AN: Thanks for the reviews everyone!
Now, just to clarify, this is a lead up to the very beginning of the NJO, but I won't do any NJO AU, or cross-over into that time line. This is just a little story that takes place in between the YJK series and Vector Prime. I'm writing this partly in defiance to the Jacen/Tahiri shippers, and partly because I need my daily dose of Jacen/Tenel Ka. I feel kind of bad about that scene actually, because I got stuck writing it when I didn't want to. This story was originally an idea where Augwynne died and Jacen and Tenel Ka get directly to Dathomir and then have to prevent a plot by a Nightsister to run the clan, you know, lots of Force lightning, dark side power flying around, etc.. However, I'm not really good at writing lightsaber battles, and I've always wanted a pirate story. So I was stuck with the premonition from the first chapter, but the premonition couldn't be about Tenel Ka confronting the dark side on Dathomir, so I had to change it. It's really just "filler" in a way, but I think that it's strange in the NJO that no one has a vision of the invasion before it happens, and it seemed plausible that Tenel Ka would foresee it. Anyway, here's the next chapter!
Chapter Three- Interrupted Expedition
They'd been traveling through hyperspace for nearly three and half-hours when it happened. Jacen and Tenel Ka were sitting in the cockpit, in their respective seats and talking more about what they were planning to do after this trip was over.
"I'm not really sure about the direction the Jedi are taking anymore," Jacen was saying, "And now Luke's asked me to be his apprentice and obviously I'm going to accept. However, the speculation about rebuilding the Jedi Council and have the Jedi Knights officially sanctioned by the New Republic… I'm just not sure I like the idea."
Tenel Ka opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off as the Rancor Tooth was abruptly jolted from hyperspace. There was a loud boom and a fizzling sound, as if they had hit something large and hard and now components of their ship were short-circuiting.
"What the kriff?" Jacen cursed, grabbing the controls as Tenel Ka attempted to read the data scrolling across the screen in front of her, trying to figure out what had pulled them from hyperspace.
"We hit some kind of proximity mine, or a hyperspace mine," Tenel Ka hypothesized, fairly calmly under the circumstances, still trying to get the correct information from the erratic data readings and at the same time trying to strap herself into her seat. The ship was shaking violently and the lights in the cabin kept blinking on and off, with warning sirens and alarms sounding in the background.
"Hold on, I'll get us out of here!" Jacen shouted over the din, struggling with the controls, trying to steady the ship.
"We're being hailed!" Tenel Ka exclaimed, putting on the communications headset.
"Put 'em through!" replied Jacen immediately, desperately working to bring the Rancor Tooth out of its dizzying, spinning dive.
"Ship Rancor Tooth," said a smooth, silky voice, with a note of amusement and a bit of malice in it, "We extend the warmest greetings towards you, whomever you may be. It seems you've stumbled upon the King Kanortine Buccaneers, the thieves of the Outer Rim. Pleasure to have you with us."
Tenel Ka and Jacen looked at each other with confused looks on their faces.
"Buccaneers?" Jacen repeated.
"King Kanortine?" Tenel Ka said at the same time.
"Weird," Jacen commented.
"At least the ship has stopped spinning," Tenel Ka noted.
"Right, that. What's wrong with it? Can we go to hyperspace?" Jacen questioned.
Tenel Ka pushed a few buttons, and then replied with frustration, "The drive has been knocked out by the hyperspace mines. Everything else still works, all our weapons and sub-light engines are fine."
Jacen was about to tell her to just transfer all power to the sub-light engines and try to get far enough away to make repairs to the ship, but the sensors lit up then, showing a group of sleek starfighters closing right behind and to the sides of them.
"Sithspit, they've got us!" Jacen asserted, and Tenel Ka looked over to see the sensor screen, "What do you think we should do?"
Instead of answering, Tenel Ka opened communications and said in a calm, cool voice, "Our ship isn't hostile towards you, where are you taking us and why?"
There was a short burst of static, then a gruff voice answered, "You got in, now you have to win your way out."
"Win what?" Jacen pressed, and Tenel Ka repeated the question over the comlink.
"Races," the voice said in an eager, but bloodthirsty tone, "Races for your lives. If you win, you go, if you lose… you die."