Beyond - Legends From The Ground Up (Sequel to "From Scratch") Jacen/Tenel Ka - Completed July 15/06!!

August 2004-
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or anything else in the galaxy by George, I'm just borrowing and am making -no- money from this at all...

Author's Note: I advise you read the other two before this one - it's the third of a Trilogy, You did What?! is the first part, From Scratch is the second part and now dun dun dun... From the Ground up!



From the Ground Up
By Jade_Max

*Three months after "From Scratch"*

His head whipped to the side as the slap of the torturer rang through the small room. He spat blood, bringing his face around to smile at the woman assaulting him. "Hapan torture techniques have nothing on the Yuuzhan Vong."

He was rewarded for his impudence with another slap before a voice from the shadows stated calmly. "Enough."

Jacen Solo turned to look at the owner of the voice, his eyes clear from pain and his smile still in place. "Ta'a Chume, what do you expect to gain from these petty and futile attempts at torture?"

"You know the question, slave."

"I am no slave. I am the husband of your granddaughter and the king of the Hapan Consortium." Jacen smiled the trademark solo grin. "It must really eat at you that we've disrupted your plans for control twice now."

Ta'a Chume simply watched him from behind her veil. "You know the question."

"And I choose not to answer."

"Then we will make you answer."

Jacen laughed. "The Yuuzhan Vong couldn't get me to tell them where the Jedi's base of operations was with torture techniques you wouldn't think of if you live to be a thousand. What can you do to me to make me tell a public lie that I tricked your granddaughter into marriage?"

"I see you are not yet ready to be reasonable. Though, perhaps my granddaughter is ready to listen to my council. You have, after all, been missing from a tragic accident for more than a month."

Jacen looked at her calmly. "You can try, Ta'a Chume, but Tenel Ka is stronger than you give her credit for. I know she's still searching for me. She knows I'm not dead."

"She knew you were dead before you returned." Ta'a Chume pointed out nastily. "Perhaps we can convince her a second and last time."

"She knows I pulled away from her so she wouldn't feel the pain I was going through," he informed the former Hapan Queen quietly. "She also knows I will never do that to her again. You may be able to bully the people you once ruled because of your former glory, but I won't stand for it and neither will she. You've been exiled once, Ta'a Chume. Tenel Ka will likely have your head for this."

"Then she can take it. Continue with the softening up period." The former Queen instructed the Whip mistress, "The slave is not yet ready to admit that women are superior."

"Superior only because you hold the weapon, Ta'a Chume. Weapons don't mean power. Your Whip Mistress can do nothing to me that I don't allow."

"Slap him."

Jacen looked at the Whip mistress. "Don't." he said simply.

The Whip Mistress froze in place and Ta'a Chume glared at Jacen. He could feel it across the room. "I should have invested in some more of those Force blocking creatures."

"Give my regards to my wife." he told the old Queen as the door shut behind her.

Jacen turned back to the Whip Mistress and released her from his mind grip. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you hurt me. You'll be hurting your Queen."

The Whip Mistress simply looked at him blankly and he nodded for her to go. Without a word, she left him alone.

Jacen sighed. He'd agreed to be taken prisoner because they needed to expose Ta'a Chume's web of power, but he missed his wife terribly. But he'd chosen and acted, and now would play out the hand he'd dealt himself. He'd already discovered the network of passages beneath the main Royal house. Passages Tenel Ka had thought long since sealed.

The further he looked, the more Jacen realized that Ta'a

 

Tenel Ka sat on the throne of the Hapan Queen in the Fountain Palace. Her advisors were still bemoaning the loss of her husband, though she'd postponed the funeral on the grounds that she didn't believe he was dead. That didn?t stop them from implying she would require another consort.

Little did her grandmother know Jacen could still communicate with her; not in words, but with thoughts and feelings. She knew he wasn't dead and she had proof her grandmother had staged his "accident", but with her grandmother's supporters still in several key positions of power, she wasn't about to act on it. Not just yet.

Tenel Ka sat straight. "This is not a matter for this court. It is a matter for the judicial system. Take it there."

The two individuals bickering over land zones were silenced by the Queen Mother's sudden words and bowed out, the guards pushing them out with their weapons.

Tenel Ka stood. "There is a matter before this body about the well being of the Royal Family. The advisory council is corrupt; our husband is missing. The former Queen has made four known attempts on our life in the last month, six in the month previous and twelve in the month of our return. Nothing has been done. You will reach a verdict today. You will decide Ta?a Chume?s fate." Her statement was an order; one no one would dare dispute.

Tenel Ka turned on her heel and departed back to the apartments she'd shared with Jacen for just over two months. Her pace was steady, measured, as she entered and closed the door behind her. As soon as she was out of sight, she ran for the fresher, barely making it in time as her stomach rebelled.

?Your Highness??

Tenel Ka didn?t, couldn?t, answer, as the dizziness hit her once again, forcing her over the bowl.

The sound of footsteps was barely audible and gentle hands suddenly slid around her head to hold her hair back. ?I see the sickness hasn?t lessened.?

Tenel Ka was finally able to sit back and glanced up at the form of her personal aid. ?My thanks, Jana.?

?You?re welcome, your majesty. Does your grandmother suspect yet??

Tenel Ka shook her head once, getting to her feet. ?No. It will remain so until Jacen is returned to me. The news of a child may give her cause to eliminate him.?

