Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine except for the ones I make 
up. They all belong to Lucasfilm, yada, yada, yada, you get the picture....

Note: This story takes place when the twins are about 16 or 17 and I 
started writing it before "Crisis at Crystal Reef" so I didn't know they 
would graduate. But I am still using that book in the story, if you know 
what I mean, like it still happened but they didn't graduate. So they're 
graduating now.


The day had finally come. Today, Jaina, her brother, and their companions 
were becoming real Jedi Knights. She had of course, anticipated the day but 
Jaina felt a strange ache deep inside her. She was excited about becoming a 
Jedi, but the thought of parting with her friends was almost too much for 
her to bear. At first she wasn't able to pinpoint why she felt so saddened 
until the evening before when she, Jacen, Tenel Ka, Lowie, and Zekk had all 
been walking through the jungle. Tenel Ka had brought up the subject of 
where they would all go and ironically they were all going separate ways. 
Zekk would be staying at the Jedi academy, not ready to become a Jedi Knight 
yet, Jacen was going to be a smuggler, Tenel Ka and Lowie would both be 
going to their homes, and Jaina would be going to Coruscant, to be a pilot 
for the New Republic. This had made everyone a little upset, but they made a 
pact to always keep in touch. But no one had been as upset as Jaina.
Now she stood in front of the mirror in her quarters, adding finishing 
touches to her hair and making sure she looked appropriate for this special 
occasion. She did not wear a dress though, but she wore a pair of black 
pants and a light blue shirt that left her arms bare. Her hair was in a 
braid with tiny curls hanging out at her temples, framing her face. She gave 
one last look at her hair before turning to look out the window and into the 
jungle. She had to put this place into her memory, and cherish it forever. 
She turned again to glance around her room. It was empty, save the few boxes 
that held her possessions and the duffel bag that held her clothing.
A knock at the door startled Jaina and without waiting for an answer, Jacen 
opened it.
"Hey Jaina could you-" He stopped and stared for a moment. Jaina raised her 
eyebrows, waiting. "Yes?" She asked.
"Wow!" Jacen said, "You look beautiful!"
Jaina smiled. "Thanks. You're lookin' pretty handsome yourself." He was 
dressed nice, as well, wearing a black vest over a white shirt and a pair of 
pants. He looked even more like their father Han Solo than usual. Jacen 
flashed her a Solo-style grin. "Why, thank you," he joked. "Well, anyway, 
what I was saying, we need to get down to the Grand Audience chamber. The 
ceremony is starting soon. We're gonna be late if we don't hurry."
"Okay," Jaina said, looking at herself in the mirror one last time. "What 
are we waiting for?" She turned and walked out the door with Jacen.
They headed down the corridor, towards the Grand Audience chamber. They 
were walking by Tenel Ka's room just as she emerged. She was wearing her 
freshly polished lizard hide outfit and a cape.
"Ah, my friends. I was hoping to catch you," she said. She ran cool gray 
eyes over the both of them and nodded approvingly. "You look very nice, my 
friends," she said.
"Thanks, Tenel Ka," Jacen said. "Hey, Jaina, why don't you go get Zekk 
while Tenel Ka and I go get Lowie?"
"Sure," Jaina said, "I'll meet you guys in the Grand Audience chamber, 
then?" Jacen nodded. "Okay, see you there." Jaina turned around and walked 
towards Zekk's room and Jacen and Tenel Ka went in the direction of Lowie's 
room.
When Jaina reached his room, she knocked softly on his door. "Zekk?" She 
said.
He came to the door looking nervous and flushed. "Oh, hi Jaina," he said. 
His eyes lit up when he saw her. He hadn't seen her this dressed up in a 
long time. "You look nice," he said, smiling faintly.
"Thank you," Jaina said, blushing a little at his compliment, "Well," Jaina 
went on, "let's get down to the Grand Audience chamber. Jacen, Tenel Ka and 
Lowie should be there already." She grabbed Zekks hand and pulled him along 
after her.
