CHAPTER 7 – Fighting Words

The entire sparring room came to life in the recreation center.  Five Jedi could be seen spinning and flipping, brilliant flashes of light swirled around them accompanied by the distinct hum of their weapons.  It was a deadly dance based on precision, skill and trust.

Kyp Durron flanked by Jacen Solo and Mara Jade Skywalker led an attack against Tahiri Veila and Jaina Solo.  Jacen, dressed only in black fighting pants, appeared to be focusing on Tahiri Veila, wearing a tight yellow tank and green shorts.  Mara Skywalker and her former apprentice, similarly clad in black skin tight one piece fighting uniforms, traded blows.  Kyp Durron, clad in a green flight suit, traded time between the two battles, exploiting openings wherever he could.

Jacen pressed the attack on Tahiri, striking high and quickly.  The young female Jedi, with more practice recently than the male twin, countered by flipping away from the offensive.  Jacen's forward momentum had no hindrance, and he momentarily lost his balance.  This left an opening for Tahiri to level a deadly blow to her opponent, ending her strike within an inch of slashing Jacen from hip to shoulder.

Jacen bowed out of the fight, disappointed in his failure.  Tahiri directed her efforts at the Jedi Master.  The battle was short though.  She pushed too hard initially, thinking Kyp would be caught off-guard, having been focused on his battle with Jaina.  The Master was prepared, sidestepping the first striking blow from high to low.  As the blade passed him, Kyp brought his down on top of it with a fierce blow, forcing Tahiri's weapon out of her hand.

With the battle back in the advantage of the two Masters, Kyp and Mara pressed hard, both trying to find an opportunity to get to the other side of Jaina.  The best defense for Jaina was to move away from her attackers, keeping them on the same side of her.  She called to her brother as she backed away.  He tossed his saber into the air, and Jaina summoned it to her other hand.

Armed with two weapons, she was now able to consider an offensive attack.  Jaina anticipated her former Master would be the first to take advantage of an opportunity to surround her.  Spinning toward her opponents, Jaina used the two blades as a whirling shield.  Mara did as Jaina anticipated and somersaulted over her head.

As Mara passed over, Jaina released Jacen's lightsaber, whipping it at her aunt.  It would have cleaved Mara in two, but Jaina deactivated the weapon just as it got to its target.  The handle fell to the floor with a thud.  Jaina and Kyp were left in a motionless stand off exchanging feral grins, sweat dripping off both of them.

"You killed Mara. I never thought I would see the day."  Jaina's grin grew bigger as the truth of his words sunk in.  Kyp saluted Jaina with his lightsaber and then switched it off.  "I surrender. I am clearly no match for a Goddess today."

"Just admit it, Kyp.  You are getting too old for this."  Jaina turned to her former master, dreading her reaction.

Mara, as expected, looked none too pleased with herself.  "No Kyp. I beat myself.  I did exactly what she expected.  Let it be a lesson to all you young ones."

Jacen walked over to Mara and patted her on the back, before offering her a towel.  "That's right.  She beat herself to teach us a lesson.  Congrats, Sis."

Mara glared at her nephew.  "Just for that you're coming with me to work on more concentration techniques for the battle melds, young man.  Jaina, congratulations.  Your hard work is beginning to pay off."

With a frown, Jacen followed the red-haired woman, knowing better than to argue with Mara when a mood struck her.

**********

Jag guided his family through the base, highlighting points of interest as they went.  He did not fail to notice the passing interest in his mother.  Syal Fel was the one and only Wynssa Starflare, holodrama star of years gone by.  Obviously, her face had not been forgotten.  It seemed so odd to him that people would fawn over his mother.  She was still beautiful though, even after all these years, and courteously enough to acknowledge those who were brave enough to actually approach the venerated actress.

In order to avoid attracting too much additional attention, Jag chose to detour through the recreation building, which was usually quiet during the morning hours.  As they passed the larger sparring room, the sound of humming lightsabers could be heard.  Jag recognized it instantly. He was not prepared to introduce Jaina to his father after dinner two nights previous.  He had seen Jaina earlier in the morning for breakfast and did not recall her mentioning sparring today.  Just in case, Jag decided to hurry his family past.  Before he could though, a loud clash of lightsabers caught everyone's attention.

Rane headed for the room before Jag could stop him.  "Wow! Jedi!"

Jag reached to stop him.  "We probably shouldn't bother them."

"I just want to watch.  We can stay by the observation window over there."

"Okay, just stay quiet."

