Chapter 34

The room was repugnant in its artificial equipment, and just being inside it was a terrible experience for Nen Yim. Cilghal seemed not to notice her disgust, either that or she chose to ignore it. Instead she entered the room gracefully, sweeping towards three human men who sat at one wall. All three looked familiar, but for the life of her Nen Yim could not place them.

"Master Shaper," Cilghal said, "I think these men might be able to assist you in your quest."

Nen Yim stared at them. The youngest could not yet be fully out of childhood, though his features were deceptively mature at first glance. His eyes were what struck Nen Yim, an icy blue that pierced her until she had to look away. The other was tall and handsome, but his expression was cold and calculating. He distrusted her, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. The eldest was the only one who seemed to be as open as Cilghal. His face was lightly lined with age and the small scars of battle, but he had a welcoming, friendly air that immediately demanded her trust.

"Who are they?" she asked finally.

The elder man smiled. "I am Luke. These are my nephews."

Nen Yim fidgeted with her shaper's headdress, but Cilghal was the next to speak. "Why don't you sit, Master Nen Yim? You are safe here."

Reluctantly the Yuuzhan Vong sat. Cilghal sat beside her. The floor was a cool stone, and for that she was thankful, sitting on a metal surface would have been a terrible form of desecration. "This is Nen Yim. She wants to learn about our ways of life," Cilghal began.

"What would you like to know?" the tall dark-headed man asked.

"How to bring a swift defeat to your kind," Nen Yim snapped unhesitatingly.

Luke simply smiled. "Why would you want to do that? What have we done to you?"

"The gods have promised us this galaxy, and you refuse to yield to their demands. Therefore we must humble you," she stated flatly.

"How can you be so sure?" the youngest questioned.

"The Supreme Overlord has received a vision. And our priests agree. These are our worlds."

Luke cocked his head at her assessment. "What if they're lying?"

Nen Yim outwardly balked at the suggestion, but inwardly cursed this human's logic. It was not an idea foreign to the shaper. She had long questioned the god's existence, at least in private. Her beliefs had been stirred as an adept by her own master, a heretic in every sense of the word. Nen Yim didn't know what to believe, but she did know that the likelihood of such gods being real were slim. She was not loyal to them, but to her people. They needed a home, and this was as good as any.

"They would not lie."

"Do you know each and every one of them well enough to know for certain?" Before she could respond her shrugged it off and moved on. "It doesn't matter. If you are right, why can't we all inhabit the galaxy together?"

"Because you are infidels! You are maggots under the mighty heel of the Yuuzhan Vong. To place you as equals would be blasphemy."

They all regarded her coolly. Cilghal shifted on her stone floor seat as if to speak, but she was cut off as a machine on the other side of the room began to beep wildly. The dark-haired man rose and went to answer it.

Jag flipped the switch with irritation, but that quickly vanished as he saw Jaina's face resolve on the other end. "Jaina!" he exclaimed with relief. "How's Mara doing? Luke's been so worried."

His young wife looked tired and confused, but otherwise no worse for wear. "What are you doing on Yavin?"

"I'll explain later. How's Mara?"

"She had a setback last night. We went shopping and she couldn't make the trip back to the Jade Sabre. I had to practically carry her. I put her in a healing trance, and she seems to be better now. But I'm not letting her out of my sight for a while, and no more activities where she has to exert herself."

Jag nodded sagely, absorbing the information. "Luke wants to come see her."

Jaina ran a tired hand over her brow. "I'm not going to lie to you; he probably should. I'm afraid she won't make it too much longer, Jag. She's so frail, I feel so sorry for her."

He looked as his hands, not sure what to say. It was a terrible thing, what was happening to the Jedi Master and his wife. He wasn't sure he could bear it if the roles were reversed and it was Jaina who was facing certain death. "How is she mentally?" he asked at last.

"Right now I think she's just trying to hold out until it would be safe for them to take the baby. I don't think she's keeping any hope for herself."

Jag sighed, wanting to change the subject. "How are you and Hanna?"

Jaina did smiled then, genuinely. "Amazing. I love being able to feel her so much. She has her own little personality already. It's like I can't even remember life before her."

"I know what you mean," he said, though he really didn't, not in the same sense. He couldn't remember not having Jaina, but he couldn't be as close to their child as Jaina was until it was born. He loved it deeply, of course, but it wasn't the same thing. "I'm glad you're both okay, at least. I know that's selfish, but I don't really care right now. I don't think I could even breathe without you, Jaina."

