Well, here's the post!!
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Chapter Twelve
A few days later, Jaina stood in the sim room surveying the Twin Suns' performance. They had finally found several replacements for those that had fallen in battle, among them Cal Meristrome. Jag had not wanted to take him, but he and Jaina had compromised. They accepted Cal, who was Jaina's choice, and Jag's pick Lisani Boros, a human female. Jaina had not thought she was up for the challenge for, though she was an amazing communications specialist, her flying capabilities were not nearly as high as other candidates vying for the position. Those two, along with the Twi'lek Bosar'athek, rounded out the Twin Suns ranks.
Just then, the sim ended and the hatches opened to dispel the pilots. "Good job, you guys," Jaina said. "If you go check with Kyp, he has your scores."
Turning, she found herself face-to-face with a troubled Jag. "Ummm. Jaina. I just got a message from your father telling me to meet him at the shooting range," he murmured. "Is that a bad thing?"
Jaina suppressed a smile. "Well, that depends," she whispered mock- seriously. "What exactly did he say?"
"Well, he was very nice about it, actually. He only swore seven times in the space of two minutes," Jag said. "He wanted me to be there as soon as possible."
Jaina smiled at him, her heartbeat quickening. Come to my office afterwards, she mouthed. Aloud, she said, "Well, Colonel, you'd better get going then, shouldn't you?"
Jag winked to show he understood. "Yes, Great One," he replied. "See you later then."
Jaina smiled, then turned on her heel and walked out of the room. She shook her head, wondering what new scheme Han had cooked up with which to torture her boyfriend. Still, he hadn't threatened Jag's life. yet. Jaina had a slight idea as to what would be the subject of this meeting, and it wouldn't be pretty. I wish I could see it.
She strode down the hallway towards her office. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned, a smile on her face, to tell Jag he had better hurry, as her father wasn't a patient man. Instead of Jag, however, she saw Cal headed towards her. Her smile disappeared and was replaced by the pleasant mask she wore when dealing with squadron business. "How can I help you, Meristrome?" she asked.
Cal caught up to her, flashing his brilliant smile. "Can I talk to you in private, Lieutenant?"
"You're new to the squadron, so I wouldn't expect you to know these things. I'm actually the Yuuzhan Vong Trickster goddess, Yun-Harla. You are free to address me by either my formal title or 'Great One.' "
Cal burst out laughing. "You're not serious?" he gasped. "That is too funny!" He sobered quickly, however, when he saw Jaina's menacing expression. "Oh, er-sorry, Lieu-Great One." He grimaced.
"Thank you." Jaina buried her annoyance and turned to him once again. "You wished to speak with me?" She motioned towards her office.
Cal nodded. "Ummm. yes. Yes, I did." He preceded her into the spacious room and gaped. "You could fit my whole room into a corner of this place!"
"Well, I am a goddess," Jaina responded, sitting behind the desk.
"Er-yes. Well, I have had a little experience fighting the Vong, and I was wondering if you'd like to know what I think." Cal seated himself in front of the desk and leaned forward. "I have formed several hypotheses about their behavior based on their fighting patterns."
Jaina gave a mental eye roll. I'm beginning to believe Jag was right about this guy, she thought. Of course, I can't change my mind now and pull Cal out. But. behavior based on their fighting patterns? Hmmm, what could Brilliant Boy have come up with? 'Uh, they're ruthless fighters, they kill everything and everyone, so I have concluded that they are vicious'? She snapped out of her reverie to see Cal staring expectantly at her. She edged back a little. "I'm sorry, Flight Officer Meristrome, what was that?"
"Well, I'd love to tell you all about them now, but I'm sure you have a lot of business to take care of. So, could we discuss it say, over dinner?" Cal flashed another blinding smile.
Jaina stared at him for a few minuets before it sunk in. He's hitting on me! Oh, sithspit! This is just great! Now I've got some ignoramus cocky pilot in my squadron that is hitting on me!!!
She smiled, but it felt more like a grimace. "Well, I'd love to, Flight Officer, but it's kinda forbidden for goddesses to mingle with mere mortals." She thought, Please, Cal, accept that explanation and just go away.
