Inner Rim, Transitory Mists, Hapes.
Jacen Solo moved as quietly as he could down the secret stone tunnel of the building. The passage way was narrow, about shoulder width wide and only a little over 1.5 meters in height. It was awkward walking with his neck craned over in an unnatural position, but at least he wasn't forced to his hands and knees, as he was earlier in his trek. The channel carved between the walls of the palace was not made for convenience but for escape, but in this case he was using it as a covert entrance. He turned a corner and stepped into what looked like an arachnid web. A blue spider as big as his hand dropped to the floor and scurried off the way Jacen had just came.
He cleared away the cobwebs and continued on his journey; a glow stick lit his way as he used a small datapad to guide him through the maze of tunnels. He would prefer to use the Force as his guide, but that would open him up to the possibly of be sensed by other Force-sensitives and that was one thing he wanted to avoid. The passageway narrowed up ahead and he had to squeeze through a particularly tight section of the tunnel. His face crunched up in disgust as he realized his clothing was now covered with whatever slimy grime that covered these ancient walls. Eventually his datapad indicated he had reached his destination. He pulled out a small electronic device out of his pocket, placed it on the wall and pushed a button. After a second or two of silence a section of the stone wall slid open allowing light to spill into the tunnel. He quickly crawled through the hole in the wall and into the adjacent room and found himself standing in a large walk-in closet lined with ballroom dresses and exotic leather outfits. He stood and tried to brush dust and dirt off his attire but soon realized the futility of his actions.
Jacen smiled with pleasure as a ravishing woman with flowing red-gold hair entered the room. "Were you undetected?" she whispered as she walked past him to close the tunnel door.
"Nobody's the wiser. I even avoided using the Force so Allana wouldn't feel my presence."
Tenel Ka, the Queen Mother of Hapes gave a warm, seductive smile. "Good, we wouldn't want to wake your daughter before we had time to get reacquainted." She walked up to Jacen and put her arms out to hug him but then thought better of it. "Oh," her nose wrinkled up in revulsion. "You smell worse than a Rancor in rut."
For that remark he pulled her into his arms and gave her a prolonged sensual kiss. She protested for a moment before melting into his embrace. A fierce, desperate urgency filled him as he kissed her hungrily. He had been away from her much too long.
When they pulled apart for a breath she gave him a teasing look as she slowly unbuckled his belt. "Now we both need a bath," she whispered as she unbuttoned his pants and let them drop to the floor. He kicked off his boots and walked out of his trousers. "I would love to wash your back," he said while caressing her face with his lips.
She pushed his cloak off his shoulders and then helped him remove his tunic until he stood there in his snug boxer briefs. She stepped back to admire his body. "I missed you."
He gave a roguish smile common with Solo males. "I missed you also." He embraced her while reaching around and untying the back of her informal tunic. "You are overdressed," he said with a smile before he kissed her again and then pulled her shirt over her head exposing her bare breasts. "No bra?"
She grinned with a look of pleasurable anticipation. "I was expecting you and I know how that item of clothing frustrates you."
He gave a grateful chuckle. "I can't help it. Those damn Dathomir undergarments have too many hooks and ties." He gave her a heated gaze as his eyes raked over her body. "And I am anxious to unwrap my present."
She laughed. "Your present? Have you been good enough to get a present?"
He smiled broadly. "I've been a very good boy. And I promise you tonight I'll be more than good." With that said he picked her up in his arms and carried her to the large ornate bathroom. "But first I need to clean up and I would love it if you would join me."
"I would be delighted, Jedi Solo."
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.
.
Jacen sat back in the granite bathtub relishing the feel of the warm water on his skin and the touch of the beautiful woman pressed against his side. He turned to the lovely redhead and smiled as he reached out and brought her hands to his lips and kissed them gently. He gazed at their fingers clasped together. "Are you getting used to the new prosthetic arm?"
