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of this. Star Wars in its entirety belongs to George Lucas and other
companies and people who are not me.
Jaina Solo held her ignited lightsaber out in front of her with one hand and let her other hand, which was holding a blaster, dangle at her side. She studied the thin membrane that could open into an entrance to the Vong ship with an expert eye. After a careful visual inspection, she tapped a knotted, protruding cluster of nerves with the butt of her blaster and stepped forward as the membrane pulled back with a sickening sound that Jaina had grown accustomed to hearing on Vong vessels. Without looking back, Jaina gestured to a side tunnel heading off from the main one that they had just entered, sending the second team down it.
Once the battle had ended and the first Vong ship had been secured, Pellaeon had pulled together a group of people to investigate it. He had asked Jaina to head the team. She had agreed. She could sense the presence of her two remaining team members behind her. One was a scientist who was there to give a preliminary report on the living ships actual condition, not that Jaina couldn't have given the same report, of course. The second being was Flight Officer Brantur. What his species lacked in height, they more than made up for in speed and compact muscles. They were, in fact, the only beings that Jaina knew of that would stand a chance against a Wookie in an arm wrestling match.
She picked her way easily through the ship, for the most part ignoring distractions and heading for the command center of the living ship.
"Goddess."
She paused as she started around a corner. She held up a hand for silence and cocked her head for a moment to listen. Apparently satisfied for the moment, she turned back to the scientist and nodded.
"I haven't seen anything like this," he exclaimed gesturing and a massive growth protruding from an otherwise normal- or at least what passed for normal on a Vong vessel- wall. "This is the first time that we've captured a Yuuzhan Vong ship of this kind and this appears to be a totally new creature.
She didn't bother trying to restrain her impatience. If she was right, this vessel might contain something more urgent than a new creature. "Can't it wait," she hissed.
He shook his head sharply. "I haven't figured out what this creatures function is, but it is very connected to the vessel. With the injuries that this vessel has sustained, the time period we have to observe this creature while it is alive is very small."
Jaina made her decision without wasting anymore time. "Fine, Brantur, stay here with him. Contact me if something happens or if your position changes."
"Yes, Great One."
She headed around the corner, the picking up her speed as she went. A measured walk turned into a light jog as she raised her comm. link. "Team Two report."
"We're checking the aft section, Goddess. So far we haven't encountered any Vong or Peace Brigaders, but everything back here is a mess. Systems are decomposing and as far as we can tell, no one has been back here for a few weeks."
Jaina took in the information quietly. "Let me know if the situation changes." She heard their acknowledgement and then signed off. She paused for a moment, taking the opportunity to turn down the sound on her comm. link signal until it was almost silent. She took a deep breath and then moved towards the opening that she had seen in the distance. Jaina moved quietly towards it. If this vessel was anything like she thought it was, then this was what she looking for. If anyone was still alive then they would most likely be here.
Her lightsaber sang as she whipped it through the air in a one handed grip and shredded the thin opaque membrane with two quick slashes. Jaina moved cautiously through the doorway. In the next moment, she was flying through the air as something surged around her trying to....absorb her. It was both inescapable and intangible. Jaina flailed out, but found nothing. Her eyes were blinded by....something and the only thing that she could hear was the rapid hammering of her own heartbeat. Her only thought was the desire to be free of this Thing.
Jaina focused her will on the Force and slowly felt the Thing begin to separate from her skin. A second later she tumbled to the floor. She swiped at her eyes as soon as her hand was free and then took a moment to examine the goo that had been covering her eyes. "What the Sith was that?" She demanded to no one in particular.
"It is just one of the little surprises that the Shapers have come up with to protect Yuuzhan Vong vessels from infidel invaders."
Her lightsaber, which had fallen out of her hand when she was attacked, slammed into her palm. "Callista," she growled. Jaina moved slowly towards the other woman her amethyst blade deceptively lower than the classic attack position. "You shouldn't have come back," Jaina emphasized her point with a lazy looking slash that nearly separated Callista's head from her body despite the fact that she had been waiting for Jaina to strike.
Callista's laughter almost sent chills down Jaina's spine. "My, my, you have grown up, Jaina. Attacking an unarmed woman without provocation, perhaps you are worthy now."
