CHAPTER TWO
Side by side, two Jedi strode down the bustling halls, the tall blonde female towering over the petite brunette. The corridor was lined on one side with doorways and on the other with a sheer transparisteel wall that overlooked the ever-turbulent Mon Calamari ocean. The weary relief on the two women's faces expressed, even more so than their rapid footfalls, that they were happy to have exited the Jedi Council chambers.
Finally they stopped at the turbolifts, yet neither made a move to press the call sign. They didn't have to. Both knew the lift was coming. Instead, in unison, they faced the panoramic view of swirling seas below and stared off to the horizon.
"That was fun," the blonde chuckled. "Knights Tainer and Solo, do you think dropping the Facsreni premier in a loppi pool was necessary to achieve your directive on this mission?" she said in the best imitation of Jedi Master Hamner.
Jaina huffed. In her attempt to not laugh at the serious diplomatic flub on their parts, she found an impish giggle welling up. The harder she fought it the more the laugh couldn't be denied. She unsuccessfully stifled a snort. When Tyria lost control first with a giggle, the pair fell from Jedi seriousness to teenage hilarity in a matter of a second.
They laughed long enough to release the last bit of tension still lingering from their latest mission. They laughed hard enough that Jaina found she was holding a stitch in her side. They laughed their way into silence, and were left staring once more into the tempestuous waters below.
"Quite a remarkable contrast to Facsren, wouldn't you say?" Jaina noted with a tip of her head at the never-ending vista of ocean.
"A welcome contrast," Tyria said. "I still feel the grit and grime of that planet in every single one of my pores."
Just as the lift doors opened, Jaina stamped her booted foot and a plume of dust erupted into the air. "Tell me about it." She flashed a half-cocked grin at the cluster of Jedi who chose to wait in the lift while the dust settled at her feet. "Just the lingering effects of a blasting from the Council."
The Jedi shuffled past, giving both women wide berth. Jaina followed Tyria into the lift and tapped the button that would send them to the Jedi residential level. "Are you going to stay here tonight, or head back?"
"Although the idea of a thorough shower and long nap are enticing, I should really make the trip back to Tidal City." Tyria stretched across and activated the button for the transportation level.
"But that's completely on the other side of Mon Cal. Surely Kell can spare you one more night."
"I am sure – if he were home – Kell wouldn't begrudge me the rest. But when we checked in there was a message waiting." Tyria paused and sighed. "Kell's unit got called away, and he left Doran with our neighbor."
"The one with a son about Doran's age?" Jaina asked.
"The same."
"Well that's nice for Doran –"
"Not really," Tyria interjected with a frown. "The message was from the neighbor."
Something in the other woman's voice caused Jaina to mutter a simple, "Uh oh."
"Exactly," Tyria agreed. "It seems the two boys had a little too much fun together – ending with a run-in with the local constable."
The lingering sense of regret that hung over the taller blonde caused Jaina to reach out and touch her on the shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know it's hard to do this, to be away."
Tyria gave Jaina's hand a reassuring pat as the lift slipped to a halt. "Kell and I hoped moving to one of the less dense populaces would be good for Doran. And both our assignments were supposed to exclude travel." She exhaled sharply. "But in these times we know how that goes."
The lift doors whisked open and Tyria pointed Jaina out. "You'll see. Someday you and Jag will be fighting the same losing battle."
Jaina backed out, shaking her head. "Oh no. Not me. I'm going to have everything settled before I even think about marriage – let alone kids."
Tyria chuckled. "Settled, huh? Good luck with that."
The tall blonde was still laughing when the lift swished closed.
Heading for her quarters down the hall, Jaina waved at the sealed doors as the lift shot away. She would have offered a barbed reply to the air, but none came to mind. Only the thought, They'll see. She wasn't about to make the same mistakes her elders – not that Tyria was really an elder – had made as far as children were concerned. No, Jaina had been that child, left behind. Her parents had done what they had felt necessary. That truth, however, had never taken away the lonely nights when only a mother's kiss or a father's hug could have eased the ache in her heart.
She was still lost in the rightness of her thoughts when she reached the entrance to her apartment. It wasn't home, but it was a place to call her own. Her fingers managed the entrance code without a glance, and in the next second she was trudging inside.
