For an instant the explosion was all around Jaina, and then she was clear - the frigid vacuum of space replacing the searing heat of the explosion in an instant. The momentum was quickly pushing her away from the exploded X- Wing and the damage that it had done on the underbelly of Shimrra's vessel.
Jaina's gloved hand clutched her lightsaber tightly as the realities of being EV closed in around her. She concentrated fiercely as she calculated the trajectory of the course that her ejection seat would take. She was almost certain that her setup had been perfect. Jaina watched the small timer counting down on the arm control panel of her EV suit. As it grew closer to zero, Jaina slowly used the small repulsors on her ejection seat to turn 180 degrees from where she had been facing. She was suddenly facing the underbelly of the Vong vessel again, as her ejection chair rushed towards it.
Carefully, gradually, she used her small repulsors to gently crash into the rocky coral of the Vong hull. She grabbed onto it quickly with her one free hand and tried to dig her feet into footholds. In the end it was a combination of determination and the Force that kept her there for the first several instants. With a few quick twists of various releases, Jaina was soon free of the restraints that kept her strapped into her ejection seat. She didn't allow herself to think about what would happen if she failed or floated off in to space.
Still clinging as tightly as she could to the coral 'beneath' her, Jaina ignited her lightsaber. With careful precision she began to cut into the hull beside her, working as quickly as she could. The agonizing minutes seemed to slip so slowly by as she cut deeper and deeper. Before long, she was actually inside a meter or so gouge into the coral, continuing to slash deeper. The moments began to meld together as her motions became repetitive.
She wasn't sure how long she had been cutting when the first tiny rush of pressurized gasses began to push against her. A gush of various fluids followed it, rushing out into the void of space and covering Jaina's EV suit in, what she was sure was a foul smelling liquid. She instinctively grabbed onto a convenient piece of coral as the liquids and gasses being expelled pushed at her and then used her other hand to complete the cut that would fully create her opening.
Jaina used the Force to shove the hunk of coral aside and out into space before she rolled- far more awkwardly than she should have- into the opening, lightsaber first. She rose to her feet in an attack stance, searching immediately for any threats. Surprisingly she found none. Jaina wasted no time pondering her good luck. Instead she moved quickly towards the nearest nerve cluster. It only took her a few instants to get the results that she desired from the Vong technology and soon she had the breach somewhat sealed over and the chamber repressurized.
Jaina's next move was to strip off her more cumbersome EV suit for the regular flight suit that she wore underneath it. There was a chance that she might need the EV suit later, but it was a risk she was willing to take. At the moment, what she needed more was maneuverability and something that wouldn't hinder her in a fight.
Jaina left her lightsaber ignited as she glanced from one end of the corridor to the other. Without the schematics of this vessel there was no way for her to find Shimrra's position, but she could at least make an educated guess because some marking were similar on almost all Vong vessels.
As Jaina made her decision and started down a corridor, she didn't even bother with stealth. In this situation there was no chance that she could pass as a Yuuzhan Vong and besides, that wasn't Jaina's intention. She wanted to make a bold statement, to do something that Shimrra could not miss. It was the only hope that she had of saving both Jacen and the fleets of ships fighting the Vong.
Jacen Solo stood tall and defiant as the slayers guided him towards Shimrra. Before he had even gotten near the Supreme Overlord, he had been stripped of his offending infidel garments and given Vong garments similar to what he had been wearing when Jaina had found him. He had taken them in silence, without protest or thanks, but his own reaction to the garments had frightened him. They felt comfortable and familiar as Jacen moved through the bowels of the Vong vessel. Even the contemptuous, hate-filled glares of the slayers felt more right than the pitying glances of the Insiders. He wondered for an instant if his twin's trust in him was misplaced.
Then the slayers moved forwards to shove him harshly through an opening and into the chamber beyond it. Jacen, however was moving before the slayers had touched him. He moved with poise and an air of power as if he hadn't barely avoided being sent sprawling. Jacen stepped into the room with an air of supreme confidence. He barely managed to keep the surprise at seeing the large audience around Shimrra from showing in his face or his body language - not that any of the Vong would have been able to read his emotions - but as a matter or control. He would need every ounce of control that he could summon to finish the duel with Shimrra. If he couldn't even control his own features, he wouldn't stand a chance against Shimrra.
