CHAPTER 28 – The Trickster's Sword

In a small pilot's ready room somewhere near the Trickster's Sword's main hangar bay, Jagged Fel knelt before his wife with his cheek nestled against her abdomen. The specially designed flightsuit, purple in color and embroidered with silver-colored shimmersilk depicting Yun-Harla defeating the Supreme Overlord, was loose enough to conceal the ever so slight bulge of growing life, but Jag enjoyed the closeness all the same. Jaina's hands rested lightly in his hair, one finger tracing the streak of white. Jag turned his head forward and planted a kiss intended for his unseen daughter.

"Take care of your mother and bring her back safe to me."

He placed his forehead on the firm swell for a heartbeat before inhaling sharply. Jag rose to his feet and ended up peering down upon the glistening brown orbs he loved more than life itself. He cupped her face in his hands, then bent down to leave a lingering kiss, moist and sweet. Neither wanted it to end, but Jaina parted first.

"It's time."

"I know."

"Are you ready for this?"

Jag tipped his head, then Jaina reached up to place her hands on either side of his head, her fingertips resting at each temple. She shut her eyes in concentration. The feat she was going to attempt was no easy undertaking. Jaina possessed a sharp connection with Jag, at times it was deep and true, like when they made love or the day at the bacta tank. The plan she and Jacen had schemed up required her to maintain the connection for a significant period of time and over a vast distance. Jaina believed she could do it; she had to do it.

The joining happened quicker than she expected, accompanied by a flurry of vivid images – a snow covered estate, five children ranging from a teenage boy to a toddler girl rolling in the snow, herself on the Tafanda Bay, and finally Jaina on their wedding day. For a mind as strong as Jag's, she felt little resistance and none of the revulsion that some sentients exhibited to such an invasion.

Jaina opened her eyes and smiled at the sight of her husband's green eyes; for now she saw two views at once, her own and his. In Jag's eyes, she was the most beautiful creature to inhabit the galaxy. It was a bittersweet revelation that such a terrible undertaking would lead to such a wonderful moment. She dropped her hands down to take Jag's hands. Two minds as one, their grips tightened simultaneously. Before Jag could mouth the words he intended, Jaina replied.

"I know."

Releasing her hands, Jag turned to the opening door. He strode into the hall, taking a left turn for the hangar bay. Jaina followed him out after a few slow breaths. She glanced to her left admiring the strong wiry build of the man dressed in black. As a test, she summoned his attention, beating against his grim battle focus.

Jag halted in his tracks, turned and offered her one of his half-smiles, undetectable to most. Jaina smiled back. Together, they turned their separate ways to separate callings.

As Jaina strolled into the bustling command bridge of the Super Star Destroyer, she spied Danni Quee bent over a communication station, her hands working feverishly. The Chiss admiral was heading her way at a brisk pace, indicating his carefully masked indignation. He came to a stop closer to Jaina than she would have considered polite, but probably intended to intimidate the smaller woman as she fell into the shadow of his imposing frame.

Craning her neck, Jaina stared directly into his fiery eyes as he addressed her. "Lieutenant Colonel Solo, I do not appreciate this," he indicated in the direction of Danni, "…unconventional and unauthorized addition to my command communication station."

Jaina knew as well as the admiral that the word unauthorized was a stretch at best. She had been given free rein by the Chiss High Command to issue orders and directives aboard the ship as she deemed necessary to perform her Goddess duties. The admiral was merely incensed by the fact she had not ran the idea past him.

"The timing of my plan precluded wasting valuable seconds on formalities."

Jaina noticed Admiral Duothenwar eyeing her decorated flightsuit suspiciously as if he imagined the young woman was taking the Goddess act a little too seriously for the early morning hour. "I fail to see how it can be that urgent when the Yuuzhan Vong have not even…"

"Sir, we have contacts on the long range sensors."

The admiral turned from Jaina to address the bridge officer who had just spoken. "Any indication to their identity?"

The admiral eyed Jaina as she wandered past to stand before the large transparisteel viewport, staring out into space as if she saw something there. The bridge officer conferred with the Chiss ensign manning the long-range sensors. Jaina spoke before he could answer the admiral.

"Four worldships and the Supreme Overlord's command vessel."

The admiral raised a questioning eyebrow to the bridge officer, who only offered a bewildered nod. Jaina turned back to face the command bridge. Danni was now standing over the comm station. She glanced up to meet Jaina's gaze and tipped her head. Jaina walked over to the blonde-haired scientist. Jaina allowed the corner of her mouth to curl up in a semblance of a smile delivered in gratitude.

"Thanks for doing that on short notice."

Danni wiped a droplet of sweat off her temple. "No problem."

"Will it broadcast to all villips?"

"Just as you requested. I'll stay in case you have any problems."

Jaina tipped her head. At that moment, Wedge strode into the bridge with Tycho on his heels. Both men appeared to have slept in their uniforms. Wedge met Admiral Duothenwar at the center of the bridge and listened calmly to a brief report. The general then turned to a controller to issue a command as the responsible party for all Starfighter Command activities.

"Scramble all pilots to their craft." He faced Tycho. "Whose on ready at this hour?" Wedge should have known, but the hours had blended into a timeless blur.

Tycho responded succinctly. "Janson's Aces."

A slightly satisfied grin tickled Wedge's lips, happy in the knowledge he had the utmost confidence in the commander he was sending out. Before he could issue the order to launch, the controller interrupted.

"Sir, Colonel Fel reports Vanguards are in their crash couches as well. He requests first recon as a favor to the Goddess."

