3: DEATH TO THE NEW REPUBLIC
New Alderaan, 8005 C.R.C.
It had been Leia’s hope that she would have been able to avoid any real political work or conversations during her stay on New Alderaan. Unfortunately, the Force, as always, had other designs in mind.
“I must say, you are looking rather elegant today, Your Highness,” said Carise Sindian, beaming from her deep-golden face as she approached Leia in the busied streets of New Aldera. The young senator from Arkanis was wearing a long, flowing silver robe that was embroidered with glimmering jewels. Like Leia, she too was of royalty; unlike Leia, she wanted the entire galaxy to know about it. “Is that veda cloth you’re wearing?”
Leia forced a smile as she adjusted her blue robes. “Yes, I believe it is.”
“An excellent choice.” Sindian had a look on her face that suggested she had not approached Leia simply to discuss fashion sense. Knowing the younger woman as well as she did however, Leia knew that Sindian was going to bury the lead for as long as she could. “I must say, the past few days have exposed me to more Alderaanian culture than I could have ever dreamed of. I suppose the Empire was not as thorough in destroying Alderaan as they thought.”
Leia resisted a twitch from the rather insensitive statement. “I trust that you are enjoying it?”
“Very much so.” Sindian’s dark eyes were focused on Leia, as if she was studying her. “I am also rather intrigued by the bits of history that I’ve learned.”
Sensing that this was the direction in which Sindian wished to take the conversation, Leia chose her next words carefully. “Is that so,” she said simply.
“For one, there seems to be a question as to who carries the royal blood of Alderaan. Am I correct in assuming that the Alderaan Ascendancy Contention of 7945 was what resulted in your father’s ascension to the title of Viceroy and your mother’s ascension to the throne?”
“Yes,” Leia said tentatively.
“But your father’s mother was the queen, was she not? Would the throne not have been his birthright? It’s not like Alderaan hasn’t had kings in its past.”
Leia bit her lip, not knowing how much she should speak on the subject. “As I understand it, the contention was a bit more complicated than what the history records indicate. Even I don’t fully understand the details.”
Sindian gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth. “Are you suggesting that Queen Breha’s ascension was not legitimate?”
“Of course not.” Leia knew she should have expected this. Sindian was the type of person to put words in others’ mouths. Typical politician, I suppose. “Again, I don’t fully understand the details. I just know that the contention was over more than just the title of viceroy.”
“How intriguing.” Sindian continued to regard Leia with those dark eyes of hers, something which made the older woman feel uneasy. “In any case, I don’t suppose it matters. You are Alderaanian royalty by blood either way.”
Leia stiffened slightly, doing her best to not show her discomfort. “Yes, but Alderaan is no more. If you are suggesting I declare myself Queen—”
“Is Alderaan gone? Truly?” A sly smile crossed the senator’s lips. “Look around you, Leia. Look at all of the people and culture that have managed to survive, despite the Empire’s efforts. Is Alderaan truly gone?”
Leia did not look around as prompted. She did not need to. She knew what Sindian was trying to say and she did not want to give her that sort of satisfaction. “I am already Chief of State of the New Republic,” she said. “What purpose would it serve to declare myself the queen of a planet that no longer exists physically?”
“Who says you cannot build a new kingdom here on New Alderaan itself?” Sindian asked. “The legacy of Alderaan would continue through you and your children. Just think: Queen Leia Organa of New Alderaan. It has a ring, doesn’t it?”
“Not to me. ‘Chief of State Leia Organa’ already carries its fair share of burdens.”
“I’m not suggesting you declare yourself Queen now,” Sindian said. “After all, you won’t be Chief of State forever. Once your term limits are up, then perhaps—”
“Then I plan on retiring to spend my remaining years with my family,” Leia said. “I appreciate your interest, Senator Sindian, but I suggest you focus on your own future rather than mine. After all, you still have your whole life ahead of you.”
Sindian looked as if she wanted to debate further but seemed to think better of it. Pursing her lips into a thin smile, she simply bowed and said, “I will allow you to enjoy the rest of your day. Until we speak again, Your Highness.”
With that, the silver-dressed woman vanished back into the crowds. Allowing herself to relax, Leia turned in the other direction, intent on finding her family. At that moment, she caught a gleam of gold and saw C-3PO amid the crowd, along with R2-D2 and her three children. Smiling, she walked over to meet them only to then frown when she saw the grave expressions on their faces.
“Is everything all right?” she asked.
C-3PO started to speak but Jacen raised a hand to silence the protocol droid. “Artoo says he saw a strange figure somewhere in the crowds. He thinks they were wearing a mask that resembled—”
“That resembled a certain mask-wearing Sith Lord whose name we shouldn’t speak aloud so no one overheard and goes into a panic,” Jaina interjected pointedly.
Leia’s eyes went wide and she immediately looked over to the astromech droid. “Where did you see this person?”
R2-D2 warbled and C-3PO translated, pointing in the direction from where they had came. “He says he spotted them right after we had left one of the gaming dens. Of course, they could be anywhere at this point.”
