Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Once Tenel Ka left Jacen's hospital room he let out a stunned breath.
'What had just happened?'
They were close friends, but not close enough to warrant the impassioned greeting he just received. During their kiss he had felt through the Force a jumbled montage of emotions rolling off of her…relief, anxiety, and something else, something that felt very much like attraction and… desire.
He closed his eyes and smiled broadly as he recalled their greeting. Her kiss was sweetness beyond words and left his body thrumming like a live wire. He could only imagine what it would be like to be with her in a more romantic nature. Maybe when she returned he would finally be able to broach the subject of possibly dating. The smiled dropped from his face as he realized the Queen Mother of Hapes didn't date. She found a man she wanted and…well he wasn't sure exactly how the cultural aspect of that worked…but since she had a daughter some lucky kriff obviously had the privilege of lying with the most beautiful woman Jacen has ever known.
He chaffed at the thought. It should have been him with Tenel Ka…not some arrogant, pampered, snot-nosed Hapan nobelman. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He realized he was jealous, but he also knew he had only himself to blame. When it came to romantic overtures toward Tenel Ka the fear of rejection always paralyzed him. Clearly, when he failed to make a move to officially court her she found someone else who could provide her with the family she desired.
But maybe all was not lost. A woman with a consort probably wouldn't kiss Jacen like she just did. Perhaps Jaden was correct when he said the father wasn't in the picture any more.
Jacen smiled, eagerly anticipating her return. He was determined to do things differently this time. He would tell her how he felt...and maybe this time things would work out for him.
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Jacen laid in bed watching the HoloNet when somebody entered his hospital room. He quickly turned toward the door expectantly, hoping it was Tenel Ka. Unfortunately, it was only his cousin Jaden. He was wearing his white, lightweight medical robes and carrying his medical datapad, indicating he was there on an official visit.
"Oh, it's you," Jacen said disappointed.
Jaden raised a dark eyebrow and smirked. "Were you expecting someone else?"
Jacen blushed as he swiveled his legs off the bed and stood. "Tenel Ka was here."
Jaden laughed. "I heard she was here terrorizing Cilghal." He looked at Jacen and grinned. "What did she have to say?"
"It was odd…she kissed me."
Jaden's grin widened as he gave Jacen a congratulatory slap on the back. "Alright! That's a good sign. See I told you not to give up on her."
Jacen furrowed his brow in thought. "She was probably just worried about me…that must be the reason for the kiss."
"Yeah, that must be it," Jaden scoffed sarcastically. "Come on Jacen, did Jysella, Jem or any other lady Jedi visiting you this week kiss you like that?"
"No, but Kyp did."
Jaden's eyes went wide. "Really?"
"No." Jacen said with a laugh. "You should have seen the look on your face. You're far too trusting Jaden."
Jaden gave him an odd look. "That's true, you always could pull one over on me Jacen." He moved so he stood directly in front of Jacen and pulled a penlight out of his pocket. He shone the light into his eyes momentarily before he turned it off and gave him a satisfied smile. "Congratulations, you're being discharged."
Jacen frowned. "What about my memory loss? Can't I get neural reconstruction?"
Jaden averted his eyes and appeared uneasy. "You're brain scan didn't show any structural brain damage…so there isn't any impaired neurons to reconstruct."Jaden said apologetically.
"Oh," Jacen muttered as a feeling of dull despair hit him. He had hoped for a cure. Six years of memory loss was not something he wanted to live with. Who knew what he did or the people he met in those years. His family was trying to help him replace the missing memories, but even they didn't know where he was for a few years.
His cousin gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry Jacen, I really am."
He could sense sadness and remorse coming from Jaden. He gave him a forced smile. "It's not your fault Jaden." Jacen put an arm around his cousin's shoulder. The two had practically grown up together and Jacen considered him not only family, but a close friend. He didn't want Jaden feeling guilty for something Lumiya did. "I know you did everything you could to help."
Jaden refused to look Jacen in the eye. "I'm still sorry Jacen."
"You said there was a chance that my memory would return naturally, right?" he asked.
Jaden nodded. "There is that possibility."
"That's something I can look forward to then." Jacen smiled at his cousin warmly. He stepped away and took a few steps toward the door before he hesitated and turned toward Jaden. "If Tenel Ka comes back, can you tell her I'm in my quarters?"
Jaden smiled weakly. "Anything for you Jacen."
