Title: The Heat Within Series.
Genre: Romance, Action, Adventure, Angst, Drama – you name it, I've got it!
Keywords: NJO, Jaina Solo, Kyp Durron.
Details on The Heat Within Series: So far, my intentions are for this series to contain eleven short stories, which should be around ten to twenty pages long. I have tentative plans for each story. Some of the tales will occur immediately after the one before; some won't. I will be posting each story in its entirety and also pasting a summary for the next part. I hope you enjoy!
Acknowledgements: Thank you to my beta-readers, JainaDurron, Mirax_Jade and obaona! You three are wonderful, especially since this is my first K/J fan fiction story. Thanks to the K/J index for reminding me that I had never written any K/J!
Author Notes: I welcome any constructive comments! Thanks for the feedback in advance! I'm renowned for not finishing my longer stories, so I thought I would take a different approach to fic-writing and instead, draft short stories.
Important Message: I disregard most of the NJO with this story. This is completely AU. The only things I really followed were Kyp tricking Jaina into blowing up the world ship (etc), Anakin's death, Ben's birth and Mara's disease, Jacen's experience with the Vong in Traitor, Tenel Ka becoming Queen Mother, and the Yuuzhan Vong taking Coruscant. I'm sure I've forgotten to list something, but you get the picture. Kyp and Jaina aren't exactly friends, but they are not enemies. Any events that happened in Dark Journey (like Jaina becoming Kyp's apprentice) did not occur. In my story, Kyp and Jaina have previously only had scant interaction, but they already conflict against one another. The Yuuzhan Vong are steady advancing throughout the galaxy, taking every world they come across. The New Republic continually has to retreat, and the Hapes Consortium is being flooded by refugees. If you have any questions, please let me know!


Part I – More Than You Know

Summary: After months of captivity under the will of the Yuuzhan Vong, Jaina Solo is finally rescued by a most unlikely saviour. However, freedom from torture sees Jaina confront a whole new realm of thought when he comes to a man who once betrayed her.




~~


Bang. Thump, thump.

Jaina's bloody body was thrown to the floor in disgust, only to be kicked in the ribs twice once they were sure she was truly beaten. The sound of her head hitting the clanging metal ricocheted off the walls of her tiny cell. The sound assaulted her ears in rhythm with the lurching of her stomach, so much so that she nearly lost consciousness then and there if it hadn't been for her stubborn Solo pride.

The Yuuzhan Vong surrounding her laughed callously, their feet scuffling only centimetres away from her bruised head and torn hair. The chief interrogator had held her up, merely five minutes ago, by her brown locks, feet swaying in the damp, rotten air. Her mouth had been gasping for air, opening and closing like a fish out of water. The interrogator had lost interest in his little game and flung her against the wall, a fistful of hair still remaining in his hand. Jaina's eyes had trembled as the hair was placed in front of the Vong's nose and the scent inhaled forcefully.

She hadn't realised it at first, but then the truth hit her in a wave of cold air, chilling her to the bone. The Vong's facial features were that of pleasure. He delighted in her smell, partially, Jaina assumed, because of how foreign she was to him.

Now she was lying face down on the floor, the patterns of the metal beneath her traced on her left cheek. Her eyes were closed, her head throbbing from pain and loss of blood, totally immobile and waiting for the next step. Would the chief interrogator want to take further pleasure in her? Would that mean sending his minions away, or would they watch as he brutally pinned her against the wall and took her screaming for mercy?

None of what she described to herself occurred. The chief interrogator muttered something gutturally at a lower-cast Vong, and before Jaina knew what was happening, they had left her cell. She didn't dare move for ten minutes. It was only after she caught a whiff of the hot meal the Vong left in front of her that her limbs would finally respond. Putting immense pressure on her hands, she dragged herself into a sitting position, her numb legs folding beneath her. Grabbing at the plate that held her food, she scooped the green sludge into her palm, opened her mouth, and let it trickle down her sore throat. It hurt to swallow and she winced inwardly. Nevertheless, she repeated her movements until all the sludge had been mopped up.

Unable to support herself anymore, she fell to the floor as gently as she could. The frozen metal beneath her made her limbs seem even weaker. She couldn't remember how long she had been here, but like all torture sessions, it felt like forever. She didn't think she could even walk anymore, and the Force was useless when it came to healing her injuries. The food the Vong provided barely kept her alive, and that was satisfactory to them. She couldn't hope to have enough energy to heal herself.

For days, she had wondered when the rescue would come. But nothing came, except the daily visitations from the Vong interrogators that ran like clockwork. Often, she thought of her mother and father. Even more so, she tried to reach for her twin's strength, to feel his signature in the Force soothing her. Once in a while, she even tried to picture Jagged Fel and his reaction to her disappearance. He was always smiling. Why did he have to smile? The galaxy was in flames and she wasn't out there, fighting. At least he had the opportunity to kill the Yuuzhan Vong.

Jaina had been frightened to admit it to herself in the beginning, but now she realised the reality of the situation. If a rescue hadn't come already, that meant that they didn't know where she was. She was lost to them, and probably presumed dead. Another Solo child dead. Another casualty.

Would no one try to beat the odds and find her? Did she now belong to that chief interrogator? Jaina Solo, ace pilot and only Solo daughter. A dead persona.

