Chapter Thirty-five
The observation gallery was beginning to clear out for the evening. Jacen stood in front of one of the large windows, arms crossed over his chest. He wasn't looking at anything in particular. He'd been standing there for over an hour, not paying any attention to any of the room's occupants. His mood was rather gloomy.
He felt rather than saw his sister approach. He'd been expecting her. She stared out the same window as she said, "Davin told me you are his new favorite babysitter."
"He told you, didn't he?" Jacen asked. He was grateful Jaina had taken this route of conversation rather than talk about what was really bothering him, Britna's death.
Jaina flashed him a smirk, "Davin, like his father, can't hide anything from me."
"The Force is a dead giveaway."
"I don't need the Force," she stated.
Jacen chuckled, "A mom thing?"
"I suppose," she said slowly.
"Sorry, Jaina," he said, giving her their father's lopsided grin.
"Oh, I don't mind," Jaina responded with a shrug. "You're their uncle. They're supposed to have fun with you. Just keep that in mind when you have children and they come to stay with Aunt Jaina. Remember how Uncle Luke would take us to all those places Mom and Dad wouldn't?"
Jacen shook his head in amusement, "Yeah and it usually ended up in you and Anakin reprogramming a recording."
Jaina laughed. Luke had once taken the three Solo children to a real animal zoo. Jaina and Anakin had found the control podium for the welcoming droid. They'd programmed it to greet the guests with wampa sounds. She added, "We wouldn't have been able to escape to do that if you hadn't slipped into the lizard exhibit."
Jacen shrugged with some embarrassment. He had wanted to watch the lizard lay its eggs. He was caught after a few minutes. Luke forced him to apologize. While that was going on, his siblings were able to slip away. "Ani and Davin don't get in nearly as much trouble as we did."
"No," Jaina admitted, somewhat reflectively. She rested a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry about Britna, Jacen."
He shrugged uncomfortably. Jag had pulled him aside when he returned to tell him about Britna's fate. Jacen didn't know how he felt about it. He was sad for the loss, of course, but did he lose a friend or something more? In the hours since he had heard the news, he'd grudgingly admitted to himself that if they had spent more time together, their relationship would have become something more. He cared for her, but events had kept them apart. He wondered if he was not only mourning the loss of a friend, but a possible future.
It was rather dramatic, he reflected. He would remember her for the rest of his life.
"Jaina?" he said quietly.
She turned to face him, "Yes?"
"Do you need to head back?"
She shook her head, "I can stay."
Jacen gave her a small smile as they sat down on one of the nearby benches. They sat together for the next hour just watching the stars.
An entire hangar bay in the Bespin base had been dedicated to the return of the captives. Each able team had submitted a list of the names of the slaves with their group. The final list included some of the known dead. It had been forwarded to the committee dedicated to reuniting families. The group had sent out a general broadcast on the news networks announcing the return of thousands. A list of the names was available for viewing on the Holonet. Many people had already come to Bespin, eagerly seeking out loved ones found on the list. Some were disappointed to find it was another being with the same name. Others came to find out how their loved one had died.
Jag stood with a group of about fifty orphaned children. Some had lost their parents during their captivity. Others had been alone for years. The two youngest had been born at the camps. He listened as Jaina entertained the children with a story from her childhood. The Refuge Unification Committee was working to find homes for the displaced children. All but three were being adopted by the adults they lived with at the camps. Jag's mother had offered to take the three children in until homes were found for them. He had a feeling that if there were no place for them to go, she would just adopt them herself.
A roar of joy sounded through the hangar as a Wookiee family reunited. Chattering, crying, shouts and shrieks of others quickly filled the air. Ships and transports were continuously coming and going. Jag felt surreal as he watched the scene. He could see a human woman crying as two others told her how her husband and daughter had died. Two Bith rushed towards the medical ward to visit their injured friend.
The new parents pulled the children from Jag's group as the afternoon progressed. Those who weren't leaving made their way to the refugee camp. A few had thanked him and the other team members.
Syal appeared with Ani and Davin to pick up the three children. She kept a firm grasp on their hands to prevent them from getting lost in the crowd.
"Daddy!" Ani squealed as they approached. Syal finally released her hand so she could go to her father. Ani wrapped her arms around his leg. "Are you done working?"
"Almost," he answered. He and Jaina had returned two days ago. This evening they were finally able to spend some alone time with their children.
"Come along, Raven, Iris and Dalik," Syal said gently to the three children. They nodded solemnly and followed her from the hangar.
Jaina watched them leave with a look of concern on her face. It was short-lived however, as Ani released Jag's leg and took Jaina's hand. "Mommy, are you and Daddy done now?"
"Yes, I think so," she answered, glancing at Jag for confirmation.
"Are you two ready for dinner?" Jag asked.
"Yes," Davin stated, and then asked, "Can we get whatever we want?"
"We'll see," Jag said as they began to walk towards the mess hall. He gave one last parting glance at the hangar where a few straggling groups were standing, hoping to go home.
Two storage crates sat on the floor of Zekk's room on Phelope. One contained all the young man's clothing. The other one held a few personal items and holos. The bed had been stripped of its sheets. A cleaning droid would come in and clean the room to prepare it for its next occupant, whoever it would be.
