CHAPTER TWELVE: INSTIGATOR
The landing on Belkadan's surface would have made even the most seasoned pilots go weak in the knees. It had certainly left Tahiri more than a little nauseated.
The group had decided the easiest way to land without drawing too much unwanted attention to themselves was to fake their craft was having severe navigational problems. They had practically nose-dived to the planet's surface, losing altitude so fast that gravity was crushing them back against their seats. They had hit the surface with such force she was almost sure she had cracked a few teeth – not that she would have felt any pain if they had.
Jaina, Anakin and Zekk had gone about disabling mostly non-critical areas of the craft, making it look like it had sustained internal damage from an infidel ship. Before leaving Courscant, they had used the ship for target practice, creating varying degree of scorch marks on the hull, further co-berating their story.
Whatever the damage to the ship, it no longer mattered. The Tsirran vessel had gotten them to Belkadan in one piece and now its job was over. To get off planet, they would steal a Yuuzhan Vong craft from their base. It had been agreed upon before leaving Courscant that they would not be making the trek back to the wrecked Tsirran vessel and attempt to salvage it – if there was anything left to salvage once the Yuuzhan Vong got through with it. A fast getaway would likely be needed and a Vong craft nearby would be the logical solution when they had three aliens with them who could fly one.
Quickly, they unloaded their gear from the craft, knowing it would not be long before a scout was sent out to inspect the crash, and set off for the compound.
It was taking every ounce of energy Tahiri had left – that wasn't being used to keep her from losing her mind – to put one foot in front of the other to prevent herself from falling behind. She made sure though, to keep some distance between herself and the others. It still probably wouldn't do much good when she had another one of her breakdowns – which she felt was on the verge of happening – but it was the best she could do.
She noticed she was not the only one keeping to herself. The group had barely spoken since landing. It seemed almost everyone had someone they were mad at – and she knew that was her doing. She could sense the increasing hostility between Ganner and Zekk – no surprise there, really, but Jacen and Tenal Ka were a different story. They were both still quite angry at one another after their revealing argument back on the ship. Even keeping their emotions as heavily guarded as they were, Tahiri could sense how embarrassed each was at having said those things to each other in front of an audience. Then there was Anakin. He kept in front of the group with the Tsirran. He hadn't spoken to her since they had first left Courscant. She knew it was because she had hurt him, and since he didn't know how to act around her, his solution was to avoid her altogether. She had been awful to him for days now, and here he was, risking his life to save hers. She really didn't deserve him.
Even that feeling – guilt – was beginning to elude her. It was getting harder to feel much of anything anymore, with the exception of hate. She remembered Cilghal had told her losing all other emotions was one of the last stages in her changing. She knew if that time came, Anakin would never try to stop her. Not even if she went all suicidal-warrior on him. She only hoped the others would be able to act where he could not.
The forest in front of her started to blur and she lost her balance. She reached out to grab onto something to keep herself from falling, but only found air. A strong arm caught her wrist inches before her face hit the rough terrain.
"You all right?" Jacen said, helping to steady her.
If I had a credit for every time someone's asked me that this past week…
She broke free of his grip. "I feel as sick as a bantha, and I'm barely able to keep control of my own thoughts. Does that answer your question?"
"Then you're not doing much better then the rest of us," he said, not the least bit taken aback by her attitude.
"Who's fault is that? If you hadn't opened your big mouth to Anakin – "
"If I hadn't opened my big mouth to Anakin, you wouldn't have a chance of living," he said, slowing his pace to keep at the same speed as her.
"You're just like him," she remarked angrily. "No wonder your relationship with Tenal Ka is falling apart,"
She felt him stiffen beside her.
"It was just a fight," he said, unconvincingly.
She had hit a nerve with him and she pressed on. "That mark on your face says otherwise. Boy, Tenal Ka sure does pack a nasty punch,"
It was working. He was growing angry.
"You don't know what's going on with us,"
"I know a breakup when I see one coming,"
That was the final straw. That last comment had made him furious. It was actually quite amusing to see how fast she had been able to make him mad. She was hoping to get a response out of him, but he seemed to have gotten a hold of his temper now and had sped up to get away from her.
There was still a lot of ground to cover. More than enough time for her to aggravate the rest of the group.
Dust was quickly approaching. The time was coming for the group to make the last leg of the journey to the compound.
A few hours earlier, Ha'rnn had decided they should rest and continue once it was dark. A reasonable plan in Anakin's opinion; a bunch of Jedi and three large Tsirran would be a lot harder to spot in the dark.
The group had made a small campsite and after passing out rations, some were taking advantage of a short nap. They were taking turns standing guard. Jaina and Zekk were taking their turn at the moment, and Anakin knew he should try to get some sleep before it was his watch, but whenever he closed his eyes unpleasant scenes played before his eyes.
