Beyond - Legends The Past as Another Land (TK/J/NY. Based on Aida.)(Three to go! CHAPTER 18 12/20/06.)

Cattie - the thing is, that was more for Nen than for Riina. Riina's not gonna find out.

 

Evil Vongy!

 

Evil is more fun and you know it.

 

Wow that story is awsome I cant wait for more

 

More Kunra = yay! And loved the Riina/Tahiri bit, VC! Creepy but cool!

 

Poor Tahiri! Changed her whole face.... *shivers*
But even more poor Anakin!

But great chapter!

 

Chilla- Thanks! Yeah, I'm starting to feel bad for Tahiri, too. I've put her in an awful situation.

Lusa- Darnit. You're making me feel bad about what I have to do to him in a few chapters.

T_and_A- New reader! Yay!

 

I love this story it rocks

 

Chapter 15. Like Father, Like Son

Don't come on so cocksure boy, you can't escape your genes
No point in feeling pure boy, your background intervenes
Listen good and listen straight, you're not the master of your fate
To this you must be reconciled; you'll always be your father's child
At times acclaimed, at times reviled
You'll wind up doing just what I've done
Like father, like son

?Jacen,? Jaina sighed to her brother, ?Don?t think I don?t understand what?s going on.?

Jacen gave her a long glance. Jaina, who was hardly taller than a child, looked thoroughly ridiculous in her current eight-and-a-half months pregnant state. He decided he?d might as well acknowledge her comment rather than suffer the wrath of a Jedi-trained pregnant woman. ?What?s going on?? he asked her as nonchalantly as possible.

?I?ve seen how you look at that handmaiden. I?ve seen how she looks at you. And I?m here to tell you that you can have your little love affair?? She paused and patted her belly. ?Just wait until after you?re married. Like I did.?

Jacen gave her a questioning look. ?What??

?Honestly, brother. Why do you think I make sure all my bodyguards fit similar description to that boring hunk of meat father picked out for me? It?s certainly not because I have a black-hair-green-eyes fetish.? She giggled like a schoolgirl about to say something naughty: which was, in fact, what she was about to do. ?It?s so that I can play around with them all I like and even if something goes wrong, no one will ever know. Kyp and Zekk are the strong, silent types. I sure as all get out don?t keep them around for conversation.?

Jacen pointed to her unborn child. ?Then is that Jag?s??

She shrugged. ?I don?t know. I don?t really care, either. Maybe no one ever will if I can pass it off as his.?

Jacen, feeling rather uncomfortable, tried to change the subject. ?Where?s father? He summoned me here, after all.?

Jaina pointed to a door on her right. ?He?s in the map room with your fiancée. She wanted to know what you?ve been pre-occupied with, and of course he couldn?t tell the truth.?

?He knows?? Jacen asked, taken aback.

Jaina nodded. ?He knows. Jacen, Father?s been working your entire life to preserve your betrothal. Don?t blow it.?

Jacen nodded uncomfortably and proceeded into the map room. Tenel Ka and his father had their backs to him and were observing a large, 3-D projection of the galaxy.

?But why did we invade Borleias?? Tenel Ka asked.

?Because,? Han replied, ?It?s strategic in conquering the imperial remnant and the scarheads.?

?But surely people don?t like being conquered by a strange government and told what to do?? Tenel Ka continued.

?They don?t have any say.?

?I?ve never heard of anything good coming from our campaigns,? stated Tenel Ka.

?Where do you think that lovely necklace of yours came from?? Han asked her.

Tenel Ka undid the clasp and left it on the table. ?It?s not so lovely now that I know.? She got up, smiled at Jacen, and hurried out. Jacen approached the table and sat down.

?What?s her name?? Han asked.

?What?? Jacen responded, certain he had missed something.

?Your little Yuuzhan Vong plaything,? clarified Han. ?The one that might cost you the throne. Surely she has a name.?

?Your spies are good,? chuckled Jacen uneasily. ?No one was supposed to know about that.?

?I know about it,? replied Han. ?And it needs to end. Now, what?s her name? Don?t lie to daddy? I know when you?re lying. You?re just like me. I can read it on your face.?

Jacen tightened his expression.

?No one will be mad at you if you tell me her name. In fact? It may work out better for all of us in the long run.?

Jacen cracked.

?It?s Nen,? he murmured in defeat. Han grinned like a river lizard.

To Be Continued?

 

Slick, Jacen.

Liked the TK bit, too!

 

Daddy Solo's creeping me out...

Tsk tsk, Jaina.

More, I say!

 

Cattie- That's the point of Daddy Solo.

Lusa- Isn't he? Thanks!

 

First off, I love what you did with Tahiri. It is sad. I feel for her. Second, Han is a very bad guy. He's going to do something to Nen I just know it! Third, Jacen why did you tell him!!!! Fourth, I am loving this and could you please PM me when you update!

Edit: Oh and fifth, I really like what you did with Jaina! Wow all three guys in her bed! Bad girl!

 

Sorry about the wait, guys. School started and my writing time has been like... zero. I wrote this over the course of four days at 11 PM. But I hope you enjoy and don't hate me too much. Please understand, I had to do what I did.

