A/N: Future ADA- yeah, I have kind of a sketchy knowledge of EU stuff pre-New Jedi Order. I've read the Zahn books (religiously), and the Jedi Academy trilogy and I, Jedi, and when I was REALLY young (like, elementary school young), I read (among others)the book where Callista comes in, but I never read anything about her beyond that. But in college, I started up with NJO, because I was a huge fan of Young Jedi Knights when I was about 10, so NJO seemed like a nice pickup from there (and it is)… so I've read everything from THAT point onwards just in the last couple years. And having said that, Dark Nest is BY FAR the most frustrating series you will ever read, and just reading the Wookieepedia entries for the books would probably be less likely to make you tear out your hair. ;-P
Part XIV
One Month Later
Luke stared around the small office, now all but emptied of all traces of his presence. He sighed wistfully; too long had been spent occupied on Coruscant by the political strife and the ongoing conflict between the seat of government and the Jedi. It was time that he return to what he preferred, what he liked best- instructing young minds in the ways of the Force.
Mara and Ben had returned to Ossus already, just a few days prior with Jaina, Leyla, and Kyp. A long time had been spent discussing the plan for Jaina and Kyp to relocate to the forested planet, but it had eventually been agreed upon more or less unanimously. Their reason was purportedly- and actually, at least in part- to be closer to Leyla, in light of the recent tragedy. There were other factors of course; it would get them out of the spotlight for a while, would make it easier for them to relax and focus on the ongoing task of keeping Jaina and her unborn child protected.
And- Kyp would never say it to her face- but he was worried about Jaina's withdrawal from the Force. He had come to Luke two weeks prior, concerned that she was too introverted, that she wouldn't be able to sense any approaching danger. After observing her carefully, Luke had been forced to agree to at least some extent, and it was undeniable that Ossus would be a more secure place for her than Coruscant, at least in the next few months, when the deception would be unveiled.
In another month and a half- when Jaina was three and a half months pregnant technically- she would visit the medcenter at the Jedi temple on Ossus where Tekli- brought into the loop the prior week just before she relocated to Ossus- would inform her that she was less than a month along. It would be done quietly, but not secretly, not inviting anyone to take notice, but would be visible in Jaina's medical files.
The trick would be in the timing. Kyp had been working tirelessly with Jaina and Cilghal to carefully alter the fetus's growth rate, and it was essential that the timing be accurate to match the onset of physical evidence of her pregnancy- not to mention the birth of the child in the far future. The plan though was to add a third of the time back on, meaning Jaina would give birth roughly eleven months after Jag's death- eliminating the possibility that he was the father, and even giving several weeks of allowance for the baby to be born early.
Sighing heavily, Luke leaned back in his chair and considered all of this- and all that could go wrong. The best consolation was that, through whatever happened, Jaina and Leyla would be together- indeed, mother and daughter had been near inseparable for the duration of Leyla's return to Coruscant, and almost as much time had been spent with Kyp. And on Ossus, Luke and Mara would be close at hand if anything went wrong, Vulcor would be watching out for Leyla- somewhat discreetly, but her parents admitted that they'd feel better knowing that he was around even when they weren't- and Ben would be there. The cousins had bonded greatly both on Ossus and upon returning to Coruscant, and Luke sensed that she would need the support of someone close to her own age, a friend and a relative, in the coming days.
A firm knock on the door distracted Luke from his wearied thoughts, and he sat up straighter, wondering if this was his somewhat mysterious appointment, made through some… interesting channels. "Enter," he called amiably, and steepled his fingers as he watched the door open.
The man who entered was tall, expression grim, eyes and mouth set in a serious manner. He closed the door quickly as he walked in the room, and then he approached the desk, extending a hand for Luke. "Major Davik Antell, Imperial Navy," he offered in stilted tones, and Luke stood to shake the proffered hand, smiling wryly.
"Davik Antell," he murmured before chuckling under his breath. "Please, sit." The uniformed man did so, piercing hazel eyes never leaving Luke's cool blue ones. "Nice pseudonym." The man stiffened almost imperceptibly. "You needn't fear anything from me, nor any other Jedi," he said softly. "And I personally swept for any espionage devices before you arrived."
The man cocked a brow. "Then you knew already who you were expecting?" He smiled thinly. "I must say then, Master Skywalker- your reputation is well-merited."
"Just deductive reasoning," Luke's eyes twinkled. "And I admit, you had been on my mind for some time already- I'd wondered if you survived."
The thin smile tightened slightly. "Master Skywalker, survival is my only true duty in life; that was the fate bestowed on me upon my birth. To do otherwise would have been the ultimate failure to my family."
They regarded on another for a long moment, before Luke relaxed and leaned forward. "You posses a manner not dissimilar to your younger brother. Let us speak freely then; what can I do for you, Cem?"
Something flickered in the eyes of Cem Fel, and Luke got the distinct impression that he had not been called by his given name in some time. When he spoke though, his voice was as steady and even as always. "First, you can inform me as to the condition of my sister-in-law and my niece."
"Of course," Luke murmured. "Jaina is… well as to be expected. Still rather grieved, as I'm sure you can imagine, as is Leyla, but…" he regarded the young man before him. "You've just missed them actually; they left three days ago for Ossus- Jaina wanted to be close to her daughter while she continued her Jedi training."