Rane hurried over to the observation window, with Briaun not far behind.  Jag followed behind with his parents.  As they approached the window, the entire room came into view.  Five Jedi could be seen locked in an intricate battle of skill.  The speed at which they moved amazed the entire family; the lethal dance captivated their attention.

Briaun was the first to break the silence.  "Is one of them Jaina?"  Her eyes never left the scene before her.

Syal did turn however and observe her son.  Jag could not take his eyes off the petite brunette in the black fighting suit.  In battle, the young woman moved with a grace that was indefinable.

"Yes, she is the one with brown hair."  

Syal watched her son as he answered and noticed the focus of his gaze.  She recognized something in that look, the same expression her husband held for her.  Syal looked back at the woman who captivated her son and watched for what he saw.

The male Jedi dressed in green flipped over the heads of Jaina and her partner.  Briaun gasped in awe. "How do they fly through the air?"

Before Jag could answer, his brother did, "They use the Force to increase their strength coupled with some form of telekinesis."

The blond female wearing shorts delivered what appeared would be a fatal blow, before halting her strike within inches of the bare-chested male.

Jag explained to his family, "The male Jedi that the blonde just about eviscerated is Jacen, Jaina's twin."

Rane looked at his brother.  "Is it true that lightsabers do not have a practice mode?  That they have to trust each other with their life even in practice?"

Jag glanced at his brother impressed with his knowledge.  "How do you know so much about Jedi?"

"I pay attention in school.  To understand the strengths of great warriors is to understand victory," the younger Fel quoted a professor from the Chiss academy.  The blonde Jedi lost her weapon to the older male.  "Two on one now.  Can Jaina take them?"

Jag knew that the fight would be difficult for Jaina now, but still silently wished for her victory.  "Probably not.  The male Jedi is Kyp Durron, a Master and the female is…"

"Mara Jade Skywalker, a Master as well."  The whole family turned to look at Soontir Fel.

Syal was the first to question him, "Do you know her, Soontir?"

"Met her years ago on Nirauan.  She is not a woman to be taken lightly."  The audience's attention was riveted again as Jaina now controlled two lightsabers.

"Mara was Jaina's Master for many years before Kyp took over for a while."  As he spoke, Jag watched in disbelief as Jaina delivered a killing blow to her aunt.  Briaun clapped her hands together excitedly, watching the two remaining Jedi face off silently.  Jag chuckled to himself, imaging what Kyp was saying as he saluted Jaina, before turning off his weapon.

Briaun pulled on her brother's sleeve.  "Can we go meet her?"

Jag looked at his sister, unable to deny the inevitable.  "Let me make sure we are not interrupting something first?"  Jag smiled down at his sister, before striding for the door to the sparring room.

As he entered, Mara and Jacen were exiting out the back door across the room.  Jag approached the remaining three Jedi.  Jaina must have felt his presence and spun around to greet him.  "Hey, come for some physical abuse at the hands of the Jedi, Colonel Fel?"

"No, I came to congratulate you on finally beating your aunt."

Jaina's face lit up.  "Did you see that?  It was awesome."

Jag grew serious.  "I actually came to ask if you wouldn't mind meeting my family?"

Jaina looked down at herself covered in sweat, hair escaping her high tail and falling in wisps around her face.  Tahiri and Kyp both laughed behind her as she asked, "Now?"

"If I could have avoided it, I would have.  Once they saw you in here, it was too late."  Jag shot her an apologetic look.

Jaina sighed before bowing over in order to fix her hair's tail.  She looked past Jag as she flicked her head back over, pulling the hair tight, and noticed his family standing in the doorway.  "Let's do this."  She felt Tahiri and Kyp both offer her reassuring brushes through the Force and thanked them silently.

As she approached the Fel family, Jaina appeared as captivated by Jag's mother as every other passerby had been throughout their tour, like she was just realizing that his mother was Wynssa Starflare.  Jaina had known that fact all along, but with Syal standing in front of her, the truth smacked the young woman in the face.  Jaina's anxiety showed in her wide eyes, and Jag sensed Jaina was suddenly more frightened of meeting his mother than his father.  Jag stopped in front of his father, trying to offer a buffer between Jaina and the Baron.  That left Jaina standing directly before Syal, her eyes riveted on the older woman.

"Jaina, allow me to introduce my family. General Fel, Syal Fel, my mother and father."  Jaina's eyes went from Syal to Soontir.  She managed a small smile in his direction, but looked away quickly, avoiding his penetrating eyes that seemed to bore right through her.  Jaina quickly returned her gaze to Jag's mother.

