Chapter 3: Long Live the Queen
Tenel Ka Chume Ta Djo, warrior of Dathomir and Jedi Knight of the former New Republic, sat in a plush chair in the medium sized receiving room of her quarters in the palace of Hapes. She looked extremely out of place: her tall, slender yet muscular frame was clothed only in lizard hide armor, and her red-gold hair was caught up in numerous braids decorated with beads and feathers.
She was quite attractive in an amazonian kind of way. Her hair was thick and bright, even in the wild braids, and her smooth skinned face was well shaped. Her large gray eyes, cold and emotionless, were nonetheless intriguing in their own way, and the curves of her body were visible even through the shapeless armor. It was in spite of, rather then as a result of her apparel and hairstyle that she still seemed beautiful. Some women will look lovely under any circumstances and in any clothes, and Tenel Ka was one of them. People around her had often wondered what she would look like if dressed in a less barbaric fashion, but not even her most intimate friends had seen her in such a condition since her brief stay on Hapes when she first lost her arm. But she had grown from a girl to a woman since then, and looked very different then she had at fourteen.
Several attendants and guards and courtiers stood in the room around her, glancing nervously at each other, wondering when the princess was going to move. But she showed no sign of losing interest in the design of the walls, and simply sat there, ignoring the fidgeting of the men and women around her. Finally, after over half an hour, she lifted her head and shifted her stiff gray gaze to Aliona Phazir, the captain of the guard. Aliona, a tall, striking woman with black hair, blue eyes and a prominent scar running from her right temple to her jawbone returned Tenel Ka's gaze without flinching. She, unlike the rest of the people in the room, was not intimidated by the fact that the princess was a "spoon bending sorceress."
"My mother is dead, Captain." She said in a cold, emotionless voice. "How." The Captain stood at attention.
"The palace was infiltrated, your majesty." She said, in a voice just as cold and emotionless as Tenel Ka's. "The assassin poisoned the guards outside your mother's room, two by putting poisonous powder in their food, and the other two by poison gas. Then he went into her room, and killed her using a sharp object we believe to be a knife." Tenel Ka's face did not twitch.
"You say he, Captain." She said. "How do you know it was a male?"
"Because the body had been raped when we found it, your majesty." Aliona responded, her voice even harder then before. For the first time since she had entered the room, Tenel Ka's face showed some emotion. He eyes softened, and a look of horror and sadness escaped from her features, but was quickly suppressed.
"How?" she said again, still looking at Aliona. "How does an assassin, any assassin, infiltrate the palace so easily? Why weren't better precautions taken? Why wasn't the Queen more heavily guarded?"
"The Queen chose to rely mostly on her own skills for protection, your highness." Aliona responded. Tenel Ka stared at her for a moment, then shifted her gaze once again to contemplate the floor. Then she looked up.
"Where is my father?" she asked, her voice somewhat less cold then it had been.
"He has been notified of your arrival, as has the rest of your family. They are on their way."
"but where is he?"
"With your mother's body, your highness." Tenel Ka nodded. As befitted a good husband, he would stand vigil with his wife's body for forty-eight hours, without food or water. When his vigil was over, the body would be cremated and the remains placed in the crypts beneath the palace along with all of the other dead Queen Mothers.
At that moment, the door to Tenel Ka's quarters opened, and her grandmother, T'a Chume, entered. Although well past her prime, the former queen was still very beautiful behind the veil she insisted on wearing. Even though it was tradition for the Queen of Hapes to be veiled in public, Tenenial had scoffed at the idea and insisted on remaining unveiled no mater what company she was in. Tenel Ka, taking her cue from her mother, had always refused to wear a veil as well. It was one of the many issues she and her grandmother had fought about over the years.
"Ah, granddaughter." T'a Chume said as she glided smoothly over to where Tenel Ka sat. It amused Tenel Ka that T'a Chume still avoided calling her by her name whenever possible. The former queen believed such a blatantly Dathomiran name was unsuitable for a Hapan princess.
"I was so grateful to hear that you had arrived."
"Yes grandmother." Tenel Ka said sarcastically. "I'm sure your relief at seeing me and your grief over my mother's death are both overwhelming."
"Now my dear," T'a Chume said, as if addressing an unruly child "your mother and I may have had our differences, but I never wanted her to die." Tenel Ka gave an unladylike snort.
"You'll forgive me if I find that doubtful." She said coldly. "I don't suppose you've found out who was responsible for my mother's death?"
"The security cameras were turned off.." T'a Chume began, but Tenel Ka interrupted her.
"Yes I know." She said. "Don't tell me that even with all of your intelligence resources, you still can't manage to locate your daughter-in-law's murderer?"
"If you would let me finish," T'a Chume hissed, "The security cameras were turned off, and therefore we are unable to identify the killer. However we have reason to believe he is a member of an organization which goes by the name of 'League for the Equality of Sexes in the Hapes Cluster,' or the LESHC movement."
"And why do you think that?" Tenel Ka asked, although she had no idea who or what the LESHC movement was.
"Perhaps you should learn a little bit about the movement first." T'a Chume answered, in a condescending tone. "Captain Phazir," She said, turning to Aliona, "Please inform my granddaughter as to the true nature of the LESHC movement."
"Yes, T'a Chume." Aliona answered with a bow. Even though Tenel Ka's grandmother was no longer the Queen of Hapes, and had not been for many years, she was still called by the honorary name of the queen, T'a Chume, as Tenenial Djo had chosen not to don the title.
With an insincere smile and a slight inclination of the head to Tenel Ka, T'a Chume swept out of the room, taking half of the guards and attendants and courtiers with her, much to Tenel Ka's delight. After she had left, Aliona approached the chair where Tenel Ka sat, and cleared her throat.
