"Forever Things..." -*- Jacen/Tenel Ka vignette, post-Traitor

Ignore Destiny's Way. It's bad for you.

Disclaimer: I disclaim, denounce, and deny that I have any right whatsoever to make money off this thing. Although, the idea is pretty cool.

Without further ado... (ado is overrated)... Forever Things, by fishi

---

There was something wrong with the sun.

Only seconds before, Tenel Ka could feel it?s warmth on the back of her neck as she reviewed the strategy reports from the Defence of Hapes. She twisted her head to look back over her shoulder at the clear blue sky totally devoid of clouds, or even one of the occasional air patrols that marked their presence by flying over the palace twice an hour.

Strange.

Tenel Ka shrugged, an uncharacteristic gesture that she?d picked up over time. She pushed away the memories of Jacen's characteristic shrug, and looked back to her datapad. To the hands that now held the datapad. To the thin arms that connected those hands to equally thin shoulders. To the neck that rose from between the shoulders and supported a gaunt-looking male head.

?Jacen,? she breathed, taking in his appearance as fast as she could. His eyes had sunk deep into their sockets, and dark rings that hinted of lost sleep surrounded them. His cheekbones were accentuated by the fact his skin was so taut, so tightly stretched over his face. He was very pale, stank, and desperately needed a shave.

Jacen looked up at her, and his face lit with a ghost of a smile. ?Tenel,? he echoed.

Tenel Ka stood up rapidly, her chair falling over unnoticed. ?I do not believe it! Ganner brought you back??

Jacen leaned his head to one side, and his expression turned solemn, contemplative. ?Ganner??

?I?? she reached out at him with her left hand, her eyes wide with amazement. ?You are truly here??

He winced as her fingers brushed against his cheek. ?Why did you do it??

?Loira... my handmaiden... she suggested it to me. The people support me more with the prosthetic.? Tenel Ka let her fingers wander gently across his face, savouring the feeling of his skin, real again.

Jacen looked serious again. ?Loira? small, thin girl, wears a green dress??

?Yes,? murmured Tenel Ka, distracted.

?Oh, I left her?? he suddenly stopped midsentence.

She pulled back her hand from his face like she?d been stung. At the crease where his nose met his cheek, the flesh began to peel back. Tenel continued to watch, aghast, as the ooglith masquer slowly and painfully began to free itself.

She could not say a single word.

?What did they do to you?? she whispered.

Jacen inspected his scarred and tattooed body slowly and carefully. His living garment had shed itself with the ooglith, and he stood clothed only in a loincloth.

?It is a symbol of my devotion to the True Way,? he said calmly. His eyes, still a faintly human island in the midst of all the scars, lifted to stare at her with unnerving reason. ?Won?t you join me??

?Jacen, [i]no[/i],? Tenel Ka told him firmly. ?Stop it. It is not the way.?

?It is the True Way,? he repeated. An amphistaff coiled around his upper arm suddenly lunged at the datapad, destroying it completely.

Tenel Ka pulled her lightsabre from her belt and thumbed it on, the turquoise blade held in front of her defensively. ?You are not Jacen,? she said, more for her own benefit than his.

?True,? he said agreeably. ?I [i]was[/i] the one you called Jacen. No longer will you name me so. I am Urekhei Veq.? He reached out a tattooed hand in a gesture universally recognisable as welcome. ?The True Way would accept you, too.?

She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, fighting the desperation rising within her.

?No.?

Jacen?s expression turned ugly. ?That was the wrong answer, Ereneda! You will join your friend and Ganner in death. Consider it an? [i]ignoble[/i] sacrifice.? His fingers twisted into talons, and they shook with barely contained energy.

Tenel Ka screamed loudly as the first bolts of Force lightning touched her skin.

 

Awwww... *sniff* that was beautiful!

 

that was so sad but cute. ::sniff:: Good stuff.

Jez

 

*holds up a big sparkly sign that says "Go Fishi!"*

That was awesome my friend!

 

Schparkly schparkles?

I'm a sucker for schparkly schparkles

 

Excellent work fishi. Another way that DW should have been! Great work! I think you captured Tenal Ka's response to being queen mother perfectly.

 

Uppers

 

That was so beautiful fishi! Wonderful job with Tenel Ka and Jacen! And Jacen is my favorite, so I would be very angry had you not done such an amazing job. Perfect characterization of TK. I have a really hard time getting into her head, but you have her nailed. I think it would be great if you were to continue this, but if not, lovely viggie!

 

Awww, that was a sweet viggie! Nicely done!

 

Very good, fishi.

 

That was such a beautiful ending fishi!!!Made tears of joy come to my eyes!!

*Sniff sniff*

Thats a mean feat when a story is happy, i can cry easy when something is sad but not when its happy.

jjf

 

Once again I wish to spread the message... ignore DW, 'tis bad for you!

And I can't bring myself to condemn Remnant, so I'll just suggest that you ignore select passages.

 

I agree! Screw Destiny's Way! This is how it should have been!

Jae Angel

 

I especially liked the dream sequence. Scary....

And I agree with the "ignore DW" pact. Read my fic for the "real" story. (Go to Beyond the Saga boards to find it, not my link)