CHAPTER 33

Padmé's grip tightened on her companion's hand in conjunction with the pain shooting across her lower back and wrapping around to her abdomen. The strength of the contraction was so powerful that it pulled her back off the pillows propped up behind her. Pride was the only thing that kept Padmé from bellowing at the top of her lungs. Even so, her voice sounded more like a series of grunts.

"Obi-wan, tell me about another one of your Jedi adventures."

The Jedi leaned forward to wipe the sweat from Padmé's brow as she settled back on the pillows. He worked silently for a minute before responding. Something was obviously troubling the man; Padmé did not have the energy to drag it out of him. Finally, he spoke. "If you would allow me, I am sure a Jedi technique would help alleviate your pain."

"Thank you, but I would prefer to suffer…AHHH!"

Padmé leaned forward off the pillows as another contraction ravaged her body. Obi-wan grimaced as Padmé's fingers dug into the skin of his calloused palm. The contraction finally subsided.

"Maybe you should try one of those touted Jedi techniques on yourself, Master Kenobi."

He chuckled, a rare occurrence of late. "I would prefer to suffer right along with you, if you don't mind? Now what do you want to hear about?"

Padmé twisted her head so she was staring into Obi-wan's blue eyes. "Tell me about some place beautiful. You must have been to many beautiful worlds."

Obi-wan silently pondered the matter, his eyes focused inward. Another contraction started so Obi-wan spoke of the first thing that came to his mind. "The most beautiful place I have ever been was a world called Pendrillia on the edge of the Unknown Regions."

The wave was stronger than ever before. Padmé was struggling with the pain and unwittingly passing it to the Jedi in her vice grip. Obi-wan rambled on despite his own pain.

"Pendrillia had several small continents full of beautiful mountain ranges towering over the greenest plains. In some places the mountains fell off into the ocean like a natural protective wall."

Padmé's pain eased like the receding tide, gone until the next cycle started anew. "What were the people like?"

"Well, the Pendrillians were creatures like none I have ever seen. They were mostly huge heads resting on functionless bodies. They were known for their enormous capacity to reason and think, but they were also isolationists.

Padmé pursed her lips. "Sounds intriguing."

Obi-wan continued, undaunted by her sarcasm. "But they had an unusual relationship with a sect of humans that also inhabited the world. These humans were chased from their home planet because some of the women possessed unexplainable powers – powers others from their world feared. The Pendrillians allowed these women and their families to live on Pendrillia in exchange for providing protection for the planet. I do not think it was a fair trade, more akin to forced servitude if one had to call it what it was; others, mostly the Pendrillians and the members of that sect saw it differently."

Despite the stab of a new contraction, Padmé showed some interest. "Were they Force users?"

"Yes, they called it the Web of Life. Different name, same power." Padmé was at the height of her contraction as Obi-wan admitted what she already suspected. "That is where I met Keira."

The Jedi paused; Padmé, her contraction now on the backside of its cycle, pressed him. "Tell me a-a-about her."

"Keira was the most beautiful person I had ever seen…present company excluded."

The contraction was over, so it was easy for her to speak. "It's all right. Every man thinks the woman he loves is more beautiful than any other, besides there is nothing remotely beautiful about a pregnant woman about to deliver twins. So tell me what was so special about Keira that made you fall in love with her."

Obi-wan offered the petite woman bloated with pregnancy a wry smile. He knew better than to contradict her opinion on the matter, so he simply continued.

"She was tall, almost as tall as me, with long brown hair the color of a rich cup of caf and eyes bluer than the morning sky on Naboo." Padmé's eyes drifted shut, but she continued to listen to his lilting voice. "Her full name was Keira Lea."

Padmé's eyes opened. "Lea, that's a pretty name."

Obi-wan smiled down at her. He took the brief respite from the contractions to dab her brow again as he spoke. "Yes, Lea is a pretty name. In Keira's language, it meant gift; her full name meant blessed gift." Padmé doubled over as a strong contraction ripped through her body. "It looks as if one of those twins is excited to see the world."

