Chapter One
The hovercraft's open deck offered a panoramic vista of their destination. Seven kilometers of pristine white beaches rose up from the brilliant aquamarine water of Maramere's ocean. Long a prosperous resort world, it wasn't until after Palpatine's death that an enterprising firm had found the most profitable niche of all. And so Bolis Island was created, an artificial island built within the Konstructor Reef. Its crowning jewel, the Grand Hotel, a spectacular tower jutting from the island's center, reached into the clouds.
Access to the island was restricted, making the resort an ideal setting for celebrities, tycoons, and assorted VIPs to relax far from public scrutiny. Arrivals occurred exclusively at a single berthing terminal ten kilometers from the island. After the Falcon had been safely docked and their luggage gathered, Leia and her family, accompanied by an oversized complement of Imperial security agents, had boarded the hovercraft and begun their ride to Bolis Island.
Despite the beauty of the view, Leia's eyes kept roaming back to steal occasional glances at the young woman seated to her left.
In her heart, Leia felt Jaina's happiness, but that had been a steadily growing truth over the course of the past couple of weeks. Each passing day had revealed more layers of bliss, like the awakening of a spring day, within the special bond Leia shared with her daughter. But catching a glimpse of Jaina's joy, that was a priceless treasure Leia could tuck away in her chest of memories. Right now, she wanted to be sure she had the image locked up exactly right.
Jaina glanced over, one hand brushing aside the short brown curls blown over her eyes. "Mom, everything okay?"
Leia opened her mouth to say any number of things, but the roar of the engines coupled with the howl of the wind made it impossible to offer more than a simple, "Yes."
Soon enough they arrived at the dock. Hotel attendants gathered the luggage and hostesses greeted the new guests. After a brief registration process, Han and Leia stood with keycards in hand. Leia faced the lobby expecting to wade back into the swarm of Imperials, but aside from a handful of hotel staff, only Jaina and Jag remained, sitting quietly on a loveseat in a secluded corner. Jaina fingered a button on Jag's jacket, while he bent close to whisper something in her ear. She blushed, then stole a quick kiss.
Rocking impatiently on the balls of his feet, Han cleared his throat. "She's wearing a dress."
For the first time, Leia noted the incongruity with Jaina's usual attire, but that was probably because their daughter actually appeared comfortable in her clothes. "Yes, she is. I think she looks quite lovely. Don't you?"
"I think she looks like something the Empire molded," her husband huffed.
Leia was about to insist she sensed no duress from Jaina when the young lovers noted the registration process was completed. In a flash they were heading across the lobby.
"All set?" Jaina asked with a smile. Han held up the pair of keycards in response. "Perfect. You're in the Alderaan Suite, one floor below ours. I figured Dad would prefer less Imperial interference for his comings and goings. I hope that's okay with you?"
"What? They got you two locked up tight in between appearances?" Han tried to keep the cynicism from his voice, and failed miserably.
"All precautionary, sir." To his credit, Jag answered respectfully. "I think you'd agree that it's critical we maintain a smooth transition - for the good of the Empire and the good of the galaxy."
"Of course," Leia said as her elbow bumped sharply into Han's ribs. "We all want that."
"So," Jaina said, "we were planning a light lunch for your arrival. But if you would prefer to take some time to settle in we can push lunch back."
Leia glanced over at Han and they nodded in unison. "Let's eat."
Jag stepped back and swept his arm toward a pair of towering doors at the lobby's west end. "This way, then."
Past the doors they entered an expansive restaurant. The hostess apparently expected their arrival, greeting Jaina and Jag by name. She led the quartet toward the far side of the room, where a transparisteel wall afforded a spectacular view of the ocean. Ending at a circular table, they took their seats, Leia next to Han, then Jaina and Jag. But there were six chairs.
"Moff Fel and his wife will be here shortly," the hostess said as she passed around the menus. "They asked that you not wait."
And so their meal proceeded. They talked about little things and nothing. Sometimes, Jaina shared a small detail about her time with the Fels, but it was what was left unsaid that spoke volumes. Jaina and Jag existed in a rare harmony that most would never achieve. He knew instinctively she needed the seasoning and passed it along; she sliced off a hunk of her nerfroast before he even asked for a taste. They touched and smiled to the point that their affection was contagious.