Wedge turned to face Jaina. Her eyes told him all he needed to know. Wedge addressed the controller. "Very well. Wes won't be happy, but give Vanguards permission to go. Hold Aces until further notice."

Wedge could only imagine the string of explicatives coursing from Wes's mouth as the clawcraft squadron lifted off. The one reward for a pilot sleeping in his or her cockpit at the ready was the opportunity to be first out the hangar door. Jaina's voice suspended Wedge's thoughts.

"Sir, let Aces join Vanguards on their recon in the interest of squadron relations."

Wedge cocked an eyebrow inquisitively, then grinned. "Give Colonel Janson the good news before he curses me to some baneful existence."

"Twelve, two lit. All systems at peak efficiency."

Vanguard Twelve finished the running countdown of systems' readiness with Chiss efficiency. The order from control came through on the headset. "Vanguard Lead, all clear for first recon run."

As Jag filtered out Wes Janson's tirade at the controller for being superceded, he hoped it was his uncle or Tycho sitting up on the bridge. He knew either would understand the tactical implications without questioning the motives. Not every fighter command officer on the bridge was familiar with the cloaking abilities of Vanguard Squadron – at least not yet.

"Aces Lead, General Antilles requests you accompany Vanguard Squadron out on the reconnaissance run."

Wes Janson's voice chuckled over the headset, clearly amused. "Tell General Antilles I will be happy to babysit his nephew. Aces will show Vanguards how it's done."

Jag replied in his most arrogant tone. "Aces Lead, try to keep up with those cargohaulers you call fighters."

"After you, Vanguard Lead."

Jag activated his repulsors; the rest of the squadron followed suit. The yellow and black fighters of the Flying Aces shadowed the clawcraft, maneuvering in the confines of the main hangar. The twelve clawcraft finished their descent out of the Star Destroyer's belly and accelerated in unison away from the ship. The Flying Aces were already struggling to match the acceleration of the Vanguards when the twelve clawcraft began to ripple in space. A moment later, nothing was left but a field of stars.

"Control, this is Aces Lead. Vanguards have vanished. Possible Yuuzhan Vong weapon. Aces taking evasive actions."

From the command, bridge Wedge could make out the yellow and black fighters banking along the bow of the Super Star Destroyer. Wedge chuckled despite the seriousness of the situation. Jag had definitely gotten the last laugh on Wes Janson. The young colonel had smartly used the cover of the second squadron to conceal the disappearance of Vanguard Squadron. In theory, at that distance it would be impossible to discern the numbers of fighters, based on gravitic signatures alone, especially with the interference of the Super Star Destroyer's gravity field. When the clawcraft cloaked and dampened their gravitic signatures simultaneously, the action would have been undetectable except to the Aces.

Wedge leaned over the controller and borrowed his headset. "Yub, yub, Aces Lead. Vanguard Squadron decided to go Wraith. There's no Vong weapon."

Wes's voice boomed through the headset so all could hear it. "Sithspit, Antilles! I am going to be as gray as you by the time this is over. How do you want us to proceed?"

"Form up and head out on a standard recon – slowly." Wedge was not sure what his nephew and niece were conspiring to do, but he did not plan on having the Aces stumble into the middle of it.

Wedge glanced over to see Jaina and Danni fiddling with the manufactured villip transmitter. The device hummed to life. Jaina stood tall before it, the intricate design of her flightsuit flashing in the lights of the bridge. Jaina waited a heartbeat, then spoke.

"People of the Yuuzhan Vong. I am Yun Harla – the Trickster Goddess. I have chosen this world of Naboo as my home and charged the Jedi to safeguard the planet. It is not my will that Naboo belong to your people. Turn yourself over to my rule, and I will bequeath the people of the Yuuzhan Vong with their own world. Fight me, and you will suffer my wrath. I await your response, but my patience is short."

Jaina indicated with a swipe of the hand out of view for Danni to halt the transmission. Wedge sidled over inconspicuously as Admiral Duothenwar confronted Jaina.
"Lieutenant Colonel Solo, your actions are bolder than I would have hoped, nor was it previously discussed. I am aware you are granted free run in your Trickster role, but I would appreciate any insight to your plan."

Jaina never faced the Admiral as she spoke, but appeared to be deep in concentration, her eyes sightless. "Admiral, my brother and I have things under control. The Yuuzhan Vong only respect bold confrontation. They would expect no less from their goddess. My plan is to avoid a fight. I don't expect that to happen, so I suggest you prepare for one of the biggest battles this galaxy has ever seen."

The Chiss admiral continued, not satisfied. "Lieutenant Colonel, could you at least tell me your plans for Vanguard Squadron so I am not caught unaware?"

Jaina's response was interrupted by the formation of an obscene face on the villip transmitter. "Infidel Jaina Solo, as Supreme Overlord of the Yuuzhan Vong I abhor your attempt to mock the gods of our people. Others under my rule may have failed to cut the beating heart from your body but I will not. I will oversee your sacrifice to the true Yun Harla myself. Your people will swim in your blood…"

Jaina eyed Danni quietly, who spoke into her comlink in a hushed voice. At the same time, Jaina dropped into the Force, compartmentalizing her mind, one part monitoring the voluminous tirade still ongoing, another part still in her connection with Jag feeling his location in the three dimensions of space, and another part dipping into her growing knowledge of the Vong in the Force. She honed in on the sensation, seeking the location of the Supreme Overlord.

Jaina was leaving nothing to chance, nor was she assuming the Overlord was on his own ship. Her blossoming awareness told her the centermost vessel, known as the Overlord's command vessel, was not where he was located. She probed the worldship just starboard of the immense ovoid command vessel, identifying the thousands of individual Yuuzhan Vong lives until one overpowering presence attracted her attention.

