Chapter 13: The Setup

Love had never come easy to Jaina. She had been a natural in mechanics, in piloting and even commanding, but the most basic of human instincts had been elusive to her. She had had to work incessantly to become the kind of mother her children needed. And the Force knew it had taken her long enough to sort things out with Jag. Even five years later she found herself struggling with her own emotions towards him. It was ridiculous and pathetic to her own mind, but then again she hadn't had the greatest of inspirations. It seemed one thing the Skywalker's were incapable of doing was making a relationship comfortable.

She wondered some times what she would tell Hanna that inevitable day, years from then, when her daughter needed advice on love. She would ask how Jaina had known Jag was the one, how they had met. What would Jaina say then? 'Well, we got married two days after we met and kind of worked things out from there'? No. She would need a better answer than that.

Jag rolled over, his hand tightening around hers in his sleep. She smiled. Maybe she was thinking too much. She should rely more on what was in her heart, not her head. It was a by-product of living for so long in such close proximity to the political capital of the universe, she reasoned. Things would get better when they had cleared things up with Jag and moved back to Bastion. And somehow they would make time for her to have a career. Between the two of them, one should be able to be with the children while the other worked.

But that wouldn't work either. They needed time for each other, desperately so.

Stop, she chastised herself. Just stop thinking for while and simply be. She was going to take life as it came, live in the moment not the future. That would be the hardest part of all.

Her eyes were drawn to the blinking chrono hanging on the bulkhead opposite their bed. They had been there over an hour, far too long a time for his departure to now be safe. She felt guilty suddenly, for taking that precious time away from him because of her own selfish wants. But they hadn't been found out yet, a miracle in itself. She hoped their luck could only hold out.

"Jag," she decided to wake him, "time to get on the move. You need to get going."

He rolled to face her, eyes open and alert as if he hadn't been sleeping at all. It was a pilot's trait. "Already?"

"We've been in here an hour. You've got to get off Coruscant."

He pursed his lips but agreed silently, sitting up away from her. "Where should I go first?"

Jaina shook her head staunchly. "It's better if I don't know."

He looked pained. "This is going to be tough on all of us."

"I trust you," she said immediately. "You'll make this right, I know it. The Force won't forsake us."

He remained doubtful. "What about the children? They need me, too. Maybe we should all just run now..."

"Don't," she begged. "We can't even think like that. They need a more stable life. We're going to clear all this up so they can have the future we always wanted to give them."

He looked down at his hands, flexing the fingers experimentally. When he spoke again his voice was firmer, harder, more in control. She could hear the Chiss training in it. "Let's get dressed and prep the ship, then. The hammer's going to drop soon, and I want to be ready when it does."

She nodded, swinging her legs over the other side of the bed. One hand extended and her Jedi robes floated to her. "I need to be gone when you leave. The longer I can keep them away from my trail the better for everyone."

He was already zipping up his jumpsuit, one of his few civilian garbs. Imperial uniforms and jail suits wouldn't do in the kind of place he was going. "I don't know how long this will take. I'll try to get you word if I can, safely."

"Just don't give yourself away," she instructed firmly. "I'd know if you were seriously hurt, anyway."

"I won't," he promised. By then they were both dressed, and she crossed her arms as she faced him, the bed a physical barrier between them.

Her shoulders squared instinctively, eyes narrowing in determination. "I'll help from here any way I can, too. Maybe I can snoop out the perpetrators on Coruscant. Even if they're not here, they must have connections here."

"I just don't understand the motive," Jag shook his head. "Why would someone want me to be locked away?"

"You're dangerous in some way," Jaina mused aloud. "You know something, or stand a chance of knowing something. It's a safety precaution, has to be. If it wasn't they would kill you outright."

"That's comforting," he replied dryly. "But what could I know? I've been doing ambassador work for the past four years. Nothing important goes through my office."

"From before then, maybe," she suggested, tapping her lower lip with her index finger. "The Vong War, or the Chiss? No, I didn't find anything with the Chiss. It's someone else."

He looked bewildered. "I can't think of anything we would have found back then that could still be a threat to someone now." His eyebrows shot up in thought. "Unless it's someone from one of the Core worlds, one of those senators that placed all their holdings in the Vong because they thought we'd lose. We kind of wrecked their plans."

"I think you're on the right track," she nodded. "But you need to start out with one of the fundamental rules of combat: if you're outmatched, never go straight for the head. Work your way to it. Start at the bottom and go backwards."

A smile colored his eyes. "The pilots in the Republic fleet that started it all. Are they still on Coruscant?"

"I think so," she nodded. "But you have all the information on them inside those datacards Kolivin gave me. They're in the hold for you to use. Read up, start at their home worlds, or something. It'll be a slow process, but it has to get you somewhere."