She let a shuddering, ragged breath into her lungs and rolled to the side, curling into a small, protective ball. Closing her eyes, she tried not to imagine the darkness hugging at her every curve. Instead, she pictured a day when the usual schedule would not apply and she would be free of her prison.

~~

Jaina was awoken suddenly to the familiar sound of activity outside her cell. That, in itself, was not unusual as the Vong interrogators were far from stealthy. However, her internal clock said that she had barely been asleep for four hours, while her usual rest period was, at most, ten hours.

Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, she pulled herself towards a mouldy wall, leaning against the slime and gathering what reserve she could before her gaze met her enemy. Her heart beat quickly and she almost feared that it would jump out of her chest in nervous anticipation - as it always did when the Vong entered her cell. It was enough to fill the silence now present.

Parallel from her, she heard the creaking of the steel door as it was flung open. No light entered the room, which had lead Jaina to the conclusion, weeks ago, that she was deep underground. Closing her eyes, she sunk into the junction between the wall and the floor, hoping that this loss of sleep wouldn't be a normal occurrence. A new schedule would kill her, she knew.

Heavy footsteps vibrated the floor beneath her. They strode gradually towards her, and she expected to be pulled up by the collar of her tattered flightsuit. The individual stopped in front of her, lifeless.

Jaina sighed. "Do with me what you will," she spat, pouring as much venom into her words as she could.

"Is that a promise?" The tone was one of sarcasm, though Jaina was too happy to notice.

Opening her eyes, a large figure loomed in front of her, cloak enveloping his form. Jaina couldn't see well in the darkness, a fresh wound having just opened up beside her right eye, but she already knew who it was. If the dark, rich voice wasn't enough to make her senses fly off the scale, he was already bending down to carefully fondle her bruised skull. Kyp Durron. Kyp had come to save her. He had been the last person she expected to come after her.

Smiling, she said, "You'll have to get it in writing, Durron."

He almost laughed, but his amusement was subdued when his fingers skipped over the large, infected wound on the back of her head. She hissed in pain, but watched as his brow furrowed in some sort of emotion and his jet black hair fell over his smouldering green eyes.

"They really did the job well, didn't they?" His voice had a calming effect on her. He was the only one who had spoken to her civilly since she was caged in this cell. Kyp's attitude was surprising. He was being almost…human.

Removing his cloak hastily, he wrapped it around Jaina as best he could. She clung to the depleting warmth of the material.

Looking her in the eye, he spoke to her with absolute seriousness. "I'm going to get you out of here, kid. You're in a bad way, though, so I'm going to need to concentrate while I heal you with the Force."

Jaina nodded. Her lips were cracked and broken, but she wet them with whatever saliva she had left. "You can't heal me completely, Kyp," she gasped. "It would take too much strength."

Force knows why she was concerned for his safety. Perhaps it was because he was her only way out of here.

"While your worry for me is touching beyond words, Jaya, I'm going to need you to walk. You're not slacking on this job," he reasoned, touching his heart before using her pet name.

At his words, she felt repulsed. She never slacked on any job. Damn Kyp Durron. He was getting under her skin again, and he was supposed to be playing the part of her saviour. His attitude made her regret the first few words she had used to speak with him. He was pompous and arrogant, and while her capture had nearly killed her, she didn't forget his past transgressions – namely, his treachery and lies.

"Are we going to work together, or are you going to wait for the appearance of your Vong buddies?" Kyp remarked. "The one I took down outside your cell isn't going to stay stiff forever."

Jaina's eyes glistened. "Do it, Durron," she ground out.

"Thank you, my lady."

At that, she gritted her teeth.

Jaina jumped instinctively as one of Kyp's hands came to rest on her bruised left shoulder, and the other one lay flat against her stomach. She almost had the thought to blush. Heat emanating from Kyp's hands rushed through her veins and made her blood pulse faster. Surprised, she sucked in a deep breath, eyes wide and trapped with Kyp's stare. Healing energy from him flowed into her, warming her form from the inside out.

In the pit of her stomach, a fire burnt her insides. Pleasure washed over her as her most serious injuries disappeared from her body. The corners of Kyp's mouth tugged at her reaction, as if she had never been so intimately connected in a healing trance. She sighed, and felt like the weight of an entire world had been lifted off her shivering shoulders.

She blinked, and for a moment, she thought she saw Kyp's eyes shift colour to a fiery red. In that second, she was unable to breath and dizziness swept through her, but in the next, it was all gone.

Carefully, Kyp's hands fell away from her body and to the floor, as he attempted to retain composure. He had exhausted himself in the healing. His chest heaved up and down, and Jaina felt like he was purposely making a show. Without even registering her actions, Jaina placed her hand on his thick hair.

"Where are we, Kyp? Are we underground?" Her words become a husky murmur.

"Yes. This planet is a forest world located far away from New Republic space," he replied.

She removed her hand. "What are you doing here?"

He lifted his head and his eyes met hers. "I made a promise, Jaina."

"Tell me later?" she questioned.

"If we survive, you bet, kid."

Giving her his hand, he helped her rise to her feet, cautiously avoiding the areas which continued to give her pain.

"Don't call me kid, Durron," she scolded.

Kyp grinned. "Whatever you say."

With Kyp's help, Jaina managed to make her way to the entrance of her cell. She didn't bother to look back, or even spare a glance for the gory sight that was the defeated Vong at her feet. For the next few minutes, as Kyp raced her down corridor after corridor, she came across more than a dozen Vong half-skinned by an unknown weapon. If it hadn't been for her background, her stomach would have been in her throat.

