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Chapter 1

The enormous mansion rang with the clinking of synthglass and the hum of conversation and laughter that always accompanied such highbrow parties. The gigantic ballroom echoed to the dreamy dance music performed live by the talented Galaxy Symphony, a highly respected musical Dozen once praised by Emperor Palpatine himself. Only the best was allowed here at the Graduation party of Mell Krevett, son of Serenno's most prestigious Senator, Dom Krevett. Dom was justifiably proud of his only son, who'd just graduated from Imperial Academy with all honors and had already been granted a Bridge position on one of the most imposing Star Destroyers in the Imperial fleet: The Terminator. Captained by none other than Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin, greatest general of the Emperor's Navy and recently appointed Governor (or Moff) of the Correllian Sector, which included such prosperous worlds as Alderaan, Correllia, and Chandrila. It was a great honor, and spoke volumes of how well the young man had done in his studies and training. Dom Krevett saw no better way to celebrate his son's accomplishments than with a grand ball in his honor, in his magnificent private mansion on the planet Serenno, with the invited guests numbering close to three hundred, and all consisted of the finest Senators and Officers of the Galactic Empire, and their spouses or near-adult children.

Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan was a slight, dark man with a powerful presence. One of the few conservative Senators left in the Emperor-controlled Senate, he still commanded respect from both friend and foe. He was dressed in tunic, pants, and cloak of black and dark blue, as always, and his dark hair and goatee were as perfectly trimmed as his wardrobe. In his right hand, he held a fluted synthglass full of pale golden Nubian Champagne, and kept the other hand politely behind his back while making small talk with one of the new Senators of Malastare, a big-boned human with dark-toned skin and a low voice. But his mind wasn't really on the non-conversation he was having about the reduction of casualties in Pod-Races. His glance kept straying to a nearby exotic floral arrangement where several brilliantly dressed young ladies were gathered, giggling behind their fans. Two were the younger daughters of Dom, (fourteen and fifteen, far too young for such parties in Bail's opinion) and the rest were daughters of the various senators gathered there. But Bail's eyes were only for one particular young girl. The smallest in the group, but one of the oldest. Seventeen year old Leia Organa. His beloved daughter.

All of Leia's four feet eight inches was clad in a modestly flowing gown of cream and pale peach colors, of a silky material newly manufactured in Correllia, and her luxuriously long dark hair had been let down tonight, with half of it swooped and braided atop her head in a most becoming manner. Her oval face was tense and serious, as always, but her brown eyes betrayed annoyance. Her companions wanted to do nothing but point out and gossip about every single young man in sight. Leia hated that. At school, she'd once slapped a boy that tried to kiss her in the hall, (to Bail Organa's secret pride and joy) and every one of her friends knew that there were a few forbidden topics around her, on pain of a discontinued friendship, and these included romance.

With a slight huff that nobody but her father noticed, Leia snapped her peach-colored fan shut, marched away from the giggling group and headed straight for a table full of unusual hors d'oeuvre. Bail excused himself to the Malastare Senator and intercepted his daughter at the table. He came up behind her, put his glass down on the table in front of her, and gave her head a gentle kiss.

"How's my Princess enjoying herself?" He asked her softly. She wasn't even startled by his presence. Almost as if she'd known he was there without looking.

"Bored," Leia answered shortly and plucked a fancy little appetizer from a tiered tray. Two different colored fruits had been cut into geometric shapes and skewered by a pretty fern-like herb with a stiff stem. Clever, thought Bail Organa, and he took one too.

"Bored already?" Bail teased his daughter while he studied the red and yellow fruits cut into a star and diamond on the herb-toothpick. "But we're nearly to the fun part. Senator Krevett is going to make his speech soon."

"Oh joy," Leia muttered around a mouthful of fruit. "And if his speech is anything like his recent political campaign, promise me you'll show me the door."

Bail chuckled at her dry wit and popped his own fruit into his mouth. Her remarks had grown with her over the teenage years, but he hoped she'd never outgrow that humor of hers. Honestly, it was hilarious. But what did trouble Bail only slightly, was that she didn't get such a sense of humor from him. Nor from his dead wife either. . .

