Beyond - Legends A Life in the Dark ~UPDATE 5/29~

Author Valley_Lord
Title:A life in the Dark
Timeframe: post YJK AU
Keyword: Jacen, J/TK
Summary:Jacen loses his sight during a mission, and fights to regain his independence
Status:incomplete
Notes: nuts

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A LIFE IN THE DARK

[image=http://xba.xanga.com/c09b866a3703249839041/m33476746.jpg]

The galaxy is at peace, the only concern for Master Skywalker and his Apprentice and

Nephew Jacen solo, is a kidnapper. The kidnapper is a sick man, a pedophile who imprisons

children and takes joy in molesting them. Although sick, the kidnapper is a genius in the

manically insane definition of the word. He was untraceable by the citizens of Adumar, the

dissatisfaction with the local police had resulted in a spree of vigilantes justice that was

beginning to spiral out of control. Several innocent men and aliens had been lynched, and

desperate the planetary governor asked for help. The request for help had reached the desk of

Belindi Kalenda, Who was a Lead agent of The Galactic Investigation Bureau?s Kidnaping

section. No matter where in the galaxy, the GBI always took jurisdiction when dealing with a

Kidnaping case. Unfortunately, there are more kidnaping then there are agents to deal with

them. But at the same time, Jacen Solo had been stopping by to deliver a personal roster for

the Jedi and their support staff while Luke was busy being interrogated by the Chief of State

and his advisory council. One thing led to another, Jacen told Luke fo the serial kidnaping

and murder, and Luke agreed to deal with it.

They had arrived on Adumar and been greeted by a vigilantes group, who after

determining that they were not the kidnapper, had heaped a massive load of useless information

gathered by private citizens. Once free of the radicals they had gone to the police and gotten

the pertinent information they needed. They then went to the scenes of the crimes. They were

all parks and playgrounds. People were still bringing children out there, but their fear of

the kidnapper was apparent in the pairs of police officers and groups of vigilantes that look

hostilely to anyone over the age of 14. Eventually they got a feel for the kidnapper?s

presence, and later the sensed him nearby while they were at a bar. Jacen had been ready to

charge across the room and arrest the criminal but Luke restrained him. Jacen glared.

?We don?t know that those children are dead. We need to follow him.?

?We could ask him.? said Jacen leaving no doubt that he would do more than asking when they

caught him. Luke frowned.

?Killing him will not set things right Jacen.?

?There no death penalty for kidnaping under Adamarii law. He needs to put down like the sick

animal he is.? jacen said vehemently.

?You will not Jacen, succumbing to dark emotions will only compound the situation the

kidnapper has created.? Jacen said nothing and sulkily watched the animal that was getting

drunk with determination.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The kidnapper left late that night, seriously drunk and totally unaware of the Jedi

that followed him. He led them to a surprisingly upscale neighborhood. The drunk animal came

to a large home and went inside. Jacen and Luke study the house and walked around the

exterior, taking note of the entry points.


?He left a window open.? said Jacen pointing to a second story window.?We could get in there

and take with little trouble.?


?Yes, but look.? said Luke pointing toward a cellar door sunk into the ground. The ground

around it was bare, clearly had been used frequently. ?Thats where he probably kept the

children. Jacen, I?ll get him, you check the cellar.? Jacen bristled, but deflated when Luke

said. ?Don?t think that I don?t know what you were going to do Jacen. Sometimes I truly worry

about you. This current stre

 

Nice start. You should show Idrelle.

 

What is Idrelle?

 

Idrelle_Miocovani is the person who started a Disabilities thread on teh Resource board and a related challenge.

 

Awesome story so far. I can't wait for more.

 

Chapter Two.


