I know it's been a long time since I've updated this…and all I can say is sorry. Once episode three came out, my enthusiasm for star wars went down slightly and I forgot about this story. Also, I've been working on another story for lotr, which I'm really having fun writing, so whenever I sit down to write lately, I usually work on that.
On to the story.
"I can't believe you snuck out." Leia whispered to Ianna as they entered the white and silver royal ballroom.
"I can hardly believe it myself." Ianna admitted as she nervously tugged on the drooping shoulder strap on her dress. It was a beautiful dress, with light blue beading and a gauzy veil draped across the collar, flowing down to the ground in the back. The problem was that it was a size too big. Ianna smiled to herself "All this Jedi training has been getting me fit." She looked back up at Leia and a worried frown crossed her face. "Do you think she'll find out?"
"Probably." Leia replied without even pausing to think about it. "I swear your mother can read minds!" she joked.
Ianna stiffened up. "Well…I wouldn't doubt it." She replied truthfully.
At that moment, two boys walked up to the girls. They both had shoulder-length blonde hair and hazel eyes. The only difference was that one was slightly taller than the other.
Leia took the arm of the shorter boy. "Hello Orill. I see Lorin is here as well." She eyed Ianna. "Orill why don't we go get something to drink? Father hired some of the best cooks in the city to prepare the food…" Before Orill could even respond he was being dragged over to the snack bar.
Ianna chuckled to herself. "Poor Orill."
"Hi, I'm Lorin." The taller boy walked up and shook Iannas hand warmly. "I believe this is our first formal acquaintance…" he grinned shyly. "I've seen you at Leia's house before when my father has business meetings there. I take it you two are friends?"
"Best friends."
"Really?" Lorin's eyebrows flew up in surprise. "I never would have guessed that."
"Why not?" Ianna was a bit confused.
Lorin gave a small laugh "Well, it's just that Leia is such a wild tomboy, but you…" he motioned towards Ianna with a sweep of his hand. "You seem like such a decorous, graceful girl."
If Ianna had had anything in her mouth, she probably would have spit it out at that particular moment. Instead, she gave a loud giggle. "Oh. Is that what you think?"
Lorin looked confused. "Have I said something amusing?"
"No! Well, yes, in a way. You see, the way I see things, I'm the tomboy and Leia is the girly one. In fact, she was the one who bought me this dress to begin with. I probably wouldn't have even tried it on if she hadn't prodded me!"
"Oh."
Ianna was saved from any further embarrassment when a very tall, red-haired girl clad in a green dress walked over to them. Lorin put his arm over the girl's shoulder, and before Ianna could protest, said "Have you met my sister, Rien?"
Ianna sighed in relief. "No I don't believe I've had the pleasure." She smiled at the girl, who seemed to understand the situation and moved away from Lorin.
Rien extended her hand with a lively laugh. "Hi Ianna. Lorin has told me a lot about you!"
Ianna raised her eyebrows. "Really?" Lorin turned a rosy shade of pink.
Rien laughed again. "I'm his big sister, so naturally, I am all-knowing. Especially when it comes to Lorin's crushes."
"Crushes huh?" Ianna turned to Lorin, who was very preoccupied with his shoe.
Rien grinned and patted Lorin on the back on the back. Turning to Ianna she said "So you're Leia's comrade eh? Leia can't stand me. She says I act too happy-go-lucky to be an ambassador's daughter. I tell her she's too uptight. I'm planning on being a teacher of alien mythology when I'm older, so it's only natural that I don't live in the real world. In my opinion, the galaxy could get by without the government." She rolled her eyes playfully. "When I told this to Leia, she just about had a heart attack!"
"You would get along great with my mom." Ianna said merrily. "She is into old languages and mythology too. And she hates politicians. Well….except for Leia's dad because he was her friend when she lived on Coruscant."
"She lived on Coruscant? I personally hate that planet. Too polluted, and full of debauchery. You can't take one step without running into some Twi'lek hooker who's throwing up on the side of the street. I'm glad that Dad got assigned to Alderaan, it's very pretty. Naboo will always be my favorite planet though." Rien sighed as if in her mind, she were running through the green fields.
"I lived on Naboo for about four months before we moved to Dantooine." Ianna said. I liked it a lot, but I felt really stupid compared to all the other kids my age. Their schools are really advanced, and I had just come from a planet where the schools were not good at all. Naboo is pretty though."
"Well I-" Rien began, but was cut off by Lorin.
"Uh, Rien, can you go somewhere else?" He asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
Rien frowned with an unintentional pout. "Fine Lorin." She gave Ianna a quick hug "It was nice to meet you!" She scurried off to the dance floor.
"Your sister seems really nice." Ianna commented as Lorin led her out to the dance floor.
"She is a sweet girl, but is much too immature for her age. She is eighteen and acts like a fifteen year old; never takes anything seriously, thinks that life is one big field of flowers." He sighed. "You either love her to death or can't stand her. My mother and father adopted when they were at a fundraiser for an orphanage on Naboo. They fell completely under her enchantment." He suddenly grinned. "Now let's quit talking about my sister and enjoy ourselves." He twirled her around as a faster song began to play.
OOO
Rove entered the ballroom proudly despite the icy stares of several of the girls. Fists clutched, cheeks grew warm and several headed for the exit in a huff. Ianna had not been the only one he had taken advantage before. Several of their faces grew livid as he strutted across the floor, Rien being the angriest of all.
"Rove what are you doing here? Trying to get another tutor? Just like the time you asked me to come help you?"
"Why if it isn't the wookie." Rove sneered back. "Tell me Rien, are you descended from those mythical woman giants you always used to talk about?"
"I would think that you of all people would learn not to mess with girls who are bigger than you." Rien retorted, hands on hips.
