Issues at Carnathy

Alilya sat in front of her mirror, looking over herself. She looked sophisticated, even for her young age of seventeen years. She frowned as a stray strand of hair fell down, and quickly pulled it back, so it would not stick out. She felt her excitement build inside, and smiled as she looked herself over. It had been ages since she last donned the royal Carnathyan robes, in fact the last time she had worn them was at the Queen's funeral.

The Queen had just happened to have been her mother, and in her death, she left the role of Queen to be filled by her young daughter. Alilya had been too young to rule at the time, so as the laws stated, her cousin Allayne had become the official ruler of the Carnathy star system, at least until Alilya was old enough to take her place as Queen. Alilya reached the official age less than two years ago, but she had become a kind and gentle ruler.

A-964 hovered over to Alilya. "Drat it, that one strand of hair will not stay in place! We cannot have you go out looking like this!" the small white droid worried, as he pulled the strand of hair back, attempting to make it stay with the rest of her hair that was pulled back and braided. "Don't have a breakdown over one strand of hair AyeNine." Alilya jokingly said, knowing the droid would react. Aye-Nine's head shot in front of her face, his eyes turned from blue to red. "Mistress, we are going to a highly diplomatic function, we cannot have stray hair flying all over the place, it would make you look bad." he said as he grabbed a small white pin from a tray that housed hundreds of the pins. He pulled the hair back with a painful tug, and pinned it down. He tapped the pin twice, and the pin went from white to invisible. The droid hovered back to admire his work. "There, your hair is perfect." he spatted out as he picked at a small speck of lint from her robes.

Alilya laughed lightly and got up. "You are such a worrier Aye-Nine." she said as she went to her jewelrey chest. The droid was about to reply when there was a quick knock on Alilya's door, and the door opened. "Your highness, the New Republic representatives have entered the system." the woman spoke. "Oh no! Aye-Nine, please pick me out some proper accessories!" Alilya ordered as she walked over to the woman,"How do I look Allayne?" Alilya's cousin quickly glanced, and said,"You look very comfortable in those robes, Lily. They fit you well." Allayne looked similar to her cousin in many respects. Both of their hair was jet-black, and pulled back into tight braids. They both had soft features, and ivory skin that was flawless. Both had sky-blue eyes that sparkled. But Allayne was much older, and more mature than the young Queen. "Thank you Allayne,and you look very regal in your robes as well." Alilya commented as A-964 slipped a bracelet on her hand. "My lady, you look perfect." Aye-Nine commented, which told Alilya that she was ready to go out in public. "Thank you Aye-Nine, I don't know what I'd do without you." she commented as she joined Allayne's side, and the two walked out the door side by side. A-964 hovered behind them.

Princess Leia sifted through her small closet, looking for her best gown to wear. She had known that she had packed it along with her other clothes, but she couldn't seem to find it anywhere. She felt herself starting to panic as she looked through her clothes again, but she knew the gown was not there. She was about to scream with frustration when her door opened. C-3P0 entered, carrying Leia's gown. Leia sighed with relief. "Threepio, why do you have my gown?" she asked, taking it from the golden droid's hands. With his prissy voice, Threepio answered,"I took the liberty to have it cleaned and pressed for you, it was cramped up in that small closet the whole trip, and needed to look perfect for this meeting. I hope you aren't angry with me." Leia smiled as she walked Threepio to the door. "I appreciate it Threepio, thank you very much. That was very smart of you, but please, next time tell me about it." Leia said as the door opened and she lead the droid out,"Now I've got to get dressed. Check on Han, make sure he is ready." The door closed before Threepio could say anything. Leia stripped off her jumpsuit and laughed to herself, knowing that Threepio would get on Han's nerves.

Han Solo waited outside Leia's door as Leia exited her room. Leia smiled when she caught the look on his face. "Did Threepio pay you a visit?" she asked, doing her best to hide her laughter. Han embraced Leia and kissed her lightly. "Yes,"he said in a sarcastic voice,"and let me thank you so much for sending him my way. I always appreciate visits from Threepio." Leia laughed as she lightly kissed Han, she then said,"I knew you would enjoy a visit from him. Now, we'd better get to the hanger." Leia grabbed Han's hand and dragged him down the hall. Han fidgeted, uncomfortable in his dress clothes, but followed closely behind Leia.

When the pair arrived at the shuttle-bay, they joined Luke Skywalker's side, and said nothing. The head of the New Republic, Mon Mothma, was briefing her diplomatic group. "I know you have all read over the reports of the Carnathy Star System, but it is important that you understand how important this function is for us. It is a first contact for the New Republic. The Carnathyans are a private people, allowing no outside interference from other governments in their system. The Empire attempted to threaten the Carnathyans years ago, but the Carnathyans are far more advanced technologically than anything we have ever encountered, and they repelled the Empire with ease. The Emperor was smart enough to keep his dirty claws away from the Carnathyans, as the Carnathyan technology totally cancels out the Force. This was reported by..." Mon Mothma paused and glanced at Luke Skywalker before continuing," Darth Vader. The Emperor's power would not work against them, so he kept away. Queen Alilya has sent the New Republic an open invitation to visit the Carnathyan Empire, she invited us herself. We are opening talks with her, but she has stated that she has no intention of joining the New Republic. Carnathy is it's own governmental faction, seperate from the New Republic and the Empire, and we are here to appeal to them, as they would prove to be a better ally than enemy. I hope you all behave yourselves." The crowd laughed at Mon Mothma's joke, and the group broke up, preparing for their journey.

Mon Mothma seemed to glide over to Luke,Leia, and Han. She spoke,"Hello Leia, Han, I'm glad you both decided to join us in this first contact." Leia and Han both bowed their heads lightly in respect to the Chief of State. "I just hope I can keep Han from ruining relations between the Carnathyans and the New Republic." Leia joked. Mon Mothma chuckled as Han smirked. Mon Mothma turned her attention to Luke Skywalker, who was dressed in his black Jedi-suit. Before she could speak, Luke said,"I would like to convey my feelings of thanks to you Mon Mothma, for allowing me to join in this meeting." Mon Mothma smiled and spoke,"It is my pleasure Luke, I understand that you want to investigate the Carnathyan technology and try to understand why it puts a halt to the Force. I have addressed this with Queen Alilya, and she herself is looking forward to meeting you." Before Luke could return, Admiral Ackbar called for Mon Mothma. Mon Mothma smiled at Luke,"If you will excuse me, I am needed." Luke bowed lightly as the head of the New Republic glided over to the Calamarian Admiral.

Luke turned his attention to Leia and Han, who were both talking to Jan Dodonna. Luke waited for them to stop their small talk, and when the did he walked over. Leia greeted him with a small hug. "What's wrong Luke, I'd know that look from anywhere." Leia smiled and said. Luke knew his sister would feel his thoughts. "I'm just apprehensive of the Carnathyan technology." he calmly said. Han smirked and said confindently,"Don't sweat it kid, things will go smoothly." Luke smiled at Han, but still felt the apprehension. A deck crew-member announced that it was time to board the shuttles. The trio looked to each other and then headed towards their assigned shuttle.

C-3P0 and R2-D2 slowly made their way towards the shuttle-bay, bickered to each other about nothing of importance when the intercom beeped online, saying,"Last call for New Republic members traveling to Carnathy......last call for...." the announcement repeated itself. Threepio looked to his counterpart and threw his arms up in dispare. He shrieked,"Oh dear me! We'll be left behind Artoo! Hurry, we must hurry to the shuttle-bay!" Artoo whistled a reply and he picked up speed. Threepio shuffled as fast as he could.

Han watched as Chewbacca walked towards the shuttle. Han greeted his good friend with a quick wave, and the Wookie bellowed a return. Just as Chewbacca was taking his seat, and the doors to the shuttle began to close, he heard a prissy voice screaming. "WAIT! Don't leave me!" the voice shouted, and Han looked out the view-port and saw the golden droid Threepio shuffling as fast as he could towards the shuttle. Artoo was already at the door, but Han couldn't see from where he was sitting. Han called to the pilot,"Just take off! Hurry!" Leia, Luke, and Chewbacca all laughed quickly, but Han had no luck in the matter, the door to the shuttle opened to allow the droids entrance.

