• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

She aimed her ship’s nose away from the planet and its multitude of satellites, out toward the stars, and wondered where her family was. Anakin was skipping around the galaxy with Booster Terrik, watching over his friend Tahiri. Her twin Jacen was with her mother and father, trying to set up Uncle Luke’s “great river”—a series of routes and safe houses designed to help Jedi escape the Yuuzhan Vong and their collaborationist shills. She had stayed behind, assuming Rogue Squadron would recall her any day.

Well, another day, another mistake. She briefly considered chucking it all and heading out, perhaps to find the Millennium Falcon and the greater part of her family.

But she had to stick it out. Rogue Squadron was worth fighting for, and eventually they would recall her. How could they afford anyone sitting out now?

Of course, the Yuuzhan Vong had been relatively quiet since Yavin 4—since Duro, as far as the idiot government was concerned. But that couldn’t last. Any thought that it could—that the enemy could be appeased by any number of sacrifices and concessions—was wishful thinking of a nearly criminal sort.

Her joy of flying was leaking out of her, swallowed by the sort of mental entropy that seemed to come with growing older. She considered going back, but if she had to sulk out here or down there, she might as well do it out here.

She was still fighting the downward emotional spiral when the comm demanded attention.

It was Aunt Mara, and she sounded more troubled than Jaina felt.

“Jaina, where are you?” Mara asked.

“Just out. What’s the matter?”

“We’re taking the Jade Shadow up. Meet me, will you? It’s important.” She ticked off a list of coordinates.

“Sure,” Jaina replied. “Laying that course now.”

“And Jaina—keep your eyes open. Trust no one.”

“Mara, what—?”

“We’ll discuss it when we rendezvous.”

Great, Jaina thought. What else could be going wrong? But it could be almost anything, including some possibilities too terrible even to contemplate.

Luke and Mara decided not to risk being seen boarding the Jade Shadow. They made their way with an occasional pass of the hand and a suggestion backed by the Force. Some wouldn’t remember them at all; others would not be able to recall their faces, though both were well known.

Taking off was a little trickier, but Mara hadn’t lost her knack, managing to secure a launch authority using a fake transponder ID and then filing a flight plan to orbit. As Luke watched Coruscant dwindle, he felt, oddly, a strange elation, a kind of freedom he hadn’t known he missed. He glanced over at Mara.

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine, now. I contacted Jaina. She’ll meet us in orbit.” She eased the angle of their climb and glanced at Luke. “This is the right thing to do, you know.”

“I’m still not sure.”

“It’s done, now. Where are we going, by the way?”

“We’ll find Booster first,” he decided. “I’ve arranged a way for us to contact him. He’ll have some of the medical facilities you need, at least. After that—the Jedi need a haven, a base to operate from. I’ve already done preliminary searching. That will have to wait, though. Your health is our first priority right now.”

She nodded. “I am going off the drug.”

“And risk your illness coming back, full-blown?”

She pursed her lips. “That’s a risk, but right now it looks like the lesser of two.” She made a face at her instruments. “By the way,” she said, “looks like your first priority has been bumped back. I’ve got planetary security hailing us and at least four ships on an intercept course.”

Luke opened to the hail and activated the visual communications array.

“Jade Shadow, this is planetary security.” The screen showed a pale gold Bothan male. “You must return to ground immediately. Slave yourselves to us for escort.”

Luke smiled tightly. “This is Luke Skywalker of the Jade Shadow. We’re outward bound and not prepared to turn back.”

The Bothan looked extremely uncomfortable. “I have my orders, Master Skywalker. Please help me carry them out with minimum