Chapter Twenty-Four
It had taken longer than usual to put to the children to bed that night. Jaina sank down on the couch next to Jag. He took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. When she didn't pull away, he gently tugged her closer and wrapped his arm around her. He was grateful that she didn't reject him. They needed to sort their earlier argument out. He said quietly, "We need to talk."
She nodded against his shoulder. "Yes, we do. Let me start. I understand why you think you have to do this. This is incredibly selfish, but I want you to stay. You need to be accessible to everyone. You can't be if you are in some Vong slave camp. That's what being a leader is, Jag. You have to sit back and run the show. Look at Wedge. Tycho told me that he has to stop him from jumping in an X-Wing and joining the fray sometimes. Wedge has to think about the big picture."
"What's the big picture here, Jaina?" Jag asked. He understood her argument. It wasn't as if he wanted to go back into enemy territory. The years he had spent with the Yuuzhan Vong were hell. But he was a soldier. He preferred action to politics and planning.
"You need to stay here to coordinate and to train. Who is going to run this operation if you aren't here?" she argued. She turned to face him with wide, pleading brown eyes and clutched his hands. "Please, Jagged."
Jag closed his eyes. He hated when she looked at him like that. He couldn't refuse her. He leaned in her and kissed her softly. He rested his forehead against hers and said, "I can't promise that I won't be called out, but I won't volunteer."
"Thank you," she answered. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier."
"It's okay," Jag told her. He pulled his hands from hers. He placed one hand on her cheek. "You just want me to stay so I help with the squadron."
"You caught me," she said with a laugh.
Jag leaned over and kissed her again. Her hands clutched the front of his shirt. One hand held the back of her head; his fingers freed her hair from the clip that bound it.
The kiss ended. Jaina smiled at him, sending a jolt through him. She stared at him through her long lashes as she said, "I don't think I've been properly welcomed home."
Blood thundered in his ears as she straddled him. She shot him a mischievous look, "I'm glad I still have that effect on you, Jagged."
He swallowed as she ran her fingers up the back of his neck and through his hair. His skin tingled as she grazed his inner thigh with her other hand. His voice caught in his throat as he said, "I thought I was the one welcoming you home."
Jaina slid off him slowly. She walked towards their bedroom, swaying her hips slightly. She glanced at him from over her shoulder just as her hand touched the doorknob, eyes beckoning him.
Jag pushed himself off the couch. As he walked forward, she pressed her back against the door. He ducked his head down to capture her lips in a quick kiss. She pulled away from him as she opened the door. She took his hand and he followed her inside.
Tahiri stood back-to-back with Jacen as the Vong pressed their attack. Tahiri altered between her lightsaber and amphistaff. Jacen called to her, "We need to get closer."
Jacen felt Tahiri reach out to him with the Force. He accepted the link, something he had been wary of doing ever since Mrkyr. He didn't feel comfortable melding his mind with many people, but he trusted Tahiri enough to go through with it. They moved as an extension of each other as they slowly moved the fight towards the seeder. Two of the Warriors had already fallen and the third was injured. Their blades were a blur of color as they backed towards the seeder.
"Use the seeder as a shield," Jacen said. He felt rather than saw Tahiri nod as she moved away from him. They were in a crevice by one of its many mouths. "Duck under and move towards the heart."
"On my way," Tahiri responded. Jacen saw her drop to her stomach and crawl underneath the gelatinous folds towards the center. There was a small, half-meter gap available to her. Jacen turned his attention to the seeder. He was wedged next to the mouth, which was trying to attack the Warriors. Jacen closed his eyes and reached out to the creature. Its mind was more simplistic than a dhuryam. It was scared and confused about what was going on. It didn't understand why it was being attacked. Jacen tried to soothe it. He felt immensely guilty about tricking it, but he didn't have a choice. The alternative was unacceptable. Jacen continued to send soothing thoughts to the creature. It knocked the remaining Warriors back.
It bucked in alarm as it felt Tahiri close in on its heart. Jacen pushed harder to quell its defenses. He could sense its spines relax. He knew once Tahiri struck it, he wouldn't be able to stop the spines from stinging her. He didn't like putting Tahiri at risk, but they didn't have a choice.