* * * * *

The Grand Audience chamber was filled with hundreds of Jedi students. Each 
one yawning and a little reluctant to be up so early, but still eager to see 
the older Jedi trainees become real Jedi Knights.
Mist rose up and came through the window slits in the Grand Audience 
chamber, and early morning sunshine filtered through them as well. The 
chamber was massive, beautiful, and enchanting. Within the walls of the 
Grand Audience chamber, it held tales of victory, defeat, and more pride 
than anyone could imagine. The whole ancient structure of the Jedi Academy 
held those tales, and would never stop telling them. And the spirit of 
victory, defeat, and pride would never die.
Master Luke Skywalker stood in front of the assembled Jedi students and 
spoke so that the entire room could hear him. But he did not have to speak 
very loudly, for the Jedi students were relatively quiet and the large room 
created an echo that gave the Jedi master a louder tone.
"The Force is like a thriving spirit," Luke began, "Never really dying. It 
always lives on; even when it's physical presence no longer exists. It will 
always remain strong, and if we as Jedi do not keep believing that, then its 
physical presence will surly vanish. And if we as Jedi do not carry on what 
we have learned then it will never be the same. But, if we believe, and 
carry on the Jedi way, then it will always remain strong, always give its 
strength to the people who need it the most." Luke paused, let his words 
sink into the young minds of the Jedi trainees assembled in front of him, 
and then he went on.
"Today, four of my students will graduate, and leave the academy," his 
emotions seemed to waver for a moment, but he continued. "My nephew Jacen, 
my niece Jaina, princess of Hapes Tenel Ka, and the wookiee Lowbacca." He 
gestured to them standing beside him. "Each of these students are very close 
to me. They have been here for almost three years now. They've mastered each 
lesson that I have devised for them, built their own lightsabers, and 
completed their training."
In unison, the four young Jedi pulled out their lightsabers and ignited 
them. Luke spoke once more. "You must go and become guardians for the 
galaxy, protectors of the New Republic. You must fight the dark side in all 
its manifestations." His last words came out in a whisper. "You are Jedi 
Knights now."
Jacen spoke, "I will take up the 'family business'" he flashed a lopsided 
grin as he said this, "as a smuggler. Then I'll return here and become a 
Jedi master."
"And I will go home to Coruscant and become a pilot for the New Republic," 
Jaina said and she looked directly at Zekk, who sat with the other Jedi 
trainees, as she spoke, and he stared back, not letting his emerald gaze 
drift or waver. Jaina went on, "and maybe visit home for a while. When I 
feel the time is right, I will come back here and become a Jedi master too."
Now Tenel Ka spoke, "I will return to my home also, and rule my planet with 
great pride. Then I will step down from the thrown and also return to Yavin 
4 to become a Jedi master as well."
Lowie growled a few unintelligible roars and EmTeeDee translated: "Master 
Lowbacca wishes to tell you that he will also go home to visit his family 
and then return here to become a great Jedi master also."
With that said, the four companions held their lightsabers high above their 
heads with pride, and Luke Skywalker spoke again, "I'm very proud of you 
all." Jaina noticed tears forming in her uncle's eyes, and the emotion of 
the moment nearly overwhelmed her. "Congratulations." Luke whispered.



With the ceremony over, Jacen, Jaina, Tenel Ka, Lowie, and Zekk stood 
outside the great temple, waiting for Han Solo to arrive. The former 
smuggler would give Jaina a ride back home to Coruscant. He would have 
given Jacen a ride too, but Tenel Ka had given the young man her ship, the 
Rock Dragon and he would use it as his smuggling ship. Tenel Ka had offered 
Jaina the ship as a goodbye present first, but Jaina said no and pointed out 
that Jacen would need it more. And Zekk had also offered the Lightning Rod 
as a gift to Jaina but again she said no. She knew they meant well but if 
she were to have her own ship, it wouldn't be one that had formerly belonged 
to one of her best friends. And she especially would not take the Lightning 
Rod from Zekk because she knew how much it meant to him. The ship had been a 
gift to Zekk from the man that practically raised him, Old Peckhum. Peckhum 
and Zekk had been extremely close and the death of the man, nearly a year 
ago, had had a large impact on Zekk, so Jaina surely could not take the 
ship. It was all that Zekk had left. But secretly, Jaina was terribly 
flattered.