When Jaina finally opened her mouth and spoke, Jag was stunned that the woman who could fly into a sea of skips was utterly dumbstruck when addressing his mother.  "I still cannot believe I am meeting Wynssa Starflare.  You are the most amazing actress ever.  I loved you in Secret Horizons."  Jaina was flushed with embarrassment the moment she finished speaking.  The two younger Fel children snickered, even Jag and his father grinned at Jaina's behavior, causing her embarrassment to heighten.

Syal, seeing the young woman's distress, tried to sooth her emotions.  "I apologize.  My children just think of me as Mom, not a famous holodrama star.  Thank you.  Secret Horizons was one of my favorites, too."  She smiled at Jaina, who offered a small smile back.  "These are Jag's younger siblings, Rane and Briaun."  

Jaina exchanged hellos with both of them.  "It is nice to meet you, finally.  Jag has told me so much about all of you."  Jaina began to regain her composure.

Syal Fel sensing her husband's disinterest in the whole affair, decided to run interference.  "Jaina, I am sure you are a very busy woman.  I hope maybe you can come to dinner at my brother's, and we can spend some more time together."

Jaina looked to Jag and grinned, then turned back to Syal.  "That would be lovely, if it is not too much trouble for Iella."

"She has already offered, but I will speak to her again."

"I better get cleaned up; I have an intelligence briefing in twenty minutes."  Jaina said her goodbyes before heading for the locker room.

Jag looked to his mother for her reaction.  "I think she is lovely, Jagged."

"Thank you, Mother."

"A little too fawning for my taste," his father muttered.  The mood in the group became suddenly gloomy.  "Let's get going Jag.  I need to get to that meeting with Wedge later this morning."

Jag hid his disgust behind his stony expression.  He nodded to his father, not wanting his voice to betray his emotions, before leading the family out of the recreation center.

**********

Wedge Antilles looked over a scouting report from a reconnaissance mission to the Core.  Soontir Fel sat across the desk from his brother-in-law, scanning his face for some sort of reaction.  Wedge's expression was serious with concentration, but reflected his pleasure with the findings.

"Based on the last scouting report, it looks as if there is a decrease in the size of the Yuuzhan Vong forces in the Core region.  We had hoped that the battle of Ebaq would deplete their resources; it seems we may have been successful."

Wedge handed the report across the desk for Soontir to survey.

"The battle of Ebaq was a decisive victory.  It was the catalyst for convincing the Chiss Council to participate in your war."

"Other than not foreseeing the ground assault on the moon, Admiral Ackbar's plan was as fine as any he has developed before."

Soontir put down the report and directed his gaze at Wedge.  "Explain to me why the Yuuzhan Vong would throw away ten thousand troops and one third of a battle group to catch a couple of Jedi."

"The Jedi have been a thorn in the Yuuzhan Vong's side since the beginning of the invasion.  I think they fear the Jedi for their prowess as warriors.  The Yuuzhan Vong view the Jedi as worthy sacrifices to their gods."

"And you let Lieutenant Colonel Solo mock these gods to what end?"

Wedge shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with the direction Soontir was driving the conversation.  "The more success Lieutenant Colonel Solo achieves in the role of the Trickster, the more of the general Yuuzhan Vong population will believe her to be a true god and fear her, believing Yun Harla has chosen our side to be the victors.  It is pure psychological warfare at its best."

"And Han and Leia Solo allows their daughter to be a puppet in this game?"

Wedge chuckled.  "If there is one thing you will learn about Jaina is that no one allows her to do anything.  This Trickster scheme is her idea alone.  She implemented the original plan on Hapes, and we have given her the resources to expand on it since then.

"Resources like my son, who she nearly got killed.  If he had been leading a squadron like he should have been, instead of babysitting Jaina Solo, Jagged would never have been put in that position."

Wedge leaned forward in his chair, putting his forearms on the desk.  His eyes bore into Soontir Fel.  "You know as well as I, Soontir, that war is dangerous no matter how you slice it.  Having Jag commanding his own squadron would not have guaranteed his survival."

Soontir stood up and supported his weight with his hands on Wedge's desk.  "My son was too valuable an asset to waste on helping that girl learn how to command as she went.  Maybe being her holdfather has blinded you to the truth, but Jaina Solo, is an incompetent leader.  Not only is she rash, overconfident, and disrespectful, she endangers her pilots and the chain of command with her actions.  And now my son is captivated by the wiles of a pretty girl, a Jedi no less, who will lead him to his untimely death, if I don't do something to stop it."  Soontir Fel's voice had risen like a crescendo until it reverberated throughout the room.

