Chapter Twenty-six

"Four and Six, go right," Jaina instructed over the airwaves. She was running training exercises with the Dozen. She had agreed to keep the latter part of the squadron's name. "Let's run that exercise again."

A series of clicks rang over the comm. Jaina began the offensive maneuver and the rest of the squadron followed. The remains of the Crux Squadron and the two new recruits merged well with the Dozen. Thus far, it had gone relatively smooth.

"Much better," Kyp commented as they completed the exercise.

Jaina switched over to a private frequency to ask, "Anything you want us to run?"

"Nah, I think we're good," Kyp replied. "Mixing the flights up removed some of the kinks."

"I agree," Jaina responded, and then switched to the squadron frequency, "All right, Dozen, let's bring it in."

Jaina watched carefully as her squadron landed in their assigned hanger bay. Their landing was slightly flawed; that needed to be fixed. She would increase their simulation time two hours, she thought as she landed her own X-Wing.

She hopped out of the ship and walked over to where the squadron was gathered. She pulled off her helmet and tucked it under her arm as she said, "Instead of four hours in the sims, do six. Practice landing."

No one groaned aloud, but she could sense her annoyance as they were dismissed. Kyp turned to face her and said, "Strict."

Jaina grinned wryly, "They need the practice."

Kyp tipped his head in agreement, "That they do."

"Do you have the report ready for Tycho?" she asked as they left the hanger.

"Yeah."

"Good," Jaina stated. She glanced at her wrist chrono, "I have to go."

She waved at Kyp as she turned and went down the hallway. She walked to Jag's office and opened the door. Ani was lying on the floor playing with one of her toys while Davin was looking at a book in the corner. Both children stopped what they were doing to greet her.

Jag looked up from behind the desk and smiled at her, "Hey, sweetheart. How was the run?"

Jaina shrugged, "Could have gone better. Did you assign all the teams?"

"Finally," Jag stated. He leaned back in his seat, "Fifteen planets."

"Impressive," Jaina told him as she sat down in the chair in front of his desk. "What next?"

Jag ran a hand through his hair. Jaina noted that he had rolled up his sleeves at some point. The tan he had gained while toiling in the villip fields had faded, making his scars less visible. She eyed the one on peeking out from his unbuttoned collar. It had taken some prodding, but he had finally told her that it came from an amphistaff. The overseer had been dissatisfied with another slave's work. Jag had assisted her and was whipped for it. The amphistaff had sliced him deeply. Any deeper and it would have killed him. Jaina's breath caught her in throat at the thought.

"Jaina?" Jag said quietly, noticing her distraught expression.

She shook her head as she stood up and said, "Ani, Davin, clean up. Your dad needs to work."

Jag stood up and walked over to her. He laid a hand on her forearm as he asked, "Are you okay?

Jaina glanced over at Ani. Davin was helping her clean up. She turned back to Jag. Her fingers brushed over his forearm and then touched the large scar by his neck. Realization dawned in his eyes. "Jaina…"

She shook her head again as he pulled her into his arms. She buried her face in his chest. She saw his scars every day, but sometimes one would trigger a memory or fear. It was silly, she knew. Jag was with her. He wasn't going to leave her.

"Mommy?" Davin's worried voice called. Jaina turned her face to look at her son. His brow was crinkled with concern, just as his father's was. Jaina pulled away from Jag and rested a hand on Davin's shoulder, "I'm fine, sweetie. Are you ready to go?"

"I'm ready too!" Ani said. She grabbed Jag's hand, "Do you got to work?"

"Not right now," he stated.

"You have that meeting," Jaina reminded him. That was why she was picking up the children.

"In an hour," he answered. "I'll walk home with you. I need to get out of here for awhile anyways."

Jaina knew what he was up to. He was worried about her. She wasn't going to fight him on it, though. She took Davin's hand in hers and carried her helmet in the other as she left the office. Jag walked with Ani. The walk to their apartment was brief, something she was grateful for. She wanted out of her flightsuit.