She gestured mildly towards the fallen Vong, which only made her side burn even more. "Your handiwork?"

Jaina doubted she would ever forget his simple, eloquent reply. "They were in my way."

Kyp was a dangerous man. Like a rancor in the trapped shell of a peace-loving bantha.

The air soon became fresher to Jaina's nostrils, and she felt like she hadn't breathed good air for years or seen a radiant sunshine at work. It was her only indication that they were close to the surface. However, Jaina pushed that thought away and focused on the fact that they weren't being chased. It was a case of the opposite. Every Vong in the entire base seemed unconscious.

"Kyp." He didn't acknowledge her. "Kyp," she repeated, almost out of breath from her running, "no one is following us."

"Jaina, that's a good thing," he said, sounding mildly irritated.

"No," Jaina exclaimed, stopping immediately. "This is too easy. It's a trap. Two Jedi prisoners are better than one."

Kyp turned around to face her completely. "This base is small, Jaina. It was used as a shelter during the days of the Empire. There aren't many Vong assigned here. They only want to maintain the planet, not colonise it."

"Will you listen to me for one moment?" Jaina's face reddened.

"If it's a trap, we'll deal with it later. My ship is more than a day's walk from here." His grip on her hand tightened. "You just have to trust me."

"That is something I can't do."

In response, he continued to pull her towards the exit.

~~

"Cover your eyes. If you expose them to the sunlight straight away, they'll sting. It will feel like your eye-sockets are being burnt out," Kyp instructed.

Jaina covered her eyes with her hand without protest. She allowed Kyp to whisk her away from the cave-like entrance of the base, all the while wondering when the Force would alert her to the presence of blaster fire.

Jaina used to like forest worlds. Yavin Four, where the Jedi Temple had been established, was a world populated by all kinds of flora and fauna. However, as her legs gave out again and she fell to the ground, rocks harassing her ankles, she scowled. Kyp's reassuring arm was around her waist merely a second later, hauling her back to her feet and wordlessly insisting that she continue. Her bones ached, her legs felt like they were bordering on numbness, and if he hadn't been for his hand, she knew she would have crumpled to the ground and stayed there as long as fate permitted.

It felt like they had at least travelled a kilometre when Kyp finally encouraged her to sit down beside what felt like a solid object. Jaina hesitated, but sat quietly, her chin dropping to her chest.

"It's a log," Kyp informed her. "We've been travelling for half an hour, so if you take it slowly, you can start adjusting your eyes to the sunlight."

She nodded, bringing her left knee up to support her chin while she worked her shoulders to get rid of the kinks. Pain shot down her spine, but she made sure to block it from her mind.

Evidently Kyp sensed the sting her actions caused her. "It's going to take another session of healing until you feel like you can move anything properly. Right now, you're running on adrenalin. It'll catch up with you sooner or later and knock you down."

"I feel like I've been run over by the Falcon already," she answered, exposing her eyes to the light for the quickest second.

"Be prepared for the second round," he warned her, shuffling around their new "campsite".

"How do you know so much about…my eyes, everything?" As soon the question left her lips she regretted it.

He sighed, plopping down beside her. "The mines."

Jaina nodded. For minutes they sat in silence, whilst Jaina's eyes slowly became accustomed to the bombardment of light. It was a difficult task getting used to seeing the sky again, but it was one that she took about joyfully doing. The cell had been the complete opposite of her current surroundings. It had been a tool which the Vong had used to control her and beat her into submission. The prison environment had always felt harsh to her, but lately, she had imagined that the walls were caving in on her day-by-day.

It was frightening how close she had come to death. That was not to say that they would get off this world. Already, Jaina knew that she had a day's walk ahead of her until they were on relatively safe ground. If she had to die, she was glad that she would at least perish with a companion, despite that person being the traitorous Kyp Durron.

"Are we safe here? Won't they send out search parties?"

"Night will be upon us soon. It would be foolish for them to attempt to find us in the dark. They know how good Jedi can hide," Kyp responded.

"We never used to hide," Jaina exchanged, her gaze catching his. A moment of fierce protection for the Jedi Order flooded through them.

"No, Jaina, we did not."

"Desperate times…" Jaina whispered, looking away from him and up towards one of the fluffy, white clouds hanging in the fading blue sky.

"Desperate measures," Kyp echoed, playing with a patch of dirt beside him.

Jaina pursed her lips into a thin line. "What are you really doing here, Kyp? What promise would you make that would make you endanger your own life?"

Kyp chuckled, presumably at some private joke. "Jaina, you know how forceful your father can be. He made everyone promise to get you back. He nearly tore strips off everyone he saw when you didn't return, and then, after two months, he slowly began to accept it. Despite what everyone thinks, I like Han. I couldn't see him accept his daughter's death when I knew it wasn't true."

"How did you locate me?"

He hesitated. "I would prefer not to tell you. I left many carcasses in my wake."

"Then, it's true." Jaina tiredly shifted until she was lying on her side, looking down, refusing to face his inquisitive look.

"What's true?"

"They think I'm dead, don't they?" Jaina had meant for her voice to be stronger, but any intensity in her tone drained away to leave the bruised, frightened girl that was underneath.

