CHAPTER FOUR

Jacen Solo leaned back in his chair and looked across the small wooden table at his uncle.

"We must unlearn what we have learned," Luke Skywalker said. The small smile that always crossed his face when he remembered Master Yoda made its appearance. "We have to think about this situation from a new angle. Break through the preconceptions that limit us."

Jacen nodded. Even a year later he still found it hard to believe that all along Shimrra had been Onimi's puppet, not the other way around. "Jedi can always make a contribution. We just have to figure out how."

"Exactly."

"If the Achebians carry out their threat of an invasion, thousands of innocent people will die. We can't allow that to happen."

"I know." Luke crossed his arms over his chest. "But negotiations appear to have failed. Sending a few Jedi wouldn't add any worthwhile intimidation to what Jag already had at his disposal."

"True. A couple of Jedi Knights can't repel an invasion army."

For a long moment the two of them sat in silence, contemplating the swirling currents of the Force and Jag's forlorn request for Jedi assistance to supplement the meager military backup the Galactic Alliance had been able to offer him.

"I've got it," Jacen finally said.

Luke smiled, and sat forward to listen.

"We've been focusing on compensating for the weaknesses." Jacen leaned forward too, and propped his elbows on the table. "Vikova's army is outmatched, and two frigates and one battalion are all the Alliance can get there in time. Maybe we should focus on bolstering the strengths –"

"Like Jag's squadron."

"Exactly."

"A few Jedi on the ground might not make a difference against an army – but a few pilots could turn the tide above."

Jacen flashed his uncle the trademark Solo smirk. "Something you've done once or twice yourself, if the legends are true."

"Possibly." Luke clasped his hands in front of him on the table. "You're right, Jacen. A team of Jedi pilots could very well make the difference."

Jacen tipped his head. "Thanks."

"It's your idea," Luke said. "You should lead the team."

"Me?"

Now Luke was the one grinning impishly. "Sure. Why not?"

"No. Not me." Jacen scowled. "I'm not that good a pilot."

"Don't let your father hear you say that. It would kill him."

"You'd be right, except that I was born at the same time as daddy's little girl."

"True. It's easy to forget your shortcomings in the cockpit with Jaina lighting up the skies."

"There are some advantages to being a twin. Jaina should lead the team."

"Jaina? You're sure?"

"Yes." Jacen ran a hand through his hair. "This is the kind of mission she craves."

"It is. But she's working herself too hard lately. You know that. I was just telling Jag she needs to slow down a little. She needs to relax."

"She does. But this is my sister – and your sister's daughter – we're talking about. What better way to get her to relax than to let her do what she loves, and let her see Jag again while she's at it?"

His uncle gazed off thoughtfully across the room for a few heartbeats. "I suppose you're right about that too."

"Of course I am."

Luke laughed. "Don't let it go to your head."

"I won't."

"While we're on the topic of your sister and Jag, what's going on with them?"

"Actually," Jacen said, "I've been meaning to talk to you about that."

"Oh?"

"Yes." Jacen took a deep breath, and sighed. "She loves him. I don't doubt that at all."

"I didn't expect you would. So what's the problem?"

"She won't commit to him. Really be with him."

Luke smiled warmly. "She's young, Jacen. There's no rush."

Jacen chuckled. "Oh, I know. Look at me."

"True."

"It's not that, though. It's almost like she's blocked herself from even thinking about the idea of commitment. She won't let herself see how right being with him is – how much peace she could find if she'd stop holding back from him."

"I see," Luke said. "She's afraid."

"I think so, yes."

"Of what?"

"I'm not sure." Jacen sighed again. "She told me that after Anakin died, while I was with Vergere, there was a time when she was convinced that everyone she loved was going to die. That she was going to die too, for that matter. If she was still feeling that way, she might hold back from Jag to spare him from that fate."

"She's past those emotions, though."

"Yes, she is."

"So it must be something else." Luke frowned. "I hope it's not because of what I said to her at the Knighting ceremony on Mon Calamari."

"You mean the Sword of the Jedi thing?"

"Yes."

Jacen shook his head. "Don't worry about it. She got over that a long time ago. She's certainly proven herself as a warrior and a Jedi since then, don't you think?"

"Absolutely," his uncle said. "And she's steered well clear of the dark side as well. It's not always an easy balance to find, but she has found hers."

"Yes, she has. Better than I've found mine."

Luke reached out and squeezed Jacen's shoulder. "Don't be so tough on yourself."

"Sorry," Jacen said. "I can understand why she spent some time away from Jag last year, when the war finally ended. So much had happened in those five years. Chewie… Anakin… All that death and suffering…"

"She needed time to be herself, and discover who she had become after all she'd been through."

"Yes. Just like I did."

"And have you discovered who you've become?"

"No," Jacen said, shaking his head in consternation. "Not by a long shot."

Luke met his gaze. "Then maybe Jaina hasn't either."

"Maybe." Jacen shrugged. "But I don't have someone in my life like she does. I don't have a love like that. When I see Jaina and Jag together I feel… something in the Force. Brightness. Light. Hope for the future. I can't describe it. But when I see Jaina alone… it's not there. It's gone."

"I've sensed that too, on occasion. I'm sure it's much clearer for you."

"Probably," Jacen said. "Even without the Force it's obvious, though. You've seen them when they're together. It's like watching my parents. Or you and Aunt Mara."

"I can't argue with that." Then Luke laughed. "Although we've never been… observed in the engine room of a starcruiser."

Jacen laughed too. "I don't think I'll ever feel the need to outdo Jaina on that one."

"Besides, you'd remember to lock the door."

"Right." Jacen took a deep breath. "We've got to make her come to her senses. I won't let her throw away what she has with Jag. I just won't."

"All right… I'll ask Mara to speak with her. Maybe Jaina will open up to another woman."

"It's worth a try."

"Who knows? With all Mara had to overcome before she could accept that she was ready to commit to me, maybe she can reach Jaina in a way you or I can't."

"I wouldn't put it quite that way to her, though."

Luke grinned. "Oh, I don't plan to."

Jacen stood up from his chair. "Thanks, Uncle Luke. You won't regret this."

"You're welcome, Jacen."

"And someday soon, Jaina will thank you too."

"You think so?"

"I do." Jacen nodded decisively. "Yes, I do. Could be we're worrying about all this for nothing. Maybe when she gets to Vikova and sees Jag again, that will be all it takes for Jaina to see how she's gone wrong."

Luke stood too, and held out his hands. "I think, Jacen, that this is one of those times when we can't rely on the Force to be with us. I think we just need a little Solo luck."

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