Borleias was a hot, humid planet, comfortable for human life. Since his time there, which had only been a few weeks, Jag's skin had caught a nice tan, something that was rare among most snub pilots; most of their time was spent in their ships or in simulators. However, most of the New Republic's mechanics weren't familiar with his ship's schematics, and Jag wanted to keep it that way. As he looked onto the almost frozen surface of Nirauan, and involuntarily shivered.
They followed the beacons in to the local military base, and were allowed to land once they gave all the proper codes. The base was in the middle of a severe snowstorm at the moment, but Jag and Shawnkyr had spent many years on this particular base, and managed to land without difficulties. As suspected, no one was waiting outside on the docking bay. Shawnkyr and Jag fought their way inside through the strong winds. The huge hangar doors opened and allowed them to enter. It took a moment for Jag to shake the show out of his eyelashes, but when he was finally able to see clearly, he noticed six Chiss saluting him. Shawnkyr had already returned the salute by the time Jag noticed it.
"Colonel Fel. Welcome back to Base 5A2 of the Expansionary Defense Fleet." A tall Chiss Jag didn't recognize spoke. He gestured to the new arrivals to follow them. "I trust your scouting trip has been successful."
"We have learned much about the enemy." Jag replied neutrally. He and Shawnkyr fell into step with the leader.
"Yes, we hope to learn much from your report." The man spoke. He turned to face Shawnkyr, who was on his left side. "House Nuroudo wishes to speak with you as soon as possible. We have communications to Csilla set up on floors 3 and 4, if you wish to speak with them now."
Shawnkyr snapped off a quick salute, and left for the turbolift.
"General Fel has requested your presence in his office immediately, Colonel. He is very eager to hear your report on your findings." Jag merely nodded in return. And grill me for not reporting back sooner.
The honor guard left him in the General's waiting room, which was surprisingly devoid of any droids or assistants. A minute later, the door his fathers office opened, and Jag rose to his feet and saluted. General Baron Soontir Fel looked exactly the same as he had when Jag had last seen him, except worry was now replaced with relief in his one eye.
"Welcome back, Colonel. I have to congratulate you on your tactics in the defense of Hapes. Our agents brought back as much information from that battle as possible." His father smiled at him, and gestured for him to follow into the office.
"Thank you sir, although I hardly feel I contributed all that much to the overall situation on Hapes." Jag took a seat in front of his father's desk. "The Hapan navy was quite large to begin with, and tactics employed by the Jedi were very effective."
"Yes, that was very interesting, what they did with the enemy ships." His father mused, relaxing in his chair. "But I assume this will all be in your report. I'm afraid we won't have much time to discuss this now. The last transport leaves in two hours, and there are some last minute security details I have to deal with."
"We're taking a transport?" Jag frowned. In the past, the ruling houses on the Chiss home planet of Csilla didn't allow for Thrawn's forces to bring weapons and army ships into Csillian space, but with the war on, Jag had thought those laws would be changed. Apparently, he was wrong.
His father made a face of disgust. "The law still stands. The ruling families are considering what to do to help the war effort, and have sent some forces to assist, but they still don't sanction us. We are still forbidden to come as anything but civilians.
Jag shook this head. "And in case of an attack? We're better trained then the Csillian navy, and we have more combat experience--"
Jag's father held up a hand to silence him. "Would you like me to set up a meeting with the ruling houses for you?" Soontir asked dryly.
"No, sir." Jag murmured, sulking in his chair.
"Good, because I've already had enough of them," Soontir said. "Gather your belongings from your ship and have them transferred to the cruiser."
"Yes, sir," Jag regarded his father. "And Luna and Tarion are on their way?"
"Your brother and sister have been home for a few days now, according to your mother's last communication." His father said. "I could tell by how tired your mother looked."
Jag couldn't help but laugh.
Jag's home had stayed exactly how he remembered it. He found himself surrounded by memories from his childhood spent in this house. He hadn't seen the house in a few years, for the last time he had been at home was after his sister Cherith's funeral. That was also the last time his whole surviving family had been together. Jag didn't want to think about those times right now, but he found it impossible as he piloted his father's speeder to their home.
The house was a light red in color, with a small garden of Csillian flowers around it like a colorful moat. The house was considered modern by Chiss standards when his father and mother had received it from the government, but over the years, the various droids and devices had been disabled by his mother, who found time to perform those duties herself. Jag was so immersed in his thoughts that he almost missed the turn into his house's parking pad.
"Good to know the Republic has been keeping your flying skills up to their top capability." His father remarked dryly as he popped open the door and stepped out of the speeder.
Jag smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, sir. I was distracted."
"You mean right now, or during your time with the Reps?" His fathers one eye narrowed. "Someone out there distracting you?"
