Jacen walked in silence with Tenel Ka and Allana through the sterile corridors of the Anakin Solo, Allana chattering happily between them; Tenel Ka limping in stony, pained silence. He had been trying to help Tenel Ka since they left the shuttle, but his effort was wasted because Allana's pleading that she let him help had apparently worn off and she was back to being difficult again.

"I really wish I hadn't done that you know," He muttered quietly to her as they walked. "I didn't want to hurt you."

Tenel Ka glared at him with her gray eyes that looked as hard as durasteel, "In my experience, you don't do anything you don't want to. Making you, in fact, a liar."

Jacen sighed, he had been resigned a long time ago to being hated, but it still irked him coming from Tenel Ka.

"In here," he said somewhat more gruffly than he'd meant to, it had been a long night and he hadn't slept in days. He led the two girls to his private quarters, newly upgraded and renovated. The outer door led into a wide open room with a descended area down by the wall length viewport, where a living area with a soft black couch and caf table had been set up in front of the holoscreen. Off to the left side of the living area, he'd had a small kitchenette installed (completely devoid of knives and sharp utensils of course), and in the center of the room above that area was a massive king-sized bed. Of course, he'd never once slept in it, but it was there nonetheless. Near the bed was what had once been designed for a private office of some kind, he'd redesigned for Allana's room. It was filled with odd toys he'd collected for her and painted in a bright pastel teal color. A door near the kitchenette led to his personal command salon, and through there, the bridge of the Anakin Solo itself, making him never a few meters away from his daughter and ex. The only other door in the chamber was off to the far righthand side and contained Jacen's personal Embrace of Pain, which he would explain to Tenel Ka away from Allana's ears.

Allana shrieked with joy at her new room and wrapped her tiny arms around Jacen's legs. He gave her a genuine smile, "I'm glad you like it Princess," he said, "But I think it's time we get you back to bed okay?" She sighed, but nodded her agreement. Soon she was snuggled into her new bed and drifting to sleep, completely ignorant to the tension between him and Tenel Ka.

As he re-emerged into the main cabin, he noted Tenel Ka eyeing all the vents and air ducts for any means of escape.

"Don't bother," he said flatly. "They're all reinforced durasteel and have back up vents that redirect to the main coolant system, so unless you'd enjoy a dip in some of that pleasant stuff, that way would be completely useless to you, assuming of course you could even get the grate off. And I assume you already know the doors won't open and even by some miracle they did, there are GAG officers right outside," He commented wryly. "Might as well get some sleep," he said, nodding towards the bed, leaning against the doorframe.

Tenel Ka's eyes flashed angrily, "I think not!" She hissed, "You think I'm going to sleep with you after this? I should strangle you in your sleep!"

Jacen removed his cloak and boots, before stripping down to his black underwear. "Relax Your Highness," he drawled sarcastically, "I have no intention of sleeping with you. I was merely offering you the chance to relax. You're going to be here for the duration, you might as well be comfortable."

Tenel Ka uncrossed her arms and stalked over to him angrily pointing her finger in his chest. "And just what is this duration, Jacen Solo? What are you aiming to accomplish here except wreaking havoc and destruction everywhere you go?" She asked in a low whisper.

"You won't understand Tenel Ka. Its a waste of my breath," he said exasperatedly. "Just go to bed please? You need to get off that ankle." He said, dropping his gaze to her ankle and feeling a slight flush of shame. "I'll have my EmDee look at it in the morning," he finished sullenly. He turned away from her, before murmuring over his shoulder, "I'm going to be busy for awhile, so if you aren't going to take my advice and sleep can you pound on this door in two hours?" He asked softly, almost like the Jacen she would have remembered.

She frowned, "Why? What are you doing? Where are you going… in your underwear?" She asked.

He didn't answer, instead he palmed the door to his private place of pain and simply said, "Two hours Tenel Ka," before the door slid shut behind him.

He stepped into the darkened room, completely unlit save one glaring light above the embrace itself. He took a deep breath before stepping into the rack-like device and submitted his senses for the pain that would immediately follow.

As soon as the restraint bands encircled his limbs, he felt a white-hot blinding pain emanate through his entire being. He clenched his teeth, Pain is my ally. Pain is only an illusion. Embrace it. The words echoed loudly through the white, but soon the pain resulted in a visceral and audible response. He screamed loudly and for how long, even he did not know, but through his screams he could hear Tenel Ka pounding on the door and yelling his name. Dammit! I thought I had soundproofed this better than that. This would take some explaining when he was done, for he knew it couldn't have already been two hours, and it felt like an eternity to him. But these things could not concern Jacen for very long; he basked in the white glaring pain and learned from it, meditating through his not silent screams, though he wasn't even aware of them by now.

He lost track of time, before Tenel Ka's pounding grew more insistent and her yells grew louder. He released himself from the embrace and thudded to the floor, his breath coming in ragged gasps and his limbs unable to hold his body weight.

When he finally felt certain he could stand again, he stood and limped over to the door and found Tenel Ka sitting with her back to the wall, her face ashen and pale.

"Jacen!" She gasped, her ankle apparently forgotten as she leapt up to help him. He waved her off, "I'm fine...I'm fine…" He rasped, his voice raw from screaming as it usually was for a day or so.

"Jacen what is in there? What are you doing to yourself?" Tenel Ka asked in apparent horror, following him as he staggered over to their new bed.

When he didn't answer she let out a half whimper, half strangled moan. "Ohh… Oh Jacen, no… please… You aren't seriously…." She trailed off whipping her head back towards the room he had come from, and covered her mouth in what he could only guess was pity or sadness. "Jacen," she whispered, "Is this what they've reduced you to?" She sank to her knees in front of him and grasped his chin in her hand.

He tried to shrug out of her grasp but she held firm and he looked her in the eye, "This is what I've grown into, Tenel Ka." He answered firmly. "I am no longer inhibited by fear, fear of pain, fear of the dark side. I know you won't understand, nobody does. Because nobody can let themselves embrace the pain. I have." He almost growled. "I have to be strong because I am the only one willing to do what needs to be done!" He said, his voice rising to an almost yell. "If I can't save Allana then nothing in this galaxy matters anymore, and if I have to be hated to do it, so be it!"

Tenel Ka flinched noticibly from the volume of his voice and the sharp and unforgiving tone of it. And that made Jacen flinch. "I'm sorry Tenel Ka… I didn't mean to scream… You-you just don't-can't understand…" he trailed off, running his hands over his face and clenching his fists in his dark brown hair.

"Try me," she said, putting her hand on his knee. "You always said that one of the worst problems in the galaxy was no one communicates with each other. But you aren't doing a very good job of it yourself," she said pointedly.

He let out a painful sigh, "I know… I know…" He put a firm hand on the side of her face. "And one day, I'll tell you...but not now…" He sank back onto the bed and flipped the lights down, leaving her to decide if she wanted to sleep beside him or not, and after a few moments, he felt a slender body slide in beside him, and into the darkness, he smiled.