AN: First off, a quick excuse. My beta reader is currently busy with athletics and I was impatient, so I jumped the gun and posted without her getting the chance to work her usual magic. I hope the grammar/spelling is in decent shape either way. I was able to read it, but it's easy to miss things as the author, since you know what you're trying to say.
Reviews:
Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay: Who knows what Lumiya was saying… She was losing a lot of blood and was likely incoherent . Allana's safety is a hard thing to ascertain in my opinion. We will see.
The Brown Cow: There really wasn't any Mara/Jacen scene in Chapter 10… I'm confused.
Onimiman: I agree with Jacen too. Never liked that creepy Tenel Ka. Seriously she's downright scary in YJK. Sociopathic, humorless, lacking dopamine receptor teenaged girl... Young Jacen just liked her cause she was dressing like an exhibitionist. But I won't let my personal dislike for her get in the way of writing her in-character with her Dark Nest and LotF characterization. I think I got her down decently well. I don't think she would try and physically attack Jacen while he's holding Allana anyway…
As for the Vergere/Lumiya thing, it's canon. The Legacy comic series corroborates it. Sorry , I wish it didn't either. Although, I wouldn't go so far as to say Vergere was too complex to be labeled, just say she was intriguingly cast in Traitor. In the end she was just another Kreia, which is not a bad thing (I LOVE KREIA).
Lordban: I was gonna have him say, "I'd burn Kashyyyk before…" but thought that would be a bit blunt. How will Mara react…? READ BELOW TO FIND OUT!
Lumiya is a self-proclaimed Sith, though. The greatest Sith Lord's are all ordained. Marko Ragnos ordaines Naga Sadow/Darth Vitiate. Exar Kun is ordained by the Spirits of the Ancient Lords. Revan is ordained by Darth Vitiate, against his will. Bane by Revan's holocron. DARTH SIDIOUS by Plagueis. Vader by SIDIOUS. I love Sidious… anyway, just taking issue with the adjective worthy. Not saying she won't exude posthumous influence though…
Loteva: I knew you'd love that scene when I first started reading your reviews. And yes, Mama Lion will likely fight to get her cub back. But Papa Lion is not a pushover so it's gonna get scary.
Cozman10: A new reviewer! "Sit down" *passes a scotch on the rocks and a cigar*.
I'm so glad you liked it. Thanks for all the praise. Let's hope I can keep this going to your level of expectation.
SiouxFan: Another new reviewer! *Pours another scotch and rips the box of cigar's out of Cozman10's hands who grimaces in anger*
Well I didn't believe it before either but canon is canon… and while this fanfic is AU, I'm veering away from a specific point in time, utilizing the established canon up to that point.
BUT, I do hope I am presenting a mixed character in terms of Jacen and I'm glad you're getting that impression. Though I hope to steer well clear from the "one-dimensional animal lover who needed Tenel Ka to protect him at all times" YJK Jacen .
Utuu: Jacen's definitely starting to pull some serious shit. And speaking of next chapter…
The halls of the Temple at night were ominous. Only sparse artificial lighting illuminated the vast walkways. Recreated upon the Old Republic template, the temple halls were a mixture of archaic and modern magnificence. But at night they seemed almost sinister. The temple was meant for a much larger Order. The full roster of the Order only counted in the hundreds now. At the height of its power the Jedi Order counted in the tens of thousands in bygone days.
A lone robed figure walking down the halls in the dark, casting long elongated shadows—footsteps echoing—only added to the effect. To an unknowing observer the scene could be footage from a well preserved archeological excavation on a long abandoned planet. But the spell was broken when the figure came to a halt in front of the turbo-lifts, and hit a button on the control panel. An audible hum signaled the intact power that ran through the vast temple. This was not a relic of a dead order but a new home for a resurgent one, ready to welcome its new acolytes.
Jacen stepped inside the lift when it arrived, and pressed a floor button. Moments later he arrived and left the elevator. It took him another few minutes to traverse the distance to his personal quarters. It was not until the doors shut behind him that he pulled back the fold of his robe and looked down into the inquisitive green-gray eyes of his daughter, who immediately broke into a smile when she saw him.
