The general entered his quarters wearily, the Jedi Knight following him like a wraith. "We had to give your quarters to someone else because we thought you would be gone for a while, so for now you can just stay here," he said quietly.

The young woman nodded numbly even though she knew the real reason she was staying in the general's family quarters was because her hold-father didn't want her to do anything stupid. Like suicide, she thought grimly. Fat chance on that one. Not that she hadn't thought about it but she was smart enough to recognize it as a stupid move.

However, instead of voicing her knowledge about what he thought, she said politely, "Thank you, General. I'm sure I will be quite fine." The phrase sounded odd on her tongue because she knew that nothing would be "quite fine" ever again.

The general shifted uneasily. How do you comfort someone who just lost everything? he wondered awkwardly. "If you want someone to talk to—"

"I know."

"If you want, I can make us a dinner. I don't know about you but I'm starving."

The idea of food revolted her. "I'm not really hungry."

There was an awkward pause and she found herself wishing desperately that he would just leave her be. When he didn't, she said, "If you don't mind I think I'll just go to sleep right away. I'm pretty tired."

"Of course." The general nodded and she noticed that he was as relieved as she to have a break in the uncomfortable silence. "The 'fresher's around the corner. There's some robes and night clothes in the far cabinet that you can use."

"Thank you." She all but ran from the room.


***

The general forced himself to go through the steps of a normal night. Fortunately, his wife was working late and the children asleep. He wondered how he would explain the disaster that had befallen the New Republic. His daughters had been close to some of the Jedi children. They would be heartbroken. And his wife…

He shook his head and slowly got dressed for bed as his mind drifted to what had been lost. Luke Skywalker, Han and Leia Solo, heroes of the Rebellion and the New Republic—all dead. The Jedi, the guardians of peace in the galaxy, were all gone save a single, heartbroken child that had seen too much in this war.

The girl. She was truly tragedy embodied. The heart and soul of one young woman, barely out of her teens and the only Jedi left in the galaxy, crushed and vaporized. It had to be the most disgusting waste the general had ever heard of.

As he got into bed he could not help but feel guilty. He had experienced much loss during this sithspawned war but the girl out on the couch...She had suffered the unthinkable. So while she tried vainly to keep from crying, while she tried to remain strong, the general had his two amazing daughters and his beautiful wife, all whom he wanted very badly at that moment.

****

Deep within the Maw, among the pieces of the Eclipse there was a scatter of materials and mechanical components that were not part of any kind of ship. These pieces were instead once part of a special droid. This droid had two specific missions. The first was, should the Vong ever attack, the droid was to take out as many Vong as absolutely possible. The second was to make the Warmaster and all other Vong believe in "blasphemy."

The droid's name was ERJV-Jaina Solo.

She was a human replica droid.

***

The general, not being able to sleep, slipped out of the room and sat down, watching the young girl sleep. He did not move as his wife slipped into the room, instead, he brought the blanket that covered the girl up more tightly as she shivered. His wife leaned forward and smoothed the hair from the girl's face, then lightly kissed the girl's forehead. His heart nearly broke at the sudden reminder that the girl would never be comforted by her mother ever again.

His wife moved to his side and snuggled into his side.

Together, Wedge and Iella Antilles wept for Jaina Solo.

*End of Part 1*