JADE SHADOW- HYPERSPACE

DECEMBER YEAR 1051

Jaina stood in the doorway of the Jade Shadow control room, eyeing the top of the line equipment with keen interest. Her eyes were drawn to the red-headed pilot who had introduced herself as Mara Jade after they had boarded her ship. She had her back to Jaina, busy reviewing the data that was displayed on unobtrusive holograms positioned just outside her forward line of sight. Assuming Mara was still unaware of her presence, Jaina silently continued her perusal of the various controls. Her eyes lingered on what looked to be a central targeting computer, noting the various options and settings.

"You can come in, I won't bite," Mara said casually, not bothering to look back.

Jaina flushed, wondering how long the other woman had known she was standing there.

"S-sorry," Jaina stammered. "I didn't mean to bother you-"

Mara looked over at her and smiled, waving for her to take the empty co-pilot seat next to her.

"Don't worry about it. I'm actually surprised it took you so long. Kardde told me you inherited Han's love of spacecrafts," Mara raised an eyebrow. "He also warned me that you liked to take things apart and tinker with them. But this isn't the Falcon. As long as you leave everything the way you found it, we'll get along just fine."

Jaina smiled ruefully, "I can tell even from here that this ship is more than a step up from the Falcon. Just do me a favor, and don't ever tell my dad I said that."

Mara laughed lightly.

"My dad mentioned that you were a friend of a friend, but didn't say who. So I guess that mystery is solved," Jaina said, finding herself curious to learn more about the cryptic Mara Jade.

"Yeah, Kardde and I have worked together for years. I used to run with your dad a bit too before he married your mom and had to go legit," Mara answered.

"Is that why you agreed to help me escape?"

"Your dad is a pain in the ass, but he's a good guy. So when Kardde mentioned he needed a favor… well, I was in the neighborhood," Mara's smile turned predatory. "And sneaking you out right under the Emperor's nose sounded like too much fun to pass up."

"Well, whatever the reason was, I appreciate your help," Jaina answered with a small smile. "I'm not sure how Tahiri and I would have gotten off-planet without you."

"Speaking of Tahiri, where is your friend? I haven't seen her since she boarded," Mara asked.

"She just needs some time alone," Jaina answered, voice void of emotion. She was determined not to cry. Again. "She is-was- very close to my little brother, Anakin, and- she's having a hard time dealing with his recent death."

Mara's eyes widened in realization, and then softened in compassion, "I'm sorry, I heard something about that business, but I didn't realize- It must have been hard on all of you."

Jaina nodded silently, then looked away, admonishing herself for the tears she felt welling up in her eyes.

They sat in uncomfortable silence, Mara realizing that her empathy had done more harm than good. The younger woman was not ready to deal with her loss just yet. At least not here with a virtual stranger. And Mara knew better than most how hard it was to let your guard down, let yourself feel vulnerable.

Feeling a sudden sense of camaraderie with the Solo princess that she hadn't expected, Mara hastily looked for a change of subject that could serve as a brief distraction.

"The Shadow is equipped with a bunch of support features so I can operate the starship alone. But it was really designed for a co-pilot," Mara said casually. "I can show you the controls and maybe you can act as my second for the rest of the flight? I mean, if you're interested."

"Really?" Jaina asked, turning back to Mara, eyes wide.

"Yeah, it'll actually make my life easier," Mara answered, pleased to note Jaina's sudden excitement. "Have you flown a horizon class before?"

"No," Jaina said, shaking her head. "I've mostly just flown TIEs. Well, and the Falcon, of course."

"So you're a fighter pilot, then?" Mara questioned.

Jaina made a face, "I wanted to be. But then they passed a law that non-humans and women couldn't join the Imperial armed forces."

Mara snorted, "That sounds like the Empire I know. So, you any good?"

"Well, I've run a bunch of sims with the squadrons on Coruscant, and only two pilots were ever able to shoot me down," Jaina answered with a smirk.

"That's pretty impressive. Especially for a mere woman," Mara said sardonically. "So who were the two pilots who vaped you? Anyone I would know?"

"Commander Darklighter and Colonel Fel," Jaina admitted. "But I've been able to knock Commander Darklighter out a few times. And nobody has been able to shoot down Jag in the sims, not even Darklighter."

"I know Gavin, he's an ace pilot for sure. Colonel Fel, that's Soontir's son, isn't it? Half Antilles, half Fel," Mara mused. "He's got elite flying in his blood from both sides. It's no wonder he's such a tough kill."