Jacen could not quite believe it. He was used to seeing her every few months but now he had spent the last three days with her. They had taken a commercial transport ship back to Coruscant from Hapes. He had instructed the R9 astromech to return the starfighter he had used to get to Hapes back to Coruscant. It would have been impossible to see to Allana's needs in the cramped cockpit of a star-fighter. Luckily, he had already learned how to take care of a baby—a fact that definitely made it easier for him to fulfill his daughter's needs—but Allana had been quite distraught by the second day. Her mother's absence did not sit well with her.
He had initially tried to calm her through conventional means but found that only Force aided calming had any effect. He felt somewhat ill at ease for "tranquilizing" his daughter in this way. He knew it had no negative physical or psychic effect on her to do this, but it felt wrong somehow. But what was done was done. He placed her in the middle of his bed and covered her with a blanket and sat down next to her. While letting her hold his little finger he went through all the messages he had received in the last three days and responded to all the pertinent ones.
The conspicuous absence of Ben in their shared quarters did not surprise him. Mara had likely retrieved her son, even before he had left Coruscant, while Jacen had been out of action in the bacta tank.
Jacen sent Ben a text based message, informing his young apprentice that Jacen was back on-world. It was late, but not yet midnight and like all young men Ben had the proclivity to avoid bedtimes out of principle. Ben responded to his message shortly afterwards, agreeing to join Jacen for his regular afternoon lessons following his morning classes. Jacen acknowledged his message and returned to writing an explanatory message to the Executive Office, explaining his absence due to medical and personal reasons. The Chief of State had likely been informed of Jacen's injuries but it was still in keeping with good form for Jacen to explain himself personally.
Allana exuded a sense of displeasure and Jacen looked over at her. He rose to his feet and went to the bag of baby care accessories he had purchased on Hapes before boarding his transport vessel. He removed the baby bottle and heated a formulaic artificial replication of baby milk that he had purchased and returned to the bed. He handed her the bottle which she grabbed enthusiastically. She was old enough to hold the bottle on her own but he had to prop her up against a pillow to make sure she did not break into a coughing fit after accidentally swallowing down the wrong tube. He smiled at her and returned to composing his correspondences.
Several hours later he was roused from sleep by a gentle but insistent knock on his door. Allana was still sleeping next to him, his arm wrapped around her protectively. Jacen reached out with the Force towards the presence outside the door, recognizing the late visitor. He was surprised that he had not awakened at her approach. Normally his senses were keen enough to recognize an approaching presence that had intentions towards him before they were as close as his nightly visitor. Jacen realized, as he sat up and swung his legs out of the bed, just how tired he really was. Jacen inhaled deeply and yawned. Three days of attending to his daughter's needs and being utterly bored on a transport vessel was mentally exhausting. Jacen walked to his door and hit the release button.
Mara was standing before him, wearing her preferred casual clothes. Black tight fitting shirt and trousers, lightsaber and blaster pistol clipped to her belt.
Jacen nodded to her. "Aunt Mara. A little late for a visit," he pointed out.
She pushed past him into his quarters, disregarding his words. Jacen extended an arm, attempting to cut her off. She turned her head towards him and cocked an eyebrow. "Aunt Mara is it? It's a little late for me to go home all by myself," she added coquettishly. Then, in a more serious tone: "I'm coming in because we need to talk."
She deftly maneuvered beneath his arm and walked into the quarter's common room. Jacen followed her and prayed his daughter's presence would go unnoticed. He was not deluding himself by thinking that he could hide her presence from people in the Jedi Temple for long, but he hoped to avoid having to explain himself to Mara presently. Mara sat down on one of the two chairs that flanked the only table in the room and gestured to the other chair. Jacen sighed and grabbed the chair and placed it opposite her own. He sat down, readying himself for whatever she might say.
Mara studied him for a moment. "How are you feeling?"
"Physically you mean?" Jacen queried. "Better. My wound is healing nicely. I don't feel fully recovered but I'm getting there," he explained after she nodded.
"I'm glad." She said after a moment's pause in which Jacen assumed she was gathering her thoughts. "Thank you again."
"We have to protect one another," Jacen said flippantly, brushing off her gratitude.
"Because we're family?" Mara asked, double meaning playing across her lips.
"Yes," Jacen acknowledged seriously.
