Star Wars_ Fate of the Jedi 04_ Backlash - Aaron Allston [8]
Jaina nodded. That was a given. The GA Chief of State, Natasi Daala, was no fan of the Jedi and would oppose any military action unilaterally initiated by the Jedi Order. But the Sith were a menace recognized chiefly by the Jedi; to the population at large, they were either fairy-tale monsters or just another philosophical Order, little different from the Jedi themselves. In fact, Jaina’s brother Jacen had, at different times, been both Jedi and Sith, and had blurred the distinction between them in the public eye.
“Make sure I get invited to the meeting,” Jaina said. “If the Sith are under discussion, the Sword of the Jedi needs to be there.” She had a distaste for referring to the title that had been conveyed upon her during the Yuuzhan Vong War, but at times like this it needed to be invoked.
Cilghal nodded again. “The Sword of the Jedi needs to be lit and swinging at the enemy.”
MILLENNIUM FALCON, ABOVE DATHOMIR SPACEPORT
Han looked down through his viewport at the unpromising spectacle of the grassy field and prefabricated domes that constituted Dathomir’s preeminent spaceport. He sighed and shook his head. He was going to need to call some backup, because if Luke and Ben were down there somewhere hunting Sith, the last thing he was going to do was let Leia go looking for them alone, and Dathomir was the last place you’d want to leave a little girl to her own devices—especially a Force-sensitive girl who just happened to be the Chume’da of the Hapan Consortium, the supposedly deceased daughter of Jacen Solo and former Jedi Knight, Queen Tenel Ka.
That last, of course, was a well-kept secret, necessary to protect young Allana’s life. To everyone but close family, the little girl now seated in Leia’s lap in the copilot’s seat to his right was “Amelia,” a child Han and Leia had adopted to help heal their grief over the loss of their two sons. Almost from toddlerhood, Allana had learned to cultivate the deception in public, even if she didn’t understand the reasons for it.
Now she squirmed around and looked at Han. “What’s wrong, Grandpa? Is it a bad place to land?”
“No, sweetie. I can land the Falcon during a groundquake and keep your cup of milk steady. It’s just a bad place.”
Leia snickered. “Believe it or not, your grandpa used to own this planet. For a few weeks, and not entirely legally. He had some bad times here. With Witches, and monsters, and an Imperial admiral who just wouldn’t go away, and a rich, handsome prince who wanted to marry me.”
“You’re making all that up.”
Leia shook her head. “The prince was your other grandfather, Isolder.”
Allana’s eyes got round. “Isolder was going to marry you?”
Leia nodded. “He wanted to. But I was in love with Han, despite his—”
Han cleared his throat. He looked uncomfortable. “Forget that part.”
Allana blinked and looked thoughtful. “So, no matter what, you were going to be my grandmother.”
Leia’s features blanked. Han knew the little girl’s words had caught Leia by surprise and made her really think, something Allana did far more often than most adults of Leia’s acquaintance.
Finally, she smiled down at the girl. “You know, the Jedi say that the future is always in motion. Meaning, even when we think that things are supposed to happen, sometimes they don’t. But I think you’re right. No matter what, I think I was always destined to be your grandmother.”
“Good.”
Han allowed the two to share a tender moment, then suggested, “Allana, go check on Anji. You know how nervous she gets when we come in for a landing.”
“Yeah.” Allana looked up at her grandmother. “You should have seen all the nexu barf when we landed on Shedu Maad!”
“I did see it,” Leia reminded