Notes: I'm having trouble getting these files to load right, and therefore HTML doesn't work for a reason unknown to one as un-computer literate as I. Hence, _underscores_ mean italics.
Jag headed to his quarters after his morning meal. He had chosen to eat with the Chiss pilots, as he was still annoyed at Kyp and Jaina was nowhere to be found. He was a little puzzled at this. He hadn't seen her at all yesterday since she left for her meeting with Wedge. He shrugged off his concern, deciding that she probably was just catching up on lost sleep. Still, an entire day seemed an awfully long time to sleep.
To put his mind off Jaina, he grabbed his tool kit and headed to the hanger to tinker with his Clawcraft's engines. He walked past several parked X-wings but stopped very suddenly. He slowly took a few steps back and looked to his right, at the spot where Jaina kept her ship.
It was empty.
He couldn't remember dropping the tool kit. All he knew was that he looked down suddenly and it was gone. He didn't notice until he was on the level of the city where Wedge Antilles's office was. In his rush, he paid little attention to the path in front of him, ignoring the angry shouts of beings roughly shoved out of the way. He was, however, forced to stop when he ran headlong into Kyp Durron.
"For crying out loud, Jag! Where's the fire?"
"Forget any 'fire.' Where is she?"
"Who?"
"Jaina! Where is Jaina?!"
"I don't know." Kyp's tone was innocent, but a little too innocent. Jag reached out and grabbed the older man by the shoulders, shoving him against the wall. "Don't play dumb, Kyp. You're on the High Council. You people know everything that goes on in this place."
"I told you." Kyp pulled himself away from Jag. "I don't know."
"Yes, you do," Jag hissed at the retreating Jedi's back, but he didn't pursue him. Instead, the colonel continued his fast-paced walk to the general. He paid no attention to Tycho Celchu's indignant protests as he stormed into Wedge's inner office. The general was frowning over a pile of reports on his desk. He looked up as his nephew came in. Jag couldn't help but notice that his face became carefully clouded and unconcerned. "Can I help you Jag?"
"Where is Jaina? The Twin Suns is still stationed here. Why would a squadron be here without their lead pilot?"
"Lowbacca is quite capable of handling them until..." His voice faded.
"So you admit you sent her somewhere. Where?"
"Listen, Jag. I can't tell you. Otherwise I would, but that's confidential information."
"Why did she go?"
"Can't you hear me? All information concerning Jaina's current mission is confidential."
"Damn." Jag fell back in a chair, knowing he had been defeated. Despite how much he wanted to know Jaina's whereabouts, he respected the military's need for confidentiality. "Can you at least tell me when she left?"
"Early this morning."
"How about when she'll get back?"
"I don't know."
"Did anyone go with her?"
"Since I'm sure it would ease your mind and end your questioning, she is not alone, but before you ask..."
"No, you can't tell me who is with her."
"Exactly. You'll probably find out eventually, before they get back, but it won't be from me. I'm through making people swear themselves to secrecy about this. Relax, Jag. She isn't heading towards anything she can't handle. I have complete confidence in her abilities."
"You promise she's perfectly safe?"
"No. I can, however, promise she is reasonably safe. Nothing is going to happen to her. One thing I can say, it's a good thing you stormed in here. It saves me the trouble of going to find you. I'm putting you in charge of Twin Suns, sort of. Lowbacca is flying lead, but he answers directly to you."
"Don't try to change the subject."
"Jag, no matter how much you pester me I'm not going to tell you. Besides, you have more important things to worry about."
"Such as what?"
"The Alliance meeting."
"That meeting doesn't involve me. I'm not a politician."
"No, but I received word from Csilla yesterday afternoon." Jag jerked up straight at the mention of his home planet. "The Chiss are willing to send an ambassador to participate in the discussions. I believe I am correct in saying you would be a good contact between us and them."
"Why is that? There are a number of Chiss pilots."
"Two reasons. You outrank the others, and the ambassador is your father."
"You're kidding."
"Not in the least. He is supposed to arrive in eight days. And before you ask, your parents are well, as is your sister."
