Title: This Is My Life
Author: AggressiveNegotiations01
Characters: Jaina Solo, Jacen Solo, Anakin Solo, Leia Organa Solo, Han Solo, Jagged Fel, Soontir and Syal Fel, Tenel Ka, Luke and Mara Skywalker, Benny Mitchell, Jerry Jorganos, Marissa Seramir.
Summary: NEW PLOT LINE! Some slight changes people! Jaina and Jag get slightly involved with each other, Han and Leia do not notice Jaina relapsing over an extended period of time and do NOT leave, new character introduced and a very sneaky new trail comes into play… NJO kind of, 'cept no intruders till later.
IT'S CALLED GALACTIC WAR!
ENJOY THE SUSPENSE!
And peace- such as the sea-gull knows through the bartering blue
Of ocean for the sallow grey of river anchorage
Eyeing imperturbably oil-slick, floating orange peal,
This is what I wish for you.
Bruce Dawe, excerpt from Free-will Offering
CHAPTER TWO: I Never Thought It Would Be Me Who Ended Up Like This
Jaina followed Jag from the gym. Force, she'd only known him a day, not even, and he was so attractive to her already…
Jag looked at Jaina, her eyes were shining and her cheeks were pleasantly pink with exhaustion. "You're really good with that thing," he commented suddenly, a memory of her lightsaber humming at the red-headed woman's throat flashing past his eyes. "Thanks, but I'm not as good as my brother," she said shyly, blushing a little.
"I suppose he practices more often," Jag said as they walked.
"Yeah, he and Anakin spend their lives dancing around with lightsabers, I have other things that I'm better at," Jaina replied. "I'll never be as good a Jedi as Anakin and Jace, but I hope to be a pilot one day, a really good one." Her eyes were dreamy.
"With the determination I saw you show last night, I don't doubt you will," Jag said.
Jaina grinned at him. "What do you really want, Jag?" she asked, still smiling. "I know you've got something on your mind."
Jag heaved a sigh. "I'm- I'm really confused, Jaina," he said, surprising her and even himself with his uncharacteristic forwardness.
"Why? What about?" she asked him, her deep brown eyes filled with concern.
"You," he said quietly. "I'm feeling things I've never felt before, and they're scaring me."
Jaina's eyes were worried. "About me?" she asked. "What kind of things?"
"I don't know," Jag answered honestly. "I- I can't describe them, it's –" he faltered.
Jaina smiled a lop-sided smile at him. "If it makes you feel any better," she admitted. "I spent hours studying and taking notes last night and this morning trying to keep my mind off of what happened last night."
Jag was surprised. "Really?" he asked. "Seriously?"
Jaina nodded. "Jag, I- I really like you," she said softly. "And I know we only met last night, but I felt that spark when you touched my cheek, and I can't get my mind off it."
Jag smiled a genuine smile. "Well, that sounds similar to what I'm feeling," he said quietly. "I really like you too."
Jaina grinned. "Want to go get a cup of caf?" she asked. "I got to sleep at around 0245 last night and after my sparring session, I'm half dead."
Jag grinned again. "Sure," he answered. "I'd love to."
Jaina led him to the Astraglo Coffee House and they ordered a cup of caf each. Jaina slid into the booth and motioned for Jag to sit next to her. He slid in beside her rather tentatively.
"So," she said, wrapping both her hands around her cup. "Tell me a bit about yourself."
Jag swallowed a mouthful of caf and cleared his throat. "Well," he replied. "What do you want to know?" Jaina's face displayed a lop-sided grin. "If you have any siblings, or when you're going back to Csilla," she suggested.
"I am the middle child of five children," Jag began. "We have decided to move to Coruscant indefinitely and my two older siblings will be coming here shortly with their families. My two younger siblings are already here, they're being looked after by someone Uncle Wedge recommended, someone called Winter."
Jaina's face lit up. "She looked after me and my brothers when we were really little!" she gasped. "She's like my big sister!"
Jag laughed. "What a coincidence!" he exclaimed. "Anyway, Cherith and Davin are coming with their spouses in two weeks but Zera and Geran are already here."
Jaina smiled and took a dainty sip of her caf. "Sounds like you plan to stay for a while; have you made any new friends here?" she asked.
"Since we got here, about two months ago, I've been enrolled at the Flight Academy for next semester and I have three good friends, Jerry, Benny and Marissa."
"I wanted to go to the Academy, but I have to continue my training on Yavin." Jaina smiled. "But that makes us both pilots."
"Not to mention you and your brothers," Jag added and Jaina's eyes shone.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" Jag asked, finishing his caf.
"I'd love to, but I really have to go back and finish my training session with Aunt Mara," Jaina said regretfully. "Maybe we can catch up later in the week," she added, seeing Jag's disappointed face.
It quickly rose again. "Okay, how about Thursday?" he offered. "We'll meet here."
"Okay," Jaina agreed. "I'll see you then." She rose and left with a smile and wave at Jag.
Jaina blocked Mara's blow with her forearm. "You're getting better," Mara encouraged her. "Now let's see if you can beat me. Remember, I'm the enemy, not your aunt." Mara went to kick at Jaina's knees but in a flash faster than the eye could see, Jaina had her aunt's ankle and had flipped her onto the floor with surprising strength.
Luke clapped from the sidelines. "Well done, Jaya," he congratulated.
"No congratulations yet, Uncle Luke," Jaina gasped, catching her breath. "She's beaten me about ten times and I beat her once."
"Still," Luke countered. "Not many people can boast about beating Mara Jade in hand to hand combat." "I'd better go and shower," Jaina said, her voice rough with fatigue. "You can beat me up some other time, Aunt Mara."
Mara smiled at her. "Well done today, Jaya," she said and sent her on her way with a wave of her hand.
Jaina showered quickly and pulled on a form-fitting dark blue jumpsuit then left the gym complex, her heels striking a quick rhythm on the durasteel walkways. Several people stepped respectfully aside for her and she sighed. "Please, no, you go first," she said to them and they walked ahead of her cautiously. Her shoulders slumped.
The next two weeks passed in a blur for Jaina, she saw Jag a couple of times aside from their meeting at Astraglo on Thursday and that was cut short by him needing to help his father with something but they could exchange no more than a quick hello and smile any other time than that. She was feeling exhausted, and she hadn't slept in about two days when she decided to go to Astraglo. 'Maybe Jag will be there…' she thought and headed off.
Jag sat in the café, watching as people walked past and slowly sipped his drink. Suddenly, someone popped up next to him. "Hey, Fel!" Benny Mitchell exclaimed.
Jag grinned and motioned for his friend to sit down. "How've you been?" Benny asked, plopping down. "Good," Jag replied nonchalantly.
Benny's face split into a grin. "You've met someone?" he prodded, reading Jag's face like it was a book. "So who's the chick who snared Mr. Iceheart?"
Jag grinned shamelessly. "Her name's Jaina," he admitted. "I met her last week and we went for coffee the next morning and last Thursday."
