Bakura- Saturday night Fandom time

[solo_sword]

Jaina had spent part of her night in a prison, part of her night helping a prisoner escape and then hanging out with a bunch of young revolutionaries until they got caught, and the rest of her night on the run with the Rodian member of the team, trying to mislead their followers away from Malinza.

It had been a really. long. night. Which was to say nothing for how bad her morning was.

Because it meant that when she woke up in the moving landspeeder, she had a stinging pain in her back from where she'd been shot with the blaster set to stun, and a hood over head. The blaster had been set on high, too, which she was going to blame for the question she asked, knowing she wouldn't get an answer. "Where are you taking me?"

"To meet someone," Salkeli replied. See, that was not an answer.

"Who?"

"It's not important," the Rodian said, again with the non-answer. "He has money, and that's all that concerns me right now."

Her focus was all of out whack right now, so there wasn't much she could do to invade his mind at the moment. This was a situation in which she thought she was completely justified there. "You betrayed them," she said disgustedly.

"Do you mean Freedom?" he asked.

She was afraid to ask who else he may have betrayed. "You sold them out."

"They did it to themselves. I mean, what do they expect? You go up against the big cannons, you have to expect to get shot."

"But you were the one pulling the trigger."

"Better that than be on the receiving end. Besides, if they hadn't caused so much trouble, this might never have happened."

"So they were getting close to someone?" Jaina asked interestedly.

"You really think you're going to get any information out of me?" He laughed. "I don't think so, Jedi."

Shaken focus or not, she was trying to put as much persuasion behind her words as possible when she spoke. "You could just release me. I'm of no importance."

"You're right," he said. "So I might as well shoot you now and be done with it."

When she got hit with the stun bolt this time, she dimply thought that that was not what she meant...

*****

The next time Jaina woke up, she was in a bright room and hating everything.

"Welcome back, Jaina."

She turned towards the voice, saw the green-faced blur, and hated everything a little more. "Salkeli, you treacherous little-" She was barely managing to sit up on a sofa in what looked to be a study, but she reached for her lightsaber-

"It's not there," said another voice. Her vision was still blurred, but she vaguely recognized the voice. "It's all right. No harm will come to you-if you behave yourself, that is."

Oh, ha. "Salkeli said someone wanted to talk to me," she said. "I presume that someone is you."

"You presume correctly."

"So where exactly am I?" she asked, looking around, half trying to focus her eyes. Getting hit once with a stunner was bad enough. Twice in a short amount of time at that voltage was knocking her off her game at a time she really needed it to be on.

"You are in my private chambers," the man answered. "These rooms are soundproofed and protected against all forms of electronic infiltration. The door is blast-proof, and its lock can only be opened by my thumbprint. Trust me when I say that you will not be leaving here without my consent."

Well that was creepy. "Yeah, I'm getting that impression."

She was starting to be able to make his face out, and recognize him as Deputy Minister Blaine Harris. Of course. The Prime Minister goes missing, you should probably look to the next in line for the job.

"Well?" he asked. "Will you cooperate?"

He was giving her the choice? "That all depends."

"On?"

"On what you plan to do with me, of course. And also what you did with the credits."

Harris frowned. "Credits? What credits?"

"The credits you've been siphoning from the Bakura treasury, of course," she said. She had no idea. She was theorizing on what she'd heard the members of Freedom talking about the previous night. "Freedom discovered the leaks; that's why you had Malinza put away. What I don't get, though, is what you wanted that much for in the first place. I mean, what could you buy with all those millions of credits?"

"Ah, yes." Harris nodded his understanding. "Salkeli told me something about your little theory. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Freedom fail to pin anything on me?"

"Yes, but I'm sure Vyram would have, if he'd been given the chance."

"I very much doubt that. You see, it really wasn't me who stole those credits," he said. "I don't care if you believe me or not. Because the truth is, it wasn't me. If I had access to that many credits, do you really think I'd be employing spies like this? "

Salkeli didn't even react to that. That said a lot.

