Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and
owned by Lucasfilm, Ltd. No money is being made and no infringement is
intended
Author's note: MaraJadeJediMaster: Thank you very much. I wondered for a long time what it would be like if Callista came back so I finally decided to write it for myself.
Jedimaster-jaina-solo: Thank you.
Robin: Yeah for some reason I have lots of people telling me Callista's evil. *Author scratches her head, smiles evily and wonders why*
Mara Jade Skywalker looked into blue eyes that seemed to hold both wisdom and innocence. She was reminded forcefully of her husband. Ben might have her pale coloring and reddish hair, but he had definitely inherited his father's eyes. And right now he was eyeing her steadily, seeming to study her even as she watched him and took in every detail about him, to be carefully stored in her memory and examined later when she couldn't be with him. He smiled sweetly up at her and reached for her hand with the clumsiness of a child. Mara felt her hear melt as she picked up her son and easily conceded to defeat. Her son well and truly had her wrapped around his chubby little finger and she knew it. It wasn't the life she had envisioned for herself as a teenager, at least when she had bothered to waste time on dreams. She didn't care though, this life was better than anything she could have imagined and was certainly nothing the Emperor would have ever taught her about.
She shook her head, dispelling those thoughts and padded towards the kitchen o bare feet, to find something for Ben's breakfast. His patience and good nature would only last so long in the face of hunger. AS she walked past her couch she stopped and rocked back on her feet. Her niece lay sprawled on her couch, sleeping soundly. She must have snuck in during the night. That thought gave Mara a moments pause. She hadn't heard Jaina come in and in the long run that could be a very dangerous habit to get into.
Mara took a moment to study her niece. Even in her sleep, Jain had a happy smile on her face and she looked younger than she had seemed in years. Jaina had spent the previous day ensuring that Mara had some private time with her son and she was grateful for that. Still she wondered why Jaina was sleeping on her couch.
"Jaina," she said softly, trying to ease her niece out of her slumber. Jaina had, had far too many rude awakenings in her life, awakened by hurried shouts or screaming alarms and after all she was on a vacation of sorts.
Jaina shifted on the couch and slowly opened her eyes. As she grew more awake the smile on her face grew to contagious proportions. "Aunt Mara," she mumbled, still groggy from sleep. If possible her smile grew even wider as she saw Ben.
"Hey there, big guy," she drawled with a heavy fake Corellian accent.
Ben giggled at his silly cousin and to the surprise of both women stuck his arms out towards Jaina. She shot a questioning look at Mara and relaxed at her easy smile. She wouldn't have blamed her aunt if she had wanted to keep Ben to herself. Jaina stood and picked him up carefully, holding him slightly awkwardly for a moment, but then relaxing.
She easily returned his curious stare and reached out to him through the force. He reached back almost instinctively and his mental strength sent her gaze flicking back to Mara. "He's incredibly powerful," she said softly, "Like Anakin," she added.
Jaina kissed Ben on the forehead and handed him back to his mother. At such a young age, Ben would be very sensitive to the emotions around him and Jaina didn't want him to feel her incredible sadness. She could barely handle it herself.
Mara, sensing Jaina's swift change of mood, reached a hand out to her niece's shoulder, "Jaina," she said quietly. She looked up at Mara, her eyes wild, filled with almost panic. She couldn't take anymore sympathy or pity, especially not from Mara. "Come get some breakfast," was all Mara said and Jaina nodded gratefully.
Mara busied herself in the kitchen, looking for fruit and milk for Ben and something that she couldn't burn for Jaina. "Was the couch comfy?" Mara asked not upset in the slightest that Jaina had commandeered her couch for the night.
Jaina shrugged with slight unease, "I was assigned to share quarters with some of the trainees. Most of the started at the Academy after I left there and to most of them I'm a Jedi Knight, not of them. I made most of them uneasy and several of them were actually scared of me." She paused and the said harshly with more anger and whine than she had intended to put into her voice, "I wish Uncle Luke had never named the Sword of the Jedi," she snapped. "Why did he do it Mara?"
"Because he had to, Jaina" she said quietly, forcing Jaina to calm down and listen. "It had to be one of you three." She sighed, "Even if Anakin had lived, it still would have been you." She looked very serious, "Luke's been having visions that he won't share with me, but I know it had to be you. You don't have a choice in the matter."
For a moment, Mara actually thought, Jaina was going to really whine about what she had said, but then she answered and proved that she had been the right choice.
"I know," Jaina said, with none of her former anger, only a sense of weighty, overwhelming responsibility that she couldn't escape.
With another sudden change of mood, Jaina plucked her food off of the heating unit, sparing it from a blackened end at the last moment. She shot a grin at Mara and said with teasing formality, "Your teachings have failed again, Master."
Mara groaned, but with little real dread. Jaina's mood had improved and that was good. Besides she was more than used to the fact that Jaina was not the perfectly behaved apprentice. The number of times she had been woken in the early hours of the morning to hear about Jaina's latest mischief or newest bout of rule breaking..Still she wouldn't have it any other way. She was Mara Jade and she wouldn't have wanted an apprentice who always obeyed the rules.