Benny's face didn't show any recognition. "Jaina… do I know her? Is she hot?" Benny asked. "If I didn't know any better I'd think you were talking about Jaina Solo, but that's impossible…"
Jag grinned again. "She's royalty, Benny," he said.
Benny's face looked like it was going to split and his mouth formed an 'O' shape. "You took Jaina Solo out for coffee?" he asked incredulously. "You took the Jaina Solo out for coffee?" Jag nodded, feeling more than a little proud of himself.
Jaina spotted Jag as soon as she entered the place. She decided to sneak up on him, it would be more fun. She crept up behind him slowly.
Benny was gawking at something behind Jag and Jag was just about to turn around when two fairly small, cool hands covered his eyes. "Guess who!" the stranger announced brightly.
"Uh, would it be the princess?" Jag asked, covering the hands with his own and recognizing Jaina's voice.
The stranger giggled and flicked his ear playfully. "I told you not to call me that!" Jaina said sternly, her eyes full of mirth.
Jag laughed and pulled her down to sit next to him. Benny was still gawking. "Please stop looking at me like I'm a pink bantha," Jaina said politely and Jag hit his arm.
Benny's mouth closed and he straightened. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Your Highness," he said, rising and bowing deeply.
"Please, stop it and sit back down," Jaina said, her voice low and moving her hand in a circular motion, infusing her words with the strength of the Force. "I am no different to you; it's just my stupid last name." Benny was gob-smacked and sat back down immediately.
Jag was surprised to see Jaina here, and he could tell Benny was impressed. "So, how have you been?" Jag asked Jaina.
Jaina shrugged. "More or less okay," she replied. "A little stressed."
Jag smiled sympathetically. "You should lighten up your workload," he commented. "I spoke to Jacen the other day and he said you've been under a lot of pressure."
Jaina smiled. "Well, a little of it paid off when I beat Aunt Mara in hand to hand last week," she said, a tinge of pride evident in her voice.
"Wow," Benny said. "You beat Mara Jade Skywalker in hand to hand combat?"
Jaina nodded.
"She beat me too," Jag said mock-sulkily.
Benny laughed. "Imagine that," he sighed wistfully. "Jag Fel beaten by a princess…"
"I asked you not to call me that," Jaina pointed out quietly.
"Sorry," Benny apologized and blushed. Jaina smiled at him. "Well," she said, standing up. "I'd better get going, Hunter's probably tearing my apartment to pieces and I have studying to do."
Jag rose too. "When do you want to catch up again?" he asked and he could see Jaina was taken aback by his forwardness.
"Um, here's my comm number," she said, filching a piece of flimsi from her pocket. "Give me a call when you want to catch up." She smiled at them and departed the coffee house.
"Wow," Benny said. "She's hot."
Jag laughed. "Understatement, she's 'gorgeous'," he corrected.
Benny's face split into another grin. "You've fallen for her," he said. "Haven't you?"
Jag felt a slight tinge start on his neck. "No," he said quickly, a little too quickly. "I just think she's nice-looking."
Benny grinned slyly at him. "Jag's in love with a Solo, Jag's in love with the princess!" he singsonged. Jag shook his head and sighed.
Jaina locked her apartment door behind her and collapsed on the lounge, days of physical exhaustion and sleepless nights taking their toll on her. That guy with Jag had called her princess twice, and it just proved that everyone thought she was above them. "My life is seriously screwed," she said aloud. Hunter, hearing her voice, came barreling out from somewhere and pounced on her. She hugged him. "You're the only one who really cares, apart from Jag, and I don't really know him yet," she said softly. Hunter licked her face and she kissed his nose. "I have to have something to eat," she said, hearing her stomach rumble. She stood up and was halfway to the kitchenette when she looked down at her stomach. She patted it and her mind made her think she felt a lump of fat on her completely flat, sculpted belly. "No," she said, mentally disciplining herself. "I'm not that hungry, I can wait till dinner." She went into her room and sat down at her desk, flipping open a book on Jedi history. She studied for an hour and a half, Hunter pacing around her feet then falling asleep after half an hour. She rose, stretched, closed her book and grabbed her journal, unlocking it with the key under her lamp.
I'm so tired all the time, she wrote, I think the last time I slept for more than two hours was two days ago, on second thoughts, maybe three… I honestly don't know.
Jaina's eyes slid out of focus for a moment then she shook her head and started to write again. Jag's friend kept calling me a princess today at Astraglo, Jag knew it irritated me and tried to stop him calling me one, but it was too deeply enforced. I want to be a normal person, and I only feel like that when I study or train. So I keep studying and training… A few tears dropped from her eyes and she wiped them away furiously. She began to write again.
Jacen and Anakin… I wish I could talk to them, they just take it all in their stride. Being related to royalty is no problem for them. They never get called princes, just 'The Jedi boys'. I don't think they'd understand. I'm going to take Hunter for a walk, my head hurts and I've got stomach cramps, maybe it'll loosen me up…
She stood up again and locked her journal, sliding the key under a textbook then rubbed Hunter's stomach. "C'mon, Hunter," she said. "Walk time!" Hunter jumped up and looked around for his lead. Jaina slipped it around his neck then led him out onto the walkways. Hunter stayed obediently by her side as they walked. Jaina felt very dizzy all of a sudden and stumbled. She crashed into someone and fell against a wall.
The young couple recognized her immediately. "Oh, Princess, we're so sorry!" the woman apologized frantically, trying to help her up. The man was pale and grabbed Hunter's lead. Jaina rose with the woman's help, rubbing her head. "Please don't have us arrested!" the man pleaded. "We didn't mean to, honestly!"
Jaina smiled weakly. "It was my fault, and I won't have you arrested," she assured him.
"Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness," they bowed and continued. Jaina's vision spun and she leaned against a wall for support, her knees stinging. A concerned elderly Ryn stopped next to her. "Are you okay, dear?" she asked Jaina.
Jaina nodded dimly. "I'm fine, thank you, ma'am," she heard herself reply then she slumped to the floor.
Hunter was yowling and the Ryn woman called out for help. Someone called a medic on their comlink and they were there in a few minutes. One of the medics lifted Jaina onto a hover-stretcher and slid her onto a repulsor sled then took her to a medical facility.
Leia and Han were already there. Leia had felt Jaina's slide into unconsciousness through the Force bond she had with her daughter and they were pacing, worried expressions on their faces. "What's wrong with her?" Leia demanded.
"We have to run some tests," the medic explained and they carried Jaina's unresponsive form into the examination room.
Jacen felt Jaina slip from consciousness and he and Anakin raced to the medical facility where they sensed their mother. "What happened to her?" Jacen demanded, going up to his mother and father and watching as the man who had brought Hunter in chase after the dog, who was running around, barking and hiding under chairs. "They don't know yet," Leia replied, staring off into the transparisteel walls of the examination room.
