Title: Changing Course
Chapter: Chapter Six
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 Six
Uncharacteristically uncertain, Leia Organa Solo took a hesitant step out of the turbolift. As soon as she cleared the sensors, the lift whooshed shut and zipped down to where it was needed. Leia was alone on the floor Wedge had assigned to Twin Suns.
Rather, she thought she was alone, until she stretched out with the Force, seeking her daughter. She was hoping to catch Jaina in an unguarded moment. It was the only way she thought the girl might allow her something.
"I know you're there, Mara," Leia said. She turned to face the shadowed alcove beside the lifts.
"That's the trouble with hiding from Jedi." Mara stepped from the shadows into the light. "Or anyone resistant to those mind tricks Luke's so fond of. You're going to see Jaina."
Leia blinked. "And here I thought she got that from her father."
The red-haired woman merely shrugged.
Leia's shoulders sagged. "I miss my daughter," she said quietly.
"Jaina's upset about some things, Leia," Mara offered.
"Not the least of which her mother."
Unlike Han, Mara extended no reassurances. "She doesn't understand what you went through. And now she's been through a lot. The two of you should be able to understand each other, theoretically."
"Theoretically." Leia gazed down the hall. "I want to help her."
"I know that. Luke knows that. Han knows that." For a moment, Mara looked thoughtful. "I think, to some extent, even Jaina knows that."
"Then why won't she let me in?"
Over one green eye, a red-gold brow shot up. "You think it's just you she's shutting out?"
Leia shrugged restlessly. "I saw the way she let you hug her. Even Han, Zekk-she relaxed in their arms. She and Lowie have something-"
"The same thing Han and Chewie had."
"-And then there's Kyp."
Both women frowned. They'd seen the way Kyp had looked at Jaina in the conference room, the way Jaina hadn't seemed to be angry with the Jedi Master. From the events that had taken place nearly a year before at Sernpidal, neither had expected Jaina to even remain civil in his presence. Added to the fact that neither trusted or liked him-they tolerated Kyp for their husbands' sakes-both were unsure of the situation.
Leia closed her eyes. There were a number of fears she'd harbored since her daughter was a baby, fears that had never become reality as far as she knew. But it turned out that she knew very little indeed.
"What do you think he did to her?" Leia ventured.
"I don't know. We know what he's capable of." Mara's voice was quiet, hard.
"And we aren't sure what else he's capable of," Leia pointed out.
Mara had a few choice words for Kyp Durron. For a long moment, Leia just stared at her sister-in-law. Then she began to laugh. It wasn't long before Mara joined her.
"Exactly," Leia said through gasped breaths. "Can I help?"
"Think you can hold him down?"
Leia nodded. Then, "But how do you think Luke and Han would react?"
Mara's smile was dangerous. "Han would help," she assured. "All it would take is telling him Jaina's not happy."
Leia almost felt bad for Kyp in that case. "And Luke?"
Mara seemed to consider this carefully. Finally, she said, "The farmboy will back me up."
Once again, Leia found herself admiring her brother's wife. Always so sure of herself and what she was doing.
"Let me go see Jaina first, Leia," Mara suggested. "She'll be less resistant. I'll soften her up, find out if Kyp Durron needs to be punished. Then you can see her."
Even as her brown eyes misted up-this woman was closer to her daughter than she had the hope to be-Leia nodded. "You're right. It's best."
Mara touched her sister-in-law's arm. "She does love you. She just needs time. She's had a hell of a year."
"Yeah."
"She needs her mom, too, you know." Mara nodded. "Deep down."
Leia's laugh was self-deprecating. "She's great at showing it."
Mara's smile seemed almost wistful. "Kind of like someone else you know, huh?"
"She's always been like Han."
"So you know she'll come around."
"Yeah." But she only half-believed it. "Go. Please. Tell her I love her."
"You can tell her yourself." Mara started off down the hall, toward Jaina's room. "I'll come find you."
Jaina stared at the screen until the glowing green numbers began dancing a jig. At that point, the hum of the air circulation unit sounded suspiciously like an old jizz number.
Shaking her head to clear it, she ordered the room lights up to the highest level they'd go and pushed herself away from the desk. A shower would be nice, she decided. Then, she'd get some sleep and get an early start on reviewing the personnel files and the rest of the administrative grunt work.
