Dark Journey: Star Wars Legends

Chapter TwoAnakin is dead. Jacen is gone.These thoughts resounded through Jaina Solo's benumbed senses, echoing through an inner silence as profound as that of the watchful stars.These thoughts drowned out the sounds of battle, andthe frantic, running commentary of the seven young Jediwho struggled to fly the stolen Yuuzhan Vong ship. Likeher companions, Jaina was battered and filthy from daysof captivity, and from a battle that had lasted too longand cost too much.Only eight Jedi had fought their way out of the world-shipand onto this smaller ship, bringing with them thebody of their young leader. The survivors had taken theYuuzhan Vong frigate analog quickly, with astonishingease. Jaina had a dim recollection of searing anger andkilling light, of her friend Zekk pushing her away fromthe pilot's seat and into the Yuuzhan Vong equivalent ofa gunner's chair. She perched there now on the edge ofthe too-large seat, firing missiles of molten rock at thecoralskippers pursuing the Jedi and their stolen ship.Jaina watched with a strange sense of detachment asthe alien ship released plasma at her command, as thedeath of coralskippers and their Yuuzhan Vong pilotswas painted in brief, brilliant splashes against the darkcanvas of space. All of this was a fever dream, nothingmore, and Jaina was merely a character caught in herown nightmare.Jacen is gone.It didn't seem possible. It wasn't possible. Jacen wasalive. He had to be. How could she be alive if Jacenwas not? Her twin brother had been a part of her, andshe of him, since before their birth. What they were couldnot be separated from what they were to each other.Her thoughts tumbled like an X-wing in an out-of-controlspiral. Jaina's pilot instincts kicked in, and sheeased herself out of the spin.Reaching out through the Force, she strained beyondthe boundaries of her power and training as she soughther brother. Where Jacen had been was only blackness,as unfathomable as space. She went deep within, franticallyseeking the place within her that had always beenJacen's. That, too, was veiled.Jacen was gone. Jaina did not feel bereft, but sundered.A burst of plasma flared toward the stolen ship. Jainaresponded with one of her own. It streamed toward theincoming plasma bolt like a vengeful comet. The twomissiles met in a tidal wave.Zekk threw himself to one side, straining the umbilicalson the pilot's gloves in his attempt to pull the shipaside from the killing spray.Fortunately for the Jedi, their Yuuzhan Vong pursuerswere also forced to turn aside. This bought them a momentof relative peace–no immediate danger, no obvioustarget.Jaina twisted in her seat until she could see the world-shipwhere Anakin had fallen, where Jacen had beenabandoned. It seemed odd, and somehow wrong, thatsuch a terrible place could be reduced to a small lump ofblack coral."We'll be back, Jacen," she promised. "You hold on,and we'll come for you."I'll come for you, she added silently. She would goafter Jacen alone, if it came down to that, as Anakin hadgone to Yavin 4 to rescue Tahiri.Now Anakin was dead, and a battered and heart-brokenTahiri watched over his body. The small blondgirl blazed in the Force like a nova–Jaina couldn't helpbut feel her anguish. The severed bond was differentfrom that shared by twins, but perhaps no less intense.The realization hit her like a thud bug. Anakin andTahiri. How strange–and yet it felt right and perfect.Tears filled Jaina's eyes, refracting an incoming streakof molten gold into lethal rainbows. In the pilot's seat,Zekk muttered a curse and wrenched the frigate's noseup and hard to port. The alien ship rose in a sharp, gut-wrenching arc. Plasma scorched along the frigate's underside, sheering off the irregular coral nodules with ashrill, ululating screech.Jaina jerked her left hand from its living glove andfisted away her tears through the cognition hood thatcovered her face. Meanwhile the fingers of her right handslid and circled as she deftly brought her target intofocus. She jammed her left hand back into the glove andsqueezed it into a fist, releasing a burst of plasma at theattacking coralskipper–an instant before it launched asecond plasma.Jaina's missile struck the Yuuzhan Vong ship in that minuscule interval between shielding and attack. Shards ofblack coral exploded from its hull, and the snout heatedto an ominous red as molten rock washed over it. Cracksfissured through the Yuuzhan Vong pilot's viewport.Again Jaina fired, and again, timing the attacks withskill honed through two long years and too many missions.The coralskipper's projected gravity well swallowedthe first missile; the second