Chapter 7: Taking Action

"Jag, if we're going to make this defense work, you've got to be completely honest with me. Now, even if you did initiate the attack, that doesn't mean we have to tell them that, but I need to know—"

"I'm telling the truth," Jag ground out. It was obvious that Andru Kolivin, the lawyer from Bastion, was brilliant, but nonetheless annoying. Why was everyone questioning him? "All I know is that I was talking to that pitiful excuse of a Captain—"

"Good idea! I'll pull Petreum's military records."

"When one of my bridge officers said we had come under fire and one of my pilots was dead. I asked him about it, and he told his officers to open fire. So I opened fire. We won. End of story."

The briefing was in a small, secure room in the prison facility, but Kolivin had had it fully examined for listening devices. In there, at least, he knew he wasn't being spied on. Kolivin was typing away furiously at his datapad, then stopped to read something. "It says here that Petreum was only recently given command of the Renegade, and only because his base was on the edge of the Known Regions and the regular Captain passed away. He was given command only by right of death."

"I knew he was a little kriffer," Jag muttered.

Kolivin glanced up at him, amused, then continued. A man in his early thirties with wavy black hair and dark eyes, Kolivin had a stellar record. As far as he knew, he hadn't lost a case since he was an intern at a firm fifteen years before. "But it seems he has no outstanding indiscretions, though here's something interesting..."

"What?" Jag demanded.

"His family was killed shortly after he was born, during the Thrawn crisis. They were victims of Thrawn's initial assault on Coruscant." Kolivin looked up, eyes dancing. "Everyone he loved was killed by and Chiss Grand Admiral in the Imperial Navy." He stood suddenly, reminding Jag of his mother when she acted out one of her illustrious roles. "And here, twenty years later, we have this poor orphan boy who's managed to scrape his way to a command position. On his first tour in his newly minted flagship, disaster befalls. He finds himself in the presence of a man who represents everything he has ever despised. A man—no, a hero—who was instrumental in the defeat of the notorious Yuuzhan Vong. But alas, a hero who was raised by the Chiss, the race of the man who took everything from poor Petreum. And an Imperial, no less, the government his parents gave everything to bring down. And, being young and impetuous as he is, Petreum is ready for a fight. Ready to exact vengeance. In a moment of anger he lashes out! And kills and innocent man. Our hero has no choice but to retaliate. Oh, I like this! What do you think, Jag?"

"It's a good story," Jag admitted. "Will the judge buy it?"

Kolivin smiled dashingly, making Jag wonder if perhaps he was not part Corellian. "Of course. It's me."

Jag resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "What else? Those tapes have to be fake. Can you get your hands on the real ones?"

Kolivin looked slightly distressed, but only slightly. "I'm afraid their not fakes, Jag. I had them checked, thoroughly."

"But that's impossible," Jag hissed.

"We'll just have to work around it," Kolivin shrugged it off. "There is a two or three second portion of the tape that blacks out when a shot could have been fired. That's a good one too, let me write that down..."

Jag chewed his lower lip, wondering whether or not to ask the question he had been pondering in the back of his mind the whole time. Finally he gave up and said, "Have you talked to Jaina?"

Kolivin looked up and smiled. "Yes. Hot stuff, you really lucked up there."

"It was a damn miracle," Jag said, and meant it. Not because of her looks—even though that helped—but rather that he found someone he could actually love. Whether that love lasted...now there was the question. "But that's not what I meant. Did you talk to her?" He nodded absently, suddenly engrossed in his notes. "Did she say anything?" he asked tentatively.

"Yeah," he replied, but didn't seem forthcoming in telling him what.

"Well?" Jag pressed.

"Well what?"

"What did she say?"

"Oh," he said, putting the datapad aside for a moment. "Um, let me see. She asked me to tell you something, but I can't remember what..." Jag resisted the urge to scream at him, and instead settled for clenching his fists under the table. He had been under custody for almost two weeks, and the absence from Jaina and Hanna was starting to wear him thin. "Oh, now I do. She said, 'Be patient' and 'I have a plan'."