Jacen woke up, to absolute darkness. He sat up. The bed was unfamiliar, it was not the

hard pallet of the bunk on Luke?s ship. It wasn?t the soft mattress of the hotel room he

rented on Adamar. It was a hospital bed. Jacen had been injured often enough to get used to

the feeling. But he had never been hurt like this before. His eyes told him nothing, but the

sound of birds chirping outside, and the warm glow of the sun against his cheek told him it

was daylight. Panic began to grow as Jacen realized he couldn?t see. He reached up to feel his

eyes, but his questing fingers found only soft gauze that sank into his eye sockets, sank way

to far. My eyes are gone. Jacen thought.


He got out of the bed, bumping an IV cart. Holding his arms out he tried to navigate

toward the door of the room. His hands hit the wall, so he turned to the right and stepped

that way. And bashed his nose into another wall.


?Sith loving Dug Kriffer !? he shouted. The door open and the voice of what had to be a nurse

came.

?Mr. Solo, I must insist that you get back to your bed, you are not well...?

?I most certainly am, aside from a bruised nose and missing eyes.? Jacen growled angrily.

?Where the kriff am I?? He said walking toward the voice, bumping the bed and a chair on they

way there. ?And why am I drugged up to my eyeballs?? he said noticing the effect the pain

suppressors had on his balance. He reach out through the force to find the nurse.

?You are at a Adamarii hospital Knight Solo. You are drugged because of the pain from losing

your eyes.? As she spoke Jacen reached out at what he assumed to be her head height, and with

some difficulty found her face. Jacen?s arm dropped.

?Where is Master Skywalker?? He asked while searching through the force. Details of his

surrounding where beginning to fill in. He was vaguely aware of the walls, but anything less

dense or expansive he could not perceive.

?Master Skywalker is at the Detention Center, he has been notified of your alertness, he will

be here shortly.? Jacen nodded.

?Good then lets go se... meet him.? Jacen corrected the habitual phrase, he couldn?t see

anyone. He moved to go out the door behind the nurse, but she caught hold of his arm and

wouldn?t let go.

?What?s wrong?? He asked.

?Pardon sir, but you might want to get dressed, it wouldn?t do to have you wandering the halls

with only a hospital gown on.? Jacen suddenly realized that he could feel the draft on his

back and legs. His face burned with a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment.

?I?m sorry, I didn?t see... didn?t realized that.? He said. He felt some of his clothing

placed into his hands. He reached around and found the chair he bumped earlier and set the

clothes down. The nurse left to let him dress.


The nurse guided him down the hallways of the hospital, keeping a firm hold on his

lower arm. While they walked Jacen did the best he could to sense his surroundings. It was

like remote drills, only you had to avoid much larger objects that micrometer thick stun bolt.

Trying to sense the entire hallway like his eyes would have seen them was pointless, he just

didn?t have that kind of control. But he was able to sense everything when he reduced his

awareness to a three meter bubble. It wasn?t much but at least he wouldn?t run into anything.

One of the doctors sauntered toward them.

?I trust you are feeling better now Mr. Solo?? the doctor said loudly.

?I feel fine doctor.? said Jacen in an annoyed tone.

?We?ll be giving you a cane on your way out, so you can use it to find immediate objects.? The

doctor?s over-loud voice was annoying him.

?Would there be anything else you need Mr. Solo?? Jacen had enough.

?I?m blind not deaf.? he snapped. The doctor scowled and motioned to the nurse toward the door

marked anesthesiology.

?Your pain needs to be counteracted before you go...?

?No. I will not tolerate any more drugs doct

 

this is really good

 

skywalkerlover00,DarkWriter : thanks for reading, glad you like it.

SilSolo: I'll think about it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter Three.

The journey through hyperspace was not so bad for Luke. Except that Jacen wasn?t doing

anything, at all. His initial anger and irritibility had turned into bitterness and moderate

depression. He spent endless hours sitting on the edge of his bunk metonymically tapping the

metal cap of his walking stick against the deck.

?What are you thinking about?? asked Luke after Jacen?s new attitude arrived.

