Chapter Thirty-Two: Family Matters
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Despite the med-bay already being relatively noisy, Lord Onyx, the resurrected Jaina Solo, and a ghost that looked remarkably like Kyp Durron still managed to burst upon the scene. The two corporeal humans carried a stranger between them, and, despite his bewilderment, Medic Bavirr caught on quickly. The newcomer was his next patient.
Rushing to them, and choosing to ignore the why of Onyx's presence, the Bothan asked briskly, "What happened?"
The very much alive Miss Solo – what a medical miracle, if the rumours were true! – shifted her hold on the other woman. "Where's a spare bed?"
Bavirr directed them to a small, curtained-off room, and a cot. "Put her in here."
"Thanks," Onyx muttered. He sounded a little testy, but he placed the patient on the bed gently enough. "We came as fast as we could."
The medic pressed a call button for one of the nurses. "What's the problem?"
"Poison," Jaina Solo answered shortly. "I don't for how long, or even what the poison is, though."
Pressing the stethoscope to the other, wan woman's heart, Bavirr listened for a few minutes. "How long has she been unconscious?"
Miss Solo bit her lip, then offered, "Almost twenty-four hours? I was a little…tied up, and couldn't see when she fell. The trip back took about seven hours. However," she quickly added, seeing Bavirr's concern, "Zekk, Kyp and I were able to stop the poison's spread, so…it shouldn't be as bad as your expression suggests."
The nurse – a Twi'lek – had pushed back the curtain long enough to enter. She began to speak, then stopped, her gold eyes flicking from Jaina to the patient. "Whoa. I thought you were a twin, not a triplet, Miss Solo."
Jaina's hand reached out to grip the patient's hand tightly. "She isn't – look, could you just help her?"
The Twi'lek blinked, but turned to the Bavirr. "What'll it be?"
Bevirr studied his patient. "We'll need to do blood work – pull a few scientists and prepare them to ascertain the poison. Meanwhile, retrieve a few bacta patches, and the normal set-up for disease care. Miss Solo, if you could make a list of known symptoms – there is a datapad on that dresser…"
Inevitably, Bevirr's gaze was drawn to Lord Onyx. "And – you – ah, well…"
Miss Solo looked up from the datapad she had retrieved, and watched the two men. "Zekk, why don't you fill this list," she suggested with a wince. "Just…look around – get what you need – you know. I'll fill the medic in on Sanar's information."
Taking Bevirr by the arm, she directed him out of the curtained room. "Your name is…?"
"Medic Bevirr," the Bothan introduced, looking over his shoulder, hesitant to leave his patient. The ghost (sithing long hours; they were damaging his brain. Ghosts? Bah!) he had seen earlier was now gone, and with it any precautions Bevirr could have taken.
"Sanar will be safe with Zekk," Solo assured the Hapan male. "However, no doubt you will need some information, as you look for the cure to her malady."
Bevirr gave up, but made a note to check Miss Solo's mental records. Fame could do funny things to people, after all…
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Devnos watched.
He saw.
He saw the face of the other; he saw the inevitability.
He hated; he cursed; he raged.
He couldn't believe it; they couldn't be this cruel, this twisted.
But –
Strength, power, justice, death… Even, eventually, personal investment. All the ingredients were present.
And so he accepted that.
But he would never accept…
The rest.
Do you hear me?! he silently screamed. I refuse to accept that it's the only way! I refuse!
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Devnos woke violently, and it was some time before he could calm himself down. Coppery blood filled his mouth, and he realized that he had bit down on his tongue. Cursing softly, he reached up to wipe the blood away, but found he couldn't.
Blinking in confusion, Devnos made his eyes focus as he looked down – at leather straps that encased his hands and feet.
He raised his eyes to study his location, and found bare, metal walls – a detention cell.
He was a…prisoner? How had that happened?!
Groaning, Devnos closed his eyes, hoping that, when he opened them again, everything would be back to normal.
