Three days later, Han and Leia arrive at Mon Cala, the new seat of the New Republic government. A little later, Jacen and Vergere arrive in a coral ship. While Vergere is being interrogated by the NRI, Jacen tells his family what happened to him with the Yuuzhan Vong on Coruscant. A little later a new coral ship arrives. The Solo family and, to be on the safe side, a few other Jedi go to the spaceport and Tsavong Lah emerges from the ship.

"What do you want here?" asks Jacen suspiciously.

"I am a traitor now," says Tsavong Lah. "And I brought my troops with me too. They and the Yammosks are now fully available to the New Republic forces!"

"There aren't that many anymore," Jacen replies caustically. "And besides: The traitor, that's me!"

"Now don't be so petty, Jacen!" warns Leia, then turns to Tsavong Lah: "Why?"

"If Jacen and Jaina are truly incarnations of our gods, then our previous policies were wrong and I will take full responsibility for it." The former Warmaster turns to Jacen. "So it's time we reconcile."

Tsavong Lah wants to shake Jacen's hand, but the young Solo backs away. "But I severed your foot on Duro. Have you forgotten that?"

"No, of course not," assures Tsavong Lah. "But your uncle Luke also cut off both of Vader's hands and before that Vader cut off one of Luke's hands - in the end everything wasn't as bad and family peace was restored. I want that too."

"But you're not part of the family!" Leia says sharply.

"Not yet," replies Tsavong Lah.

Han Solo bursts out laughing. "That one was good!" chuckles the Corellian. "I didn't think you would develop such a sense of humor during your defection, Warmaster."

Tsavong Lah's expression freezes in surprise. "Humor? What is that?"

Hans's gaze darts back and forth between the Warmaster and his wife. "Do you remember that time when your lumbering double-mountain cruiser captured the Millennium Falcon on short notice and you wanted me to deliver Jacen Solo to you?"

Tsavong Lah nods. "Well, I guess that's gone now."

"I told you then, 'I'm going to put Jacen in an escape pod and send him over to you,'" Han Solo continued in his statement.

"But you didn't," says the Warmaster with a lurking undertone. "So humor is the announcement of a promise that you don't intend to keep?"

Han frowns. "Well, humor is always about surprise, that's true, but…" he thinks hard. "As far as your membership in our family goes, I guess that wasn't humorous."

Leia's expression becomes deadly serious. "He's really deadly serious," she says worriedly to her husband.

"Why not?" Tsavong Lah asks humorously and fixes his eyes on Han Solo. "Well, if someone like you made it into this family, then I guess I can too."

"Someone like me?" Han Solo fumes. "There is actually only one way for you to marry into our family at the moment and that is…"

"That's out of the question at all!" Leia's angry voice booms accusingly across the spaceport. "And anyway: what about Ithor and all the other planets you destroyed during your invasion? My home planet was also destroyed at a time!"

"I know." Tsavong Lah makes a dismissive gesture and that's not the only thing that annoys Han Solo immensely. "And as far as I remember, Master Skywalker also forgave Kyp Durron after on the planet Carida, Kyp..."

Luke raises a hand and Tsavong Lah understands that he better not finish this sentence. Luke nods sagely and then shrugs his shoulders. "Where he's right, he's right."

"In addition, Kyp Durron destroyed our new world ship with all the inhabitants in it on Sernpidal's rubble," Tsavong Lah adds up. "But this Jedi Master is hereby forgiven for this too."

Luke's face softens a little. "This will be a tremendous balm for Kyp Durron's tormented soul. Thanks."

Leia smiles bitterly. "Well, Jaina will be happy about that."

"Which planet exactly was your home planet that was destroyed?" Tsavong Lah asks Leia with genuine interest. "My people will of course…"

"Oh, just shut up!" Leia cuts him off harshly.

The security forces that have surrounded the living coral ship tense up in renewed tension. A human figure becomes visible in the circular entrance hatch of Tsavong Lah's ship and steps out onto the tongue with the many small bumps that are intended to prevent slipping when entering or exiting.

He is a young, light-blond man with blue eyes and a kind of control glasses with red lenses that he wears like a headband.

"Who is that?" asks Jacen.

"Don't you recognize your Jedi friend Finn Galfridian from the Invasion comic series?" Tsavong Lah reminds him. "Finn was with you and Jaina on Nar Shaddaa and later on Finn's homeworld of Artorias. "I'm bringing him along with three other Jedi to strengthen the New Jedi Order."

Jacen scratches his head. "Well, if you say so."

Tsavong Lah turns to Luke Skywalker. "Now say something. After all, you trained Finn Galfridian on Yavin IV."

"Yeah, that's right," Luke says curtly. "We have to take every Jedi we can get right now."

A blue man with yellow eyes appears on the exit tab.

"And who is that?" asks Luke.

"This is Yuledan," explains Tsavong Lah. "The shaper Nagme abused him for cruel experiments, including in the Invasion comic series, but these experiments were absolutely illegal and not authorized by me. I was just able to save him from certain death and now he is back with his family."

An older, black-haired man in his fifties gets out of the coral ship and approaches Luke. "Kubariet," he says curtly.

"What does that mean?" asks Luke.

"I am the Jedi named Kubariet."

The Grand Master of the Jedi Order raises his eyebrows. "But I've really never heard of you."

"But shortly after the start of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, I provided the New Republic with a lot of information that Boba Fett and the other Mandalorians had given me for you," Kubariet explains loudly.

Jacen shakes his head. "Boba Fett really isn't a particularly reliable witness."

"Boba Fett and his people are OK," says Kubariet. "Without them, the New Republic would have taken much longer to fight back."

"Just leave it alone, Jacen, I sense his good intentions," Luke reassures him.

