Queen Neve Celestia rested pleasantly above her imperial canopy in the bountiful planet of Naboo when she was roused awake by low murmurings. Neve was known to be a light sleeper and found herself perplexed as to why her guards emitted the unusual chatter just outside her door. The Queen hopped out of her massive bed, landing with a graceful thud on the carpeted floor. She seized the robe of her nightgown from the coat stand and secured it firmly around her waist. Proceeding to maintain her position by the door, she listened in on the chatter.
"-completely doomed, The First Order is coming after all of us. We must evacuate immediately."
The young monarch furrowed her brow as she concentrated to hear the indistinct noises. This was certainly not one of her wardens, she reflected. Perhaps someone from the committee. Neve was brought back from her musings by an overdue response from whomever the voice was directed to.
"It is crucial that we contact The Resistance before we wake Queen Celestia with any untimely news. She in not adept on these matters."
"None of us are, this is a tragedy and our foremost leader must be alerted before-"
Instantly the portal unbolted and the sovereign stepped through the threshold with a frown painted over her features, "Before what, gentlemen?"
Both officials, simultaneously removed their headwear and vowed to the monarch. She could see now that they were Governor Fero and Councelor A'kala from the Royal Advisory.
"My lady, forgive us for the disturbance of your slumber. We were not sure whether to perturb Your Highness at this ungodly time with the solemn news but I deemed it nece-"
"Please Governor, strip the pleasantries," Neve interrupted, "if this is a matter of politics it should be addressed to me as present as the Council has knowledge of it. Do not misspend more of my time."
Despite being at the ripe age of nineteen, the Queen had already served two terms, making her a crowd favorite but a force to be reckoned with the office of representatives. She stood at barely 5 feet tall clad in diamond covered slippers and a swiveling blue nightgown that veiled much of her pale skin. The mess of silvery white curls atop her head had far escaped the various sleeping braids during the course of her nighty toss and turn. She was considered impossibly beautiful yet lovingly approachable to her people. The kindest, yet fiercest green eyes of the nation.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Allow us to escort you to the legislative chamber. The board will be pleased to hear your judgment on this call," Counselor A'kana assisted.
Neve suppressed her impatience with the officials and permitted herself to be transferred to the committee's location. As she passed the dimly lit corridors she noticed they were deserted; even at night the Theed Royal Palace was always occupied by thrilled ingoers and outgoers of Star Tours. Artists including musicians, poets and performers were invariably up at all hours of the day keeping the castle alive. Now there were only guards, a vast amount of them oddly enough.
As the Queen and her delegates rounded the corner to the Parliament, she felt her heartbeat quicken. Neve knew whatever they were going to inform her was not welcomed news. Stepping through the gold encrusted doors, she looked around the room to find the highest rank of executive members surrounding the panel. The Queen cleared her throat and took a deep calming breath before addressing the Royal House.
"Fellow diplomats, I apologize for my disheveled state but I have been roused awake by passing whispers of imperil harm towards our planet. I wish to be immediately and thoroughly informed by the Council." The court fell quiet. A look of dread transcended over the faces of everyone in the chamber.
Neve sighed exasperatedly, she was the head of state, even if she was the youngest person in the room. From an early age she had been preparing herself to face even the most unthinkable of scenarios. The youngling was well-versed in all sorts of political affairs and was now more than ever itching to prove her capabilities since she would have to, as tradition demanded, resign on her next term.
"At once," She stressed, feeling like a petulant child. She did not like asking for things twice. Nowadays the title of Queen did not hold the kind of power and respect it used to. The events of The Clone Wars alerted the people of Naboo that senators could turn into Sith Lords, as it was in the case of Sheev Palpatine, and queens could have terrible judgment keeping forbidden relationships that would later cost them their lives. No lone individual could possess too much reign over the planet, everyone was kept at bay and within sights at all times.
"Your Highness," stated the head of military division General Lavarett, "There was an attack on the New Republic that has just been made visible to our system. As of now we are not fully informed on the details, but the planets of the Hosnian system, including the capital which was at the time hosting the Galactic Senate and one fleet, have been destroyed."
All color vanished from the Queen's cheeks, she felt faint, her chest too heavy for her own body. One of the officials noticed this and accommodated a position for her at the colossal table. "Wha-what do you mean destroyed?" She requested despite the knot in her throat.
The General shifted on his feet uncomfortably, "We suspect it was The First Order, Your Majesty. The Resistance had warned us about their rise for domination but without a consent from the Republic, we could not take action."
After the signing of the Galactic Concordance, The Senate passed the Military Disarmament Act which radically limited the New Republic's armed forces in order to keep the peace. She had knowledge of this and although she did not particularly agree, the Queen had no choice but to adhere to Mon Mothma's orders.
"The Resistance, what do we know from them?" Neve inquired.
"Their location is unbeknownst even to us, Your Excellence." Royal Advisor Unar provided.
"Contact General Organa, straightaway," Neve instructed, "We might not know their coordinates but we have her information and can surely get into communication with their base."
"Without further ado, Queen Celestia," was the last thing she heard before retiring the conference.
The young ruler hurried her step until she was out of sight from any wardens. She took off towards the stairs that led to the palace's highest peak. Neve could feel the tears building up in her eyes and begin to cloud her vision. She thought of the billions of living organisms that had been obliterated, erased from existence, all for power and control. She was almost tripping on her ascend now, envisioning how utterly hopeless the inhabitants must have felt on those last moments, when chaos took over and people ran for their lives with nowhere to hide. Naboo could be next, another planet's entire population eradicated by The First Order. She would not let it happen.
As the Queen reached the top of the towering spire, she looked up at the Naboo night sky and felt the air leave her lungs. The stellar eruptions were painted all across the atmosphere. Spilled red like the blood of the many that had fought valiantly for decades to achieve balance and harmony in the universe. She approached the balcony overlooking the vast flora and fauna of the Solleu River and gripped the railing for dear life.
"Your Highness," she whirled around, a disarray of flowing silk and alabaster hair, to look upon one of her oldest guards, "General Organa is on call and ready to be received."
"Thank you, Ollestar," she frowned ruefully before taking course towards the projector room.
Naboo would not repeat the mistakes that lead to the New Republic's extinction. The Queen would strike back.
Please review and let me know what you think. I'm not sure where I would like the story to go, so I would appreciate lots of feedback from my readers.
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU! xo