"Your highness," she said in her calm, cold voice, "do you wish to be told of the LESHC movement at this moment, or would you rather spend some time with your family first?" Tenel Ka looked up at her gratefully. She had expected the woman to simply start rattling off names and dates without a second thought. That she should take Tenel Ka's wishes into account showed her to be compassionate as well as strong.
"It you don't mind," Tenel Ka said, "I would like to spend some time with my father." Aliona nodded, bowed, and left the room, taking the rest of the guards and attendants with her.
For the first time since she had entered the room right after her arrival at the palace, Tenel Ka got up out of the chair. If felt strange to be home; she had only been home once since her arm had been sliced off in that lightsaber accident all those years ago. Beginning to pace around the room, Tenel Ka placed her right hand on the forearm of her mechanical limb, which she had had attached to her arm two years before. She had been reluctant to accept the arm. The realization that if she wanted to survive the Yuuzhan Vong invasion she would need two arms had dealt a severe blow to her pride. But she had gotten over it, with some help from her partner Jovan Drark.
The thought of Jovan sent a wave of homesickness through Tenel Ka. How odd, she thought, when I am standing in my home this very minute. When she had received the message that her mother had been killed, she had left him on Rodia to come back to Hapes. She knew it was too dangerous try and contact him now. It might give away his position, and there were plenty of Jedi Hunters out there waiting for just such an opportunity to pinpoint the location of a Jedi. She reached out with the force to try and touch his mind, but either because the distance between them was so great, or she was distraught with grief, she was unable to reach him.
It was strange that she should miss him so, miss the life she led. Always hiding her true identity for fear of being hunted down and handed over to the Vong. Always having to run, to worry, to hide, and to fear. Here in the palace she was safe. Here she was a princess first and foremost, and no one would dare hand her over to the Yuuzhan Vong. Still, part of her felt homesick.
With a sigh, she headed out of her room and down through the long, dimly lit corridors that led to the chapel in the crypt. When she reached the door, she hesitated before entering. She knew on the other side she would find her beloved father, and the body of her murdered mother. She didn't know which she was more afraid to face.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and stepped into the stone chamber. On a raised platform made of the same stone as the room itself lay the body of Tenenial Djo, covered in a scarlet cloth. Kneeling before the platform was Tenel Ka's father, Prince Isolder. He did not turn when the door creaked open, for he knew who it was. Only members of the royal family were allowed to enter the crypt.
Stepping forward, Tenel Ka drew nearer to her parents until she stood along side the kneeling form of Isolder, and stared into her mother's face. Tenenial's eyes were closed, and her face expressionless as if she simply slept. Tenel Ka moved her hand to the scarlet cloth, and then gasped as her father caught her wrist.
"Don't." He said, his voice hoarse. She took no notice of his plea, pulled her wrist free and removed the scarlet cloth.
Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at her mother's naked body. It was covered in deep gashes, the skin around the wounds discolored and puckered. Tenel Ka clenched her fist and replaced the cloth, not daring to breathe for fear she would begin to sob. She heard the rustle of cloths as her father rose to stand beside her. Slowly, tenderly, he put his arms around her and she leaned her head against his shoulder.
They sat together in the crypt, their backs pressed against the stone platform on which the body of Tenenial Djo lay. Isolder had his arm around his daughter, and she continued to lean against his shoulder, drawing comfort from his steady strength. It was Tenel Ka who broke the silence some time later.
"What will happen now, father?" She asked.
"Now you will become the Queen of Hapes." He answered.
"I don't want to be the Queen of Hapes." She said angrily. "I am a warrior of Dathomir. I am a Jedi. I have a duty to my fellow Jedi, a duty to fight with them, to aid them in their struggle against the Yuuzhan Vong, and against those who would hand us over to the Vong. I cannot desert them."
"You cannot desert the people of the Hapes Cluster either, my child." Isolder responded quietly. "You have a duty to them as well."
"I never asked for it." She said sullenly. "I never asked to be a princess."
"But you are one." He said. "You cannot change what you are, Tenella. You are my daughter, and a descendent of this house. I know your mother chose to raise you according to the traditions of Dathomir instead of the traditions of Hapes, but that doesn't change the fact that you are the Chume T'a."
"But I don't know how." Tenel Ka said, turning towards him. "I don't know how to rule. I was never taught to be a princess or a politician, I was taught to be a warrior. Father!" She said, sitting up to face him, "I don't know how to be a Queen!" He looked back at her sadly.
"I know." He said, "I know."
"What am I to do, father?" she asked, feeling panic flicker in her chest. Tenel Ka was strong willed and independent. She was always in control of the situation, always ready to meet a challenge. But for the first time in her life she realized just how unprepared to meet this challenge she really was. What did she know about politics, about being a Queen? She had never really thought about it much. She had decided long ago that she would embrace her Dathomiran heritage, not her Hapan traditions. That she would be a warrior and a Jedi instead. Suddenly, something in her began to rebel. They couldn't force her to become a Queen. What were they going to do, tie her down and stick a pen in her hand and compel her to make executive decisions? The idea was so ludicrous she almost laughed out loud.
"I am not a Queen, father." She said, standing up, her voice back to normal. "I'm sorry, but I can't become the ruler of Hapes."
"You don't have a choice, Tenel Ka." Her father answered, standing up to face her. "If you don't become the Queen, then who will rule the Hapes Cluster?"
"I don't know." She said, turning away. "And I don't care. But it won't be me." With that, she turned and walked out of the room. Her father stared after her, thinking.
"You cannot rule the Hapes Cluster, my little one." He said softly to himself. "Therefore I must find someone who can."