Jag forced a small smile and said, "Thank you, sir." When Wedge turned back to his reports, Jag perceived the conversation was over and left. He leaned against the wall outside and let his smile fade. Pleased as he was to be seeing his father, he had tried to delay their meeting as long as he could. Jag was well aware that he hadn't reported in properly in a very long time, and he knew General Baron Soontir Fel would not be happy about that.
***************************
Tahiri stretched awkwardly within the small confines of her X-wing cockpit. It hadn't taken more than an hour or so for claustrophobia to set in. She had spent most of the past three days in a Force-trance, but she still felt like the closeness of the ship was suffocating her.
A slight ping sounded from the console. Tahiri sighed in relief. _Finally I can stretch my legs!_ A crackling voice barely distinguishable as Jaina's came over the hyperspace comm, saying, "Everyone still there? The drop is in two minutes and twelve seconds."
"The military really is overly efficient," the voice of Jacen joked. Through the Force, she could sense Jaina mentally rolling her eyes. Instead of responding with a snide remark, the pilot instead asked, "Tahiri?"
"I read you, Jaina."
"Good. Prepare for the drop."
Tahiri watched the countdown idly, trying to stop her fingers from twitching impatiently over the controls. The last two minutes before the drop seemed painfully slow. She resisted the urge to curse at the clock, because she knew it wouldn't make things go any faster. At last, it reached zero.
The starlines fell back into place, and Tahiri breathed a sigh of relief as the green orb of Bakura came into view. The three X-wings pointed their noses at the planet and moved closer, waiting to be hailed.
"Unidentified craft, you are entering Bakura space," a voice broken slightly by static suddenly said.
"Let me handle this," Jaina said over a private line. "Ground control, this is Colonel Solo of the Galactic Alliance military," she stated as she switched to the planetside frequency. After a series of questions about their intentions, none of which Jaina answered completely, they were given permission to land. "Thank you, ground control."
Jaina's craft led the way to the coordinates supplied to them, Jacen and Tahiri following close behind. They proceeded to an empty hanger bay, the shield above it fizzing out of existence as they approached. Jaina and Jacen dropped their ships skillfully into place. Tahiri had a bit more trouble, but she landed without any major problems.
"I spoke to General Antilles before we left," Jaina told them once they were all firmly on the ground. "He said he contacted the government authorities, and we should expect their full cooperation. We also have been given a suite at a hotel that should serve our purposes sufficiently. We'll need to find that and set up search equipment so that we can get to that base and get out before we attract a lot of attention."
"Even if people notice we're here, will that matter?" Jacen asked dubiously.
"Secrecy, dear brother, is the key," Jaina answered with a faint, sarcastic grin. "Come on. Let's get a lift."
Finding a hovertaxi willing to carry the three of them plus the surveillance gear, stored carefully in nondescript black suitcases, was a bit of a challenge. It didn't help that Wedge hadn't been able to find out the address of the hotel. At last they found one driven by a talkative young Duro who looked barely older than Tahiri. The ten-minute ride was almost ear blistering, the three Jedi sitting in an uncomfortable silence while the Duro prattled on about nothing.
Tahiri was grateful for the relative silence of the hotel lobby as they parted ways with their driver. Going straight to the front desk, Jaina used all of her military authority to get checked into their rooms without all of the usual questions. Tahiri had noticed tight security ever since they had been hailed from ground control and was glad to bypass some of the regular checks. Going into the turbolift and keying the thirty-seventh floor, Jaina smiled innocently at her brother and Tahiri and said, "Isn't it amazing what magic a military ID can work?"
"Isn't that abusing power, Jaina?" Jacen chided.
"No. That's what I'm supposed to do." Jacen didn't respond, just shook his head. Tahiri could tell he was somewhat critical of Jaina's methods, but he trusted her not to do anything that would get her in trouble.
At last they reached their room and were relieved of their burdens. Tahiri hadn't known just how heavy the equipment truly was until then. She set them on the floor by a low coffee table and fell back onto a chair while Jaina quickly searched the room for bugging devices.
