Chapter 8

The Fountain Palace, Hapes

Her name is Allana Chume'Ta Djo. She is the crown princess and heir apparent of the Queen Mother of Hapes. The hidden daughter of a fallen Jedi; her strength in the Force is unknown to all but a few. Just a few years shy of her tenth birthday; she can still feel that clarion call of the Force, urging her to be out in the galaxy, doing that which her blood calls her to do.

She is currently standing on the balcony of her room, uncaring that she is exposed to any possible snipers, her thoughts and attention are turned towards space, towards the stars which she can feel calling to her. She frowns as she hears the door to her room open. Feeling through the Force that it is her mother; she schools her features, and then turns to watch her mother as she slowly walks into the room.

The Queen Mother watches her daughter as well, noting that her brandy eyes do not reveal her emotions, as she stops in the doorway to the balcony; she greets her daughter in the simple way that they both are accustomed to. "Daughter."

Allana allows a ghost of a smile to grace her lips. "Mother."

"I could feel your troubles. Is there anything you wish to discuss?"

"The Force calls to me. I believe it is time that I go to Ossus to learn the ways of the Jedi."

Tenel Ka expected something like this. Knew that one day, her daughter would have the desire to flee Hapes, and seek the experiences promised in the wider galaxy. She kneels so that she is eye-level with the young girl. "I will make the necessary preparations. While you are gone from Hapes, remember this, I am proud of you."

Allana, taken aback by this uncharacteristic show of emotion, responds accordingly and throws her arms around her mother. As Allana releases her mother, Tenel Ka reaches out and places her hand against the side of her head. "You will make a fine Jedi, and even greater Queen Mother my daughter. Now off to bed with you."

Tenel Ka stands and begins leaving the room, when her daughter's voice once more calls out to her. "Mother?"

"Yes, Daughter?"

"Can you tell me who my father was now? I know he is a Jedi, but beyond that, you've told me little to nothing, what if I meet him while training?"

Tenel Ka takes a deep breath, remembering what happened to Allana's father, how the Dark Side twisted and warped him, causing him to betray everyone and everything he knew to be good and right.

Turning back to her daughter, she nods her head, and goes to sit in one of the chairs in the room. Hesitantly Allana follows and takes a chair near her mother. She can feel the pain and anguish coming from her mother, and is somewhat startled by the lack of control being displayed due to this subject.

Tenel Ka takes a deep breath and begins the story. "His name was Jacen Solo, he was a great pilot and Jedi Knight, but he was betrayed by a friend of his, turned, twisted to the Dark Side of the Force."

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Corellian Governmental Complex, Office of the Diktat, Corellia.

Wedge sits in his office staring out at the night sky of Corellia. Hearing the subtle swish of his office door opening he turns to find his wife staring at him from the doorway. He smiles at her, and stands up walking over to her. She holds up a single hand to forestall him. "I resigned from Federation Intelligence this afternoon."

Wedge nods his head, knowing that his wife has more to say.

"I agree with this, and Myri is with us of course, but Syal, she stayed in the military."

Wedge sighs and leans back against his desk. Covering his face with his hands, he begins thinking, wondering how he can save things.

"I want you to head up our new Intelligence Division; Myri can help you with that. Maybe they won't invade here."

She frowns at him. "That's wishful thinking Flyboy, and Cal will probably send Twin Suns in here for the sole reason that Syal is a member of that squadron as an added enticement to get you to relent."

"I know, but I live on wishful thinking. Han came to see me earlier today, said Leia sent him."

"Oh?"

"I think he'll side with us, and help us. He's not that pleased with these new laws either, but then Han has always been one to rather do without rules and laws."

"Have you contacted Bel Ibis?"

"Yes, and apparently he had a slight stroke earlier in the year. He didn't want it spread around, but he's still in intensive therapy over that."

Iella sits on the desk next to Wedge, taking one of his hands in hers. "We will need more capital ships."

"I know, and I have a plan for that."

