Title: Changing Course
Chapter: Chapter Five
Author: bactaqueen
Author's e-mail:
Category: New Jedi Order, Alternate Universe
Keywords: Kyp Durron, Jaina Solo, NJO
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: New Jedi Order up to Rebel Stand
Summary: Jaina Solo had a tough road back from the Dark Side after the death of her brother. In the process, according to canon, she earned Colonel Fel. But what if she hadn't? What if Kyp Durron was her redemption?
Disclaimer: "Star Wars" copyright George Lucas. Characters copyright respective owners. No profit is being made and no infringement is intended. Characters and situations inspired by the Enemy Lines duology, written by Aaron Allston, and in some cases, the situations have been modified for the purposes of this story. Again, here, no profit is being made and no infringement is intended.

Changing Course: Chapter Five

Pyria the star burned bright and hot. Jaina banked the old Hapan freighter, using the sun's gravity to sling them around on an approach toward Borleias that would bring them in on the Republic military base, currently on the night side of the planet. She flashed her copilot a lopsided grin.

"Guess I should have checked local time when I planned this approach," she said.

Lowbacca grumbled an absent agreement, his attention fixated on the sensor readouts and the display screens. While Jaina flew the ship, he was watching for anything out of the ordinary. They knew that the enemy was in-system, and the few reports that had come their way had hinted that the Yuuzhan Vong would pick up on any traffic entering the system and attack.

Especially if they knew exactly who was arriving. That was the part that bothered Lowbacca but didn't Jaina. She figured she could take whatever they threw at her; Lowie had all confidence in Jaina's abilities, but not in the Raider's Prize. During their journey, he'd had a chance to look over the ship's schematics. Aside from the more powerful engines, everything about the freighter was the same as it had been when it came out of dry dock nearly twenty-five years before.

The weapons systems were pitifully weak: a top-mounted quadlaser cannon, one missile launcher (two concussion missiles), a belly-mounted laser gun, and a forward-mounted ion cannon. If they ran into a fight, he was hoping he and Jaina could make it work. A huge dose of luck, he reflected, certainly wouldn't hurt anything.

Lowie checked the starboard scans and saw the red blips. Just as he was about to open his mouth to inform Jaina, the comm unit crackled to life.

"We've got company." Kyp's voice was grim as he gave the heading. "Looks like skips. Four of them."

Jaina glanced at Lowie, who confirmed what Kyp had just reported. "All right," she said, her voice activating the comm. "What do you want to do about them?"

"Did you really have to ask?" On screen, Lowie saw the blip that stood for Kyp's X-wing enlarge as S-foils opened up. "I'll take the front two."

"Confirmed." Jaina glanced over at Lowbacca as the faster snubfighter zoomed ahead to meet the enemy. "You handle the guns and I'll handle the ship?" she asked, just to be sure.

Lowie nodded.

Jaina turned back to face the front and pushed the throttle open. "All right then. Time to dance."

Kyp got to the skips ahead of them and engaged the first two. Lasers blazing, he swooped in. They dove apart and Kyp climbed. The other two coralskippers maintained their flight path toward the Prize, and Lowie waited to fire.

Grutchins sailed their way, and Jaina avoided them. The skips, realizing the freighter was bigger and they would lose this game of chicken, veered off. One went over the Prize, one off to port.

Lowie used the topside cannon to blast the first skip into hunks of yorik coral. He barked to Jaina, letting her know that the second skip was coming up on their tail. He pointed out that this was a bad idea, considering that the smaller fighters could move much faster than the freighter. Oh, and they didn't have any guns to cover their engines.

"We don't need them." Jaina kept an eye on the sensor screen showing the proximity of the skip. "When he gets close enough, I'm going to cut power to the engines and stand up on our tail." She had to pull up to avoid an engine hit. "You're going to get him with the top gun. Get ready."

Out of the corner of her eye, Jaina saw Lowie program the top cannon to automatically track the skip currently closing in on them. 'Smart Wookiee.' She studied the screen closely, and when her chimes sounded to indicate grutchin proximity, she throttled back and stood her freighter on its tail. The big quad cannon started booming. Jaina waited the space of three heartbeats, then opened the throttle. The Prize shot forward, up relative to Pyria's planets.

