Perfect Strangers: Chapter XIV

Author Notes: This part is dedicated to Lauren Gragert because she's cool and lives in Gardner with me!  And because she doesn't hate me even though it took 80 years for me to finish this story…

Jaina quietly crept out the door of the command center the moment the Artemis exploded. The sky had begun to clear from the storm, but the space fire could not yet be seen from the ground. Jaina reached out for Brock through the Force, but was immediately overcome by emotions of sheer terror and extreme distress. She wasn't even sure it was him, but someone very close was in serious trouble. As she realized what was happening, Jaina reached out with the Force to try and cushion the impact of ship against land, but with zero time to focus, there wasn't much she could do. Jaina gasped as a heap of metal hurtled out of the atmosphere, 'landed' haphazardly and skidded to a halt somewhere in the jungle.

"What the— what happened! Who did that?"

"Looks like somebody detonated the entire vaping ammo hold!"

Shrapnel flew haphazardly toward Jeremy and the rest of the Echo pilots who were still chasing TIE's when the Artemis erupted in flames. Lucy turned just in time to see several TIE's be blown apart by the explosion or caught in the blaze that followed. Wings and pods separated and tumbled toward Yavin's atmosphere.

Jeremy's voice commanded them to retreat and regroup. The Echoes pulled back their ships just as a dozen tiny explosions joined together and consumed the Artemis and its crew. Lucy closed her eyes briefly, relieved as the last of the Imperial remnants exploded into oblivion.

Hovering over Yavin, the comm waves were flooded with cheers and whistles. "Nice job flyboys and girls," Jeremy's voice said over the comm. "One more victory for the Echoes."

They cheered again as Jeremy continued. "And it's nice to finally have our estranged Captain back as well." Laughter rippled across the comms but quieted down when no response came.

"Speaking of—where is he?"

Anxious silence hung like a thick cloud in every cockpit. Brock hadn't made any comments or even started a head count. Come to think of it, there hadn't been any commands from him for the past ten minutes.

"Guys, wait—" Lucy broke through the dead air. "The last time I saw him—I think he was headed into that Star Destroyer."

A hush fell over the squad.

"He got out though, right?" Zane asked gravely.

"Yeah, you were watching him," Jeremy barked. "What happened?"

"What do you mean I was watching him?" Lucy snapped. "I was fightin' same as you were! I'm not his keeper!"

"I didn't mean it like that, Lucky, I meant—"

"I know what you meant, but I don't know where he is any more than—"

"Stop it, guys." Zane interrupted. "We don't have time for this now. Hurry up and count off, we gotta get down to the surface, now."

Jacen and Anakin celebrated with their family and friends as the Echoes retreated and the Artemis disappeared. Anakin had just hugged Tahiri when a cool breeze caught his hair. He looked up to see the door to the command center sliding shut. Scanning the room, he noticed that his sister was missing. "She wouldn't just run out to see the blaze, would she?" No, something was wrong. He walked back to the viewport and quickly counted the remaining Republic fighters. Eleven. Sliding through the crowd, he grabbed his brother's arm.

"Jacen, I think something might have happened to Brock."

Jacen's eyes grew wide. "What?"

"Jaina just walked out of here and there are only eleven ships on that screen."

Jacen paused for a long moment, then made a decision.

"We'll tail her, but quietly. She left alone for a reason. Let's go."

After running for what seemed like hours, Jaina slowed her sprint to a jog. She paused to catch her breath and deactivated her saber upon seeing a fresh shipwreck at the edge of the temple landing platforms. She advanced forward slowly and froze for a moment at the base of the huge structure. Brock's essence seemed to surround this place, but it was softer than even the gentle breeze across her face. Jaina's heart pounded in her chest as she scanned the area for a trace of her beloved. Taking a breath, she stepped over mounds of smoldering leaves, and glared at the ship before her. It did not belong to Brock.

A badly mangled TIE fighter lay dying on the jungle floor. Smoke rose from what was left of the ship and a wave of anxiety washed over Jaina as she noticed that the pod was open. It looked as though the door had bounced ajar on impact, and she leaned over gingerly, hoping to be spared the sight of a dead pilot.

Sure enough, the pod was empty. Jaina was relieved, but troubled at the same time. "Brock, where are you?" she wondered aloud. She kicked a pile of leaves and dropped onto the temple stairs. Taking as deep a breath as she could in the smoggy air, Jaina exhaled and let the Force flow through her.

"It's just nerves." She concluded, brushing a single tear from her cheek. "I've got to calm down so I can find him." She mumbled to herself. She stared at the broken ship for a moment, amazed at how close the pilot had come to actually landing it. But now the pilot was gone. She suddenly worried that he might be hanging from a tree above her or something else terrible, but when she looked above, there was nothing. Nothing to the left, nothing to the right, nothing anywhere.

"Nothing." She said aloud. "Why have you lead me to nothing?" She started around the edge of the temple. "Why have you sent me through the jungle to this—vaping piece of trash?"

"I wouldn't call it trash, really. She's a decent little fighter, provided you don't try to ram anyone."

Jaina whipped around in the direction of the familiar voice and her jaw hit the ground.

"After all, she did bring me home to you," Brock smiled weakly from the second level of the landing platform. "So she can't be all bad."

Jacen and Anakin stood on the edge of the clearing, grinning as their sister raced up the stairs and fell into her boyfriend's arms. Clapping his brother on the shoulder, Jacen pulled Anakin away from the scene.

"Come on, Ani. I gotta show you somethin'."

Anakin chuckled. "Way to be subtle, bro."

END CHAPTER FOURTEEN