"Yeah, some. Others continue to insist you're still alive since they haven't felt your death through the Force," Kyp admitted.

He was being honest with her, at least.

"Kyp, if we're safe here, could you please leave me alone for a while?"

"Goddess, I don't think that's a good idea. You don't know what forms of aggressive wildlife hang around these parts," he argued, though he was already getting to his feet. "Your injuries have made you vulnerable."

"Kyp, what part of me politely asking you to get out of my way don't you understand?" She shouldn't have taken an angry tone with him, but she was near breaking point and didn't want him hanging around to taunt her for all her weaknesses, like she knew he would.

"Fine, fine. If you get eaten by some creature who thinks you'll make a perfect entrée, I won't even look sideways," he retorted with as much sarcasm as he could muster. "But, Jaina Solo, you remember this and remember damn well. Without me, you're not getting off this planet."

"Sithspit! Go and sit over there on that rock if it will soothe that chauvinistic attitude you're sporting!"

"I just might!" True to his word, he did. Jaina huffed and switched the side she was laying so she didn't have to watch him. As she did so, a pain shot through her that made her freeze, tongue between teeth.

Kyp Durron had gotten her so angry that the fierce pain of her injuries was returning. She hated asking him for any help. It brought him such satisfaction that she was sure he would boast to her father until they were both past the ripe old age of sixty. That was partly why she kept silent, not knowing if Kyp had already sensed her discomfort through the Force. She didn't want his hands once again touching her, acting like they knew her. In truth, they knew nothing of her.

She shivered self-consciously, feeling the eyes of a certain male Jedi Master scanning her back. She squeezed her eyelids closed as she felt Kyp's gaze travel down even further. If she'd had her strength, she would have put him straight right then and there, but strangely, she did not even speak. Her eyes glistened over as she lie there as still as she possibly could, calming her breathing.

He must have thought she had fallen asleep because he began to talk to her in a tone Jaina had never heard.

"You know, Jaina, rules were meant to be broken. Same can apply to promises. I don't know why I kept this particular pledge. Force knows you hate me for what I've done," Kyp paused in his musing. "I came here to take you back home. I know that means seeing me again and reminding yourself that I'm this unruly scoundrel, but I share traits with you that no one else you know does. There's no giant distance between you and me in the grand scale of things. If you took the time to realise that, we wouldn't have to spend our time taking a bite out of one another."

Jaina lay on the forest floor for quite some time after that, preventing herself from falling asleep. She fooled herself into thinking it was because of the light shining in her eyes and the pressure on her ribs, but her mind refused to stop running through Kyp's words as if she were reading them like writing on a wall.

~~

Night had fallen by the time Jaina was awoken by the familiar discomfort of a hard surface. Jerking her upper body into a sitting position, she removed the culprit from beneath her: a stray stick. Sighing, she collapsed back onto the dirt, rolling around until she lay on her back looking up at the sparkling stars. For someone who had been imprisoned for two months, she felt remarkably healthy, despite the loss of weight around her ribcage. She assumed that Kyp had initiated another healing trance once she was dosing, which could account for why she had experienced one of the best rest periods she'd had in months. It was probably for the best, but that still didn't dismiss the fact that he had not asked to touch her again. Privacy, Jaina realised, meant a lot to her, especially now. In Vong captivity, there were no such things as modesty. She would have preferred Kyp to act like a gentleman, but even she wasn't a big enough fool to believe that he would transform over a short period.

Thinking about Kyp, Jaina glimpsed out of the corner of her eye to the rock he had previously claimed. He wasn't there. It was just like him to respect her wishes once she was unconscious and not before then.

However, before, when she had faked sleeping, Jaina had almost thought that something had changed within Kyp. Even the slightest snap of a twig could alter the dynamic of the forest. More than likely he was back to his arrogant self, which only made Jaina more curious to see what attitude he harboured beneath his tough exterior. She shouldn't be interested in such things, but then again she was always the rebellious one.

She knew she was avoiding the most important subject on her mind since her escape from the Vong base. Everyone she knew believed she was dead, just like her brother, Anakin. The only difference was they had no evidence of her death, which was neither here nor there. For an instant, she felt like she was off the hook. Her responsibilities had been passed to another. It only took another second for something within Jaina to respond with a slap in the face. Deep down, she sometimes wished that she was a normal, young woman, but wishing was all it was. She was fighting for and defending something bigger than her, bigger than the Jedi Order, and on the same scale as the importance of the entire galaxy. It wasn't something easily forgotten.

A tree rustled behind her and Jaina's body moved with graceful agility, pulling herself to her feet first and then making a grab for the log.

Kyp emerged a second later, looking amused at her defensive stance. "I see you're feeling better," he observed. "I took the opportunity to heal you once more. My healing isn't long-term, but it'll do for the moment. Once we get you back to the base, you'll be in a bacta tank for a few days."

"Thank you," Jaina murmured and attempted to be sincere in her gratitude.

"Here," Kyp said, passing her the handful of ruby red berries in his right palm. "It's not much, but you need nutrition. I tried a few myself with no ill effects."

Jaina played with the berries in her hand before returning to her place beside the log. "I was hungry."

Kyp nodded and assumed a sitting position a few paces opposite her. "I guessed so. You have been asleep for some time."