"What happened this time?"
"Kam caught me kissing in the halls after the curfew."
Mara laughed, "So that's what that smile was for," she said as if that explained it all, which really it did.
Jaina blushed slightly and Mara's grin grew wider, "Just thought I'd warn you. I thought Kam might say something," she mumbled.
Mara exchanged a mischievous grin with her son and handed him a small piece fruit to chew on. "So what exactly is going on between you and Fel these days?" Mara asked bluntly.
Even as she flushed, Jaina smiled. "I'm not sure. We've been spending a lot of time together lately, even outside squadron hours. We even went on an actual date back on Mon Calamari." Her mood darkened with anger as she thought about how that had ended, but didn't say anything. She didn't feel like bringing Callista into this discussion and ruining the whole conversation. Instead, she refocused her thoughts on Jag. It wasn't hard, not hard at all.
"Mara," she said seriously, hoping that this wouldn't sound foolish. There was no one else she would want to have this conversation with. Mara would understand. "Mara, I think I love him."
Mara stopped teasing and straightened up. "So you are serious. I thought so." She shook her head, "Have the two of you talked about this Jaina? I'm not trying to discourage you from this. I actually think Jag is good for you, but you have to admit, if you and Jag are serious there are several fairly large complications."
Jaina crossed her arms in front of her chest for a moment, and Mara thought she was going to react defensively. Instead, she looked up to meet Mara's eyes, "I know," she replied seriously, "I've thought about it." She smiled, "But it's worth it. Besides Mome and Dad, and you and Uncle Luke always taught me to never quit or give up. Why start now?"
Mara smiled. For a moment, Jaina had sounded older almost like Leia. That last statement was more like the Jaina she knew. "Good," she said, "I really do think you and Jag would make a good couple."
Jaina smiled, "Thanks." She looked over at Ben, who had started babbling, tired of not having people pay attention to him. Jaina smirked, "Just think about when Ben's a teenager. He'll probably have half of the girls in the galaxy chasing after him."
Mara grimaced, "You're probably right," she picked him up off of the where he had been sitting, "Of course, he'll probably be like his father and totally oblivious."
Jaina laughed and started to reply, but was interrupted as the chime announcing people outside of Mara's quarters rang. Jaina thought Mara was going to growl at the intrusion. "Here," she said handing Ben to Jaina. "Hold him for a moment, for me. I'll go see what this is about.
She followed Mara out, but stopped out of sight of whoever was demanding Mara's attention.
"Master Jade," asked a voice Jaina didn't recognize, "Lady Callista sent me to ask if you knew where Jedi Solo was and to tell you," the owner of the young voice stumbled over the words, clearly not wanting to tell, Mara Jade Skywalker anything even if they were just relaying a message, "that you and Jedi Solo were expected at her morning classes."
Without even reaching out to the force, Jaina felt Mara's wave of anger and the child's burst of apprehension. She debated on whether or not to step out and let the trainee see her, but in the end, stepped out anyway. "Thank you for relaying that," she said casually while Mara seethed. She handed Ben back to his mother, hoping that holding him would calm her down.
She checked her chrono quickly to see what the child would normally be doing now. "Why don't you head back to the mess, you can probably catch another quick snack before classes start."
She could almost see his sigh of relief, "Thanks," he said quickly.
Jaina watched as he started to dart away and then slowed back to a walk as he seemed to remember all of those lectures on Jedi calm.
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Jaina didn't even try to hold back her scowl of anger any longer once he was gone. She slammed the palm of her hand into the control that shut the door. "What in the Sith does she think she's doing, trying to check up on me," she exploded, her previous pretense of a good mood gone with their only observer. "I'm here as part of the military and not a Jedi. She doesn't have any authority to order me around."
"Jaina," Mara snapped, her tone of voice all that was necessary to break Jaina's tirade. She could see Jaina struggling to push her fury away, but she nodded nevertheless to let her know that she was okay. "Callista technically can't tell us what to do, but it would be good if we could learn what she's teaching. Also," she added, moving around the room, gathering up the things Ben would need, "I want to keep an eye on her."
Jaina nodded and looked around. She grabbed her blaster and lightsaber off of a high shelf where she had laid them the night before. "I want to check on my squadron. I'll see you there."
Mara nodded and watched as Jaina started towards the door, "Jaina," she said sharply as her niece started to step out. She paused in the doorway. "I know Callista is an annoyance, but be careful. Don't make the mistake of underestimating her."
Jaina nodded and slipped out. Quickly she stepped out checked on all of her pilots except for Jag. Most of them had ended up relaxing or spending more time flying simulations. It was nothing she needed to worry about for the moment. She saved Jag for last.
Like most pilots he tended to catch sleep whenever he could, but when he knew he could sleep on a regular basis, he often kept earlier hours than most pilots. So she didn't mind knocking on the door to his quarters at that early hour. He would usually have already been awake.
She wasn't expecting him to open the door with bleary, half-closed eyes and tousled hair. "Jaina," he mumbled sleepily, "Are we going up?" he asked automatically. It was every pilot's worst fear, to miss the alarm calling them to their post.
