Covering the last two chapters of reviews because I was a slacker last time. Such a slacker that I'm 3 days late posting this one too. Sorry about that. I was on vacation and came home to a new internet technology installation and a golf tournament...busy weekend.
Onimiman - Jacen will detail his reasons for not killing Krayt in the text conveniently located below ;) I had a goal for the big three with this story - take out two of them out of the action. I just need to figure out how to proceed with Luke without turning him into Caine. (Bonus points if you know who I'm referring to ;))
Sioux - When I was creating the Yoda class ships, I ran through a whole bunch of specs for what I wanted in this new class of ship. High maneuverability, creative new weapon systems, some sort of ablative armour system, etc...then I realized I had "created" the U.S.S. Defiant from Deep Space Nine. I think I took out the ablative armour system (memory systems failing, master), but I decided to use it in this creation. Regarding Zara, I did consider sending her along with him, but I kept her behind for three reasons: she has killed Jedi, so she would likely not be welcome among them even with Jacen's protection (not to mention she just got chopped up by two); she still doesn't know what she wants to do with herself but she knows that being a Jedi isn't one of them; and, finally, she knows there's nothing going to happen between her and Jacen to take the risk that going with him would entail.
JDR - Glad you liked that twist. It basically makes Krayt into a time-delayed implosion, which I thought was pretty smart considering what's in this chapter :) I feel that everyone of the majors needs to have a hardship on them, especially leading into the next story. The next one is going to be as much about them overcoming their personal daemons as much as taking on the Bogan Empire, and each one is going to tackle their problems differently. Some might hit the bottle, others might fight harder, there might be a catfight between Jaina and Eriana in a pool of jello...there are some good possibilities to work with. I think these personal interactions are going to be among the most exciting things to write about, and I hope it makes for a good story. I hate writing lovey-dovey relationship crap (hence why I completely glossed over the Jacen/TK wedding,) so if I can do a story where they're all pissed off at each other, I think I can make the interactions work out. Ami will be featured in the next story as well, and she will be working with some more experienced Jedi. Vectivus...well, where do you think Krayt got his MBA? He's the only truly business-minded Sith Lord I could find that might teach Krayt about economics and give him this new mindset opposed to the usual "Let's control everything through fear!" mantra. So, no, Krayt never had it in canon, but Vectivus seems a lot more down to earth and I think he'll be a good role model for Zara.
Chapter 20 - ReunionJacen and Eriana were awaiting the start of their meeting when a door chime interrupted their conversation in the otherwise empty meeting room. Jacen triggered the door release from across the room to see Luke being pushed into the room in a medical hoverchair by Mara.
"Uncle Luke! How are you?" Jacen exclaimed, mostly surprised to see his uncle out of a Bacta tank. "I thought you had another Bacta treatment."
"The Bacta has done all it can," Luke said with a grim smile. "We will...need to look at other options for further treatment."
A quick glance at Mara told Jacen all he needed to know – Luke would likely need the spinal surgery as Jacen had guessed. He nodded and gestured for them to join the table.
"We were just about to have a conference with key members of the rebellion," Jacen said. "Apparently someone has stepped up as the leader and has already created planetary resistance cells on over two hundred planets."
"Any idea who it is?" Mara asked as she wheeled Luke up to the table and took her own seat beside him. She took Luke's hand in hers and Jacen felt a moment of longing for Tenel Ka's presence at his side.
"No idea yet," Eriana said. "But whoever they are, they're doing a hell of a good job."
They continued to chat for a few minutes about Jacen's captivity and rescue, and Jacen quickly realized by the tone of the conversation that Mara had not yet told Luke about Ami. At an awkward moment where Jacen almost said something about Ami, an alarm chimed indicating that the other parties were ready for the meeting. Eriana cued the flat panel holoscreen and a split view showing a very upset looking pair of Wedge and Leia on one side and Lowbacca and Tenel Ka on the other side. Jacen looked at Tenel Ka with surprise, and he noticed a tiny little smile in the corner of her mouth as she looked directly back at him.
"Luke!" Wedge exclaimed upon seeing him, his angry demeanour dropping. "Good to see you, old buddy! How're you doing?"
Luke gave the same grim smile he gave Jacen earlier and shook his head. "Not well, Red Two," Luke said, using Wedge's old call sign from the Battle of Yavin. "It will be a long road to recovery."
"Sorry to hear that, Red Five," Wedge said. "Hope it's not as long a road as you expect."
"Thanks."
"I'm glad you're all here," Wedge said. "I apologize for the delay. We had a little incident in the fleet a few moments ago that held us up."
"Nothing too serious, I hope," Eriana said.
"We'll get over it," Wedge said darkly, his eyes flicking at Jacen for half a second, catching the younger man off guard with the momentary hostility. "More importantly, I'd like you all to meet the leader of our rebellion against Krayt's rule, and I believe you're all acquainted with her – Former Queen of Hapes, Tenel Ka."