Jaina's gaze returned to the stars, specifically the pale moon. "The night doesn't look young." Looking Kyp in the eye, she said, "Any trouble from the Vong? You would have woken me up had there been?"

"Yes, of course," he responded, dismissively. "I was careful not to leave you alone for too long. I only travelled to the next clearing, which is barely a good five minutes away."

They sat in silence eating their respective berries, occasionally disposing of the hard sections they could not manage to chew. The berries weren't enough to cease the rumbling of her stomach, but surely Kyp had rations on his ship.

"Are you cold?"

Jaina shook her head, yet unintentionally, she reached for Kyp's cloak, which was lying beside her resting place, to ward off any chills. He smiled faintly.

"I – I wanted to tell you something, Durron. Kyp," she corrected herself quickly, stumbling over the words as if every syllable was hard for her to pronounce. "I didn't think I was going to escape. The Vong had me successfully caged this time."

"What did they want with you?" Kyp interjected, brashly.

"Information - the usual."

Kyp considered this. "After two months, they should have known that any information you provided them would be out of date."

Jaina twisted her lips in a bitter expression. "Exactly. It was only a short time before I had extended my welcome."

"They wouldn't kill you," Kyp insisted, shaking his head. "You're a Jedi twin. Much more valuable as a sacrifice to the gods."

"Look around." Jaina gestured. "We're on a backwater planet. Why wasn't I imprisoned on a World Ship?"

"Too obvious."

"Perhaps." Jaina hesitated before continuing, her face a mask. "You were the last person I expected to rescue me. We don't exactly have a good track record."

Kyp's eyebrows rose, his eyes round and large in the moonlight. "Should I be offended by that?"

"Why do you have to take everything as an insult, Kyp Durron?" Jaina retorted.

"Well, what else am I to expect from you, Jaina?" Kyp had already begun to get to his feet, dusting the grass of his clothes, jaw clenched. Spinning around, he walked to the other side of the clearing.

"There you go again!" Jaina shouted, heatedly. "Brushing me off! Not one for small talk, are you? On the other hand, what was I thinking? You don't care about anyone. You never did. It's all this cleverly disguised façade."

Using the Force, he threw a stray log out of his way, and halted its airborne path by embedding it in the ground. The earth was thrown up around the wood, the layer of grass torn down the middle. His fist clenched until it was a deathly pale white.

"You never think before you speak, do you, Jaina? Are you incapable of doing even that?" Kyp's voice rose until it matched Jaina's level.

"Am…I…incapable?" she repeated very slowly, her tone bordering on screeching. "No, you're the one incapable of caring for anyone but yourself. They call that selfishness, Durron, selfishness."

"Oh," Kyp replied mockingly, shrugging his shoulders. "You would know about that, wouldn't you?"

"Don't even try and turn the tables on me. I know your games," Jaina answered. "Actually, I've been a subject of your games many times."

Raising his hand, he extended his index finger, pointing at her and glaring blaster bolts. "Since you seem to have an answer for everything, you tell me this. Why did I come after you? If I were so selfish, so back-stabbing, so uncaring, why would I save you from those hideous beasts back there?"

"Here's a hint. It wasn't so I could hear the endless drawl of your whining."

Jaina felt his words sting.

"Obviously," she commented, seemingly offhandedly, "this little expedition of yours is going to benefit you somehow. I doubt you're out here because you've decided, for once, that it is the right thing to you." She laughed cynically.

"You doubt the true meaning behind me rescuing you?" Kyp asked, strolling back over to her. "Fine. Doubt this."

In the blink of an eye, he was sitting beside her and pushing her down to lay right under him. The normal Jaina would have had the mind to struggle, but this side of her personality seemed to combat every aggressive movement Kyp made with a gasp of shock. Her eyes widened even further as she felt Kyp's breathing vibrant against her flightsuit, and it was not until Kyp purposely intertwined their legs that she was able to have any say in their latest activity.

However, her body's chosen response was to whimper and almost curl against Kyp's muscular form. Pushing herself further into the dirt, the pressure on her hip became immense as Kyp stopped supporting his crushing weight, and instead, travelled up her body towards her face and lips, all the while rubbing their bodies together in jerky, irregular movements. The coarse texture of his hands caressed her cheek, and to her surprise, he was amazingly gentle. His touch was so swift and delicate that before Jaina knew it, the dishevelled hair blowing across her face was tucked behind her ear and his breathing was rippling across her skin, making her shiver uncontrollably.

His lips were tentative at first, and it was only until Jaina tilted her mouth and encouraged his tongue entry into her mouth by taunting him with her own, that his efforts became exploratory. Enormous amounts of heat rushed through Jaina. She was almost positive that from her cheeks down to the tips of her toes, her skin was a bright red. Within her, she felt the heat return to the pit of her stomach, and each time Kyp moved, she felt the flame burn. Cupping her head with his palm, he nudged his lips against hers in a sensual rhythm that Jaina mindlessly followed. His tongue swirled inside her mouth, brushing against hers in steady strokes at the pace he set. This combination made her head spin. Her lips were so dry that it astonished her how Kyp was able to make this kiss feel so… good.

In need of breath, Kyp ended the kiss as quickly as it had been initiated. Both were reluctant to move. Resting his forehead against hers, his green eyes stared at her and then became distant, as if they were seeing past her flesh. Jaina's lips were puckered from the kiss, and whether it was her imagination or not, she felt like she could still feel the pressure of his lips on hers. She exhaled, and in the silence of the night, it was a booming sound to her ears.