He had been spending the last little while watching Tahiri sleep. She seemed to be having a nightmare. Occasionally, she would thrash back and forth and mutter things he couldn't comprehend. Under normal circumstances, he would have gone over and woken her up, but recent events warned him to stay away. The best thing for the both of them right now was for him to keep his distance from her. He didn't need to be right up close to Tahiri in order to keep an eye on her.
"I would have done the same thing in your position,"
Anakin was startled out of his reverie by his older brother's presence. He silently scolded himself for not keeping a better awareness of what was going on around him. If Jacen was able to sneak up on him, a Yuuzhan Vong warrior would have sliced him open before he got a chance to reach for his saber.
Anakin stared up at him doubtfully. "You sure you're not here to lecture me on the impulsiveness of my decision and how I'm putting everyone in danger?"
Jacen crouched down beside his younger brother. "I know we don't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, Anakin, but what you're trying to do for Tahiri is a truly courageous thing,"
Anakin blinked, surprised. "I didn't expect to hear that coming from you,"
Jacen gave a small smile. "Anakin, despite all the times I've lectured you on proper Jedi conduct, you learned the selfless part on your own,"
Anakin shook his head. "If I'm anything, it's selfish. I knew when I decided to come here what it might cost, but it didn't make me stop and think about what I was doing. All that mattered to me was saving Tahiri's life – no matter who might get hurt or," he looked at his brother and swallowed hard, "die." He let his gaze drift downwards, and said in a voice he was fighting to keep control of, "I can't lose her again, Jace,"
"You won't,"
Anakin looked back up at him then, and Jacen was struck by how old he suddenly looked. No, it wasn't old, but mature. He realized then he had never thought of Anakin as an adult before. He figured it was because he was his younger brother that he had a hard time seeing him in that light, even when a lot of the time he was more of an adult then most people gave him credit for.
"I need you to promise me something," Anakin said suddenly.
Jacen nodded. "Of course, anything,"
"If we get ambushed by the Vong, I want you to take Tahiri and get her to the compound,"
Jacen shook his head in disagreement. "You should be the one to go with her,"
"We might as well argue about this now and be done with it. I'm better with a lightsaber then you are. It's as simple as that," he said to him, no hint of pride evident in his voice. He was simply stating the truth. "I could buy you two the time you need to get away. And," he hesitated briefly before going on, "Tahiri trusts you. That's important. And I know you would protect her with your life,"
Jacen was reluctant to agree, but his little brother had a point. "I will. I promise,"
And this would be one promise he would not break.
It was deathly silent on the planet. Jaina listened carefully for the sounds of Belkadan's nightlife – but they never came.
When the Yuuzhan Vong first took Belkadan, they changed the molecular structure of the planet and in the process had killed every living species on it. It was a wonder some of the foliage had actually managed to survive. It might be years or never before new life forms finally managed to sprout up on the planet.
"It's nearly dark out," Zekk said from his spot beside her. "We should probably wake the others soon,"
"We'll give'em a few more minutes. We don't need another emotional outbreak like back on the ship," she said to him. "It's a wonder we made it this far without ripping each other's throats out,"
"Ganner was barely able to restrain himself from ripping out mine,"
Jaina raised a curious eyebrow. "Did you give him a reason to?"
"You think I provoked him?"
"It wouldn't be the first time,"
"He was the one who held me up against a bulkhead and accused me of still being in love with you,"
"Are you?" She asked, bracing herself for the response she knew was coming.
"Yes,"
She heaved a sigh.
"What? You think a few heated conversations and giving me the cold shoulder for months on end could change that? You're not the easiest person in the galaxy to get over, Jaina,"
"What about all that stuff you said the other night about being okay with me and Ganner?"
"I never said I was okay with it. I simply said it was your choice to make. There's a big difference between the two,"
Jaina rubbed her temples to keep herself calm. "This really isn't a good time to be having this conversation,"
Her mind kept replaying the incident between her brother and Tenal Ka on the ship. She really did not want that to happen to her.
"There never seems to be a good time for this, does there? Jaina, look – "
"Shut up,"
He saw her reaching for her lightsaber. Maybe this wasn't such a good time to discuss it after all. He held up his hands in surrender, not wanting to provoke her further. Was she really intending to strike him down? He hoped he wouldn't find out.
She jumped to her feet, igniting the violet blade.
Had she lost her mind? That was when Zekk felt a tug at his own mind. He heard the words they're here.
It took his brain about half a second to register what Jaina was saying. He was on his feet and had his own saber ignited in his hand a moment later.
Jaina silently roused the rest of the group, but by the time they were fully alert and battle ready, they were surrounded from every angle by Yuuzhan Vong. Cautiously, the warriors advanced towards the Jedi and Tsirran. Upon seeing the Tsirran, a couple of warriors shouted something at them; their tone suggested the remark was an insult. The Tsirran responded with a similar tone.
"Do we have a plan?" Zekk asked as the group of Jedi formed an outward circle to stop an attack from any direction.
"No," Jaina replied through gritted teeth and charged the first warrior advancing towards her.