Jaina nodded, and Mara noticed that the younger woman had once again drawn into herself. Wondering what had triggered that response this time, she filed her curiosity away for later.

"Well, if you are going to be my co-pilot, it's time for a full tour of the Shadow controls," Mara said clapping her hands. "First, my favorite part. The weapons."

JADE SHADOW- CSILLA

JANUARY YEAR 1052

"This is Jade Shadow requesting permission to land," Mara said over the comm unit, glancing over to Jaina and seeing her already at work prepping for landing. She smiled to herself, thinking about what an apt pupil the girl had ended up being.

"Mara Jade," a familiar voice answered. "I admit, I never expected to run into you all the way out here."

"You know me, Wedge," Mara answered smoothly. "Always up for a little adventure. But I'm just dropping off a special package and heading back out. I believe you were expecting me?"

Wedge chuckled, "Indeed I was. You are cleared to enter. Sending nav points to you now."

Mara clicked her comm in response, turning to Jaina.

"Alright, you heard the man. Time to bring us in."

Wedge studied the three passengers as they disembarked from the Jade Shadow and he moved forward to greet them. He instantly identified Mara, with her signature red-gold hair and cocky smile, thinking wryly that she hadn't aged a day since the last time they had crossed paths. His gaze moved behind her to the young blonde girl he didn't recognize but assumed was Tahiri Veila, Jaina's travel companion whom Han had mentioned in his heavily encrypted message. Finally, his eyes stopped on the petite brunette. Jaina Solo.

Wedge hadn't seen her since she was a young girl, and was struck by how grown up she now was, no longer a child but a beautiful young woman. Their eyes caught, and Wedge felt a sudden pang at the sadness he saw there, realizing then that the carefree child he had known was truly gone. She was still so young but had been forced to grow up quickly, had learned first hand how brutal their galaxy truly was.

Shaking the darker thoughts aside, Wedge pasted on a giant smile and stopped at the edge of the boarding ramp.

"Jaina, sweetheart, it's so good to see you," Wedge said, sweeping Jaina up into a giant hug that she readily reciprocated, before turning to greet the others. After being introduced to Tahiri, Wedge turned to Mara with a smile.

"Welcome to Csilla, Mara. I hope it wasn't too dangerous a journey?" Wedge asked.

"Nothing we couldn't handle," Mara answered, leaning in to kiss Wedge on the cheek in greeting. "How's Iella? And the girls?"

"They're all good and I'm sure Iella would love to see you. I know it's nearly impossible to keep you grounded but can I entice you to at least come for dinner before you take off again?"

"I wish I could," Mara answered. "But I have another job lined up and have to be on my way."

Wedge nodded in understanding, as Jaina turned to face Mara.

"Mara, I just wanted to thank you. For everything," Jaina said, smiling at the other woman.

"You made a pretty good co-pilot, Solo," Mara answered. "If you're ever looking for a job…"

Jaina smiled, "I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

"Wait, I have something for you before I leave," Mara said, as Jaina moved to turn away.

Jaina looked at her quizzically, "From my dad?"

"No," Mara smiled slyly. "I was just thinking, I don't want you getting bored all the way out here. Or letting your pilot skills get rusty. So, I want you to take my headhunter. It's no TIE fighter but-"

"Are you serious?" Jaina interrupted, shocked by the offer. "Mara, I can't take your fighter."

"Of course you can. Think of it as a loan," Mara answered easily. "I need the space for a load I'm picking up anyway, so you would be doing me a favor. I'm sure Wedge, here, can find somewhere for you to dock it. I recently had it fitted with a Zr-390 navicomputer system and a hyperdrive. Just in case."

Tears welled in Jaina's eyes, and she leaned forward to embrace the older woman in a hug. Mara hugged her back, then disengaged herself from Jaina's tight hold.

"Like I said, it's really more of a favor to me than anything," Mara said nonchalantly, then arched an eyebrow at Jaina. "And I'm expecting to find it in the same condition it is now next time I see you."

Jaina smiled, "May the Force be with you, Mara."

Mara winked at her, and then turned to Wedge, "So, are you going to be a gentleman and help me unload Jaina's new fighter, or are you just going to stand there?"

TATOOINE

MAY YEAR 1052

Jag entered the small single room he had been assigned, thankful for the luxury of a private space, granted due to his rank. He usually didn't care about such things but he wasn't sure he could maintain his disciplined facade for much longer. Palming the door shut, he angrily threw his pilot's bag against the wall, letting out some of his pent up aggression.