His succinct answer unbalanced her. She had obviously come to him expecting something different. He had had lots of time to think over the last three days and he had arrived at the conclusion that he could not afford to let anything develop between him and Mara. Letting her into his life could prove disastrous. She had a knack for finding out things that she should not and his was a life that concealed many things that should not see the light of day. Putting some distance between him and her was the safest course of action available to him. Jacen bit his lower lip and stared back at her inquisitive gaze, unflinching.
"Jacen," she began. "You're very young—"
"Oh please. My experiences have made me much older than my years. I haven't been young since the Yuuzhan Vong War." He replied sharply, realizing a moment later that he had risen to her bait when her smile never left her lips.
"You're right," she agreed. "And since you're an adult—wise beyond your years and all that—I have to insist that we discuss what happened last week like responsible, mature people."
Jacen nodded slowly, exhaling exhaustedly. "I'm very tired, Mara." He knew his eyes were probably bloodshot and his Force presence supported his statement. He lowered his shields so she could sense the truth of his words.
Mara frowned. "There's someone else here."
Jacen didn't immediately realize what she was getting at. "What?"
"Someone is in the other room." She said, confusion lacing her tone. "…someone whose force signature is very similar to yours."
Jacen inwardly slapped himself. Of course he could not fully hide Allana's signature at the distance that he was from her. In his sleep deprived state he had not even tried to. Aside from hiding his own presence in the force, which he did instinctively, he had not bothered to do anything in fact. So Mara had mistaken Allana for him. Now that he had lowered his shields Mara had become acutely aware of more than one person in Jacen's quarters.
"Just an exotic force technique I'm employing," he explained hastily.
Mara studied his face. He composed his features so as to appear as unworried and unflustered as possible. He could tell she was not buying it. "Jacen, if you have a woman over that's your business."
"It is?" he asked stupidly.
"Sure," she said curtly and rose to her feet, obviously annoyed.
Allana chose precisely that moment to let lose a cry of discomfort. Jacen jumped to his feet and smiled sheepishly at Mara who looked towards his bedroom door and that at him, her eyes wide. "Is that a baby?" she did not wait for him to answer. "Why is there a baby in your bedroom?"
Jacen sighed heavily. He walked to his sleeping quarters and opened the door. Mara did not immediately follow him. He walked to the bed and sat down next to Allana. "What's up sweetie?" he cooed. "Are you hungry or do you need to be changed?" He picked her up and rocked her gently. "You're just lonely aren't you?"
Mara stood in the doorway and short of a gaping mouth her expression was the very picture of stunned. He got to his feet again and walked over to her. "Mara, this is Allana, she's my—"
"Daughter," Mara finished automatically.
Jacen nodded and fixed her with an inquiring stare, gauging her reaction. She just stood there and looked down at Allana who was chewing her thumb and looking back at the woman gazing down at her. Both the baby girl and the adult woman seemed hesitant to make a first move. Jacen smiled at Mara. "Would you like to hold her?" he asked, smiling.
Mara looked up at him hesitantly for a moment and then nodded. She received the baby placed in her arms and automatically began to rock her, humming a melody he had heard her hum to Ben when he was an infant. Several minutes passed in this way as Jacen simply watched Mara with his daughter in her arms and his mind merely focusing on the pleasant image before him, unoccupied with scheming, plotting, and the usual philosophizing that was starting to take its toll on him.
"Jacen?" Mara broke the silence, her tone quiet but firm.
"Hmm?"
"Is Tenel Ka the mother?" she asked.
Allana's strawberry blond hair and gray green eyes gave her away. He nodded.
Mara brushed her hand gently across the little girl's brow and smiled when Allana beamed at her. "She's beautiful."
"Thank you." Jacen replied.
"So Tenel Ka and you are pretty serious then, I gather?" Mara asked, looking up at Jacen who sat back on the bed.
He scoffed. Not arrogantly but in bemusement. "You gather this from the fact that I have a child with her?"
Mara cocked an eyebrow, still rocking Allana gently. The little girl had caught a hold of a handful of strands of Mara's hair and was closely examining them. "Are you being facetious?"
"More like an inside joke." Jacen replied, placating with raised hands. "Truthfully, we were close until a few days ago. It's safe to say we no longer are."
