{{ urbania's void - chapter 17
...the meeting of companions (day twenty-two / +22)
As they all slipped back into their Mindmaps, giving each other confident nods, they filed into line and stepped out of the small private room. Back into the blaring streams of music and the everchanging lights.
"Whoa!" A rodian exclaimed, to his friend, in rough basic as he watched the fairly large group pass their table. "That must've been a lot of fun." He reached his long green fingers out to brush across the arm of the shorter twi'lek as she passed. The human behind her smacked the rodian's hands away, baring his pearly teeth.
"Get your hands offa my sister!"
The group passed the rodian's table and vanished into the crowd. He glanced to his friend.
"I've done some pretty nasty things... but my sister?" The rodian shuddered. His companion laughed.
As they weaved in and out of the dancing and drinking, Kaidin wondered to himself why he called a twi'lek he had been so close to fooling around with 'his sister'... but he passed it off as a slip of the lip. As Tessick followed behind him, he knew that Jacen was shining through just a bit before the Mindmap fully sunk in.
Exiting the Exa Sendra, the group ascended to the main level of the Urbania and found their way back to the apartment. As they entered, they began to take off their Mindmaps one-by-one.
Green skinned Carithma became blue-skinned Alema Rar as she took a seat at the dining area's table, setting her Mindmap in front of her.
Chubby Chuzz lost a few pounds and gained a black streak in his fur, dropping his Mindmap on the countertop that he leaned against.
Solana Xel, Carithma's sister, became Jaina Solo, Jacen's sister, as she let the device fall into her palm. With her other hand, she carefully removed the lekku headpiece and set it on the dining area table, where she took a seat, shaking her brown hair out.
Gadell Vessau blinked uncontrollably as his own device clattered to the tabletop. Shaking his head, his hair faded to its midnight shade as he rested the small of his back against the counter beside Lowbacca.
Tessick Ladreen watched Kaidin meander to the tall, glass windows and moments later he removed his own Mindmap, leaving Kaidin... leaving Jacen as the only person to still be mapped. "Jacen." Zekk dropped his Mindmap in the pocket of his pants as he stepped across the room into the living area. Everyone watched as Zekk placed his hands on Kaidin's shoulders and spoke his name again, "Jacen..."
"Huh?"
Sighing, Zekk reached up and removed Kaidin, causing Jacen to appear beside the window, his eyes wide.
"Come on Jace. Let's fill everyone in on everything that's happened."
Starting from when they left the company of the Galactic Alliance, Zekk and Jacen unraveled their tale. They told the others about the Fact, about their trip, about their Mindmap personas, about the Anakin Mindmap, about meeting Khee and Rez...
"Hold up." Alema crossed her left leg over her right, some strips of fabric on her dancer's outfit shifting over her skin. "Did you say Rez?"
Jacen and Zekk nodded.
Alema looked to Jaina, who had her arms crossed. "Rez. She worked in the Exa Sendra. We heard about her while we were there. There was talk from some of the other dancers about her."
The twi'lek nodded in agreement.
Gadell entered the conversation, "That's where Khee met her and saved her from. He had won her in a bet."
"So wait." Jaina turned to Gadell, whom she noticed was looking notably better and healthier since the last time she saw him, which was when he was poisoned by Ta'a Chume. "If you were mindmapped with Khee, who was mapped with Rez?"
"Tenel Ka." Jacen whispered from across the room.
Jaina's eyes widened, "Really?! How?! How'd she get away from Hapes?"
Gadell relayed the story of Anhaje to Lowie, Alema and Jaina; who all seemed to think it was a plausible and clever idea.
"That's great!" She turned her head to her brother, who absently stared out the windows. "That means you got to see her sooner than you expected, huh?"
Jacen nodded numbly.
Zekk and Gadell had exchanged glances and were going to mention or motion to her to not bring Tenel Ka up, but Jaina began speaking again before they could.
"Where is she? Why didn't she go with you guys? I want to see her."
Zekk nodded towards his bedroom door. Sliding out of her seat, Jaina Solo stepped to the door of Zekk's bedroom. She slapped the release button on the panel and it opened to reveal an empty bedroom. An inquisitive expression crossed Jaina's face as she looked back to the group, most of them visibly tense. Alema stood and walked over, peering into the room over Jaina's shoulder.
"Where is she?"
Jaina turned to the next door, which was the refresher door and hitting the panel, she stepped into the open room. The shower was on, the curtain was closed. Scowling, Jaina stalked across the room and poked her head into the shower.
Sitting back against the wall under the steady stream of water, a damp towel covering her body, was the Queen Mother of Hapes. Jaina could see bruises and scrapes all over her visible skin. Her head was back against the wall and rocking side to side as she mumbled incoherently to herself.
"Tenel Ka?!" Jaina ripped the curtain back. "Alema, come here! I need your help!"
Alema Rar rushed into the refresher and helped Jaina scoop the shivering Tenel Ka out of the clear basin. They both heard her mumbling.
"Who did this to you?" Alema blurted.
Murmuring quietly, she repeated one name, "Jacen... Jacen... Jacen..."
Alema and Jaina glanced to each other as they grabbed more towels from the shelf beside the sink, wrapping them around their companion. They both tried to pass off her answer to Alema's question as insane babble, but both of them could feel it... Tenel Ka's thoughts and feelings through the Force didn't lie.
Jacen had caused this pain, one way or another.
They two females carried Tenel Ka into Zekk's bedroom, past the worried eyes of Lowie, Gadell and Zekk, past the lost Jacen Solo. The Jacen Solo who had his eyes clenched shut and his head against the glass. He knew exactly how his sister would react. And exactly three minutes later, he was proven right.
"What did you do to her?!"
Alema had emerged from the room after Jaina, letting everyone know that Tenel Ka was asleep in Zekk's bed and after Alema took her seat, Jaina had let the sparks fly. Jacen let the words drift into his ears as his arms wrapped around the back of his own neck. He stared out to the neon lights of the city, not knowing that in the next room, Tenel Ka was doing the same thing.
She was sprawled out on the bed wearing a long, white gown made out of thin, satin-like material. She had gotten it with all of the other clothes she was going to use with her Rez Mindmap. Alema and Jaina had found it in her bag and dressed her in it, before placing her on the bed and speaking softly to each other, while they thought Tenel Ka was falling asleep.
They had left the room and her eyes shot open. Weakly pressing herself into the Force, she could faintly hear Jacen and Jaina talking... and she could pick up snippets of their conversation.
"...could give you a big something. Ha! How far were you gonna go?"
"Jaina... whose talking... far were you gonna go?"
Silence. Mumbling. She picked up more words.
"...DID WHAT?!"
"I didn't mean... Kaidin... just... he..."
"...have... talked...?"
"No. I haven't even really seen her face to face."
"Maybe you should."
And that's when Tenel Ka heard the door to the Zekk's bedroom open.
And close.
"Tenel Ka..."
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