?Everything that I will never see again, or at all. The Temple, my mother, my father, my own

reflection, food, sunlight, my home...? Jacen trailed off before his thought would continue to

more painful venues. Jacen?s depression was beginning to worry Luke. If this went much further

he would have to worry about suicide attempts. He seriously hoped that Jacen wouldn?t consider

suicide, because if he did, Luke would be powerless to stop him.



The exited Hyperspace and descended toward the fourth moon orbiting the gas giant

Yavin. Mara, Corran, Kyp, and Ben were waiting. Han and Leia stood off to the side, clearly

Leia was not in the mood to be civil towards Luke and the other Masters. Luke made way for the

Masters and his son while Jacen let his parent come to him. Leia immediately smothered over

him. While Han looked on in concern. Leia tentatively hugged him.

?Your not going to hurt me mom, aside from my eyes I am fine.? Jacen said. Leia hugged him

more tightly. Luke and Mara walked toward them, Ben held firmly in his mother?s arms. Leia saw

this and looked about to run another rant at Luke. Jacen stopped her.

?Don?t mom. There are only two people who can accept blame for what happened, Myself and that

criminal.? Leia scowled at being robbed of her chance to vent.

?Thats a lot kid.? muttered Han under his breath. Without her outlet, she was going to drive

Han nuts.

?Get over it dad, you?ve dealt with her more often, and it is better if Mom and aunt Mara

don?t fight.? Han grunted and then handed a datapad to Jacen.

?This is from your brother. It contains a learning program for brail. He thought you would

need it.? Jacen accept the datapad, though his face grew stony, his lack of eyes made it a

fearsome sight as Han gaze into the cavernous sockets where Jacen once had eyes.

?Thank him for me.? Though it was clear in Jacen?s tone that he was both hurt and offended.

Mara saved Han from further scrutiny.

?Jacen, Chilgal wants you to be examined.? Jacen frowned.

?I don?t sense her here. Who is playing doctor in her place.? Mara smiled, glad that his

perceptions were improving some. That and some of his humor seemed to be intact, sarcastic and

bitter thouhg it may be.

?She?s on Mon Cal. Lusa has been her student for the last few years. She will examine you.?

?What good will that do? We already know that my eyes are gone and cybernetics are out of the

question, even if I wanted them.? Jacen said bitterly.

?Jacen please.? said Leia. He relented and they set off for the medical ward. He let his

mother guide him, though every part of his being wanted to throw her arm off.


It did not get better in the medical ward. Lusa took one look and gasped.

?Thanks a lot Lusa, maybe we could sell tickets. ?See the amazing sightless man ?? Jacen said

sarcastically as he got under the bio scanner. The others noted that he did not need help

finding it.

?How did you know where the Bio scanner was?? asked Mara. Jacen gave an incredulous look.

?Are you deaf? Its filling the room with a loud buzz.? They all looked at each other and

shrugged, they didn?t hear anything. Lusa activated the bio scanner. Jacen groaned, it

obviously was hurting his ears.

?Turn it off ? He shouted with his hands over his ears. Lusa complied, and went looking

 

QUestions? Comments?

 

Chapter 4:When You Hit Rock Bottom.


Jacen had way too much to drink. Way the hell too much. The stunts those Agamarians

fools were pulling were no longer amusing, they started to sound like fun. He started the day

before, but sobered by mid-morning. He couldn?t take the severe depression and resumed his

self medication. There he was, drunk, slouching in his overstuffed chair, wearing only his

boxers. This was the condition that Han and Luke found him in.

When they walked in the door, the drunk man threw one of the empty bottles.

?Go the kriff away, I was enjoying myself.? The two older men exchanged glances. Luke stepped

in front of the HV and turned it off.

?I told you... Hey! I was watching that!?

?Son you?re drunk.? said Han. Jacen laughed imperiously and said.

?I have not yet begun to drink, or so one particular Corellian said to another.? Han scowled

at the jab, accurate though it may be.

?Jacen you need to sober up.? said Luke. Jacen stood, swaying and bobbing as he advanced on

Luke.