Mara seemed to mull his words over in her head. She walked up to him and Jacen received Allana back into his waiting arms. Mara sat down next to him on the edge of the bed. "And yet Allana is with you now, even though the two of you had a falling out?"
"Yes." Jacen replied curtly.
"How can that be?" Mara asked, confused.
Jacen turned his head and met her inquiring eyes. "What do you mean?"
"Tenel Ka and you broke up, or whatever, and yet Allana is with you?" She pointed out.
Jacen nodded. "Yes you already said that. Why don't you just say what you're getting at?"
Mara exhaled deeply. "Did you take Allana from her mother?"
Jacen nodded. "Yes." He did not care to lie or obfuscate. Mara would likely have seen through him anyway. And lying cheapened the Tenel Ka have more of a right to their daughter just because she was the mother and he was just the father?
"Have you completely lost your mind?" Mara asked in a serious, calm tone.
Jacen shook his head. "I don't think so."
"You kidnapped your own daughter out of her own home and brought her here to the Jedi Temple, light-years from her mother but you still think everything is just . . . fine?" Mara's voice gradually developed an edge as she hammered her point home.
Jacen growled and rose to his feet. Allana's Force signature flared in alarm at his mood-shift. He instantly calmed her through the Force, regretting his rashness. He fixed his aunt with an angry glare. "Look Mara, I don't know what you're trying to say but I can punch holes into it. Allana is not even a year old. She doesn't have a surrounding that she deeply identifies with from which I ripped her, causing some kind of untold childhood trauma. She's not six years old and it's not like she had lots of playmates on Hapes that she will miss deeply. Allana's an infant whom her mother put secondary to her royal duties." Jacen's voice took on a fierce edge. "I'm not the bad guy here. I didn't march into her nursery and rip her out of her mother's loving arms and carry her off to Korriban to be trained in the dark arts. I saved her from an old colleague of yours, intent on killing her, and then told her mother that I would see to her protection from now on. Tenel Ka tried to talk me down but I did not let her dissuade me… and for the record a nanny droid was taking care of her when I got there, minutes before the assassin came bursting through the door. Not her mother."
"What do you mean an old colleague of mine?" Mara asked curiously. If she was impressed by his speech she did not let it show.
"Lumiya. Or Shira Brie if you prefer. That's what Luke called her when he told me about her once." Jacen carefully observed Mara's reaction to his words. She did not show any emotional response however, aside from obvious interest. "She even asked me to pass along a message just before she died. She asked me to remind you that she had kept her oaths speculating that you could not say the same."
Mara scoffed. "Oaths to monsters aren't sacrosanct. If that helped her sleep at night somehow, good for her I guess." She fell silent momentarily. "Did she give any indication as to why she chose this moment to come out of hiding?"
Jacen was reluctant to let Mara in on the speech Lumiya gave him. "She didn't say much before she died."
He doubted that she missed the fact that he did not actually answer her question. Yet she did not interrogate him further but fell into quiet thought for several moments. "Jacen, I still think you should have gone about this whole situation," she began, gesturing at Allana, "very differently."
"Maybe," Jacen acknowledged. "But I was right to do what I did. I firmly believe that."
Mara shook her head, genuine sadness in her eyes. "The problem is not that you did what you did. It's that you did not discuss it with Tenel Ka. You just dictated. You took Allana by force and burned a bridge that did not need to be burned. It's not that you were wrong to do what you did; it's that you're ever more unwilling to consider the alternative of being right."
"I don't think that's true at all." He hissed. "Let's consult my track record. I was right to manipulate the Chiss into striking preemptively against the Killiks. A fully mobilized insectoid species with incalculable manpower and vast resources dead set on making the entire galaxy one giant colony of Joiners and Killiks is a truly frightening thought." Mara leaned back in the face of his vehemence. Her jaw set and her eyes narrowed. "Moreover, I was right when I told Luke to wait for us to recover enough to help him against Lomi Plo. You can't even deny that. It's a fact." Mara's eyes flashed in warning. "And when I told Luke to harness his anger when he fought Lomi Plo, was I wrong? What if he had used his desire to see you and Ben again as fuel while fighting the Unseen Queen. Can you honestly say that if he had harnessed the fear and rage that any father feels at the thought of not seeing their son grow up and flourish… can you tell me that he might not be alive right now?" He felt the sting on his cheek before he even registered that she had slapped him.