"No," she reassured him hastily, "I just wanted to see you before I headed to class." Suddenly Jaina felt fourteen again, like she was going to ask Zekk to help her with some mechanical problem after class. It wasn't a mental comparison that she relished. This was different, special. "I though I could show you more of the Academy later, while you could actually see if. You could see the more normal side of the Jedi. That is if you're interested," she added hastily.
Jag smiled slightly and she relaxed. "Yeah," he said quietly, 'that would be interesting."
She could see the exhaustion in his eyes so when he leaned forward and kissed her briefly pulling away after only a moment, she wasn't offended. "I'll be back later," she added somewhat unnecessarily before she turned away. The memory of even that brief conversation with Jag and their brief kiss was enough to distract Jaina, at least temporarily from the upcoming class.
She noticed all of the young Jedi trainees lined up in the hallway outside the door. Apparently it still wasn't cool to be in the classroom before the exact moment that class started. Jaina considered joining them for a moment. Her Jag induced moment of distraction not withstanding, she still wasn't enthusiastic about this. In the end she discarded that thought, knowing that most of the kids would be uncomfortable with her presence and walked in. She surveyed the room and her mood improved slightly when she saw that only Tionne and not Callista was there, yet.
Her smile grew as she walked towards Tionne. She stopped a few feet away from the lyrical Jedi Master and bowed respectfully. "Master Tionne," she said calmly.
The Jedi Master best known for her patience looked at her former student fondly and then stepped forward and hugged her. "Jaina," she returned the greeting, "It's good to have you back here."
Jaina smiled. Mara might have been her Jedi Master, but Tionne had taught the basics of the force to most of the new students and Jaina had always been fond of her. "Even if I am one of your mischief making former students?"
Tionne laughed and her eyes took on a knowing look. "Oh, yes, Kam told me about last night's incident."
Jaina was saved from having to respond as Callista swept in. She smiled brightly at Jaina and Tionne as the kids trailed in behind her. Jaina used the confusion of the rush for seats, to slink to the back of the room where she would be the least noticeable and leaned against the wall. She watched Callista's movements carefully and opened herself to the force. The concentration of all of the force sensitives in the room had it's own unique effect on the force.
Jaina sensed Mara come in at the same time, she saw her enter. Mara joined her niece against the wall.
"Anything I should know about?"
Jaina shook her head. "They haven't started, yet." They grew silent as Callista cleared her throat and the trainees turned their attention to their newest teacher. "Hello, my name is Lady Callista. I have an ability to sense the Yuuzhan Vong through the force and I'm going to show you how to do the same thing."
Jaina tried to stifle the urge to roll her eyes. At this rate, this lesson was going to last forever. She had forgotten how dull classes could be. Callista began with several lectures on the philosophy of the force and how what she had done was possible. It was all a matter of perspective, a different point of view and all of that. By the end of the class Callista seemed to have conveyed the theory of what she had concluded about her unusual talent and for the moment, somewhat appeased Mara. There was nothing in this class so far that could be of any danger, unless of course, mind numbing boredom was counted. A riveting speaker Callista was not!
Jaina lingered in the back for a moment with Mara, as she waited for Callista to walk out. She had been thinking during class about when they would attempt to turn this theory into practice. Obviously they would need something of Vong origin to practice with, but a real Vong warrior was out of the question.
They were too dangerous and it wouldn't be practical to keep one secured on Shelter. In fact, it would be a liability if the warrior ever managed to escape. He could bring the entire Vong fleet directly to the Jedi children. She couldn't even really think of any Vong object that she was familiar with that didn't hold some element of danger. She wanted to know what Callista had planned.
As the woman in question walked towards them, smiling cheerfully, Jaina stepped forward before Callista could steer the conversation in her own direction. "Callista," she said with as much neutrality as she could manage. It was had after everything the woman had said and done to her to be polite. "You'll need to use some Vong artifact for the trainess to try to sense. Have you thought about what you'll use?"
Callista shot Jaina an almost patronizing smile and the younger Jedi had to resist the temptation to throw up, simply on principle. "Of course, Jaina. I mentioned it to Luke before I left. He assured me that he would try to have the Jedi or someone else to find something we can use."
Jaina couldn't resist glancing discreetly over at Mara as this was said and found as she had half expected, Mara looking darkly at Callista. "Jain and I and whoever else I feel necessary will have to check whatever it is over first, Callista," Mara stated firmly. "My first priority is the safety of the children.'
Callista seemed to falter for a split second, but then said sweetly. "Whatever you think best, Master Jade. I wouldn't think of disturbing anything you wanted as far as security goes." She smiled easily, but anyone could see the tine of a poisonous glare in her eyes. "I didn't even think of checking them, I just assumed that if Luke thought they were safe..."She trailed off, not out of nervousness or hesitation, but confident that she had dropped al of the proper allusions to eat away at Mara.
Jaina for her part felt like taking a large step back from the confrontation. What Callista was doing, attempting to challenge Mara for Luke's affections, was not only impossible, but also very likely to explode in her face. In some ways the planet vaporizing powers were nothing compared to the temper of Mara Jade Skywalker when she or her family were being threatened. Jaina was surprised when Mara's reply came back in a cool steady voice, not even bothering to take Callista's obvious bait.
