Chapter 1- "Why are you here?"
A/N- This story is AU, lets pretend that the NJO never happened for the
time being. Expect more stories, some that go with the NJO timeline, and
some that don't. I'm a huge TenelKa/Jacen fan, as you will see. I'll try to
update this as often as possible (some reviews may speed up the process a
bit ;) ). It begins with Tenel Ka, running in the forest.
Stray branches brushed her bare arms and legs, while the early morning dew sparkled on the grass beneath her feet. She silently willed her legs to go, faster, faster, faster. Though running quickly, her breath was near normal speed, slowly inhaling and exhaling the sweet jungle air.
While running, she closed her mind to the Force, and concentrated only on the movements of her arms and legs. Some may say this tactic is foolish, but she saw it only as practice for sealing her emotions. After all, who would be in this jungle, so early in the morning? Left, right, left, right, faster, faster, and faster. She distantly heard small animals scurry away, birds sing their morning song, and exotic bugs click. She saw the sunlight filtering through the top canopy of the forest, and felt its warmth on the skin left exposed by her light running clothes.
A voice called out, very close to her. She immediately ceased running and spotted the attacker, emerging from an obvious shortcut to this clearing from the Academy. She struggled to open to her mind to the Force again in order to identify his feelings, hostile or otherwise. It was too late, and her attacker began to come forward to her, slowly at first. She took advantage of his sluggish movement and ran at him
She swung her leg and it made contact with his chest, forcing him to stumble backwards. He got up and attempted to put up a good fight without hurting her. Why is he not injuring me? Someone wants me alive. Then, tackling him, she hit him solidly in his nose with the heel of her hand.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing? "
She knew that voice...from long ago. So familiar it sounded, yet at the same time, so far away. Her old friend Jacen's presence suddenly flooded the Force. Jacen isn't here....
Quickly, she stood, forgetting her attacker, and scanned the forest for her friend. "Hey!" he said again. "It's me! Jacen!"
It is him. He's here. And...I punched him.
"Tenel Ka, are you alright?"
"Jacen!" She ignored his question, and asked one of her own. "Why are you here?"
He clutched his nose, which was now bleeding in large quantities, dripping on to the grass. "Because," he said through his hands, which were doing a poor job of stopping to blood flow, "I wanted to visit the academy.and you."
"Jacen, I apologize."
"No, really, I'll be fine." He stood up, but became light headed and sat down. Tenel Ka came over and helped him to his feet with her one arm. They moved over to the river bank and sat down on a rock. She pinched the bridge of his nose, "Hold it here, but not tightly, it may be broken."
"May be broken? That was a pretty hard punch, what got into you?"
"It is unwise to sneak up on someone in a dark forest." The last few drips of blood dropped from Jacen's nose, and into the river. "You should go to the infirmary. I will accompany you."
"Really, this is nothing. See, It's fine." Jacen looked up at her, and flashed her a lopsided smile. She noted that his nose had a slightly purple tinge to it, but as long as he could talk and smile without cringing, he would be fine.
"It would heal more quickly if you went now." She stood up and offered her hand to him and he took it, standing up.
"Thanks." They walked in silence for a few minutes. "You shouldn't close yourself off to the Force like that, Tenel Ka."
"It is an exercise."
"For what? Closing off your emotions? Pretending to not be a Jedi?" Jacen chuckled to himself, but Tenel Ka just shrugged.
"Sometimes it is unwise to allow others to read your emotions. Your inner feelings may betray you in times of danger."
"I see." They walked along the well-tread path, the "obvious" shortcut to the Jedi Academy in silence for a few moments.
"I've missed you," Jacen said, and said as an afterthought, "and everyone else too, of course."
"And I have missed you." A pink medallion hanging around Tenel Ka's neck caught the light. Jacen reached the arm that wasn't being supported by hers up to touch it.
"You still wear this?" The necklace was a shard from Jacen's pet gort, Nicta's egg. He had given it to Tenel Ka at graduation from the Academy.
"Of course," She said simply. They walked in an awkward silence again. It had been two years since they last saw each other, though they had written back and forth. In earlier years, Jacen had always been a bit shorter than his red-haired friend, and now that he was just centimeters taller it somehow made all the difference.