The medics took several blood samples and then hooked her up to a monitoring machine. Jaina flinched as the needle was inserted in her wrist but fell still as soon as the medic released her forearm and rested it on her stomach.
The medic came towards Jaina's family a few moments later. "Well?" Leia prompted. "Is she okay?"
The medic shrugged. "We've taken blood samples for several different explanations but can't do an awful lot until we get the results back," he said. "You can go sit with her if you like."
Leia and Jacen were in the room an instant later, one sitting on either side of Jaina. Anakin and Han were in there a minute later. Jacen grabbed his sister's hand. It was pale and cool to the touch. Her fingers curled around his hand and locked into his instinctively. "I'm here, Jaya," he said softly. "I'm here." Leia's hands were sandwiching Jaina's other hand and there were tears in her eyes.
"Who took Hunter?" came a soft voice. "Where's Hunter?" Leia smiled through her tears as Jaina spoke, but her daughter's eyes didn't open. "I think someone brought him in here, he's out in the waiting room, running around like a mad thing," she said.
"Good," Jaina said softly. "Jace? Look after him for me…" She fell silent again.
Jacen squeezed her hand. "Okay, sis, okay," he whispered. "I'll look after him for you. He bent and kissed her forehead then put her hand over Leia's and rose. "I'll go get the little monster and take him back to my apartment, comm me if there's any change," he said and left. "Hunter!" he called and the little ball of fur and legs jumped into his arms, leaping from under a chair. He left the waiting room and headed towards his sister's apartment.
When they reached the door he set Hunter down and punched in the access code. "I know you know where she keeps her journal," he said to Hunter. "Show me."
Hunter ran into Jaina's room and nosed aside papers and books till he found a small key. He dropped the key on the ground and knocked Jaina's journal off the desk too. "Good boy," Jacen said and unlocked the book.
He opened it to the most recent entry and read it.
I'm so tired all the time, he read, I think the last time I slept for more than two hours was two days ago, on second thoughts, maybe three… I honestly don't know. He kept reading, the entry frightening him more with each word he read.
Jag's friend kept calling me a princess today at Astraglo, Jag knew it irritated me and tried to stop him calling me one, but it was too deeply enforced. It really makes me feel so isolated when people make it obvious they think I'm above them. A few tear drops blanched the next words. I want to be a normal person, and I only feel like that when I study or train. So I keep studying and training…
Jacen and Anakin… I wish I could talk to them, they just take it all in their stride. Being related to royalty is no problem for them. They never get called princes, just 'The Jedi boys'. I don't think they'd understand. I'm going to take Hunter for a walk, my head hurts and I've got stomach cramps, maybe it'll loosen me up…
Jacen closed and locked it then carefully put the journal on Jaina's desk and slid the key under a book. "Hunter," he said. "Come on, we'll go for a walk." He grabbed up Hunter's lead and walked stiffly out the door. He went out onto the walkways and headed towards Astraglo.
Benny saw Jacen Solo headed towards his and Jag's table. "You really are chummy with the Solos, aren't you?" he hissed. "Jacen Solo's coming up behind you!"
Jag turned and smiled as Jacen approached, but his face dropped at the sight of Jacen's expression. "Jag," he said seriously. "We need to talk."
Jag got up. "We'll go outside," he said and followed the younger boy out. Jacen turned to face him as soon as they were away from the door.
"Jaina's in hospital." The words rocketed through Jag's mind and set his heart racing. "Jacen, what's wrong with her?" he asked quietly. "Is she gonna be okay?"
Jacen shrugged. "I don't know," he said numbly. "All I know is that she collapsed earlier and was taken to the hospital. I just saw her journal a few minutes ago."
Jag waited expectantly.
"She's not coping." Jacen's statement was blank. "She hasn't slept for longer than two hours for three days. She hasn't stopped studying or training for weeks."
Jag nodded. "What can I do?" he asked. "I'll do anything."
"Go visit her tonight, even if she's not awake, just talk to her," he said. "About anything. Flying, you, her, whatever you can think of. I have to talk to my parents and aunt and uncle."
Jag nodded. "I'll go home for a little while then go see her," he said. "What's her room number?"
"I was too worried to take any notice," Jacen said. "Just ask for her at reception and tell them I sent you."
Jag nodded again. "Okay, and Jacen?"
Jacen turned. "Yeah?"
"Thanks for telling me."
"That's okay," Jacen replied. "She'll no doubt know you're there, just make sure you don't…"
"What?" Jag asked.
"Don't call her princess, she absolutely hates it." Jacen disappeared into the masses of people swirling around Astraglo.
Jag re-entered Astraglo and made his way to his table. Benny was waiting anxiously. "Well?" he prompted. "What did he talk to you about?"
Jag dropped heavily into his seat. "Jaina's in hospital," he said, his voice low. "She collapsed earlier." Benny's jaw hit the ground. Metaphorically, of course. "But we saw her about two, three hours ago!" he exclaimed. "She was fine!"
"Jaina's a Jedi, Benny," Jag said exasperatedly. "They can hide anything they don't want anyone else to know. You should have seen her and her brothers when we went into the lower levels! We got attacked by someone and all three of them run the same speed as my fastest sprint without breaking a sweat. And the lightsabers! Out in a split second. There was this hawkbat that flew at me, before I could even touch my blaster, and I pride myself on fast reflexes, her lightsaber's out and she's cut the bat down!"
"Wow," Benny commented. "I heard tell that all three of the Solo kids are the most powerful Jedi of this generation."
Jag shrugged. "Probably, but I have to go see Jaina," he said. "I have to go home for a little while first though, I'll see you when I see you." He left, disappearing into the crowd outside.
"He's totally whipped," Benny said, shaking his head. "Too late to salvage him; and it's been not quite two weeks. Even I haven't been whipped that fast and that's just sad."
Jag shut himself in his room and dropped onto his bed, folding his hands beneath his head and staring at the ceiling. "Jag?" his mother called from the kitchen. He got to his feet and made his way to the kitchen.
"Yes, Mother?" he said.
"I just heard Jaina Solo's in hospital," she said. "Did you know?"
Jag nodded. "I spoke to Jacen earlier, I'm going to go see her later tonight," he told her. "I'll probably go out with Benny and all them afterwards so don't wait up for me."
Syal nodded tentatively, she was still getting used to letting her son go out alone at night.
A few hours later, Jag slipped a jacket on and left the apartment, heading for the hospital. "Jaina Solo?" he asked at the desk.
"Why do you need to see Jaina Solo?" the male nurse asked.
"I'm a friend and have explicit permission from her twin brother, Jacen," Jag retorted. "Which room?"
"Seventieth floor, room 76," the man said, somewhat intimidated.
Jag got in the turbolift, thirty flights of stairs didn't seem too inviting. He got out on the right floor and went to the desk. "Room 76," he said.
"That way," the woman said without sparing him a glance and pointing down the left corridor.