Jaina feinted with a low slash at Callista's legs, but checked the movement, throwing Callista off balance as she landed a solid kick to the older woman's midsection. Callista fell back, but not before Jaina felt a Force blow rake her face like a vibroblade. A thin line of blood trickled down her cheek.
"You're hardly unarmed, Callista," Jaina corrected, "And as for provocation, I think trying to had the location of the highly secret Jedi stronghold over to the Vong qualifies."
This time Jaina felt Callista's Foce blow coming and met it with an impenetrable Force shield. Now it was simply a contest of the Force. Jaina was tempted to see the contest through, crushing Callist'as attempt. The instincts that she had developed through the years of the war, however, made her change her mind. Her eyes never moved from Callista's as she reached for the extra blaster strapped to her left hip. She pulled it free and snapped off a shot at Callista's head in one clean move.
Callista dove to the side and rolled back to her feet smoothly, her concentration on the Force disrupted with the sudden lethal distraction. As she rose Callista had managed to grab something from the floor and hold onto it as she stood. She threw the hissing amphistaff at Jaina with as much strength as she could muster.
Jaina barely reacted. She never took her eyes off of Callista as it flew towards her. At the last moment, Jaina's lightsaber snapped up, hooking the amphistaff in just the right place to shear its head off. The two pieces fell harmlessly to the floor at her feet. "You're dead, Callista," Jaina said with absolute certainty. She took a step forward and raised her lightsaber for the final blow.
"Wait," something in Callista's voice had changed. "I want to surrender. That's why I came here."
Jaina barely hesitated. "Hardly, Callista. You're too much of a liability. Besides aren't you the best of friends with the Vong leaders"
Callista's expression darkened. "Why do you think those other Yuuzhan Vong ships were firing on me, little Jedi?" Her expression was disdainful. "My Masters were far from pleased with my failure. I've been a prisoner, not a Dark warrior fighting to submerge the galaxy under my Dark rule."
It was Jaina's turn to laugh. "I hope you enjoyed your time in their embrace of pain. You won't find any sympathy from me."
Purple flashed through the air in a blur. "Your twin is alive." A rivulet of blood ran down Callista's chest as Jaina's blade kissed her neck.
Jaina stepped back. "Get up."
============================================================================ ============
Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon rose to his full height. "We have already managed to verify some of the information that Callista has provided us with by using outside sources." He looked out into the mixed audience, all watching him steadily. "She has made us aware of a prison camp containing high profile captives. Ranking intelligence officers and strategist, some of our best commanders and even a few Jedi are rumored to be held there. Colonel Solo's twin brother, until recently believed to be dead, is among these prisoners according to Callista."
"Have we considered the possibility that this is a trap, designed to convince us to launch an attack into Vong space?"
Pellaeon identified the speaker as Jagged Fel. "Of course, Colonel Fel, and that is why we will not be dealing with this matter. Most of these prisoners have been missing for years and any classified information that they might have is outdated enough that they are not worth the risk of rescuing." Pellaeon took a breath and glanced around the room at the assorted beings. "This course of action has been okayed by all of your superiors. Your orders are to return to your previously assigned duties. We will not acknowledge or release this information for now." He drew himself up to his full height. "Any questions?"
A few of the officers, especially those apart of the Galactic Alliance looked as if they were about to choke or explode at their orders, but everyone remained silent. "Good," Pellaeon declared. "If anything else comes up, you will be notified. Until then you are free to go."
=======================================================================
Jag walked slowly back towards his quarters. The Spikes had just been going off duty when the alert had come in and he wanted nothing more than several hours of sleep. As his mind wandered he kept flashing back on the look that Jaina had worn following Pellaeon's announcement. She had looked angry, upset and disappointed that no rescue effort would be made to rescue her brother. She had visibly kept her fury in check, but her exit had been far from quiet. She was obviously far beyond displeased with the decision. It was the response that she was expected to have and it seemed totally wrong to Jag.
