Chapter Two: From Danger to Danger
True to her promise, Aliana left the farm after the harvest, saying that urgent matters called her elsewhere. Lars doubted the validity of her claim, but all in all seemed pleased to be seeing the last of her. She wondered if it wasn't because of his nephew, Luke; he seemed to have developed an affection for her. Probably best if I left now, she thought as Lars drove her to Mos Eisley.
"You sure you'll be alright?" he asked.
"I'll be fine, sir. You never wondered what I did with the bulk of the pay you gave me?"
"No, I never thought to ask."
"My ship needed to be maintained, so most of my earnings went to that." Aliana sighed, knowing she owed the moisture farmer more of the truth.
"Mr. Lars, there's another reason I'm leaving. You see, when you said someone was looking for Aliana Calion, I had a feeling my being here would be unsafe. I'm from one of the Denevan noble houses, and we were strong supporters of the Calion family. When Lady Aliana was killed, I was one of the first to flee Deneva. I hoped to find justice for her murder, but first I needed to be sure her murderers wouldn't find me, while I waited."
"So you were a fugitive?"
"Not in the sense that you think, Mr. Lars," she replied quietly. "I am an exile seeking justice for one who has none."
"Really?" He still looked doubtful. "Is Coriana even your real name?"
"At the moment, yes. It's an old Denevan word meaning exile. It suits me for the time being." Exiting the speeder, Aliana smiled, the first smile the older man had ever seen from her.
"I will miss this planet, in a way. You and your wife are good people. I can only hope no harm comes to you in the future." She entered the building and didn't look back.
Two Years Later
The Rebel Alliance fleet was in orbit near Bespin, having thwarted an Imperial attack on Cloud City, when one of the officers spotted something on his screens.
"Admiral Ackbar, there's a ship approaching. I've never seen anything like it before. It doesn't match any Imperial craft."
The Mon Calamari Admiral stared at the viewscreens, trying to identify the approaching fighter. Its sleek design declared it to be an atmospheric fighter as well as a space fighter, but he'd never seen anything like it before. Another of the bridge officers approached and stared at the fighter, awe covering his face.
"That's a Denevan ship. I'd recognize those markings anywhere," he declared as he indicated an unusual design on the hull of the ship: a planet with a talon superimposed over it. "Eagle's Talon, the Denevan Elite Guard."
"Deneva? I have never heard of it," Ackbar blinked at the younger officer.
"I have, Admiral," a quiet human voice replied. The woman who had spoken, a member of what had once been the Imperial Senate, looked at the ship for a long time. "The planet was never considered important, until a diplomatic envoy was sent to speak with King Torinos Calion. After their return, the Emperor had the entire Denevan royal family executed for treason."
"But then why would we be seeing a Denevan ship now?" the young human officer asked. "We Denevans usually don't leave our home planet, although many of us fled after the king was murdered. Why now?"
"Commander Antilles, assemble your pilots. We have an unknown ship inbound. Capture it." Ackbar's orders met with quiet agreement from the Senator and the young officer.
"Roger that, Admiral, Rogue Squadron is on its way."
Aliana Calion saw the fighters approaching and smiled grimly: the Rebel Alliance was truly cautious, which explained why they had been so hard to find. Nudging her ship into a roll, she skillfully evaded the weapons fire. Ion cannons, they want me alive, she realized as she dove. Spinning the craft around, she came head-on for one of the X-wing fighters, dove under it at the last second, and chuckled as she listened over the frequencies.
"What the hell? What just happened?"
"Who's piloting that thing?"
Aliana knew better that to answer directly over the radios. Anyone could be listening in, and the Empire didn't need to know she was still alive. Still evading blasts, she began to transmit a military code from her world. While few knew of it, her father had secretly sent supplies and pilots to the Alliance, and she only hoped there were still some Denevans among them.
"That's a Denevan military code, I'm sure of it. No one from the Empire could ever break it," the young bridge officer said. He knew that code well, having served for a brief time in the Denevan military.
"What's he saying?" Ackbar questioned.
"'Coriana of Deneva wishes to join your Rebellion.' That's it, the message just repeats." He paused. "Coriana. I've never heard that word in years. It's an old word, it means exile."
"Senator, should we risk it?" the Admiral asked. The woman nodded.
"Coriana of Deneva, follow us to the hanger bays." The voice over the radio was grating: a Mon Calamari by the sound of it.
"Understood. Proceeding as requested," Aliana replied as she stopped her ship. Turning the small fighter, she followed the X-wings into a massive hanger.
Admiral Ackbar, Senator Mon Mothma, and several security guards were waiting when the ship landed and the pilot exited the craft. Only the Admiral was unsurprised to see the slender figure; he had heard her response, and known she was a woman. All others, however, were quite shocked when the woman pulled off her flight helmet. A mass of dark waves cascaded down, and piercing dark eyes regarded their surroundings without fear. Seeing the group of people nearby, the woman walked toward them. There's something familiar about her…Mon Mothma thought.
Aliana was unsurprised when the Mon Calamari signaled the guards to surround her; they had to be cautious to survive, and they knew nothing about her. A prudent move, she mused, just before she was whisked away to a holding cell.
The young bridge officer who had identified the Denevan fighter sent a series of transmissions, once he recognized the pilot. There were many Denevans on board, and he knew they would willingly come to his aid.
The Princess is alive, and has been arrested. For Deneva, we must free her.
Having done what he believed to be right, Noran Murandos, heir to one of the Denevan noble houses, waited for his chance to free Aliana Calion from her imprisonment.
Aliana rested on the small bed in her cell. Her leg pained her, but she couldn't do anything about it. The old wound still throbbed now and again, but not nearly as much as the ache in her heart. So it seems I am truly alone, in spite of all my efforts. The old pain brought back the reason why she had done what she had. There were those on her world with the gift of second sight, who could see past, present, and to a degree the future. However, they were bound by ancient codes not to try to change it. She had tried, she had dared to defy the laws…and it had done nothing. Her parents, her brother, they were still dead. She too had been meant to die, but fate had spared her, and she knew not why. Most would have considered a blaster wound easy payment, but for Aliana Calion, it was a reminder of her failure. With that bitter thought, she slept.