See prologue for disclaimer.
Well, here's the next installment for anyone who is interested. I hope everyone likes the story so far. Please review. Any comments would be a great help.
CHAPTER 3
Jacen and Anakin had both decided that it was time to go. It was time to get Jaina back. Jacen, Anakin, and Tenel Ka would all go together on the Rock Dragon.
"Okay," Jacen said. "Just let me check my messages, and we can leave. Is everything clear with the folks?" Tenel Ka showed him the note she had written to Han, Leia, Luke and Mara, which very reassuringly said nothing at all relevant, without exactly lying either—it showed her Hapan breeding as few things did. The brothers quickly signed their names at the bottom.
Anakin flagged down a passing messenger droid and instructed it to deliver the flimsy to his mother, while Jacen downloaded his unheard messages from his comlink to his datapad, where he could read them as text on the way. After a second, a message flashed at him:
Message Complete
And then:
You have three new messages:
1.Lightning_Rod—Zekk==="Sorry"
2.Dathomir—Miri_Solo==="Jacen_I_have_been_"
3.2122100thx1138303—(none)===DEFAULTMESSAGE/LOC
Curious, Jacen got onto the ship and buckled in, then began to read the first message, the one from Zekk.
Sorry. I'm sorry, Jacen. Sithspit, I'm so sorry. I wish I could change things. If I could change one thing it would be this most definitely. Jacen, I wonder if you can ever forgive me. I've killed Jaina. I know it. It was in the Alderaan field and a TIE was there…waiting for us. I tried to just cripple the ship but it was knocked back into an asteroid. I felt Jaina, just at the last second…and then it exploded. I'm sorry, Jacen. She's dead. I think Maya knows too, although I haven't told the girls anything. Maybe she felt it too, I don't know. Please don't hate me; I didn't want this to happen. God, I didn't. We will be coming back to Coruscant soon. You can kill me if you want.end
Jacen stared at the message for a while, then read it again. "Call it off," he said to his brother and his wife. "We're not going after all. Jaina really is dead this time."
Giving him a look filled with confusion, Tenel Ka cut off the engines. "What?" she said in a voice even more emotionless than usual. "What are you talking about, my Jacen?" Wordlessly, he handed the datapad over for the others to read.
"Zekk," Anakin whispered. "Son of a—I hope he's serious about that last part, because I sure am going to kill him when he gets back here." Tenel Ka laid her hand on the young man's shoulder.
"Perhaps you should read it again," she said gently. "Zekk is truly hurting. You know quite well how much he loved your sister. He would never have caused this. Zekk is not to blame."
"I'll blame whoever I damn well please," Anakin informed her. "Hey, there's a message from Miri. At least I know she's still alive." His voice dripped with bitterness. Numbly, Jacen took back his datapad and accessed the message from his sister-in-law.
Jacen, I have been trying for two days to reach Anakin. If I know him, he's lost his comlink or forgotten to turn it on. You must come to Dathomir quickly. Something awful has happened. Jaina came here in a TIE fighter. She knocked me out, along with three Clanswomen. She took the children—Corrie, Jad, Lei, Kiri and Kassy. She didn't know me when I spoke to her. What is going on, Jacen? I'm so scared. What if something happened? What if the children are hurt? I don't think Jaina would hurt them, but I didn't think she would try to kill three witches and me. How did she get here? Where has she been? Please come soon.end
"They couldn't have been in the TIE with her, could they?" Tenel Ka asked, her worry for her daughters, nephews, and niece showing.
"No!" Anakin said forcefully. "She dropped them somewhere. We just have to figure out where. Let's go." Everyone strapped in, and the Rock Dragon rose into the air. It was a long time before Jacen remembered the third message.
*
What's wrong, Maya?" Destiny asked.
"I'm just sad," Maya replied.
"Need a hug?" Aurora asked. Tears misting in the corners of her eyes, she nodded.
"Blow your nose," Destiny suggested, holding out a tissue. With a little laugh, Maya took it. She made a big show out of blowing her nose, much to the twins' amusement. Then she just sat there, with both of her little sisters sitting on her lap.
"Do you guys want to hear a story?" Maya asked.
"Yeah!" they said, nodding enthusiastically.
