@fasciinating —— continued from...
eyes fixed to his expression, surely her mother caught every nuance, filed it away with half a dozen calculations of how troublesome their unwilling guest would prove over the determined time. personally, jaina believed the time too long for a multitude of reasons, had even expressed as much to her mother in private.
firstly, vulcan as he may be, time stretched longer for those on the younger side of things. three months would feel as if it were forever even for her if she were forced to remain somewhere without her usual duties, let alone separated from her mother and compatriots. secondly, the empire would likely task every available resource and then some in pursuit of their stolen son. three months was an agonizing long time for a microscope to be searching for them. and thirdly, finally, was there any chance he would soften in opinion enough toward them that it won’t all be for naught? for that, three months was a blink of an eye.
the glare that sent her heart into her throat for a beat certainly didn’t help her opinion.
❝ three months. ❞ dignified certainty as well as measured authority reverberated in her mother’s tone, unblinking in the face of what jaina was so certain was carefully brindled rage. a soft nod toward the young man and celchu stepped forward to unshackle the vulcan with only a moment’s hesitation. jaina chalked it up to his likely believing it a little too soon, but they trusted her, they all did. or this harebrained scheme would have never happened. ❝ what you take with you from your time here i cannot control, your highness, but i believe that the only way to truly know your enemy is to live amongst them. i lived in the empire all my life, but neither you nor your father have had the same experience with the alliance. ❞
❝ if you would like to use your skills in some way here, i am certain we can figure a way to accommodate you safely. ❞ what came next, however, truly shook jaina, an aspect of her mother’s plan she hadn’t been informed about. ❝ my daughter, lieutenant solo, will serve as liaison for you. if you have any questions or needs, she will pass them along if necessary or point you in the right direction. ❞
frozen to the spot for a breath, jaina nearly had to shake off her shock, the mismatch of her gaze to her tight smile likely too obvious. her? she barely remembered what it was like to live in his world, and her few memories were certainly not of much beyond the once safe doors of their homes. and yet… ❝ it’ll be my honor, ma’am. ❞ there goes her last two hours of decent sleep.