The Present

Jaina parked the speeder bike at the curb of the building she usually met Sidious, going just inside the old abandoned warehouse, waiting for him to step forward. He was alone, as he had said. But she didn't trust him.

"There were a couple of men who tried to kill me," she said indignantly, her anger rising nervously as she stood in front of this man she knew to be extremely powerful in the Force.

"I know," Sidious replied lightly. "I have another job for you."

"You sent them, did you not?" she demanded. He kept walking towards her, and she took an involuntary step backwards.

"I did not," he said softly. "I would watch that tone with me, young lady. I can have you killed in an instant." Jaina turned, making towards the door. "I did not yet dismiss you, Jaina. I'm not finished. I have another assignment for you to do."

She turned to glare at him, her hand upon the door. "I am finished, Darth Sidious. I will no longer work for you. I am putting all this behind me. It's time for me to move on."

He took a few steps towards her threateningly. "It's over when I say it's over for you!" Jaina held her red lightsaber up just in time to block the blue bolts of Force lightning that was sent flying at her. "See? You work well for me. You know how to handle these things. Now, for the assignment."

"No," she said firmly, opening the door and stepping outside, still facing him. "I am finished." She blocked the last bit of lightning to her and jumped upon the speeder, hurrying away.

The Past

"You have to stop this!" Geist said, his voice rising after she had told him of her day. "You're going to the Dark Side, and I'm not going to lose you! Even though I'm not a Jedi, I can see what's happening to you, Jaina."

Jaina sighed exasperatingly, sitting down and wiping her eyes with her hand. "I'm perfectly fine, Geist. I have to keep a job and keep up my own end of the income. You're a mercenary, Geist. Just think of this as me becoming one, except by using a lightsaber and the Force to get what's necessary."

"Jaina, I hate the danger in my job. I don't want to know you're out there risking it like me. This is worse than being a Jedi! There are so many ways you can get hurt, so many things people can do to you!" He sat beside her, turned to face her with his hand supporting him up.

"I have to do something," she said softly, bowing her head. "I have nothing else to do."

He put his other hand on the couch across her so that he was leaning in front of her. "I don't want you doing this, Jaina. It's no longer just your life that you're threatening. You're threatening the very life of our child."

"It's no different from what I was already doing!" she said, her own voice rising.

He took the new lightsaber from her belt that she had constructed herself with a red blade, throwing the hilt across the room with increasing anger. "You're not doing this anymore!" he insisted, grabbing both of her arms and bringing her close. "You don't have the Jedi anymore. You don't have anything, but me! You're going to stay here and keep your family. I don't want to be second place anymore! This is going to be for the best, why don't you just let it!"

Jaina pushed him back and stood up. "Why do you insist on telling how to run my life in this marriage?" she demanded angrily. "You knew me from the beginning. You knew I was going to have to continue with the Jedi. If you expected me to devote everything to you, you should have done that before we were married. Now you have a pregnant wife with no job and you're not letting her do what she needs to survive."

He stood in front of her, putting his thumb on her chin and looking down upon her. "I expected too much of your love then?" She made no response. "Do you wish me gone?"

"No," she whispered, a tear beginning to run down her face.

He put his face close in front of her's, talking lowly. "How can I wonder every second if my wife is alive? How can I wonder in the future if you are to become pregnant again if someone has hurt you and the child is not mine? I cannot do this, Jaina. I love you and being second isn't good enough anymore."