"Well, this is about a lady named Jaya. Jaya was the most wonderful person you could ever meet, and she was the best pilot in the whole galaxy, plus she was a Jedi Knight. Jaya went on many adventures along with her friends, and fought bad people starting when she was only a little older than you…"
*
Nova heard Lord Elbow-head's voice come on over the comm that went all over the ship.
"Lady Nova, to my office."
Why didn't he call in her head? And why did he call her Lady? Nova got up and trotted down to Lord Elbow-head's office. She had been alone anyway, since Luc was somewhere playing with his practice saber.
When she got in the door, she saluted and said, "Long live the Empire," just like she was supposed to.
"Nova, something unexpected has happened," he told her, getting right to the point. "Lady Misery's TIE fighter has gone offline. She won't be coming back to us. You now hold her position, though you won't have all of her duties until you're a bit older. You'll have to step up your training a bit. No more waiting for your little twin. And it's time I told you something of your history. Speak of this to no one, not even Luc. Some of it he already knows; the rest he must not learn until after my death."
"Yes, sir," Nova said, unable to imagine Lord Elbakni dead.
"Nova, you are my daughter. Only you, myself, and your brother now know this, and I doubt that Luc remembers. Two great bloodlines converge in the two of you. Your mother was the granddaughter of Darth Vader, the great and feared Dark Knight of the Sith. I, your father, carry an even greater pedigree—I am the son of the seventh clone of Darth Sidious. Do you know what that means?" She didn't. "Nova, you carry the blood of the Emperor himself."
*
On Alderaan-A, the largest of the Alderaan asteroids, two young women were supervising the mining droids. Although there was enough atmosphere for sound to carry, it was hard to be understood through breathmasks, so both women were also wearing microphones and speakers so that they could still talk.
"Do you see something out there, Anja?" the blond woman asked.
"Where?" asked the other, her dark- honey-streaked hair floating out behind her in the low gravity as she turned.
"There," the first insisted, pointing.
"Tahiri, you've been out here too long. I think you're imagining things, farm girl." She was teasing, of course. She knew perfectly well that a Jedi did not imagine things. "There is something out there," she remarked in surprise as she saw some light glint off something metallic. "Wonder what it is?"
"There's someone alive in there," Tahiri told her. Anja didn't question. She just got into the retrieval vessel they had on hand in case something managed to escape the tiny gravity well of AA. Coming closer, she could see that it was a rectangular box, big enough for a person to fit inside. She shivered. It reminded her of a coffin.
Using the retriever's metal claw, Anja towed the thing back to AA. Then she and Tahiri took a good look at it.
"Quantum armour," Tahiri said, tapping on the box. "Whoever this is was either paranoid or desperate. Whoever it is, they're still alive. Probably in suspended animation of some kind. Let's get this thing inside and see if we can get it opened up." The two of them took the box to the medical station.
"I don't see any controls," Anja remarked.
"They must be inside," Tahiri said.
"That wouldn't do any good," Anja protested. Tahiri lifted her hand.
"I'm going to look." Anja was skeptical, but nevertheless, a few seconds later, a crack appeared, then part of the box lifted off. They could see the inside of a cockpit. It looked like a TIE, but it was badly damaged, and hard to tell. A small brown-haired woman, dressed entirely in black, lay unconscious inside. At first, Anja didn't recognise her. Then she opened her eyes, the colour of Corellian brandy.
Jaina Solo.
*
Lady Misery opened her eyes, and two women swam into focus.
"I r'member you," she murmured, her words slurring.
"JAINA?" one of the women said, too loud. The word echoed. She waved her hand in front of Misery's face. "HOW MANY FINGERS AM I HOLDING UP?" It moved to fast for Misery to count. It looked like a lot. She wondered if that was good or bad.
"I THINK SHE HAS HEAD INJURIES," the blond girl said.
*
"Jaina, does your head hurt?" Anja asked, but Jaina was already unconscious again.
"How do you know her?" Tahiri asked.
"I trained with her and her brother on Yavin 4 about…Nine years ago, I guess," Anja replied.
"I didn't know that," Tahiri said. "Her little brother is my best friend."
"No kidding? I guess we've got something in common. Besides our boss, that is."
Tahiri smiled. "The Force works in mysterious ways. Now, let's check her for a concussion first. Didn't I hear on the news that she was missing?"