He had thought that he knew Jaina better than most at one time. Of course, he had been wrong about that. Jaina's response in there, however, still seemed like an act to him. A very good, expected act and one that most people wouldn't see through, but it was still, nonetheless, an act. Jag wondered what was happening with Jaina and then grimaced. It was freeing, he realized, to no longer have to be a part of whatever insane scheme Jaina came up with. It was her superiors job to worry about what she would do now, not his and for that Jag was glad.
He palmed his door open, unlocking with a few deft strokes to the keypad, and then stepped inside. The interior was dark, just as he had left it. He began stripping out of his flightsuite and then pulled off the shirt he wore underneath it. A sonic shower was the only thing between him and his bunk.
"Hello, Colonel."
He froze at the voice in the darkness. Jag caught a flicker of motion in the corner of his eye and he eased his hand slowly towards his charric. A bark of laughter cut into the darkness.
"Colonel Fel, please," the voice mocked his action and then he heard the light panel behind flick on.
Jaina was sitting comfortably on his bed, the picture of relaxed tension. It was a paradox, but so was she.
"Breaking and entering," he asked rhetorically, "Isn't this a new low for you to sink to, Goddess?"
She laughed, once again seeming more mocking than amused. "It's not a crime when you know the code, Colonel. You haven't changed them."
Jag wondered if he was imagining the change in Jaina's voice. He ignored it and bit out his next question. "Why are you here, Colonel Solo? I don't think we have anything to say to one another."
Jaina nodded sharply and rose off of the bed, straightening to a more professional stance. "For once we agree, Colonel." She studied him appraisingly and then changed the subject. "You've been busy for the past five years. Several outposts in the deeper, most remote parts of Wild Space, a few minor skirmishes here and there, but no contact with the Yuuzhan Vong."
He twitched an eyebrow at her. "Have you been keeping an eye on me, Goddess?"
"No." Her response was flat, not inviting anymore questions about that or suggesting that answer might be forthcoming. "Before you left, Colonel Fel, you believed the the Vong needed to be stopped. Do you still feel that way?"
He heard the challenge in her voice and wondered what she was really asking. Jag didn't want to get wrapped up in a quest for personal vengeance. He might have thought that Jaina was worth it years ago, but he certainly didn't feel that way now. "My current assignment includes only protecting the Chiss representatives here. Unless we come under attack, here, I doubt that I'll be engaging in any more fights with the Yuuzhan Vong."
She looked into his eyes and Jag could see her make a decision. "Pellaeon's reaction to the information that Callista provided us with was harsh and unilateral." She paused for a moment and then plowed forward with certainty. "It was also false. Pellaeon knows that there are spies, highly ranking spies, here that are working for the Vong and the Peace Brigade. However, he doesn't know who they are. He wanted to put them off guard. He knows about the Insiders and the fact that there are a small group of them operating here. You were with the Insiders at Borealis. Are you still willing to fly and fight as part of an Insider operation?"
Jag studied her, the circuitous conversation finally making sense. What Jaina had been asking about was his loyalty. She wanted to know if he was still willing to deceive, fight and possibly die to defeat the Vong. He wondered if she really thought that he had changed that much and then reminded himself that it didn't matter anymore. "If I say no...," he left the statement hanging, although he already knew what his answer was.
"Then this conversation never happened."
Jag felt a flush of anger as he caught the implication beneath her words. If he had refused then Jaina would have used her Jedi powers to erase the entire conversation and meeting from his mind. "So that's why you were the one to approach me," he demanded. The notion of someone, even or especially Jaina, using the Force to control his thoughts left him understandably upset.
Jaina smirked, "It was me or Kyp. We're the only ones here in the Bastion system that are powerful enough to pull it off." She gave a disinterested half-shrug, "It would raise less suspicion, given our history, if I were seen entering your quarters- which I wasn't- then if Kyp were seen."
Jag blinked. It was the first time that either of them had brought up their past relationship. It didn't, however, appear to be a topic that Jaina was inclined to stay on.
"Your answer," she prompted impatiently.
He nodded, "I'll work with the Insiders."
She turned to walk away, tossing back over her shoulder a reply. "The meeting is in the secondary conference room at 0820 tomorrow morning." He saw her raise her hand to palm the door open. "I would have done it," she stated flatly, without turning to face him, "but, Jag, for what it's worth, I'm glad I didn't have to."
Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter. :)
Jaina Solo held her ignited lightsaber out in front of her with one hand and let her other hand, which was holding a blaster, dangle at her side. She studied the thin membrane that could open into an entrance to the Vong ship with an expert eye. After a careful visual inspection, she tapped a knotted, protruding cluster of nerves with the butt of her blaster and stepped forward as the membrane pulled back with a sickening sound that Jaina had grown accustomed to hearing on Vong vessels. Without looking back, Jaina gestured to a side tunnel heading off from the main one that they had just entered, sending the second team down it.
Once the battle had ended and the first Vong ship had been secured, Pellaeon had pulled together a group of people to investigate it. He had asked Jaina to head the team. She had agreed. She could sense the presence of her two remaining team members behind her. One was a scientist who was there to give a preliminary report on the living ships actual condition, not that Jaina couldn't have given the same report, of course. The second being was Flight Officer Brantur. What his species lacked in height, they more than made up for in speed and compact muscles. They were, in fact, the only beings that Jaina knew of that would stand a chance against a Wookie in an arm wrestling match.
She picked her way easily through the ship, for the most part ignoring distractions and heading for the command center of the living ship.
"Goddess."
She paused as she started around a corner. She held up a hand for silence and cocked her head for a moment to listen. Apparently satisfied for the moment, she turned back to the scientist and nodded.
"I haven't seen anything like this," he exclaimed gesturing and a massive growth protruding from an otherwise normal- or at least what passed for normal on a Vong vessel- wall. "This is the first time that we've captured a Yuuzhan Vong ship of this kind and this appears to be a totally new creature.
She didn't bother trying to restrain her impatience. If she was right, this vessel might contain something more urgent than a new creature. "Can't it wait," she hissed.
He shook his head sharply. "I haven't figured out what this creatures function is, but it is very connected to the vessel. With the injuries that this vessel has sustained, the time period we have to observe this creature while it is alive is very small."
Jaina made her decision without wasting anymore time. "Fine, Brantur, stay here with him. Contact me if something happens or if your position changes."
"Yes, Great One."
She headed around the corner, the picking up her speed as she went. A measured walk turned into a light jog as she raised her comm. link. "Team Two report."
"We're checking the aft section, Goddess. So far we haven't encountered any Vong or Peace Brigaders, but everything back here is a mess. Systems are decomposing and as far as we can tell, no one has been back here for a few weeks."
Jaina took in the information quietly. "Let me know if the situation changes." She heard their acknowledgement and then signed off. She paused for a moment, taking the opportunity to turn down the sound on her comm. link signal until it was almost silent. She took a deep breath and then moved towards the opening that she had seen in the distance. Jaina moved quietly towards it. If this vessel was anything like she thought it was, then this was what she looking for. If anyone was still alive then they would most likely be here.
Her lightsaber sang as she whipped it through the air in a one handed grip and shredded the thin opaque membrane with two quick slashes. Jaina moved cautiously through the doorway. In the next moment, she was flying through the air as something surged around her trying to....absorb her. It was both inescapable and intangible. Jaina flailed out, but found nothing. Her eyes were blinded by....something and the only thing that she could hear was the rapid hammering of her own heartbeat. Her only thought was the desire to be free of this Thing.
Jaina focused her will on the Force and slowly felt the Thing begin to separate from her skin. A second later she tumbled to the floor. She swiped at her eyes as soon as her hand was free and then took a moment to examine the goo that had been covering her eyes. "What the Sith was that?" She demanded to no one in particular.
"It is just one of the little surprises that the Shapers have come up with to protect Yuuzhan Vong vessels from infidel invaders."
Her lightsaber, which had fallen out of her hand when she was attacked, slammed into her palm. "Callista," she growled. Jaina moved slowly towards the other woman her amethyst blade deceptively lower than the classic attack position. "You shouldn't have come back," Jaina emphasized her point with a lazy looking slash that nearly separated Callista's head from her body despite the fact that she had been waiting for Jaina to strike.
Callista's laughter almost sent chills down Jaina's spine. "My, my, you have grown up, Jaina. Attacking an unarmed woman without provocation, perhaps you are worthy now."