Jag found the room and knocked tentatively. No-one answered and he slipped through the door silently. A red-headed woman, Jaina's aunt, Mara Jade Skywalker, Jag knew, was dozing in the chair by the bed, holding Jaina's hand. Jaina herself wasn't awake. He made to go again before a voice said. "Stay." He turned around and Mara was looking at him. "You're the Fel kid, aren't you?" she said, studying him appraisingly.
"Yes, Master Jade," he said respectfully, remembering that the honorific for Jedi Masters was 'Master'. "Jacen told me you'd be coming in, he's telling Luke, Leia and Han something he found today in Jaina's journal, but I already know." Mara's green eyes were piercingly bright.
Jag gulped. "Sit down," Mara said, her voice commanding.
Jag obliged quickly.
"Pick up Jaina's other hand." He did so and tried to suppress a shudder at the touch of her skin.
"Tell me what you feel," Mara ordered. All of a sudden, a roiling wave of insecurity and anguish rolled over him, a never-ending torrent of pain and feeling insufficient. "Pain," he managed to say softly. "Insecurity and anguish. Hurt."
Mara looked at him. "Exactly as I thought," she murmured. "Do you know who's feeling what you just felt then?"
Jag looked confused. "Someone's actually feeling that?" he asked.
Mara nodded. "Do you know who?"
Jag got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Jaina…" he said quietly. "Jacen found her journal. She thinks she's not good enough… All the attention gets to her. She doesn't eat or sleep enough and studies and trains until she can't do it anymore…"
Mara felt the emotions rolling off the young man easily. He felt guilty. He was concerned. He felt an overwhelming urge… to protect. He was confused. He had no idea what he was feeling.
Jaina flinched and murmured something that sounded a little bit like. "Please…" Mara squeezed her hand. "Jaya? Honey?" she asked.
"Aunt Mara?" came the soft query. "Who's that with you? They're guilty… confused."
Mara smirked a little. "Jaya, it's your boyfriend," she said, a note of teasing in her voice.
"But I don't have a boyfriend, Aunt Mara," Jaina murmured, her eyes still not opening. "I haven't had one since I dumped Zekk…"
Mara rolled her eyes. "Sure you haven't," she teased.
"I haven't had time…" she replied, her eyelids flickering as she strained to open them. She didn't succeed. "I haven't had time to do a lot except study and train," she said quietly.
"You have a point," Mara admitted. "But I still don't believe you."
Jag watched Mara tease her niece, about him.
"Hey Jaina," he said gently. "How're you feeling?"
"Jag?" Jaina asked. "What're you doing here?" Her eyes opened briefly and she saw him before they closed again. "Jacen told me and I wanted to make sure you were okay," he said, his voice neutral. Jaina's lips twitched upwards in a small smile. "Thanks," she said softly.
"Well," he said. "I'd better get home. Benny, Jerry and Marissa are going out and want me to go with them. I'll come see you tomorrow, okay?"
Jaina nodded her head slightly. "Tell Benny I said hi," she said, her voice getting distant. "See you tomorrow…" She was asleep.
Jag squeezed her hand briefly and headed towards the door. "You ever hurt her and I'm third in line to kill you."
Jag spun around. Mara was looking at Jaina.
"Like I ever would," he murmured. "I'm not a nutcase."
Mara grinned wryly. "Nice to know. Because Han and Jacen are first two and you'd be pretty mutilated before Luke and I got to you. Leia wouldn't care how mutilated you were, you'd be in for a hell of a torture session with her."
"I quite like my head where it is, thank you."
Jag left.
"You've got good taste, Jaya," Mara said softly. "He's hot."
Quit perving on sixteen year-olds, Aunt Mara, Anakin sent. Like you'd have a chance with him anyway. Mara laughed. "But you've got more than just a chance, Jaina," she murmured. "So much more if you play your cards right."
Jag met up with Benny, Jerry and Marissa at Benny's apartment. "Fel!" Benny exclaimed. "Quick, come in!"
Jag was ushered in.
"We just heard Jaina Solo had died!" Jerry said in a hushed whisper. "Apparently Leia Organa Solo was seen bawling her eyes out in the Senate building an hour ago and everyone knows Jaina was taken to hospital."
Jag laughed at his friends.
"What?" Marissa said. "Benny said you've become friends with her! Why're you laughing?"
Jag hiccupped. "Who told you that?" he managed to ask.
"It was on the HoloNet," Benny said.
Jag laughed harder. "She's not dead!" he managed to say. "I just spoke to her about fifteen minutes ago, she's not in the best of conditions, could barely open her eyes but she's far from dead! She said for me to say hi to Benny for her."
Marissa let out a sigh of relief. "Thank the Force," she said, her voice low.
Jag stopped laughing. "But I do know why Leia would have been crying, that's not much of a surprise," he said softly.
All three of his friends leaned in closer.
"Jacen found her journal this morning and she's not in a good mental state at the moment," Jag explained. "You can't tell anyone."
"Okay," they all said, reluctant.
"She said to say hi to me?" Benny asked.
Jag grinned. "Yeah," he replied, raising an eyebrow. "I think she made a bit of an impact on you."
"Nah," Benny scoffed. "I mean, sure, she's hotter than a white flame, but she's involved in all that political stuff, it'd never work."
Jerry laughed. "Like you'd have a chance either!" he taunted.
Jag watched Jerry and Marissa poke fun at Benny and smiled. "But Jag's been totally whipped," Benny said in a loud stage whisper. "Jaina Solo has him wrapped around her little finger."
Jerry and Marissa laughed.
"At least I have a chance!" Jag retorted, a little too defensively.
"Ooh," Marissa said. "He's on the defensive now!"
"Yeah," Jerry backed Jag up. "At least he has a chance!"
Mara left a little while later, leaving Jaina alone. Jaina woke maybe an hour after her aunt left. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. Her knees hurt. She pushed the blanket off her legs and looked at her knees. Both were bruised and skinned. She touched one and winced. She laid down again and drifted off to sleep.
Leia sat, hunched over, in her chair. "I never knew," she muttered blankly. "She's my only daughter and I never even knew about this…"
"Leia!" Han said sharply. "It's not your fault! It's no-one's fault! Jaina's just good at hiding things. Jacen didn't even know!"
"But I'm her mother, Han!" Leia protested. "I should know these things! My daughter's depressed and I didn't even know! That, in my eyes, tells me I'm a bad mother!"
"You're not a bad mother, Leia!" Han said pointedly. "It's not your fault Jaina doesn't talk about these things or she can block people from sensing them! It's not my fault, not your fault, not Jacen's fault, not Anakin's fault, not Luke or Mara's fault. Hell, it's not even Jaina's fault! It's just what's happened and all we need to do is fix it! Not argue about whose fault it is!"
Jacen went in and sat by Jaina. She was still sleeping. Or she looked like it.
"Jaina?" he asked softly.
"Mmm?" came the soft reply.
"You feeling better?"
