I'm so sorry for the long delay. I have had very little inspiration... but I think I have it back, so I hope that its as good as the rest. By the by, one of these days, maybe once I finish another one of my stories, I'll go back and edit this story, as there is quite a bit I'd like to add. But hey, I apologize to those who have been watching for a while, and are somewhat disappointed that I haven't updated in FOREVER. So, I hope to remedy that. :)
AnnoyingOne97: Yes, he is his nephew, I explained that in one of the first few chapters. I don't remember which... Haha, yeah well, I figured that I'd put a little 'standing up' scene... though my original plan didn't go like that. Oh well. Actually, this entire story has not gone in the direction that I wanted in any way. :\ but hey, hopefully I'll be able to keep up with my imagination that sparks like no tomorrow. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter, and let me know what you think of it... okay?
Prydain: Yeah, I know. I hope you feel the same way about this one. And I hope it doesn't disappoint. :)
SupernaturalGal63: Thanks for your review, and I hope you can continue to like this. I plan on going on with the story, I just had hit a brick wall that refused to move - but it won't continue... I hope. Let me know what you think of this chapter. :)
The Millennium Falcon pulled out of hyperspace, the coordinates of Tyrn supposedly right in front of them. "Where is it?" Han asked no one, "We're at the right coordinates."
"Cloaking device. Isn't that what that one pilot said?" Leia said. "That means that somehow there's a way to get around it. Cloaking devices deceive the eyes, but not physically."
"Well, theres only one way to find out." Han said, moving the Falcon closer. The space in front of them rippled suddenly, "What's this?" Han asked as Chewie roared.
Leia looked closer as the ripples disappeared, leaving them with the view of Tyrn. "Remarkable." she commented, admiring the planet – which, until now, she had only seen on a holo.
"What is that?" Han asked, motioning toward Echtra.
"I don't know." Leia answered, "But I don't want to land there."
"Me neither." Han replied, the ship suddenly shaking as blaster bolts struck its side. Chewbacca gave a roar, "I know! I know! There's three of 'em!" Han exclaimed, flying the Falcon to the side, avoiding the blasts as well as possible.
"Han, we need to land!" Leia said.
"Lets try to live through this first, sweetheart!" Han replied, turning to the wookiee, "Chewie, I'm gonna go man the guns, take care of the controls!" and with that, he left. Chewbacca roared, moving the Falcon to avoid the blasts of the TIE fighters.
"Han! We've lost our controls!" Leia informed her husband as a blast had incapacitated their ship, much like the blast which stopped Luke's ship.
"What?" the Solo's voice shouted back.
"We've lost our controls! We're sitting ducks if we can't get those controls back in order!" she yelled back, telling Chewbacca to go and try to fix the controls. Suddenly, the TIE fighter's stopped firing, and disappeared into the atmosphere of the planet. "Han they're gone!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Han replied, moving to the cockpit. "They disappeared about a minute ago, I didn't see where they went."
"They went to the planet." Leia told him, "I think they might have come from there to start with."
"Why would TIE fighters be on that planet?" Han asked.
"Maybe Sidious found it after all." Leia replied as Han tried to make the controls work.
"Yep, they're gone." he concluded shaking his head and muttering. "I don't understand it, we didn't get hit where the control box is. It must just be malfunctioning." he pushed a button on the control panel, and the Falcon managed to start working again. "There we are. See? I told you I'd get it to work." Han said smugly – but his look soon turned to shock as the controls wouldn't budge. "What? Chewie?!" the Wookie roared, informing Han that the controls were perfectly fine, but they were still malfunctioning.
"Some working." Leia deadpanned, earning a glare "Well, genius, what now?" Han shook his head trying a few more things – to no avail.
"Heck I don't know." not moments after he said it, the ship started moving. "Whoa, whoa, what's going on?" he asked no one in particular.
Leia leaned forward, "Unbelievable." she muttered under her breath.
"What? What's unbelievable?" Han asked not really paying attention as the controls started working again. "Hey, I got it!"
"Han, its drawing us in. Look! We're moving closer!" Leia exclaimed as Chewbacca roared in panic. "Can you land this thing?"
Han scoffed, "Yeah, I think I can." he said as he Falcon hit the atmosphere. Before he could slow the ship down to approaching speed, his controls stopped completely – the several thousand pound Falcon careening toward the ground.
"Han!" Leia screeched, her brown eyes wide and fearful. She was convinced they were going to die.
"Don't worry, Leia." Han tried reassuring, swallowing his heart which had sprung into his throat.
"Han!"
"Stop it! I'm trying to slow us down!"
"Well it isn't working! We're about to crash!"
"Leia!"
Leia screamed and closed her eyes; Han grit his teeth, still trying to slow the ship down as Chewie roared one final time.
The Millennium Falcon crash-landed.
