us-hrok

Jaina stepped to the side, and blinked sweat from her eyes. Her saber throbbed in her hands, a deep rumbling she felt to the very core of her being as she faced her opponent. Her opponent's blade was a brilliant blue at the edges, deepening to a purple towards the hilt. Almost as if the very nature of the girl's conversion to the Dark Side of the Force was tinging the weapon she held.

As Jaina focused on the girl's green eyes, she had to blink again. This time it was tears she had to get out of her eyes.

Once upon a time, she had looked upon the girl as a sister. For a while during the Vong War she had been certain that Tahiri Veila would end up being her sister--that she'd finally have one. Then her younger brother had upped and died on them all. Jaina knew that Tahiri sometimes suffered bouts of depression and grief, yet she had never dreamed that the younger girl would fall under Jacen's sway.

Not like this.

She had to know.

"Why Tahiri? Why are you helping Jacen?"

Tahiri's lips twisted into a smile, one filled with maliciousness and hate. "Because he was able to show me Anakin..."

Jaina's world collapsed. Everything else in existence suddenly became a non-entity. There was just her, Tahiri and the overwhelming sense of betrayal that Jaina felt. Tahiri had seen her little brother; Jacen had shown him to her. "You... You've seen him? Alive?"

Tahiri laughed. "Of course."

Why wouldn't he have taken me or mom to see Anakin? Jaina though, even as the confusion flooded through her. She gave her head a quick shake. "That's not a very good reason to fall to the Dark Side."

Tahiri's amusement suddenly disappeared. All emotion seemed to disappear from the girl; all that was left was a hunger--a desperate need that gnawed at her.

"I didn't ask you," Tahiri finally replied.

Jaina nodded. "I know. But I told you anyways. Come back, please."

"It's too late for me Jaina. I'm happy here. I get to see my Anakin."

Jaina felt tears once more burn at the corners of her eyes. "It's never too late 'Ri. You're my sister, I love you."

The blond was about to respond, when a voice rang out, one that was cold, harsh and tinged with insanity, "That's enough out of you."

Jaina's gaze shifted from Tahiri to the source of the voice. Her brother, her twin, stood on an upper walkway. His black cloak fluttering in the thin breeze from the climate control systems.

Tahiri looked at him. "But Master, I ca-"

"Enough!" He cut her off. "I will deal with my one-time sister."

Jaina gripped her blade tighter in her hand, her mind flicking back and forth over all the things she had learned during her tutelage underBoba Fett.

Jacen jumped off the railing, landing heavily on the deck, then he sprang forward. His blade ignited as he moved--a flash of crimson which she barely managed to block. She pushed away his weapon, and swung hard at her brother.

Thoughts of Mirta Gev, Boba Fett and Goran Bevin warred with one another. Mirta's voice begging her not to kill her brother. Goran's telling her to not hold back, while Boba's just laughed.

He blocked her attack, and a wave of telekinetic energy washed out from him. She threw up her sheilds barely in time, and felt the first stirrings of the state tugging at her consciousness. She knew how to win, and she also knew that that was all that mattered.

She let go.

She fell into the state, what Bevin had called total war.

It wasn't enough.

Fire raced up and down her body as it acted as a conduit for the lightning that Jacen poured into her. Finally it stopped, and Jaina curled herself up into a ball, tears burning her eyes. Tears fueled not only by the pain of the lightning, but also by the shame and guilt at not being strong enough to defeat her brother.

She knew there was no one left now. If Luke or Ben did it, they'd both end up on the Dark Side. None of the other Jedi were strong enough.

It had been left up to her, and she had just not been good enough.

"Some sword, huh Tahiri." Jacen's voice taunted at her, let her know that he still knew what she was thinking.

"Yes, Master," came Tahiri's replied; oddly muted.

Jaina looked at the blond who had moved to stand immediately behind her Sith Master, and saw and felt the confusion and concern coming off of Tahiri. They were the first genuine emotions that she had felt from the girl since they had first faced off against one another. Jaina could feel Jacen turning his attention back towards her. "Now, sister, what do you say to joining me? Not as an apprentice mind you, I already have one, but I think you'd do nicely as a Hand."

Jaina shook her head. "You can go kriff yourself Jace. You should've stayed dead when you had the chance."

"Suit yourself," Jacen said as he shrugged his shoulders, and stretched out his right hand. The smell of ozone touched the air, and a bolt of lightning appeared and slashed through her. She screamed as every nerve in her body misfired, setting off her pain receptors.

The lightning continued.

Jaina glanced over at Tahiri, and managed to utter a single phrase through the pain. Two mere words.

"Us-hrok."

A snap hiss cut through the crackle of the lightning; and just as suddenly as the energy had appeared it disappeared. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the hum of alightsaber, and then even that disappeared.

Jaina opened her eyes, and saw Jacen's lifeless eyes staring at her. She noticed that they were no longer the red and yellow eyes of a Sith, but were once again the warm brown tones from their youth. Those were her brother's eyes.

A small hand brushed the hair from her face. "Jaina... oh Jaina, I'm so sorry, please be alive..."

Jaina rolled over to look up at Tahiri. "Thanks... sister..."

------------------------

Two weeks later

Jaina sat in a hoverchair by the window watching the traffic as it streamed through the Coruscant skylanes. There was something hypnotic and soothing about the constant flow of lights. Her body still ached from the lightning and lightsaber wounds she had received at Jacen's hands.

She still didn't really know why Tahiri had turned on Jacen.

The door open, and Threepio winced into the room. "Mistress Jaina, Jedi Veila is here to see you."

Jaina nodded. "Please see her in."

Threepio nodded his head, and left the room. The door opened a moment later, and Tahiri walked in; heavy manacles around her wrists and ankles, and aYV-H droid a few paces behind her. She stopped a dozen paces from the chair that faced Jaina.

Jaina gestured towards the chair. "Come on, don't be shy, sit down."

Tahiri frowned for a moment, and glanced at the droid behind her. "He's carrying a ysalamiri, and you'd be in its effects."

She shook her head. "Doesn't matter, sit down."

A ghost of a smile flickered across the blond girl's face as she closed the distance. Jaina instantly felt when the ysalamiri field reached her. The world suddenly silenced itself and lost all colors and meanings.

Jaina barely noticed.

Tahiri fumbled with her hands for a moment, and then sighed before looking up. "Thank you, Jaina."

Jaina frowned. "For what?"

"You saved me. You reminded me of who I was, who I was meant to be."

"How?"

"Don't you remember what you said to me while he was electrocuting you?"

Jaina shook her head. "I was kind of busy at the time."

Tahiri laughed slightly. "Yeah. But you said, 'us'hrok.'"

"I did? What does it mean?"

Tahiri smiled, a small, sad smile. "It's a promise, one I made to you years and years ago, right after Tahiri and Riina merged into me. You were the one that helped me, and long before I allowed myself to fall under Jacen's sway, I promised you my loyalty and that I'd do anything to protect you. Even if that meant I'd have to give up the chance of seeing Anakin again."

Jaina winced as she leveraged herself out of her chair. Pain flared in her stomach for a second, but Jaina ignored it. She limped over to the blond girl and threw her arms around her. "I'm sorry you lost that chance, but I know that he'd be happier with you as a Jedi."

Tahiri's body shook with a sob. "Th-thanks..."

Jaina pulled away, and smiled. "No, 'Ri, I should be thanking you. You saved me. Now," she said as she gave a short tug on Tahiri's arm. "Let's see about getting you out of these shackles."

Tahiri frowned for a moment, but Jaina pulled on her arm once again; insisting the girl stand. After a few moments, she stood, and together they slowly walked out into the hallway.