*
Zekk put in the landing codes for Coruscant and went to wake up the girls. Maya was on the top bunk, curled up in a ball. The twins had both managed to stay on the bottom, though she floor had claimed their blanket and they hugged each other for warmth. They're so peaceful when they're sleeping. Too bad they're not like that when they're awake. He tried to push away the memories of his kids sleeping in that bed.
"Maya, wake up," he said, tickling her feet. He jerked back as she kicked at him. "Maya!" She opened her eyes.
"Leave me alone!" she said, realizing who he was. She turned to face the wall.
"We're landing on Coruscant in a few minutes," he said, ignoring her harshness. "Wake your sisters." He turned and left the room.
*
Luc knocked very timidly on the door to Lord Elbakni's office, certain he would die the moment his Master opened the door.
He didn't.
"What is it, Luc?" Lord Elbakni asked, stepping back to let the boy into the room. Luc felt himself shaking and tried to hold still. Nova wouldn't be shaking. She would be brave. He remembered what Lady Misery had taught him, and said to the Force around him, Please make me brave. It helped a little.
"Lord Elbakani, sir," he said, "my sister told me that Lady Misery is gone."
"Did she tell you anything else?" Lord Elbakni asked, looking angry for just a second and then going still again.
"No, sir," Luc said. He tried to remember what Nova had told him. "I just wanted to ask you, sir, where did she go?"
*
"Let me out, let me out, let me OUT!" Kirinna screamed, banging on the wall. She was still in this stupid cell, and she hated it, and she hated the Empire, and she especially, especially hated Master El-butt-head. "Let me out of this room right now or I'll get really mad!" To her surprise, the door opened. A little girl about her own age was standing there.
"Shhh," said the other girl. "I'm Nova. Are you one of the ones Lady Misery brought back?"
"Lady who?" Kirinna asked, wondering if she could get past the other girl and get away. Maybe she could, but she didn't know where to go after that.
"Lady Misery; she was my teacher." Nova paused, thinking. "Are you a…Skywalker?"
"I'm Kirinna Djo-Solo," she said. "My Uncle Luke's last name is Skywalker."
"Good enough," Nova said. "Who else came with you?"
*
"Thank you, Lord Elbakani," Luc said. He hadn't learned anything he didn't know before…but he thought Nova must be ready by now. "I'm going to practice with Nova now."
After Luc left the office, he wandered along on a path that would take him to the hangar bay.
*
"Is this everybody?" Nova asked, wanting to be sure. There were six–Kirinna, Kassy, Lei, Jad, Corrie, and herself. Counting Luc, that made seven. The TIE fighters, which were the only ships in the hangar, were just big enough to fit them all.
"It's everybody," Kirinna confirmed. Corrie was trying without luck to program the navicomputer. "Don't you know how to work that?"
"Of course," he lied.
"If you want help, my mommy told me how to make it take me to Dathomir," Kirinna supplied.
"Do it, Kirinna," Nova said, seeing that Corrie was about to decline. They didn't have much time.
Luc was coming; she saw him in the doorway.
"Are we ready?" he asked, running the rest of the way to her. Nova nodded and helped him climb up into the cockpit with the others. Luc reached down to help his sister up, then froze.
"So." Nova whirled around. Lord Elbakni was there behind her. He must have followed Luc. Lord Elbakni grabbed Nova's shoulders, making her cry out in pain. "You children seem to think you're leaving. Why?"
"Because we don't like you, Lord Elbow-head," Nova said, drawing a gasp from the other children.
"You misunderstand me," he said, lifting her off the ground and tucking her under one arm, where she quickly found that no amount of struggling would make him let go. "Whatever gave you the idea that I would let you leave?"
Inside the cockpit of the TIE, Corrie's attention was drawn by a red button. He poked Kirinna, drew her gaze to the button, then glanced at Luc. She nodded slightly.
"What gave you the idea that you could stop us?" Corrie asked, and he hit the red button at the same time Kirinna pulled Luc inside the cockpit, which then sealed itself around them.
"What are you doing?" Luc shouted, pressing himself against the transparisteel to see Nova, still in Lord Elbakni's grip. He could still see her when the TIE began to move.