The afternoon sun shone brightly onto the young companions as they waited. 
Not only Jaina waited for a ship to give her a ride, but also so did Tenel 
Ka. She would be getting a ride back to her home planet aboard one of the 
Hapan passenger cruisers that belonged to the royal house of Hapes. Jacen 
didn't want to leave yet, because he wanted to see Tenel Ka off and he 
wanted to see his father as well. Jacen would be giving Lowie a ride to 
Kashyyyk on the Rock Dragon, since he would be going that way, anyway.
The companions waited in silence, though they all knew they should be 
having one last conversation before they were all separated, but they were 
too subdued to even say a word. Finally, Jaina spoke. "We'll always be 
friends, right?" She asked, almost in a whisper.
"Of course, Jaina my friend. I would never forget any of you." Tenel Ka 
said, seeming more sorrowful than her emotions would usually allow. Lowie 
grumbled a low, sad growl. "Master Lowbacca wishes to tell you all he will 
miss you very much, and he will never forget the good times, the bad times, 
or the adventures we all had together." Jaina could tell by the look on the 
young wookiees face that the little translating droid had said exactly what 
Lowie had, no elaboration's at all. Jaina's heart filled with more pain and 
she struggled to keep herself from crying. "You guys will always be my best 
friends, and I'll never forget you." They all seemed to go through a tough 
emotional moment and then it passed when they heard the engine of a ship off 
in the distance.
Jaina looked up into the shy to see a silver disc shaped ship shoot through 
the clouds. "Dad," she said.
* * * * *
Han Solo bounded down the ramp of his beloved ship and swept his children 
up into a joyous hug. He had not seen them in about three months and he was 
extremely happy to see them.
"I missed you guys so much," Han said, kissing Jaina on the cheek and 
ruffling Jacens hair.
"We missed you too, Dad" Jaina said. She laughed as Jacen flinched when Han 
put his hand through his son's hair.
"I'm so proud of you two." Han said, pulling back from the embrace to look 
at them. "Wow, Jaina, you're a whole lot prettier than I remember!" Jaina 
blushed. "And you Jacen, well you almost look as good as I do." Jaina and 
the others laughed and it was Jacens turn to blush this time. Han expression 
turned from humorous to saddened. "You both have grown up so fast. Real Jedi 
knights now." Han shook his head. "I didn't think it would all go by so 
fast."
Though they all could sense Han's grief, none of them could see any tears 
forming in his eyes. "Well," Han said after a moment of silence, "I'm sorry 
your mother and I missed you kids graduation but we both had a lot of 
diplomatic work to do. There's been a lot going on in the New Republic these 
days, you know."
"Don't worry about it Dad," Jacen said, "You didn't miss much." He flashed 
a grin, "Except for Uncle Luke almost crying."
Jaina gave him a good-natured swat on his upper arm, "That's not funny, 
Jacen" she said.
Always being the emotional one, Jacen thought to himself.
I heard that, Jaina's thoughts came through his mind.
Sorry, He replied.
Han could always tell by the way that the twins looked at each other that 
they were talking mentally. "What am I missing out on this time?" Han asked.
"Nothing, Dad," the twins said in unison. The others laughed at the family 
connection.
Jaina changed the subject. "Hey Dad? Where's Chewie?"
"He, uh, he had some business, back home," Han stammered. Strange, Jaina 
thought, Chewie almost always came with Han everywhere he went.
This time Han changed the subject. "Hey Jacen, I got somethin' for you, as 
usual." He pulled out an envelope from his back pocket and handed it to 
Jacen.
Jacen took it and opened it up. At first the look on his face was 
blank, as if he didn't know what the slip of paper inside the envelope was 
but it quickly turned from blank to excited when he finally figured it out. 
"Wow, dad, this is so great!" He threw his arms around his father and hugged 
him tightly, " A ticket to the biggest zoo in the galaxy. I never thought 
I'd be going there. Gosh, I remember when I was a little kid I used to 
always see commercials for this on the Holonet and ask you if I could go and 
you'd always tell me that someday I could. Wow! Thank you so much."