Cal's smile faltered for the first time since entering the room. "Ummm. okay," he said.
"Well, I actually have some time now, so why don't you tell me about your hypotheses?" Jaina asked.
"Oh, that's all right. I'd be taking up too much of your precious time," Cal said hurriedly, standing up. "I'm sure you have to be somewhere, and I won't keep you." Saluting, he then turned and exited the office.
Jaina sat back in her chair. What an egotistical jerk! She thought. Then she completely dismissed Cal from her mind. I wonder how long it'll be before Dad's done chewing Jag up and spitting him out.
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Jag stood in the hallway outside the shooting range nearly quaking in his boots. Few things in this universe scared him but Han Solo, irate father of his girlfriend, was one of them. From where he was standing, Jag could hear the sounds of a blaster being fired repeatedly. He gulped and straightened his uniform, then strode through the doorway.
Han Solo turned away from a vaguely humanoid target and holstered his blaster. "Ah, Jag," he said with false joviality.
"Sir." Jag nodded crisply.
"Kid, cut the 'sir' crap now," Han said, leveling a finger at Jag's midriff. "I've had a problem with that ever since my old Academy days. Scraping and bowing to some stuffed uniform-" he abruptly turned, unholstered his weapon and fired three rapid shots into the target with one smooth motion. He turned back to Jag. "Of course, your father probably loved it."
Jag stiffened and narrowed his eyes at Han's comment but said nothing. Surprised, Han raised an eyebrow. Though he wouldn't say it out loud, he grudgingly admitted to himself that the kid had more self-control than he had given him credit for. Of course, that's not necessarily a good thing. What does my little girl see in Colonel Cardboard anyway?
Jag cleared his throat. "Ummm. si-- er, Han, If you don't mind my asking, why did you ask me to come here?"
Instead of answering, Han asked a question of his own. "When you and Jaina started this. thing, tell me: did she lay any ground rules?"
Jag shook his head. "No. We basically trust each other to do what's right for both of us."
Han smiled and nodded. "I see. So you don't have a problem with that?"
"No, I don't." Jag shifted uneasily.
"Oh, that's great. That's great. Except there's one little problem." Han stopped smiling. "I do." His voice had lowered to a growl.
Jag's face drained of color as Han turned and once again burned several holes in the target.
Han reholstered his gun. "It's not my way to beat around the bush. My wife's the diplomat, not me. So, I'll tell you straight out: I don't like you, Fel. I don't trust you not to hurt my daughter."
Jag's jaw dropped. "That's ridiculous!"
"Is it?" Han rubbed his jaw. "Then tell me what your intentions are concerning my daughter."
"Ummm. well. I mean, we haven't really." Jag stuttered, for once at loss for words. How could he reveal his cherished hopes and dreams to this. this ogre of a man?
"Well?" Han's voice was deadly quiet.
"I don't think you have the right to ask me that," Jag burst out. "Why does it matter as long as Jaina's happy?"
Unexpectedly Han laughed. "Good for you, kid," he said. "You've got some spirit after all." He paused. "But don't think I'm gonna let you off the hook this easily." Facing the target once more, he drew his blaster and aimed carefully. "A few rules. One: no cheating." He fired. "Two: no taking advantage of her." He fired. "Three: keep out of her room." He fired. "Four: no kissy-face while you're on duty." He fired. "Five: no spice. Ever. At all." He punctuated each statement with another shot. Turning back to Jag, he continued quietly," I've seen what it can do to people. I don't want any of that stuff to even come close to my girl. Understand?"
Jag nodded. "Yes, sir."
Han nodded, then extended a hand. "Well, as long as Jaina seems to like you, I guess I better start trying." He shook Jag's hand, then motioned that he was free to go.
Jag turned to the door, but stopped when Han called after him. "Oh, rule number six: my daughter doesn't hear about this."
Jag left the range shaking his head. Imagine: big bad Han Solo is afraid of his daughter. Chuckling, Jag went to go see if Jaina had any free time scheduled.
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Hope you liked! 3 more days til I can get Remnant! Yay!
