A/N: Surprise! I finished this one pretty quickly. It is short (14 356 words), but it helps bridge into the next one and the types of things I want to accomplish in this story are better done over a very compressed period of time. You'll see what I mean. I will warn you though, the first chapter or so starts out slow and this isn't a very action heavy story, but let's face the facts. Pretty much any Harry Potter novel sounds exactly the same and we all love those :) For those of you just tuning in, please take a look at my profile for the time line I've constructed over the last few years so you can see where it fits in.

Anyway, a while back after I finished writing OCD I had a little brainstorming session with a friend and we tried looking at all the ways we could make Jacen's life hell and incorporate it into a plausible story. We came up with 13 different plot points that could possibly be used (some were mutually exclusive), and I think I used 4 or 5 to make this. It's quite a bit more difficult than you might think. I've built him up into a pretty solid character – master of many aspects of the Force, second-to-few with the lightsaber, impervious to pain, strong friends. Hell, he even has a pet vornskr, his own commando team and is married to a queen. So, we decided that he had to be hit where he couldn't take the pain... I hope you enjoy it. And, I really hope you enjoy it enough to leave reviews :D


DP

Jacen Solo, Coruscanti male human Jedi Master, Prince of Hapes

Tenel Ka Chume'ta Djo, Hapan female human Queen of Hapes, Jedi Knight

Anakin Djo Solo, Hapan male human, son of Jacen and Tenel Ka (3 years old)

Allaya Djo Solo, Hapan female human, daughter of Jacen and Tenel Ka (1 year old)

HK-47 / Womprat, Humanoid Assassin Droid

Astro, Vornskr male, pet of Jacen Solo

Ta'a Chume, Hapan female human, former queen of Hapes

Eriana Fostenon, human female Jedi Knight/former Jensaari warrior, Black Vornskr leader

Jaina Solo, human female Jedi Knight, twin sister to Jacen

(Additions will be made at the top of chapters when appropriate as to not spoil anything)


His face lit up at the sight of her with a joyful smile that he reserved only for her. He snuck up behind her, put his hands over her eyes and whispered the words he had used many times before.

"Guess who?"

A slight smile lifted the corner of her mouth, the only outward sign that he might bring any sense of emotion into her life. And she did it perfectly, too. She stood up from her desk, turned around to face the man she called her husband and slipped her one hand around his neck looking deep into his brandy brown eyes.

"A certain Jedi Master back from a secret mission, perhaps?" She asked and kissed him. "Are the Black Vornskrs winning?"

"Who cares?" Jacen asked and lifted her into his arms, electing the slightest yelp of surprise from her. "I think we can find something more fun than work right now..."

He tossed her onto the bed and...

Tenel Ka had to look away. She buried her eyes into her knees and tears from her soft grey eyes began to stain the tattered and torn remnants of clothes that she wore. Her sobs echoed, amplified by the flat walls in the small metal room that had become her prison for over a week.

The night of her capture still flashed through her mind in vivid nightmares. One minute she was in her room watching her beautiful Allaya sleep, the next she was fighting for their lives. Shock troops in black armour entered the room from all sides, pouring in through the doors and windows, blasters firing, blue blasts of energy...

She distinctly remembered taking out two dozen commandos and being hit by at least three stun blasts before she went down. Even then she fought for consciousness with the tenacity only a Dathomirian Jedi or a Rancor could muster. They took her lightsaber and kicked her head. Then they took away her life.

The last thing she saw before waking up in the cell was a red-haired woman, a woman who looked just like her, picking up her child and commanding the guards to remove her. A prick of a needle in her neck sent her into oblivion.

She woke up in the cell some time later. Three walls had flat-panel displays showing images taken from around Fountain Palace, security camera images of her children and the imposter living her life. She was chained to the fourth wall. She did her best to ignore the images, holding onto the hope that Jacen would return. Jacen, the most insightful, loving Jedi she had ever known, would see through the ruse. He would sense she was not real, stop the imposter, protect their children, and rescue her.

But it was a false hope.

The chain around her neck drew taught and dragged her up against the wall. She scrambled to get her feet under herself so she would not be hanging by her neck, but for what reason she did not even know anymore. Sometimes her captors would pull all four chains tight to restrain her – the ones on her ankles, neck, and wrist – to talk to or torture her. But if they wanted her to see something, the neck was enough. All she could do was close her eyes against the offending images, doing her best to pretend they were not there.

"It seems your saviour has fallen for our ruse," the garbled voice of her captor boomed through the room.