Out of the corner of her eye, Jaina saw Danni indicate the same worldship with a point of a finger. Danni's information was gleaned from Jacen, who Jaina could not connect with while he was using his own Vongsense. It was all the confirmation she needed. Jaina, tired of listening to the numerous ways Shimmra would carve out her organs, spoke up.

"I take it you are not submitting to my sovereignty as Yun Harla?"

Shimmra started to spit something at her, but Jaina continued, her face awash with concentration. "Very well then. I shall inflict my wrath on you first."

Seconds later the starboard worldship erupted in enormous explosions – visible to the naked eye across the vast distance of space.

Jag monitored what he could on his displays. Cloaking the clawcraft inhibited most sensors as well as visual input. There were specific requirements necessary to facilitate the cloaking of a fighter, rather than a large vessel, and still render it useful. The Chiss had developed a randomizing imager that produced a head-ups display projecting the reality of space around the fighter.

The technology utilized an unsystematic rotation of scanning frequencies to retrieve the information, fluctuating the cloak to allow only that frequency to pass in and out. The theory was the random nature, in frequency and timing, of the beams combined with the fact the fighters were in motion would mimic what was commonly referred to as space static. Someone would have to be looking for them very carefully to find the cloaked fighters.

In order to ensure the success of her trick, Jaina and Jag had decided to operate under complete cloaking, without using the randomizer, but rather relying on her Force skills to guide the squadron. Therefore, total secrecy could be ensured. Jag's pilots had blindly followed his command and turned off all scans as they hurtled through space deaf and dumb.

All Jag saw before him was a wall of black; to either side he could see the tight formation of the squadron engulfed in their overlapping cloak. The cloak had the ability to act independently for each fighter or combine to encompass the entire squadron. The second method allowed communication between the squadron fighters.

Speeding through space, Jag was relying on Jaina to guide him, and his pilots, in a turn to the appropriate location, then tell him when to fire. It required an enormous amount of faith on everyone's part to pull off the feat. After setting course straight at the ovoid command vessel and cloaking, time had seemed to stand still. Every passing second Jag was sure he would end in a ball of fire against a wall of coral. He imagined the squadron was right on top of the Yuuzhan Vong strike group.

Additionally, he worried that the gravitic signature dampeners would prove ineffective against the creatures the Yuuzhan Vong used to identify ships. The technology should work in theory and was vital since the Yuuzhan Vong relied on gravitic signatures more than even sight to recognize targets. Today's run was a sure test of the technology's capabilities. Jag imagined even if they were not running into a huge coral vessel, they could just as easily be shot out of the sky by a round of plasma from an unseen coralskipper because the gravitic signature dampeners failed.

Jag yielded to a sudden urging guiding his stick right. The squadron matched his move with swift precision. A clock started ticking down in his brain. He clicked the comm.

"Vanguards, arm torpedoes. Set to drop minus propulsion. They are going in silent. Drop on my mark; followed by a sharp reversal on my lead. Three, two, one…" He paused, a little ahead of the clock. "Mark."

Twenty-four torpedoes released from their berths and continued on the same vector as the clawcraft. Suddenly the twelve fighters rolled up from their plane of fight until the formation was heading back the way it came. A small gleam of satisfaction curled Jag's lips, but he instantly recognized it was not his own. He stayed his course, awaiting further instructions.

On the bridge of the Trickster's Sword, the transmission of the Yuuzhan Vong Overlord fizzled out just as a look of surprise flashed across his face. A wicked half-grin spread along Jaina's lips as Admiral Duothenwar, Wedge and the rest of the bridge crew stared at the blazing worldship in disbelief. The Chiss admiral was the first to break the awed silence. A hint of outrage flared in his carefully controlled voice.

"Did you just use the cloaked squadron to level an offensive on the worldship?"

Jaina spared a glance his way, the strain of controlling so many elements was beginning to show as beads of perspiration on her forehead. "Yes."

The admiral's red eyes blazed with fury. "The Chiss do not attack. We only defend what we must."

"Not today."

The Chiss spun to face Wedge. "I refuse to stand by and allow this crazy child to abuse the Chiss solidarity. This game is over on my ship."

Wedge stared past the admiral at the viewscreen. "I think it's too late for that."

Every set of eyes turned from the confrontation to the enhanced view of the worldships from which countless numbers of assault vessels, from corvette analogs to coralskippers, were heading out.

Jaina broke the awestruck silence of both men. "Admiral, General, I'll leave the two of you to debate the propriety of my methods. I have work to do. The Battle for Naboo has begun." She spun on her heel and marched out of the bridge. Simultaneously, alarms blared from every corner of the ship, trumpeting a warning.

Jag was sure the unknown was weighing heavily on his squadron. It had taken enormous faith to perform the bombing run on the Yuuzhan Vong worldship, and they had not even seen the fruit of their efforts. The twelve clawcraft slipped through space in an eerie black cocoon – devoid of light and sound. He waited patiently for a sign to decloak from Jaina, preferably when they were back among their own fighters. Then the reversion would go unnoticed by the Vong and further perpetuate the deception. Maintaining a mystery surrounding the attack was vital to the Goddess charade.

In his mind's eye, Jag clearly saw fighters swarming past him, despite the cloak. He realized Jaina was giving him a signal. Jag keyed his comm. "Vanguards, decloaking to commence on my mark. Heads up, we have incoming friendlies. Three, two, one, mark."

