Chapter 3

Steam filled Jacen Solo's refresher room. He removed his sleeping bottoms and stepped under the stream of hot water. His body burned from the heat but the pain soon dulled to a slight tingle. He quickly cleansed his hair and body and turned the water off. He shook his head vigorously, sending water droplets across the room. He wrapped a drying sheet around his waist and walked into his bedroom. He stood in front of his wardrobe, trying to decide what to wear. He threw on an old white shirt and a pair off short pants. He didn't care if he looked a bit scruffy. He wasn't planning on going out all day. He walked into his kitchen to get something to eat when the intercom buzzed. He walked over to the unit that was mounted on the wall next to his door and pressed the button. "Yes?"

"There is someone here to see you," the doorman replied.

Jacen was curious. He certainly wasn't expecting any visitors. "Who is it?"

"Your sister, sir. She says it is urgent."

"My sister?" Jacen wondered what Jaina was doing at the entrance to his building.

"Shall I send her up, sir?"

"Yes, thank you." Jacen's mind raced. Had something happened to his parents? Surely I would have felt it through the Force, he thought. He paced until he heard a knock on his door.

His sister walked in a pushed right past him to the cushioned chair in his common room. Jacen shut the door, shaking his head, and followed her. "So what's going on? Did something happen to Mom and Dad?"

"Goodness no!" she replied. She leaned forward and tried to take her shoe off but her large stomach made it difficult to reach her feet. "Jacen, get these things off of me, please." She rested her head on the back of the chair, clearly exhausted. She was only a few weeks away from giving birth and her feet had swollen to twice their normal size. Jacen sat cross-legged in front of her and removed her shoes. He worked his thumbs up and down Jaina's soles, easing away the pain. "Jace, you're the best." She sighed and smiled contentedly.

"No falling asleep on me now. I need to know what was so urgent that you needed to show up here so suddenly."

"A message meant for you was sent to me today on Ossus."

Jacen cocked his eyebrow at Jaina. "Well many people are unaware of the fact that I no longer live there. That doesn't seem so urgent."

"It was from someone of the Hapan Royal House."

Jacen stopped rubbing his sister's feet. He was stunned. "What did it say?"

"Beats me. I think it's a holovid that only you can access." She pulled the data card from a pocket in her skirt and handed it to him. He turned it over in his hands. Sure enough, the seal of Tenel Ka's family was imprinted on the back. He quickly inserted it into his holovid machine. Tenel Ka suddenly appeared to be in the room with them. Jacen was stunned by how beautiful she was, just as he felt every time he saw her. He quickly noticed, however, that this was a side of Tenel Ka that anyone rarely saw. She had clearly been crying, the tears still running down her face.

"Jacen, my dear friend, I apologize for interrupting you in your daily life but something has occurred that requires your immediate attention." She paused and Jacen felt like she was staring right into his eyes. "Allana has been taken." She put her hands to her mouth to hold back a sob. "Please, Jacen. She needs your help. I need your help." She began crying and the message ended.

Jacen sat on the floor stunned. He felt like he couldn't control the thoughts that were flying around in his brain. He stood and ran into his room. He pulled a rucksack out from under his bed and began to fill it with every article of clothing her owned.

"What are you doing?" Jaina asked when she caught up with him.

"Packing."

"Well I can see that. Where do you think you're going?"

"I have to get to Hapes."

"Whoa whoa whoa. You're not going anywhere. She dumped you, remember? She can't break your heart and then expect you to come rushing to her rescue whenever she feels she needs it."

"You don't understand."

"I think I do, Jacen. If she doesn't want to be with you then she needs to live without you. Calling you in to save someone else, it's ridiculous. We don't even know this Allana. Who is it, her husband? One of her servants?"

Jacen grabbed Jaina's shoulders and looked her square in the eyes. "I need you to take me to Hapes."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"You need to separate yourself from her. I won't help you set yourself up for more pain."

"Jaina, please. I need you to help me. I have to get to Hapes. I have to find her."

"Who?"

"Allana."

"Who is Allana?"

He paused, considering the weight of the situation. "I…I can't tell you. I wish I could, but I can't." Jaina shook her head and started for the exit. "Jaina wait." She turned and looked at him. "Allana, she's…my daughter."

"If you think making up sick lies like that is going to make me help you…"

"I'm not lying." He sat down on his bed, feeling defeated.

Jaina came to sit beside him. "How could this have happened. I thought you and Tenel Ka had never even slept together."

"We did. I spent the night with her when I went to ask for her aid during the Killik disputes. It was just once."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jaina felt confused and a little hurt.

"I wanted to so badly, really I did. But Tenel Ka made me promise to keep everything a secret. She thought Allana would be safer that way."

"Well we can see how well that plan worked out," she muttered.

"Please, Jaina. I don't have a ship and even if I did you know I wouldn't be able to get myself to Hapes in one piece."

She sighed. "Alright, grab your stuff and let's go." Jacen embraced her tightly.

"Ok, take it easy. You're squishing the kid." He released her and grabbed his bag. They walked out of the apartment and got into the hydrolift that would take them to the ground floor. "You owe me a full explanation on the way there."