Chapter 14
Leia did her best to sit back as the dutifully quiet junior senate member currently attending trade talks. On at least two instances it was only a stern look from Amidala that stayed her tongue. They were currently on Taanab due to its close proximity to the Hapan Consortium. The Empire was once again trying to force the Hapans into opening their borders for mutual trade. Lady Amidala and all of the female power figures who could be mustered where in attendance, and it was quickly turning into a battle of will between the two factions.
Leia and Pooja were included with a handful of people from the Senate.Yasanne Isard, now Assistant Director of Intelligence and several others were also in attendance. Leia was at first shocked to see the men who escorted the Hapan women to and from trade talks and how the men acted as little more than slaves. They were all astoundingly attractive both the women and the men. One Hapan Noblewoman had offered Leia the use of her male, as she referred to him, after catching the Princess glancing at him over lunch. Leia had blushed furiously and declined. She would sorely hate to admit to Pooja later that it was not an isolated incident, but she had hardly been able to stop from stealing furtive peeks at a young man who was almost blatantly staring at her. He had long blonde hair and piercing eyes but he was seldom away from the Queen Mother. It unnerved Leia and made her giddy all at the same time.
The talks had quickly unraveled as the two very strong-minded women running the talks refused to budge on several topics, and within three days the two parties were both leaving the tables. The Hapans and Imperialswere currently going through the motions of departing as friends. Leia and Pooja were among the first to get through the gauntlet and start towards the landing bays where shuttles were waiting to take them to Amidala's flagship. The two were having a friendly conversation amounting to Pooja talking about what she would eat off one of the Hapan's chiseled chest. Leia was doing her best not to blush when a loud crack rang out across the open courtyard both friends jumped and looked at each other in surprise. Leia shook her head; it must have been an old swoops backfire. Then she looked to Pooja and found herself confused by her friend's wide eyes before she felt her legs give way. Pooja's face swam in and out of Leia's vision as she called for a medic.
Amidala was making her way through the last of the motions of departure when she heard a loud crack. She did not think anything of it, until she found her arm in the firm grasp of Kavish as she was led away from the procession. A whole fire team of Noghri appeared from nowhere, covering her progress to the docking bays. Amidala had never been fond of the Noghri's penchant for dragging her to safety.
"What happened," She demanded, attempting to stop their progress to the docking bays, only to stumble when Kavish did not slow down. Another hand grabbed Amidala's other arm and both lifted slightly, taking most of her weight off her feet and allowing her to regain balance all the while never slowing the progress towards the launch bays.
"There was an assassination attempt," was his simple answer, his eyes never stopped scanning the area for threats.
"Who?" she asked in concern for her compatriots, his hesitation to answer spoke volumes, "Who?" She demanded her eyes boring into him.
"The Princess," his answer was only half out when her heels dug in; again her weight was effortlessly lifted from the ground. "A shuttle is landing there now," he nodded towards the center of the courtyard, "Raka is with her and the Doctor is on the shuttle, she will be fine." They had entered the bay and he was marching her up the ramp of the chromium plated barge. He waved the rest of the team to get on with their duties before he sequestered her into her private office and closed the door.
"How can you be so certain she'll be alright?"Amidala pleaded with one of her most trusted friends. He calmly led her to the couch where she promptly collapsed.
"She comes from sturdy stock that one," he spoke with a smile, "her mother is the strongest being I've ever met." Amidala couldn't help but smile at the compliment.
"I just wish;" she sighed in frustration and helplessness, "I just want to hold my baby in my arms and protect her."
Pooja could hardly believe how quickly security reacted; one of Amidala's Noghri guards was at their side immediately. He was barking into a comlink in his native language while helping her stem the bleeding from Leia's chest with a scarf he pulled from his neck.
"Hold this here," he stated placing her hands over the scarf and applying pressure, "And keep pressure on the wound." An obviously Hapan woman came into view.
"I'm a medic, I need you to get out of the way," the woman moved to remove Pooja's hands only to have the Noghri grab her and move her back. "You dare to push a medic from a person in distress."
"I am Raka," the diminutive alien mewed in his species' manner, "The Princess is under our protection and that is where she will remain." A number of the Hapan security arrived next along with a medical transport and attempted to set up a perimeter.
"We have a transport right here and a secure location on standby," the woman refuted boistered by the additional personnel, "she needs to be treated immediately." A crowd began to gather around the group.
"She will only be treated by trusted personnel," Raka growled he glanced as another Noghri slipped up to Pooja with a battlefield med pack, "Our personnel." The woman shook her head imperiously.
"Remove them," she pointed at Raka, "and load the Princess onto the transport." The women moved with the grace of trained fighters but found themselves quickly disabled by a half dozen more Noghri and a giant of a man. "What do you think you're doing?" she screamed at them.
"Shuttle's inbound Raka," the man seemed to ignore the woman as he spoke then he turned to her allowing his imposing height to tower over her, his cold eyes boring into her, "back off or die." The Hapan was taken aback, never had a man spoken to her in this manner. She made to rebuke the insolent half-wit but was cut off by a gesture from one of the Hapan security staff. Further argument was stopped by the drone of repulsors in a landing cycle. No sooner had the shuttle's skids hit the ground than a woman with cinnamon brown hair pulled into a single tail at the nape of her neck ran down the ramp. The long coat which marked her status as a doctor flapped behind her as she ran, revealing that she was stylishly dressed in tall boots, fitted pants and an elegant top. She was followed by three more of the Noghri dragging a hover gurney. She gently pushed Pooja's stunned form away with her arrival at the princess and ran a scanner over the area of trauma frowning in concentration as she did.
