CORUSCANT

NOVEMBER YEAR 1051

"My daughter seems to believe there is something more than a short dalliance going on between the Fel boy and Jaina Solo," Moff Vondercoff mentioned.

"So I have been told," Emperor Jovan answered, a frown forming.

The two men were sitting in Emperor Jovan's private office, reviewing the latest intelligence reports on the many nobles Jovan suspected of wavering loyalties. They had finished up the last of them when the conversation had inevitably turned to the thorn in Jovan's side. Jagged Fel.

"My Lord Emperor, I know you have been waiting in case a more lucrative opportunity arises, but it might be wise to proceed with the Solo girl's marriage. It will chain her, and her family, to your throne," Moff Vondercoff advised. "It will give us a valuable hostage to use against them if needed. And prevent a possible alliance between Alderaan and Fel."

"Force forbid," Emperor Jovan responded, with a mock shiver. "That is the last thing I need. But you're right, it's time to start setting those wheels in motion. I will see to it."

Moff Vondercoff nodded in approval and started to gather his things. Jovan leaned back, smiling to himself. He had been anticipating this day with relish, would, at last, be able to put the haughty Solo family in their place. And if he could strike at Jagged Fel with the same blow, so much the better.

Jag sat in the back row of the briefing, half-listening to Admiral Pellaeon review the latest updates from their Intelligence committee. Having already been privy to the information as the Chiss representative, he allowed his mind to wander to more pleasant topics.

Like the Princess of Alderaan.

"So, does it live up to your expectations, Princess?" Jag questioned, as Jaina walked around his clawcraft.

Jaina lovingly caressed the blade edge of the nearest wing, and Jag swallowed hard.

You weren't kidding about more maneuverable. So you can make position adjustments on each wing?" Jaina questioned, not noticing Jag's reaction, too absorbed in her inspection of the starfighter.

"Yes," Jag answered, clearing his throat. "Plus there is a mounted control jet so the pilot can complete sharp turns and other complex movements. The laser cannons on each wing tip are Sienar L-7.2s."

Jaina whistled.

"You were right, Jag, she's a real beauty," Jaina sighed wistfully. She walked over towards Jag, who had stayed back, allowing her to explore the fighter at her leisure. Content to just watch her.

"Very beautiful," Jag murmured, his eyes never leaving hers as she stopped in front of him. Jag instinctively reached out to tuck a wayward curl behind her ear, his hand lingering. The corners of her mouth turned up in a smile and his eyes dropped down to her lips. Looking back up to gauge Jaina's reaction, he almost got lost in the desire he saw reflected back in her luminous eyes.

Caressing her cheek gently, Jag tilted her head up, his other hand dropping to her hip to pull her closer. He leaned down and placed his lips over hers in a gentle touch. Jaina's arms immediately went around his neck, pulling him closer. Jag kissed her again, this time more demanding, his tongue running along the seam of her lips. She opened her mouth to him, and Jag deepened the kiss, reveling in the feel of her.

It was better than he had ever imagined.

That was a few weeks ago. Since that night Jag and Jaina had spent all of their free time together, which had actually been quite a bit, considering. Jag's squadron had remained on Courscant, performing nothing more than routine patrols, and the Alderaanian royals were still guests at court. Queen Leia had even joined the rest of her family a few days ago.

Jag could not seem to get enough of Jaina; as if he were making up for lost time when he had been in exile. Whether they were sight-seeing in the city, simming in the pilot room, or working on his clawcraft, he always found himself feeling a little less grim in her presence.

Jag smiled to himself, thinking of the last time they had been working on his fighter and something had needed to be fixed in the cockpit. She had insisted on helping, even though there was barely enough space for one pilot. Instead, she had sat on his lap and her deliberate movements and taunting smiles had been exquisite torture.

Force, he had never felt this way about another woman. He didn't think he ever would again.

