Okay, this is obviously the second chapter. I'm not sure if it is really finished or not. I might
continue this chapter and put it in as part of the third chapter or I might just jump right into the third chapter
without the last seen of this one. Either way, I haven't started on the next part of the story, so it will be
taking me much longer to post the next part (you know, school and all).

The story continues...


Jacen was over the planet Hapes. He had managed to penetrate the outer defenses of the Hapes
cluster without any difficulty. He had used the Force so that anyone, who might have seen him on his way
in, forgot about it before they could do anything to alert the Hapan defense force. The only reason why the
people at the orbital control center knew he was there was because he wanted them to know.

"Unidentified shuttle, please state your designation and your intentions," said the melodic yet stern
female voice.

"Where is the Queen Mother and the princess?" Jacen asked, ignoring the orbital controller's
commands, and using the Force to make her answer him.

"They are both in the senatorial building. They are discussing matters of state," the controller
said, obviously oblivious to the fact that she wasn't in control of the situation.

"Permit me to land near the senate building. It's urgent," Jacen said, again using the Force to
make the women comply with his demands.

"Yes sir. Right away," the women said. And soon, Jacen had clearance to land in the space dock
right next to the senate building.

***

"How can she put up with this?" Tenel Ka thought. She was in the senate building with her
parents. Her mother, Teneniel Djo, was sitting on a dais in front of all the senators from other planets in
the Hapes cluster. Tenel Ka sat to her mother's right, and her father, Isolder, sat to her mother's left, as
was customary in the Hapes cluster. Her grandmother, Ta'a Chume, having been the former Queen Mother
of the Hapes cluster, was now the head adviser to the current Queen Mother, Teneniel Djo, and she had a
seat off to the side of the dais.

"This squabbling is pointless!" Tenel Ka continued her thought. She was having to listen to
these senators quarrel over trade routes, economic problems, and the defending of there borders by the
Hapan military, which had become a great concern for everyone since the incident at Fondor. All of the
senators agreed that the military should be their top concern, but they all managed to find ways to argue
about how to do that.

Tenel Ka found it infuriating. All of the senators agreed, but they still insisted on arguing about it.
She couldn't understand how her mother put up with it. Her mother had never liked politics either, but
Ta'a Chume had apparently groomed her well enough so that she became a descent diplomat. Tenel Ka's
grandmother had tried to do the same with her, but she had resisted. Ta'a Chume had given her all of the
technical knowledge she needed to become a good Queen Mother when it was time for her to take her
mother's place, but she had never become a good diplomat like her mother had. She hated her place as heir
to the Hapan throne. She even had more political power than her father did, which is why she sat at her
mother's right hand and her father sat at her mother's left. She couldn't even imagine trying to mediate this
mob of squabbling delegates, let alone try to rule in her mother's place.

But suddenly, it seemed that all of the senators felt a great need to be silent. They had apparently
forgotten about whatever it was that they were debating and took their seats. Tenel Ka became very
confused. What had happened? Her mother had told her to pay attention to the proceedings, and she
though she had been. There was no indication of why the senators had decided to stop bickering. Suddenly
the doors to the senate chamber swung open, seemingly of their own accord, and Jacen Solo walked quietly
into the room. Apparently he had used the Force to get the senators to calm down long enough to let
himself in and command their full attention. Tenel Ka would have to remind herself to ask Jacen about
teaching her that little trick.

But Jacen looked different to Tenel Ka. It looked as if he had some how aged ten years since the
last time she had seen him, which couldn't have been more that a year or two ago. "Your Highness, I wish
to address the senate," Jacen said, speaking to the Queen Mother, his voice carrying, impossibly,
throughout the entire senate chamber without the aid of an amplifier; another skill that Tenel Ka would
have to have him teach her.

"Why should we listen to you," an attractive yet stern faced female senator blurted out. "You are
a Jedi, and, more than that, you were also directly responsible for what happened to our fleet at Fondor!"

Jacen looked at the senator. "You will listen to what I have to say before you speak again." It
would be obvious to any Force user that he was taking full advantage of his Force powers to persuade the
women into doing what he said, because she immediately sat back down and looked at him attentively.

Tenel Ka was shocked by Jacen's actions. The Jacen she remembered would never have used the
Force in such a manner. The Jacen she remembered would have deemed such a use of the Force to be too
close to the Dark Side to ever consider. He must have changed more than just physically to become so
forceful with his powers.