In the time that had passed since they graduated, Jacen worked for the New Republic Intelligence in secret missions. He was most useful as a Jedi, and even without the Force, his "people skills" were excellent. Tenel Ka had found herself on Hapes, at the request of her mother and father. Teneniel Djo took her daughter to Dathomir where Tenel Ka taught the Singing Mountain Clan more advanced Force techniques in order to prepare them for the consistent treat of the Nightsisters returning.
Tenel Ka and Jacen refused to admit to each other, (much less to themselves) that they were unsure of the future. Neither knew what they wanted to do, only what they did not. Tenel Ka had no desire to return to Hapes and face her grandmother, and Jacen had found himself being roped into politics by his mother on Coruscant.
All this had been said in letters and holos, so the awkward silence continued until they reached the huge clearing of trees where the Jedi Academy stood.
"Jacen!" Luke Skywalker walked towards them quickly, his wife Mara trailing behind with their son Ben in her arms.
"What happened to you?" Mara asked promptly. Ben gave a baby gurgle and reached out his chubby arms to the pair that had emerged from the forest.
"I was.attacked." Jacen was still holding on to Tenel Ka's arm for support, though he probably didn't need it anymore.
"Good thing Tenel Ka was there, then," Luke said.
"Master Skywalker, I attacked him." Her voice trailed off uncharacteristically as Luke gave her a look that told her he knew all to well that she had closed herself off the Force, and he did not approve.
"Hah," Mara laughed and gestured to her hair, only a few shades darker than Tenel Ka's, and said, "it's the hair." Both women had fiery red locks, and a fiery warrior's attitude to match. Mara herself had attacked Luke on countless occasions before they were married, though not by accident. "Better help him to the infirmary to repair the damage then."
********
"Yes, this is most definitely broken. Someone can pack a hard punch. Was it Borka again? That boy gets in more fights than I have Bacta for." Galena, the Jedi healer and nurse at the Academy bustled around the infirmary, talking absently to herself.
"Borka? No, no, it wasn't."
"Who then? Master Skywalker will surely want to have a chat with whomever it was." Galena turned around with an assortment of bacta patches in her hands. She was a short women with dark brown hair, shot with silver. She was talkative, but her voice was smooth and calming, perfect for her line of sometimes frantic work. Jacen was seated on a med table and Tenel Ka stood by his side. Tenel Ka looked down at her booted feet, and Jacen looked at her uncertainedly.
"It was Tenel Ka." He looked at his friend apologetically.
"Have you already talked with Master Skywalker? Or is this some Dathomiri thing where you attack the people you're fond of?" Galena had not taken a liking to Tenel K after she had refused to come in to get a cut treated. She bandaged it up herself in the infirmary, refusing help.
"It was an accident. A mistake." Tenel Ka's eyes bore into Galena's. She made her see the truth without having to say it. Tenel Ka had gone on a run and "left the Force behind" at the Jedi Temple, assuming she wouldn't need it.
"I see." Galena gave the warrior girl the same look Master Skywalker had given her.
"Well." Galena washed her hands and stored the unused bandages. "We're all done here."
*******
Tenel Ka awoke with the sun the next morning, and found herself in her old room. She remembered the events of last night. She and Jacen ate dinner with Luke and Mara, and Jacen spent some time with his new cousin, Ben. Luke had asked the two friends to teach the newest lightsaber-ready trainees about the weapons they were about to build.
Years ago, they had the worst lightsaber-related accident in the history of the academy. Tenel Ka rushed through the building of her lightsaber, and when sparring with Jacen, her left arm was severed just above the elbow. Luke believed the ordeal would teach the new Jedi a thing or two about the power they would soon hold.
It felt strange to be back in her room, as if she had gone back in time. After a quick shower, she headed over to Jacen's old room and knocked.
"Come in." She entered, and saw the familiar sight of cages lining the wall opposite the door. Jacen's room had been given to a young boy who loved animals as much as Jacen had when he lived in this room. Kalil was thirteen, and perfectly willing to share his room with the older Jedi. Both boys were now feeding the animals, and Jacen's old pet Gort, Nicta, was sitting in his shoulder.