?What the kriff do you care? We could have dealt with the criminal in the bar, but no we had

to settle it on his turf where I LOST MY EYES! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT YOU-? Jacen roared in

his face, using every obscenity that he knew, or could invent on the fly. It was an impressive

display, Han?s face had turned ashen by the end of Jacen?s tirade. Luke took it impassively,

he felt responsible, besides, Jacen was plastered and terribly depressed, he wasn?t really in

full control of himself. When Jacen stood panting and silent Luke finally spoke.

?I understand how you feel Jacen...? he stopped to duck another empty bottle ?... I have lost

parts of my body too Jacen. I?m not saying that it is the same as losing your sight but, I do

understand your predicament a little.? Jacen glowered and growled.

?What do you really know about it? What if you had been blinded by grandfather. Would your

life have been less complete Uncle? Tell me! Tell me now!? Han realized that Jacen was

dangerously close to pulling his lightsaber on Luke, and backed away toward the door.

?I understand that you are scared Jacen. I understand that you feel slighted and cheated,

robbed of the life you knew you were to receive. I know that you feel like you are about to be

pushed aside, relegated to the tasks that your seeing peers wouldn?t deign to preform.? That

set Jacen off. He ignited his lightsaber and charged. Luke?s green-yellow blade met Jacen?s

Emerald blade. Luke backed out of the door into the wide halls of the Massassii Temple, where

he would have plenty of room. He didn?t have to fight though. As soon as Jacen left the

doorway, he staggered and pitched left and landed in a heap. Jacen closed the blade. Luke made

to help him but was pushed away by a powerful force blast. He managed to land on his feet.

Jacen glowered.

?I am not a cripple!? Jacen yelled.

?Then stop acting like one.? said Mara from the shadows down the hallway.

?Stop hiding from your fears and face them like a man.?

?You should talk Aunt Mara.?

?All the more reason you should listen to me. You can?t hide from your fears with booze Jacen,

its only a temporary release, and a painful addiction. Now. You are going to let Han take the

case of Whyren?s Reserve and you are going to sleep off your buzz. NOW!" She said when they

didn?t move at first. Han looked at Jacen.

?Jacen?...? he asked. Jacen sulked and muttered.

?Take it.?


Three days later Jacen sat atop the Grand Temple. Ostensibly he was meditating. In

reality he was sinking into his inner despair that returned full force once the alcohol left

his system.This was it, absolute rock bottom. He sat thinking of Life. It wasn?t worth it

anymore, there?s no point. Who would want a blind Jedi? Friend? Who would want him now? No

one. He is alone, worthless, completely helpless and dependant on others. There?s no more

point to life. End it. Jacen got up and tap

 

Please read/review

 

Hmmm.... so it's Tenel Ka telling him to stop?

 

ruinevil No, its not Tenel ka, but she'll be in this next chapter.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter Five:Harsh Words

?Jacen Stop ? came Jaina?s voice. Jacen edge back and turned toward her voice.

?What do you want Jaina? Can?t you see that I?m busy? Or have you lost your sight as well??

Jacen felt Jaina?s hands drag him toward the center of the temple summit.

?Killing yourself won?t prove anything.? Jacen bristled.

?Who says I was going to jump??

?Jacen...? he could hear the warning tone in her voice.

?What do you care, it?s not your life. It?s not your shattered existence.?

?Quit being a drama queen Jacen. Force its like I have a twin sister half the time.? Deep down

Jacen was grateful that someone was treating him like a normal person.

?You are calling me a drama queen? Did you forget that day you drove Anakin and I nuts while

you obsessed over clothes before an outing with Zekk? You have no right to call me a drama

queen.? he heard Jaina?s laughter.

?My aren?t we on our blind white horse this morning.? Jacen couldn?t help but smile.

?Shut up Jaina.?

?Only if you come down from here. Do you need assistance in your feeble state of

sightlessness?? Jacen stood a yard away from her, and poked her forehead with his walking

stick, before returning it to the ground.