"You're up to something," Jaina said, narrowing her eyes. Even while still recovering, she couldn't detect the lie. "I know it."

"Oh, I'm not denying that for a second," he said with a laugh. "It's just not what you think."

Before Jaina could inquire further, a buzzing sound came from the door, and Harris looked to Salkeli, who raised his blaster. "This could be it," he said, going back to his desk to check something, then looked at Jaina with a smile. "It would seem that the reinforcements have arrived. Quite unintentionally, I might add, but still..."

Salkeli took Jaina by the arm, pulling her up, and walked her to a corner of the room to stay out of sight with a blaster pointed under her chin and his hand over her mouth. When she was taken care of, Harris opened the door for three cloaked figures to rush in, and it took a second to realize who they were before they pulled off the hoods.

"We're in trouble," Malinza said, standing beside Vyram and Jjorg, both members of Freedom.

"What happened to Zel?" asked Harris, noticing the missing member of the team.

"He was shot when we fled the Stack," Malinza said, sounding maybe ready to cry. "They shot him, Blaine!"

"The main thing is that you're safe. Everything will be all right now."

"How can you say that? It was all we could do just to get here without being seen! And that's only because security is distracted by the ceremony. We're never going to be able to show our faces again unless you find out who's behind this!"

"Behind what, my dear?"

"Framing me for kidnapping, for one-then letting me escape to make it look like I'm guilty. I'll probably get blamed for Zel's death, as well!" And as Malinza said this, Jaina felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was one thing to be betrayed yourself. It was something else entirely to see it happen to someone else. "We've lost Salkeli, too. He created a diversion while we got away, but he didn't meet us at the rendezvous. I'm worried that-"

"You should know I'd never let myself be caught or killed, Malinza," Salkeli said, stepping into view with Jaina. At the very least, no one could probably think she was in on this.

Malinza looked absolutely stunned. "I- I don't understand."

"That is becoming increasingly obvious," Harris said, pulling a blaster from beneath his robe. "Your weapons on the floor, if you would be so kind."

"What do you intend to do?" Malinza asked, once their weapons were on the floor and Salkeli had shoved Jaina to stand with the others. There was a part of her that wondered how, exactly, she'd gotten pulled into this. Go to get a person's story and less than a day later you've been stunned- twice- had a blaster to your head and were being narrated at by the bad guy.

"The job you set out to do, of course," Harris answered. "Why else would I have funded you, Malinza, if our goals weren't the same in the first place? I'm going to unite the people against the Galactic Alliance. With the P'w'eck's help, I will make Bakura as safe as it can possibly be from outside invasion. We will govern our own destiny, forever. The only real difference between your plans and my own is that, when mine come to fruition, the people of Bakura will be united behind me, not you. Which is a shame, really, because it will be your tragic death that finally mobilizes them. That and the terrible betrayal of the Jedi who came to enslave us once again."

"What?" asked Malinza and Jaina at the same time.

"All will be made clear in due course, I assure you. Now, Salkeli, if you could bind their hands, please."

That was about when everything went wrong. Jaina had been kidnapped and held captive far too many times, and had learned when to speak and when to shut up, when to act and when to wait for a better moment. The others hadn't learned that yet. Which was why when Salkeli went to put the electronic binders on her, Malinza was fighting him off, and a second later Jjorg was rushing for Harris' blaster... which went off a second later to kill the woman.

Harris set the blaster on Jaina, the least likely to try to pull something at a time like this. That was okay. She'd take the attention away from the new kids. "Whatever you're thinking," he said, "I advise against it."

The instant Vyram moved, Jaina pulled him back. "He means it. That blaster's not set to stun."

"Why didn't you do something?" Malinza asked tearfully.

Jaina knew how that went, too. It was people's current problem with the Jedi; you have people who are powered, who are entrusted to protect, and when they can't do anything, that's where the anger is placed. She just shook her head.

Salkeli went back to binding them, but when he got to Jaina, she had that focus back enough. All she had to do was put the little suggestion into his mind, so when he'd finished his task, her binders still weren't locked. All she had to do was wait for the right time.