Four royal shuttles exited the bay of a huge Mon Calamari star cruiser, and began the hour-long journey towards Carnathilia, the capital planet in the Carnathy star system.

The meeting between the New Republic and the Carnathyan government had went flawlessly. Mon Mothma had been shocked to find that the Queen of the Carnathyan system had been a young girl, but quickly began to understand exactly how the Carnathyans operated their system of government. Men were never allowed to rule as King, and there was never a King in Carnathyan's great history. Men were allowed to hold higher positions in the Carnathyan government, but never the highest. Alilya's family had been the rulers of Carnathy ever since the beginning of it's government. The system of several planets had always kept to themselves because they didn't want any outside interference to ruin what they considered perfect. The Carnathyans were more technologically advanced than anything the Republic had seen, due to the fact that the race (which wasn't much different looking than a human) had began developement billions of years before any other race in the galaxy. They had their own star-vessels, but only used them to travel between the planets of the star system, but they did have a navy ready in case some outside force decided to attack. Alilya had been impressed with Mon Mothma, and her regal attitude that even made Alilya feel like she was in the presence of a great woman. She was impressed by the group that joined Mon Mothma, especially the Mon Calamarian Admiral Ackbar, and the Wookie Chewbacca. The formal meetings started to wind down, and tours of the worlds of Carnathy were to begin shortly.

Luke had felt the force fluxuate when he had exited the shuttle on the world of Carnathilia, but did not feel the force leave him. Throughout the meeting, he still felt the force. It wasn't until he entered the Carnathyan shuttle that he felt the force leave him with a jolt. He turned pale and stumbled backwards. Leia noticed and rushed to him. She herself felt the force leave her as she entered the shuttle, and she also stumbled back against the wall of the shuttle. The two looked at each other, knowing what the other must feel like. Han ran to aid them both, as did Chewbacca. Alilya walked over, concern clearly showing on her face. "I am sorry, perhaps maybe we should have taken one of your shuttles. I had forgotten about you being the Jedi, the one who uses the force." Alilya apologized as she helped Luke up. Luke's reply was quick, and it was as if he was distracted,"No, it wasn't your doing, I wanted to see if it was true that your technology somehow cancels out the force. Now I know for sure, it is merely startling to me." Luke gave a reassuring smile to Alilya, and thanked her for her help. Everyone took their seating, and the shuttle lifted off. Luke felt very vulnerable, but said nothing.

Back on the planet, C-3P0, R2-D2, A-964, Wedge Antilles, and Allayne watched as the shuttle took off on tour of Carnathy. "If you would please excuse me, I have another matter to attend to." Allayne said, excusing herself, and leaving. A-964 muttered to himself, "I should have gone with her, I should never be allowed to leave her side." C-3P0 looked to the small white droid and asked, "Are you her gaurdian droid?" The hovering droid replied, "Yes, and her tailor, translator, chef, designer, protocol expert, teacher, and nanny." Wedge looked to Artoo, and Artoo let out a low whistle that could easily be interpreted as being impressed. "That is a large task for a small droid such as yourself." Threepio said, waving his arms slightly. Ayenine cocked his head to the left, "I do so much less than the other droids of Carnathy. Considering that we don't have many droids, I sometimes view myself as inferior." Artoo and Threepio looked at each other, not knowing how to react. Wedge chuckled as he said, "If you ever need a confidence boost, journey outside of Carnathy and meet some of the other droids." Threepio was about to whine about Wedge's statement when a young girl walked up to Wedge. "Greetings outsider, would you like to view one of the local Art Museums? I am assigned to make your stay pleasureable." The young girl was a head shorter than Wedge, and she had the blue eyes and black hair that seemed to be common among the inhabitants of Carnathy. "I'm not really an art-goer." Wedge blurted out as he checked the girl out. The girl looked troubled, but chimed in, "Then what is it you would enjoy doing on your stay?" Wedge thought about it for a minute, but the answer came to him, "I wouldn't mind seeing the star fighters you people use." The girl's shoulder's slumped, and her voice became monotonous, "Of course. I should have suggested that in the first place. Come this way." She lead Wedge away from the droids, and whispered under her breath, "Men."

The droids had heard this, but Wedge had not. The droids sat there in silence, not knowing what to say to one another. Threepio finally blurted out, "How many forms of language are you fluent in?"

A small shuttle left the royal palace shortly after the touring shuttles had left. It streaked into the sky, and jumped into hyperspace. The pilot changed courses on several occasions, which would make it difficult to track the small ship's course. After thirty minutes of traveling, the small shuttle stopped, and sat quietly in space, drifting. Ten minutes later, three large triangular vessels jump out of hyperspace, and pick up the small shuttle. The Star Destroyers then jumped back into hyperspace.

Admiral Pasdar walked confidentaly towards the shuttle bay, his head high, and to either side, a stormtrooper. The door to the shuttle bay opened, and he walked towards the lone shuttle found inside the bay. The door to the shuttle opened, and a woman walked out. The two walked to each other, stared into each other's eyes, and then walked side by side out of the bay.

Admiral Pasdar finally embraced the woman, kissing her passionatly, hugging her tightly. "It was been so long since I have seen you. It is satisfying for me to hold you in my arms again." he said to her, between kisses. She stopped the embracing, and lightly pushed him away. "It is time to strike, no time to let our weak emotions ruin this perfect opportunity." she said, holding his hands in hers. He nodded in agreement, "My dear Allayne, soon, we shall rule Carnathy, then the Empire.....THEN and only then, shall the universe be OURS!" She smiled wickedly as forced herself on him.

The tour shuttle left the atmosphere of Carnlastia, the final planet on the tour. "You have a beautiful star system, Queen Alilya." Leia said, glaring out of the window of the shuttle. "We are a proud people, proud of what we have. It took many years for us to get to this point, and we are a peaceful people with no enemies. Others had wished to come here and take away our resources, but we showed them the error of their ways. For many years we secluded ourselves. My mother felt it was safe for our people, and to an extent I agree. However, I have always wanted to know what else there is out there in this big universe. We keep up to date on the happenings, and I had learned of the New Republics good deeds, and struggles. I commend you Mon Mothma, for sticking by your dream, and following it through." Everyone in the shuttle remained silent until Mon Mothma spoke,"I was a young girl like yourself when I got into politics, and I know how taxing it can be. You are doing very well for your people, and it is refreshing to see one as young as yourself doing so. I must commend you for that, Queen Alilya." The two leaders looked at each other with respect, and the rest of the shuttle's inhabitants viewed them both the same way. The rest of the journey was relatively silent, and finally the shuttle landed back at the Palace.

As the occupants exited the shuttle, A-964 hovered over to Alilya and checked out her condition. He hovered closely next to her. Luke and Leia left the shuttle side by side, and felt the Force return to their bodies. It wasn't as big a jolt as when it left their bodies, but it was noticeable by Han who rushed to Leia's side. "I'm fine, Han." she said weakly.

Luke gathered himself, and jogged over to Alilya. "Your highness, I was wondering if you could tell me about the time the Empire attacked your system." Alilya definatly showed signs of tiredness, but she remained composed. "Yes, I understand that your father was Darth Vader. I am also aware that you wish to learn more about our technology. I have arranged for one of our world's top scientists to meet with you tomorrow. He will fill you in on whatever you may wish to ask." A-964 extended his head in front of Alily's face, and he ordered, "You are tired, Mistress, you must get some sleep. Come, now, with me." From the droid's small body a panel opened, and a small arm shot out and grabbed Alilya's hand. A-964 gently pulled the young Queen. Alilya laughed gently as she spoke to the others, "I'm afraid that I must leave you now, as you can see by the stubborness of my friend here. You will all be shown to your rooms, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask your assigned servant. I bid you all a good evening."

