From Scratch
Chapter 38
Tenel Ka landed their ship on the designated pad and quickly ran through the system shut down.
"And so begins the next part of the journey," Jacen observed quietly, his eyes on the group gathered to meet them. He could see Tenel Ka's grandmother and a large contingent of Hapan royal body guards. His parents weren't in attendance, but that was to be expected since they'd been on the Falcon and were landing in a near by bay. His sister and brother with Jag and Tahiri were also there, as were his Uncle Luke, Aunt Mara and their son Ben.
Tenel Ka turned to look at their companions. "This will be difficult for you. My people are going to ignore you and take Jacen into custody for trial. Jedi Master Luke will be the person you will deal with. Master Luke is Jacen's Uncle."
"You're Uncle, man?"
Jacen nodded, smiling. "See the woman with the red-gold hair? That's my aunt Mara, Uncle Luke's wife. He's standing next to her holding the infant. Relax, you too, these are some of the more accepting and tolerant people in the galaxy."
The four removed their crash webbing and headed aft to collect their gear.
Jacen had completed packing his bag and was waiting for Tenel Ka when she finally turned to him. "They are not going to be happy."
"I know."
"They will likely try and beat you."
"I know."
She took a step towards him. "You cannot fight back if you wish this to last."
His smile was faint. "I know. Whatever your people are capable of, Tenel Ka, they can't match the Yuuzhan Vong in cruelty. Believe me when I say I probably won't even feel what they're doing."
"I will."
He enfolded her in his arms. "I'll tell you what will hurt though. They're going to keep me from you until they realize that my intentions, and our marriage, are real. That's going to hurt more than anything they'll try and do to me physically."
She hugged him tightly. "I will do everything in my power to make this separation a short one. They will not harm you."
He kissed her gently, stroking his thumbs gently over her cheeks. "I know, my love. I know."
"I love you, Jacen Solo, and I promise we will not be separated long."
"Then what are we waiting for? The sooner they grab me, the sooner we can be together again."
She smiled a slight smile for him; just for him. "Fact. Come, we must go confront my grandmother and your family."
"It's Ta'a Chume I'm worried about." he joked softly.
Her face regained its impassiveness. "As am I."
He didn't say anything else as Vola and Flynn joined them at the boarding ramp.
They stepped down in a group, the silence of the people awaiting them speaking louder than any cheers. No one was sure what to make of their return. The gasps of surprise as Vola stepped into the sun of the Calamari world were all the louder and she forced herself not to cringe.
Tenel Ka stopped at the bottom of the ramp and faced the crowd squarely. "Grandmother."
"Tenel Ka."
"You have been exiled. What are you doing here?"
Ta'a Chume stepped forward, her face invisible behind her mask. "I was brought here because of the circumstances. How could I allow my only grand daughter to be kidnapped by such a lesser being?"
Tenel Ka met her grandmother's gaze squarely. "Jacen Solo is my husband. He will be accorded all of the privileges that I would be granted."
Ta'a Chume laughed. "My dear girl, haven't you learned you can't have a husband? You can only have a consort."
"I am the Queen Mother. If I choose to have a husband, no one, not even you, can challenge that ruling. My word is law."
A murmur of surprise wove through the crowd. It was true that the Queen Mother made the laws of Hapes, however, never had a tradition that had stood for generations ever been so blatantly ignored and altered.
Tenel Ka's gaze swept coolly over the gathered Hapan contingent. "I am the Queen Mother, Tenel Ka Djo Solo, and my will is to be obeyed."
Ta'a Chume's body language betrayed nothing as she inclined her head. "Of course, granddaughter."
Jacen focused his gaze at Ta'a Chume. "Lying to the Queen Mother is an offence punishable by death, is it not?"
Ta'a Chume barely spare him a glance. "You don't know what you're taking about."
"I beg to differ. Tenel Ka has had ample time over the last few weeks to teach me the etiquette and law I will need to survive in your society. Lying to the Queen Mother is about the worst offence possible. Especially by a family member."
"Have you proof?" Ta'a Chume's tone was condescending.
Jacen chuckled. "You don't like Jedi, yet Tenel Ka has stepped into the role of Queen Mother, and you never through she would. You don't like the fact that she's now married a Jedi. You forget. I'm no ordinary Jedi, Ta'a Chume. I have been in the grasp of the Yuuzhan Vong and lived to tell my story. I have been trained by a Jedi of the old Republic, in ways you would never be able to understand or survive. You are lying and now plotting how to remove me from your granddaughter's side. You're intending to use the same slow acting poisons you used on her mother, on me. You may think, Ta'a Chume, that you're very clever, however, I have been through hell and survived. You're underestimating me."
"You Jedi are all the same," Ta'a Chume replied calmly. "You always think you know and see everything."
"There is a difference between knowing and thinking you know something." Tenel Ka told her grandmother. "Enough of this. We will discuss this further on our way to Hapes."
"As you wish." Ta'a Chume settled back, but Jacen and Tenel Ka could tell that she was far from finished.