Jaina feinted with a low slash at Callista's legs, but checked the movement, throwing Callista off balance as she landed a solid kick to the older woman's midsection. Callista fell back, but not before Jaina felt a Force blow rake her face like a vibroblade. A thin line of blood trickled down her cheek.
"You're hardly unarmed, Callista," Jaina corrected, "And as for provocation, I think trying to had the location of the highly secret Jedi stronghold over to the Vong qualifies."
This time Jaina felt Callista's Foce blow coming and met it with an impenetrable Force shield. Now it was simply a contest of the Force. Jaina was tempted to see the contest through, crushing Callist'as attempt. The instincts that she had developed through the years of the war, however, made her change her mind. Her eyes never moved from Callista's as she reached for the extra blaster strapped to her left hip. She pulled it free and snapped off a shot at Callista's head in one clean move.
Callista dove to the side and rolled back to her feet smoothly, her concentration on the Force disrupted with the sudden lethal distraction. As she rose Callista had managed to grab something from the floor and hold onto it as she stood. She threw the hissing amphistaff at Jaina with as much strength as she could muster.
Jaina barely reacted. She never took her eyes off of Callista as it flew towards her. At the last moment, Jaina's lightsaber snapped up, hooking the amphistaff in just the right place to shear its head off. The two pieces fell harmlessly to the floor at her feet. "You're dead, Callista," Jaina said with absolute certainty. She took a step forward and raised her lightsaber for the final blow.
"Wait," something in Callista's voice had changed. "I want to surrender. That's why I came here."
Jaina barely hesitated. "Hardly, Callista. You're too much of a liability. Besides aren't you the best of friends with the Vong leaders"
Callista's expression darkened. "Why do you think those other Yuuzhan Vong ships were firing on me, little Jedi?" Her expression was disdainful. "My Masters were far from pleased with my failure. I've been a prisoner, not a Dark warrior fighting to submerge the galaxy under my Dark rule."
It was Jaina's turn to laugh. "I hope you enjoyed your time in their embrace of pain. You won't find any sympathy from me."
Purple flashed through the air in a blur. "Your twin is alive." A rivulet of blood ran down Callista's chest as Jaina's blade kissed her neck.
Jaina stepped back. "Get up."
============================================================================ ============
Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon rose to his full height. "We have already managed to verify some of the information that Callista has provided us with by using outside sources." He looked out into the mixed audience, all watching him steadily. "She has made us aware of a prison camp containing high profile captives. Ranking intelligence officers and strategist, some of our best commanders and even a few Jedi are rumored to be held there. Colonel Solo's twin brother, until recently believed to be dead, is among these prisoners according to Callista."
"Have we considered the possibility that this is a trap, designed to convince us to launch an attack into Vong space?"
Pellaeon identified the speaker as Jagged Fel. "Of course, Colonel Fel, and that is why we will not be dealing with this matter. Most of these prisoners have been missing for years and any classified information that they might have is outdated enough that they are not worth the risk of rescuing." Pellaeon took a breath and glanced around the room at the assorted beings. "This course of action has been okayed by all of your superiors. Your orders are to return to your previously assigned duties. We will not acknowledge or release this information for now." He drew himself up to his full height. "Any questions?"
A few of the officers, especially those apart of the Galactic Alliance looked as if they were about to choke or explode at their orders, but everyone remained silent. "Good," Pellaeon declared. "If anything else comes up, you will be notified. Until then you are free to go."
=======================================================================
Jag walked slowly back towards his quarters. The Spikes had just been going off duty when the alert had come in and he wanted nothing more than several hours of sleep. As his mind wandered he kept flashing back on the look that Jaina had worn following Pellaeon's announcement. She had looked angry, upset and disappointed that no rescue effort would be made to rescue her brother. She had visibly kept her fury in check, but her exit had been far from quiet. She was obviously far beyond displeased with the decision. It was the response that she was expected to have and it seemed totally wrong to Jag.