proved to be too muchfor the severely compromised hull. The ship broke apart,spilling its life out into the emptiness of space."I know that feeling," Jaina muttered.A small, strong hand settled on her shoulder. She feltTenel Ka's solid presence through the Force–there, butprofoundly different. A moment passed before Jainarealized why: her friend's emotions, usually as straight-forwardand unambiguous as a drawn blaster, had beencarefully shielded."We are doing the right thing for Jacen," Tenel Ka saidstoutly. "Because they have only one twin, they will harmneither. We suspected as much, but now we have proof.They are not trying to destroy this ship.""Couldn't prove it by me," Zekk muttered as he jinkedsharply to avoid another plasma blast."Fact," the warrior woman said bluntly. "Zekk, fortwo years you've flown cargo ships–a true contribution,but poor training for this escape.""Yeah? Here's another fact: I haven't gotten us killedyet.""And here are several more," Tenel Ka retorted."Jaina was in Rogue Squadron. She had access to NewRepublic intelligence on enemy ships. She has survivedmore dogfights than anyone here. If we are to survive,you must let her fly."Zekk started to protest, but another barrage cut himoff. He zigzagged wildly to avoid incoming fire and thenput the ship into a tumbling evasive dive. The forcethrew Tenel Ka into the seat behind the pilot. She mutteredsomething in her native language as she struggledinto the restraining loops.Jaina braced her feet against the irregular coral floorand steeled herself for the punishing buildup of g-force.She expected her cognition hood to bulge out like thejowls of a Dagobian swamp lizard, but it remained comfortablyin place. She filed the data away for future use.In any New Republic ship, this maneuver would havebeen punishing; apparently, the internal gravity of a Yuuzhan Vong ship was far more complex and adaptable.Even so, for several moments speech was impossible.Jaina quickly ran through the list of survivors as she considered Tenel Ka's words. Nine Jedi remained, just onemore than half of their original strike force. Tahiri wasonly fifteen, and no pilot. She had been terribly woundedin body and spirit, and Tekli, the Chadra-Fan healer, wasbusy attending her. The reptilian Tesar, the sole survivorof the Barabel hatchmates, was working the shieldingstation in the stern. Lowbacca was needed everywhere,and since their escape he'd been dashing about patchingthe living ship's wounds. When his efforts fell short, he'dalternately cajoled and threatened the ship in Wookieeterms so vivid that Em Teedee, the lost translator droid,would have been hard-pressed to come up with genteeleuphemisms.That left Tenel Ka, Alema Rar, and Ganner Rhysode.Jaina quickly dismissed Tenel Ka. Yuuzhan Yong shipswere not designed with one-armed pilots in mind. ForgetAlema. The Twi'lek female was emotionally fragile–Jaina could feel her teetering on the edge of mindless,vengeful frenzy. Put Alema in the pilot's seat, and she'dlikely plot a suicidal plunge directly at the worldship'sdovin basal. Ganner was a powerful Jedi, an impressive-looking man whose role in this mission had been to serveas decoy for the real leader–Anakin. Ganner had hispoints, but he wasn't enough of a pilot to get them outof this.Tenel Ka was right, Jaina concluded. Anakin had diedsaving the Jedi from the deadly voxyn. He'd left his lastmission in Jacen's hands, not hers, but she was the oneleft to see it through. The Jedi–at least the Jedi on thisship–were now her responsibility.A small voice nudged into Jaina's consciousness,barely audible over the screaming dive and the thrumand groan of the abused ship. In some dim corner of hermind huddled a small figure, weeping in anguish andindecision. Jaina slammed the door and silenced herbroken heart."I need Ganner to take over for me," she said as soonas she could speak.A look of concern crossed Tenel Ka's face, but sheshrugged off her restraints and rose. In moments she re-turned with the older Jedi."Someone has to take my place at gunner," Jaina explained.She stood up without removing either the glovesor hood. "No time for a learning curve–better workwith me until you get the feel of it. The seat's big enoughfor both of us."After a brief hesitation, Ganner slipped into the chair.Jaina quickly settled into his lap.He chuckled and linked his hands around her waist."This could get to be a habit.""Hold that thought," Jaina told him as she sighteddown an incoming skip. "It'll keep your hands busy."A surge of annoyance came from Zekk, but Jainaunderstood Ganner's flirtation for what it was. Gannerwas big, jet-black-haired, and so absurdly