Padmé did not answer, rather attempted to expel the pain with practiced breaths. Finally, she released a deep breath with a hiss and relaxed back on the bed. Obi-wan was caught off-guard by her next question.

"How do you spell Lea? L-E-I-A?"

"No, that spelling is pronounced the same but means something different in her language, that particular spelling means hope. Her name was spelled L-E-A."

"You must have spent a lot of time with Keira to learn her language."

"Not really, we were only together for a short while, but I had to perform a Kothalt bonding to save her life. Once you go through that process with someone, it is like your thoughts are one. I know everything she knew and vice verse."

"What's a Kothalt bonding?"

"It's a process where two Force users link their life forces so the weaker one can survive. Keira's people were adept healers; it was a process they developed. The Jedi spent some time trying to master the process after we learned of it, but never truly did. Keira was dying; I had no choice but to let her link with me."

"Not if you loved her."

A contraction began to take hold. "My babies are like a new hope for the galaxy. I think I will call the girl Leia."

Obi-wan pondered the idea. He was soon lost in a better time and place, but Padmé's grip brought him back to reality. "Leia - I like the sound of that."

Padmé smiled despite herself. "So – OOO – finally a name." She sucked her breath in sharply. Her words trickled through gritted teeth. "We better…come up with…a…boy's name…in a hurry…" Padmé curled off the pillow. "…that little girl…must want out…to try on her new name."

Obi-wan tried to support the struggling woman, when she loosed a cry of pure agony. Her pain practically seared through the Force. The Jedi seemed to recognize her distress. Without asking, he placed a hand on Padmé's forehead. The soothing strength of the Force flowed quickly in the touch.

Padmé's cries subsided to moans and finally to muffled sobs. Her eyes did not reprimand him for the unwanted assistance. Something else, more like fear, glistened in their brown depths. Her question came out as a whisper.

"Something is wrong. Is it one of the babies?"

The pain was returning in waves that even a Jedi could not turn away. Padmé gripped Obi-wan's arm as she plead silently for an answer. "Yes, I sense one of the babies in distress."

Obi-wan glanced away as the door to the small room slid open, and a Jedi healer, one of the few surviving since the purges, entered. He turned back to focus his efforts on Padmé, who was completely overcome by the pain. The Jedi healer, a Twilek, quickly added her strength. Padmé's body sagged against the bed in relief. She rolled her head on the pillow to gaze up at the healer.

"Please save my baby."

Jacen did not feel Jaina stir, but it was the turmoil in her emotions that roused him from a trance-like state. She was tossing her head from side-to-side in obvious distress. He reached over from his seat to place a palm on her shoulder, in an attempt to calm her thrashing body. Jaina's eyes popped open.

"Please save my baby."

Jacen called to his sister, who was caught in some sort of dream. "Jay." He tried to wake her again, shaking her shoulder gently. "Jaina."

The second time seemed to work, Jaina's body relaxed as she recognized her brother. "Jace?"

He smoothed the hair off her brow as she blinked her eyes slowly. "It was just a bad dream. Everything is going to be fine."

Jaina swallowed. "Where are we?"

"About an hour out of Csilla. I left you in a healing trance most of the trip. I brought you out an hour ago, but you didn't wake."

Jaina knuckled her eyes. "That must be why I dreamt of Grandmother. I haven't really slept for as long as I can remember. I always go into a healing trance…"

Jacen finished her thought. "…and you can't dream in a trance."

Jaina nodded her agreement. Much to Jacen's surprise, she pushed up to rest her weight on her elbows. She paused, apparently drained by the effort. Without needing to be asked, Jacen placed a palm in between her shoulder blades and helped push his sister up the rest of the way. After so many hours of being on her back, Jaina's world must have been a dizzying whirl as her heart seemed to lack the strength to pump blood to her head. After a few breaths, she seemed to find some focus.

Jag stuck his head in the small room and grinned when he realized Jaina was awake for the first time during the trip. "You are up."

Jaina lifted her head to face him and managed a semblance of a Solo grin. "I can't stay flat on my back forever."