"Yes," Cem was unfazed by this news. "I believe Master Durron went with them…?"
Luke quirked a brow. "You are well-informed. Should this concern me?"
That earned a wry chuckle. "Hardly. I have my instructions, and they pose no concern to you, your family, or your Jedi."
"Instructions from whom, might I ask?"
"My family, of course." Luke eyed him curiously. "Secret files are kept, Master Skywalker, things that someone like me- a shadow child- must know if our services are ever called upon. My father was quite diligent in that regard. I… would have come sooner, but acquiring those files proved more difficult than I anticipated."
"You have help? Besides that from your sister?"
Cem regarded him carefully, perhaps debating how much to divulge. "My brother's guard, Ashik- Wynssa first helped me get into contact with him, and he has been an able asset in my endeavors since then."
"Hm," Luke considered that a moment. "What other assistance can the Jedi provide you?"
His hazel eyes hardened slightly. "Assistance that I thought would go unasked for," he said stiltedly. "Unless you insult the memories of my father and brother by continuing to believe the preposterous story that a mechanical failure led to their deaths."
Letting a moment go by in silence, Luke tilted his head curiously and watched the younger man. "You have proof otherwise?"
His lip curled. "Besides the fact that my father was Soontir Fel? No, Master Jedi, I have no proof- but I very much intend to acquire some."
"Surely you understand, with the secession of the Ascendancy from the Galactic Alliance, the Jedi cannot publically investigate the incident-"
"Then you let their deaths go unavenged!"
Luke met his gaze with hard eyes. "The Jedi do not believe in vengeance, Cem," he said quietly. "However… we do believe in justice."
"Then help me."
The Jedi Master chuckled softly. "I'm afraid it is you who will be doing the helping," he said wryly. "I have two Jedi already looking into the matter secretly." Cem blinked in surprise, and the tightness left his face. "It's a slow process, understandably- we have no chiss Jedi, and everyone else stands out like a sore thumb in Chiss space… but they report back to me when they can do so safely. I'll see that you have a means of getting in touch with them."
"Thank you," Cem replied softly. "Then I shall take up no more of your time, Master Skywalker."
Luke raised a hand to stop him as he stood. "Shall I pass on your greetings to my niece?"
"No," Cem answered swiftly, surprising Luke. "She and I have never met, and it would be unfair to burden her with the knowledge of my existence, given the uncertainty of my survival in the coming months. It would have been remiss of me, however, not to inquire as to the wellbeing of my brother's wife and daughter; it is enough that I know that they are doing well, and are being watched over."
It wasn't until much later that day, when Luke replayed the entire encounter in his head, that he cringed slightly, wondering just how Cem Fel would feel about Jaina 'being watched over' in another few months.
X-X-X-X
It was a small cabin-like structure, identical to about twenty others which stood around the Jedi temple, primarily serving as housing to non-Jedi staff and family members who came to Ossus with young trainees.
A slight interior modification was a deceptively secure internal door leading to one of the bedrooms- Jaina's bedroom. It had a dual-security system, a separate access code that, if not disengaged before trying to enter the keycode for the room proper, would cause the door to seal itself automatically- and practically impenetrably- until the proper release was keyed from the interior.
Jaina had found the addition to be quite ridiculous, but Kyp had insisted upon the safety precautions, and so she found herself wryly peering at the reinforced door, wondering what difference a little extra security would make when she was, say… ten months pregnant.
The sheer ridiculousness of that idea made her chuckle softly. The mirth was short-lived, however, as she turned and went back into the sparse but comfortable shared living area, where Kyp was standing with his arms crossed, lips pursed, watching her closely. "Home sweet home," he murmured wryly.
A flash of pain made her heart ache, but she quickly quelled it, knowing that Kyp was ultra-sensitive now to her emotions, as a result of the constant connection he maintained with the life growing inside of her. It had been remarkably unnerving at first as he'd struggled to connect with the small, steadily growing baby, while at the same time not intruding too heavily upon Jaina herself. Eventually though, they had found a nice medium that still left him susceptible to sudden strong emotions from her, but was not nearly so all-encompassing as a mind-link like those shared during a Jedi battle meld.
Strangely, Jaina felt very little from Kyp in return, and she wasn't sure if that was because of him consciously suppressing his emotions, or because she wasn't opening herself up as fully to the Force as she normally would. Kyp had brought this up with her a couple of times before she got annoyed and snapped at him to leave her alone.
His comment though- it only served to remind her about just how painful the time spent in her old apartment had been, an apartment that would now sit unused for months while Jaina and Leyla were on Ossus. Speaking of whom…
Leyla was more excited than she would admit to be spending an indeterminate amount of time at the academy, after the initial plan had been to send her for the vacation months only so that she could return to her normal lessons the following term. Consequently though, it meant she would have more work soon with a tutoring droid, but to make up for it, Jaina promised that she would have one that was less annoying than Threepio.
Now, the girl was returning to her old quarters which had sat empty for the past month, and Mara and Ben were helping her get set up once more before going about their own resettlement in the temple, and preparing for Luke to arrive the following week.
As she stared around, taking in the kitchenette area, the HoloNet terminal, the comm center in a corner… she sighed wistfully. It wasn't ideal, and it certainly wasn't home… but for now, it would have to do.