Wedge's glare forgotten, Jacen's eyes shot between Lowie and Tenel Ka with concern. Reaching out toward Tenel Ka, he sent an empathic remark. You could have told me when I called an hour ago!
And spoil the surprise? Tenel Ka sent back with the emotional equivalent of a wink.
"Haven't met her before," Jacen said nonchalantly. "Could you run through some qualifications? Maybe get a letter of recommendation?"
Everyone chuckled, including Tenel Ka, except for Eriana who spoke up.
"Tenel Ka, thank you for taking the first steps. I know we've all been a little distracted lately."
"It was my pleasure," Tenel Ka replied. "Lowbacca has been a great aid to the cause as well. We hope to incorporate both your fleets into our efforts once we understand our goals and capabilities."
"I'll start," Jacen said. "I think I have the most recent intel on Krayt. He's in trouble."
"Did you complete the mission?" Luke asked, eager for some good news.
"Yes," Jacen replied. "I stuck a lightsaber in his side and severely damaged his connection to the Force. I discovered this ability in my travels that I really hate the idea of, but I figured it was necessary this time. I put a drop of my blood into his wound. As long as he's connected to the Force, which he barely is right now, I can tell which direction he is relative to where I am. Based on the map I was looking at about an hour ago, I think he's near Coruscant."
"That'll be useful," Wedge said. Luke, however, looked extremely concerned, but said nothing.
"I thought so," Jacen said grimly. "I also discovered when I met him that his Yuuzhan Vong armour is getting too old and big, and is starting to devour him. It's like having too big a predator in an ecosystem that eats all the food. That's why he didn't kill me – when I neutralized the poison spores he used on us he realized that I could control Vong biotech. He wanted me to convince it to get off him. I convinced it to do the complete opposite."
[So we can expect Krayt to be out of the picture within...six months?] Lowie asked.
"Less than that," Jacen said. "One or two, tops. That armour is hungry and growing fast. Well, fast on relative terms. I have no idea what he's going to end up as when it finishes growing. For all I know, I could have made things worse for us."
"What does this mean for them?" Eriana asked. "Would it have been better to kill him? This makes it possible for him to establish a successor."
"I think he already has one," Jacen said. "Unfortunately, my travelling companion didn't know who it was, or wasn't willing to tell me."
"Either he'll try to hold onto power as he loses his mind," Leia said. "Which would be great for us. Or he'll put someone else in charge. This could go either way, depending on how blood thirsty the new person is."
"That's the thing about Krayt," Jacen said. "I think he wasn't all that bad. Unlike Soora Bulq, I could actually empathise with what Krayt was trying to achieve. He went through his entire manifesto with me in a bid to bring me to his side. He honestly believes he's doing the galaxy some good by cleansing it, but his real goal is to establish a unified economic environment across the galaxy to inspire prosperity and peace. I think he's insane, but the way he was talking actually seemed to curb his bloodlust. Unless he put someone else through the Economic School of Darth Krayt, whoever replaces him is probably going to be a whole lot more dangerous."
"This does not change our goals," Tenel Ka said. "We must continue to undermine their military strength in order to liberate planets from their control."
"How the heck do we do that?" Eriana asked. "I needed almost all of the Vornskr capital ships to take one of those Obsidian class ship out, and most of our weaponry is illegal to the point that it could be more dangerous to us than our opponent. We had to invent new battle strategies, some that I doubt we'll be able to use more than once or twice. We've had marginal success using planetary shield generators on a Super Star Destroyer to block the turbolaser, but we're still replacing the burned out shield generator and power conduits on our one SSD. If we face two ships, or if they get a second shot in, we're toast. All in all, we're barely keeping up."
"We've been working on counter tactics," Wedge said. "We finally got our prototype superlasers to check out and we're installing them on five of our capital ships as we speak. My entire fleet will be ready to move out in three weeks with twenty superlaser-equipped ships. By our calculations, if we can hit them with one of our superlasers before they can hit us, we should be able to at least cause enough damage to one of those Obsidian class destroyers that they won't be able to fire back."
"That's a big if," Mara said sceptically.
"We're also working on the planetary shield mod, too," Wedge said. "Ours are untested. Maybe we can compare notes, Eriana?"
"I'll see what I can do about clearing the engineers that worked on that project to talk to your people," Eriana said apprehensively. "Unfortunately I might not be able to do more than get the schematics. The Vornskrs operate on layers of secrecy so the rank and file don't know what we're really up to at the top. If I start punching holes through those layers, I could have a mutiny on my hands when word spreads about what's really going on. We've been pushing it as it is with some of the operations we had to do to rescue Jacen. Hosting the well-known Skywalker-Solo clan on board my command ship hasn't helped either. I don't know how much longer we can keep up the ruse."
