A/N: Because I'm a nice guy, I'm going to post this next one early. I'll probably set into a routine of posting on Fridays, as is typical for me. I apologize in advance. This one isn't supposed to be pleasant.
Part 1: Collapse
The old man's withered form laid on the hospital bed, unmoving and weak. The left side of his face was slack, all muscle control lost, and the right looked hardly any better. It looked like he had aged fifty years in a couple of days. Few would recognize him for who he was in this state. A former smuggler. A thief, an expert gambler. A hero of the rebellion to restore the republic. The father of three Jedi. The great Han Solo.
Jacen looked at his father through the sheet of transparisteel in the hospital and fought with all his strength to hold back the tears hovering behind his eyelids. His sister and mom rested her heads against his shoulders, and he held them against him around their shoulders with what little force of will he had left. He had to stay strong; they were depending on him.
Han had suffered a stroke and was allergic to whatever miracle drugs the best doctors on Corellia had available to cure it. Jaina had said during the battle they were swarmed with enemy fighters. She and Leia were in the turrets firing at a swarm of traitorous starfighters. Han was in the cockpit flying. That's when Jaina described what felt like her heart freezing solid – she knew he was in trouble. She had barely made it to the cockpit to pull the Falcon out of a collision course for one of the capital ships. She did the only thing she could – the Jedi Temple had already jumped to hyperspace, so she left whatever other Jedi who were still fighting behind to escape to Corellia. But the damage was done. They were too far from a medical facility and the stasis field on the Falcon had been damaged in the battle. Han Solo would never be the same again.
Han's eyes fluttered open and they watched as he tried to say something to the medical droid that was assigned to him.
"Let me," Jacen whispered as Leia and Jaina tried to pull away from him and enter Han's room. He left them behind and pushed the door open without waiting for a response. Han saw him approach and smiled with the right side of his mouth, his lopsided grin much more pronounced than usual.
"Hey kid," Han said. "Why s-so s-sad?"
Jacen sat on the bed and took his dad's right hand in his own. His grip was firm, but still weak. Too weak to be the hands of the man who helped topple the Empire, smuggle goods across the galaxy and escape death a thousand times. And far too weak to be the strong hands that carried him, Jaina and Anakin when they were kids.
"I wish I brought Tenel Ka and the kids. They're with Corran and Erinn at the hotel," Jacen said evasively. He did not know what else to say. His mind went blank as he tried to think of something – anything – to say, but he sat there in stunned silence.
"I like to s-see 'em," Han slurred. "Doc ssssay..."
Jacen forced a smile and nodded. "I know. One week. Their best healers..."
"We all die, Jassen," Han said seriously. The grim haunted look that Jacen never expected to see looking at him from his father's face sent a shiver down his spine. Han squeezed his son's hand harder with great effort and his eyes glowed with a fading glimmer of the brilliant life that Jacen knew he'd never see again. "Proud of you. And Jaina. All of you. Alwaysss have."
"I'm not going anywhere," Jacen said. His efforts to stop himself from crying were no longer enough and tears began to trickle down his cheeks. "We're all staying right here."
"No," Han said. "I want my family here. Luke. Mara. All I have left iss family. Find them."
Han's head rolled to the side and his grip faltered.
"Dad?" Jacen asked desperately. He squeezed his dad's hand, but the grip was not there. He rolled his dad's head back to face him and felt for a pulse. "Dad, please wake up!"
Jaina and Leia rushed into the room at Jacen's panicked call and stopped at the foot of the bed.
"Master Solo has fallen asleep," The droid attendant said in his horribly monotone synthesized voice. "His pulse and oxygen levels are nominal for someone of his condition. Please allow Master Solo to rest."
Jacen numbly stood up and retreated to where his mom and sister were still standing at the end of the bed.
"He wants us to bring the family together," Jacen told them. "Luke, Mara, Ben. I...I think he wants to say...goodbye."