?I can navigate fine thank you.? Jacen said as he walked toward the staired side of the

Ziggurat. Jaina wasn?t treating him differently, that was something at the very least.

?So why are you here?? asked Jacen, tapping away with his stick to locate the steps.

?To make sure you recover from this Jacen. Your thoughts are very painful, its an unwanted

distraction.?

?Then block it out.?

?Can?t, your broadcasting very loudly in our twin bond.?

?Am not.?

?You are too ?

?Fine. So somehow you?ve come up with a way to negate my blindness. I?m all ears sister, this

I?ve got to hear.? he said snidely.

?Me?? he could hear feigned innocence in her voice. ?What makes you think I will have the

answers for you?? Jacen frowned.

?Then why do you say you have a way for me to recover??

?I?ll give you a hint: Who among us learned to sense remotes without sight or the force when

we first got our lightsabers.? Jacen stopped. He looked at her, or at least tried.

?You brought Tenel Ka?? he asked.

?Hey, your brighter than I thought. It only took one try, I was sure it would have taken

three.?

?Keep this up and I will get angry Jaina.?

?Relax, a little ribbing won?t kill you Jacen.?

?I may be blind but don?t think I can?t defeat you in a saber match.?

?Oh sure, the great Jacen is so good with a saber, he can fight me with both eyes behind his

back.?

?I don?t have eyes anymore.?

?Same dif.?

?No its not, I can?t put em back in my head when its done.?

?Somebody took a metaphor way too seriously.?

?Jaina??

?Yeah??

?Shut the kriff up.? Jacen said as he reached the bottom. As they walked toward the Temple

entrance Jacen needed to ask.

?How did you get Tenel Ka to help? And Why??

?I told her that you needed her help, and that's all she needed. And before you start you do need help, which you won't admit.?

?I don?t need help.?

?Yeah so long as there are no cliffs nearby.? Jacen held his arms up in defeat. Jaina had

inherited their mother?s sharp tongue.

?Anyway, I convince her that she needed to help you, and why? I?m sick of feeling that dopy

sickness you feel when you think of her. Oh I can?t express my feelings, oh I?m too scared to.

What if she?ll laugh at me?? Jacen stopped and poked his sister with the stick.

?Not funny Jaina. Do you really want to get into the ?who has the worse relationships game?

with me?? Jaina balked and muttered ?no?.

?Now that wasn?t very subtle of you Jaina, you outright told me that your trying to set us up.?

?Oh come on, like I really have to do much scheming.?

?What the kriff

 

One cripple to another.


Jacen walked down the halls of the temple, fuming in anger at his sister?s obstinacy.

?Why can?t she just mind her own kriffing business, this is my problem, I don?t need anyone

else to help me through it. Not Mom, not Dad-?

?What about me Jacen? Would you refuse my assistance?? asked Tenel Ka?s voice. Jacen stopped.

?Not now Tenel Ka, I?m not in the mood for pity of any kind.? he said, taking quick strides

away. Tenel Ka frowned at him as she followed. After a while Jacen asked.

?Why are you following me?? HE asked in a short manner.

?At the moment I am making sure you don?t take your anger on anyone else. Jacen, you are

behaving irrationally.? JAcen barely contained the flash of anger.

?And what?? he said through gritted teeth ? Makes my behavior irrational?? Tenel Ka looked at

him, unsure whether to be angry or feel sorry for him.

?Jacen, you are saying things you know will hurt other people. This is most certainly not like

you.? This time Jacen spun around.

?How am I supposed to know how anyone else feels? I can?t see their faces, they mask their

tone of voice around me. The force is no good either, as soon as I draw near, they slam their

shields up. I?m completely left in the dark I can?t empathize anymore, everyone is shutting

me out ? He orientated his head towards her.

?Even you.? Jacen pulled off the band around his head. Tenel Ka gazed wordlessly at the

rotting flesh of his eye sockets.