"Illumination seventy percent."
The lights began to glow softly until the room was clearly visible. Nothing looked out of place; everything sat just as she had left it. There wasn't much to the apartment – a great room with a small office area, a small kitchen next to that, and in the back a bedroom with a refresher.
Out of habit, Jaina crossed first to the comm console at the small table nestled in one corner by the bedroom. As expected a blinking light indicated there were messages waiting for her review. She scanned the log and found the usual mundane list of friends and family. An occasional solicitation appeared as she scrolled quickly down the list. Only the last notation caught her eye.
A touch to the screen called up the last message. A small blue image flickered to life, revealing Jag from the shoulders up. He smiled, as best as he knew how.
"Hello. I guess my timing was a little off. Again. I hoped to catch you. I have been sent out to mediate a dispute between two minor systems in the Rim. Achebi and Vikova – maybe you have heard of them?" He grinned just a little. "Probably not. I doubt anyone actually has. I had better go learn as much as I can before I attempt to mediate away my first war. Any reason to take a break would be greatly appreciated. You know how to reach me." He paused. "I love you, Jaina."
The image dissolved in a hiss of static, and Jaina stared at the holoimager for a silent moment. Suddenly, the room somehow felt emptier.
A short lyrical toodle broke her melancholy. Jaina smiled at her droid as he rolled out of the bedroom. "Hey, Cappie. Feeling refreshed?"
The droid beeped an affirmative.
"Great. Hopefully I can hit the sack and recharge too."
She bypassed the droid and entered the bedroom. The lights were still down, and Jaina almost tripped over her travel bag, which rested in the same place she had dropped it hastily earlier. She scooped the bag up and moved it the short distance to the bed. While she rummaged around in the bag Cappie came to Jaina's side. The droid spun once and tooted inquisitively when he reached her.
"Just trying…" She tugged at her refresher kit that was buried deep under a pile of clothes. "…to get some stuff to clean this grime off." After a final yank loosed her prize, Jaina grinned victoriously down at her companion. "So I'm off for a long hot shower."
Cappie's low sliding whistle caught her attention as she walked the short distance to the refresher. She paused at the door and turned back. "I won't be long," she said with a smile. "Hey. Why don't you do me a favor while I get cleaned up?"
Cappie honked and rolled forward and back excitedly.
"I need you to find out anything you can about two systems out near the Rim." Jaina had to stop and recall their names. "Achebi and…Vivoka. No that's not right. Vikova. Yes, Vikova."
Lights on Cappie's dome twinkled as he processed the information. He chirped once, then whirled out of the room, already intent on his task.
As soon as the droid was gone, Jaina peeled out of her clothes, leaving them in a heap on the ground. She triggered the heated water setting and eagerly stepped into the pounding stream of water.
Within minutes, Jaina began to feel her own skin again. Beating water pellets knocked away the last week's grime and grit, and with it the tensions that had plagued her from the moment she had left for Facsren. With a sigh, Jaina realized it was good to be back.
Her thoughts turned eventually to what she would do next, what task the Jedi Council would set before her. Despite the apparent calamities surrounding her latest mission, Uncle Luke had assured both her and Tyria that they had performed admirably. Yet the Council had hedged on assigning either Jedi to another task. Jaina wondered…
An excited mechanical squeal from beyond the bedroom drew Jaina's thoughts back to the moment. She turned off the water, and groped for a towel to wrap around herself. As she tracked water halfway across the refresher, Cappie barreled into the bedroom, tweeting and bleeping all the way.
Satisfied he had her attention, the droid twirled and went back the way he had come. Only then did Jaina hear the insistent call of the comm.
Jaina stalked after the droid. "What? Who is it?" Jaina leaned over the commstation, looking for an identifier on the incoming relay. "Don't you think…Oh." She grinned and hit the receive button. An image coalesced immediately. "Hi!"
Jag's handsome face framed in the blackest of hair broke into an unusually seductive grin. "Hello. This is certainly some welcome."
Jaina glanced down. She looked at her hand clutching the towel around her dripping torso, and immediately felt the heat of a blush rising. "Oh this," she taunted. "I greet everyone this way. It's the Facsreni way."
