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| - The rock surface was smooth and sharp edged, an unattractive brown in color, now speckled in red from Jaina's blood. Her uncovered hands were laced in scarlet slashes, and the calves of her legs trembled from the climb that had now consumed all her attention for over an hour. The harness around her waist was flimsy at best, having been strung at the summit of her ascent as a public access for close to a decade, she was sure. It consisted only of one piece of synthrope and a safety clip to go on her utility belt. If she were to slip or stumble, Jaina had little faith that it would bear her weight for long. She still wasn't overly concerned, though. She was a Jedi, and with the Force to sustain her she had little to fear in any situation. Looking up to gauge the remaining distance, she caught sight of her Chiss escort, who led the way with the appearance of far less discomfort than Jaina would have guessed. A wicked grin fleetingly crossed her lips. At least the view was good at this angle. As if in reaction to her thoughts, he turned around and looked down at her. She saw no fatigue in his green-eyed gaze. “How much farther can you go tonight?” he questioned. “Tonight? You mean we can't get there today?” Jaina asked, concerned at the thought she might have to spend the night out in the wild. Climbing this precipice was hard enough, and she was extremely vexed already from the whole venture. This wasn't why she was here. Scaling mountains and searching out strange recluses didn't help her mother. The sooner it was over, the better. He stopped, dangling perilously from the synthrope, one foot wedged on a small outcropping. “We could, I suppose, but it would be more taxing than is necessary.” He gestured at the fifty meters or so still left for them to climb. “After we reach the top, Palila lives a good five kilometers away.” Jaina chewed her lower lip, resting her forehead against the cool rock under her fingers. “Remind me again why we couldn't just take a speeder?” “Because we do not trust you,” Jagged told her bluntly. “And because this is the quickest mode. By speeder, you would have to go a hundred kilometers around the ravine out of your way.” “Fine,” she conceded at last. “But I'll only rest for an hour or two, then we have to keep going. I'm wasting my time as it is.” The look he gave her suggested he thought otherwise, but Jaina didn't argue, just continued on at their agonizing pace until he called a halt after the sun had set in the gray western sky. They had reached a rather large shelf, one that could hold them both and still leave a comfortable distance so they wouldn't feel crowded or defensive. She plopped down to sit on the opposite end of the ledge. “So who is this mystery woman, anyway?” Jagged seemed to consider her question carefully as he rummaged through his pack. “That depends on the answer you are looking for,” he told her finally. Jaina's upper lip twitched. “Is she a Chiss?” “No,” he answered immediately. “Palila has lived on Nirauan longer than the Hand of Thrawn has been here. She was living in a broken down ship when Thrawn set up the establishment. I was not born then, but from the stories I have heard, they spoke privately for a very long time before he was allowed to break ground here.” One brown eyebrow raised in piqued curiosity. “The same Thrawn who almost tore down the New Republic with his military wit negotiated with a single old woman for the control of an otherwise uninhabited planet?” The corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly, the closest she had yet to see him come to a smile. “She is nothing like what you would expect. You would think someone who had lived alone all this time would be uncivilized and senseless, but Palila is none of those things. She will not answer your questions, so do not even ask, but from my own experiences around her I believe she had to have been someone very educated and important once. I would not be surprised to learn she had been raised in an old Imperial Court.” Jaina took in the information with mild interest, filing it all away for later use if necessary. If she was indeed an Imperial from years gone by, that could explain her curiosity in Jaina. She might even be planning to kill her. It was common in Jaina's life for someone to want to cause her harm for revenge on her parents. If that was it, she didn't know much about Jedi or the Skywalker bloodline in particular. Or the Solo luck, for that matter. She had, after all, inherited her father's unnatural knack to get himself in impossible situations and then miraculously get himself back out. “You know her