handsome thathe reminded Jaina of the old holovids of Prince Isolder.The scar across one cheek only served to heighten theoverall effect. When Ganner turned on the charm, hispheromone count probably rivaled a Falleen's, but Jainaknew a shield when she saw one. Not long ago, Jacen haddisguised his thoughtful nature with labored jokes. Perhapsit was best to leave Ganner's defenses safely intact."Put your hands in the gloves and rest your fingers onmine," she directed.As Ganner wriggled his hands into the flexible gloves,Jaina reached out for him through the Force. She lackedJacen's empathy, but could convey images to Gannerusing her own force talent.As she aimed and fired, she formed mental pictures ofwhat she saw–the battle as viewed through the greatlyexpanded vision granted by the cognition hood, theblurry concentric circles that made up the targeting device.Through the Force she felt the grim intensity ofGanner's concentration, sensed a mind and will as focusedas a laser. Soon his fingers began moving with hersin a precise duet. When she thought him ready, she slidher hands free, then tugged off the hood as she eased outof his lap. She pulled the hood down over Ganner's head.The Jedi jolted as he made direct connection with theship. He quickly collected himself and sent plasmahurtling to meet an incoming ball. The two missiles col-lided,sending molten rock splashing into space like festivalfireworks.Ganner's crow of triumph was swallowed by the ship'sgroan and shudder. Several bits of molten stone hadsplashed the frigate despite its shielding singularity andZekk's attempts at evasion."Tenel Ka is right," Jaina said. "Let me have her, Zekk."The pilot shook his hooded head and put the ship intoa rising turn. "Forget it. You're in no condition for this."She planted her fists on her hips. "Yeah? Everyonehere could use a few days in a bacta tank, you included.""That's not what I meant. No one could be expectedto fly after losing . . . after what happened down there,"he concluded lamely.Silence hung between them, heavy with loss and painand raw, too-vivid memories.Then Jaina caught a glimpse of the memory that mostdisturbed Zekk–an image of a small, disheveled youngwoman in tattered jumpsuit, hurling lightning at a YuuzhanVong warrior. A moment passed before Jainarecognized the furious, vengeful, bloodstained face asher own.Suddenly she knew the truth of her old friend's concern.Zekk, who had trained at the Shadow Academy and experiencedthe dark side firsthand, was as wary of it as Jacenhad been. In taking the pilot's chair, Zekk hadn't beenconsidering her loss, her state of mind. He simply didn'ttrust her.Jaina braced herself for the pain of this new betrayal,but none came. Perhaps losing Jacen had pushed her tosome place beyond pain.She brought to mind an image of the molten lightningthat had come so instinctively to her call. She imbued itwith so much power that the air nearly hummed with energy,and the metallic scent of a thunderstorm seemed tolurk on the edge of sensory perception. She projected thisimage to her old friend as forcefully as she could."Get out of the seat, Zekk," she said in cool, controlledtones. "I don't want to fry the controls."He hesitated for only a moment, then he ripped off thehood and rose. His green eyes met hers, filled with such aturmoil of sorrow and concern that Jaina slammed shutthe Force connection between them. She knew thatexpression–she'd seen it in her mother's eyes many timesduring the terrible months that followed Chewbacca'sdeath, when her father had been lost in grief and guilt.No time for this now.Jaina slid into the pilot's seat and let herself join withthe ship. Her fingers moved deftly over the organic console,confirming the sensory impulses that flowed to herthrough the hood. Yes, this was the hyperdrive analog.Here was the forward shield. The navigation center remaineda mystery to her, but during their captivity Low-baccahad tinkered a bit with one of the worldship'sneural centers. The young Wookiee had a history of takingon impossible challenges, and this task lay rightalong his plotted coordinates.Suddenly the shriek of warning sensors seared throughJaina's mind. A chorus of wordless voices came at herfrom all over the ship.The details of their situation engulfed her in a singleswift flood. Several plasma bolts streamed toward them,converging on the underside of the ship–so far, the favoredtarget. Coralskippers had moved into position aftand above, and others were closing in from below andon either side. Another ship came straight on, still at adistance but closing fast.No matter what she did, they could not evade the disablingbarrage.