He could sense Tahiri reaching her objective. He gave Tahiri a reassuring touch, and then withdrew. He had to focus on the creature to slow its movements.
Jacen staggered as he felt both a lightsaber blade and amphistaff slice through the seeder. He fell backwards against the twitching skin. He shoved the pain from his mind as he tried to reign in the seeder's turbulent mind. It threw his influence from its mind. Jacen turned his focus on Tahiri. She was in immense pain, but a fiery determination flowed through her veins. Jacen reached out to her to lend her strength. He could feel her fighting her way out, resolve wavering.
Jacen heard a rough scream from Tahiri. He dropped to his stomach. He had to get her out of there. He couldn't let her die; she was his living link to Anakin. The seeder knocked him to the ground and he began to crawl. He was hit again and his forehead cracked the ground, causing him to see spots. His ankle was throbbing. He was vaguely aware of his side stinging, but pushed away the pain. He searched for Tahiri, any part of her. He had to find her.
Her hand appeared through a curtain of spines. He grabbed onto it and pulled. He reached deep into the Force and shoved the spines covering her body back enough to pull her out. He covered her body with hers and rolled out from under the seeder as it collapsed.
Jacen fell off her, wincing in pain. His hand dropped to his earlier injury. He could feel warm, sticky blood on his fingertips. It had ripped. He didn't have time to worry about. Tahiri was lying unconscious. Her heart was beating rapidly. Her skin was pale and covered in small punctures. Her jumpsuit was tattered.
"Tahiri, don't you die on me," Jacen pleaded. He was vaguely aware of the sound of lightsabers humming through the air. He reached into the Force, trying to do something to stop the poison from killing the younger Jedi. He could feel himself become lightheaded from his own blood loss.
"It's eating her flesh," Araneya said. Jacen jolted in surprise. He didn't know how she had managed to escape, or why she was helping him. She crouched next to him, hands still bound. Her eyes were wild, darting back and forth between Tahiri and the dying seeder.
"What can we do?" he groaned out. It was becoming harder from him to stay upright. She answered, but the words sounded garbled together.
Two hands gripped his shoulders and pulled him away. Spots appeared before his eyes as he was moved. He protested, mumbling Tahiri's named as darkness overcame him.
"Jacen!"
Han's head snapped upon hearing his wife's scream. He dropped the small motor he'd been tinkering with on the floor as he launched out of the chair to the kitchen.
He found Leia doubled over, clutching the countertop with one hand and her side with the other. Han wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her to a chair at the table. He took her hands in his and asked, "What's wrong with Jacen? He's not…."
Leia shook her head rapidly, "No, but he's hurt. Bad."
Han's faced paled. He remembered years ago when Leia had said that Anakin was hurt. Soon after, he had died. Han couldn't image going through that again. He prayed Leia would never feel that type of pain again. She had felt something from Jacen before, but she hadn't reacted this way.
"Go prep the Falcon," Leia stated after a couple moments. "We need to go to him."
"Aunt Leia?" Ben called as he entered the kitchen. "Are you okay?"
Leia turned away from Han. She stood up and rushed over to Ben. Han was struck with a flashback of Leia clutching Ben to her chest as she cried for Anakin. Han squeezed his eyes closed to try to force the memory out of his mind. It was impossible; he remembered every detail about that day with perfect clarity. He clenched his fists. No. He was not going to lose another child.
Han strode out of their rooms. He ran to the docking bay. He started up the Falcon faster than he ever had before.
"Captain Solo!" Tenel Ka's voice called through the ship. Han turned around in his chair to see the young queen rushing to the cockpit. She clutched her royal blue robes as she skirted a fallen crate. "What's wrong with Jacen?"
"We don't know," Han told her. He wasn't surprised that Tenel Ka had sensed something from his son.
"You're going to Yavin," she stated.
"Yeah, sorry to cut this short," he responded. Tenel Ka looked more worried than he had ever seen her before.
She waved her hand dismissively, "Promise me you'll inform me of his well-being."
"I will," Han promised. He guessed that what she wanted to do was to throw off that elaborate robe and go after Jacen herself.