*******************************
Jag stared intently at the comm unit in front of him, as though waiting for it to make the first move. One hand hung in the space halfway between him and it, unmoving. This was the farthest he had gotten in three days. He was still unsure of what he would say to his parents, even unsure of whether he ought to contact them at all. The hand wavered, then fell back towards him. He exhaled sharply, still undecided.
He looked around, almost hoping to see some sort of sign for guidance. His eyes fell upon a set of dice, no doubt left in his office from the time he had been late for a meeting with Jaina and Kyp. He had walked in on them impatiently rolling them back and forth. He stood, walked over, and picked up the one with six sides. "All right, you," he told it, "give me an even and I'll call them. Give me an odd and I won't. Got that?" He knew how ridiculous it would look if someone walked in and saw him talking to a die, but he didn't care. He rolled it across his desk.
"Four. Bless you and curse you in the same breath." He hit a key on the comm before he could change his mind. "Get me a line to Csilla," he ordered the person on the other end.
"Yes, sir." A few seconds later, a light indicated that the line had been patched through. "Csilla Military Communications. Who is this?"
"Colonel Fel with Vanguard Squadron. I need to speak with General Baron Soontir Fel. I have the number for his home estate."
"All right, sir. Please proceed." Jag punched in the code and waited. A teenage girl with blond hair materialized before him. "The general isn't here right now. You might try at his office."
"What sort of way is that to greet your brother, Wyn?"
"Jag, is that you?" she asked. She squinted, probably at the image of Jag that would be before her.
"What, don't you recognize me?"
"Your hair is longer," she answered with a shrug. It was true. He had let his hair grow out a bit in recent months, but he still kept it combed neatly in place. Wyn grinned. "The rebels have been a bad influence on you."
"Possibly, but don't tell anyone. Because if you do, Wynssa Fel..." His voice dropped off so as to let her imagination take over the rest of the threat. She only shrugged. "So," he continued, "how are Mother and Father?"
"All right, I guess. Still in one piece. Well, two pieces, one for each."
"Wyn, you need to change the subject before you risk sounding half-witted."
"Oh, shut up, you fair-haired..."
"Who are you calling fair-haired, my blond sister?" For a few seconds she just spluttered angrily before relaxing. "A point for you, Jag. By the way, how is your girlfriend?"
Jag managing to keep his jaw from going slack, but it was a close thing. "What are you talking about?" he demanded. She only smiled innocently. Jag studied her static-broken image in silence, confused. How could his younger sister, currently many lightyears away have the faintest inkling of his friendship with Jaina Solo? "Well?" she prompted after a moment of silence.
"I don't have a girlfriend."
"If you say so." In her tone it was evident that she didn't believe him.
"I have an idea. Let's change the subject. Is Mother there?"
"Jag," Wyn said, making a face, "that isn't changing the subject. That's saying you don't want to talk to your kid sister anymore. And no, she's not. You're stuck with me for the time being. Just out of curiosity, what suddenly possessed you to call after months without any reports or anything?"
"General Antilles - er, Uncle Wedge - just told me that Father was going to be representing Csilla at the Alliance meeting on Mon Cal."
"Yeah! Isn't it great? I've never been there before. I haven't been much of anywhere besides Csilla, and it's going to be so wonderful to be able to stand on a real beach, not some indoor, fake thing."
"Wait. You're coming also?"
"Of course. What, you think I would let Dad leave me behind if he was going there? I think you've been out in the sun too long. Mom's coming too. We're leaving tomorrow." There was a faint bleep from the comm. "What was that?" Wyn asked.
"I can't keep this line open for more than a few seconds. Listen. Tell Mother and Father I said hello and that I can't wait to see them." After a short pause he added, "Love you, sis."
"You too. See you in five days!" Wyn's image fizzled out of existence. Jag leaned back thoughtfully in his chair. Five days to decide between enthusiasm and dread at meeting Soontir Fel again and the lecture that would surely follow.