Apparently, Nicta had sprouted wings as she grew, and she flew off of Jacen's shoulder and landed on Tenel Ka's outstretched hand.
"She has grown," Tenel Ka said, and Nicta blinked slowly.
"Yep! I take great care of her," Kalil hopped up excitedly as his finished putting food in the last cage. "Class starts in a few minutes, I can't wait to build my own lightsaber."
"Indeed, the class does begin soon." Tenel Ka gently placed Nicta back in her cage and closed the lid.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Kalil ran out of the room, and motioned for Jacen and Tenel Ka to follow. Jacen smiled at Tenel Ka, thinking of how much Kalil's vocabulary reminded him of his sister Jaina. Tenel Ka had the same thought, and a smile briefly touched her lips.
******
Tenel Ka and Jacen entered the dining hall of the academy, where they were to meet their new students. There were four of them, three humans (including Kalil), and one Mon Calamari. They were chatting quietly, but turned their heads when they heard the two Jedi enter. A chorus of "hellos" greeted them.
"Greetings." Tenel Ka said, with a nod of her head.
"Let's go outside for this lesson, we can talk at the top of the Temple." Jacen led the way to the repulsorlift.
The six Jedi sat down, and the first question out of the bold Caleb was, "I don't mean to pry, but what happened to your arm?"
"It was an accident." Tenel Ka said. Jacen swallowed uncomfortably, for though his Uncle had believed that the story would be a wonderful lesson, it was always hard to tell.
"What kind of accident?" Caleb looked interested until Tenel Ka said, "A lightsaber mishap."
"Oh. Sorry."
"Do not be sorry. You had nothing to do with the accident. Even the other person involved is not to blame. It was my fault, I constructed my first lightsaber too quickly, and it burnt out."
"Who was the other person?" The Mon Calamari, Moana, asked quietly. Tenel Ka noticed that the other girl, Gelda, had not said a single word.
"It was me," Jacen said, "Would you like to hear the full story?"
"Yes!"
So, together they told the story.
******
Three weeks later, their lightsaber trainees were doing very well with their new weapons. They were on the roof of the temple again, and were practicing with each other. It was the first time Tenel Ka had sparred with Kalil, and she had a feeling that he would go easy on her because she only had one arm. She, of course, proved him very wrong indeed and he ended up on the floor seconds into the fight.
Gelda had finally warmed up and said more than three words to everyone, and had proved herself one of the best fighters of the four. ******
The time came when the sun was simply too hot, and the air too sticky, so they all walked down to the river for a swim. Jacen and Tenel Ka walked a ways behind the others, talking.
"I can't believe how far they've come," Jacen said in wonder, "And we taught them."
"It is an excellent feeling of accomplishment, seeing students grow and learn," she said, "But we cannot stay here forever, the Academy has an adequate amount of instructors."
"True, but what should we do? Jaina's path was simple, joining Rouge Squadron was the obvious choice."
"Master Skywalker mentioned assembling a Jedi Council on Coruscant," She said, referring to the previous night's conversation.
"But in the Old Jedi Council, only Masters were allowed to be members."
"Things change, Jacen. In these times, it would be wise of Master Skywalker to appoint Jedi of all ranks to the Council."
As they approached the bank of the river, Jacen opened his mouth to reply, but instead he got a mouthful of river water. Kalil had cannon-balled into the wide jungle river, soaking all in the proximity. He smiled at Tenel Ka. "I guess we'll have to swim now."
"This is a fact."
After the swim, the Jedi returned to the Temple, ate dinner and headed down their separate hallways for bed. Kalil ran in the room ahead of Jacen, to feed the animals their dinner, and left Tenel Ka and Jacen alone.
"Goodnight Jacen"
"Goodnight." She leaned in to kiss him, as had become their nightly ritual lately, but before their lips could touch, Jacen jumped away and pressed himself against the wall.
"What is wrong?"