As always, Kyp looked like he was in control, despite the newfound passion dancing in his eyes. Jaina moaned at the weight that was digging her into the ground, but it seemed like that didn't even phase Kyp's stare.

Coolly, he told her, "I care, Jaina."

Kissing her lips lightly for the quickest second, he added, "More than you know."

Soon after, he removed his weight from her and strode back over to his section of the clearing. His appeal to her was painfully clear with every step.

Sitting up, she placed a hand against her chest, feeling her heart beat rapidly. She glanced down at Kyp's cloak, which was still protecting her midsection. In frustration, she threw the material away, its warmth unneeded.

Jaina had all the heat she needed to burn a star for decades.

~~

Jaina felt numb. That was the best word to describe what grew inside her. She wasn't denying the kiss Kyp Durron had given her, but she hadn't quite accepted the reality of what had occurred. She could not grasp nor identify the emotions Kyp had left within her. She didn't even know whether she would welcome another kiss or embrace from the green-eyed Jedi Master. Kyp, like her, also seemed to be focusing on something else.

For the moment, Jaina considered it a better idea to concentrate on their plight. If clear feelings for Kyp Durron emerged, she would deal with them. If he tried anything, she would wipe that lop-sided grin off his face.

She smiled to herself, as she pushed through the forest brush. She ducked every so often to avoid a stray leaf that headed in her direction. Kyp walked ahead of her, cutting the branches with an old-fashioned metal blade. Occasionally, he would whisper a curse.

His effort to clear a path for her gave her time to think. According to Kyp, they could make their way to the ship in half a day if they didn't stop for rest breaks. Out of necessity, Jaina had agreed, despite the angry cramp that was now developing her side. She definitely wasn't as fit as she had been months ago. Perhaps she was wiser, though. The day of her capture had been mixed with an endless number of errors. It was her arrogance and boldness that had lead to her downfall.

At the time, she had been flying with one of the smaller New Republic squadrons on deep space patrol. They had encountered a Vong corvette and several coralskippers. Jaina had irrationally demanded that they engage the enemy before they had time to prepare a defence. It was supposed to be a pre-emptive attack, but it mirrored more of a slaughter. She had been taken along with her wing mate. As far as Jaina remembered, her X-Wing had been damaged beyond repair. Her wing mate, meanwhile, had perished before he was extracted from his vehicle.

Jaina hadn't known E'tel well, but very quickly she had recognised what a good man he was. He had a family on the Bothan homeworld, who probably now continued to mourn their loss. By some trick of fate, she had survived. The Yuuzhan Vong had been gentler with her – if such a thing was possible. The first month of her capture were spent on that corvette in what passed for their brig. Her transfer to this isolated planet had been completely unexpected.

She could easily understand why people had given up on her. In time, maybe she could understand what feelings had driven Kyp to risk his life. Was he right? Did she give him enough credit?

Jaina glanced ahead to watch Kyp kick a rock away from their path. He was breathing hard, slashing and chopping rhythmically every few seconds. The further they walked, the more hurried his pace became.

"Jaina, I can feel your eyes on me," Kyp said tiredly. "What is it?"

"You're tired." It was an unintelligent response.

"We can't stop. I realise your probably ravenous right now. Once we reach the ship, I'll take out my emergency rations."

A few minutes of silent walking stretched by unbelievably slowly.

"You're tired, aren't you?" Kyp's voice was filled with soft concern.

"I think I'm going to need that bacta tank more than I realised," she admitted. "Talk to me to make the time go by."

"I was commissioned with a new ship."

Jaina raised an eyebrow. "Commissioned? Who did you bribe this time?"

"Shipmasters are not employed for their intelligence," Kyp quipped.

"What class?"

"Even you would be impressed," Kyp commented. "Delta class, type 180. It accelerates into hyperspace without throwing you against the back of the seat."

"You're right. I am impressed. It's a good model, known for its manoeuvrability."

"Jaina, you're not piloting us off this rock," Kyp scolded.

"I can fly rings around you," Jaina insisted. "Do you want proof? You should have brought Threepio along to calculate the odds."

"With him as a passenger, I would have been detected even before I entered this system," Kyp quickly responded. "I mean it, you know. You're not piloting. You're exhausted, and with your wounds, you've already done enough."

"I don't see why I should listen to you."

"Stop being obnoxious, Jaina. It's my ship," Kyp told her.

She shrugged slightly. "Captain's choice."

Changing the subject, Jaina said, "Has my brother met anyone special?"

"I don't keep up with the Skywalker family gossip column," he grumbled. "I've seen him with the Queen Mother and Danni Quee."

"Oh." Jaina swiftly added, "He does need someone to lean on."

"People often do," Kyp replied, seeming disinterested. "I learnt that in the mines, a warm body sometimes keep you safer than a damp corner."

"What were the women like in the mines?"

"Most were subservient to a man of higher status." He paused. "They weren't warrior women. They had been through too much to care anymore."

"And you?"

"Did I have relationships with them? Is that what you want to know?"

"Do you think I would truly care if you had?"

"No," Kyp answered finally. "I did not have relationships with them. I might have shared my heat and body with a few, but I was never committed to any one of them. The spice mines orphaned me. I will never forget being alone. It is the lowest feeling, Jaina."