?Take a look Tenel Ka, tell me your not repulsed by this. Tell me you are not disgusted.?

Jacen drew close, with his head cocked sensing about. She could sense that if he was still

able to, he would have been crying. He drew back and sneered.

?For all your expressionlessness, your just as disgusted as everyone else. Take your pity for

someone who wants it. Maybe Zekk is in another angst mood.? Tenel Ka didn?t move.

?The only one feeling pity for you at the moment is yourself. I, however, am appalled at your

selfishness. Losing your sight didn?t remove you from the Jedi, You still hold the position of

a Jedi Knight, Jacen, along with the responsibility and obligations as a Jedi Knight. I never

thought I would see the day when you would abandon your duties for your own selfishness. I am

ashamed to say you are my friend.? she said and walked away. Jacen gaped at her, no one had

even dared to say something negative toward Jacen since he lost his sight. No one had held his

conduct under such scrutiny. Tenel Ka brought him back into line, hard. Jacen was thrilled

that someone still considered him a person, and not a pitiful wretch like everyone else. Jacen

opened his door, and sat down in his chair. She had also made him face his own behavior. It

was inexcusable. Jacen got up and went to find Tenel Ka, hoping she would accept his apology.

He had a lot of them to make.



Jacen approached Tenel Ka?s room, tapping lightly on the stones. Fortunately there was

no one else in the corridor, else their pounding feet, and overly loud voices would have

interfered with the returned sound vibrations. In the halls of the temple, sound echoed

gloriously, giving Jacen information about his surroundings in great detail. As he approached

her door, he could here her soft footfalls. He smiled to himself. Even with his enhanced

hearing, she was still very quiet. He knocked on her door.

?Yes?? Tenel Ka asked through the door.

? It?s me, Jacen.?

?What do you want?? asked Tenel Ka a little rudely. JAcen frown, it wasn?t like her to be

petty.

?I came over to say I?m sorry.? There was a long pause. The door opened.

?Come in.? She backed quickly away from the door, her feet slapping lightly against the stone.

Jacen frowned, following the sound with his ears.

?Why aren?t you wearing shoes?? he asked. Silence. He could hear her shift uneasily. He

realized that he couldn?t hear the normal creaking of her Rancor hide armor. His face managed

to display

 

up

 

Here's some coverart for you all.

 

Your coverart's nice and abstract.

 

Yeah, I was originally going to draw his whole head in the light, but I suck at ears, and I don't do too well with hair, So I went minimalist and drew inspriration from the title. I could probably draw it better, I suppose, They teach you to draw people very well in some anthropology classes, But this is the best I could do without a model.

 

Hey, just found this and must say it's very cool, although I'm feeling terribly sorry for Jacen. Losing his sight....

 

THat's very good and looks much better than my cartoony stuff. THe only way I could get abstract is if I did everything on a calculator (yeah, I'm a geeky GC freak with a million pieces of artwork from the calc in My Documents).

 

True, but as you might guess, He really isn't losing so much as gaining a new perspective on everything. Also losing his sight isn't so much of a hinderance as you might think.

 

?This is a bad Idea Tenel ka.? Jacen stated. ?My track record with Lightsaber sparing is not very good, and that was when I had eyes.? he said.

?I did not lose my arm because of your combat abilities Jacen, we established that long ago.? she said.

?I know, but I still think this is a safety hazard when one of use is blind.? he said.

?How is this any different from the exercises where we were blinded?? Jacen blinked.

?It isn?t.? he said. He heard Tenel Ka?s lightsaber ignite, and he followed suite. To his surprise, the lightsabers made it easier for him to ?see?. A lightsaber gives off a constant low frequency buzz. The sound waves from the lightsaber allowed him to ?see? Tenel Ka much more clearly. I wasn?t like true sight, but it was like shining a light at someone in the dark. Where sound directly hit someone, Jacen could ?see? the contours and shape of the exposed flesh. The hair on her head muted the features a little, so his return image of her face was a little blurred at the edge.