"We have no idea where the temple is," Jaina said. She looked over at Han helplessly. "I don't know if we can find them in time."
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Over the course of the next two days, Han's condition degraded. His words became more slurred and difficult to articulate, and he began using the wrong words to his own frustration. Jacen and Jaina took turns with their mom at his side and alternated taking trips outside the Centrepoint gravity well field to try contacting Luke and Mara on the encoded Jedi frequencies. While watching Han and Leia with Anakin and Allaya, the middle generation of Jacen, Jaina and Tenel Ka remained outside in the observation area trying to soak in the heart-wrenching happiness of the two toddlers playing with their grandfather, likely for the last time. Tenel Ka and Jacen stood together watching their kids with arms around each other, seemingly holding the other up while Jaina stood somewhat awkwardly off to the side on her own. As if through an unspoken agreement, they all knew that this was probably the last time their family would ever be together.
Come home.
Jacen, Jaina, Tenel Ka and Leia all looked in a south-westerly direction at the same time. Even Anakin looked around as if he was trying to find the source of the mysterious voice.
"Did you?" Jaina asked, looking at her brother and sister-in-law.
My children, come home.
"That was Uncle Luke," Jacen said.
"But where is 'home,'" Jaina asked. "Coruscant? Tattoine? They're both in hostile territory."
"Did you...?" Leia popped her head out of the door from Han's room.
"Yavin Four," Tenel Ka said. "Where we all learned the Force. That is where Master Skywalker wants us to go."
Jaina and Leia looked at her with surprise and Jacen nodded slowly. "You're right. It's the only place most of the Jedi who weren't on the temple would consider to be a home."
"I'm not going," Leia said. The pain in her eyes frightened her children more than anything, but they saw the determination in her eyes as well.
Tenel Ka and Jacen exchanged a look and Jacen nodded.
"I will stay, too," Tenel Ka said. Despite her strong appearance, Jacen could feel the alien sensation of fear spike within her. After the torture she experienced from the hands of her grandmother, she wanted to stay with the safety of their family.
"We'll be back as fast as we can," Jaina promised her mother. "And we'll bring Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara back."
"I know you will," Leia said. "Don't take too long."
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Over the many hours that Jacen and Jaina waited in orbit of Yavin IV, Jedi ships trickled into the Yavin system and took up a loose formation with them. Greetings were exchanged on arrival, but silence generally persisted between the growing fleet of small freighters and fighters as if picking up on the sombre mood of the Solo twins.
While Jacen meditated in his quarters, Jaina took it upon herself to do something useful and organize the fleet. She sent every new arrival a set of coordinates to plot a course for should trouble arrive and designated a position within their makeshift formation. Eventually, tired of waiting, she sent Kyp and Octa to scout the surface of Yavin IV around where the Massassi temple had once stood to look for signs of Luke or Mara. As Kyp and Octa finally returned from the moon, Jacen re-entered the cockpit and sat down at the communication station and activated an open channel without preamble.
"Jedi ships, power engines and head for Yavin V at full throttle," Jacen ordered. "Repeat, set course for Yavin V immediately with all speed. We have an enemy fleet arriving in under a minute."
"There's nothing on sensors," Jaina argued as she examined her displays.
"I sensed it through the Force," Jacen replied, switching to the co-pilot seat and rerouting tactical controls to his location. "Krayt sent one of his destroyers."
Jaina's heart sunk as she hurried through the process to bring the Solo Quest back up to full power. While she had only faced off against a turncoat Imperial fleet and some of Krayt's smaller ships defending the Jedi Temple, according to Jacen, two of Krayt's destroyers had massacred the entire Hapes Consortium on their own. The small Jedi fleet of fighters and frigates would have no match against one of those ships.
"You're the only one who has seen one of these ships," Jaina said. "What should we expect?"
Jacen closed his eyes for three seconds. When he reopened them, Jaina's eyes widened in surprise. He looked terrified.
