Jaina Solo Fel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
solo_sword) wrote2008-10-19 11:16 am
solo_sword) wrote2008-10-19 11:16 am
Borleias, Sunday Fandom time
Jaina was starting to think she wanted the Borleias campaign to be over. She knew this was only temporary, but she wanted to stick it out until the occupation ended, even if it meant suffering through Vong attacks and encounters with people who actually ended up being Vong spies who were meant to take her in, and don't think that hadn't shaken her when she found out about that. Besides all that, she had no idea what seemed to be shaking up all of her personal relationships but she was ready for that to end.
And maybe her talk with Leia had put some ideas in her head, because she wanted to start clearing the air and setting things straight. It wasn't only because she'd started feeling better after admitting certain things to her mother, but it was the fact that she knew so many people who threw themselves into the war and might not make it out, and she wanted to settle things for them, too.
She started with Kyp. She waited in the small room that now served as a lounge for the squadrons' pilots, having Sharr shoo the other pilots out for show, and then sending Piggy to retrieve her Master. When he arrived, he even greeted her with, "Great One," despite the lack of other people around. She could have blamed things like that spy, but really she thought the whole thing sort of amused him.
"You may join me," she said loftily. Sometimes the liked the routine just to put what she'd learned on Hapes to good use. Look, where else was she going to use it?
Kyp took a seat across from her, looking over the scene. "By the lack of trays, I'm assuming this isn't a dinner invitation."
"Not even close. We need to talk," Jaina started. "We've got a problem, Kyp."
"I wasn't aware of any problems," he countered.
"Then why do you yank yourself out of our Force connection the instant it's not absolutely vital to our current task?" she asked, because that was the sort of thing she would notice, especially as it'd been happening more and more. "It's like dancing with a partner who jumps back past arm's length and brushes himself off at the end of every dance."
"That's... an interesting comparison," Kyp said slowly.
"Would you mind if I cut straight to the power cable?"
By the look on Kyp's face, he'd been expecting her to do so already. "Go right ahead."
"A while back, you manipulated me. I didn't like it. On Hapes, I dragged you into some situations you didn't care for," Jaina said, putting it lightly. "I gave you plenty of trouble. We both lied to each other about what we intended and what we meant. Well, I thought when you decided you wanted to join my squadron, that it meant you'd forgiven me. When I accepted, it meant I'd forgiven you. Did it mean that, or didn't it?"
"It did."
"So are we partners, or aren't we?"
"Well, we are. At least so long as Twin Suns Squadron holds out," Kyp replied.
Jaina sighed. She had a feeling she knew why she and Kyp got along now. They were too much alike in this regard. "No, don't do that. Every time we link through the Force, I can feel you preparing yourself for the day you have to cut loose and run. Believe me, I understand that. And you break the link fast so I won't know what you're doing, not that it's done you any good. I want you to quit doing that. I want you to quit thinking about going off and being by yourself. I know your brother's dead, your family's dead, your last squadron is dead, and I'm sorry. But you don't have to leave, and you don't have to be alone, whether I'm here or not."
"Uhh. I also don't want to be in the way," he admitted. "In your way. Between you and, you know. Jaina, it's uncomfortable."
At first she didn't understand why it should be, since she'd told him about John back on Chandrila. But it was the first time he was seeing them together, and he'd sort of been advocating Jag as the person best able to help her mend her soon-to-be-broken heart on Hapes when she'd decided to stay here. She had to wonder if he hadn't done the same thing she had: pass up something you wanted because you didn't think you'd be around much longer. "Yeah, I know," she nodded. "And it's got to be confusing. It is to me as well. Is it going to make you leave?"
"It should."
"Then you should leave now and stop wavering."
Kyp stood. "You're right. I'm sorry I-"
"Sit down." Apparently he didn't understand that that had not been his cue.
He sat, looking surprised both at her tone, and the fact that he'd seemingly obeyed without thinking. "That's better. Kyp, it's uncomfortable because partnerships are uncomfortable. Families are uncomfortable. I know mine is. You have to put up with the discomfort because the only alternative is to lose everything," Jaina said. "Once upon a time, you were kind of a kid brother to my father. I don't care about that. That relationship doesn't make you my uncle. You have a relationship with me. It's not boyfriend-girlfriend. It's no longer Master-apprentice. I think we both know that neither of these is right. It's partners, whatever that means. Whatever we figure out for it to mean. So- once again- are we partners, or do you go off to die alone?"
Kyp sighed. "I see you inherited your father's considerable powers of negotiation."
It was an insult. Jaina didn't bite. "That's right. So?"
"So we're partners."
"Good."
