Chapter 8



Jexna Wyild ran one hand through her pale blonde hair, now matted with sweat from wearing a flight helmet.

"Captain." A tall gangly officer wearing the bars of a lieutenant came running up. "We are receiving a transmission from Sarze Blade."

A cold smile tilted the corners of Jexna's faintly pink lips. "I will be there directly."

~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~

Tramis stood on the observation deck, his hands clasped behind his back as he waited on his sister.

"Tramis?" a voice came from behind him.

He turned with a blank expression. "Jexna. We gained Deyer but lost track of Katrynz. Durron's information did not, how to put it, hold water."

The blue image of his younger twin sister froze, her vaguely pretty features twisting into a mask of anger.

"Shavit."

"We've taken him into 'custody' and at the moment have him in a virtual reality sim. A few more days and all sanity should depart." He smiled cruelly.

Jexna nodded as though she had expected this. "We have Solo. Pity that his wife killed Jabba; that bounty was almost double what Thrawn is asking for."

Tramis stayed silent.

"What?" Jexna asked cautiously.

"Thrawn is dead. He was killed by someone known only as 'Red Flare'. We received a final transmission from the Chimerra before their ship self-destructed."

"We have two worthless prisoners." Jexna snarled. "I'll kill Solo with my bare hands."

"Calm yourself, my sister." Tramis's voice was soft and sibilant. "With the Grand Admiral dead… who do you think is going to rule?"

Jexna's expression turned evil as she realized what he was getting at. "Empress Laedala."

"And who was her husband?"

"Han Solo."

"What did he do?"

"Solo? Kidnapped her son and ran away."

He rubbed his chin, "I think she should pay handsomely for him. Don't you?"

Her response was that her evil grin grew wider.

"Perfect," she whispered.

"We will meet at Coruscant in three days."

"Laax tuda cv'sav," she said in farewell as her holo image vanished.

~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~

Isolder stared at his mother, his jaw agape. He couldn't help it. Tenel Ka Chume D'jo was his. HIS, dammit!!!

He clutched her tighter.

"What. Do. You. Mean." He spoke through clenched teeth.

"I can not allow you to raise my granddaughter. You are a man and therefore unfit," she sneered, "and that witch you married doesn't even know how to dress herself. I wouldn't let her have my granddaughter to save my Cluster."

Isolder opened his mouth to defend his beloved wife, but his mother continued.

"What with the way you look at her I'm surprised that there was only one child." Her tone was increasingly condescending. "I would have expected at least two."

"There are two." Teneniel's calm voice came from behind her mother-in-law. In her arms rested a small baby with a mostly-bald head. Ta'a Chume spun, her eyes fastening on the small child.

"It is mine." Teneniel said to forestall her mother-in-law.

Ta'a Chume's eyes narrowed. "Male or Female."

"Male."

Ta'a Chume's eyes narrowed even more. "I will take my granddaughter, you may keep," her tone insulting, "the boy."

Teneniel's cool gray eyes flashed. "Ta'a Chume. I made a promise to you once before. I will keep it."

The Queen Mother's eyes flew wide open. "You wouldn't," she breathed.

Teneniel tilted her chin and raised an eyebrow, not even dignifying the woman with a response.

Ta'a's eyes narrowed in hatred. "Fine," she hissed. "And may you rot in hell." With a swirl of her skirts she turned and left the doorway. Her body guards closed around her and she was soon lost from view.

"Teneniel?" Isloder asked, his blue eyes wandering over the small child in her arms. "Who is that?"

She turned Jacen Solo around in her arms as he opened his eyes, the brandy outer-rim and cobalt inner-ring creating an eerie contrast. "This, my husband," Tenenial's eyes were completely serious, "is our son, Javen D'jo. Our only son and twin brother to Tenel Ka."

Isolder blinked. "Uhh…"

"And no one will ever know different." Her voice was cold and a shiver ran down Isolder's spine.

He knew their lives were irrevocably changed.

~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~

Zekk turned around in a circle. He was lost. Plain and simple.