"I'm sure Luke wouldn't mind me taking a second look, especially when it's the safety of the next generation of the Jedi at stake." Mara's chin rose in a defiant challenge, daring Callisat to counter that. The escalating conversation was stopped easily, by Tionne's approach. The serene and well respected Jedi teacher drew Callista away, ending the scene before it could grow into a true confrontation.
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Jagged Fel paced the floor in his quarters irritably. He had stayed up late with Jaina, the night before, walking the darkened halls with her and stealing a few kisses here and there. After his first teasing question and the priceless look on Jaina's face, he had continued to tease her until Jaina had been halfway between flustered, shocked and furious. Of course, that had forced him to silence her with another kiss not that either of them really minded. They hadn't been caught or been interrupted that time and it had ended up being the early hours of the morning before he had walked Jaina back to her temporary quarters. When he had gotten back to his own quarters and fallen in to his bunk, he had been too caught up in a state of Jaina fog to fall immediately asleep.
That was why he had still been sleeping when Jaina had knocked on his door earlier that day. It was nice though, he mused, to fall asleep thinking about Jaina and then be woken up by her the next morning. He hadn't bother to attempt falling back to sleep after she left and instead, he had flicked on his waiting messages as he walked about his temporary quarters, taking his time getting ready for the day. The first two messages were from his sisters. As usual Wyn was happy and eager to talk to him, although he couldn't immediately respond. There was something different in her eyes though, it was a sadness that Jag hated to see in the eyes of his favorite sister.
The next message was from his other sister Cem. Cem was much more like him than Wyn. She was as serious as Wyn was carefree and this time her worry for Jag showed clearly through.
"Things are getting rough here at home, Jagged," she said seriously. "All of the classes, especially the military ones are getting pushed into advanced stages ahead of time." She shook her head, "Something's going on Jag, I don't know what it is, but you need to come home." She sighed, "As much as I hate to say this and as much as Dad would never admit it. He needs you to come home, Mom, too. They're trying to shield Wyn from this as much as they can but you know they really can't." She sighed again and glanced behind her as if checking for eavesdroppers. "Listen Jag, I don't know why you've been staying with the Galactic Alliance, but I trust that you have a good reason, but you have to come how now. There are things I can't tell you in a holomessage, you know that." She smiled at him without any real happiness, "Take care of yourself Jagged, and please..come home soon."
He stopped his last message from playing and sat down abruptly on his bunk. He and Cem were the two oldest of the remaining three Fel children. They loved one another as siblings did, but they had never been especially close. Cem had always been closer to Davin and on occasion Cherith. If she was almost begging him for something like this, then clearly something was wrong. Everything she had said pointed to that.
It was a plea he wouldn't ignore, but he would consider his options rationally first before he made any hurried decisions. He had duties to the Galactic Alliance as well. The Chiss command had slowly over the months been sending him more and more forceful request that had turned into harsher and harsher orders to return home. Normally Jag wouldn't have ignored his orders, but at those moments he hadn't wanted to leave Jaina.
There were other things to consider now, though. He knew that if he delayed returning to the folds of the Chiss too much longer he would be branded an outcast, a traitor to the empire that had taken him in and raised him as one of its own. Still he wasn't certain that if he returned to his home now, if he would ever see Jaina again and that, that alone, was what was making his decision so diffucult.
A click drew him out of his thoughts as the pause on his holoplayer ended after a preset amount of time and automatically began to play again. His father's deep harsh voice cut through the air and even his hollow, miniaturized image seemed to dominate the room.
"Colonel Fel, I'm going to pretend for the moment that I actually believe that you haven't received all the messages I've been sending you for weeks now. I've issued you orders and given you warnings, all of which you've ignored until now. But listen to this. Come. Home. Now." The older man glared darkly towards his son. "This is you final warning, Jagged and I'm speaking now as your commanding officer not your father. Ignore this and face the consequences." For the first time in the one sided conversation he faltered and seemed to lose some of his commanding presence. "Jagged think about the consequences here. You know that if you continue to ignore your orders, you will no longer be welcome in Chiss space." He let the words hang there and for the first time in his life, Jag heard his father plead. "Please think about your mother, Jag. She's already lost two children. Don't do this to her again. Obey your orders and come home, son. We need you here, now."
There was a click as the machine flicked off and then the room was filled with deafening silence. He rose and flicked the holoplayer off. His sister's message had started him thinking and his father's had only confirmed the seriousness of the situation. He would have to do something about this. He needed to make a decision and soon.
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Callista smiled. It was a real smile, not the fake one that she had been showing Tionne the day before. Her plan was going well. That would please her Masters. Just as she had predicted, the Jedi students already liked her and trusted her as a teacher. It was one fatal flaw in Luke's teaching. He taught his students to place absolute faith in their teachers ability to keep them safe and protected. It was that very trait that was making things so much easier for her now. Having their trust would make everything else easier and it would give her a plausible excuse to spend more time around the area where the young students, including Ben Skywalker would be. It would only be a matter of time now before she succeeded and received her reward from her Vong Masters.