Jag stepped into the room; his mood seemed to lift at the sound of Jaina's voice. "I certainly hope not. I mean to see you up and about like your old self soon. It is no fun when I have to fight with myself all the time. If you are up to it, you might like to sit in the cockpit for the approach to Csilla. It can be quite breathtaking."

"That sounds wonderful." Jaina accepted a kiss on the forehead from her husband as she spoke.

Jag rested his palm on Jaina's cheek as he looked into her eyes. "Do you want me to help you to the cockpit?"

"No, Jacen can in a minute. I want to get cleaned up first."

Jag reluctantly backed toward the door. "I will save you a seat then."

"You better."

Jag lingered for a couple of heartbeats before retreating from the room, his footsteps receding down the corridor.

As Jaina threw her legs over the side of the bunk she spoke. "Help me up, Jacen. I can't meet my in-laws looking like this."

Csilla shone like a bright white beacon in the vast emptiness of space. The snow-covered continents blended into the ice-capped oceans in an odd layering of varying shades of white. It was a harsh but at the same time beautiful world, one that tested the mettle of its inhabitants on a daily basis. Csilla had forged the constitution of its people to be as tough as its winters.

A pair of clawcraft sped past the shuttle, making for the planet at top speed. Jag knew one of them contained Rane, who would ensure that the arrival went smoothly. Jag forced his breath in and out; the tension in his shoulders made them want to rise up to his ears. There were still many barriers to cross before he could relax.

First and foremost, bringing outsiders to the Chiss homeworld was highly unusual. There had been various steps bypassed in the interest of time. Even though he had every right as a member of the Chiss society to bring his wife to Csilla, Jag was sure there would be a price to pay for his decision. It was just unusual for Chiss to marry outsiders.

Jag wanted as few people to know of Jaina's arrival until some time in the future, preferably not until Tahiri arrived posing as Jaina. That necessitated keeping their landing as secretive as possible. Rane's job was to land and ask their father to empty the hangar.

Additionally, there was the matter of telling his parents the news that not only did they have a new daughter-in-law, but also they would be grandparents in mere months. If Han Solo's reaction was any indication, the announcement might not go over well. He only hoped he could come out a little less emotionally scathed this time. If all went well, Jag could ask his father to sort out the business of who to notify and who to neglect in regards to Jaina's presence, the less people who knew, the safer she would be.

The sound of footsteps entering the cockpit startled Jag out of his brooding. He turned expecting to see Jacen carrying Jaina, instead he found Jaina standing in the entranceway on her own two feet. She was dressed in a green Jedi tunic and matching pants, her hair pulled back in a loose braid. Jacen had stepped up behind his twin, keeping a hand out in case she needed the support.

Jaina smiled, then stepped forward slowly, using the backs of the pilots' seats for support. She slipped into the co-pilot's seat without her usual grace. Jag's green eyes, lined with worry, studied her for a moment. His voice, however, resonated nothing but compassion and love.

"You look nice."

"Thanks. Danni helped. She'll be up in a minute." Jaina worked on strapping herself into the seat as she bantered on. "It feels good to be sitting up."

Her voice was cheery. Too cheery, Jag thought. A quick glance back at Jacen confirmed his suspicions. Her brother had taken the navigator's station behind Jaina, his attention focused forward until he met Jag's gaze. The brief exchange was enough for Jag to know Jaina was pushing too hard.

Jag instantly regretted asking her to come to the cockpit for the final approach. Jag had been eager to share the beauty of his home planet with his wife. Now it did not seem that important. Suddenly his excitement was replaced by a concern that her flagging health was being compromised further.

Jaina must have sensed something because she reached for his hand as he adjusted the stabilizer controls. Just as Jag started to squeeze her hand back, a voice came through the comm. The controller spoke in the native tongue of the Chiss. It took only a moment for Jag to fall back into his familiar patterns. His posture became more upright; his voice reverted to its efficient unemotional clip as he replied in turn.

