Jaina was lying atop the hospital bed. It was the middle of the first week of the fourth month. Jag sat in the chair beside her bed, holding her hand. She looked at him lovingly, but a hint of question was in the mix of the smile. "Shouldn't you be at the flight camp for the new recruits for the StealthX squadron?" She asked, "Not that I don't want you here!" She added that last part quickly, hoping to not offend her husband.
Jag smiled and shook his head. "I took leave. It'll last for the whole duration of your pregnancy." He brought his wife's hand over, and kissed it tenderly. He held his lips on the back of her slightly tanned, smooth skin. It smelled of a fresh sanisteam. He couldn't help but tap his tongue against her hand, getting a brief taste of it.
Jaina sighed contently. "You're the best husband I could've ever asked for."
Jag put on a joking expression of shock. "So you're saying there were more before me?!"
Jaina laughed, and played along. "Yes! They all knew too much, so I had to think of various ways of keeping them quiet." She gave a devious grin.
Jag's expression of shock became more obnoxious. "What did I sign up for?!"
"Monthly pregnancy check-ups." Cilghal interrupted. Jag nearly jumped out of his seat. He cupped his chest with his left hand, and took deep breaths. Jaina was just laughing more. He turned to her, immediately believing that she knew. "You saw her, didn't you." He accused. Jaina was too busy laughing to respond, so she just nodded.
After Jaina calmed down, Cilghal began the checkups. She rolled up Jaina's sleeve, and drew some blood. Jaina tensed slightly, and sucked air through her teeth. Jag quickly held her hand, and she squeezed his a little. She began to calm down. Some blood entered the needle, then Cilghal pulled it out, then dressed the puncture site. She then left to run tests.
"You can let go now." Jag remarked.
Jaina looked over, and saw that Jag's hand was getting red, and her knuckles were becoming a bright, ivory. She quickly let go. "I am so sorry!" She cried.
Jag decided not to caress his wrist. Rather, he decided it better to caress his wife's hair, gently and lovingly. "You're okay, love. I'm not mad." He gave a reassuring smile.
More tests were ran. Cilghal returned with the results. "Great news, Master Solo. You don't need to make changes to what you're doing. Your baby is as healthy as can be."
Relief flooded off of Jaina. She was discharged, and Jag took her home.
Chief of the Galactic Alliance, Wynn Dorvan arrived on Hapes for an urgent meeting with Queen Mother, Tenel Ka Djo. Hapan guards escorted him and his bodyguards to her chambers. The public was growing restless about the Jedi, even though none had remained on Coruscant ever since the situation with Abeloth was taken care of.
In the chamber, Tenel was teaching her daughter, Allana, how to act during the meeting. It wasn't too difficult, as Allana had a good track record of behaving–at least when she felt like doing so. Anji, her pet nexu, pranced over, freshly groomed. Tenel immediately knew something was up, and took a few steps to the side. Allana jogged to her pet to give her snuggles. Then, Anji began shaking to get stray water off of her, drenching Allana!
Allana squealed in delight, while her mother laughed. Anji began rubbing against her mistress, purring as she did, as though to apologize. Allana ruffled the fur on her head. "You gotta watch out for that." Her mother advised.
"It's fine." Allana just gave Anji a kiss on the head.
Tenel sighed a little. "Now you're all wet, and we don't have much time to dry you off." She continued.
A guard ran to the Queen Mother. "My queen, Chief Dorvan is here." He reported.
Tenel nodded. "Good. Send him in." She looked at her daughter while the guard went to fetch Dorvan. "Come here, let me fix your hair. That way you'll look slightly more presentable."
"No!" Allana said bluntly.
The Queen Mother raised her brow. "Did you just talk back to me?"
Allana realized what she'd said, and her eyes widened. "No?" She said, not reassuringly
Tenel Ka smirked a little. Nevertheless, she wanted Allana to look at least decent. "Alright, get over her, you!" She charged for her daughter.
Wynn and his bodyguards walked in, and saw Tenel clutching her daughter tautly, trying to straighten her hair. Allana was laughing and resisting, while Anji seemed to be under the impression that it was a game, and tried to playfully tackle Tenel to assist her mistress.
He couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Since he had last seen them, Tenel seemed to be developing a second line on her forehead, Anji was a darker shade of brown, and Allana's hair was now a full golden-red, and she seemed 3 or 4 centimeters taller than when he last saw her.
Hoping to get to business sooner, he decided to make himself known to the distracted family. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." He called out.
Tenel's head shot over to face him. Allana kept giggling, and Anji seemed to think that Tenel had surrendered, and began subjecting her to a grooming. "Allana, he's here already." Tenel said.
Allana looked over, and her giggles died down. She motioned a command to Anji, and she calmed down too. The nexu got onto her feet, then sat on her haunches, and folded her tail around herself. Allana stood up, trying to hold a straight posture. She was only 9–going on to being 10 in a few months–and was still giddy inside after the brief wrestle she had with her mom.