"I'm fine. How's Hunter?" She sat up slowly, the blanket sliding down to cover her legs.
"He just misses you," Jacen said. "He's pining for you. He attacked the holo of you on my hallstand."
Jaina laughed at that.
"Are Mom and Dad okay?" she asked, rubbing her eyes with her fists.
"Mom's really upset, Dad's just a little," he said. "They both know how hard you've been pushing yourself. We all know you aren't coping well. I found your journal this morning."
Jaina's eyes widened.
"You went through my room?" she asked incredulously.
"No," Jacen said quickly. "Hunter showed me."
Jaina sighed.
"And you read it?" she asked.
"Just the entry from today," he promised. "But we have to get you some help for those issues. You have to lighten your workload too."
"Jace!" she protested. "I can't lighten it! I have to do as much as I do if I want to get where I want to be by the time I want to be there!"
Jacen stifled a chuckle.
Jaina stared at him with a hurt expression in her eyes.
"Sorry, Jaya," he apologized. "It's just that you sound so much like Mom when we tell her to take a break."
Jaina smiled a little. "She always said I had her work ethic…" she murmured.
"Sis," he said, suddenly serious. "I'll help you, okay? I'll always be here to help you, whenever you need me."
Jaina nodded. "I know, Jace," she replied softly. "I know."
Jacen sat down beside her and took up her hand. She smiled at him softly and closed her eyes, drifting back to sleep. "I wish you did confide in me, Jaya," he said softly. "Maybe then we'd have some inkling of who you really are." He sat with her until darkness came. He rose, kissing her forehead gently and laying her hand on her stomach. "See you tomorrow, sis," he said and left with a lingering glance at his sick sister.
Morning came and Jaina woke slowly. She sat up, rubbing her eyes with her fists. The unfamiliar surroundings startled her and she was about to yell when she remembered the events of the day before. The sting in her knees brought her attention to the fact she was wearing her pajamas, a tank top and shorts. She got to her feet and glanced at the chronometer. 0845. It was fairly early. She saw a red button beside her bed and knew instinctively that it was for if she needed assistance.
Jacen sensed his sister waking and reached out to calm her, knowing she would be startled to wake in unfamiliar surroundings. Anakin grinned at him from the other side of the room and pointed at his computer screen. Bouncing around in big purple letters were the words WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME, KAIA? Jacen grinned and nodded. Anakin pressed the icon of an envelope on the screen and entered a number. A few moments later a response came back. AFFIRMATIVE. Anakin's grin was threatening to take in his ears. "Thought you didn't like Kaia," Jacen said slyly. "Jaina quizzed me last week," Anakin confessed. "She said she knew from my answers that I had the hots for Kaia. The funny thing was, I knew it too but the fact that Jaina knew it persuaded me to ask Kaia out." Jacen grinned again. "Well, not-so-single little brother," he said. "Should we get dressed and then go share the news with Jaina?" Anakin nodded eagerly. Jacen fed Hunter and let the dog out onto the enclosed balcony garden.
Jag woke and glanced at his bedside chronometer. 0850. Jaina would most likely be awake by now. He struggled out of bed and stumbled into the 'fresher. He emerged twenty minutes later and went into the kitchen. Syal greeted him. Zera jumped at him and wrapped her arms around his knees. Geran grinned a blue milk smeared grin at him and Jag laughed. "Morning, kids," he said. "Morning, Jaggie!" his brother and sister chorused. Syal kissed his cheek. "Going to see Jaina this morning?" she asked neutrally. Jag nodded. "Just to see how she's doing," he replied nonchalantly. Syal smiled. Jag pried his little sister off his legs and set her on the breakfast bar. She grinned a toothy grin at him, proudly displaying the gap between her top teeth. "I think the Tooth Fairy is going to come tonight," he said. "Did you lose them this morning?" Zera nodded enthusiastically. "When I was eating breakfast!" she said. "Do you want to go with Jag to the hospital and visit his friend?" Syal asked her younger children. Jag rolled his eyes at her and she flashed a smile. "What?" she asked innocently. "They'll cheer her up!" Jag laughed. "Can we come, Jaggie?" Geran pleaded, grabbing the cloth and wiping his mouth. "Can we please come see your friend?" "Yeah! Please?" Zera begged, jumping down from the breakfast bar and hugging her big brother's knees. Jag laughed. "Okay, okay!" he relented. "But go get dressed and you have to behave! I might even take you out for ice cream afterwards." "Yay!" Zera shrieked and ran towards her bedroom. Geran pushed his glass of milk away and jumped from his seat, racing toward his own room. Jag glared playfully at his mother. "What?" she asked innocently. "You're gonna go see Uncle Wedge today?" he asked, changing the subject. Syal nodded. "Tell Jaina I said hello and hope she gets better soon," she said. "Poor girl; she must have so many expectations heaped upon her. No wonder she had a breakdown, really." Breakdown? That was something new to Jag. He thought she'd just had some kind of accident, like fallen asleep while she was at her desk and hit her head or something. Zera and Geran came running out of their rooms and skidded to a stop in front of Jag. "Good," he approved. "Now, let's go." He hugged his mother briefly and herded his siblings out the door.
They reached the hospital with no major mishaps. The same nurse as yesterday was there and recognised Jag. "You know where it is," he said. The three of them got into the turbolift and Zera and Geran pressed their faces to the transparisteel, watching with fascination as they rose more than two hundred meters from the floor they'd been on. Jag grabbed their hands and directed them down the left corridor. "Look for the number 7 with a 6 next to it," he said. The two little kids ran down the hall, scanning the door numbers. "Here it is!" Geran piped up from some way down the corridor. Zera ran to him and they waited, fidgeting, for Jag to catch up. Jag knocked on the closed door.
Jaina had been lying there, lost in thought, when a knock sounded on the door. She hurriedly pulled the covers over herself. "Come in!" she called. Jag entered cautiously and she grinned when two heads peeped in behind him. "You babysitting today?" she asked, sitting up. Jag grinned back. "Yep," he sighed. "My mother decided I needed to be punished." "For what?" Jaina asked, confused. "Being a teenager," he replied dryly. Jaina laughed. "And who are these adorable little children?" she asked. Jag pushed them out from behind him. There was a little girl with bright blue eyes and dark brown hair and a little blonde boy with sparkling green eyes. "Hey," Jaina said kindly. They looked scared. "This is my little brother and sister, Geran and Zera." Jag looked at them. They looked terrified.
"Jaggie," Zera whispered and tugged on his pants leg. He knelt down. "That's the person from the holo we saw yesterday," she said. "She was fighting a boy with a lightsaber! She was scary!" Jag laughed. "She's not going to hurt you, Zee," he said reassuringly. "They saw you in a holo for Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy, fighting someone with a lightsaber and thought you're gonna hurt them," he explained to Jaina. She smiled. "I get that all the time," she said. "But I don't use my lightsaber on nice people, only bad people." Zera had glued herself to Jag's leg but Geran came forward. "You're a Jedi, aren't you?" he asked. "Yes, I am," Jaina replied. "Jedi can move things without touching them, can't they?" he said cautiously. Jaina nodded. "That we can," she replied. "Can you show us?" Zera piped up. Jaina laughed. "Sure."
