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Chapter Eight: Freedom
The Resistance movement was growing, but so was Imperial reprisal. The planet was under martial law, but it made no difference. Attacks and uprisings on the work camps were becoming a common occurrence, while Imperial officers were being targeted and captured, never to be heard from again. Most disturbing of all, pamphlets and sign were appearing in public places, each bearing the same thing: a planet with a talon superimposed on it, and the words Deneva, to arms! Unrest was turning to outright anger: the people of Deneva were ready for a rebellion, all they needed now was a trigger.
Aliana returned to the cavern (codenamed Eyrie), a smirk plastered on her face. The latest postings she'd placed had been torn down, but not before the people had read them. Once nightfall had settled in, she'd promptly replaced them, and walked away unseen. She headed to her bunk, but when she arrived her smile faltered: Shadow was waiting for her.
"Princess, what do you think you're doing?" Shadow demanded, a fierce look in his green eyes.
"What I can," she replied, moving to her desk. "The people are ready to rebel, all they need now is a spark and they'll go up in flames. We can pick the time and place now, and they'll rally."
"And if the Imps pick the time? You're taking too many risks, Aliana, and one of these days it'll get you killed!"
"Shadow, I'm a trained professional," Aliana shot back, getting angry with his distrust of her actions. "No one can catch me, not unless I allow them to." Shadow's eyes narrowed when he caught the emphasis.
"You're planning to let them catch you? Do you know what they'll do to you when they do?" he asked, worried now.
"Once they realize they missed the Princess before, they'll make an example of me: a public execution. We can be in place and ready, once the people decide to strike out. You've been raiding the Imperial weapons depots?"
"Yes, and we've been securing as many supplies as we can." He finally guessed what she was planning. "You really think this will work?"
"It'll work, because if it doesn't we're dead." Aliana's voice hardened; she knew they'd succeed, because they were Denevans.
Dark of night, a black-clad figure melted into the shadows, face masked and unarmed. Weaving in and out, avoiding any light sources, the silhouette stopped in front of the Imperial Seal, unrolled a sign and began to affix it to the seal.
Without warning, Imperial soldiers burst out of cover and surrounded the intruder, weapons trained on the slender form. The figure made no threatening moves, clearly believing there was no chance of escape. The garrison commander moved up and sneered.
"Well now, we're not so bold now, are we?" He sounded very satisfied with himself.
"To be bold is to be ignorant, as we say here," a woman's voice replied softly. In surprise, the commander jerked off the black mask, revealing a pair of dark blue eyes and a mass of dark brown waves. The woman in front of him had a regal look in her features, and looked surprisingly familiar…
"You're dead! I saw you shot, years ago!"
"Hardly. A blaster wound to the leg is not generally fatal. I have returned to free my people." Aliana regarded the Imperial garrison commander with a cold look. "The spirit of Deneva will not fail."
Shadow watched as the Imperials led Aliana away. She was counting on this, he thought. She knew they'd arrest her, now let's see if everything else she was counting on turns out.
The next day, one of his operatives handed him a report, and he nearly passed out.
"Get everyone together and ready to move out. We're moving to Phase Two of Operation: Eagle's Call."
As the Resistance fighters moved into action, Shadow looked once again at the report: a public execution was taking place the next midday. The crime: treason, dissent, and related charges. Let's hope Aliana's guess was accurate, or else we'll never be able to save her.
"Do you have anything to say?" the garrison commander sneered.
Aliana Calion gazed out at her people, Denevans and off-world traders alike. Spotting a few familiar faces, she smiled softly. All yours, Shadow, she thought.
"Deneva, to arms!" she cried, part of her expecting nothing to happen.
"To arms, Deneva! For the Princess! Aliana lives!" The voices began clamoring, and the people rushed forward, attacking the Imperial soldiers. Shadow was among them, wielding a blaster while trying to organize some civilians into a combat squad. If she looked hard enough, Aliana could see every member of the Resistance in the crowd.
"Lady Aliana!" Shadow undid her binders and handed her a blaster. She nodded and joined the crowd; her battlecry rang out above the din.
"For Deneva!"
Three months of rebuilding, three months of restoring the grandeur of Deneva to its former glory. Finally the palace was repaired, the Denevan High Council reinstated, and the planet was almost exactly as it was. The sad reminder of their suffering stood in the capitol's central square: a monument to all who had died by Imperial hands. Foremost on the monument were the names of Torinos and Marnia Calion, King and Queen of Deneva.
Aliana slipped out of the palace in the night, heading for the square. She needed to see the monument, needed to know she was doing the right thing. When she arrived, she laid her hand on the cold marble, fingers brushing lightly over her parents' names.
"I do not wish to be Queen, I do not want the throne of Deneva." But you are the only one who can take it, a faint echo came to her ears; it was as if her father were speaking to her.
"And what of Pareus? Must I give up all hope for his return? No, but you must serve the people until he does. They love you, Aliana, they always have.
"I will do my duty, and I will find Deneva's heir. I promise." Aliana felt a gentle breeze around her, almost bidding her farewell, and smiled. My parents are at peace. All will be well in the end. Silently, she returned to the palace. Tomorrow, a free Deneva would see her crowned Queen, but that crown she would not take. I cannot take my mother's place, not yet. I must remain a Princess for now. Her people would understand, but that was a worry for tomorrow.