{{ absolved - chapter 02
-- JEDI TEMPLE -- MEETING HALL / CORUSCANT
The official business of the meeting had ended. It had been an update on the status of the Order and of the many projects it had taken on since the end of the war. Rebuilding, reuniting, and helping wherever they could.
Luke had mentioned the Twin Suns squadron and how they were being sent to Raxus Prime to investigate a smuggling ring full of Force-users; a mission Jaina was fairly excited about. Jag and Lowbacca were going to be accompanying her, while Zekk and Tahiri were possibly going to get sent on the mission as well. Master Skywalker had mentioned them as backups, in case the mission was too overwhelming for the others. He knew they were just as content to stay on Coruscant and help with the younglings, as well as hone and master their own Force skills -- both on their way to becoming extremely strong Jedi. They were both good pilots, but unlike Lowie and Jaina, they wanted to work more on their paths as Jedi. Jacen on the other hand, Luke mentioned, was in talks about being sent off to explore other cultures that used the Force. The Dathomiri Witches, the Fallanassi and so on. Solo was definitely prepared for that, although he knew he would have to find out how long he would be gone, among other details. Other missions were mentioned, the meeting went on for a good while and at the end, Jacen thought it was nice to finally stand up from his seat and stretch.
Everyone was hanging around the meeting chamber now, talking animatedly and catching up with companions. Jacen saw Kyp talking to Danni Quee, he saw Ben with Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara, Alema Rar was over talking to Zekk and Tahiri - neither of whom had spotted him yet in the crowd of people. He had seen his sister across the hall and they had nodded and smiled to each other, nudging one another through their bond. It was like a promise to get together and catch up on their time apart. But right now, Jacen was content to just retreat back to a corner and watch everyone from afar, his mind catching up with everything and everyone he had missed while spending time alone on Ossus.
There was a large holoscreen hanging at the end of the meeting chamber, along one of the walls and above a row of cushy seats. It had been on, absently running the Holonews quietly during the meeting. No one had really paid it any mind until now, once the official business was over.
"Hey, look who it is!"
Jacen heard his father exclaim this and turned to look up at him. Han Solo was always welcome to the Jedi meetings, even though he didn't have a bit of Force sensitivity in him. Smiling, Jacen finally followed Han's gaze to the holoscreen and paused, relaxing back against the wall he was standing near, arms crossed over his chest. He felt like everyone's eyes had turned to him when he saw who it was on the screen, but a quick glance around proved that he was only being slightly paranoid.
It was Tenel Ka.
Her eyes were wide and her right hand was resting on the surface of the marble table in front of her, palm splayed out. She was surrounded by dignitaries and ambassadors from other worlds and they were out in the gardens of her palace. Jacen could tell by the greenery that grew behind her and the others around her. Her mouth was moving, as she was conversing, but Jacen couldn't hear her, he could only hear the newscaster talking over the images -- something about trade routes or economical problems or some such, most likely. He wasn't really paying attention to the sound, only the visuals. The blue ticker across the bottom of the screen scrolled by in aurabesh and in basic, the colors matching the dress she wore; and the red of the words that were typed along the top, the words pertaining to the news story at hand, they settled over her copper hair like trickles of lava. All while the white word "LIVE" in the bottom corner matched the clouds drifting by behind the whole scene.
The Kuati newscaster sent the audio feed over to the scene, where their reporter was filming, much like many other holochannels were. Tenel Ka's talking was a bit muffled, as were the others' seated at the table -- but that didn't matter. Moments after sending the feed to the reporter, a loud crack sounded and mere seconds passed before the Queen Mother was clutching at her side, her eyebrows furrowed. Everyone began rushing around her, the scene on the news turning frantic. The newscaster took the feed back and began nervously voicing over that it looked like the talks had been interrupted by an assassination attempt. There was panic in her voice.
Jacen's eyes couldn't tear themselves away from the large holoscreen, much like everyone else's. A low chatter of disbelief rippled through the crowd in the Jedi Temple as a wave of shock burst through and around them all.
His mind was racing and his throat was suddenly dry. He had pushed his back off of the wall, standing straight, both feet planted firm and hands balled in fists by his sides. His voice sounded out without him thinking beforehand.
"Master Skywalker."
A few heads turned toward him, the people closest to him. It wasn't good enough. Louder.
"Master Skywalker!"
Seconds passed, more people heard him that time, but not his uncle, who was in a huddle with his parents and Mara. Jacen could feel his voice rise well above the din -- which instantly grew silent once they heard him yell out.
"Uncle Luke!"