The small group scattered with their servants showing them to their quarters. Luke met up with Wedge on his way. "Hey Wedge, you missed a great tour." Luke said to his friend. Wedge smiled at his young servant and said, "But I had a great time checking out some of the fighter ships. Those thing are absolutely amazing, they look like they could give our ships a very hard time." Luke grinned as he witnessed the servant girl's discomfort, knowing that Wedge probably dragged her to the last place she wanted to go. Wedge looked to the girl and said to Luke, "I think I should get some sleep though, tomorrow I get to look at the shipyards, isn't that correct, Aclelia?" The girl spoke in a very montone voice, "Yes, if that is what you desire." Luke almost burst out laughing, "Sleep well Wedge. Give Aclelia a break." Wedge smiled as he continued towards his room, Aclelia in tow. Luke wanted to investigate the technology tonight, he wanted to learn more about the interaction between his father and the former Queen. But he was very tired, the loss of the Force today had weighed heavily on him. Patience, he would have to use patience.

Alilya sat down on her bed, and sighed. "I'm pooped, Ayenine! But I'm glad I decided to meet the New Republic. I hope one day to be as great as leader as Mon Mothma." Ayenine was moving around the room, cleaning up the royal gown and jewels, but he took the time to speak, "Yes, they are wonderful people, however, their droids are lacking." He continued sputtering about. Alilya continued talking as if she had not heard the droid, "I wonder about that Jedi though. He scares me just a little. He's so silent, and like stone. His sister is pleasant, though. Her other is very cute." Alilya giggled as she fell back onto the bed. Ayenine mad a dissapproving beep to himself, and finished putting the jewels into the jewelry chest. He hovered over to Alilya and pulled her upright, then began to take the clips out of her hair. "I wish I could have a boyfriend like him...he's so primitive-like. Like the men of Carnathy used to be! It's wrong, I know, but somehow attractive, provocative," she paused,"appealing even." The droid tugged hard on a strand of her hair, "My lady, you must push back those feelings, they are inappropriate for someone of your stature. I swear, you'll be the death of me." Alilya playfully looked at Ayenine as her hair fell free from it's restraint. She headed for the bathe chambers.

The silent figure entered the royal chambers, cloaked in black, moving stealthly throughout the room, finding a place to hide, waiting for the perfect time to strike.

"I just don't know, Ayenine, I don't want a wimpy scholar or govenor. I want a real man, an adventurer." Alilya said as Ayenine massaged her back. Ayenine almost shouted, "Mistress, you cannot have those feelings. You are destined to be a Queen, and thus you must take a suitor that is capable of serving by your side. But why must you explore these thoughts now? You are not to be wed for years, you are still a girl. It's that rogueish Han Solo that has put these things into your mind." Alilya hopped off of the table and slapped Ayenine on the back, "You know me too well. He is attractive, and you know it!" Ayenine hovered behind the young Queen, "Yes, he does approach the level of attraction that is held highly. I have scanned his features, and compiled them to thousands of others, then compared that data to surveys given over the years. He would be found attractive by most....but to a Queen?! My lady, you must abolish him from your mind!" Alilya was putting on her nightgown, and shook her head. "You're right." Ayenine helped get the gown over her head, when suddenly a third arm appeared out of his small body, it swiveled around, and the hand folded under the arm. A small device came up from the arm, and fired a small beam of light at a black-clothed figure that was slowly approaching the Queen. The figure slumped over, dead. "Of course I'm right. Now, we must inform the royal guards, there has been an attempt at your life." Alilya spun around quickly, and saw the dead figure. She gasped, and looked to Ayenine. "He was stealth, but he could not escape my sensors."

"He's not from Carnathy, his psiology is not of our race." the Carnathyan medic said, looking to Allayne and Alilya. "He must be from the New Republic! How else would an outworlder get here?!" Allayne said with a raspy voice to Alilya, "I told you bringing outsiders was nothing but trouble." Alilya looked to her cousin in disbelief. "No, my dear cousin, it is not possible. We took complete scans of all who came to visit us, and he was not included in the group. You know as well as I that he couldn't pass our sensors if he wanted too. Someone had to bring him here. A Carnathyan." The small group of royal guards and medics all gasped in unison, and Allayne gasped as well. "But who would that be?! Who would dare?!" Allayne commanded, looking to her fellow Carnathyans.

Suddenly Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar appeared at the door. "Has there been some distress?" Ackbar asked, concerned. "Yes, there has been an attempt at my life, but do not worry, things have been taken care of." Alilya comforted. Mon Mothma put her hand to her mouth, covering her shock at such a thing. "If there is anything we can do to assist..." Mon Mothma said, "...just ask." Alilya nodded, and thanked the New Republic representatives.

Fellistryne knocked at the door again, this time with obvious annoyance. Finally the door opened to reveal a half-nude Luke Skywalker, looking exhausted. "Yes?" Luke asked, annoyed that he was awaken from his deep rest. "I am Fellistryne." the Carnathyan man said. Luke didn't move, didn't say a word, he had no idea who this person was. The man sighed, "The scientist assigned to assist you." Luke turned red with embarrasement, something he hadn't done in a long time, not since being a Jedi. "Oh, I'm really sorry...uhm....let me get some clothes on...I'll meet you in about...uhm....five minutes?" he stumbled to say to the scientist. Fellistryne nodded, and walked away. Luke rushed around the room, trying to find his clothes. He hadn't acted this way since he was a boy not trained in the Force.

Wedge searched the hallways of the palace for Aclelia, she couldn't be found. Finally he spotted her behind a pillar, pretending to be working on some comm panel. "Ah, Aclelia! I found you, I'm ready to tour the ship yards of Carnathy!" Wedge said, with excitement in his voice. Aclelia jumped, startled that she had been found. Then her shoulders slumped and she took that monotone voice, "Oh, I'm so glad you found me. I guess we can go now." As she walked past Wedge, she mumbled something under her breath. Wedge smiled to himself, somehow, he was enjoying this.

Leia, Mon Mothma, Alilya, and Allayne walked through the gardens of Carnathilia, enjoying the beautiful weather, and the pleasant smells the garden produced. "I remember coming out here when I was a child, and playing in these gardens. Getting into trouble with the caretakers because I would pick the flowers to give to my father." Alilya said, lost in her thoughts. "You never speak much of your father. I feel as though I've known your mother." Mon Mothma returned, as she kneeled to smell a flower. Alilya also kneeled to smell the same type of flower, and she spoke as she sniffed, "My father was a gentle man. Smart, caring.....he died when I was seven years of age. He grew ill from a disease that once spread through our world. But through my father's death, a cure was quickly discovered, saving thousands of lives." Leia spoke up this time, "I lost my mother when I was very young, much younger than you were when you lost your father. I don't remember much about her." Leia quickly glanced at Allayne, and for the briefest of moments, Leia could have sworn that the woman was smirking. Leia dismissed it as her imagination. "How unfortunate for you, Princess Leia. But I can tell your father quickly filled her role, and raised you properly. I was saddened when I read about his death at the hands of the evil ones who call themselves the Empire. But, through his death, you became stronger, and in the end, defeated the Empire." Alilya smiled, a comforting smile. Mon Mothma spoke up, "But the remnants of the Empire are still out there, causing pain and trouble. It is difficult to form a new government, and trying to destroy the leftovers of a corrupt one." Allayne spoke this time, a first since breakfast, "Why destroy them? They have no leaders, they fight within themselves to establish a leader. I think it cowardly to hit them now, when they are weakened." Leia blurted out before anyone else could respond, "As opposed to what? Let them become stronger, and a more difficult enemy to destroy. So they can slaughter that many more innocent people, on innocent planets?" Mon Mothma calmly interrupted, "Let us not debate this. It is too pleasant a morning to argue such things, we should enjoy it, and all it's calming beauty." Alilya and Leia nodded in agreement, but Allayne remained motionless and silent.

Han and Chewbacca ran into the hangar bay, hoping to catch Wedge and Aclelia before the two of them set off for the ship yards of Carnathy. They caught them just in time, both were entering a shuttle. "Hey you two, mind if Chewie and me tag along, we'd like to give those shipyards a look-see, too." Han asked. Wedge looked to Aclelia and replied, "I don't have a problem with it, it's up to the lady." Aclelia briefly showed a look that said, "I hate you." to Wedge, but forced a smile, "Sure, the more the merrier." If it was at all possible, her shoulders slumped further downward.

