Beyond Marauder (Pre-Dark Nest Tenel Ka/Jacen)

Title: Marauder
Author: snowduchess
Characters: Tenel Ka, Jacen, a few Hapans, and some eels
Timeframe: Pre-Dark Nest Trilogy.
Genre/Warnings: Romance. Innuendo and implied adult content.
Summary: The time of the Marauder?s Masquerade has come. Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo obligingly hosts the affair and quickly finds herself drawn to one Marauder in particular. She never expected to find familiar eyes behind the mask.

The anticipation in the air was thick enough to taste.

The royal city of Tenel Ka Chume?Dan bustled with activity as people from across the Cluster flocked to the heart of Hapes. Docking bays and lodging facilities were filled to capacity, while the many markets and vendors were struggling to keep up with the new overflow of demand. The streets were buzzing with excited chatter from normal residents and travelers alike.

From the balcony of her private palace chambers, the Queen Mother overlooked her city with an expression of mild fascination. Holiday observances had been suspended during the Yuuzhan Vong War and the tenuous recovery period after. In that time, she had forgotten how something as innocuous as a party could cause such a stir among the prim and proper citizenry of the Hapes Consortium.

Of course, this wasn?t just any holiday.

To appease her nobles, she had agreed to let the traditional festivities resume, and the night would bring the Marauder?s Masquerade: one of Hapes? most prominent annual celebrations. With almost six years of pent-up energy and a young, vibrant queen on the throne, this year?s masquerade was promising to be the largest in decades.

Hosted within the regal walls of Fountain Palace, all attendees save the Queen Mother herself would don costumes and masks to hide their identities from each other, freeing themselves of propriety and repercussion. The men of the Hapan nobility would assume the roles of Marauders, parodies of the Lorell Raiders that had first colonized the Hapes Cluster, while the women happily played the Maidens they sought to plunder. Both would mingle in a shameless night of drink and dance, sweat and skin. The most ambitious Marauders (and occasional Maiden) would take on the challenge of ?capturing? the Queen Mother and her affections for the night.

It was, by many accounts, three steps shy of an orgy.

Her father needed no persuasion to excuse himself from attending the festival. Having played a Marauder for many years, first as a bachelor and later as the Queen Mother?s consort, Isolder knew exactly the sort of debauchery that went on just as well as he knew the sort of things he didn?t want to witness his daughter partaking in.

Fountain Palace itself was in a frenzy as final arrangements were made. Decorators flitted about as they added the last few touches to the Villa, where the masquerade would be held. Caterers unloaded their supply ships and slaved away to prepare enough food and drink for the extensive guest list. Musicians and other entertainment troupes set up their equipment in their designated areas. The Hapan Royal Guard diligently tackled the dilemma of security for the coming event.

Turning from the balcony, Tenel Ka reentered her suite, pausing when she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Not even twenty-two years of age, and already there was little left of the young warrior she once was. In her place was the incarnation of the Ta?a Chume, a perfect balance of power, beauty, and the intelligence to wield them.

The sheath gown she wore hugged her curves, accentuating her still youthful form. The provokingly open neckline of the halter plunged to her navel and left her back bare. The skirt fell past her calves with an asymmetrical slit running across her thighs and up to her waist, where generously-spaced lacing over her hip taunted the imagination. The main body of the dress was a deep jungle green, while the edges of the halter and slit were lined by bands of blood red and citrine yellow respectively; the colors of the highly venomous Kodashi Vipers of Datho/>

WOW! What a fun, original, sensual story!

And the detail- you certainly seem to have put a great deal of time and thought into the whole celebration. It was wonderful to read about. Very exciting... in more ways than one.

I really like this Tenel Ka, surrendered to her Hapan lifestyle. And dark, seductive Jacen... *swoon*

Now let's see their NEXT encounter...? *wink wink*

Thanks for a wonderful read!

That was... probably one of the best stories I've ever read for that ship. Ever. The amount of detail you included for the scenery was, by itself, astounding. To go into the sheer detail you put into the chemistry between lovers is overwhelming. I loved it. You need to write more!

Wow, that was really good! One of the best J/T stories I've read here, or anywhere else for that matter. I hope you write more - I'm looking forward to reading more of your work.

THIS. Seriously. I see a lot of potential here. You seem to have set this story up for a nice sequel too. Don't trash my hopes!

Hapans know how to party.

Seriously, that was an exquisite addition to the deplorably small number of Tenel Ka stories out there. And it was also all kinds of hot. Great work!

I thoroughly enjoyed this. It's different, but really good. I loved how Jace and Tenel Ka danced around each other, and you wrote it so beautifully.

I really wish canon showed more of this kind of thing. You've really captured the other-ness of the Hapan court here, and you got into Tenel Ka's head really too, I thought. Nice job!