After entering their apartment, Jag set out a snack for the children while Jaina went to change. She threw her flightsuit into the laundry bin and dug around in the closet for clean clothes. She pulled out a pair of black pants and a dark purple button up shirt. She wasn't surprised to hear Jag open the door and enter the room. She turned to face him, shirt clutched in her hand. He crossed the room quickly. He placed one hand on her hip and the other brushed her cheek. "I love you."

She ran her fingers along his bare forearms. His skin quivered under her touch. She stared into his pale green eyes as she said, "I was thinking about…before. I was thinking about this."

She touched the wide scar by his neck. She reached up and kissed it softly. His arms wrapped around her waist. He kissed where her neck met her shoulder. He moved his lips across her shoulder. He slipped her bra strap off her shoulder as his lips moved to her collarbone. Her shirt dropped from her hand.

"I have to go," he mumbled, then kissed her shoulder again. She rested her hands on his forearms. She kissed the scar over his eye, and then said, "I know."

He kissed her forehead, and took her hand. He squeezed it tightly and let it drop as he left the room. Jaina bent down to pick up her shirt and put it on. She ran a hand through her hair and exited the room. She had work to do before Jagged returned.

Tahiri clutched a medic's arm tightly as she attempted to walk to the refresher in the room containing the bacta tanks. She was light-headed and weak. She had no idea how long she had been in the tank. She wasn't even sure what had happened to her. She remembered stabbing the creature she and Jacen had found on Yavin IV. She remembered slashing at the poisonous spines with the amphistaff before a piercing pain shot through her and that was it.

The medic helped her in the refresher, and then led her into a nearby recovery room. After she was arranged on the bed, she was left alone. Tahiri rested her head on the pillow and tried to clear her head.

"Tahiri?"

Tahiri looked up and grinned as Jacen entered the room. He was wearing a non-descript brown shirt and pants. She didn't see any injuries. "Are you okay?"

"Fine. How are you feeling?" Jacen asked as he walked up to her bed. He pulled over a chair and sat next to her.

"Good. What happened?"

Tahiri listened silently as Jacen explained everything. He described her injuries and how she had recovered. Tahiri smiled gratefully at him when he told her what she had done. She rolled her neck, causing it to crack. It banished some of the tension in her head.

"What now?" she asked.

Jacen shrugged, "Well. Araneya is still recovering. Physically, she's fine, but she's half-mad. Uncle Luke has her locked up in solitary confinement in the med center for her own protection. She won't talk to anyone. Aunt Mara suggested sending us in."

"Sure, once I get out of here," Tahiri stated. "Speaking of which, I wonder when I can leave."

"When you feel up to seeing her, let me know," Jacen said as he stood up. "I better get back before Mom or Dad catch me."

"What's wrong with you?"

"I'm fine, I just haven't technically been discharged yet," Jacen said with a roguish grin.

Tahiri chuckled as he left the room. She hoped she could leave soon. She had many questions for Araneya. She wanted to know why the Vong were growing a mythical beast. It was something used only one other time. She had known that the Vong were running out of material and warriors, but were they worse off than believed?

Kit wiped sweat of his brow. He was working with the other slaves in one of the tunnels picking spongy growths for food. He had already sprinkled his poisons on the damutek supports. Myyse and Tu'Ebb suggested he take out the damutek where most of the Yuuzhan Vong stayed. They had kept watch while he applied the chemicals.

"Hey, Kit."

Kit glanced over to the voice. It was Tu'Ebb. "Kit, get over here."

Kit followed him down the tunnel. Myyse was keeping watch. She growled for them to continue forward. The Vong overseer was several meters away. Kit and Tu'Ebb slipped through the back of the tunnel.

"We got to hurry," Tu'Ebb said as they exited the tunnel. They sprinted to the next tunnel half a meter away.

"D'arail!" Kit exclaimed. "When did you get here?"

"Hours ago. We're your back up," she said. She updated him on the most recent war information, and then told him that they were supposed to press forward with the plan. Kit explained what he had done. He introduced Tu'Ebb to explain the situation with the slaves.