Please be kind enough to click on that button and leave a review, even if it is just to tell the author that she's not very nice.
Author's note: MaraJadeJediMaster: Thank you very much. I wondered for a long time what it would be like if Callista came back so I finally decided to write it for myself.
Jedimaster-jaina-solo: Thank you.
Robin: Yeah for some reason I have lots of people telling me Callista's evil. *Author scratches her head, smiles evily and wonders why*
Mara Jade Skywalker looked into blue eyes that seemed to hold both wisdom and innocence. She was reminded forcefully of her husband. Ben might have her pale coloring and reddish hair, but he had definitely inherited his father's eyes. And right now he was eyeing her steadily, seeming to study her even as she watched him and took in every detail about him, to be carefully stored in her memory and examined later when she couldn't be with him. He smiled sweetly up at her and reached for her hand with the clumsiness of a child. Mara felt her hear melt as she picked up her son and easily conceded to defeat. Her son well and truly had her wrapped around his chubby little finger and she knew it. It wasn't the life she had envisioned for herself as a teenager, at least when she had bothered to waste time on dreams. She didn't care though, this life was better than anything she could have imagined and was certainly nothing the Emperor would have ever taught her about.
She shook her head, dispelling those thoughts and padded towards the kitchen o bare feet, to find something for Ben's breakfast. His patience and good nature would only last so long in the face of hunger. AS she walked past her couch she stopped and rocked back on her feet. Her niece lay sprawled on her couch, sleeping soundly. She must have snuck in during the night. That thought gave Mara a moments pause. She hadn't heard Jaina come in and in the long run that could be a very dangerous habit to get into.
Mara took a moment to study her niece. Even in her sleep, Jain had a happy smile on her face and she looked younger than she had seemed in years. Jaina had spent the previous day ensuring that Mara had some private time with her son and she was grateful for that. Still she wondered why Jaina was sleeping on her couch.
"Jaina," she said softly, trying to ease her niece out of her slumber. Jaina had, had far too many rude awakenings in her life, awakened by hurried shouts or screaming alarms and after all she was on a vacation of sorts.
Jaina shifted on the couch and slowly opened her eyes. As she grew more awake the smile on her face grew to contagious proportions. "Aunt Mara," she mumbled, still groggy from sleep. If possible her smile grew even wider as she saw Ben.
"Hey there, big guy," she drawled with a heavy fake Corellian accent.
Ben giggled at his silly cousin and to the surprise of both women stuck his arms out towards Jaina. She shot a questioning look at Mara and relaxed at her easy smile. She wouldn't have blamed her aunt if she had wanted to keep Ben to herself. Jaina stood and picked him up carefully, holding him slightly awkwardly for a moment, but then relaxing.
She easily returned his curious stare and reached out to him through the force. He reached back almost instinctively and his mental strength sent her gaze flicking back to Mara. "He's incredibly powerful," she said softly, "Like Anakin," she added.
Jaina kissed Ben on the forehead and handed him back to his mother. At such a young age, Ben would be very sensitive to the emotions around him and Jaina didn't want him to feel her incredible sadness. She could barely handle it herself.
Mara, sensing Jaina's swift change of mood, reached a hand out to her niece's shoulder, "Jaina," she said quietly. She looked up at Mara, her eyes wild, filled with almost panic. She couldn't take anymore sympathy or pity, especially not from Mara. "Come get some breakfast," was all Mara said and Jaina nodded gratefully.
Mara busied herself in the kitchen, looking for fruit and milk for Ben and something that she couldn't burn for Jaina. "Was the couch comfy?" Mara asked not upset in the slightest that Jaina had commandeered her couch for the night.
Jaina shrugged with slight unease, "I was assigned to share quarters with some of the trainees. Most of the started at the Academy after I left there and to most of them I'm a Jedi Knight, not of them. I made most of them uneasy and several of them were actually scared of me." She paused and the said harshly with more anger and whine than she had intended to put into her voice, "I wish Uncle Luke had never named the Sword of the Jedi," she snapped. "Why did he do it Mara?"
"Because he had to, Jaina" she said quietly, forcing Jaina to calm down and listen. "It had to be one of you three." She sighed, "Even if Anakin had lived, it still would have been you." She looked very serious, "Luke's been having visions that he won't share with me, but I know it had to be you. You don't have a choice in the matter."
For a moment, Mara actually thought, Jaina was going to really whine about what she had said, but then she answered and proved that she had been the right choice.
"I know," Jaina said, with none of her former anger, only a sense of weighty, overwhelming responsibility that she couldn't escape.
With another sudden change of mood, Jaina plucked her food off of the heating unit, sparing it from a blackened end at the last moment. She shot a grin at Mara and said with teasing formality, "Your teachings have failed again, Master."
Mara groaned, but with little real dread. Jaina's mood had improved and that was good. Besides she was more than used to the fact that Jaina was not the perfectly behaved apprentice. The number of times she had been woken in the early hours of the morning to hear about Jaina's latest mischief or newest bout of rule breaking..Still she wouldn't have it any other way. She was Mara Jade and she wouldn't have wanted an apprentice who always obeyed the rules.
