Chapter Eight:
She strode purposefully towards the communications module, her grey eyes intent, her features hardening and walk growing more rigid as she grew closer. Jacen could feel her bitterness lurking close to the surface, and felt a greater sense of admiration and respect for her. After all, this woman was indirectly responsible for her mother's death and had always been a constant needling force. Every move Fa'ael made was calculated to increase the success of her own selfish ventures.
"I imagine your grandmother had to call in a couple of favours to get out of jail," he said with bitter humor as they climbed down the main staircase.
Tenel Ka made a disgusted noise deep in her throat.
"I am quite sure it was bribes, actually," she answered, then her mouth curved slightly in an expression of distaste, "A sum of money, more than enough for a prominent political prisoner to be set free, disappeared a short time ago. Of course, I never discovered where it went, though the investigation was thorough. My grandmother is exceptionally good at covering her tracks and shifting the blame."
Jacen nodded, it sounded like the Ta'a Chume he'd known as a teenager visiting Hapes after Tenel Ka's tragic lightsaber accident. And, if Jaina's story of the drama following his capture at Mrkyr was accurately interpreted, the woman had murderous intentions.
They reached the communications room and Tenel Ka resolutely adjusted the crown the Queen Mother on her head. She stepped into the holocomm's transmission area and her grandmother's image appeared on the projector in front of her.
Fa'ael looked haughty and aloof as always, but with a slightly fluttery, harried look.
Tenel Ka raised her chin.
"You wished to speak with me, Grandmother?"
Fa'ael drew herself up, seeming to tense for a fight, responding to the ice so frequently present in her granddaughter's voice when being addressed by her. Jacen, from his position at the side of the room, out of range of the recorder, decided that he never wanted to make Tenel Ka as angry as the former Ta'a Chume did.
"Ta'a Chume Tenel Ka D'jo, I must first say how glad I am to see you alive and well."
Jacen kept the skeptical snort from escaping his throat. Fa'ael? Happy to see her barbarian, intractable, will-of-steel granddaughter alive? Unlikey.
Tenel Ka's face remained unmoving, so Fa'ael continued.
'Your father, in case you were wondering, was lathe to end your vacation. He did not tell me you were alive, let alone let me contact you. It was only because of recent events that he relented."
Jacen felt a peek of curiosity from Tenel Ka, yet her face showed only deadly seriousness.
There was a tension-ridden pause.
"What, I implore you, were these event you speak of?" asked Tenel Ka in a slow and deliberately controlled voice.
The holocomm failed in masking the gleam that cam into Fa'ael's eyes.
"Your Aunt Alyss's daughter, Haleigh, has been murdered. Brutally murdered, in fact. The press hasn't received word yet, it only happened an hour ago.
Tenel Ka blinked once, the only lapse in her lack of expression.
"I see," she answered carefully. She seemed to ponder this information for a moment. "I will return home to deal with this matter immediately."
Fa'ael smiled, "That is wise. There is other information that will interest you here. It seems in the explosion meant to kill you two days ago, that the bombs went off only in the front two rooms. Your sleeping chamber was unharmed."
Before Tenel Ka could reply to this information, the transmission suddenly ended.
Jacen was already getting to his feet, his mind working at a furious pace. He paced towards her and stood with his arms crossed over his chest as Tenel ka glared dangerously at the holoprojector.
"Tenel Ka," he said firmly.
She seemed slightly startled, her eyes lifting suddenly to his in question.
"Yes Jacen?"
He narrowed his eyes in scrutiny.
"I heard about the attempt on your life from your father, but was surprised not to here about it from you. Why didn't you tell me?"
He looked hard into her deep grey eyes, hoping to maybe intimidate her a little, but not really expecting to.
Tenel Ka dropped her gaze from his face and started to walk past him. "It wasn't really important Jacen," she murmured.