Jag felt a furrow forming between his eyes. "That could only mean about a million different things."

Kolivin shrugged. "I didn't ask. You want me to send her a message?"

Jag nodded slowly. "Tell her that I miss her, and to be careful."

Danni carefully prepared the given formula, then put the resulting compound into the processor to be condensed into a oral capsule. She waited by the processor anxiously, tapping her fingers on the stark white, sterile counter, watching the timer tick down. When it was down to a minute the door hissed open and Ismene stepped inside, scribbling furiously on a piece of flimsi. She looked up briefly and smiled. "Hi Danni."

"Hey."

"Are you fixing that prescription I asked for?"

"Yeah," Danni replied.

"Good. Gylyan is bouncing off the walls in there, I need something to calm him down. Not that I blame him. He's only doing what all monkey-lizards do," Ismene smirked.

Danni laughed slightly. "What a terrible condition. Not to mention embarrassing. I hardly think a Mon Cal could pass as a monkey-lizard."

"I supposed not," Ismene agreed amusedly.

The timer went off, and Danni opened the processor and pulled out the capsule. "Here you go," she told her.

"Thanks," she replied, taking it. She was half way to the door when she stopped and turned slightly. "I was wondering. Have you heard anything about Chak? I was curious about his progress and whether or not being back with his family triggered anything."

Danni shook her head sadly. "I'm kind of estranged from them now, sorry. I dumped Jaina's brother, after all."

Ismene only nodded thoughtfully, then left. Danni didn't mind. She cast a glance to her left, watching the other, quieter occupant of the room. Alix Salodime was the studious sort, quick-witted but not very talkative. But Danni knew him to have a gentle smile and a good sense of humor. Not to mention the fact that he wasn't hard on the eyes, either. He would be the perfect rebound man.

Danni had no delusions about love, that she expected to replace Jacen immediately, if ever. No, but she needed to force herself to move on. It was all too easy in the cold of the night to miss his touch and his smile, the way her whole body warmed when he kissed her. She needed to move past that, to find someone else to occupy her thoughts. It was the only way she would ever get back in the game.

"Still working, Alix?" she asked at last.

He didn't turn around, but kept his pale blond head bent over the work station. After a time he said, "I'm still working on that miracle formula of Ismene's. You know, the one that's supposed stimulate the nerve endings in the brain and promote healing?"

Danni nodded and sauntered over towards his, looking over at the several sheets of work, all for one chemical formula. "I wouldn't worry about it. You'll get it sooner or later."

He sat back, chewing on the end of his writing implement, observing his work. "If only it was sooner rather than later. I think I could get it if I could figure out how to separate these molecules..." he gestured to the symbols on one side of the diagram.

Danni peered closely at it, then after a minute said, "Do you have a sample of this one hand, by any chance?"

"Yeah, it's in the freezer," he told her, pointing across the room.

Danni stood and crossed the maze of chairs and lab tables, trying not to knock over any test tubes. When she reached it she opened the freezer and pulled out the appropriately labeled petri dish. She carried it back to where he sat and said, "I think I can separate these for you."

"How?" he asked skeptically. "I've tried all the formulas..."

"But have you tried the Force?" she asked, cocking one eyebrow.

A dubious expression remained plastered on his face. "I didn't know you were a Jedi."

"I'm not," she said stiffly, taking a seat at the table. "But I'm Force-sensitive, and I trained at the Temple for a while. This is pretty simple stuff, I should be able to do it easily."

"You're joking," he stated finally. Danni smiled, staring into his fabulously blue eyes. Then she closed her eyes and stretched out to the Force.

It was a simple matter, and within ten minutes she had completely separated the compound. "That's amazing," Alix stated, watching the final result.

"Well, it's pretty awesome, yeah, but I wouldn't go so far as amazing..." she grinned. He smiled back, and suddenly she felt guilty. Guilty for cheating on Jacen.