As Jag continued the conversation with CEDF control, acknowledging flight and landing parameters, Danni bounced into the cockpit. She quickly dropped into the remaining free seat and strapped herself in. Finishing with his conversation, Jag clicked off the comm and addressed the late arrival.

"You are just in time, Danni." His voice had shed some of its icy undertones, there seconds before. "The ride down will be one to remember. Very few outsiders have been fortunate to make this trip. Rane must have done his job, because we have been cleared straight into the CEDF base controlled by my father. Is everyone strapped in tight? This can be a bumpy ride."

Danni and Jacen answered in a chorus of affirmatives; Jaina simply managed a half-hearted tug at her restraints. Not satisfied, Jag loosened his harness and reached over to snug up Jaina's belts. He refrained from pulling on the lap belt, but he did lay his palm tenderly on her abdomen before leaning back in his own seat and quickly securing his position.

Seconds later, the effects of the atmosphere began to buffet the shuttle. Jag guided the ship straight into the cover of clouds blocking the view of a vast amount of the major continents. The shuttle bounced and dropped as the dense clouds engulfed it. A mixture of hail and sleet bounced off the skin in a noisy cacophony of tings and bangs.

All of the sudden, the shuttle plummeted for a harrowing couple of seconds. Danni stifled a squeak. Glancing around, she realized she was the only one expressing concern. Jaina appeared relaxed and unaffected, almost as if being nervous would require too much effort. Jag was busy skillfully handling the descent. Jacen was a picture of complete calm.

Jacen reached across the gap between the seats and touched Danni's hand. Immediately, the scientist, who was not as used to atmospheric entries, no less rough ones, felt the reassurance of Jacen's stability pass between them.

It was not long before the shuttle broke free of the cloak of the clouds emerging into a snow-filled sky. The shuttle fell like the snowflakes straight down, dropping rapidly toward the white glacier below. The flat expanse of the frozen water was all the eye could see in every direction. It appeared there was no sign of civilization anywhere, especially not a military base, but Jag kept guiding the shuttle down.

As the new visitors wondered where exactly it was they were going, a small opening became visible. It grew in size with each passing second until the slightest of slivers became a crevasse in the glacier just wide enough for the shuttle. Two clawcraft whipped past to enter the opening the first, one at a time. The shuttle slid in next with only feet to spare on either side.

Ahead, the agile clawcraft twisted and weaved among the winding canyon of ice pulling further and further ahead. Suddenly, they dropped straight down, disappearing from view. Jag lifted the nose of the shuttle before slamming it into a steep dive, dropping into a narrow shaft.

The walls were so close Danni felt her neck shortening in response. She threaded her fingers through Jacen's outstretched hand and squeezed with all her might. One look at Jacen revealed he was enjoying the flight. He practically grinned from ear-to-ear, an unusual display for the all too serious Jedi. Danni turned her attention to Jaina instead. She could only make out Jaina's profile; but it was apparent Jacen's twin did not emulate his excitement. In fact, she appeared still and unaffected except for the twitch of her hand lying across the armrest.

Danni's eyes were drawn forward. An enormous cavern carved out of the ice opened up before the shuttle. Blue skinned technicians dressed in black uniforms converged on the fighters from various points, trickling out of openings in the ice. As soon as the shuttle touched the hangar floor, Danni released her breath in a hiss. She squeezed Jacen's proffered hand in gratitude and was starting to turn and offer him a smile when she noticed Jaina's hand twitch again. Before Danni could have a closer look, Jaina pulled her hand away to work the belt.

Jag hurried through the post-flight checks as he spoke. "Jacen, there are extra uniforms in the utility lockers. Maybe you and Danni should change into a couple so we won't draw any undue attention."

Jacen glanced out the viewport at the number of Chiss in the hangar and nodded his head in agreement. Jacen slipped from the seat and made his way out of the cockpit. Danni paused, eyeing Jaina suspiciously. Jacen paused outside the cockpit, then turned back to address his counterpart.

"Are you coming?"

Danni watched as Jaina worked the belts slowly but surely. She shrugged off her concern and turned to follow Jacen. "I am right behind you."

