Skirmish on Sakuub


Prelude


After Jaina Solo and Jagged Fel's wedding, Jaina had arranged for a honeymoon at Sakuub instead of at Hapes, the latter of which Fel had planned. Her official reason was so they could go hiking in the wilderness. However, during the trip to the planet on a SoruSuub Horizon-class star yacht, she later admitted that the real reason was because she learned of a rumored ancient ruin on the planet, known as the Sky Temple of Karsol that, to her knowledge, was not explored by the Jedi, and wanted to see if it was a Jedi ruin, or even had information about Abeloth in the event that she returns. In addition, they also adopted the false identities of Kara and Ven Tumak, respectively.

Jaina notices that she is spied by a Hutt at the marketplace.

Jaina notices that she is spied by a Hutt at the marketplace.

After arriving at the antiquated hangar of the sole major city on the planet, Dular greeted them and gave them a tour of the Old Town, with the first stop being the marketplace. Afterwards, Dular left them at the Historical district to allow them to meet with Pharika at Shuku's Fine Fungi, and promised to meet back with them in two hours to take them back to their hotel.

Shortly before meeting Pharika, however, Jaina sensed a foreboding feeling, and briefly informed Fel about it. Upon meeting Pharika, they arrived at a clothing stall to try on clothes for the hike. However, Jaina then received the foreboding feeling again and turned around just in time to see a Hutt slithering away suspiciously into an ally. Fel also mentioned that he recalled seeing a dune lizard at the port. Afterwards, they returned to the hotel and she explained about her sensing a Hutt, although Fel wasn't too concerned.

Skirmish


By the third day of the four-day hike, Jaina, Fel, and Pharika managed to find the temple, but they couldn't hike up it as it was going into nightfall. Jaina couldn't sense the Force from the distance, but she was certain that she was being drawn to it. Upon arrival the next day, Jaina then sensed the Force presence at the temple, and privately told Fel, who speculated that the Jedi makers probably didn't want everyone to know that it was a temple. She then sensed a Jedi holocron at the temple, and managed to retrieve it.

Just at that point, Pharika, also revealing that she knew who "Kara Tumak's" true identity actually was, stated in a different tone that she knew that "Master Solo" would lead "them" to the Jedi holocron and pointed a blaster at them. Emerging behind her was a light, transatmospheric starship of unknown origin. Jaina informed Pharika that she wouldn't harm her as long as she had it. Pharika agreed, and then shot Fel in the foot to demonstrate that she would hurt Fel if she didn't give the holocron to her. Jaina then supplied Fel with the holocron and told him to hide. Jaina then battled Pharika, deflecting her blaster bolts, while Pharika dodged the blaster bolts, making sure that there was a pillar or rubble between her and the oncoming blaster bolts. Pharika's support ship later fired a blast at Jaina's position, which she dodged at the last moment.

Eventually, Pharika was wounded in the thigh by a stray deflected bolt, with Fel seizing the opportunity to knock her down after temporarily putting down the holocron. After a short struggle, he managed to retrieve Pharika's blaster by pressing a nerve cluster on her gun arm, and then shot her in the other leg.

The support ship then gained altitude and used its weapons systems to disintegrate Pharika, ensuring her silence about their motivations. The ship later fired more blaster bolts at some pillars, having no idea as to whether Jaina or Fel possessed the Jedi holocron. The battle was also taxing for Jaina, even with the Force on her side, eventually injuring herself on the shoulder after narrowly evading rubble. Eventually, a G1-M4-C Dunelizard fighter, the same one Fel earlier saw in the hangar, arrived and shot down the ship.

The pilot was later revealed to be the Hutt that Jaina had discovered earlier. The Hutt explained that it only came in order to repay Jaina Solo for their (albeit reluctant) upholding the Treaty of Vontor in the Hutts favor, and did not arrive for the holocron, as it was far too dangerous for the Hutts. He gave little information about what Pharika's organization was trying to accomplish, being unaware of it himself. Afterwards, Jaina thanked him before he went his way.

Aftermath


Because of Fel's injuries preventing them from scaling down the way they came, Jaina and Fel had to take a shortcut down the mountain.

Appearances

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