Ridiculous! she quarreled with herself. For one, she was no longer bound to Jacen in fidelity. And two, using the Force to separate a particularly resilient chemical hardly counted as cheating anyway. But that's exactly what it felt like. Jacen doesn't love you! she thought angrily. The very idea made her heart ache, but she ignored it best she could. Move on. Move on...

"I think it's amazing," Alix continued.

"I can't wait to see what Ismene says, then," Danni laughed. "Who knows, maybe we'll get promotions?"

"Over who? We're the only ones that work here, remember?" he laughed.

She shrugged. "It would be an ego boost, at least."

"True," he smiled. Danni smiled back, and nearly choked on her own guilt.

"You know you're insane, right?" Jacen asked casually as he took a seat beside her on the hard bench.

"Shh, it's starting," Jaina told him.

"Jag would kill you if he knew what you were planning."

Jaina looked offended. "He would not."

"What makes you think that?" Jacen demanded.

Jaina patted her round stomach affectionately. "I'm carrying his child, remember?"

Jacen rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything further. The first hearing in Jag's case was about to begin, and he wanted to hear what was being said. The prosecution was going first, and instead of an opening argument they planned to show the recording of the battle in question, letting it speak for itself. The tape was played on a large flat screen at the front of the court, making the feed easily visible to all. Not that there were that many people there. Jaina had managed to haggle Leia into forcing the security to limit the number of people allowed, and the result was a scarce few to observe the proceedings.

The feed played, showing clearly a New Republic Y-wing being fired upon by one of Jag's TIEs. Jacen looked at Jag the whole time, who sat grimly at the front beside his lawyer. His eyes never left the screen and to all appearances his expression didn't change either, but Jacen could see the tension around his eyes deepen as the recording wore on.

Soon it was the defense's turn, and the attorney—Andru Kolivin, Jacen thought—opened by reading Captain Hurin Petreum's military and personal record, recounting how his family had been killed in Thrawn's attempt to overtake Coruscant and neatly connecting the lines to a prejudice attitude towards Jag on Petreum's part. A smart move, in Jacen's mind, not that he was fluent in such things. To counter, he read Jag's record, highlighting every victory, accomplishment, and medal he had every received. In the end Jag came out looking as if he had been chiseled from gold.

After Kolivin finished the judge called an end for the day, and Jacen hadn't even stood when Jaina was half way to the front. She grabbed Jag by the arm as he left and said something Jacen couldn't here. He smiled and leaned in, kissing her lightly. Then she handed him something, a piece of flimsi neatly folded into a small square. He took it, and they parted. "What was that about?" Jacen asked as she came back to where he stood.

"Appearances," she said simply. "Kolivin suggested we play up the family angle, it'll build sympathy."

Jacen smirked incredulously, leading her outside into the hall where Anakin and Hanna waited. Hanna wasn't allowed inside, but refused to stay at home, so they had settled for a compromise. "Did you give it to him?" Hanna demanded as Jaina lifted her into her arms.

"I sure did," Jaina smiled.

"What was it?" Jacen asked.

"I drew Daddy a picture," Hanna beamed. Jacen laughed quietly. Jaina certainly was taking Kolivin's advice. To all appearances it had looked like a love note or some other private letter, instead of a simple drawing by his daughter.

As the trio and Hanna stepped outside Jaina was assaulted by holojournalists. She tried to shrug them off, ignore them, until one unfortunate Zeltron asked, "Mrs. Fel, how has being a Jedi affected your outlook on this matter?"

Jaina stopped dead, her back going rigid as she turned slowly to look. Jacen winced, anticipating her reaction. "I am a Jedi Knight," she said slowly, voice wavering. "And I've played my part in protecting this galaxy. But that is not all of who I am." She paused, wiping angrily at the tears forming in her eyes. "I am a mother. And a wife. And I have just had all of that ripped out from underneath me. My husband is in prison for a crime he didn't commit, while I have to raise our child alone and deal with this pregnancy. How do you think I'm looking at this matter?"

No one asked anything after that, and they made their way to the hovertaxi undisturbed.

