Ameri – I'm glad t have surprised you ;) Garik is back on Mon Cal (if I didn't make a mistake and say he's on Coruscant :P Stupid changing world capitals…) I name most of the Spirits in this next chapter… Who's your guess for the Other? I don't name her ; Thanks! :D
Eowyn – Thanks! :D And here's a nice, long chapter for you…and I'll get the epilogue up quickly, but the sequel might be a bit longer ;p
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Part Four: The Path Which Destiny
Sets Before You
And did you think this fool could never win
Well look at me, I'm coming back again
I got a taste of love in a simple way
And if you need to know while I'm still standing you just fade away
Don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid
I'm still standing after all this time
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind
I'm still standing yeah yeah yeah
I'm still standing yeah yeah yeah
- "I'm Still Standing" by Elton John
---
Chapter Twenty: Die Another Day
-
Feeling completely unreal, Tiran stumbled over to where he had last
seen his master. He was too spent to so much as sigh when he found her,
twisted in a broken position against the wall. Her chest raised
shallowly every now and then, one of the very few evidences of her
continued life.
If this was what the Force gave to the lives of Jedi, Tiran wanted nothing to do with it.
Calling her name several times brought no more response than fluttering
eyelids or a faint moan, and Tiran's heart settled somewhere around his
toes.
I'm sorry, Garik.
Picking her up carefully, hearing her bones crack and settle every time she shifted, Tiran sprinted for the ship.
It was Calair all over again.
------------
"She is coming to us," the Second Said ecstatically. "She is coming!"
The Third and the Ninth looked up in unison, then turned to regard each
other. The Sword was dying? But if she died, then who…?
The
Third was the first to accept it; he was going to be reunited with his
twin! Such connections meant so little now, but nothing could annul the
closeness they had once shared.
The Sword appeared vaguely
before them, her spirit beginning to cross the barrier between
dimensions. "Where am I?" she murmured sleepily, blinking at the
atmosphere and the forms of light before her.
The Fourth took a form familiar to the Sword and stepped forward awkwardly. "You Live," she Said.
Jaina squinted, then began to tremble. "Lusa? Is that you?"
The Fourth smiled and opened her arms. "It is I. We are all here." The
old way of speech was cumbersome to her tongue, but she endured it for
her old friend.
" 'We'?" Jaina squeaked.
The others
stepped forward – the First and the Third hurrying forth the fastest.
"Jaina, come," the First begged, beaming brighter for his joy.
Her face became white, but now it was not just because life/Death was fleeing from her body. "Anakin."
The First tried to give her a hug – something he remembered from Before
– but couldn't quite manage it. "Yes," he Said instead.
Her eyes flicked over to the Third. "And…Jacen?"
For some reason, the Third succeeded where the others had failed, and he held her close. "Welcome, sister."
--------
Tiran supposed he shouldn't be piloting so quickly when he was still
a green pilot, but he only continued to push the ship to its limits.
Jaina had crossed into a coma two hours into the trip, and Tiran was
quite sure that wasn't a good thing.
Jaina had barely touched
the topic of using the Force to heal, but what little he knew – mostly
to do with cuts and speeding up the natural healing process – Tiran
used. He'd called Garik and managed to tell him to make sure a
med-vehicle was ready to meet them upon arrival. Anything that he said
after would never be remembered.
With helplessness descending
on him, Tiran's only pastime was to remember everything he had done
wrong, every cruel word he had thrown at his master, and all the old
memories of Molair before…well, before. He had lost many, many people –
his home planet – before, and he wasn't ready to lose another.
Unfortunately, he couldn't escape the feeling that he had best be
planning his apology to Garik.
---------
The only Spirits who picked up on Jaina's distress were the Third
and the Ninth – Jacen and Sanar, respectively. The others were too
overjoyed (they were going to be One!) to notice much.
"Where is…?" Jaina's voice trailed away and she rubbed her arms to stay warm.
The Third had forgotten that he was cold. "Zekk is not with us, Jaina."