"Expect your worst nightmare. They're here."
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Fifteen kilometres of obsidian black warship dropped out of hyperspace directly over where the small Jedi fleet had been two minutes earlier and launched a devastating assault on that location. Four thousand blaster turrets fired obsessively on their assigned coordinates, but hit nothing as the Jedi ships were already retreating toward Yavin V.
"Update targeting coordinates," Wyyrlok growled. Deep within the enormous warship, the oval shaped command centre's entire wall glittered with holographic images projected from overlapping cameras on the exterior hull, providing the command crew with a view of the ship's surroundings while being safely protected from any counter attack. Wyyrlok narrowed his yellow eyes at the escaping ships and bit back a curse. The Jedi had been alerted to their presence and, in the two minute hyperspace jump, and had moved out of the pre-determined kill zone. And their ships were much faster than the Tormenter. "Launch all fighters. I do not want to report failure to Lord Krayt. Maintain pursuit until all Jedi lifesigns have been obliterated."
"Acknowledged, milord," Captain Kort's sharp Coruscanti accent replied. One of the many defectors that had joined the Bogan Empire Fleet at the conquest of Coruscant, Kort had proven an able and efficient officer at executing Wyyrlok's commands, likely well motivated by having witnessed the execution of his predecessor. "Launching all fighters."
Wyyrlok ignored the bustling activity around him as the Tormenter was steered toward the escaping Jedi and his ship began spewing fighters out of the hanger bays. Two hundred and eighty eight starfighters against a dozen Jedi ships. It should be a short battle.
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"Look at that firestorm!" Jaina exclaimed. "They must have..."
"About twenty thousand weapon emplacements," Jacen finished for her. "Heavy turbolasers, ion cannons, laser turrets, concussion mission launchers and proton torpedo turrets. And a super laser on top that can go through two Battle Dragons. It's a hell of a ship."
Jaina looked at the rear display and noted the design. Like two parallelograms put together along the long edge, the arrowed design looked both menacing and efficient. Sensors indicated it to be fifteen kilometres long and ten wide.
"They're launching fighters," Jacen reported in his emotionless battle voice. "They look like the big ship but they are bloody fast and powerful. Three laser canons on top, and a dozen torpedoes each. They can run down an X-wing no problem, and squadron leaders are usually Force sensitive. Each command ship carries two wings worth. We think they have manufacturing capabilities to recoup losses, too."
"Jedi ships, throw all available energy into rear shields and engines," Jaina ordered. "Clear the gravity well as soon as you can and scatter. May the Force be with you."
"ETA for the first wave is two minutes," Jacen reported, reading his sister's mind of what she wanted to know. "The slowest ships won't break the gravity well for almost three."
"We need to buy a minute," Jaina surmised and toggled the comm. channel. "Kyp, Octa, anyone else in a fighter, we need to engage the enemy to buy time for the slower ships. Form up on me and prepare to engage."
"Have you seen how many there are out there?" Kyp demanded. "Two squadrons will be on top of us in a couple minutes with another twenty two squadrons are right behind them!"
"We only need to engage for a minute," Jaina replied. "Keep them off the slower ships. If we can hold off the first wave, our ships can jump before the second arrives."
"Jaina, we only have seven real combat ships, including the Quest," Jacen said. "And this ship was designed to run first, not fight."
"Would you rather we leave Tesar and Tresk to die without doing anything? They're in the two slowest ships."
Jacen fell silent.
"I didn't think so."
Blaster bolts began lancing past the cockpit, but Jacen's readings indicated they were too far away to cause any real damage. Yet.
"Readying laser turrets and concussion missiles," Jacen said. He put an optical imaging device on his head to provide a targeting view for his linked turrets and swung them to aim stern. Sensors indicated the enemy ships were still out of range but the distance indicator was running out of numbers fast.