"This wouldn't by chance be part of your plan to get out of going back to Earth, would it?"
"No," said Jaina, shaking her head. "We settled that. If you're not my Master, you can't really order me, now can you?"
"I don't recall it doing a lot of good when I was..." he pointed out.
She waved that away. "Besides, we made a deal, and I'm sticking to it."
Kyp's eyebrows raised in surprise. "You'd go back? Voluntarily?" He looked down, pinching the skin of his hand with his thumb and forefinger. "No, not dreaming."
"I will start kicking you under the table and that is not very goddesslike."
"So if you're going back, what was this whole talk for?" he wondered. "Not that I'm sorry to see you go back to a place where you might smile now and then."
"Because I'm going to be back here, too," Jaina answered. "I've talked to Wedge about more frequent visits, and have put in a couple of calls to Admiral Kre'fey. The goddess thing can explain my absence. I still have to work out some details, but we did just agree that this goes longer than Twin Suns, regardless."
"We did. Which probably means I shouldn't cancel my trip back there, Master or not."
Jaina frowned. "What?"
Kyp grinned at her. "What can I say, I was curious to see this school of yours, and after hearing about it from Han, how could I not go to check up?"
"Please tell me you're not," she said, trying not to gape. It was ungoddesslike, much like kicking him under the table to tell him to stop.
"Afraid I'll embarrass you?"
"Afraid you'll irritate a former Sith lord to the dark side."
"Nonsense," he said. "I'm a joy to be around."
"You can go now."
*****
In the end, Jaina lucked out and got to see the end of the Borleias occupation. When it was time to go, the New Republic forces staged a fight, sacrificing the Lusankya by ramming it into the Yuuzhan Vong worldship, effectively ending both things. Jaina even got to play her role of Trickster Goddess like she had on Hapes, though there was much less suicide mission involved this time. Sharr and Piggy's help had paid off, and utilizing her gravitic signature trick along with the techniques she'd perfected with Jag and Kyp, she'd been able to escape capture and deliver damage to the enemy. Also, she'd learned that hearing Luke Skywalker call her things like "Exalted One" over the comms was one of the weirdest things ever.
In the melee that followed the battle, their forces had abandoned Borleais, but it had definitely been a victory for them. It'd been a while, and it was a much-needed morale boost. Though people were scattered till they could regroup, Jaina and John were aboard the Rebel Dream with her family and Twin Suns, though it wouldn't be too long before they took off on their own. And knowing she had a limited time before heading back, Jaina knew she had to have another of those potentially uncomfortable talks.
She arranged for Jag to meet her in a conference room, not wanting to give the wrong signal by inviting him anywhere more personal. She couldn't tell anything by his expression when he arrived, but he raised an eyebrow and asked, "You called me from a meeting?"
Okay, she'd done less arranging and more sending an "underling" to go get him. Details. "Just think, you're helping to perpetuate my incredible status here," Jaina said. "I wanted to talk to you."
"I assumed as much, in large part due to the Gamorrean."
"What are your plans now?" she asked, ignoring him.
"I suppose that depends on what's next for Twin Suns," Jag answered, and she knew him well enough to know when he was trying to anticipate whatever was coming next.
Jaina smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that. I'm going to be returning to Earth for a while."
"So you're disbanding the squadron."
"No. I'd actually like you to lead it in my absence," she corrected. "I'll be going up and back, and when I'm around you'd better believe I want my squadron, but I need someone to hold it together while I'm away. At least for now."
Jag considered this. "I doubt Shawnkyr would mind keeping Vanguard Squadron for a bit longer," she said. It was a lie, and while his second-in-command's issue with Jaina was clearer now, she didn't care enough to nitpick when he was agreeing. "It would have to be temporary, though."
"I'm not trying to keep you away from your squadron," Jaina assured him. "I just trust you best with mine."
He nodded, staying very professional. "If that's all-"
"It's not. I can trust you, right?"
He visibly bristled. It was probably wrong of her, but she still liked messing with him. "I think I've done more than enough to prove I'm trustworthy."
"I'm speaking personally. I just had to have another of these talks, and I want to make sure the air's nice and clear. Where does all of this leave us?"
"I suppose that's up to you as well," Jag said.
Jaina shook her head. "Except it's not. I'm with John, and he's not going away anytime soon. And if things were different... well, I don't know," she admitted. "But they're not. I like having you on my side, Jag. But it's up to you whether or not you want to be there. So. Your decision. Friends?"
She held her hand out, and he didn't respond for such a long moment that she didn't think he would. Finally he took it to shake, nodding. "Friends."