"Damn you Jacen," Mara's voice choked. "Why do you have to be so cruel sometimes?"
"I'm not Mara." He softened his tone and took hold of one of Mara's hands, his other hand wrapping around Allana, making sure to keep her steady. "I was right about Lar'shan, remember. I'm right about this too. It would be nice if you had some faith in me. I feel like I've proven myself to a certain degree." Mara's eyes searched his. "Trust me, and I won't let you down."
Mara looked down at his hand and then back up into Jacen's eyes. His imploring gaze seemed to have some effect on her. Perhaps it was the combined image of him securely holding his infant daughter and his pleading tone. Mara nodded after a several moments. "Maybe you're right. Either way, I guess it's between you and Tenel Ka. But," she waved a single digit adamantly, "if you ever talk about Luke in that dismissive tone again, I'll punch you in the face."
Jacen withdrew his hand and smiled. "Fair enough... And you're right. That was disrespectful. Thank you, I'm grateful for your . . . tentative support." Jacen stood up and placed Allana on the bed, next to his pillow. "So I assume Ben will be returning to the Temple tomorrow to continue his lessons?"
Mara stood up as well. "Yes. After his classes I'll tell him to drop by. How will you explain Allana to him?"
Jacen smiled. "With the truth. Everyone's bound to find out anyway, so I can't really keep up a deception. Most I can hope for is to keep the secret for a while . . . but obviously not from Ben. He sleeps in the other room after all."
Mara seemed accepting of his answer. Jacen escorted her to the door. When she turned to look at him Jacen smiled and chose to avoid any long drawn out scene by pulling her into a hug. She seemed caught off guard by the gesture but returned it nonetheless. "Things will be better soon," he said in a soothing tone while stroking her hair. "I'll make sure of it."
Mara pulled back, confusion and something else evident in her eyes. Jacen tapped the button on the door's control panel, watching it slide shut. He leaned against the door for a moment, breathing slowly, pondering his exchange with Mara.
Two weeks later.
Nal Hutta was not anyone's idea of a fun vacation. Jacen was no exception. While he hated the humidity and the heady air he was not quite as vocal in voicing his distaste as young Ben, who complained tirelessly whenever Jacen gave him a moment's attention. They had only been on Nal Hutta for two days as part of the Alliance administrative retinue. Jacen was not officially a part of the Executive Guard; nominally he served in the capacity of security consultant. But unofficially the Chief of State was relying on him to supervise the entirety of the event in terms of security measures.
Before the two of them had left Coruscant it had taken Jacen several difficult hours of persuasion to convince Mara to take care of Allana for the duration of Jacen's absence. Mara had initially been utterly unyielding but Jacen had been insistent. It took Jacen hours to wear her down, but eventually she had relented and agreed on the condition that Jacen would take the first proffered opportunity to mend his relationship with Tenel Ka. Jacen had agreed and after placing Allana in his aunt's arms he had fled the premises before she could change her mind.
Ben and Jacen had spent the entire day escorting the Chief of State. A guide sent by the Hutt Elder Council, the ruling oligarchy of Hutt Space, had insisted on showing Cal Omas all the noteworthy sites. While it had been relatively clear by Cal Omas' expression, when the offer was extended, that he could think of several things he would rather do he had chosen the diplomatic option and accompanied the guide.
The Hutts had even provided luxurious land speeders outfitted with state-of-the-art interior amenities. It had been the first time Jacen's services had come in handy. Rather than have mechanics go over the machines looking for any tampering, which would also have given rise to offense, Jacen had simply asked the guide if the speeders were safe to travel in. When he sensed no duplicity in the offended response, he had simply nodded to Cal Omas.
The event took the entire day, and Jacen stumbled into the artificially cool and dry hotel room with a sigh of relief, Ben complaining at his back about slavery, humidity, and smells. The three topics did not seem to logically connect in any way shape or form in Jacen's mind but Ben was constantly switching between them like they were related. When he suddenly asked to be allowed to explore the complex around the hotel, which like the rest of the structures was built specifically to appeal to Coruscanti tourists, Jacen had practically shoved him out the door with an emphatic "yes!".