Jaina stood in the flow of foot traffic, an island in a sea of beings, anonymous. She pulled her cloak a little tighter around herself, feeling the bite of the wind. Coruscant was not a mild planet by far, and even on the best of days the weather was less than agreeable. She stared at the statue in front of her, examining the likeness critically, as she had done so many times.

This was what was left of her father.

It looked nothing like she remembered him, but more like the roguish young scoundrel that had stolen the heart of the Rebellion and its princess, not the aged smuggler of years gone by. In truth, Jaina had not known him well. But often she found herself in the small courtyard that had been given to his memory, especially when facing a dilemma. Somehow, perhaps, some of his wisdom lingered here still, and she could absorb his advice through her skin. It was a comforting thought, if nothing else.

It was odd really. When she thought of her father, the first person that came to mind was not Han Solo, but Luke Skywalker. He would always hold that place in her heart, for all he had done and continued to do. A father wasn't the person who had sired you. It was the person who had raised and loved and nurtured you into the person you were. Han had done none of that.

But Jaina had learned to forgive him. And through that she realized that there was a bond of blood there that couldn't be replaced. Part of his spirit lived on in her, and in this place she could feel it burn like a torch. He may not have been a great father, but he had been a great man. She often felt that she was a lot more like him than anyone had given her credit for. That's why she felt when she faced a problem that he would be the best one to turn to. He would know best how she felt.

Right now she faced a dilemma. She could be true to herself, to her nature and spirit, or to the ideals of others. Her inner self yearned to act, to not take the blatant aggression towards her family lying down. To fight. That was who Jaina Solo was: a fighter. But doing that would not be easy.

In her warrior's heart, she knew that this was no accident or misunderstanding. It was a setup. People might call her crazy for believing it, but she knew. Things like that just happened to her family, and she was wise enough to recognize it. The problem lay in what she knew she had to do to correct it.

The answers she needed lay on Csilla. Whatever had happened there had to have been what triggered the accident.

Jaina was not allowed on Csilla. Could she let that stop her? Was waltzing into danger while nearly eight months pregnant and carrying a four-year-old idiocy? Or was that her saving grace? Jaina knew Syal Fel well enough to know she would never let Jaina be imprisoned or harmed while her grandchildren were present. It would be a fabulous cover, but Jaina felt bad using her children that way, especially when it might not work.

There was also the chance that she could come undetected. The CEDF didn't even have to know she was there. It would be tricky, but she could probably pull it off with Syal's help.

But was it worth the risk?

Jaina closed her eyes and centered herself in the same way she did when meditating, but she didn't stretch out to the Force. What would you do in my place, Dad?

She felt a smile spread slowly across her face as the answer became clear. She could almost here his voice in her head.

Never tell me the odds.

"Ha! I got you!" Cem beamed, throwing the vidgame controller victorously.

"Yeah, well," Chak glowered, "I still hammered you on that podrace game."

"Beginners luck," Cem crowed.

"Oh yeah?" Chak scoffed. "I'll take you right now—"

"Fine!" Cem agreed, reaching for his controller.

"Oh no you don't," Syal interrupted. "You boys have been at that for the past two hours. It's time for dinner."

"We can't play one more game?" Cem asked leadingly.

She shook her head, a resolute expression on her face that let them know that the matter wasn't up for debate. Chak sighed an turned the game off, climbing reluctantly to his feet. So far, life on Csilla had been a lot better than he had expected. They treated him like royalty, and anything he wanted was most often given. Syal didn't make him do chores like Jaina did, and basically he just hung around and had fun with Cem all day. It was an easy life, one he could definitely get used to. Some part of him had felt guilty for liking things that way, the part that knew he was defeating the purpose of being there. Chak tried to ignore the feeling.

He had come to like his family, though, or at least enjoy their company. Jaina had been the closest maternal figure he had had, but he now found that Syal fit the bill much more nicley, reminding him of the perfect housewives he had seen in holodramas. He didn't see Soontir often, but when he did the former Baron was amiable and kindly. Wyn he saw even less, but he immediately took to her spirit and determination. Cem though, was the biggest surprise of all.

The comm started going off just as he sat down at the table. "Can one of you get that?" Syal asked, balancing the tray of drinks carefully.