"We would like to kick the Vong where it hurts. Most of us have been lucky enough to miss out on the heavy implants," he said.

"How's the morale?" she asked.

"Fairly high, considering where we are. Kit's arrival here really pushed up our spirits. He helped ease the pain of one of our elders," he said, clapping Kit on the back.

"Are they willing to fight?"

"Yes," he told her. "Death doesn't matter as long as we can take out some Vong with us."

"Okay, good. Here's the plan," D'arail explained what the plan was. She would call for help. Before the Vong arrived, Kit would take down the damutek. She had already spoken to the two other camps where operatives were stationed.

"If Colonel Fel doesn't get the message or can't send anyone, we're signing our death certificates. Make sure that is understood," she said. "Odds are good that we won't have any help, but we're going to do as much damage as possible no matter what. There's no reason to wait."

"Myyse and I will help Kit," Tu'Ebb stated.

"Tell as many as you can that a fight is coming. I hate to say this, but if they may as well fight. The Vong will kill anyone who they think is associated with the attack," D'arial stated.

"We're ready," Tu'Ebb stated.

"I hope so. Come back in two hours for the weapons," she said. With that, she turned and moved down the tunnel.

Tu'Ebb grinned at Kit, "Come on, the scarheads are waiting."

Kit chuckled as he followed Tu'Ebb out of the tunnel. His days were numbered, yet he felt surprisingly happy. At least his death would be worth it.

He couldn't wait.

"Colonel Fel?"

Jag looked up from the table he was standing behind. He had just finished handing out the team assignments. Everyone was leaving the room, except Britna. She was standing in front of the table, shifting nervously from one foot to the other.

"What can I do for you, Britna?" he asked.

"Thank you for giving me an opportunity to help," she said, and then asked, "Can I run something by you?"

"Of course," Jag responded, gesturing for her to continue.

"The orders say my main job is to relate to the slaves. Aside from being rescued, what do captives want more than anything?" she began. "Information. Do we have any information on the slave demographics?"

"From what Intelligence has discovered, most came from the Outer Rim," Jag told her. He dug out a datacard from a stack on the table and inserted it into a datapad. He scrolled through the information until he found something that would help her. "Based on an apprehended Peace Brigade slaver, a significant portion came from Bakura."

"The Empire took that back, didn't it?" Britna asked.

"Yes," Jag responded. The Empire had come to Bakura's aid several years ago. The Alliance had been unable to help them. Bakura's older generation was happy to see the Empire's return.

"I'll try to find some local news, then, and some from the surrounding regions," she said and then turned to leave.

"Good idea, Britna," Jag called after her.

"Thank you," she said and slipped out the door. Jag gathered the rest of the items on the table and slipped them into a bag. Britna's idea impressed him. He and his fellow captives had been desperate for any kind of news about their home worlds. If their information was correct, Britna's knowledge about Bakura would increase their morale.

Jag checked his wrist chrono. The briefing ended earlier than planned. After he had gotten the final approval on the team list, he had called everyone together to hand out the assignments. He had sent off the team lists to Telma. She hadn't let him know if she had enough supplies to outfit everyone. The next step was to find enough shuttles and have them prepared. He knew of at least three that were ready. He wanted to send out the Kalee group first. It had been marked as a priority. He wished his could say his fondness for the planet had nothing to do with it, but he would be lying.

He and Jaina had been married three months after he proposed on the bridge of his father's Star Destroyer Steadfast. Luke had conducted the ceremony. An hour later, the Vong attacked.

Jag left the room and walked home. He would look for shuttles in the morning before he met with Wedge. He had to meet with each team individually over the next two days to give them a more concentrated briefing that focused on the planet itself.

Jag entered the apartment. He could hear Jaina and the children in their room. He set down his bag and went in to see them. They were all sitting on Ani's bed. Davin was reading one of his books aloud. Jaina glanced up and smiled at him.

"Daddy, come here," Ani said. He walked over to the bed and sat down on the end. Ani scrambled over to him to crawl onto his lap. They listened to Davin finish reading his book. He read each word carefully. Jaina helped him pronounce the words he had trouble with.

