It was over. No one could help her. Her friends had boldly risked their lives, and for what? To learn what Tahiri had known all along – that she was beyond help; that she was going to die. As soon as the thought registered itself in her mind, she felt a growing sense of fear welling up inside her. Until that moment, she would have preferred death to the constant heartache that followed her around day after day – but not now. There were too many things she would miss out on, too many people she loved that she would have to say good-bye to. She didn't want to die anymore.
"You did this to her," she heard Jacen saying. "You have to fix it,"
His promise to Anakin weighed heavily on his mind. Would his brother ever forgive him if he failed Tahiri? The answer he kept coming up with was no.
"I will do nothing to reverse the changing," the female scientist said. "She would never survive it anyways,"
Jacen felt a spark of hope. "How do you know that?"
"The pain would be too great, even for a Yuuzhan Vong to handle,"
"But you made it so she can't feel any pain,"
"Ah, but she feels pain in her mind, doesn't she?" She turned to look at Tahiri, who nodded slowly. "The trauma would be too much because the effects were never designed to be reversed. If the pain in her mind did not kill her, the pain from the rest of body, once the reversing starts to work and her pain receptors come alive, would be too great to handle,"
"You have to try,"
The scientist stood defiantly. "I will do nothing,"
Ha'rnn snarled something in his own language and snapped the scientist's neck before Jacen could scream for him to stop.
"What the hell did you do that for?" Jacen shouted at him, barely able to contain his fury with the Tsirran. He just destroyed the only chance Tahiri had.
Ha'rnn ignored Jacen's angry outburst and approached the assistant next, who was cowering in fear, and snarled at her in Yuuzhan Vong. He held the poisonous fanged head of the amphistaff near her face.
Her expression was a fearful one, something they had never witnessed on a Yuuzhan Vong before, and she spoke extremely fast in her native tongue.
Expression neutral, the Tsirran turned to Jacen and Tahiri. "She will do it?"
Jacen was suspicious. "Why?"
Ha'rnn quickly explained the scientists were not like other Yuzzhan Vong. They detested pain. The Tsirran had promised her a torturous death if she did not help them. Her only condition was they would allow her to escape afterwards. A life of exile would be preferable to the punishment she would receive from her superiors.
Jacen nodded. "Fine. Tell her she has our word that we won't harm her, but that's only if it works," he was quick to add.
He wasn't fond of letting off a creature that did what she did for a living, especially after seeing what the test subjects looked like, but she was all they had left.
The Tsirran relayed the words in Yuuzhan Vong, and the assistant responded.
"She does not understand why you wish her to reverse the changing if it will kill her," Ha'rnn translated.
An idea had been forming in Jacen's mind for the past couple of minutes. He looked over at Tahiri. "What if there was a way to lessen the pain?"
The assistant said something incomprehensible which Ha'rnn translated for them.
"She wants to know what it is you suggest,"
"Jedi have a way of linking their mind to another's," Jacen began, " sharing our thoughts and feelings – and if necessary, pain,"
Tahiri fervently shook her head, realizing what he was getting at. "No, Jacen. I won't let you do this,"
"Tahiri, listen to me. There is no other way. I wish there was but there isn't,"
"I can't ask you to do this,"
He forced a brave smile. "You don't have to,"
Still uncertain, she let him lead her over to a pair of examination tables, while the Yuuzhan Vong assistant prepared for the changing, under the watchful eye of Ha'rnn.
"You've bonded with Anakin before, right?" Jacen asked, as he lied down on one of the tables.
"Yes," she answered, lying down on the table beside him. "But not to the extent where our link meant the survival of the other,"
"Trust me,"
It took a second for her to realize he hadn't said the words out loud, but had spoken them to her telepathically.
Jacen initiated the link. He reached out for her hand and the second Tahiri felt his fingers brush against her skin, her mind was flooded with images both real and seemingly happening right before her eyes. Jacen as a child, wandering through the lower levels of Courscant with his sister; him and his siblings playing with Chewbacca; his first day at the Jedi Academy; and the first time he saw Tenal Ka. The memories halted there for a moment, as Jacen let down the barriers guarding his most personal memories. He continued to strip away his shields, and Tahiri felt herself gasp when she came across the more unpleasant ones. Chewbacca's death ripped through her like an open wound; Jacen and Tenal Ka in a garden after she ran out from her wedding; her rejection of him; finding out she was ill with a terminal disease; and the constant bickering between him and Anakin about everything from the proper Jedi behaviour to an argument about her in the kitchen of the Solo apartment.
He was completely open to her then. Every memory, every subconscious thought were as clear to her as if they were her own. It felt like their two minds had merged into one, and all that was left was for her to do her part.
Hesitantly, she dropped the first of her barriers. Not wanting to overwhelm Jacen right away, she showed him some of her more pleasant memories. Living with a tribe of Tusken Raiders on Tattione; growing up at the Academy with Anakin; getting adopted by Kam and Tionne… she stopped her memories there, afraid that if she continued they would become too painful for Jacen to handle.
Tahiri, it's okay, Jacen's voice gently nudged her.
She nodded mentally, not knowing whether or not he understood and continued. Another shield was dropped and then another, until she reached the part of her mind reserved for her most private memories of Anakin. They had come too far to be concerned with embarrassment, showing Jacen their evolving friendship leading up to their first kiss and beyond. But things went downhill from there. She showed him their argument from when Anakin had found out she had confided in Jacen; Anakin's confession of love for her and her complete rejection of him. She hadn't done it to hurt him, but to prevent them from growing closer when she knew she would die – and Jacen knew this.
She hesitated once more before dropping the last of her shields. She felt Jacen shudder beside her as his mind overflowed with the things she had kept hidden from everyone, even Anakin. Her short time in heaven with her parents before being brought back by the Yuuzhan Vong, and the constant heartache and nightmares that followed her around afterwards. He saw images of her cutting herself and the pain of her changing; her constant struggle to stay in control and at times failing; and finally, her desire to live, and not become the people she had seen in the cages.
Dimly, she was aware of someone injecting something into her arm, and once she felt it crawling under her skin, her insides felt like they were on fire and her mind screamed like the test subjects they had seen in the cave. Without even intending to do so, she shared her pain with Jacen. It filtered through him, making it become more tolerable, but that still didn't stop her from feeling like she would pass out if it continued much longer and she knew Jacen couldn't take much more either. She was powerless however, to try and sever their connection, and they continued to ride out the pain together.
Anakin and the others arrived in the laboratory then, looking battered and bruised. They skidded to a halt, taking in the sight of Jacen and Tahiri on the two examination tables, crying out and their limbs flailing wildly as if they were having a seizure, with a Yuuzhan Vong female standing nearby monitoring their vital signs. Anakin started towards them, but Ha'rnn stepped in front of him.
"You mustn't," he told Anakin in a grave voice. "They will die if you interfere,"
It killed him to stand there, watching the two of them withering in pain, but he heeded to the Tsirran's instructions, even when he saw bloody cuts appearing on Jacen's arms for no apparent reason, and Tahiri sprouting a burn mark on her arm in the same area where Jacen's was roughly bandaged.
He didn't have to wait long though, for the two of them cried out loudly one last time before collapsing back against the examination table, unconscious.
In an instant, the group was surrounding the two Jedi, while Ha'rnn was barking at the green-skinned female in Yuuzhan Vong.
Ha'rnn translated for the rest of the group. "She says their vital signs are weak but Jacen Solo's plan worked. The changing has been reversed,"
Anakin's joy was short lived when he heard Ganner's voice shout, "we've got company,"
He closed the panel on the door and short circuited with his lightsaber, hoping that would give them a bit more time.
"Ask her if she knows another way out of here," Anakin said to Ha'rnn as he scooped up Tahiri's body and held her in his arms.
Ha'rnn and the female conversed briefly before the Tsirran said, "yes, she knows another way out and it will lead us to where their ships are kept,"
"Lead the way,"
The scientist seemed to understand what Anakin was saying and directed them towards a hidden door on the other side of the room. She barked a command at it and the wall slid open. She walked inside without reservation and the other's followed, with A'ern and Bivv bringing up the rear.