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[b]Chapter 16. Radames? Letter[/b]

[i] I'm sorry for everything I've said
And for anything I forgot to say too
When things get so complicated
I stumble at best muddle through
I wish that our lives could be simple
I don't want the world only you

Oh I wish I could tell you this face to face
But there's never the time never the place
So this letter will have to do
I love you....
[/i]

The letter had come by way of Kunra, though the seal on the envelope had gone unbroken, so Nen assumed he hadn?t read it.

Paper ? it was such a marvelous thing. Nen had assumed the Hapans no longer used paper, seeing as they were so advanced everywhere else, but what she held in her hands was clearly paper. It was made from a creamy, smooth plant fiber, and each of the words on it glistened in glossy black ink.

The letters were quickly blurred by tears as she struggled to read it in the dim light.

?What does he say?? Kunra asked.

Nen gave him a sidelong look, debating if the pain was too great to share. She?d never considered pain could hurt so much. It had always been so exhilarating to strike a new scar or tattoo onto her arms.

?It?s a different kind of hurt,? Kunra said, seeming to know what she was feeling. ?You?ve felt it a lot lately. You?ll get used to it.?

Nen tried to ignore him and reread the letter, blinking back tears. This couldn?t be how it was going to end. She refused to accept it.

?It?s okay to cry,? said Kunra. ?Sometime?s it?s the kind of hurt you have to share.?

Nen relented. ?He says that if we?re to survive, I mustn?t ever attempt to see him again.? Kunra?s expression softened. ?I?m going to go my entire life wondering what could have been, what would have been, what should have been. And in another time an place, maybe it would have happened. But maybe it?s just empty dreams.? She paused to mull over it for a moment. ?Kunra, have you ever been in love??

?Yes,? he replied, though he couldn?t say who with. Nen exchanged a solemn glance with him, a weight settling in her chest as she tried to interpret the ambiguous response. Nothing came of it.

They heard the faint sound of drumbeats at the other side of the camp. ?A ceremony?? Nen asked Kunra.

?That?s a hapan drum,? he replied, his eyes going wild with fright. The noise got closer. The crowd around them thickened, swirling with apprehension. Three hapan royal guards stepped out of one of the alleyways between the shacks.

It was strange that three young human males could control the crowd in such a dynamic way. Everyone froze. No one dared to speak.

?Which one of you is Nen?? one of the guards barked. Kunra clamped a hand over Nen?s mouth and pushed her back against the fence.

?Don?t say a word,? he hissed to her.

?Which one of you is Nen?? the guard barked again.

?If they find you, they will kill you,? Kunra continued. ?That mustn?t happen.?

Nen gave him an insistent glare ? the best she could do with his palm clamped over her mouth.

?Which one of you is Nen?? shouted the guard, growing impatient. Nen struggled against Kunra?s hold on her. From across the crowd, Riina caught her eye. For a moment, their gazes locked, and Nen found herself staring into a fierce green infinity nearly the same color as her own eyes. Riina winked, a peculiar gesture that sent chills up Nen?s spine, and flung herself towards the front of the crowd.

?I am Nen!? she shouted to the guards. ?Take me, if you must.?

At the back of the throng, the real Nen bit back the urge to bite Kunra?s palm. She compromised with the inside of her lip, the pain gradually numbing her as she watched the guards roughly grab Riina and haul her away. In a matter of seconds, she was gone. Kunra released his clamp over her mouth.

?Why did you do that?? she hissed at him. ?They?re going to

 

Not Riina! Noo!!!!!

 

Oooh, very nice, VC! I love a good tragedity, and this certainly is one! Love it!

 

H_A- It had to be done. Sorry.

Lusa- I warned you! Thanks!

 

Chapter 17. How I Know You (Reprise)

There is a time
there is a place
When love should conquer all
The rest of life is pushed aside
as truth and reason fall
But only if that selfishness
can lead to something good

Kunra watched her go, and tried to figure out what would make a person do such a stupid thing. She was running back into the arms of the enemy! How dare she? Riina had given her life so that Nen could go play footsie with Jacen!

He was furious. He was humiliated. He was ashamed.

He was amazed.

Nen knew that if she was caught she would be killed. Riina?s ploy had worked momentarily, but her deception would be discovered, and the Hapans would redouble their efforts to find Nen. Kunra suspected they knew she was their leader-incumbent, but the entire situation reeked of Han Solo?s handiwork.

Kunra had met his master?s father on a few occasions, and the man seemed to grow more crooked each time. He dealt blows with a double-edged blade, supporting one candidate only because they were against someone he didn?t like and then abandoning them the moment a better advantage loomed.

Nen was almost willingly placing herself into his hands to see Jacen again. It puzzled Kunra that she could be so foolish.

But she was in love.

Kunra knew the feeling: he was too much of a coward to act on it. His cowardice had always been his weak point, and also his saving grace. So far, it had kept him alive (though shamed, which was, upon consideration, regrettable.)

But he was not blind. This was the balance point of his entire people. And Nen was the deciding factor that could lift them or destroy them forever.