Luke opened his eyes abruptly, his sleep disrupted. Leia. He could sense her – she was in danger. Then, as quickly as he sensed her – her Force signature disappeared. Concern flitted over his features, something was wrong. Quickly getting dressed, he made his way out of his quarters. It was as if she was on the planet, the connection was so strong. But then it just died out, as if it had never been there. He had not been alerted to the Falcon landing, so that could only mean one thing...
"Justiss!" he called to his friend as he reached the holoroom "Is there any new news?"
The ex-Jedi furrowed his brow "No, everything is quiet. Captain Llewellyn has yet to make contact, so I'm assuming all is well on that side. Why do you ask Comma – Captain?"
"Commander, Justiss, Commander." Luke reminded him.
"Very well, Commander. Why do you ask?" the other man replied, using Luke's preferred title.
"I sensed something. Someone has landed on Tyrn." Luke said simply, Justiss nodded deftly quickly pulling out his datapad.
"Nothing, Commander. No reports yet, if there's anything to it. So either whatever you sensed has yet to make its way here, or –"
"They landed in Echtra." Luke finished for him, fear striking him to the heart. He hoped that if Leia was on Tyrn, she had not landed on the other side of the river.
"Yes, sir. We wouldn't know immediately in regards to anything on the other side. All of our battalions which could inform us are – as you know – withdrawn.
" Justiss explained.
Luke nodded, "Of course." he said.
"But we don't know that anything has happened... but if anything comes in, I'll be sure to tell you." Justiss assured with a smile, pressing a few buttons on his datapad.
With a nod, Luke walked away, wondering why it was that he could sense Leia. Han wouldn't land on that side of the river. At least... not intentionally.
Captain Llewellyn moved stealthily in the darkness. She had an hour before heard something which sounded similar to a crashing ship, she only hoped that the occupants were still alive, and had landed on Liborian soil. Otherwise, they had no chance of survival. Then again, they were at war – they might as well have landed in Echtra.
She ducked behind a burned stump, looking at the city of Morco in front of her. The entrance was guarded by four men, and to enter, it was clear they'd have to make their move now, and keep up a charade for the remainder of their time here – however long that was.
"Are you ready, Fatine?" Ariadné asked.
Myrna came up behind her, the leather of her jacket making her seem more dark than usual. Ariadné looked at her own attire, she couldn't boast of being any better, her black leather outfit something which had been confiscated from one of the fortresses that had been taken down. "Yes, I'm ready." Myrna replied, "Ari –" she cuaght herself, "Khariya, how are you going to work this?"
Ariadné smirked, "We're going to have to use the dark side." she said simply.
Myrna's eyes widened, "How—"
"With moderation. They're all force-sensitives here. They'd notice us in a heartbeat otherwise." the Captain replied.
Her companion nodded, looking back at the gate. "I only hope this works."
"So do I." Ariadné replied, "So do I." and with that, they moved forward – careful not to allow their lightsabers to show.
The guards noticed them immediately when they stepped out into the light, pulling their blasters closer to them, and forming a wall in front of the entrance. "Who goes there?" the burly one out of the four said, his height comparable to that of Therizo, except a little more. The scars on his face were indicative that he was someone you didn't want to anger. Yet, he was relatively young, and seemed only a few years Ariadné's senior. She wondered how he could be so young and yet so scarred.
"My name is Khariya Faria, this is my companion Fatine Zulen. We were sent here by a man named Doren." Ariadné greeted, very happy that she had had the idea to check with Lars' astrodroid before leaving. That name seemed to have meant something to the older looking guard.
"Doren sent you?" he said, his left eye covered by a patch. "Where was he seen last?"
"He was dead last time I saw him. Killed by one of the Guardians." Ariadné replied, playing her part well as she spat the word out with disgust. 'Forgive me father' she prayed in her mind, hoping he'd understand... wherever he was.
The man hung his head, "Thank you."
One of the smaller men looked Myrna over with a critical eye. "Are you sure you're one of us?" he asked her, "Your Force-Signature is... like theirs." he indicated to the river with a wave of his hand. "I'd hate to find out that you were a little-" He was cut short as he began to hover in the air, clutching at his throat.
"Is there a problem, little man?" Ariadné growled out, "Or perhaps you need a little cognitive recalibration." she released him, allowing him to crumple to the ground heaving. The other men looked at her in shock, and approval. Myrna's eyes betraying the horror at seeing her Captain acting so... different. Then again, she had been warned.
The big one began laughing loudly, "That's what you get Laufey. There's no question she's on our side – the other one is with you then, pretty one?" he asked Ariadné.
With a eyebrow which challenged the man to call her that again, she nodded. "She's my friend. We were referred her." she said.
"I think we can let her through Metri." the big one said to the man who had asked about Doren. "She looks alright."
Metri glanced at the two women for a few minutes, as Ariadné allowed the Dark side to seep into her a little more. This was going to be more taxing on her than she would have thought. "Alright, you're allowed it." he said, moving aside.