He caught her around the waist as she passed by and brought his hand up to tilt her chin towards him. He felt like ice-water was running through his blood stream, taking him over with a cold, lethal feeling. Ages ago, somewhere in one of their crazy escapades as Jedi trainees or maybe when he had first met her, he had promised himself without knowing it that he would protect her. Granted, she could fight her own fights, but the overprotective male in him always wanted to keep her safe from danger. The thought of someone trying to hurt her, or perhaps even kill her, made him feel angry, anxious and deadly all at once.
"If someone's trying to kill you I think I deserve to know. Your safety means a lot to mean, don't you realize that?"
She took a deep breath in, then wrapped her good arm around his waist and leaned her head against his shoulder, making him feel light-headed as the delicate smell of her hair and skin filled his nostrils.
"I know, Jacen, I know," she replied softly, "But I didn't want to worry you."
Jacen straightened again and turned his head to speak into her ear, "Don't worry about me, worry about yourself. I just like to be on alert that's all."
Tenel Ka smiled slightly, a gesture that only Jacen rarely saw, and turned her head, about to meet his lips.
Jacen closed his eyes, leaning in for the kiss, but suddenly Tenel Ka jerked away, exclaiming, "Jacen! I think I understand what my grandmother meant now!"
Mentally cursing Fa'ael and wishing her six feet under the ground, Jacen sighed wearily, "What?"
Tenel Ka began to pace.
"Whoever made the assassination attempt was not trying to kill me. My grandmother said only the front rooms sustained damage. My sleeping chamber was unharmed. Which means my assailants only wished to send a message."
"Haven't they ever heard of flimsi?" Jacen asked exasperatedly.
Tenel Ka didn't hear him though, "Come! We have to leave immediately!"
"Now? Where?" he asked.
"Hapes," she answered firmly striding rapidly from the room.
* * *
Tenel Ka hadn't brought a large amount luggage for the trip to Dreena, so less time was spent packing to exit the planet. She folded some of her clothes, stuffed them into a bag and threw in her few personal possessions. She clipped the case shut and sighed as she looked around the room. In a way, she was sad to be leaving, mostly because of Jacen's appearance on the planet and all the happiness it had brought her so suddenly.
"Packed already?"
She turned to see Jacen lounging against the door frame, his ruffled brown hair falling rakishly over his brown eyes and his arms crossed in that deceptively lazy position. He looked so much like the scoundrel his father has once been that Tenel Ka had to take a sudden deep breath to maintain her poise.
"Of course," she answered regally, flipping the soft gold cloak over her shoulder. If he wanted to be seductive and coy, well, two could play that game. She was only glad that he was back within her reach to participate.
Jacen's mouth quirked in his famous lopsided grin. When they were younger, the expression had always been reassuringly charming, producing only a slightly giddy feeling inside of her. Now, however, it seemed more rugged, more full of secrets, and almost heart stopping in effect. He stopped leaning against the doorframe and stalked towards her, his eyes pinning her. He slid his hands around her waist slowly, encircling her in his arms. Obviously, her queenly act hadn't dissuaded him.
She tried, but failed in repressing the emotions that overcame her at this new development.
"Have I mentioned," he said, with his voice like a purr, "how incredible you look in that outfit."
Anger suddenly rose up inside of her at this reminder of his playful antics this morning. So what if she hadn't had time to change?
"You," she began to lecture, pushing her hand into his chest to emphasis her point.
"Save it for someone who cares, Tenel Ka," he replied, and abruptly leaned forward to kiss her, causing her arguments to promptly vanish.
The sound of a person clearing her throat caused them suddenly break apart, dropping their arms and looking extremely guilty.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," Vergere said, actually sounding as if she meant it, "But I thought it best to inform you that our shuttle is ready. The Hapan Dragon fighter is loaded up within the ship, but Tahiri Veila has opted to travel back using her own X-wing."
Tenel Ka quickly regained her composure and nodded briefly, "That is adequate. I will be down to the landing pad shortly."
Vergere nodded and made her exit from the room. Tenel Ka could have sworn that the old Jedi Master had a slightly mocking twinkle in her eye.
She turned to give a scolding glare to Jacen, "And you had better get your own gear and meet me there."
Jacen smirked, but bowed grandly in a gesture of respect. He straightened, then kissed her hand, warm lips brushing softly against smooth skin.