Not that he had let Ben explore the area surrounding theNew Republic Convention Center without any regard for his apprentice's safety. The complex surrounding the recently erected hotel was segregated from the rest of Nal Hutta by a heavily guarded perimeter. So Jacen was unworried when it came to letting his young cousin explore a bit. Not to mention Ben, although only an advanced learner in the Jedi Arts, was still more than capable to take on most threats in the galaxy. Highly skilled opponents would be too much for him, but the likelihood that Ben would run into any that meant him, specifically, harm in this place, was nonexistent.
Ben had returned two hours later, gleefully smiling, sporting a bag of assorted local foods. He insisted on having Jacen partake in what Ben had been told was "human-safe delicacies". Jacen had just finished discussing some last-minute details with the head of his information gathering network and decided to humor his little cousin. They sat down together at the table in their hotel room and tasted the different foods.
"This one's some type of snail!" Ben stated, dangling a slug like creature in front of Jacen's eyes.
Jacen glanced at it and sneered. "I'm so not eating that."
Ben laughed. "Come on… its sooo good," he said slowly bringing it close to Jacen's face who leaned back in response.
"I'll pass," Jacen replied. "But this bowl of . . . kernels or something, with gravy, is not bad."
Ben put the slug into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully, Jacen staring at him aghast. "Your mother would kill me…"
"Would you have eaten the snail when you were starving as a Vong prisoner?" Ben asked earnestly.
The question caught Jacen off guard. "Who told you about that?"
If Ben noticed the gravity in Jacen's tone, he showed no indication of it. He just kept pulling different tidbits of food out of the bag. "Mom did."
Jacen smiled gently, in an effort to encourage Ben to share more. "She just told you that without you asking anything?"
Ben stuck another snail in his mouth and chewed it with relish. Jacen wrinkled his nose which made Ben chuckle. "Oh no," Ben explained. "I asked her why you always shield yourself. Like right now. I can't sense you, even though you're right in front of me. No other Jedi does that. She said that some bad things happened to you in the Vong war."
"Yuuzhan Vong War," Jacen corrected. "And then?"
Ben smiled sheepishly. "Well I asked her what. And she said that the Vong, err Yuuzhan Vong, hurt you for months and that you suffered and that because all that happened to you, you're all guarded and stuff."
Jacen nodded thoughtfully. "Is that why you think I do it?"
"No," Ben replied matter-of-factly.
Jacen discarded some garbage in the waste-dispenser next to the table. "Oh?"
"I think that you're doing what I used to do when I'd done something I didn't want my mom or dad to find out. I'd hide in the cargo hold of the Jade Shadow or in the closet at home. You're hiding!" Ben smiled triumphantly at Jacen like he'd caught him.
"People only hide if they have something to hide. Like when you were younger and you knew you had done something wrong you'd hide," Jacen explained, somewhat distraught at how close to the mark his little cousin was hitting.
"Maybe you do. Maybe you're a Darth Sith Lord!" Ben announced, pointing at Jacen with some sort of elongated yellow food object covered in salt, the tip of which was soaked in some sort of red paste.
"Maybe…" Jacen agreed, letting his thoughts drift. Ben continued to devour twice as much food as someone his size should normally be able to stomach, oblivious to how thoughtful his master had become in response to what Ben had said.
Jacen caught his reflection in the polished hull of one of the ship's he passed. A projector beam illuminated the vessel to insure the vessel did not depart without the appropriate procedure being adhered to. Jacen was cloaked completely in a robe, the hood of which was pulled down. A bit of Force illusion made sure his face was entirely shadowed within the hood of the robe, making it impossible to distinguish his features. Jacen kept walking towards his destination, reassured that his identity was concealed from anyone he would meet.
His informant had supplied the precise location of the vessel that had arrived at the Nal Hutta spaceport. It had been something of a surprise when the news reached him but it was not an unpleasant one. Jacen's plans were dependent on several extraneous factors which were not entirely in his control but relied on a bit of luck. The only parts of his plans that he had direct control of was the continued education of Ben and his accruing of ever greater financial reserves.
