Chapter 2: Zekk Comes, But Jag Goes

Disclaimer: If I owned Star Wars, Zekk and Jaina never would have broken up in NJO. :( So I'm just having fun with how I want it to be. If you like it, that's great! I have a JZ buddy :D lol

DRAMATIS PERSONAE: (* indicates an original character, which I own. PLEASE DO NOT USE MY ORIGINAL CHARACERS WITHOUT PERMISSION!)

Zekk Jaunter; Jedi Knight, Human Male

Jaina Solo; Jedi Knight, Human Female

Jagged Fel; Head of State, Human Male

Mirta Gev-Orade; Bounty Hunter, Human Female

Jolvin Jay*, Jedi apprentice, Arhan/human male

ANSWERS TO REVEIW ON PREVIOUS CHAPTER:

Blaze- Hey, thanks for the review :) Hope you enjoy this chapter too :) It's very encouraging to me when I get a review that says "I'm hooked." Thanks again! gives Klondike Bar for being first to review story*

The Lightening Rod made its decent into the Coruscant atmosphere. Mirta was piloting, Jolvin was her copilot. If it had been any other circumstance, Jaina would have insisted on piloting. But not when her best friend whom she hadn't seen in a year was unconscious in a bacta tank. That was enough of a reason for her to surrender the controls.

Amazingly enough, Zekk seemed mostly unchanged. He had lost some weight and his skin was paler than normal, but he still had all of his firm muscle. No beard had developed, his hair wasn't any longer than Jaina remembered. He had no visible injuries.

Jaina watched her friend float in the healing fluid of the tank. He looked like he was just asleep. He breathed. He had a pulse. The heart monitor showed a slightly slow, but steady, heartbeat. But she still could not sense him through the Force. Why?

"Jay, we're coming down for a landing. Get the patient all set to go," Mirta's voice came to her from the front of the ship. Jaina stretched out with the Force. The tall man emerged from the fluid and came down to rest on the nearby gurney, where Jaina began to strap him down and towel him off. He had been stripped to his shorts, and as she dried him, she found herself staring at the scar that stretched from his stomach to his chest in a diagonal, noticeable mark. Zekk got that scar from defending her. Her younger cousin, Ben Skywalker, had mistakenly drawn his lightsaber on her in a threatening fashion. Zekk had grabbed the hilt of the blade in an attempt to pull it away and hold onto it for safekeeping, just as the Millennium Falcon was hit by a large blast. Everyone fell to the deck, and Zekk fell on the still-lit lightsaber. For her. Sure, it was more of an accident. But it still touched her deep down.

She dressed him in the flight suit he had been wearing when she found him. Jolvin had very tactfully suggested that it be laundered after he had cringed the whole time he helped his master put the unconscious Jedi in the bacta tank. After Zekk was dressed, she looked down at him. His hair was tangled. His precious hair, which he was very proud of. She smiled and began to finger-comb out the snarls. She was just about to go call Jolvin to help her carry the stretcher when she heard a cough, and hurried back over to Zekk's side. He coughed again, and she began to sense his presence. His eyes opened slightly, then he groaned and squinted shut again, then shielded them with his arm. Jaina realized that after not seeing any light for a year, his eyes would be extremely sensitive to the bright stuff. She toned down the lights most of the way so that it would be more comfortable for him.

"Zekk?" she called softly as she walked back to him. She took some gauze off a shelf and gently lifted his head, and wrapped it around his eyes several times to block out light from outside. He turned his head toward her.

"Jaya, are you okay? What happened to Jace-, I mean, Caedus?" Usually, if someone mentioned her twin brother's name, Jaina would feel a deep stab of pain. But she had heard his voice. Warm, deep, slightly husky, and just the hint of his old Ennthian accent. And his first concern had been for her. She lost it. She broke down, sobbing on his shoulder. She could feel his slight surprise and confusion, but he soon just sent soothing thoughts to her mind and wrapped his arms around her.