He had thought that he knew Jaina better than most at one time. Of course, he had been wrong about that. Jaina's response in there, however, still seemed like an act to him. A very good, expected act and one that most people wouldn't see through, but it was still, nonetheless, an act. Jag wondered what was happening with Jaina and then grimaced. It was freeing, he realized, to no longer have to be a part of whatever insane scheme Jaina came up with. It was her superiors job to worry about what she would do now, not his and for that Jag was glad.
He palmed his door open, unlocking with a few deft strokes to the keypad, and then stepped inside. The interior was dark, just as he had left it. He began stripping out of his flightsuite and then pulled off the shirt he wore underneath it. A sonic shower was the only thing between him and his bunk.
"Hello, Colonel."
He froze at the voice in the darkness. Jag caught a flicker of motion in the corner of his eye and he eased his hand slowly towards his charric. A bark of laughter cut into the darkness.
"Colonel Fel, please," the voice mocked his action and then he heard the light panel behind flick on.
Jaina was sitting comfortably on his bed, the picture of relaxed tension. It was a paradox, but so was she.
"Breaking and entering," he asked rhetorically, "Isn't this a new low for you to sink to, Goddess?"
She laughed, once again seeming more mocking than amused. "It's not a crime when you know the code, Colonel. You haven't changed them."
Jag wondered if he was imagining the change in Jaina's voice. He ignored it and bit out his next question. "Why are you here, Colonel Solo? I don't think we have anything to say to one another."
Jaina nodded sharply and rose off of the bed, straightening to a more professional stance. "For once we agree, Colonel." She studied him appraisingly and then changed the subject. "You've been busy for the past five years. Several outposts in the deeper, most remote parts of Wild Space, a few minor skirmishes here and there, but no contact with the Yuuzhan Vong."
He twitched an eyebrow at her. "Have you been keeping an eye on me, Goddess?"
"No." Her response was flat, not inviting anymore questions about that or suggesting that answer might be forthcoming. "Before you left, Colonel Fel, you believed the the Vong needed to be stopped. Do you still feel that way?"
He heard the challenge in her voice and wondered what she was really asking. Jag didn't want to get wrapped up in a quest for personal vengeance. He might have thought that Jaina was worth it years ago, but he certainly didn't feel that way now. "My current assignment includes only protecting the Chiss representatives here. Unless we come under attack, here, I doubt that I'll be engaging in any more fights with the Yuuzhan Vong."
She looked into his eyes and Jag could see her make a decision. "Pellaeon's reaction to the information that Callista provided us with was harsh and unilateral." She paused for a moment and then plowed forward with certainty. "It was also false. Pellaeon knows that there are spies, highly ranking spies, here that are working for the Vong and the Peace Brigade. However, he doesn't know who they are. He wanted to put them off guard. He knows about the Insiders and the fact that there are a small group of them operating here. You were with the Insiders at Borealis. Are you still willing to fly and fight as part of an Insider operation?"
Jag studied her, the circuitous conversation finally making sense. What Jaina had been asking about was his loyalty. She wanted to know if he was still willing to deceive, fight and possibly die to defeat the Vong. He wondered if she really thought that he had changed that much and then reminded himself that it didn't matter anymore. "If I say no...," he left the statement hanging, although he already knew what his answer was.
"Then this conversation never happened."
Jag felt a flush of anger as he caught the implication beneath her words. If he had refused then Jaina would have used her Jedi powers to erase the entire conversation and meeting from his mind. "So that's why you were the one to approach me," he demanded. The notion of someone, even or especially Jaina, using the Force to control his thoughts left him understandably upset.
Jaina smirked, "It was me or Kyp. We're the only ones here in the Bastion system that are powerful enough to pull it off." She gave a disinterested half-shrug, "It would raise less suspicion, given our history, if I were seen entering your quarters- which I wasn't- then if Kyp were seen."
Jag blinked. It was the first time that either of them had brought up their past relationship. It didn't, however, appear to be a topic that Jaina was inclined to stay on.
"Your answer," she prompted impatiently.
He nodded, "I'll work with the Insiders."
She turned to walk away, tossing back over her shoulder a reply. "The meeting is in the secondary conference room at 0820 tomorrow morning." He saw her raise her hand to palm the door open. "I would have done it," she stated flatly, without turning to face him, "but, Jag, for what it's worth, I'm glad I didn't have to."
Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter. :)