Have any of you ever thought about what would have happened if not Elaine Cuninngham, Aaron Allston, Matthew Stover and John Walter Williams had written volumes 10-14 of "New Jedi Order", but Troy Denning and Rian Johnson? Me, yes.

1. Confessions

A black gem flies through space. The gleaming, faceted starship is commanded by the Yuuzhan Vong priest Harrar, a good friend of Warmaster Tsavong Lah. Flying with him is Khalee Lah, the Warmaster's son, who commands the warriors on board. Now, however, Priest Harrar stands at the viewing window of his private chamber and ponders the mission his friend has assigned him. A victim should be prepared, half of it is already done, the other half remains to be captured.

"Your Eminence!"

The word jolts Harrar out of his leisure. The accomplished warrior Khalee Lah has sneaked up silently, and the priest hates being caught off guard like that. "I trust this intrusion is justified?" he said sharply.

Khalee Lah bows his head. "We have located the stolen ship, Your Eminence. The Ksstarr was seighted near Coruscant, but was able to escape during the confusion of the battle..."

"And now?" Harrar interrupts him.

"We believe the Jeedai will head towards the Hapes Cluster. We have set course accordingly."

"If the frigate is capable of dark space travel, the Jeedai could choose for many destinations."

"That is true, Eminence", admits Khalee Lah, "but Nom Anor's ship was damaged during its escape from the worldship. The Ksstarr is famished and wounded, and without proper care it will soon die. Surely even these infidels will sense it is nearing its limits."

"Your logic is far-fetched," the priest replies harshly.

Khalee Lah tilts his head to the other side apologetically. "One of the Jeedai, a female, is a scion of Hapan royalty," he added. "This was learned during the breaking. Not from this Jeedai, but from another."

Harrar notes the undertone of rumbling admiration in the warrior's voice. "This female did not succumb to breaking, I take it. Good. The additional gift of a worthy Jeedai may placate the gods for this delay in the twin sacrifice. What is this infidel called?"

"Tenel Ka," Khalee Lah says, all rumble disappearing from his voice. " It is said that she fought well, though she has but one arm. Other infidels have replaced limbs with mechanical abominations. Not this one." He grins predatorily. "If fitted with a proper enhancement, she might prove a worthy opponent, or at least an interesting diversion."

Harrar nods curtly. "In that case, you may offer her yourself in a warrior's sacrifice. If this Jeedai is typical of the Hapan nobility, we should reconsider our previous rather ignoring attitude towards the Hapes Cluster."

"Why not?" Khalee Lah's yellow Maa'it implants glitter. "There is much animosity against the Jeedai on Hapes anyway. The Peace Brigade has found eager recruits among the Hapans. We have sent word ahead to several known agents."

Harrar studies the warrior carefully. Something is amiss. Khalee Lah has answered every question forth-rightly, but he did offer no more information than Harrar has requested. "There is more," he observes. "You are not telling me all. A priest of Yun-Harla has ways of knowing such things."

Khalee Lah bows deeply and long. Two of his fingers even touch his horned forehead in a gesture of reverence. "I am a military commander, Eminence. Certain tactics depend upon secrecy for success. I can discuss these tactics only with my superiors."

Harrar touches the young man on the shoulder. "You command my escort. Mine," the priest emphasizes. "You support the task given to me by no less an authority than Tsavong Lah. If the Warmaster is not highly placed enough to suit you, consider this what Yuuzhan Vong warrior is not subject to the gods? And who better to interpret the will of the gods than a high priest?"

Khalee Lah genuflects. "I am fairly rebuked. Command me."

Harrar smiles indulgently. "Stand up and tell me honestly, what's on your mind."

The commander stands up. "Would it be possible to flip Tenel Ka instead of a warrior sacrifice? So she fights on our side?"

Harrar initially raises an eyebrow. He didn't expect this answer. But just a blink of an eye later, he smiles and smooths down his green robe. "Well, young warrior, that again requires tactics that I'd better discuss with my superiors first."

༺༻

Jaina Solo flies through hyperspace in the organic scout ship she took from the enemy. The nineteen year old is devastated. Not suspecting anything bad, she fled from the Yuuzhan Vong worldship over the planet Myrkr to fly home to Coruscant. There, at home in the bosom of the family, to come to terms with the loss of her brother Anakin... and that of her twin-brother, whose demise in the Force she had not felt directly, but she saw how this violet bird took Jacen away - towards the enemy . Chewbacca would roast the traitorous avian over the grill and eat it with relish. But Chewie is dead too. Would Lowbacca grill and eat Vergere in his place?

Lowie comes up from the side and shakes his head disapprovingly. I could actually have foreseen that. But it was a funny idea. An even if only a tiny distraction from the fact that the sweet home on Coruscant no longer exists either, because the enemy has now spread there too.

Jaina is completely lost in these dark thoughts when Lowbacca suddenly holds out a villip.