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Chapter Twelve
A few days later, Jaina stood in the sim room surveying the Twin Suns' performance. They had finally found several replacements for those that had fallen in battle, among them Cal Meristrome. Jag had not wanted to take him, but he and Jaina had compromised. They accepted Cal, who was Jaina's choice, and Jag's pick Lisani Boros, a human female. Jaina had not thought she was up for the challenge for, though she was an amazing communications specialist, her flying capabilities were not nearly as high as other candidates vying for the position. Those two, along with the Twi'lek Bosar'athek, rounded out the Twin Suns ranks.
Just then, the sim ended and the hatches opened to dispel the pilots. "Good job, you guys," Jaina said. "If you go check with Kyp, he has your scores."
Turning, she found herself face-to-face with a troubled Jag. "Ummm. Jaina. I just got a message from your father telling me to meet him at the shooting range," he murmured. "Is that a bad thing?"
Jaina suppressed a smile. "Well, that depends," she whispered mock- seriously. "What exactly did he say?"
"Well, he was very nice about it, actually. He only swore seven times in the space of two minutes," Jag said. "He wanted me to be there as soon as possible."
Jaina smiled at him, her heartbeat quickening. Come to my office afterwards, she mouthed. Aloud, she said, "Well, Colonel, you'd better get going then, shouldn't you?"
Jag winked to show he understood. "Yes, Great One," he replied. "See you later then."
Jaina smiled, then turned on her heel and walked out of the room. She shook her head, wondering what new scheme Han had cooked up with which to torture her boyfriend. Still, he hadn't threatened Jag's life. yet. Jaina had a slight idea as to what would be the subject of this meeting, and it wouldn't be pretty. I wish I could see it.
She strode down the hallway towards her office. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned, a smile on her face, to tell Jag he had better hurry, as her father wasn't a patient man. Instead of Jag, however, she saw Cal headed towards her. Her smile disappeared and was replaced by the pleasant mask she wore when dealing with squadron business. "How can I help you, Meristrome?" she asked.
Cal caught up to her, flashing his brilliant smile. "Can I talk to you in private, Lieutenant?"
"You're new to the squadron, so I wouldn't expect you to know these things. I'm actually the Yuuzhan Vong Trickster goddess, Yun-Harla. You are free to address me by either my formal title or 'Great One.' "
Cal burst out laughing. "You're not serious?" he gasped. "That is too funny!" He sobered quickly, however, when he saw Jaina's menacing expression. "Oh, er-sorry, Lieu-Great One." He grimaced.
"Thank you." Jaina buried her annoyance and turned to him once again. "You wished to speak with me?" She motioned towards her office.
Cal nodded. "Ummm. yes. Yes, I did." He preceded her into the spacious room and gaped. "You could fit my whole room into a corner of this place!"
"Well, I am a goddess," Jaina responded, sitting behind the desk.
"Er-yes. Well, I have had a little experience fighting the Vong, and I was wondering if you'd like to know what I think." Cal seated himself in front of the desk and leaned forward. "I have formed several hypotheses about their behavior based on their fighting patterns."
Jaina gave a mental eye roll. I'm beginning to believe Jag was right about this guy, she thought. Of course, I can't change my mind now and pull Cal out. But. behavior based on their fighting patterns? Hmmm, what could Brilliant Boy have come up with? 'Uh, they're ruthless fighters, they kill everything and everyone, so I have concluded that they are vicious'? She snapped out of her reverie to see Cal staring expectantly at her. She edged back a little. "I'm sorry, Flight Officer Meristrome, what was that?"
"Well, I'd love to tell you all about them now, but I'm sure you have a lot of business to take care of. So, could we discuss it say, over dinner?" Cal flashed another blinding smile.
Jaina stared at him for a few minuets before it sunk in. He's hitting on me! Oh, sithspit! This is just great! Now I've got some ignoramus cocky pilot in my squadron that is hitting on me!!!
She smiled, but it felt more like a grimace. "Well, I'd love to, Flight Officer, but it's kinda forbidden for goddesses to mingle with mere mortals." She thought, Please, Cal, accept that explanation and just go away.
