Soo... here it is. Many thanks to those who are sticking around to read. 
-iella
*~*~*~*
They all exhaled in relief at the sight of Resistance craft, though they’d probably have cheered at anything metallic. Their cheers faded, however, when they saw the Yuuzhan Vong ships. Kyp glanced at Nex, whose brow was creased with a touch of confusion.
"Well, that's odd. I should have thought they would be done by now," the young spy commented.
The door swished open, and Jaina entered from the cargo hold. "What's going on?" she asked.
Kyp responded as he brought the ship cautiously closer to the Resistance fleet. "It looks like there's just some pockets of resistance left. There don't seem to be many Vong capital ships, only a couple of light freighters and a scattering of analogs. There might be some ground action, but not much."
"Hail the Mon Morra," Jaina instructed. "General frequency."
Kyp frowned. "But the Yuuzhan Vong will be able to-"
Nex shook his head. "That's the point, Jedi Master."
"Oh." Glancing at Jaina with a touch of curiosity, he turned to open the hailing frequency.
"General Antilles, this is the goddess Yun Harla," Jaina drawled in a lazy-yet-authoritative voice. "I've returned, and I see you're having a little trouble."
Hearing Wedge's voice was, in itself, a comfort equal to seeing human ships. "Welcome back, goddess. We are glad that you have returned to stay among us again and would appreciate any help you might be able to offer." How could any Yuuzhan Vong listening in doubt the sincerity of his words? Wedge’s goddess references were borderline sarcastic, but the relief in his voice was both genuine and overwhelming.
Kyp nudged her. "What are you going to do?" he muttered. "You can't exactly conjure up a Star Destroyer, unless you've developed some ability that-"
Eerily on cue, three Star Destroyers dropped out of hyperspace in perfect formation behind the Diamond's Fury. Kyp's jaw dropped. "You'll have to teach me that one," he sputtered.
Jaina was equally confused. She hadn't done anything to-
Nex interrupted her thoughts. "Goddess, stop being confused and start being a goddess. The goddess who summons Star Destroyers."
Jaine sputtered momentarily before recovering. “Well, General, I hope three Star Destroyers was close to what you had in mind? Consider it a gift, courtesy of- ”
The crackling of the comm gave way to a deep voice. "This is Baron Soontir Fel. Antilles, what have you done with my son?"
*~*~*~*
The Chiss forces were brutally efficient in wiping away the last traces of any Yuuzhan Vong presence on Yeltha III. When the system was finally secured, though, Wedge wasn't feeling any less tension than when the battle had started. More, in fact. The safe arrival of the goddess brought a moment of comfort - and the arrival of Soontir Fel tore that comfort apart. Now, standing in his combat uniform, he watched the Baron's shuttle descend slowly and wished he had the time to change into dress uniform. Not that it would have made him more comfortable - quite the opposite, really, but Fel liked that sort of thing.
The hiss of compressed air filled the silence, and next to him, Wedge felt Tycho shift his weight uneasily in anticipation. Resistance forces were busy setting up camp in an abandoned Imperial training facility, so only the two men stood silently to greet the Baron. The boarding ramp lowered. First out was a Chiss in pilot's gear. Coming to the end of the ramp, he saluted sharply to Wedge and Tycho, then stepped to the side.
Baron Soontir Fel was tall, broad-shouldered, and utterly intimidating. The eyepatch around his left eye didn't help. With purposeful strides, he quickly crossed the short distance between the shuttle and Wedge. A little too quickly for Wedge's taste - but that was beside the matter. Shawnkyr Nuruodo, Jag's former wingman, trailed behind, red eyes glittering and without expression on her face. He could only thank the Force that he had good news for both of them.
Fel's first words echoed his earlier question. "What have you done with my son?" he demanded.
"First, let me assure you that your son is alive," Wedge said. That was his strategy - first, good news. Indeed, he saw the lines on Soontir Fel's face ease slightly. Even a man who lived among the Chiss couldn't fail to show some reaction to that sort of news. Even Nuruodo looked slightly suprised - but pleasantly surprised. He continued, "Long story. If you would walk with me, I'll take you to see him, and tell you the story."
*~*~*~*
The med bay wasn't fully operational yet - techs and Emdee droids still scurried around, setting up equipment, filling bacta tanks, and calibrating sensors. Nonetheless, Jaina's wounds had been quickly but thoroughly treated. MD-41 poked and prodded, applied bacta patches, then refused to let her leave the med bay.
"It is my belief, given your reputation, that leaving now would not be conducive to furthering your healing," it stated in a flat voice, then spun away to the next patient.
Jaina stifled a laugh. Perhaps in the chaos of war, no one had given the Emdee droids memory wipes recently - that would explain the slight touch of sarcasm in its personality. Grudgingly but obediently, she sat back down on the white cot. A neat row of bacta tanks had been set up along the wall. Through the milky white glass, she could see a figure bobbing gently up and down. Jagged Fel.