"Do you think the Vornskrs might be willing to join the rebellion?" Leia asked. "I know you're running a pirating operation right now, but can we turn them into freedom fighters?"
"I'd be shocked if we could pull it off," Eriana said. "Upwards of eighty percent of my people are in it for the money, and they're the ones who carry the guns. I'm still trying to figure out what happens when we get rid of the Bogan Empire. The Vornskrs are too becoming powerful to keep together in a time of peace, and we're growing by the day. I'm not going to authorize attacks on Jedi Coalition targets, but when Bogan targets disappear, I'm going to have a lot of well-armed pirates looking to be paid. Right now I don't want to turn away good people willing to fight against Krayt for profit, but we might end up with a criminal empire too big to control that was built under the approval of the Jedi. Just imagine the political fallout of that.
"My admirals are on board with my goals, but I've had to start using fear tactics to keep one of them in line. It might just be a matter of time before they decide to splinter and I suddenly find myself with my six fleets leaving me behind on some desolate rock. I never expected us to grow this big."
"We are talking about a pirate organization, right?" Wedge asked. "How big can the Vornskrs be?"
"A year ago we were half a million people with about seven hundred mid-to-large ships," Eriana replied. "We just topped three and a half a million members and have over five thousand ships consisting of capital ships, fighters, and everything in between. We're paying salaries at a rate of about two hundred trillion credits per year. Don't forget that we have all sorts of other costs, like parts, maintenance, armaments and food – our operating budget is over half a quadrillion credits. The vast majority of it we steal from the Bogans, but we're having a harder time finding targets to poach and keeping up with the cash flow requirements. When the Bogan well dries up, we're going to have a serious problem on our hands, especially with these large ships. They're not easy to keep flying."
"Where did you get so many ships?" Leia asked in awe. "We've been having a hard time finding any capital ships."
"Well, it helped that the Royal Hapan family found a way to entrust a sizeable chunk of funds under my care before Hapes was destroyed," Eriana smiled at Tenel Ka, who received a grim nod in response. "We put a shipyard in orbit around Hoth that is building modified Pirhana class assault ships using the asteroid field there for raw materials. I have three fleets made up entirely of those that have been raiding supply lines and collecting the majority of our income, and we're also using our shipbuilding capabilities to build luxury yachts and freighters that we're selling under a shadow corporation to make ends meet. We've also been buying ships off the Mandalorians for a discount in exchange for protection, capturing a lot of big ships – and entire crews – from the Imperial Remnant, and raiding Bogan installations for fighters. It's amazing what you can find lying around."
Everyone sat in silence contemplating Eriana's predicament until Tenel Ka spoke up. "We should all consider how to deal with the Black Vornskrs when the time comes. Perhaps for now we should avoid arming the Vornksrs with superlaser technology so our partnership is less evident and the balance of power is not disturbed too much."
"Agreed," Jacen and Eriana said in unison.
"I have had some success arranging a partnership with the Chiss Ascendency and maintaining the one with Corellia," Tenel Ka continued. "Unfortunately very few are willing to stand up to Krayt. The corporate sector has rebuffed every attempt at communication."
"I think I know why," Jacen said. "It looks like there's a new player in the game trying to wiggle into the cracks left between us and the Bogan Empire. I know we all thought them destroyed, but it appears Black Sun is making a comeback."
While Wedge, Leia, Luke and Mara looked at Jacen in surprise, Eriana reached for her datapad.
"I saw a report on them last week," Eriana said. "Someone's been sending data packages to us about Black Sun. Considering how vague the data was, we dismissed as misinformation."
"Well, if the intel I got is accurate, their home base is Synergy Technology," Jacen said. "The CEO is probably the new underlord."
"Synergy Technology," Mara held up her LinkCom. "You mean the guys who make these?"
"Yes," Jacen confirmed. "They're using those things to spy on everyone. Anywhere that has a holonet receiver turns one of those devices into part of the spy network. They track movements, communications, everything. That's how Black Sun is being reborn – by getting everyone to spy on themselves."
"Lowie, can you pull those mysterious reports together and take another look at them?" Eriana asked. "There might be more there than we originally thought."
Luke took his LinkCom out of his pocket and tapped it against his other hand. "If they're spying on us, I think we could use their eyes to our advantage."
"Disinformation," Leia said.
"Exactly," Luke replied. "We could feed them bad data through the network."
"I'd rather issue the order to chuck 'em as soon as we're done here," Wedge said. "Based on our fleet wide network activity we estimate about fifteen thousand devices are being used. Coordinating that amount of disinformation is going to be impossible."
[And if only a handful of units are transmitting on a fleet this size,] Lowie continued. [It'll be obvious we're on to them.]