"You're right," he sighed. But when he looked up his eyes didn't seem as sad as they had a few minutes before. She was drawn to him, and they were both standing in front of each other before she realized they had moved. The back of his hand caressed her cheek. "You're always right. I love you, Jaina. Please be safe. Be here for me to come back to. Life's not worth it if you're not."

She kissed the hand, then pressed her forehead to the solid pillar of his shoulder. "I doubt I'll have a moment's peace while you're gone. I'm so worried we'll never be able to be that family we always wanted."

He kissed the top of her head gently, pulling her into a soft embrace. "We will. One day, we'll make that dream come true. I'll work with every breath I take to make it happen."

She closed her eyes, determined not to be sad. Because even though they were parting in the corporeal, they were together again in mind and soul. She was not her own but his, and he was hers. As long as she held to that, life would continue to make sense. Life was once again worth fighting for.

Despite all, she had more happiness then than in what the past half decade had brought her.

The word was already on the street when Jaina left the Always. Law enforcement scuttled around the busy crowd, searching for any sign of the elusive fugitive. She made sure they found none, drawing herself under the obscurity of her cloak covering her form in a blanket of incuriousity.

She hadn't commed Mara yet, but hoped instead that the surprise would keep them from any incrimination. The last thing she wanted was to draw them into this mess. They had been so good to her. Her Uncle needed some well-earned peace for once, after rescuing a galaxy countless times and raising three children that weren't even his own. And Mara for all she had suffered under the Emperor. No, Jaina couldn't ruin the perfect family they had now created around each other and Ben.

Mara sensed her as she approached the apartment floor, and gave a stark warning to stay away. They were there investigating, Jaina guessed. Her eyes narrowed. Part of her wanted to face all of this now, but it would be best to handle it later, away from her children's eyes. She would sneak in after the officers were gone, then hurry back to her apartment. If she could just make it back, she had no doubt that it would be Leia she confronted instead of some underling intern trying to work their way up the political ladder. And that's exactly what she wanted.

Jaina waited in the shadows until coast was clear, then slid quietly into the Skywalker apartment. Mara stood near the balcony door, much in the same way Jaina had left her. "Are they still asleep?" Jaina whispered.

Mara nodded gently. "I made those goons keep it quiet."

Jaina's throat constricted. "But they know Hanna and Davin are here?"

"Yes," Mara sighed. "I told them I had no idea where you were. I thought you had wanted to do some Jedi meditation by yourself. And when they asked about Luke I told them to ask Leia, because that's where he was. I think they bought it. And even if they didn't, there's not much they can do about it."

Jaina looked at her feet, feeling ashamed and not sure why. Then again, it was never easy to put someone you loved in a hard position. That's why she was going to take care of things herself from then on. "Thank you, Mara. Tell Uncle Luke I said so too. Let me just wake Hanna and get Davin, then I'll leave you all alone."

Only then did Mara look over her shoulder at Jaina. To her surprise, the older Jedi was smiling faintly. "Do what you have to, honey, and be careful. Let's all hope the Force is with you. You're going to need it."

Jaina settled her newborn son into his crib with a sad smile, heart conflicted. He was home, finally, where he belonged, and surrounded by people he loved. But he had never even been held by his own father, and it was very likely he wouldn't be for a very long time. Yet, things were finally looking up in all their lives. Things were happening, progressing. She felt closer to her goal all the time.

She checked on Hanna one more time before heading to the kitchen to fix herself a cup of caf. She had a feeling that sleep wouldn't come easy for her that night. As she padded her way across the soft carpet an unexpected voice announced, "What have you done, Jaina?"

The young Jedi jumped, whirling in an instant with her blaster trained on the voice. Leia's silhouette could just be made out in the dark corner of the living room, legs crossed and chin held high. Jaina lowered her weapon very slowly. "What was best for my family." She was a little surprised Leia had been able to hide her presence form her so thoroughly. She hadn't known her mother retained the skill. Perhaps she had been training in her spare time. Luke had certainly pushed her in that direction often enough. "You have to see that."

Leia stood, and Jaina took note of the apparent lack of anger. It was the exact opposite of what she had expected. "From a certain view, maybe. But you've made things so much harder on yourself and Hanna and the baby. Jag is the only one who's been let off by this. Was it worth it?"

Jaina folded her arms staunchly over her chest. She and her mother had never been on the best of terms, but things had settled into a mildly comfortable relationship while she had returned to Coruscant after the war. This, however, threatened that tentative truce. Leia had sanctioned Jag's arrest. She had allowed criminal charges to be pressed. His very life had been in danger, when she could have saved it. Jaina didn't know if she could forgive her for that.

Then again, she had forgiven her much greater grievances. "Totally," she sighed. "That's one thing you never understood about me, Mother. Some things are more important to me than a my own comfort."

Leia sighed deeply, and stepped into the light. Her faced was lined with worry, a seemingly permanent frown creasing her brow. "I hate the position you've put me in."

"There wouldn't be a position if you had supported Jag when you had the chance," Jaina stated flatly.

