Chapter 13
The last of Twin Suns had landed in the hanger bay, and Jag was jumping out of his claw craft and headed towards Jaina's ship, when a lone figure stopped him.
"Colonel Fel, could I have a moment of your time?" Shawnkyr asked.
"Certainly. If you would excuse me for just one moment though?" Jag ran over to Jaina's X-wing as the hatch popped open and Jaina began to crawl out. She was about half way down the ladder when Jag grabbed her and gently set her down to the ground.
"I love being able to do that."
"You? Mr. Uptight in public? But I do have to admit that that's a nice way to get out of an x-wing. I'll have to recommend that to Wedge. Now are you just enjoying being able to hold me, or do you need to tell me something?"
"Oh right, Shawnkyr wants to talk to me, and then I wanted to know if you wanted to go to dinner? And I mean a real dinner, not just in the mess. I've already got permission from Wedge, that is if you want to go."
"I'd love to, I needed an excuse to wear something my mom bought me this morning any way."
"You went shopping? Why am I afraid to ask?"
"Yeah, this morning my mom took me out shopping. She used the excuse that I needed more things for my room, well our room. Anyway we somehow wound up in the clothes department, with her putting all these things in my arms saying that I need more than jumpsuits and Jedi robes."
"That sounds…um…fun? Did your mom even let you pick anything out?"
"I'll tell you about it later, but at the moment it looks as if Shawnkyr is becoming impatient, and that's saying something for a Chiss. Now go." With that she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and pushing him in Shawnkyr's direction and sauntering out of the docking bay.
Jag watched her walk off to meet with her father, before walking back over to Shawnkyr. "Now, what can I do for you?"
"I would like to discuss your relationship and living conditions with Lieutenant Colonel Jaina Solo."
/Just like Shawnkyr, straight to the point. / Jag tipped his head slightly and led Shawnkyr into a nearby briefing room. "What would you like to discuss about it?"
"Sir, you are already aware of my opinion to yours and Colonel Solo's relationship, so I do not feel the need to reiterate myself. However the use of you in this pathetic Goddess scheme is totally ridiculous! You are an elite commander in the Chiss military, not some hand servant waiting on her every whim. Sir, I should not have to say this again but IT. IS. TIME. TO. GO. HOME."
Jag, not at all surprised at her thoughts, but surprised at her method of expressing her views. "You're right. It's time for YOU to go. You should take the squadron home, but I'm staying here."
Shawnkyr stood with her mouth open for a fraction of a second before replying. "You're willing to stay with these rebels, to fight a losing war? Willing to throw away everything you've ever worked for? If you stay here against orders then you'll more than likely be giving up your commission, giving up your oath and won't be able to return to Chiss space."
"I'll be giving all that up to be with those that I care about. To help protect them and the rest of the galaxy while I still can. Sooner, rather then later this war IS going to reach the Chiss, our only hope is that we can take out as many Vong as we can now. I wish you would stay Shawnkyr, the New Rebublic needs you. I need you. But it's your decision, I'm staying here and the only thing I ask is that you'll give the choice to those in the squadron whether they stay or not and that you'll notify me when you have made a decision." With that Jag walked out of the room and headed down the corridor.
As Jaina walked away from the hanger bay Han was waiting by the door. "Hey dad, what brings you down here?" She asked as they started down the corridor.
"Just thought I'd say hi, give your new place the old dad inspection, and drop off some stuff your mother bought that you 'just had to have'."
"UH…Mom--… ah, whatever, I could actually use your help while your over."
"Sure sweetheart, not sure there's anything I can do that you can't, but I'll help anyway."
"Thanks, it's just the garbage disposal, it's acting up a little and I really don't want to bother anyone about it, plus it won't take very long to fix anyway. "
"No problem, but we do need to stop by home for a minute to pick up your stuff." When they walked in, they saw shopping bag after shopping bag, with Leia sifting through them all.
"Oh, Jaina, I'm glad you're here, I found of few other things for your apartment while you were on patrol, and you forgot a few things earlier."
