Chapter 16
Luke Skywalker was the galaxy's hero. Everyone knew the name of the man who destroyed the Death Star, defeated the Palpatine and his evil servant; the man who conquered an Empire. He had been the light of hope in a world of darkness. And it had been his job to spread the light from a flickering flame into the mighty starflare it had once been. He was the keeper of the Jedi, the last of an ancient religion that bound the galaxy together.
He had done his job well.
The Jedi Academy on Yavin IV had so far knighted over four hundred students, pupils that upheld the Code of the Jedi of the Old Republic. At present there were fifty younglings who had been apprenticed to Masters, and twenty-five who were yet too young to be inducted into apprenticeship.
The Order as a whole was scattered. The Jedi were trained in the arts, then released to complete the will of the Force, whatever that may be. But each deferred to Skywalker as their unanimous leader, their commander. If he beckoned, they came.
Over the past two weeks, Luke had spent hours contacting his Knights. He was kept informed of their activities, their doings, and so it wasn't difficult to place most of them and summon them to Coruscant. What took time was just the sheer number. Of course, those at the Academy were brought as one, arriving in large freighters full of younglings. By and by they all came, some coming in groups, having hitched rides with each other, and some coming alone in the middle of the night. But by the deadline they were all there.
Jaina surveyed the mass gathering that was the end result with mixed feelings. She felt exultation at being in an area that was so permeated with the Force even the Force-blind would have known. It was an electric hum in the air, a vibe so strong she could almost see the currents flowing back and forth. She also felt kinship, a deep knowledge that everyone in the room was related to her in a way that real families couldn't be. These were men and women who would fight and die for her, and she would return the favor in kind. But underneath was a sadness that she couldn't deny. Even though her bond with these Jedi was unbreakable, she was now different.
She was with the Chiss.
She could see it in their eyes as she passed, the curiousity; the pity. She was separate because of who she was, because of who her parents were; because of who she was married to. Some of these Jedi would have preferred to fight their differences out with the Chiss rather than have a negotiated peace. And now they saw Jaina as one of them. She had lived too long among the enemy to be just the niece of Master Skywalker. They no doubt assumed that she had been influenced by their alien ways, changed by the hardness of their culture. And they were wary of her for it.
"Jaina," a voice said behind her. She turned quickly, recognizing the voice. At the sight of the woman in front of her she broke into a broad grin.
"Aunt Mara!" she ran to embrace her aunt. Mara Jade had married Luke when Jaina had been eleven, but while Luke traveled between Coruscant and Yavin IV Mara spent most of her time adventuring with Mirax Terrik or assisting Jedi academy graduates during offworld assignments. As a result the two saw each other rarely, but their relationship had always remained fully intact. Jaina hadn't spent much time with Mara, but admired what of her she did know. Mara had taught her more than a few tricks from her assassin days, and Jaina looked up to her spirited drive. "I'm so glad you came!"
Mara returned her embrace enthusiastically. "I could hardly do otherwise, could I?" but her smile revealed nothing of the reluctance she spoke of. "How have you been, Jaina? When Luke told me..."
Jaina looked at the ground. Why was that the first thing everyone asked her? Did no one think she was strong enough to bear up? "I'm fine, Aunt Mara. More than fine. But I'll tell you all about it later. I think Uncle Luke is getting ready to start."
They both took a seat on the stony floor. Everyone had started to sit, crossing their legs under them and making a roughly circular formation around where Luke sat. When everyone was settled he began to talk. "Over the years we have known each other—and I have trained you all at one point or another—we have faced many evils. But recently a discovery was made by my niece, Jaina, that could change us forever." He continued on to explain the Yuuzhan Vong threat, and everything Jaina had learned about them. He explained the situation they were in, and, finally, he pulled the slug Jaina had brought from his pocket and passed it around. No one could feel a presence. "The question is, what do we do about it?" he finished.
It was quiet in the hall for a long time. Finally Anakin raised his voice. "I think we need to do whatever we can to discourage them. We need to attack, before they attack us." A murmur of agreement rose in the crowd. Jaina could feel Mara scowling behind her.
"We don't know their intentions towards us yet. We can't attack without being provoked," she said. Most of the older Jedi bobbed their heads in agreement.
Jaina turned to face her aunt. "That's true. But its also our duty to protect the weak and innocent. I've heard what they've done to Chiss captives. They torture them, endlessly, then implant them with devices that control them; enslave them. The Yuuzhan Vong are inhumane monsters. They enjoy pain, and inflicting it on others. If we don't act now, we could lose our slight advantage."