"Did you get him?" She didn't see it on any of her scopes, but she wanted to hear Lowbacca confirm it.

"Actually, I did."

Jaina glared at the comm unit as she eased the freighter back onto its previous course. She said nothing.

"But that was good flying," Kyp went on. "And your top cannon overloaded his dovin basals."

Lowbacca rumbled agreement.

Jaina shook her head. "How long were you waiting to come to my rescue?" she questioned, tone mocking.

She had a mental image of Kyp rocking back on his heels. "You don't need to be rescued. I just helped."

Borleias was in view. The day side was a lush-looking blue-green circle, partly covered by clouds. Jaina knew about the climate of the planet and was almost eager for it; Borleias was a lot like Yavin Four.

"Well, thanks," she said at last as Lowie locked in on the coordinates for the main base.

"Don't mention it."

It was everything in Jaina's power not to switch off the comm system and scream. If she'd been in her X-wing, she would have. Lowbacca's presence stopped her from behaving like a temperamental child, though. Why did Kyp always have to be so infuriating? Was it one of the key points in the "Being Kyp Durron" handbook?

Why was she letting it bother her?

Serenity. That's what she needed. Jaina took a few deep breaths and tried to think calmly. Why was she really upset?

Then it hit her. The freighter, she realized with a start. It was the ungraceful, unsightly, over-sized, under-armed, slow-as-a-Hutt Raider's Prize. She wanted her X-wing. Her astromech. The tiny cockpit and a clear view of space surrounding her.

Jaina chuckled to herself. "Some things," she said wryly, "never change."

They followed Control's instructions and slid through the black Borleias night. Kyp stayed tucked in close, never venturing far, and mimicked her every move.

A kill zone around the biotics building served as a landing field. Jaina set the Prize down close to the front of the building and just near enough to the crowd that had turned out in the middle of the night to welcome them. Jaina sent a searching tendril out and found exactly what she'd known she would. Her parents were in that crowd, ready to see her. There was a sad sort of hopefulness from her mother and a disappointment in her father that made her want to fire up the ship and pull some hotshot atmospheric maneuvers.

She found other presences she knew well, among them her uncle and Mara. Worse than her parents, Jaina was dreading seeing her Master and having to explain herself. Mara would show no mercy, Jaina was sure of it. Well, she'd just have to avoid the former Emperor's Hand until she was ready to talk.

'A Jedi knows no fear.' Jaina set her shoulders. This was her family. What did she have to be afraid of?

Everything, came the insidious little voice. 'You've betrayed them.'

'Shut up.'

She felt a heavy hand come down on her shoulder and heard Lowie's growling reassurance that they still loved her.

Jaina smiled faintly as she shrugged out of her restraints. "I know."

He tried to tell her it would be okay-she'd see-and that they'd just be happy to have her back.

She pushed herself up and went to the hatchway. "Yeah. But it's still hard."

He reminded her that it wasn't supposed to be easy. Besides, he was here for her, wasn't he?

Her grin was genuine. "I know." She sighed and paused just beside the boarding ramp. "It's now or never."

And out she went.

Her boots thunked against the ramp as she descended, and she'd barely set foot on the planet before her parents wrapped her in an embrace. Leia felt small and thin; though she did not cry, Jaina could see tears shining in her eyes.

"Hi," she said, and offered a smile. Leia just hugged her again.

"Hey kiddo." Before she knew it, she was in her dad's arms and his face was smiling down at her. "Nice hunk of junk you have there."

Jaina smiled but didn't rise to the bait. "Hi, Dad."

"Good to have you back, Jaina."

Leia's soft smile seemed to echo the sentiment.

Off to her right, Lowie was being held up by a circle of former Academy Jeds. She heard a Wookiee growl, and looked over to find Tahiri plastered against him. Lowie had a paw on her hair and the other arm around her and looked to be soothing her.

She was jostled around. Military personnel she didn't know said hello; Wedge Antilles gave her a quick hug; Tycho Celchu shook her hand. In the confusion, she caught a glimpse of Kyp talking to her Uncle Luke and he caught her eye. Kyp offered a wink and a faint smile, then went back to whatever he was saying to Master Skywalker.

