Chapter 17 – Realisation
Leia Organa Solo, Princess of a destroyed world, key player of the Rebel Alliance, one of the founders of the New Republic, former Chief of State and all-round saviour of the galaxy resisted the urge to stick her thumbs in her ears, poke her tongue out and waggle her fingers.
"Do you not think that what matters right now is that everyone is safe, no-one of any importance got injured and not who is to blame?"
"No-one of any importance?" she spluttered, turning on the Bothan Chief of State angrily. "Never mind that two good people very nearly died in order to get you and yours out of that room safe and uninjured. You owe them your lives…you all do, and this is the thanks you give them."
Fey'lya's face remained impassive though the fur on his head twitched in an unrecognisable Bothan gesture. "We would not owe them our lives if they had not been the ones to plant the bomb in the first place," he bit back. "Is it not entirely too convenient that they just happened to find a well-hidden explosive that the security forces could not?"
"If that is the case, then why did they allow themselves to become so grievously injured? What did you say their injuries were, Doctor?" Triebakk spoke from his place on a bunk in the large Emergency Medical room where they had gathered to be treated mostly for shock and a few bruises. The exceptions to this were bobbing lazily in two of the four cylindrical tanks, orange Bacta bubbling around them.
"Mr. O'Neill has internal bleeding, three cracked ribs, a concussion, a broken collarbone, broken right leg and shattered cheekbone. Jedi Carter though, has a cracked shoulder blade, skull fracture, major concussion, broken left arm, two cracked ribs, internal bleeding, shattered right wrist, broken hipbone several broken toes and fingers, and deep lacerations to her back.
"Frankly I'm amazed they're alive. From what I could tell, it sounds as if they were thrown against the wall with Mr. O'Neill taking the brunt of it, and then hit by projectile masonry, which Jedi Carter took the worst of. I thank the Force they're still alive."
"We all do, Dr. Pokor." Leia turned back to the group, shooting Triebakk a grateful look. "And therein lies your answer, Chief Fey'lya…in case it had escaped your notice earlier, Sam Carter is a Jedi in training…very close to becoming a full Jedi Knight. That is how she was able to recognise the presence of the explosive long before it detonated."
"What is to say that their plan did not simply go awry?" the Sullustan senator cut in, obviously unconvinced as to the reality of the Force.
"Because, Senator…?"
"Tief'oor."
"Tief'oor, there would have been no reason to pull such a stunt."
"Unless it was in the hopes of convincing us that we owed them for saving their lives," Fey'lya sneered.
"There would be far more expedient ways of doing that, and you know it," Leia snapped back, tiredness, worry, and frustration finally grinding her patience down.
"Chief Fey'lya," the raspy voice of the Mon Calamari representative spoke up for the first time, her eyes swivelling to focus on Leia and Fey'lya. "Were not we running ahead of schedule?"
"We were what of it?"
"Is it not possible that the bomb was set to go off at the beginning of the meeting?"
"Ye-es…?"
Leia frowned, seeing where the Mon Cal Becklor was heading with her query but knowing that it would hold no weight if it came from her.
"If that were so then it was most likely there to prevent what Jedi Carter and Mr. O'Neill had to say from being said," the large Duro Senator intoned thoughtfully.
"If that were so, then it suggests that this Stargate of theirs is of significant importance." Leia stood quietly back while the council members bickered in their own overly polite, pompous way over whether or not this could be true. She had done all she could for now and was content to step away a little and check on Dentralla, who sat morosely beside Sam's tank, silently berating herself for not having been there. The fact was that she had been ordered to stay behind and that she would not have been allowed in there as she was considered 'unnecessary personnel' and therefore, not allowed within a hundred yards of any inner council member without a thorough check first. Knowing that the most reply she would get from the Wookie would be a forlorn growl and an angry dismissal of her comfort, Leia contented herself with laying a small hand on Dentralla's large shoulder and looking up at the orange-tinted forms in the tanks.
Knowing how much she missed her own home planet of Alderaan, she hoped that they would be able to find a way home for themselves.
Hetarn glanced fleetingly at the man before him; a shrivelled husk of his former self.
"Do you mean to tell me, Telk, that your bounty hunter failed to succeed in eliminating the Tau'ri humans?"
"Y-yes, My Lord," the other stuttered. "They died trying My Lord." The sycophantic man cowered as Hetarn stepped closer.
"As they deserved to. Tell me, where they the best?"
"They were the best available to-"
"Where they the best?"
"No, My Lord. Boba Fett is the best, but he would not take the job."
"Then you should have made it a more lucrative deal."