Jaina rummaged through her duffel bag. She hadn't unpacked yet. Unpacking would make this duty station permanent. She wasn't sure if she wanted that.
Upon finding clean sleeping clothes, Jaina crossed the room to one of the more useful luxuries she'd been granted as the embodiment of Yun-Harla: a private 'fresher.
She left her dirty clothes to be collected by the cycler and hopped in. The sonic jets gave her only a brief pleasure. Because when she got out, she found a surprise in her room.
Mara Jade Skywalker, former Emperor's Hand and current Jedi Master, was stretched belly-down across the bed, her sharp chin cupped in her hands, her ankles crossed in the air. Her green eyes were clear and questioning, her red-gold hair tied back from her face.
"Getting ready for bed?"
Jaina paused just inside the sleeping chamber and eyed her Master. She clutched the towel to her chest with one hand, aware that she was dripping on the carpet. "Um. Yes."
"Long day, huh?" Mara tossed her a long, pale brown robe. "Put that on. Have a seat. Let's talk."
As she shrugged the robe on over the towel, Jaina eyed her aunt. Mara's expression was one of schooled openness: she looked harmless, but revealed nothing. It was a face that made you make mistakes. Jaina decided not to make any.
She used the towel to dry her hair as she turned the desk chair to face the bed and sank down. Her gaze never strayed from Mara's.
The older woman smiled blandly. "How are you?"
"Fine." That answer seemed safe enough.
Mara's carefully open expression shifted into one darkened with real concern. "You aren't fine, Jaina. But you don't have to be."
Jaina simply stared. She knew there were things she could say; there were things she would have said, had it been anyone but Mara laying across from her.
"You won't talk? I will. You're not in the Force like you used to be. You're different."
"I've changed."
"If you'd stayed the same after all you've been through, I'd be surprised." Mara shrugged and added, "We've all changed, Jaina. Maybe not all for the better, but that can't be helped." Mara tipped her head quizzically. "What does Kyp Durron have to do with how you've changed?"
Jaina stiffened. "He brought me back."
"Why?"
The younger woman shrugged restlessly. "Maybe the guilt finally got to him. Maybe he wanted to help. Maybe I'm helping him. I don't know."
"You never questioned his motives?"
Jaina smiled sardonically. "Kyp's a complicated guy. If I did, any answer I got wouldn't be simple."
"Doesn't that bother you?"
Jaina considered. "Yes. But I don't want to think about it. Truth is, Aunt Mara, his motives don't really matter right now. Without his help, I wouldn't be here I am today. I'm... not grateful, I don't think, but I don't hate him anymore." Jaina smiled faintly. "Much."
"Even though he lied to you?" Mara seemed somewhat disbelieving. "And betrayed you?"
"You spent the first part of your adult life trying to kill Uncle Luke, and you see where that got you." Jaina shifted in her chair. "I figure if I hold on to what he did to hurt me, it's going to be bad for me. Besides, I've done some pretty awful things lately. Kyp knows what that's like."
Mara didn't like the comparisons Jaina was drawing between the two relationships. She said as much.
"What else do I have to work from?" Jaina wanted to know. "Dad waited until they'd been married twenty years before he ever hurt Mother. And he never tried to kill her or betray her." She shook her head. "Not that what's between me and Kyp is anything even close to that."
"Then what is it?"
Jaina sighed. "As soon as I figure that out, I promise you'll be one of the first to know."
Mara watched her apprentice carefully, then nodded once. The girl was confused, and she didn't like being confused. She sensed that Kyp Durron was a sensitive subject, so she moved on. "How long have you and Lowie been working on this Goddess thing?"
Jaina smiled faintly. "Just since we contacted the bad guys the first time." She paused. "Actually, the squadron was Lowie's idea. He just let me believe it was mine."
Mara chuckled. "If you need any help, let me know. I used to be pretty good with a trick."
"Wedge's wife let me have a few of the Wraiths, but I might take you up on that. Maybe you can give me some good ideas."
"I wasn't directly involved with C'baoth and Thrawn, but I knew that they were doing. Give me some time, and I'm sure I can get you something."
"Thanks."
Mara let a few moments pass. "About your mom, Jaina..."
"She wants to see me?" Jaina's shields were back up.
"She's worried about you. You are still her daughter, and she does care about you. Whether you like it or not." Mara's gaze was hard.
"I know."
"Talk to her," Mara urged.