“I will alert security,” Leia said, turning back to her children. “In the meantime, I want you to keep a lookout for whoever this individual is. If you see them, then alert me or the head of security; don’t act unless they do something.”
The trio nodded and immediately split up, heading in different directions into the crowds. Turning to the two droids, Leia said, “Go find Han and Chewie and have them meet me at the capitol. The president will want to know about this.”
“Of course, Your Highness,” C-3PO responded before heading off with his astromech counterpart.
Once she had alerted her head of security of the situation, Leia departed herself, heading in the direction of New Aldera’s capitol. As she made her way through the crowds, she found her mind racing in all sorts of directions, threatening to pull her back into memories she would rather not revisit. But she forced herself to focus on the here and now. The time for reminiscing would have to wait.
* * *
“How about another round of drinks, eh? All on me!”
Cheers rang out from all around the cantina as the bartender begrudgingly started preparing drinks. Most of the people there were either exhausted from all the celebrations out in the city’s streets, or had been dragged all the way to New Alderaan by their families and had no interest in participating in the celebrations.
Lando Calrissian, on the other hand, had a different reason for being there.
Turning away from the drunken patrons, he let his jovial facade drop as he slumped forward in his seat, pressing his aching forehead against the counter. His pounding headache and rising inebriation did nothing to ease the pain he felt in his heart. Thirteen years on and the pain had still not gone away. It never would, he knew, but the past couple of days had reopened old wounds that he had been able to grin through for some time now. Not even the sabacc tournament happening at the back of the room could take his mind off of it.
As the bartender placed another bottle of Corellian ale on the counter, Lando heard someone sit down on the stool next to him and pick up the bottle, pouring it into Lando’s glass. He forced himself to lift his head up and see the face of a very familiar scoundrel.
“So this is what you’re gambling your money on now, huh?” Han Solo remarked.
“It’s not gambling if you know what you’re getting,” Lando muttered.
“Fair enough. Still, how long do you plan on drowning your sorrows?”
“As long as I can still afford it.”
“And how’s that going for you?”
Lando patted the pockets of his pants. “I’ve got a hundred creds on me.”
“And your tab is…?”
“Ninety,” grunted the bartender.
“Sounds like a good place to stop for the day,” Han said. He poured himself a glass before patting Lando on the shoulder, leaning closer to his friend. “You’re thinking about Kadara, aren’t you?”
“What gave it away?” Lando retorted bitterly.
“You’re not alone, you know,” Han went on. “You’ve still got us. And Chance. Where is that scoundrel, anyway?”
“No idea,” Lando grumbled.
Han frowned, a genuine look of concern on his face. Glancing at the drink that Lando still hadn’t touched, he asked, “How much have you had already?”
“Not enough.”
“Well, something tells me it is.” Setting both his and Lando’s drinks aside, Han set down several credits onto the counter—enough to pay for the tab—before helping his friend off his stool, slinging Lando’s arm over his shoulders to keep him steady. “Come on, let’s get you somewhere nice and quiet so you can rest.”
Lando mumbled something incoherent in return. As the two of them were about to leave, Han spotted a certain golden protocol droid standing at the entrance to the cantina, barred from entering by the bouncer.
“Oh, Captain Solo!” C-3PO called out to him. “Princess Leia sent me to inform you—”
“Not now, goldenrod,” Han grunted as he brushed past the droid.
“She wants you to meet her at the capitol,” C-3PO pressed on. “It’s a rather urgent matter—”
“Isn’t it always.” Han sighed heavily. “Tell her I’ll be there as soon as possible, once I get Lando somewhere safe.”
The protocol droid kept talking, but neither Han or Lando were listening to him at this point. Lando could feel himself going in and out of consciousness, broken only by random words from Han, words he could not quite place or decipher.
In the moments where he drifted off, he saw the face of his daughter, smiling brightly at him as if she was really there. Then a dark hand would grab her from behind and drag her into the darkness, and he was too helpless to stop it. He could hear the voices of his wife and son shouting out at him, accusing him of letting Kadara get away from him.
“It’s not my fault,” he would tell them. “It’s not my fault!”
The snap-hiss of a lightsaber igniting, akin to a gas vane opening, caused him to turn around and see Darth Vader standing over him, the sound of his mechanical breathing filling the air. At the Dark Lord’s feet were his friends—Han, Leia, Luke, Chewie—tied together in chains, all glaring at him with white hot fury.
“Traitor,” Darth Vader hissed at him as he raised his red lightsaber, ready to bring it down on Lando.
“It’s not my fault,” was all he could say as the crimson blade came down—
Lando jolted back to consciousness as he landed on a bed. He looked up just in time to see Han leaving through a door and closing it behind him. A low mewl brought his attention to Chewbacca’s presence as the Wookiee gently eased him back down and told him to rest. At least, that was how Lando was interpreting him; he had spent enough time with the Wookiee to pick up some of his language.
“Sorry about this,” Lando said sheepishly. “Guess I kinda let myself go.”
Chewbacca made a sympathetic sound. Taking in a deep breath, Lando closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall back asleep, praying that his dreams would be better this time.
