Odd.


Five years before Logan would have been happy if Jai had been killed. Now he was comforting her like a father. SHe had lost her husband, the Jedi Knight Biggs Darklighter II.

So very odd.


"Are you all right?" Logan asked Jai.

She didn't say anything, she just tried to fight back the tears. They were onboard Logan's personal Star Destroyer, in orbit around Almania. Logan had recalled it from the NR/RE border with permission from Emperor Fearsons.


"Mahk, Sajikihm, did you make Mr. Metoblis comfortable?"

The elder Noghri, Sajikihm stepped forward and brought his hands to either side, a sign of respect.

"Yes my lord. He is resting in his quarters"

"Good. Tell him that I would like to see him after he is rested"

"Yes my lord" Sajikihm said.

Logan sat down beside Jai.

"He died with honor. He died in service to life. That is what the Jedi order stands for."

He turned and looked at the stars...

..and remembered.

<!--EZCODE CENTER START--><!--EZCODE CENTER END-->

<!--EZCODE BOLD START-->

"Joren?"

Joren Logan rolled over in the bed to look up at his wife, who was sitting up.

"Yes Keira?"

"How long are you going to be this time?"

"A few weeks"

"Oh"

He frowned as he looked at her.

"Hon, I have to. Admiral Horn and I will be gone for a few weeks. We are going to Myrkr to establish a garrison there"

"Why? I thought Tarkin wanted you to set up The New Alliance as a fallback. Just in case the Empire needed protection on some of its Outer-Rim worlds."

"Yes. Bastion, Yaga Minor, Muunilist, and a few others"

"You didn't answer my question"

Logan frowned. You couldn't divert her attention. There was just no way.

"The New Alliance is going to break away from the Imperial Remnants. I am no longer going to allow them to take young Almanian men off to die in battle on a far away world"

"So...you need Myrkr....?"

"Perimeter defense. We need to establish outer bases and shipyards"

"Oh"

He caught that frown again.

"Don't worry. Everything will be back to normal once I get back"

"If you say so...."

<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->

The reflection of Jai's sea-green tinted contacts looked back at her as she stared through the viewport in her quarters. Her YT-1300 was tucked safely away in the cargohold and some of her things had been moved into a visitors suite on Logan's SD.

Jai's cheeks were stained with the tracks of her tears. She hadnt stopped crying since she heard the news of Biggs. The tears had slowed, considerably, but not stopped.

She wasn't sure what to do...Jai and Biggs' marriage had always been a "odd" one. They met in the swamps of Naboo...dated on Coruscant...been married on Corellia...and then, pretty much, went their own seperate ways. It wasn't like she had ever been dependant of him, or he of her...

She scoffed and spoke aloud, "Who am I kidding? That crazy Jedi couldn't do anything without me...except get killed." She shuddered at her own words...<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> killed<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->. The word repeated painfully in the silence, overshadowed only by her shuddering breaths.

Then something hit her...a realization...Beau and Brenna, the Darklighter Twins. They had no idea, she supposed. Then she realized that she would have to be the one to tell them. The very thought made her blood run cold. What would she say? What would they do?

How do you tell two five year olds that the father they loved more than anything was suddenly gone? Beauregard would take it alright. He hadn't been too terribly close to Biggs. But Brenna? She would be heartbroken; "Daddy's Little Angel" would go into shock.

Jai sighed and bit her bottom lip softly. What to do...what to do...

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Joren!<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->

Logan sat up straight in his bed. He had been sleeping and he thought he heard Keira's voice.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> I'm getting too old<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> He thought.

Now he was hearing things in his sleep. What next?

He got out of his bed and put his New <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Republic<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> uniform on and walked out of his quarters. As he waited for the turbolift to come down he thought he heard something. When he turned around, there was Mahk standing quietly a few meters behind him.

Logan thought this was odd because he hadn't told Mahk that he wasn't in his quarters.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> I should have known<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->...

The turbolift came down and Logan set it for the hangarbay.

He knew Jai would be down there. After a few minutes he and Mahk got off and headed for the YT-1300 that was sitting there.

Jai sat in the lounge of her <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Millennium Jade Falcon<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->. She was still in her robe; her usually ponytail-confined hair was down and brushing her shoulders. Tears from her eyes had made a tiny puddle on the sabacc table on which her head was rested. Her face was emotionless, and her eyes were distant.

The lounge might have seemed an odd place to reflect to some, but Jai was just anyone...the lounge of her ship held many memories. Many fond, happy memories of many years ago, back when it was ships, smuggling, and sex. The thought made Jai smirk...

Five years ago she was Jaina Solo: wild, brash,...and single. Young Darklighter had stolen her heart away from his own Master with thier first introduction. A simple 'hello' and Jai was head over heels. One of the first presents Biggs had ever given her was this sabacc table...which....had double as a make-out spot more than once. Jai smiled through her tears for a moment, then came to the horroring thought that she wouldn't feel Biggs' touch agian.