"But My Lord, he said he'd learnt his lesson about dealing with Jedi long ago."
"Silence." Hetarn finally stopped in his pacing and stood in front of him. "It is just as well that I had secondary measures in place."
"That was you, My Lord?"
"Yes."
"But…they didn't die."
"Enough! Do not try to belittle your superiors, human. I knew they would most probably survive, but it should have been enough to deter the pitiful Inner Council from backing them.
"It is a pity that they did not take the hint, though as this will make things so much more tiresome. They will undoubtedly carry out reconnaissance on this fleet before they mount any attack…" Hetarn trailed off as his thinking returned to the confines of his own head. If I cannot stop them coming then I can at least leave them ill-prepared, he thought, smirking as he mentally calculated how much of his already expanding fleet they knew existed for definite.
Suddenly breaking from his reverie, he turned towards the grovelling Telk. "I will not require your assistance any more. Your men are now firmly in service to their Lord. Power is such a wonderful thing…it can win the loyalty of even the most cowardly and rebellious."
"I can leave?" Telk asked hopefully, his voice a squeak.
"I did not say you could leave, I merely said I would not require your assistance any more," and with that, he brought his hand around to his front, palm outstretched over Telk's forehead. "You will not be coming back this time," he informed him with a malicious grin, nodding his head at the large golden sarcophagus that decorated the plain, military furnishings of the room. With a single thought, he activated the adapted ribbon device, the stone flaring to life and causing Telk to scream as he was slowly killed for the last time.
Hetarn called in a white-armoured Stormtrooper to take the body away, his mind flickering briefly to the similarities to the System Lords he had once served…an armour built to impress that covered soldiers mindlessly loyal to a tee.
He smiled in satisfaction at his new army and his new plans. His smile slipped slightly at their tenacity and sheer refusal to die. There is always Xitori, he thought, his smug smile returning.
Daniel's now over-sensitive ears triggered him to wake at the sound of a soft sigh. He blinked blearily around the medical room he was in, realising that he had fallen asleep listening for any signs of life from either Teal'c or Cilghal again. Had it been three weeks or four now? He stretched his back and shoulders out, regretting falling sleep leaning on the back of the chair instantly. He looked over at the lone figure of Teal'c, wishing that he would – Lone? The realisation that Teal'c was alone with him, which meant that Cilghal had moved, which implied they'd awakened sent Daniel stumbling over to the bed, his hope sinking slightly as he realised the tall Jaffa was still and his eyes remained closed.
"DanielJackson, you have awakened." The weak, barely audible comment was squeezed out of almost closed lips.
"Teal'c? You're awake?"
"I am."
"You're awake!" Daniel grinned like a kid in a candy store. "How do you feel?"
"I do not feel well. I have only just awoken; perhaps it would be prudent to summon JediCilghal."
"I, uh, yeah, she must have only just woken as well…I'll get Tekli…"
"Thank you."
Daniel rushed from the room, searching for Tekli or Cilghal or someone. He eventually found them in another of the medical rooms, Cilghal sipping on water, lying exhausted on the bed.
"He's uh…Teal'c's awake!" he exclaimed happily, slightly out of breath.
"Master Cilghal. I shall go tend to him; you will be alright?"
"Yes, go," Cilghal rasped weakly. "I will rest now."
Tekli followed a bouncing Daniel back towards Teal'c's room, both of them unknowing of the conversation Luke was about to have with Han via the holonet just a few rooms away.
"Hey Kid, how you doing?" The grainy image of Han floated above the projector, his usually nonchalant pose altered minutely by the tension in him. Luke noticed this immediately, his smile turning to a frown.
"What is it, Han?" he asked worriedly.
"What, I can't just call my brother-in-law up for a chat?"
"Han…"
"Right." Han gave up his attempt at lightening the mood through humour and ran a hand uneasily through his hair. "There was a bomb at the Imperial Palace a couple days ago-"
"Leia?" Luke cut him off, thinking that he would have felt it if something had happened to his sister.
"No, it was in the inner council chamber…it was Sam and her friend Jack."
"Sithspit! They're not…"
"Dead? No, but only just. Listen, we meant to tell you earlier, but it's been mayhem over here, so," the small figure shrugged.
"That's okay, Han, I- excuse me a minute," Luke stepped out of the transmitter field just long enough for his messenger to relay a message to him. When he stepped back in again he had a slight smile on his face. "Good news: Cilghal and Teal'c are awake…they're weak, but they're going to make it."