"Nelani, Kyp, and Octa, prepare to break port. Tyria, Doran, and Jaden, prepare to break starboard. We'll take the middle. Engage at will. Use shield trio techniques to maximize defenses and wait for my signal."
Jaina watched as the enemy fighters drew closer, noting the increasing effect of their weapons against the rear shields. "Break, now!"
She spun the Solo Quest in a twisted hair-pin turn and Jacen swung the turrets and shield power to forward. The distance between the Quest and enemy ships closed rapidly and a pair of concussion missiles took out two of the ships while Jacen used the combined fire of the two turrets to blast another two apart. Blaster bolts and torpedoes rocked the Quest, but the shields held against the brief onslaught of return fire before the Quest blasted through the enemy formation. Jaina swung the ship around again and slammed the throttle to full, easily keeping up with the enemy ships. Half of the arrow-like fighters scrambled, the other half stayed on course for the escaping Jedi fleet.
"Shoot-"
"Got-"
"There-"
"Ya."
Jaina and Jacen worked in unison blasting enemy ships apart and trying to minimize damage to the Quest, but the fighters began to regroup and counter attack. Communication between the two shield trios was as frantic as the twins' own as the battle frenzy to wipe out the enemies persisted.
"Taking damage."
"Redirect shield power."
"Failure on fourth engine!"
"Losing shields."
"Break port, I've got you."
"He's right on top of me!"
"Cycle shield power and break starboard."
"The next wave is almost on top of us," Jacen reported as two more fighters exploded under his turret fire, but not before they were able to launch several torpedoes at Tesar's ship. An unexpected impact penetrated the shields of the Quest and a panel exploded above Jacen's head, showering him with sparks and singeing his hair. "We can't take much more of this!"
"How many have jumped?"
"None, they're all providing interference for the slower ships," Jacen said. "Frak! Tesar's ship is gone!"
"Jedi ships, get out of here!" Jaina screamed into her mic.
"I'm hit! Gonna blow!"
"Eject! Eject!"
A burst of static denoted a destroyed fighter and Jaina bit back another curse.
"Nelani ejected," Kyp reported. "Two fighters are going after her! I can't get to her!"
"Bring us around," Jacen ordered. "I'll try to pull her in."
"How?" Jaina demanded, but complied.
"Aing Tii technique," Jacen said impatiently. "Same one I used to save Allaya on Hapes."
The Solo Quest flipped around and raced toward Nelani as two enemy fighters closed on her position, opening fire at her bright orange suit floating between the stars. The blaster bolts tracked harmlessly around her until Jacen felt one blaster bolt lock onto her trajectory.
"No!" He shouted.
An X-wing dropped out of hyperspace right between Nelani and the enemy ships, absorbing the stream of blaster bolts on its shield as a second X-wing appeared right behind it and blasted the two enemy ships apart with four well-placed proton torpedoes. The two X-wings joined up in formation with each other and turned their assault to attacking the last few fighters still pursuing the lagging Jedi ships. Jacen finally locked his senses on Nelani and yanked her through space and time. A loud thud behind him told him something landed behind him.
"Thanks!" Nelani's muffled voice came through her helmet.
Another pair of torpedoes rocked the ship and Jaina focused her attention on evading the attacking ships with a steep dive and a spin to starboard.
"Jedi ships, slave your navicomputers to Artoo," Luke Skywalker's calm voice transmitted from one of the new X-wings. "Mara will be the last ship out."
Another torpedo exploded against the Quest's shields and Jacen returned fire while Jaina programmed the navicomputer to accept Artoo's override.
"This is gonna be close," Jaina said through gritted teeth. "The next wave is almost on top of us.
"Looks like we're all clear of the gravity well," Jacen said. A chirp came from Jaina's side of the cockpit and Jacen smiled grimly. "Navicomputer is locked in. It's now or never, Uncle Luke!"
A second later, the fleet jumped into hyperspace and both siblings sunk into their seats. Even though the battle was only a few minutes long, the stress had drained them.
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