Prologue: The Fall of Deneva
Deneva was a peaceful planet, an agrarian world which was just now developing advanced technology of its own. While they possessed hyperdrive technology, most Denevans preferred to remain on their home planet. A quiet yet popular center of trade, Deneva was seen as having little or no strategic value in the eyes of the Galactic Empire. All that, however, was about to change…
Deneva had a unique system of government, one which was similar to the Imperial Senate. Every nation on the planet had two Senators, which were elected every four Denevan years. Also, the Denevan noble houses formed a central part of the council. The whole of the Denevan Council, however, was ruled by a King. It was always the king who made the final decisions, but he too was bound by an ancient code of law, a code that hadn't been broken for thousands of years. The current king, Torinos of the Calion Dynasty, ruled with a just and fair hand, and all his subjects loved him greatly. His eldest child, the Crown Prince Pareus, also had the respect of the people. Yet it was his only daughter who truly held their hearts: Princess Aliana. Aliana was often among her people, and it was she who told her father the most of their needs. She was skilled in all the forms of leadership that her brother knew, fought alongside the Denevan guard as needed, and was rumored to see the future. All this meant nothing to the Empire, until they saw the devotion of Deneva with their own eyes. Had she asked it of them, the citizens of Deneva would willingly follow her to death. Aliana Calion and her family had become a threat to the security of the Empire, despite their attempts at neutrality during the Rebellion. There was only one way to effectively end the threat…
She ran on through the woods of her home planet, fear growing as she fled; she fought down the panic and kept running. Where is he? Where is Pareus? They had gotten separated during their flight from the Imperial soldiers. Her leg burned and hurt her, but she dared not stop, dared not look back. She stumbled, but in her fall noticed her pursuit was gone. Stopping for a moment, she realized she had arrived at her destination; the ship was there where she'd left it. All the preparations, and for what? There is nothing left. Even as she thought this, she knew the answer. Justice must be done, for the sake of my father and my people, but it cannot be done if I remain here. The girl climbed into the cockpit of the sleek fighter, started the engines, and departed from her homeworld. Looking down, she saw the briefest glimpse of Imperial Stormtroopers swarming around the palace before her fighter departed the atmosphere. A single tear rolled down her face as she prepared to enter hyperspace.
"So," Aliana Calion whispered, "Deneva is no more." With that, she departed her homeworld. She had to hide, or Deneva would lose its last hope.