Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Kea
Chapter 1
Just about two months after the whole Crystal Reef problem was resolved, Jaina Solo was sitting on a stone jutting out from the side of the Great Temple. She was supposed to be working on her meditation skills, but she just couldn't concentrate. Zekk was supposed to be returning home soon, and she really missed him. One day he just packed and left, not telling anyone anything, except for Master Skywalker, and he didn't seem to be sharing information. Jaina was worried about him, wondering if he was going to come back. She didn't talk to anyone about this, especially her brother Jacen who would just make fun of her for it. But she could always get him back later due to a certain other thing.
She stared up towards the orange planet of Yavin, thinking about Zekk, when she saw something metallic gleaming in the light from the setting sun. It was a ship, but she couldn't get a clear reading of whom it was. So she ran to the landing field just to make sure. She got there just as her Uncle, Luke Skywalker, exited from the landing bay.
"Hello Jaina." Her uncle called to her. "Did you come to welcome your Aunt Mara back?"
"Actually, I was hoping it might be Zekk, but I guess it's not." She answered, "Well, since I'm here already, I guess I'll say hi to Aunt Mara. By the way, where has she been for the past year and a half?"
"She'll explain it all when she lands, but first, would you mind going to get your two brothers? They should be here too."
Jaina nodded her head and went into the temple to find them. What she needed to find them for she wasn't sure. All she knew was something was about to happen, and she wanted to know what it was.
She walked through the hanger bay and spotted her younger brother Anakin helping Lowbacca fix his T-23. Anakin's best friend, Tahiri, was sitting on the ground next to them. Lowie happened to be halfway inside the engine compartment, growling to Anakin to hand him something.
"Master Lowbacca would greatly appreciate it if you were to hand him a hydrospanner, Master Anakin." Em Teedee called out in his little droid voice from on top of the toolbox where Lowie had placed him.
"Hey Em Teedee," Jaina called as she crossed over to them, "I thought all he said was 'Gimme a hydrospanner.'"
"Well really!" He said with a little huff. "I was just trying to make what he said sound well mannered. There is nothing wrong with that, is there?" Em Teedee is Lowie's translating droid that his uncle Chewbacca gave to him when he first started his training at the temple. By now, all the Young Jedi Knights could understand Lowie, so there really was no use for the little droid, but they kept him around anyway.
"Oh, hi Jaina, come to help?" Her little brother asked her.
"I'd love to, but Uncle Luke told me to find you, Anakin. He wants you to go meet him out on the landing field." She told him. "And do any of you happen to know where Jacen is?"
"Last time I saw him, I think he was headed for the roof to spar with Tenel Ka." Tahiri said to her from the floor.
"Thanks Tahiri. See ya in a minute Anakin." Jaina hurried off to the lift tube as Anakin went out to the landing field.
The lift tube quickly took her to the top of the temple where Jacen and Tenel Ka were sitting on the edge of the temple, their legs dangling off the side. The two practice sabers they were using, lay discarded, off to the side.
This is very unlike Tenel Ka. She'd never give up a good fight. Jaina thought to herself. But then she noticed something; they were holding hands. A surprised look crossed her face and then she stifled a giggle. Tenel Ka must have heard her because she left go of Jacen's hand and turned around. Jacen turned around too and when he saw his sister standing there, his face went bright red.
"Hi guys." Jaina called over to them, smirking. "Jacen, Uncle Luke wants you on the landing field now."
"Jacen, I shall bring the practice sabers back down." Tenel Ka told him as they got up off the stone floor. "You go with your sister."
"Ah, why don't I help you first?" Jacen asked, not really wanting to be alone with his sister after what she just saw.
"Jacen, are you implying that Tenel Ka is not able to do it herself?" Jaina questioned him, knowing that this would start something.
"No…I just…well…" He couldn't seem to get out what he was going to say and his face went bright red as he stared sheepishly at Tenel Ka.
"Oh, come on Lover Boy." Jaina grabbed her brother by the arm and dragged him back to the turbolift. When the doors closed, she turned to him, "So were you having fun?"
"Shut up Jaina. Do not discuss this again." Jacen said as the lift quickly descended towards the landing bay.
"But this is too good to forget." Jaina answered, still smirking at him.
By the time they ran onto the landing field where Uncle Luke and Anakin were standing, Mara's ship, the Jade Saber, a present from her husband, had just touched down and was now completing the shutdown procedures. Then the hatch opened and Mara stepped out. She ran straight over to Luke, hugged and kissed him, and then went to go hug her niece and nephews.
"Hi Aunt Mara, welcome back." Anakin said to her.
"Did you find any cool animal specimens on the planet Terra?" Jacen asked her.
"Why did you go there, Aunt Mara?" Jaina asked before she could answer Jacen's question.
"That's why." She pointed to the ship, and standing on the ground in front of the ship was a girl Jaina had never seen before. She had red hair like Mara, but it had black streaks in it, that was cut short and spiked. She had dark green eyes, with a few bright blue specks in them, and they looked very surprised at something. She was wearing a very strange outfit that Jaina had never seen before. It was a black tank top and long gray shorts that went past her knees. She had a backpack slung over each shoulder and two duffel bags on the ground next to her.
"This is my daughter, Kea."
* * * *
Kea was different, very different from anyone Jaina had ever met. She was very quiet while Jaina, Jacen and Anakin had given her a tour of the Temple. Then Jacen and Anakin went to evening meal while she showed Kea her room. Kea opened one duffel bag and neatly put all her clothes in a bin, and placed it under her bed. Then she opened the other duffel bag, which was filled with nothing but books. She put them in some sort of order on the shelves that were built into the wall. Opening a backpack, she took out a ton of notebooks full of writing paper, and a few pens and pencils, and placed them neatly on the desk. The last backpack was filled with odds and ends that she placed around the room. Jaina watched all this and wondered what Kea was like. She hadn't said a word yet, and her facial expression hadn't changed at all. She turned to Jaina and caught her staring at her. "Where's my mom?"
She was startled by the sound of Kea's voice. "Oh, yeah. Come on, follow me." She led her down to the dining hall where only her Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara were sitting, drinking something called hot chocolate.
"So Kea, do you like it here?" Uncle Luke asked her. She seemed to think about this for a while and then nodded her head as a smile crossed her face.
"I'm glad you do. Here you go." He handed her a full mug of hot chocolate. She took it gratefully and started to sip it. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a bag of little fluffy white things that she added to her drink.
"What are those?" Jaina wondered out loud.
"Those are marshmallows." Mara told her. "On Terra they are made of sugar and people put them on things, like hot chocolate for instance."
"Oh." Jaina said and took one as Kea offered the bag to her. It was fluffy and it almost melted in her mouth. "These are good."
"Then you might like some other Terran food that Kea brought with her. A lot of it is made with sugar." Mara told her. Kea finished her hot chocolate, put the cup down, and let out a little yawn.
"Tired?" Mara asked her. She nodded. "Maybe you should go to bed now."
"Okay." She got up and walked out of the mass hall and back to her room, leaving the rest of the sitting there.
"Aunt Mara, could you tell me a little about Kea?"
"Maybe tomorrow, okay Jaina? I'm a little tired myself right now."
"Long journey huh?" Luke asked her. She yawned in response. "C'mon, I'll take you up to bed." They left the mess hall, leaving Jaina all alone. She got herself another cup of hot chocolate and drank it as she thought. Thought about her family, friends, Kea, and of course, Zekk.