"What happened this time?"
"Kam caught me kissing in the halls after the curfew."
Mara laughed, "So that's what that smile was for," she said as if that explained it all, which really it did.
Jaina blushed slightly and Mara's grin grew wider, "Just thought I'd warn you. I thought Kam might say something," she mumbled.
Mara exchanged a mischievous grin with her son and handed him a small piece fruit to chew on. "So what exactly is going on between you and Fel these days?" Mara asked bluntly.
Even as she flushed, Jaina smiled. "I'm not sure. We've been spending a lot of time together lately, even outside squadron hours. We even went on an actual date back on Mon Calamari." Her mood darkened with anger as she thought about how that had ended, but didn't say anything. She didn't feel like bringing Callista into this discussion and ruining the whole conversation. Instead, she refocused her thoughts on Jag. It wasn't hard, not hard at all.
"Mara," she said seriously, hoping that this wouldn't sound foolish. There was no one else she would want to have this conversation with. Mara would understand. "Mara, I think I love him."
Mara stopped teasing and straightened up. "So you are serious. I thought so." She shook her head, "Have the two of you talked about this Jaina? I'm not trying to discourage you from this. I actually think Jag is good for you, but you have to admit, if you and Jag are serious there are several fairly large complications."
Jaina crossed her arms in front of her chest for a moment, and Mara thought she was going to react defensively. Instead, she looked up to meet Mara's eyes, "I know," she replied seriously, "I've thought about it." She smiled, "But it's worth it. Besides Mome and Dad, and you and Uncle Luke always taught me to never quit or give up. Why start now?"
Mara smiled. For a moment, Jaina had sounded older almost like Leia. That last statement was more like the Jaina she knew. "Good," she said, "I really do think you and Jag would make a good couple."
Jaina smiled, "Thanks." She looked over at Ben, who had started babbling, tired of not having people pay attention to him. Jaina smirked, "Just think about when Ben's a teenager. He'll probably have half of the girls in the galaxy chasing after him."
Mara grimaced, "You're probably right," she picked him up off of the where he had been sitting, "Of course, he'll probably be like his father and totally oblivious."
Jaina laughed and started to reply, but was interrupted as the chime announcing people outside of Mara's quarters rang. Jaina thought Mara was going to growl at the intrusion. "Here," she said handing Ben to Jaina. "Hold him for a moment, for me. I'll go see what this is about.
She followed Mara out, but stopped out of sight of whoever was demanding Mara's attention.
"Master Jade," asked a voice Jaina didn't recognize, "Lady Callista sent me to ask if you knew where Jedi Solo was and to tell you," the owner of the young voice stumbled over the words, clearly not wanting to tell, Mara Jade Skywalker anything even if they were just relaying a message, "that you and Jedi Solo were expected at her morning classes."
Without even reaching out to the force, Jaina felt Mara's wave of anger and the child's burst of apprehension. She debated on whether or not to step out and let the trainee see her, but in the end, stepped out anyway. "Thank you for relaying that," she said casually while Mara seethed. She handed Ben back to his mother, hoping that holding him would calm her down.
She checked her chrono quickly to see what the child would normally be doing now. "Why don't you head back to the mess, you can probably catch another quick snack before classes start."
She could almost see his sigh of relief, "Thanks," he said quickly.
Jaina watched as he started to dart away and then slowed back to a walk as he seemed to remember all of those lectures on Jedi calm.
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Jaina didn't even try to hold back her scowl of anger any longer once he was gone. She slammed the palm of her hand into the control that shut the door. "What in the Sith does she think she's doing, trying to check up on me," she exploded, her previous pretense of a good mood gone with their only observer. "I'm here as part of the military and not a Jedi. She doesn't have any authority to order me around."
"Jaina," Mara snapped, her tone of voice all that was necessary to break Jaina's tirade. She could see Jaina struggling to push her fury away, but she nodded nevertheless to let her know that she was okay. "Callista technically can't tell us what to do, but it would be good if we could learn what she's teaching. Also," she added, moving around the room, gathering up the things Ben would need, "I want to keep an eye on her."
Jaina nodded and looked around. She grabbed her blaster and lightsaber off of a high shelf where she had laid them the night before. "I want to check on my squadron. I'll see you there."
Mara nodded and watched as Jaina started towards the door, "Jaina," she said sharply as her niece started to step out. She paused in the doorway. "I know Callista is an annoyance, but be careful. Don't make the mistake of underestimating her."
Jaina nodded and slipped out. Quickly she stepped out checked on all of her pilots except for Jag. Most of them had ended up relaxing or spending more time flying simulations. It was nothing she needed to worry about for the moment. She saved Jag for last.
Like most pilots he tended to catch sleep whenever he could, but when he knew he could sleep on a regular basis, he often kept earlier hours than most pilots. So she didn't mind knocking on the door to his quarters at that early hour. He would usually have already been awake.
She wasn't expecting him to open the door with bleary, half-closed eyes and tousled hair. "Jaina," he mumbled sleepily, "Are we going up?" he asked automatically. It was every pilot's worst fear, to miss the alarm calling them to their post.