"You know that that's not what my office is about," Leia snapped. "I can't abuse that power for personal reasons. That's not what makes a good leader."

"You're one of the best leaders that had ever lived," Jaina told her, and meant it. "But what kind of mother are you?"

"That's not fair," Leia said, the anger started to materialize. One finger poked towards Jaina's chest. "We've been over this so many times. What happened with you and your brothers was for the best, for everyone. Luke was a better parent than Han or I could ever have been."

A familiar stab bled Jaina's heart at the mention of her father. What little she had learned of him in his last days had made a deep impression on her, and his final sacrifice was forever bonded to her soul. It had all been for her and her love, and that was a forfeit Jaina had no confidence Leia would make. Han had been a good man, and in his own way had loved her. She continued to love him.

But she wouldn't argue Leia's point.

"That's not what this is about. You know, I don't want to argue with you, Mother. Let's just not go there again. Tell me what I have to do to make this right."

The Chief of State folded her arms across her chest. "The best I can do is a fair trial and a minimal security prison."

Jaina shook her head firmly. "Not good enough. It takes me away from my kids. They're staying with me, one way or another."

Leia's scowl deepened. "What do you suggest?"

"House arrest," Jaina told her. "No more."

"We can't trust you," Leia sighed.

"I never said you could. But if I was going to leave, wouldn't I have gone with Jag?"

The older woman gave her a calculating look. "I guess that's the question. You have to give me your personal word on this, Jaina. I'm mortgaging both our names on your honor. Don't disappoint me."

Jaina pursed her lips gently. She would do whatever it took to help Jag. But right now, it was her kids who needed to help. "I promise that I won't leave this place until you tell me I can. On my honor and my life, I promise."

Varen narrowed the weathered skin around his eyes, staring in measured anger at the Holonet display scrolling along the main bulletin area of the bunker. He crossed his meaty arms over his chest, blowing out a long breath through his nose. It was the only noise in the silent congregation of his men. They all knew what this meant. His plan was unravelling.

He overcame the fear and anger quickly, reigning his emotions back under control as he faced the loyal gathering of his workmen. The Small, they called the place, for obvious reasons. It was dug from the beaten earth of an asteroid, as most of their bases were. No more than a temporary weigh station for his sentient merchandise, The Small had no real value. It was just another hole to hide in until his scheming came to fruition and the slave trade could prosper again.

All in all there were probably two dozen pirates in the room facing him. Their dirty, leering faces were painted blue in the light of the projector screen, eyes bright with emotion like his own. They may be thieving scoundrels, but they were anything but stupid. "This changes everything, of course," he sighed at last, running a hand over the scruff of a beard. "Fel might be smarter than we thought."

"They'll be a hefty bounty on his head," Riqwa, the commander of this particular outpost, commented. "It would make it easy for us to just kill him and have it over with."

Varen dismissed the notion immediately. "They won't want him dead, and then people will question why we killed him. It's not him that's the problem anyway."

Riqwa looked hesitant to reply, but Varen motioned for him to speak his mind. Any new ideas would be welcome at this point. He had hoped that having Fel locked away would destroy the threat he presented, but now that he had escaped all that changed. If that man he had met—well, trounced really—so long ago really was Chak Fel, and Chak regained his memories from that time, there would be no safe hole to hide in anymore. Not only that, but there was one particular woman still out there somewhere he knew would be most displeased with his failure. And she scared him most of all.

"What if," Riqwa suggested, "we go ahead with things now? Before the deadline?"

"We're not ready, and you know that," Varen snapped.

"But we can be," Riqwa continued, gaining confidence. "If you would only answer that message—"

Varen had drawn and aimed his blaster before the sentence completed, though he had enough presence of mind not to shoot him. A tyrranical ruler never ruled long. He reholstered it very slowly, keeping his eyes trained on the mutiny-speaking pirate. "She's too dangerous, untrustworthy. If I let her become a part of this she'll take it all over and bend it to her own will. We'll never get what we want: a profit. Instead will get a death sentence after she becomes Empress. I wish the old bird were dead, sucked into the Maw with the rest of them."

But Riqwa wasn't the only one of this mind. He had stirred something in them that Varen would now be hard pressed to put down. "But she could save us before it's too late!" one exclaimed.

"We're taking a big chance leaving Fel out there loose, Varen," cried another.

"We need to take action!" a voice rose.

Varen held up one hand for silence, mulling over his newest dilemma. He had done something very stupid a long time ago, and now the decision was coming back to haunt him. If he moved the wrong way, the balance could tip out of his favor irreversibly. The question was, was contacting his old informant worth the risk? Or was it an unnecessary evil all in itself?

"Fine," he agreed at last. "I'll call her. But just in case, we need to make sure the General has his mind occupied on something other than us and his brother's memories." He took a deep breath, meeting the eyes of them all individually. "Send out a team to Coruscant. I want Solo and the children dead within the week."