"Luckily we're out of holonet range here," Wedge said. "We're using a secure relay for the few communications we've had to, but otherwise we've been off the grid for a couple months now."
"My tech guys didn't like the device to begin with," Eriana said. "Too many security holes to begin with. My senior staff has had a ban on them from day one. I'm not too concerned about the lower ranks because they don't know enough to compromise security. I think Jacen can attest to how much we keep our people in the dark until the mission actually starts, but I'll put a fleetwide ban on them immediately to be safe. Tenel Ka, you should also inform our allies about the LinkComs. We don't want our planetary cells given away by their communicators."
"Agreed," Tenel Ka said. "Next steps?"
"Jacen and I are going to Corellia to meet with Shada about absorbing Karrde's organization," Eriana said. "I'm going to need someone to take it over, especially if I have to take a bigger hand in controlling the Vornskrs. I need to see what her expectations are."
"Admiral Antilles, perhaps it would be worth sending one of your a fleets to Corellia," Tenel Ka said. "Corellia's location could be a valuable base to operate a strike force from."
"Agreed. I'll send the first fleet that has a superlaser equipped Super Star Destroyer," Wedge said. "It should be ready in a few hours. What happens if we run into a Vornskr fleet? You are a bunch of outlaws."
"So are you," Eriana reminded him with a smile. "I'm sure we can agree to avoiding mutually assured destruction for the best interests of both our fleets. 'We won't fire if you don't fire.'"
"That should work," Wedge agreed.
"Lowbacca and I will begin organizing our splinter cells in coordinated attacks against Bogan strongholds," Tenel Ka suggested. "If we cut the legs out from under the rancor, it should fall."
"Hopefully not on us," Jacen said, earning a grim smile from his wife.
"Good meeting, everyone," Wedge said. "We have a lot of work to do, but we're on the right track."
"Get your fleets together and we'll find a use for them with our commandos, Admiral," Tenel Ka said. "Leia Organa, Lowbacca and I will continue working on expanding the number of bases in hostile territory as well."
"And we'll keep pirating," Jacen said. "Arrr!"
With a chuckle, everyone disconnected from the conference at the same time.
"Eriana," Jacen turned to his friend. "Would you mind preparing the notes for our discussion with Shada? I'll join you in a few minutes."
Luke looked between Jacen and Mara, but his eyes locked on his wife as she stared at Jacen with...fear?
"Right away," Eriana said and left the room without question.
Jacen turned his attention to Mara and he could sense her heart racing from across the room.
"That was kind of obvious." Luke said. "What happened?"
"Luke, there's something you need to know," Mara said slowly, correctly sensing that if she did not tell Luke about Ami, Jacen was sending a subtle hint that he would. She let go of his hand and walked a few steps away from him. When she turned around, tears were flowing down her cheeks. "Jacen, would you...?"
Jacen nodded and left the room. He let the door close behind him before he crossed the hallway and opened the door to an identical conference room to the one he just left. Inside, Ben and Ami were in an intense battle playing a handheld video game.
"I've almost got you!" Ben exclaimed.
"Not a chance!" Ami replied. "Just about...Yes!"
Ben tossed the device onto the table and Ami turned to Jacen with a big grin on her face.
"Third win in a row! Superior Jedi reflexes, my scrawny ass!"
"Ami," Jacen said sombrely. "It's time."
Ami's smile disappeared and she gently put the video game onto the table. "Did she tell him?"
"Right now, across the hall."
Jacen took Ami by the hand and led her back across the hall and hesitated before pressing the call button.
"I know you don't owe him one, but please do him a favour," Jacen said. "Go easy on her. It'll be hard enough for both of them."
He pressed the button and two seconds later the door opened. He let Ami enter on her own and retreated to the bridge, trying to ignore the pain he felt coming from the conference room.
[[[[#]]]]]]]]=(=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"You are not healing, Master."
It was a statement, not a question. After the eighty seven years that A'Sharad Hett had lived, either under his birth name or his Lord of the Sith title, he finally felt his years catching up on him with the simple words from his apprentice. He opened his eyes to look out the view port of his private meditation chamber to see the glittering lights of Coruscant slowly crawling by below him, but he stayed on the floor kneeling.
The lightsaber wound in his gut had, indeed, not been healing. His armour had healed itself over, protecting the gaping holes, but did little to fix the problem. It seemed that the armour had decided it was time to win the long battle against its human host and used the injury as an opportunity to take over. Tendrils from the armour dug deeper into the wound every day and fed on him, making itself stronger while making him weaker.
"My days are numbered, my friend," Krayt admitted with uncharacteristic vulnerability seeping into his heavy words. "It will soon be time for this old warrior to fight his last battle."
The snap-hiss of a lightsaber igniting behind him stabbed his heart with icy fear that felt alien to the old Sith Lord. He took a deep breath and prepared himself for the final blow that would take his life.