well, then?” Jaina prodded, hoping to get more of a sense of the woman who so badly wanted to meet her, as well as the aloof young colonel. He found what he was looking for in the pack and pulled out a glowrod, tapping it a few times until it flickered on. He jammed the end into the earth between them, giving illumination to them both in the dark of night. “Not really,” he answered belatedly. “When my family joined the Chiss here they gave us the unhappy task of carrying her the supplies they had agreed to provide her. It was a way of degrading us, but for the year or so the chore was mine I didn't really mind. She's a good woman, despite what they say. Benevolent. But do I know her? No one really does. She's a mystery wrapped in falsehoods, and I doubt she'll ever let anyone know who she really is.” A sudden thought occurred. “Is Palila even her name?” He looked across the glowstick that served as a dividing line between them, the yellow tint making his eyes even more electric in their cold intensity. “No. Palila means 'bird' in Cheuhn, because she flew away into hiding.” Something suddenly passed between them in that moment that Jaina had never felt or expected to feel in her duty driven life. Even hours afterwards she wasn't sure what it was, but only knew that an energy had stirred inside her and passed like a wave from her head to toes and back again, making her tingle in a way that wasn't unpleasant, and had a dizzying aftereffect. She blinked, surprised, and for the first time felt an emotion other than clear composure emanating from him. It was a shock and confusion that mirrored her own, but he quenched it much more quickly, breaking eye contact as he did so. “You said they gave you the job because it was degrading,” Jaina said softly after a moment. “Do they still treat your family that way?” She knew the moment she asked it that he probably wouldn't answer her, but surprisingly he was forthcoming. “We are not the only humans among the Chiss,” he answered in the same mellow tone. “We are all regarded as lesser beings. We have to work and fight for our positions, but once you earn your place and their respect it is yours rightfully, forever.” She tilted her head to one side, observing the uniform that gently hugged the lines of his hard body. “And you've done that?” He nodded, once again meeting her gaze. This time it was Jaina that looked away, suddenly feeling awkward and uncomfortable. She looked out over the canyon below them, and the grey terrain that met the clear night sky. “I always love a place like this, where you can actually see the stars. Coruscant is too polluted, and Yavin too full of trees. My uncle told me once that the stars are a window to our past that everyone can see, even without the Force. By the time their light reaches the place you are that image is old, so what you see is not their reality, but their history.” He stood abruptly, shouldering his pack and looking up the sheer rock face at their destination. “I am rested enough.” “So am I,” she agreed. Things were getting a little too intense for her tastes. She needed to get moving again and focus on her true objective. He pulled the glowstick from the sand and offered it to her. She shook her head. “You keep it. I don't need to see.” Jagged clipped the safety fastener back on his belt and began the climb wordlessly. Jaina waited until he was a safe distance ahead before following suit. * * * The sable colored marble dwelling was situated atop a welcoming grassy knoll, the curves and lines of its surface smooth and cold, elegant. Threads of white swirled occasionally through it, like streams of light in the darkness. The morning sun was just peaking over the horizon, casting everything in a reddish tint and glinting off the house like a mirror. It seemed almost ethereal, mirage-like in that setting, the brightness forcing Jaina to squint. “This is it, I guess?” she asked Jagged. He just nodded solemnly. “Let's get this over with, then,” she sighed and trudged forward through the grass. She had almost reached the stairs leading to a patio when a woman appeared at the doorstep. She had long silvery hair knotted in a loose braid, and clothes that were simple but graceful, and clung to her still slim figure. Her face was gently marred by age, deep wrinkles around her eyes and corners of her mouth, but otherwise still mostly smooth. It was easy to see that she had been just beautiful once, and still was for a woman of her senesce. She stared Jaina directly in the eye as she stopped at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for permission to enter, or whatever it was she was here for. But Palila remained silent, her gaze never wavering from Jaina's face. It occurred fleetingly to her that she looked a lot like how Jaina imagined her own mother would look at that age. Jagged was the one who broke the silence. He stepped forward to stand beside Jaina and said, “Palila?” The old woman tore her gaze from Jaina with a slight jump, looking shocked. Then a broad smile spread across her face, wrinkling it further. “Jag! I'm so sorry, I didn't even notice you there.” She came lithely down the stairs with an ease that gave no evidence to her age. Then to Jaina's utter dismay she actually enfolded the grim young man in a polite embrace. And then, even more stunning, he actually smiled ever so slightly at her. “It is good to see you again,” he replied. But it seemed that by then she had already returned her focus to Jaina, and now that she was up close Jaina got the unsettling feeling that there was something...missing. A puzzle piece she couldn't find but was waiting there for her to grasp and put in place. “Hello,” Palila smiled. She extended one hand that shook ever so slightly. Jaina took the hand and smiled in return. “Hi. I'm Jaina.” The woman swallowed. “Jaina Solo? The Jedi? Daughter of Leia Organa?” Jaina laughed lightly at the odd statement. “The one and only,” she grinned. She bit her lower lip, and for a second Jaina thought she might faint. “Oh gods. How long have I waited for this, Anakin?” she whispered in an almost unintelligible voice. Jaina frowned suspiciously, the Force making fine hairs all over her body stand on end with the foreboding sense. “Anakin? How do you know my brother?” Palila laid one hand on her arm gently, the touch further prickling her skin. Her brown eyes—which Jaina noticed with a start were exactly the same color as her own—were watery but intense, almost frightfully so. They sent a chilling shiver passing up and down her spine. “Not Solo, dear. Skywalker.” So it's true! Jaina thought victoriously. This woman had been an Imperial, that must be how she had known Darth Vader. Jaina crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. “I'm sorry to tell you this lady, but Anakin Skywalker is dead. Has been for over twenty years.” Tears actually clouded in her eyes. “I know,” she whispered. One hand came to her forehead, and Jagged moved forward to steady her. She brushed him off angrily. “I'm fine, leave me be.” Her unsettling eyes focused on Jaina again. “He would have been so proud of you.” Jaina recoiled, disgusted at the thought the Sith Lord would have been proud of her. She had lived her whole life hoping she would evoke the exact opposite emotion. “How would you ever know that?” Palila sighed deeply. “Because I was married to him.” * * * The words made sense to Jaina, her brain knew their individual meaning, but put together like that with the complications it would mean, her overstressed mind just couldn't register it. She tried to piece the image of the towering, menacing Sith with this sweet little old woman, and the result was almost laughable. How could she even think such a thing? “Wait just a second,” she said slowly, pointing one finger in a way that was not quite accusing. “You've gotta have your facts crossed or something, because my grandfather was a Sith. Ever heard of Darth Vader? I seriously doubt that you were ever married to him.” Palila remained calm and unfazed. “Child, to be so confident of yourself you really have no idea what you are talking about.” Now Jaina really was offended. She turned to look at the Chiss colonel, who had an expression of confusion and disbelief that was almost comical. “I've heard enough. Get me out of here.” His eyes flicked to her, then narrowed. “You don't believe her?” Jaina raised her chin, daring him to disagree. “You do?” Jagged nodded stiffly. “It makes sense.” “How?” Jaina exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air in exasperation. He spoke to her, but his stare was fixed on Palila. “She came here at almost the exact same time that the Empire rose to power. She's the right age to be your grandmother, she even looks like you. It explains why she's been hiding here all these years, too.” Jaina spun on the older woman, trying to ignore the pounding in her head. “You can't be my grandmother,” she whispered, and found she was actually on the verge of tears, something she strived never to do. Palila continued to regard her with a look that was so maternal it could have come from Leia. “And why not?” She wiped furiously at the tears threatening her. “Because that would mean I have to go home and tell my mother that her mother is not dead, that she's been living on a backwater planet for the past forty years and has just had no interest in contacting her children. Even though, mind you, she and Uncle Luke have been searching for you for almost twenty years. That is one conversation I do not want to have. So please, tell me that this is one big misunderstanding.” Instead of replying, Palila lowered herself gracefully onto the soft grass, and motioned for Jaina to follow suit. The young Jedi hesitated, then looked to Jagged. “I'll go get us something to drink,” he offered. Palila smiled gratefully at him. Jaina sat after he entered the house. “I'll start at the beginning,” Palila said softly. “But first, you should know that my name is not Palila. It's Padmé Amidala.” Jaina nodded in acknowledgment, still struggling to accept the fact that this woman could possibly be her maternal grandmother. Padmé paused, gathering her thoughts. “Where to begin? Well, I guess you should know that I'm from a planet called Naboo. Have you ever heard of it?” Jaina nodded slowly. “Yeah. It's a little planet in the Mid Rim, right?” Padmé inclined her head affirmatively. “They made me their Queen when I was fourteen.” “Wait, you were a queen?” Jaina scoffed. Padmé was unruffled. “For two terms, yes. Early on in my first reign we had a skirmish with the Trade Federation. They sent Jedi in as mediators. I'll spare you the details, but when I escaped with the Jedi we made an emergency stop on Tatooine, and that is where I first met Anakin Skywalker.” Jaina was stunned. “Anakin was born on Tatooine? That's where my Uncle Luke was raised.” She stopped, then smiled mischievously. “I guess you already knew that though, right?” For the first time, Padmé looked flustered. “No, actually, I did not. I had no idea where Obi-Wan took my children until I heard on the sporadic HoloNet feeds I get out here. Are you quite finished?” Jaina, feeling put out, nodded tritely. “As I was saying, that's where I met Anakin. The Jedi realized his potential in the Force, and took him back to the Temple on Coruscant. He, along with the other Jedi, helped me win back Naboo. He was only nine, by the way. Let's see...well, he was apprenticed to Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I didn't see him again for ten years, and during that time Naboo crowned a new queen and I was asked to be senator. Then, right at the onset of the Clone Wars, I started to have assassination attempts on my life. The Jedi were called in again, and they sent a now very grown up Anakin and Obi-Wan. While his master searched out the people trying to kill me, Anakin and I went back to Naboo. Again, I'll condense everything, and suffice to say that we fell in love and soon after the first battle of the Clone Wars we married in secret.” It was too much for Jaina. All this time when they had known absolutely nothing, and here was a woman who could spell out all the missing gaps. What was her mother going to say? “I've read the history text, I think I know what happens next,” Jaina interrupted. “What I want to know is why you've waited all this time? Why didn't you find Mom and Uncle Luke after they overthrew the Empire?” Padmé's eyes clouded again with tears. “Don't you think I would have if I could? But I'm tied here, Jaina. I made a bargain with a man named Thrawn a very long time ago. I could live here, and he could have his base, if we both kept each other a secret. He wouldn't reveal me to the Emperor if I didn't reveal his little side army. You know he built this before Palpatine died? What do you think he would have said about it if I had taken a notion to return to Anakin and tell everything?” “Anakin and Thrawn are both dead,” Jaina said softly. “They have been for years.” “I know,” Padmé sighed. “But by then I knew far too much for the Chiss to consider it safe to let me loose. They won't give me a ship, and the one I brought here is broken. I am no mechanic, Jaina. I never had to be. Anakin was too good at it.” That last was actually said with a hint of a smile. But it faded, and two rivers of tears streaked down her face. “But I have lived this whole time with the hope for this moment, that one day I could contact my children and hold them like I was never able to do. I've been in hiding all this time, isolating myself from the man I loved more than anything, so that I could have this chance to know my children. I love your mother and your uncle, Jaina. So much more than you know. And even though I've only just met you, I love you and your brothers too. ” The comprehension finally hit Jaina. This was her grandmother, the woman Luke and Leia had never met but dreamed of knowing their whole lives. Padmé Amidala wasn't just a dream come true, she was a miracle. Tears of her own ran down her cheeks and dripped off her chin as she reached out and took her Padmé's hand. “I'm sorry,” she whispered. “I just...this is so surreal. I didn't know what to think, what to believe. But I do now. I am so happy that I found you. And you are coming home with me.” An understanding passed between them, a connection forming that had nothing to do with closeness but of shared blood. They had only just met, and Jaina's head told her it was crazy, she needed proof, but the Force spoke otherwise. This woman was her family, a link to a past that had until now been only a mystery. She didn't care what she had to do to succeed, but there was no way she was leaving Nirauan without her. Someone coughed. They both turned to see Jagged standing a few meters away, the promised drinks balanced in his hands. Padmé smiled and stood, wiping away her tears. “Oh, thank you, Jag. This heat is really getting to me,” she gestured at the red dwarf sun that had now risen completely over the horizon. Jagged handed Jaina her drink, some sort of fruit, she guessed as she sipped it. “Thanks,” she muttered, her mind still overloaded with information. He nodded, looking more solemn than she had ever seen him. After a few minutes of quiet he said, “How long are you planning to stay? I am supposed to bring you back to General Parck as soon as possible.” “Don't you worry about Parck, dear, I'll take care of him,” Padmé said. “You two stay until lunch, at least. I have a lot of catching up to do with the both of you” Jaina frowned at the Chiss raised man. Why would her grandmother want to catch up with him? “You never come and see me anymore, ever since you got your own squadron,” Padmé continued. “I am sorry,” he replied. “I have been...occupied, as you know.” The older woman smiled and poked him playfully. “You're getting so thin! You need to come up here every once and a while if only to get a good meal.” Jaina had been taking a sip just as she said that, and almost spit it back out into her cup as she laughed, the citrus flavor burning her nose. She continued to laugh, wiping her mouth as she smirked at his expense. He threw her a less-than-amused glance, which only increased the humor of the situation. Padmé, who seemed oblivious, switched the subject. “I'm going to go check on my garden. Do you want to come see it while we talk?” “Of course,” Jaina replied, rising. Jagged nodded his assent, and they followed her back behind the house. * * * They spent the next two or three hours helping and watching her pick plants and herbs by hand, without any modern technology, even planted a little bit. She was surprisingly strong and nimble for her age, taking the physical exertion better than Jaina would have expected. The whole while she continued to tell Jaina more about her life and her grandfather, as well as the horrifying moment of his fall into darkness. By the time she finished the tale of her waking up, buried alive and completely alone, she was crying with mixture of feelings Jaina could only guess at. Padmé also told of how she had stolen a ship and escaped as far as she could before it died on her, right there in the Nirauan system. Luckily, the planet had been habitable and she had lived out her days alone until Thrawn had arrived. She had been there the night Aunt Mara had crashed the Jade Fire into the docking bay, but hadn't known what the commotion was about until after she and Uncle Luke were long gone. “I'm taking these plants back into the house, I'll be back in a minute,” Padmé interrupted her reverie. Jaina smiled and nodded, but stayed where she was, sitting with elbows on knees in the midst of a blooming flower patch. Padmé's crude cultivating was hard work but effective, and Jaina could full well understand the appeal of completing something successfully with your own two hands. She loved mechanic work almost as much as flying. She could see a lot of Padmé in her mother, when she thought about it. The political skill, as well as the martyrdom complex her whole family seemed to have was inherent in their apparent matriarch. Jaina could see that familiar gleam in her eye when she spoke about Naboo, which she did often. It was the same look Leia got when she talked about Alderaan. The more she spoke with her, the more fascinating the old woman became. She was extremely clever despite years without any stimulation, and the love in her voice when she spoke about her children was infectious. Jaina had always thought family would be the last thing on her life's agenda, if she ever had children at all. But here was a successful and driven woman who had had every possible achievement ahead of her, and who had given it all up for the love of one man and their children. It made Jaina wonder if perhaps love was not such an unwanted inconvenience after all. “Jag?” Padmé's voice called, and Jaina looked to see her poking her head out the back door. “Are the both of you able stay long enough for dinner?” The young man, who had been examining a plant that was apparently not indigenous, looked up. “I would rather not. I was given explicit orders to bring her back as soon as you were able to talk to her.” Her hands balled into fists and rested gently on her thin hips. “What if I'm not done talking?” A thin smile quirked his lips. “Then I guess we'll just have to wait.” * * * The dinner her grandmother fixed was blander than Jaina was used to, but delicious nonetheless. Considering she had made it all without a synthesizer, it was an entree fit for the finest Coruscanti restaurants. “This is delicious,” Jaina told her as she sipped the soup, made of some sort of vegetable. “Thank you,” Padmé smiled. “Tell me, Jaina, what are you planning to do with your life? Are you taking up politics like Leia? Is that why you're here?” Jaina looked fleetingly at the Chiss colonel seated across from her and gave him a warning look. She didn't want Padmé to know Leia's predicament, not yet, since she seemed so enthusiastic about meeting them at last. There was no reason to worry her when Han and Luke could have her safely back on Coruscant by the time Jaina returned. “I am here for political reasons, but it's Jedi business, not government related. I have no intention or interest in pursuing that sort of path.” Her gaze was drawn once again to Jag. “I've actually just been accepted into Rogue Squadron.” Padmé sighed, sounding defeated. “I hate this feeling. It's the same one I had every time they sent Anakin off to the front lines to fight the Separatists. I might have known our offspring would run off heedlessly into danger as well.” A spike of negative emotions stabbed through Jaina, a reflex in being compared to a man she had always reviled. “I hate to think we're anything like him,” Jaina admitted aloud. “And I've been wondering something all evening: whatever possessed you to marry a man like that in the first place?” A fleeting smile graced her lips. “Let me show you something,” Padmé said, rising and going to a large chest set up against one of the marble walls. The whole house had been built of the same stuff as the base was, and kept the same utilitarian feel inside. It was sparse and mostly undecorated, not nearly as welcoming as the outside. But centered in the spacious living room was a large hearth and fireplace that did give that particular room a little more of an inviting feel. The chest Padmé rummaged through was one of the only furniture pieces in the place. Eventually she stood, a small holocube grasped in her left hand. She reclaimed her seat next to Jaina. “This is a picture of Anakin I downloaded from one of the public HoloNet access terminals after I escaped Naboo.” Jaina activated the small device, and an image of a young man, only a few years older than herself, leapt form her hand. He was tall and handsome, a boyish mischievousness in his blue eyes, with a strong physique and confident demeanor. “This is the man that I fell in love with. Not the black suit. He was...” she paused, restrained emotion making her last words come out in a high pitched inflection. After a moment she continued. “He was one of the most selfless men I have ever met. You have to understand, Jaina, I met him when he was a little boy. He was the cutest little thing I've ever seen, so sweet and loving, so very kind. And he was born a slave.” Jaina looked over at her, wondering what that last statement was supposed to mean. A slave to what? Addiction? Violence? Some other morbid practice befitting a Sith? “What do you mean?” “I mean he was born a slave!” Padmé enunciated. “He worked for a Toydarian in a spare parts shop in Mos Espa. No pay, and regular beatings. His mother was a slave as well.” Jaina looked back at the holo, a little more comprehension uncovering the fog that was her family's past. Slavery would no doubt have left deep emotional scars on the young boy, and could very well have added to the bitter edge that would allow anger to tempt him. “He fought obsessively during the Clone Wars, determined to stop the death and suffering at all costs. That is, in the end, what led him to his defeat,” Padmé continued in a whisper, her eyes still brimming with ancient love as she gazed on the holocube. “He had visions, and they always seemed to come true. When I got pregnant he had a vision that I would suffer and quite possibly die in childbirth. He...he turned to the dark side in hopes that the Sith teachings would allow him to protect me.” There was a pain and guilt in her words that made Jaina's heart break for her. “The road to hell is paved in good intentions,” Jagged said suddenly, the first thing he had said since their conversation began. He said it with no malice or reproach, the simple recitation of an old mantra. “Indeed it is,” Padmé replied gently. “If that perspective is inherent in all you Jedi, what hope do any of you have? Why aren't you terrified to touch this power?” Jagged continued, this time his words directed at Jaina. “It's a gift,” Jaina replied calmly. “And it's far more dangerous to use it without being trained in how to resist your natural inclinations.” “A gift?” he repeated, eyebrows raising. “If Anakin Skywalker was such a loving child, what changed in his life to make him turn into what he was? The Force.” “And it was the Force that redeemed him,” Jaina argued. “And saved the galaxy. He killed the Emperor, not Uncle Luke.” “What?” Padmé jumped, surprise ringing in her tone. “You never heard that?” Jaina asked her. “No,” she whispered, tears running down her wrinkled face. “The HoloNet reports...they said he and the Emperor were dead. And that Luke killed them.” Jaina shook her head, imagining the heartache this woman must have felt all these years, assuming her child killed his father. “He struck Darth Vader down. He was wounded, and Uncle Luke could have killed him, but he didn't. He threw away his lightsaber, refused to give in to his anger. Palpatine tried to kill him with Force lightning, but before he could Darth Vader attacked him, throwing him into a power core shaft. He died a Jedi, Padmé, not a Sith. He died saving your son.” She was in the full throes of uncontrolled sobbing now, her aged shoulders trembling as she buried her face in hands spotted with time. “Anakin...” she whispered, crying not with hopelessness, but with joy. “I knew...I knew he was too good...” she wept, hunching over with her trembling relief. Jaina laid one hand on her shoulder. “I can't believe you never heard. I'm...I'm so sorry.” She looked over at Jagged, hoping he could help in some way. He shrugged, as powerless as she. “Why don't we leave you alone for a minute?” Jaina suggested softly. She never acknowledged her, just continued to cry. Jaina jerked her head to one side, motioning for Jagged to follow her. He did, and they went back outside into the warm night air. Jaina went all the way down the stairs into the soft brown grass, wrapping her arms around herself against the breeze and the chill that had nothing to do with the weather. “I can't believe this is happening to me,” she murmured more to herself than her companion. He moved to stand beside her, gazing out into the distance. “Life often takes us to the places we least expected to go.” She turned her eyes on him, trying not to admire the strong profile. “My uncle would say it was the Force.” He looked down at her then, an indecipherable intent in his stare. “What about all the bad things in our lives? Are those the work of the Force, too?” Jaina took a lengthy moment to consider her answer, then replied, “I think we are all born with a destiny, a purpose the Force has for us, and if we would only follow it we would find what we want. But so many times we follow our own whims and make decisions not congruent with our path, and that's when things go wrong. When we deviate from our fated course.” “And what about those of us who are not gifted with the insight to sense our direction?” he countered ruefully. She turned to stare him directly in the eye. “You don't have to feel the Force to follow the path of a Jedi. It's a state of mind, a system of beliefs in right and wrong. Anyone can live the life we lead.” He looked back at the sky, away from her expectant face. “Will you take her with you when you go?” he changed the subject abruptly. Jaina winced, knowing this was another battle she would have to fight with the Chiss. “Yes. She's my family, and now that I've found her I can't let her continue to live this life. She deserves to know the children she never knew. Would you deny her that?” “It is not up to me,” he answer curtly. She felt a spike of emotion from him, one that brimmed with remorse and almost-guilt. “What?” she hissed. “What aren't you telling me?” He didn't answer, just averted her eyes. Her breath quickened, a feeling of panic overcoming her. “What else isn't up to you?” He sighed in defeat, but still refused to look at her. “The only reason General Parck let you come here is so they could have time to decide what to do with you. They have no intention