"I have been alone before," Jaina piped up, stubbornly.

"No, you've always known that your family are out there somewhere. I'm talking about knowing that you have no connections."

"Your brother…" Jaina started to say.

Kyp interrupted her by raising his hand. "Zeth became an Imperial. I murdered him like one."

"Blood is blood," Jaina exchanged. "It is a stronger tie than most things."

"I have no one to share that tie with, Jaina." Kyp's voice was more neutral than normal.

"So did my father. He made a life for himself, though."

"Han is a very lucky man," Kyp countered.

They continued walking until the sun was high over their heads, shining down over them with a brilliance that lit the entire landscape. Jaina's eye first caught Kyp's ship through the bushes. Its metallic exterior glimmered, directing a powerful glare into her eyes. She covered her face with her hand, squinting as Kyp calmly typed the entrance code into a keypad beside the door. The door swished open, cold air greeting them suddenly. Kyp ushered her in, but Jaina did not miss the hand that lay faintly on his blaster as his eyes scanned the clearing.

Once inside, Jaina had to admit that the ship's interior was very comfortable. It almost looked like a small cruise liner until her eyes met the doorway to the bridge. At a quick glance, she found a more than suitable co-pilot's seat stationed next to the pilot's chair. The ship wasn't on the scale of a coralskipper, yet it wasn't as compact as a normal NR war cruiser.

Kyp brushed past her. "She's mine, Jaina Solo, so don't go getting any ideas," he told her, cockily.

"What? That means I can't ram her into the nearest worldship?" Jaina replied sarcastically.

Jaina was rewarded with a glare.

"There's the mess." He pointed to the first left down in the corridor.

Jaina nodded and went to search for the previously mentioned rations. She located her prey in one of the cabinets. The food sachets had been randomly shoved into the small storage space with no regard for order or organisation. In a manner which would have ashamed her mother, she ripped the food packets open and practically devoured the freeze-dried meals. They weren't much for flavour, though they never left a soar taste in her mouth. The liquid she gulped down, on the other hand, was tangy. It took her a moment to realise what exactly she was drinking before she became repulsed. Bothan Enowan juice was not for the faint-hearted, or for those with a thin stomach-lining. She threw the container aside, and continued looking for something that at least resembled water.

Jaina was interrupted by the sound of the twin engines engaging. Jaina braced herself against the counter top, knowing that gaining altitude was difficult for any ship. She silently waited until they levelled off, which indicated they had been released from the planet's gravity field. That sign never came. Instead, something impacted against the ship's hull.

"Jaina, get up here," Kyp boomed over the intercom. "We've got trouble."

The ship swayed and twisted trying to presumably avoid the fire originating from their attackers. Several times before Jaina reached the cockpit, she was thrown against a wall. Eventually, she stumbled into the copilot's chair, groaning loudly as her side hit the dashboard.

Clutching her hip, Jaina managed to form a sentence. "What have we got?"

"An ambush, it seems," Kyp said. "Damn Vong fight dirty."

"They fight like Vong. What's your point?" Jaina's fingers flew across the control board, immediately assessing the situation. With half a dozen coralskippers on their tail, escaping could prove to be a problem.

"Give me control of the helm. I'll lose them," Jaina demanded. "You take the weapons."

"You're not fit to pilot."

"You want to fight or you want to die?" Jaina stared at him seriously. "Don't argue with me!"

Kyp growled obstinately. However, without protest, he switched chairs with Jaina, allowing her to gain control of the helm and force his ship into a roll. Jaina's stomach flipped and dizziness swept over her, blurring her vision. She blinked repeatedly and sat up straighter, ignoring the strain on every single muscle in her body.

She then noticed that her reflexes were slower and that her grip on the controls was loose, almost non-existent. Her eyelids felt heavy as she felt exhaustion overtake her body. Kyp didn't seem to notice the way she struggled to keep awake, or for that matter, how much energy it took for her to move the joystick back and forth to dodge the plasma fire. Months of malnutrition had made her bones weaker, coupled with the fact that her injuries had reduced her to a broken, flimsy doll. The adrenaline had stopped pumping and she felt like she could collapse.

Inhaling a breath, Jaina focused on the energy within her – the mystical energy that was the Force. She knew she did not have enough strength to maintain a deep connection to the Force, but she tried to draw on as many strands of energy as she could. In the back of her mind's eye, her hand tightened around the joystick and the pressure on her lungs and joints receded somewhat.

"Kyp, eliminate one or two. Give me the chance to break through the atmosphere of this planet," she gasped, near breathless. Her eyes continued to remain on the view screen in front of her.

Kyp complied with her orders. His hands gripped the controls of the many small gun turrets on the exterior of the vessel. Jerking the controls, his fingers pressed the fire button repeatedly, causing red wildfire to emanate from the vessel and collide with the forefront coralskipper. Kyp repeated his actions, this time clutching the controls even stronger than before until his knuckles turned a shadowy white. His second round of fire destroyed the damaged 'skipper. However, his intended second target refused to fall the same way.

Increasing its speed, the 'skipper began to loop wildly, sending spirals of plasma fire careening into the port shields. Jaina grunted, straining to feel the Force within her, and responded by cutting the engines to half-speed. At its rapid acceleration, the coralskipper swept over their heads in a battle run. Kyp targeted the craft, bursting the fighter into orange-red flames. Whatever was left of the coralskipper soared in a dive towards the planet's surface.