"What is it that you wish to discuss with the council Jacen," asked the Queen.

"I wish to discuss nothing," Jacen said. "I am here to inform them, and you, of how things are in
this galaxy, and how things must be."

Tenel Ka looked at him with confusion. He was not acting at all like the Jacen she had known.
He was being forceful and commanding. In fact, the only thing that hadn't changed about him was his
calm. But then again, that had changed also. It wasn't the calm wisdom that she had seen radiating from
him the last time she had seen him; this was an icy calm that almost sent a chill up her spine. She tried to
sense his emotions through the Force, but his mind was completely closed off to her.

"You may address the senate, but I wish to see you after these proceedings," Tenel Ka's mother
said.

"Thank you Queen Mother," Jacen said, before climbing up onto the shorter dais that stood
directly in front of the one that Tenel Ka and her family were on.

"Senators, honored delegates, state diplomats, and what ever else you wish to call yourselves,"
Jacen began his speech. "I am not the boy I once was. I am no longer the child who stopped the firing of
centerpoint station, only to have it fired by someone who didn't know what he was doing. I have
experienced something that has matured me and changed my entire outlook on the galaxy. I have
witnessed the death of my younger brother, Anakin." Upon hearing this the senate chamber was shocked
out of their Force induced silence and into a more natural stunned silence that none of the senators had the
will to break. Anakin's heroic exploits had become legendary in many parts of the galaxy and even among
some of the Vong. Anakin had not become so much of a legend in the Hapes cluster but he was well
known as the most powerful Jedi of his generation. Hearing that Anakin had died was a shock to everyone,
including Tenel Ka. "Watching him die taught me that this war will not be won with pacifism or pure
defense. We have to go out there and destroy the Vong once and for all. I believe that the Hapes cluster,
using all of its resources, could do this on its own. The Vong are not as numerous as we had thought. With
your military strength we could crush them, and be sure that they never come back. I am not asking you to
join the New Republic again. Their government is doomed to fail, and is not worth your allegiance. You
are the great and powerful Hapes cluster. You are the single most powerful self-governing entity in this
galaxy and you need no outside government to tell you what to do."

Jacen waited a while before finally addressing Tenel Ka's Mother. "I now ask the Queen Mother
to dismiss the senate so that they may contemplate what I have said until tomorrow."

"Granted. However, do not forget about our meeting, Jedi Solo. The guards at the door will take
you to my family's private office," Teneniel said. "The senate is now in recess until 0900 tomorrow
morning."

***

Two extremely well built female bodyguards were guiding Jacen to the royal family's personal
office. They both had firm athletic bodies that were encased in tightly fitting armored body suits that
provided excellent mobility and did little to hide the shapeliness of the wearer. He allowed himself the
luxury of fantasizing about these women while he watched them walk in front of him, but he knew that he
couldn't take it any farther than the fantasy at this point. He didn't have the time and to do so would most
likely ruin his credibility with the royal family and that was unacceptable at this point in his plans.
However, once he had Hapes under his control, he could do as he pleased. And, if all went well, the
beautiful princess would also be his to do with as he pleased. But at the moment he needed to keep the
pretext of being here to help the Hapans rebuild there military and to advise the Queen Mother of the best
way to use it.

Jacen wasn't a military strategist, but he was more than intelligent enough to know that when
commanding billions of people it is best to have almost all of them follow your commands of their own free
will. This improved morale, and made one's subjects more loyal. This is why he needed the Hapan people
to think that he was here to help their Queen Mother to fight the Vong. When in actuality, he was here to
replace the Queen Mother as the chief monarch of the Hapes cluster.

When taking over an already working empire, one must be sure to have public support, or else
there will be much civil disobedience. The only real problem he might have with convincing the Hapan
people to follow him instead of the current ruling monarch would be their low opinion of both men and
Jedi. But he was confident that he could persuade them to see him as more than just a man or a Jedi. He
would convince them that he was their savior, and that the current Queen Mother was completely
inadequate in comparison to him.

They reached the door to the office and the guards opened it and directed him inside. "We will
guard the door. The royal family will be in to speak with you shortly," one of the guards said, directing
him into the office.

Jacen walked into the room and the guards closed the door behind him. He found five large chairs
sitting in a circle in the middle of the room. Apparently the Family's private office had been intended to be
used for casual discussions. He walked over to one of the chairs and decided to make himself comfortable
while he waited.

***