One eyelid raised, and then the other…and, no, his position had not changed.
Of all the luck.
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It was a peaceful sight, Leia admitted to herself. An eerie one, too – one that made her stop when she first saw it.
But peaceful. Maybe even…yes, it was right. At the very least, it was something to which she would have to resign herself.
The sight was that of Jaina and Zekk lying together awkwardly, yet, somehow, so very comfortably, on a bench in the waiting area of the med-centre. The Hapan scientists had managed to discover the name and antidote of Falat's poison nearly an hour ago. The medic, Bevirr, had told Leia that Sanar would awaken in thirty-six hours, nearly as good as new. As for Jaina, and her position in Zekk's arms, Leia could only guess that he had convinced her to sleep, if only on a bench. Knowing Jaina and her stubbornness – not to mention her protectiveness of Zekk – the young woman had insisted that he stay with her.
Leia's hand dropped to her protruding stomach. She only had a few weeks – if that – left in her pregnancy; another son, or daughter, would be in her arms before another month had passed. Perhaps it was the hormones, but Leia could not even begin to categorize what she felt about that, or about On—Zekk's presence at a time when she felt vulnerable.
Leia Organa Solo was a princess. At eighteen, she had taken charge of her own rescue party; three years later, she had discovered that her birth father was her government's greatest enemy. Since then, she had persuaded the Senate in matters of galaxy security, and done far more. She was not faint-hearted, and she had never been a damsel in distress. She had not been raised that way.
But one of her greatest faults was that Leia found it very difficult to forgive, especially when the being who needed forgiveness had hurt her or those she loved. It had taken her years to accept Anakin Skywalker, and distinguish between her father, the Jedi Knight, and Darth Vader.
Could she accept and forgive Zekk? Nearly every bit of Leia dug in its heels at the idea, screaming that Onyx had killed her sons – had murdered Anakin! She loved her sons, would always love them; how could she possibly even consider letting her daughter love their murderer?
But she loved her daughter, too, so very much. How could she do anything but agree?
Yes, Leia thought with a sigh, her eyes once again seeing Jaina and Zekk's intimately close forms. How could I live with denying what my daughter so clearly believes, and loves?
The sight was peaceful. And right, although it took so much of Leia to admit it.
What could she do now, but trust her daughter, and learn to distinguish between Zekk and Lord Onyx?
She sighed, and brushed a few stray hairs out of her face. "Alright," she whispered. "Alright."
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Jaina woke fuzzily, and pried her grimy eyes open to see the presence she had sensed. "Hi, Mom," she said softly. In a belated attempt to not push her mother too quickly, she sat up, and stood, away from Zekk, who continued to sleep. Compromise and understanding, she reminded herself, are the keys to a working relationship.
But Leia simply looked at her, and Jaina puzzled that her mother appeared…different, somehow. "Jaina," the princess began. "I love you. You know that, right?"
Concerned, Jaina stepped closer, and thought back on when she had first seen her mother on Hapes. "Of course. As well as I know I love you." She hesitated, then suddenly remembered the baby. "Are you alright, Mom? Is the baby – "
"Oh, it's not that," Leia hurried to reassure her. "There will be a few weeks yet. Can't a mother tell her only up-and-walking child that she loves her?"
Jaina glanced back at Zekk, making sure that he was asleep, then scanned the waiting room for anyone who might try to attack "Lord Onyx". Seeing no one, she slipped an arm around Leia's waist. "Let's go outside, 'kay?"
Leia mimicked Jaina's action, and the young woman smiled at her mother's embrace. "It will be a good place to talk," Leia agreed.
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Zekk was waiting for her when Jaina returned, and the couple shared a smile. "You look…" He trailed off. "Less tense," he finally settled upon.
She slipped into his arms, comfortable there. "Mom and I had a talk," she explained. "I think things are going to be better, now."
Kissing her forehead softly, he said, "I'm glad."