***************************
Jaina leaned against the back of her chair, sighing in slight frustration. This was their second day on the surface of Bakura, and the Force was obviously not with them. They hadn't found even the slightest hint that the terrorist base even existed. After declaring the rooms clear of bugs and microphones, Jaina had tapped a computer into the planetary security network. From there she hacked into confidential records and files. Technically, it was illegal, but she had orders proving she could break such laws. Even so, Jacen had given her a lecture that was almost painful to listen to.
The young Jedi rubbed her eyes gently. They were crossing from the hours spent staring at the screen before her. Across the room, Tahiri was doing a similar search through prison records. Jacen was taking a rest. Standing, Jaina went to the kitchenette in search of a drink, preferably one with alcohol, but all she could find was water. A glass in hand, she returned to her post and resigned herself to several more hours of searching before she could sleep again.
"Jaina?" Tahiri called out questioningly. "I think I may have found something." Suddenly, Jaina was completely awake. In three strides she was across the room and leaning behind the younger woman. "This person was mentioned in the data Wedge gave us. And look; here are three more."
"How recent are these?"
"Not very old. Three months. Two of them are already out."
"Tahiri, I think you've found the jackpot. I'm going to go check something." She sat down in front of her own computer and mentally swatted away the slight pant of conscience she felt. Even as she keyed into the government files, she knew that no military power she might have authorized her to do this. Calling up a picture of one of the terrorists, she initiated a search for similar images in the security cameras and high-power satellites.
The search got several hits, but one of them seemed to stand out. It had been recorded about four hours earlier. Jaina let it play and watched carefully. The man stood in the same spot for several moments, eyes shifting around nervously and a strange bundle under is arm. At length he entered a building. Jaina froze the image and zoomed in on a sign by the door. It was a cantina. She scribbled down the name of it and its address for future reference, and then she let the video continue at high speed. Several more equally suspicious beings entered. Then, about an hour ago, all of them left in a big group.
"Jaina!" Tahiri called out again. "Here's something new! A bomb was set off in a plaza ten miles south of here about five minutes ago. Does that mean anything?"
"It does. Go wake Jacen." She stared at the image of the cantina. "I've got you now."
Jag headed to his quarters after his morning meal. He had chosen to eat with the Chiss pilots, as he was still annoyed at Kyp and Jaina was nowhere to be found. He was a little puzzled at this. He hadn't seen her at all yesterday since she left for her meeting with Wedge. He shrugged off his concern, deciding that she probably was just catching up on lost sleep. Still, an entire day seemed an awfully long time to sleep.
To put his mind off Jaina, he grabbed his tool kit and headed to the hanger to tinker with his Clawcraft's engines. He walked past several parked X-wings but stopped very suddenly. He slowly took a few steps back and looked to his right, at the spot where Jaina kept her ship.
It was empty.
He couldn't remember dropping the tool kit. All he knew was that he looked down suddenly and it was gone. He didn't notice until he was on the level of the city where Wedge Antilles's office was. In his rush, he paid little attention to the path in front of him, ignoring the angry shouts of beings roughly shoved out of the way. He was, however, forced to stop when he ran headlong into Kyp Durron.
"For crying out loud, Jag! Where's the fire?"
"Forget any 'fire.' Where is she?"
"Who?"
"Jaina! Where is Jaina?!"
"I don't know." Kyp's tone was innocent, but a little too innocent. Jag reached out and grabbed the older man by the shoulders, shoving him against the wall. "Don't play dumb, Kyp. You're on the High Council. You people know everything that goes on in this place."
"I told you." Kyp pulled himself away from Jag. "I don't know."
"Yes, you do," Jag hissed at the retreating Jedi's back, but he didn't pursue him. Instead, the colonel continued his fast-paced walk to the general. He paid no attention to Tycho Celchu's indignant protests as he stormed into Wedge's inner office. The general was frowning over a pile of reports on his desk. He looked up as his nephew came in. Jag couldn't help but notice that his face became carefully clouded and unconcerned. "Can I help you Jag?"
"Where is Jaina? The Twin Suns is still stationed here. Why would a squadron be here without their lead pilot?"