Jag punched a button on the cloaking mechanism. After the blackness of the cloak, the initial flurry of light overwhelmed his senses. Galactic Alliance fighters of every make and model flew over his plane of flight. Several fighters banked away at the sudden appearance of the twelve clawcraft. Jag sucked in his breath as he felt the abrupt disconnection from Jaina. The separation was as harsh as jumping into freezing water.

"Vanguards, let's turn it around and join the party."

Jag switched frequencies. "Vanguard Lead to control, requesting initial orders."

A control officer responded in the stilted Basic of a Chiss. "Vanguard Lead, join Rogues, Spikes, Twin Suns on the assault of the primary worldship at…"

Jag tuned out the specifics of the location. Jaina's X-wing was marked in yellow on his tactical display, specifically highlighted so he could readily identify her. He led the squadron in the direction of her fighter. Looming before him was a worldship engulfed in a fiery haze – a tribute to their initial attack.

The space surrounding the besieged worldship was littered with fighters and skips engaged in a deadly dance. Laser fire and plasma laced between the dueling partners. Larger corvette analogs and frigate analogs maneuvered away from the mass of the worldship to engage the fighters, spewing grutchins as they went. Behind Vanguard Squadron, several larger ships out of the Galactic Alliance fleet were on an intercept course. Jaina's voice crackled over the command frequency.

"Control, this is Twin Suns Lead. We need that jammer out here sooner rather than later."

A controller responded. "Desert Wind will be in range in two minutes."

Jaina barked back. "Tell that Desert Wind to start blowing faster!"

Vanguards broke into the mayhem of the dogfight, splitting into pairs as they twisted through the obstacles posed by other skips and hurling plasma slag. Jag stuttered fire across a coralskipper rolling through his flight path. The skip yawed to port, spinning and juking. He used the dovin basal's distraction for the maneuver to combine fire with his wingman. The skip erupted in a volcano of boiling coral.

Jag continued through the exploding cloud, scanning his tactical display. Twin Suns appeared to be entirely engulfed in a dense cloud of skips. It was obvious the yammosk had marked its objective. He banked the clawcraft in a tight starboard roll, weaving through the field of skips, firing at any that presented an obstruction to his desired destination.

Jaina had not uttered a word since the initial call for the jammer, and Jag now knew why. He had not seen a situation like the one enveloping Twin Suns quite as dire since Borleias. Coralskips were herding the X-wings toward larger grutchin-firing analogs. The mindless creatures of destruction were flying at Twin Suns One and Two in a deadly barrage. Before his eyes one of the Twin Suns X-wings lost a S-foil to a volley of plasma. It twisted in a slow spiral before erupting in a ball of flame.

Only ten Twin Suns blips lit Jag's tactical display. Jaina's voice, slightly distressed, snipped in his headset. "Control, jammer now!"

Clearly the Supreme Overlord intended to strike back and strike back hard. It was plain to see that every available resource was aimed at Twins Suns Squadron, hoping to crush the Goddess right from the very start.

The loss of another Twin Suns pilot – Laytar Pheer, Twin Suns Four – sliced through Jaina's heart. In their current state, the battle would take more of her squadron and quickly. Although it might have been prudent, Jaina dare not switch off her Goddess transponder, admitting weakness or worse leaving the other members of the squadron vulnerable to increased attack.

With her heightened sense of the Force, Jaina could locate the grutchin easily. Outmaneuvering the sheer numbers was more akin to flying Lando's Folly. Every offensive leveled at her was one less attack on the other pilots who did not have the same ability to foresee the next move or barrage of fire. Their only hope was to last until the jammer arrived and could confuse the Yuuzhan Vong attackers.

"Control, jammer now!"

A voice responded with promising news. "Fifteen seconds, Twin Suns Lead."

Jaina evaded a barrage of grutchins by sideslipping right. Kyp spun away from her side, immersed in his own fight for survival. Trick hooted emphatically and Jaina broke right, rotating around her axis to present a poor target for the pursuing skip. The enemy fighter disappeared from her scope, followed by a comforting voice over the comm.

"Twin Suns Lead, you're clear. Looks like you got your jammer, too."

All around, coralskippers flitted in an unorganized agenda, not pursuing obvious targets or coordinating their attacks. Grutchins no longer flew in organized clusters. Jaina made quick work of a series of skips while easily evading a few haphazard attacks. A strange sensation erupted in Jaina's gut, sort of like an urging. She recognized that the feeling had been there before, disappearing around the same time the jammer kicked in.

Jaina clicked the comm. "Jammer's not working. Watch yourselves."

As soon as she finished, Jaina felt the tightening of the destructive web of the coralskips fighting around Shimmra's worldship. The assault on her fighter seemed to have renewed vigor. Avenues of escape were being cut off at every turn. So far, between herself and Kyp, they had found an outlet where none had been. Some had come at the last possible second when one of her comrades had blasted a skip out of the way.

Opportunities due to weaknesses in their attack were coming fewer and far between. Suddenly, a blizzard of grutchins assaulted the pair of snubfighters. Jaina and Kyp were spinning in a wild frenzy, flipping and twisting in an impossible duet. The grutchins were missing them by inches all around. Kyp's voice actually sounded frantic when it called in her headset.

"Lead, flip your gravitic transponder to my signal on my mark."

Jaina did not respond. His voice was that of an all-powerful Jedi Master when he called again. "Jaina, now!"