"The way of the Sith mandates that I kill my master when he is no longer worthy to lead me."
"That is the mandate," Krayt agreed with an emotionless voice.
"And your mindless outbursts are a threat to our fleet."
Krayt squeezed his heterochromatic eyes closed his eyes and grit his teeth, using what will power he had to push against the influence of the armour at the memory of waking up several times bathed in the blood of hapless victims whose only crime was being near him when he lost control.
"However, I do not believe that your expertise is still required to lead us to victory."
The lightsaber deactivated, and Krayt relaxed slightly.
"The Jedi are too powerful," Krayt said. "With the loss of our homeworld and the devastation of our fleet at Zonoma Sekot, we cannot stand against them."
"We need a victory. A true victory against a military target. We control most of the civilian populations in the core and mid-rim, but we have had little success trying to route their fleets. The Black Vornskrs continue to harass our supply lines, and I know Wedge Antilles is hiding somewhere. He is biding his time, waiting until he has the advantage to strike."
"What do you suggest, my apprentice?"
"Corellia. We put a fleet in hiding around the gravity well and wait for them to drop their defenses. If we destroy Centerpoint Station, we will send a message that we can get them anywhere."
"What if Antilles's fleet is at Corellia?" Krayt asked. He suppressed the urge to cough, forcing his body to obey his will.
"When I left the Jedi, they did not know where Antilles was hiding. Corran Horn would have told the Council if he was there."
Krayt slowly nodded in contemplation. "Send the Third Fleet to Corellia with orders to destroy Centerpoint Station."
"Yes, master."
[[[[#]]]]]]]]=(=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Seven hundred and fifty small, yet well-armed ships dropped out of hyperspace, led by the Black Vornskr Victory-class Star Destroyer Hunter IV to the designated checkpoint for ships to assemble in wait for the gravity well around the Corellian system to be dropped for transit into the system. From the bridge of Hunter IV, Eriana and Jacen watched as sensor data populated the tactical displays before them and noted that, other than the Vornskr fleet, only one ship and a sensor buoy were in their immediate vicinity.
"That ship is hailing the sensor buoy," Jacen noted on the readings. "It's transmitting the ident...this can't be right. That's Boba Fett's ship. Why would he want to go to Corellia?"
"Hail him," Eriana suggested. "He's your buddy."
"I wouldn't go that far," Jacen said. Both he and Eriana put headsets on. He modified the communication system to provide a tight beam transmission and pressed the transmit button on the console. "Slave IV, this is the Black Vornskr command ship Hunter IV. Please confirm pilot name and ship registry."
"Slave IV looking for Jacen or Jaina Solo," a droid voice replied from the AIAT/i gunship. Jacen looked at Eriana with a confused expression.
"Jacen Solo here," Jacen said into the receiver. "Boba, is that you? What's going on?"
"Slave IV requesting clearance to dock."
Jacen turned to Eriana who shrugged. He looked at the communications officer behind him and pointed at the young man. "Please give that ship docking coordinates. Use an airlock instead of a hanger bay."
"What is going on here?" Eriana whispered. "This is weird."
"I don't know, but have you ever heard of someone taking advantage of Boba Fett and stealing his ship?"
He turned around to leave the bridge when Eriana grabbed Jacen by the sleeve. "This could be some kind of trick, Jacen. Be careful."
"I know," Jacen said. "Come with me?"
"In a second," Eriana said. She turned to the man who was at the tactical display with them. "Captain Arillian, please transmit the authent code to the sensor buoy and request clearance for the Solo Quest, Squawking Mynock and Jade Shadow to Corellia. Signal General Cooper and tell him to keep the fleet on full alert while I proceed to Corellia with Jacen. We don't want to scare them with all our fleet showing up on their doorstep."
Captain Arillian nodded and began issuing orders, giving Eriana and Jacen the chance to leave the bridge. Eriana followed Jacen, running to keep up with his pace until they reached the nearest lift. They took it down ten levels, all the while Jacen was pacing impatiently. They finally reached deck twelve and Jacen ran out of the lift when the doors were just wide enough for him to fit through. Eriana matched his pace to the designated airlock where several technicians were already waiting. After the technicians cleared that there were no evident explosives, Eriana dismissed them. Jacen paused at the door, his hand hovering beside the activation button.
"Eriana, we've always been there to protect each other from ourselves," Jacen said, eyes fixed on the door release. "I hope this isn't one of those times that I'll need you, but something feels wrong here."
Eriana put her left hand on his shoulder while removing her lightsaber from the right holster strapped to her leg. "Don't worry, I'm here for you."
Jacen pressed the button and the door slid open. They both stepped into the airlock and continued into the eerily empty ship. They proceeded from room to room, finding evidence that two people had been living in the ship, but no clues as to who they were. As they entered the bridge, a hologram of Han Solo appeared in the middle of the room.