Jag watched Jaina win over his little brother and sister and smiled. She's so perfect, he thought. He saw Jaina's dark eyes focus on him and he felt himself being lifted into the air by some invisible strength. Zera and Geran burst into a fit of giggles and Jaina covered her smile with her hand, not moving her eyes from his. He felt himself lowered back down to ground level.
Jacen and Anakin hurried down the hall to Jaina's room and found the door slightly open. Jacen peeked in and saw Jag with two little children and Jaina was smiling. Her smile widened. "Jace! Ani!" she called. "Get in here!" They mock-scowled and pushed the door open. "Can't get anything past you, Jaya," Anakin complained and Jag and Jaina laughed. "Who are these little people?" Jacen asked. Zera and Geran were startled and hid behind Jag. "They're my brothers, kids," Jaina said. "They won't hurt you." Geran raced around Jag's legs. "Are you Jedi too?" he asked eagerly. "We sure are," Anakin said, crouching down to eye level with the little boy. "Who are you?" "I'm Geran!" he said excitedly. "Jag's my big brother." Anakin smiled at him. "Is that your sister?" he asked, gesturing at Zera. "Yep!" Geran replied proudly. "That's my little sister, Zera." Jacen went over to Jaina and whispered something in her ear. A huge smile lit up her face. "Ani!" she cried. "Congratulations!" Anakin blushed. Jaina got up unsteadily and ran over to him, hugging him tightly. Anakin hugged her back and then helped her back into bed. "Don't overexert yourself," Jacen admonished. "Overexert myself, my butt," Jaina scoffed. "I get out of bed and that's called 'overexerting myself'? Whatever. Anyway, Ani, have I met this mystery girl?" Anakin blushed deeper. "Well, maybe," he stammered. Jaina racked her memory for any of the female friends she'd seen Anakin with. "Is she that blonde, small one?" she asked. Anakin shook his head. "That's Thalia," he said. "Uh," Jaina searched deeper. "Ah! Is it the one with really dark hair and blue eyes?" Anakin nodded. Jaina grinned widely. Jag looked confused. "Anakin's no longer a single man," Jaina said teasingly and Jag nodded in understanding, a slow smile spreading over his face. "Congratulations, Anakin," he said. Anakin smiled. "Thanks. Hopefully I set an example for two certain people…" He winked at Jag. Jacen cocked an eyebrow suggestively and Jag blushed. "Jaggie's embarrassed," Zera informed her brother loudly. "That's why his face is all red." Geran frowned. "Doesn't that just mean it's hot?" he asked. Jaina stifled a giggle. Jag laughed lightly, hiding his embarrassment. "Aw, c'mon Jag!" Anakin prompted. "We know you've got the hots for Jaya! Just ask her out!" Jacen laughed at Jag's discomfort. "I'll save you the trouble, dude," he offered. "Jaya, d'you wanna go out with Jag sometime? On an unofficial date?" A tinge of pink appeared high on Jaina's cheeks. "Uh, okay," she managed. "Only if he wants to." Jacen clapped Jag on the back heartily. "Sure he does," he said cheerfully. "Right, Jag?" Jag searched his voice for any hint of a threat. "I'd be honored, Jaina," he replied when he found none. Jaina's smile was bright.
"What are they talking about?" Zera asked Geran quietly. "I think Jag's gonna take Jaina out for caf," Geran replied uncertainly, frowning again. "I think he likes her as more than a friend," Zera told her brother. "I think they should be boyfriend and girlfriend, like Cherry and Matt and Dav and Lucy." Jacen burst into laughter upon hearing the conversation. "Clever kids, Jag," he said, raising an eyebrow at him. Jag rolled his eyes. "Too clever, I think, for me," he replied. Anakin grinned at Jaina. "Now it's all of us," he whispered. "Jacen's been taken for two years. Me for almost an hour and you for five minutes." Jaina laughed. "Just like you to keep count, Ani," she said quietly. "But like Jace said, it's an unofficial date, not a relationship." "I have to take these two out for ice-cream," Jag said ruefully. "Sorry, but I promised them this morning." "Ice-cream!" Zera and Geran chanted, clapping their hands. Jaina smiled. "No problem," she said. "I'll come see you later today," Jag promised. "Once I fob these two off to Mother." Jaina laughed. "Okay," she said. "See you later." Zera and Geran waved as they were herded out the door. "I'll see you later!" Jag's voice floated from the open door. Jaina smiled slightly. "Yes!" Anakin exclaimed. "Finally! We've been waiting for ages for that!" Jacen chuckled. "So has Jaina," he remarked. Jaina shot him a look. "Haha, Jace," she said sardonically. "Dad's gonna go nuts when he finds out." "Then we won't let him find out," Jacen retorted. Jaina rolled her eyes. "Good luck." A breakfast tray appeared in the chute across the room. Jacen retrieved it and set it in front of Jaina. Jaina speared a piece of melon on the fork and chewed it thoughtfully. "Aunt Mara's gonna figure it out," she said suddenly. Jacen was confused. "Why do you say that?" he asked. "'Coz she already knows I really like him. She knows he likes me. She's not stupid." Jaina picked up another cube of melon and studied it intently.
Jag felt like he'd taken off in a clawcraft and left the ship behind. He led his siblings to an ice-cream vendor and paid for their selections robotically. "Where are you taking Jaina for caf, Jag?" Zera asked through her ice-cream. Jag was jolted from his thoughts. "Huh?" he asked. "You said you were going out with Jaina," Geran put in. "Where are you going with her?" Jag stifled a laugh. "Uh, we'll most likely go to Astraglo," he replied. Jag palmed the control panel and ushered Zera and Geran into the room. A familiar voice shouted a greeting from the lounge room. "Cherry!" Zera and Geran shrieked and ran into the lounge room. Jag's older sister and brother were in the lounge, along with their spouses. "I thought you were coming on Thursday!" Jag exclaimed, moving over to hug Cherith. She grinned at him. "Well, little brother," she said, embracing him. "We wanted to surprise you!" He smiled and sat next to his older brother who clapped him on the back, grinning. "How have you been holding up?" "Pretty good," Jag replied. "I'm into the Academy for next semester and I've made some new friends who're going in with me as well." Cherith raised a speculative eyebrow but Jag didn't see it. Davin's girlfriend Lucy had Zera on her lap and glanced over at Jag. "I've heard you met the Solo kids," she remarked. "I did," Jag said. "A few weeks ago. We were at some banquet thing and Jaina, Jacen and Anakin took me out into the city. We had a lot of fun." Cherith smiled slightly. "I heard Jaina Solo had an accident two days ago," she said, testing her brother's reaction. "We went and saw her this morning!" Zera piped up. "Jag's taking her out for coffee to Astraglo!" Jag shook his head dejectedly as the four elder people burst into laughter. "I knew I shouldn't have taken those two with me," he muttered. "From what I know," Cherith's boyfriend Matt commented, sliding an arm around Cherith's waist. "She's supposed to be quite the head-turner." Cherith slapped him lightly. Jag laughed. "I must say I agree," he admitted. "She's beautiful." Cherith squealed with excitement. "Jag's got a girlfriend!" she chanted. Jag shot her a glare then nodded his chin towards Zera and Geran. "Well, kind of," she corrected. "They didn't say anything about boyfriend and girlfriend," Zera admonished her big sister. "Just coffee and going out." Cherith grinned and Matt grabbed Zera and Geran's hands and led them towards their rooms, asking about new toys. "Spill, Jag!" Lucy said, leaning closer. "We only met a few weeks ago," Jag said hurriedly. "It's an unofficial date, not a full on relationship or anything." Cherith clapped her hands over her mouth. "You're so cute!" she squealed. "A date! I've been waiting for like, forever, for this moment!" Jag grinned sheepishly. "She could have any guy in the galaxy, and she chose my little brother!" Jag sighed. "We're not a couple, Cherith," he said wearily. "There's quite a difference between an unofficial date and a relationship." "Whatever you kids call it these days," Davin said dismissively. "Us old fogies still call it a relationship."