Finally hearing his nephew, Luke glanced over; already knowing what Jacen was about to say, just by the look in his eyes. Jacen’s voice was the only noise in the chamber besides the holonews at that moment and everyone’s eyes locked on him, wide and worried.
"I'm sorry, I have to go."
"Go." Luke responded instantly. He watched as Jacen dashed off to the door and then found himself peering around him, meeting with many sets of eyes. "Zekk." The dark-haired man nodded once in response, at attention. "Tahiri." He gave a solemn nod to the door Jacen was about to crash through, motioning for them to follow him. "Go with him. And notify me when you get there."
"Done." Zekk was up and Tahiri was already dodging chairs and people towards the exit.
Jacen's eyes met with Jaina's momentarily while he was on his way out and he sent a quick apology to her mentally, pushing chairs out of his path. They would have to catch up later. He caught her nod in return, and he felt her understanding of exactly what he had to do. She had never seen him this jittery, this worried -- and he could feel how unsettled it made her. Behind him, Zekk and Tahiri were racing after his escaping form. He could sense them and he could hear Zekk's boots and Tahiri's barefeet slapping on the polished duracrete of the Temple floor.
He stopped at the main archway into the Temple, his mind racing through options as his eyes locked on the busy nighttime Coruscant skyline. He hadn't thought anything through, he was just focusing on contacting Tenel Ka, feeling out her signature, seeing if she was alright.
"Jacen!"
Frantically spinning around, sweat already standing out on his forehead, Jacen was shaking. Zekk grabbed his arms and tried to steady him while Tahiri pulled out a comlink and called for Zekk's ship to be brought out of the hangar below.
"Jacen. Listen to me. We're coming with you, pull yourself together. We're getting my ship. It'll get us there faster than any incredible plan of yours would – a plan which I don't think you had in the first place, right?"
Solo shook his head in agreement, quickly, out of breath. Running never did that to him, but he could feel a dense pain in his head. It was from Tenel Ka. "We have to go."
"I know, we're going." Zekk grabbed Jacen's wrist and began to lead him away from the main entrance down towards the hangar. Tahiri tagged along after them, still communicating with the worker down by the ships.
-- FOUNTAIN PALACE -- GARDENS / HAPES
At the same time Jacen Solo was yelling to his Uncle on Coruscant, a man could be seen on the holoscreen in that chamber, barking orders to the people around him.
Gadell Vessau.
He was crouched beside Tenel Ka, gloved hand cradling her head gently, while his voice was anything but.
"Where are the medics?!"
"Sir, they're on their way."
Tenel Ka was staring up at him, her jaw clenched and her lips in what could be construed as a sneer. Her brow was furrowed and her eyes were set in determination -- a determination to fight the pain that was spreading through her side. Her fingers were grabbing at the flap on Gadell's uniform jacket, clutching the fabric and letting it go every few seconds, repeating that whenever the pain flashed through her system again. Her cheeks had flushed and her skin had begun to grow clammy.
And all Gadell could do was wait.
"Come on, Tenna, stay with me." He couldn't even hear the people rushing around him, the handmaidens and the soldiers and politicians. They were all invisible to him now. He heard his own voice and he heard her labored breathing. Everything else was silent.
Her eyes shut.
"Tenel Ka!" He shook her head. No response. He growled.
Letting his gaze stray from the Queen Mother momentarily, he glanced up and watched as the medics rushed out from the Palace and down the steps into the gardens, a stretcher in their grasp. They shifted her unconscious body onto it and lifted it as Gadell raised to a standing position beside her. "Shield her on the way in. I'll be there as soon as I can."
They shuffled off, most of the pack that had been surrounding them went buzzing after the stretcher. They would be stopped outside of the medical bay, so Gadell didn't need to worry about that at the moment. He raised his hand to silence the tall female guards still standing at attention around him, awaiting his orders. He turned and shot them a small smile before focusing on the task at hand.
He settled himself, breathing deeply and intently reached out around him, sensing every single thing -- like Tenel Ka had taught him.
Something would be out of place, different than what he was used to. Gadell shut his eyes, the gardens around him surprisingly peaceful now.
There.
His azure eyes shot open and caught sight of arms vanishing behind one of the tall stone walls along the perimeter of the Palace grounds and raising his voice to the guards lined up behind him, he barked out a stern order. "Over there, before they escape!" He wanted nothing more than to follow the guards and slam his fist into the face of whoever had just fired a shot at Tenel Ka, but he knew he needed to get inside and report this matter to the Council, along with finding a way to deal with the media -- and most importantly, he had to check on Tenel Ka.
