Chapter 9

"You must be Princess Allya. How very unfortunate it is that I have not seen you earlier." Allya encountered a tall, thickly built man as she arrived at the main entrance.

"Yes, it is unfortunate that the only way for Mother to keep us alive was to keep us secret." Allya replied and took advantage of Hapan history in her explanation. The man suddenly dropped to his knees before the Jedi and his hands smacked against the mental floor. Before the girl could react, one of the man's hands lifted off the floor, dug into a pocket and produced the lightsaber that Allya recognized as her own.

"Milady, you will need your valuable weapon. We cannot afford to have another meet the same fate as our late ambassador. Especially not a female heir to the throne."

"The ambassador? This has to do with the ambassador?" Astonishment lit up Allya's green eyes as her sand-colored skin paled slightly.

"Yes, milady."

"Please excuse my ignorance, but allow me to get this straight. The late ambassador was caught in a plot and killed. When Master Skywalker, her husband, found her, he asked my mother to visit Hapes and investigate political matters. And sometime after she went in, royalty of the old became popular sources of allies." Allya finally spoke when she remembered that her grandfather's cousin's wife was a Hapan politician.

"Chancellor Lavant married the your uncle and declared herself Queen Mother. All of a sudden, she went from gentle lady to a ruthless queen who killed everyone whom she suspected of disagreeing with her ideals. Oh thank the Force our princesses rescued us!"

"Princesses?" Allya was puzzled.

"We thought Princess Silnarui was dead, but she appeared as your mother was coming back home. Together, your mother and your aunt put an end to that evil Lavant." The Hapan man explained. "Princess Silnarui took the crown and from what we know about her, we're looking at some sunny days ahead."

"It seems that alls well ends well, except for my aunt's death. Why am I being dragged into all of this if the Hapan people are already in good hands?"

"Princess Allya, your aunt has no daughters and you are next in blood. Your mother requested your presence and political training." The handsome Hapan explained.

Allya wanted to ask about her grandmother's royal cousins but stopped. She knew all that she needed to know for the moment. So that confirms that I am a princess, and not just any princess but the heir to the Hapan throne. That's sixty-three worlds. I guess with all that political training and with what I know about Hapans, my life will take a few bizarre turns. Can't believe I was naïve enough to think that I could actually control my life.

"Milady, I hope you find your transports pleasing. I offer my humble welcome to the shuttle White Angel." Allya did not recognize the speaker's voice. She suddenly found herself sitting before a magnificent, sparkling shuttle that could have only come from the Rifle Worlds of the Hapes Consortium. Sitting? It took a few seconds for Allya to finally realize that she was totally unaware of the change in her surroundings when she apparently left her school and took a seat in a luxurious speeder.

"Princess, this is Chan Jogra, one of the most prominent women in our transport business." The bulky man, who apparently piloted the speeder that carried Allya to the spaceport, introduced the older woman when Chan Jogra stepped out of the shuttle and bowed with the grace of an antelope.

"Nice to meet you, Lady Jogra." Allya greeted in the Hapan that she learned from her brother. The girl froze stiffly when a line of muscular, well-armed women marched from the escort.

"Worry not, your highness, for these are your new bodyguards." Chan assured the princess.

I'm really losing my mind. I flinched before my own guards just because they looked scary. How could I forget to use the Force to tell that they're paid to PROTECT me? Allya thought but said nothing as she hopped out of the speeder and landed squarely on the metal floor of the Coruscanti spaceport.

"Come, princess. Your makeup and royal clothes await you." The man who piloted the speeder had somehow gotten ahead of Allya and was standing before the young princess on the landing ramp. Allya took the hand he proffered and disappeared into her escort.

"You must be the prince." Prestor could barely see the heavily armored giant before him. He glanced to his right and saw an unarmored man bearing the weapons to match the woman's extensive armor.

"Prince? Excuse me, but can you clarify yourself?" When Prestor spotted a speeder with Hapan markings just outside the transparisteel window of the school, he dropped to his knees and bowed before the armored person, whom he labeled as a woman based on the voice.

"I will, once we are outside." The armored person replied. Prestor followed the mysterious woman. As soon as the woman stepped out of the door, the man waiting outside handed her at least a hundred different weapons, each of which she found a slot for in her metallic gear.

When all three were in the waiting speeder, the woman finally explained to Prestor his royal blood and the recent events in the Consortium. So that's what the Force was trying to tell me by guiding me toward everything that's Hapan.

"Here we are, milord Here, I believe this is weapon is yours." The woman produced a cylinder from a slot in her wrist guard and handed it to Prestor.

The young man thought. My saber. That means I'll be away on Hapes for quite awhile. Prestor brushed a lock of jet-black hair away from his face as he gaped in awe. Those Hapans had sent the most beautiful ship he had ever seen.

"Come with us, milord. You shall meet the captain of this shuttle inside. The women in the brown uniforms are your guards, milord. I am their commander." The armored woman pointed out. Prestor saw what she meant when he spotted two different colors of uniforms.

Everybody, human and alien, on the ship was beautiful to the point where they were out of place on Coruscant, but one woman stood out like a Gallinorean ruby mixed with Corusca crystals. Her skin took on a light, earthen tone and she had the correct shades of brown in her hair to perfectly complement her skin. He guessed the tresses to be shoulder length, but he could not confirm it when hairdos and jewelry were layered upon each other like spare parts on a ship. The woman's dress, as if to match her skin and hair, was various shades of red.

The young man fumbled as he bowed before the woman as a sign of respect. As heat crept into his brain, he realized that he had been blushing for an indefinite amount of time. He was thankful that his dark brown skin, which he inherited from his father, was good for hiding every last trace of blood on his face. The prince then noticed a piece of scarlet cloth free from the dress. He followed it up and saw that it originated from some place behind one of her ears. Prestor recognized the royal symbol on the woman. A veil! That means she's royalty. Royal! Why stang! This is Allya!

"Rise, young prince." The princess before Prestor almost smirked before her brother's wide, blue eyes.

Prestor clenched his fists as he struggled to contain his frustration and anger. How could his sister call him young prince when he was the older twin? How could she be so cruel and use her power as eldest daughter in such a manner? Prestor shook his head slightly and drove out the thoughts, for he knew that Hapans saw their first daughters as second only to the mother of the house and because of the custom, the people in the room would merely ignore him. So embarrassing. Can't she pick someone more worthwhile?