Disclaimer: I swear on a stack of UXM comics, I DO NOT own X-Men

Uhm . . .

Oops. Wrong fic . . . Lesse . . . Ah! I don't own Star Wars! (bad luck, that)

Chapter IV: The Rock Dragon

"Uldir – you're out of your mind, you do know that, right?" Zekk asked the other man.

"Rather, I'm sharing my mind. Anakin's been being annoying. Tenel Ka, are you sure you want to bring the Rock Dragon? We're not going the best of places."

The Dathomirian woman shot Uldir a look that could kill. Her orange-red hair was pulled back by a red headband, and she was also wearing a red armband. In mourning, red stood for blood. "The Rock Dragon can take care of herself. If you are not lying to us, any risk is more than worth it to have Jacen – and Jaina and Anakin – back."

"Um – " a perky young brunette Jedi trainee looked up from between Tenel Ka and Lowie. "Why isn't Tahiri coming?"

Uldir bit his lip and heard Anakin curse. "Tahiri thinks she's eleven, Sannah. Besides, would she go anywhere without Anakin?"

Wryly, the Melodie shook her head. "No."

Tenel Ka and Uldir flipped switches as they powered up the Rock Dragon, her in the piolets chair and he in to co-piolets. He knew very well, however, that someone else would be sitting in his seat in a few days.

*

The trip was a long one, even at hyperspeed, and Uldir was afraid he'd put in the wrong coordinates. The four anxious Jedi were no help; he eventually retreated entirely to the cockpit and let them sort out things for themselves. Even Anakin wasn't any help, as he'd left Uldir to contact the Jedi Masters who were trying to arrange things in their favor.

"How much longer until we get wherever you're taking us?"

The human sighed, and turned his chair to face the young Melody. "Well, according to the coordinates, probably another twenty standard hours or so. I'm not even certain where we're coming out – if Anakin were here I could ask him but he's left for the moment, which leaves me clueless."

"Thanks anyway," Sannah shrugged. Lowie had promised to teach her the next stage in her lightsaber training. Now, if only I can find him . . .

She poked her head into the large, circular center of the Rock Dragon, which was fondly termed the 'lounge', because that's exactly what they did there: lounge. Several couches and big chairs lines the walls, and a thick, soft rug with the symbol of the Royal House of Hapes woven in the center, and bordered with a repeating pattern of the charge of Tenel Ka's family on Dathomir. She spotted Zekk sunk up to his elbows in one of the couches. "Zekk, have you seen Lowie? He promised – "

The man chuckled as he looked up from the cavernous couch. "I think he's hiding from you. Em Teedee's never been the best at explaining Force matters from Wookiee to Basic, and he's only just realized you don't know Wookiee."

Sannah shrugged. "I don't see why that should matter. If he understands Basic, we ought to be alright. I am already bilingual, you know."

Zekk sighed. "Yeah, I remember. It's so hard to tell you're not human."

"In about three years it will be really, really obvious. I grow a tail, fins and gills." she allowed herself a slightly smirk at the expression on Zekks face.

"You metamorphose? I didn't know there were any humanoids who did that!"

"Two do, Melodies and Codru-Ji. Melodies have three stages: egg, child, and elder. Elders inhabit the pools that riddle the mountains of Yavin 8. I – I kind of hope that I can survive somewhere else, though," Sannah sank into one of the huge chairs, letting the pillowesque cushions swallow her small form.

"Hmm?" Zekk's head reappeared from where it had been buried in the couch. "Why?"

She sighed. "Yavin 4 was taken by the Vong – how long do you think it'll be before they realize another moon bears life? My people are being quiet, hoping to stay hidden, but it's only a matter of time. And I'd hate to see what they could come up with if given the predators on my world." Sannah shuddered.

"What would you do if your changing came, and Yavin 8 had been taken by the Vong?" he wondered.

The trainee became slightly glaze-eyed. "I'd probably end up in a tank on the Errant Venture, although I likely wouldn't make it through the changing itself. We require a certain type of algae to breath through while we change, and put ourselves in the path of danger to use it, as it only grows in one open pool on the side of the mountains."

The human pushed himself up on his elbows and stared at the younger Jedi. "So you'd die if you couldn't get back to Yavin 8?!"

"Probably. I'm . . . not sure, though. Something else could be substituted, to breath with, but it might affect the change . . . Why am I worrying about this?!" she demanded suddenly. "It's years away, and the Vong could be gone by then." She shook her head, determined to snap herself out of the depression she'd almost fallen into. "Besides; we're trying to bring Anakin back, not solve the Vong war."

Zekk sank back into the cushions. "Have you talked to Master Skywalker?"

"No. Like I said, it's a few years away. Anyway," Sannah did an abrupt subject change, from her to him. "I know you, Lowie and Tenel Ka are here mostly for Jacen and Jaina, but why? How'd you meet the Solo twins?"

He laughed. "That's a looong story."

"We have a heck of a lot of time."