"Colonel Fel," Admiral Pellaeon broke in, bringing Jag's thoughts quickly back to the present.

"Yes, sir?" Jag replied stiffly.

"Has there been any updates from the Chiss Ascendency or their intelligence units that we should be aware of?"

"Not yet, sir. I can certainly contact the CEFD and see if there is anything of note."

"Excellent, thank you, Colonel. Please keep me posted," Admiral Pellaeon nodded, then turned to the rest of the group. "Alright, that's all for now. But keep your squadrons sharp, we cannot predict where the next Vong hit will be. At least not yet. Dismissed."

Jag got up, and filed out after the other commanders, heading to his room. He planned on dropping off the flimsi reports the Admiral had distributed and going to grab a bite to eat at the mess hall. Then maybe he would see if Jaina wanted to do a quick sim.

Jag added the flimsi to the stack of discs and holopads on his desk, smartly stacked and carefully organized. Turning down the lights, he opened his door to step out into the hallway when he came face to face with Queen Leia Solo.

"Your Majesty," Jag said, covering his surprise with a stiff bow.

"Colonel Fel, please. There's no need to stand on ceremony," Leia answered smiling. "It is nice to finally see you again, though it seems I am the last Solo to do so."

"It is good to see you again, too, Your Majesty. I had heard you recently arrived on Coruscant."

"Yes, although it's only a short trip only. I will be heading back to Alderaan soon enough. Actually, I was hoping to speak with you privately before I left. Would you mind?" Leia asked, gesturing towards the room he had just stepped out of.

"Of course," Jag answered, opening the door and gesturing for Leia to enter, mind whirling, wondering what she could possibly have to talk to him about privately.

Leia smiled and entered the room, perching gracefully on one of the chairs. Jag shut the door behind him and awkwardly hovered by the door, noting how Leia made the simple chair look like a throne.

"Please, sit," Leia said, waving to another chair. "You are so tall, I'd prefer not to strain my neck looking up at you the whole time."

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," Jag said apologetically, immediately sitting in the other chair.

"I was just teasing," Leia smiled, "And please call me Leia, it's just the two of us. As I said before, no need to stand on ceremony."

Jag nodded, and waited for Leia to continue.

"Colonel Fel-"

"Please, call me Jag. If we are dropping formalities…"

Leia smiled again before her face turned serious, "Jag, then. I'm here to ask that you stay away from my daughter."

"I'm sorry?" Jag answered, momentarily blindsided.

"Jaina is not available. She is already betrothed and will be married soon. Before the year is out."

Jag felt as if he had just been blasted with an ion cannon.

"She has not mentioned anyone else…" Jag said slowly.

There was a vague sense of betrayal breaking through the numbness. These past few weeks he had been lead to believe that Jaina cherished their childhood promise as much as he had. To know she had been betrothed to another man the whole time…

"She doesn't know," Leia answered gently as if sensing the direction his thoughts had taken.

Jag's head snapped up to look at Leia, seeking confirmation in her eyes and finding it. It seemed the one comfort, if it could be described as such, was that this engagement was not Jaina's choice.

Leia sighed, "The truth is, the reason I am here at all is that the Emperor himself summoned me. He demanded that I ensure you cease your pursuit of my daughter and he felt it would be more effective if I delivered the message in person. He has men watching you, watching the both of you. And he grows concerned that your relationship is more than friendship, more than just a casual flirtation."

"I am aware that the Emperor has spies watching me," Jag replied warily. "But I don't understand why he would be so concerned with my romantic life."

"It is not your romantic life he's worried about," Leia answered, and paused before continuing. "Han and I bargained hard with the Emperor, made a deal that the engagement would not be made public knowledge until necessary. The Emperor agreed, but is now demanding that the wedding take place immediately, fearing your relationship with Jaina will go too far and ruin his plans."

"And what plans are those?" Jag asked, his voice low.

"To tie the Solo family, and thus Alderaan, to his throne. Through a marriage between Jaina and his nephew."