"Um…thanks. But what am I supposed to do with all of this? I mean, I'm still going to be moving around, and in a full scale evacuation I'm not going to be able to get all of this."
"You'll leave everything here, and if someone else moves into your room then your father and I will move your stuff and put it into storage."
"All right mom. Well, since you bought it all, do you want to come over and at least help organize it?"
"Sorry sweetie, but Luke needs my help with something."
"No problem, I'll see you later mom." Jaina and Han picked up the bags and headed out the door. A little over halfway to Jaina's apartment, Han saw that Jaina wasn't carrying anything, instead the bags were just floating next to her.
"Cheater. I thought you weren't supposed to do that anyway."
"We're not…but…well."
"Don't worry, I won't tell."
She smiled before typing in the entrance code to allow them in. "Wow!" Han mumbled as he set the bags down in the large sitting room off the entrance hall. As he looked around he saw a dining area, a kitchen, and three doors, which he assumed to be an office and bedrooms. /Wow, the kids got it made. This is almost as big as our apartment on Coruscant. /
"I'd be comfortable in Jag's quarters." Jaina said picking up on his thoughts.
"You'd better not be spending to much time in those quarters." Han said with a glare. "How serious are you two any way? He's not hurting you or anything? Cause I swear if he is I'll-"
"Daddy! Jag would never hurt me, he loves me to much, and I love him." Jaina's eyes widened in surprise as she realized what she had said. /Sweet Force! Did I just say that? Love him?…I love him/
"What did you just say?" Han said eyeing her warily.
"I, I think I love him. No, I know I love him."
"Huh, I was afraid you said. Come here." Han led he over to a large overstuffed chair and pulled her down on top of him, like he had so many times when she was upset. "I know how much Jag means to you, and as much as I hate to admit it, the kid is growing on me. In a lot of ways he reminds me of myself at that age, well, once you get him relaxed."
"And that's what scares you?" Jaina said softly from his shoulder.
"That and the fact that no matter what happens or how old you get you'll always be my little girl."
"I know, daddy."
"But I swear he does one thing…."
"He won't daddy…don't worry."
They sat in silence for a few minutes just enjoying the moment of peace before Han spoke up. "So, what about that garbage disposal of yours?"
"Oh right, could you take those bags to the back room while I grab some tools?" Jaina asked standing up and pointing to the mound of bags.
"No fair! You got the easy job!"
"That's the point, Goddesses never do manual labor."
"Yea, yea, yea." Han mumbled before grabbing as many bags as he could and heading towards the bedroom. Jaina went over to the closet trying to find the tools they'd need. "JAINA SOLO!" /Not again…what did I do this time/
"Yea, Dad?" Han came out of the bed carrying a pair of boxers that were clearly not hers. /Ah, Kriff! This was so not the way I had planned on telling him. /
"Okay, dad, take a deep breath and put those down." Jaina slowly walked toward him, as if he were about to explode.
"I'm going to kill him!" Han growled out, as he started towards the door.
"Daddy, no!" Jaina said standing in his path. "This isn't want you think, I promise. And what happed to 'this kid reminds me of myself at that age'?"
"Well at the moment he's reminding me a little to much of myself."
"But this REALLY isn't what you think…" Just then a fuming Jag Fel came barreling into the apartment, but stopped dead when he saw Jaina and her father. At the look that Han gave him all of his anger soon became fear.
/You have really lousy timing. /
/I'm beginning to agree with you. /
As Han took a step forward Jag took a step back, and Jaina knew if they kept this up for much longer then Jag would hit the wall, causing serious problems. /Mom/
/Yes sweetie? Oh, do you happen to know where your father is? He's putting off some very…angry emotions. /
/He's right here. Do you think that you could come over here please? Bring Luke and Mara if you can. /
/Sure. What's wrong/
/Long story. /
When she withdrew from her mother she noticed that Jag was almost pressed up against the wall with Han closing in. /Kriff/ Jaina grabbed Han with the force keeping him firmly in place.
"Jaina Solo, you let me go this instant!"
"Not until you promise to calm down."
"After what I just found I don't think so."