She looked up suddenly, sensing his guilt. "It wasn't you, you know. I mean, parts of it was, but don't feel guilty. Mom and I…there was a lot going on. And, you know, I was being a typical teenager."
Zekk smirked. "You're twenty; you can't hide behind the teenager excuse anymore."
"Of course not. I'm a mature adult now – " Zekk laughed out loud, garnering a glare from Jaina. "Excuse me? Do you have something to say? Does the peanut gallery have an opinion?"
"Of course not," he replied, green eyes dancing.
"Well." She leaned back to look him in the eye. "As a mature adult, I'm quite able to forgive and understand my parents. Haven't you heard? Generations get mushed together, and they inevitably become friends."
"Is 'mushed' even a word, let alone one a 'mature adult' would use?" Zekk teased.
Making a face, she said, "Just shut up. Oh, and ki—"
He obliged before she finished her sentence.
Leia, in the shadows, turned to locate her own beloved. Why – she forced herself to think lightly – should the kids get all the fun?
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"…If you want to be ready for anything, do you wear hot pink? No, you wear black. Why? Because it's classic. Because it works, no matter the situation."
What the…?
"I can't believe you're trying to tell me that black is to dress is as X1L9 is to blaster. Did dying completely addle your brain?"
"How nice of you to ask, but, no, it hasn't. Well, not in the matter of weaponry."
"Please. I'm a bounty hunter. I survive on blasters. The X1L9 doesn't have nearly the advantages of a WesserEye."
Sanar could quite honestly say that she had never woken up to the sound of two quiet, friendly voices chatting about which style blaster was the best.
The first of said voices sounded familiar, and Sanar forced her ears to pay attention. What kind of world was she waking up to?
Ah… she thought after a moment, placing the voice as that of none other than Jaina Solo. Well, there were worse things than putting up with heroes. At the very least, they weren't likely to kill her without some kind of warning. Heroes couldn't backstab without giving everything away; their consciences always had a pathetic effect on their lying and acting abilities.
Anyway, they were probably too noble to do anything sneaky.
With that reassuring thought, Sanar opened her eyes, intending to gather information on what was going on before they noticed she was awake.
"Sanar!"
Oh, Larifx, the slave groaned. I'm no sneakier than one of them "'Ey, Solo."
Jaina pulled her chair closer to Sanar's bed, the metal legs scraping irritably. "How are you feeling?"
Sanar opened her mouth to say "Like Hell", but stopped before the words could pass her mouth.
Jaina Solo was in complete colour. And, over her shoulder, the other woman looked exactly the way she would if she was standing a metre away. Which could only mean that Sanar's eyes were no longer playing tricks.
Realizing for the first time that she was in a med-bay bed, Sanar propped herself up, and shuddered as she realized that she was strong enough to do so. Raising her right hand, she noted the IV that was taped into it, and looked up at Jaina.
"You needed food." Jaina shrugged. "And you were a little out of it. Hey, beats a health shake."
Sanar closed her eyes, ignoring Jaina, and revelling in the healthiness that permeated her body. "I feel won—hungry," she corrected swiftly, before Solo got a big head and thought Sanar was grateful. "For real food."
Jaina's companion, who looked oddly familiar, stepped forward. "The medic said that once he checked you over again, post-awakening, you can go. He should be here in a minute."
As if she sensed Sanar's wariness and confusion, Jaina said, "You remember Cerasy, right? The bounty hunter? From what I hear, she dished it out to Devnos quite well…"
Sanar blinked, then studied the red-haired woman. "You had blue hair before," was all she could think to say.
Cerasy shrugged. "I change it a lot."
Rolling her eyes amiably, Jaina continued to explain. "Zekk, Cerasy and a few of my friends took over the ship about three days ago. They found you and Devnos both unconscious. We flew back to Hapes – that's here – for medical care. Fortunately, the poison Falat used wasn't uncommon; he was relying on your seclusion. Besides, the symptoms appeared only to be from a disease, so he was safe for a while."