"Hey kid," the hologram of Han said. In shock, Jacen stepped backwards into Eriana, but she grabbed him by his shoulders to steady him. "I'm sure you're surprised to see me. I know you think I'm dead, but if you're seeing this, then I really am."
"When would he have made time to make this?" Eriana whispered, but Jacen just shook his head in response.
"Fett made me an offer in the hospital," Han continued. "He came across some intel on the Bogan home world and we knew, to protect the people we loved, we had to take it out. He faked my death and brought me to some fancy doctor who patched up my head, and we set out to deliver a crippling blow. We programmed the ship to head back to Corellia and look for you if our mission succeeded, so if you're seeing this, you can rest assured that the Bogans are going to be pretty pissed off because we destroyed their homeworld and shipyard."
Jacen took a couple of tentative steps forward, reaching out toward the hologram of his dad.
"You didn't have to," Jacen whispered.
"Fett and I are both dying," Han continued, oblivious to his son's teary-eyed response. "His cloned biology is degenerating, and the operation I got is unstable. We knew we had one chance to help you all out, and only a few weeks to live, so we took it.
"Jacen, Fett said the ship is yours," Han continued. "But if you ever run across a girl named Ailyn Vel, please give it to her. Tell her it's a gift from her dad."
Eriana stepped forward and took Jacen's hand in hers, squeezing it to give him some comfort, knowing full well that Han's last words to his family were coming up.
"Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin, you know I love you and will always be proud of you," Han said, a tear running down his holographic cheek. "Luke, keep flyin', kid. And Leia, you'll always be my princess. May the Force, and the family, be with you all, always."
With a lopsided grin, the image of Han Solo faded to darkness.
[[[[#]]]]]]]]=(=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Erinn entered Jaina's office timidly, unsure which side of her Master she would run into – the usual relatively calm Master Solo, or the angry Admiral that broke her Commander's nose and lashed out with the Force. Based on the half-empty bottles of whiskey and brandy on her desk, the messy office, and the melancholic music that Jaina was badly singing along to, Erinn suspected she was going to see a very different side of her Jedi Master.
"Master Solo?"
Jaina was singing along to a very sad sounding song. She stopped to take another sip of the amber fluid in the glass before continuing. She seemed oblivious to Erinn's entrance, merely staring out at the stars looking back at her through the window while softly singing along.
"Master Solo?"
As the song continued playing Jaina finally turned to face Erinn. She clumsily grabbed another glass, filled it with some brandy that sloshed over onto the desk, and shoved the glass toward her, again spilling some out.
"To Dad," Jaina said, holding up her glass expectantly.
Unsure how to approach the situation, but scared about offending her master, Erinn sat down, picked up the glass of alcohol and held it up.
Jaina knocked back the entire shot and Erinn followed suit, not entirely sure about the protocol on toasts. The alcohol burned all the way down, and Erinn sneezed and coughed against the offending liquid.
"Good stuff, eh?" Jaina smirked and grabbed the bottle.
After Erinn put the glass back on the desk, Jaina filled them both back up and picked up her glass.
"I heard what happened," Erinn said. She tentatively picked up the glass, but did not drink from it.
"Sure the whole fleet knows," Jaina muttered and held up her glass. "To…somethin' impor'nt."
She brought the glass to her mouth too quickly and fumbled it, dumping the contents on her lap.
"Oh, shavit," Jaina said, jumping to her feet and swaying on the spot. She kicked off her boots and pulled her pants off. Erinn stared in shocked disbelief as Jaina looked at the soaked pants and dropped them to the floor. Jaina sat back down and, rather than filling her glass she grabbed the bottle of whiskey. She held it up while relying on the desk for stability.
"Do da fleet!" Jaina slurred and chugged a few gulps from the bottle. Erinn took a polite sip to match. She felt the alcohol from the first shot getting to her head, making her a little more relaxed and fuzzy.
"I don' know wha' her problem is," Jaina said, answering the unspoken question that Erinn had been thinking. "I fixed it. Her schedule sucked, so I fixed it. Wazzn't dat a good 'dea?"
"Sure," Erinn said, thinking it safer to agree with Jaina than not. She took another sip from the alcohol. "I mean, we need to defend the fleet properly, right?"
"'zactly!" Jaina exclaimed and took another swig from her bottle. "You're good kid, Erica."
"Erinn," she corrected absentmindedly.
"That's a pretty name," Jaina said thoughtfully. "Did you change it?"
"Not in seventeen years," Erinn said. "Still 'Erinn,' Master Solo."
"Call me 'Jaina'," she took another drink. "My friends do."
"But you're my Jedi Master."
Jaina waved the bottle as if she could dismiss her apprentice's inhibitions. She stood up and stumbled towards Erinn.