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A Jedi Knight met Tenel Ka outside the Grand Master's office and escorted her and her guards to a wing of the Temple reserved for visiting dignitaries. She opened the door to her room and looked at Commander Tavik. "Have Sergeant Rycus retrieve my things from the shuttle."
"Yes your Majesty," Tavik said, "but before you retire to your room I must inform you, a report on the Hapan plague came in while you were talking to the Grand Master. I have some good and bad news."
She sighed and motioned for him to enter. She sat down on a settee in the living room area of the suite, smoothing out her dress as she did so. "What is it?" she asked, not knowing if she could take more bad news.
"Your Majesty, we have official notification that your grandmother Ta'a Chume is dead...along with many of her cousins."
Tenel Ka took a long shuddering breath. She dreamt of this day for so long and now that it had come she was too depressed to celebrate. "What is the bad news?"
The commander paused before he gave a caustic chuckle. "I guess there is no bad news. There is some good news, though. The plague seems to be abating and many of the royals are recovering from the illness…although seventeen have died…mainly elderly members of your direct family line. Better yet, investigators believe they know the identity of the terrorist responsible. Face recognition software identified the assassin as a known Sith named Lumiya."
Tenel Ka's head snapped up. "Lumiya? Are you sure?" A sick feeling clenched her stomach. Jacen was working with Lumiya and now it's believed that the Sith woman was responsible for the attack on the Hapan Royals. Even if Jacen didn't have a hand in the attack, if he was connected to Lumiya in anyway the repercussions to the Jedi and Galactic Alliance would be astronomical.
"She was positively identified," Commander Tavik continued, "not only by her appearance but her forged passport and Planetary Visitation paperwork led investigators back to her."
A cold feeling of dread crept up her spine. "Are there any theories as to why a Sith would assassinate Royals?" she asked hesitantly, fearful that Jacen's name would be mentioned.
Tavik ran a hand over his jaw in thought. "I heard rumors through Imperial channels that she was recently seen with the Tof invaders. The planet Zeltros is very close to the Hapes Cluster and the Tof invaded Zeltros once before. It could be these intruders of the Firefist Galaxy are preparing for another incursion…this time to Hapes. If they can bring the leadership into turmoil, then it would make their conquest considerably easier."
She nodded thoughtfully. She really doubted the Tof would invade the Hapes Cluster knowing her massive fleet of Battle Dragons could easily decimate them. Of course, the Tof leadership was never known for their intelligence, in fact the green skinned brutes were simpletons when it came to tactics or basic common sense. Therefore it was possible that the public could find some credence in that story.
"Yes, yes, that is very a fairly reasonable assumption." She looked up to her security chief. "I will contact Hapan Planetary Security and have them investigate that particular avenue. Good work Commander."
Commander Tavik smiled at the compliment. "Would you like me to order a team to search out and apprehend Lumiya?"
She shook her head and steadied her voice. "No need. This afternoon the Jedi will release a public affairs bulletin announcing they hunted down and killed her."
Commander Tavik's brow went up, impressed. "That can only help improve the image of the Jedi with the Hapan people."
"Perhaps…"
'Perhaps…if a Jedi wasn't the one who ordered the attack', she thought glumly.
She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Now things were starting to make sense. Jacen wanted to protect his family so he agreed to train under Lumiya if she would get rid of the royals for him. Personally, she didn't grieve one bit over the death of so many of the royal family…not when they spend most of their free time trying to figure out how to kill her or her daughter. But one could not kill so many leaders and not expect a very detailed and expansive investigation. If Jacen was involved and he hadn't covered his tracks…it could result in a major conflict between the G.A. and the Consortium. An indictment against Jacen Solo would result in a condemnation of the Jedi as a whole. The Hapan citizens would probably accuse the Jedi of framing a Sith and then killing her to appease the consortium…all the while playing the part of hero.
A nasty tension headache was beginning to form behind her eyes. This situation needed to be cleaned up…sterilized, but with Jacen not knowing if he was involved or not…finding and covering up a potential trail of guilt would be difficult. Perhaps Jedi Tantiss knew something, but if he wouldn't share information with the Grand Master, what possibility did she have of getting him to talk?
She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. Without a way to ensure any evidence is destroyed, all she can do was wait to see if the scat hit the proverbial fan.
How could Jacen be so reckless?
This was all too much for Tenel Ka, everything was falling apart. Her well rehearsed stoic façade crumbled as a lone tear tracked down her face. She buried her head in her hands. "Gods, what am I going to do about this?" she moaned softly.
A look of panic crossed her guard's face upon seeing her uncharacteristic expression of emotion. "Your Majesty?" He walked closer. "Your Highness, what's wrong? How can I help?"
