Jaina whipped around, her lightsaber blazing forth violet glory, just in time to intercept a blow from an amphistaff. The Vong, who wore the armor of a warrior, snarled and leapt at her again. "Mara!" Jaina called. "Help!" The only answer she got was a semi-conscious groan. Jaina fell back a few steps from surprise and the strength of the opposing blows. She was driven to her knees before she finally managed to swing her leg around and catch the Vong in the backs of his legs. She jumped up to her feet, and staff and saber clashed again.
Jaina dodged a hit and flipped neatly over her assailant's head, wanting to draw him away from her former master. She let him driver her back a few paces before she reverted back to the offensive. She attacked with more strength than she thought she had. "I didn't come all the way here and crash a ship just to have you strike me down!" she screamed, pronouncing each word as she slammed the purple blade against the amphistaff.
The alien suddenly managed to shove her backwards. Her lightsaber flew out of her hand and clattered uselessly on the ground out of reach when she landed on her back. She saw the warrior raise his weapon and prepare to smash it down on her head.
There was a sudden flash of light above her. The Vong stood there with his amphistaff still raised, a smoking hole punched through his chest armor. He stood gasping for a moment before crumpling to the ground, dead.
Mara lowered her blaster and helped Jaina to her feet. The younger woman summoned her saber back to her hand and reattached it to her belt. "Never attack in anger," Mara said, imitating Luke.
Jaina chuckled weakly, "I know, I know." She stretched her left shoulder gingerly. It ached from her fall. "Just like I know that's going to bruise." She and Mara started to walk back up the ramp when Jaina fell back to the ground again, gasping in pain. The pain she had already been dealing with seemed to vanish when the adrenaline started pumping through her veins, but it came back worse than ever. Jaina wrapped her arms around herself with a groan. She stayed doubled over until they reached the cockpit.
The second the landing struts left the ground Jaina felt waves of relief wash over her. It only got better when they had left the atmosphere behind. "What took you so long?" Kyp asked in a static-filled voice.
"Just a few problems with the takeoff," Mara said, sounding calm and as though nothing had happened, and Jaina was grateful for that. All three of the men in snubfighters would start protesting at once and demanding to know every single, stupid detail. Though she didn't doubt Kyp and Jacen knew Mara was lying, they didn't say anything about it. "Okay, we're going to go ahead and dock," Jacen said. "I don't fancy spending three days in hyperspace in this cockpit."
**********************
Several days had passed. A disheartened Chev Kline stared wistfully at the dejerak board in front of him. How could he have let her go like that? His opponent, an old childhood friend, hit the board sharply. "Hey, snap out of it. It's your move."
"Sorry. I just can't stop thinking about her."
"Who?"
"Jaina."
"Chev, it's only been two days. She wasn't even here that long. You shouldn't be pining like this over her."
"Kered, have you ever had that feeling where you just know something? You don't understand why, but you know it's true."
"Occasionally, I suppose."
"Well, this is one of those times. I know something was meant to happen for Jaina and me."
"Meant to happen? Listen to yourself. If what you have told me is true, she is a respected military officer who can shoot a Vong with one arm tied behind her back, eyes closed, and standing on her head. And what are you? An artist with no money still living with his parents?"
"I know, I know. It doesn't make any sense. I just --"
"You just know it was meant to be, yeah, yeah." Kered sighed and leaned back in his chair. "While I may think you are overreacting, I don't like to see you this way. If she means that much to you, why don't you just go and find her?"
"How am I supposed to do that? I don't know where she's from, and even if I did I would have no way to get there."
"Hitch a ride to the city and find someone who will give you a lift. And as for where she is, I think you might find this interesting. I've been listening to the HoloNews, and apparently there is going to be some big political assembly on Mon Calamaari. Jaina works for the government, does she not? What better place for her to be than at the capitol and the assembly?"
Chev was silent for a moment, his mind running furiously. He looked up at Kered. "Mon Calamaari, you say?"
*********************
Jaina Solo had returned safely. Wedge had not gotten the chance to go and talk to her in the medbay because of all the heightened security he still had to direct. The discussions were to begin tomorrow, and representatives were still arriving in hordes. He assumed Jaina was all right. He had overheard someone complaining about how they had lost a total of six hundred and forty-three credits to her in a sabaac game in the pilots lounge.