Wedge stood to face Soontir, looking equally as inflamed.  "Soontir Fel, you will not insult my pilots, especially not Jaina Solo.  No person has given more to this war than she has.  I will not allow you to judge her because you are afraid to lose your son or because of some personal vendetta you have against me."

A loud knocking sound came from behind Soontir.  Wedge looked up as Soontir turned to face the sound, both startled out of their rage.

Tycho Celchu, his blue eyes ablaze, blocked the doorway, arms crossed in disgust.  His face radiated more anger than the two Corellian men combined.  "I hope you two are proud of yourselves."

**********

Trapped in a conference room, listening to an intelligence briefing, Jaina Solo stared at the chrono, willing it to go faster.  Twin Suns had shipped in from Hapes the night before and Jaina was eager to get back flying with her squadron for afternoon exercises.  Her mind wandered to various formations and drills she had planned for them.  She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that Jaina did not hear Iella Antilles when she addressed her.

"Jaina, did you hear me?"

"I am sorry, Iella. What did you say?"

"I was wondering what your thoughts were on the decision to lay low with the Trickster for the next couple of weeks."

"I have no problem with it.  The Yuuzhan Vong will not have the signature of my new fighter yet, so I will not be an obvious target.  I respect the need to not draw any undue Yuuzhan Vong attention during this delicate time in the negotiations with the Chiss."

"Exactly.  We cannot risk a personal attack like at Ebaq at this time.  So then I presume it is settled."

"I do have another matter to discuss concerning the Trickster, for when we need her again."

"Go ahead Jaina."

"I know we have been able to produce ooglith masquers with some success.  I would like to know the possibility of producing ones to recreate a specific face if it's possible."

Iella Antilles addressed Danni Quee, the specialist on the Yuuzhan Vong technology.  "Is this possible, Danni?"

"I do not see why not. Who were you thinking, Jaina?"

"Me - I thought that being in more than one place at once would be something a goddess could do.  And I hate to say it, but the masquers work better than anything we've got."

Iella considered the idea.  "Interesting thought, but I will take it a step further.  Why stop with Jaina, there could be use for duplicating any number of important people in that fashion."

Danni jotted some notes in her journal.  "I will get started on it immediately.  Can you forward a list of those people we should mimic as soon as possible?"

Iella nodded an affirmative.  "I guess that is it then."

Iella dismissed the meeting, and the room erupted in noise as the participants rose to leave.  Jaina gathered her belongings and headed for the door.  Colonel Tycho Celchu was waiting for Jaina there.

"Lieutenant Colonel Solo, I understand you are returning to Twin Suns this afternoon."

The pair exited the briefing room together and headed down the hallway to the command offices.  "Yes, sir. I am looking forward to it."

"I saw your mission parameters for today.  I was curious about the formation exercises you have planned for the squadron."

Jaina was pleased to learn the Colonel had noticed her tactics.  He was, in her opinion, one of the premiere pilots ever to fly a spacecraft.  "I am exploring different shielding arrangements. I am not sure they will be practical, but I think the exercises alone will be beneficial in developing other skills."

"I would have to agree.  I will be interested to see your report tomorrow."  As they continued down the hall, raised voices, heard from one of the offices ahead, caught their attention.  Jaina Solo stopped as her name came from the room.

**********

"Jaina Solo is an incompetent leader."  Tycho blanched as he heard the words, powerless to stop them.  "Not only is she rash, overconfident, and disrespectful, she endangers her pilots and the chain of command with her actions.  And now my son is captivated by the wiles of a pretty girl, a Jedi no less, who will lead him to his untimely death, if I don't do something to stop it."

Tycho turned to Jaina, trying to think of some way to stop the pain flooding to her face as each word from Soontir Fel stabbed like a dagger.  "Jaina," he said, but she did not hear him.  Jaina was backing away, tears welling in her eyes. "Jaina, stop."

Jaina's brown eyes caught his blue eyes for a second before she spun and fled.

It took a lot to make Tycho Celchu mad; he had endured much in his lifetime.  He was well beyond that point, however, as he strode to General Antilles' office and pounded on the doorframe.  Tycho crossed his arms as the two men turned to face him.

"I hope you two are proud of yourselves.  Fighting like a bunch of school boys, with the office door open no less."  Both men tried to open their mouths in protest.  "Lieutenant Colonel Solo just left the intelligence briefing down the hall.  I don't think I need to elaborate further.  You both are lucky you outrank me right now."