"The Vong are juvenile flyers," Jaina muttered. "They always fall for the same old trick."

Jaina kicked in the engines suddenly. Her eyes bulged as she was thrown back in the seat, her chest aching wickedly. The Force pumped within her and she clutched to it desperately, afraid that she would soon black-out. Kyp's ship strained as Jaina forced it free of the planet's atmosphere at maximum velocity. Despite the loss of two, the remaining coralskippers still followed.

"Prepare to jump to hyperspace," Jaina commanded.

"Are you intent on destroying my ship? Jumping to hyperspace now so close to this world's asteroid belt will tear apart the engines!"

Jaina eyed him with a mischievous smirk. "What happened to the Kyp Durron who took risks?"

"He retreated once I put you in the pilot seat."

"Kyp, just do it. We're too bulky in comparison to the coralskippers. They will reach us if we don't jump to hyperspace."

Jaina knew she was correct. Kyp thought it over for a second, scowled, and initiated the hyper drive. It took a few moments for the drive to kick in. Smoothly, the ship entered hyperspace, the stars soaring past them in a dazzling array.

Jaina grinned, and fell back against the chair, exhausted. Kyp's scent permeated the fabric of the pilot's seat. Obviously, he must have spent many long hours keeping a vigil over the controls of his ship. Jaina admitted that she loved testing crafts to their limits, especially those belonging to the overprotective Jedi Masters and scoundrels. Men were obsessed with their ships.

Involuntarily, her eyelids closed and she began to drift off.

Kyp looked towards her once he had finished checking the readouts. He sighed and shook her shoulder gently. "You should at least rest. I'll lend you my cabin. Once I've finished here, I'll come back there and tend to your wounds with the emergency medical supplies."

"No, I want to stay here," Jaina protested. "Back there, I once again felt sparks run through my veins."

"You'll be feeling nothing if I don't force you to rest before they dunk you in the sithspawn bacta tank."

Opening her eyes, Jaina drew on the last of her energy to lift herself from the chair. Tiredly, she stumbled to the threshold of the cockpit, her hands leaning on the dashboard and walls. She almost collapsed when she passed Kyp's chair, but his hands were around her in an instant, supporting her. Glancing at him, her brow furred.

"Kyp," she addressed him. His green eyes focused on her. "It's strange. I don't usually feel the heat within me when I'm just flying."

Without even clarifying what she meant, she wrapped her arms around Kyp's right bicep. Her feet were useless, and she dangled off him. Regardless of her uncomfortable position, she was unconscious before they even left the cockpit, leaving a very confused Kyp Durron to drag her through the ship.

~~

They arrived at the New Republic's main base less than a week later. Kyp's ship, The Dauntless, was able to dock almost immediately after receiving word of the crew it carried. Despite Jaina's tender injuries, which were still in need of further treatment, she was the first one to depart as soon as the docking clamps were in place.

Leia, Han, Jacen, Luke, Mara, and little baby Ben stood assembled in front of the dock in a tight semi-circle. Kyp leaned against the junction between his ship and the dock, watching the group silently. Jaina approached them, and Kyp could almost sense the hesitation in her step. Han was the first one to come forward, embracing his daughter tightly and picking her up off the ground. Jaina laughed. The sound barely reached Kyp's ears. Kyp noticed Jaina wince as Han lowered her to the ground, which prompted further explanation on her part about her treatment during her capture.

Next, Jaina embraced Leia, who was, by this time, shedding more than a tear or two. Similarly, Jaina's reunion with her brother continued in the same manner. Kyp could hear Leia sprouting off questions about Jaina's weight, the thinness of her face, and her very predominant cheekbones among other things. Kyp turned away to re-enter The Dauntless just as Jaina's eyes widened at Ben's latest growth spurt.

Behind him, he faintly heard a voice call him. Surprised, Kyp spun back around to face a fast approaching Han, who was followed by Jaina.

Han's next comment caught him unaware. "Kid, thank you for saving my daughter."

Han yet again surprised Kyp by clasping a hand on his back and drawing him into a sloppy embrace. Slapping Kyp's cheek good-naturedly, he grinned. "You're all right in my book, kid."

"Thanks, Han," Kyp responded, nearly speechless.

Jaina stepped out from behind Han. Oblivious to her father, her eyes met Kyp's for a moment. In Jaina's clear eyes, he saw gratitude combined with a hint of…mystery.

Jaina smiled at him. A true, gracious smile.

"I like your ship," she commented teasingly.

"I like it, too," Kyp replied. "She'll miss having a good pilot fly her, though."

"I'll come by and baby-sit."

Pursing her lips, Jaina added, "Thank you for saving my life, Kyp, at the risk of yours."

He nodded in response.

Han gently placed an arm around the waist of his only daughter and the two left to rejoin the Skywalker/Solo clan. Kyp, on the other hand, returned to his ship, or more specifically, the captain's chair.

He knew he would be seeing more of the bright-eyed Jaina Solo.

~~

[Fin]



Next up: Part II – Just Following Orders

Summary: Luke Skywalker asks Kyp to fly into the Unknown Regions with Jaina in a search to find a woman who knows the weakness of the Vong, and who has a weapon that could destroy them. However, the gifts this woman possesses are yet to be revealed.