Jaina glanced away, toward the room's window and the jungle night. "Okay," she said at last. Jaina turned back to Mara. "All right. Give me thirty minutes?"
Mara nodded and swung around, her legs coming down and her boots landing flat. "Great. I need to prep her, anyway."
Jaina started to rise. When Mara said that, she stopped. "Prep her?"
The older woman stood up and stretched. "So you don't upset her. She's kind of scared of you, you know."
"My mother. Scared. Of me." Jaina peered up at her aunt. "You wouldn't be trying to make me feel better, would you?"
Mara's grin was mysterious. "See you later." She left Jaina standing in her room, near her desk, wondering is she hadn't just made that mistake she'd promised herself she wouldn't.
Jaina shook herself. If she slipped, it wouldn't have been the first time. In fact, it was the latest in a series. She smiled bitterly and checked the chrono. She had enough time to go for a walk, and she figured she needed the time to clear her head.
Jaina dressed and ordered down the room lights. Then she left. She hurried down the empty corridor, rode the lift down to the ground floor, and rushed out into the thick night.
Once she reached the edge of the pool of light cast by the building's external lights, she forced herself to slow down. Running wasn't going to accomplish anything-it never had. She lifted her face, closed her eyes, and breathed in.
This place was so alive. Insects filled the night with their song; nocturnal predators stalked nocturnal prey; a breeze rustled the dense foliage. The scent of burned vegetation was strong, and one the air Jaina could smell fuel and lubricants, even metal and ozone. It was all very much like Yavin Four, she reflected. Except she wasn't a kid learning with her friends, pretending to fight her parents' war. She was a fighter in a whole new war. One she wasn't sure she'd win. Wasn't sure she'd survive.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself within the special operations docking bay. Twin Suns kept their ships in here; a dozen X-wings and one Hapan freighter. Lowie had transmitted his request-as well as a coded explanation of the plan-and Queen Mother Tenel Ka had bestowed it as a gift to the Goddess.
Jaina eyed her squadron's ships. Rogue Squadron's quartermaster had scrounged up two extra ships for Zekk and Alema, and already the rumors were spreading. Already, she was being distanced from other pilots. It had only been one day, but things had started to happen. Jaina suspected they would be hard to stop. 'It won't really matter when I'm dead, anyway.'
Brooding wasn't going to help anything. Thinking about the Twins and her inevitable demise only led to brooding. Jaina turned away from her squadron. And her gaze settled on something that made her think about something else altogether.
Side-by-side, facing west, sat two identical ships not made by the New Republic. They belonged to Colonel Jagged Fel and his second-in-command, Shawnkyr Nuruodo. Arrayed around the clawcrafts were the ten mismatched fighters that comprised the rest of Vanguard Squadron, the scout group Jag had cobbled together from scratch on Hapes. But those didn't hold Jaina's interest.
The Clawcraft had the traditional ball cockpit and twin ion engines. Instead of hexagonal solar panels or forward-pointed triangle wings, four claw-like wings swept forward, closing around the cockpit, giving the ship a decidedly sinister appearance.
But what was he doing here? Kyp had told her that Jag had contacted her uncle. And yet Luke had been surprised to see the young colonel the night before, in the conference room. The Vanguards were a scout squadron, assembled mostly from pilots Jaina had recruited on Hapes. They'd flown at the engagement there, under Fel's command; Jag had commanded the entire Hapan navy, at the request of Queen Mother Tenel Ka. Jaina had expected him to stick around Hapan space for a while, or head back to Chiss space to report to his father. She hadn't expected to see him on Borleias. She hadn't anticipated the complications he presented.
She also wasn't expecting to see him climb down from the clawcraft's cockpit, wiping his greasy hands on an even greasier rag. He glanced up, and in a startled moment, it was obvious that he hadn't expected to see her, either.
"Lieutenant." It was a simple greeting, and he jumped the remaining meter and a half to the duracrete deck.
Jaina smiled a little as he came toward her. "Actually, it's Goddess now. Or Great One. Or Your Greatness." She shrugged. "Your pick, Colonel."
Jag's clear green eyes swept down and back up, and he said nothing for a few minutes. Jaina got the distinct feeling that she was being scrutinized. 'Let him judge.' She just stood there, keeping a small smile on her face, trying not to let him see how nervous she was.
"Is there something I can do for you?" He glanced down at his hands, carefully rubbing the grease off his skin.