Before she knew it, Jaina was in the midst of the young Jedi Knights from the strike force. She was staring into a pair of emerald eyes that she knew better than her own. They seemed somehow happy and full of pain all at once, and then she was being held to a chest, with arms around her that felt so safe...

Zekk whispered, "I'm glad you're back, Jaina." Then he stepped away.

Ganner Rhysode was next. Tall and absurdly handsome, the older Jedi Knight had been Anakin's cover on the mission. The Vong were meant to believe that he was the Jedi leader. It had worked, but now Anakin was dead.

He offered her a devastating grin. "Even after days cooped up in a flying trash can, you still look great."

Jaina rolled her eyes and landed and open-handed blow in the middle of Ganner's chest. "Shut up, pretty boy."

"Ooh, she bites." He grabbed her hand and held it for less than a moment, but the squeeze he gave her let her know that he shared the sentiments that had already been expressed.

Alema Rar stepped into the space Ganner vacated. The female Twi'lek nodded once. "Good work on Hapes," she said.

That left only Tahiri. Jaina turned to find the blonde little Tatooine native still half-hidden behind Lowbacca. "Hi," the girl said.

Jaina nodded. "Hello." She didn't know what else to say.

Then an eerie hush fell over the crowd. Beyond the kill zone, even the nocturnal inhabitants of the jungle seemed to fall quiet. Jaina looked up to find Mara Jade Skywalker pushing past the sentries at the edge of the crowd. No one else was brave enough to stand in the way of the former assassin.

She didn't exactly look angry, Jaina decided. But Mara turned those hard green eyes on her, and Jaina felt her spine stiffen. Anger wasn't the issue.

Mara came to a stop less than half a meter from Jaina. Her hard eyes shifted and softened, then swept over her young apprentice. She seemed to be looking for something, something tangible that would answer her questions.

Jaina stood stock still and waited. She managed to keep her fear squelched, but there were others in the crowd who weren't successful. Their apprehension bled into the atmosphere.

No one was more surprised than Jaina when Mara enveloped her in a hard hug. She found herself hugging back, relieved to have passed the test. Mara said nothing, but when Jaina reached, she found a degree of understanding that she hadn't expected, along with relief that she wasn't too badly damaged.

Mara pulled back and smiled a little. "How about we go inside, scrounge up some food, and you three can give us all the news we old-timers have missed out on."

Jaina's returning smile was small but genuine. She left an arm around the older woman's waist as they started for the door. "Sounds like a plan."

Wedge secured a conference room with a large, rounded table and put in the order for a late-hours meal from the cafeteria. As everyone was settling in, Wedge ducked out. A few of those present figured he'd gone for the food himself. When a galley worker pushed in a rolling cart laden with breads, cheeses, cold meats, pastries, and caf, the Solos and the Skywalkers wondered where Wedge had gone. They knew he couldn't be intending to miss this meeting.

Jaina felt a double shot of tremendous force energy but no Force talent and knew who Wedge had gone to collect. Colonel Jagged Fel entered two steps behind his uncle and took a seat two over from Kyp Durron. She watched him, wondering at the unfamiliar feeling twisting in her chest and brain. He'd made his own feelings very clear; she should be through with him.

"When we left, things were just getting good," Han Solo remarked, from a seat directly across the polished duraplast table from his daughter. He rubbed his chin, then nodded at Fel. "The colonel says things got even better after that."

Kyp nodded, and waited until he'd swallowed the mouthful of pastry before replying. "We learned some things on Gallinore," he said. The glance he shot Jaina let her know that he would not say more-and neither would she.

"Remember what I told you about gravitic signatures?" Jaina directed the question at her mother.

Leia nodded.

Lowie explained what they'd done with the information: altering Vong-bred implants, implanting them in Yuuzhan Vong ships, using pilots to learn more.

"She's made them believe she's a goddess," Kyp announced. His grin was wicked. "Not just any goddess, either. Yun-Harla, their Trickster. One of the twins."

The rest of the story was recounted in free-form, with all three interrupting each other and taking over the storytelling, to provide connections and elaboration. Everything from using the Wookiees-Jaina earned sharp glances from her mother and uncle for that one-to the glitch that had three Vong ships converge on each other and destroy one another.

When they were finished, all eyes in the room turned to Master Skywalker for his reaction. Even Wedge and Jag awaited his response.