Jacen's eyes closed and his fists curled, whether in pain or anger, Tenel Ka could not tell. She moved next to him and touched his shoulder. He felt her presence through the Force, calming him immediately. "What is it, Jacen?"
"It's my mother, she's been hurt." He swallowed. "Badly."
Stray branches brushed her bare arms and legs, while the early morning dew sparkled on the grass beneath her feet. She silently willed her legs to go, faster, faster, faster. Though running quickly, her breath was near normal speed, slowly inhaling and exhaling the sweet jungle air.
While running, she closed her mind to the Force, and concentrated only on the movements of her arms and legs. Some may say this tactic is foolish, but she saw it only as practice for sealing her emotions. After all, who would be in this jungle, so early in the morning? Left, right, left, right, faster, faster, and faster. She distantly heard small animals scurry away, birds sing their morning song, and exotic bugs click. She saw the sunlight filtering through the top canopy of the forest, and felt its warmth on the skin left exposed by her light running clothes.
A voice called out, very close to her. She immediately ceased running and spotted the attacker, emerging from an obvious shortcut to this clearing from the Academy. She struggled to open to her mind to the Force again in order to identify his feelings, hostile or otherwise. It was too late, and her attacker began to come forward to her, slowly at first. She took advantage of his sluggish movement and ran at him
She swung her leg and it made contact with his chest, forcing him to stumble backwards. He got up and attempted to put up a good fight without hurting her. Why is he not injuring me? Someone wants me alive. Then, tackling him, she hit him solidly in his nose with the heel of her hand.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing? "
She knew that voice...from long ago. So familiar it sounded, yet at the same time, so far away. Her old friend Jacen's presence suddenly flooded the Force. Jacen isn't here....
Quickly, she stood, forgetting her attacker, and scanned the forest for her friend. "Hey!" he said again. "It's me! Jacen!"
It is him. He's here. And...I punched him.
"Tenel Ka, are you alright?"
"Jacen!" She ignored his question, and asked one of her own. "Why are you here?"
He clutched his nose, which was now bleeding in large quantities, dripping on to the grass. "Because," he said through his hands, which were doing a poor job of stopping to blood flow, "I wanted to visit the academy.and you."
"Jacen, I apologize."
"No, really, I'll be fine." He stood up, but became light headed and sat down. Tenel Ka came over and helped him to his feet with her one arm. They moved over to the river bank and sat down on a rock. She pinched the bridge of his nose, "Hold it here, but not tightly, it may be broken."
"May be broken? That was a pretty hard punch, what got into you?"
"It is unwise to sneak up on someone in a dark forest." The last few drips of blood dropped from Jacen's nose, and into the river. "You should go to the infirmary. I will accompany you."
"Really, this is nothing. See, It's fine." Jacen looked up at her, and flashed her a lopsided smile. She noted that his nose had a slightly purple tinge to it, but as long as he could talk and smile without cringing, he would be fine.
"It would heal more quickly if you went now." She stood up and offered her hand to him and he took it, standing up.
"Thanks." They walked in silence for a few minutes. "You shouldn't close yourself off to the Force like that, Tenel Ka."
"It is an exercise."
"For what? Closing off your emotions? Pretending to not be a Jedi?" Jacen chuckled to himself, but Tenel Ka just shrugged.
"Sometimes it is unwise to allow others to read your emotions. Your inner feelings may betray you in times of danger."
"I see." They walked along the well-tread path, the "obvious" shortcut to the Jedi Academy in silence for a few moments.
"I've missed you," Jacen said, and said as an afterthought, "and everyone else too, of course."
"And I have missed you." A pink medallion hanging around Tenel Ka's neck caught the light. Jacen reached the arm that wasn't being supported by hers up to touch it.
"You still wear this?" The necklace was a shard from Jacen's pet gort, Nicta's egg. He had given it to Tenel Ka at graduation from the Academy.
"Of course," She said simply. They walked in an awkward silence again. It had been two years since they last saw each other, though they had written back and forth. In earlier years, Jacen had always been a bit shorter than his red-haired friend, and now that he was just centimeters taller it somehow made all the difference.