"Dad used to make up excuses for you not to want to go there anymore, 
remember?" Jaina asked, "He'd always say 'it smells worse than the inside of 
a tauntaun, son, you don't want to go there.'"
Jacen laughed, "Yeah. He probably just didn't want me to bug him about it 
anymore."
This time Han laughed "You got that right, kid."
"Hey uh, dad." Jacen said, "What about Jaina? Doesn't she get a present?"
Han cocked his head, listening as an approaching ship came through the 
clouds, "Yeah, she does, and I think it's coming in for a landing right 
about now." He turned to Jaina and gave her a crooked smile. Everyone's 
mouths dropped to the ground and Jaina ran to her father and through her 
arms around him. He lifted her off the ground and spun her in a joyous hug, 
both of them laughing. "Thank you," She whispered softly into his ear.
* * *
The sleek ship touched down on the grass and Jaina ran towards it at full, 
exited speed. The ship looked almost like her mothers Alderaan, but a bit 
bigger. The armor was sleek and the engines hummed with a gentle rumble. It 
was new, Jaina could tell because there were no dents or blast scars on its 
hull. She circled the ship as the last of the engines shut down and the 
rumble slowly died out. Beautiful, Jaina thought.
The landing ramp extended and Chewie bounded out growling endless questions. 
Jaina answered what she could as Chewie tossed her into the air like he had 
when she was a child.
"Yes, Chewie, I love it!" She laughed.
The other young Jedi Knights ran up to examine the new ship and looked on 
in awe. So shinny and new.
Jaina ran back over to her father and gave him another hug. "Thank you so 
much, dad. This is great!"
Han laughed, "You're welcome, kiddo."
Jaina pulled back to look at him, "What's its name?" She asked.
"It doesn't have one yet. You get to name it." He answered.
Jaina turned to look at it with a discerning eye. Han stepped up just 
behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. Slowly, the others joined 
them. Jaina narrowed her eyes and thought hard. It had to be a good name, 
one that fitted the moment and the emotion of the day, so that she could 
always remember this very special time in her life. Very special.
"I'll call it." She paused as if thinking the name over again, "I'll call it 
the "Jedi Dream"
Han bent down slightly, his face just grazing Jaina's ear. "That's 
perfect." He whispered.
A tear escaped the corner of Jaina's eye and she turned around to face her 
father. A crooked smile was pasted on his face. She grinned back, the same 
smile almost exactly and hugged him tightly once more. "I love you daddy," 
She said, though her voice was soft and scratchy from the tears that covered 
her face.
"I love you to, sweetheart," Han said back as a tear escaped the corner of 
his eye as well.
Jacen stepped closer and Jaina and Han welcomed him in the hug. He also 
began to cry and slowly the others joined in the hug and emotion one by one. 
Tenel Ka first, Lowie, Zekk, Chewie, and finally Luke, who had been watching 
from the base of the great temple. Of course, they were all surprised to see 
Tenel Ka cry, but did not say anything to her, just let the moment guide 
them through time.
Jacen took Tenel Ka's head and let her cradle it on his shoulder while they 
all stood in their embrace and cried.
"I will miss you all so much," Tenel Ka managed to say around her tears.
"This is a fact," Jacen said, not meaning it as an attempt at humor.
Zekk also took Jainas hand, stroking the back of it with his fingers, which 
only made them both cry harder.
Finally, Han broke the silence. "Well, I haven't cried like that in a long 
time," he said, wiping tears off his face and putting the best smile on his 
face that he could manage. He kissed his children each once on the top of 
their head. "I'm so proud of you." He whispered.

* * * 
* *

About one standard hour later, Jaina was in her quarters getting her boxes 
to bring down to her ship. She picked up the last one and began to walk 
towards the door, but hesitated, then turned around. She stared out the 
window again, trying to take in as much as she could for her memory. Of 
course she would always come back and visit but it wouldn't be the same. The 
same as having all of her friends together and going on adventures, 
exploring in the jungles, or just plain having fun.