Chak stood and went to the comm, flipping the switch. To his arrant surprise, the face that appeared was not that of a austere Chiss, but none other than Jaina. "Jaina!" he grinned, his smile a mile wide.

She smiled back, but Chak didn't miss the lines of tension around her eyes. "How are you, Chak?"

"Pretty good," he smiled.

"I'm so glad. Can I speak to Syal?"

He frowned at the request. Hadn't she called to talk to him? "Sure, lemme get her." He turned towards the kitchen and called, "Syal?"

"Yes?" she asked back absently.

"Jaina wants to talk to you."

"Jaina?" she questioned, shocked.

"Yeah," he replied unenthusiastically.

She came quickly to the transmitter where he sat, still wiping her hands on a dish rag. She smiled brilliantly as she saw her daughter-in-law. "Jaina Solo, if you haven't grown since the last time I saw you!"

Jaina smiled broadly. "I guess I've put on a little weight, with the baby and all."

Syal looked mock-terse. "You know that isn't what I meant at all. You're not a little girl anymore."

"I don't think I was a little girl before, either," Jaina continued to smile. To anyone else she would have seemed conversational, but Chak knew her well enough to know she was growing impatient.

"To me, everyone is a little girl anymore," Syal laughed.

Jaina abruptly changed the topic, "Syal, I need you to do me a favor. A big one. And I can't tell you why."

Syal frowned, nudging Chak over to take a seat on the sofa. "What's wrong, dear?"

"I need on Csilla."

Chak was no Jedi, but he didn't need the Force to feel the tension flying in the room. "Jaina..." Syal began.

"It's important. Jag's fate could depend on it."

Syal pursed her lips, thinking hard. "Do you have a plan?"

"I was hoping you could help in that area," Jaina grimaced. "I haven't been on Csilla in years."

"I know," she said dryly. She licked her lips carefully, then told her, "Tell them you're me. My security code is 6142C, and use the transponder code to the Starflare. We have a landing pad here at the estate."

Jaina breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you Syal. I'll explain everything in a few minutes."

"A few minutes?" Syal gasped. "Are you here already?"

"On the edge of the system," Jaina answered. A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Hanna's with me."

Syal's hand moved to cover her mouth. "Hurry, dear. And be careful. I'm looking forward to hearing what all this is about."

"I will," Jaina agreed solemnly, and the connection faded away.

"Visitor for you, General," the guard smirked.

Jag raised his head up from his cot. Had Jaina come to see him again? He hoped so. He had longed to see her ever since the hearing that morning, to learn what she thought of it all. He had relied on her insight in almost all matters in the past four years, and now he was simply at a loss. Slowly he sat up, following the guard out of his mundane cell and towards the small booth where he could talk to whoever was calling on him.

As the door opened he was both surprised and disappointed to see that it was Jacen. "Hey, brother," Jacen smiled as Jag sat down. "How are you holding up?"

Jag shook his head. "I'm bored out of my skull."

Jacen smiled thinly. "I'm afraid I have something to occupy your thoughts."

Jag felt a knot form in his stomach. Could something have happened to Jaina? Or Hanna? Or the baby? "What's wrong?" he choked.

"I'm not sure how to tell you this, but Jaina's gone."

"What? What do you mean, 'gone'?" Jag asked, his voice raising in anxiety.

"No, not they're fine, calm down," Jacen soothed. "But they're not on Coruscant. I found a note from Jaina this morning. She think's you've been set up, and that she can find the answers to unlocking your case on Csilla. So she just up and left, didn't tell anyone. I suspect its because she knew we would try to talk her out of it."

Jag sat in stunned silence. "That's insane. They won't let her within ten thousand kilometers of Csilla."

Jacen shrugged. "I knew she was planning this, but I thought I had talked her out of it. I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry, I should have tried harder. But I do know that she's set her mind to this, and I'd be more afraid for the Chiss than Jaina."

Jag smiled despite himself. "You're right on that count, at least." A thought struck him. "Did she take Hanna?"