For the third time in as many minutes Han squeezed Leia's hand for no particular reason. It was nothing short of miraculous to see the transformation in their daughter. For too long she had closed herself off, and now didn't hesitate to share her emotions for all to see.
Jaina reached over to pat her father's shoulder. "Do you like your spiced endwa, Dad?"
Mouth full, Han managed an awkward smile and enthusiastic nod.
"Good. I picked that for one of the entrees for the reception, seeing as it's your favorite."
Leia perked up. This was one of the first details about the wedding Jaina had shared. While the family gladly could play catch-up for days on end, the reality was the ceremony was going to be a lot sooner than that. "Will the reception be in here?"
"Oh, no. This room is not nearly big enough," Jaina said.
"The rehearsal dinner will be in here, though," Jag noted.
"Exactly how many people are you inviting to the wedding?" Han asked. Leia could practically see the credit chips rolling behind her husband's eyes.
"I'm not really solid on the number. It keeps changing. Syal has the working list, and anyway we need to double check I didn't miss anyone you want to invite." Jaina radiated excited energy in the Force. "Then again, this is all very rushed, so I'm sure a lot of the guests won't be able to make it."
"This is the event of the decade," boomed a deep voice from behind them. "I can assure you everyone who's anyone will find a way to get here."
Jaina bounded from her chair and rushed toward her future in-laws. She enveloped Syal in an enthusiastic hug. Then she pecked a soft kiss to Soontir's cheek. "You finally made it."
"Our apologies." Syal moved toward Leia. The two women embraced. "There always seems to be something popping up. So," she said, turning to Jaina, "what have we missed?"
"Nothing important. Please, sit." Jaina indicated to the vacant chairs. "We barely broached the subject of the wedding. My father had just asked about the guest list. Pending any additions from them, of course."
Syal allowed Soontir to guide her chair forward. Once she was settled at the table, she retrieved a datapad from her bag. "Let's see. With that caveat, it looks like, at this point, roughly two thousand one hundred ninety seven guests."
"Two thousand!" Han voiced the shock both he and Leia felt. "You'd practically have to take over the whole resort."
"Convenient, then, we were able to arrange that," Soontir answered calmly.
"The whole resort?" This time Han's trepidation made his words sound dry.
"If you're worried about expense –" Soontir took a casual swig of water. "– please don't. The Imperial treasury is honored to host the event."
"Yeah, it's not expense I'm not worried about." Han started out of his chair. Only Leia's Jedi reactions, a quick hold on his arm, kept him seated.
Soontir seemed to relish this moment. "Han, I have no doubt whatsoever you'd be good for the amount in question, under any circumstances. And especially for your daughter's wedding. That's not the issue. There hasn't been a wedding of this stature since… Well, since –" He glanced apologetically to Leia. "– your brother and his late wife, I imagine. We all need something like this to celebrate, and the Empire is more than happy to oblige its public. And the galaxy as a whole."
Han turned to face his wife. "You see, I told you this was some Imperial plot."
"Dad."
"No one is going to force my daughter into a marriage before she is ready," Han persisted, menacingly wagging a finger.
"Mom." Jaina cast an imploring look at Leia. "He promised."
Leia shrugged. "I guess I made the consequences for breaking the promise too tempting."
Jag leaned forward. "Father, Han, why don't we leave the wedding planning to the ladies? The three of us are overdue to discuss the Empire's new reconstruction endeavor. It was, after all, his idea."
Curiosity cooled Han's barely tempered belligerence. "Only if we discuss this mysterious project over a stiff drink."
"To the bar, then," Jag said with a wink in Jaina's direction. She mouthed her fiancé a silent "thanks" before he kissed her forehead.
As Jag led the men toward the bar, Leia prayed he found a way to stall the two Corellian fathers from diving straight into the Whyren's. Otherwise, more conflict was inevitable. Amid her fretting, Leia's curiosity was still piqued. "Do they really have something to discuss with your father?"
"Actually, yes." Jaina twirled her fork. "Dad made the Moffs promise to fund some recovery efforts when they surrendered at Shedu Maad. Jag's new role is to direct that effort, so he figured he had better go to the source."
Leia fell back into her chair. "Most impressive."
"Well, I for one have had my fill of bureaucratic nonsense for the day." Syal plopped an expandable file onto the table. "We have a day until the first guests begin to arrive, two days until the rehearsal, three days until the big event. And far too much to do. How about we start planning a wedding?"