Jaina knew if she did not comply, he would do it forcibly. Unable to acknowledge the necessity but unwilling to incur Kyp's wrath, she flipped the gravitic transponder giving an indication through their bond. Kyp's fighter lit up with the Goddess signal. Seconds later, a solid field of grutchins fired continuously in a thick barrage that was seemingly impossible to avoid. Before Jaina could react, the stick jerked to the left twisting her snubfighter out of the line of fire, now blocked by the shadow of Kyp's X-wing.

The wall of grutchins converged on Kyp's fighter, covering it in a blanket of the rabid creatures. Jaina was still not in control when her snubfighter blasted through an opening in the skips. She screamed into the comm. "Kyp, get out!"

The Jedi Master tried to instill levity into his voice. "Not happening. Having too much fun here."

Once past the dense sphere of coralskippers, Jaina's control was restored. She spun back to find his fighter. "Kyp, I'm coming."

Jag's voice broke in. "Jaina, let him go."

Jaina watched as one of the engines flared, then winked out. Sparks jumped from all over Kyp's snubfighter. Jaina replied to the emptiness of her cockpit. "Nooo…"

She flipped her gravitic transponder back to its original signal and punched the stick forward to accelerate in a line just outside the sphere of skips converging on Kyp's faltering fighter. Kyp's voice came through in garbled static.

"aina…too…go…ack…"

"Two, did you forget who gives the orders around here?" Her voice bristled with determination. She brushed away the fear she felt from Kyp for her and her child. Jaina's fighter slipped past the sea of coralskippers at breakneck speed. She snapped at her astromech. "Trick, dial up more power to the engines. I need more speed."

It seemed only a heartbeat later the renewed acceleration of her fighter pushed Jaina back in the crash couch, just as scores of enemy skips realized they had caught the wrong X-wing. Thankfully, they never intended on destroying Kyp's fighter, rather capture had been their ultimate goal. Jag's voice snapped in her ear.

"Twin Suns, Vanguards, focus attack on all skips trailing Twin Suns Lead."

Comm clicks tapped in the headset. Trick whistled frantically, calling Jaina's attention to her tactical display. Her gamble had paid off, and a swarm of skips was catching her quickly. An assortment of Galactic Alliance fighter symbols were tucked in further behind in hot pursuit. Jaina spoke to Kyp while she still could.

"Two, are you okay?"

His voice was indiscernible through all the static.

"Two, you're breaking up, two clicks for okay."

The comm clicked twice.

"Do you have atmosphere? One click, no. Two clicks, yes."

One click.

Jaina spared a quick glance at her tactical display. The pursuers were almost at her back, evidenced by an occasional plasma burst somewhere behind her cockpit. "We'll get you out. Just hold on and dial everything down so they think you're dead in space."

There was no response on the comm, but Jaina could almost visualize Kyp laughing at the last remark as she felt him brush her in the Force. She switched channels. "Twin Suns Lead to Control. We need pick up for Twin Suns Two."

"Negative, Twin Suns Lead. Two is in the hot zone. Rescue flights are suspended in that area."

Jaina was about to curse the controller and his mother when a familiar voice interrupted the profanities. "Twin Suns Lead, I know an old smuggler who's not afraid of a little heat."

Han Solo whispered at his ship, begging for a little more speed as the Millennium Falcon blasted out of the atmosphere of Naboo. When the battle started, Leia was in an early morning meeting of the Naboo Provisional Council. It seemed to have taken an exhorbitant amount of time for her to get to the ship from the temporary Council headquarters. By the time they were heading spaceward, he was positive they had missed the whole battle.

Both Han and Leia kept a close ear on the command frequencies, listening for any signs of trouble. Leia stretched out in the Force, finding Jacen in the battle meld easily. Jaina was more difficult to perceive, shielded to some degree of her own choosing, but Leia found her nonetheless. Leia pondered for a moment what trials had pushed her daughter to withdraw from her family. Those thoughts did not turn to fear for her daughter, just concern. Somehow, Leia had learned to trust Jaina would do the right thing. She was not the same young woman battered and bruised on Hapes not long ago. Jaina possessed an inner fortitude and peace Leia found remarkable for a woman so young.

Both parents were surprised to hear Jag's stern voice break its usual professional code, addressing their daughter by name. "Jaina, let him go."

Han turned to Leia, looking for an indication from his wife. She simply shrugged. She had told Han about her concerns with Jaina shielding. He understood Jaina was pretty much a blank slate to his wife as things stood.

Han turned back to stare out the cockpit at the battle looming overhead. Beyond the gravity well of Naboo, four worldships centered in a massive fight. One worldship was completely enveloped in fire. The Chiss Super Star Destroyer floated along side the beleaguered conglomeration of coral, barraging it with endless volleys of laser fire. Capital ships drifted among their Yuuzhan Vong equivalents, attacking each other. Fighters, as many made of coral as durasteel, sped around this like busy insects. Closer still, the Naboo Defense Force was fighting off the Yuuzhan Vong drop forces. Han headed in that direction.

Still concerned about Jaina, he spit out an idea. "Princess, find Twin Suns frequency, will you?"

His wife complied, dialing up an open comm channel to the desired frequency. Oddly, Jag's voice appeared again, directing Jaina's squadron. "Twin Suns, Vanguards, focus attack on all skips trailing Twin Suns Lead."

Han's voice was grimmer than Leia could recall in a long time, missing its usual glib bite. "I'm not liking the sound of that. Find her on the tactical display and give me her coordinates." He was already spinning the freighter back toward the worldships.

"Han, you can't go in there guns blazing simply because she's in a tight situation."

Jaina's voice halted any further discussion. "Two, are you okay?"

Kyp's voice was garbled in the hiss of static.

"Two, you're breaking up, two clicks for okay."