"As you wish your majesty."
He walked casually away, leaving Tenel Ka greatly shook up.
* * *
At the landing platform behind Nesaliquas, Gallond assisted the strange creature Vergere in loading the cargo bay with luggage. He was an old man, past his prime and content with his retirement on Dreena, with only the minimal household tasks to perform. He had been slightly taken aback by the sudden appearance of the Queen Mother, but it seemed all that was now coming to a close. Yet, there remained something about the whole affair that bothered him, and he had a feeling the answer was right before his very eyes.
He shot a curious glance at the strange avian creature before him, studying the unfamiliar features.
"Madam?" he asked tentatively.
She turned to face him with an inquiring look. "Yes?"
"Pardon me for my bluntness, but I'm sure I've encountered you or one of your kind before. Tell me, what is the name of your species?" he questioned.
Vergere paused for a moment, turning her head to gaze off into the distant ocean, before turning to him and murmuring softly, "I am a Fosh. Perhaps I am the Fosh. I intend to find out."
Fosh… the name triggered something in his head, but no connected memories resurface. It had a certain familiarity to it, but for the life of him he couldn't place where he had heard it. The story around the name was somewhere in his head, but though he grasped for it, the meaning eluded him.
"I wish you luck then, Madam," he answered, with a bob of his head. He backed away, watching as Vergere entered the ship where her apprentice and the Queen Mother were already waiting. She moved with her constant grace and silence.
Fosh…
He continued to muddle out this strange puzzle as the ship closed all its hatches. He backed further away as the shuttle and the X-wing activated their repulsor lifts, and rose surely off the ground.
At once, the story fell into place in his head, as the ships ignited their engines and sped off through the atmosphere. The Fosh were a legend, a bedtime story. A group of beings that, hundreds of years ago in the Old Republic, had been almost hunted to extinction by the Ni'Korish because of the incredible number of Force-talented offspring. They had left the Hapes cluster and escaped somewhere into the far reaches of the galaxy, never to be seen again. No one remembered exactly what they had looked like or what their powers had been, but they told stories of beautiful bird-like creatures who could cure a human of any illness.
Gallond stared after the retreating ships with wide eyes. Some might say he had witnessed a miracle. But the return of this wondrous being, this lost myth, seemed darker to him. Her homecoming seemed to bode the return of other legends.
And these other legends were not necessarily friendly.
* * *
Tenel Ka leaned back in the pilot's seat of the shuttle, oblivious to the outside world. The quiet, steady hum of the ship's engines and the cool fabric of the seat beneath her shoulders were her anchors in reality, while her mind was far away, off exploring other existences. Her eyes were closed and a trace of a smile lingered across her face. She was deep in thought, and for once it was not images of war or destruction, of the Hapan Royal court and two-faced politicians, of Jedi duty and upholding honor, but of something much simpler. Partially, she was thinking of Dreena and the Sandy Isle, surprising herself with how much she already missed the sound of the waves hitting the sand. But she was mostly thinking of Jacen, and how her life was suddenly whole again, restored in one glorious instant.
Her quiet solitude was broken by the sound of the door to the cockpit hissing open. She didn't need to open her eyes to see the intruder, because his very presence sent ripples of energy and power flowing through the Force.
She heard him tread softly over and look over the seat.
"Sleeping, hey?" he murmured softly to himself. She wasn't quite sleeping, of course, but now she felt she easily could with the warmth of his presence soothing her. She felt his lips brush her forehead softly and run his thumb slowly down her jaw, like he was touching a precious treasure.
He sighed as he plopped down into the co-pilot's seat, sounding worried for some reason unknown to her.
"Jacen?" she asked, opening her eyes and stretching, then looking over to where he sat.
"Hey, you're awake," he said with a grin, swiveling his chair around to face her.
"Yes," she smiled, "I was just thinking…"
He looked at her, perplexed, "About…"
Should I just come out with it, or work my way around? She wondered. Her eyes traveled over him, taking in his patient brown eyes, the military style pants and the loose shirt that exposed his upper chest. Her gaze focused on the great scar on his chest.