Jag jumped to his feet, his fury palpable, eyes blazing.

Leia was taken aback by his reaction. She had heard stories of Jag's impassive demeanor and his iron-clad control, which fit well with her memory of a diligent, serious boy who had stayed at her court so long ago. The man in front of her now couldn't be further from that image.

"Jovan's nephew? You've promised Jaina to Zekk? Are you serious?" Jag hissed. "He's an evil, malignant self-centered son of a Sith! He has no respect for anyone- least of all women- and is content to sell our people off to the Vong like slaves! What could you possibly be thinking, handing over Jaina to a man like him!"

Zekk, the son of the Emperor's sister, and currently his sole heir. Who had lied and cheated and murdered his way to that position. If Jagged Fel had enemies in the Imperial ranks, then Zekk was chief among them.

Their rivalry went back to their childhood when Zekk and Jag had been in the same class at the Imperial flight academy. Zekk had hated to lose, and the other children had let him win out of fear.

But not Jag.

They had often clashed, and Zekk had been responsible for the crash that had caused Jag's infamous scar. And almost cost him his life.

Zekk had been a conceited and callous boy, had become an unscrupulous, ruthless man. Jag had seen how he commanded his men, with careless disregard for their safety. He had heard Zekk treated his women brutally, little better than slaves, and had no reason to doubt those rumors. The thought of him doing those things to Jaina- it made Jag's stomach turn.

Leia's eyes narrowed, "Do you think I want to see her marry such a twisted creature? Han and I had no choice. It is no easy thing, to bear the responsibility for the safety and well-being of an entire planet. Sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good- no matter how much we wish it weren't so."

Leia met Jag's hostile gaze, then sighed, leaning back in her chair, shoulders sagging. "Defeat carries a heavy price. After your father's rebellion, Jovan made it clear that if we refused to make this deal he would destroy Alderaan. How could we justify preserving our daughter's happiness by sacrificing thousands of lives? What decision would you have made, Jagged?"

Leia's eyes bore into Jag's, pleading for understanding.

Jag held her gaze, then looked away. He sat back down, stiff-backed in the chair.

"You are right, of course. I apologize for my reaction."

"Han and I hoped-prayed-that Jovan would fall from power before this day came. My husband has come close to killing Jovan on multiple occasions since we made this Sith's deal. I can't pretend I haven't been tempted myself. But if any attempts to harm the Emperor or Zekk were traced back to us in any way … he has made it clear I would lose all my children, and then Alderaan would be completely vulnerable."

Jag nodded dully, "And if Jaina chose another man it would put her life in grave danger. Especially if it was me. I know Zekk, and both he and the Emperor would not rest until they had their vengeance. Defy them and she will spend the rest of her life watching shadows."

"Which is why if you love my daughter, if you truly care for her, you must stay away from her," Leia agreed sadly. "I am so sorry Jag, I really am. For what it's worth, I think you would have made Jaina very happy. I would have been proud to have you as my son-in-law."

Jag steadied his breathing, running a hand wearily through his hair, thinking that was little compensation for what he was about to lose. But he knew Leia was right. There was no doubt in his mind that Zekk would rather kill Jaina than see her with Jag. The best thing he could do for Jaina was to stay away from her. As hard as that was going to be.

Jag forced himself to smile at Leia, though based on her reaction he imagined it came out more like a grimace.

"Well, thank you for hearing me out. And I wish you luck, Jag, I truly do. I'll see myself out," Leia said, rising elegantly and heading to the door.

Jag stayed in the chair, sitting absolutely still and staring at the opposite wall, his face a blank mask. He heard the door shut.

And then suddenly he was standing, throwing the chair against the wall, knocking his perfectly stacked data pads off the desk violently. Needing to destroy everything in his path in his blinding rage.