And when she would come back to visit, she wouldn't wake up in the morning 
knowing she would learn something new about the Force from her Uncle Luke. 
She had always hated the boring lessons each morning but now she realized 
that without them she would still be lifting small rocks and leaves. They 
weren't boring at all, they were so wonderful and she was taught a new 
important lesson each time she attended. It was hard leaving the Jedi 
Academy because it was her home. Yavin 4 was where she belonged, not 
Coruscant. She had always thought that decisions were the worst thing about 
life, but this one definitely was the worst one she would ever have to make. 
She sighed and closed her eyes.
"Knock, knock," Zekks voice startled Jaina. She opened her eyes and turned 
around to face him. He was standing in her open doorway. "May I come in?" He 
asked her.
"Sure," Jaina said. He stepped in.
"Here let me take that," He said, taking the box from Jainas arms.
"Oh, thank you," She said, while reaching down to pick up her duffel bag. 
She swung it over her shoulder, then turned to look around once more. "I'm 
going to miss this place so much." She said with a sad expression on her 
face.
"I know how you feel," Zekk said. "It's hard to leave a place that you've 
spent a lot of your life at."
"Yeah," Jaina said. "I've had so many good times here, so many good 
memories..." She hesitated, "and bad ones."
They didn't say anything for a long time, then Zekk spoke; "Well, I was 
sent up here to tell you that your father will be leaving soon and that 
Tenel Ka's ship just dropped out of hyperspace." He said. "They want to say 
goodbye."
Jaina nodded slowly, "Okay," She said. They turned around and walked 
towards the door. Jaina turned around to look at her room one last time 
before blinking away a few tears and shutting the door.
She walked slowly down the hall, trying her hardest not to cry. When she 
reached the base of the great temple, she stood back and took a good look. 
Even though the temple had been rebuilt, it still stood as beautiful as it 
always had. Once again, she blinked away tears.
"Jaina," Han called from where he stood at the foot of the boarding ramp of 
his ship. Jaina walked over to him. Jacen also stood with Han. "I'll see you 
when you get home, okay?" Jaina nodded and gave him a hug.
Then Han turned to Jacen. "I guess this is it, huh kid?" He said, ruffling 
Jacens hair.
"Yeah," Jacen replied, "But don't worry, I'll keep in touch and always come 
home for visits.'
"You better, ya scruffy lookin' nerf herder, or you'll be bantha fodder, do 
you hear me?" Han joked.
"Yes sir," Jacen said, then gave his father a brief hug.
Tears filled Hans eyes once more, "Goodbye, son. You take care, alright?"
"Yup," Jacen said.
Han sniffed and rubbed his eyes. "C'mon, Chewie, let's head out." He 
called.
Chewie growled, gave Lowie a slap on the back, and walked over to the 
Millennium Falcon. He hugged the twins, then he and Han boarded the ship.


A sleek looking Hapan passenger cruiser slowly touched down on the landing 
field in the grassy clearing. Tenel Ka turned to her friends with the usual 
serious expression on her face. Then she let a small smile come across her 
lips. She shook her head.
"I cannot believe I am actually leaving now." She said, her voice soft. 
"Goodbye my friends," She walked over to the young Jedi Knights as Hapan 
guards picked up her boxes and luggage and began loading them onto the ship.
Tenel Ka embraced them each one at a time, with tears slowly coming to her 
eyes. She hugged Lowbacca and said a few things to him, then to Zekk.
"Friend Zekk," She said, "I know I haven't always trusted you, and I want 
to apologize for my rudeness. I regret it greatly."
"Oh, it's alright, Tenel Ka, I don't blame you," Zekk said as he took her 
into a hug. "Take care," he said into her ear.
Then she turned to Luke. "Master Skywalker, thank you. Thank you for all 
that you've taught me. I will never forget your wisdom." Then she hugged 
him.
"Jaina," Tenel Ka smiled at her. "You have been a wonderful friend. I thank 
you as well. I will not forget you either." Jaina smiled back, tears coming 
to her eyes. They embraced, and pulled back to look each other in the eyes. 