Fellistryne moved the scanning device over Luke's body. As the light passed over him, Luke felt the Force shift throughout. "This is very interesting. I don't completely understand this "Force", but I am picking up some strange aura around your body." Fellistryne walked over to his console and tapped a few keys. A holographic image of Luke appeared from a small projector. In the image, Luke was completely nude. Luke blushed, and caught himself doing so. It was strange behavior coming from him, a trained Jedi. He ignored those thoughts and concentrated on what Fellistryne was saying, "...and here we see that aura I mentioned. This is when I put a small data pin device on your chest." The image showed the pin set on Luke's chest, and how the blue aura moved away like a magnet from the pin. "Wow. That's certainly interesting." Luke said, kindly bored. Fellistryne stared at Luke, in disbelief that Luke was bored. "Yes, well. I will set to work immediatly and find out why that happens. You can leave now. Have a nice day." Fellistryne said, rushing Luke out. "Hey! What about my father? You were supposed to tell me about my father." Luke complained. "Ah yes, Darth Vader...uh...hold please." Fellistryne tapped a console, and a woman's face appeared. "Yes?" she asked. Fellistryne looked to Luke, then back to the screen, "My dear girl, would you please do me a small favor?" The woman shifted from left to right, "You still owe me for that time..." Fellistryne quickly interrupted her, "Yes, yes, I know. I shall owe you twice, and I will pay you back three times for this favor. Please?!" The woman sighed, "Okay, okay, but you owe me BIG." The screen went blank. Fellistryne turned and smiled at Luke, "My secretary." Luke laughed.

Leia laughed aloud. "...and there I was, stuck in the walk-in food storage locker, with Ayenine buzzing around me, worrying. If he were capable of such a thing, I'd say he was hysterical.", Mon Mothma and Leia both chuckled as Alilya finished recounting a story from her childhood. "Threepio, the goldren droid we brought with us, excels in hysteria." Leia joked, knowing that if Threepio were there, he would make a noisy protest. Leia, Mon Mothma, Alilya, and Allayne were sitting at the lunch table, sipping a brew of tea native to Carnathia. Leia and Mon Mothma both commented on how delicious the tea was, and they weren't exaggerating. Allayne had remained silent and emotionless the whole time. Leia didn't trust that woman, didn't trust her at all. It was a feeling, and when someone with the Force has the feeling, it isn't to be taken lightly. At that point, Leia had decided to keep a close watch on Allayne.

Threepio, Artoo, and Ayenine were moving through the corridors of the palace, people staring at them as Threepio and Ayenine argued aloud about the correct pronunctiation of a Bothan word. Artoo just followed the two arguing droids silently, and beeped in a word or two of his own. The droids didn't have any direction, and Artoo figured that the two didn't even know where they were going, just walking as they argued their foolish arguement.

The shuttle approached the ship yards, Aclelia proving to be a very adept pilot. "So, where did you learn to fly?" Wedge asked, breaking the relative silence of the quick journey. Aclelia didn't look at Wedge as she spoke, "All of the tour guide-servants like us are trained in many fields. Flying just happens to be my specialty." Wedge looked to Han, but Han nor Chewbacca was paying any attention. "Ever flown in a combat situation?" he asked her. She looked briefly to Wedge this time, "Yes, we are trained in many combat situations. We are trained to take care of and guard our guests." Wedge and Aclelia continued to talk about piloting and flying, both finding some pleasure that they had something in common.

Han had stared out of the windows the whole trip, staying quiet for a change. The beauty of this star system had awed him enough to make him stare. Where he was sitting, there was a consol. Suddenly a small green light started flashing. He interrupted Wedge and Aclelia, "Hey, what does this control panel here do exactly?" Aclelia looked back to Han, "Oh, uhm...sensors. Why?" Han looked back to the consol and the green light was still flashing. "What's this light mean?" he asked. Aclelia looked to the consol, saw the light, looked back to the viewscreen, then looked back at the light. "It's...ahhh...something in the distance that the sensors picked up. No big deal, it's probably just a passing ship. Do you want to go see it?" she joked. Han looked at the green light, then to Chewie who growled, then to Aclelia. "Yes." he said, he had a bad feeling about that beep. Aclelia looked at Wedge, grinned, then looked back to Han uneasily. "That was a joke." she said, unnerved. Han looked into her eyes, his eyes widening, "Well I'm not joking." Aclelia looked to Chewbacca, who didn't make a noise, then she looked back to Wedge, her eyes pleading for some support. She saw that he had none to give. She sighed and turned the shuttle around.

Luke followed Fellistryne's secretary, but remained silent. He had been acting strangely since his arrival. He knew it had something to do with the technology and the Force, so he left it at that. Finally they both arrived to where she had taken him. It was a console, a computer console. "Okay bud, here you can learn about the whole low-down with your father. Just ask the computer what it is that you want to know, and the more specific you are, the more detailed information you'll get. Okay?" she said. Luke was unsure, but he nodded his head positively and waited until she left before he punched the only button at the console.The lights around him darkened, and the screen lit up. "Request, please." the computer asked. Luke's mind went blank as he felt the Force shudder around him. "Uhm....information on Darth Vader." he blurted out. The computer worked quickly before it started talking, "Dark Lord of Sith, ruled for the Empire for many years. Worked under the orders of Palapatine, who was once Emperor before meeting his death at the hands of Darth Vader...." Luke knew all of this stuff, "Stop! Uhm...no, that's not what I wanted." Luke became very frustrated, something that had been foriegn to him for years.

Leia suddenly felt a wave of weakness. She set her cup of tea down, as not to spill any of it, and to conceal the fact that she was trembling. She remained composed though.

"...and the Empire was forced back. Darth Vader claiming that our technology was far to advanced for the Empire to handle. Not mentioned in any known reports was the fact that he felt the magic ability of the Force weaken while he was near our vessels." The computer stopped to compile more of the files and information. Luke suddenly didn't care anymore, he felt nausieous and got up from the consol. As soon as he walked away from it, the console shut itself off. He walked slowly down the hall. He tried to call out for someone to help him, but his voice had left him. He stumbled, and fell, and couldn't get back up. He just lay there, his vision going blurry. He saw feet approach him before he blacked out.

Leia got the vision in her head that Luke had fallen. "Excuse me from interrupting, but my brother, he is in danger! I can sense it!" Leia blurted out, startling everyone at the table, even Allayne. "I must go to him...he's in a hallway..." Leia said as she turned to exit the courtyard. Alilya swiftly got up and rushed after Leia, catching up with the Princess just in time to catch her as she collapsed.

Luke and Leia where in the medical facilities of the palace, both placed on tables, next to each other, with a swarm of medical personal moving all over the place, trying to figure out what was wrong with the two visitors. Mon Mothma, Admiral Ackbar, Alilya, and the droids where in the next room, watching the proceedings. "Have you had any word on General Solo's whereabouts?" Mon Mothma asked Alilya. Alilya shook her head. "His assigned servant said that when he left his room this moring, he requested that he would like to be left to wander alone with his Wookie friend." Admiral Ackbar and Mon Mothma looked to each other, knowing that it was like Han to want to wander on his own. So they both returned the attention to their fallen comrads. Friends. C-3P0 said aloud, looking down, "Oh dear."