*****

She, Malinza and Vyram were taken to an equipment locker in the stadium, which was a big sign that something very bad was about to happen. Today was the P'weck Consecration Ceremony, where everyone in Bakura who could get there would be watching. If they were there, something had to be going down.

"A little bare for my tastes," Jaina said dryly. "But I guess it will do for now."

"As good a place as any to die, you think?" Harris stood beside her and gestured to the box in the room, the only thing there save for the people. "Take a look at the box; tell me what you see."

Jaina looked over at it, shrugging, "A remote detonator?"

"Very good," said Harris. "Now press the red button."

She laughed at the absurdity of that. "You can't be-"

Harris raised his blaster to Malinza's forehead. "Do it. Or I shoot the girl."

He would do it. Jaina knew that much. There wasn't much she could do yet. She still wasn't sure she was up to a huge fight, and if she tried something while he had a gun pointed at Malinza, she'd die anyway. If there was a bomb somewhere, they could disable it. If she'd ever seen a Bund movie, she'd be making a comparison between those villains and Harris, so it there'd be time, if only for him to finish one of his speeches.

"Okay," said Jaina, careful to keep her wrists solidly together as she pushed the button.

The timer began counting down from ten minutes. That was still enough.

"You know," she said, "blowing up the stadium isn't going to help relations with the P'weck."

"If that was my intention," he said, "then yes, I have no doubt that such an action would seriously compromise relations with the P'weck. But it's not. Well, not the entire stadium, anyway. Just the part where my enemies are seated."

"Prime Minister Cundertol?" she asked, and even as she said that, it clicked. "My parents?"

Harris smiled. It was not a nice smile. "Yes, my dear. What will become evident when the pieces are put together is that you planted the bomb to derail the treaty with the P'weck. The Jedi didn't want Bakura to leave the Galactic Alliance, and they were prepared to stop at nothing to prevent this from happening. Your parents, unfortunately, were simply necessary sacrifices to the cause. Thinking that you were helping her, Malinza Thanas was convinced by you to kidnap me and force your way into the stadium, where a bomb awaited. But just in time, your evil plans were discovered by the misguided but loyal young Malinza who, at the cost of her own life and the lives of her friends, helped release me. Alas, not in time to prevent the detonation of the bomb. The Prime Minister will be killed, along with much of the Senate."

"And you step in to make sure the ceremony goes ahead as planned, right?" Jaina assumed.

"In memory of the brave Malinza Thanas, of course," he added, still smiling. "It's all rather poetic, don't you think?"

"It's abominable," Malinza said.

Suddenly the seven and a half minutes Jaina had didn't seem like so much time. Yes, he apparently talked for two and a half minutes. And the right time just wasn't coming.

And then Harris was pulling out Jaina's lightsaber, igniting it. "There remains only one thing to do to make the story watertight. If the Jedi really are to be the enemy, our hero needs some realistic wounds. Don't you think?"

Okay, no. Sakeli was grinning like a sadist and Malinza was backing away with Vyram trying to step between her and Harris, and as soon as he'd raised the lightsaber to bring it down on either one of them, Jaina pulled her wrists apart, knocking the unlocked binders off and yanked the lightsaber back to her own hand instead.

Salkeli turned his blaster on her, but she was too quick, rolling out of the way in order to put herself in the right position to kick his legs out from under him, and then she was back on her feet, deflecting shots from Harris' blaster, ad then she was moving fast enough that Harris didn't have a chance to react before she'd managed to get close enough to knock him on the head with the pommel of her lightsaber. One down.

Malinza had Salkeli pinned by now, which impressed Jaina. Two down.

"Here, give me your hands." She cut the binders free from their wrists, and then when she turned, she saw the remote detonator. One of the stray bolts that had been fired had hit it, half-melting the box. "How much longer did we have on the timer?"

Vyram shook his head. "I have no idea."

