17.
The starlines collapsed and Mandalore rushed into view. Jaina immediately noticed two things: The first was that her homeworld looked exactly the same as it did when she'd left it. And the second one, which sent a chill up her spine, was the two Star Destroyers parked in orbit in front of them. Bo-Katan's warning had been correct, and she silently hoped they wouldn't have to blast their way around them.
Emry had told her General Syndulla was one of the best pilots the Rebellion had, but Jaina didn't feel the need to learn that for herself firsthand. She kept her eyes on the destroyers as she listened to the general and Sabine quietly discuss options if the Empire decided to shoot first and ask questions later. Anxiety was dripping off of everyone, and Jaina held her breath as one of the destroyers finally hailed them.
She glanced at Ahsoka, who was sitting beside her. Her face may not have shown any worry, but Jaina could feel it flowing off of her, the same as the others. Their worry was unwarranted, however, as the destroyer allowed them to pass without even asking to see any clearance codes. General Syndulla and Sabine exchanged stunned looks, and Jaina wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that the Empire had their hands full combatting the attacks from her people on the planet below.
Regardless of the reason, she relaxed slightly as they entered the atmosphere and headed towards the coordinates Sabine's mother had provided. The same barren desert she'd grown to hate as a child stretched out before them, although now she was immensely glad to see it. After about an hour, she noticed a very large encampment looming ahead of them, settled against the side of a cliff.
General Syndulla set the ship down next to a bunch of starfighters and other ships that were parked in a makeshift landing area outside the camp. Suddenly very nervous, Jaina sat there and stared out the viewport instead of getting ready to go, like everyone else. She felt Ahsoka lay a hand on her shoulder, as the general and Sabine filed out past them.
"Let's go," she gently said.
Jaina took a steadying breath, then stood up and grabbed her things. They descended into the cargo hold, where everyone was waiting. She walked up beside Emry, who gently took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze as they started down the ramp. Jaina could see two figures clad in full armor coming to meet them. As they got closer, they removed their helmets, and Jaina immediately recognized them as Sabine's mother and Bo-Katan.
They all seemed to know one another—well besides Emry, but Sabine quickly made those introductions. It made Jaina feel even more uncomfortable than she already was. She inched closer to Ahsoka, who had hung back a little from the rest of the group, leaning on her master's calm and confident presence.
Bo-Katan finally noticed the two of them and walked over, a small smile playing on her lips. She looked Jaina up and down, and Jaina saw the flash of surprise cross her face as she noticed her lightsaber. She gazed at it for a moment, before looking back up at both of them.
"The last I'd heard," she calmly told Ahsoka, "was that you were dead." She extended her hand. "It's good to see that's not true."
"The Empire has certainly tried," Ahsoka replied, grasping Bo-Katan's arm. She quickly glanced down at Jaina before adding, "they won't stop until we're all dead. Which is, of course, why we're here."
"Yes, I heard about the other two," Bo-Katan said solemnly, releasing Ahsoka's arm. "I didn't know them well, but from the little I did see, I could tell they were great warriors." She inclined her head slightly. "I'm sorry."
Ahsoka inclined her head in return. "And I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your warriors."
"Such is the cost of war," Bo-Katan replied, and Ahsoka nodded. She finally turned her attention to Jaina but continued to speak to Ahsoka. "You once told me you were no longer a Jedi, but it appears as though you've taken my cousin on as your apprentice."
Jaina felt her face redden, and glanced at Ahsoka, wondering how she would respond. The two of them had already spoken at length about this a long time ago, and while they did consider themselves master and apprentice, neither wanted the title of Jedi. Jaina hadn't cared one way or the other, but Ahsoka had been adamant about it. And, after hearing about what the Jedi had done to her, Jaina couldn't blame her.
"You're correct," Ahsoka said, smiling, "on both accounts." Bo-Katan gave them both a curious look, then decided to let it go.
"Well, thank you for keeping her safe," she told Ahsoka, who inclined her head. She then extended her hand to Jaina. "And you…welcome home."
"Thank you," Jaina replied, shaking her hand. "I just wish it was under better circumstances."
"Yes, about that," Bo-Katan said, frowning. "Let's get you settled in, then I can fill you in on what we know so far." She turned and started walking back in the direction of the camp, and the rest of their group followed her.