Jacen turned to look at Flynn and Vola who were waiting silently behind them. He could tell they were both terrified and felt outmatched. He smiled reassuringly. "It's alright; this is what we were expecting." He turned to his family just as his parents joined them, and smiled. "Well, what kind of Solo welcome is this?"
Jaina separated herself from Jag and ran to her brother, hugging him with a laugh before smacking him across the back of the head. "Thanks for almost giving mom a heart attack, Jaya." She grinned. "Welcome home. And congratulations, to both of you. I always knew you wouldn't be able to stay away from each other."
Tenel Ka met Jaina's gaze and surprised everyone by letting a smile cross her lips. "Thank you, friend Jaina."
Jaina pulled the other woman into a hug. "Welcome to the family, Tenel Ka. It's about time."
Jag was close on her heels, offering his congratulations, before Han and Leia arrived.
Luke and Mara hung back with Anakin and Tahiri, waiting patiently as Jacen finally removed himself from the crowd, leaving Tenel Ka to field their questions, and brought Flynn and Vola away from his exuberant relatives.
Luke shook Jacen's hand firmly. "Good to have you back. I see you've brought some friends with you."
"Thanks, Uncle Luke. This is Flynn,"
Flynn shook Luke's hand. "What's up?"
Luke chuckled. "Pleased to meet you Flynn. Who's your companion?"
Vola kept one hand wrapped firmly around Flynn's as he encouraged her to come forward. Her eyes dropped shyly.
"This is Vola." the proud note in Flynn's voice was hard to miss.
Luke extended his hand and, to Vola's surprise, gently kissed the back of her hand. "Welcome to Mon Calamari, Vola."
"I- uh... I..." she stammered, looking questioningly at Flynn.
Mara stepped forward, taking Vola's hand in hers. "It's alright. I'm Mara, Luke's wife. Welcome to Mon Calamari, both of you. Flynn, you have excellent taste in women."
Flynn practically beamed at the compliment as Vola's face flushed, and she ducked her head to hide her face even more.
"How was your trip?"
Jacen watched as his aunt and uncle, with the help of Anakin and Tahiri, drew the two survivors out of their shell, managing to get soft words from Vola before leading them away from the crowd. He returned to his wife's side in time to be hugged fiercely by his mother. "Don't you ever do that to us again Jacen."
He chuckled. "Why would I? I convinced her to marry me!"
The Solo clan got a good laugh out of his light attitude, but Tenel Ka was more focused on the Hapan contingent and the watchful eyes of her grandmother.
As the gathering finally headed towards the Solo apartments, the royal guard fell in behind, and Tenel Ka could feel the malevolent glare of her grandmother's eyes boring into her back. Their newest trial had just begun.
Chapter 38
Tenel Ka landed their ship on the designated pad and quickly ran through the system shut down.
"And so begins the next part of the journey," Jacen observed quietly, his eyes on the group gathered to meet them. He could see Tenel Ka's grandmother and a large contingent of Hapan royal body guards. His parents weren't in attendance, but that was to be expected since they'd been on the Falcon and were landing in a near by bay. His sister and brother with Jag and Tahiri were also there, as were his Uncle Luke, Aunt Mara and their son Ben.
Tenel Ka turned to look at their companions. "This will be difficult for you. My people are going to ignore you and take Jacen into custody for trial. Jedi Master Luke will be the person you will deal with. Master Luke is Jacen's Uncle."
"You're Uncle, man?"
Jacen nodded, smiling. "See the woman with the red-gold hair? That's my aunt Mara, Uncle Luke's wife. He's standing next to her holding the infant. Relax, you too, these are some of the more accepting and tolerant people in the galaxy."
The four removed their crash webbing and headed aft to collect their gear.
Jacen had completed packing his bag and was waiting for Tenel Ka when she finally turned to him. "They are not going to be happy."
"I know."
"They will likely try and beat you."
"I know."
She took a step towards him. "You cannot fight back if you wish this to last."
His smile was faint. "I know. Whatever your people are capable of, Tenel Ka, they can't match the Yuuzhan Vong in cruelty. Believe me when I say I probably won't even feel what they're doing."
"I will."
He enfolded her in his arms. "I'll tell you what will hurt though. They're going to keep me from you until they realize that my intentions, and our marriage, are real. That's going to hurt more than anything they'll try and do to me physically."
She hugged him tightly. "I will do everything in my power to make this separation a short one. They will not harm you."
He kissed her gently, stroking his thumbs gently over her cheeks. "I know, my love. I know."
"I love you, Jacen Solo, and I promise we will not be separated long."
"Then what are we waiting for? The sooner they grab me, the sooner we can be together again."
She smiled a slight smile for him; just for him. "Fact. Come, we must go confront my grandmother and your family."
"It's Ta'a Chume I'm worried about." he joked softly.
Her face regained its impassiveness. "As am I."
He didn't say anything else as Vola and Flynn joined them at the boarding ramp.
They stepped down in a group, the silence of the people awaiting them speaking louder than any cheers. No one was sure what to make of their return. The gasps of surprise as Vola stepped into the sun of the Calamari world were all the louder and she forced herself not to cringe.
Tenel Ka stopped at the bottom of the ramp and faced the crowd squarely. "Grandmother."