"Jaina my friend, "Tenel Ka said looking around at the others, "Do you 
realize we are the only two here that are crying?" Jaina looked around, and 
laughed softly.
"No you're not," Jacens voice came in. Tenel Ka looked at him. Tears soaked 
his cheeks. She walked over to him. The others slowly walked back to the 
Great temple, knowing that the two might want some time alone.
"Jacen," Tenel Ka said, "Thank you.I don't know what for, but thank you."
"No, thank you." Jacen said. Jacen almost couldn't bear to let her go. He 
thought back on all the good times, and bad times, that they had shared. He 
remembered when they were trapped on the Twi'lek world of Ryloth in the 
barren snow. Tenel Ka had been so brave then, encouraging him to go on, 
pretty much saving his life. He would never forget the other countless times 
she had saved him from death. He couldn't thank her enough.
"I'm sorry," He said, " but I don't have one last joke to tell you. I 
couldn't think of any. I hope you don't mind."
"No, Jacen. I don't mind." Tenel Ka replied. She looked over her shoulder. 
The guards had already boarded the ship. They were ready to leave. More and 
more tears began streaming down her face. She sobbed and hugged Jacen 
tightly. He returned the hug, also sobbing.
"We'll meet again, Tenel Ka. I promise." Jacen whispered.
Tenel Ka pulled away. "Goodbye friend Jacen." Then she turned around and 
boarded the ship. Jacen watched it dissapear into the clouds. The sunlight 
shafted down on him from the sky, making the moment seem like a dream. The 
wind picked up and swirled around him. He could still feel Tenel Ka's strong 
embrace as he stood there crying on the landing field, regretting that the 
day had come. He promised he would see her again, but he knew he had pretty 
much lied to her. Now there was no taking it back though. He would HAVE to 
see her again. No matter what. He walked slowly and solemnly back to the 
great temple.

* * 
*

It was now Jacen and Lowies turn to go. Jaina smiled at her twin, and he 
smiled the same exact smile back. "You've really grown up, Jasa." She said, 
looking him in the eye.
"So have you, of course." Jacen said back. "And you've changed a lot too. 
You've changed into a beautiful young woman.and a great sister."
A tear escaped the corner of Jaina's eye as her brother spoke. "And you've 
turned into a very handsome young man, and a great brother, despite all your 
jokes." She hugged him and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Get outa here, 
before you embarrass me." She said, laughing with tears of sadness, 
happiness, and sisterly pride in her brown eyes.
Jacen turned to his uncle.
Hey, Uncle Luke," he said, "You've been the best Jedi teacher I could have 
ever imagined. Thanks. Thank you so much." He gave his uncle a hug and then 
turned to Zekk with a slap on the shoulder.
"Don't go off and rescue Jaina without me or anything." He said smiling, 
wiping away tears that just seemed to keep flowing.
"No way!" Zekk said, "She's your sister.and besides, she needs to rescue 
herself sometime or another." He too felt the sadness and was struggling 
unsuccessfully to keep his emotions under control. He gave Jacen a brief 
hug, then wiped a tear off his face. "May the Force be with you." He said.
Jaina gave the huge wookiee a hug. "Thanks for being such a great copilot 
all these years. And a great mechanic and all the other great things you've 
done for me. I'll miss you."
Lowie roared a sad sounding kind of bellow and squeezed Jaina tightly.
"Okay, okay, your crushing me, buddy." She said. He let go of her and gave 
an apologetic woof.
"It's okay. Take care, all right Lowie? And say hi to Sirra when you get 
home." She hugged him one last time. "Bye," she whispered.
Jacen and Lowie moved to the boarding ramp of the ship. "I guess this is 
goodbye." Jacen said.
He hugged Jaina again and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Be careful, 
sis. And don't go breaking too many hearts."
"See you soon, bro." Jaina said back. "And don't forget to write."
"I won't," He called over his shoulder as he walked up the ramp.
Jaina watched the ramp go up and stood watching with tears as the Rock 
Dragon disappeared into a tiny speck in the bright sky.