As they made their way through the base, Jaina couldn't help but notice how many warriors there were, from all different clans including her own. And almost every single one stopped what they were doing and stared at the newcomers as they passed through. Jaina couldn't feel any hostility coming from any of them, but there was a certain air of wariness that surrounded all of them.
Bo-Katan showed them to two structures near the back of the camp. Both were set up as housing units; Sabine, Emry, and Jaina took one of them, while Ahsoka, General Syndulla, and Rex took the other. Bo-Katan and Sabine's mother waited while they stored their things, then led them to a large command center that was located in the center of the compound.
"Here's what we know," Bo-Katan said after they'd all gathered inside. She looked at Jaina.
"Your parents were leading a group that was on their way back from raiding an Imperial weapons depot near the capital when they were ambushed by an unknown number of Imperial forces." Jaina nodded. That fit so far with what she'd seen in her vision.
"As I said before," Bo-Katan continued, "based on the wreckage and bodies we found, we assumed everyone had been killed. Until the next day, when we received this." She keyed on the display, and an intense wave of anger tore through Jaina as she, once again, came face to face with the Inquisitor.
There were four prisoners total, two of which were her mother and father. All were being held at blaster point, and the Inquisitor's lightsaber was trained on her parents. Jaina gazed at them, noting with a small amount of pride, that they didn't appear to be afraid. Rather, they were glowering at the Inquisitor as she stood over them.
"I know about your daughter's little secret, and I know you're hiding her," the Inquisitor said to her parents. "So, I'll make you a deal." She turned and seemed to speak directly to Jaina.
"Turn yourself over to me, and they all go free. If you choose not to, or decide to try and free them yourself, well—" she gave a curt nod, and everyone jumped as one of the troopers fired a blaster bolt into the back of one of the prisoner's heads. "The choice is yours" were the Inquisitor's final words before the holo cut off.
White-hot anger boiled inside her. Everyone was quiet, their anger mixing with hers, feeding it. It was stronger, more powerful than it had been that day with Sabine, and she knew she was on the verge of losing control again. Ahsoka, sensing what was going on, stepped up behind her and placed her hands on her shoulders in an attempt to calm her. She stood there, shaking, struggling to find control as Bo-Katan finally spoke.
"We've received no other messages since, indicating where they might be, or how you're supposed to turn yourself in," she said quietly. "For obvious reasons, we haven't launched any attacks in an attempt to find them, but we do have our spies working day and night to try and find any information they can."
"How do we know they're still alive?" General Syndulla asked, saying aloud what everyone else was thinking. "What's to say she didn't just immediately kill them and only wants us to think they're still alive, so we'll give her what she wants? This is the Empire we're talking about."
"We don't know that," Bo-Katan conceded. "Right now, our best bet is to keep working to find out where they're located. Once we know that, we can figure out the best way to get them out safely, without actually giving Jaina over to them."
"All right," General Syndulla said. "Well, whatever you need from us, just let me know." Bo-Katan inclined her head, then turned to speak to Sabine's mother. Everyone else broke off into their own small discussions, and Jaina turned around and looked at her master.
"Go," Ahsoka told her. "Just stay close to the base." Jaina nodded once, and without saying a word to anyone, walked out the door.
She headed outside the large walls of the compound and around to the base of the cliff that towered over it. She walked alongside it for a while before finally finding a small alcove. Not sensing any other creatures inside, she crawled in.
It was dark, quiet, and peaceful inside, and she was completely hidden from anyone who might come looking for her. Her anger was still raging, and it took a long time before she could quiet her mind enough to settle into meditation.
The sky had darkened considerably once she finally crawled out of her hiding spot, but she felt much better. She slowly walked back to the entrance of the base, watching the sunset in the distance. As desolate and barren as it was, she realized there was a certain beauty to her homeworld. It would never look like Lothal, but it was and would always be home.
She wasn't all that surprised to see Emry waiting for her when she got back to their new, temporary, home. Sabine was nowhere to be found, and Jaina assumed she was spending time with her own family. Emry gave her a sympathetic look when she walked in, and Jaina quickly crossed the room and wrapped her arms around her. Emry held her tightly, and she instantly began to relax as Emry's presence enveloped her.
"Are you okay?" Emry asked after a while.