At that moment, he promised himself he would make it his mission to see Jovan and his family fall, and hard. To pay for everything they had taken from him. His inheritance, his home, his father. And now Jaina.

Jaina sighed. She had been sitting in her room watching the holonet, bored out of her mind. There were only so many Stormtroopers episodes she could binge in one day. She should have just gone with Anakin and Tahiri to Monument Plaza, but she wasn't in the mood to play the third wing. And now she was stuck here all alone, with way too much time to think. Think about how a certain Coreillan pilot was avoiding her.

It had been a week since Jaina had spoken to Jag, really spoken to him not just a hasty hello when they passed one another in the palace halls, his mask of indifference firmly in place. Before he had sought her out whenever he was free from his military duties, seemed as eager to spend time together as she was.

Then, suddenly he had stopped. At first, Jaina had assumed he was just busy, knowing how seriously Jag took his responsibility to his squadron, truly respecting his diligence and thoroughness when it came to his work. But after a few days, she had started to second guess herself. And now she found herself over-analyzing every moment they had spent together, trying to find any signs that he was not as interested as she had thought.

She wished Jacen was here to help distract her, but he had gone back to court with their mom a little over a week ago. And her dad had left early this morning to do Force know's what. Either some political errands for her mom or a high stakes Sabacc game at the cantina with Uncle Lando. Either scenario was just as likely, Jaina thought wryly.

She tried to think of what Jacen would say if he was here.

"That you're acting like the pathetic girls you say you hate," Jaina grumbled to herself. "And that you are just overthinking things- as usual. Jag is probably just busy and you should stop feeling sorry for yourself."

Jaina sighed, "And now, you're talking to yourself like an insane person."

She decided she really needed to get out of these rooms before she actually drove herself crazy. Then, Jaina remembered Commander Darklighter's offer, that she was welcome to sim with the recruits anytime she wanted.

Vaping fake Vong sounded like an amazing idea, a cathartic release for her pent up anxiety. With a nod, Jaina pushed herself up out of the couch and headed for the door, determined to hold Commander Darklighter to his promise.

Jag walked out of the pilot lounge, eyes focused on the datapad in his hand. He had gone from his morning patrol session straight to the sims to test out some new squadron tactics he had been working on late last night. He had just enough time to do pilot evals and post them for his squadron before his briefing with Admiral Pellaeon, he noted with satisfaction.

Setting himself a demanding schedule and focusing on military matters kept him from dwelling on other things. And anything that could keep his mind from replaying his conversation with Queen Leia- and thinking about the repercussions- was worth the missed meals and lost sleep.

He hadn't really been sleeping that well, anyway. If he had done a fairly good job of avoiding Jaina in real life, he was failing miserably in his dreams. Sometimes, he saw Jaina being held prisoner by Zekk, treated no better than a slave. Sometimes Zekk murdered Jaina in cold blood right in front of him. And then there were the dreams of the future he hoped for, one with Jaina by his side and children with brown hair and green eyes.

Those were the worst. The brief taste of a life that had seemed within reach and now was an impossibility was true torture.

Jag was so absorbed in reviewing his notes on the latest maneuvers, that he almost didn't notice a young woman step into his path. His soldier's sixth sense alerted him, and he pulled up short at the last minute.

The blonde flashed him a sultry smile as he finally looked up from his datapad. She was a beauty by Imperial standards. Tall, only a couple of inches shorter than him, with long blonde hair and crystalline blue eyes. She was dressed in a form-fitting white dress that showed off her many assets effortlessly.

Jag stiffened as the woman laid her hand on his arm. He was momentarily thrown off guard, confused why this haughty daughter of a High Moff was approaching him. Her father was one of the most vocal of the xenophobes on the Emperor's council. He argued tirelessly against accepting any Chiss assistance and was blatantly obvious in his abhorrence of Jag himself.

The feeling was mutual.

And based on his interactions with Vondercoff's daughter to date, he assumed the Jogan fruit hadn't fallen far from the tree. She usually acted as if he didn't exist, which was more than fine with him.