Tempted by something somewhere between curiosity and desperate hope, Tenel Ka opened her eyes. The image of her husband and the imposter were blurred by her tears, but there was no mistaking their actions. Watching them did the one thing that no amount of physical pain could ever do to her – watching them...broke her heart.


Jacen woke early and slipped out of bed while his wife was still asleep. He made a quick round to check on Anakin and Allaya, stopping only to watch his children sleep peacefully for a few minutes. Their nannies smiled at him and bowed themselves out of the room at his entrance, probably a little more fearfully than he was used to sensing from a respectful servant. He made a mental note to ask Tenel Ka if any of the staff had caused an incident while he was away.

After satisfied that his kids were safe from any monsters hidden under their beds, Jacen returned to his ship, the Solo Quest, and lowered the boarding ramp to find his vornskr, Astro, bounding at him. Almost seven years old, Astro still had endless energy and enthusiasm and nearly knocked him over despite the fact that they had spent nearly two weeks together on their mission. He quickly changed into his workout clothes and together they set out for a run through the streets of Tenel Ka Chume'Dan.

The whole city of Tenel Ka Chume'Dan was a mere ten square kilometres, excluding Fountain Palace itself. Lit by the many street lights, six of the ten moons that were visible in the early morning sky, and the transitory mists, the white stone roads practically glowed under Jacen's feet as he raced his vornskr toward the ancient stone wall that ran along the outer perimeter of the old city. In a single bound each, Jedi and vornskr cleared the ten-metre distance from ground to the top of the wall, startling a guard in the process. Being familiar with the Jedi's eccentric training regime, the guard stopped himself short of shooting the crowned prince and resumed his route after sending a notification to the rest of the wall border patrol.

Leaping over guards and battlements alike, the pair ran in perfect harmony with the Force as their ally. As they ran, Jacen took note of the early-morning routine of the people of Chume'Dan bustling about to open stores and travelling to wherever they had to be before the sun rose. Some waved to their prince, and others did their best to ignore him, but most did not even notice as the Jedi Master went about his daily run. As Jacen and Astro reached their midpoint of the run, the giant gate directly opposite Fountain Palace, they scaled the three-tier gate in three Force-assisted bounds and stopped directly at the top with Jacen holding the lightning rod while Astro braced himself against his master's legs.

"You're slowing down, buddy," Jacen said, his own rather heavy breathing matching the vornskr's heaving sides. Astro looked up at him and whined as if to tell him he was not doing much better.

"It's hard to keep up while on missions," Jacen admitted, and pointed out over the horizon. "There it is."

Astro turned and looked just as the sun broke the horizon, spreading its brilliant golden light across the dark green forest that stretched from the great city wall to far beyond the edge of the visible world. Together they stood and watched as the sunlight crawled up the forest, over themselves, and illuminated the walls of Fountain Palace, slowly bringing brightness to the fortifications and reflecting the light of the many fountains across the top of Jacen's home. The light hit the top of the main central tower and reflected off the massive brilliant diamond at the top of the tower, spreading rainbows across the city in a cascade of colour.

"Time to go," Jacen said as the morning rainbows faded, but Astro was already a bound ahead of him. He leapt after his vornskr and dropped to the city wall with a well-timed roll and sprinted to catch up. Together they finished the second half of the city wall and returned in time for Jacen to take a shower before breakfast.


Jacen and Astro entered the Royal family dining chamber to find Tenel Ka and the kids sitting at the table surrounded by servants bringing food and drinks. Astro ran to his corner and ate his specially formulated meal with rampant gusto from a golden bowl slightly elevated from the floor on a golden wire frame while Jacen took his seat across from Tenel Ka. Jacen smiled and nodded his gratitude to the servants upon recognizing his post-workout breakfast of choice – scrambled marlello eggs, a protein shake, and a vegetable medley. While Jacen ate and Anakin threw his food around, Tenel Ka intently read the daily Hapan news reports that were compiled by a team of Royal advisors and analysts throughout the night. Any of the joy that they had shared the night before was carefully hidden behind her usual stoic mask.

"Anything exciting?" Jacen asked.

Tenel Ka looked up at him and raised one eye brow, as if to question if he truly wanted to know. She looked back at the datapad.

"Perhaps we have very different views on Hapan politics if you think there may be any form of excitement within these reports," she said. "But my grandmother has asked us to dinner tonight."