**Djai? How do I get to Lady Jade?**

**You're the one with the bond with her. You want to find her, you do it yourself.** Djai snapped. His feelings obviously still hurt by the fact that he was forced to share Zekk with what he considered the two worst threats in the galaxy; Mara Jade and Jaina Nyx.

Zekk briefly and ironically wished he could strangle Djai, unaware that his father wished to do the same to Djai on countless other occasions.

Jaina stretched sleepily, her small hand waving in the air. Zekk smiled until one of her sharp fingernails raked a line across his neck, leaving a small red welt that stung.

He bit his lip to keep from crying out. It hurt.

Djai groaned. **Fine…** he sighed. **You missed the turn off. It's three hallways back.**

Zekk grinned and started walking the way he'd come. He'd find the Lady Jade if it took him all year.

**At the rate you're going,** Djai muttered, **it just might take all year.**

~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~

Mara stunned Leia with one quick shot. Placing one of her blasters back in its holster, she moved to the back of the throne. Pressing different swirls on the deisign in a distinctive pattern, the entire back of the throne slid away. Before her was row after row after row of different poisons, small hold out blasters, data-cards, and other things.

Selecting a small vial marked "Ytinasni", Mara fumbled briefly for a proper injector. Her hand stilled as she spotted an ancient version of the injector. It had a long, slender needle, about five inches in length. A circular tube was attached to that and a depressor was held inside of it. Spinning the top of the vial off, she placed the needle inside the neck of the bottle and carefully drew the plunger up and the "shot" slowly filled with the pale, lavender liquid. Once it was completely filled, she grabbed an injector filled with antidote to a stun blast, she then used the Force to screw the lid back on, place the vial on its correct shelve, and close the hidden cabinet.

Mara turned to Laedala and gave her a quick injection of the antidote. Laedala's red eyes clashed open, rage her predominate emotion. Mara quickly reached in to stab the needle into Laedala's neck and force it into her blood stream. Laedala's agonized scream rebounded off the walls.


Mara watched with enjoyment as the serum began its work on the usurper.

Laedala's skin became pasty and soaked from sweat. Her high-necked blood colored dress darkened to a near black color and soon became torn from her quick, spasmodic movements.

Her enjoyment grew ten-fold as Laedala began screaming out nonsense.

Her enjoyment peaked when the proper lady began gnawing on her throne's arm.

~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~

Zekk peeked into the room and his eyes went wide as he saw the Lady Jade sitting coolly in a small black throne while a white skinned, dark haired, red-eyed woman shrieked, ran about, ripped her dress, and gnawed on random objects.

Jaina, who had been awake for some time now, screwed up her face and began to wail.

Zekk, with a baby in his arms doing her best to crack the crystal based on sheer vibrations and a woman doing her best to eat the crystal after Jaina had shattered it, soon realized he had only one solution.

**Damnit!!** Djai almost yelled as Zekk threw a very Forceful sleep suggestion at the squalling babe. **How can you think?!**

Zekk smiled briefly and carefully melded his Force signature to Djai's. Djai slowly sank them both into the Force, all the while acting as a buffer. Zekk saw the events that had lead up to this point and he was jolted out of his connection with the Force as a surprisingly strong surge of anger swept through him. Directed, oddly enough, at Laedala. Not the one who had made her like this.

**Djai? Where did that flash of anger come from?!**

**Through a bond.** Djai's voice was grim. **When you sink into the Force, you're shields diminish and the Force buffers you. But it can't buffer a bond.**

**You mean that it came from Lady Jade?**

Djai was silent.

**I see.** Zekk sighed.

~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~

Kyp rolled over. His cheek pressed against cool metal. He struggled to lift his eyelids but they wouldn't cooperate. A cool, soft hand brushed his hair back from his forehead.

"Ughhhhh…." Kyp moaned as he once again began spiraling back into darkness.

"Sleep well… Kyp…" a soft feminine voice whispered in his ear as he lost all holds on reality.