Better her than Kunra was perhaps the wrong sentiment, but it was the one he held all the same.

I thought I knew you princess
But I never understood
I don't know you
I don't know you

After running through the darkened back alleys of the capital for so long, the soft light coming from Jacen?s window seemed almost blinding. The lit room was on the second floor of his quarters, but she could see a figure moving within. It looked like him from the distance.

Since she was supposedly dead, strolling into his quarters was probably a bad idea, she decided. Looking around, she took inventory of the situation. It was a walled garden, and the street behind it was a private alley used by the maintenance crews. No one would see them, most likely, if they met on the balcony. With that decided, Nen slunk towards the building and worked her way up the uneven stone walls.

It was a little harder to get onto the balcony because it required a little contortion, but she managed.

Peering through the window, she saw Jacen hunched over a datapad. She tapped on the transparisteel to get his attention.

Jacen looked up. A look of disbelief crossed his face. He rushed to the window and opened it, stepping out onto the balcony. As if he was checking she was real, he pressed a hand against Nen?s cheek. ?I thought you were?? he whispered.

?I should be,? Nen replied. ?They came to take me but took someone else instead. Do you remember Riina??

?The girl you were with?? Jacen asked. The name sounded familiar, at the very least.

Nen nodded, the light from inside glinting on the tears welling in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around Jacen and leaned her head against his shoulder. ?They took her in my stead,? she whimpered into his shirt. ?And now they?ll kill me, too.?

?I won?t let them,? Jacen replied, ?I?ll call off the wedding. We?ll run away together. We?ll see the stars. Every system. We won?t stop until we?ve seen them all. We?ll have our own ship, we?ll take care of ourselves. You, me, and the whole unlimited unfathomable universe. How does that sound??

Nen sighed happily, imagining what it would be like. It did sound good. She did want to. She was about to say yes when she remembered a very tiny reason why she couldn?t ? If Jacen called off the wedding, Harrar couldn?t escape. ?We could never,? she said sadly. The dream was over.

?I will

 

Riina! No!

Poor Kunra...

Wonderful update, as always, Joiner sis. More more more!

 

Poor Riina!

Poor Kunra!

Shame on you, VC!

 

Hey, that was great. Very dramatically and sad, but still good. Me likie!

 

Who knew that fear and hate could be so strong. Sorry that lyric just seemed to fit.

 

Chapter 18. Written in the Stars

Is it written in the stars
Are we paying for some crime
Is that all that we are good for
Just a stretch of mortal time
Or some God's experiment
In which we have no say
In which we're given paradise
But only for a day

?They?ll catch us,? Nen stated. ?It?s a foolish plan. Jacen, listen to me. You must go through with the wedding or we may all well be killed.? Jacen shook his head, and she found herself frustrated with him. Short of telling him about the escape plans, she had to come up with something.

?Jacen,? she repeated, ?If you don?t marry Tenel Ka tomorrow, Your father will know that I?m not dead and they?ll come to find me, kill me, kill the rest of my people.? She gave him a pleading glance. ?Jacen, set aside your own personal happiness and think on the grander scale. This could be the entire reason we met! The gods willed it!?

He nodded, and it seemed to Nen that he was buying the proposal. But then he spoke. ?If I do that,? he whispered, ?I want to make sure that you will be safe.? He paused a moment, seemingly deep in thought, and then continued. ?I will leave a hovercraft at the docks for you. During the ceremony, I want you to take it to the spaceport upriver and leave the planet.?

?What?? Nen asked, hardly believing what she was hearing. It was almost working out better than she had hoped. But suddenly, she couldn?t imagine leaving Jacen behind.

?I want you to go free. See the stars. It?ll give me a little happiness, knowing that by chaining myself down I?m breaking someone else?s shackles.

Well, when he put it like that. Nen gave him a torn look.

?You?ve convinced me that this isn?t the time or place for us to be together,? he explained, ?But if you stayed here on Hapes, I couldn?t bear it, knowing that I was in a way living a lie. You need to leave for it to work. And even if I spend the rest of my life wondering what could have been, I won?t care if I know that you?ve gone free and that maybe, someday, everyone will just get along.?

?Jacen??

For a moment, Nen wanted to tell him everything. She wanted to let him know everything there was to know about herself, her people, the plot for freedom. She longed to tell him her reasons for pushing him away. And at the same time, she knew she couldn?t do that.

?Nen,? he whispered. ?Don?t try to argue anymore. Just do it. Leave this place. Fly far away. Someday, maybe, I?ll join you.?

It was a pitiful lie, but it seemed so hopeful. Nen nodded slowly.

?Thank you,? he told her softly, kissing her. ?Good luck.?

He vanished back through the house. Nen looked up at the starry night sky, wondering if the Gods were watching her, and what kind of expressions they had on their faces. But more than that, she knew she had their blessing. They had provided a way. She climbed out of the garden.

She did not notice the shadow at the far end of the garden that would have, upon closer inspection, proven to be Tenel Ka, trying to meditate, nor did she suspect that anyone had overhear. But, of course, Tenel Ka had heard the whole thing.

To be continued?

 

*is worried*

 

This is not going to end well...