"Of course not." Jag smiled, grabbing their belongings out of the back of the speeder. "The Rep pilots are all very mature and dedicated to their training. Especially the Rogues."
"Well, now I know you're lying." Soontir laughed. He took a suitcase from his son, and they made their way to the front door. Soontir punched in the proper access code, and the door opened with a shwoosh.
"Tarion? Is that you? You better not have put a scratch on that speeder, or your father will tear you apart." Jag heard his mothers voice coming from the small kitchen. They moved down the corridor and stepped through the opening. Syal Fel stood with her back to them, arranging various dishes on the long table.
"You let Tarion take my speeder?" Soontir spoke, and Jag watched as his mother jumped slightly, before recognizing her husbands voice.
"Soontir..." She turned around, and almost dropped a plate she was holding. "Jagged!" She threw the plate onto the table and ran to embrace Jag. "Your father didn't tell me you were coming." She let go of Jag and hugged his father, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Although, I must admit, the surprise is a welcome one."
"I wasn't sure if I would make it on time, so I didn't want to make any promises I couldn't keep." Jag explained, taking a seat at the table and helping himself to a piece of fruit that had been set up there. "Where are Luna and Tarion, anyway?"
His mother rolled her eyes. "They were bickering too much, so I sent them on an errand to get me some materiel I will need for tonight."
"Bickering? The last time I saw them, they seemed to get along." Jag commented.
"That was two years ago, Jag." His father said, taking a seat opposite Jag. "They both grew up, and apart. Davin's death had been bad, but Cherith was younger then Davin, and closer to them. They both have different idea's about how they should live their lives."
"When your sister left the academy for the school of Mathematical Sciences, your brother could not comprehend it. They have been at odds with each other ever since." His mother put in. "Luna has been difficult lately. She seems to be picking fights with Tarion more often, and her school grades haven't exactly been excellent."
Jag was silent as he took all this in. His youngest sister, as he remembered her, had been as passionate about joining the military as any of his other siblings, and when he found out that she had left the academy to study sciences, he was more than surprised. It took him a while to recognize the possibility that with Davin and Cherith's deaths, Luna had been turned off from the glory of battle. Tarion, Luna's senior by one year, had stepped up to the challenge, determined to fight with the military and follow in his father's footsteps.
The sound of the door opening drew Jag's attention to the corridor, and he heard two distinctive voices.
"Give it a rest, Luna. You know what you're saying doesn't make any sense."
"It makes plenty of sense, but you're just too stupid to comprehend it." Jag heard his sisters voice as she snapped off a comeback. "Though I can't say I'm surprised, with the kind of education you must be receiving at the academy."
"I swear, Luna, you read one book written by a political idealist and now you suddenly know everything on the subject. Must be great being as brilliant as you." Tarion's sarcastic voice seemed closer, and a second later he appeared in the kitchen, holding up a set of keys. "Here, Mom --" He cut off as he caught sight of his father and older brother. Jag smiled slightly as he stood up to take a better look at his brother. He was about the same height and build as Jag, having already gone through the major adolescent growth spurts. His hair was cut military-short, and his face was like a younger version of their father. His brother smiled broadly and hugged his brother. "Jagged! It's been a while!"
"What? Jagged has decided to bless us with his presence?" Jag let go of his brother to take a look at his sister, who had stepped in the kitchen. She also took more after their father in their facial features, but she was built the same as her mother. She had a smile on her face.
Jag rolled his eyes at her, and drew her into a hug. "Give me a break, huh? I've been busy."
"Yeah, sure." Luna drew away from him and went to her father to greet him.
Tarion walked up next to him and put an arm around his shoulders. "Ah, don't worry about her. That's as nice as she gets. Come on, let's go for a ride."
"Tarion, I just got here."
"Yeah, and there's not much to see." Tarion said, gesturing around the room. "Let's go to the Giavix. I want to see how I fare against the famous Jagged Fel."
"Fairly low, just like everyone else." Jag replied easily. Tarion was now 17 years old, and a full-fledged fighter pilot, complete with the ego. And I've dealt with my fair share of those.
"Hey, just because you've been able to beat the Rogues and company in Rep space doesn't mean anything here." Tarion countered.
"Hey, it's your suicide." Jag smiled, heading for the door. He kissed his mothers cheek on the way. "Maybe we should invite Luna along."
"Oh no, I'm not putting up with her again."
Jag heard his sisters voice coming from another room. "I don't want to go anyway, jerk."
Tarion snapped off a comeback, but Jag ignored his siblings. He turned to his mother. "Dinner still at 19:00?"
"Of course. Pick up some lunch on the way, if you're not going to stay here."