"I am now," Jaina replied, gently kissing her on the neck. She felt Emry shiver slightly and pulled back to look at her. "Sorry for disappearing like that. I needed to get away."
"I understand," Emry said. "Well, actually, I didn't until Sabine explained it to me." She cocked her head. "Did you really throw Sabine into a rock because you were mad?"
Jaina winced. "She told you about that, huh?" Emry slowly nodded, giving her a questioning look.
"That…was a very bad day," Jaina said, sighing. "I completely lost control, and unfortunately Sabine was on the other end of it." She shook her head. "I'm not sure what would've happened had Ahsoka not stepped in."
"Sabine said you disappeared for hours after that, too," Emry said. "She said you were gone all night." Jaina nodded. "Was it because you just needed to calm down, like today?"
"Basically," Jaina said. She thought for a moment. "When you get angry, like, really angry, what happens?"
Emry's face looked thoughtful for a second before she answered. "I guess I get like you. Close up and want to just get away for a while so I can calm down. And I've been known to throw or hit things from time to time," she added, chuckling.
"But you've never hurt anyone else, physically, from it, have you?" Jaina asked. "You've never felt completely out of control?"
"No," Emry said slowly. "There have been a few times where I've been so mad, I couldn't see straight, but I've never felt the urge to hurt anyone. Besides the Empire of course." She narrowed her eyes at Jaina. "Are you saying that's what happened to you with Sabine? And today?"
"I didn't intentionally hurt Sabine," Jaina replied quietly. "But I also couldn't control my actions that day. I feel emotions differently than you do. Because of my connection to the Force, they're amplified, and they influence that connection in both good ways and bad.
"When I let my anger control me that day, I felt more powerful than I ever have. And I lashed out, hurting Sabine in the process. And, if I'm being completely honest, it felt amazing. Even though I knew it was wrong, I didn't try to control it. I didn't want to."
She studied Emry's face as she spoke, looking for any signs of fear or revulsion, and was relieved to see there was none. Emry quietly listened to her talk, and Jaina could tell she was just trying to understand what she was hearing.
"But you did, eventually, right?" Emry said. "Control it, I mean." Jaina nodded. "So, what stopped you? Sabine said you were completely different after you came back the next morning."
"You mean, besides Ahsoka threatening me with her lightsabers?" Jaina said, smiling slightly. "You did."
"Me?" Emry asked in confusion. "How did I stop you?"
"The day we got to Lothal after we parted ways, Ahsoka and I went to the remnants of a Jedi temple. She had me meditate there, and…I had a vision. I'm not going to go into details, but you were in that vision. Somehow, amid all the anger and rage I had that day I hurt Sabine, the image of you from that vision worked its way into my head. And it forced me to stop, to regain control. And I haven't lost it since."
The emotion behind Emry's eyes as she studied Jaina's face was intense. Jaina held her gaze, waiting to see what her reaction would be. Finally, Emry reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind Jaina's ear, then pulled her head to her and kissed her. Jaina mentally breathed a sigh of relief, wrapped her arms around Emry again, and pulled her closer, forgetting for a moment where they were.
Neither one of them were aware the door had opened until someone loudly cleared their throat, startling them both. They quickly broke apart, Emry's eyes going wide as she saw who it was. Jaina turned around, the slight frustration she felt immediately turning to embarrassment when she realized it was Bo-Katan who had interrupted them.
"I thought I might speak with you for a bit," she said to Jaina, a hint of amusement on her face. She then looked pointedly at Emry, whose face was the same shade of red as Jaina's. Emry immediately got the hint and gave Jaina an apologetic look before hurrying out the door.
Bo-Katan chuckled as she watched her go. "You certainly are all grown up now," she said, turning back to Jaina. She motioned for her to sit in one of the chairs and Jaina complied. "The last time I saw you, you were, oh about, five or six years old I think," she mused, as she took a seat in one of the other chairs.
"I don't remember you," Jaina said, still embarrassed. "I'm sorry."
"No, I wouldn't expect you to," Bo-Katan replied. They sat quietly for a minute, and Jaina figured she might as well ask the question that had been bugging her since Sabine had first told her she had other family. She didn't know if she'd ever get the chance to ask her parents, so maybe her cousin could give her some answers.