Aclelia shrieked as she piloted the ship away from the volley of laser fire. The small shuttle had directed it's course to investigate the strange signal that Han had encountered. Han's feelings served him well, because shortly after their communications had been jammed, and they had come under attack from a squandrant of Tie fighters that came from the fleet of Star Destroyers. Aclelia shrieked again as the small shuttle rocked from blaster fire. "Doesn't this thing have weapons?!" Han screamed. Aclelia remained silent for a brief moment of concentration as she pointed to Wedge's consol. "There is the weapons consol, so figure it out!!!!" she screamed, panicky. Wedge touched a button,but nothing happened. Aclelia took a second to flip a switch near Wedge's leg. The panel in front of Wedge split into two, and a small control stick came out. On top of the shuttle, a double-turrent cannon lifted up and out. "There, now fire back!" Aclelia shouted. Wedge took the control stick and moved it slightly. A small screen came down before his face, and it showed the approaching Tie-Interceptors, and a target. He moved the stick slightly and the target moved in response. "Red button is ion fire, and the blue one is a proton torpedo launcher. Don't waste those, we may need them!" Aclelia said more calmly. Wedge targeted a Tie-Interceptor and let off a few shots. They missed totally. "I'm used to having a targeting computer, Han, you'd better take the controls." Wedge said as he got up and moved to the back, while Han came forth. Han wasn't in the chair for less than 30 seconds before he had destroyed two of the attacking vessels. "They aren't going to let us escape, we now know that they are here. Is this some kind of double cross from your people, Aclelia!?" Han asked, anger in his voice. Aclelia didn't take her eyes off the controls, and used a scornfull voice, "Now think about that, human. Why would someone that we have supposidly teamed up with attack one of it's supposed allies vessels?! Use a little deductive skills and intelligence before you spout out bullshit." Chewbacca growled, and Wedge said nothing. "I suppose you're right, kid, but what are they doing here?!" Han commanded. Aclelia didn't answer, and the shuttle remained silent except for the laser fire. Finally she said, "One of our people have betrayed us. Whether it's one of your people or mine has yet to have been determined." she quickly changed the subject, "Wedge, look at that small screen above your shoulder, how are our shields holding?" Wedge found the screen and took a few brief moments to determine the information. "They are down to 75%." he said, impressed that such a small vessel had such strong shields. Aclelia looked to the group, "We'll get out of this one easily, we are too technologically advanced for them." The others agreed, considering how close they were to the shipyards. Not long after, everyone lurched forward, the shuttle being stopped. "What the hell was that?!" Han yelled, over Chewbacca's roaring. Aclelia looked to Wedge's consol, and paused, she looked to Han and then back to the screen before speaking, "Tractor beam...from that Star Destroyer." Han gulped, and he knew that he had a bad feeling...he kicked himself for making them check out what that was that he had seen on that consol.

Fellistryne pushed his way past the royal guards into the Medical chamber waiting room, where he met up with Alilya, Mon Mothma, and Admiral Ackbar (the droids had left earlier). He looked in on Luke and Leia, who were both on respirators. Admiral Ackbar looked at Fellistryne hopefully. "I have come to bring news that may...or may not be good. I crossed referenced this mistical Force ability with the charts and databases throughout our great history. I found nothing, until I entered into the medical files. Hundreds of mysterious infant deaths have accured on this planet of a great time span. None of our medical experts could find anything wrong with these children. Our visitors are suffering from the same ailments that those children had suffered from. My hypothesis is, those children were born with the powers of the Force, and our technology, well, our alloys and metals that are mined on a nearby moon, repel the Force, and ultimately cause the death in the victim. The seperation of the Force must be very traumatic. A small child could not take such a thing, and I have no idea how these grown adults will do." Fellistryne took a deep breath, the others had remained silent during his speech. They were still silent, he grew annoyed. Finally Ackbar asked, "What can we do to save them?" Fellistryne had thought that he had made himself clear, but in his mind, he knew that he was too intelligent for them. He arrogantly pointed out, "Get them away from our technology, of course." The three of them looked at each other, and the light bulbs went off. They all sprung into action. Fellistryne just stood there, proud of his work.

"We aren't even scratching them and they have already taken down more of my ships than I can count. You'd better hope that our tractor beam works!" Admiral Pasdar said with a harsh tone. Allayne spun around quickly and pointed a finger to his face, "You listen to me. If they get away, our plan is over. So you had better get your imcompetent men to do as they are told, and to do it RIGHT!" she shrieked. He snarled at her, but admired her spunk.

"We are in big trouble." Wedge said, staring at the Star Destroyer that grew closer. Suddenly Aclelia lept from her seat and was practicaly all over Wedge. "Hey...wha?" he asked, shocked. She looked into his face, and smirked, "I'm going to get us out of her, sorry we don't have time for more." Han looked at Aclelia as she touched a few buttons on Wedge's control panel, he couldn't help himself from laughing. He had used a similar line on Leia many years ago. Aclelia returned to her seat, and punched a few more buttons. "Allright, gunboy, fire a proton torpedo directly into the tractor beam emitter." she ordered Han, and he happily abliged. "We've got once chance at this." she said, staring ahead in determination. Han fired the torpedo, and there was a rock as the tractor beam was disable. "How?! A proton has never been that strong!" Wedge said, suprised as Aclelia piloted the shuttle away from the Star Destroyer. "I did a little trick that wouldn't detonate with the normal proton explosion. I caused the torpedo to attack to the emitter, and calculated the best place for it to attach, so that the beam would be blocked and we'd get a chance at escape." Han admired the girl's prowess and spirit.

"Destroy them." Allayne finally said, her anger at a boiling point. Admiral Pendar looked at her shocked that she would give such an order. "But you said that it was a royal shuttle, and that an important diplomat might be onboard...which we could use as a hostage!" he said, loudly. Allayne looked at him annoyingly and said through clinched teeth, "Well, it's obvious that you can't capture them, so kill them or risk our plan being foiled. Got it?!" Admiral Pendar sighed, and pointed to a crewman on the vessel. "Destroy that vessel."

Admiral Ackbar followed the technicians and medical experts that wheeled Leia and Luke to the New Republic shuttle that was to transfer them to the Mon Calamari Cruiser that was orbited around the planet of Carnathilia. He was amazed at how fast the transfer was.

Alilya and Mon Mothma watched as the shuttle took off. "I am truelly sorry for this, I had no idea that this would happen to them." Alilya apologized. Mon Mothma grasped the girl's shoulder, "You nor I had any idea this would happen. Thankfully your scientist figured it all out."

The small shuttle rocked violently. "Whoah!" Han muttered out, barely being able to be heard over Chewbacca's roaring. "That wasn't a Tie-fighter's blast!" Wedge exclaimed. Chewbacca said something in his Wookian language that neither Wedge nor Aclelia understood. "I think you might be right Chewie...that blast came from that Star Destroyer." Aclelia closed her eyes and sighed. "So much for keeping us alive, they plan on killing us." Wedge said to himself. Aclelia whispered, "I have no idea what to do." Wookie snorted. Han got up, grabbed Aclelia, gently pushed her towards the back. "C'mon Chewie, we've been through this one a million times!" Han ordered the Wookie as Chewbacca got up and moved to the tactical consol. Han took the controls and made a steep dive.

Admiral Ackbar and the New Republic pilot looked out of the shuttle window, and saw the fire fight that was happened in the distance. "What the?!" Ackbar said, shocked. He worked the controls and the magnification showed the Star Destroyers. Immediatly the red alert was activated. The shuttle continued to the Mon Calamari Cruiser, with two lives in danger.

"I won't be able to get some of our Cruisers here for a couple of hours. They are all on patrol." Alilya told Mon Mothma. Mon Mothma considered her options. "We've got to help that shuttle, and protect this planet. The Mon Calamari Cruisers are very powerful and might be able to hold those Star Destroyers off for awhile. Until you can get some help." the New Republic said, confidently. Alilya looked to one of her generals. "We have a nearby shipyard, and can send in our smaller fighters, they'll assist the best that they can. They are very powerful. General, I want you to contact the New Republic tactical leaders, we are going to let them lead this fight, as they have more experience." The general nodded and left the room. The two leaders looked to each other, concerned.

Aclelia grunted as the small shuttle was rocked violently again, a small panel blew out behind Wedge's head, but he was uninjured. "Well, you've kept us alive this long. Shields are out, one more blast and we are going to be going to the great beyond." Aclelia gravely said. Han looked to the shuttle inhabitants, "We did the best we could.", he said silently. He whispered under his breath, "I love you Leia." He piloted the shuttle away from another blast from the Star Destroyer. Chewbacca fired off two more proton torpedos. Everyone was focused on surviving as long as they could. Aclelia was about to go into prayer, when she noticed a light colored form in space, getting closer. "Look!" she pointed. Han looked up briefly. Chewbacca roared happily. "That's a Mon Calamari Star Cruiser! YEAH!" Han cheered. None of them noticed the blast that hit them. The ship rocked, sparks flew, and the power went out.

The Mon Calamarian cruiser got close enough to engage the Star Destroyers. "Here comes the Tie-fighters. Grey group, Red group, Rogue group, and Blue groups, take flight!" Admiral Ackbar ordered from the bridge. The various A-wings, X-wings, and B-wings flew from the hangars of the large vessel. Another large Calamarian cruiser pulled up nearby, and also released it's small fighters. The turbo-lasers were also fired at the Star Destroyers.