She'd failed. Even with this knowledge, she didn't falter. "Ever determined to be helpful, aren't you?"
"If there's nothing you want, perhaps you'd let me get back to my duties." His voice was cold, formal.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"Yes."
Jaina eyed him carefully. Finally, "I'm sorry."
His gaze sharpened. "For what?"
"A lot." She sighed and tipped her head back to look at the docking bay's retractable ceiling. "I'm just sorry, Jag." Jaina looked back at him.
He stood very still for the longest time, looking at her as if he were seeing her for the first time. Jag started to open his mouth to say something.
Jaina's wrist chrono beeped. She offered one last smile. "Sorry, Colonel. I've got to meet my mom." She glanced past him at his ship. "I'll let you get back to your duties. Good luck. Good night."
"Be careful playing Goddess, Jaina." He turned to go back to his fighter.
She watched him for a moment, then turned her back on the colonel and all the ways their meeting could have gone. It was a waste of time speculating; she had another meeting she wasn't looking forward to, and that was enough to worry about.
Leia was sitting in the desk chair, her hands folded carefully in her lap, when the door slid aside to allow Jaina entrance.
"Been waiting long?" Jaina asked her mother as she stepped in. The door slid shut and Jaina walked across the room to the bed.
"Not at all." Leia smiled in a motherly fashion. "Did you go for a walk?"
"Yeah. It's warm here. Reminds me of hom-Yavin Four." Jaina sank to the edge of the bed and leaned forward to tug off her boots.
"Your dad said the same thing."
As Jaina came back up, she eyed her mother. Leia sat straight and still, but that was the only hint of royalty about her. She wore a plain pilot's jumpsuit and calf high boots. Her hair-longer than it had been the last time Jaina had noticed-was back in a single braid that hung down her back. The rich brown was shot through with silver, and Jaina realized just how old her mother looked.
"How is Dad?"
Leia's smile turned into one of wry amusement. "The med droids say his head is healing well."
"I'd have never believed Dad could get a skull fracture." Jaina shook her head wonderingly.
Leia chuckled. "I didn't either."
"I guess it was just one fight too many." A little more at ease, Jaina rested back against the wall.
"He did it for you, you know. What else could we expect?"
"I know."
"Ta'a Chume is..." Leia paused, searching for the right word. "A formidable woman," she said at last.
Jaina's own smile was wry. "That's a nice way to put it."
Leia's expression tightened. "I'm glad you didn't marry Isolder."
"Still considering him for yourself?" The question slipped out before Jaina could check it.
Her mother looked surprised first, then puzzled. "I love your father, Jaina-"
The girl waved a hand. "Never mind, Mother. I didn't mean it."
Leia looked at her daughter, again struck by how old the girl seemed. 'Was I that old at Yavin? At Hoth?' Jaina began to fidget, so Leia moved on. "This goddess thing sounds interesting." She quirked a smile. "Your dad's proud of it, you know. He's always known you were a goddess, now he figures the rest of the galaxy will have to sit up and take notice."
Jaina chuckled. "I heard you guys were up to some stuff yourselves. You've given up politics again?"
"For good this time." Leia's voice was firm.
"What did Dad have to say about that?" Jaina looked skeptical.
Leia smiled, recalling their conversation. "He's just happy he gets to be a scoundrel again."
Jaina nodded, then asked, "Need a Wookiee?"
"I don't think so," Leia answered slowly. "Why?"
"The Life Debt is, technically, Dad's, but Lowie's sworn himself to me. It's not exactly that I want to get rid of Lowie, but..."
"Having a big walking carpet in your way can be kind of frustrating," Leia finished.
"He's so protective. I'm barely allowed anywhere alone-he's even in the next room. Kyp took the other, and Lowie isn't happy about that." Jaina sighed.
Finally seeing the opening she'd been waiting for, Leia began tentatively, "What's going on between you and Kyp?"
Jaina closed up. Leia watched her daughter's face school itself into a careful mask of impassiveness. Through the Force, Leia felt her daughter's shields re-form.
"Nothing."
"Something. You've changed, Jaina, and so has he."
"Kyp... understands." Jaina glanced at her chrono. "Look, it's late, and I've got an early morning."
Leia was being dismissed. She rose, brushed her hands down the front of her jumpsuit. "Good night, Jaina."
"Good night, Mother."