Soontir looked uncomfortable, but not repentant.  Wedge's face was wide-eyed with the horror he imagined had been inflicted on the young woman.  "What did she hear, Tycho?"

"Enough." Tycho walked past Soontir Fel to a cabinet in the corner of the office.  He opened a drawer and pulled out a file.  Tycho tossed the file on the desk in front of Soontir.  "I believe you should have all the facts before judging someone.  That is her file.  I expect you will find it informative."  With that, Colonel Tycho Celchu stormed out of the room.

**********

The darkness of space wrapped a cold blanket around Jaina Solo's X-wing.  Her ship led the formation of snubfighters toward the blue and white sphere of Mon Calamari. The shield formation exercises had been successful to a degree.  The strategy would still need some analysis and adjustments by her and others before being implemented in battle.  No matter how hard Jaina tried to focus on reviewing the exercise, her mind kept coming back to the argument she had overheard earlier that day in Wedge's office.

The cockpit, usually the haven where Jaina left behind emotions, had become her prison.  Jaina throttled forward, eager to reach the base and escape the fury of emotions threatening to suffocate her.  She tried to practice a Jedi calming technique to no avail.  The only thing she accomplished was to recognize the shift in her emotions.  What started out as hurt and pain had evolved into rage and anger, two emotions Jaina would prefer to dispel as a Jedi.

Jaina reached out to the Force and felt the familiar touch of her twin.  Jacen, feeling her turmoil, offered a comforting presence.  Jaina used his strength to fall deeper into the Force.  In the serene peace she found there, Jaina became aware of the muted cries for help.  Jaina snapped to an alert state and switched on her comm.

"Base - this is Twin Suns Lead.  Are there any problems we should be aware of?"

"Stand by Twin Suns Lead," Flight Control responded.

Colonel Tycho Celchu's voice crackled to life in Jaina's headset.  "Twin Suns Lead, I don't know how you do it.  We have received a distress call from a refugee ship near Ossus. Rogues are scrambling to respond."  Tycho must have figured that Jaina would see past a deception and decided honesty was the best policy, hoping Jaina would agree to allow Rogues the pleasure of responding to this threat.

"Twin Suns can handle this.  Please send the coordinates."

"Negative Twin Suns.  Rogues are coming fresh off a day furlough.  Command requests you return to base."

Jaina knew Colonel Celchu was bypassing Twin Suns because he was concerned about her mental state, and the knowledge made her mad.  She slammed her hand on the dash controls.  "Sithspit!" Jaina beat her hands as a wave of rage passed and control finally came back to her.  Then she keyed the comm.  "Base, Twin Suns has a ten minute jump on Rogues.  Lead requests permission to assist.  Something tells me ten minutes may make the difference."  She stretched the truth a little.

There was a long silence.  "Twin Suns Lead, coordinates are coming through now.  Rogues will be right behind you."

"Copy that."  Jaina switched to her squadron frequency.  "Twin Suns, we have a refugee ship in need of assistance.  Prepare to jump to these coordinates on my mark."  She punched the information into her nav computer and keyed it to broadcast to the squadron.  "Three-two-one-mark."

Jaina punched the hyperdrive engines, and the field of stars stretched before her craft as she rushed into the void of hyperspace.

**********

Several things came to Jaina's mind upon reverting to realspace.  First, the two passenger freighters under attack were in imminent danger.  Both had fire spilling out of them at various spots along their hulls.  Their minimal defenses amounted to two ion cannons each, which was as effective as throwing sand at a charging Reek, and the freighters were moving dangerously close to the dovin basal mine that had pulled them out of hyperspace.

The second thing Jaina noticed was that the attackers were not Yuuzhan Vong but an assortment of assault fighters, ranging from Rebellion era X-wings and Y-wings to newer A-wings and B-wings, about thirty in all.  This pointed to the Peace Brigade.  The fighters were focusing their attack on the smaller freighter that was already listing to port over the planet below.

Jaina keyed her comm.  "Passenger freighters, this is Twin Suns Lead, responding to your distress call.  Please turn to heading one-two-eight and standby for incoming friendly fighters."

"Glad to see you, Twin Suns.  Turning to heading one-two-eight."

Jaina switched to the squadron frequency.  "Twin Suns, lock s-foils in attack position.  This should be like target practice.  Let's get these Brigader scum off the freighters' backs before they do any more damage.  Streak, take Two Flight and vape that mine."  Eleven comm clicks acknowledged their orders as Twin Suns broke formation, vectoring after various targets.  "Two, let's take a run between the two freighters, see what we've got, and swat some bugs as we go."