"Kubariet only appears in Karen Traviss' short story 'Boba Fett – a Practical Man'," explains Tsavong Lah. "He never met any other Jedi there either. No wonder you all don't know him."

A medium-sized man with gentle facial features, blue eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair emerges from Tsavong Lah's coral ship as the last Jedi brought with him. "I'm Jorallen," he introduces himself.

Luke and Jacen look at each other. One can clearly see that this fellow Jedi is completely unknown to both of them.

But Danni Quee's green eyes brighten and she runs towards Jorallen. "You're my love interest from the Knightfall trilogy, which was unfortunately canceled for the book series!"

"Well at least someone who knows one of the Jedi I brought with me," says Tsavong Lah, somewhat satisfied.

"It would have been extremely annoying for me if I had stayed without any pairing for the entire book series. Thank you, Tsavong Lah," says Danni Quee, hanging in with Jorallen and adoring him.

"And what about us in volumes one, two and fourteen, doesn't count at all?" grumbles Jacen.

Danni Quee shakes her head. "No, it was just friendship."

Jacen's dark eyes begin to glow. "But back when I freed you from that ice dome, you snuggled up to me afterwards in that gravel ship. It meant something to you, Danni, I felt that!"

Danni sheepishly tugs at a curly strand of hair. "Well, the gravel ship was pretty tight, we were alone there, you had just saved me - what else was I supposed to do?"

Jacen turns away from Danni Quee and towards his mother. "Is Tenel Ka coming here at some point?"

"Yes, in two weeks at the latest, when the knighthood ceremony takes place for many Jedi, Tenel Ka will also come to Mon Cala," Leia promises her son.

༺༻

A week later, Jaina returns from her mission on Kashyyyk. Her parents and brother pick her up from the spaceport and Tsavong Lah is there too.

"What is he doing here?" Jaina asks suspiciously.

"Tsavong Lah is now one of the good guys and has joined the Galactic Alliance with his troops," says Jacen in a thick voice. "And he brought new Jedi with him that no one here knows." He hesitates before the next sentence. "Except Danni Quee."

Jaina turns bright red. "You should look for a suitable workshop so far from home," she snaps at the war master.

Tsavong Lah looks at the young Solo from above. "I understand you are already very familiar with our ships, Jaina Solo." He smiles. "If my ship needs anything, I'll let you know."

Jaina's brown eyes fixate on the red Radank arm on the Warmaster's right side, then her gaze moves further down to his Vua'sa foot. "I actually meant all your spare parts." She looks briefly at her hip and Tsavong Lah realizes that she is looking at her lightsaber. Then she looks up again. "Even spare parts can break down quickly, you understand!"

"Jaina, Admiral Traest Kre'fey wants to speak to you – as soon as possible," Jacen interrupts the hostile conversation. He points his finger at the Warmaster. "But the Bothan wants to see you first."

The security guards come and take Tsavong Lah away. Jaina looks after him darkly.

"Jaina?" Jacen says worriedly.

"Danni Quee is here too, have you spoken to her yet?" his sister suddenly switches to a topic he would least have expected.

"Just for a short moment," says Jacen shortly.

A smile crosses Jaina's face. "Are you together with Danni?"

Jacen grimaces. "It's good that you've only just returned from Kashyyyk. She has someone now."

"And that bothers you?"

"It probably wouldn't have worked anyway. I mean, she's five years older than me."

"Dad is at least twelve years older than Mom. What does that matter?"

"The way you say it makes it sound so easy." His voice becomes melancholic. "Danni has all these degrees. Why should she care about me – I'm just a Jedi."

"Just a Jedi?" Jaina blurts out. "No wonder the Yuuzhan Vong were able to overrun us like that. No wonder Danni chose someone else. What did that strange bird creature put into your head back then about Myrkr and later on Coruscant?"

Jacen tries to retain at least a fraction of his dignity. "This is … complicated."

She pats his shoulder. "It's okay, brother. I'm hardly the right person to give you advice on love matters."

Suddenly Jacen is very interested. "Oh yes? And what do you mean?"

She stares at him and realizes her mistake. "It means what it means," she says dismissively.

Another spark of curiosity enters his dark brown eyes. "And who does it mean?"

She looks back in the direction where Tsavong Lah left with the guards.

The surprise on Jacen's face turns to pure horror. "You're not serious, Jaina!" he shouts. "That bloodthirsty butcher? He's a little old for you, don't you think?"

His twin sister folds her arms over her chest. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Good," says Jacen, unconvinced. "Because it looks like you've captured a staggering number of hearts while I've been away. First the son of Baron Fel, and then I sensed a similar irritation earlier between you and Kyp Durron, the most unpredictable Jedi of the new order." He takes a deep breath. "And Zekk occasionally looked at you strangely during the Myrkr expedition. And now the enemy's warmaster. Now just tell me Tsavong Lah defected to us because of you. Well, even this pompous residual imperial fighter pilot is even better, this Jagged...

Jaina puts a finger on his mouth. "You don't know anything about him."

He shakes his head and with it her finger away. "Thanks, but on Duro I saw enough of his doing - what he did to Mom."

She lowers her head. "That was on Duro back then, but now he's here."

Jacen thinks it's time to change the subject. "Do you have anything planned for tomorrow? I mean, we could..."

She touches his forearm. "Tomorrow I am flying back to Kashyyyk to continue training my new pilots. And now I really have to go, because Admiral Kre'fey is waiting for me."

"But now that Tsavong Lah has defected to us with the majority of his troops, why do you want to overwork yourself so much and keep training new pilots?" Jacen wonders.

"Overlord Shimrra still hasn't surrendered," Jaina replies. "There are also other enemies of the New Republic. And anyway - you never know."

Jacen watches his sister walk in the same direction as Tsavong Lah and feels very uncomfortable.