Invincible by Troy Denning

if Luke had finally let slip a vengeful remark, Jaina knew her parents would be willing to overlook this one moment of human imperfection—as would Jaina, had she not understood what he was really saying.
    “You’ve been looking forward to it a little too much?” she asked. “Is that what you mean?”
    “Exactly.” Luke’s gaze slid away from the table. “Every future that begins with me going after Caedus ends in darkness. I know I’m the only one who can be sure of stopping him, but no matter how I envision it, it always leads to darkness.”
    “Because you want it too much,” Kyp said. “You said yourself that your judgment was clouded by vengefulness. If you could purify yourself, maybe go to Dagobah and meditate—”
    “It is not Master Skywalker’z judgment that is clouded,” Saba said. “It is him. ”
    “What?” Han demanded. “He’s not allowed to get mad when someone kills his wife?”
    “This one does not think it is anger that cloudz him,” Saba replied. “This one thinkz it is what he did to Lumiya.”
    “I think the word you’re looking for is taints, Master Sebatyne,” said Leia. “You’re saying that killing Lumiya in vengeance tainted him with the dark side.”
    “Yes.” Saba glanced in Luke’s direction, then lowered her chin in apology. “This one fearz that if you go after Caedus, no matter how the hunt beginz, it must end in vengeance. That is why you can see nothing but darknesz down that path.”
    “And this one believes you’re right,” Luke replied. “Thank you for your honesty, Master Sebatyne. It’s only one of the reasons I value your friendship.”
    Saba lifted her chin again. “It is only this one’s duty.”
    She paused and began to glance around the table at the other Masters, and Jaina knew that the Barabel was trying to decide whether any of the other Masters were better prepared than she was to hunt down a Sith Lord.
    Before Saba could act, Jaina stepped to her uncle’s side. “Let me go.”
    “You?” This came from the other end of the table, where Corran sat looking surprised and worried. “You’re only a Jedi Knight.”
    “So is Jacen,” Jaina replied, relying on a technicality—but knowing that it would work in her favor if anybody tried to argue that a Jedi Knight wasn’t powerful enough to confront Caedus. “I know that you Masters—and several Jedi Knights—are more skilled in both Force and lightsaber than I am. But I’m his twin sister. I’ll have advantages no one else will.”
    “What kind of advantages?” Kenth asked.
    Relieved to discover that she was actually being taken seriously, Jaina turned to address the table—and tried not to look toward her parents, whom she could feel beaming fear and dismay into the Force like a nova ejecting its gas shell.
    “First, I’ve been preparing with the Mandalorians,” she said. “He’ll expect me to fight like a Jedi, and I won’t.”
    “It’ll take more than Fett tricks,” Corran said doubtfully. “Caedus has plenty of his own—and he won’t fight like a Jedi, either.”
    “I know,” Jaina said. “But it will trouble him that it’s me coming after him. We know from debriefing Allana how misunderstood he feels, how betrayed he feels because we’ve all chosen to stand against him. It won’t protect me in a fight, but I can use it against him in other ways.”
    “And he won’t use your feelings against you ?” Kyp asked. “He’s your brother, and you still love him. I can feel that.”
    “I still love him,” Jaina admitted. “But that won’t make me hesitate—not even for a nanosecond.”
    Then support arrived from an unexpected quarter.
    “And there’s the whole Sword of the Jedi vision Luke had when he made Jaina a Jedi Knight.” His voice was cracking, but Han Solo didn’t falter as he spoke—and he didn’t balk. “That’s got to mean something.”
    Jaina’s heart beat an extra time in surprise, and she looked over to see her parents shining