* * 
*

Jaina had never wanted this moment to come. She stood at the foot of the 
boarding ramp of the "Jedi Dream" and looked her uncle in the eye.
"I guess I'll see ya 'round, Uncle Luke" she said, her voice weak with 
emotion.
"I don't want to make a big deal out of this, Jaina. And I DON'T want to 
cry so just give me a hug and leave." He said, shaking his head.
"Okay, okay," Jaina said back, sliding her arms around him, trying to save 
her tears. "May the force be with you," Luke whispered. Jaina could tell he 
was crying now and couldn't hide her smile.
Luke let go of her and walked back to the great temple, calling over his 
shoulder: "Watching you leave would just be too much for me," He said, 
tossing a wink at Zekk, as he walked by him. Zekk smiled at the Jedi master 
and mouthed "Thank you"
He walked up to Jaina. She hardly even looked at him before she started to 
cry.
"Come here," He said softly, opening his arms to her. She rushed into them 
and buried her face in his shoulder.
"Don't ever forget me," she said, lifting her head of his shoulder to look 
him in the eye.
Zekk stared into her brandy brown eyes. The same eyes he loved since the 
day he met her. He slid his hand under her hair and brush kissed her cheek. 
Then he pressed the side of his face against hers and whispered "Never"
Jaina wrapped her arms around Zekk, hugged him tightly. Tears streamed down 
her face. Zekk returned her hug, and he too shed a tear.
They held the embrace for several moments longer, then Zekk pulled back to 
look at Jaina. He wiped a tear off her face.
"Well," she said, "I guess this is it."
"Wait," Zekk said, "I have something for you." He reached into his pocket 
and pulled something out. He took Jaina's hand and slid a beautiful ring 
onto her finger. Jaina stared down at its delicate designs. Tiny, intricate 
spirals, each one with a small rainbow gem in the center.
"Zekk this is beautiful, where did you get it?" She said, breathtaken.
I got it when I went to Gallinore on a bounty assignment. I've had it for a 
while, but I. I wanted to wait for the right time to give it to you."
Fresh tears came to Jaina's eyes and she threw her arms around him. "Thank 
you,'' she whispered.
Zekk pulled back, wanting to look at her one last time. He smiled at her 
and brushed his fingers through her hair, which she had taken out of the 
braid earlier.
"Bye, Jaina," He said softly.
"Goodbye, Zekk," Jaina said back, even more tears falling from her eyes. 
They embraced one last time, then Jaina turned around to walk up the 
boarding ramp of her new ship.
"Jaina," Zekk called, just as she reached the top of the ramp. She turned 
around. "I." Zekk spoke, "I." he sighed, "I'll miss you." He finally said.
Jaina smiled. "I know." She said, then turned again to walk into the ship.
Don't look back, She told herself as she closed the hatch. She reached the 
cockpit and saw Zekk out the front view ports. He waved his hand in farewell 
and Jaina waved back with a fake smile on her face as the ship lifted off. 
As soon as she got into orbit, she set her hyperdrive course. And as soon as 
she dove into hyperspace, she burst into tears.

* * 
*

Jaina was walking in an empty place. She seemed to be the only one there, 
or had even ever been there. Mists rose up from the ground and swirled 
around her. The sun was near setting and it was the most beautiful thing she 
had ever seen.
She wandered around, wondering what she was doing there when another figure 
emerged from the mists.
"Zekk!" she cried. She threw her arms around him. "I thought I would never 
see you again." She was almost whispering. Zekk hugged her back.
"I missed you so much," He said, holding her tightly, not wanting to lose 
her again. Jaina just lay her head on his shoulder, wanting to be in his 
arms forever and ever. She was just about to ask Zekk what he was doing 
there when the music grew louder. Jaina felt Zekk start to sway to the music 
and found that she was too. Jaina closed her brown eyes and let the music 
move her. The music grew faster and they began dancing a vigorous waltz, 
moving gracefully and in perfect unison. The sun slowly set behind them, 
setting and orangish glow to everything. The mist continued to rise up 
around them, swirling about as they danced beautifully.