"No," she reassured him hastily, "I just wanted to see you before I headed to class." Suddenly Jaina felt fourteen again, like she was going to ask Zekk to help her with some mechanical problem after class. It wasn't a mental comparison that she relished. This was different, special. "I though I could show you more of the Academy later, while you could actually see if. You could see the more normal side of the Jedi. That is if you're interested," she added hastily.
Jag smiled slightly and she relaxed. "Yeah," he said quietly, 'that would be interesting."
She could see the exhaustion in his eyes so when he leaned forward and kissed her briefly pulling away after only a moment, she wasn't offended. "I'll be back later," she added somewhat unnecessarily before she turned away. The memory of even that brief conversation with Jag and their brief kiss was enough to distract Jaina, at least temporarily from the upcoming class.
She noticed all of the young Jedi trainees lined up in the hallway outside the door. Apparently it still wasn't cool to be in the classroom before the exact moment that class started. Jaina considered joining them for a moment. Her Jag induced moment of distraction not withstanding, she still wasn't enthusiastic about this. In the end she discarded that thought, knowing that most of the kids would be uncomfortable with her presence and walked in. She surveyed the room and her mood improved slightly when she saw that only Tionne and not Callista was there, yet.
Her smile grew as she walked towards Tionne. She stopped a few feet away from the lyrical Jedi Master and bowed respectfully. "Master Tionne," she said calmly.
The Jedi Master best known for her patience looked at her former student fondly and then stepped forward and hugged her. "Jaina," she returned the greeting, "It's good to have you back here."
Jaina smiled. Mara might have been her Jedi Master, but Tionne had taught the basics of the force to most of the new students and Jaina had always been fond of her. "Even if I am one of your mischief making former students?"
Tionne laughed and her eyes took on a knowing look. "Oh, yes, Kam told me about last night's incident."
Jaina was saved from having to respond as Callista swept in. She smiled brightly at Jaina and Tionne as the kids trailed in behind her. Jaina used the confusion of the rush for seats, to slink to the back of the room where she would be the least noticeable and leaned against the wall. She watched Callista's movements carefully and opened herself to the force. The concentration of all of the force sensitives in the room had it's own unique effect on the force.
Jaina sensed Mara come in at the same time, she saw her enter. Mara joined her niece against the wall.
"Anything I should know about?"
Jaina shook her head. "They haven't started, yet." They grew silent as Callista cleared her throat and the trainees turned their attention to their newest teacher. "Hello, my name is Lady Callista. I have an ability to sense the Yuuzhan Vong through the force and I'm going to show you how to do the same thing."
Jaina tried to stifle the urge to roll her eyes. At this rate, this lesson was going to last forever. She had forgotten how dull classes could be. Callista began with several lectures on the philosophy of the force and how what she had done was possible. It was all a matter of perspective, a different point of view and all of that. By the end of the class Callista seemed to have conveyed the theory of what she had concluded about her unusual talent and for the moment, somewhat appeased Mara. There was nothing in this class so far that could be of any danger, unless of course, mind numbing boredom was counted. A riveting speaker Callista was not!
Jaina lingered in the back for a moment with Mara, as she waited for Callista to walk out. She had been thinking during class about when they would attempt to turn this theory into practice. Obviously they would need something of Vong origin to practice with, but a real Vong warrior was out of the question.
They were too dangerous and it wouldn't be practical to keep one secured on Shelter. In fact, it would be a liability if the warrior ever managed to escape. He could bring the entire Vong fleet directly to the Jedi children. She couldn't even really think of any Vong object that she was familiar with that didn't hold some element of danger. She wanted to know what Callista had planned.
As the woman in question walked towards them, smiling cheerfully, Jaina stepped forward before Callista could steer the conversation in her own direction. "Callista," she said with as much neutrality as she could manage. It was had after everything the woman had said and done to her to be polite. "You'll need to use some Vong artifact for the trainess to try to sense. Have you thought about what you'll use?"
Callista shot Jaina an almost patronizing smile and the younger Jedi had to resist the temptation to throw up, simply on principle. "Of course, Jaina. I mentioned it to Luke before I left. He assured me that he would try to have the Jedi or someone else to find something we can use."
Jaina couldn't resist glancing discreetly over at Mara as this was said and found as she had half expected, Mara looking darkly at Callista. "Jain and I and whoever else I feel necessary will have to check whatever it is over first, Callista," Mara stated firmly. "My first priority is the safety of the children.'
Callista seemed to falter for a split second, but then said sweetly. "Whatever you think best, Master Jade. I wouldn't think of disturbing anything you wanted as far as security goes." She smiled easily, but anyone could see the tine of a poisonous glare in her eyes. "I didn't even think of checking them, I just assumed that if Luke thought they were safe..."She trailed off, not out of nervousness or hesitation, but confident that she had dropped al of the proper allusions to eat away at Mara.
Jaina for her part felt like taking a large step back from the confrontation. What Callista was doing, attempting to challenge Mara for Luke's affections, was not only impossible, but also very likely to explode in her face. In some ways the planet vaporizing powers were nothing compared to the temper of Mara Jade Skywalker when she or her family were being threatened. Jaina was surprised when Mara's reply came back in a cool steady voice, not even bothering to take Callista's obvious bait.