"You said you would tell me about your captivity," she said, reaching her hand out and softly brushing the scar with her fingertips. "You said it was a long story."
"For sure," he chuckled, "And maybe not worth telling in its entirety. It wouldn't mean the same if you didn't live through it."
Tenel Ka realized that he was right and she probably wouldn't understand. At least not in the sense he wanted her to.
"What did they do to you, Jacen?" she asked softly, her eyes beseeching him to try, to let her see some part of his suffering and toil. She loved him more than anyone, but without some insight into his experience, she was cut off from a part of him.
He took a long time in answering. His eyes were distant and dreamy, light years away from the cockpit of the ship and the Hapes Cluster.
"I was rebuilt," he began, "I was stripped down to my core and made again. There is an old quote Tenel Ka, it goes, "Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains." It means that one may be born essentially good, but corrupted by society. I was given a chance to grow and develop without society, without judgement. I made my own conclusions, came to my own answers. I was remade a stronger person with a surety of my nature, a paradigm that wasn't skewed by anyone else's beliefs. That is what they did to me. They gave me their worst, and I became it. Then I defeated it and nothing they could throw at me could stop me."
Tenel Ka looked at him, absorbing this confession, staring hard into the depths of his eyes that somehow seemed deeper now. Here was the man she had loved since childhood, made into a god, albeit a Vong god, but nevertheless, almost immortal with supernatural power. She knew enough now. It was time for her confession as well.
She dropped her hand from his chest, straightening slightly in her seat.
"Jacen," she began, "When you stood over me on that beach a few days ago, you did not realize how narrowly you rescued me."
Jacen's eyes narrowed, "Rescued?"
Tenel Ka took a deep breath, "Perhaps it might have been suicide, perhaps not. But I had hit my lowest point, and even if I had gone on, I would never have been the same. I would have stopped trying to change Hapes. I would have quit striving to live. Until Tahiri came I was blocking everything out well enough that there was still hope and strength to go on. But she reminded me of how much I had lost, made me realize how much pain I was really in."
Jacen's face had paled slightly and his face seemed burdened, sick with worry.
She took his hand in hers, her eyes soft and pleading, "Do not look so. You are alive, and so am I. That is what matters."
Jacen made no verbal reply, but he outstretched his arms and pulled her into them. She tucked her head against his shoulder her and let him slowly caress her back. She felt warm liquid fall onto her forehead and realized he was crying, but trying not to let it show. He kissed her forehead where the tear had fallen and sniffed slightly, which he tried to hide with a cough.
"But that is not the point, Jacen," she carried on after a minute, still resting in his lap.
"Tenel Ka, I'm getting lost here," he said with a wry smile.
She tried to control the rapid beating in her heart and took a deep breath to brace herself.
"Jacen, I know I need to stop fooling myself. It gets both of us nowhere," she said seriously, and hesitated.
He continued to run his hand over her back possessively, and the gesture of protection gave her reason to continue.
"Jacen," she said, very quietly. Tilting her head so that her mouth was next to his ear, her voice only a whisper and all in a rush, she asked, "Would you want to rule sixty-three planets of a hidden cluster, with untold wealth and treasure, and have billions of people revere you as their Queen's chosen mate?"
Jacen's body jerked and he turned his head to look at her, his eyes wide with shock.
"You mean you want to get married?" he asked breathlessly.
Tenel Ka's mouth quirked with nervous humor, "That is part of the package."
Jacen's face broke into the brightest smile she'd ever seen and he promptly covered her mouth with his and pulled her more tightly to him. Through the Force she could feel his joy and his answer to her question. She kissed him back, feeling as if she could burst out laughing with glee, like she could run forty kilometers without breaking a sweat.
"Yes, of course I want to marry you," he gasped when they broke apart. He paused, "But shouldn't I be the one proposing to you?"
Tenel Ka smirked, "In both cultures in my heritage, the woman takes the initiative."
Jacen laughed and kissed her lightly, "I'll marry you Tenel Ka D'jo. And I'll be the happiest man in the galaxy because of it."