She leaned forward slightly and pressed her lips together, wondering if she would ever tire of watching him - in the cockpit, out of the cockpit, conscious or unconscious. Angry red wounds were visible across his bare torso, his arms, and his face - wounds that would eventually turn into the pink color of new skin, leaving no evidence of the abuse he had suffered under Tsavong Lah. She wondered if that was what he wanted.
As her eyes scrutinized his face, she realized with a start that his nose had been broken. Earlier, on board the Diamond's Fury, she hadn't looked closely at his face, concentrating more on getting herself into a healing trance. Now, although he was shrouded in a pink-and-white haze, she could see the change clearly. It made him look like a rogue. She suppressed a smile at the thought – Jag the rogue. For a brief moment, she hoped that it was an omen of sorts – a sign that Jag had changed and become less severe. But only for a moment. She knew, even if she didn’t admit it, that Jag had been a point of stability while the rest of the galaxy spun crazily around her. Almost losing him to the Vong had been both terrifying and enlightening. Terrifying, because even the unchangeable had changed – and enlightening, because it made her realize how much she needed constancy.
She shifted her weight back and leaned against the wall, oddly satisfied that she had come to at least one conclusive thought concerning him. Ever since the beginning, he had kept her wondering. She could still hear the first few words she had ever heard him say…
Get clear, Rogues. They are ours now. Spike Lead out… Don’t worry, Rogues, we have you now. We’ll get you home safely.
Who are you?
We’re simply the best combat pilots in the galaxy. We are a Chiss House phalanx, on loan to the New Republic by my father, General Baron Soontir Fel.
That had been long, long ago. He had improved since then, Jaina thought with a smirk. Not so much that he was friendly, but at least to the point where she didn’t mind being in his presence.
She was about to close here eyes when the doors of the med bay slid open. Wedge walked in, acknowledged her with a smile and a little wave, then turned to escort General Fel in. Jaina could feel her heart tighten slightly as Fel’s one-eyed gaze settled on her for a moment. This was not a man to be trifled with.
“General Fel, this is Jaina Solo, Jedi and pilot,” Wedge said, gesturing toward her. “She’s the one that led the rescue operation on Adumar.” And saved your son’s life, Jaina could hear him add silently.
Fel extended a massive hand, which she grasped firmly, giving him a slight nod as she shook his hand.
“A pleasure to meet you, sir.”
“In truth, I’m rather interested in you, young lady,” Fel returned. “I’ve heard many good things about you.”
Jaina pasted a smile on her face as she withdrew her hand, but stiffened inwardly. Partially through the Force and partially because of the look in his eyes, she sensed the challenge beneath his words. What he really meant was, I’ve heard many good things about you. You can’t fool me, though. I’ll see for myself if you really deserve the reputation that you have. Nevertheless, years of watching her mother in the Senate, combined with Jedi training, allowed her to hide inner misgivings. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate that.”
He nodded absently. “I believe—“ He paused for a moment, as if he was unaccustomed to the words coming out of his mouth. “I owe you a debt of gratitude for saving my son’s life.”
She didn’t reply at first, only shook her head slowly. “To do anything otherwise would have been impossible, sir,” she finally managed.
He raised an eyebrow at the odd statement, but didn’t question her, choosing instead to turn and watch Jag. Jaina saw the frown lines on his face deepen as he examined the extent of the damage that had been done to Jag’s body.
Wedge noticed his displeasure too. “The doctors say he’ll be done with bacta treatments within three days,” he assured Fel. “You’ll most likely be able to talk to him in a few hours, when he gets out of the tank for awhile.”
“Talking to my son isn’t my primary concern,” Fel growled. “The fact that anyone could have done this to him can mean only one of two things. Either the enemy is strong enough to require the attention of the Chiss, or…” He paused ominously. “Or your Resistance has been negligent enough to allow something like this to happen to him.”
Jaina saw Wedge physically bite back a reply at Fel’s last statement. She, too, had to call on Jedi calming techniques to avoid exploding in fury. Though Fel’s back was to her at the moment, she recalled the glint of mockery and challenge that his eyes had held. His disdain stirred something in her – hot anger, cold calculation.
You want to play? She challenged him back silently. Let’s play. I’ll enjoy every moment of it.
*~*~*~*
The heresy was spreading. Stories of jeedai, particularly the members of the Solo family, were told in secret among the low castes. Those who were wise avoided the wrath of his chambers. It was also rumored that Supreme Overlord Shimrra was going to challenge Yun Harla in person. Those rumors were always followed by whispered recollections of the fate of Tsavong Lah. The heresy spread further.
*~*~*~*
-----signature-----
I'm not ashamed to let you know
I want this light in me to show
I'm not afraid to speak the name
of Jesus Christ
-Newsboys
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