"You've lost, Jedi!" Salkeli cackled, still pinned under Malinza.

"Not yet, we haven't," she said, grabbing him under the chin. Her lightsaber was lit, and close to his face. She wouldn't use it, but scaring him? She could do that. "Tell me where the bomb is, and tell me now."

"Not that you can do anything to stop it now, anyway, but it's under the premium stalls, tucked safely away behind a ferrocrete support," Salkeli replied.

"But it still doesn't help us because we're trapped in here!" Malinza protested.

The sound of pounding on the door stopped them short, and Jaina bit back the relief. There wasn't time for it. She'd felt Tahiri approaching, but if they couldn't get the door open, that didn't do them any good. Jaina disengaged her lightsaber, heading to the Rodian and searching his pockets until she found her comlink. She'd missed that thing, even if she'd never admit it. "Tahiri, can you hear me?"

"Jaina? We're right here outside the door!" Tahiri commed back.

"I know. Can you get it open, though?"

She had to wait for the answer. "The code sequence might take a minute or two to get through, but yes, we should be able to get you out."

"We don't have a minute or two, Tahiri. Listen: there's a bomb. You have to get to it and defuse it," she said, and instructed her on where to find it.

"How long do we have?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm guessing not much. There was a ten-minute timer, and it's already been ticking away for some time. You'd better get going while I find out how to disarm it."

Once Tahiri had rushed off, Jaina crouched down beside Salkeli. "How do I disarm the bomb, Salkeli?"

"How should I know?" he growled. "And what makes you think I'd tell you even if I did? I've already told you too much."

"I'll try again," she said, this time attaching persuasion to her words. "How do I disarm the bomb?"

"It can't be deactivated now," Salkeli answered obediently.

As good as she was with the suggestions and mind tricks, she had to have done that wrong. "There has to be a way!" she said, and tried again. "Now tell me what it is, Salkeli. How is the bomb disarmed?"

"The remote detonator," he said, grinning at the box. "But like I said, there's no way to disarm it now."

This couldn't be happening. DAMMIT, THEY DIDN'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! A stadium full of people, including her parents, with a bomb about to go off, and there was no way to stop it. And she'd pushed the button.

"I'm almost there," Tahiri commed back. "Do you have the information?"

And she'd just sent Tahiri down there. "Tahiri, I don't think it can be disarmed."

"What?"

"Harris rigged it so that it can't be switched off without the remote detonator- and that's been destroyed."

"There has to be a way, Jaina."

"There isn't. I've seen devices like these before. We're lucky it didn't automatically go off early."

"Then what are going to do? "

"We try to warn Mom and Dad, and get them to alert Cundertol. If we're quick enough, they might be able to clear the stand and get everyone away before-"

"How much time do we have?"

"I still don't know, Tahiri. But not much, so get out of there as quickly as possible, okay?"

Jaina couldn't get her mother on the comlink, as the signal in the sealed room wasn't great, so she sent a message through the Force and hoped that was enough.

"I've found it," said Tahiri over the comm. "I have the bomb right here in front of me."

How did this keep getting worse? "What are you still doing in there, Tahiri? I told you to get out!"

"I'm going to try to disarm it."

"Tahiri, do as I tell you! Just get out of there and try to warn the others!"

"Jaina, we don't know how much time we have. What if they can't clear everyone out in time?"

"You don't know what you're doing, though!"

"Then I'll just have to improvise, won't I?" Tahiri said.

The time was counting down, and they couldn't have more than a minute or two left, which was part of the reason Jaina said what she did. "Why? So you can die like Anakin?" Immediately she wanted to take it back. It was bad timing, and she was stressed, and she had a million excuses for it. "Tahiri, I'm-"

"You don't trust me, do you, Jaina?" Tahiri asked.

"You don't have to prove anything to me, Tahiri. Please, just-"

"I can do it! I know I can."