Lord Elbakni threw Nova to the floor, raising up his hands, and the TIE fighter slowed and then stopped. Nova stood up, turned on her practice saber, and hit Lord Elbakni in the knee with it. He was distracted just long enough for the TIE fighter to slip out of his Force-grip and pull away from the star destroyer. The last thing Luc saw was Nova, running away from Lord Elbakni, before they went into hyperspace.
*
Mara Jade Skywalker was meditating in her room when she heard a noise in the other room. Getting up to investigate, she opened the door to a sight she hadn't seen in too long.
"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" Three little girls were all jumping up and down, scrambling for Luke's attention.
"My girls!" Mara cried. "What are you doing here?"
"Zekk brought us," Aurie said, stating the obvious. "He had to talk to Jasa."
"Jacen isn't here," Mara said gently. "Maybe you heard wrong."
"We didn't hear wrong," Maya informed her mother. "Zekk said Jacen. We all heard him. Anyway, we didn't know he wasn't here till now."
"Watch your tone," Luke said gently, but Maya knew he was serious. Being attention-grabbing almost-five-year-olds, the twins both ran over to Mara and started pulling on her sleeves.
"Mommy, Des fell off the bed again," Aurie said in her tattletale voice.
"It wasn't my fault," Destiny protested.
"Well, you still did it," Aurora said.
"Hush, Aurora, she didn't mean to," Mara said, kneeling to give her children hugs.
"Hey, Mommy, know what tomorrow it?" Destiny asked.
"No, honey, what's tomorrow?" Mara asked in mock bewilderment.
"Mommy!" Aurie exclaimed. Mara glanced up at Luke with a smile.
"Do you know what tomorrow is?" she asked him.
"No, I have no idea," he said, trying not to laugh.
"DADDY!" Destiny shrieked. Maya glared at them all.
"Don't you know anything? It's their birthday, duh! It's not like they let anybody forget it. Some parents you are!"
"It was a joke, honey," Luke said.
"Oh yeah, great joke. See me laughing?" Maya retorted.
"Maya Jain, don't get smart," Mara reprimanded.
"What do you want me to get? Stupid?" she asked sarcastically.
"Young lady, what is wrong with you?"
"Nothing! Leave me alone!" Maya stomped angrily out the door.
"Where are you going?" Mara called.
"Nowhere!"
*
Anakin was thinking about Miri. They were almost to Dathomir now. He hoped she was okay. And the kids…wherever they were. He was so confused. He didn't even know who he was mad at anymore. Just that he was, very mad. Jacen and Tenel Ka had sensed this and mostly left him alone on the trip. Somehow, that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted someone to push him, so he would have a reason to let go.
"Threepio's never around when you need him," he muttered.
"What?" Jacen asked. Anakin shook his head.
"Nothing."
"We are about to enter realspace," Tenel Ka informed them. Anakin looked out the viewport just as the planet appeared. He felt Miri, and for the first time in quite a while, he realised just how much he had missed her. Then, he felt something else. He wasn't quite sure, but it felt familiar. In the pilot seat, Tenel Ka was sitting stiffly, staring at Dathomir. Anakin guessed she must have been homesick. He always felt strange when he returned to Yavin 4 or Coruscant after a long time away. Jacen was staring off into space. He almost looked like he did whenever he was trying to get an animal to come to him.
After a second, the three of them seemed to shake themselves awake, and the Rock Dragon began to descend into the atmosphere.
*
Miri stood on the planet, looking up. She had not felt Anakin the instant they were in the same system, as he had, but she still knew he was there. He was coming. She needed him to be there, and make things all right.
Since Tenel Ka was the Princess-Regent of Dathomir, and Miri and her children were family, they had been welcomed by the Singing Falls Clan. Miri felt that it was partly her fault that three of the Clanswomen had been so badly injured. After all, if she and her little ones had just stayed at the Academy, or gone with Anakin to Coruscant, it might not have happened. And maybe she could have helped Jaina. She had already gotten the news that her sister-in-law was dead. She just knew something else was going to happen soon.
As the Rock Dragon landed, Miri raced out to meet it. She was stopped by a Clan-sister by the name of Kaight.
"Sister Miri," she said, addressing Miri in the way that said that something urgent was going on. "The princess is on her way. We have sensed it."
"I know," Miri told her. "She's here already. There's the Rock Dragon."