"Lowbacca is quite capable of handling them until..." His voice faded.
"So you admit you sent her somewhere. Where?"
"Listen, Jag. I can't tell you. Otherwise I would, but that's confidential information."
"Why did she go?"
"Can't you hear me? All information concerning Jaina's current mission is confidential."
"Damn." Jag fell back in a chair, knowing he had been defeated. Despite how much he wanted to know Jaina's whereabouts, he respected the military's need for confidentiality. "Can you at least tell me when she left?"
"Early this morning."
"How about when she'll get back?"
"I don't know."
"Did anyone go with her?"
"Since I'm sure it would ease your mind and end your questioning, she is not alone, but before you ask..."
"No, you can't tell me who is with her."
"Exactly. You'll probably find out eventually, before they get back, but it won't be from me. I'm through making people swear themselves to secrecy about this. Relax, Jag. She isn't heading towards anything she can't handle. I have complete confidence in her abilities."
"You promise she's perfectly safe?"
"No. I can, however, promise she is reasonably safe. Nothing is going to happen to her. One thing I can say, it's a good thing you stormed in here. It saves me the trouble of going to find you. I'm putting you in charge of Twin Suns, sort of. Lowbacca is flying lead, but he answers directly to you."
"Don't try to change the subject."
"Jag, no matter how much you pester me I'm not going to tell you. Besides, you have more important things to worry about."
"Such as what?"
"The Alliance meeting."
"That meeting doesn't involve me. I'm not a politician."
"No, but I received word from Csilla yesterday afternoon." Jag jerked up straight at the mention of his home planet. "The Chiss are willing to send an ambassador to participate in the discussions. I believe I am correct in saying you would be a good contact between us and them."
"Why is that? There are a number of Chiss pilots."
"Two reasons. You outrank the others, and the ambassador is your father."
"You're kidding."
"Not in the least. He is supposed to arrive in eight days. And before you ask, your parents are well, as is your sister."
Jag forced a small smile and said, "Thank you, sir." When Wedge turned back to his reports, Jag perceived the conversation was over and left. He leaned against the wall outside and let his smile fade. Pleased as he was to be seeing his father, he had tried to delay their meeting as long as he could. Jag was well aware that he hadn't reported in properly in a very long time, and he knew General Baron Soontir Fel would not be happy about that.
***************************
Tahiri stretched awkwardly within the small confines of her X-wing cockpit. It hadn't taken more than an hour or so for claustrophobia to set in. She had spent most of the past three days in a Force-trance, but she still felt like the closeness of the ship was suffocating her.
A slight ping sounded from the console. Tahiri sighed in relief. _Finally I can stretch my legs!_ A crackling voice barely distinguishable as Jaina's came over the hyperspace comm, saying, "Everyone still there? The drop is in two minutes and twelve seconds."
"The military really is overly efficient," the voice of Jacen joked. Through the Force, she could sense Jaina mentally rolling her eyes. Instead of responding with a snide remark, the pilot instead asked, "Tahiri?"
"I read you, Jaina."
"Good. Prepare for the drop."
Tahiri watched the countdown idly, trying to stop her fingers from twitching impatiently over the controls. The last two minutes before the drop seemed painfully slow. She resisted the urge to curse at the clock, because she knew it wouldn't make things go any faster. At last, it reached zero.
The starlines fell back into place, and Tahiri breathed a sigh of relief as the green orb of Bakura came into view. The three X-wings pointed their noses at the planet and moved closer, waiting to be hailed.
"Unidentified craft, you are entering Bakura space," a voice broken slightly by static suddenly said.
"Let me handle this," Jaina said over a private line. "Ground control, this is Colonel Solo of the Galactic Alliance military," she stated as she switched to the planetside frequency. After a series of questions about their intentions, none of which Jaina answered completely, they were given permission to land. "Thank you, ground control."
Jaina's craft led the way to the coordinates supplied to them, Jacen and Tahiri following close behind. They proceeded to an empty hanger bay, the shield above it fizzing out of existence as they approached. Jaina and Jacen dropped their ships skillfully into place. Tahiri had a bit more trouble, but she landed without any major problems.