Jaina ate most of her plate of fruit and then looked at her brothers. "Did the doctors tell you when I'm getting out of here?" she asked. "Dunno," Anakin shrugged. "Probably wasn't listening. D'you want me to go ask?" Jaina nodded. "Please," she said. "I miss Hunter." Jacen laughed as Anakin went out to find a doctor. "He misses you too," Jacen said.
"Excuse me?" Anakin said softly, going up to the desk. A young woman turned and smiled at him. "Yes, sweetie?" she asked. "I was wondering when my sister was allowed to come back home," he said, using the Force to make several small tears fall from his eyes. "I really miss having her at home." The woman's eyes went soft. She checked her computer. "She's due to be released…" the woman scanned the screen. "This afternoon, according to this," she said. Anakin cheered silently. "Thank you," he said and hurried back down the hall to Jaina's room.
"You're coming home tonight!" he exclaimed, jumping onto the bed. Jaina hugged him tightly. "Yay!" she exclaimed, giving Jacen a high-five.
Jag went into his room and commed Jerry. "Jorganos speaking," came the answer. "It's Jag." "How's Jaina Solo?" Jerry asked immediately. "A lot better," Jag replied. "I saw her this morning. Guess what?" "You asked her out?" Jerry said excitedly. "Kinda," Jag replied. "We're gonna go out sometime, like an unofficial date." "Woah, Fel!" Jerry exclaimed. "You? Dating Jaina Solo?" "Not really dating," Jag corrected his friend. "Just hanging out. For now," he added. He heard Jerry laugh. "Man, Fel," he chuckled. "You come here from Niruan and almost immediately set off after the toughest catch the galaxy has to offer! You're definitely Corellian!" Jag laughed. "I've never been accused of shirking a challenge, Jorganos," he retorted. "Consider it accepted." "You're on, dude," Jerry said.
The rest of the day passed, with Jaina going home several hours before sunset.
Jag slipped a jacket on and went out into the kitchen. "I'm going out, Mom!" he called, grabbing a couple of ration bars from the counter. "Don't be too late!" Syal called from the lounge room. "I won't!" he yelled and shut the door behind him. He went up to the corridor he knew Jaina's room was in and was surprised to be stopped. "Miss Solo was released earlier today," the man said. Jag went back into the lobby and pulled the piece of flimsiplast with Jaina's comm frequency on it and dialed her frequency into his comm.
Jaina's comlink beeped and she made to get up. "No!" Leia said sternly, appearing from nowhere. "You just lie down and rest, I'll get that." Jaina sighed and leant back again, Hunter lying in her lap. "Jaina Solo's comm," Leia said, answering it. "Uh, hi, Ambassador," came a male voice. "It's Jag. I was wondering where I could find Jaina." Leia smiled. "She's back at home," she replied. "You're more than welcome to come see her here." "Thank you," Jag replied gratefully. "I'll be along shortly." "Who was it?" Jaina called from the lounge room. "Jag's coming around," Leia said as she entered the lounge room, sitting down next to her daughter. A smile lit Jaina's features. "He sounded pretty happy to hear you were back at home," Leia commented. "He brought his little brother and sister to see me this morning," Jaina said. "They're absolutely gorgeous!" Leia laughed. "Well," she said slyly. "Syal and Soontir are coming around in a few days and bringing the three elder of their children, plus the two elder one's partners." "Jag told me that his older brother and sister are coming from Niruan soon," Jaina said. "Are we allowed to take them out into the city again?" "Only if you keep resting," Leia said. "It's close to tea time anyway, so if Jag gets here within forty five minutes, he can have dinner with us." "Am I allowed to get up to sit at the table?" Jaina asked hopefully. "No, you're staying here," Leia retorted. Jaina rolled her eyes. "Mom!" she protested. "I slept for like, two full days at the hospital!" "I don't care," Leia replied. "You are not doing anything strenuous for a while, young lady!" Jaina stifled a smile. "Please, Mom!" she pleaded. Leia shook her head. "No," she said, hiding a smile. "You're staying right here."