This time her smile was more relieved that anything. Dropping his hand, she said, "Now back to your meeting, Colonel."
He almost- almost- smiled at her before he spun around and left her alone in the room.
[NFB, NFI, OOC okay. A portion of the dialogue taken from Rebel Stand by Aaron Allston. See, this is what happens when it's all fighty.]
And maybe her talk with Leia had put some ideas in her head, because she wanted to start clearing the air and setting things straight. It wasn't only because she'd started feeling better after admitting certain things to her mother, but it was the fact that she knew so many people who threw themselves into the war and might not make it out, and she wanted to settle things for them, too.
She started with Kyp. She waited in the small room that now served as a lounge for the squadrons' pilots, having Sharr shoo the other pilots out for show, and then sending Piggy to retrieve her Master. When he arrived, he even greeted her with, "Great One," despite the lack of other people around. She could have blamed things like that spy, but really she thought the whole thing sort of amused him.
"You may join me," she said loftily. Sometimes the liked the routine just to put what she'd learned on Hapes to good use. Look, where else was she going to use it?
Kyp took a seat across from her, looking over the scene. "By the lack of trays, I'm assuming this isn't a dinner invitation."
"Not even close. We need to talk," Jaina started. "We've got a problem, Kyp."
"I wasn't aware of any problems," he countered.
"Then why do you yank yourself out of our Force connection the instant it's not absolutely vital to our current task?" she asked, because that was the sort of thing she would notice, especially as it'd been happening more and more. "It's like dancing with a partner who jumps back past arm's length and brushes himself off at the end of every dance."
"That's... an interesting comparison," Kyp said slowly.
"Would you mind if I cut straight to the power cable?"
By the look on Kyp's face, he'd been expecting her to do so already. "Go right ahead."
"A while back, you manipulated me. I didn't like it. On Hapes, I dragged you into some situations you didn't care for," Jaina said, putting it lightly. "I gave you plenty of trouble. We both lied to each other about what we intended and what we meant. Well, I thought when you decided you wanted to join my squadron, that it meant you'd forgiven me. When I accepted, it meant I'd forgiven you. Did it mean that, or didn't it?"
"It did."
"So are we partners, or aren't we?"
"Well, we are. At least so long as Twin Suns Squadron holds out," Kyp replied.
Jaina sighed. She had a feeling she knew why she and Kyp got along now. They were too much alike in this regard. "No, don't do that. Every time we link through the Force, I can feel you preparing yourself for the day you have to cut loose and run. Believe me, I understand that. And you break the link fast so I won't know what you're doing, not that it's done you any good. I want you to quit doing that. I want you to quit thinking about going off and being by yourself. I know your brother's dead, your family's dead, your last squadron is dead, and I'm sorry. But you don't have to leave, and you don't have to be alone, whether I'm here or not."
"Uhh. I also don't want to be in the way," he admitted. "In your way. Between you and, you know. Jaina, it's uncomfortable."
At first she didn't understand why it should be, since she'd told him about John back on Chandrila. But it was the first time he was seeing them together, and he'd sort of been advocating Jag as the person best able to help her mend her soon-to-be-broken heart on Hapes when she'd decided to stay here. She had to wonder if he hadn't done the same thing she had: pass up something you wanted because you didn't think you'd be around much longer. "Yeah, I know," she nodded. "And it's got to be confusing. It is to me as well. Is it going to make you leave?"
"It should."
"Then you should leave now and stop wavering."
Kyp stood. "You're right. I'm sorry I-"
"Sit down." Apparently he didn't understand that that had not been his cue.
He sat, looking surprised both at her tone, and the fact that he'd seemingly obeyed without thinking. "That's better. Kyp, it's uncomfortable because partnerships are uncomfortable. Families are uncomfortable. I know mine is. You have to put up with the discomfort because the only alternative is to lose everything," Jaina said. "Once upon a time, you were kind of a kid brother to my father. I don't care about that. That relationship doesn't make you my uncle. You have a relationship with me. It's not boyfriend-girlfriend. It's no longer Master-apprentice. I think we both know that neither of these is right. It's partners, whatever that means. Whatever we figure out for it to mean. So- once again- are we partners, or do you go off to die alone?"
Kyp sighed. "I see you inherited your father's considerable powers of negotiation."
It was an insult. Jaina didn't bite. "That's right. So?"
"So we're partners."
"Good."
"This wouldn't by chance be part of your plan to get out of going back to Earth, would it?"
"No," said Jaina, shaking her head. "We settled that. If you're not my Master, you can't really order me, now can you?"
"I don't recall it doing a lot of good when I was..." he pointed out.