"Good news? That's great news! Hey, Leia, I'm talking to Luke…" A few seconds later and his sister joined Han in the field looking weary, but pleased to see him as she wrapped an arm around Han.
"Hi, Luke, I just got back. Sam woke up for a little while in between stints in the Bacta, but she was in a lot of pain and put herself into a healing trance. Dr. Pokor thinks it will only be a few weeks before they can be shipped home for lots of rest and recovery. I'll send the reports; see what you make of them."
"I'll bet. Listen, I've got to go and tell the other two…Teal'c's just woken up."
"He has? That's great! They'll be pleased to know that the Inner Council is going to help us re-take that Stargate device, too. They'll sort out details in a few weeks' time, after Sam and Jack have recovered. I love you."
"I love you, too."
"And May the Force be with you," Han added with a half smile, shooting Luke a mock salute.
"You too, Han." The transmission cut out. "You too." With a sigh, he headed for the medbay, looking over the information Leia had sent him and silently wishing that he didn't have to tell them that their friends were seriously injured.
"Master Skywalker," Tekli greeted him as he walked into the room.
"Tekli, Daniel…how are you feeling, Teal'c?"
"I am well, thank you." Luke rolled his eyes at the blatant lie, told out of politeness rather than as a deception.
"Look, I have some rather, uh, bad news…"
Daniel groaned and folded his arms across his chest. "What kind of trouble have Jack and Sam got themselves into now?" Luke raised an eyebrow at him, as if asking how he knew that. "No matter what planet, what galaxy even…if there's trouble, they'll find it."
"The same could be said about you," Teal'c rasped, shooting the archaeologist a pointed look through heavily lidded eyes.
Daniel frowned for a moment before giving up and shrugging. "It's an acquired skill, and one you share."
"Indeed."
"Well…someone planted a bomb in the council chamber. They managed to get everyone else out, but they got caught at the edge of the blast. Thanks to the Force, they're still alive…by all rights they should have burned if they hadn't been killed by the explosion itself."
Daniel winced in sympathy. "But they're going to be okay, right?"
"They should be sent home in a few weeks."
"Have you told Corran yet?"
Luke shook his head no. "I've only just heard myself…I'll go find him now."
"You want me to do it?"
"No, you stay here with Teal'c…start thinking about what you're going to do when you get home…" Daniel frowned for a moment before his eyes widened and his eyebrows shot into his hairline.
"We're going home? Jack and Sam convinced the Inner Council to help?" Luke nodded and bade them goodbye.
As he walked through the temple, heading for the place where he could sense Corran's presence, he thought about how they had taken the news that their two friends had been seriously injured. It made him wonder about what they – and Sam – had been through, what they had seen and done to leave them with such a, outwardly blasé attitude towards it. They'd let go of a few bits of information when it was associated with the Goa'uld or during their first talk about it on the Errant Venture, but he sensed that there was a lot more to their experiences than they were letting on.
He let it go, though…after all, if they were as bad as their attitudes and the brief stabs of pain, fear, terror, and panic that he occasionally sensed when they were talking about the Goa'uld suggested, then he couldn't blame them. It wasn't as if he talked openly and freely about his battles with Vader, his meetings with the Emperor, his forays into the dark side or a million other things to Leia or Mara, let alone people he'd only recently met.
Sam looked across at Jack, giving him a brief smile before using the Holochess table to lever herself to her feet. Although they were almost entirely healed, they were still weak and sudden movements or too much pressure started a dull ache in their myriad of broken bones. Mind you, if the timer on the bomb hadn't been off-set so that it was a minute out with the trigger, then neither of them would have been injured. It also answered the question of why the Force had prompted her to take Jack instead of Daniel…Daniel didn't have the same instincts that meant they had only been injured, not killed.
Seconds later, Han, Leia, and Chewbacca reappeared from the cockpit as the three children came racing in from their crash couches further back with Threepio tottering after them and calling for them to slow down.
"HEY! Would you stop that?" Sam ducked away from the affectionate tower of fur who had, for the millionth time, ruffled her hair in a Wookie gesture of affection. Dentralla had been beating herself up over her lack of fulfilling her life debt and had taken to ruffling her hair to show her apologies.
"I wouldn't worry, it suits you," Jack commented as he walked past her with a slight limp. "Gives you a…rakish air."
Sam glared at him and sauntered past. Her healing had been accelerated through the Force healing trance, so she suffered from no limp. She made a point of that as she strode ahead, following after the Solo's, who had gone ahead to speak to Luke and Mara.
"Show-off," he muttered as he met her, waiting at the top of the ramp.
"Yeah, your point being?"