Her right arm, which had been broken in Death/life, came up as she
rubbed her head. It wasn't as tender anymore. The Ninth noticed that
Jaina was becoming more solid in their world.
She would have to move quickly.
"You are not meant to be here yet," the Ninth Said sharply. "You have your own part to play."
Jaina's expression was a cross between plaintive and relieved, but the others burst out in anger.
The Second tried to lead Jaina to their side as she Said, "Destiny is
cruel. Very cruel. Let it find someone else to agonize."
"It can't be someone else," the Ninth Said, her voice razor-sharp.
Jaina took a step back, her eyes resting on her brothers for a moment
before meandering back to the Ninth. "It's too late now, though, isn't
it?" she said dejectedly. "I'm dead."
All nine Spirits frowned at her ignorance (calling Life death, really!) but the Ninth shook her head. "No."
"No?" Jaina repeated hopefully.
"You must choose."
Jaina took a step backwards, and her arm started to twist into its original, pretzel like shape.
"Ja—Jaina, come on," the Sixth Said, panicking a little. "What are you doing? Don't you want to stay with us?"
The majority of the others could only look on, stunned. None of them
could believe that she was even thinking of turning down Life – and
with them, too! Hadn't she missed them, as they had longed to be
reunited with her?
The Third and the Ninth just looked sad.
----------
Garik held the Brigga plant closer than a baby, but no one had the
heart to tell that to the upset diplomat. Jaina and Tiran had arrived
at the Mon Calamari med-bay landing platform just an hour ago, but the
doctors were already at their wits' end. The broken bones and
abrasions, they could handle. The poison, however, was something else
entirely.
The chemical mixture Rialom had created moved too
quickly—had too much of a head start—for them to hope for a cure's
quick discovery. Garik had nearly exploded when he was informed, and
Tiran envied the man for being able to let his emotions out. All he
could feel was numbness spreading through his body.
It was happening again.
When he had heard about Lin-Ta, all Tiran could think was that it was a
joke. A sadistic prank. He had raced off – jacked a ship he barely knew
how to pilot – and set his course for his home. All he had found was
destruction and the dead feeling in his gut. He hadn't been able to do
anything – hadn't even been able to help a single person breathe their
last a little easier. They'd all been stone cold or charred through to
a crisp by the time he arrived.
It was the same with Jaina,
only this time he couldn't do anything because he was useless, ignorant
about anything to do with healing, and too slow to get her to a
hospital in time.
If only Garik would shut his eyes, go away,
Tiran might be able to pretend that this wasn't as bad as Lin-Ta. That
no one's world was ending. That no one would be forever altered by this.
But Tiran knew it was happening in his eyes too: he was seeing his
future changed. He would never be a Jedi, if Jaina died, but he would
also lose someone he respected, maybe even cared for.
When Tiran tried to close his eyes, Garik's pain and Jaina's dying still wouldn't disappear.
--------
"It will be a long time," the Third Said slowly, "if you go."
Jaina took another step back. "I have to; I – I have people who need
me." To everyone, including herself, she sounded like she was trying to
convince herself.
The Ninth glared at the others. "She is
correct; you know this." She stepped forward, as far as she could
toward the living/Dying world. "But I will not make you go alone,
uncertain."
Carefully, almost reluctantly, the Ninth held out
her hand. "Hold on, just for a little longer, Jaina," she said between
painful gasps. "I can't go any farther into your world. Reach out to
me. Just for a moment."
Jaina stared at the offered hand, then clasped it tightly. Immediately, both were sucked into a vacuum.
"Watch," the Ninth said, connecting her gaze with Jaina's, her eyes the
only steady thing in the swirl and chaos of the future. "Watch."
Jaina did.
----------
"Did Rialom say anything that might help?" Garik pleaded for the fifth time in the past sixteen hours. He looked ready to fall into a coma himself.
Tiran avoided Garik's eyes as he racked his brains again – as if he
would remember something now that had eluded him before. "No. He only
said he was sorry. He fell back before he could tell me about the
antidote."