They had been stationed in the Outer Rim for six months now, moving from planet to planet as each one fell to the Vong. They were losing pilots by the day but were no closer to staving off the seemingly endless Vong assault. And from Jag's point of view, it didn't seem as if the Imperial leadership cared at all.

Jag had just come from a holo meeting with the Moff Council, where he had once again argued for a more aggressive stance against the Vong. And again, he was shut down. Told to continue with his mission of a defensive stance, retreating as soon as their forces were overwhelmed. Which they always were. Jag wondered if the Moffs even cared about winning this war or were content to give away the Outer Rim piece by piece to the enemy until there was nothing left. They had lost Dantooine, then Ryloth, then Geonosis. And now they were about to lose Tatooine.

Jag suspected that the Emperor and the Moffs were content to let the Vong conquer the poorer Outer Rim planets in exchange for keeping their own territories safe. And not only was that despicable- allowing hundreds and thousands of beings to be enslaved and murdered while they danced and dined- but incredibly naive. Jag had made a point of studying the enemy since he had joined the Imperial forces and was convinced that the Vong would stop at nothing but total domination.

Sick with frustration, he was starting to wonder what he was even doing here. The Moffs distrusted him and wouldn't listen to him. He was forced to sit back and watch people die by the thousand every day, unable to do anything to stop it. He sighed, deciding to try and meet with Admiral Pellaeon again tomorrow. Pellaeon wasn't one to countermand an Imperial order but he was a keen strategist and devoid of the biases that seemed to plague most of the other Imperials of high rank.

If the Moffs wouldn't listen to Jag, maybe they would listen to their Grand Admiral.

Rubbing his face with his hand in frustration, Jag noticed the red light blinking on his comm unit signifying a new message. Sitting down at his desk, Jag pulled up the message. His eyes sharpened as the source listed as Rouge One appeared with instructions to download an attachment.

Recognizing Kyp Durron's code name, he immediately downloaded the encrypted message. Kyp rarely contacted him, knowing that it was too dangerous for the Imperials- or worse the Vong- to know his whereabouts and actions. Jag felt a sudden sense of anticipation, knowing there must be a reason that Kyp would break his comm silence and reach out to him directly. Feeling a sense of renewed energy, he meticulously decoded the full message before reading it.

I have found a weakness in the enemy. Meet me at the following coordinates tomorrow at twelve hundred hours. Come alone.

Jag quickly loaded the coordinates to his personal tablet then deleted the message. Sitting back in his chair thoughtfully, he wondered if this was the moment he had been waiting for. The moment the tide would finally turn.

Feeling a renewed sense of purpose, he got up from his desk to exit his room. He had to arrange everything quickly if he was going to make his rendezvous with the former spy.

CSILLA

MAY YEAR 1052

"Jaina, will you sim with me again after dinner? I want to try out that new move you taught me!" Wyn exclaimed eagerly, in between bites of the Corellian stew her mother had prepared.

Jaina laughed at the girl's excitement, even as she felt a pang of regret, remembering a time when Anakin would also harass her to help him practice his flying or a new move he had been working on. Pushing that thought aside, she turned to the younger girl with a smile.

"Wyn, leave poor Jaina alone," Syal scolded, good-naturedly. "You have hardly given her a moment to herself these past few months. She is not here to be your companion or flight instructor. She's our guest, and I'm sure she has other ways to spend her time."

"Sorry," Wyn mumbled, looking down at her plate.

"It's okay," Jaina answered quickly. "There's nothing I would rather do, to be honest. That is, if it's ok with your mom, of course."

Syal smiled warmly at Jaina, "It's fine with me, as long as you are sure you are up to it. I don't want her to wear you out. I know what a handful my daughter can be."

Tahiri giggled from the other side of the table, "You obviously didn't know the Solos as children then, Lady Fel. Wyn is an angel compared to them."

"I've heard a few stories," Cem put in with a smirk, sitting next to Tahiri. "Mom, you should consider yourself lucky that you only had to deal with us instead."

Jaina mock glared at Tahiri and Cem across the table, sticking out her tongue.

"I wanna hear the stories!" Wyn exclaimed excitedly.

"Don't listen to them, Wyn. We were all perfectly well behaved and always listened to our mother," Jaina answered, schooling her face into a serious expression.

Syal sent her a thankful look, then smiled at them all, "Alright children, that's enough of that. Now, who wants dessert?"

"Me, me!" Wyn answered excitedly, easily distracted from the earlier conversation.

"Come on, then," Syal said, standing up. "You can help me get it from the kitchen and bring it out."