The comm clicked twice.

"Do you have atmosphere? One click, no. Two clicks, yes."

One click.

"We'll get you out. Just hold on and dial everything down so they think you're dead in space." Jaina sounded more confident over the command frequency. "Twin Suns Lead to Control. We need pick up for Twin Suns Two."

"Negative Twin Suns Lead. Two is in the hot zone. Rescue flights are suspended in that area."

Han glanced at Leia. "Now that I can do." He flicked the button on his comm unit without hesitation. "Twin Suns Lead, I know an old smuggler who's not afraid of a little heat."

The reply was more than grateful. "Thanks, Dad."

Leia opened up her mouth to say something then thought better of it as Han turned the freighter into the region of space riddled with fire of every kind. The trail of skips in crazed pursuit of Twin Suns Lead was unmistakable. Jaina was drawing the enemy fighters away from Kyp's crippled fighter, heading straight for the Super Star Destroyer.

With Meewalh and Cakhmain manning the quad cannons, the few remaining skips in the area of Kyp's drifting X-wing were easy pickings. Han brought the Falcon in hard and fast. He barked into the comm as he stood the aging freighter on end, dropping speed at an alarming rate.

"Kyp, do you read me?" A hiss of crackling static answered back. "Can't hear you kid. Try your comlink. It should work at this range."

Han carefully maneuvered the Falcon under the drifting fighter. Upon closer inspection, the damaged fighter hardly resembled its original form. Grutchins attached to the hull had eaten away most of the structure. Through the open hole in the cockpit canopy, a lightsaber burst out periodically to burn away any of the offending metal eaters.

Suddenly, Kyp's voice blared in the cockpit, minus its usual levity. "Han, just open the hatch. I'll make it in."

Leia unstrapped herself from the copilot's chair and ran out of the cockpit. Han peered up and out of the transparisteel dome of the cockpit, straining his neck to watch the Jedi Master's progress. The bright orange of his flightsuit was easy to discern against the blackness of space. Kyp floated out of the cockpit at the same time his astromech's socket clamps released.

Bi drifted toward the freighter beside Kyp, who swatted at a grutchin making a meal out of the astromech's domed head. Then they were out of sight, heading for the hatch. Han started at tracking fire from the bottom turret.

He called to Leia over the comlink. "Leia?"

A few tense seconds later she responded. "Got him."

Han urged the freighter forward as the plasma fire of a passing skip rocked the shields.

Jaina spun her snubfighter in a tight spiral avoiding the increasing plasma volleys. In a desperate attempt to shake her pursuers, Jaina had flown straight for the Trickster's Sword, now fully engaged with the worldship. She hoped the Chiss gunners would live up to their reputation as she skimmed the dorsal section of the Super Star Destroyer.

First one, then another and another skip burst into balls of molten coral behind her. The run along the hull of the ship was entirely too short at full throttle but had proven effective in knocking off the closest skips. As Jaina's voxyn adorned X-wing broke across the stern of the ship, six clawcraft rose from below her.

Jag's voice crackled in her headset. "Goddess, please hold your line."

Jaina flew straight as the clawcraft formed up around her in a practiced manuever. A heartbeat later, the stars and sights around her disappeared in an eerie void. Jaina reached forward and dampened her gravitic transponder, a last minute addition Jag had rigged in her cockpit.

The only things visible out her canopy were the clawcraft, their cloaking shields dialed up to engulf the entire formation. Jaina turned her head to the left to see Jag staring right back at her from the confines of his cockpit. He spoke on their personal frequency dialed down, so it would not transmit beyond the cloak. His voice was soft.

"You good?"

"Never better."

Satisfied with the answer, Jag got back to business. "I'm transmitting a programmed course correction. Let Trick handle it while we talk."

Data flashed across her interface. "Got it, Trick?"

The astromech whistled shrilly.

"We need to knock that yammosk out."

"Couldn't agree with you more. It's getting a little old having a target painted on my back. I know where it is. I'll take care of it with a couple of Jedi and twice as many shadow bombs."

Jag was quiet while he sorted through differing scenarios. His response surprised her. "Okay, I'll fly your wing."

"Jag…"

"Jaina, you can't go in there alone after…" He paused.

"Kyp is fine. Dad has him. I think he is more mad than hurt."

Jag's relief was palpable. He persisted on his point. "I don't trust anyone else."

Jaina knew it was pointless to argue. "Alright, let's do it then."

"We are almost back to the hot zone. Decloaking in three, two, one, mark."

Jaina turned off the dampener. At the same time, the battle came to life through a weird mirage until it was a complete, vivid scene. The clawcraft formation broke around her, leaving Jag as her wing. Jaina reached into her connection with the baby, focusing on her broader understanding of the Force. The yammosk was not difficult to locate; its presence was very strong. Jaina could almost make out the whisperings and urgings of its commands as it searched for the missing Goddess fighter.

On her tactical display, enemy blips were closing on her location as Jaina banked toward the yammosk vessel. The creature easily identified Jaina as the Goddess, a genuine threat heading its way. Jag had matched her move.

"Trick, mark this," she indicated the enemy vessel before them on her tactical display, "as our primary target to all Galactic Alliance fighters."

Trick tweeted once in reply.

Jaina switched to the command frequency. "Spike Lead, Rogue Lead, I am broadcasting location of the yammosk ship. Twin Suns will attack with shadow bombs, requesting all available assistance."

Unexpectedly, Rane's voice answered first. "Spike Lead acknowledges."