Tenel Ka looked as if she wanted to add something, but instead turned and left the ship. Han could hear her say something to Leia. She and Ben appeared in the cockpit. Leia strapped the boy into the navigator's chair.
"Ben's coming with us," Leia stated as she plopped down into the co-pilot's chair. "Tenel Ka has already granted us clearance."
Han pulled back the lever and took off. He glanced back at Ben and couldn't stop the slight grin that appeared on his face. Ben was staring in awe.
Han turned back to the controls. He maneuvered the ship far enough from the planet's gravity well to jump to hyperspace.
Hold on, Jacen. Please hold on.
Mara and Luke sat in two chairs in the waiting room of the medical center aboard the Errant Venture. The former slave they had found with Jacen and Tahiri had been taken into surgery hours ago to remove her implants. The other Jedi were running clean-up duty. Mara and Luke had taken Tahiri to Booster's Star Destroyer immediately.
"Mom! Dad!"
Mara and Luke whirled around. Ben was running into the waiting room, closely followed by Han and Leia. Mara stood up and caught her son. She felt Luke wrap his arms around the two of them. She could sense his reluctance to withdraw as he moved to speak to his sister.
"Mom, what's wrong with Jacen?" Ben asked as Mara set him back on the floor.
"He was injured. They just took him out of the bacta tank an hour ago," Luke said to both his son and Han and Leia.
Leia pushed past him and disappeared through the doors. Han shrugged and followed.
"Can I go see him?" Ben asked.
"Not right now," Luke told him. "Your aunt and uncle are trying to get in to see him."
"Oh."
"Did you like Hapes?" Mara asked Ben. She was worried about Jacen and Tahiri, but she needed to speak to her son. She had missed him terribly.
"Oh yeah. It was really neat. Tenel Ka showed me all sorts of cool stuff," Ben said. Mara listened intently as Ben described what he had seen. Mara smiled softly at him. He had grown several centimeters since she last saw him. His hair needed cut. He had a scrape on his wrist that was healing. She had spent too little time with her son.
"Mara?" Luke called, jarring her out of her reverie. "Come on."
Mara and Ben followed Luke out of the waiting room and down the hallway. They found Jacen's room. He was sleeping. Leia was sitting next to his bed, stroking his forehead while Han stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders.
Jacen moaned as his eyes opened. He squinted, "Mom? Dad?"
"Hey kid, how are you feeling?" Han asked.
"Okay. Where's Tahiri?" Jacen asked. Mara wasn't surprised that he wasn't concerned about himself.
Han and Leia looked at Luke. He answered, "She's still in the bacta tank. We haven't heard anything in a while."
"Oh," Jacen responded quietly.
Ben looked antsy. Mara glanced down and asked, "What is it, Ben?"
"I have a message for Jacen," he whispered. Mara smiled softly. She gently pushed him forward. Ben walked up to Jacen and said, "I'm supposed to tell you to that Tenel Ka hopes you get better soon."
Jacen smiled wistfully, "Thank you, Ben."
"Jaina called. She threatened to beat you if you end up in the medcenter again," Mara told him, eliciting a chuckle from Jacen, Han and Leia. Luke had left the room to find a doctor.
"What happened?" Jacen asked.
"You killed the seeder," Mara explained. "We took care of the remaining Vong."
"What about Araneya?"
"She's having her implants removed. She was trying to help Tahiri, we think," Mara explained. "Cighal is taking samples."
Jacen looked conflicted. Mara guessed that it had to do with the seeder. Tahiri had told them about his experience with the dhuryam.
"Well, Jedi Solo, let's have a look," a medic called as he entered the room. Mara glanced at his nametag. It read Dr. Flivven. He snatched a clipboard off the end of Jacen's bed. "I need to examine him. Please excuse us for about a half an hour."
Leia kissed Jacen's forehead. Han squeezed his shoulder, and then they followed Mara and Ben from the room and to the waiting area. Leia sank down in one of the hard plastic chairs. She turned to face Mara, "I hope Ben never puts you through this."
Mara had to agree. She had seen what Jaina, Jacen and Anakin had put their parents through. She prayed Ben would be calmer. Being that he was the son of a Skywalker, however, Mara knew it was wishful thinking. Ben would probably be worse.
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