"C'mon," Jaina pulled her apprentice to her feet and put an arm around her shoulders, leaning heavily on the younger woman for support. She began walking toward the door, pulling Erinn along. "Let's tell e'ryon' we're friends."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Erinn said apprehensively and tried to resist, but Jaina hit the button beside the door with the Force.
The doors opened and Jaina shouted out. "Hey, this my friend Erica!"
"Admiral!" Captain Pearl exclaimed at the sight of seeing the uncomfortable teenager supporting her drunk, pants-less Jedi Master inside the office.
Jaina found some coordination and ran out to the Captain and gave him a big hug. "I wanna do fireworks."
She gestured wildly to the main viewport and waved her arms in sweeping motions.
"Big 'splosions! Fire torpedoes! Make the sky pretty!"
Captain Pearl merely turned back to his console and pressed a button. "Security to the bridge!"
[[[[#]]]]]]]]=(=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"She did what?"
Despite a long career of military service which included serving with the mostly-eccentric members of Rogue and Wraith Squadrons, Wedge Antillies had finally found himself completely dumbfounded by the actions of someone under his command. He looked from the image of Captain Pearl hovering above his desk to Leia, who was sitting across from him, shaking her head at the description of her daughter's actions.
"She…"
"I heard you the first time, Captain Pearl," Wedge said. "I just don't want to believe it."
"There was the earlier incident…"
"Which I vividly remember."
"Yes, sir. She's been screaming 'mutiny' since the security team apprehended her. I have her in the brig now."
"Good," Wedge said. "Keep her there. You did the right thing, Captain. I'll send someone over to deal with her."
"Understood," Captain Pearl nodded and moved to cut the connection before pausing. "Shall I return her pants to her, Admiral?"
Wedge stared in disbelief as the older man's moustache twitched up on one corner, and terminated the connection from his end.
"I thought she'd be better at this," Leia said as a way of apology. "I thought the responsibility would…"
"I should be apologizing to you, Leia." Wedge shook his head. "It's my responsibility, not hers. I shouldn't have offered her a command after she attacked Danni."
Leia looked away from her old friend and wiped a tear from her eye.
"Jaina was always closer to Han than Jacen was," Leia admitted. "It hasn't been easy on any of us…"
Wedge gave her a moment of silence so she could wipe another tear from each eye before continuing.
"I'll have to remove her from command," Wedge said softly. "I know the fifth fleet is largely inconsequential from a combat perspective, but…"
"We should contact Kenth Hamner." Leia interrupted his attempt to justify his decision to her. "She'll need to be suspended as a Jedi Master as well."
Wedge's eyebrows shot up, almost disappearing into his hair line. "Isn't that a little excessive?"
"She gave alcohol to a minor under her legal guardianship."
Wedge shook his head and spun his chair around to look out the window behind his desk. Through the transparisteel he could see the outline of one of the shipyards performing a refit on a Star Destroyer. It took him a moment to realize that that was the same shipyard that had been hacked by Jaina's technicians.
"It's going to destroy her. She needs help, and our resources are stretched thin. Anyone with any sort of psychology education is booked solid for the next month."
"She's in the brig," Leia said. "She can't hurt anyone there. We'll keep her locked up for a few days and let her cool down a bit. Once she's had time to think about what she did we'll see what we can do with her."
Wedge shook his head and tossed the datapad with Captain Pearl's report on his desk where it bounced and slid over a metre before stopping. He reached over and grabbed another datapad. He accessed the information on it for several moments before holding it out to Leia. Rather than reach over his massive desk to take it, Leia used the Force to call it to her hand.
"I think we should deploy Trista and Taryn Zel's fleet to Corellia," Wedge said. "I think the Hapan ships combined with the Mark III ISDs with super lasers will augment the Corellian Defense Force well."
"Agreed," Leia said after looking over the tactical analysis on the datapad. "How long will it take for them to get there?"
"You know the answer as well as I do, Leia," Wedge said sadly.
"I know," Leia said with a grimace. "Too late."
[[[[#]]]]]]]]=(=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Jacen walked through the halls of the Hunter IV rather obliviously; half staring at a datacard in his hands while half using the Force to make sure he did not walk into anyone. He wandered aimlessly until he realized that he was standing in front of his Aunt and Uncle's quarters. Part of him knew he wanted to end up there, and he figured the Force took care of the rest. He pushed the call button and felt his uncle's presence gesture for him to enter the room. He used his Vornskr override code on the door and entered.
"Uncle Luke?" Jacen called out to the dark room.
"Over here," Luke's voice came from the right. Jacen followed it and the lights came on in the next section of the room. Jacen found his uncle sitting in his hover chair with a datapad in hand, deactivating a small reading light attached to the chair.