The shock emanating from Jag seared through his bond with Jaina. If Rane was Spike Lead, then Shawnkyr was extravehicular or worse, dead. Jag slammed the door on his emotions just as quickly.

"Rogue Lead is happy to assist." The sound of Gavin Darklighter's voice offered comfort in its familiarity. Knowing so many great pilots were backing her up, bolstered Jaina's confidence.

A thought crossed her mind. "Rogue Lead, can I borrow Rogue Nine and his wingman for this run?"

"Rogue Nine is all yours, Twin Suns Lead."

Jaina did not bother to explain over the ship-to-ship communications. She simply allowed Jacen to relay the plan through the battle meld. Jaina, Octa, Valin, and Corran would fly directly for the yammosk vessel and drop multiple shadow bombs, relying on their wingmen and other Galactic Alliance fighters to keep the coralskippers off their backs.

Jaina called to her squadron, relaying last minute commands as the four Jedi lined up on their target from varying approaches. Several of the Vanguard clawcraft were fighting off skips making runs at her X-wing. The yammosk had obviously noticed her approach vector first. Jag hung on her wing, sweeping around to place his fighter between her and approaching skips seeking to thwart the assault.

Jaina switched on the modified villip transmitter resting on her dash. "Yun Harla tires of your games, Shimmra. Your yammosk shall meet its doom, then I will come after you personally." She shut it down quickly. At Jacen's urging, the other Twin Suns Jedi flipped on their Goddess signals using their own gravitic transponders. Now three apparent Goddesses converged on the yammosk.

Corran's fighter was not equipped with the same device. The elder Jedi chose a more circuitous route so his intention was not as evident. Jaina hoped the yammosk would be so preoccupied with the three Goddess attacks that Corran would go unnoticed. His shadow bombs had the best chance of landing the death-dealing blow.

Skips converged on Jaina like moths drawn to a flame, except these moths spit plasma slag. She rolled and juked along her line of flight, leaving her safety to Jag and the other members of Vanguards, Spikes, Rogues and Twin Suns, who were all darting among the skips, keeping their attention aft rather than on targets in front of them.

Since Corran and Valin lacked telekinesis, Jaina would use the Jedi meld to indicate a drop point and then guide their bombs the last bit to the target. Jaina reached for Valin. They had practiced dropping shadow bombs through a signal in their Jedi bond, but this was the first time he would use this skill in the heat of battle.

The onslaught of skips aimed at Valin's fighter, now posing as one of the Goddess fighters, unnerved the young Jedi to the point he was floundering on the brink of distraction. The young man was drifting in and out of the Force meld unpredicatably. He was merely allowing his reflexes and instincts to keep himself alive.

"Nine, two breaths."

Jaina had trained Valin long enough now to understand his weaknesses. He tended to struggle with focus when nerves took over his body's automatic reflexes. Controlled breaths were the quickest way to center her apprentice. She felt Valin relax slightly. Jaina withdrew, confident he would be able to complete his run through the gauntlet and drop his bombs on command. Jaina would have her own hands full guiding her bombs, then Valin's and finally Corran's. Octa was on her own, more than capable of guiding the bombs in to the target.

Jaina was the first to drop her shadow bombs as the target loomed in her sights. She guided them easily, her ability honed by too many opportunities to practice the skill. She trickled a line of stutter fire along the coral hull, lighting up voids. Jag added his own firepower to the task. Jaina adjusted the course on her bombs to avoid the blossoming voids. The first one to hit was swallowed by the edge of one such singularity. The second bomb was true to its mark, flaring to a brilliant flash of burning coral exploding in all directions.

Jaina, followed closely by Jag, skimmed along the surface of the vessel, heading for Valin's location, all the while dodging plasma fire. Octa was in the process of guiding her own bombs in somewhere behind them. Jaina caught sight of Valin and sent him an impulse to drop his bombs. The dark torpedoes fell from his fighter.

Jaina visualized the bombs and pushed them ahead of her apprentice's fighter. Valin fired at the coral skin activating the dovin basals. Jaina sensed their emptiness in the Force, not having a good enough angle to get a visual, and guided the bombs on diverging paths. Just as Valin was pulling away from the target, Jaina caught her breath as Octa's presence disappeared in the Force. The loss was so sudden, she lost control of both bombs. It was sheer luck that both reached their target, avenging Octa's passing.

Jaina recovered quickly to focus on Valin. He was no longer flying defensively; he simply flew in a straight line. The young man's pained cry filled her ears. "Five, this is Nine. Octa, are you there?"

Jaina checked Corran's progress, she had only seconds to straighten Valin out before her attention was needed on the next set of shadow bombs. "Nine, Lead. Five's gone. Don't demean her death by losing your own behind!"

Valin's mental state remained pained but his resolve regained its foothold at her admonishment. Jaina watched as his fighter banked harder than it should to cut down across a skip's tail. Partially satisfied with the response, Jaina turned her attention to the Horn father.

Corran's bombs dropped instantly at her touch in the Force. The ever increasing buffeting of her shields forced Jaina to focus more attention than she would have liked to her own situation. She flipped and banked and sideslipped, all while waiting for the laser fire from Corran's snubfighter to highlight the voids.

Jag's voice slipped through her concentration. "Vanguard Lead calling all fighters to assist at my location."

Jaina thought, It must be bad, just as she banked instinctively away from a wall of grutchins. She could sense a cold call stirring her from deep within – a call to attack her very position. At the same time she felt an endless number of skips respond and converge on her like a fist tightening its grip.