The Admiral steeled himself as the guards rushed around him, his gloved hands landing on his hips after they passed. He watched them take off towards the Palace walls and tilted his head slightly, trying to use what he knew of the Force to calm himself down.
Once the guards vanished behind the wall, chasing down their prey, Gadell spun on his heel, the sudden silence of the garden sending a shudder down his spine. His boots clicked on the stone walkways and up the steps back into the Fountain Palace, where the sound began to echo against the stone walls. Panicked murmurs filled the hallways from a group of handmaidens over here or a gaggle of random suitors over there. He disregarded them all, tuning out all the questions and babble that was being yelled in his direction. If the galaxy had to wait to learn what happened, so did these people. He was never one to spread gossip around the Palace.
Holding his hands up to all the inquiries around him, he kept his eyes forward and his feet moving at a quick pace, the tails of his jacket drifting out behind him. He could picture the medical bay in his head, the white walls, the bacta tanks -- the same place he was kept in after all the poison had drained from him system those few months ago.
Why does it seem like it's been forever since then?
Gadell came to a halt at the entrance, plugging in numbers on the keypad. The bay doors slid open wide and he stepped in, hurrying to shut them behind him. He didn't want all the people in the Palace corridors to poke their noses where they shouldn't be.
"Admiral, she's back here."
Entering the lock on the keypad, the light turned green, indicating that no one without proper authorization could enter the bay -- then he turned away from it and moved through the room, dodging medics and equipment to the back, where the beds were.
He saw Hapans in white robes hovering over the bed in the back corner, their hands working furiously over something, someone, passing equipment back and forth and calmly exchanging information. Gadell approached them slowly, his dark blue uniform standing out in the pristine white of the bay. He felt himself leaning to the side slightly as he got closer, trying to peer around them and through the spaces between their bodies. He remembered when his mother had been rushed to this same bay when Ta'a Chume had gotten to her.
Gadell had felt like that little kid again, worried about what he was going to see but not letting himself come to a stop. For her. For her, he kept inching closer, blue eyes wide and lips pursed.
One of the medics turned for a second, to reach back behind her for an instrument -- and his breath caught in his throat.
The Queen Mother was pale, deathly pale, with dark bags under her eyes and colorless lips. Veins stood out everywhere on her body, cerulean lines tracing cuts up her arm and down her neck. Her hair was tangled and sweaty, fanned out on the pillow behind her and he noticed a burn mark in her side, where the bolt hit. As soon as he saw the Queen Mother she vanished again, behind the medic who turned back towards the bed.
Steadying himself against a table near the bacta tanks, Gadell clutched at the edge of it with one hand, his other hand covering his face for a few moments.
“Admiral?”
Shifting his hand, he saw Anhaje, who had been outside during the attack and rushed in with the stretcher, following Tenel Ka without wavering a step. He had seen her talking to some of the soldiers on his way into the medical bay, most likely gathering whatever information she could on what had happened. She was persistent and confident; she was also very smart and resourceful. Gadell had always been grateful for the fact that she was one of the Queen’s closest friends and advisors.
“Gadell?” She said in a much quieter tone, reaching out to touch his shoulder.
He just stared to her, his eyes wide and blank. Finally blinking a few times, he snapped out of a slight trance and grunted a questionable sound.
“Would you like me to tell you what I know?”
“Please…”
“She was hit with a modified E-33 Carbine Rifle in her side. I think they might’ve had some special pack in the blaster because the bolt shocked her, physically, sending heavy pulses through her system. It took a minute or two for them to reach everywhere, which is why she was still alert and awake for a few moments after being shot.”
The medics scattered away from the bed, taking off their masks and speaking in hushed tones to some of the others in the room.
“…eye on her.”
“Let… rest.”
Gadell could only make out a few words here and there, but he figured they had done all they could do and were now leaving her in the hands of the fate as she laid there. His eyes moved from Anhaje to Tenel Ka, narrowing slightly.
“Are you alright?”
“I’ll… I’ll be fine. Thank you, Anhaje.”
She patted him on the shoulder and moved across the room to the few huddles of medics, speaking softly to them, gathering more information most likely. Medics started to come and go, taking breaks from their shifts and working on other projects around the bay – medicines, surgical practices, bacta treatments – Gadell paid none of it any mind, he just forced himself to step over to the Queen Mother’s bed.
The Admiral seated himself on a stool beside the bed, awkwardly, with his back straight and his hands in his lap. His eyes moved from her to the others in the bay, none of who were paying any attention to him, and if they were then they were hiding it quite well. Dragging his boots on the ground, he pulled the stool closer to the side of the bed and took his gloves off, reaching out to rub her left shoulder.
He would wait. He would wait with her until something happened.
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