"I spoke to General Antilles before we left," Jaina told them once they were all firmly on the ground. "He said he contacted the government authorities, and we should expect their full cooperation. We also have been given a suite at a hotel that should serve our purposes sufficiently. We'll need to find that and set up search equipment so that we can get to that base and get out before we attract a lot of attention."
"Even if people notice we're here, will that matter?" Jacen asked dubiously.
"Secrecy, dear brother, is the key," Jaina answered with a faint, sarcastic grin. "Come on. Let's get a lift."
Finding a hovertaxi willing to carry the three of them plus the surveillance gear, stored carefully in nondescript black suitcases, was a bit of a challenge. It didn't help that Wedge hadn't been able to find out the address of the hotel. At last they found one driven by a talkative young Duro who looked barely older than Tahiri. The ten-minute ride was almost ear blistering, the three Jedi sitting in an uncomfortable silence while the Duro prattled on about nothing.
Tahiri was grateful for the relative silence of the hotel lobby as they parted ways with their driver. Going straight to the front desk, Jaina used all of her military authority to get checked into their rooms without all of the usual questions. Tahiri had noticed tight security ever since they had been hailed from ground control and was glad to bypass some of the regular checks. Going into the turbolift and keying the thirty-seventh floor, Jaina smiled innocently at her brother and Tahiri and said, "Isn't it amazing what magic a military ID can work?"
"Isn't that abusing power, Jaina?" Jacen chided.
"No. That's what I'm supposed to do." Jacen didn't respond, just shook his head. Tahiri could tell he was somewhat critical of Jaina's methods, but he trusted her not to do anything that would get her in trouble.
At last they reached their room and were relieved of their burdens. Tahiri hadn't known just how heavy the equipment truly was until then. She set them on the floor by a low coffee table and fell back onto a chair while Jaina quickly searched the room for bugging devices.
*******************************
Jag stared intently at the comm unit in front of him, as though waiting for it to make the first move. One hand hung in the space halfway between him and it, unmoving. This was the farthest he had gotten in three days. He was still unsure of what he would say to his parents, even unsure of whether he ought to contact them at all. The hand wavered, then fell back towards him. He exhaled sharply, still undecided.
He looked around, almost hoping to see some sort of sign for guidance. His eyes fell upon a set of dice, no doubt left in his office from the time he had been late for a meeting with Jaina and Kyp. He had walked in on them impatiently rolling them back and forth. He stood, walked over, and picked up the one with six sides. "All right, you," he told it, "give me an even and I'll call them. Give me an odd and I won't. Got that?" He knew how ridiculous it would look if someone walked in and saw him talking to a die, but he didn't care. He rolled it across his desk.
"Four. Bless you and curse you in the same breath." He hit a key on the comm before he could change his mind. "Get me a line to Csilla," he ordered the person on the other end.
"Yes, sir." A few seconds later, a light indicated that the line had been patched through. "Csilla Military Communications. Who is this?"
"Colonel Fel with Vanguard Squadron. I need to speak with General Baron Soontir Fel. I have the number for his home estate."
"All right, sir. Please proceed." Jag punched in the code and waited. A teenage girl with blond hair materialized before him. "The general isn't here right now. You might try at his office."
"What sort of way is that to greet your brother, Wyn?"
"Jag, is that you?" she asked. She squinted, probably at the image of Jag that would be before her.
"What, don't you recognize me?"
"Your hair is longer," she answered with a shrug. It was true. He had let his hair grow out a bit in recent months, but he still kept it combed neatly in place. Wyn grinned. "The rebels have been a bad influence on you."
"Possibly, but don't tell anyone. Because if you do, Wynssa Fel..." His voice dropped off so as to let her imagination take over the rest of the threat. She only shrugged. "So," he continued, "how are Mother and Father?"
"All right, I guess. Still in one piece. Well, two pieces, one for each."
"Wyn, you need to change the subject before you risk sounding half-witted."