Leia took her father's empty herb-stem and placed it in the waste-receptacle where she'd deposited hers, and then turned to her father with a coy glint in her lively eyes. "What are you thinking about, Daddy?" She asked him playfully, a smile on her gentle red lips. She really did look older when she was all dressed up like this. And perhaps it was the added joy of this being her first formal party. Bail and his wife had established when the girl was barely six months old, that formal parties and beaus would wait until seventeen. And wait they did. The beaus had all Leia's help staying away, but the parties had been a little harder. She had been so excited last week when Bail had formally invited her to accompany him to Serenno for the party. But now, she was probably disappointed by the politically correct conversation, the stiff manners, and the childish girls she got for company.

"Oh. . . " Bail Organa smiled at his daughter's question and gently touched her dimpled chin with his thumb. "I was thinking how lucky I am to have you to dance with tonight."

Leia laughed shyly and caught her father's smooth hand in her two small ones. "If I wasn't here, who would you dance with?"

"Oh, I'd likely be forced to dance with Senator Si'faa of Ryloth." Bail shuddered comically, sending his daughter into another peal of laughter. Bail stole a glance over his shoulder at the sinuous red Twi'lek herself in a group of admirers and tugged his daughter along in mock alarm. "Let's get lost before she spots me."

Leia chuckled again and followed her father to the dance floor; not her favorite place, but if she was with her father, anywhere with him was her favorite.

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Some time later, Bail got a private call from home and headed out to the ship to take it in privacy. Leia was thirsty and weaved through the crowds to the drink fountain. But she was soon overwhelmed by the mere number of drinks available. Even the Service Droid stationed there did no more than confuse her further. Ice or no ice? Additional flavoring? Combination of two or more drinks? Percentage of synthehol content?!

"Excuse me, Miss," a deep, oily, and very unpleasant voice behind Leia spoke up when she was at her wits end trying to get sense out of the chirpy droid. She stepped aside quickly, flustered and still more thirsty than ever.

"I apologize." Leia startled and then stiffened at the sight of the man. He was dressed in the crisp, immaculate gray of an Imperial Officer, but Leia knew from the red and blue squares on his badge that he was a high-ranking one. In fact. . . she counted the four red and four blue markers. . . in fact, those squares marked him as a Grand Moff, or Sector Governor. Leia's heart jumped into her throat with a feeling of rage. She knew the man suddenly. His narrow wrinkled face was implacable as a kyber stone, and his pale eyes were as cold and merciless as the glaciers of Illum. He gave her a gracious nod that made her gorge rise and stepped smoothly past her on those polished black boots of his. With his narrow back turned while he got himself a drink, Leia narrowed her eyes and didn't even try to conceal her extreme dislike of the man. She couldn't remember his name, but the Emperor had named him the Sector Governor of the region containing Alderaan not two weeks before, after he had told vicious lies about her father (his rival in the running) on the holonews. He called her father, Bail Organa, most respected citizen of the Empire and most zealous Senator Alderaan had ever had, a "potential traitor to the might of the Empire". That was what he'd said on the holonews, and Leia hadn't forgotten, or forgiven him for it. The lie had been outrageous, and had cost her father the Moff-ship, she was sure. No man was more loyal to the Emperor than her father! Leia couldn't even imagine her father considering betraying the very Empire he worked for. It went against everything her father believed.

The Grand Moff turned with his drink in hand, a dark red liquid that swirled viscously in the tall synthglass. She thought of blood when she saw it, and pictured her small fist smashing his pompous pointed nose and the blood running down his lips and into his mouth, coloring his teeth and. . .

"I'm sorry, did I interrupt you, young lady?" The treacherous Governor asked in his smooth, cultured voice that was anything but concerned.

"N-no." Leia cursed her voice for stuttering in confusion and put her nervously twisting hands behind her back. "I was. . . trying to decide which one I wanted."

"Well, take your time." The Governor delicately sipped at his red drink and gave the girl a coy wink. "There are quite a few choices." He threw a glance over his shoulder at the row of shiny drink dispensers and the droid with the glasses. "However, I am grateful that we do not have as many choices in reality, as we do with drinks. But soon, even that will be gone, thanks to our enlightened Emperor. Choices, in the wrong hands, are as dangerous as ticking bombs."

