world ship. They were using Sernpidal's sun to pull in hydogen and creating a worldship, to transfer the residents of their old worldships." Jaina's voice rose as she expelled the anger she had kept bottled up inside, kept in with the maxims of 'anger leads to the darkside.' "Now those residents are all going to die. Because of me, children are going to die!!" Her last sentence ended with a sob, and Mara pulled her into her arms.She murmured meaningless words, encouraging Jaina to let herself cry out her anger and hurt.

After a few minutes Jaina sniffled, pulling away. "Thanks. I think I needed that."

Mara smiled. "I think you did too. You okay now?" Jaina nodded. "Why don't you try to get some sleep, and we'll see you in the morning."

Outside the door, Mara came face to face with another person who had a look which could strike fear.

"Leia. How long have you been out here?"

"A while." Leia's eys went ot the wet spot on Mara's tunic. "She was crying?

My baby girl-"

"I hate to break this to you, Leia, but she isn't a baby girl. She's a woman, right now recovering from a very wrenching battle. And from a very big blow."

"What the hell did Kyp do to her?" Leia hissed. If Kyp had been on the Errant Venture at that moment, Mara would have pitied him greatly. With a look in Leia's eyes like that, some of his most vital parts would have been in danger.

"Nothing. And everything."