*****

In the end, there just wasn't enough time. While Tahiri, incredible enough, was saved from the resulting blast, Jaina could feel the pandemonium topside, and it was made worse by flashes of what her mother was seeing. People were dead because she'd made the stupid assumption that she could fix it all with enough time. When she got to the surface, she gave her story so that people would know what had happened, and then tried to help by lending what minor healing he could, or by assisting in pulling people from the rubble.

And then things got worse. You'd think that would go without saying by now.

While she was working with Han and Leia in the rescue efforts, the P'wecks recommenced the ceremony. When that was over, the P'weck troopships appeared in the sky, and soon after that, the Ssi-ruuk invaded Bakura. Apparently, everyone was just double crossing everyone here, including Prime Minister Cundertol, who'd sold out his planet to a species who wanted to harvest their life energy. Except then the P'weck, who had seemed to be aiding the Ssi-ruuk, turned on them instead.

Yeah, Jaina was confused, too. Which was why when the chance came, she did the simple thing, and went after the bad guy to bring him in.

She chased Cundertol through the corridors of the stadium, marveling at how fast the man was. If she startled people she passed, she didn't stop to explain, because she couldn't allow him to get away. After a while, she began to tire, but he never seemed to. And she had some pretty good stamina here, along with the Force to aid here. She was glad for the break when the footsteps finally stopped in a dark hall, peering around the corner and not seeing him there.

"You must know you're not going to get away with this, Cundertol.

"No? And I suppose you're going to stop me, girl?" he called back.

She couldn't tell where his voice was coming from, which was problematic. "That's my intention, yes." She frowned, unable to place him.

"I'm afraid that the best intentions can often count for nothing," he said, and then she was aware of him dropping down behind her. The hell? "Not when survival is at stake."

Jaina spun around to hit him, but he caught her arm and knocked her back easily. That wasn't right. She was small, but he wasn't supposed to be able to do that. She pushed off the wall and before she could even connect with a fist to his head, he'd managed to hit her hard enough to send her sprawling across the floor. She flipped up onto her feet before he could get to her, swinging at him with her lightsaber to keep him away.

He feinted, then ducked under the blade to punch her in the chest so hard it knocked her off her feet again. Her lightsaber went flying from her hand when she fell, but that was actually a secondary concern to whether or not she could breathe.

Or not, because Cundertol was already standing over her. "You put up a good fight," he said.

"It isn't over yet," she said, sending her lightsaber flying towards him.

It was already lit, so he could hear it coming. Before he could move out of the way, though, the blade sliced into his arm. While he screamed and moved back, Jaina got back to her feet, even though she really shouldn't have been trying under normal circumstances. She retrieved her lightsaber, but by the time she was standing and armed again, he'd already started running, holding his arm.

She managed a breath and was about to take off after him again, but she heard people up behind her, and then her mother calling for her and asking if she was all right.

Jaina nodded, waving down the corridor. "Cundertol," she said. "He went that way."

"Don't worry, kid. We'll get him," Han assured her, and he started in the direction Cundertol had gone, along with a small army of human and P'weck.

"Be careful!" she called after them.

Leia slid her arms around Jaina's shoulders, guiding her to sit, but Jaina stayed crouched, wanting to be ready if she had to be. Getting up once had been bad enough. Besides, she felt really nauseous.

"You'll be okay," Leia told her. "It'll be all right."

No, not really. She had skills Han and the others didn't, she trained most everyday, and he'd wiped the floor with her. Even after she'd cut off his arm-

She didn't know why, exactly, she shrugged Leia off to move towards the arm lying on the ground. It must have looked morbid, and in fact it was. She was looking at a severed arm. Not only that, but she was looking for blood. And trying to figure out why it smelled like cooked syntheflesh.

"It's okay, Jaina," Leia said, coming to stand behind her. "It's over now. They'll get him- especially if he's injured."

"No, they won't," said Jaina, who'd suddenly realized that she'd been fighting a droid.


[Yadda yadda you know the drill. Dialogue from Force Heretic II: Remnant by Sean Williams and Shane Dix. And yes I had to snark on bits. Look, it's a really bad trilogy, people.]