Sanar's attention waned as Jaina chattered of details. To her surprise, she recognized that Solo was working off nervous energy, and Sanar looked at the younger woman with faint confusion. Why had Solo been worried? Had there ever been any doubt that Zekk would save the day for his hero girlfriend? Unlike Sanar, who had no one, Jaina had had several people race to her rescue.
On that topic, Sanar's mind wandered to her brother. "Where is Devnos?" she asked, interrupting Jaina's tense explanations.
Jaina ran her tongue over her teeth pensively before she replied. "As I said, we found him unconscious, next to you. After everyone was certain you would pull through, we got a medic to check Devnos for problems." The Jedi frowned. "Oddly enough…there was no problem. He's perfectly healthy; there was no reason for his collapse. So the Hapes Defence kind of took over."
"Meaning…" Sanar prodded impatiently.
"He's being held in a prison cell," Jaina explained. "When he wakes up, he will probably be interrogated, and… Actually, I don't really know what they plan for afterwards."
Cerasy nudged her friend, and whispered, "Jaina, you had better tell her about the brain thing."
With the poison gone, there was nothing wrong with Sanar's hearing. "What brain thing?"
Jaina looked strangely guilty. "Well…I wasn't going to say anything, because it – the medics believe it isn't important, but…"
"Devnos is loopy," Cerasy interrupted calmly.
"What?" Sanar choked out, staring at the bounty hunter.
Solo rolled her eyes at her friend. "He is not. Devnos… The medics detected disrupted brain waves. They came irregularly – or, was it that they were just weird?" Jaina checked with Cerasy.
"'Weird' pretty much sums it up," the red-head agreed. "That's all I got out of the medical mumbo-jumbo, anyways."
Sanar's eyes flicked from Cerasy to Jaina. "Explain."
"The doctors didn't recognize it as anything. The anomalies disappeared not long after the scientists noticed them, and, even when they did show up, they were very faint. It's probably nothing."
Sanar sank back into her pillow, watching the ceiling as it refused to swirl. Disrupted brain waves. What could that mean? she wondered, then rubbed her eyes. The clarity of her thoughts was enough to dizzy her. What's going on, Devnos?
Abruptly, her eyes swung back to Jaina, their focus more evident for its disappearance for so long previously. "What do you think?"
Jaina fidgeted; Sanar knew the Jedi did that when she was holding something back. "What do you mean?"
"Your instincts are better than mine," Sanar admitted grudgingly. "What do you think about…Devnos' brain stuff?"
The younger woman leaned forward, cupping her chin in her hands as she rested against Sanar's bed. Eerily, in silence, Jaina's eyes watched her 'sister', never wavering.
"Solo?" Sanar rubbed her arms, fighting back goosebumps.
"I…think…" Jaina stood, turning away from Sanar. Behind her, Solo's hands clasped each other, tightening and loosening of their own accord. "I think that nothing can ever make me forgive him for what he did to – you. So it doesn't matter."
Sanar watched as her IV-needle-free hand tightened in a fist, then relaxed. "But what if there was a reason? What if…" What if I could have my brother back?
"It could be nothing," Jaina pointed out as she turned around, and Sanar noticed that the Jedi was biting her nails. "And even if it is something, it doesn't mean…it has to do with…"
Yes, it does, Sanar's gut whispered. When she looked up at Jaina's wide, hopeful eyes, Sanar knew that Solo's instincts had said the same.
"Okay…" Cerasy drawled when no one spoke further. "For those of us who aren't possessed by the other, could the two of you talk out loud?"
Jaina started and blushed. "Sorry, Cerasy." Tapping her fingers for a moment, she then refocused on Sanar. "Well?"
Sanar had to shove the words off her tongue; the fear, hope, joy and despair combined so potently that everything within her froze. "I want to see my brother. I'll decide after that."
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Please R&R :)
.Tjz