Dentralla yowled at them to get a move on.
"Hey, the Falcon's lasted this long, what makes you think it'll give out now?"
"I heard that!" Han's laughing voice floated up to them as they began to descend the ramp, Sam hovering at Jack's elbow in case he needed help. Apparently someone else replied for them as the voices drifted off.
"T, buddy, looking good!" The large black man was leaning heavily on Daniel, but he otherwise stood poker-straight, the barest shadow of the grin that was plastered across Daniel's face twitching his lips.
"As do you, O'Neill, SamCarter."
"Thanks Teal'c, Daniel," she gave the pair a hug.
"Sam! Aren't you going to say hello?"
"Corran, good to see you." Sam turned towards him, a large smile across her face.
"You look great, considering." He laughed as Sam hugged him too…he found it hard to get used to as before she had been very closed off, not prone to displays of emotion. He guessed that it was a hint of the person she had been before, shining through now only because she had been forced to reconcile her 'old' self and her 'new' self.
"That's Bacta for you…not a single scar."
"No, but the taste stays with you…it's all I taste when I eat." Jack's childish tone brought a smile to the lips of his friends who knew that if he was complaining then he would be okay, clichéd as it was.
"Come on Jack, it can't be that bad," Daniel announced as they wandered towards the Temple and the Solo-Skywalker family who were waiting for them there.
"Oh, it is," Sam told him with a grimace.
"You have no idea," Corran reiterated for him.
"Really?"
"Think Lucozade with too much salt, too much sugar and a huge dose of chalk and Benylin¹."
"Ouch," Daniel winced.
"Okay, as you all know, Wraith Squadron was called in for help on this one and they only just recently returned from their reconnaissance mission." They sat in one of the old amphitheatre briefing rooms, the same one in which Admiral Ackbar had briefed them on the attack on the Death Star. Wedge Antilles, one time commander of Rogue Squadron and General in the New Republic fleet, had been brought in as a favour to Luke. "For a change, they managed to pull this one off without being shot at, chased, threatened, or otherwise noticed, so we're happy that this has remained Top Secret." Wedge strode over to the holo display and brought up the Holo's of the system with the small planet that Telk's facility was on.
In orbit taking up a defensive formation were three Corvettes, two Assault Cruisers, and a large, slightly worse-for-wear ex-Katana Dreadnought; the same force that had come at them before.
Sam glanced sideways at Jack, who was looking at the holo's and listening intently. She didn't doubt that his mind was already in overdrive, churning over tactical possibilities and dismissing those that weren't viable, the processes running at lightspeed.
In the month since their return to Yavin, both had healed entirely and training with Corran or the combat droid had brought them back to their previous level of fitness after weeks of doing nothing but float in a tank or sleep. She listened to Wedge outline the plan for the space part of the battle…they would go in with one of their Star Destroyers, a dreadnought of their own, three or four assault cruisers, and two Corvettes. Wedge would be on the bridge of the Star Destroyer, temporarily taking the rank of Admiral at the Inner Council's behest, orchestrating the battle to try to force the enemy ships out of the system but destroying them if they had to. Something about the Inner Council's sudden eagerness to help and to reinstate Wedge as an Admiral for this made her uneasy. They were not known for their love of non-political military people and Wedge was right up at the top of that list, along with a few like Garm Bel Iblis, Admiral Ackbar, and the Jedi.
Sam was surprised out of her paranoid musings when Jack leaned toward her slightly, his hand resting on hers for a moment as he whispered to her. "Try not to confuse them with the techno-babble about the 'gate."
Something about that small gesture, so familiar, struck a chord in her and thrust a thought into the forefront of her brain, one she had been avoiding for a few weeks now. That small contact, something he'd done a million times in briefings or missions had reminded her of the faint realisation she'd had in the Inner Council chamber.
She couldn't not care.
Force knows she'd tried; she didn't want to get hurt as she had so many times before.
But she quite simply couldn't stop caring, couldn't stop herself from even starting to care. About him, Daniel, Teal'c, Dentralla, Corran, Luke, Mara, Leia…everyone.
It wasn't some grand epiphany; a sudden awe-inspiring spiritual realisation…she just stopped avoiding the thought that was buried deep in her mind.
So she turned her hand over, took hold of his hand, and squeezed it lightly before leaning in and replying equally quietly, "They already know that. You, Daniel, Teal'c, and I are going to brief them on how to dial, a few safe planets, a little about the Goa'uld, and the ground attack plan." Jack stared at their clasped hands for a moment before looking at her in shock.
"We are? Why?"
