Yes David had to be so mean, my story wouldn't work otherwise.
Child of the Light: Chapter Twenty-Six
By Jayde Star
"You want to what?!" Jaina yelled.
Jayde was sitting in Jaina's office. She had just volunteered for the mission and Jaina was in shock.
"I said I want to volunteer." Jayde repeated, "Are you going to tell me about the mission or not?"
"Jay, this is going to be a dangerous mission." Jaina said, trying to think how she could persuade Jayde to give up the idea. "You could get badly hurt, or worse. What if something happens to you? How am I supposed to tell your parents? They'll never forgive me for not telling them sooner."
"Well I'll just have to make sure that nothing happens to me then won't I?" Jayde said smugly. Then she changed tactics, "Please let me go, Jaya, I really want to do this. You can't really stop me."
Jaina sighed. She knew Jayde was right about not being able to stop her; Jayde would just go to the General who had organised this. "Fine Jayde, you need a partner, but I'll organise that. You'll know all you need to know within 6 hours. Be ready to leave at a moments notice."
"Thank you Jaina, I need to do this. I promise to be careful." Jayde hugged her cousin.
"Just be sure you are. I don't want your parents to have a reason to be angry at me."
When Jayde had left her office Jaina made a call to organise the mission.
"Darklighter." The comm was answered.
"General." Jaina answered, "It's Solo-Fel here. I have one of your volunteers."
* * * * *
They meet in the General's office an hour later. "So, who volunteered?" Gavin Darklighter asked Jaina.
"The newest member of my squadron, Jayne Star." She answered. "But that's just an alias."
"Only special cases are allowed to use an alias. Generally in the case of well known parents, and few use them. So, what is her real name?" Gavin asked.
"Jayde."
Gavin looked at Jaina questioningly. "Jayde what?"
"Jayde Skywalker." Jaina confessed.
Gavin looked shocked for a moment. "So, you want me to send your cousin, Luke and Mara Skywalker's daughter, in to danger?"
"No. She does."
"And if she's anything like her parents there is no point arguing. Do Luke and Mara know?"
"No they don't." Jaina said. "Jayde wants it kept from them for a while longer. I'll tell them if we have to."
"We'll worry about that when we have to. For now, does she know much about the mission, and does she have a partner yet?"
"No one's volunteer yet, but I do have someone in mind for the job. And I've sent her the information for her to read."
"So, who do you have in mind as her partner?"
"Dave Antillies." Jaina said without hesitation.
"Dave? You want me to send Wedge's son into danger just two weeks after his wife died? I can't do that to Wedge, it'd kill him if anything happened to Dave."
"Yeah, but he'll be the most protective of Jayde." Jaina argued. "He loves her, but he just can't admit it yet. And Jayde will be just as protective of Dave, more so than anyone else. They're more likely to keep each other safe."
"You want to use an important mission as a match-making service?" Gavin looked annoyed.
"No, I want to keep Jay safe. And it's Dave's fault that she wants to do this, if he hadn't upset her so badly she never would have volunteered. The least he can do is go along and keep her safe."
Gavin gave in with a sigh, "Fine, you can ask Dave, but you can't order him to go. He has to decide. Okay?"
"Okay." Jaina agreed, then left the office to go talk to David.
* * * * *
"Why should I go?" David demanded when Jaina told him what she wanted him to do.
"You should go because, one, I don't trust anyone else to take care of Jayde anywhere near as well as you do. Two, because if it wasn't for you Jay wouldn't have volunteered to go. And, three, because you love her – even if you won't admit it to even yourself – and you want to protect her just as much as I do."
David looked guilty as Jaina reeled off her reasons. "I'll think about it."
"You have an hour." Jaina turned on her heel and left.
David sat down and started thinking. *I did say some awful things to Jay this morning. But who's to say she wouldn't have volunteered anyway?* David shook his head, *Of course she wouldn't have, at least not as willingly. It's my fault she's going into danger.*
Five minutes after Jaina had left, David called her on the comm.
"Solo-Fel." She answered.
"Jaina? I'll do it."
tbc
Short and sweet. At least I updated quickly. Happy Jade Fel Horn? If you're lucky there might even be another new chapter tonight.