"You didn't find anything! You're just jumping to conclusions again."
"Then why don't you clarify things for me?"
"I will as soon as Mom, Luke, and Mara-"
"Are here." Mara said walking in through the door. "What's so important? You interrupted my nap."
"That's what I'd like to know." Han said indignantly from where he was still be held by Jaina. Jaina released her hold and walked over to stand next to Jag.
"Okay, well, you remember when we told you about Corellia? Well we left out a small detail. It's what our meeting with Sharr and Piggy was about, the Yuuzhan Vong have somehow gotten it into there thick sculls that because Jag and I spend so much time together, and because a goddess doesn't date, that Jag is, well, my Paramour. So Sharr and Piggy got it into their big heads to make Jag part of the Goddess scheme and that we should move in together. Hence the new quarters, hence the two bedrooms. Two dad, count 'em! Two bedrooms for two people. It's really the same thing as it was before except that we're just sharing a kitchen and sitting area, it's not to much different then a dorm."
"Then what was his stuff doing in your room?"
"His stuff was in there, because that's HIS room."
"Oh, um, about this Paramour…I'm confused." Han said in a slightly softer voice.
"About what Han? Jag and Jaina are dating. The Vong think Jaina is Yun Harla and Goddesses don't date. So they come up with own explanation of Jag's almost constant presence. It's that simple." Mara said still agitated by being woken up from her nap.
They stood in an uncomfortable silence for several more minutes with Han grumbling to himself before Leia stood bringing Han with her. "Well, we'd better get going, we're having dinner with Wedge and Iella tonight so we'll see you later." Leia's eyes met Jaina's for a moment, and she felt more then saw Jaina's smile.
"Well I suppose we should go too. G'night Jaina, Jag." Luke said dragging a half-asleep Mara with him.
Once the door had closed they both let out a breath that neither of them had realized they were holding. "Well, that went better then it could have. Dad could be lying in the med-bay from a heart attack…or he could have just shot you on the spot."
"Your so very comforting. Um…Jaina when you said that he went into my room, um, Jaina, my room IS your room."
"I know and I never said that it wasn't my room. I just said that it was your room, which it is."
Jag shook his head and looked around the room as if expecting something else bad to happen. /I have a bad feeling… /
"Please don't say that. Every time someone says that around a Solo something bad usually DOES happen."
"I never actually said anything."
"Doesn't mean I didn't hear it. So what did Shawnkyr want to talk about?"
"Nothing important." Jag said turning around and heading towards the kitchen.
"Jag, I know you well enough to tell when you're not telling me something."
"Jaina, really it's nothing."
"Jag, please tell me." Jaina gently put her hand on his arm. "It was about me, wasn't it?"
"It was really nothing." He said sighing, but when he looked at her she gave him a look that said, 'You're not getting out of it that easy'. "Shawnkyr just doesn't like our living conditions, or that I'm not commanding, and my new status in the Goddess ploy."
"Well I agree with two of those." When Jag gave a confused look she explained further. "I love the fact that we're living together, but you being my Paramour? That news has hardly made it around the base and you're already getting looks when you walk past someone, especially when you're with me. Think about your reputation when this gets around the rest of Mon Cal, the rest of the galaxy, what happens if your parents get wind of this? And I fully agree with Shawnkyr that you should be commanding. I love that you're in my squadron and that your flying my wing, but you need to be leading. You're better then I am, and I…I think that it's time that you take over your own squadron again."
"Jaina I don't care about my reputation, I don't have a good one as it is. And if it reaches my parents, then I'll deal with it. As for my own squadron, I'm exactly where I want to be, with you. Look we'll deal with this later, right now I believe I promised you dinner, and you promised me a dress."
Jaina sighed but smiled anyway. "Even though I never promised you a dress, sure, give me just a minute."
Soontir Fel was sitting at his desk going over reports for a Chiss fleet headed to the New Republic when he received a comm.
"Shawnkyr I was not expecting to hear from you. Is everything all right?"
Shawnkyr took a deep breath before beginning…
End Chapter 13