Stealing a ship was not going to be an easy feat. Anakin realized that once he spotted the number of guards outside making their rounds past the skips and frigates. He had expected to come out into a large hanger bay, but instead the passage had led them outside where quite a few Vong ships were docked. Keszq, the female scientist who had led them there, had chosen this spot, thinking it might be easier to escape. She was wrong.
With a silent scowl, Anakin huddled back behind one of the injured skips that was regenerating itself. If they made a run for the nearest skip, they would be spotted, and protecting two unconscious Jedi when the fighting broke out would be near impossible. Maybe, if he caused a distraction…
Jaina saw him fingering the hilt of his lightsaber, his brow furrowed in deep concentration.
"What do you think you're gonna do?"
"Get us out of here," he said simply, getting to his feet, but Jaina pushed him back down.
"Are you crazy? Have you seen how many Vong are roaming around out there?
He frowned. He didn't need to hear this from her. "I have to do this,"
"Anakin, you're exhausted, and playing hero right now is only going to get yourself killed. We're all in this together, so that means whatever decision we make, everyone will have a say in it,"
Keszq did not seem to think that 'everyone' included her, because she bolted from their hiding spot, heading for the nearest skip in her path. However, she was a scientist, with no training in stealth, and it took only seconds for the patrolling guards to see her trying to make a run for it. Because she was Yuuzhan Vong they did not attack right away, but when she refused to answer them, they charged after her.
"There goes our chance at a quiet escape," Zekk muttered.
"Now we will have no choice but to fight," said Tenal Ka.
"We will fight," said Ha'rnn, gesturing to himself and A'ern. "You will take your wounded and leave. Bivv will be your pilot,"
"We can't abandon you to die," Anakin protested. He found himself surprised at his sudden concern for the Tsirran. But after all they had done for Tahiri, he could not just let them throw their lives away.
"You won't be," Ha'rnn told him. "We will be avenging what the Yuuzhan Vong did to us long ago,"
Not giving a Anakin a chance to protest any further, Ha'rnn and A'ern sprinted towards the mass of warriors beating down the scientist. Once they were in the Yuuzhan Vong warriors line of vision, they left Keszq, who was now dead, and engaged the Tsirran.
The Jedi broke out from their hiding spot at a run, Ganner and Zekk supporting Jacen, and Anakin carrying Tahiri in his arms. Jaina and Tenal Ka had their lightsaber's out and Bivv had his amphistaff held at the ready. They headed for the skip that already had its landing ramp down. Bivv quickly finished off the warrior there and ushered the group inside, banging his hand on the rectangular membrane beside the ramp and the hatch began to seal itself shut.
Anakin went to follow Bivv to the cockpit, but the Tsirran told him to stay with the others. He had flown a ship like this one many times, and Anakin would only slow him down because he knew nothing of Yuuzhan Vong piloting technology.
He was forced to remain behind with the others, and when he heard the skip starting up moments later he thought they were ready to blast out of there, but the Yuuzhan Vong had figured out that Ha'rnn and A'ern were a distraction and were now banging on the sealed landing ramp with their amphistaffs. The ramp showed no signs that it was giving way, but not knowing enough about Vong technology, he did not know how long it would hold out. Thankfully, they did not stick around to find out. The skip blasted off the ground, destined for space.
He felt a familiar stirring in the force, weak but getting stronger. He went over to the spot where Tahiri was laid out on the floor. Anakin was there when she finished coming around.
She opened her eyes groggily, and gave a small smile when she saw Anakin leaning over her.
"Hey," she said in shaky voice.
"Hey yourself," he said to her. "How do you feel?"
She let out a low moan. "You don't want to know. How's Jacen?"
He felt the ship rock and shudder and wondered if they were under attack, but when it didn't happen again he assumed they must have entered hyperspace.
"Jacen's still unconscious, but he's going to be fine,"
She nodded weakly. "Anakin?"
"Yeah?" He felt her give his hand a tiny squeeze.
"Thank you," she said, before her eyes closed and she was unconscious again.