Chapter 17
Leia Organa-Solo stares into her mirror. For the first time in her life, she does not like who she sees. Sighing, she turns away from the mirror and picks up a picture of Han.
"Why is it this way?"
Han's picture has no reply, not that she expected it to. Yet it feels good to ask the question. She knows that what she is being asked to do is not right, that fighting against Corellia is not the right thing to do. Yet she knows that if she goes against the Council, or worse leaves the Jedi like Kyp did, then things will be much worse off.
Yet every fiber of her being says that what the Federation is doing, is wrong, that it is fundamentally against the beliefs that she fought and bled for all those years ago during the Rebellion.
And that knowledge that if she stays a Jedi, she will have to fundamentally change who she is, and what she has always fought for, makes up her mind.
With a smile for the first time in days, she turns back to her mirror, and likes who she sees.
Turning away again, she starts packing a bag, throwing those things that she desperately wishes to keep from her quarters here in the Jedi Temple. Then pulling out a dusty device, she thumbs on the switch, and a red light starts flashing periodically.
She sets the Alderaan's recall device on the counter, as she goes about finishing her packing.
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The Hapan Yacht Divine Fist flashes through hyperspace. Young Allana Djo stands in the cockpit, behind her pilots, a small smile on her face as she watches the twirling blue colors as they flash past.
A red beacon starts flashing on the console, and the pilot looks over her shoulder. "Your Highness, please strap in now, we're about to revert from hyperspace."
Allana nods her head, and climbs up into the seat which engulfs her small frame. Sighing slightly, she decides that she cannot wait until she is old enough to pilot, so that she can see the reversion from hyperspace to realspace, rather than just the flash of light from behind the pilot.
She leans forward, watching what she can, and notices the pilot reaching out to grasp the hyperspace levers.
Then the ship shudders, and alarms fire off. Allana looks towards the viewports and sees the stars. "But you didn't revert us yet."
The pilot looks at her. "We were pulled out early your Highness."
At that moment, Talla, Allana's body guard, bursts into the cockpit. "Come along Highness, we must place you into hiding."
Allana unbuckles, and jumps from the seat, calmly following Talla. They stop at a blank section of bulkhead, and Talla presses on a section, about three quarters of the way up from the floor. With a click, a door swings outward, and Talla pushes Allana inside.
"Be safe your Highness."
Allana can only nod as the door swings close, shutting her into the darkness.
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The Pulsar Skate launches from the Viscount's main bay. Gavin watches, as it flashes past the bridge's viewports, and then elongates with the jump into hyperspace. Shaking his head at the theatrics of Corran's daughter, he turns to his helm officer. "Helm, bring us about, and make best speed to Corella."
"Aye, sir."
He frowns as he feels the thrum of the engines, and watches as the stars start to slowly crawl past in the viewports. He places his head in his hands, wondering once again, if this is something he really wants to do.
He spares a final glance back at burned and blackened Adumar. "I wish you the best Cheriss, and I hope you survived."
Then the universe blurs away into the swirls of hyperspace, and Gavin calmly strides from the bridge.
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Tahiri sits on the edge of the precipice which holds the Skywalker Homestead. Her eyes are closed, and she reaches out with the Force, plunging into its depths, trying to find some token of her Anakin, trying to find some reason for her being here.
She feels a small tug in the Force, and opens her eyes to see Padme Skywalker staring at her, her green eyes alive and shining with curiosity. She reaches out and presses one pudgy finger against the scars on Tahiri's head.
"Owies?"
Tahiri smiles. "Yes, I was hurt many years ago."
"Oh."
Then the little girl sits down next to her, and leans her head against the young Jedi. Tahiri puts her arm around the little girl, and is surprised as she drops off to sleep.
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"Sir! Enemy forces are pulling back."
Startled, Han looks up from the board. "What?"
The technician glances at him from his station. "The enemy forces are pulling back. They're drawing back towards Talus."
"Give me a view of that on the main tactical screen."
Han's eyes narrow slightly, as he watches the remaining starships under Federation command pull back and begin taking up orbit around the Centerpoint Station. He frowns as he watches this. "What are they doing?"
Wedge steps up beside him. "I don't believe they're doing that. What is Traest thinking?"
Han looks at him for a second, and then glances back at the hologram. His eyes narrow slightly as he realizes that landing ships are deploying from the Federation ships heading towards Centerpoint. "Is he landing an invasion force on Centerpoint?"
Wedge slowly nods his head. "Looks that way."
"That thing is inoperable right?"
"Unless your son had a kid out there, I doubt anyone here could activate it." Wedge pauses, considering something for a moment. "Jaina might be able to."
Han turns towards the technician. "Put a couple of those Star Destroyers in a point where we can watch what they're doing. And see about getting an infiltration team onto Centerpoint. We need to know what they're planning to do there."