"Tenel Ka."
"You have been exiled. What are you doing here?"
Ta'a Chume stepped forward, her face invisible behind her mask. "I was brought here because of the circumstances. How could I allow my only grand daughter to be kidnapped by such a lesser being?"
Tenel Ka met her grandmother's gaze squarely. "Jacen Solo is my husband. He will be accorded all of the privileges that I would be granted."
Ta'a Chume laughed. "My dear girl, haven't you learned you can't have a husband? You can only have a consort."
"I am the Queen Mother. If I choose to have a husband, no one, not even you, can challenge that ruling. My word is law."
A murmur of surprise wove through the crowd. It was true that the Queen Mother made the laws of Hapes, however, never had a tradition that had stood for generations ever been so blatantly ignored and altered.
Tenel Ka's gaze swept coolly over the gathered Hapan contingent. "I am the Queen Mother, Tenel Ka Djo Solo, and my will is to be obeyed."
Ta'a Chume's body language betrayed nothing as she inclined her head. "Of course, granddaughter."
Jacen focused his gaze at Ta'a Chume. "Lying to the Queen Mother is an offence punishable by death, is it not?"
Ta'a Chume barely spare him a glance. "You don't know what you're taking about."
"I beg to differ. Tenel Ka has had ample time over the last few weeks to teach me the etiquette and law I will need to survive in your society. Lying to the Queen Mother is about the worst offence possible. Especially by a family member."
"Have you proof?" Ta'a Chume's tone was condescending.
Jacen chuckled. "You don't like Jedi, yet Tenel Ka has stepped into the role of Queen Mother, and you never through she would. You don't like the fact that she's now married a Jedi. You forget. I'm no ordinary Jedi, Ta'a Chume. I have been in the grasp of the Yuuzhan Vong and lived to tell my story. I have been trained by a Jedi of the old Republic, in ways you would never be able to understand or survive. You are lying and now plotting how to remove me from your granddaughter's side. You're intending to use the same slow acting poisons you used on her mother, on me. You may think, Ta'a Chume, that you're very clever, however, I have been through hell and survived. You're underestimating me."
"You Jedi are all the same," Ta'a Chume replied calmly. "You always think you know and see everything."
"There is a difference between knowing and thinking you know something." Tenel Ka told her grandmother. "Enough of this. We will discuss this further on our way to Hapes."
"As you wish." Ta'a Chume settled back, but Jacen and Tenel Ka could tell that she was far from finished.
Jacen turned to look at Flynn and Vola who were waiting silently behind them. He could tell they were both terrified and felt outmatched. He smiled reassuringly. "It's alright; this is what we were expecting." He turned to his family just as his parents joined them, and smiled. "Well, what kind of Solo welcome is this?"
Jaina separated herself from Jag and ran to her brother, hugging him with a laugh before smacking him across the back of the head. "Thanks for almost giving mom a heart attack, Jaya." She grinned. "Welcome home. And congratulations, to both of you. I always knew you wouldn't be able to stay away from each other."
Tenel Ka met Jaina's gaze and surprised everyone by letting a smile cross her lips. "Thank you, friend Jaina."
Jaina pulled the other woman into a hug. "Welcome to the family, Tenel Ka. It's about time."
Jag was close on her heels, offering his congratulations, before Han and Leia arrived.
Luke and Mara hung back with Anakin and Tahiri, waiting patiently as Jacen finally removed himself from the crowd, leaving Tenel Ka to field their questions, and brought Flynn and Vola away from his exuberant relatives.
Luke shook Jacen's hand firmly. "Good to have you back. I see you've brought some friends with you."
"Thanks, Uncle Luke. This is Flynn,"
Flynn shook Luke's hand. "What's up?"
Luke chuckled. "Pleased to meet you Flynn. Who's your companion?"
Vola kept one hand wrapped firmly around Flynn's as he encouraged her to come forward. Her eyes dropped shyly.
"This is Vola." the proud note in Flynn's voice was hard to miss.
Luke extended his hand and, to Vola's surprise, gently kissed the back of her hand. "Welcome to Mon Calamari, Vola."
"I- uh... I..." she stammered, looking questioningly at Flynn.
Mara stepped forward, taking Vola's hand in hers. "It's alright. I'm Mara, Luke's wife. Welcome to Mon Calamari, both of you. Flynn, you have excellent taste in women."
Flynn practically beamed at the compliment as Vola's face flushed, and she ducked her head to hide her face even more.
"How was your trip?"
Jacen watched as his aunt and uncle, with the help of Anakin and Tahiri, drew the two survivors out of their shell, managing to get soft words from Vola before leading them away from the crowd. He returned to his wife's side in time to be hugged fiercely by his mother. "Don't you ever do that to us again Jacen."
He chuckled. "Why would I? I convinced her to marry me!"
The Solo clan got a good laugh out of his light attitude, but Tenel Ka was more focused on the Hapan contingent and the watchful eyes of her grandmother.
As the gathering finally headed towards the Solo apartments, the royal guard fell in behind, and Tenel Ka could feel the malevolent glare of her grandmother's eyes boring into her back. Their newest trial had just begun.