"Acknowledged.  Swatting bugs, Lead."  Brance sounded as eager as he felt in the Force.  Twin Suns had not seen any real action since the mine incident at Naboo and like any pilot, he was eager to be back in the fray.

As Jaina weaved between the two freighters, she targeted an A-wing, taking it out easily.  Twin Suns Two equaled the task, vaping an enemy X-wing.  As Jaina passed close to the larger freighter, she felt a familiar presence, no two familiar presences.  "Zekk, Alema?"  The two Jedi acknowledged her through the Force, wishing her strength and success in battle.  Jaina touched them back before pushing them out of her mind to focus on the battle.

Jaina pulled the X-wing around in a reversal only possible for a Jedi to manage.  Twin Suns Two swung wider, unable to pull the same g-forces.  As she came around, Jaina noticed the enemy craft were succeeding against the smaller freighter.

"Twin Suns, concentrate all efforts to assist the smaller freighter."

As she finished her command, a bright flash ripped through the mid-section of the injured ship, blinding Jaina.  Trick whistled a shrill cry as he reinforced the front shields.  Debris sparked off the shields all around the craft.  As her vision returned, Jaina gasped as she swerved to port to avoid a large section of hull.  In that instant, the pain of a thousand deaths pierced through her heart.  Jaina shut it out, beating it back with an icy resolve that she had learned from years of combat.

A B-wing passed under her, and Jaina slammed the yoke down, diving after the craft.  The ship never had a chance; the Jedi pilot knew what her opponent was going to do before he did.  A second later a ball of fire was all that was left.  Jaina banked hard to starboard, sighted another fighter and fired. Jaina shot another and another.  The Force was a powerful ally.  She looked for another target and could not find any in her vicinity.

Jaina glanced at the tactical board.  To his credit, Brance had hung with her through the fray.  Only seven enemy craft remained; and all her squadron was intact.  Twin Suns Four had a single engine failure, but otherwise no other damage reported.  Twelve new blips appeared on the board, announcing the arrival of Rogue Squadron.

"Twin Suns Lead, this is Rogue Lead.  What is your status?"  As Colonel Gavin Darklighter's call came through, the remaining seven enemy fighters jumped to hyperspace.

"Rogue Lead, Peace Brigade fighters just jetted out.  Threat resolved.  One freighter lost."

Gavin Darklighter offered assurance when she felt none.  "You did the best you could, Sticks.  Take Twin Suns back to base.  Rogues will run escort for the remaining freighter."

"Sounds good, Rogue Lead.  See you back at base."  Jaina called to her squadron, "Twin Suns we are going home.  Set coordinates.  Jump on my mark."  Jaina could not wait to get home and away from her prison of a cockpit, away from it all.  "Three-two-one-mark."

**********

The twelve X-wings of Twin Suns squadron settled in the hangar amid a bustle of activity.  The Peace Brigade offensive near Ossus had been cause to bring all available fighters to alert status.  Pilots and crews occupied every corner of the bay.  Exactly the situation Jaina wished to avoid.

As she powered down her X-wing, Jaina scanned the hangar for anyone she recognized, all of whom she had no desire to see.  She felt Jag by the Vanguard Squadron's clawcraft berthed closer to the back of the hangar.  Kyp Durron was closer, in the middle of the assortment of vessels that made up the Dozen.  Much to Jaina's dismay, she sensed Wedge Antilles heading in her direction, accompanied by another distinct presence in the Force.

Jaina muttered some curses to herself as she jumped out of the cockpit, calculating the best course of escape.  She figured the hallway to the briefing rooms would be the best option; the only risk would be running into Jag.  A few Force tricks might prove useful against him, but would never work against Kyp.

Jaina took off with a brisk step, careful not to look back in the direction of General Antilles.  She could sense he had picked up his pace, following her specific path.  "Lieutenant Colonel Solo," came from behind her, muted by the cacophony in the air.  Jaina decided that she could reasonably argue that the noise covered the call and increased her speed ever so slightly.

At the same time, Jaina sensed Jag's realization that she was in the area.  He probably had heard his uncle's call.  Jaina pictured a pilot's checklist unfinished and pushed the vision at Jag.  The suggestion required tremendous strength since Jag was not weak-minded in any sense.  At the same moment, Kyp's awareness questioned Jaina's motives.  She brushed him off, sending him a mental suggestion of storm clouds brewing.

Jaina was almost to the hallway, but Wedge was closer now.  "Lieutenant Colonel Solo!"  The call was so loud the entire hangar must have heard.  Jaina took two more steps before admitting defeat to herself and brought her feet together.  She summoned the most beautiful memories she could recall: playing with Anakin in the Falcon, Jacen's homecoming, kissing Jag, and she drained them for the calm she so desired.