From the nearby shipyards, numerous small fighters took off from the numerous hangars. The small Carnathian ships were simple in design. Shaped like pyramids as they exited the large shipyards. But as the grew closer to the battle, wings folded out, and under those wings, the weapons. Each ship was also painted to the desires of the pilots within. Some of the designs were wild, to cause distraction. "Okay, Carnathyians, it's time to show the Empire who NOT to mess with. Weapon wings, deplore. Group up and stay sharp." the leader of the group said over the intercom.

The Two-OneBee unit was already impressed with the quick recovery of it's patients. Both had regained conscienceness, and were already on their feet. "Sir, Madame, I do request that you both rest." the medical droid ordered. Luke and Leia both were eager to leave. They looked to each other, and to the droid. "No way, there is a battle going on, and they might need our help." Luke proclaimed, and Leia nodded in agreement. Both of them left the medical bay together. The Two-OneBee looked to the door in disbelief, but not suprise. "Humans." he said to himself, as he got to cleaning up.

"Well, we've been discovered. NOW WHAT?!!!!" Admiral Pasdar yelled. Allayne looked at him, her anger at him reaching a head. "Now we will launch all out war and crush them like insects. Ready the ground forces, if I can't kill that bitch quietly, I'll just make a little noise and kill her." she smiled evily at him, and kissed him hard as she left the bridge and made her way to the hangar bay. Pasdar licked his lips, and called out, "Captain Ricketts, you are in charge up here. I'm going to direct the surface battle." He also left the bridge. Ricketts walked up to the command post.

The cargo shuttles launched shortly after Admiral Pasdar left the bridge. They came under heavy fire from the New Republic and Carnathyan ships. But they entered the atmosphere relatively safe, with a few vessels following them. The small fighters were no match for the shuttle's weapons, and they were all quickly picked off with a few well placed shots.

Alilya and Mon Mothma sat in the chamber room, remaining silent, waiting for some word of the battle that was happening far above them. Things were relatively quiet. The silence was getting to Alilya, and just as she was getting ready to speak, a short rumble broke the silence. "What was that?!" Alilya said, shaken by the noise. Another rumble shook the palace slightly. Mon Mothma looked silently towards the wall, she held up her hand so that everyone would remain silent for a second. Another rumble occured. Mon Mothma looked at Alilya with a grim face and said, "You must gather ground forces! That was an Imperial All Terrian Armored Transport....an At-At." Alilya rushed up from her seat, and beckoned for Mon Mothma to follow. Once they entered the halls, there was chaos. Troopers running about, talking of the approaching vehicles that were firing on the palace. Outside, the royal guards met up with the two leaders.

Ayenine, Threepio, and Artoo were walking (or rolling...even hovering) through the hallways when they felt the rumbling begin. Threepio fell backwards. "Oh dear! Artoo! Help meeeee!" he shrieked. Ayenine grasped Threepio and kept him from falling. "I must get to the Queen's side! She is in danger!" Ayenine said, after Threepio steaded himself. Ayenine quickly floated down the hallway, going too fast for Threepio and Artoo to keep up. "We are all doomed! That was a At-At...I would remember that sound from Hoth!" Threepio said, flailing his arms about. Artoo nudged Threepio and whistled. "You are correct, Artoo. They might need our expertise with this matter. C'mon then you bag of bolts!" Threepio shuffled his way down the hall at his top speed, Artoo in tow.

"We don't have anything to counter those...those...things!" a Carnathyan soldier said. They, Mon Mothma, Alilya, and Carnathyan tacticians were in the control room of the palace, going over their options. The giant screen that went around the room was filled with images of the nine At-Ats, twenty At-Sts, and the air forces of the Empire that were quickly approaching the palace. The palace defense systems were at full power, ion cannons and grenade launchers were firing everything they had at the vehicles. The At-Sts would fall and blow up, but the At-Ats were too powerful. Mon Mothma looked at each screen, then said to the room, "If you can somehow trip them, they will become vulnerable. Make them fall." Everyone looked around and gathered into small groups, exploring their options. Ayenine swiftly entered the room,and took by the side of Alilya. "Madame, I am pleased to see that you are well." he said, then remained silent. Alilya looked to her droid and asked, "What of Allayne, is she...okay?" Ayenine replied, "She cannot be found anywhere, but do not give up hope, she may still be functioning." Alilya's eyes watered, but she remained strong, and returned to the tacticians, who were still discussing the issues at hand.

"The walker has crushed the front gate!" a woman soldier announced to the room. Everyone was busy. "Perhaps loading support cable into the grenade launchers will tie up those legs. Weight them down considerably, and they'll fire that distance." one tactician suggested. Alilya considered this,and the other plans she had heard. "Okay, plans B and F seem like the best bets. Get to work, and get that cable we need!" Alilya ordered, and swiftly the group broke apart, each person going to do their own thing. "Our air fighters are taking down thier air force, and those At-Sts are almost completely gone. it's those giants that we can't seem to damage." the Queen said to no one in particular. Mon Mothma continued to watch the screen, but spoke despite the distraction, "Yes, they are difficult. If those fighters had mounted grapple-hooks...but they don't. Perhaps we should check in on the battle overhead?" Alilya nodded, and head for a communications consol.

Just as Luke and Leia approached the bridge of the Mon Calamari cruiser, it was rocked violently. Ackbar listened to the damage reports coming in, then turned his attention to Luke and Leia. "I am relieved to see the quick recovery you two have seem to have made." Luke nodded to his old friend. Leia looked around the bridge. "Admiral, where is Han?" she asked, concerned. Ackbar checked the status of the weapons before he answered, "I'm afraid that Solo hasn't been seen for quiet awhile." Leia looked to Luke, her eyes watering.

Someone coughed. He tried to open his eyes, but found that he couldn't. No, his eyes were open, it was just dark. Very dark. He tried to speak, but found that he had no voice. Someone coughed again. He tried to move around, but he couldn't do it. "Is anyone.....alive?" a voice asked, then coughed. Han Solo tried to answer, but he wasn't completely awake. He felt his fingers move. He recognized the voice, it was Wedge, a friend of Luke's. Wedge had been with the New Republic as long as Han had been in. Back in the days when they were called the Rebellion. "I'm fine...give me a minute to gather myself...." a young female voice answered after some time. That would be Aclelia. "Are you injured?" Wedge asked. Han heard some shuffling, then an answer, "I think I'm burned, but not badly." He heard more shuffling, then someone's feet moving. "What about Han and Chewie?" Wedge asked. Han heard more moving about. "I'll check on them as soon as I get some light in here, okay?" Aclelia answered. Wedge remained silent. Finally Han saw a light beam flicker, and come to power. He heard as Wedge and Aclelia joined together and made their way to where he was. He saw them stand over him. "I-I'm okay...c-ch-check Chewie." Han finally said, after he had gained the energy. He heard Chewbacca lightly growl. "You've got a bad bump on your head, Han, and a few burns." Wedge said after looking over Han's injuries. "Chewbacca is also in pretty good shape. From what I can tell, you two both hit your heads." Aclelia said after checking on Chewbacca. Aclelia went to Han's side. "Let's move him so I can see if I can't get this damned ship running again." Aclelia said, grabbing Han under his arm, and pulling him up. Wedge helped her move him to the back. Then the two of them looked at Chewbacca. "He'll just have to stay there...there is NO way we can move that thing." Aclelia joked as she sat in the pilot's chair. After a few moments, Han had collected himself. "Can you get us out of here?" he asked. Aclelia was busy working and didn't answer for some time. "No, this thing is powerless. Only thing that works is..." she finally answered, then paused to check a few more things, "....life support...and maybe...nevermind, communications is shot." Then the shuttle was illuminated with red light. "Oh, this red light works, too." she finished as she looked to the rest of them. Han concentrated, if somehow he could send a message to Luke through the force.