"My apologies for the unconventional situation." Tenel opened, hoping to draw away some of the awkwardness.
Wynn gave a short smirk. "All is well, Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo." He assured. This allowed Tenel to relax.
"So, why have you called this meeting on such short notice?" She asked.
Wynn gave a sigh, and looked at Tenel sternly. "We both know I've been doing what I can to protect the Jedi from the public. But many are demanding that the GAS should invade the Consortium to root them out."
This confused Allana. "Why? The Consortium has made no attempt to reintegrate the Jedi back into the GA." She remarked. Anji gave a low, guttural meow, as though she was in agreement.
Tenel Ka knelt down to her daughter, and did her best to water down the situation for her. "Some people just refuse to have their minds changed, sweetie. They hold on so tightly to anger and the lust for revenge as though it's the only thing keeping them from dying." She caressed her daughter's cheek as she explained this.
"I promise that I won't sanction any GA action whatsoever. But that that won't stop people from deciding to play vigilante." Wynn warned.
The Queen Mother looked up from her daughter. "We appreciate the warning."
"I wish this could've been under more peaceful circumstances." Dorvan's expression had fallen to a somber look.
Tenel Ka gave a reassuring smile. "This isn't your fault. None of it is. We will do what we'll need to to keep the Knights safe."
A little small talk was made after the meeting officially ended. Anji was able to receive some pets and scratches behind her ears, and she rubbed the edge of her mouth against Dorvan's bodyguards, and even Dorvan himself. Yet Anji never left her mistress' side.
After the meeting, Dorvan and his bodyguards were returning to the launchpad. The Co-Pilot of the shuttle walked off the hatch. The air felt cool on his body. He watched as 3 guards walked in first. 2 of them stayed outside with Dorvan. The Co-Pilot looked out across the expansive plains, and saw a lovely young woman sitting on a bench. His expression softened, and sorrow began to creep into his mind.
Dorvan noticed this, and walked over to him. "Go talk to her." He urged.
The Co-Pilot was startled. "I-I can't…" He thought of his history with the beautiful lady.
Dorvan's expression softened. "Why not? You two know each other well."
The Co-Pilot sighed. His eyes crept towards the woman's long, red hair. It seemed to sparkle in the light of Hapes' sun. However, he persisted. "No. My job is to assist the pilot in getting you to your destinations safely."
Dorvan chuckled, and played his trump card. "Well then, as Chief of State of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, I'm ordering you to take leave."
The Co-Pilot looked at the Chief of State confused. Dorvan just gave a mischievous grin. "Now you have nothing keeping you from talking to her." He coaxed. He gestured towards the woman. "Go."
Letting out a defeated sigh, the Co-Pilot left the launchpad.
On the bench, the woman brushed some hair behind her ear. A nice breeze came by, causing her hair to wave gently in the wind. The strands danced in such a coordinated manner, that they didn't get messed up. She then sensed someone's presence in the Force. She turned, and saw the man she had caught a glimpse of up on the launchpad.
"Javon? What're you doing here?" She asked.
Javon Thewles' face immediately flushed. Seha Dorvald was still as beautiful as when he last saw her back on Coruscant. "I was… hoping to get a moment with you." He said. He did his best to maintain his composure.
Seha cocked her brow questioningly. She wasn't upset. She was just surprised that even after all this time, she sensed genuine romantic feelings coming from Javon, the man who had lost his job in GA Security because of her. More specifically, something that wasn't her doing, but blamed on her. "Oh?" She asked. She loosened her composure in hopes of appearing less imposing, and it seemed to work.
Javon took a deep breath to loosen his nerves. "Are you perhaps free tonight?"
Seha smiled affectionately. She began to feel a sense of glee. "I'm down for whatever you have planned."
He began feeling more calm and confident. "How about I treat you to dinner?"
Seha stood up, and hugged Javon tautly. He quickly returned it, taking the time to admire and enjoy the warmth of her body against his. She pulled only her upper body, and kissed his cheek. "It's a date." She said. She sensed his glee, and stayed within their embrace.
However, a burning question was inside Javon's mind. "By the way, why are you on Hapes anyway?"
"I got off my shift for guarding Allana a few minutes before Chief Dorvan had arrived. When I sensed you on the planet, I couldn't help but stick around for a while longer. At least until you left."
Javon's eyes narrowed. "Then why were you surprised when I walked up to you?"
Seha shrugged. "I guess I wasn't expecting you to wanna talk with me." She said, softly.
Javon figured that now was probably the time to address the elephant in the room. "Listen, I don't hold any grudges against you, okay? I don't care that you're technically the reason I got fired. I won't let that petty fact be the reason why we don't date." Seha sensed his honesty, and sighed contently. She nuzzled her head against his chest, imagining herself as a piece of Ionite, and Javon was a Beskar safe protecting her from thieves. He was truly the person she wanted to act vulnerable around. She saw him as a shining pillar of light in the darkness that was her traumatic past.
She traced his chest, and felt the toned body of his through the uniform. It sent good chills down his spine, and she knew he enjoyed her touch.