Soontir strode through the corridors cored out of the glacier at a pace slightly faster than his injured leg was comfortable with. An unexpected call had disrupted the weekly staff meeting he was running. Vanguard Squadron had arrived in system unannounced, requesting clearance to the auxiliary hangar that had housed the top-secret fighters during their shake-down period. The hangar had been left clear in preparation for the squadron's return, but no one, especially Soontir, expected their return so early.

Rounding a corner, Soontir spotted two pilots dressed in black heading his way. The limitations of his single eye required the distance to close before he could make out their faces. The taller pilot was definitely Chiss, the blue skin apparent. As they drew nearer still, the shorter pilot came into focus. Instead of the dark outline of Jag's raven hair, as Soontir would have expected, the lighter hair of Rane framed an unusually serious face.

Soontir willed his feet forward to a meeting his heart began to dread. Years before, Jag had made that same walk. That was the day Davin failed to come home. Soontir had seen the intelligence reports detailing the surrender of the Yuuzhan Vong. Both Rane and Jag had been missing from the casualty lists, but Soontir now cursed himself for a fool, believing that the surrender would guarantee both son's safe return.

Rane pulled up and snapped to attention beside Jag's second-in-command, Hiza Orundar. Both pilots offered a curt bow as the general halted before them. Soontir bypassed the formalities.

"Rane, what happened?"

Rane's softened momentarily, recognizing his father's immediate concern. "Jag is coming in the shuttle. He asked me to fly ahead to make arrangements. He asked that you empty the hangar of all personnel. Jag will explain everything when he gets here."

Relief followed immediately by confusion rolled across the Baron's face. "What is going on, son?"

Rane's eyes grew hard again, defying his father the answers he sought. "It is not my place to say. I'll meet you back at the hangar shortly."

Without waiting to be dismissed, Rane stepped around the general and strode away. Soontir eyed the Chiss pilot who remained. If Rane's loyalty to his brother was any indication, trying to pry information out of Jag's second would be just as fruitless. Soontir dipped his head then continued his march to the hangar.

The walk was short, but a million possibilities shot through Soontir's head. The first thought was Jag was seriously injured. There was nothing short of a debilitating injury that would keep his son from flying his own clawcraft. Soontir banished the thought; Rane would have prepared him for that.

Entering the hangar, Soontir counted twelve clawcraft parked surrounding a Capla-class shuttle. He called orders to the Chiss head technician, directing them to leave the hangar. His orders were implemented with stunning expediency. Chiss abandoned their posts and trickled out through various exits.

The boarding ramp of the shuttle lowered almost as if it sensed his arrival. Soontir pushed his frantic musings to the back of his mind, willing himself to focus. All would be revealed in moments; a lack of composure had no place in his current state of mind. Jag had come home for a reason. He required assistance of some kind. Soontir would not fail his family.

Every step up the ramp echoed under Soontir's feet. Topping the crest and stepping into the shuttle, the general drew his feet together to ponder his next direction. Footsteps padded in the corridor, coming from the cockpit. In an answer to his prayers, his son emerged through the bulkhead, healthy and alive. As relief flowed through his body and his shoulders dropped perceptibly, Soontir studied his son. The young man's skin lacked its youthful glow; instead dark circles rimmed his lower lids and grim lines traced out from his mouth.

Relief was instantly replaced by shock. Attached to Jag by the arm, Jaina emerged from behind his son. One look at the petite brunette answered Soontir's questions. While Jag appeared tired and grim, Jaina looked like death walking. It was hard to imagine the young woman standing before him defeated Shimrra not more than a few days before. Her skin was translucent and pale, her hair was dull, but it was her eyes that seemed halfway in the grave.

"Father…" Soontir forced his eyes back to meet his son's tired gaze. "Years ago you came to the Chiss seeking a safe place to protect Mother from those that would harm her. Now, I fear for Jaina's life, so I have come home hoping to provide a safe place for my own wife."