"Oh, shut up, you fair-haired..."
"Who are you calling fair-haired, my blond sister?" For a few seconds she just spluttered angrily before relaxing. "A point for you, Jag. By the way, how is your girlfriend?"
Jag managing to keep his jaw from going slack, but it was a close thing. "What are you talking about?" he demanded. She only smiled innocently. Jag studied her static-broken image in silence, confused. How could his younger sister, currently many lightyears away have the faintest inkling of his friendship with Jaina Solo? "Well?" she prompted after a moment of silence.
"I don't have a girlfriend."
"If you say so." In her tone it was evident that she didn't believe him.
"I have an idea. Let's change the subject. Is Mother there?"
"Jag," Wyn said, making a face, "that isn't changing the subject. That's saying you don't want to talk to your kid sister anymore. And no, she's not. You're stuck with me for the time being. Just out of curiosity, what suddenly possessed you to call after months without any reports or anything?"
"General Antilles - er, Uncle Wedge - just told me that Father was going to be representing Csilla at the Alliance meeting on Mon Cal."
"Yeah! Isn't it great? I've never been there before. I haven't been much of anywhere besides Csilla, and it's going to be so wonderful to be able to stand on a real beach, not some indoor, fake thing."
"Wait. You're coming also?"
"Of course. What, you think I would let Dad leave me behind if he was going there? I think you've been out in the sun too long. Mom's coming too. We're leaving tomorrow." There was a faint bleep from the comm. "What was that?" Wyn asked.
"I can't keep this line open for more than a few seconds. Listen. Tell Mother and Father I said hello and that I can't wait to see them." After a short pause he added, "Love you, sis."
"You too. See you in five days!" Wyn's image fizzled out of existence. Jag leaned back thoughtfully in his chair. Five days to decide between enthusiasm and dread at meeting Soontir Fel again and the lecture that would surely follow.
***************************
Jaina leaned against the back of her chair, sighing in slight frustration. This was their second day on the surface of Bakura, and the Force was obviously not with them. They hadn't found even the slightest hint that the terrorist base even existed. After declaring the rooms clear of bugs and microphones, Jaina had tapped a computer into the planetary security network. From there she hacked into confidential records and files. Technically, it was illegal, but she had orders proving she could break such laws. Even so, Jacen had given her a lecture that was almost painful to listen to.
The young Jedi rubbed her eyes gently. They were crossing from the hours spent staring at the screen before her. Across the room, Tahiri was doing a similar search through prison records. Jacen was taking a rest. Standing, Jaina went to the kitchenette in search of a drink, preferably one with alcohol, but all she could find was water. A glass in hand, she returned to her post and resigned herself to several more hours of searching before she could sleep again.
"Jaina?" Tahiri called out questioningly. "I think I may have found something." Suddenly, Jaina was completely awake. In three strides she was across the room and leaning behind the younger woman. "This person was mentioned in the data Wedge gave us. And look; here are three more."
"How recent are these?"
"Not very old. Three months. Two of them are already out."
"Tahiri, I think you've found the jackpot. I'm going to go check something." She sat down in front of her own computer and mentally swatted away the slight pant of conscience she felt. Even as she keyed into the government files, she knew that no military power she might have authorized her to do this. Calling up a picture of one of the terrorists, she initiated a search for similar images in the security cameras and high-power satellites.
The search got several hits, but one of them seemed to stand out. It had been recorded about four hours earlier. Jaina let it play and watched carefully. The man stood in the same spot for several moments, eyes shifting around nervously and a strange bundle under is arm. At length he entered a building. Jaina froze the image and zoomed in on a sign by the door. It was a cantina. She scribbled down the name of it and its address for future reference, and then she let the video continue at high speed. Several more equally suspicious beings entered. Then, about an hour ago, all of them left in a big group.
"Jaina!" Tahiri called out again. "Here's something new! A bomb was set off in a plaza ten miles south of here about five minutes ago. Does that mean anything?"
"It does. Go wake Jacen." She stared at the image of the cantina. "I've got you now."