One holo hadn't made it into the crate yet. It was clutched in Luke's hand. It was an image of Zekk leaning against the Lightening Rod with his arms crossed. He was talking to Jaina, who had one hand on the ship, checking an access panel. It had been taken sometime during their stint at the Jedi Academy. Zekk looked at peace.
Peckhum, the old spacer who had taken Zekk in, died years ago. There was no one left to send Zekk's personal items to. Luke considered sorting through the holos and sending them to his niece and nephew, but he felt it was an invasion of the man's privacy. For now, he would place them in storage until the new academy was set up. In Jaina's message alerting the Jedi of Zekk's death, she mentioned that she was making a memorial marker for him.
Luke placed the holo back into the crate. He carried the two crates to the storage closet down the hallway. He pulled a writing utensil from his pocket and wrote "Zekk" one the one containing the holos. He was going to get rid of the clothing.
Luke sat crouched by the box. He had felt Zekk's death in the Force, coupled with Jaina's shock. He could see how hard she was taking his death in the message she'd sent. He hadn't spoken to her yet. Zekk had died protecting others. Luke remembered the unsure teen on Yavin IV who had been wary of using the Force for some time. Luke had known then that Zekk would have to come to terms with his past before he could become a Jedi. Luke was proud of the man Zekk had become. He would remember him, just as he had every other Jedi he knew who fell.
The lab was empty, something Telma was grateful for. She was sitting on a stool at one of the tables. Various test tubes and containers were scattered over the surface. She tapped her nails on the surface in thought. Jag had stopped by shortly after he returned to thank her and Danni for their help and to tell her about Britna.
Guilt wracked her brain. She had encouraged Britna to volunteer and now she was dead. Her logical side knew that it was silly. She had no reason to feel guilty. She hadn't spent much time with the woman, but she cared for her. Britna had reminded Danni of her long-lost niece.
Hundreds of beings were leaving the base today. Some were going back with their families; others were drifters. Danni was being moved on to another project. She said that she could bring Telma along with her on her next project, if she wanted. Telma wasn't sure. She had briefly entertained returning the Ryloth, but her place was here. She enjoyed her work with Danni, but she was thinking about returning to her medical roots. Despite recent successes, the war wasn't over. The injured still needed attending.
Telma turned her wrist and ran her nail over a long, thin scar. It was from an amphistaff. She'd thrown her hand up to protect her lekku from a whipping. Some of the scientists had asked if she wanted to get the scars removed. She wanted to keep them, but not as a reminder of what happened. The scars were a part of her now. They were as much a part of her as her lekku.
Telma pushed away from the table. She was done feeling sorry for herself. She was alive; that was all that mattered.
Jag closed the door to the children's room. They had finally fallen asleep after a long evening. Jaina was standing by the kitchen unit, drying a cup. He watched as she placed it in a cabinet. She set the towel back on the counter and turned to face him. He crossed the room in a few strides. He rested his hands on her hips as she slung her arms around his neck.
"They're asleep," he said quietly. "We didn't make it past page three."
Jaina raised an eyebrow as she responded, "Wow, they must have been tired to fall asleep during The Seven Ewoks."
"How many times have we read that?"
"At least twenty," Jaina answered. "Us, anyway. No way to know how many times other people read it to them."
"Was there anything you wanted to do tonight?" he asked as he leaned down to place a kiss along her jaw line.
"Not…particularly," she answered slowly. Her fingers trailed up his neck and into his hair. She started to massage his scalp. He tipped his head forward, closing his eyes. Her hand drifted from the back of his head to his cheek. She stared at him, gazing through her lashes. He watched as she blinked slowly. The braid she had worn earlier had left her hair somewhat wavy, framing her face.
He leaned down and captured her lips in a long, slow kiss. He backed her up against the edge of the counter. One hand undid the top buttons on her shirt. He moved from her lips to the pulse on her neck. She closed her eyes as she tilted her head back.
Jag stepped back, taking her hand. His gaze fell on a datapad on the table. It was a copy of Jaina's report from the mission. She followed his gaze. Seeing it reminded him of everything that still needed done.
"What now?" he asked, more to himself than to Jaina.
She didn't have an answer for him; he hadn't expected her to. There simply wasn't one. It was out of his hands for now. He would continue to defend the galaxy, and his family, until the end of his life. He brushed a few strands out of Jaina's face. Around a year ago, he was toiling away in a Yuuzhan Vong slave camp. He had no real hope of escaping. Sometimes he still had a hard time believing he was back. It seemed almost like he was tempting fate at times.
He didn't know what the long-term effects of everything that had transpired would be. He hoped it would make a difference. Reuniting families alone had made it worth it to him.
Jaina smiled encouragingly at him. He had no doubt that she sensed what he was feeling. He remembered seeing her for the first time in years. She'd fought her way into the doctor's office to see him. Seeing her again had momentarily erased the hardships from his mind.
And now, he was standing in their quarters. Their children were safely asleep in their room and held his wife in his arms. If he had to go through what he had to reach this point, then he wouldn't argue.
It was more than worth it.