After a few minutes spent gathering his thoughts, Luke nodded. "They're clustering around Hapes. That was expected. Queen Mother Tenel Ka is in charge, and she's got a lot to deal with." He shrugged. "She can handle it."

"She has to handle it," Jaina said.

Luke smiled at his niece. "She'll fight. Hapes is a strong ally, so we'll need to give her the support we can. We don't want the Vong to take up a permanent residence."

"Considering the alternatives, I think things went pretty well," Wedge remarked.

Luke nodded his agreement. He turned to Jaina. "Ruling is something Tenel Ka never wanted to do, but we're glad you didn't marry the Prince."

Jaina's smile was bitter. "He wasn't my type, anyway."

"Too blond," Kyp chimed in. "And why would she choose to be a queen when a goddess is so much more prestigious?"

Jaina rolled her eyes even as everyone else chuckled. Then the moment she was waiting for occurred.

General Antilles turned to her, and his distinctly Corellian eyes were curious. "What are your plans now? The Rogues are here, and I'm sure Gavin would be glad to have you back, but if you and Luke feel you'll be more useful elsewhere, we won't call you up. We could really use you here on Borleias."

Jaina nodded thoughtfully and her glance darted around the table. When she hesitated on Kyp, she wondered what his reaction would be. Jag met her eyes, but his face was unreadable as usual. Han and Leia seemed to be waiting for her answer; Luke and Mara looked serene. Only Lowie gave her any sort of reaction when he nodded encouragingly.

"I'd like to stay," she began slowly. "I'd like to fly. But I did have something in mind. I'd like to put together a new squadron and maybe develop some tactics involving Force-based coordination." Jaina nodded at Lowie. "We had time to discuss it, and we think we can use the Force to manipulate the Vong."

"They already believe you're affiliated with Yun-Harla," Wedge said thoughtfully.

"And she's Jacen Solo's twin," Jag put in.

"Prince Isolder told us the twin thing is a big deal to the Yuuzhan Vong," Leia added.

General Antilles nodded and seemed to be considering. "You could use the command experience, too. I like it." He looked up and met each set of eyes in turn. "What about you all?"

Luke leaned forward. "I think it has great potential for psychological warfare. Anything that might off-balance the enemy is worth pursuing." Luke met Wedge's eyes and raised an eyebrow. "I've got something coming up, so why don't I just hand Twin Suns over to Jaina?"

Jaina sat up, ramrod straight. She stared at her uncle, eyes wide. Leia placed a hand on her husband's arm to keep him in his seat.

"You mean that?" Jaina asked Luke.

He nodded. "Yeah. And I don't think the symbolism will be lost on the Vong."

Lowie rumbled input, and Wedge looked to Jaina to translate. The younger pilot nodded at her friend then turned to the General. "Can he use the holocomm? He wants to contact Queen Mother Tenel Ka and get permission to keep the freighter as a support vehicle."

"Of course." Wedge smiled. "You're going to need a few more pilots, with Luke and Mara going."

"I don't think that will be a problem," Jaina said.

Kyp snorted. "I know it won't. Count me in."

Across the table, Wedge eyed Kyp. "You're sure about that, Durron? You'll be taking orders from a commander with less experience than you."

"I think I could use the experience." Kyp shot Jaina a glance and added, "Besides, I trust her."

"Me, too." All eyes turned to the new speaker. Zekk sat there looking meditative. He ventured a small smile. "Jaina got us off the worldship. If you'll have me, I'd like to join up."

Startled-but pleased-Jaina nodded silently.

A tough voice Jaina recognized said, "I'm in." A few seats away from Zekk sat Alema Rar, the female Twi'lek who seemed more dangerous than a lot of the things Jaina had faced in the past year or so. Alema smiled. "Sounds like a party."

Han leaned close to his wife, who was trying to hide her troubled expression behind her diplomat face. "Is this what you meant when you said you hoped Jaina never fell in with the wrong crowd?"

Leia glanced up. After a moment, she smiled faintly. "This crowd is better than what I was afraid of. I always thought she'd end up with friends like yours just to spite me."

Wedge Antilles turned a wicked grin on Jaina. "There you go. An instant squadron to mold into the honor guard of a Yuuzhan Vong goddess. Want an Ewok?"