"Breanna talk to me," he demanded.
"We have to get her back to the ship," she replied while helping to load the princess onto the gurney, "but I think that she will make it."
"Alright, let's move," he ordered the entire contingent making their way back to shuttle. Pooja who had been shuffled to the edge of the Noghri contingent with the arrival of medical personnel was about to make her way to the landing bay when she was stopped by a hand on her arm. "I think it would be safer if you came with us, senator." The rest of the afternoon for Pooja would be a blur of transports and waiting in the medical bay.
Leia had lost a lot of blood while lying on the ground in the courtyard and the subsequent trip to the flagship. Once the princess was stabilized Breanna spent an hour or so studying the wound. It was a perfect disabling shot piercing right through her chest while managing to miss all vital organs. She would get Wrenga and Raka's opinion about it later, they both knew more about such things. The most confusing piece of information was the rarity of the princess's blood type. A type that was only found in the descendents of and people of Naboo, the only other person Breanna had ever encountered it in was Lady Amidala. It was sheer luck that they had enough stocked aboard the ship in order to stabilize the girl. The last test she ran on a sample of the Princess's blood left Breanna cold. How would she confront the Lady with this information? She looked back to the princess now floating in a bacta tank and with clear eyes noticed the striking similarities. How anyone could miss it was beyond her.
Amidala paced the office she kept off the bridge, which was in fact very close to the medward where Leia was being treated. Leia had been in the med ward for two hours now and Amidala was fit to be tied. No word had come from that sector despite all of her inquiries. She was interrupted from her
reverie when the office door slid open. Breanna stepped into the room looking decidedly forlorn. Amidala felt her heart drop fearing the worst.
"My lady," Breanna sounded very much the bearer of bad news, but was cutoff when Amidala rushed up and grasped her arms.
"Will she live," her small hands grasping at the doctor, "is she going to be okay?" she demanded. Breanna placed her hands on Amidala's shoulders to comfort her when the realization struck.
"She'll be fine but," the doctor exhaled the breath she had been holding, "You already knew." The Lady tensed realizing that she had revealed too much and stepped away attempting to replace the mask of the Lady Amidala.
"I knew what exactly," Amidala asked in a neutral tone as she moved to step back behind the desk.
"You already knew that Leia Organa," Breanna stepped up to the desk using her much greater height to its full advantage, "was your lost child." Amidala's face revealed nothing but the eyes spoke volumes. "Milady, you need not worry," Breanna attempted to relieve her superior, "you of course have my confidence. I just don't understand why."
"Her father," Amidala sank into her chair, "Her biological father that is."
"You mean," Amidala answered the question with a nod as Breanna sat in front of the desk.
"What do you know about Force sensitives?"
"Almost nothing," Breanna admitted, "any such information is either strictly contraband as part of the Jedi faith or highly classified."
"Both the Emperor and Vader are Force sensitive," Amidala slowly shook her head, "a power that makes them capable of the impossible. The Emperor has several other servants who share this ability and he is always on the lookout for more. That power is often hereditary as it is in this case. Should Vader discover her heritage he would dutifully turn her over to the Emperor or hide her away and train her himself, neither option is acceptable."
"That was the reasoning behind our trip to Tatooine?"
"Yes teachings which will help her conceal her abilities if she uses them." Breanna nodded her head in understanding and stood.
"I think it unfair to separate a family this way," the Doctor said, "I will have the med ward cleared so you can sit with her."
"Thank you," Amidala answered, "and Breanna try to remember this when you get the chance to see you father again, if he knew or knows that you survived he is undoubtedly staying away for your safety."
"It would certainly explain why the Hapans had a medical transport so close," Wrenga said as he looked over the data Breanna had put together, "but it's an impossible shot." He turned a couple of the holos around on the conference room table looking for a different angle. They had commandeered a conference room within the Med ward after Breanna had commed and the two warriors had sat pouring over the data ever since. The other three of Amidala's guard stood watch outside the medical suite where a daughter rested as a mother watched over.
"I have to agree," Raka shook his head as he looked over the rest of the data, "only a Jedi could possibly pull off a shot like this." Wrenga looked up his mind obviously calculating Breanna sat to the side taking in all of their thoughts.
"Well we know that the Emperor keeps several Force sensitives around at any given time," Wrenga rested his head in his hands, elbows on the table.
"Would they have to be a Force sensitive?" Breanna asked entering their speculation for the first time, "I mean just because it's an impossible shot for a human doesn't mean another species couldn't make it."
"You know of any Noghri who could make this shot?" Wrenga asked Raka, who shook his head, "Then it was almost definitely a Force user, because when it comes to stuff like this the Noghri are the best there are."
"But how do the Hapans fit in?" Raka questioned, "That Hapan medic and security detail got there too fast for it to be a coincidence it was almost the perfect kidnapping although if it where me I would have killed a couple of the others in the crowd." Wrenga shook his head in agreement. "Whoever did this didn't want to kill unnecessarily."
"There has to be someone other than the Emperor involved," Wrenga speculated, "Black Sun was behind the last attempt and they would undoubtedly have contacts in the Hapan Court. The big question is why is the Emperor involved what could he possibly want with the Princess?" Breanna locked eyes with Raka but said nothing an unspoken understanding passing between them.
Leia awoke to the sterile smells and bleak walls of a medward. As her eyes began to focus in the dimmed lights of the room she noticed a figure sitting by the bed, the figure. The ghostly image that had come to her in her dreams since she was a child, she was here watching over her again. She called out, "Mom?"