A knock came on the door. "I'll get it!" Jacen called from his room and jogged out into the hall. "Hey, Jag!" he said, opening the door to a very surprised young man. "Hi, Jacen," he said, grinning. "I'm guessing you're here to see a certain young woman?" Jacen taunted. Jag grinned sheepishly. "You Jedi types," he muttered. "Mom's got Jaina confined to the couch," Jacen explained, leading Jag down the hall and into the lounge room. Jaina smiled at him and Leia rose, smiling secretively. "Have fun…" she trailed off suggestively as she left the room, leading Hunter onto the balcony. Jaina laughed. Jag sat down on the large chair next to the sofa and Jacen perched on the arm rest of the sofa Jaina was lying on. "You feeling better?" Jag asked. Jaina nodded. "Much," she replied. "Mom's got me confined for another three days." Jacen cackled. "And we get to wait on her," he said, grinning. "You take pleasure in being bossed around?" Jag asked, raising an eyebrow. "No," Jaina said exasperatedly. "It gives them the chance to poison me with paint-thinner disguised as coffee, assassination purpose mini-pressure grenades concealed in pieces of cheese…" Jag laughed. "I'm sure they won't do anything as extreme as that," he assured her. "Maybe a little chili powder around the rim of your glass here and there, the occasional hot sauce cleverly hidden…" Jaina laughed again. "Don't give them any ideas!" she hissed mock-sarcastically. Anakin came in at that moment. "Jaina!" he exclaimed. "Oh, hi, Jag," he added. "Yeah?" Jaina asked, sitting up straighter. "I just went into your room to grab your connection cable and your comm thing was blinking. It was that Jade girl you're friends with. Apparently something's happened. She said; "The Bang sequence has begun and Operation Hawkbat is in motion." She said she couldn't talk, someone was coming." Jaina's face lit up and she sat bolt upright. Her eyes were bright. "What was she talking about?" Jacen demanded. "Operation Hawkbat? Bang sequence? What are you involved with, Jaya?" Jaina's eyes didn't lose their spark. "Nothing overly dangerous, Jasa," she assured him distantly. "Overly dangerous?" Leia asked, coming into the room. "Just something we organized a while back, Mom," Jaina said calmly. "We never though it would work." "What is it?" Leia asked, her curiosity still not sated. "A new surveillance method," Jaina explained eagerly. "You know how track records on computers can be erased?" All three of them nodded. "This program takes down all details and stores them under a file that can't be found unless you know the designation. There's no audit trail it can't trace. That means all messages, files sent or created, even ones that get deleted or self-destruct get transferred into the hidden file and when it's given the command, the program deletes itself, along with all the files and it leaves absolutely no traceable evidence. Jade and I created it ages ago and we managed to install it on a public monitor. Jade must have just gotten back to the terminal and checked it. It must have actually worked!" Leia was impressed. "That sounds like you might be onto something," Jag said. "But did you make sure the program didn't leave an audit trail when itself actually sent files? I mean, an audit trail from a hidden designation would look pretty suspicious." Jaina grinned. "Like I said, no traceable evidence it was ever there." "I'll speak to your aunt, Jaina," Leia said. "She could probably test it out for you." Jaina nodded. "That would be great, Mom."
She waited until her mother left the room until releasing a breath. She leant back, breathing deeply. "Hell, that was close," she muttered. "Spill, Jaina," Jacen demanded, keeping his voice low. "Jade won't mind, so long as you don't rat on us," Jaina whispered. "We actually did create that program, ages ago. We installed it in heaps of places. But a few things I conveniently forgot to mention to Mom," her eyes sparkled. "We can access any of the versions of the programs, any files from any terminal we've infiltrated, any time, from anywhere. We can also change the files from our terminal and let the program replace the original with our copy." The three boys grinned. "We can also disable terminals, wipe them clean so the only version of the file is the one stored within our program." "But what does the Bang have to do with it?" Anakin asked. "And what's Operation Hawkbat?" Jag added. "Jace," she said to her brother. "If you lift the mattress of my bed and look between the fifth and sixth beams of the bottom support, there will be seven folders. Four slim-line ones and three huge ones. Each one will have a letter on them. Together they spell 'hawkbat'. Can you grab them?" Jacen nodded. "Mom!" he yelled. "Just going to Jaya's place to get something for her!" "Okay!" Leia called back.
Jacen found them easily enough and hurried back. "We're taking Jaya into our room, Mom!" Anakin yelled hopefully. "We'll make her lie down!" There was a pause. "Make sure she doesn't move around too much!" Jaina rose quickly and wobbled. Jag's arm shot out to steady her and she smiled her thanks at him. She plopped down onto her brothers' bed and grabbed the folder with a capital A on it. She flipped it open. "These are the files from the Senate mainframe," she whispered. "And every computer in the building and all the personal computers of the Senators and every politician in the whole place is hooked through the mainframe." Anakin and Jacen's eyes glittered with eagerness. "You have access to every file on Coruscant with this thing, sis," Anakin said reverentially. "Damn right we do," Jaina replied. "But we created the program to track certain people, not intrude on everyone's privacy." "Politicians against your mother?" Jag guessed. "Mostly," Jaina admitted. "But when we had access to all political files, especially the confidential ones, we came across a few very interesting things." The boys leaned closer in anticipation. "Borsk Fey'lya, Councilor Pwoe, Viqi Shesh…" Jaina's eyes were still gleaming. "They're all corrupt and involved with some pretty heavy stuff." "Assassination…" Jacen murmured. "More than that," Jaina whispered. "Mass annihilation and destruction." She flicked through her folder and removed several sheets of flimsiplast from a compartment. She handed a sheet to Jag, one to Jacen and the last one to Anakin. "Read that and tell me that you cannot see any proof that Viqi Shesh is planning civil war and calling on an alien race from another galaxy to help her." Her voice was low with anger and revulsion. "Jaina," Jacen remarked, flinging the paper onto his lap. "We have to stop this." "Do you understand why we can't tell anyone, Jace, Ani, Jag?" Jaina said seriously. "If anyone gets wind of this, they'll disconnect the mainframe and all the plans will be changed." The three nodded. "Good," Jaina said and lowering her voice she added, "Now look at this." She grabbed another folder and handed it to them. Inside were thousands of coordinates. "Battle staging points," she said, deadly serious. "They're going for Niruan and the Chiss homeworld once they have control of Bilbringi!" Jag said; his voice shocked. Jaina's face hardened. "Not if we can help it."
"But what is Operation Hawkbat and what does the bang mean?" Anakin asked again. "A hawkbat comes at you from the shadows and darkness," Jaina said. "And a bang is sudden and unexpected. So are we. They have no idea what we're doing. Jade and I have found the weaknesses in all their plans and we are going to exploit them. Just like Uncle Luke and Dad did with the first Death Star." Jacen nodded in understanding. "Compared to the enormity of their plans, we are but the size of an X-Wing to the Death Star. But an X-Wing destroyed a Death Star and these politicians will make the same mistake." "What could they hope to gain from civil war?" Jag asked. "Power," Jaina shrugged. "I don't know. But this is the last thing they expect." "Heck, Jaya," Anakin murmured. "How long has this been going on?" Jaina grinned sheepishly. "A while," she admitted. "We replaced half their files with a heap of military tactical data from the Rebellion so it took them a while to figure out what happened there. They thought they'd mistyped a designation and it had swapped their files. They spent ages looking for it before remaking their plans. That's where they made their mistake. They forgot several key elements. Such as, where did their files go? Who had them now? We had them. They coded them heavily, but Jade and I decoded those in a matter of a few days." "So are we part of Operation Hawkbat now?" Jag's question caught Jaina off-guard. "I guess so." Her reply was tentative. "I can't keep this from Tenel," Jacen said immediately. "She knows me too well." Jaina grinned. "She's already in on it, Jace," she chuckled. His expression was one of outraged dignity. "I swear I won't tell anyone," Anakin said solemnly. "I'd rather run naked down the runway of the spaceport before tell my parents," Jag muttered. Jaina raised her eyebrows suggestively and Jag grinned at her. "I happen to have three spare folders, my back-ups," Jaina said. "They've all got most of the things in there, apart from the unanalyzed stuff." The three took the folders. "Tell me if you come up with anything new," she said. "Jag, if you can come round tomorrow and I can get a hold of Jade and Tenel, we can analyze the new stuff then. Deal?" "We're in," the three boys echoed. "Deal."