"I'm sure Luke wouldn't mind me taking a second look, especially when it's the safety of the next generation of the Jedi at stake." Mara's chin rose in a defiant challenge, daring Callisat to counter that. The escalating conversation was stopped easily, by Tionne's approach. The serene and well respected Jedi teacher drew Callista away, ending the scene before it could grow into a true confrontation.
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Jagged Fel paced the floor in his quarters irritably. He had stayed up late with Jaina, the night before, walking the darkened halls with her and stealing a few kisses here and there. After his first teasing question and the priceless look on Jaina's face, he had continued to tease her until Jaina had been halfway between flustered, shocked and furious. Of course, that had forced him to silence her with another kiss not that either of them really minded. They hadn't been caught or been interrupted that time and it had ended up being the early hours of the morning before he had walked Jaina back to her temporary quarters. When he had gotten back to his own quarters and fallen in to his bunk, he had been too caught up in a state of Jaina fog to fall immediately asleep.
That was why he had still been sleeping when Jaina had knocked on his door earlier that day. It was nice though, he mused, to fall asleep thinking about Jaina and then be woken up by her the next morning. He hadn't bother to attempt falling back to sleep after she left and instead, he had flicked on his waiting messages as he walked about his temporary quarters, taking his time getting ready for the day. The first two messages were from his sisters. As usual Wyn was happy and eager to talk to him, although he couldn't immediately respond. There was something different in her eyes though, it was a sadness that Jag hated to see in the eyes of his favorite sister.
The next message was from his other sister Cem. Cem was much more like him than Wyn. She was as serious as Wyn was carefree and this time her worry for Jag showed clearly through.
"Things are getting rough here at home, Jagged," she said seriously. "All of the classes, especially the military ones are getting pushed into advanced stages ahead of time." She shook her head, "Something's going on Jag, I don't know what it is, but you need to come home." She sighed, "As much as I hate to say this and as much as Dad would never admit it. He needs you to come home, Mom, too. They're trying to shield Wyn from this as much as they can but you know they really can't." She sighed again and glanced behind her as if checking for eavesdroppers. "Listen Jag, I don't know why you've been staying with the Galactic Alliance, but I trust that you have a good reason, but you have to come how now. There are things I can't tell you in a holomessage, you know that." She smiled at him without any real happiness, "Take care of yourself Jagged, and please..come home soon."
He stopped his last message from playing and sat down abruptly on his bunk. He and Cem were the two oldest of the remaining three Fel children. They loved one another as siblings did, but they had never been especially close. Cem had always been closer to Davin and on occasion Cherith. If she was almost begging him for something like this, then clearly something was wrong. Everything she had said pointed to that.
It was a plea he wouldn't ignore, but he would consider his options rationally first before he made any hurried decisions. He had duties to the Galactic Alliance as well. The Chiss command had slowly over the months been sending him more and more forceful request that had turned into harsher and harsher orders to return home. Normally Jag wouldn't have ignored his orders, but at those moments he hadn't wanted to leave Jaina.
There were other things to consider now, though. He knew that if he delayed returning to the folds of the Chiss too much longer he would be branded an outcast, a traitor to the empire that had taken him in and raised him as one of its own. Still he wasn't certain that if he returned to his home now, if he would ever see Jaina again and that, that alone, was what was making his decision so diffucult.
A click drew him out of his thoughts as the pause on his holoplayer ended after a preset amount of time and automatically began to play again. His father's deep harsh voice cut through the air and even his hollow, miniaturized image seemed to dominate the room.
"Colonel Fel, I'm going to pretend for the moment that I actually believe that you haven't received all the messages I've been sending you for weeks now. I've issued you orders and given you warnings, all of which you've ignored until now. But listen to this. Come. Home. Now." The older man glared darkly towards his son. "This is you final warning, Jagged and I'm speaking now as your commanding officer not your father. Ignore this and face the consequences." For the first time in the one sided conversation he faltered and seemed to lose some of his commanding presence. "Jagged think about the consequences here. You know that if you continue to ignore your orders, you will no longer be welcome in Chiss space." He let the words hang there and for the first time in his life, Jag heard his father plead. "Please think about your mother, Jag. She's already lost two children. Don't do this to her again. Obey your orders and come home, son. We need you here, now."
There was a click as the machine flicked off and then the room was filled with deafening silence. He rose and flicked the holoplayer off. His sister's message had started him thinking and his father's had only confirmed the seriousness of the situation. He would have to do something about this. He needed to make a decision and soon.
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Callista smiled. It was a real smile, not the fake one that she had been showing Tionne the day before. Her plan was going well. That would please her Masters. Just as she had predicted, the Jedi students already liked her and trusted her as a teacher. It was one fatal flaw in Luke's teaching. He taught his students to place absolute faith in their teachers ability to keep them safe and protected. It was that very trait that was making things so much easier for her now. Having their trust would make everything else easier and it would give her a plausible excuse to spend more time around the area where the young students, including Ben Skywalker would be. It would only be a matter of time now before she succeeded and received her reward from her Vong Masters.
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