"Do we have to? I just got back," Jacen said. The look and raised eyebrow returned to glare at him from across the table. "Not that I'm ungrateful, but I was thinking you and I could spend some time together. Maybe a picnic in the great forest, like...back on Yavin IV."

"That would be...enjoyable," Tenel Ka said, using the Force to narrowly deflect a stray spoonful of egg thrown at her by a giggling Anakin. "But I have already confirmed with her. Shall I cancel? Most of my family will be in attendance."

"No." Jacen shoveled a forkful of egg into his mouth to avoid any further expression of his mind. He tried to not let his selfish disappointment show, but he knew she could sense it in the Force anyway.

"Perhaps tomorrow night we can arrange our picnic," Tenel Ka said, giving him a rare slight-smile. "I have arbitration this morning I must depart for."

Jacen smiled back and nodded, taking another bite from his eggs. Tenel Ka stood up and leaned over to kiss Allaya on the head when a loud bark and flash of grey caught Jacen off guard. Tenel Ka jumped back about three metres as Astro jumped over the table and landed between her and Allaya, growling with hackles raised. The servants scattered and Jacen jumped to his feet to pull the startled and crying Allaya away from his vornskr. He handed her to a servant and positioned himself between him and his youngest.

"Astro, disengage!" Jacen shouted, emphasizing his command with the Force. Astro merely took a step towards Tenel Ka and barked.

"I said stop!" Jacen shouted again, pushing harder with the Force, but Astro shrugged his command off. Anakin began crying and Tenel Ka drew her rancor-tooth lightsaber.

"Jacen, you promised me he was safe," Tenel Ka said, not taking her eyes off Astro.

Jacen finally reached out with the Force and lifted Astro into the air. A second later Astro broke his hold, landed, and lunged at Tenel Ka. Her own telekinetic blast sent the vornskr sliding across the floor and Jacen scooped him up again, this time with a much stronger grip.

"I don't know what's gotten into him," Jacen said. "I'll lock him in my ship. Are you okay with the kids?"

"Yes," Tenel Ka said. "Go."

Astro barked viciously and scratched frantically at the air, but could not break his master's telekinetic hold this time. Jacen departed with Astro and took the most direct route back to his ship. He did not drop Astro until they were sealed in the cargo bay, at which point Astro laid on the ground, put his head between his paws and whimpered, looking up at him with sad eyes.

"What has gotten into you?" Jacen demanded. "How many times do I have to tell you? We don't eat family!"

Astro let out a pitiful, desperate bark and sent an image through their empathic connection. Jacen eyed him suspiciously and slowly backed out of the cargo bay. As the door closed, vornskr and master kept their eyes locked together, and Jacen made sure to lock the cargo bay down with the master control code. He sensed a presence approaching him, nearly-silent servomotors creating only a slight whine that his ears barely picked up in the otherwise silent ship.

"Don't let him out of there, HK," Jacen ordered quietly, eyes on the video screen that showed Astro still staring at the door. "Something's wrong with him."

"Query: May I inquire as to the nature of the furbag's malfunction?"

Jacen turned to look at his droid, worry written all over his face.

"He tried attacking Tenel Ka," Jacen said. "He overrode my empathic commands, and even broke through my telekinesis. I didn't even know he could do that."

"Intrigued comment: That is most peculiar behaviour," HK-47 stated, his red eyes flashing brighter with each syllable. "Did you inquire the reason?"

"Translating a vornskr's thoughts and feelings into words isn't easy." Jacen looked back at the video screen. "But if I could, I think he said that Tenel Ka is...wrong."


Arbitration generally lasted for the full morning and Tenel Ka had mid-day meal scheduled with a dignitary from Sennex, leaving Jacen to entertain the kids after breakfast. Since Anakin was reaching almost three years old, he decided it was time to start teaching him the ways of the Force. Like how Luke had done for Jacen and his siblings, Jacen had reduced Anakin's ability to access the Force to prevent him from causing too much damage with Force-aided temper tantrums but left enough of a connection for him to begin lessons.

He held Allaya in one arm and a ball in the other, looking down at his son who was sitting cross legged on the ground. "Anakin, I want to play a game of catch," Jacen said rather formally.

"Yay!" Anakin shouted and jumped to his feet. Jacen threw the ball and Anakin caught it in his hands.

"Okay, throw it back."

Anakin brought the ball far behind his head, arched back and...let it go too late. The ball bounced off the floor and rocketed towards Jacen's head, but he caught it with his free hand before it could hit sleeping Allaya.

"Easy there!" Jacen said with a laugh and tossed the ball back. "Throw it at me this time, not the ground."

