Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to Lucas, except the characters I made up and the plot for this story. Okay, I know that the song is dumb, but like I've said before (maybe not in this fic, but...), I'm not very good at making up songs. Maybe I'll change it later. If you've got any suggestions for a new song, email me.
in a boxing announcer's voice totally unlike my own And, in this chapter, introducing the wonderful, beloved Z...! Oops, guess I better not say who's showing up. But from that letter and the summary, you've probably guessed, huh? Well, don't go on until you do.
A/N: Okay, listen up. waits Oh wow, someone's listening! Anyways... okay, I've decided that I'm not going to post new chapters until I get 5-10 reviews per chapter. I think that's fair, because you can review on every chapter. If I get more reviews, that's great, I might even let them count towards the next chapter, hehe. So get all your friends to read this is you want it updated, because this is the last free one (one that doesn't have 5-10 reviews) that I'm posting. Sorry. So let's review! whee!
Chapter Four: One Ship Down"Come on, Jay, try one more time!" Jacen coaxed his sister.
"But, Jac, I've tried to get through to their tower fifteen times!" Jaina complained, but tried again.
"Tower, this is E-Jump requesting landing approval." There was still no answer; just the dead sizzle of static. "Look, Jacen, it's no good. I told you earlier, I think that the comm unit really is dead. There's no way they'll –"
A crackling in the E-Wing's comm unit cut her off. "E-Jump, this is Tower. You have permission to land in docking bay three-one-seven."
Jacen smiled smugly at his older sister who just rolled her eyes. "Uh, acknowledged, Tower; docking bay three-one-seven." She shut off the comm unit. "Well, folks, looks like we're in!" She cried triumphantly, eyes gleaming.
The autopilot didn't let up at all, not even to land, which left all four of the teenagers to gaze excitedly out of the cockpit window. When the little craft landed, it finally automatically released the door and they all piled out, almost tripping on one another. They stared at their surroundings, taking in the towering skyscrapers and other impressive buildings.
"You know, Jac, this looks familiar somehow," Jaina whispered.
Suddenly, a heavy hand descended on Jaina and Jacen's shoulders.
"Coruscant Police," a stern voice announced as the four young people turned around to see who had spoken. "You are under arrest," it added.
They saw that a young man in his late twenties had spoken. His cropped black hair was partially hidden under a police hat and he wore the tan uniform that immediately identified without a doubt that he was, indeed, Coruscant Police.
"Why are we under arrest?" Jaina asked boldly. "We've done nothing wrong!"
"Why did you wait so long to contact the tower for landing permission? You were already within atmosphere. You should have contacted us much sooner, as is the protocol. Everyone knows that," the policeman added with contempt.
"Our comm unit wouldn't work. The ship's a beat up piece of junk and it's been acting up ever since we took off," Jaina retorted, not the least intimidated.
"Well, you aren't in the scheduled arrivals, either."
"Like I said, our comm unit wasn't working!" Jaina was starting to get mad. Why was the man so insistent on making them into criminals?
"You should have made sure it was working before you left or scheduled it from the planet you departed from."
"We didn't know we would be 'departing', so we didn't have a chance to prepare or check anything!" Jaina protested.
"Ah, thieves!" The man declared, grabbing the girl's jumpsuit collar and pulling her up close. She glared at him. He was too insistent on arresting them. He must be bored. Maybe there hadn't been any smugglers for him to arrest for a couple weeks.
"We're not thieves. See, I have my Academy badge on. We are Jaina and Jacen Solo."
"You could have stolen that jumpsuit. What about the other two?"
"They're our friends." There was a pause as they glared at each other. The man dropped her collar. "Look, if you don't believe us, call up our mother, Senator Leia Organa Solo of Alderaan. She'll vouch for us!"
"I see no need to involve the Princess. You are all under arrest. Come with me!"
"No!" He grabbed Jaina again.
"Do not defy me, girl," he growled. "Maybe, if you cooperate, we will call up the Princess and see if she will assure us as to your identities, but don't count on it otherwise. So be silent and come quietly."
Jaina appeared to be broken and motioned for the others to follow, but Jacen could see a red fire burning in his sister's brown eyes. She'll find a way out, he thought, She always does.
They were thrown into a cell the minute they got to the prison. It wasn't a small cell, but it wasn't large, either. There were only two beds in it, and Gemeia and Morring offered to take the extra blankets and sleep on the floor since they were already used to sleeping on the hard E-Wing floor.
They were left in the cell for two days. They were fed, but it wasn't very appetizing; barely better than gruel. Huh, not much has changed in prison since the stone age. I wonder if this is the same batch they served in the very first prison, Jaina thought humorously.
On the third day, Jaina was sitting by the front of the cell, singing a little song she remembered from one of the music holos that her mother had given her when she was a little kid. It was dumb and it wasn't her favorite of all the songs she'd ever heard, not by far, but it was the one that popped into her head for some reason.
I'm just one little girl
In this crazy universe
Planet spinnin' round me,
I am wonderin' what I'm worth.
I know that I'm not useless,
But I'm nothin' special, either.
But when I'm in my cockpit,
That's when I am someone.
Showin' what I can do,
Whizzin' through the stars.
Now the planet's spinnin' 'neath me,
Now I'm the one on top.