In the time that had passed since they graduated, Jacen worked for the New Republic Intelligence in secret missions. He was most useful as a Jedi, and even without the Force, his "people skills" were excellent. Tenel Ka had found herself on Hapes, at the request of her mother and father. Teneniel Djo took her daughter to Dathomir where Tenel Ka taught the Singing Mountain Clan more advanced Force techniques in order to prepare them for the consistent treat of the Nightsisters returning.
Tenel Ka and Jacen refused to admit to each other, (much less to themselves) that they were unsure of the future. Neither knew what they wanted to do, only what they did not. Tenel Ka had no desire to return to Hapes and face her grandmother, and Jacen had found himself being roped into politics by his mother on Coruscant.
All this had been said in letters and holos, so the awkward silence continued until they reached the huge clearing of trees where the Jedi Academy stood.
"Jacen!" Luke Skywalker walked towards them quickly, his wife Mara trailing behind with their son Ben in her arms.
"What happened to you?" Mara asked promptly. Ben gave a baby gurgle and reached out his chubby arms to the pair that had emerged from the forest.
"I was.attacked." Jacen was still holding on to Tenel Ka's arm for support, though he probably didn't need it anymore.
"Good thing Tenel Ka was there, then," Luke said.
"Master Skywalker, I attacked him." Her voice trailed off uncharacteristically as Luke gave her a look that told her he knew all to well that she had closed herself off the Force, and he did not approve.
"Hah," Mara laughed and gestured to her hair, only a few shades darker than Tenel Ka's, and said, "it's the hair." Both women had fiery red locks, and a fiery warrior's attitude to match. Mara herself had attacked Luke on countless occasions before they were married, though not by accident. "Better help him to the infirmary to repair the damage then."
********
"Yes, this is most definitely broken. Someone can pack a hard punch. Was it Borka again? That boy gets in more fights than I have Bacta for." Galena, the Jedi healer and nurse at the Academy bustled around the infirmary, talking absently to herself.
"Borka? No, no, it wasn't."
"Who then? Master Skywalker will surely want to have a chat with whomever it was." Galena turned around with an assortment of bacta patches in her hands. She was a short women with dark brown hair, shot with silver. She was talkative, but her voice was smooth and calming, perfect for her line of sometimes frantic work. Jacen was seated on a med table and Tenel Ka stood by his side. Tenel Ka looked down at her booted feet, and Jacen looked at her uncertainedly.
"It was Tenel Ka." He looked at his friend apologetically.
"Have you already talked with Master Skywalker? Or is this some Dathomiri thing where you attack the people you're fond of?" Galena had not taken a liking to Tenel K after she had refused to come in to get a cut treated. She bandaged it up herself in the infirmary, refusing help.
"It was an accident. A mistake." Tenel Ka's eyes bore into Galena's. She made her see the truth without having to say it. Tenel Ka had gone on a run and "left the Force behind" at the Jedi Temple, assuming she wouldn't need it.
"I see." Galena gave the warrior girl the same look Master Skywalker had given her.
"Well." Galena washed her hands and stored the unused bandages. "We're all done here."
*******
Tenel Ka awoke with the sun the next morning, and found herself in her old room. She remembered the events of last night. She and Jacen ate dinner with Luke and Mara, and Jacen spent some time with his new cousin, Ben. Luke had asked the two friends to teach the newest lightsaber-ready trainees about the weapons they were about to build.
Years ago, they had the worst lightsaber-related accident in the history of the academy. Tenel Ka rushed through the building of her lightsaber, and when sparring with Jacen, her left arm was severed just above the elbow. Luke believed the ordeal would teach the new Jedi a thing or two about the power they would soon hold.
It felt strange to be back in her room, as if she had gone back in time. After a quick shower, she headed over to Jacen's old room and knocked.
"Come in." She entered, and saw the familiar sight of cages lining the wall opposite the door. Jacen's room had been given to a young boy who loved animals as much as Jacen had when he lived in this room. Kalil was thirteen, and perfectly willing to share his room with the older Jedi. Both boys were now feeding the animals, and Jacen's old pet Gort, Nicta, was sitting in his shoulder.
