Chapter SIX

A.N. okay, interesting so far? Hopefully so.

((((((((((((((Out on the Meadows of Naboo))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Zekk looked at the data pad. The sensors were passively searching for underground tunnels, and life signs. He glanced over at Jaina, who still wore her sleeveless top, but had put on some battle trousers and boots. It seemed to him that the more they went along, the more she let him lead. It was an odd feeling. First she let him pilot the ship, and now he had decided where to start looking. It had always been more of an argument about where to go- and eventually Zekk had gotten used to it. However, it seemed that she was losing her...will to fight him. Perhaps it had to do with her reliance on him? But it seemed that they were always watching each other's back- what was going on in her head?

Sighing, Zekk looked around. He understood most of the Force, but to understand that particular woman's mind was impossible.

"Are you getting anything?" Jaina called

Zekk glanced at her again, taking in the sight of her standing there in her military garb among the endless field of flowers. Quickly he shook his daydreaming. "Nothing over here. Are there any caves mapped on the data reader you have?"

Jaina looked at her data-pad. "No. But according to the rumor my mom heard, they must have been hidden before the Rebellion even started. How many years ago was that?"

Scratching behind his ear, Zekk tried to put together the years of war and strife. Unfortunately, he had never had a great grasp on history. After all, he was just an orphan from the lower levels of Coruscant, so his schooling hadn't been the greatest. "I don't know."

Walking through the tall grass and endless flowers, Jaina came up beside him. "Pull up the maps from fifty years ago, and that should give us something."

Zekk did so, reading the quick-scan displays. "Ha! There was a major earthquake right after the Jedi Purges. It moved the lake, so whatever caves there were...they must be underwater by now."

Jaina paused, pulling at her long brown hair. "Sithspawn."

Zekk was surprised. "What?"

"I forgot to bring my swim suit." Jaina looked up at him playfully.

Zekk let his face pull into a lop-sided grin. "Are you calling this a vacation?"

Jaina rolled her eyes. "Might as well be, my mom thinks I'm mentally unstable, and you broke your nose in a fistfight. This is the closest thing th R&R that we get."

Together they started walking back to the lake-side. Zekk glanced over his shoulder at her. "When was the last time we actually had a vacation? Do you remember?"

"Nope."

"Okay." Zekk reached down, pulling a flower from it's bunch among the long grasses. "One day I'll take you on a real vacation. No missions or sarlacc chases." He handed the flower to her, and Jaina smiled. It pleased Zekk to see her smile, at least a real smile. Not the battle humor he was getting so used to seeing Jaina in, but a simple smile because she was happy with something.

"I'll take that offer." Jaina said, placing the purple flower in her loose dark hair. "My question is, what would we do? We'd be bored out of our minds."

Now it was Zekk's turn to laugh. "Oh, I think we'd figure out something."

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((A Short Time Later))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

It was going to rain again. Glancing around, Jaina took yet another look at the beautiful country side. She only hoped that it wasn't going to be a lightning storm, since they were going to go swimming. Electrocution didn't sound like the most fun thing to have happen to you. Silently she waded into the clear blue water of the lake. It wasn't cold, which she was secretly glad of. "Well?" She looked over at Zekk, who was getting the breath-masks out of his pack. "You coming? Or are you afraid of the water?"

Zekk tossed a breath mask to her, while he walked over to the water's edge. "Don't forget to turn the power switch on your saber, if you don't the water will fry it."

Jaina caught her breath-mask and looked down at her saber, deactivating the power mechanism. "Don't see why we'd be needing to use them anyway. How old would these Jedi be even if they did exist? Forty? Fifty?"

Climbing onto a rock that was sticking out of the water beside her, Zekk took off his shoes and threw them over his shoulder and onto the nearby shore. "You and I both know age doesn't matter anymore."

"True." Jaina's little brother had become a high ranking officer before he even turned twenty. "You ready to go?"

Zekk nodded, standing up strait on the rock and suddenly leaped high into the air. He pulled a somersault, and then dived into the clear watery depths.

Jaina waited until he surfaced again. "Show-off." She had forgotten just how well Zekk took to water.

Zekk splashed her. "You coming or not?"

In moments they were both swimming down into the depths of the water. Zekk was leading, because he was the stronger swimmer. They had looked at the sides of the water, mostly it was large boulders and sandy ripples from a sloping beach.

Jaina watched as Zekk motioned toward a shadowy hole that looked as if it might be an entrance to a cave. She followed Zekk down into the darker depths, when suddenly she felt that something was wrong.

Slimy hands latched around her legs, and Jaina looked back with horror. The Vong. Jaina screamed. Not verbally of course, but through the Force Zekk must have heard her.

There were three of them, large and with full body armor, and large gaffi sticks. One took a slice at Jaina's head, and she ducked. She tried to get the iron fists from her legs, but they wouldn't budge. Suddenly, Zekk was there, wrestling with two of the Vong. Jaina thanked the stars knew how to handle himself in the water. She had never dreamt that all those years of playing in the lakes of Yavin 4 would actually be a learning experience she would use.

Wriggling in the water she twisted toward the Vong's thumbs, loosening his hold on her ankles. It would be useless to try and punch the Vong, because they were underwater and a powerful jab turned into little more than a tickle.

Kicking legs and flailing arms were everywhere, the water churned up around them, and soon everything became the dark mud-color of the lake's floor. Jaina could only sense the Vong she was battling with, not Zekk or the enemies he faced. It was just her and this monster in the black murky water.

With her heartbeat in her ears, Jaina felt the cold steel of a knife slash across her middle. The skin was cut, but thankfully nothing deeper. She felt the pain of it, and launched herself forwards. That knife was her only hope. Her lightsaber didn't work under water, and trying to out-wit the fighter didn't seem to be working. She found it. Using the Force as her ally she ripped the knife out of the Vong's clutches, and whirled it around to use it against it's master. The only soft spot on a Vong warrior was under the chin and above the chest place, and Jaina found it. She shoved the knife deeply into the warriors neck, and felt his grip on her ankles loosen.

Jaina flung herself away, taking the knife with her. Luckily throughout the fight she had managed to keep her breath mask on. Soft skin brushed against her upper arm, and she knew it was Zekk. However, with the movement of the water she guessed he was still dealing with one of the Vong warriors. She swam forwards blindly, finally latching onto the last warrior's back, and as soon as possible she stabbed the knife into the Vong's soft and sensitive neck.

Without much effort she freed herself from the last Vong as it went through it's death throes, and literally ran into Zekk. His skin was warm and soft against her's, and he reached out for hear hand- making sure not to loose one another in the blackness.

2b continued