"No," Kaight said with a shake of her head. "The other princess. The heir, Kirinna. And Kasaia, the heir to Hapes. Possibly your children as well; there are more than two, but we cannot recognise them."
Just as Jacen, Anakin, and Tenel Ka emerged from the ship, Miri gave a whoop and, seeing them, ran to Anakin, jumped into his arms, grabbed his head and pulled it close to hers for a long kiss that left them both panting.
"I missed you too," Anakin said, confused at her unusual display of affection, but not complaining.
"Anakin, the kids are back!" she cried. "All of them," she said, turning to Jacen and Tenel Ka. "Well, they only know that Kassy and Kiri are here, but the others might be too!"
"Where are they?" Tenel Ka asked breathlessly, dropping her usual calm at the excitement of having her daughters back before she actually had a chance to see them missing.
"They are coming in a ship," Kaight said, catching up to them. "That is all we know."
"How would they know how to get here?" Jacen wondered. "None of them can actually fly, can they?"
"They don't need to fly if they know the coordinates. All they had to do was put them into the navicomputer," Tenel Ka replied.
"Where would they get the coordinates?" Anakin asked. Tenel Ka didn't answer.
"There is only one problem. I am not certain that they can land a ship. That is more difficult than putting numbers in a computer," she said instead.
"That's not a problem," Anakin said. "We can bring the ship in from down here, using the Force."
"Can you do that?" Miri wondered. "I mean, you can lift rocks, but a ship?"
"Size matters not," Anakin quoted. "We just have to figure out where it's coming from."
"We already know," Kaight told him, guiding their minds to the spot where the children's presence was strongest. To the Dathomiri, only the two princesses stood out, but Anakin felt them all: Corrie, Jadrek, Lei, Kirinna, Kasaia, and one other. It was just a minute before even Miri could see the glint in the sky. She could tell it was coming down way too fast.
Jacen, Anakin, Tenel Ka, and Kaight joined hands to form a circle. Kaight began to whisper a spell while the others simply reached up. Wishing again that she was a Jedi, Miri prayed.
*
When they came out of hyperspace, Corrie was very surprised to see Dathomir. Maybe Kirinna was smarter than he thought.
"Aren't we going kind of fast?" Luc asked. Corrie looked out the window. He was right.
"Okay, Kirinna, you know how to land this thing, right?" he said nervously.
"Ummm…" she said.
"Oh, no. We're about to die, aren't we?" The TIE ship hit the air and started bouncing around. Corrie held onto Lei so she wouldn't get hurt. They all screamed at the top of their lungs. All of a sudden, there was a big loud crunch, and they stopped bouncing. Corrie looked out the window. They were still above the ground, but they were going down slower.
"Did you fix it?" Luc asked.
"Not me," Corrie said.
"Me either," Kirinna added. Lei, Kassy, and Jad were all crying still. Corrie wondered what was going on. They were almost on the ground now. He could see people. He saw his mom and dad, Uncle Jacen, Tenel Ka, and one of the witch ladies.
"They're the ones that fixed it!" he yelled. Luc and Kirinna looked out the window.
"Mommy!" Kirinna cried.
"Are those your parents?" Luc asked. With a huge grin, Corrie nodded. Things were going to be all right now.
*
"Why are they in a TIE fighter?" Miri was the first to ask.
"Does it really matter?" Anakin asked as it settled down gently on the ground. After a minute (it must have taken them a while to figure out how to get the door open) all the kids came out. First Kirinna ran to Tenel Ka, followed by Kassy, who ran to Jacen. Then Jad came, and Corrie, who was carrying Lei. Miri scooped them up in a big hug. Anakin darted back and forth from his daughter and sons to his nieces. After a moment, though, he realised that another little boy was standing there too, hanging back shyly.
Hair just a shade lighter than black, and his mother's brandy-brown eyes. Anakin was the first to recognise his sister's little boy. Gradually, the others did as well.
"Luc?" Jacen asked in a shocked voice. Solemnly, the boy nodded. "Is Nova here, too?" Biting his lip, Luc slowly shook his head. "Where is she?" Jacen's voice was overly calm and patient.
"Nova is on the star destroyer with Lord Elbakani," Luc said, the first words they had heard from him. "I want you to go save her now." Anakin wasn't sure if he liked the way his nephew left no room for argument. He's four, he reminded himself. Four-year-olds ask, not order.