She shook her head. "I have a problem that cannot be fixed."
"All problems can be fixed with enough…effort." He gave her a stern look. "Your Highness during the two decades I worked in the Galactic Alliance Special Forces my specialty was making problems disappear." He gave her an unblinking gaze. "I make things go away. Just tell me the problem."
She demurred. "This is not something I can share with you."
He looked at her earnestly. "Your Highness, I realize the Hapan culture breeds suspicion and distrust…and rightfully so…but there comes a point when you have to trust someone."
"There is no longer anyone I can trust." Her voice was low and full of pain.
"That's not true." Commander Tavik dropped to his knees before her, bowing his head in uncharacteristic show humility in a private setting. "Your Majesty," he said softly as he placed his fist above his heart. "I have given you my oath of allegiance. I will defend you at risk to my life. I swear now to hold the honor and confidences of my Queen."
She looked at him humbly bowed before her. "You often remind me that I am your employer and not your Queen."
Tavik tilted his head slightly so he could give her a furtive glance from one eye. "Your, Majesty, I have just given you the Oath of Vernost. It is the highest oath a Void Jumper can bestow. To disregard my pledge means I must take my own life."
She stared at the back of his bowed head. "You do remember I am a Jedi and I can sense the duplicity of your last statement."
"Good." He said with a chuckle. "Then that means you sensed the truthfulness of the first part."
She took a couple deep breaths as she considered his proposal. He was right, she needed to trust someone. She couldn't handle this alone and she needed someone to quietly investigate and possibly cover up this mess. "What I tell you must never be repeated."
He lifted his head. "Yes Your Majesty"
"Commander Tavik," she said softly, her voice barely audible. "My friend Jacen Solo has been associated with Lumiya and he might be involved in the viral attack against the Royals."
He snorted. "If so, the man should be given a medal," Tavik said frankly and then smiled. "I knew I liked the man for a reason." He stood and seemed perplexed, obviously misinterpreting her look of deep despair. "You…you don't want me to kill him, do you?" His voice took on an incredulous and almost appalled tone.
She let out an exasperated breath. "Commander Tavik, why do your solutions to problems always involve killing someone?"
He shook his head adamantly. "That's not true Your Highness. Remember, when Princess Allana got chewing gum in her hair…I used nutbutter oil to remove it. No killing was required."
She shook her head in annoyance. "Jacen Solo is not to be harmed. If he was involved—he did it to ensure my safety."
"What is it you wish me to do your highness?"
"If he's complicit," she said with a measure of reluctance. "I want his trail covered. Nothing can lead back to him."
Tavik nodded. "If you can convince him to talk to me, I can find out who helped him and take care of any loose ends."
She sighed. "That's the problem. The Jedi feared he had turned Sith and they did a memory rub. They hoped he would forget his association with Lumiya and return to the path of a Jedi. He remembers nothing from the last few years."
He gave her a look of disbelief. "Master Skywalker stole his memories?"
She shook her head. "No, Jedi Master Tantiss did the memory rub. The Grand Master said Tantiss picked up some of Jacen's memories during the process..." She hesitated for a moment wondering if she should reveal what memories Jacen did reveal, but decided against it. "He picked up memories about what Jacen had done in the last few months, but Master Tantiss refuses to reveal anything he gleaned from Jacen involving Lumiya. It is possible he knows if Jacen was involved and if so, who made the nanovirus."
"Jedi Tantiss…do you mean Mark Tantiss?" Commander Tavik asked incredulously. "Big guy, beard, red hair?"
She looked up to her security commander. "Yes, do you know him?"
He nodded. "Yes, he's a trained Void Jumper." He paced the room for a minute in thought. Finally he turned to the Queen. "I'll leave Sergeant Rycus to guard you. I'll talk to Tantiss and find out what he knows."
She almost rolled her eyes at her security chief's overconfidence. "He is not the type of man you can beat information out of, Commander," she warned him.
"Jedi Tantiss is a Void Jumper, the same as I. We are part of a brotherhood." Commander Tavik announced.
"I doubt that will make a difference. The Grand Master said Jedi Tantiss refused to tell him what he saw. Why would he talk to you, when he won't talk to his Master?"
"His Master," Commander Tavik scoffed. "Your Majesty, Mark Tantiss does have a Master, but it's not Luke Skywalker." He chuckled softly as he moved to the door. "Don't worry Your Highness, I know how to make him talk."
Before she could ask what he meant he had left the room.