Shock should have registered for the father, but standing there looking at the man his son had become and the woman he had chosen as his bride, Soontir felt only respect and pride. Both Soontir and Syal fully expected a union between Jaina and Jag once the war was over. That it had occurred earlier was a surprise, needless to say, but not one that disappointed him. Soontir's immediate concern turned to the state of his daughter-in-law.

"What do you need me to do?"

"We need to get Jaina out of here with as few people as possible knowing about it."

"I emptied the hangar as Rane requested."

Jag tipped his head. "Good. Rane will bring your speeder around to the back entrance." Jag ushered Jaina forward, she acted as pliable as a small child. "Can you take Jaina while I get the others?"

Soontir grasped Jaina's elbow. "The others?"

Almost on cue, Jacen and Danni appeared from the back corridor, lugging several containers. Jag was quick with the introductions. "Father, you know Jacen, Jaina's twin. This is Danni Quee, a Galactic Alliance scientist." Soontir acknowledged both with a curt nod. "They are here to help Jaina."

The general felt a gnawing desire to probe further, but there seemed to be an urgency to the situation. Without any more discussion, he guided Jaina out of the shuttle and down the ramp. At the bottom, she paused. Soontir waited patiently at Jaina's side. She tilted her head up to offer a smile while she wrapped her arm around his. As she looked away, more of her weight leaned into his powerful build.

The weight of the galaxy shifted its burden in the simple act, and the father willingly accepted it. The walk to the hangar exit was short yet it felt like a mile. The exit door slid open allowing Rane to enter the hangar with an accompanying blast of snow-filled freezing air. In his arms were draped several heavy parkas. He tossed a parka to his father, then worked on wrapping another one around Jaina.

By the time Soontir had zippered up and the two men were finishing with Jaina, the rest of the party appeared with a repulsor sled piled high with equipment, medical supplies and a few luggage containers. Rane handed the last jacket to Danni and disappeared out the door only to return moments later with a parka in each hand that he tossed to Jag and Jacen respectively.

Once dressed properly for the weather, Jag wrapped an arm around his wife's tiny torso and guided her toward the door. The hint of cold air earlier was nothing compared to the biting cold that assaulted their senses once outside the hangar. A large speeder was parked close to the exit, hovering on its repulsors, its engines spewing steam in the air that froze instantly.

Jag thumbed the latch to the passenger compartment, large enough for five passengers, two in the seats behind the driver's compartment and three further back on a bench seat along the rear engine section. It required some effort to maneuver Jaina within the confines of the compartment, but soon she was situated on the back seat. The others unloaded the repulsor sled into the forward storage hold.

As Jag settled in the back seat and pulled Jaina against him, the others piled into the speeder. Jacen and Danni took the two front seats in the passenger compartment. Rane joined his father in the driver's compartment, with Soontir at the driver's station. The mood was eerily somber as everyone settled in their seats. Soontir spoke first, glancing over his right shoulder.

"Where to, Jag?"

Jag's answer was short and to the point. "Home."

Soontir tipped his head then returned his attention forward, easing the speeder away from the hangar. Jaina's body began to sag, tired of the effort of remaining upright for such an extended period of time. She did not resist when Jag eased her head down so it was resting in his lap. He soothed a stray strand of hair that had fallen from the braid away from her cheek.

The parka nearly consumed her body. The furred collar and hood bunched around her head. Jag pushed it down and away so it would not restrict her head from lying comfortably as her eyes fought the sleepy urgings of her mind. She blinked slowly twice, then her eyes shut one final time.

No sooner had Jaina succumbed to her need to rest, Jag felt the first twitching of her left hand against his knee, where it rested. The movements were slight but perceptible, involuntary in nature. Jacen must have noticed the tremor in the twin bond because he twisted in his seat. His movement, in turn, caused Danni to do the same. Jag had not looked up, both Jacen and Danni watched as he placed a hand over her twitching fingers to hold them still.

Danni ripped off her belts first and leaned over the seat's back. She brushed Jag's hand aside and took Jaina's hand between both of hers. Jaina's eyes opened and tracked slowly over to the blond scientist. Her features were listless, her eyes dull. As the tremor grew, Danni realized Jaina did not recognize what was happening to her. Danni spoke over her shoulder to Jacen.