"Really. I am beginning to like these Facsreni, even if your last message made them sound a bit disagreeable. Especially if your time spent with them means I get to be greeted by the most stunningly gorgeous woman ever…dressed only in a towel."
"In your dreams, Ambassador." Jaina traipsed back into the bedroom, going straight for her travel bag.
"Uh. Jaina?" Jag's disembodied voice called.
"Just a minute," she hollered. She dug until she found a pair of comfortable casual pants, then quickly slipped them on.
"I don't have much time between meetings."
"Okay. One sec." Jaina snatched a sleeveless top and shrugged it on, too. Then she jogged back into the main room. "Better."
Jag's smile had returned to his usual composed state, and it stayed that way as he replied, "Not really."
He sounded deadly serious but she knew instinctively he wasn't, and she couldn't help but laugh. Just the sight of him was intoxicating. "Sorry."
"You are just as beautiful now," Jag insisted.
"I see the diplomatic skills are beginning to come naturally."
"There is only truth to my words, Jaina."
She grabbed the nearby chair and parked herself before his holoimage. She wanted to be as close to Jag as she could get. There was a sense of completion in the simplicity of proximity – even with his likeness. "I know," she answered while her hand rose up as if to touch his face. She sighed. "So things are going well?"
"Yes – except that I miss you…" Jaina shot him an inscrutable arch of the eyebrow, causing him to falter. Jag quickly regrouped. "Yes. This latest mission might be a bit sticky. I have met with the Achebians. I can only hope the Vikovans are more…agreeable. And your mission? I heard it went well."
"From who?"
"Your uncle. I talked to him earlier today. That is how I knew you would be back."
Jaina felt her brows furrow. "You were looking for me?"
"No. I wanted his input on a few matters. Your name came up in the course of the discussion –"
"My name just came up?" she asked playfully.
"Right." Jag's eyebrow twitched. It was the only sign he ever gave when he felt cornered.
"Right," Jaina repeated.
Jag's attention was drawn away momentarily, and Jaina noticed him wave off some unseen visitor. Focusing back on her, Jag inhaled sharply. "So I was wondering…I was thinking that since I am so close to Csilla that I might take a few days to visit my parents."
"That sounds like a good plan. I bet your parents would be thrilled to see you."
"They would. But they would be ten times so, if they were able to meet the woman that I love. So I was hoping was that you might want to come along with me."
A heavy silence filled the air before Jaina said, "Really?"
"Yes."
"I don't know what to say…"
"Say you will come."
Jaina fidgeted in her chair. "I don't know…I mean I'm not sure what the Council has planned for me yet. Uncle Luke didn't –"
"He told me you had no upcoming missions, that you had been working too hard. A short trip might be just the thing right –"
"Wait a minute. You talked to Uncle Luke about my assignments?"
"Not exactly," Jag hedged.
"What, then, exactly?"
Jag ground his jaw for a moment. "I mentioned the possibility of taking you to Csilla…" Jag took a deep breath, and his expression softened. "Listen, Jaina. I am sorry if I overstepped my bounds with your uncle. My intention was never to upset you. I just miss you – a lot. And I was excited about the possibility of spending some time with you."
Jaina stood and took a few steps away. When she turned back to the holo, she crossed her arms over her chest. She found it difficult to meet Jag's earnest gaze.
"Jaina?"
She had no choice then; Jaina looked up. "Yes?"
"I don't have much more time before my next meeting. Will you go home with me?"
Jaina glanced away, and back. "I don't know, Jag. I just don't know if I can."
Can't or won't? Jaina felt the words as if they had been said, but Jag had merely stared her down. Perhaps it had been her own guilt speaking.
"You know, I've had a long trip," she said quickly. "Probably the thought of travel just seems uninviting. How about I sleep on it, and get back to you tomorrow?"
Jag tried, but he wasn't very good at faking a smile. "Certainly. Take whatever time you need."
"So we'll talk tomorrow?" Jaina eased her arms to her sides.
"Of course. I will look forward to your comm."
"Okay."
"Goodbye, Jaina."
"Goodbye. I -" Just as Jag flickered out of existence, Jaina finished, "- love you."