It was with a look of blank detachment that Jacen took in the chamber surrounding him. It was an oval shaped room with him at one end and Shimrra at the other. Slayers, Shapers and Priests formed the audience around Shimrra. They lurked around the edges of Jacen's perceptions, standing boldly in their places.
For Jacen they hardly seemed there. Shimrra's presence was overwhelming in its sheer size. Without even trying, Shimrra's mental might pushed against Jacen's mind, intent on destroying anything that resisted.
It wasn't the only thing that Jacen could focus on, it was the only that that could exist for Jacen. Shimrra's mental presence couldn't be blocked out. It overwhelmed Jacen and stripped him of any sense of self. Jacen struggled to retreat into his own mind, to regain control of his mind and defend himself from Shimrra's mental presence. However, the Supreme Overlord wouldn't allow it. Wave after wave of Shimrra's destructive fury ripped through Jacen's mind with an ease born of years of finding the Jedi's weaknesses causing the young Jedi Knight to sink to his knees, defeated without a blow struck.
Jag stood in the control center of the Insider's Star Destroyer. He was officially in charge of the Insider's fleet now that Jaina was d- missing in action. He supposed he was still in shock, or maybe denial was the more appropriate term, but he didn't have the luxury to examine that situation at the moment. He was choosing to focus instead on the battle unfolding in front of him. Jag didn't think that there was a way that the Insider's and the Imperials could succeed against Shimrra's fleet. He didn't have the Force or years of tactical experience commanding large fleets of ships. He was no Thrawn or Ackbar. However, he wasn't about to stop trying.
"Slarne," he spoke sharply, "Pull our ships back from Shimrra's vessel. All he's doing is destroying everything that we're throwing at him. I want him to come at us. Reassign all of the ships attacking him to other Vong targets and set a course directly towards him at the best speed that we can manage. I want his undivided attention."
Jag didn't wait for the Captain to acknowledge his orders and instead turned his attention the star charts in front of him. If he timed this just right, it could work.
"Colonel Fel," a sharp voice caught his attention and he looked up quickly. He was pleased to see that his orders had been followed explicitly so far. Shimrra's vessel was surprisingly fast and maneuverable, especially for a vessel of its size. It was to fast to outrun as one Imperial vessel was currently trying to do. Jag hoped that it wouldn't be too long before they caught Shimrra's attention with this stunt.
"Hold this course," he said to the tense helmsman. They would know in just a moment if his ploy would work.
Jag glanced down at the datapad that he still held in his hands and began to work quickly, entering data. What he wanted done was unorthodox and some would say not possible. He intended to do it and he intended to do it without alerting the Vong. The odds that there were Vong or Peace Brigade spies in the control center of an Insider's Star Destroyer wasn't good, but Jag wouldn't take any chances with this plan.
He glanced back up from the entries that he was making on the datapad and smiled grimly. Shimrra's vessel was coming around now. It had dropped away from the pursuit of the Imperial ship and was orienting itself towards the Insider's Star Destroyer. Jag waited as they rapidly closed the distance. They were almost there. He stepped forward to the helm console again and quickly dropped the datapad that he had been working on into the helmsman's lap.
"Your new orders are on there," Jag stated quickly. "Carry them out. Now."
The helmsman plugged them into his console without looking, intent on piloting, but the moment that he glimpsed his new orders, he looked sharply up at Jag, disbelief written all over his face. "That's not possible! It can't be done," he said vehemently.
Jag looked at him without a hint of sympathy. "Those are your orders, follow them."
"I can't. There is no way to do what you're asking. We don't have the time or the maneuverability. This is a Star Destroyer, not a clawcraft, Colonel. It's not possible," he repeated.
Jag's response was simple and blunt. "You have no choice. Make it possible or our current course will ram us directly into it."