"Where is the star destroyer?" Miri asked. All the kids looked blank.
"Can't you look on the computer thing in the ship?" Corrie suggested.
"That's my smart boy," Miri said, patting him on the head. "I'll take the kids back to the village. They're probably going to need to rest for a while. You guys find out where that TIE came from, if you can."
"I will help you," Tenel Ka said, picking up her younger daughter. Miri, of course, carried Lei, who wasn't walking yet. Kirinna, Corrie and Jad all followed behind them. Luc hesitated a moment before he followed, too.
*
Lady Misery opened her eyes again to find that she no longer had a headache. She was looking through liquid. Bacta, she realised after a minute. What happened? The bacta drained out of the tank, and she was lifted out.
"You don't know how lucky you are that we found you," said a man that she might have seen before, somewhere. He handed her some clothes, then turned away respectfully while she changed from the tank-bandages. The clothes weren't hers, but they would do.
"What happened?" she asked, voicing the only thing she had been thinking since she woke up.
"That's what we'd like to know," the man said, turning around once she was dressed. "First you disappear into thin air, then, weeks later, Anja and Tahiri find you floating in the Alderaan field, in a quantum armoured TIE cockpit. I mean, quantum armour, Jaina? Where did you get that? And why just the cockpit? And while we're at it, why a TIE?"
"Not this Jaina business again," Misery said. "Who are you, anyway?" The man stared at her a long time before he said,
"I'm going to call your family and tell them you're all right. I'll be right back."
"Wait!" Misery cried. "Um, call my brother. Jacen. Just—just Jacen. Okay?"
"Okay, kid, sure," Lando (Is that his name then?) told her.
*
Maya wanted to bring Jaya back.
But that was impossible, so she would do the next best thing.
She would get revenge. She would make sure she was in the right place when the person responsible showed up.
Not Zekk; he was really just protecting himself, the twins, and her. She was still mad at him though. No, she would get the person who took Jaina and made her bad. She would get that person if it was the last thing she ever did. She even had a plan.
She knew that she could never, ever let anyone get away with doing something so horrible, twisted, and mean.
Especially to Jaya.
*
Jacen checked his comlink for messages.
"Your comlink has been set to: auto-text mode," it informed him. No wonder he hadn't been getting anything. He opened his datapad.
You have two new messages and one old message.
1.Lightning_Rod—-Zekk==="Jacen_this_is_Zekk"
2.Alderaan_Field—Lando_Calrissian==="Jacen_do_you_know_"
~old message~
3.2122100thx1138303—(none)===DEFAULTMESSAGE/LOC
Jacen barely skimmed the first message.
Jacen, this is Zekk. I'm coming to Dathomir. Will you please not leave it just yet? I really want to talk to you. Oh, got to go.end
He was quite a bit more interested in the second one.
Jacen, do you know where your sister is? I'll spare you the suspense and tell you. She's here. We found her floating out in the field. We think she's amnesiac. Call me and tell me where you are and I'll come and drop her off. I'll bring Anja and Tahiri, too. I think they can handle a day off work. Call me.end
Jacen dropped the datapad. Then, resisting the urge to run screaming out of the Rock Dragon, he accessed the third message. At first, he didn't pay much attention. Then the fourth word caught his eye, and he read it again. Twice.
Jacen, this is Jaina. I'm sending this message specifically to you, but it's really for everybody. I don't know how much I can say before I get caught, so I'll make this brief. Kanyen is insane. I'm afraid he will kill me and the children. I wish I had never left Zekk. Tell him that I love him. My diary is here on Kanyen's star destroyer. If I don't get out of this, read it. Especially the last page. There is something very important there. I have messed with someone's mind here on the ship. I don't know who it is but tomorrow I may owe my life and the children's to his weak mind. Through him, I have modified one of the TIE fighters here. The cockpit is now protected by quantum armour, and you wouldn't believe how hard that was to make. Tomorrow I will take the children out in it. Kanyen will try to shoot us down, and he'll think we're dead but we won't be. You will have to come and pick us up. I might only be able to get the twins out there. If that is the case then Jacen, I want you to know I love you all so much...Jacen, follow the coordinates that are transmitted with this message. I have to go.
Who are you talking to in there?
Please help me, Jacen.end
*