Jaina could see many approve of her statement—even Mara seemed to assent—but still some withheld judgment.
"Jaina and Anakin are right," Kyp Durron said, standing. "My danger sense is tingling just talking about these guys. We need to move, and in force."
Luke lowered his head, studying the floor beneath him. When he raised it his eyes were resolute. "I can't make a decision like this without trying to compromise first. Which means that we need to go talk to them."
"Talk?" Kyp balked.
"You misunderstand me," Luke said. "I want to go and talk, observe whether they are as inherently evil as Jaina believes. But I want to take a team with me. If I decide they pose a significant threat, we'll destroy them."
"How will you know where to go?" Corran Horn asked.
"What about Jaina?"Miko Reglia suggested. "Can't she get all that from the Chiss?" This time the ripple of agreement that ran through the group was almost unanimous.
Jaina was appalled. "I can't do that. If they knew the information I had already given you..."
"Why not?" Corran asked. "This is for the Jedi, Jaina. For the welfare of all. Surely you don't have such an allegiance to the Chiss that you can't slip a little information to us?"
Not to the Chiss, Jaina thought angrily. My allegiance is to Jag. "I can't betray their trust like that." I can't betray his trust like that.
"Jaina," Kyp said, his voice compassionate, "we're Jedi. The information is going to a good cause. It could save the Chiss more heartache in the long run. Besides, your first priority is to the good of the Order; isn't it?"
Jaina didn't know what to say. The road they had led her down was covered in quicksand. The only way to save herself was to agree with them. She looked around, hoping for any support. Uncle Luke and Anakin wouldn't meet her gaze. Even Jacen wore a guilty expression.
It was in this moment that she had an epiphany. This was her lot in life, to be used for other's gain. 'For the good of all '. She ground her teeth, wanting to sob. She had been shipped off for this 'greater good'. She had made the best of that situation, and now the 'greater good' was trying to steal that away too. They were taking advantage of her, of her misfortune, to help themselves. Her position with Jag allowed her access to what they needed, and that was all that mattered to them. If she lost her husband in the process, well, what was that to them?
Jaina took a deep breath and closed her eyes, drawing the strength for what she was about to do. Oh Jag, she thought fleetingly, please be able to forgive me. She opened her eyes and looked at her uncle. Very quietly she whispered, "I will do as you ask."
Jag jerked his clawcraft into a spin, corkscrewing over the forested terrain as he poured fire onto the Vong groundtroops below. Three coralskippers tailed him closely, but that was fine with Jag. Their missed plasma bursts only added to the chaos on the ground.
He pulled up, doing a vertical climb. As he neared the first layer of atmosphere he rotated his ball-shaped cockpit in a half turn, turning his craft back the face the forest floor and his pursuers. He fired steadily, spraying the noses of their craft with laserfire and forcing them to break formation. As he rocketed through the area they had once occupied three pair of TIES appeared from out of the vacuum, one pair turning to pursue each of the skips.
Jag smiled at the precision of the maneuver. It had been well planned, and well executed. He would have to remember to tell them so later. He turned his craft back towards the heart of the land battle. He made a sweeping pass over the mass of captured natives, each implanted with coral pieces that overrode their will, making them fight for their captors. As much as he hated to do it, he peppered their ranks with laserfire, cutting down five with each shot and leaving small craters in the ground that would make it hard for the other Vong to traverse later. He turned to make another pass when his comm beeped. "Fel," he said, hitting the button.
It was the Admiral himself. "Colonel, I have a special task for you."
"Sir?" Jag asked.
"Our insurgents are having a hard time overrunning their facilities. I need you to take a flight and help in its destruction."
"Acknowledged," Jag said.
"I'm sending you the coordinates now."
Jag double-clicked and pulled away from the hand-to-hand battle. "Green five, two, and ten, come with me," he said.
He received a chorus of acknowledgments, and soon the three TIES peeled away from their individual dogfights to join him. "Form up on me," he instructed. With practiced expertise, the three slid into a diamond formation behind him, Jag taking point.
The flight moved quickly over the treetops of the planet Zadok, a world of little significance to the Remnant except that it was a world taken by the Yuuzhan Vong. As the Vong stronghold came into view Jag shook his head in amazement. It was astounding what they could do with biotechnology. Jag started to order them to arm proton torpedoes, then remembered they weren't armed with any. Jag sighed, knowing that was one part he was going to have to do on his own.