Her focus renewed with sudden urgency. Jaina visualized the voids as Corran's lasers traced across the coral skin below. The yammosk's call for protection practically screamed from the depths of her being. Not even a second later, both shadow bombs blasted their way into the bowels of the yammosk ship. The fist's grip loosened. Jaina's fighter, then Jag's clawcraft, slipped through the fingers with practiced ease.

The death cries of the creature pierced the safe bubble Jaina had erected around her child. She felt her daughter's alarm, the panic, but in that moment Jaina also felt her own awakening. Somehow, she understood the yammosk's dying commands. Jaina threaded her snubfighter easily through the chaos of the uncoordinated skips, now lacking the insight of the yammosk.

Laser fire ripped past her port side, and she matched Jag's fire. Together, they made quick work of an enemy vessel. All the while, she reached for Jacen, sending him all she understood of the dying war coordinator's plan. She turned to seek a new target while she waited for Jacen to relay the information. Chatter on the comm caught her attention.

"Look at all those new Vong reinforcements coming from the other worldship."
"No way. Did that skip just blast another one off my tail?"
"What's going on?"
"They're turning on each other!"

Jaina's villip communicator lit up. A Yuuzhan Vong appeared, the face not the tattooed horror Jaina was used to. This Yuuzhan Vong was obviously not a warrior. "Jeedai Jaina Solo, I am Master Shaper Shallot Lah of Domain Lah. You have already defeated our greatest warrior Tsavong Lah. Now you fight bravely against Lord Shimmra. We, of Domain Lah, accept your rule as Yun Harla and offer our assistance in your fight."

Wedge stared out the viewport of the bridge, awestruck by the sight of the burning worldship breaking apart little by little under the ceaseless bombardment from the Super Star Destroyer. As soon as the laser cannons recycled, they repeated barrage after barrage. Coral melted and burned under the assault. Steam and lava escaped into space, freezing as soon as it hit vacuum. It was surely an awesome sight to behold. The Chiss may have believed themselves peaceful defenders, but when they entered a battle there was no doubt of their intention – victory.

Wedge turned to face the large tactical holo burning with lights indicating friends and foes. Listening to the comm traffic, the general understood Jaina needed to succeed against the yammosk, and quickly. Jacen Solo, who had flown over to the Trickster's Sword to coordinate the battle meld from the main command post, sat before the holo, his face a bizarre mask of immense concentration.

His expression never changed as he announced. "One shadow bomb was successful on the first drop."

Wedge thought he saw a slight twitch at the corner of the young man's mouth. Then Jacen swallowed and his face returned to the eerie sightless stare. "Two more shadow bombs hit on the second drop."

A strained minute passed with no report. Jacen appeared to struggle to maintain his composure for a moment. A quick flash of pain spread out from his eyes as lines formed around his mouth. Just as quickly, the change vanished. Wedge had seen that look too many times to understand its significance. A Jedi was lost.

"Two more shadow bombs, five in all so far."

A glance at the holo revealed a swarm of red enemy skips surrounding the friendly blue signals of Twin Suns attacking the yammosk ship. Wedge furrowed his brow as he pondered how many more strikes it would take to silence the troublesome creature. Only one Jedi pass still remained.

Jacen's passionless voice belied the significance of his last announcement. "Last two hits were successful. The yammosk appears to be failing."

All eyes around the holo watched for signs of the enemy coordination faltering. Admiral Duothenwar walked over from the command station to stand beside Wedge. He, too, studied the frenzy of red and blue lights for any indication. The Chiss admiral was the first to comment on the new swarm of red blips closing on the main battle from the starboard most worldship.

"They are sending reinforcements."

Wedge's drawn face struggled to maintain its position. He was sure his mouth could not turn anymore upside down, but it tried nonetheless. Jacen broke the grim silence around the tactical holo.

"Jaina says the yammosk called for additional reinforcements just before it died."

The Admiral interrupted. "It looks like they are already here."

"No, they should arrive from hyperspace somewhere over here, bringing a new yammosk." Jacen used his touch pad to highlight a point in the holo with a blinking yellow light. "They plan on pinching our fleet between the worldships and the planet."

Wedge questioned Jacen. "Is this one of her gut feelings or an insight from the Force?"

Jacen never batted an eye at his unusual response. "No, she understood the yammosk's command."

The Chiss admiral replied first. "I thought you Jedi could not read the Vong in the Force?"

Wedge answered. "Jacen can."

Jacen corrected Wedge. "I can read them with my Vongsense, which I can't use in conjunction with my Force skills." He eyed the admiral. "Jaina can sense the Vong in the Force. She has been able to for some time. We don't have time to discuss the specifics. The reinforcements are on the way."

Admiral Duothenwar addressed Wedge. "You are more familiar with these Jedi than I. It could be risky to separate our fleet to follow an unconfirmed hunch, especially since this is the first time we have heard of this ability."

Wedge glanced to Jacen, back in a trance-like state. The general was beginning to wonder what other secrets Jaina, and his nephew for that matter, had been keeping from him recently. He stuffed the thought to the back of his mind. It would have to wait for later. "I have won many battles following the hunches of Jedi. I would go with it."

Jacen interrupted the discussion, a slight grin teasing his lips. "It's not unconfirmed anymore. Those skips flying in from the other worldship are now under the command of Jaina. Domain Lah has turned all their resources over to her. They personally confirmed another Vong strike group will drop from hyperspace in slightly over two minutes."

Both battle hardened veterans, general and admiral, stood as still as stone pillars, their mouths agape. With a gentle nudging in the Force, Jacen brought them both back to their senses. Suddenly, the bridge of the Trickster's Sword jumped with a renewed energy.

End of Chapter 28
TKL/h94