But it seemed that dynamic was about to change, Jag thought warily, wondering what her motive could possibly be.

"Colonel Fel," she purred, "I'm so glad I ran into you."

Lady Vondercoff," Jag said warily. "Was there something you needed?"

She giggled, "Please, call me, Serena."

Jag shifted, moving his arm in an attempt to displace her hand. But rather than back off, Serena moved the same hand to rest against his chest.

Jag was again unbalanced by her unexpected brazenness and determined the best thing to do was hear her out so he could move on with his day. Jag wondered briefly if she was one of Jovan's spies.

"I was so disappointed that you weren't at the dance last night," Serena continued moving closer, the front of her skirt brushing against Jag's thighs. "But I have a way you can make it up to me. My father is throwing a dinner tonight for the visiting dignitaries from Hapes and I want you to be my date."

Jag arched an eyebrow at her directness. And her assumption that he gave a shavit about her disappointment.

"That won't be possible," Jag answered bluntly.

Serena shifted, moving infinitesimally closer. She ran her hand lightly across his chest, smoothing a nonexistent wrinkle, her hand landing on his squadron badge. She played with it casually as she looked up at him pouting.

"And why not? You can't deny us ladies a chance to dance with you, not now that we know how skilled you are," Serena shot him a provocative look. "I can promise your night will end on a high note."

Jag resisted the urge to laugh in her face, keeping his apathetic expression firmly in place. Instead, he prepared to politely- and firmly- reject the invitation, and hopefully get rid of her.

"Lady Vondercoff-"

"Serena."

"Serena," Jag repeated through gritted teeth. "I-"

A loud crash sounded from behind him, and he turned around to see what the commotion was, glad of the interruption. He saw Gavin Darklighter yelling at his little astromech droid, who seemed to be giving as good as he got, and almost laughed.

Until he saw her.

Jaina was next to Gavin, not paying any attention to the noisy argument happening right next to her. Instead, she was staring at him. And Serena. She stood so still, she seemed frozen in place, unable to move or look away.

Their eyes caught across the room, and Jag was horrified to see the betrayal swirling in the whiskey orbs. That seemed to break the spell holding her in place, and Jaina whipped her head around quickly. Jag watched as Jaina turned to Gavin, wishing he knew what she said but he was too far away to hear. Then she looked at him again, and this time her eyes burned brightly with unspoken accusations. Her glare moved to Serena for a minute, then she turned abruptly, heading in the direction of the Solo family's rooms.

Jag took a step forward, intent on catching up to Jaina. Explaining to her what had happened, that she was the only woman he wanted. Determined to erase the hurt and bitterness he had seen in her eyes.

And then he felt Serena's hand on his arm once again. Only this time it wasn't a light flirty touch. He almost winced as he felt her nails dig into his forearm like talons.

"Jag, let her go," Serena said disdainfully, "You and I both know Jaina Solo is not meant for you."

Jag stopped, seething at the words of the Imperial harlot, a woman most likely sent by his enemies to spy on him. He fought the strong desire to shove her off of him, tell her to shut her kriffing mouth.

But then, the bitch was right. Jaina was not meant for him and any time he spent with her only put her in more danger. If he didn't go after her she would no longer seek him out, she would move on and forget about him. Wasn't that better for her, then? She might despise him but Jag would rather Jaina hate him for the rest of his life than come to any harm because of him.

Realizing this was the best way, the only way it could be, Jag tried not to think of the broken look he had seen on Jaina's face before it had been replaced by one of recrimination.

Jag turned back to Serena, removing her hand physically from his arm, his movements concise and deliberate.

"If you will excuse me, Lady Vondercoff, I am late for a meeting with the Admiral," Jag said coldly.

With that he strode down the hall towards the briefing room, bottling up his raging emotions and immersing himself in his job. It was all he could do now.