He stood in a glass overpass and looked out at the landing field below. Several Imperial shuttles had just come down from a Super Star Destroyer in orbit. Even from this distance, Wedge could make out the form of Grand Admiral Palleon.
He turned to Colonel Tycho Celchu who stood just behind him. "And so it begins," he said before looking out again.
Jaina dodged a hit and flipped neatly over her assailant's head, wanting to draw him away from her former master. She let him driver her back a few paces before she reverted back to the offensive. She attacked with more strength than she thought she had. "I didn't come all the way here and crash a ship just to have you strike me down!" she screamed, pronouncing each word as she slammed the purple blade against the amphistaff.
The alien suddenly managed to shove her backwards. Her lightsaber flew out of her hand and clattered uselessly on the ground out of reach when she landed on her back. She saw the warrior raise his weapon and prepare to smash it down on her head.
There was a sudden flash of light above her. The Vong stood there with his amphistaff still raised, a smoking hole punched through his chest armor. He stood gasping for a moment before crumpling to the ground, dead.
Mara lowered her blaster and helped Jaina to her feet. The younger woman summoned her saber back to her hand and reattached it to her belt. "Never attack in anger," Mara said, imitating Luke.
Jaina chuckled weakly, "I know, I know." She stretched her left shoulder gingerly. It ached from her fall. "Just like I know that's going to bruise." She and Mara started to walk back up the ramp when Jaina fell back to the ground again, gasping in pain. The pain she had already been dealing with seemed to vanish when the adrenaline started pumping through her veins, but it came back worse than ever. Jaina wrapped her arms around herself with a groan. She stayed doubled over until they reached the cockpit.
The second the landing struts left the ground Jaina felt waves of relief wash over her. It only got better when they had left the atmosphere behind. "What took you so long?" Kyp asked in a static-filled voice.
"Just a few problems with the takeoff," Mara said, sounding calm and as though nothing had happened, and Jaina was grateful for that. All three of the men in snubfighters would start protesting at once and demanding to know every single, stupid detail. Though she didn't doubt Kyp and Jacen knew Mara was lying, they didn't say anything about it. "Okay, we're going to go ahead and dock," Jacen said. "I don't fancy spending three days in hyperspace in this cockpit."
**********************
Several days had passed. A disheartened Chev Kline stared wistfully at the dejerak board in front of him. How could he have let her go like that? His opponent, an old childhood friend, hit the board sharply. "Hey, snap out of it. It's your move."
"Sorry. I just can't stop thinking about her."
"Who?"
"Jaina."
"Chev, it's only been two days. She wasn't even here that long. You shouldn't be pining like this over her."
"Kered, have you ever had that feeling where you just know something? You don't understand why, but you know it's true."
"Occasionally, I suppose."
"Well, this is one of those times. I know something was meant to happen for Jaina and me."
"Meant to happen? Listen to yourself. If what you have told me is true, she is a respected military officer who can shoot a Vong with one arm tied behind her back, eyes closed, and standing on her head. And what are you? An artist with no money still living with his parents?"
"I know, I know. It doesn't make any sense. I just --"
"You just know it was meant to be, yeah, yeah." Kered sighed and leaned back in his chair. "While I may think you are overreacting, I don't like to see you this way. If she means that much to you, why don't you just go and find her?"
"How am I supposed to do that? I don't know where she's from, and even if I did I would have no way to get there."
"Hitch a ride to the city and find someone who will give you a lift. And as for where she is, I think you might find this interesting. I've been listening to the HoloNews, and apparently there is going to be some big political assembly on Mon Calamaari. Jaina works for the government, does she not? What better place for her to be than at the capitol and the assembly?"
Chev was silent for a moment, his mind running furiously. He looked up at Kered. "Mon Calamaari, you say?"
*********************
Jaina Solo had returned safely. Wedge had not gotten the chance to go and talk to her in the medbay because of all the heightened security he still had to direct. The discussions were to begin tomorrow, and representatives were still arriving in hordes. He assumed Jaina was all right. He had overheard someone complaining about how they had lost a total of six hundred and forty-three credits to her in a sabaac game in the pilots lounge.
He stood in a glass overpass and looked out at the landing field below. Several Imperial shuttles had just come down from a Super Star Destroyer in orbit. Even from this distance, Wedge could make out the form of Grand Admiral Palleon.
He turned to Colonel Tycho Celchu who stood just behind him. "And so it begins," he said before looking out again.