"As ordered." Tarion snapped off a quick salute to his mother, then ran for the door. "I'm driving."
"You've gotten better."
"Yeah. Now it only takes you about 3 minutes to kill me." Tarion said sourly, taking a sip of his drink. "I really didn't think I was that bad."
"You're not bad at all. I'm just brilliant." Jag smiled. He took a bite of his sandwich, a local Chiss food that he hadn't realized he missed so much. Then again, when you eat those New Rep rations, anything tastes great. "Dad told me you're a lieutenant now in Krystak's Svoja squadron."
"Yeah, I guess that's not bad, considering I'm still in the academy." Tarion answered. "Of course, by the time you were 17, you were already a Colonel."
"We're not in competition, Tarion." Jag reprimanded his brother, frowning at him. "We're not in competition with our own. Never."
"I know that Jagged, but it's hard not to." Tarion looked down at his plate.
"Tarion, you are a lieutenant in a superior squadron. It's not something to be looked down upon." Jag nodded a thanks as a Chiss waitress brought them their receipt for their food. He pulled out a few credits, and was somewhat surprised to find that they were mostly New Republic currency.
Tarion noticed it too. "You probably should have gotten those exchanged. They're not much good here." He smiled as he pulled out a few Csillian credit chips. "This one's on the Baron, anyway." At Jag's questioning look, he added, "I found some extra cred's in the speeder."
"Ah. Should've figured you had no money."
"Of course I don't have any money. That's why I'm in the military."
Jag laughed, and took another bite of his sandwich. "You've changed so much since the last time I've seen you. You're much more --"
"Human?" Tarion suggested. "Corellian?"
"Exactly."
"You, on the other hand, could still be a poster boy for the Chiss." Tarion commented, reaching across the table to take a bite out of Jag's food. "Has your time with the Reps taught you nothing?"
Jag smiled in return. "You'd be surprised." Jag grabbed a napkin and wrapped it around his half-eaten sandwich. "Come on, let's get out of here. Is there any place around here to go?"
"I don't know. I haven't been around here for a while. Let's just walk."
They left the diner and started walking down the narrow streets, passing by various Chiss who they had known in their childhood, offering wishes of happiness in the holiday season. Even though the Chiss were known for their cool demeanor and grim outlook, the only exception was the weeklong Holiday season. Although the general attitudes were still on the wrong side of serious, those who had spent their entire lives living on Csilla could see the difference as clear as night and day.
Jag finished his sandwich, and threw out the napkin in a nearby garbage chute as they passed it. "Speaking of changes, what happened to Luna?"
Tarion didn't answer for a long moment, apparently unsure of what to say. "I think Cherith's death hit her pretty hard, and scared her away from flying and military service."
"That's perfectly acceptable." Jag commented. "However, it doesn't explain her behavior towards you, from what I hear."
"I think it's all related. I think she feels betrayed by us for going into the military, and setting ourselves up for death." Tarion suggested. "That's my guess."
"Interesting theory. Also explains why she has been lecturing you." Jag commented. "Probably trying to convince you to resign and quit the academy."
"That's my thought, too." Tarion agreed. "I'm still hoping it's a teenage rebellion, and nothing more."
Jag nodded his head, taking this in. Tarion was probably right, and one of the things he did learn from his time in the Republic was that human teenagers were unpredictable, moody. Especially female ones. He smiled to himself, remembering the note Jaina had left him. At least he had no cause to complain in that aspect of his life.
Luna was another matter, entirely. When he had last spent time with his family, his brother and sister reminded him so much of himself at their age. Apparently, in his absence, his two younger siblings had grown into something entirely different. While Jag and Cherith followed in Davin's footsteps and grew up into something resembling Chiss greatly, his youngest brother and sister had apparently taken on more human characteristics. Luna reminded him greatly of the Jaina Solo he had spent time with on Hapes; both were moody, depressed, and rebelling against something no one else could see. Tarion, on the other hand, could try out to join the humor-addicted Wraith Squadron if he received some intelligence training.
"We should head back." Jag spoke at last. The he smiled mischievously at his brother. "Here's a little one I learned from the Reps: Last one to the speeder has to clean up after dinner." Jag broke into a dead run, and heard Tarion's footsteps a few meters behind him. Jag couldn't help but smile as he dodged pedestrians.
"...So then all this turbolaser fire started pouring down all around us, killing all the Vong soldiers. It was... amazing. I've never actually seen what the star destroyers were built to do, and I have to admit, I wouldn't want to be on the other side of that barrage."
"That's why we joined the Empire, son." Jag smiled at his fathers comment. He had been retelling the story of the Vong defeat at Borleias.