I know that I can –
"Jaina!" Whispered a voice, cutting off the line.
"W – who's there?" She asked suspiciously, peering around. She looked out through the bars, trying to see if someone was there.
"Its Zekk!" The voice said, and a familiar face suddenly popped up in front of her nose.
"Whoa, Zekk!" She hissed, jerking back in surprise.
"What, not happy to see me?" He asked softly, pulling a comically sad face. Then he grinned in sudden inspiration. "Hey, want me to spring you from there?"
"Uh, sure."
"'K, well, we've got to hurry. The warden'll be by any time now."
"Why?"
"Lookin' for his keys," Zekk grinned as he held the offending remote that was used to open the doors. He aimed one end at the sensor pad on the door and pressed several different keys before it made a soft clicking sound. "There. Hurry up!"
"Wait!" Jaina whispered, grabbing his arm as he started away. "I've got to get the others." Zekk sighed, but waited.
Jaina went from one to the other, placing a hand over each one's mouth before waking them up so that they wouldn't cry out. Soon, all four of them were following Zekk up the hallway to freedom.
Zekk liberated a couple of other teenagers on the way, then left the remote key on a table where he had found it so the warden wouldn't suspect anything.
When they were outside, the other kids peeled away into several groups and went their own ways.
"Why were you down there, Zekk?" Jaina asked as they stopped in a park to sit on some benches and catch their breath.
"I could ask you the same question," Zekk replied. He was genuinely curious why Jaina had been in the brig: Jaina Solo was not the sort of person you expected to see in jail. Zekk was more that type than Jaina.
Jaina blushed a deep red, not from embarrassment, but from rage. "For something that was utterly stupid and not our fault. Our E-Wing was messed up and we couldn't schedule a landing before entering atmosphere, so the idiot officer on duty arrested us. I think he was just bored. There probably hasn't been much activity on his late night shifts or something and we were the best he could get," she added in disgust. Zekk laughed. "So what were you doing there?" Jaina asked again.
"Oh, just springing some of the gang," he replied nonchalantly. A little too nonchalantly, Jaina thought. She eyed him.
"Did 'some of the gang' include you?"
He colored very slightly. "Well, um... yeah. But I just got in so I could get the remote and let the rest of the gang out and..." He trailed off, unable to think of a better alibi.
"Right..." Jaina didn't believe a word of it. She remembered a couple times Zekk was the cause of several of his friends (and, more of then than not, himself along with them) getting put in the slammer. He always managed to find a way out at the last possible second and free everyone else.
"Well, thanks for including us in 'the gang'," Jaina added, giving Zekk a quick little hug of thanks. He blushed, but simply nodded. Jaina saw Jacen roll his eyes at her. She knew what he was thinking. He thought she was getting sweet on Zekk and he was getting sweet on her. Well, it was true she liked him well enough... as a friend. What he thought of her, she didn't know.
He surprised her by suddenly blurting, "Well, I couldn't very well leave a pretty girl in there, now, could I? Especially one with a voice."
Jaina turned back to him. "Wadda you mean?"
He blushed just a little again. "Well, the only reason I sprung you was 'cause I heard you singing."
She stared at him. "You mean you would have left us if I couldn't sing?" She asked dubiously with a slightly dangerous tone to her voice. Geez, what a friend!
"No, no!" Zekk quickly corrected himself, holding up his hands. "I just meant that I wouldn't have realized it was you otherwise." She stared at him. "I mean, I'd recognize your face anywhere, of course," he added, looking straight into her brandy brown eyes with his green ones as if it would confirm his reasoning. "Its just that I might not have realized it really was you. I mean, it was a jail, and you're... you're..."
"Just a pretty face?" Jaina asked with a slightly sarcastic tone. "Or just not the kind of girl you'd expect in there? Not one of the kind of girls in your gang? Well, let me tell you, Zekk..." Zekk stopped her with one hand on her shoulder and another held up in front of her face.
"No, Jay," he said, using the pet name he and Jacen and her family used, "you're just as tough and everything as they are, but you're not a troublemaker who'd typically land in jail."
"Like you?" She asked with a grin. She glanced over to make sure the others weren't trying to eavesdrop. All three were apparently deep in conversation.
Zekk dropped his head as he let his hand fall from her shoulders and looked back up with a smile. "Yeah, not like me. But your voice was what got my attention. Not just because it was familiar, but 'cause we need a lead female vocalist for our band and you'd be a perfect fit." He pleaded with his eyes.
"Who's the lead male vocalist?" Jaina had her suspicions and as long as she was right, she wouldn't mind.
"Well, I don't think its someone you don't like. Actually, I think you like him."
Jaina rolled her eyes. "Come on, spill it."
"Guess."
"Come on, Zekk!"
He sighed. "Yeah."
"Yeah what?"
"I'm the lead male vocalist."
She grinned. "That's what I thought. Well, we're not doing anything until we can figure out how to jimmy the E-Wing so it'll stay off autopilot, so I guess I can." She held up a finger. "And its just a favor for you! I wouldn't do it otherwise!" I'm also doing it because it's a place to hide from the 'police', she added in her mind.
He grinned. "Thanks. Thanks, Jaina. You won't regret it!"
I sure hope not! She thought.