Flow-walking certainly made the trading of corporate shares a less risky business. It was not an exact science because the future was in motion, but flow-walking was not like consulting visions. He could reasonably rely on certain things happening if broad events paralleled the future he was peering into. And he was not looking far into the future, which reduced the margin for error further. As a result, Jacen had managed to rapidly accumulate a credit reserve that even Palatine or Count Dooku would have considered respectable. He was not one of the richest people in the galaxy but he was doing very well for himself.
Jacen reached the lot that the data communique had denoted. The ship inhabiting it was a heavily armed freighter of the sort that smugglers or pirates might use. It did not look even remotely out of place in the Nal Hutta spaceport but it would have drawn a good deal of attention on Coruscant or Kuat. He approached the boarding ramp and typed the 10 digit code that he had received a few hours earlier in an encrypted message. Some lights powered on and with a creaking sound, the boarding ramp lowered onto the permacrete. Jacen strode up the ramp with purpose and walked into the interior of the ship. When he stepped into the central room which was the intersection of the various corridors that led to the different parts of the ship he was greeted by a Trandoshan who was facing him. The reptiloid did the equivalent of smiling when he caught sight of Jacen. Jacen marched into the center of the room, coming to a halt shortly in front of the Trandoshan who was leaning against the silver-gray wall.
Jacen had caught sight of the two other individuals who were standing at opposite sides of him. Jacen was effectively flanked in the room; especially once the final crew member entered the room through the same corridor Jacen had entered.
Jacen fixed his attention on the Trandoshan, who seemed to be in charge. "Is there a problem?" he asked.
"We agreed to meet on Coruscant," the reptiloid hissed.
Jacen made it a point to not look around the room at the other crew members. It gave him a more confident air. He was not worried about the situation, but he preferred if it did not digress into violence.
"After traversing the Unknown Regions for weeks I doubt the slight detour through chartered space was too much to handle." Jacen mused, purposefully keeping his voice low but menacing.
"It's the cost of the matter that concerns me," the Trandoshan said, in surprisingly good basic.
Jacen chuckled. "Are you trying to barter with me?"
Jacen's Force read on the other people in the ship told him that they were put off balance by his carefree mirth. His appearance and demeanor did not give the impression of someone who was fearful.
The Trandoshan however was unimpressed. "I want my costs covered. That's reasonable. The Hutts have a bounty on one of my men's head. We risked a lot coming here. Risk means more credits."
Jacen sighed. "If I was paying you an average wage for this sort of work I'd agree with you. But you're already being paid handsomely."
The Trandoshan hissed several times in his species' approximation of a laugh. "You're paying us for discretion. For medical care. The person you sent us to retrieve needed to be sedated and had to be tended to. We weren't just paid to fly into the Unknown Regions and pick up some sorta cargo. I want more for me and my men, and I'm gonna get it."
The Trandoshan's hand fell to the holster of his blaster. Jacen's lightsaber was in his hand and ignited before the reptiloid's hand had even reached the handle of the blaster. Standing there in a dark robe, face heavily shadowed, with a humming lightsaber in his hand, Jacen knew he presented a sight that most thugs in the galaxy would be very hesitant to engage. Even the Trandoshan emitted a sense of trepidation now.
"There's two ways this can go down," Jacen said quietly, projecting his voice around the room. "One, you can take the agreed upon sum from me and be assured a repeat customer for the future. I appreciate the efficiency with which you fulfilled the task I set you. You have a certain cunning that proves useful for certain tasks and I'll call upon you again. Or, two,you die here, today. Choose now."
The Trandoshan's claw's hovered near his blaster's handle for another few moments. Then it dropped. Jacen extinguished his lightsaber once he sensed that there was no longer a threat.
"Take me to your medbay," he instructed.
The reptiloid nodded and beckoned Jacen to follow him. The ship was not very large but it nevertheless had a medbay of decent size with two beds, a bacta dispenser, and a medicine cabinet. A figure was laying strapped to one of the beds. The man's eyes focused on the people intruding into the room that he had previously been alone in. Jacen turned to the Trandoshan.
"Leave us."
The captain hissed in annoyance but withdrew. Jacen shut the door behind him, turning back towards the man strapped onto the bed. Jacen pulled back the hood of his robe.
"Jacen Solo!" the man said in surprise.
Jacen smiled broadly, "You look like hell Jagged…"