Jaina turned to face General Antilles aware that Jag and Kyp had both refocused their attention her way.  Only her Jedi training kept the feeling of dread from washing across her face.  Jaina pulled herself up as tall as she could manage with her five-foot frame.  Wedge stopped before her.

"Lieutenant Colonel, may I speak to you privately."  He motioned to a small vacant office at the back corner of the hangar.  Jaina nodded and turned to follow the two intimidating men.  Out of the corner of her eye Jaina saw Jag and Kyp come together just beyond the nearest snubfighter, watching the scene she was party to.

Jaina entered the office, the door sliding behind her like a prison cell sealing.  The two Generals about faced to confront her.  Jaina stood at attention, her focus on General Antilles.

"Jaina, I believe you may have overheard a conversation earlier today that was never meant for your ears.  It was inconsiderate for me to have left my office door open.  I apologize."

"No need, sir.  I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.  Everyone is entitled to his opinion."  She never looked away from Wedge.

Soontir Fel chose the moment to speak, knowing Wedge expected him to follow with an apology as well.  "Lieutenant Colonel, I apologize that you overheard our argument today.  It was unacceptable."

Looking into the older Fel's one good eye, the truth of his apology was not lost on Jaina.  He had apologized for her hearing, not his words.  Jaina turned back to face Wedge.

"Apology accepted."  

Soontir Fel did not fail to recognize the pilot's snub in turn on him.  Jaina was anxious to be out of the room and secretly hoped that was the end of their conversation.

Wedge did not seem willing to comply with her wishes at the time.  "Nice work today, Jaina."

"Thank you, but it could have been better.  We lost a refugee ship."  Jaina was aware that reliving the loss was bringing her dangerously close to the edge of control.

"I have no doubt you did everything in your power to stop it.  I am concerned however that the Peace Brigade came so close to Mon Calamari just to destroy a refugee freighter.  Iella plans to speak to the ship's captain when they get here."

If Jaina had not been stretched to the edge of control, she would have left it at that.  "I do not feel we did everything in our power to stop it."

"May I question what you mean by that?"

"Rogues were dispatched from planetside when Twin Suns were already space-borne.  Valuable time was lost.  If there is a question of my leadership that resulted in the deaths of these people, I feel it should be addressed here."

Wedge paused for a moment, considering his words carefully.  "I cannot speak for Colonel Celchu, but believe his concern was for your mental state not your leadership abilities.  I feel that I can safely assume he did not know that time would be such a critical element."

"But it was, and I fail to see the separation between my mental state and my ability to lead.  I cannot think of an instance that would lead you to believe my emotional state impaired my judgment or endangered my squadron."

Soontir Fel, flabbergasted by the younger officer's brazen remarks, could not pass the opportunity to strike.  "I do not think you need to be impaired emotionally for lapses of judgment, young lady."

Both sets of eyes jumped to him.  Wedge bristled.  "Soontir, I do not think…"

"If the young lady wishes to have instances of impaired judgment pointed out, I would be happy to offer Day 39 on Borleias as one," he boomed at his brother-in-law.  "Not only was her decision to face the enemy alone overconfident, it endangered her entire squadron.  Then after my son nearly dies to make up for her mistake, she defies all logic and reasoning not to mention direct orders, overcome by emotion, to save him."

Wedge turned as red as the harvest suns setting over Tatooine, but before he could respond Jaina defended herself with all the fierceness of a Rancor.  "My decision at Borleias was based on a need to discover the Yuuzhan Vong's true intent.  I deemed it a necessary risk.  I do not take the lives of my pilots lightly.  Jag risked his life for my squadron, and yes, I disobeyed orders to save him.  But I had the faith in the Force that my actions were correct.  I do not regret my decisions back then.  I would do it all again if I had to."

Soontir looked at Wedge, victory in his eyes.  "There you have it.  She would do it again."

"And I would put her in that situation again.  Everyone makes mistakes.  Jaina was put in that situation because I misjudged the enemy's objective, so I suppose you better take away my command while you are at it.  I'm sure I can think of few times you…"

Soontir held his hands up.  "Point made.  It's presumptuous for me to second-guess your command decisions.  We are all capable of making mistakes.  It's what we learn from them that makes us better leaders."

It was only then that Jaina realized she was beating a dead tauntaun.  "I hope some day, sir, to have made enough mistakes in my life to learn to be as infallible a leader as yourself."