She smiled again, sadly this time. "I know."

Suddenly Jag remembered the people occupying the room with him. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. We captured a Yuuzhan Vong shaper. That's what I'm doing here, Anakin and I brought her to Cilghal. We're in the process of trying to shake her faith in the Vong right now."

Jaina's eyes lit up suddenly. "Jag, do you have any idea what this means? You have to bring her to Bastion, now!"

Jag frowned. "Why? We can take care of it here, and it's really much safer—"

"No!" she hissed. "Jag, Mara was poisoned by a Yuuzhan Vong! That shaper might be able to cure her!"

Jag sat back in astonishment. "Why didn't we think of that?"

"Who cares? Just do it. If you hurry we might could save her, Jag, her and the baby both," she blossomed, the excitement and anticipation shining from her eyes.

Jag nodded and stood. "I'll take care of it. We'll be there in a few days. I love you, Jaina."

"I love you too, Jag. Hurry home."

Anakin didn't know what had transpired on that line, but he knew as soon as he saw Jag's face that it had been important. The general stopped at the edge of their group, his eyes bright with restrained glee. "Luke, I need to talk to you a moment, please," he said quietly.

The Jedi Master had been in the middle of explaining to she shaper why the people of the galaxy insisted on fighting for their freedom. He looked up at Jag, the slightest annoyance building behind his gaze. "Can it wait?"

"No."

With a sigh Luke rose and followed Jag to a discreet distance away where the general proceeded to animately explain something to the older man. When he was done the easing of Luke's pent up emotions was palpable in the air. He walked softly back to the group, easing down onto the floor. He seemed so happy Anakin thought for a moment he might cry. "Master Shaper, I would like to show you something, if you would permit me."

"What is it?" she asked in her thick accent, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"You want to learn about us, how we function so that you might learn our weaknesses, correct?"

She nodded curtly.

"I'm going to make you an offer so grand you can hardly refuse. I will personally escort you to Bastion, the capital world of the Empire, where you can observe the goings and comings of the most prominent threat to the Yuuzhan Vong incursion first hand."

The shaper looked speechless. "At what price?" she inquired at long last.

Luke shook his head simply. "No price. Just a promise."

"What kind of promise?"

"Just a promise that you will take to heart all you see, and will take what's happening at full value. Try to look at it without bias."

She stood suddenly. "You will not force me to go against my people."

"Nor would I try. I will let you see anything you want when we get there, and after you have seen all you want will let give you a transport to take to wherever you may please, whether that be back to your people or somewhere else. I just want the chance to show you this war from our perspective. You can take what you see however you want after that."

Nen Yim licked her lips nervously. "Anything I want to see?"

"Anything."

After a moments consideration she bobbed her head once. "Deal."

Jaina wiped the sweat gently off her aunt's brow with a cool cloth, biting her lip in a mixture of anguish and hope. "Uncle Luke's coming to see you, Aunt Mara," she whispered.

Mara looked up at her and smiled gently. "I know."

"He's bringing help. Someone who might be able to save you."

"And the baby?" she asked stiffly.

Jaina nodded solemnly. "And your baby. Just keep holding on. You'll be okay, both of you. You can't die, Mara. Your son needs you. You can't let him grow up without a mother, now can you?"

Mara closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She looked even more frail, but the grip she had on Jaina's hand grew bone-crushingly tight. "Promise me something, Jaina."

"Anything," she said unhesitatingly.

"If I die, my son will need a mother. I need you to be there for him, help him grow up with the love that only a mother can give. Can you do that, Jaina?"

Jaina swallowed hard. "Don't start talking like that yet, you still have too much living to do to give up now."

Mara shook her head. "You and I both know I'm dying. I'll fight it until the end, but the end is inevitable. Promise me my son won't grow up without a mother."

"He'll have Uncle Luke," Jaina argued lamely, not wanting to accept her death as fact.

"Luke..." Mara said, and then shook her head again and sighed. "Luke has had so much grief in his life. My death will not be easy on him. He'll take it hard, so hard. I know he'll be the best father he can, and that he'll love this child, but he'll never get over it. My child will need something other than a grieving father in his life. Tell me you will give him that. Promise me."

Jaina leaned over and kissed her forehead softly, blinking back tears. "I promise."