"What's wrong with wanting to pick my own drink?" Leia demanded testily, blood filling her cheeks.

"Only that it's a thousand to one you'll make the wrong choice, my dear." The Grand Moff smiled. It reminded Leia of a skeleton. There was no joy in the smile, only a sort of macabre satisfaction at a point made.

"Not boring the young ladies with your philosophy again, Admiral?" A young voice laughed behind Leia. She spun around to see a tall young man, also in a gray Imperial Officer's uniform, but his single blue square marked him as an ensign. He was in his early twenties, handsome, with short dark hair, and laughing blue eyes. He put a protective hand on Leia's shoulder before she could move aside, and good-naturedly nodded at the Grand Moff, who looked mildly amused if anything. "I say," the young stranger chuckled, "Father always told me to refrain from Religion and Politics in polite settings, but I'd say Philosophy is a combination of the two, wouldn't you say, Miss?"

"Well. . . I. . . suppose so," Leia stammered, not realizing at first that the dashing fellow was talking to her. It didn't feel right to throw off the young man when he was rescuing her from the abominable Governor, but she also felt awkward with his hand on her shoulder.

The Grand Moff gazed amiably at the young man, seemingly undisturbed by his teasing. "You always did have all the rules straight, did you not, my boy?"

"Why Admiral," the young man beamed. "I wouldn't have made it to your glorious command otherwise." Then he stepped to Leia's side and smiled benevolently down at the flustered girl. "Miss, I beg you to let me introduce you to my Admiral, Wilhuff Tarkin of the Terminator. He graciously agreed to attend my graduation party. In fact, it is largely because of him that I graduated at all!"

"Ah. . . " Leia nodded stiffly and extended her hand automatically. Tarkin, that was his name. She'd remember that. "Yes, pleased to meet you, Admiral, I'm sure."

"The pleasure is mine, dear lady." Grand Moff Tarkin smiled, but it looked more like a leer. "Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin at your complete service. And you are. . . ?"

" Leia." The girl forced herself to smile, but it flickered and vanished as she added harshly. "Leia Organa."

Wilhuff Tarkin bowed over her hand. His own long fingers were clammy and dry at the same time. "Then you must be the Princess of Alderaan!" Tarkin's voice dripped with mock respect. "Dear Princess, I am exceedingly sorry we seemed to get off on the wrong foot. Do indulge an old military man his vices. Some drink, some gamble. . . and I philosophize."

"Pay it no mind." Leia smiled falsely, but felt like she was going to throw up when Tarkin kissed her hand. His hands were so clammy and his lips so dry and cold! She'd felt Mon Calamari that were warmer. She barely was able to suppress a shudder as she rubbed her freed hand on her dress.

"Pray excuse me, then. Princess. Ensign." Wilhuff Tarkin graced Leia and the young man with another false smile and clicked his heels before he turned and marched off with crisp, efficient steps.

Leia released a long breath before she realized she'd been holding it. A young man's chuckle startled her and reminded her she wasn't alone.

"Don't pay attention to his ramblings," the young man told her graciously. "He doesn't mean anything by them."

"That's not it." Leia shook her head, trying to hide her red face by turning to the service droid again.

"How can I serve you, Madam?" The droid's tinny voice asked in a superbly happy tone. Too happy, Leia thought scathingly. How I wish I could smash the stupid, useless thing!

"Need help, Your Highness?" The young man offered.

"Don't call me that," Leia snapped ill-temperedly. "Who are you, anyway?"

"I thought you knew!" The young man smiled in embarrassment and clasped his hands behind his back. "I'm Mell. Mell Krevett."

"Oh!" Leia's eyes rounded and a hand flew to her horrified face. She'd just snapped at the very man she was supposedly honoring by her presence here. "I'm so very sorry, I didn't know. . . " Leia faltered and was surprised to see Mell trying not to laugh.

"Yes, well. . . apology accepted, Princess Leia of Alderaan." Mell Krevett nodded at the droid, graciously changing the subject. "Have you tried the Nubian Champagne? I hear it's quite good. Especially with a touch of that Lyrian fruit liqueur. Better than the Serenno Port by a long way. Come here, I'll show you how it all works."

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I wrote this short story about five or six years ago and I thought I would polish it up. Let me know what you think!