"I need the medscanner out of my pack."

Jacen produced the device moments later. Danni accepted it, then hurriedly ran the scanner along Jaina's head, torso and down her arm. The trembling was rapidly increasing in severity. Danni threw the scanner back on her seat before using her thumb to pry Jaina's eyelids wide open one at a time. She frowned and looked Jag in the eye.

"The nano-organisms must have compromised her nervous system. Jacen should be able to control the mild seizures, and there is one drug I can give her that won't harm the…" Danni halted in mid-sentence when Jag shook his head. There were still things Soontir should learn from Jag alone. "That drug has its limitations though. I won't be able to get to the hypospray until we stop."

Jag nodded once. "I understand. Cilghal told us this would happen." Jag looked to Jacen. "I will switch seats with you."

After a few cramped maneuvers the two grown men had traded places. Jacen know sat with Jaina nestled against him. Jag watched as the tremors quickly subsided. He pivoted back and fastened his restraints, sagging into the seat in defeat.

Syal bent over the Corellian starburst rose bush and clipped off a blossom with a deft snap of her shears. She gently placed the flower in a basket with others picked for the arrangements she maintained throughout the house. Satisfied with her acquisitions, Syal lifted the basket with her free hand and began threading her way through the maze of plant life sprouting forth all around the hothouse.

The large transparisteel structure was a generous addition to the back of the estate house, which allowed Syal to keep a piece of her home planet here on the dismal lifeless plains of Csilla. Looking out the transparisteel sides, all the eye could see past the house and outlying structures was nothing but a plain of white. Syal stopped suddenly when her eye caught the black outline of a speeder skimming across the glacier top, snow billowing out behind. Syal averted her eyes momentarily to check the time on the wall chrono, fearful she had lost track of time. It was still early afternoon, too early to expect Soontir home, and no visitors were expected.

Syal raced up the steps, still clutching the basket and dashed into the house. It was a quick trip through the kitchen and formal dining area, then across the living room to the front foyer. By the time Syal arrived at the front door to peer through the picture window filling the frame, the speeder was close enough to recognize. It belonged to her husband.

A realization hit Syal in the gut. Only twice ever had he come home early from work unannounced, once the day Davin died, the second time the day Cherith died. The basket of flowers crashed to the floor as Syal lost all control of her body. The room spun, and her heart pounded like a Gamorrean drum in her ears. One hand slapped the front door; the other clutched her stomach as a knot of dread twisted it painfully.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she watched the speeder wind the last several hundred feet up the front drive. The speeder circled the entrance loop and came to a stop at the base of the front steps. Soontir was the first to appear as the driver's door swung up on its hinges. His broad shoulders were set and rigid as he moved to the door of the passenger compartment.

A faint glimmer of hope grew in Syal's chest as the blond haired form of Rane appeared beyond the speeder, stepping out of the front compartment's passenger door. In the same instant, a horrible awareness stabbed like a knife in Syal's heart. Jag!

Years before Jag had been the one to come home, bringing the news of Davin's death. He, too, accompanied his father home to break the tragic news. Syal's life was replaying some holodrama stuck on rewind, threading the same scene in a terrible loop. How many children will I have to sacrifice to stop the scene from playing out?

A gasp shattered the air as Syal recognized the lightning streak of white in a shock of black hair emerging from the passenger compartment. In a breathless moment, she slapped the door console and bolted out the front door, not concerned for the effects of the frigid temperature on her body. Syal bounded down the steps, crashing into Jag, the first son she reached.

The impact of her embrace caused him to stumble before righting them both. Jag returned the sentiment by folding his arms around his mother. Syal showered him with kisses, then caught sight of Rane making his way to the near side of the car. She jumped from Jag to the younger brother, her hug no less enthusiastic. Soontir, observing the unfolding scene, wrestled off his parka and draped it over her shoulders as she stepped back.

"You foolish woman, are you trying to catch your death out here?"