"That's the last time you'll insult me ever again." Rove smiled a greasy, dark smile and pulled out a blaster. "Say good-bye wench."
A shot rang out in the echoing room. Everything went silent.
The blaster went flying from Rove's hand with a loud ricochet. Leia stood behind him, small silver pistol still smoking in her hand. Ianna stood beside her.
"I told you this would come in handy some day." She told Ianna with a smirk.
Orill and Lorin rushed forward to tackle Rove, who did not resist out of pure astonishment that Princess Leia had been carrying a blaster on her person. "Where was she keeping it?" He mumbled to himself.
Rien ran forward past the still gawking Rove to Leia and Ianna and embraced them both in a warm hug. "Thank you. I thought I was a goner." She cleared her voice and knelt down regally. "You have done me a great and heroic deed. In return for my life, I swear on terms of hardship, loyalty, or on to death itself, I shall repay you. I owe you, Leia Organa and Ianna Starcross, my very existence. On my word, I will follow either of you to the ends of the universe."
Ianna glanced at Leia and raised her eyebrow bemusedly. "Very impressive." She told Rien as she helped her rise.
Leia rolled her eyes in prideful embarrassment. "There's no need to be so dramatic Rian. You're grateful, we get the point."
Rien blushed. "Sorry, I know I tend to get carried away."
OOO
He watched this scene carefully, slowly reaching into his jacket pocket for his communicator. When Rien's began her speech, he took advantage of the attention she drew, whispering into the communicator, he stated "She's here. Execute operation DESTINY." and with a grin, awaited the action.
OOO
The imperial storm troopers did not waste time in closing in on the royal ballroom from the outside.
Ianna could sense that something was wrong, there was a foulness etching itself through the force. It made her shiver despite the temperate climate and clutch her arms for comfort. Leia seemed to feel the same way.
"Ianna, something bad is about to happen." Leia whispered with a slight frightened tone underlying her voice. She clutched her pistol at her side.
"I know." Ianna whispered back, glad that her new lightsaber was harnessed safely to the inside of her skirt.
The party was back in full swing now, despite Ianna and Leia's premonitions. Lorin and Orill had left to take Rove to the youth detention centre ten minutes before, and the girls were left dateless.
"I hope Rove hasn't caused the boys any trouble." Leia sighed
"Well, I'm kind of glad they're gone. Lorin was too serious for my taste. Maybe we should switch." Ianna joked.
Suddenly the intensity of the force registered in Ianna's mind and by instinct, she whisked her lightsaber out using the force, not caring who saw it. The danger was too close to ignore it. She knew that something was about to storm into the door…and it was something bad. The room went completely silent. The only sound hummed from Ianna's lightsaber.
Leia gasped and took a few steps backward, still clutching her pistol. "What is that?" Her face turned white. A strange expression of wonder crossed her brown eyes. "The presence in the room seems very familiar…" She whispered, raising her pistol swiftly, ready to shoot.
Without warning, the door to the ballroom fell down in a cloud of yellow sparks, and like water breaking from a dam, imperial storm troopers poured in. Their menacing white masks grinned as they pulled blasters out of holsters. "Find Destiny!" A commander ordered as they herded the frightened teenagers into groups. He paused as he caught sight of Ianna standing en guard and shouted "There she is! Apprehend her! If she does not cooperate, do not hesitate to fire!"
Ianna sprung into action, letting the force flow through her freely. Her green lightsaber hummed through the air, slicing through the strom trooper's armor as if it were made of butter. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air. It was the first time Ianna had ever taken a living person's life. Deep down, past all the jedi training, past all the stoicism, her soul was weeping for her lost innocence. Their blood was on her hands now. But her face was like that of stone as she sawed off limbs and reflected blaster shots.
Leia had quickly found a protected spot behind a metal column, where she busied herself targeting stormtroopers as a sniper. Rien had taken refuge in a dark corner of the room behind where Ianna stood. All the other guests had quickly emptied the building, leaving the three girls behind to fend for themselves. "Rien!" Leia called "Use your com-link to contact my father!" Rien nodded and hoped that Ianna would not let any blaster fire hit her as she sent the signal to Bail.
Rien was absolutely terrified. She had never been in such a situation ever since her biological parents were killed on Naboo during the invasion of the Trade Federation. It was all bringing back painful memories. Though she had been very young at the time, she still remembered seeing her parents standing rigid in the firing line outside their home. They had been selected to be 'examples' for the rest of their community. Little Rien had been sent to one of the camps where she had been taken care of by her grandmother. Now she remembered once again why she abhorred war.
The numbers of stormtroopers had dwindled down a bit due to Ianna's skill with the lightsaber, but Rien noticed that two individual troopers wearing black armor had snuck in through another entrance to the ballroom. They carried specialized sniper guns and crouched down in the shadows, aiming their weapons at Ianna and Leia, who were already having trouble dealing with the stormtroopers around them. "No!" Rien mouthed.
With a jolt, she stood up and ran out from her hiding place, hoping to distract the snipers. "Hey, you nerf herders! Look over here! I'm the one you really want! That girl is my decoy!" She yelled pointing at Leia."
"Don't listen to that girl. Shoot her down." The commander ordered. "That is the ambassador of Naboo's adopted daughter. A little street wench he took pity on."
"Yes sir." The sniper radioed back. He took careful aim, and without even so much as a wince, shot down Rien; her red hair spreading like blazing flames around her face where she fell. Ianna knew at once that she was dead.
Just then, a door came flying across the room and crashed into a group of the stormtroopers, only to rise again and slam into another group like a giant club. With great relief, Ianna realized that Aine had arrived.
How was it? Go lightly on me, after all, this has been the first time I've updated this story in months. READ AND REVIEW!