The man continued to hesitate and Jag frowned. He would not allow one disbelieving helmsman to stop him from completing Jaina's mission. Jag raised his charric from its holster at his waist and pressed it to the man's temple in one smooth move. His finger covered the trigger with the ease of familiarity. "Do. It. Now."
The helmsman didn't need any more convincing. The control center was gripped by a frozen silence as everyone watched the tension filled display both inside and outside the ship.
Jag watched, hardly noticing the weapon that he held in his hand any more as he focused on the maneuver that the helmsman was attempting. The Star Destroyer was almost to its target, rushing towards its destination at its top speed when it started to roll. Because of its mass it was rare to see a Star Destroyer attempt a maneuver such as this, especially when it was at its most vulnerable in the midst of a battle like this one.
The massive tentacles of Shimrra's vessel began to writhe towards the Star Destroyer, seeking to connect with the hull of the Star Destroyer in a surge of destructive fury. In the next instant the tentacles found nothing to strike out at, as the Insider's Star Destroyer completed its roll and passed over the midsection of Shimrra's vessel. The roll had turned the Star Destroyer up on its side so that only the ridge along the very top of the Star Destroyer was in range of the Vong tentacles, significantly reducing the area that the Vong could damage.
Even as the Star Destroyer was passing over Shimrra's vessel, it was changing its course to match that of the Star Destroyer. It would be so close behind the Star Destroyer that its massive engines might singe the coral of the Vong vessel.
"Colonel, should we..." Slarne's voice trailed off as he searched for some alternative to get the Vong ship away from them.
"No, Captain," Jag said, lowering his weapon from his side, without any fan fair. "We'll hold our course."
It was several agonizing minutes later before the Star Destroyer cleared the Vong vessel. Jag's voice was quite as he turned to Slarne. "Have all of our rear gun batteries concentrate their fire on Shimrra's vessel. I want them to keep all of their attention on us."
Jag could feel the entire Star Destroyer shudder as one of the great tentacles connected. They only had to hold on for a few more moments. Their course had already taken them past Bastion and they had moved away from the battle towards the heart of the solar system. In fact they were headed towards the very heart of the solar system, Bastion's star. Their present speed and heading, even with the heavy damage that they were taking, was leading them into the sun.
The blinding glare from the light of the sun was already filling the control center as they held their course. "Sir," the helmsman's voice held less challenge this time, but his voice was still questioning. He had no desire to burn up in a sun.
Jag didn't look at the man, only looking at the distance gauge on the helm console. "Not yet."
"Sir, the sun is beginning to pull us in. We have only fifteen more seconds before we can't pull out."
Jag smirked remembering a story he had heard of how Han Solo had similarly foiled the Imperials over twenty-five years ago using a similar technique. If it was good enough for that old smuggler, then maybe it would work for them. "Reverse our course in twenty seconds." His voice was steady.
The helmsman didn't even bother to protest, although Jag could see that he wanted to. The seconds slipped by slowly as Jag counted them down under his breath. "fifteen....twelve....eight.....six....four....three...one. The Star Destroyer shuddered with the strain of its engines, but continued to sink into the sun and then it lurched. The Star Destroyer and everything on it froze in the next instant. It hung in space and then slowly it began to move away, so slowly at first that it was hardly even measurable and then faster. Shimrra's vessel, however, wasn't so lucky. It continued to slide towards the sun.
The personnel on the control center erupted into cheers, but Jag didn't notice. He stared instead at the vessel that had claimed Jaina's life. It seemed so unreal that after everything he had lost her now.
Fel. The word was clear and distinct even through the cheering, as if it had been spoken into his ear, but no one was there. He looked around in surprise, trying to find the source of the call. His eyes fell on Mara as he looked towards the turbolift. The injured Jedi Master leaned heavily against the wall.
Jag hurried to her side, shoving through the cheering crowd. He wasn't sure what to say to her. How could he tell her about Jaina? Could he even force himself to say those words? Did Mara already know? He spared himself the necessity of speaking as he offered her an arm. To her surprise, she accepted the offer of help and spared him the necessity of speaking with one horrible and wonderful phrase.
"Jaina is alive, Fel, and she is on that vessel." She pointed at the vessel visibly sinking into the sun.