The skin around Sam's eyes tightened visibly and the images of the dream she'd had flashed in her mind once again. "Call it a precaution." Jack nodded and remained silent as Wedge drew to a close before they disengaged their hands and stood, beckoning Daniel and Teal'c up with them.
"Welcome to 'Gate travel 101…"
Daniel yawned mightily and rubbed a hand over his face. It was around 1 am local time and they had only just finished the briefing, leaving the gathered members of the Jedi ground force, Han, Leia, and the two Wookies with the information to memorise over the next two weeks before their departure.
"I' 'onna 'o bed," he said through another yawn, shaking his head to dispel the sleepiness.
"As am I," Teal'c added with a bow of his head.
"Alright, I've got a few things that I need to see to here first," Sam said, shooting a flicker of a look at Jack.
"Yeah, there was something I wanted to ask Admiral Antilles, too; Night."
Teal'c and Daniel raised an eyebrow at each other but said nothing.
"Sleep well," Sam added as they left, receiving a sleepy wave.
"Ah, Admiral Antilles!" Jack called to the man who was currently crossing the room, focusing on the Datapad in his hands. Wedge grimaced at the title but looked up at them before changing direction.
"Please, call me Wedge," he told them, holding out a hand to shake.
"Alright, Wedge, I'm Jack," Jack shook the proffered hand, slightly surprised when Wedge turned to Sam and introduced himself, unnecessary though it was. "And I thought Sam knew everyone," Jack quipped.
"Not everyone, just most people. If you'll excuse me, I have to go see Luke." Sam turned to Jack and shot him a meaningful look. "I'll see you later." Jack nodded; more or less completely confused about what was going on with Sam. He then turned back to Wedge and launching into a question about the capabilities of their small fleet, wanting to know it as told by a seasoned officer as opposed to useless numbers as described by schematics and overly qualified techs.
By the time he had all of the answers that he needed – which were much more realistic than the statistics described – Sam had reappeared, apparently finished talking to Luke. Bidding a tired Wedge goodbye, they wandered off towards their rooms, chatting aimlessly and amicably. When they arrived, Sam nervously directed Jack into her room, closing the door behind them.
"Lomin Ale?" she asked, keying the cold store unit open. Jack nodded and she pulled out one for each of them before sitting on her bunk opposite him.
"Sam, what's up?" he asked, noticing her fiddling hands and tense posture.
Sam took a deep breath before starting speaking. Force, I hate this emotional stuff, she thought. "I realised something today, something that's been nagging at me for a while now. Well, pretty much ever since the bomb in the Council chamber." Jack remained silent, realising that it would be easier for her if he just listened. "Ever since my Mom died, I've been afraid of caring about people, afraid of caring and then losing them. When…when Telk took me from that planet…that was the last straw. I cut everyone off, told myself that I couldn't care, couldn't get to know them, because it would just hurt me when they left or were taken. When I had to work for Terrell…people rarely lasted more than about three days, a few weeks if they were lucky. I was a different person, even when Luke got me out of there and Corran became my master, I pretended to care, and I guess I did, but not enough that it would be able to hurt me. I think Dentralla was the only person I came close to getting attached to.
"When you and Daniel and Teal'c came through the Stargate…you were the first people I'd seen in over six years that I cared about…that I loved. It sounds so callous, and it was so unfair on the people here, but they never really knew that I was ready to completely cut off all feelings for them in a second. At least that's what I thought. That's what I told myself, but if it ever came to the crunch I would have found that I'd been lying to myself all along. I realised that I can't stop myself from caring. I might get hurt in the long run, but I can't not care."
Sam looked up at him then. Her eyes were dry, but her emotions were written all over her face. Jack stood swiftly and pulled her into a hug, the full weight of what she'd suffered impressing on him once again.
After a few long minutes, Sam finally pulled away slightly and looked up at Jack, a slight smile playing across her lips. "And if I'm going to care anyway…I might as well have fun." She reached up and pulled his head down for a soft kiss. The glass of Lomin Ale in his hand, which had been held so carefully until now slipped to the floor, caught millimetres from smashing from an unseen force. As Jack reciprocated passionately, it floated to the tabletop and landed beside another glass as they finally pulled apart.
"You sure?" Jack asked quietly, wanting to make absolute certain that he wouldn't hurt her after all that she had just said.
"Yeah," she replied happily. "Just, you know, take it slow."
"Sweet," Jack mumbled against her lips as he kissed her again.
¹ Lucozade is a funny orange, fizzy energy sports drink. Benylin is a really gross tasting cough medicine.