Jaina watched with an indulgent smile, as the young girl bounced up excitedly and followed her mom to the kitchen. Turning her gaze, she felt another pang as she saw Tahiri's blonde head bent close to Cem's dark one, giggling at some shared secret. She remembered when Tahiri and Anakin would often do the same thing at the Solo house, planning some mischief or another. It was hard to see him replaced so easily.

She immediately recoiled at the thought, not knowing where it had come from. She was truly happy that Tahiri had found a new friend out here in Chiss space. Jaina had been worried about her when they had first arrived. Tahiri had been despondent and distant, unable to deal with the overwhelming grief of Anakin's death. Jaina had helplessly watched her withdraw further into herself until she had started to believe the bright young girl she had known had died with Anakin.

Then Cem had come home to the Fel household and seemed to be the lifeline that Tahiri had needed. Their friendship had started slowly, but little by little Tahiri had come out of her shell, and Jaina had been relieved to see the spark return to her eyes.

But Jaina knew there wasn't a day that went by when Tahiri didn't grieve Anakin. That he could never truly be replaced.

If Jaina was brutally honest with herself, she knew that part of her was jealous of Tahiri. Not of her friendship with Cem exactly. Just sometimes he would smile at Tahiri, the same small half-smile that was burnt into her memory from a different Fel, and she felt it like a vibroblade to her heart.

When they had first arrived and Wedge had told them they would be staying at the Fels' home, she had felt a moment of panic. It made sense, the Fels had extra rooms and the Antilles home on the property was much smaller. But Jaina wasn't sure she could be surrounded by all those memories of Jag, stay in his home with his family.

And it had been hard at first.

Looking at Wyn and Syal every morning and seeing the same bright green eyes she still saw in her dreams. A light-hearted story of a family memory that involved Jag, mentioned in passing conversation. But as time went on it got a bit easier, and if she still had regrets she pushed them deep down inside of her.

The Fels had welcomed her and Tahiri with open arms, Syal immediately treating them like family. And gradually Jaina had been able to sim with Wyn or joke with Cem without immediately thinking of their absent brother. And when she couldn't help but see Jag when Cem turned his head a certain way or Wyn had an exceptionally good sim run, she reminded herself that he had moved on and so should she. She doubted he even spared a thought for her, entertaining himself with the wretched Lady Serena and Force knows who else.

Yes, the Antilles and Fels had made sure that she and Tahiri were comfortable. They had tried to make their exile on this cold and brutal planet as friendly and cheerful as possible. But no matter how hard they tried, it didn't feel like home.

She worried constantly about her parents and her brother and eagerly awaited every snippet of news Wedge and Iella were able to scrape together about how things were progressing in the Known Regions. Thankfully, it seemed that the Solos had been able to escape the wrath of the Emperor for now. Her father had been right and the Emperor was too busy dealing with the Vong to worry about a few annoying rebels and a broken proposal.

They had heard that Zekk had raged for months, determined to travel the lengths of the universe to find her, but had been stopped by his uncle who had no desire to waste valuable resources on one missing princess. Still, it wasn't safe for her to return home and Jaina was starting to think it might never be.

The thought of never seeing her family again was just as painful as the thought of Jag with another woman. So she tried to keep busy and not dwell on either, just focusing on making it through another day. At some point in her six-month exile, Jaina had learned that was the only way to keep from breaking.

Jaina's thoughts were interrupted when Wyn burst back into the room followed by Syal who simply smiled, shaking her head at Wyn's theatrics.

"Mom made Ryshcate!" she squealed in glee.

Jaina smiled and got up to help Syal set the table for dessert, firmly ignoring the sudden memory that the traditional Corellian sweet cake had been one of Jag's favorite.

DEEP SPACE

MAY YEAR 1052

Jag reached for the button to close the docking bay doors after feeling the TIE fighter settle into the dock. As Jag heard the airlock indicator chime, he turned his attention to verifying the coordinates for the series of jumps he had planned. A few minutes later, he felt a presence behind him and turned around.

"Thanks for the lift, Fel," Kyp said, with a cocky smile. "Though I almost didn't recognize you. Where did you find this hunk of junk?"

"You're lucky I was able to find a ship that had docking clamps for two fighters," Jag grumbled. "In the middle of nowhere, I might add."

"Well at least you didn't have to leave your clawcraft behind," Kyp offered.

"I would have left you behind first," Jag responded, turning to look at Kyp. "So what is the big news that you dragged me all the way out here for?"

Kyp smiled, and threw himself into the co-pilot seat next to Jag, casually crossing his ankles and placing them up on the dashboard. Jag eyed Kyp's dirty boots with annoyance but refrained from saying anything.