"What's wrong?" he murmured. She pulled herself away and brushed her tears away.

"I'll tell you later," she choked. "Can you stand?"

"I won't know until I try," he said. Jaina slid an arm around his wait and helped him to his feet. After a few unsteady test steps, she began to carefully guide him towards the hall that led to the outer hatch. Mirta and Jolvin were just exiting when they saw the diminutive Jedi woman and the tall, dark-haired man with a bandage over his eyes. The two stopped and offered their assistance.

"Not necessary," Jaina said. The two slowly made their way down the ramp and to her speeder, where she drove him to the med center. Zekk was taken to a room to be examined. Jaina was about to tell the doctor everything that had happened, but then realized that if the public heard about the Jedi who had been in a weird coma for a year with only the standard life support systems of a fighter to keep him alive, Zekk would have no peace for several months at least.

"I'm just bringing my friend in for a checkup," she said. It was believable. Zekk was walking on his own very well now. She sat in the waiting room, reading a magazine until the doctor came out.

"Jedi Solo, I am delighted to inform you that you're friend seems to be very healthy. But what is wrong with his sight?" Dang it. She hadn't thought this part through.

"Oh, he just got back from an eye appointment. They dilated his eyes. Temporary light sensitivity."

"I see. Zekk's all set. Take him when you're ready." Jaina thanked him and payed at the front desk, and went down the hall to the examination room that had been assigned to Zekk. She knocked softly on the door. He called out that it was okay to enter. He had dressed and taken of the gauze. Soft brown eyes met emerald green ones. She found herself lost in the swirling shades of green, rimmed with a darker shade. She shook it off.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

"I was waiting for you." She smiled, and they headed out of the clinic.

~.~.~.~

Jag sat in his office. Ugh, more paperwork to fill out. He sighed, and dove back into the stack of reports, letters to respond to, etc. He was no Jedi, but about thirty minutes later, he was pretty sure that he was not alone. He glanced around. He, himself, and Jag. No one else. He shrugged and went back to work.

"Come with me, Fel." Jag stood up straight, fumbling around for his blaster, then realized the man that had seemingly materialized in front of him had it. How had he done that?

"I said come with me, Fel, or I blow your handsome head off your very square shoulders."

Jag raised his hands above his head and slowly approached the man. Or at least, he thought it was a man. It could be a woman. He couldn't tell. His newfound companion was dressed head to toe in black armor that concealed his/her figure. The man/woman's voice was filtered through a voice changer so that wouldn't give his/her gender away, either. The intruder grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him out the door, the blaster pointed right between his shoulder blades. Jag wondered why his security force wasn't running in shouting and shooting. Then he saw it. They had all been herded into a conference room, and several of them had bombs strapped to their backs. He walked past them, they all looked ashamed. They all knew they had failed him. The person holding a gun to his back shoved him into a ship, and then knocked him out with a stun bolt. Shortly after, they blasted off into hyperspace.

Authors Note: What did you peoples think? I wanna know! Also, VERY IMPORTANT! READ THIS - I NEED NAME IDEAS FOR ORIGINAL CHARACTERS! PLEASE SUBMIT THEM TO ME IN A REVIEW! I CAN'T GUARENTEE I WILL USE EVERY NAME, AND I MAY ALTER THEM. I WILL HOLD THE RIGHTS TO ALL ORIGINAL CHARACTERS USED IN THIS STORY, BUT I WILL SEND SHOUT OUTS TO WHOEVER GIVES ME A CHARACTER NAME THAT I USE! YOU CAN BE AN ANONYMOUS READER! JUST SEND ME NAME IDEAS! I ALSO NEED NIFTY SHIP NAMES! SO GIMME GIMME! ;D Anyway, I hope you guys are enjoying this. I certainly am!

Rock on, dudes and dudettes :) XOXO, Bethany :) 3