"Thank you." Ariadné replied with a sardonic smile, "I am most grateful to you."
The big guy stepped in front of them, "The name is Yul, little girl. If you need a place to stay, there is a woman named Yete a few roads down that way. She's my sister, just tell her I sent you."
"Thank you." Myrna said to him, wondering why it was that a man like him would be so considerate. Ariadné knew why – these people were just pawns, and they all knew it. Echtra had been persuaded by the Siths to revolt, but the people born after that, or even as children, were not allowed a choice. Now they became guilty by association.
Ariadné nodded at the burly man who looked at Myrna with a kinder gaze and went on her way.
They were in. Now it was just a matter of gaining trust. The pieces were falling into place.
Queen Dormé sat in her chambers, looking out of the window in the direction she knew her younger daughter was. A report had come in from Ker Nargon: it had fallen, and was now in the hands of the Echtrian army. Their defenses were limited now, and they were no longer strong. She was tempted to disregard her daughter's advice, and have the new Captain contact the Alliance. It would be their only hope...
The door opened, and her other daughter came in clearly distressed. "Adriané, did you hear the bad news?" she asked and her daughter nodded. "Do you think they made it across?"
"They did." Adriané answered, "I know they did. If Aria had fallen with the rest, I – of all people – would know. Twins have that."
"Is she safe then?" Dormé asked.
Her daughter smiled, her blue eyes twinkling. "Yes, Naneth, she is alive. And safe,I might add." she replied, checking on her mother's appearance. "You didn't sleep."
"No. I couldn't. I kept seeing her die, like your father did. Cut down, without a hope. I'm worried about her Adri. What if she does not make it back?" her daughter knelt beside her, taking her hand in her own.
"I'm sure she will, Naneth. Besides, Captain Starkiller is doing all he can to avoid us being overrun. I'm sure he'll keep us safe, and when she returns, they'll get married and he'll be my brother." Adriané said with a laugh.
"You noticed it too?"
"You can't avoid it. Neil said that he protected her from the injustice of Senator Dreadnaught, and you saw the way he looked at her at the party. As if she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen." they laughed together, both reminiscing.
"How did our lives go so horribly wrong so fast?" Dormé asked herself more than her daughter, "It was only a few days ago we were chatting around a dinner table, with very little care – and now she's behind enemy lines, Commander Starkiller is now Captain Starkiller, all the fortresses have fallen." she sighed, "I've lived twenty-five years under constant fear. How much longer? I won't make it very much longer if it continues, Adri."
"Shh, don't talk like that." Adriané reprimanded softly, "We're all going to be fine."
"I lost your father first. Then Taniss, and Prentiss. Your sister now, is Corliss next? You?" Dormé asked, holding her head in her hands.
"I'm sure we'll all be fine. Prentiss isn't dead, Naneth, he's only missing. Maybe she'll find him on the other side of the river? Maybe-"
"Not if he's dead." Dormé replied. "I can't lose any more children."
"You won't." a new voice said from the doorway, Corliss standing watching as the two remaining women in his family wept over the ones they lost. "Aria has made it to the other side safely. We won't be able to contact her now, but we know she got out of Ker Nargon first. Taina sent a report to let us know, to ease our suffering."
Dormé smiled at her youngest son, holding her hand out to him. "Thank you, Corliss, my love. Is something bothering you?"
Corliss crossed his arms over his chest, "No."
"You're upset because you weren't assigned as Captain." Adriané answered.
"He's a newcomer! He shouldn't be allowed to—"
"Corliss, you don't know who he is." Dormé interrupted, "He is much more able to take care of us than anyone else – and I know you don't know what I'm talking about, but trust me when I say that you should be proud to serve below him."
Both of her children looked at her queerly, "What are you talking about, Naneth?" Adriané asked.
"I knew his parents. His father was a hero of the Republic; and he himself is renown throughout the galaxy. I would tell you more, but it is not my secret to tell." Dormé replied cryptically, watching as her children's wheels turned. "But for now, you must let me rest. I am tired." With a kiss to each her children, she sent them off, going to close the balcony – taking one last look toward Echtra.
Hoping beyond hope that her daughter would live.
Luke held his head in his hands, a holopad on his desk. Fear mingled with grief as he contemplated what he had just learned: there had been a ship which had been spotted earlier in the day. The description matching the appearance of the one ship he wouldn't be able to forget, as its owner had saved him on more than one occasion.
Disk shaped, and thin, made for smuggling. He had no doubt of who had been inside, as he still could not feel the presence of his sister – the last line of the report was what had torn his insides out. They had not been as fortunate as he in where they had landed... the Millennium Falcon had landed in enemy territory.
Echtra.
Okay... I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. I'm actually a little disappointed with the story as I thought I had written SO much better. Nuh-uh. I am now aware that I'm going to have to change the first fifteen chapters one of these days, as they were no where near the level of writing that I am now. :) So, I hope you liked this: Reviews?