"Good job, Davin," Jaina said as he finished the book. "Now time for bed, you two."

Davin slid off the bed. He looked at Jag, "I read it all."

"Yes, you did," he said. He and Jaina then tucked the children into bed and left the room.

"Did everything go okay?" Jaina asked as she sat down on the couch.

"Everyone has their assignments," he said sitting down next to her. She leaned her head against his shoulder and then threaded her fingers through his. "What about you?"

"Kyp came by. We've rearranged the shield trios some. It should improve our overall performance. Gavin agreed to a match up tomorrow to help us try it out," Jaina explained. "I'd like to recruit a couple of Jedi to utilize the shadows bombs more often."

"Anyone in mind?"

Jaina shrugged, "I'd like Lowie and Zekk."

Jag's response was cut off by the beeping of the comm unit. As he stood up from the couch, the door chime rang.

Jaina stood up, shaking her head. "Always at the same time."

Jag answered the comm. It was an encrypted message. He recognized it from the second Barab I team. Each team had been given a code should they have the ability to send a message. He typed in the decrypting code. A text message appeared on the screen. The second team had managed to land the shuttle in a cave undetected. They reported that the slaves had created an inter-camp communications network. The slaves were already sabotaging the Vong in little ways. The materials Kit and the others had brought only increased their efforts. The shuttle had detonators, blasters and other weapons. The odds of a shuttle surviving were slim, but it was important to be prepared. They were requesting more help because they thought they could take over the slave outposts, thus freeing the planet. A copy was sent to the military command.

Jag sat back into a chair in disbelief. D'arial had enough military experience to know how to properly analyze a situation. She had attached a report describing the probabilities of success and other factors. This situation was better than he could hope. Based on what D'arial said, they had the numbers to overtake the settlements.

"Jag?" Jaina's voice called, jarring him out of his reverie. He turned to face her. She was standing near him with his father.

"Oh, hello Father," he greeted.

"I take it you've heard from the Barab I team," Soontir said.

Jag didn't even blink. He wasn't remotely surprised his father had seen the message. "That's correct."

Jaina slipped behind Jag and began to read the message. He asked his father, "What do you think?"

"I'm willing to send support. According to our scouts, the number of Vong in that sector is fairly low. We could take the planet back," Soontir stated. "We are funding half of your operation. The Chiss have every right to be the ones to respond. The Galactic Alliance can't afford it as is."

"And it would fall under Chiss control," Jag pointed out.

"Under the charter, it's under our jurisdiction until the end of war. At that point, the galactic borders will be hammered out," his father countered.

"The Barabels won't like that," Jaina said.

"No doubt there," Soontir said. "You need to be there."

Jag glanced at Jaina, but her face was blank. Her eyes shifted from Jag to his father while she waiting to hear his answer. "In the air?" he finally asked.

"Take temporary command of the Spike Squadron," Soontir instruction.

Jag suppressed a grin. It had been years since he'd held that title or taken complete command of a squadron. He knew he had to do this. It had been his hope all along that something like this would happen. He and his fellow captives had always hoped to overtake their Vong slavers. "When do we leave?"

"Two days. Send out the rest of your teams first," he said, and then asked, "The children are asleep, I assume?"

"Yes," Jag said.

A sly grin appeared on Jaina's face, "No they aren't. They know you are here, Soontir."

Jag shook his head, chuckling, "Go in and see them."

After his father had disappeared into the children's room, Jag turned to Jaina. He opened his mouth to speak, but she held up her hand for him to stop. Instead, she said, "Just promise me you'll come back alive."

He took her in her arms and said, "I promise."

"Good," she stated, "I'd hate to have to fly all the way out there and rescue you."

Loud laughter wafted through the open door of children's room. Jaina glanced up at him, "We better go rescue your father."

"We probably should. No doubt Davin and Ani have talked him into taking them somewhere."

"If his troops could see him now: the great Baron Fel taken down by two young children." Jaina chuckled.

Jag had to agree. His father was powerless against his grandchildren.