Garik finally set his plant down next to Jaina. "It
is originally from Yavin 4," he explained, gesturing toward the brush.
"I knew she missed it, so I was going to…recreate the praxeum at Cryta
– in her rooms, at least." His eyes squeezed tight for a minute. "I
suppose…now…she will be too busy with her family and friends to care
about some stupid plant."
Tiran did not respond. Garik had just said what both knew: Jaina wouldn't care about much of anything, soon.
With a curse, Garik stormed out of the room. Part of Tiran wished he
could escape, too. The other part, however, knew that Garik's attempts
to flee were in vain.
------
Jaina couldn't breathe – something that she supposed should be
troubling to her. She was too close to death. But she was flying, high
above trouble and grief, with only Sanar's hand to steady her. Before,
with her dead friends and brothers, she had been too upset to realize
the warmth of the Force that surrounded her.
The freedom – the life!
Sanar squeezed her hand, bringing Jaina's attention to the left of
them. The young woman watched and saw the glimpses of the future that
Sanar had chosen.
Garik: laughing, teasing. Jaina thought, for a moment, that she felt arms tighten around her in an embrace. Love. Friendship.
Safety.
Tiran: in front of her, holding a lightsaber, ready for a practice
duel. "You're not going soft on me now, are you?" he mocked with a
smirk.
A violet-haired woman: rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Can I whack him, already?"
Two children: one boy and one girl, running up to her. Jaina missed the
title they used for her, and her eyes were too blurred with tears to
see their features.
"This," Sanar Said, "is your destiny. Never let it go. Never let them go."
Then Sanar's hand loosened its grip, and Jaina spiralled back toward life – and pain.
--------
"Did she just twitch?"
Tiran wanted to take the words back
as soon as he said them. He was only awake because of the caf, and he
was halfway into a coma himself from exhaustion and worry. Of course
Jaina hadn't twitched. His eyes were playing tricks on him.
But, like always, Garik's head shot up hopefully, despite the number of wrong, previous "signals".
The two men watched her for several moments, but not even their
imaginations could make her breathing regulate, or the machines beat
normally.
Garik slumped back into his chair with a sigh. His
fingers tapped the arm of his chair nervously before saying, "I wonder
if she knows the antidote. Criminals have been known to gloat to their victims."
Tiran's chrono clicked a few times. "I don't know how to pick her mind, if that's what you want."
Garik only stared ahead at the potted tree that he had yet to move from
Jaina's side. The leaves were shading her face from view, which may or
may not have been on purpose. It hid her bandaged visage.
Well,
Tiran admitted silently, it wasn't as if she would suffer if he did
something wrong. With a sigh, he pulled his chair over to her bed side,
by the plant. Ignoring Garik, the apprentice concentrated on the Force
within and around his master.
Her aura felt dulled – still
powerful, in brute force, but losing the edge—the alertness—that Tiran
had felt previously. That worried him as much as the series of pauses
and quick-repetition-beats that her heart monitor sounded.
With
a deep breath, Tiran began feeling his way around the shields that
protected her against outside influences. Parts of the walls flaked off
or gave way, but his probing was otherwise too careful to push past.
Tiran demolished her remaining shields. Jaina would kill him if she
ever found out, but maybe Garik would hold her back, if the
apprentice's search was successful.
What…are you doing?
The voice was almost monotone, dead, but still dangerous. Tiran swallowed.
Jaina?
…Yes?
Uh, did Rialom…did he tell you anything about the poison?
A pause. Why?
Garik and I need to find some kind of cure.
Oh…
Jaina? Do you know the antidote?
She didn't respond for a long, flat moment in which she seemed to drift
even farther away than before. Then, as suddenly as she had
disappeared, Jaina flooded back into herself.
Lee-droy! Are you okay? What happened? Then, You cracked my shields?! You are so dead.
Jaina. Antidote. Now.
Her response was as slow as if her brain was filled with goo, despite her previous, reflexive sarcasm. Brigga…something.
I think it was the…make a salve out of Brigga leaves and the – bark.