"Flight, fire at thirty-five degrees on my mark. Three, two, one, mark!" Three sets of laserbolts shot out from around Jag, soaring for the same location. Jag fired a proton torpedo a half-second later, hoping the combined firepower would overwhelm the dovin basal. Two of the lasers and Jag's torpedo were swallowed by the gravity wells, but Green Ten's lasers found their mark. A massive chunk of yorik coral was ripped from the side of the building.
Jag was not satisfied. If his torpedo had hit, half the building would be gone. Jag made a slow arc back towards the compound. "Flight, prepare to fire again on my mark. Three, two, one, mark." Jag fired with them this time, but aimed slightly above where he had directed them. This time his torpedo scored the hit, and as he had predicted half the structure crumbled and burst into flames.
Jag dispersed his commandeered flight group then commed the Admiral to report his success. "Wonderful," Pellaeon's voice came loud and clear from the bridge of the Chimaera. "The battle's going well up here, too. There's not much more you can do down there, Colonel. Why don't you land and help the ground forces. There just finishing up, but lost Commander Hadarez in the struggle. They could use some guidance."
"Uh," Jag said, not sure what to say, "I'm not really trained in ground duty, sir."
"Oh, I'm sure you'll do fine," Pellaeon assured him.
Jag sighed. "Yes, sir." He cut the connection and prepared his craft for landing.
Just as Pellaeon had said, the battle was practically over with when Jag landed. The stormtroopers had been notified of his arrival, and two waited with a ladder as he popped the hood of his craft. He climbed down lightly, adjusting to the unfamiliar gravity. "What's the status?" he asked the shorter trooper.
"Sir, they refuse to surrender under any circumstances. Our only option is to wipe the remainder out."
Jag sighed. He would have much preferred a peaceful surrender, but you take them as they come. "Commence cleanup."
"Yes, sir," the armored troopers snapped a smart salute and marched off, muttering Jag's orders into a comlink. The compound—or what was left of it—had been taken. The remaining Vong were in the woods surrounding it. Jag climbed a pile of coral rubble to survey the surroundings.
It wasn't pretty. But then, war never was. It didn't make the excessiveness of the dead any easier to bear, however. Jag curiously made his way through what was left of the compound before finally deciding whatever was left was worthless. They had destroyed anything of importance.
Jag sighed wearily. They had won Zadok, but at what price? More lives than it was worth. The planet had no military or economic value. It was just a lump of rock hanging in space. And he estimated the Remnant had lost nearly ten thousand lives to buy it. Talk about overpriced, Jag thought. They would have been better off saving the manpower for when the Vong moved on a more valuable world. But Pellaeon was unwilling to lose any ground, and such decisions weren't up to Jag. He was just following orders.
The short two days of rest the Admiral granted Jag on their return to Bastion were much needed. But after the first day of catching up on sleep he was ready to do something. The inactivity only reminded him of his separation from Jaina, on which he could not meditate too long without depressing himself. So he hopped a ride with a freighter onto the planet itself, intent on learning more about the Empire than just its military.
It was a bustling planet, a practical urban center compared to Csilla. He enjoyed walking the streets, observing the people. Most of them seemed happy, not under any sort of oppression. Pellaeon was a good man, he decided, besides being a good leader.
He ate lunch in an open air tapcaf, by himself. He didn't mind being alone, but it reminded him again of the fact Jaina was half a galaxy away. He didn't know when he would be able to see her again. He had only had time to send her one message so far either, and that one was hurried. From what he had gleaned of her reply, she was depressed about something. She tried to make it sound as if it was over her dad, but Jag new better. She had resolved herself about that a long time ago. No, something else was bothering his bride, and in his next message he decided he would ask her about it. Whatever it was, he wanted her to know she could rely on him to help.
Next Jag went to the public library. He and his brother Davin had always loved exploring the library on Csilla, reading the different samples of fiction from worlds they would never visit. It revealed a lot about what a culture believed in.
If this was the case, the people of the Imperial Remnant believed in discipline and justice, and an equal balance of power. Jag decided that as a whole they were an admirable people.
As it drew near evening he began to make his way back to the port, where he would flash his military insignia and catch a ride back to the Chimaera. But on the way he passed a jewelry store, and a certain item in the window caught his eye. He stopped to peer through the transparisteel, the tiny trinket spellbinding him. Finally he went inside the shop, where he eyed the token more closely.
It was a ring, simple and elegant in its design, beautiful in its tastefulness. It was a smooth silver band, but in the center a small diamond was embedded into its surface. It was so perfectly Jaina that Jag could scarcely believe himself. Just like her, it was smooth and beautiful on the outside, but it was the inside where the diamond was.