Jag glanced at his mother. "I have to say that I didn't see that one coming. General Antilles' tactics were nothing short of brilliant."
His mother smiled at him. "And how is my brother doing?"
"Very well, I think. His family managed to escape the destruction of Coruscant, and his two daughters are safely hidden away with the Jedi somewhere." Jag said, taking a bite of his mother's dinner. "His wife is head of intelligence on Borleias."
"It seems you have had quite the adventure among the Reps." Syal noted, using the military short form for New Republic personnel. "Made any good friends?"
"One or two." Jag replied, trying to keep from blushing.
"I see." His mother smiled at him, then turned to face her husband. "Soontir, dear, have you noticed your son is wearing a Terwri necklace?"
"I have, love. I was just waiting for you to bring it up." Jag winced inwardly at his fathers comment. Blast it, I knew I should have taken it off while I was here.
"What's the big deal with Jag's necklace?" Luna asked, one of the few times she had spoken during the dinner.
"A Terwri necklace is an old Corellian custom that tells other women that the man wearing it belongs to someone." Syal explained.
"Really? Who's the lucky girl, Jag?" Tarion, still sour about losing the race to the speeder, decided to get his revenge on his brother. Jag's cheeks colored slightly.
"A friend of mine."
"Well, she's obviously Corellian, at least partly." Soontir commented, apparently enjoying Jag's discomfort.
"And probably a pilot, if I know my son well." Syal added.
"A good one, most likely, but not as good as him." Tarion put in his own thoughts. "He needs to feel superior."
"So, Jagged, who is this Corellian pilot that almost rivals your skills?" His mother asked. Jag chose not to answer, and tried to concentrate on his food. Oh, this wasn't the way I wanted to tell them. I wanted to be at least a galaxy away so I could escape the questions. His mother pressed further, "Come on, Jag, at least give us a clue. What squadron is she in?"
Jag sighed, seeing no escape. "She was with Rogue squadron, but now commands her uncle's squadron, Twin Suns."
Soontir almost choked on his food, and was forced to clear his throat repeatedly to clear it. "I don't believe it. You're joking, right?"
"No, sir." Jag blinked, blushing even more deeply now.
Soontir smiled slightly at this, then turned to his wife. "Syal, darling, it seems that your son is dating none other than Jaina Solo."
His mothers eyes widened in surprise, and he heard Tarion chuckle. "Go Jag. A Jedi, a pilot, the former chief-of-state's daughter. Han Solo's daughter! You sure aim high."
"Are you sure it's not someone pretending to be Jaina Solo?" Luna asked him. "I mean, there must be some people out there impersonating celebrities for privileges during war time."
"Nice to know you have such high opinions of me." Jag growled at his brother and sister. He glanced up at his mother, and noticed that the look of surprise was replaced with a slight grin.
"Tarion, Luna, clear the table, and wash the dishes." Tarion and Luna obeyed their mothers commands with minimal whining. "Let's retire to the living quarters, shall we?"
"Yes, ma'am." Jag obeyed, pushing his chair in its place under the table. The main room was on the other side of the house, overlooking the main area of the city. High windows on one side of the room made it seem like they were sitting on a balcony, and the relatively high position of the house provided a beautiful view of the city below. Jag could make out the little lights of speeders passing down streets. Although nowhere near as busy as Coruscant, there were large amounts of people outside. The weather was relatively good for this time of year, and people were celebrating the holiday. His father went over to a small cabinet and took out some brandy.
"So, Jag, how come we heard nothing of this until today?" His mother resumed the questioning. "I would have though that the Holonet would be all over the news."
"The Holonet, or what's left of it, doesn't know about it." Jag answered, accepting a glass from his father. "Not many people do, for security reasons."
"Security reasons?" Syal asked, nodding her thanks to her husband for the drink.
Jag sighed. "Jaina is part of a team working on psychological warfare with the Vong. They believe that she might be associated with one of their goddesses, and the New Republic military is trying to play on that."
"And it wouldn't be good for her image to be seen with a lowly pilot? Is that what you're implying?" His father asked him, frowning.
"Actually, sir, yes. That's exactly it. The Yuuzhan Vong don't know anything about me, and they most likely won't believe that one of their goddesses would even speak to me, much less form a relationship with me." Jag replied.
"What? Who thought up that reasoning?" His father scoffed.
"I did, sir."
Soontir frowned, as did Syal. She turned to her husband. "I thought pilots were known for their egos. Our son seems to have misplaced his."
Jag smiled. "It's not a matter of my ego, but common sense. We want them to think Jaina's a goddess, and there's no way a Yuuzhan Vong goddess would date a pilot, no matter how handsome he is."
His parents both smiled. "You were saying something about his ego?"