You're supposed to apply it to the poison's entry point – er, that'd be
the hole on the back of my neck. That's all Molair told me, though.
Molair told you? Not Rialom?
What, did you think Rialom was sane – or insane – enough to help me? Really, Lee-droy.
Tiran was too dumbfounded to respond.
Tiran?
Uh, Brigga bark and leaves. Salve. Neck hole. Got it.
He couldn't escape the impression that she was smirking. It'll be fine, kid. Really.
In a few hours, she proved to be both correct and asleep.
--------
It was either Garik or a copper-and-green blob created by the Vong to stare her into another coma.
"We really need to stop reuniting like this."
Garik. Definitely.
Jaina forced her eyes to open. If she squinted, she could just make out
her friend's features. "Maybe you should take more vacations."
"I even went so far as to plan
a break," her companion said dryly, none of his previous concern
showing in his voice. Some things did not need a confession. "As it is,
the new Jedi home has been neglected to accommodate a certain Jedi who
decided to get herself almost killed. Your loss, though: the estate is
much nicer than this antiseptic nightmare."
"Yeah, well, get
used to it." It was as close as she'd ever come to admitting – at the
moment – that she planned to make sure he would stick around.
Garik didn't reply for a moment, but then she felt him take her right
hand. "I was under the impression that the kidnappings were a childhood
adventure. Certainly, the bounties on us both dropped somewhat once it
became obvious that we were as much trouble as our parents. What, pray
tell, is your excuse for breaking tradition?"
She grinned and
shifted up on the bed until she was somewhat upright against her
pillow. "What can I say? Perfection never comes off the market."
He was become a little clearer, and Jaina thought she saw Garik roll
his eyes as he changed the subject. "Although it seems unreasonable to
me, your apprentice refuses to sleep until he sees you. Shall I let him
in?"
She moved further up the bed, thanking Garik when he
helped her sit up straight. "May as well. I suppose even Coruscant
needs to give in, once in a while."
He was snickering. Jaina
knew it, but she didn't give Garik the pleasure of a response. Instead,
she folded her blanket back and said, "Well? You going to get him?"
"Of course, Coruscant." Her hair spilled into her face when he ruffled it before walking away, chuckling.
She took the opportunity to rub her eyes and when she looked up again,
Jaina was able to make out the mostly-correct image of her apprentice.
"You look like hell," she blurted out.
Through the Force, she felt him scowl. "You're really not the one to talk, Princess."
Coruscant, apparently, needed to work on her peace treaties. Jaina took a deep breath and released it vehemently. Just get it over with. "Tiran."
He quirked an eyebrow defensively. "Jaina."
"We really got off on the wrong foot."
Tiran stared at her as if she was some kind of puzzle that needed deciphering. "To put it mildly."
She bore his stare; as she had with Ganner and Jacen, she recognized
Tiran's defence mechanism: sarcasm. "What do you say to starting over?"
"Unless you got a time machine for your birthday, Princess…"
In a flash, her sight returned. The first thing to gain complete focus
was Tiran, watching her with a mixture of hope and fear. Impulsively,
she held out her hand. "Hi. My name is Jaina Solo. I'm not much of a
Jedi, but I'll do my best. Can't promise much else."
His stare
shifted from her eyes to her hand, then, as if it had a will of its
own, his own hand reached out and shook hers. "I'm Tiran Lee-droy –
just Tir, to my friends. I'm going to do my best to annoy you, but I
don't really hate the Jedi…and that's something, isn't it?"
Jaina smiled. "It's enough."
For now.
----
I'm gonna break the cycle
I'm gonna shake up the system
I'm gonna destroy my ego
I'm gonna close my body now
I think I'll find another way
There's so much more to know
I guess I'll die another day
It's not my time to go
For every sin, I'll have to pay
A time to work, a time to play
I think I'll find another way
It's not my time to go
- "Die Another Day" by Madonna
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There's still an epilogue, but otherwise…that's it for DAD! I'm not sure yet when I'll start posting the sequel ("Heart of a Jedi"), but the wait shouldn't be much longer than a month, I think…
-Tjz