Jaina looks at the communicator, then strokes the brown ball. The villip reveals the image of a scarred face with no nose and frayed lips. Everyone in the galaxy knows this face. It's Tsavong Lah's. One year ago, he'd sent a communication throughout the galaxy calling for the destruction of the Jedi, and demanding Jacen Solo. Jaina had seen that holovid replayed many times, but her blood boiled anew with each viewing. One day her mother had come into the room and held out her hand.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" And the holoprojector was shattered into a thousand pieces.

"I...I was just looking for some weak point in him."

Leia's disapproving look was worth a thousand words. "Time for dinner."

Jaina had trotted around after her mother, picking at her food and otherwise sitting silently and sulking - angry at everyone and everything.

So now she speaks to the Warmaster live and in color.

"Who is there?" asks Tsavong Lah and then it dawns on him. "Ah, Jaina Solo."

"Got it in one," Jaina scoffs.

"I know you. There is a holovid where you fight against your twin-brother in a training match. I watched it quite a few times."

"Maybe you could even learn something."

Tsavong Lah's gaze darkens. "What do you want?"

Jaina puts on a thieving smile. "Let's put it this way: I want to tell you about another failure."

Tsavong Lah's ragged lips twist into a sneer: "Of the Jeedai's failure, for sure, for Jacen will bring you to me too."

"What makes you so sure?"

"You probably want to offer yourself in exchange for your brother, I assume."

Jaina lowers her eyelids sadly. "Why bother? You wouldn't let Jacen go anyway."

"That's true, though," the Warmaster admits. "But are you sure about your motivation?"

Blood rushes into Jaina's cheeks. "My motivation?"

"Don't kid yourself. You are the weaker twin, the one who would fall victim." Tsavong Lah's voice softens slightly. "But you might like knowing your brother's sword is far from your throat."

Jaina slowly understands what this twin victim is all about. "So we should fight each other."

"Of course, that's how it is done."

"That's what it is always done," she says, her voice heavy with meaning. "Jacen and I are twins. This is our destiny."

"You understand this much – and yet you are running away from your destiny?" Tsavong Lah lowers his eyelids pensively. "When the two of us are connected to each other through this villip pair?"

"You will pay for your actions, murderous snake!"

Tsavong Lah raises an eyebrow. "My actions? Did Jacen tell you what happened on Duro? The day he took my foot, did he tell you?"

"I know everything I need to know about you!" Jaina insists defiantly.

"You do?" The Warmaster's black eyes begin to glitter. "Oh, you do. You have that look in your eyes. Yes, Jacen told you everything in detail and you enjoyed it."

"You deserve it! You are a monster!"

Tsavong Lah smiles. "I know."

Jaina's face becomes one of reproach. "I thought I could get some reasonable answers from you, but I was wrong. And yet you are right, Warmaster." Her voice becomes pitiful. "Nom Anor's ship is disabled. I can run no farther."

"What is your position?" he demands rather than he is asking. "Obviously you are wearing the pilot's hood. Ask the ship."

"A moment, please." … "I can't get an answer from the ship either," she says dryly.

The Warmaster turns to the subordinated next to him, pointing at the villip with Jaina's face in his long claws. "Are you finished?"

"It is done already", the man is flustering.

Tsavong Lah turns his attention back to Jaina. "Well then. I have sent agents to monitor the sacrifice. They will arrive soon."

"And then I'll see Jacen again. I've never felt so alone."

Tsavong Lah's voice becomes like velvet. "You're not alone."

Jaina smiles. "Neither are you."

[Stop it!] This is the Wookiee's silent protest against the direction this villip conversation has taken.

"It's okay, Lowie," says Jaina soothingly. "The villip is already folding itself back in."

Tsavong Lah turns the villip into sleeping mode again and wakes up another one. The globe shifts to reveal a face similar to his own in shape and expression. The reflected warrior is younger, his flesh taut and clear, but not less scarred. Elaborate black tattoos cover an angular gray face. A small horn protrudes from the high, broad forehead. "I have found the female," the Warmaster starts without preamble. "She has offered to surrender – a ploy of course, a pitiful attempt to buy time to escape. You will persuade the yammosk aboard the priestship to link with the frigate and accept this additional ship in its communication faaaily."

The younger warrior with the horn upon his forehead bows. "Of course, Warmaster."

"Inform Harrar that he may contact the Jeedai directly through the Ksstarr's ship's villip."

An expression of surprise is flushing over the young warrior's face. "He possesses a commander's villip?"

"He holds it in trust," Tsavong Lah corrects. "When the Jeedai sacrifice is completed, he will pass it to you, along with the rank and honors that attend it. See to it that this day comes soon."

His son inclines his head in a deep bow.

"I am honored, Warmaster, but I would do so regardless of reward. My personal advancement is a pale thing compared to the service due our gods."

The Warmaster receives the pious speech in silence. A pondering moment, then his scarred lips open again. "Go, and do."

Author's Note: This story contains many quotes from the book series "New Jedi Order", vol. 10 "Dark Journey" by Elaine Cunningham, vol. 12 "Rebel Stand" by Aaron Allston, vol. 13 "Traitor" by Matthew Stover and volume 14 "Ways of Destiny" by Walter Jon Williams (2002). Other sources: "Courtship of Princess Leia" by Dean Wolverton (1994) and Ep. VII and VIII of the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy.