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Topic:
Shattered Mirror (Post-TUF, Major AU, J/J, A/T, Kyle, Danni) SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 5/7/08
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ZaraValinor
Registered:
May '02
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Date Posted:
8/3/06 8:51am
Subject:
RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-TUF, Major AU, J/J, A/T, Kyle, Danni )Chapter 20 Up 8/1
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I just read the first two chapters and I'm already hook. I'll hurry and catch up. Can't wait to see what you're doing with this.
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Proud Master to Meredith_Kenobi & Lolly_Tolly
"He full-on Obi-Wan'd me!"
Dean Winchester - Supernatural
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jaina_clan_solo
Registered:
Dec '05
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Date Posted:
8/4/06 9:03pm
Subject:
RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-TUF, Major AU, J/J, A/T, Kyle, Danni )Chapter 20 Up 8/1
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 nice job!
Well it seems as though Jaina has started to notice something wrong with Valin-- I hope that she will listen to her own suspicions before it is too late.
Good to see Hobbie back, it's lucky that they have at least a few experienced pilots remaining.
looking forward to more
jcs
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rebel_cheese
Registered:
Jul '06
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Date Posted:
8/5/06 12:35pm
Subject:
RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-TUF, Major AU, J/J, A/T, Kyle, Danni )Chapter 20 Up 8/1
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ZaraValinor:
I just read the first two chapters and I'm already hook. I'll hurry and catch up. Can't wait to see what you're doing with this.
Take your time.  There's twenty chapters to read, here, and Draco has written a lot of cool scenes.
jaina_clan_solo:
nice job!
Thank you! Glad you weren't disappointed.
Well it seems as though Jaina has started to notice something wrong with Valin-- I hope that she will listen to her own suspicions before it is too late.
She will. I can't say whether it'll be too late when she does listen to them, though. 
Good to see Hobbie back, it's lucky that they have at least a few experienced pilots remaining.
Lucky Archangel indeed. They're going to need Hobbie a lot in a little bit. 
looking forward to more
jcs
More Tuesday! 
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Padawan of princess_of_naboo E-married to the amazing padawanlost  Member of Charon_Force Beginning's End: http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=28450077&brd=10477&replies=1
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rebel_cheese
Registered:
Jul '06
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Date Posted:
8/8/06 11:06am
Subject:
RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-TUF, Major AU, J/J, A/T, Kyle, Danni )Chapter 20 Up 8/1
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Just getting this fic out of page 10 before the post tonight. Sorry.
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Padawan of princess_of_naboo E-married to the amazing padawanlost Member of Charon_Force Beginning's End: http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=28450077&brd=10477&replies=1
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rebel_cheese
Registered:
Jul '06
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Date Posted:
8/8/06 8:21pm
Subject:
RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-TUF, Major AU, J/J, A/T, Kyle, Danni )Chapter 20 Up 8/1
- Date Edited:
8/8/06 9:54pm (2 edits total)
Edited By:
rebel_cheese
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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The Great Sarlacc—also known as the Jade Shadow—flew through the skies of Bakura. Anakin smiled as he maneuvered it through the heavy clouds. All it had taken was a quick paint job and an alternate transponder code to succeed. It was obvious that Bakura's security had grown lax in the wake of the peace negotiations.
That meant Peace Brigaders and Yuuzhan Vong could slip through easily as well, not to mention the voxyn. He shivered at the thought of facing the voxyn.
Even though he had masked his presence from the Force right now, Jaina still could not fully do it. She had been making progress up until yesterday, but now, her effort had grown lackluster. She wasn't concentrating or trying as hard as she used to, and her presence in the Force was starting to increase above marginal. Anakin wondered what had happened to Jaina. Their stay on the Requiem had been as safe and uneventful as anything in this galaxy could be. He wondered what was bothering his sister. Probably something men couldn't understand, he decided. She most likely was worried about Jag or someone else. No big deal. He returned his attention to the air around them.
As he searched out the docking bay Kitty had shown them, he saw two Bakuran airfighters, of the ALF-116 'Aegis' model, suddenly appear at his sides.
Valin looked at the comm. "They're hailing us. What should I say?"
"Tell them who we are and ask them where's docking bay BF-009," Anakin said.
Valin relayed the information and promptly received a reply.
"Authorization code please, Sarlacc."
Anakin sighed. He transmitted the thing for the fourth time today. It was annoying, but it served its purpose. He had made it this far because of it.
The fighter commander snorted. "All right, it checks out. You said you wanted docking bay BF-009?"
"Yes. A friend of ours is meeting us there," Anakin replied.
"Good luck. It's crowded. I'll allow you people to land there, but if there's no space the next closest one that's not full is BF-014," the commander told him.
"Don't worry, we'll find a place to land," Anakin promised.
"And stay the hell away from the military section. They're trigger-happy and are just looking for an excuse to shoot something down."
Anakin smiled and let himself chuckle, pretending to be just another scoundrel carrying refugees for a bunch of credit chits. "Don't worry. I'm just looking for a way to escape the fighting right now. Just because the war stopped here doesn't mean it has stopped elsewhere."
"Yeah, I know. According to your ship's history you just managed to escape Bespin."
It was a trick question, Anakin realized immediately, because to his knowledge Bespin was still in friendly hands. That was the only reason why the Scorchers were still stocked with fuel. "Bespin's still safe as can be. Just not enough sky cities for people to live in anymore. My passengers wanted out. Too crowded for them, and they had the money to get away," Anakin said.
He heard the fighter commander grumble briefly before the com was cut off. Clearly, he had been looking for an excuse to shoot somebody down as well. Too bad. I'm not letting anyone onboard here get killed, Anakin thought.
Then the fighter commander clicked back on. "All right, you're free to go. Just land, and take my advice about the military section. They do want to shoot somebody down," he said, and Anakin knew that he meant it.
"Don't worry. I ain't dying yet. Who's gonna cash my paycheck? Besides, I got a couple kids onboard. The future," he said, still pretending to be the greedy scoundrel who still wants his money, even in this precarious of a situation. But he added the 'kids' part to make it seem indeed like he was carrying rich families.
"Just shut up and land," the fighter commander said, and then the two Aegis fighters peeled away and flew up ahead before banking away and flying elsewhere, likely going to confront someone else.
"Real chatty," Valin said nonchalantly.
"They're just doing their job. They have no idea how much longer they're going to live," Anakin replied. Airfighters had their uses, but they could not take off into outer space. They could not even operate up there. If something serious were to happen—like another Sernipidal or Denon—every airfighter pilot was going to die, get captured, or barely escape onboard a transport. If he was an airfighter pilot, he would be pretty grim too, or be angry and indeed want an excuse to shoot someone down. Get a nice kill painted on your craft for a couple of days before the Vong blow you out of the sky.
Perhaps that was why this 'sunshine policy' Kitty had spoken of was so popular. Everyone just felt that it was an extension of their life. Even if the policy only bought them one day, that still meant something. One day of breathing, eating, functioning, one day of not being dead… Anakin wondered how much that meant to a normal person. Considering how popular 'sunshine' was, he supposed one day meant a lot to people.
As he saw Docking Bay BF-009, he saw exactly what the pilot meant by 'crowded'. The place was filled almost to the brim with ships of all kinds, and as he looked to the left, he saw the fighters and military shuttles of the Bakuran military. He knew that one of those twelve Daggers Anakin could glimpse in the outdoor bay belonged to Malinza Thanas.
"Tell me how we're going to fit in there and find Malinza," Valin said doubtfully as they searched for a place to land on the massive platform. Ships were docked in nearly every conceivable slot, and the few open spaces could not take ships of the Shadow's caliber.
"If we can't we'll just have to land on 14 and just walk the rest of the way to Malinza's house. Not that we'll like it, but compared to the rest of the crap we have to go through each day, it's minor," Anakin replied.
"Ah." Valin stared out the window for a little longer, and then he pointed down at the ground. "There's a spot. We'll have to scare away a few people—"
"Good enough for me." Anakin instantly turned his Aunt Mara's ship towards the spot Valin had pointed out, sandwiched between two Corellian YT-models that looked like evolved versions of the Millennium Falcon.
The bystanders below saw the Shadow incoming and they dove out of the way as the Shadow appeared over the spot. Firing the landing boosters, the <i>Jade Shadow</i> landed gracefully on the marked landing zone, barely squeezing in between the two Corellian freighters.
"See? No problem," Anakin said, smiling at Valin.
"I think we ticked them off, though," Valin replied.
"Oh, come on. What's the worst that can happen? It's not like they're going to be packing rocket launchers or anything," Anakin said.
"No, but… they do have Disrupter rifles. Seems we've landed in a middle of a dispute," Valin pointed out.
Anakin looked outside. "They just decided to unify against us, haven't they?"
"Looks like it," Valin replied, his voice eerily calm.
"Blasters only. Lightsabers will attract too much attention."
"I think—"
"Fine. More attention than we've already received."
Valin drew his blaster pistol. "Go tell everyone to get their heads down, this is going to be—"
That was when several stun bolts were fired at the angry smugglers, drug dealers, whatever they were. The enemies were taken completely off guard, and they were downed within seconds, sprawled onto the duracrete surface of the docking bay.
"Okay, scratch that," Valin said, holstering the pistol.
"What's going on? I'm hearing stuff about blasters and lightsabers and—"
Jaina was hushed by Anakin as she entered the cockpit. The three of them watched as a group of military personnel walk forward, one of them motioning for Jedi to come out.
"Okay, I see that we were expected," Anakin said.
"Is that good or bad?" Jaina asked.
"If we were expected by Malinza: that's good. Anyone else: we might as well be dead right now," Anakin replied, as he looked at the rest of the crew, who, drawn by curiosity, had wound up in the suddenly crowded cockpit.
"All right. Act natural. Keep your lightsabers concealed, and at all costs reach for your blasters first if we get in trouble. Lightsabers are a last, extremely desperate resort. Lightsabers mean Jedi, and if there's any evidence of Jedi on this planet, Artran will know about it within hours. That would drastically cut down the amount of time we have to search for Zonama Sekot information," Anakin said, looking at his four companions.
They knew what that meant: voxyn, full-out invasion, perhaps even a dovin basal to exterminate the planet like Sernipidal and Denon. There was even a chance that Artran himself would land specifically to kill all of them. Artran seemed to believe in the philosophy of 'to get the job done right, do it yourself'. He could easily decide to infiltrate Bakura. Since he used unconventional methods—perhaps even heretical methods—in order to emerge victorious, this meant that Artran was even more unpredictable than any Yuuzhan Vong in existence. The only thing they knew would happen was that Artran would surely try to kill all of them. What method he would use would only be known precisely when he used it.
Anakin added, "I want everyone to appear non-threatening. In other words, not even a glance at the blasters, not unless they're going to take us into custody."
His intent known, the four other Jedi nodded. Anakin smiled. "Good. Now let's go see who's decided to greet us."
Anakin hit the switch to open the boarding ramp, and it unfolded to the outside. Warm, humid air blew into the ship, and Zekk instantly began fiddling with his shirt collar as the humidity quickly perforated the ship.
"It's hot out there," Jaina complained.
"It's only going to get hotter. It's sunrise where we're at right now," Anakin replied. "Now let's get out of here. The sooner we find Malinza, the sooner we can cool off, all right?"
Jaina volunteered to go first, and Anakin followed her out the ship. A warm, heavy wind instantly blew his hair. He saw that Bakura was covered with heavy grey smog; he could barely see out of the docking bay, although there was not much to see: this was a coastal city, and all that was in front of him now was the ocean. A brown, sludgy ocean, he remembered from the map of Bakura.
He turned back towards the city and saw Jaina approaching the leader of the Bakurans—a young woman around his age, perhaps a little younger. Medium-brown hair that in the back barely made it past her neck poked out from underneath the woman’s military cap. She had two different-colored eyes. Her green one remained locked on Jaina, but the grey one sought Anakin out. Seeing both of them, she gave her full gaze to Jaina; she smiled and stuck out her hand. "Welcome to Bakura, what's left of it. I'm Malinza Thanas."
"Jai-um, Nina Kyleen," Jaina said, remembering to use her false name. Kitty had recommended it: explaining how she had wound up here would take too long.
Malinza cocked an eyebrow. "Never heard of you. Must be a new recruit." She looked at Anakin, and her smile returned. "Hello, Anakin. As you've heard, I'm who you're looking for. The four people behind me are part of Blitz Squadron."
"Right. Behind me are Zekk, Danni, and Valin,” Anakin said, as a strong gust of wind blew through and tore Malinza's cap off, although she caught it immediately. There, Anakin saw her full hair collapse onto her face, bangs that fell nearly to her eyelids, and two long locks of hair that went down to her neck on the two sides of her face.
That was when he noticed Malinza's scar. A deep, long slash sliced on her right cheek, from right below her eye to the length of her cheek, stopping right before her jaw. So, Wynssa was not the only one who had been close to death during the invasion, Anakin guessed. Unlike Wyn, however, Malinza wore it like a badge of pride, and made no effort to hide it.
Her smile became grimmer. Her eyes looked away, towards a spot on the ground near one of the Corellian freighters. "Staring at the scar? Gift from the Ssi-ruuk during their invasion. One of their warriors tried to gouge out my eye and missed. I shot him in the face right after he made this scar."
Yes, she was anything but ashamed of her scar.
Her eyes hardened and she looked out at the Jedi party. "I heard from Kitty that you're here for more than the kid, aren't you?"
Anakin frowned at the mention of Jysella as being a mere 'kid', and Valin made a low growling noise, but then Anakin realized that Malinza was being vague on purpose. The chances of undesirable beings being in earshot by whatever method available was too strong to ignore.
He softened. "Yes. We need to head to the library."
Malinza nodded. "I'll explain everything at my house. Come on. We don't have a lot of time, and I'm sure that one of you wants to see the child again," she said, eyeing Valin as she spoke.
"Um, who's watching her—the kid?" Valin asked, correcting himself at the last second.
"One of my subordinates. Don't worry about the kid right now. The child's in safe hands. Right now, we must move before we run out of time. If Kitty's right—and I'm sure she is—we don't have any more than three or four days before the Vong decide to kill all of us. I want to be far away from here when that happens. Now let's get going, and don't forget your luggage. You might want a change of clothes after walking around in this heat," Malinza said, and she turned around and began walking down the docking bay towards the exit door.
It appears Harris and Ducaris have many detractors, Anakin thought. From what Malinza was saying, it seemed that the Requiem was going to leave the Bakuran defense soon, probably taking many ships with her.
The Jedi followed the Bakuran contingent down the docking bay, and then they entered the Bakuran city itself. During this walk, something did not leave Anakin's mind.
Why do I have such a bad feeling about this? Anakin thought as he entered the elevator that would take them to the exit floor. He could not help but think his presence had compromised everything already. I've doomed the mission. I shouldn't have come, Anakin had remembered something that his father had told to him, something that Luke had said to Anakin's parents before the Endor infiltration. Now he realized what Luke had felt during the mission. He's knows I'm here. He's here himself. Somewhere, Anakin thought, looking around periodically. Artran was here. He was on Bakura, for whatever reasons he had.
Artran, if you can hear me, I'm not going to let you win this time. Even Thrawn lost eventually, and like him you'll have your downfall, Anakin sent, before closing himself off from the Force. It appeared that they had even less time than Malinza said, now.
Bakura did not have much longer to live. A day, maybe two if the party was lucky. The mission would have to be accelerated. Anakin could almost hear some loud clock beginning to tick down the rapidly decreasing time the Jedi had left. He hoped they would find what they wanted in that time. If they couldn't, more than Bakura would be forever lost. It meant that the last chance the galaxy had at survival would be gone.
And it would be Anakin's fault.
He's here. I know he's here. Somewhere on this monstrosity, he's landed, Artran of Domain Kharran thought. Anakin Solo, the longtime thorn in his side, was on Bakura.
"What is it?" Riina—also known as Rennyri—asked. Behind them, the third and most reluctant Vong on this mission, Nom Anor—currently masquerading as ‘Narl Herst'—followed them, seemingly lost inside his thoughts. In front, Denn Jerrevickk, the lone human, led them through the Bakuran marketplace.
As Anor looked inside another storefront in this poverty-stricken place, Artran replied, "He's here. I know it."
"Him?" Riina already knew what he meant, but seemed reluctant to say it, for some reason.
"Yes," Artran said, as he brushed against an old human woman who fell to the ground.
The woman shouted, "Hey! Stupid, young nerf-herders, think they run everything…"
Riina and Nom simply stepped around her, and the small party continued down the skywalk unmolested. Riina asked, "So, what are we going to do?"
"Track him down. Then we're going to find out why he's here and where. Then," he slammed his fists together, "We'll kill him, plus whoever's with him."
"I suggest you hold off on that for now," Denn said, as he sidestepped a pair of young parents, obvious refugees, walking by them cradling twin infants.
"The Bakuran military doesn't like Jedi, but they despise you scarheads. Given a choice they'd side with the Jedi. Launching an incident and them finding out what you guys are will only get all of us killed." His hidden meaning was not lost on Artran.
Of course, young infidel, think of yourself first, like the rest of your parasitic brethren, he automatically thought, and he instantly bit back on that side of him. He would need this selfish imbecile's help, if only for a little while. Once this young man gave him what he wanted, he couldn’t care less what happened to him. But until then Denn was an important ally. However, when his usefulness was up, like the rest of the traitors that made up the Peace Brigade, Artran would make sure they were finished off.
That was when he heard a voice inside his brain. Artran, if you can hear me, I'm not going to let you win this time. Even Thrawn lost eventually, and like him you will have your downfall.
Artran smiled. Of course. A pathetic taunt meant to draw him out. All that Anakin Solo had done was put himself in a larger hole. Now Artran knew for certain that the young Jedi was here. He did not care who this 'Thrawn' was. Artran had guessed through the little and scattered tidbits of information he had received that Thrawn was a military genius of some sort who had threatened the galaxy multiple times. But unlike this Thrawn, he would not lose that easily. Not when he had gotten this far in his dreams. Dreams Artran had in abundance and slowly, they were starting to become true. Soon, he would have what he wished. But until then, he would pretend to be just another warmaster. For now he would let Anakin Solo sweat. He did not answer the taunt, letting Anakin Solo draw out his conclusions by himself.
"Denn, step up the pace. I am tiring of this tour of infidel filth," Artran said, putting extra venom into the 'infidel' part. No sense in letting Denn know that Artran was more than an average Vong.
"We will be out of this part of town in time. I'm sorry. If you Vong would permit me to transport you in vehicles… but I jest. We are not far from the girl."
Artran saw the infidel fiddle around with his shirt, and roll up his sleeves. So, the murky, boiling climate was starting to affect him. The infidels never tolerated tropical climates very well. Artran smiled. Might as well make this infidel sweat and suffer a bit before he got what his selfish mind deserved. It might provide him with some entertainment before they found the girl. And if he got to murder the last of the Jedi, it would be fine with him. Just another bunch of kills to make before he could build his dreams.
Malinza lived in a condominium a few blocks away from the docking bay. Around this large set of connected glorified apartments were the residences of the rest of Malinza's squadron.
Malinza brushed away a few strands of her sweating, increasingly greasy hair from her eyes. "All right, this is it. Let me get all of us cleared. We have a bunch of guest rooms inside our residences, so you can sleep in them for the time being. I hope everyone remembered their luggage."
She turned, and saw that Zekk and Valin were carrying the bulk of it. In fact, Zekk could barely see over the top suitcase. For some reason, Malinza found this amusing and laughed briefly before putting her hand on the scanner.
"What's so funny?" Zekk asked, his voice muffled.
That made Danni laugh until she bent over, gasping, trying to keep herself breathing.
"Zekk, old buddy, don't make things worse for us, okay? It's bad enough we're the packhorses," Valin replied.
Malinza put her right eye into the scanner, and Anakin saw a faint red light examine her, and then the condominium gates opened, admitting all of them.
Malinza turned around and said, "Come on, let's get inside before the computer decides to lock all of you out."
They moved inside as a group, Zekk and Valin barely making it inside before the doors began closing. The loud creaking noise was audible until a sudden loud slam told them they were locked in.
Anakin braced himself, and winced, preparing for himself to be at gunpoint, but Malinza did none of the kind. She found Anakin's reaction even more amusing. She said, "Anakin, there's no way I'd take any of you into custody or betray you to the Vong. It wouldn't buy Bakura a second of time, and considering what this place has become… I'm not sure it deserves to be saved anymore."
Anakin nodded. Malinza's dejection with Bakura had been touched upon in Kitty's second briefing this morning.
"Malinza was a Bakuran loyalist for some time, but in the last year or so she's lost her faith in the place. She came up to me a few months ago and volunteered to be part of the Challenger, and a couple weeks ago she won my complete trust when she hid Jysella instead of turning her in to the 'authorities'. Her loyalty is to the livelihood of the galaxy now, not Bakura. When I told her that you guys were coming she was most ecstatic. I think she would not only die for any of you, but kill for all of you as well. She's brought around all of her pilots to our way of thinking as well, and considering a couple of them are quite stubborn… she's done a lot for me, and for all those who are going to put the galaxy before Bakura. Take her advice wisely, and don't abuse her trust for any reason," Kitty had said on the Requiem.
Jaina had seemed most surprised during that briefing, but Anakin knew why. It was obvious that Jaina had known a different Malinza, considering her reaction to everything else in his reality.
Finally, Malinza revealed her true feelings. "Valin, if you want to see your sister, come to my apartment. Tolle's watching over her right now."
"Who's Tolle?" Anakin asked.
"Tolle Athha. My second-in-command of Blitz Squadron. He's a couple years older than me, but he's accepted having the 'lieutenant' in front of 'commander' quite nicely."
"And why would he do that?" Zekk bothered to ask.
"Because we had made a bet when Blitz was formed. We dueled each other in the simulators. I beat him three-to-one in a best-of-five. I won the command. He's not jealous, though. Part of the reason that Blitz was picked to be on the Requiem was because he helped make Blitz 'elite'. I may be the better pilot, and the leader, but he's a really good trainer. Blitz would not be where it is without him," Malinza answered.
"Oh," Zekk replied, his voice muffled again. Malinza found that amusing again and she snickered.
"What's so funny?" Zekk asked again.
"Nothing. You." Malinza said as she led them down the sidewalk. For the first time since he had landed on Bakura, Anakin could see green of Bakuran wildlife, what was left of it, on both sides of the sidewalk. He saw a few lizards crawl among the cycad-like plants placed on the ground level. But a lot of it was brown, beige. Dead. Killed by the poison and pollution of the smog and by the massive heat.
Zekk asked Valin, "Why does she find me amusing?"
"Maybe it's because she likes you. Or that you look ridiculous. I say the latter," Valin answered.
"You look just as ridiculous as I do," Zekk challenged.
"No, you look more."
This form of male posturing continued all the way to Malinza's residence. Again, Malinza had her hand and eye scanned, and this time verbally said her ID number, and mentioned she would have 'guests'.
They heard the doors unlock and then Malinza opened them. "Valin, set down what you're carrying. I'll have my people carry it in. I think someone wants to meet you."
"What?" Valin dropped his bags on the ground and shoved his way past the rest of the crowd. That was when he saw Jysella Horn.
"Valin?" her squeaky, yet soft voice asked.
"Oh, Jysella!" Valin's lips suddenly formed into the first pure smile Anakin had seen on the man for months. Valin rushed forward, bent down, and Jysella ran into his arms. Valin picked her off, grunted, and said, "You're getting heavy, Jys! What's Malinza been feeding you?"
"All sorts of stuff! She gets all of these really cool rations full of fish and stuff!" Jysella replied.
"Oh, Jys. I'm so glad to see you."
"Don't leave me alone like that again, please!" Jysella cried, and her little head buried itself in Valin's chest.
Valin smiled. "Don't worry. I won't leave you alone ever again," he said.
As Valin entered the condo, Malinza turned to everyone else. "All right. Zekk, go with Ensign Hawke. Anakin, you stay here. Nina, you're going to be in Tolle's place. Danni, head with Lieutenant Allster. Valin, once you're done, you and Jys are bunking with Lieutenant Tomas," Malinza said with the precision of a veteran military commander.
"And Danni, Nina? This time carry your own stuff, don't make the boys carry it," she added almost as an afterthought.
"Aw. You're no fun." Jaina said, a semblance of her old self re-emerging.
"No, I'm not. Well, not most of the time." Malinza looked around, and said, "Okay. I suggest we spend the rest of the morning and afternoon indoors. Tonight, I can take everyone where you need to go. But right now, the heat is suppressing. The smog, plus the fact it's summer here and all… it's hell to be outside, and the library's air regulators blew long ago. There's some speeders parked here, we're going to need to take them if you want to enter the library."
Anakin nodded. He carried his baggage into the appartment as Malinza spoke. But inside his head that clock was still ticking, and it only got louder with each passing second. Anakin could not but feel as if his chance was starting to slip through his fingers. No, he mustn't think like that! He had gotten this far, he could only get farther. Zonama Sekot, some semblance of it, was only just a few hours away.
Zonama Sekot, he sent out. I know you're out there, somewhere. And I'm going to find you, or die trying. He would not compromise this time. It was going to one or the other. Complete success or utter failure. But, even though he wouldn't compromise, for some reason he felt the choice of the middle ground was being taken from him as he stood here. Artran. There was no doubt on his mind that Artran was around here, somewhere, he just had to be. Artran Kharran was too smart; he had probably tracked Anakin down like he always did. Well, if that was the case, let him come. Anakin would simply run through him to get what he wanted and return to Tahiri.
Tahiri… just be patient a little longer, please. I'm almost there, he sent. Anakin felt a faint recognition through the Force, and he smiled.
Hurry it up. I want you back before these leeches develop an appetite and decide it'll be fun to make me fat. Your son is especially starving.
Typical Tahiri. Anakin smiled. My son? I thought we were sharing the kids.
My daughter's the sensible one. But no. your son wants all of this gross and crazy stuff jammed down my throat. You better come back and talk some sense into him or so help me…
Anakin laughed silently. Don't worry, I'll come back. He grew more somber. He cut off the connection with Tahiri before thinking the second half of his thought. Or die keeping Artran away from you. No one's touching you, Tahiri. No one.
He looked up at Malinza. "Okay, give me a layout of the library. I want to have a basic idea of what to look for."
Malinza nodded. "We have nothing better to do in this heat anyway."
Zonama Sekot better be found soon, Anakin thought. Or, if it wasn't, there better be something worth their time, because if there wasn't, Anakin had doomed Bakura to Artran Kharran for nothing.
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Padawan of princess_of_naboo E-married to the amazing padawanlost Member of Charon_Force Beginning's End: http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=28450077&brd=10477&replies=1
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G__Anakin
Registered:
Apr '06
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Date Posted:
8/8/06 8:47pm
Subject:
RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-TUF, Major AU, J/J, A/T, Kyle, Danni )Chapter 21 Up 8/8
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Great Chapter thanks for the PM
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SpiritofEowyn
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Mar '05
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Date Posted:
8/8/06 9:32pm
Subject:
RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-TUF, Major AU, J/J, A/T, Kyle, Danni )Chapter 21 Up 8/8
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Great Post! ::sense of forboding:: You do a good job of drawing the reader right in.
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Suddenly Single Other Half: Force Twins Index : http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=22314061 "Stop the Skywalker Stupidity Cycle"
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jasa
Registered:
Feb '05
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Date Posted:
8/9/06 6:38am
Subject:
RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-TUF, Major AU, J/J, A/T, Kyle, Danni )Chapter 21 Up 8/8
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"your son" 
Great chapter I can't wait to see where this goes! Thanks for the pm!
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J/J, J/TK, H/L, and L/M Senior year at American University!!! Job searches are fun! --Ambassador Taps
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Danni_Quee_Solo
Registered:
Oct '03
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Date Posted:
8/9/06 8:26am
Subject:
RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-TUF, Major AU, J/J, A/T, Kyle, Danni )Chapter 21 Up 8/8
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Great Post! Thanx for the PM. I hope they find Sekot on time.
Can't wait for more!
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Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Staying alive, Staying alive  Proud Shipper of J/D K/D 
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jaina_clan_solo
Registered:
Dec '05
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Date Posted:
8/10/06 9:12pm
Subject:
RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-TUF, Major AU, J/J, A/T, Kyle, Danni )Chapter 21 Up 8/8
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Great update!
The connection between Anakin and Artran is rather foreboding-- nothing good will come of it. 
I'm glad to see that our Jedi are in safe hands... I just wish that I could be happier about Jys's reunion with her brother...
jcs
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rebel_cheese
Registered:
Jul '06
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Date Posted:
8/11/06 1:55pm
Subject:
RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-TUF, Major AU, J/J, A/T, Kyle, Danni )Chapter 21 Up 8/8
- Date Edited:
8/15/06 2:22pm (4 edits total)
Edited By:
rebel_cheese
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Sorry about the lateness of this replies  but was I was really busy . . . I have college prep, another fic, and a real life to take care of . . .
G_Anakin:
Great Chapter thanks for the PM
No prob, Ani.
SpiritofEowyn:
:) Great Post! ::sense of forboding:: You do a good job of drawing the reader right in.
Makes you think, doesn't it?Why would Artran hear Anakin's message to him?Seriously, glad you enjoyed the chapter.
jasa:
"your son"
I couldn't resist writing that. That just seemed so Tahiri . . .
Great chapter I can't wait to see where this goes! Thanks for the pm!
Thank you, and I think you'll like where this fic's gonna go. Think explosions, lots of explosions . . .
Danni_Quee_Solo:
Great Post! Thanx for the PM. I hope they find Sekot on time.
Can't wait for more!
Time is of the essence . . . and they have to hurry considering Artran is on their tail. And there'll be more on Tuesday.
jaina_clan_solo:
Great update!
Thank you.
The connection between Anakin and Artran is rather foreboding-- nothing good will come of it.
No, nothing good will come out of it at all . . .
I'm glad to see that our Jedi are in safe hands... I just wish that I could be happier about Jys's reunion with her brother...
jcs
Malinza's a good person, as is most of her squadron . . . And trust me, Valin's not entirely happy about the reunion either (considering he just put Jys in jeopardy).
Coming up next: Anakin and Malinza lead a small team to the only working library to try and find information on Zonama Sekot. Plus Wynssa falls under suspicion and Bakura's two leaders and a traitor in Blitz Squadron prepare to sell the five Jedi Knights out in an effort to buy Bakura time . . .
Shattered Mirror continues Tuesday!
See all of you soon! 
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Padawan of princess_of_naboo E-married to the amazing padawanlost Member of Charon_Force Beginning's End: http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=28450077&brd=10477&replies=1
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rebel_cheese
Registered:
Jul '06
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Date Posted:
8/15/06 5:30pm
Subject:
RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-TUF, Major AU, J/J, A/T, Kyle, Danni )Chapter 21 Up 8/8
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Bumping.
Postie in a few minutes . . . give me ten and it'll be up.
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Padawan of princess_of_naboo E-married to the amazing padawanlost Member of Charon_Force Beginning's End: http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=28450077&brd=10477&replies=1
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rebel_cheese
Registered:
Jul '06
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Date Posted:
8/15/06 5:46pm
Subject:
RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-TUF, Major AU, J/J, A/T, Kyle, Danni )Chapter 21 Up 8/8
- Date Edited:
8/15/06 6:21pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
rebel_cheese
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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO (A)
The sun was setting as Grell Panib, Deputy Prime Minister of Bakura, walked into the office of Blaine Harris, who had been the Prime Minister of Bakura for going on three years. The night did not decrease the impenetrable smog that hung around the planet these days, in fact, the grey mist of poison was even more prominent in the night, with the neon lights of the city illuminating it. How strange was it to think that, two years ago, Bakura had been a place of beauty and cleaniness? But Bakura's status as one of the last free planets in the galaxy had transformed it into a poisonous piece of urban muck, worse than Coruscant, worse than any world owned by the Hutts.
One would be tempted to blame the Prime Minister, but it was not Harris' fault. All of these refugees had come streaming to Bakura for the last two years, after the defeat of the Ssi-ruuvi Imperium, and there simply was not enough space on Bakura to hold all of them. Overpopulation had Bakura inside its grubby fists. All of Bakura's legendary forests had been cut down for buildings to house refugees, and the oceans once filled with Bakura's renowned aquatic species had become black, sludge-filled realms of death and despondency. Then the smog came. It was small, at first, but two years after the first refugee ship landed in Bakura, the smog had blocked out nearly all of the sun and Bakura's average temperature had increased by a huge margin the last two years. Yet the refugees continued to stream here, fleeing the Yuuzhan Vong.
Therefore, Harris began implementing his 'sunshine' policy of negotiations with the Yuuzhan Vong. When the Kharrans had allowed themselves to consider the policy of a peaceful truce—a second truce, at Bakura—Harris, a shrewd politician, had begun his policy. He proclaimed it would allow refugees to return to their original homeworlds and that ordinary, native Bakurans would 'get to see the sun again'. Thus, 'sunshine policy'.
So far, Panib admitted, it was working. Or at least that was what Sharrvon and Artran Kharran wanted them to think. But Harris and Admiral Ducaris seemed to think that since they wanted the sunshine policy to work, that it would. That was a dangerous mindset for any military leader and especially so for the ruler of an entire planet.
As Grell walked in front of the office desk he saw that Harris' chair faced away from the door, staring out the window. Harris was smoking; he could see the smoke rings being blown out.
Suddenly, Harris said, "Do you remember what this place looked like, Panib? Two years ago?"
"It was a beautiful place, sir." Harris had to be called sir. Never Mr. Prime Minister; it had to be sir. Calling him by anything else was regarded as an insult.
"And what does it look like now, Panib?"
The Deputy Prime Minister could see the cigar hanging from Harris' hand, its ashes falling onto the carpet. "Um, well…" Panib wanted to say a living hell, but that would never do. "It doesn't quite look a beautiful as it used to."
"No, it doesn't."
Panib saw Harris' fingers begin to clench the cigar, and suddenly the Prime Minister wheeled around and Panib saw Harris' face.
Harris pounded the table with his free hand. "It looks like crap! The place looks worse than the bottom of Coruscant!" He flung away his cigar in his rage, and it bounced off a window and onto a floor.
"From Kuat, from Hapes, from Kashyyk, from Sullust, from who-the-hell-knows-where, they come. Want to know what Bakura's population is right now, according to the latest census?"
Panib reluctantly nodded. Shaking his head and so revealing his true feelings would just made Harris angrier. Since Harris was already furious, he did not want to see the man's rage at full capacity. When it was at full capacity the poor soul on the receiving end's survival was in question.
"Three trillion. That's not including the camp and refugee ships. Or those on military vessels. And that census was taken a half-year ago." Harris coughed briefly, and after clearing his throat he continued, calmer. Panib breathed a silent sigh of relief. "We've tried to take another census, and it appears that Bakura's population may have tripled in the last six months. Add in the trillions on those camp ships and the billions of military personnel and Bakura's population may very well equal fifteen trillion."
Panib wondered where Harris was going with this. Certainly, such overpopulation was a real problem that needed to be solved before it was too late, if it wasn't too late already, but why would Harris choose this particular moment to bring it up? "I know, sir," he said aloud.
"And why do they choose this place to go?"
That question was easy to answer. "Because there's nowhere else to run, sir." Panib would have gone on, but Harris preferred snappy answers over long lectures. Sometimes, that made him better than most politicians, but offsetting that excellent feature was Harris' pure irritability.
"Good! Nice to see you've been paying attention," Harris said, more pleasantly. He cleared his throat again and went on. His beady eyes looked around the room once, as if searching for an assassin, as he spoke. "All the other places in this wrecked field of stars we call a galaxy have either fallen to the scarheads or are about to. With the fall of Endor three months ago what's left of the unoccupied regions of the galaxy has been split into two pieces." Harris let Panib soak that information in before continuing, "And, as far as I know, there are only three unoccupied regions left. The Corporate Sector, which has finally been noticed by the Vong and was under heavy assault when we heard from them a week ago; they've probably fallen by now. Then there is the small cluster near the Corellian Trade Spine, which includes Varonat, the icebowl of Hoth, and Bespin, among others. Although it isn't under attack, I don't expect it to last much longer either."
Panib cleared his throat and Harris stared upwards at Panib. "Yes, tell me why you chose to interrupt me right this second," Harris growled.
"Well, there are the groups in the Unknown—" Panib's half-hearted addition was quickly cut off by a furious Harris.
"Them?! They're mere guerrilla fighters! They wander around the Unknown Regions and what remains of the Core, and squander resources fighting a useless war they cannot win!" Harris pounded his left fist on the wooden desk, and Panib briefly pondered how often Harris replaced desks.
Harris seemed to be reaching an apex, and was finally about to make his point, Panib sensed. Although Harris preferred cutting to the point when someone else was talking, he was allowed to take his own sweet time getting to the topic he wished to discuss.
"Have the guerrillas given us worlds? No! Have they found a way to defeat the scarheads? No! Have they even slown down Artran Kharran? No! They flee at the sight of the Sunslayer! Those guerrillas have done nothing but make the negotiations harder!"
"Um, yes. About those negotiations… were they successful?" Panib asked, attempting to change the subject.
Harris stared at Panib incredulously. "What do you think?"
"Um, they didn't go so well," Panib guessed.
This time he was right. "Damn straight!" Harris slammed the desk again, this time with both hands, and he rose out of his chair. "Bakura won't last a week! They're coming, and unless we find something to bargain with we're as doomed as the Ithorians!" Harris bellowed.
Panib felt an urge to fiddle and pull at his shirt collar, but resisted. It would not do to show any sign of intimidation to this man.
Harris leaned back and slumped in his chair. "I've tried this 'sunshine' policy you gave me. It gives me popularity. It gives people hope. But it's not going to buy anyone even a second. We need something to give the Vong, Panib. We need bargaining chips. Some cards at this gigantic sabacc game."
That was when the computer at the desk fluttered to life and a computerized voice said, "Mr. Prime Minister, we have a message from one of our field officers. He has proven its importance and requested sharing it with you personally."
Harris sighed. "Sure. Let him on. Got nothing better to do."
That was when a young face appeared on the screen. He had a short, military haircut. "Mr. Prime Minister?"
"Yes?" Harris asked impatiently.
"I've found the Jedi."
"Jedi?" Harris suddenly took an active interest in the conversation, and he stood up from the chair and mugged the screen. "Jedi? Tell me, where? Where did you find Jedi?"
"They came here, sir." The young man's face smiled widely. "They came here looking for that Jysella girl. Got five of them, plus the girl, in one place: the Escarto Condominiums, plus nearly a dozen traitors to Bakura as well. It appears you have a military conspiracy against you and Ducaris."
Panib took an interest as well. His eyes widened and his mind raced. If there was indeed a conspiracy against Harris, that meant the Prime Minister would do anything to keep his power, including betraying the few remaining Jedi Knights.
Harris said, "How long will they be staying?"
"Likely a couple of days. They seem to be in a rush to get to the library. They say they can get information that can win the war in there."
Harris scoffed, "If we could get victory secrets out of libraries we'd have won the war years ago. We'd have crushed the Vong months after their invasion."
"That's precisely what I was thinking, sir," the young man said. Panib couldn't help but think about how smug the young man sounded.
"And why are you doing this, Lieutenant..."
The young man told his name.
"Yes, thank you. But why are you telling us this?" Harris asked, his voice showing his anticipation of the young man's answer.
"Because I don't believe this war can be won. However, this group of Jedi may buy us a couple of worlds… or at least time. It includes people Artran wants very badly."
"Who? Tell me, blast it!" Harris said, doing everything he could not to shake the screen.
"Anakin Solo, Valin Horn, the one they call Zekk, the brainy one, Danni Quee—who just happens to be pregnant—and, finally, one I've never seen before, but she doesn't seem all that much of a threat. They call her Nina Kyleen."
Harris smiled widely, and his eyes twinkled with maddened glee. Just when he was looking for bargaining chips he had stumbled on the motherlode.
"I'll send a spec-ops unit over there as soon as I possibly can. Just keep an eye on every single one of them. Keep us updated, and you will be given a very pleasant reward."
"Anything that keeps my sisters and my fiancé alive is enough of a reward," the young man said as he shook his bangs out of his eyes.
"Good. We'll move them up on the emergency refugee order."
"Put them at the top and I'll do what you want."
Harris growled something unintelligible. The young man was an intelligent one. "Fine. The top of the order, then. Just keep tabs on all of the Jedi and what you want will be yours."
The young man nodded. "Fine with me." The man looked to his left all of a sudden, and said, "I have to go. Goodbye, sir." He reached for a button on his console and the screen went blank.
Harris stared at the black screen for what seemed like eternity, and then he sat back on his chair, a low chuckle starting to escape his lips. It grew as a crescendo, until he could no longer hold back his excited laughter. "Yes!" he whooped. "Yes! It is a gift, I say! We've been given a gift from heaven, Panib! We now have cards on the table. And they're all aces! We will get something for this. We just saved our skins, Panib, ours and fifteen trillion people’s."
Panib grinned too, but inside his emotions were falling. He could not help but feel sorry for the Jedi… especially the pregnant one, Quee. She definitely did not deserve what was going to happen to her. But he could not see anything to prevent it, nor could he think of a better way to at least forestall Bakura's destruction. No, there was only one way right now, and that was letting the Vong capture the Jedi, or handing them over to the Vong. However, he did take solace in this: just because it was the only way didn't mean it wasn't an immoral way. He would rather sacrifice five gifted individuals and a child for fifteen trillion souls. But that didn't mean he couldn't feel terrible about it.
"All right, so everything's set," Malinza Thanas said as she looked at her group. "Valin, Danni, and Anakin are coming with me, Maiko, Farina, Kira, and Dominick. Zekk and Nina are staying here with Jysella, Tolle, Diaca, Eduard, Rau, Pania, Lukas, and Gareth. Everyone got it?"
There was a chorus of nods or verbal responses, and Malinza nodded and smiled. "All right. Tolle, you know the drill. Zekk, Rau and Lukas on first watch. The moment a rodent gets inside this condo I want to know about it. Nina, keep an eye on Jysella with Diaca and Gareth."
Valin Horn watched this happen with a regretful heart. He so badly wanted to remain here with Jysella; he didn't want to be separated from her anymore, but that slave seed in his back returned his migraine to him whenever he remotely considered staying here with Jysella. Each time he thought of the library, the pain eased.
Don't I have the right to stay here with my sister? I love— The pain returned once again, and Valin shouted to it, All right, all right! But next time, I'm staying with her!
The pain stopped. Valin calmed down, and rubbed his forehead. If he could just last a few more weeks, he might find some way to remove—and the pain came back again. No, it wouldn't let him consider, or even fathom, trying to remove it. He didn't want to be stuck like this anymore. But he wasn't going to die. Not when Wyn was at stake. Maybe he could find a way to keep her alive once the Vong won their war. But that was merely well-wishing. Valin knew his cooperation with the seed was only postponing the inevitable. Eventually, Valin was going to make the final free remnants of the galaxy lose the war. Eventually Wyn would know about it and then, Valin knew, it would all be over.
He knew how perilously close Wyn came to the bare edge of sanity each day. He had seen Wyn when she had been rescued. He had never seen a person so traumatized. She had likely had healed as much as she could from her psychological wounds by now, unless the war ended in the galaxy's favor. The only thing that would heal Wyn completely, or at least allow her mental wounds to scar, would be an end to the war. But even though Valin's forced actions would end the war, all it would was drive Wyn back to insanity, and further destroy the young woman he loved so dearly…
"Valin? You coming or not?" he heard Malinza call from the door.
"Um, all right, just a minute!" The moment he said that, the minor ache in his mind grew, and it became pulsing, pounding, every little noise now sounded like an earthquake meant to shake his mind—
Let me say goodbye to my sister, all right? The aching and throbbing eased, but only just enough for Valin to think clearly and maintain passable facial expressions. Valin turned to Jysella. "I'm sorry I have to go. I'll stay here with you next time, okay? Then you can tell me all of your adventures," he said, forcing a wide smile to his face.
"Okay!" Jysella nodded vigorously and she hugged him as he went to his knees to embrace his little sister. "Just don't take too long. Aunt Malinza says it's not safe out there."
Aunt Malinza? Valin thought, not exactly pleased at Malinza's new honorific, but he understood why. Jysella hadn't seen her real family for over a year, now. She was just a little girl. She would become attached to the first person who took her in.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine. It's you I should worry about, all right? You don't have to worry about me," Valin said, stroking Jysella's round face as he spoke.
"Please be careful, Valin," Jysella said, as she embraced him harder this time. It was the desperate plea of a small child, a child who had managed to stay sane in this war through her love of others. Valin fought the urge to cry, for he knew what was going to happen to Jysella if he succeeded in his mission.
"Don't worry. I will. Now stay with Tolle, Nina, and the others, okay? They'll protect you. I… I need to go now," Valin said as the slave seed decided the good-bye was rather long for its liking. It increased the pain by a jolt, reminding him what it could do to him if he delayed much longer.
"Okay! Goodbye, brother!" Jysella said, separating obediently. She waved to him as he walked away. He casually flipped his hand in the good-bye position in response, and he heard Jysella's little feet scamper away down the little hallway, clearly eager to bother somebody into playing with her.
Yeah, good-bye sis. I hope you'll forgive me, someday, he thought. As he walked through the door held open by Maiko Allster, he noticed that the sun was setting on Bakura. Just like the whole galaxy. How long would it be, he wondered, until his betrayal allowed night to reign forever? Not very long now, he knew. As darkness' cloak swished over Bakura, Valin Horn left Escarto Condominiums and began walking towards his destiny.
Wynssa Fel walked into her room and collapsed onto her bed, eyes wide open. Her heart was aching. Her love was gone, heading into certain danger, and someone very much like, but not, her brother had remained here. Given the choice, she would have chosen her love to remain. But instead he had left her here, by herself, and now she feared to fall asleep.
She knew what she would hear and witness the moment she allowed unconsciousness to reign. She would hear the screams of Jaina Solo as they constantly brought her closer to death. She would feel a new scar being carved into her face. She would taste the blood in her mouth as her withered throat bled as she screamed. She would stare at the lacerations on her skin, on Jaina's skin, and instantly recall how they were created. Just the thought of what she would face without Valin's healing ability made her want to cry. How long, she wondered, would she be sane before he came back? Her almost-brother already regarded her as crazy, as a potential threat to everyone here.
And those thoughts actually did drive her to tears. Her head rested sideways on her pillow, hiding the scarred side, and her hands gripped and tore at her bedsheets.
Valin… please come back. Don't leave me here… all alone. No one else trusts me. Or counts on me. They're just betting on how long until I snap. But not you. Never you. Come back, she thought. Come back.
Already, without him, the images were beginning to sear her. Watching her family's private vessel explode on take-off from Csilla. The coralskippers swarming around her, blasting her out of the sky as she tried to reach her family. The Vong torturing her, putting her through the Embrace of Pain as she met Jaina. Jaina had been her tonic, her soothing healer, as the Vong shattered her over and over again. But they never held back on Jaina. The final torture session, with Jaina wailing and screaming and going through her final throes, would always scar her. And now, with a near-Jaina back, the memories of Jaina Solo, her Jaina Solo, long repressed by Valin Horn, were bubbling to the surface, covering her like a lava flow, threatening to consume her.
Please come back.
She would need to ask Tahiri to sleep with her tonight. Just to suppress her dreams. Just to turn them into nightmares. Or maybe her almost-brother could… although he was not Force-sensitive, so there was nothing he could do besides holding her that would make her feel any better.
I can't live without you.
Her right hand was already beginning to twitch, and her arm trembled with each shake. Her left hand instantly grabbed her right arm around the wrist, and gripped it hard. So hard that her hand turned red and her arm pale.
No, no. You're not letting those thoughts get control of you. He'll come back. He always does. He always returns.
That was when there was a knock on the door. Without looking, she called out, "Who is it?"
"It's me." Her almost-brother.
"Come in." She sighed. "The door's not locked."
The door opened and Jagged Fel, or rather, almost-Jagged Fel walked inside.
"Wyn, is everything all right?" he asked, as he was undoubtedly looking throughout the room, looking at the general mess.
"I'm fine, Jag. Don't… don't worry about me. I'm fine. I can live without Valin. I don't need him every single waking hour," Wyn said, her voice bitter. Go away, leave me alone right now. When I want you I'll ask for you,p/i] she thought.
"I have to worry about you. That's what older brothers do," [i]almost-Jag said.
"Well, you can stop. You're not my brother, Jag. Stop pretending to be. My brother, my real brother, died at Borleias. You'll never be him. Never." She was surprised at the ache in her voice. She was trying so hard to disguise her inner wounds, but she sensed that her protests were only driving him closer— And the next moment, she found her face in her almost-brother's chest, her tears dripping onto his uniform.
"I'm here. It's all right," he said, his arms wrapped around her and his hands stroking her hair. Just like her mother always did when she was a little girl.
"I am your brother, Wyn. Just because I'm from somewhere else doesn't make me your brother any less," he said soothingly.
She almost wanted to believe that this was the purpose of his visit. That he actually had come here to do this. That all he wanted to do was hold her and let her cry into him and stroke her blonde hair. Speak soothing words and make her feel at peace so she could sleep again. But she knew this wasn't the reason why he came. It was for something else. It was always something else with her Jag. It wouldn't be that much different with the other Wyn's Jag. And she knew why he had come here the moment she heard the new voice.
"Jag, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Tahiri Veila's voice echoed across the room, and Jag, startled, let go of Wyn and turned around to face Tahiri.
"We have a mission to do and you're sitting here holding Wyn. Stop it and help me out. We need to find the traitor before it is too late."
"Traitor?" Wyn asked. Instantly she felt used, betrayed. Anger, ferocious anger, rose within her. "That's why you're here, isn't it? You think I'm the traitor, don't you?"
"No! I don't," Jag responded immediately.
Tahiri, on the other hand, said, "Valin, Zekk, and Danni's rooms all checked out, Wyn. After them the person we most suspect is you." Tahiri pointed at Wyn as she talked, and Tahiri began stepping forward towards the bed as well.
"You were the one who spent the most time in Vong captivity, Wyn. You've been around them the longest. You had the most time to have a slave seed implanted in you, or be shaped, or be turned. For all we know you're just another Jacen. Now let us search your room. If it checks out, you're all right. If it doesn't, you're beyond being in trouble, Wyn," Tahiri spoke.
The furnace only grew more intense. Wyn glared at both Tahiri and Jag. "I am not the traitor," she protested vehemently.
"I know you're not. I don't think you're—"
The sound of his voice, so much like her real brother's, enraged her. Slapping him in the face, Wyn rose to her feet and stormed out towards the door before stopping and turning around to stare at a shocked Jag and a glaring Tahiri.
"You all think I've been shaped, haven't you? That they turned me. That this is all an act. No one ever believes me. They all think I'm crazy. Including the two of you. I'm just poor, crazy, suicidal Wyn. The victim. 'Oh, be careful, you're going to make Wyn cry'. Go ahead, search my room! Think it's me! Spread rumors all across this ship that the Vong turned me! I don't care anymore! Just… just leave me alone and in peace!" She then turned around and slammed the door, leaving Jagged and Tahiri to stare at the shut door with a resounding silence.
The night was nearly as bad as the day, comfort-wise. The humidity was great, suppressive. Already, Danni was beginning to cough as she breathed in Bakura's smog. It is a wonder, Anakin thought, that everyone is able to breathe at all.
"You all right, ma'am?" Lieutenant Dominick Yeris—a tall young man around Anakin's age—asked. He had a smashed-in nose, likely from too many fights in cantinas.
"Yeah, I'm—cough—fine," Danni managed.
"I'm sorry. There aren’t parts to maintain the air regulators anymore. We go through filters every few days. 'Lasts up to six months' means nothing on Bakura. There's so much crap in the air these days that the filters are overwhelmed."
"Makes you wonder what it's doing to our lungs," Anakin said, looking outside, as the once-deserted streets became populated. It seemed that their party was not the only ones thinking they could be outside at this hour.
"Trust me, it's not anything good," Dominick responded.
The speeder was carrying four people. Dominick was the driver, Malinza was the passenger in the front, and Anakin and Danni sat in the back. Maiko Allster, Valin Horn, Kira Tamith, and Farina Kells occupied the other landspeeder, which was following.
"What bothers me was that this was such a clean planet before the war was lost. Before Mon Calamari fell, no, long before Calamari fell, this place was so beautiful. The refugees were scared away because of the Ssi-ruuvi threat. But when the Ssi-ruuk were crushed, and after we and the Chiss remnants obliterated them, the refugees began to come. And that was when the smog began. Now it reminds me of Duros. The whole planet is slowly becoming poison. In a few years, it may be uninhabitable," Malinza said sadly.
It may be already becoming uninhabitable. The place is more crowded than Coruscant ever was. It's worse than Duros, Anakin thought as he saw just how many people were crammed into slums. It seemed at times that ten families were sharing a room… and Anakin wouldn't be surprised to find out if it was the truth.
Suddenly, Malinza pointed out the library. "Okay, pull into the parking space… yeah, right there," she said approvingly as Dominick snagged an extremely close spot. Malinza turned to the back-seat occupants and said, "Let's get inside. The air regulators might be broken but the air is better in there than it ever is outside. The library always has filtered air, even though they can't keep said air cool."
"All right," Anakin said, and he opened his door, which was on the side of the skywalk. Danni slid over and exited after he had, and Anakin shut the door.
Anakin looked upwards, and asked dubiously, "Is this the library?"
"It's seen better days, like everything else on this planet," Malinza replied as she walked towards the transiparisteel doors. Anakin could not help but see that many of the windows had been boarded shut.
Maiko complained as he left the second landspeeder, "Oh come on. The information that's gonna save the galaxy is in there?"
"Yup," Malinza said, looking at Maiko Allster, a man of roughly seventeen years of age who had slick raven-colored hair and bright blue eyes. "Only functional library left on this rock," she added.
"Define functioning," Allster complained as the rest of the party met Malinza at the door.
"The computers will work, all right? Now quit your whining and let's get inside!" Farina Kells exclaimed. Farina was by far the oldest person in Blitz Squadron, she was a tall, muscular woman of thirty. Her blond hair was cropped short, and her brown eyes were wary and alert. It was said she had been offered Blitz but turned it down, preferring to mentor the commanders rather than take a leadership position. Like with Tolle, Malinza had developed a deep trust in Farina.
Maiko clammed up and they entered the library, to find it a desolate place. Dust was everywhere, and many of the party members promptly sneezed upon entry. The tiled floor was dirty and the walls were covered with cobwebs. The light fixtures flickered every now and then, and the sole occupant, an aged, seventy-something woman, was at a tall wooden desk, typing away at her datapad.
Kira Tamith, a man roughly Jaina's size and age with violet eyes and gelled brown hair, promptly let out a ferocious sneeze that woke the librarian from her stupor.
"Who has decided to interrupt my research now?" the librarian protested.
"Sorry," the deep, nasal voice of Kira said sheepishly.
"We came in here to access your files and books, please," Malinza said a moment later after holding back a sneeze of her own.
"No admittance! If it weren't for the lock being broken I wouldn't even let you in this far! Go home! Go stay in your luxury condominiums, you military dogs! Just leave me in peace!" the librarian protested.
Malinza frowned and bit her tongue to keep her curses back. Keeping herself composed, she said, "But we have top-level clearance. If you would just inspect the cards, it would show that all of us are—"
"No admittance! I won't let you military people hack into my files anymore! There's precious information that I will let no one have in—"
Malinza growled something guttural and her fists clenched into balls. As the elderly woman ranted on, Anakin whispered to Malinza, "Let me take care of this."
"Go ahead. Make our days," Malinza whispered back.
Anakin stepped forward, and stared at the woman unblinkingly. "We are here for a special occasion."
"You are here on a special occasion?" the elderly woman asked.
Anakin kept his voice controlled and robotic. "We desperately need to access your files."
"You desperately need to access my files."
"You will open the doors and let us through without inspection."
"Okay. I'll open the doors. Have a nice night," the woman said and she pressed a button on her desk. The library's doors opened a moment later, revealing a great black space.
"Thank you." Anakin was about to step forward when he saw that the lights weren't on.
"Turn on the lights, please."
"Oh! I'm so sorry, I'm… just not myself these days," the woman replied and suddenly the great chandeliers on the ceiling came to life, illuminating all of the dark corners.
"Thank you, ma'am. Go about your business."
"You're welcome, son. I'll do that."
"And think about your courtesy to your customers," Anakin added as an afterthought.
"I will think about my courtesy to my customers," the woman replied robotically.
Anakin hissed to his giggling companions, "Hurry, come on before it wears off. These sort of things don't last forever, and she's not as weak-minded as I'd like."
"I take back all the bad things I've ever said about Jedi," Maiko said the moment they shut the doors behind them.
"It won't work forever. Eventually, she's gonna remember we're in he | |