He immediately regretted saying anything. She sighed and pulled her hand away from his. "It takes some getting used to after going so long without. I forget it is there sometimes."
"Did your grandmother allow your double to get one?" Jacen asked.
"Thankfully yes." Her voice was edged with irritation. "It pains me that she successfully coerced me into doing her will—but I could not let someone suffer because of my stubbornness."
Jacen took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He swore Tenel Ka's grandmother, Ta'a Chume, was going to one day push him to the darkside. The woman was pure evil. The old shrew had made it quite clear over the years that she valued beauty and regal bearing more than a relationship with her family… and she had little pity or tolerance for a grandchild with a missing limb.
The memory of how Tenel Ka lost her arm still haunted him. They were teenagers attending the Jedi Academy on Coruscant at the time. Master Luke Skywalker had the students training with practice sabers and they were now at the point where they were building their own lightsabers. His Uncle was very clear that no real lightsabers were to be used for sparring until they were tested for durability and proper construction. Unfortunately Jacen and Tenel Ka disobeyed the order and began dueling with the deadly weapons without permission or supervision. The two had their sabers locked together when the crystal inside her saber failed. Jacen's lightsaber suddenly jerked forward, slicing her arm off above the elbow.
That day was burned into his mind with sickening clarity. He grabbed his comlink and called for help. The medical personnel arrived and whisked Tenel Ka off to the hospital leaving Jacen to face Jedi Master Skywalker. He felt mind-numbing sorrow over what happened and was ready to walk away from the Jedi completely out of shame. Tenel Ka's grandmother wanted Jacen's head on a platter for disfiguring her granddaughter. Beauty and perfection were valued so much in Hapan society that if Tenel Ka were not royalty she would have been shunned.
Luckily, her mother, the Former Dathomiri witch, Teneniel Djo was more understanding of the accident and asked Luke Skywalker to forgive Jacen saying she knew her daughter probably was the instigator of the misbehavior. Jacen never admitted that Tenel Ka was the impatient one who insisted on sparring. He would never blame her for the accident; he new full well he was doing wrong at the time.
Ta'a Chume was horrified when she discovered her granddaughter turned down the use of a life-like prosthetic arm. The thought of Tenel Ka walking around with a stump of an arm was completely unacceptable.
She tried for years to bully her granddaughter into accepting a prosthetic limb, but Tenel Ka resisted…until this year.
After a failed assassination attempt on Tenel Ka, her grandmother insisted that body doubles be used as decoys. A Tenel Ka look-alike was found and then to everybody's horror Ta'a Chume ordered the double's left arm to be surgically removed.
The woman who acted as her double would not be allowed a prosthetic unless Tenel Ka decided to use one herself. Not wanting to cause the decoy more anguish than she was already in Tenel Ka reluctantly accepted a false limb.
Jacen looked at the prosthetic apprasingly and was amazed at how realistic it looked. He couldn't even see where the real flesh ended and they synthetic flesh began.
"You are pleased that I accepted the limb, aren't you?" Tenel Ka asked.
Jacen looked away not wanting to answer, but knowing she deserved the truth. "Yes, but not for the reasons you think." He ran his hand nervously through his hair. "The missing limb did not detract from your beauty," he looked over and smiled warmly. "You were always irresistible to me…but it was a painful reminder of what I did to you. I still carry much guilt over what happened."
"Pfff," she made a dismissive sound. "You know I'm the one who insisted on sparring."
"I could have said no," he said.
A grin spread across her face. "Jedi Solo, you know you have never been able to say no to me."
An embarrassed smile touched his lips. "This is a fact."
She splashed water on him playfully. "Don't use my catch phrase."
"I didn't know it was yours exclusively."
She gave him a flirtatious smile. "Jacen everything within my kingdom belongs to me exclusively."
"Including me?" he asked.
Her smile grew wider. "Especially you," she whispered as she leaned in for an impassioned kiss.