Syal opened her mouth to reply but words failed her at the sight of a young blonde woman standing by the speeder and past her a brown-haired man emerging from the vehicle with a limp form swaddled in a parka. Syal started to face Soontir to question him when recognition of the young man and the woman in his arms dawned across her face. She started forward, a name trickling off her lips.

"Jaina."

Soontir grabbed Syal and coaxed her back toward the house. Jag jogged up the steps first and keyed open the door. He walked through, followed by Jacen and Danni. As Syal stepped inside, Jag directed Jacen up the stairs.

"Straight up. Left at the top; my room is the first on the left."

Jacen nodded in understanding before ascending the staircase. Syal would have followed but for Jag's hand staying her.

"Mom, we need to talk."

Both parents silently followed Jag to the study off the entrance foyer as Rane shuffled past with an armful of transport cases. Once inside the comfortable confines of the small room, Jag turned to face his parents. He pulled over the chair from the desk and offered it to his mother. Jag straddled another chair while Soontir planted himself behind his wife, one hand resting on her shoulder. Jag inhaled sharply.

"Mom, Dad…" Jag exhaled the remainder of his breath, not knowing where to start.

Syal leaned forward and slipped her fingers around his. "It's okay, Jag. Take your time. You obviously have been carrying a heavy burden. You have to know your father and I will do whatever we can to help you and Jaina."

Soontir spoke next. "We heard the news about Jaina's part in the defeat of the Overlord and the surrender. Did something happen during the battle?"

"No, it started well before that. The last battle was just the straw that broke the bantha's back. First things first, I suppose…" Jag shifted his gaze from his father to his mother. "I married Jaina before the battle of Bimm. I am sorry I kept it from you, but I could not rightfully ask her to keep the marriage from her family and tell my own."

Syal lowered her eyes in understanding, gathering her composure before meeting his green eyes. "Sometimes life forces us to make extraordinary sacrifices as your father and I well know. We were looking forward to welcoming Jaina into our family eventually. It just happened sooner rather than later. Now tell us what is wrong with your new bride."

Jag swallowed then began. "On Bimm, when Jaina rescued Rane she was attacked by a Yuuzhan Vong infiltrator posing as a Chiss medical technician. He exposed her to a bioweapon designed specifically to kill Jedi. I did not find out until after returning with the cloaked fighters."

Soontir interrupted. "You mean Jaina would not be sick if she had not been there to rescue Rane?"

Jag addressed her father. "She would not want you to think that way. Jaina lives without regrets. She would do it all over again, even knowing the outcome. As of yet, we have not found a cure. There were several reasons to bring her here. One, there are multiple threats against her life including this Yuuzhan Vong operative and a dark Jedi named Zekk. I will save that story for another time. Additionally, it would be harmful to the peace talks for word to get out of her weakened state."

Soontir interjected. "I thought I read in the intelligence reports Jaina was participating in the talks today."

"She is, or rather someone who looks like her. I figured this would be the safest place to conceal her and hopefully find a cure with the help of the Chiss."

Soontir's tone was somber. "Simply because Jaina is your wife does not provide a guarantee that the Chiss will cooperate in finding a cure. She has not sworn an oath of loyalty to the Chiss; they may, unfortunately, refuse on the grounds she is an outsider. I can do everything in my power to influence their decision, but I want you to be realistic in your expectations."

"True, but they cannot refuse to do everything in their power to save my child. They are honor bound to do everything possible."

Soontir bellowed. "Sithspit Jagged! You got her pregnant!"

Syal's reaction was more subdued, her grip tightened on Jag's hand until it hurt.

Jag responded calmly. "Believe me, every precaution was taken to prevent a pregnancy. The bioweapon affected Jaina's body chemistry rendering her birth control useless. If I had not, as you put it, gotten her pregnant, we may have been sharing this conversation at her funeral. That baby is the only reason we found the bioweapon, otherwise it may have been too late."

Syal hissed. Soontir knelt down between his wife and son, one hand resting on each one's knees. "Well, we are not about to let either one of them die. Tell me what needs to be done, and I will make it happen."

End of Chapter 33
TKL/h94