Apparently, Nicta had sprouted wings as she grew, and she flew off of Jacen's shoulder and landed on Tenel Ka's outstretched hand.
"She has grown," Tenel Ka said, and Nicta blinked slowly.
"Yep! I take great care of her," Kalil hopped up excitedly as his finished putting food in the last cage. "Class starts in a few minutes, I can't wait to build my own lightsaber."
"Indeed, the class does begin soon." Tenel Ka gently placed Nicta back in her cage and closed the lid.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Kalil ran out of the room, and motioned for Jacen and Tenel Ka to follow. Jacen smiled at Tenel Ka, thinking of how much Kalil's vocabulary reminded him of his sister Jaina. Tenel Ka had the same thought, and a smile briefly touched her lips.
******
Tenel Ka and Jacen entered the dining hall of the academy, where they were to meet their new students. There were four of them, three humans (including Kalil), and one Mon Calamari. They were chatting quietly, but turned their heads when they heard the two Jedi enter. A chorus of "hellos" greeted them.
"Greetings." Tenel Ka said, with a nod of her head.
"Let's go outside for this lesson, we can talk at the top of the Temple." Jacen led the way to the repulsorlift.
The six Jedi sat down, and the first question out of the bold Caleb was, "I don't mean to pry, but what happened to your arm?"
"It was an accident." Tenel Ka said. Jacen swallowed uncomfortably, for though his Uncle had believed that the story would be a wonderful lesson, it was always hard to tell.
"What kind of accident?" Caleb looked interested until Tenel Ka said, "A lightsaber mishap."
"Oh. Sorry."
"Do not be sorry. You had nothing to do with the accident. Even the other person involved is not to blame. It was my fault, I constructed my first lightsaber too quickly, and it burnt out."
"Who was the other person?" The Mon Calamari, Moana, asked quietly. Tenel Ka noticed that the other girl, Gelda, had not said a single word.
"It was me," Jacen said, "Would you like to hear the full story?"
"Yes!"
So, together they told the story.
******
Three weeks later, their lightsaber trainees were doing very well with their new weapons. They were on the roof of the temple again, and were practicing with each other. It was the first time Tenel Ka had sparred with Kalil, and she had a feeling that he would go easy on her because she only had one arm. She, of course, proved him very wrong indeed and he ended up on the floor seconds into the fight.
Gelda had finally warmed up and said more than three words to everyone, and had proved herself one of the best fighters of the four. ******
The time came when the sun was simply too hot, and the air too sticky, so they all walked down to the river for a swim. Jacen and Tenel Ka walked a ways behind the others, talking.
"I can't believe how far they've come," Jacen said in wonder, "And we taught them."
"It is an excellent feeling of accomplishment, seeing students grow and learn," she said, "But we cannot stay here forever, the Academy has an adequate amount of instructors."
"True, but what should we do? Jaina's path was simple, joining Rouge Squadron was the obvious choice."
"Master Skywalker mentioned assembling a Jedi Council on Coruscant," She said, referring to the previous night's conversation.
"But in the Old Jedi Council, only Masters were allowed to be members."
"Things change, Jacen. In these times, it would be wise of Master Skywalker to appoint Jedi of all ranks to the Council."
As they approached the bank of the river, Jacen opened his mouth to reply, but instead he got a mouthful of river water. Kalil had cannon-balled into the wide jungle river, soaking all in the proximity. He smiled at Tenel Ka. "I guess we'll have to swim now."
"This is a fact."
After the swim, the Jedi returned to the Temple, ate dinner and headed down their separate hallways for bed. Kalil ran in the room ahead of Jacen, to feed the animals their dinner, and left Tenel Ka and Jacen alone.
"Goodnight Jacen"
"Goodnight." She leaned in to kiss him, as had become their nightly ritual lately, but before their lips could touch, Jacen jumped away and pressed himself against the wall.
"What is wrong?"
Jacen's eyes closed and his fists curled, whether in pain or anger, Tenel Ka could not tell. She moved next to him and touched his shoulder. He felt her presence through the Force, calming him immediately. "What is it, Jacen?"
"It's my mother, she's been hurt." He swallowed. "Badly."