"Yes."

Jag bit his lower lip in anger. Not only was she endangering herself, but their children. Why did she insist on always taking such wild risks against better judgment and the wills of everyone who loved her? Because I try to get her not to, he thought huffily. He had thought perhaps that being a mother and a caregiver had tempered her rebellious streak at least a bit. He knew now that he had been wrong. "If she took Hanna, then she's pretty confident in her ability to succeed," Jag said slowly.

"But what would make her think that?" Jacen asked aloud, more to the air itself than Jag.

"The only thing I can think of is that she has inside help," Jag concluded. "Either Chak, or my mother."

"Or both," Jacen finished.

Jag sighed, running a weary hand over his head. He loved Jaina with all his heart, but that woman would be the death of him, if only because his body would one day give out from the stress.

He couldn't think of a better way to go.

The Defense Force had completely bought Jaina's story, and the idea that she was Syal in the Starflare. Now it was only a matter of keeping the secret a secret. And since her purpose here was only so she could go snooping around, and with Hanna in tow, that was going to be a challenge indeed. Jaina had always loved a challenge.

Her hand poised over the locking mechanism that would open the hatch to the Always, Jaina stopped and looked down at Hanna. So much like her father, Jaina could feel her slight nervousness, but she was all seriousness on the outside. Slowly she lowered herself into a crouch beside her, re-buttoning the collar of her parka. "Do you remember what I taught you?" she whispered.

"Yes," Hanna answered.

"Show me," Jaina commanded.

Hanna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Soon Jaina could feel the small ripples and eddies of the Force pulling and gathering around her, constructing into a shield that covered her whole body. Jaina stretched out her own abilities, pressing on the shield here and there, testing its strength. It wasn't powerful, but would repel possibly up to three blaster bolts. By then Jaina should be at her side and ready to protect her anyway.

It was a trick Uncle Luke had taught Jaina and her brothers as children, and it had served them well. Hanna was small and young, and Jaina admitted she hadn't trained her in the use of the Force over much, but she had made sure from the youngest age possible that she knew how to defend herself. That was one thing she would never be lax in.

"Very good," Jaina praised as Hanna let the shield fall. Then in a softer tone, "Stay close to me. Things aren't the same here as they once were."

Hanna nodded obediently. That was one good thing about raising Jagged Fel's child: she always knew when to obey orders. Jaina depressed the locking switch, and the hatch lowered slowly. A blast of cold air hit them, and Hanna buried her face in Jaina's coat. Outside stood three people Jaina knew very well, or had at one time. Syal, Cem, and Chak Fel.

Jaina started down the ramp, holding on tightly to Hanna's hand. Syal smiled genuinely as they came closer, but seemed too wary to come and embrace them. "Jaina," she said when they were within earshot, "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," Jaina smiled. "I only look like I'm smuggling a star cruiser under my shirt."

"Uncle Chak!" Hanna exclaimed.

Chak smiled broadly, opening his arms to his niece. She broke free of Jaina's grip and ran forward. Jaina started to call her back, but she stopped after only a few steps, realizing there were other people there she didn't know. She retreated hastily back to her mother, hiding her face in Jaina's coat. "Hanna," Jaina began, "I'd like you to meet your grandmother."

Hanna tossed Syal a glance, then looked back up at Jaina. "Mommy, that's not Grandma Leia."

Humor tugged her lips. "No, it's not. This is your Daddy's mother, just like Grandma Leia is mine."

Hanna looked back at Syal, still wary. "Is she the one that sent me Fluffy on my birthday?" she asked, referring the the stuffed animal she had only recently been able to sleep without.

"Yes," Jaina answered.

Hanna looked back towards her paternal grandmother. "Thank you for Fluffy."

Syal smiled broadly. "You're so very welcome, darling. My, if you aren't the absolute perfect image of your father."

Jaina squinted her eyes against the cold, starting to feel the numbness in her fingers. "It's getting cold, can we go inside?"

"Of course," she said, turning and motioning to the Fel's three-story mansion. "I'm very interested in hearing what this is all about."