Chapter Three

Tenel Ka walked slowly through the halls of the Hapan palace. Her face showed none of the emotions that were raging inside her. This mission had taken its toll on her just as much as it had one her friends. Jaina was one of the two closest friends that she'd ever had, and she had been friends with all of the Jedi on that mission- those that had come back and those that hadn't. It had changed many things, their mission to Myrkr. She had felt the change in the Force. She didn't know what it meant, but it was definitely something important. It had also made her fear all the more vivid when she had seen Jacen fall.

She had been so afraid that Jacen Solo, her best friend in the galaxy, would not get back up. And Jacen hadn't gotten back up. They had been forced to wait for thirteen gut wrenching hours before the Hapan medical technicians could diagnose Jacen's condition. He had been experiencing the after effects of his voxyn-inflicted wounds.

She had spent the next few days at his side with his parents, never leaving even as they stayed together or sat with him in shifts. But once he had woken up, Tenel Ka hadn't been able to face him. She felt the momentary and immediate connection that had flared between them for an instant. It had almost frightened her and had definitely shaken her. Her feelings for Jacen were more than just friendly. She had felt that way for years, but it was one of the few times that she had almost let her feelings show so blatantly. Jacen was oblivious to her and to her feelings for him. He had been for years. At first it had hurt that he didn't see her that way, but slowly Tenel Ka had come to accept it, taking comfort in their friendship as it was.

"Princess Tenel Ka." The male courtier startled her from her thoughts and made her pause in her walk as he hastily knelt before her. Still looking carefully at the ground, the young man waited for her to acknowledge him.

"Rise," she said quickly. This was yet another part of Hapan culture that she hated. The handsome young man rose quickly as she had commanded, but still didn't raise his eyes to meet her gaze. "You have a message for me," she questioned, taking a guess at the nature of his errand.

"Yes, Princess. Prince Isolder bade me to request that you join him. There is someone that he wishes you to meet."

Tenel Ka nodded curtly. "Thank you for relaying this message." Tenel Ka turned away from the man and began to slowly walk towards the room where she knew her father would be waiting. It wasn't unusual for one of her parents to request her presence when they greeted an arriving dignitary of some other high level visitor, she was, after all, the crown princess of Hapes. But she was leery of this meeting. Her parents had always reluctantly accepted her decision to follow the path of the Jedi rather than that of a planetary ruler, but they had been trying to force her to take more of a role in the Hapan government of late. Her mother's recent miscarriage and illness had frightened her parents and dashed many of their hopes for producing another heir for Hapes.

Since then, they had slowly been involving her more and more, trying to tie her more closely to Hapes. They had even begun o suggest that perhaps it was time for her to get married. She had balked at the suggestion, the idea of marrying for gain rather than love familiar but distasteful to her. She simply hoped this meeting with her father had nothing to do with parading a suitor by her.

Tenel Ka picked up her pace as she neared the entrance to the room where her father waited. If there was one thing she had learned how to do, it was make a royal entrance. The two female guards that stood outside the closed entrance scrambled to get the door open before she strode through the doorway.

She stopped in front of her father, taking in the presence of the young man standing beside her him. The man looked as if he was about her own age and he wore a formal black military uniform from a military service that she didn't recognize. It certainly wasn't a part of any branch of the Hapan military.

Tenel Ka nodded in her father's direction, bowing ever so slightly to him. "You wanted to see me, Father?" She asked him formally.

"Yes, I did." He held an arm out to her, gesturing for her to come stand beside him. She complied, taking her familiar place beside him. Isolder gestured to the man standing with him. "This is Colonel Jagged Fel of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet. Colonel, this is my daughter, crown Princess Tenel Ka." He didn't give them a chance to exchange pleasantries. "Colonel Fel is here on the behalf of his government. His mission is to observe the Yuuzhan Vong, their behavior, their strategy and the way that they are dealt back. He is then to report all of this back to his superiors. He has also volunteered to work with and aid the Hapan defense forces while he and his squadron are here. I would like for you to be in charge of finding the best place for Colonel Fel and his squadron."

"Certainly," she said, her mind already mentally searching through what she knew of the forces that currently defended Hapes and considering where he could be best used. "Colonel Fel, if you would come with me, I'll see to the placement of your squadron."

Jag bent his head in a small, curt bow. "Thank you, Princess."

Tenel Ka led him out of the room, walking down the corridor beside him in silence. It was the flaw that Ta Chume had always complained about the most concerning her. She refused to make small talk. Glancing beside her, Tenel Ka noticed that the Colonel seemed to be ill at ease walking beside her. For a moment, she considered asking him what was bothering him.

Before she could make her decision, he broke the silence. "I had heard that you were a Jedi Knight."

Tenel Ka's hand dropped to the lightsaber that hung concealed from her waist. "You were correctly informed."

He walked stiffly beside her for a moment more in silence. "I would like to offer you my condolences then, on the loss of Anakin and Jaina Solo. Jaina was an excellent pilot and a very intriguing person."

Tenel Ka froze at the unexpected mention of her deceased friends and then looked over at the Colonel with increased interest. "Thank you," she said formally, and then asked, "You knew Jaina?"

"I made her acquaintance shortly before the Battle of Ithor. There I had the pleasure of speaking to her again and flying with her. I would have liked to gotten to know her better."

Tenel Ka nodded, accepting his words in silence. She thought back to the last time that she had seen Jaina and couldn't find anything to say to Jagged Fel. The effects of the war spared nothing and no one.

Expect another post on this story on Wednesday. I'm hoping to update this story about three times this week. :)