?Is something wrong?? he heard Tenel Ka say, her voice distorting the sound waves.

?No, it?s just... I can see you.? He heard her intake her breath.

?...? she was trying to come up with an adequate response.

?The lightsabers, they let me see parts of you. Like you?re holding a really low powered lamp
or something...? he said an trailed off. Deep in thought he disengaged his lightsaber and sat. Tenel Ka stared at him for a moment and shut off her lightsaber. Without it?s low frequency buzz, Jacen?s world suddenly opened up. He orientated his face toward her.

?Tenel Ka, what is directly in front of me?? he asked tentatively. She looked. Jacen faced a grove of trees. One had fallen and was often used as a sitting log. There was also a small stream between him and the trees.

?Before you are a grove of trees and a stream. Aside from myself that is.? she said, purposely omitting the fallen tree. Jacen frowned.

?Isn?t there a fallen tree between the stream and the trees?? he asked in confusion. Tenel Ka nodded reflexively, then realized belatedly that she need to speak her assent.

?Indeed there is. However, you have been to this place when you had sight.? Jacen faced her.

?Then take me somewhere I have never been.? Tenel Ka looked at him. His face portrayed hope in a way it hadn?t since he lost his sight.

?Very well then.?

 

In the weeks that followed Jacen rediscovered himself. On that first day, he realized that he could ?see? with his hearing. His heightened hearing also allowed him to hear things no one else could. Like another?s heartbeat, a rustle in the trees a hundred yards away.

Jacen was walking through the woods, silently tracking Tenel Ka as she ran through the running course. When hear movements began to become faint, he picked up his pace, running with the silence he had just recently learned. He cut into the underbrush, his hearing allowing him to avoid objects that a sighted person would never notice. He ran up a fallen tree and followed it into the second level of the forest, jumping from tree to tree. He stopped when he reached the path Tenel Ka would soon cross. He dropped down into the center of the path and waited in the brush Tenel Ka?s footfalls appeared. Jacen waited. She drew closer and closer 50 feet, 30, 10 ,5, Jacen leaped from the bushes and tackled Tenel Ka. He used the surprise to pin her in the path.

?Gotcha.? Jacen said, smirking. Tenel Ka face remained calm

?Indeed, you do, though I do not recall this being a hunting exercise.?

?Sorry, got excited from following you.? he said getting up and holding a hand for her.

?You are easily excited? she said pulling his arm and putting her boot in his chest, sending him flying to the ground, where she reversed their previous positions. Jacen cocked his head.

?Picking on a blind man, you should be ashamed Tenel Ka.? He said . Tenel Ka smiled.

?It was not I who assailed me from out of the woods Jacen. I am merely restraining you until you are calm.? Jacen shifted.

?Nope, sorry, but you pinning me is not calming me down.?

?Then I will have to change tactics.? she said.

?Hows tha-? she cut him off by kissing him.

?I like those tactics.? he gasped when she released him. She smiled at him as she stood.

?I thought so, and you lose.? Jacen would have blinked if he could.

?Cheater.? he muttered as she pulled him up. She let him fall back down. He scowled at her.

?I do not cheat, and I do not believe there was a rule against kissing.? she said.

?Guardhouse lawyer.? Her comlink stopped whatever response she had to that. Slightly vexed she turned on her comm with an annoyed stab at the switch.

?Yes??

?Tenel Ka, we have a mission for you, bring Jacen with.? She frowned and looked at Jacen, who held a slightly offended expression.

?You heard?? she asked.

?Yeah. Don?t know why they want me to go with you, you can handle yourself pretty well.?

?Perhaps the mission is very difficult.?

?Then they?d send Zekk , Jaina or Lowie with you then, not the Order?s sympathy case.? Tenel Ka didn?t dignify the comment with a response.

?Well lets find out what my Uncle wants then, shall we?? Jacen asked.

 

up

 

up