Cal's smile faltered for the first time since entering the room. "Ummm. okay," he said.
"Well, I actually have some time now, so why don't you tell me about your hypotheses?" Jaina asked.
"Oh, that's all right. I'd be taking up too much of your precious time," Cal said hurriedly, standing up. "I'm sure you have to be somewhere, and I won't keep you." Saluting, he then turned and exited the office.
Jaina sat back in her chair. What an egotistical jerk! She thought. Then she completely dismissed Cal from her mind. I wonder how long it'll be before Dad's done chewing Jag up and spitting him out.
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Jag stood in the hallway outside the shooting range nearly quaking in his boots. Few things in this universe scared him but Han Solo, irate father of his girlfriend, was one of them. From where he was standing, Jag could hear the sounds of a blaster being fired repeatedly. He gulped and straightened his uniform, then strode through the doorway.
Han Solo turned away from a vaguely humanoid target and holstered his blaster. "Ah, Jag," he said with false joviality.
"Sir." Jag nodded crisply.
"Kid, cut the 'sir' crap now," Han said, leveling a finger at Jag's midriff. "I've had a problem with that ever since my old Academy days. Scraping and bowing to some stuffed uniform-" he abruptly turned, unholstered his weapon and fired three rapid shots into the target with one smooth motion. He turned back to Jag. "Of course, your father probably loved it."
Jag stiffened and narrowed his eyes at Han's comment but said nothing. Surprised, Han raised an eyebrow. Though he wouldn't say it out loud, he grudgingly admitted to himself that the kid had more self-control than he had given him credit for. Of course, that's not necessarily a good thing. What does my little girl see in Colonel Cardboard anyway?
Jag cleared his throat. "Ummm. si-- er, Han, If you don't mind my asking, why did you ask me to come here?"
Instead of answering, Han asked a question of his own. "When you and Jaina started this. thing, tell me: did she lay any ground rules?"
Jag shook his head. "No. We basically trust each other to do what's right for both of us."
Han smiled and nodded. "I see. So you don't have a problem with that?"
"No, I don't." Jag shifted uneasily.
"Oh, that's great. That's great. Except there's one little problem." Han stopped smiling. "I do." His voice had lowered to a growl.
Jag's face drained of color as Han turned and once again burned several holes in the target.
Han reholstered his gun. "It's not my way to beat around the bush. My wife's the diplomat, not me. So, I'll tell you straight out: I don't like you, Fel. I don't trust you not to hurt my daughter."
Jag's jaw dropped. "That's ridiculous!"
"Is it?" Han rubbed his jaw. "Then tell me what your intentions are concerning my daughter."
"Ummm. well. I mean, we haven't really." Jag stuttered, for once at loss for words. How could he reveal his cherished hopes and dreams to this. this ogre of a man?
"Well?" Han's voice was deadly quiet.
"I don't think you have the right to ask me that," Jag burst out. "Why does it matter as long as Jaina's happy?"
Unexpectedly Han laughed. "Good for you, kid," he said. "You've got some spirit after all." He paused. "But don't think I'm gonna let you off the hook this easily." Facing the target once more, he drew his blaster and aimed carefully. "A few rules. One: no cheating." He fired. "Two: no taking advantage of her." He fired. "Three: keep out of her room." He fired. "Four: no kissy-face while you're on duty." He fired. "Five: no spice. Ever. At all." He punctuated each statement with another shot. Turning back to Jag, he continued quietly," I've seen what it can do to people. I don't want any of that stuff to even come close to my girl. Understand?"
Jag nodded. "Yes, sir."
Han nodded, then extended a hand. "Well, as long as Jaina seems to like you, I guess I better start trying." He shook Jag's hand, then motioned that he was free to go.
Jag turned to the door, but stopped when Han called after him. "Oh, rule number six: my daughter doesn't hear about this."
Jag left the range shaking his head. Imagine: big bad Han Solo is afraid of his daughter. Chuckling, Jag went to go see if Jaina had any free time scheduled.
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Hope you liked! 3 more days til I can get Remnant! Yay!