Wedge tried to hide his pleasure at Jaina's verbal jab.  Mentally declaring a point for herself, Jaina addressed her commanding officer before General Fel could respond.  Although he was skilled at suppressing his emotions, she could sense them seeping past his barriers like steam from a boiling kettle of water with a snug lid.  "Is there anything else, sir?"

**********

"No, you are free to go, Lieutenant Colonel."

Jaina saluted the two men, spun on her heel and exited the room.  Both men watched her leave.

"She is as rank as her father ever was," Soontir remarked with a huff as the door closed.

"I am afraid so.  And as fearless, too."

"I noticed.  Is there anything she is afraid of?"

Wedge looked at his brother-in-law.  "Losing Jag."

Soontir pondered the remark.  "I guess we do have something in common."

"Soontir, if that is what you fear, don't make him choose between Jaina and you.  I fear you will lose."

**********

Jag watched with interest as his father and uncle approached Jaina.  Something in the way they all held themselves indicated this was not a social call.  Jag's stomach rolled over as he imagined countless undesirable scenarios in his head.

Kyp approached the Corellian pilot.  "I pity Wedge and your father.  I have not felt Jaina that fired up since Hapes."

Jag frowned.  "That is what I was afraid of."

"Have any idea what happened?"

"Not a clue.  I would trade my clawcraft to be in that room right now.  I have seen that look in my father too many times to count.  He is out for blood."

Kyp stood silent for a moment, and Jag studied the Jedi's features.  A blank expression passed over Kyp, which Jag recognized from when Jaina probed the Force.  Kyp stood that way for a minute while Jag patiently waited for a sign.  Kyp smiled as he faced Jag.

"I would be more worried about your father right now.  She is as riled as a nexu."

Jag raised an eyebrow, a hint of pleasure crossing his face.  "If anyone can stand up to my father, Jaina would be the one.  It must be one of the reasons I am so attracted to her."  Then he reconsidered the repercussions of a battle of wills between the two, and his face hardened once again.

"I wonder what business your father would have with Jaina."

"So do I.  He did not take it well when he found out about us the other night.  My father has already formed certain opinions about Jaina based on reports sent home by Shawnkyr.  I have yet to figure out why she was so critical of Jaina specifically."

Kyp eyed Jag.  "The plot thickens."

"Maybe I should go make sure they are not killing each other in there."

"If you learn one thing about Jaina, it should be not to try to fight her battles.  I remember one time at Yavin 4, Jacen went after Zekk for teasing Jaina.  Jaina didn't speak to Zekk for a week because of his wrongs, but Jacen felt her silent wrath for a month."

"You are probably correct."

"Uh oh. Incoming."  Kyp spun around to give the appearance he was not watching the office door just as it slid open.  Jaina blew out of the office, fully aware of Jag and Kyp but refusing to acknowledge them.  Instead, she chose a path away from their general direction.

Jag started to walk toward Jaina, but Kyp grabbed his elbow.  "Let her go, Jag."

The younger man considered the Jedi Master's advice and chose to intercept her anyway.

Jaina's stare was colder than a Hoth night.  "You should have listened to Master Durron.  Not now, Colonel Fel."  She never broke stride and continued past Jag when he did something he had never done in public since becoming a couple.

Jag grabbed her arm and addressed her informally.  "Jaina."  She spun towards him and glanced down where his hand touched her arm.  Jaina jerked it away as if his touch had burned her arm.  Jag decided he had made a big mistake, but could not stop himself.  "Is everything all right, Lieutenant Colonel Solo?"

All Jaina saw before her was a reminder of General Soontir Fel: the hair, face, uniform, and even his rigid stance.  The image stirred the fury within her.  She spit her venomous words at Jag. "I don't know, Colonel Fel.  Why don't you ask your father?  He seems to have an opinion on everything concerning me."

Before Jag could summon a thought, Jaina had spun to leave.  She took a couple of steps before stopping and turning back to face him.  "Colonel Fel, please offer my apologies to Iella and your mother about dinner tonight.  For some reason I have lost my appetite."  With that, Jaina stormed from the hangar as Jag's heart sunk to his knees.

Kyp walked up behind the shocked man and put a hand on his shoulder.  "It could have been worse.  She's blasted me with Force lightning on several occasions."

By the look on Jag's face, Kyp's joke had not done anything to lighten his heavy spirits.  Jag turned on his heel and stormed out in the opposite direction as Jaina, fearing his reaction if he was still in the area when his father returned to the bay.

**********


END OF CHAPTER 7
TL/jj00