She waved that away. "Besides, we made a deal, and I'm sticking to it."
Kyp's eyebrows raised in surprise. "You'd go back? Voluntarily?" He looked down, pinching the skin of his hand with his thumb and forefinger. "No, not dreaming."
"I will start kicking you under the table and that is not very goddesslike."
"So if you're going back, what was this whole talk for?" he wondered. "Not that I'm sorry to see you go back to a place where you might smile now and then."
"Because I'm going to be back here, too," Jaina answered. "I've talked to Wedge about more frequent visits, and have put in a couple of calls to Admiral Kre'fey. The goddess thing can explain my absence. I still have to work out some details, but we did just agree that this goes longer than Twin Suns, regardless."
"We did. Which probably means I shouldn't cancel my trip back there, Master or not."
Jaina frowned. "What?"
Kyp grinned at her. "What can I say, I was curious to see this school of yours, and after hearing about it from Han, how could I not go to check up?"
"Please tell me you're not," she said, trying not to gape. It was ungoddesslike, much like kicking him under the table to tell him to stop.
"Afraid I'll embarrass you?"
"Afraid you'll irritate a former Sith lord to the dark side."
"Nonsense," he said. "I'm a joy to be around."
"You can go now."
*****
In the end, Jaina lucked out and got to see the end of the Borleias occupation. When it was time to go, the New Republic forces staged a fight, sacrificing the Lusankya by ramming it into the Yuuzhan Vong worldship, effectively ending both things. Jaina even got to play her role of Trickster Goddess like she had on Hapes, though there was much less suicide mission involved this time. Sharr and Piggy's help had paid off, and utilizing her gravitic signature trick along with the techniques she'd perfected with Jag and Kyp, she'd been able to escape capture and deliver damage to the enemy. Also, she'd learned that hearing Luke Skywalker call her things like "Exalted One" over the comms was one of the weirdest things ever.
In the melee that followed the battle, their forces had abandoned Borleais, but it had definitely been a victory for them. It'd been a while, and it was a much-needed morale boost. Though people were scattered till they could regroup, Jaina and John were aboard the Rebel Dream with her family and Twin Suns, though it wouldn't be too long before they took off on their own. And knowing she had a limited time before heading back, Jaina knew she had to have another of those potentially uncomfortable talks.
She arranged for Jag to meet her in a conference room, not wanting to give the wrong signal by inviting him anywhere more personal. She couldn't tell anything by his expression when he arrived, but he raised an eyebrow and asked, "You called me from a meeting?"
Okay, she'd done less arranging and more sending an "underling" to go get him. Details. "Just think, you're helping to perpetuate my incredible status here," Jaina said. "I wanted to talk to you."
"I assumed as much, in large part due to the Gamorrean."
"What are your plans now?" she asked, ignoring him.
"I suppose that depends on what's next for Twin Suns," Jag answered, and she knew him well enough to know when he was trying to anticipate whatever was coming next.
Jaina smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that. I'm going to be returning to Earth for a while."
"So you're disbanding the squadron."
"No. I'd actually like you to lead it in my absence," she corrected. "I'll be going up and back, and when I'm around you'd better believe I want my squadron, but I need someone to hold it together while I'm away. At least for now."
Jag considered this. "I doubt Shawnkyr would mind keeping Vanguard Squadron for a bit longer," she said. It was a lie, and while his second-in-command's issue with Jaina was clearer now, she didn't care enough to nitpick when he was agreeing. "It would have to be temporary, though."
"I'm not trying to keep you away from your squadron," Jaina assured him. "I just trust you best with mine."
He nodded, staying very professional. "If that's all-"
"It's not. I can trust you, right?"
He visibly bristled. It was probably wrong of her, but she still liked messing with him. "I think I've done more than enough to prove I'm trustworthy."
"I'm speaking personally. I just had to have another of these talks, and I want to make sure the air's nice and clear. Where does all of this leave us?"
"I suppose that's up to you as well," Jag said.
Jaina shook her head. "Except it's not. I'm with John, and he's not going away anytime soon. And if things were different... well, I don't know," she admitted. "But they're not. I like having you on my side, Jag. But it's up to you whether or not you want to be there. So. Your decision. Friends?"
She held her hand out, and he didn't respond for such a long moment that she didn't think he would. Finally he took it to shake, nodding. "Friends."
This time her smile was more relieved that anything. Dropping his hand, she said, "Now back to your meeting, Colonel."
He almost- almost- smiled at her before he spun around and left her alone in the room.
[NFB, NFI, OOC okay. A portion of the dialogue taken from Rebel Stand by Aaron Allston. See, this is what happens when it's all fighty.]