Jana smiled faintly. ?Your husband is a formidable man, your majesty. Even the former Queen wouldn?t dare risk your wrath and that of his family.?

?Fact.?

Jana offered her monarch a glass. ?Do you think he?ll be gone to much longer??

?No. He is sending me feelings of approaching his goal. There is much danger involved.?

?The King can take care of himself.?

?You place too much faith in him, Jana.? Tenel Ka cautioned. ?He is formidable, but not invincible. Even he can forget that.?

Jana was silent as Tenel Ka rinsed her mouth out and wiped off her face. ?You miss him, don?t you??

?Yes.? Tenel Ka replied quietly. ?The council sessions are going no where. Tomorrow, you will sit in my place and conduct the session. I must find my grandmother.?

?What will you do when you find her??

?Bring her before the council for Hapan justice.? Tenel Ka?s tone didn?t change, but Jana could see the set determination in her eyes.

?Another adventure, your highness??

?One without your aid this time, Jana.? Tenel Ka turned to the young woman who had become one of her closest friends in the last months. ?Your help was not expected to bring Jacen and I together. I thank you for doing so. You must stay here and keep the council occupied. I must find my husband and expose the layers of treachery in the Hapan court once and for all.?

Jana stared at her Queen. Usually Tenel Ka wasn?t so well spoken or long winded. She finally nodded, taking Tenel Ka?s single hand in her own. ?Anything, Tenel Ka. Anything you want me to do to help, I?m more than willing to do. Stall the council? I can do that.?

?Your success with Jacen and I speaks of your ability.? Tenel Ka drew the younger woman into a brief hug. ?Do not fail me, Jana

 

First reply.

Woot.

 

You beat me to it, Wes!

 

Hey, it's me.

 

me likies

 

Beautiful, Jade_Max. You've done it again.

"I will watch your writing career with great interest."

 

Superb, J_M! I love how you've kicked off the plot to this story! Jacen and Tenel Ka have weaved a tricky web. I hope it doesn't turn to dust.

Ams

 

Veeery nice, J_M. Good to see you back to writing and starting the sequel to From Scratch. Can't wait to see what else you come up with.

~~Jilly

 

I am so happy to see that you have started the sequel. I know I'm going to love this as much as the first two.

I can't believe that wicked grandmother is holding and trying to torture Jacen. Is there no limit to her evilness?

*green_eyes*

 

YAY! a Jacen Tenel Ka Fic

 

Yay! It's started! Glad to see it!
~*~Austyn

 

Great beginning here, JM. So Jacen's allowed himself to fall into TC's hands, eh? This could prove rather interesting given TC's rather Hapan view of things.

And TK's about to go looking for the two of them? Something tells me that "she of the flame" has gotten herself in waaay over her head. But then again, that's just my impression.

Great start!


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

okay I just finshed "from scratch" its really good I haven't seen a lot of people who can write Tenel ka very well but you pulled it off really well

 

"Great beginning here, JM. So Jacen's allowed himself to fall into TC's hands, eh? This could prove rather interesting given TC's rather Hapan view of things.

And TK's about to go looking for the two of them? Something tells me that "she of the flame" has gotten herself in waaay over her head. But then again, that's just my impression.

Great start!


Force be with you,

Tych_sel "



-perhaps

 

*wipes his brow* Phew, that was quite a read. Very, very good story Jade, and I hope you update soon

 

I'm here Jade_Max!

GREAT POSTS! It just feeds my J/TK obsession! YOU MUST GIVE US MORE! Make it weekly! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! *grovels* PLEEEEEEEEEAAASSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



MORE!



UP!
UP!UP!
UP!UP!UP!
UP!UP!UP!UP!
UP!UP!UP!
UP!
UP!
UP!
UP!
UP!

 

Oh brilliant! A new story. Wonderful.

So Ta'Chume has taken Jacen prisoner. OOoo! I bet Tenel Ka isn't liking that one bit. I can't wait to see what she's ogign to do to her grandmother.

You know, I've never been a huge fan of J/TK, onyl being mildly interested in the characters themselves. But you write them so well, how could I possibly resist?

 

Remember me? I'm that annoying reviewer from FF.net who kept pointing out grammatical mistakes even though you were? thirty chapters into the story, was it?

Anyway, good start. I've noticed colors mess up my editing capability, so I probably won't notice much. I haven't yet.

(I know it sounds crazy; but when you're a visual learner from words, the closer it is to a normal black-and-white typed page the better it is. For example, I can't learn from a colored study sheet?or cursive. Just in case you were wondering.)

Did I say "good start"? It's a great start?an example of "en media res".

Are you going to show Jacen's tendency to be clueless at all? That could get interesting.

Keep it up!

 

*happy scream*


GODDESS!! IT'S BEAUTIFUL!!

*dances around*

I love it I love it I love it!!!

*glares*

Ta'a Chume must die!! DIIIIEEEE!!!!




*fumes*

Cruel dominering vicious witch of a wizzen crone who attempts to pass as a woman!!!!



*fumes*

 

Although I know I don't have the eloquence of Agent_jaid, I must concur. Ta'a Chume most definitely deserves whatever punishment Tenel Ka dishes out.

 

I still say Ive written the best TC death scene ever

Though if anyone has a chance of beating me, it's Jade_Max.


Uppers. +1

 

Come on guys and gals! If we want a post we need to keep this UP!

 

Wicked happy your continuing!! keep up the awesome work. and does Jacen know about the child?

 

Nice..keep it up!