Anakin repeated his throw, this time releasing at the right time to send the ball at Jacen's knees – a bit of an improvement. Jacen caught the ball with the Force and returned it without touching it. Anakin caught the ball, slightly amazed at what his dad did.

"This time," Jacen said, "you're going to catch it with your eyes closed."

"Nooo," Anakin drawled. "Can't."

"I can!" Jacen said enthusiastically and shut his eyes. "Here, throw it at me."

Anakin threw the ball as hard as he could at his dad's head, but Jacen scooped it out of the air easily to return it to Anakin.

"You peeked!" Anakin said.

"I'll turn around this time," Jacen replied and turned his back to his son. "Go ahead!"

The ball, thrown at Jacen's back, was easily caught and returned in a quick pirouette that was far too fast for Allaya's liking. She woke up crying.

"Daddy make Ayaya cwy!" Anakin giggled. "Mommy gonna be mad at you!"

Jacen laughed and bounced Allaya until she went back to sleep.

"Your turn now," Jacen said. He pulled the ball out of Anakin's hands with the Force and crouched down. "Close your eyes."

Anakin closed his eyes dutifully and waited.

"Where is the ball?" Jacen asked. "Point to it."

Anakin pointed right at Jacen's head, about a third of a metre away from the ball.

"Nope," Jacen said and moved the ball out to the right. "Where is it now?"

"Dare!" Anakin pointed to Jacen's left.

This is going to be a long day. Jacen sighed.

After two hours, Anakin was finally able to locate the ball with his eyes closed, catch it with his eyes closed, and, amazingly, catch it with just the Force and hold it in the air for as long as it took for him to realize he did it and burst into persistent giggles. Together Jacen and Anakin played catch, passing the ball back and forth without touching it until Anakin stopped giggling from that and found a new thing to giggle at when he began using the Force to throw every toy he could find at his dad until Jacen was dancing and hopping out of the way of the plush and plastic projectiles. They took time off for mid-day meal, but Anakin's fun did not stop. During the walk back to the family dining area, and throughout their meal, Anakin used the Force to push and pull anything he could see. Likewise, Jacen had to anticipate what Anakin was doing and react – pulling and pushing anything Anakin moved to prevent it from being broken. While it was a small source of potential heart attacks for the cleaning staff, it proved a great exercise in fine Force control for both father and son.


Dinner with Ta'a Chume had been as eventful as watching paint dry as far as Jacen was concerned. Some aspects of being royalty could hardly be ignored, like servants removing plates the second they became empty and offering a fresh plate, dining in a massive hall with every available family member in their best attire, and the formalities of talking to everyone as if solar rays were radiating from their every orifice. Others aspects, like having to arrive in a horse-drawn carriage and being photographed by far too many people with nothing better to do with their lives, eating way too much obscenely rich food, and not being able to wear comfortable clothes, Jacen could do without.

"I guess I take after my dad," Jacen said to Tenel Ka as they finally reached the safety of being kilometres away from the media in their carriage. He pulled on the collar of his shirt and popped the top button to give himself more breathing space. "That dinner was an absolute fiasco."

"At least this time it wasn't your fault," Tenel Ka said. She held baby Allaya on her lap and hugged her close, watching as her tiny nostrils flared from her sleepy breathing. Anakin rested in his child seat on the other side of the carriage, already sleeping soundly.

"You have to admit," Jacen said, barely stifling his laughter. "Watching Allaya throw up all over Ta'a Chume's gown was priceless."

"Perhaps one of her best moments yet," Tenel Ka agreed. "She certainly is your daughter."

As soon as she said the words, she knew they were the wrong thing to say. Jacen's eyes closed and a pained look came across his face.

"Stop it!" Tenel Ka insisted. "It is not your fault she is unable to touch the Force. We do not even know if your injury was the reason why."

"One Force sensitive parent is enough to pass sensitivity on to the child," Jacen said angrily. "My entire family is evidence of that. With two, it should be guaranteed. Obviously something went wrong, and my inability to touch the Force was the only thing wrong with either of us at the time. I was hoping she would heal like I did, but obviously that isn't happening."

"Allaya is beautiful and healthy," Tenel Ka said with uncharacteristic warmth. "The Force does not make us a family."

Jacen finally smiled and leaned forward to kiss her, lingering with their lips together for several long seconds before pulling away. "Sometimes it's hard to let go of your dreams."

"Yes," Tenel Ka said with a twinge of pain. "It is."