She raises an eyebrow as she looks at him. "This I've got to hear."

He just smiles at her.

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Cartann City, Adumar.

Ben and Jysella sit in a park, neither particularly watching the scurrying natives, going to and fro in their nocturnal activities. Ben's attention is on the glow of a blastsword duel in the distance, the deadly dance of two fighters, rendered pretty by the unique aesthetic component of a blastsword. Jysella leaning against him is deep in a healing trance, taking their stop as an attempt to heal some of the damage done to her leg by the blaster.

Finally with a loud pop, the duel in the distance is done, and the crowd that had gathered begins wondering off looking for other entertainment. Ben continues to sit on the bleachers, and projects a Force Illusion, hiding them so they won't be bothered by the crowd that began walking their way.

Pulling out the small box from an inside pocket of his robes, Ben opens it and looking upon the ring contained within it, once more wonders on how and when he should ask Jysella to be his wife. Feeling her start to come out of the trance, he quickly places the box back into his robes and turns his attention to her, as her green eyes slowly open, to look up at him.

She sits up stretching, and looks around them. "So what's our next step?"

"Breakfast."

She looks at him, trying to decide if she should laugh or smack him. "I meant about the mission."

He smiles and winks at her. "Well, I was jumped yesterday, before I returned to the hotel, and one of my attackers told me some interesting information. The first, someone has hired a bunch of folks to try to kill the both of us."

"I figured that part out."

"The other is that there is a new manufacturing plant somewhere in the city, paying good money to its employees, but no one seems to know just exactly what they are producing."

"That sounds like where we should go look to me."

He smiles at her. "Stay out of my head Horn."

"With pleasure Skywalker."

Standing, they raise the cowls of their cloaks, and Ben drops the Force Illusion hiding them and they go first in search of breakfast, and then to find this new manufacturing plant.

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Viscount, Deep Space, Two Parsecs from Adumar

Gavin Darklighter replays the message from the Secretary of Defense, listening to it once more to make sure that he has truly understood what is happening, what his newest orders are.

"Admiral Darklighter, you and your task force are to be prepared to move to the Corellian System, in the near short-term future." Ka Dann's eyes glisten with amusement visible even in the small hologram as he is speaking. "We already have forces on the way to suppress the rebellion that is beginning within that system, and we may require the support of the Viscount and her starfighters. Secretary Dann, out."

Gavin turns off the orders cube, and tosses it onto the desk. Then he activates the com, to his aide. "Jenth, can you have Lieutenant Antilles report to my office please."

The reply comes back quickly and efficiently. "Right away sir."

Gavin sighs, curses and looks around for something to throw as the potential ramifications of these orders filter through his mind. And he finds himself once more wondering what has become of the government he fought and bled for.

His mood is still dark, as his door buzzes, indicating a guest. Without stopping his pacing, he says, "Come."

Glancing at the door, he watches as Lieutenant Syal Antilles comes in. As pretty and as blonde as her namesake, she has also inherited all the formidable piloting and tactical skills of her father. She steps fully into the room, and quickly salutes. Gavin returns it absently. "We have an issue here Syal."

Her face scrunches in confusion. "Sir?"

"Are you aware of what your father has done on Corellia?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, the Federation is sending in a task force to pacify the Corellian System, who they consider to be in open rebellion." Gavin looks at the daughter of one of his oldest friends and sees the horror on her face, and continues speaking; knowing that what else he has to say will be just as bad for her. "We are on stand-by to assist in those efforts. I want you to have no doubts, that our relationship to Wedge probably had a rather large role in the choice of backup for the operation."

Syal quickly sits down, and puts her head in her hands. "Mom told me this might happen, but I refused to believe her. I told her the Federation was above such things."

"Unfortunately, no government is above such things."

Syal quickly stands. "Excuse me sir."

Then she rushes from Gavin's office. Gavin stands there for a moment, frowning at the closed door, and then decides to go to the onboard gym and exercise some of his frustrations away.