"Someone's impatient. Not even any small talk- getting right down to business," Kyp said, and then eyed Jag mischievously. "Now that I think about it, that's probably how you handle all facets of your life. I wonder- does it work with the ladies?"

Jag shot Kyp a look, "Can we just get on with it?"

Kyp gave a mock look of shock, "Not even going to offer to buy me dinner first, Fel?"

Jag groaned, "Do you ever take anything seriously, Durron?"

"Nope," Kyp answered happily. "Do you ever not take something seriously? We really need to work on loosening you up. You've spent too much time with the Chiss, but there's gotta be a riotous Corellian in there somewhere just waiting to break free."

"Sorry to disappoint," Jag answered drily. "Now you said you had found a weakness in the Vong? One that we can use against them?"

Kyp sighed, "Fine, I see there is no hope of corrupting you. At least not today."

Jag just looked at Kyp, eyebrow raised expectantly.

"I have found three interesting shortcomings that I believe we can exploit to help bring them down," Kyp turned to Jag, face now serious. "The first two are directly related to the fact that they have a violent distaste of any type of machinery. So all their ships, weapons, armor, everything- it's all made from living organisms."

"That's not new information," Jag pointed out.

"No, but I have learned that their armor, another living organism that they wear, seems to have a severe allergy to Bafforr Tree pollen," Kyp said.

"An allergy?" Jag asked.

"Yes, the pollen virtually makes their armor useless. Could come in handy for any type of ground attack against them. If we can find a supply of Bafforr trees, that is."

"I'm sure we can have the scientists look into replicating the DNA to see if we can recreate a synthetic version," Jag mused. "Find a way to easily weaponize it."

"Item two is even better. I have learned that they use creatures call yammosks as their war coordinators. It basically means they're not dependent on radio frequencies like we are. But it also means that if you destroy the yammosks in a fleet, there is no way for them to communicate."

"And would prevent them from moving forward in a coordinated attack," Jag. mused. "Potentially making it as easy as shooting fish in a barrel."

"Correct. And I now have information that can help us pinpoint the yammosks in any fleet," Kyp answered, smugly.

"And you said there was a third item? I am assuming you saved the best for last, then?"

"You are smarter than you look, Fel," Kyp answered jovially. "The third thing I discovered is perhaps the most interesting, but will take some planning to utilize properly."

"Go on," Jag said.

"Well, it turns out that the Vong are actually broken into different caste systems, with the warrior caste being the de facto ruling class, so to speak. However, there is disquiet among the other castes. And there is a movement that has started, still somewhat underground but growing quickly, to overthrow the Grand Warmaster and the warrior caste with him. This group doesn't eve want to stay here, has been arguing that they should take their worldships and return to their own galaxy."

"Fascinating," Jag murmured to himself, then looked back at Kyp. "I believe Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo will be very interested in hearing this. It's just the sort of thing he specializes in. If anyone can find the best way to turn their insurgence to our benefit, it would be him."

"My thoughts exactly," Kyp answered, with a self-satisfied smile. "Which is why I have a message from their leader, along with a way for the Commander to communicate directly with him from Chiss space."

Jag's eyebrow shot up, "You have been busy. I'm impressed."

Kyp stood up and sketched a mock bow. "I thought that was impossible, so I believe I can say mission accomplished. Well, now you know everything I know. Or most of it anyway. We just have to figure out how to use it all to our advantage."

Jag nodded thoughtfully, "I think the first thing we have to do is arrange a meeting with the Commander when we get to Csilla. It might take a few days to see him face to face, but we should talk to him directly. I'm sure he will have plenty of questions we haven't even thought of. I've also heard rumors that the CEFD has had scientists working on a solution to destroy the Vong for some time now, so maybe this information can help them as well."

Kyp nodded in agreement, and the two men sat in quiet reflection.

"Well, it looks like you have everything under control up here," Kyp said airily, breaking the silent contemplation. "I'm assuming this freighter has a sanisteam?"

"Down the hall," Jag said, turning back to activate the first jump.

"Good. I want to look pretty when we land. After all, I am going to be seeing the famous Wynyssa Starflare," Kyp responded.

Jag bit his tongue, ignoring the older man, and Kyp left the cockpit whistling a jaunty tune. Kyp, as annoying as he was, had brought valuable information back from his mission that could drastically change the outcome of the war. And Jag would now have a few weeks at home with his family, free of constant battles, squabbling Moffs or any sort of drama. Jag smiled to himself. Things were finally starting to look up.