"I didn't get the chance to thank you," Luke said.
"You've done the same for me a dozen times," Jacen said and sat on the chair closest to his uncle. "About time I started returning the favours."
Luke shrugged and shook his head. "What brings you by? Is it Ami?"
"Ah, no," Jacen said. Somehow he had entirely forgotten about the issue of Ami's lineage, but the bitter tone of his uncle's voice threw him off. "I...we...umm... Boba Fett's ship was waiting for us when we came out of hyperspace. When we boarded it, we...um...we found a message."
Jacen held up the data card which held a copy of his dad's final words to the family. His hand started to shake and he quickly pulled it back to caress the data card with both hands so he wouldn't drop it.
"It's from Dad. I don't really know if everyone's ready to see it."
"Why would you say that?"
"Because...we just buried him," Jacen felt tears welling up in his eyes and blinked them away. "If everyone knew he was still alive and went on a suicide mission without coming to see us...Mom's still grieving, Jaina's not acting herself..."
Luke held out a hand and Jacen placed the data card into it with steadier hands than he expected. Luke plugged it into his datapad and watched the holorecording. When it finished, he removed the data card and sat in silence for a minute before speaking.
"I'll leave this one up to you," Luke finally said, handing the card back to Jacen. "I have enough of my own problems. But thank you for sharing."
Luke picked up his data pad again in an unspoken gesture that he wanted to be left alone, and Jacen barely caught a glimpse at the title of what he was reading. Royal Succession of Naboo.
Jacen stood up and crossed the room, hesitating at the half wall that divided the two main sections of the quarters. He could sense his aunt nowhere near them.
"Ami seems like a good kid," Jacen said. "Well, for someone a year younger than me. I hope she sticks around."
Luke looked up at Jacen with a measure of annoyance but remained silent.
"What I'm saying is that we've lost a lot," Jacen said, holding up the data card. "It doesn't seem too often that we make gains in our family."
After a momentary staring contest, Jacen finally left his uncle's quarters and began walking through the halls. This time he had a destination in mind. He thought that maybe his uncle would give him some valuable insight or direction, like he had so many times in the past, but this time all he found was a bitter man pouting in a dark room.
A few minutes of walking at his brisk pace, Jacen arrived at the hanger bay that was occupied by the Jade Shadow. He found his aunt replacing a directional lighting panel on the port side of the ship and walked right up to her.
"I take it the introduction didn't go well," Jacen said without preamble.
Mara looked over her shoulder and made a throaty noise somewhere between a growl and a groan. "He wasn't happy."
"I just talked to him," Jacen said and settled with his back against the cool grey hull of the Shadow. "He isn't himself."
"Why do you think I'm here, and not there?" Mara snapped. She bit her lip and took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't take this out on you. I'm the idiot. I'm the fraking idiot who didn't tell my own husband about hiding his daughter for thirty years."
"I take it he didn't like her?"
"He left before she could say two words," Mara said. "One glance at her and he was out the door. Even when I was trying to kill him he wasn't that angry with me! And you know what she did? She ran away, like she always does. It's bad enough she thought one parent hated her, but for him to react like that..."
"Now she hates both of you," Jacen finished.
"Yeah, thanks for that Captain Obvious," Mara snapped bitterly. She hopped up onto the wing and sat down, letting her feet dangle about a metre from the ground. "Sorry, you didn't deserve that. He didn't send you here to talk to me, did he? He was upset enough after he found out I joined the Vornskrs, but this...he won't even look at me."
"No, he didn't send me," Jacen assured her. "I...here. Watch this holovid. I think you answered my question for me."
Mara yanked the proffered card from his hand and pulled a data pad from the floor of the hanger bay to her with the Force. After watching it, she tossed the data card back to him.
"That's so like him," Mara said, her frosty demeanor melting for a brief moment. When she looked back at Jacen, her eyes were like ice again. "Stop running around this ship like a fraking idiot and send it to your family. You'll just make things worse if you don't."
Jacen hopped up onto the wing beside her and pulled her into a hug.
"Thanks, Aunt Mara. Do you want me to talk to Ami for you?"
"Sure," Mara said softly and squeezed him a bit tighter. "I don't care if she hates me. Just don't let her do what she did to me to Luke. He doesn't deserve it."
"Jacen?" Eriana's voice came from Jacen's pocket. He let go of his aunt and drew his communicator from his belt.
"Go ahead, Eriana."
"We just got clearance to proceed to Corellia," Eriana said. "Launch time is in fifteen minutes and we have a two minute window. Can you meet me at the Solo Quest?"
"I'll be right there," Jacen said. "I'll let Ben and Mara know to get ready for the jump."
"Thanks."
Jacen turned the device off and turned to his aunt. "Thanks, again."
"You, too," Mara said. "Get to your ship. I can't wait to get out of here."