"Honestly, I didn't know I had any family until Sabine told me," she said, studying Bo-Katan's face. She didn't look surprised. "Why did my parents keep you and the rest of them from me?"
Bo-Katan sighed and sat back in her chair, a sad look briefly crossing her face. "To keep you safe," she simply said.
"I don't understand," Jaina said, trying not to let her frustration creep into her voice. "Keep me safe from what?"
Bo-Katan sighed again. "Your mother and I have always been very close," she said. "We grew up together, trained together, fought alongside one another for many years." Jaina just looked at her, wondering what any of this had to do with answering her question.
"Her and your father were ecstatic when they had you," she continued, chuckling. "Right in the middle of a war no less. You were the center of their universe, and everything they did was for you. They couldn't wait for you to grow up so they could start training you to become a warrior, just like them." She chuckled again. "Your father even fashioned two toy blasters for you as soon as you were big enough to hold them."
Jaina sat back, stunned. There was no way the people she was describing could be her parents. At least, not the people she had known. Bo-Katan saw the look on her face and gave her a sympathetic one.
"Obviously, that didn't happen," she said quietly. "You know what happened to Mandalore at the end of the Clone War." Jaina nodded. Every child learned about those dark days.
"It was around that time, or shortly after, that you started to show signs that you were…different than the other children," she continued. "Your mother pulled me aside and confided in me what she thought was going on. So, I watched you while you were playing with her one day." She shook her head. "I'll never forget it.
"She was making you laugh, playing some silly game, when you suddenly stopped and got very serious, and asked her why she was so scared. I was shocked. She had been laughing right along with you, but somehow, you'd known she was scared, and not happy like she was pretending to be.
"She left me alone with you for a while after that, so you wouldn't see how upset she was. And when I watched you lift one of your toys without touching it, that's when I knew for sure."
Jaina just sat there, dumbfounded. Ahsoka had told her the Jedi had discovered her when she was three, and she would've been right around the same age as her master when she'd first shown signs as well. Except things for her had turned out vastly different.
"But at that point, there was nothing you could do about it," Jaina said softly. "The Jedi didn't exist anymore." It was all starting to make sense now.
"No, they didn't," Bo-Katan said sadly, shaking her head. "Not long after that incident, word got back to Mandalore about what had happened to the Jedi. No one else knew about you besides me but hearing about what happened to the Jedi rightfully terrified them.
"And when we learned the Empire was hunting down any surviving Jedi or Force-sensitives they could find, your parents took you and went into hiding. It was getting harder to hide your secret, and they didn't know who they could trust. All it would've taken was one person to accidentally see something and report you to the Empire, and they would've lost you. They weren't willing to take that chance."
Bo-Katan stopped and took a deep breath, then continued: "They cut themselves off from everyone except for me. I would stop by and check in on you occasionally, but eventually, even that became too dangerous." She sighed heavily. "After the visits stopped, it was years before I heard from them again."
Jaina stared at the ground. She finally had her answer, but the truth of it was almost more than she could bear. She'd always had a contentious relationship with her parents, especially the older she got, with most of the arguing and bickering centered around the fact that they never let her do anything. They'd had so many rules, and she felt as though they were smothering her. It's why she'd left home the first chance she got.
But now, after listening to what Bo-Katan had just told her, she realized they had just been trying to protect her. She suddenly felt terrible, for everything she'd done or said to them. All they had wanted was to keep her safe, and she had treated them horribly for it. Waves of guilt racked her as another realization hit her.
"They did all that…for me," Jaina said, trying to hold back tears, "and then I went and did the one thing they feared the most."
Bo-Katan gave her a pained look. "You couldn't have known," she said gently. "They tried to give you a normal life, as normal as they could. Telling you would've made things infinitely more complicated, for everyone."
Jaina hung her head in shame. She knew she was right, but it wasn't going to make her feel any better. "What happened? After I left?"
"They were devastated after you enrolled at the academy here, and reached out to me," Bo-Katan replied. "They knew it was only a matter of time before the Empire discovered your secret. They held out hope while you were still here, that maybe you'd decide it wasn't for you and come home, but then you left for Coruscant and it broke them.
"They waited and waited to hear from you, but eventually gave up and resigned themselves to the fact that you had been discovered and killed. They moved out of the capital and back in with the clan. Luckily, for them, war came once again, and they threw themselves into this fight.