of even considering your offer. That bribe isn't nearly enough, and it is law of ours to never attack first. You have absolutely no chance.” Jaina didn't know what to say. She had come all this way, everyone's hopes and future pinned in her success, and here was this man telling her there wasn't a shot in hell. It effectively shoved their entire plan out an airlock. “What am I going to do? The Baci have my mother, without help I could lose her and the New Republic itself could fall! Is there anything you can do? Can you convince them to change their minds?” He was eerily quiet, then said, “I would not if I could. There is no need for the Hand of Thrawn and the Chiss to be drawn into this war. It would be unnecessary bloodshed.” “Then I'm afraid I'll have to kidnap you.” The unexpected phrase was synchronous with a loud swoosh and a thud as something long and hard struck him from behind. Jaina barely caught him as he fell, but his weight drove her to her knees and she was barely able to ease him down. Her hand came away from the back of his head bloody. Luckily, a quick Force scan showed he was still alive. She looked up to see Padmé staring down at them the long digging tool still clutched in both her hands, her pale form silhouetted by the blue moon. “What are you doing?” Jaina exclaimed, horrified. “You could have killed him!” Padmé stabbed the end of the tool—her weapon—into the ground and leaned on it heavily, as if too weak to bear her own weight. “Please. Don't you think I've been through enough in my life to know how to kill someone? I was married to Darth Vader, remember? If I hadn't wanted Jag dead he would be dead.” Jaina's heart was beating thunderously in her ears, confusion and distress pumping her blood at an unhealthy rate. “Why?” she whispered, looking down at his unconscious form. “I heard what you said,” she replied in the same tone. “Why didn't you tell me Leia's life was in danger?” “That is beside the point!” Jaina yelled. “That is no reason to do this to him!” “Don't underestimate me!” Padmé returned just as fiercely. “I would never hurt him unless I had a reason. I practically consider Jag a grandson. But my children come first. He knows so much more than you can possibly dream. You could gain some of the Chiss's most treasured secrets, defeat whoever you need to defeat, the Baci included.” Jaina frowned deeply, her mind whirling. “You know about the Baci?” “Who doesn't? They've been a threat to us for years.” “What kind of secrets are we talking about here?” Jaina demanded. Padmé sighed. “They've developed a new weapon, one that Thrawn was trying to perfect when he died. I'm not sure what it is, or what they call it. But I know what it does.” Her gaze leveled with Jaina's, the same brown eyes staring each other down. “It can strip away instantly the shields of an entire war fleet.” She looked down at Jagged, still bleeding and unconscious with his head in her lap. “And he knows how to create one of these?” He was intelligent, to be sure, but Jaina would never have guessed his station would be so high that he was privy to that sort of critical information. “He helped design it. That's the reason he was promoted,” Padmé answered softly. “How do you know all this?” Jaina asked, eyes narrowing. Padmé actually smiled. “I know many things, most of them I shouldn't. The source is not important. The question is, are you going to help me carry him down the hill to my ship or not?” Jaina scowled, examining Jagged Fel critically. If she made the wrong move or decision she could have the blood of millions of people hanging over her head, including the blood of her own family. Would kidnapping the colonel prevent a war, or cause one? Was it a risk worth taking? But, she thought, if he really did know how to build such a thing, would they need the Hand of Thrawn at all? Either way, it was a situation with two very good outcomes, as well as a million bad ones. “I thought your ship didn't work.” “It only needs minor repairs. I'm sure you can fix them. I just have no knowledge of such things. Jaina, I am an old woman, I cannot drag him there by myself. Are you going to help me?” Jaina stood, the movement finalizing her decision. Because, in the end, they both had the same goal: to rescue Leia and save the New Republic. If Padmé had been a queen and senator, and Jaina's heart told her it was true, she undoubtedly had more knowledge of politics and government workings than she did. “Let him go, Padmé, I can do it myself.” She extended her reach in the Force, levitating him off the ground easily. “Now what kind of repairs does the ship need?”
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