"I can't feel much, Leia...having the Force knocked from me has made we very weak." Luke said as he and Leia raced down the corridor. "But he's out there....he has to be. Mon Mothma clearly said that Wedge, Chewie, some servant girl, and Han all went to the shipyards in a shuttle. Admiral Ackbar said that he saw a shuttle under attack while he was bringing us up here." Leia argued, pointlessly. When they reached the hangar of the Cruiser, a crewman pointed them to a B-wing fighter that had been modified for dual passengers. Luke and Leia got onto the B-wing, and Luke piloted the already prepped vehicle out of the hangar door. Two A-wing escorts followed them out. "Harding here," one of the A-wing pilots checked in to Luke, "we're to keep you two out of trouble should you come under attack while you search for General Solo." Luke spoke into the intercom, "Okay, you keep us safe." Luke looked to Leia, and tried to comfort her, "Han is okay, you know how resourceful he is." Leia smiled, but she was far from comforted. A million thought went through her mind.

"Admiral!!! Our forward deflectors are nearly depleted!" a Calamarian crewman shouted. Ackbar already new this, the ships status was listed on his small keypad. "Reroute power from weapons, we must keep those Star Destroyers from the Carnathyan shipyards." Ackbar ordered, his faithful crew obeying. Ackbar surveyed the odds, which pointed towards the Imperials. They had 5 Star Destroyers, against the three Mon Calamari Star Cruisers, and one Correlian Corvette. All four of the New Republic ships were losing power to the shields. He refocused his attention to the Star Destroyers.

Captain Ricketts laughed out loud, "They don't stand a chance against us. Hahaha!" The other bridge crew members laughed and patted each other on the back. They new at this rate, victory would be theirs. One lone crew member didn't laugh, or smile, he just stared at his screen in disbelief. Everyone else was whupping it up. "Sir...we've got a problem." the crew member whispered. He wasn't heard, of course. He stood up, "Sir...problem!", he shouted. Ricketts laughed as he trotted over to the crewman. "What seems to be the problem?" The crewman couldn't answer before the Star Destroyer was rocked violently. Ricketts fell to the ground. He looked up to the crewman, "That blast came from behind! Switch image!" Ricketts picked himself up and looked at the view screen. The screen showed what was behind the Star Destroyers.

The crew of the lead Mon Calamarian cruiser cheered as the Carnathyan cruisers came up from behind the Star Destroyers, and fired upon them. Ackbar was impressed at the design of the Carnathyan cruisers, they were sleek and smooth, with few ridges or protruding parts. They were also completely black, which worked as a camoflouge in space. Already they had disabled one Star Destroyer.

The Palace rocked at the blast from the At-At. Alilya and Mon Mothma braced a control panel for support. Threepio almost fell over, he had been there for awhile, but had decided it safer to remain silent. "We've only managed to stop one At-At..." Alilya said grimly as she watched the At-Ats get closer to the Palace walls. Everyone remained focused on the work of the valiant Carnathyian soldiers. That is when Fellistryne entered the room, his head high, his face brightly lit with glee. "Your highness, I have found a way to destroy those monstrous....things." he boasted. Alilya sighed and looked to Mon Mothma. Mon Mothma smiled, and said, "Anything he can offer will help. So far nothing we've done has worked." Alilya looked to Fellistryne, waiting for him to speak. Fellistryne nodded slightly, then suggested, "I have long been overseeing the making of the ultimate acid. An acid powerful enough to eat through the strongest metals within seconds. Years ago we produced such a thing, but never found a use for it. He looked to the screen display and pointed at the At-At's leg. I think I've found a usage for it. I already have several capsules full, ready to launch at those....things." Alilya grinned, and ordered, "Proceed. Get those things to the launchers, and make more." Fellistryne self-assuridly exited the room. "That's a very intelligent man. Annoying, but intelligent." Alilya said to no one in particular. A few people laughed.

Han winced in pain, his head was hurting badly. He was having trouble breathing. "I think the air recyclers are offline." Aclelia pointed out. "No, really?" Han sarcastically answered her.

Luke and Leia had been searching for nearly thirty minutes. They found no traces of the shuttle, or Han. They had been attacked three times, but successfully fought the Tie-Interceptors off. "We'll never find him if that shuttle is out here." Leia admitted for the first time. Luke closed his eyes, but he knew the force wouldn't come back to him fully for awhile. Then an idea struck him. "Leia, give me your hands." he ordered his twin sister. She didn't move, she was confused. "Perhaps if we combine our power, we will find him. Quickly, give me your hands and concentrate on Han." Leia's hands touched Luke's, and she concentrated as hard as she could. "No, Leia, you must clear your mind. Focus." Luke calmly corrected her. Leia took a deep breath, and cleared her mind.

"Are they asleep in there?!" Harding yelled as his A-wing was rocked by blasts from two approaching Tie-Fighters. "I don't know, but they aren't responding!" Iano, the pilot of the second A-wing, replied. The two A-wings sped away, hoping to draw the Tie-Fighters with them. It worked, the Tie-Fighters followed them, but with those Tie-Fighters behind them, they were sitting ducks.

"Han!?" Leia yelled as the image entered her mind. Her hands letting go of her brother's hands. Luke took a moment to gather himself. "I know where he is." he said assuredly.

Iano screamed something in her native language of Twi'lek. Her A-wing rocked violently, and sparks flew from the panels. Harding was hit hard, too, but her communications were all but destroyed. "One more shot, and I'm done for..." she thought to herself, JUST as a B-wing flew past her A-wing and destroyed the Tie-Fighter following her. She sighed relief. She watched as Harding was saved also. She gave Luke and Leia thumbs up.

"What kept you?" Harding said over the comm. Luke chuckled as he answered, "We know where the others are." Luke changed his course. "Iano's communication is off-line, but I think she gets the idea." Harding reported, as he also changed his course. The three small ships headed off into space, Luke and Leia sure of themselves.

"We've got to get out of here! We're being slaughtered!" Ricketts yelled as he was, once again, thrown to the floor, "Get us out of here!!!!" A crewman picked himself up and disagreed, "We can't leave the Admiral!!!" Ricketts stared at the man, then swiftly brought his blaster up, and shot the crewman. The crewman didn't even scream as his corpse hit the floor. "Now, I said get us out of here." Ricketts said calmly. The two remaining Star Destroyers changed course. "Sir...we can't jump out of here..." another crewman reported silently. Ricketts pointed his blaster at the man. The man whispered, "Structural intregity...has..." The man was dead before he hit the floor. The other Star Destroyer detonated with a large explosion that knocked Ricketts down. From the floor he yelled, "Jump! Now!" The command was carried out shortly after.

The Mon Calamarians cheered as the final Star Destroyer attempted to jump into hyperspace, but instead was blown to bits. "They apparently had a structural failure...and they tried to jump out of here despite it." a Calamarian crewman reported. Ackbar slumped back into his chair, happy that it was over.

Allayne, Admiral Pasdar, and a handful of Stormtroopers were first to enter the Carnathyan Palace, blasting away or stunning anything in thier path. Another group of Stormtroopers followed close behind, coming from the second At-At to reach the palace.

"Security breach! Security breach! The Imperials have entered the Palace." a woman reported from her consol. Alilya stared in horror at the view screen. She then quickly touched a small button on the panel before her. The room grew silent. "This is Queen Alilya. Never before has our security been breached on our home planet. Never before have we encountered a threat this way. Sadly, the only way this could have possibly happened....", she paused, "...is if a high official betrayed our great people. Now, we have to deal with the threat at hand. Everyone who is in our great Palace must evacuate, now. Do not use the front exits. The palace is under seige from the evil Empire, a threat we faced once before and defeated. Again, evacuate the palace, and defend yourself if necessary. We are dealing with this threat." Alilya slammed her fist down on the button to deactivate the comm unit. "I swear on my mother's grave that I will destroy the person who betrayed us." the young Queen whispered.

Han was gasping for breath, he was about to black out. Wedge was already blacked out, still gasping for breath. Han laid his head back against his seat, his eyes shutting. He saw an approaching light through the window, but his world was already getting dark.

"They are alive! Barely! We've got to get them out of there!" Leia yelled, frantic. They had found the shuttle, but from the looks of it, all systems were down. The scanners had confirmed what they had feared. "Leia, this B-wing will not hold any more people than the two of us. We've got to tow them to the nearest air supply, and quick." Luke said. Leia punched a few buttons on her control panel. "The closest air supply is Carnathilia. Hurry! Tow them!" she reported quickly. "But the force...we'll get sick..." Luke protested. Leia glared at him, "They'll DIE." Luke sighed as he punched a few controls, activating the tractoring beam. Then Luke changed course, going as fast as he could manage with a tow.