The music suddenly stopped and they both froze and stared at each other. 
That's when Jaina noticed how pale Zekk looked. He was almost transparent, 
like he was a part of the mist. She put her hand on his cheek and a worried 
expression crossed her face. That's when realization dawned on her. Was this 
just her emotions playing tricks on her? No. Of course not. Zekk was there. 
She could feel the warmth of his very touch.
Jaina's thoughts were broken when she realized Zekks grip on her growing 
tighter and him drawing closer to her. Jainas heart beat faster and she drew 
closer to him also.
Finally, their lips touched and just as Jaina realized what had happened, 
she felt his tight grip around her waist vanish and Zekk with it.
Jaina stumbled forward, with nothing left to lean on, but caught herself.
She looked around desperately for Zekk but he was nowhere. All she saw was 
mist tinted orange from the sunset, which was now, not quite as beautiful 
since Zekk was gone.
"Zekk, please don't leave me!" Jaina cried, close to tears. She heard Zekks 
voice, distant and echoing, but still did not see him.
"I'll always be with you," The voice of Zekk said.
Jaina spun slowly in circles, still looking for him. She sobbed and called 
his name. She felt herself growing dizzy and her head was clouding up. She 
began to lose her consciousness, and she started to fall to the ground.
* * *
"Zekk!" Jaina cried, sitting abruptly. The buzzers rang in Jaina's ship, 
indicating that she would be coming out of hyperspace in five minutes. She 
looked at her surroundings. Her sleeping area. What had just happened was 
only a dream.
She was hot and still tired. She put her hand on her face. It was warm, 
damp with both perspiration and tears. Her pillow and hair were damp as 
well.
She stood from her sleeping pallet and began to walk to the cockpit. She 
stopped when she walked by her mirror on the wall and saw her reflection.
She sighed when she saw her messy hair, flushed cheeks, and bloodshot eyes. 
She allowed herself a moment of humor. "Don't hate me because I'm 
beautiful," She said to her reflection and kept walking.
She reached the cockpit and sat down in the pilot's chair. She relaxed in 
its comfortable leather cushioning as she waited for the drop out of hyper 
space. She decided she would change her clothes and fix her hair while 
waiting for clearance from the landing committee. It would probably take 
longer than usual because of the new ship. She strapped herself in as the 
ten-second countdown began.
She dove out of hyperspace into the middle of nowhere. She saw no planets 
at all. Only distant stars. She raised her eyebrows in confusion, then 
cursed the nivicomputer. New things just never worked as good as the old. 
She sighed and began re-calculating the path to Coruscant.
She leaned over the navicomputer, still cursing when her ship was rocked by 
a blast from behind her.
"What the-"she began, but another blast cut her off. She ran back to the 
pilots seat and spun the ship around, powering up its weapons. But when she 
turned the ship fully around, what she saw shocked her. About a dozen, rag 
tag cargo ships were before her.
Space pirates.
The ship rocked, but not from a blast this time. On of the ships was 
boarding her. She ran to the bay, her lightsaber drawn and ready to fight 
off whoever or whatever came through the airlock. The door slowly hissed 
open and two grizzled looking men ran in.
They aimed their blasters at Jaina, but she sliced off the tips with her 
lightsaber, leaving only smoking stubs. The other man tackled her to the 
ground and Jaina cried out in pain at the impact. She struggled to get back 
to her feet, or to reach her lightsaber, which had been knocked from her 
hands, but the man had her pinned.
"Grab her!" The other one said. He grabbed her arms and held them in place 
as the other pirate took out a drug shot and injected it into Jaina's skin. 
She cried out as it pierced her upper arm.
The last thing she remembered was the man throwing her over his shoulder 
before she blacked out.


*So far I know this seems like it should be in the romance section, but I 
guarantee more action in the next part.
*For those of you who own-or have listened to-the "Shadows of the Empire" 
soundtrack, I was listening to "The Seduction of Princess Leia" when I wrote 
the part in Jaina's dream. I just thought I'd share that with you.