With that, she buried her face in her hands and wept...but stopped suddenly and tried to hold back, as best she could, when she heard footsteps approaching...

A hand came down on Jaina's shoulder as she was turning. Logan was standing there and Mahk had positioned himself at the bottom of the ramp.

"Mind if I sit down?"

Jai forced a smile, and motioned to the chair opposite the bench and across the sabacc table from her.

"Not at all..."

She looked out at Mahk. "There's enough room for three, Puss-in-Boots.", she teased.

Logan sat down and smiled.

"Jaina, the bridge informs me that we have made contact with a Super Star Destroyer. The <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Night Hammer<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->. Your children are aboard. We will be coming up on it in about two days"


OOC: Sorry 'bout the convo. @#%$ cell phone died. I'll talk when I can, I may be out of it for a few days.

Jai brighten noticeably and smiled.

"Really? That's great, Joren. Thanks."

She thought for a moment, "You know. Instead of just dropping me and the <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Jade Falcon<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> off, your welcome to stay a bit. The only people aboard the ship, besides the essential crew, are the children and thier nanny, Sirra. So there's plenty of room for you and Mahk."

Joren nodded.

"I would love to meet you children"

<!--EZCODE UNDERLINE START--><!--EZCODE BOLD START--> A few days later...<!--EZCODE BOLD END--><!--EZCODE UNDERLINE END-->

Logan and Jai stepped off her YT-1300 into a massive docking bay on the SSD-<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> KnightHammer<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->. Mahk was close behind, as always. A droid retrieved their bags and Jai offered to give them a tour.


<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> 10. Bottom-Most Level: Matinence Area and Brig.<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->
She first took them on the deck below them, "Not much to see here guys. But no-one's in the brig at the moment...so I'm assumeing things have been well while I was gone."

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> 9. Lesser Hangar Bay<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->: for smaller craft.
<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> 8. Greater Hangar Bay<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->: for bigger craft.
There wasn't much to see here...so Jai skipped these and took the turbolift up to the next level.

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> 7. Barracks Level<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->
"This is, of course, where the crew of the <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> KnightHammer<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> live when they are on-duty. We tried to conform each room to suit the crewmember personally and to remind him of home."

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> 6. Kitchen<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->
"This place is kinda self-explanitory. Down that way is the Mess Hall, a casual dineing room where the crew eats. The other corridor leads to the Formal Dineing Hall and the Banquet Room."

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> 5. Recreation Level<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->
"Everyone comes here to relax and kick back. We've got any and every kind of game you can think of. A small section is cut off from the rest...that's my private sabacc tables. We tried to discourage the crew from gambleing...but with me challengeing them all the time, Biggs gave up."

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> 4. Living Quarters<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->
Jai showed them the next level. It was cushy and homey and looked like an expanded version of any typical Corellian home. There were portraits on the walls, but the ones that caught one's eye the most were of Jai's children:
Beau---


Bren---



Living room, dineing room, kitchen, den...fireplace, bathrooms, bedrooms, guest rooms...it even smelled like a cozy, little house.
"This is my family's personal, private living quarters. The Master bedroom's the last door down the hall. The Children's bedroom and playroom are up from that. Two bathrooms--- complete with shower, tub, <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> and<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> sauna---are up from that....And then the guest rooms are here on the end."
She showed them the lavish rooms...thier luggage was already there.
"And Mahk, there's no need to worry about Joren...my home and my ship are very secure. The crew isnt allowed in here. And I'm sure my children and thier nanny pose no threat to him."

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> 3. The Hoth Level<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->
Jai showed off the next level after Joren and Mahk had taken some time to settle in.
"This is the Hoth Level, as we call it. It's model to be snowy all the time...Biggs and I sort of spoiled the children on thier 5th birthday with it."
As she opened the door, she was pelted by a snowball to the chin...

"What tha?!"

"Mommy!!!" A little girl, no taller than the snow-drift she'd been hideing behind came running up to Jai.

"Brenna!"

Jai kneeled down and grabbed the little girl up in her arms when she reached her. "How's my little angel, eh?"

"Purty good...but I can't feel my nose."

Jaina laughed, "That's probably because you've been in here playing too long. Where's Sirra? She should've made you get warmd up long ago."

Brenna didn't pay much attention to what Jai had said, she was too busy gapeing at Mahk in horror. You had to admit, Mahk wasn't exactly "kid-tested, mother-approved" material.

Jai smirked when she saw what had Bren's attention. She picked her young daughter up and held her close. She motioned to Logan and said, "Joren, this is my daughter...Brenna Marie. Bren, say hello to Mr. Logan."

Brenna's cheeks turned red and she looked shyly at Logan, "Hewwo, Mista Logan." The little girl kept glanceing at Mahk, more curious than scared by him...


(I'll finish the last two level's on the next post...just had to stop here, hehe)