Child of the Light: Chapter Twenty-Six
By Jayde Star
"You want to what?!" Jaina yelled.
Jayde was sitting in Jaina's office. She had just volunteered for the mission and Jaina was in shock.
"I said I want to volunteer." Jayde repeated, "Are you going to tell me about the mission or not?"
"Jay, this is going to be a dangerous mission." Jaina said, trying to think how she could persuade Jayde to give up the idea. "You could get badly hurt, or worse. What if something happens to you? How am I supposed to tell your parents? They'll never forgive me for not telling them sooner."
"Well I'll just have to make sure that nothing happens to me then won't I?" Jayde said smugly. Then she changed tactics, "Please let me go, Jaya, I really want to do this. You can't really stop me."
Jaina sighed. She knew Jayde was right about not being able to stop her; Jayde would just go to the General who had organised this. "Fine Jayde, you need a partner, but I'll organise that. You'll know all you need to know within 6 hours. Be ready to leave at a moments notice."
"Thank you Jaina, I need to do this. I promise to be careful." Jayde hugged her cousin.
"Just be sure you are. I don't want your parents to have a reason to be angry at me."
When Jayde had left her office Jaina made a call to organise the mission.
"Darklighter." The comm was answered.
"General." Jaina answered, "It's Solo-Fel here. I have one of your volunteers."
* * * * *
They meet in the General's office an hour later. "So, who volunteered?" Gavin Darklighter asked Jaina.
"The newest member of my squadron, Jayne Star." She answered. "But that's just an alias."
"Only special cases are allowed to use an alias. Generally in the case of well known parents, and few use them. So, what is her real name?" Gavin asked.
"Jayde."
Gavin looked at Jaina questioningly. "Jayde what?"
"Jayde Skywalker." Jaina confessed.
Gavin looked shocked for a moment. "So, you want me to send your cousin, Luke and Mara Skywalker's daughter, in to danger?"
"No. She does."
"And if she's anything like her parents there is no point arguing. Do Luke and Mara know?"
"No they don't." Jaina said. "Jayde wants it kept from them for a while longer. I'll tell them if we have to."
"We'll worry about that when we have to. For now, does she know much about the mission, and does she have a partner yet?"
"No one's volunteer yet, but I do have someone in mind for the job. And I've sent her the information for her to read."
"So, who do you have in mind as her partner?"
"Dave Antillies." Jaina said without hesitation.
"Dave? You want me to send Wedge's son into danger just two weeks after his wife died? I can't do that to Wedge, it'd kill him if anything happened to Dave."
"Yeah, but he'll be the most protective of Jayde." Jaina argued. "He loves her, but he just can't admit it yet. And Jayde will be just as protective of Dave, more so than anyone else. They're more likely to keep each other safe."
"You want to use an important mission as a match-making service?" Gavin looked annoyed.
"No, I want to keep Jay safe. And it's Dave's fault that she wants to do this, if he hadn't upset her so badly she never would have volunteered. The least he can do is go along and keep her safe."
Gavin gave in with a sigh, "Fine, you can ask Dave, but you can't order him to go. He has to decide. Okay?"
"Okay." Jaina agreed, then left the office to go talk to David.
* * * * *
"Why should I go?" David demanded when Jaina told him what she wanted him to do.
"You should go because, one, I don't trust anyone else to take care of Jayde anywhere near as well as you do. Two, because if it wasn't for you Jay wouldn't have volunteered to go. And, three, because you love her – even if you won't admit it to even yourself – and you want to protect her just as much as I do."
David looked guilty as Jaina reeled off her reasons. "I'll think about it."
"You have an hour." Jaina turned on her heel and left.
David sat down and started thinking. *I did say some awful things to Jay this morning. But who's to say she wouldn't have volunteered anyway?* David shook his head, *Of course she wouldn't have, at least not as willingly. It's my fault she's going into danger.*
Five minutes after Jaina had left, David called her on the comm.
"Solo-Fel." She answered.
"Jaina? I'll do it."
tbc
Short and sweet. At least I updated quickly. Happy Jade Fel Horn? If you're lucky there might even be another new chapter tonight.