"If I had known you were still alive, I would never have sent them on that raid in the first place," she continued, shaking her head angrily. "It was extremely dangerous and had a high chance of failure, which is exactly why they volunteered. I honestly don't think they cared if they lived or died anymore."
Jaina was too ashamed to look up while Bo-Katan talked, both at what she'd done and at the tears she could no longer hold back. The anger had returned, but this time the only person she was mad at was herself.
"We have to find them," Jaina said quietly. "They have to know I'm still alive."
"We will," Bo-Katan replied, with more conviction than Jaina felt. "But right now, I'd like to hear what you've been up to since you left Mandalore. I have a feeling it's, at the very least, an interesting story."
Jaina wiped away the tears and looked at her, wondering where she should even start. Before she could say a word, however, they heard shouting coming from outside in the compound. Bo-Katan was on her feet and out the door in an instant, Jaina right behind her. She followed her towards the commotion, seeing that a large crowd had started to gather near the entrance. They were yelling at someone or something, and Jaina could hear obscenities being thrown out in both Mando'a and Basic.
She pushed her way through the crowd and was finally able to see what all the fuss was about. Walking down the center of the now-formed gauntlet of warriors, was an Imperial officer, hands bound behind his back, and flanked on both sides by two members of her clan. He sneered at the crowd as he walked, clearly unafraid of the fact that he was all alone and surrounded by hostile warriors.
They walked him right up to Bo-Katan, who was now standing in front of one of the structures near the command center. Gone was the sympathy and warmth Jaina had just seen on her face; in its place was a cold, calculating look that sent a shiver up her spine. Bo-Katan stared at the prisoner for a moment, then nodded once, and Jaina watched as he was shoved inside the building behind her. Bo-Katan then turned and followed them inside.
The crowd slowly started to disperse, and Jaina cautiously made her way over to the building, hesitating for only a moment before stepping inside. It was larger than it looked, with multiple rooms branching off from the area just inside the door. She couldn't see the officer any more, but her cousin was standing off to the side, speaking to one of the warriors who'd brought him in.
Not wanting to interrupt, she stood there and waited for them to finish their conversation. She felt Ahsoka before she ever saw her, and a minute later her master had joined her, along with General Syndulla. Bo-Katan joined them once she finished her conversation, the other warrior disappearing into one of the rooms.
"Right before you got here, we'd received intel from our spies that he—" she motioned with her head behind her "—was directly involved with the attack that happened a few days ago. I've had a team out since then trying to locate him. Looks like they finally did."
Jaina felt her blood start to boil again. "So, what are you going to do with him?" she growled.
Bo-Katan gave her an evil smile. "What do you think?" She looked at Ahsoka and General Syndulla. "You are more than welcome to stay and watch if you'd like."
Ahsoka nodded, but General Syndulla shook her head. "That's okay," she said, then turned to Ahsoka. "Fill me in, in the morning?" Ahsoka nodded her head once in acknowledgment, and the general left them.
Bo-Katan turned around and began walking towards one of the rooms. A thought suddenly occurred to Jaina and she started forward, hoping to catch her cousin before they got started. However, Ahsoka caught her arm, stopping her in her tracks. Jaina whipped around, pulling her arm out of Ahsoka's grasp.
"You know I can get the information out of him right now," she hissed at her master.
"Yes, but you're not completely in control right now, are you?" Ahsoka retorted. She crossed her arms and gave her apprentice a hard look. "It's too dangerous, for both you and him. I know they're your family and I know you want to help find your parents, but you need to let Bo handle this her way."
Jaina glared at her, but Ahsoka wasn't backing down. "Fine," she bit out. "But if they can't get it out of him, I will."
Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. "No, you won't. And that's final. I meant what I said on Yavin. Don't use it again."
"Coming?" Bo-Katan asked, poking her head out the door. Fuming, Jaina turned on her heel and marched past Bo-Katan into the room. Ahsoka wasn't far behind her. They took their seats against the wall, Jaina refusing to look at her master.
She would do as she was told…for now. But there was too much at stake, and she wasn't about to let this opportunity slip by. If she saw an opening, she was going to take it.
Bo-Katan wasted no time once they were all inside. "Let's begin, shall we?"