It would cost him three months pay. Jag hesitated, wanting it but not sure if she would appreciate his frivolousness. Finally he decided that she was worth it, and as he boarded the freighter that would take him back to his post the ring was tucked protectively in his shirt pocket.
The ride to Csilla was a tense one, and even more depressing than the first. Jaina spoke as little as possible to her fellow Jedi. It was as if just talking to them rubbed salt in her wounds. She wanted time to mourn. Time to mourn the trust of her husband that she was about to destroy.
She had to keep reminding herself that she was doing the right thing for everyone. It was just hard, always being the martyr for everyone else's cause. And this was one thing that she wanted. One thing that she could cling to even in the loneliness of the Chiss government.
Jag had been her rock through the entire ordeal, even before she had fallen in love with him. She could rely on him to be fair and honest, to do what was right in spite of everything. Will you understand? She thought painfully. Will you see that I had no choice, that I'm doing this for the galaxy? For our future?
It was then that Jaina was struck with a realization more shocking than any other. What she had just thought mirrored her father's words almost perfectly. She felt tears gathering in her eyes, understanding for the first time what he had been trying to say. And she had scorned him. Jaina did cry then, burying her face in her hands and weeping, for herself, but mostly for her father, and for Jag. When she couldn't cry anymore she made a promise to herself. She had to live through this, if only to tell Han Solo that she finally understood.
They were traveling in the Chiss light freighter she had been lent, and so gaining clearance to land was easy. She said no goodbyes as she left the ship. She had a job to do, and playing nice to the people who were destroying her inside wasn't part of it.
Jag's office had been untouched since she had been there last. She typed in the access codes with guilty fingers, her heart somewhere around her knees. She flipped on the light as the door slid open for her, then she locked it behind her.
She sat down behind his desk, and for a minute made no move to do anything. She just stretched out with the Force, wrapping herself in his aura that still permeated the room. Knowing she couldn't put it off any longer she then turned on his computer. As she waited for it to upload the military files she wanted she looked around his office. There was a mug still half-full of caf, and lots of datacards.
Jaina rummaged through them curiously, just looking at the name labels. After the first few she came to one labeled JAINA'S PAPERS. Her curiosity peeked, she slid it into her datapad. It came up with a list of her credentials and recommendations. Jaina smiled, realizing it was a copy of her admissions form to be placed in a squadron. She scrolled down lazily, until it came up with three lists of squadrons.
One was the complete list of all squads in the Ascendancy. The second was the list of one's who had accepted Jaina onto their waiting list. The third were the squads who had denied her. She looked over the list of aceptees. Frowning, she looked at it again. After the third time she looked frantically to the one's who had said no. And there it was, plain as the snow outside.
Spike Squadron.
Jaina wanted to retch. He had actually had the chance to put her on a waiting list, and he had said no. After she had specifically asked him, told him how much it meant to her. He had lied to her.
A spike of pain so acute Jaina thought she couldn't stand it pieced her chest. He had lied to her. Directly to her face. Repeatedly. The irony of the situation was not lost on Jaina, and she laughed without even a hint of humor. The laugh soon turned to a choked sob. Yes, she was about to betray his trust, but for the well-being of the whole galaxy. And she had never even contemplated lying to him about it. She had planned to tell him, the very next moment she saw him.
But this, this was different. There was no logical explanation for his lies, his rejection. He just didn't want her. He's ashamed of me, she thought dazedly. For a minute she seriously thought she was going to be sick to her stomach. After all they had said. After all they had done...
She did retch then, regurgitating her pain into the waste canister beside his desk. She felt used and betrayed. She had never in her wildest dreams imagined he would lie to her like this. It wasn't the fact he hadn't wanted her on his squadron, though that certainly didn't make her feel good either. It was the fact that he had said he loved her, then perpetrated this kind of deceit. Why had he kept telling her she was on the list when she asked? How many times must have he lied to her face, then turned around and made love to her? No one should suffer this kind of pain, Jaina thought as she lay curled on the floor. I bet this would give the Vong a real treat.
She didn't lay there long, however. Her despair morphed quickly to bitterness and rage, an anger so deep she thought an actual fire ignited itself in her stomach. She rose onto her knees, feeling for the first time vindicated for the betrayal she was about to commit. She plugged her datapad into his computer, then downloaded the information she needed onto it. She disconnected and turned off everything, leaving the office the way it had been. As she exited the compound she knew deep inside that she would never be the same again.