Fellistryne grinned as he loaded the acid capsule into the grenade launcher. He looked to the operator. The woman was unsure, "What if it breaks apart before it leaves the launcher?!" Fellistryne gave her a harsh look. She sighed, aimed the launcher, and pressed the fire release. With a boom, the capsule was away, and Fellistryne had his scanning computer out, watching the capsule get closer to the At-At's leg. The capsule hit the leg, and smashed apart, throwing the acid all over the leg. Fellistryne watched with wild grin as the acid started eating through the leg. The operator reported the other grenade launcher operators to fire at will with the capsules. Fellistryne cheered as the At-At's leg buckled, sending the giant robotical transport crashing to the earth. Everyone cheered.

Inside the control room, a loud cheer startled Alilya. Mon Mothma touched Alilya's shoulder, "It worked, your scientist's plan worked." Mon Mothma pointed to the screen, and Alilya's eyes widened with joy. She also cheered, she forgot all about her proper upbringing, and cheered along.

One by one, the Stormtroopers were picked off. Pasdar and Allayne huddled in a corner, as the remaining few Stormtroopers were fighting the royal guards. Suddenly, the fire fight stopped, and Allayne looked up, to see the royal guards hovering over her, weapons drawn. She knew that she would stand no chance trying to fight.

One by one, the At-Ats were brought to the ground. The Stormtroopers would come running out of the At-Ats, but they would get picked off easily by the expert gunners. Everyone was cheering, and patting each other on the back. Fellistryne was patting himself on the back as he left the grenade launcher station.

Luke and Leia watched as the final At-At crashed to the ground, they had just gotten there. After Harding confirmed with the Canathyan ground crew, the three small fighters found a safe place to land. After Luke set the damaged shuttle down, he then landed the B-wing fighter. Leia was first out of the ship.

Han awoke, to see Leia's face, tears in her eyes. "Hi." he said, with a smile on his face. She laughed as she bent down to kiss him. Nearby, Wedge awoke, Luke helped him up. Chewie bellowed at Harding, as Harding helped the Wookie off the ground. Iano and Aclelia walked over. "We should go to the control room. Report in." Luke said, as he hugged Han. "Quickly, you mean. Remember, the force?" Leia said, clinging to Han. Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca left the hangar bay. Wedge walked over to Aclelia and said, "You did good out there. Surprised me." Aclelia grinned, patted Wedge on the back hard, and said, "Hey, next time you make me suffer, you can save your own ass." Wedge laughed, "Was I that bad?!" Aclelia walked away, Wedge following her. "I wasn't overly annoying! C'mon, you're just overreacting." he said. She gritted her teeth, "There you go again!" Harding and Iano looked at each other in confusion.

"Master Luke! You are well!" Threepio said in a raised voice. Artoo bleeped with happiness. Mon Mothma greeted them, as did Alilya. "We fought them off. They are no longer a threat." Alilya said, happy. Her face was beaming with joy. However, that was short lived as Allayne and Admiral Pasdar were brought in by two royal guards. "Allayne?" was all Alilya could say. With disgust in her voice, Allayne said, "That's right, dear cousin. We should have united with the Empire years ago, but your mother was a fool. You are a fool just like her, bringing them here. It was up to me to make our people more powerful. But you ruined it all. You bitch!" Tears flowed down Alilya's face as she ordered, "You will be put to death.....traitor." A look of suprise came over Allayne. "But we are cousins, surely you will not put me to death. I am family." Allayne pleaded, "Lily...we are blood." Alilya turned her back on Allayne. No one was prepared for what happened next, in an instand, Allayne overcame the guard next to her, and had his weapon. With great speed, she was upon Alilya, with the gun at Alilya's head. "Lily, you are a fool. But more importantly, you are my ticket out of here." Pasdar grabbed the gun of the guard beside him, and joined Allayne's side. "My love, shall we make leave of this place?" he said, smiling confidently. Allayne, with Alilya, made her way towards the door, Pasdar right behind them. "Nobody move." he shouted, pointing the blaster. That's when he saw Mon Mothma, the New Republic's head of state. He pointed his blaster at her head, and smiled. "Bye you wench. See how your Republic lasts without you." His finger pulled on the trigger, and there was the unmistakable sound of blaster fire. Allayne turned to see what was going on, and saw Pasdar's charred body fall to the ground. "Noooooooooooooo!" she shrieked. Alilya used Allayne's distraction to her benefit. The young Queen grabbed Allayne's arm, and twisted it quickly. The blaster flew out of Allayne's hand. Allayne grabbed Alilya's arm and threw Alilya to the ground. The traitorous cousin jumped towards the young queen, but her face met Alilya's foot. Allayne stumbled back, blood pouring from her mouth. Alilya was already on her feet, and proceeded to hit Allayne with a flurry of accurately placed kicks and punches. "You tried to destroy your own home planet, then you tried to kill me!" Alilya screamed as she continued to hit her cousin. Alilya stopped, and Allayne just stood there, her nose broken, her face battered. "You are a traitor, and you deserve death. However, I'll just let you live with defeat. You will be exiled to the lowlands with the rest of our world's criminals. You may surive a few days, if you're lucky. But a nice pretty girl like you won't be there very long." Alilya said through her heavy breathing. Allayne opened her mouth to protest verbally. "You are dismissed!" Alilya interupted as she drew back and punched her cousin. Her fist hit Allayne's jaw, and Allayne fell backward, hitting the floor with a loud thud. Allayne's world went black.

Alilya entered the control room as the royal guards carried Allayne away. Everyone was stunned. Alilya gathered herself, grinned, and said, "I may be a Queen, but I'm not above a little hand to hand combat training." Alilya looked at Pasdar's corpse. "Who...did that?" she asked. Ayenine hovered over. "That would be me, madame. And might I add, bravo to you and your handling of Mistress Allayne." Everyone gathered around, and began to clean up, talk, or whatever they felt needed to be done now that it was all over.

The New Republic shuttles were being prepped for take off as everyone began saying their good-byes. "Take care, Aclelia." Han said to the young girl, Leia in his arms. She smiled, "You too, and next time you get a bad feeling about something, follow it." Han smirked as he and Leia walked over to Mon Mothma and Alilya. "You are a fine leader, and I predict nothing but greatness for you and your empire." the leader of the New Republic said. Alilya smiled, "I feel the same towards you and your New Republic. You are wise, and I look up to you for that." Alilya hugged Mon Mothma, to Mothma's suprise, but she returned the hug. After the two embraced, Alilya smiled at Leia. "A pleasure to meet you. I am truelly sorry for what happened to you and your brother. Fellistryne has written a large report on how it affected you, we have provided your people with a copy." Leia bowed her head quickly, "Thank you for inviting us."

Nearby, Luke shook Fellistryne's hand. Admiral Ackbar said good-byes to the tacticians of Carnathy. Pilots of both the New Republic and the Carnathyan government related, and said their fairwells. Everything was well.

As the final personel were boarding the remaining shuttle, Aclelia ran up the ramp. She went to Wedge, and to everyone's suprise, she kissed him on the lips. Han and Leia hugged each other tighter. Chewbacca grunted, and Luke grinned. "To remember me by." Aclelia said, laughter in her voice as she left the shuttle. Outside the shuttle, Alilya spoke to Ayenine, "We must have them visit again, sometime." Ayenine nodded his head, "Yes, but next time they can leave those droids of theirs at home." The doors of the shuttle began to close. Alilya and Ayenine turned to walk away. Suddenly Ayenine said, "Oh no......" Coming towards the shuttle at full speed were Threepio and Artoo. Threepio shuffled his feet as fast as he could, waving his arms about wildly, and screaming, "Wait! Don't leave me! R2-D2 this is all your fault!"

A small hovering vehicle picked up speed as it left the lowlands of the planet Carnlastia. A lone woman picked herself up. She viewed her surroundings. "It's not what I want, but it's a new land to conquer and take over. Then.....THEN I will destroy that bitch, Queen Lily." Allayne said to herself, her face bruised, but her grin full of evil.

This Star Wars Fanfic was written by Wheelie. Man! I wonder how long it took him to write that! Anyway, email him with your comments and suggestions.