Chapter 1: Going Home Again
"So much has changed, and in such little time."
Jacen Solo sat in the cockpit of his commandeered shuttle, deep in thought. The flight from Yuuzhan'tar had not been an easy one. But there was no time for recollection. He first had to get out of Yuuzhan Vong space as quickly as possible and navigate safely to whatever the government was calling itself these days. He was alone. His mentor, Vergere, had been killed in one-on-one combat with Nom Anor. Jacen would never have thought that the executor was brave enough to engage in the battle and not delegate a subordinate to take his place. As he wrapped his arms around himself, he remembered Vergere's last words.
"Remember, not only are you the student, but also the teacher. Farewell, Jacen Solo, may the Force be with you always."
The young man fought to keep the tears from falling. There would be plenty of time to grieve later. Right now, he was nearing his destination. Jacen couldn't help but grin. He had been dreaming of this ever since being separated from the other Jedi on Myrkr. Now that it was very close to actually happening, Jacen was understandably nervous. What would he say to her? What could he say? Things were so different now. It had been a little more than one standard year since they had last seen each other. Jacen knew how he felt but did she feel the same way? That was but one of the many questions that would soon be answered.
The proximity alarms beeped loudly, rousing Jacen from a light sleep. The small two-man ship, which he had dubbed the Rancor Princess, was just about to exit hyperspace. He had arrived in Hapan space. Jacen's heart began doing flips, threatening to jump out of his chest. Never had he been so nervous, not even when he had stared down into the throat of a vicious, Jedi-killing voxyn.
"Soon my love," Jacen thought to himself, "soon we shall be reunited. I can not wait any longer."
Just as the shuttle reverted to real space, its commboard squealed. It was the Hapan Planetary Defense Force, wanting to know the intent of Jacen's visit. The Jedi was at a loss for words. He didn't want to let out too much about why he was here. This was supposed to be a surprise. After thinking it over for a bit, Jacen came up with what he hoped was an acceptable alibi.
"This is Captain Miek of the Rancor Princess, requesting landing clearance. I am delivering cargo from Mon Calamari, intended for Princess Tenel Ka."
There was a brief but unnerving silence before the comm crackled back to life.
"Copy that. You are cleared to land in the main spaceport."
Jacen allowed himself a quick smile, then prepared to head down to the hangar. He had been assigned Docking Bay Three. After finishing up the post-flight checklist, Jacen afforded a brief glance at his surroundings. It was the middle of the night on Hapes and she surely would be asleep by now.
There were few places on Hapes that were hospitable towards Jacen. Most thumbed their noses at him and refused to offer a room for rent. He frowned, thinking it was because of his status as a Jedi. Then he remembered. Hapes was a matriarchal society. Men were seen as being no better than mere slaves. After some searching, Jacen gave up and instead set out for the palace. With any luck, he would see her tonight. Or at least by morning. Evading the royal security would be a difficult task. Jacen quickened his pace. The anticipation of once again holding the warrior princess in his arms was almost too much for him to bear.