His mind didn’t get a chance to form any when the explosions started.
* * *
“Terrorists, you say?”
“I can think of no other reason why anyone would wear such a mask,” Leia said, standing in the office of New Alderaan president Eglyn Valmor. “The idea of wearing the mask of someone like Vader, on a day dedicated to a planet he helped destroy, has to be deliberate.”
Valmor nodded in agreement. The ice-blonde woman was close to Leia in age and had been among the survivors of Alderaan that Leia had connected with following the planet’s destruction. Following the Battle of Endor, she had served as regent administrator of the Alderaan Flotilla but had withheld from settling on New Alderaan, as the wound of her homeworld’s loss was still too fresh for her to simply adopt a new home. Following the Imperial Sith War and the chaos it brought however, the people of New Alderaan looked to Valmor for guidance and she answered them by taking office and leading the planet into a new age, one that would preserve the legacy of Alderaan while starting one of its own.
In many ways, Leia saw some of herself in Valmor. They both shared a homeworld and carried the weight of its legacy and its people on their shoulders. In that regard, they were of equal footing.
“I will have security clear the streets,” Valmor finally said. “I don’t want to give these terrorists—if that’s what they are—any more time than they already have to strike.”
Leia grimaced but nodded her agreement. She knew a move like this would upset the crowds, perhaps even give them cause to worry, but it was far better than the alternative. “I will have my security do the same.”
As Valmor moved to contact her chief of security, Leia noticed one of the guards behind the president shift slightly. A young man with tan skin, he wore a helmet that was customary of Alderaanian royal forces, with the visor lowered slightly to hide the upper part of his face and at least partially mask his demeanor. Despite this, Leia could sense a shred of agitation radiating from the man as Valmor opened her comm channel. That was when Leia saw the guard reach for his holstered blaster, and in a matter of seconds she knew what was about to happen.
“No!” she cried out as the guardsman drew his blaster and pointed it directly at Valmor’s head. Before he had a chance to fire, Leia reached out with the Force and the man’s body froze in place, his finger centimeters away from pulling the trigger. The other guard moved in quickly and disarmed his partner before shoving him to the floor.
As Valmor looked on in shock, a hand over her chest, Leia stepped over to the traitorous guard and knelt down beside him, staring at him intently. “Who are you working for?” she demanded.
The young man glared at her with dark eyes. His mouth moved but the words were too quiet for Leia to hear.
“What was that?”
“Long live the Empire.”
He then clenched his teeth and electricity coursed through his body as the electro capsule in his mouth went off. As Leia and the other guard moved away from his twitching, smoking body, Valmor hailed her security to alert them to what had just happened. At the same time, a prickle from the Force directed Leia’s attention to the window and she looked outside in time to see smoke rising from the direction of the New Aldera Amphitheater. In the distance, explosions rang out as people ran in terror from an unseen threat.
Dread filled her thought as she watched the chaos unfold. It just never ends.
* * *
When Jaina Solo finally spotted the Vader impersonator in the crowd, it was already too late. By the time she had gotten her lightsaber unhooked from her belt, his thumb pressed down on the detonator in his hands and the ground shook as the New Aldera Amphitheater went up in flames. People cried out in terror and started to run past Jaina as she pushed her way through them, pursuing the mask-wearing terrorist.
Reaching out with the Force, she tried to trip her quarry by dropping a vendor stand in front of him. He easily jumped over it however and continued running, making a sharp turn down a small alleyway. Jaina followed him there and ignited her lightsaber, reaching out again with the Force to get a grip on him. She managed to yank on the black cloak he was wearing, which caused him to falter for a moment, only for him to shrug off the cloak and throw it at her. She cut through the cape with her violet blade before calling upon the Force to increase her speed. Apparently the attacker had not taken this into account, for he let out a cry of alarm when he looked back at her and saw that she was a lot closer to him than she had been mere seconds ago.
His confusion gave her the window of opportunity she needed and within seconds she closed the distance between them and tackled him from behind, pinning him to the ground with her knee while she held her lightsaber blade to his face.
“Don’t move,” she said through gritted teeth.
“D-death to the N-New Rep-Republic,” he stammered, his voice muffled behind his mask. “L-long live the Em…Empire.”
Without warning, his body jolted with electricity and Jaina jumped away from him. Upon realizing what had happened, she regarded his dead body with both pity and disdain before turning away and running back down the alleyway. She could still hear explosions going off, indicating that this boy had not been alone. If the others were anything like him however, she doubted Jacen or any of the others would be able to get anything from out of them.
Coming back out into the streets, she saw that Jacen was indeed grappling with another of the terrorists. Like the one she had pursued, this one was also wearing a costume modeled after Darth Vader, although he appeared to be older and more experienced than the one Jaina had seen died given how he was putting up more of a fight. Regardless, he was ultimately no match for a Jedi and Jacen easily brought him to his knees with his lightsaber.
Holding his emerald blade to the assailant’s neck, Jacen said, “Surrender now so you may answer for your crimes.”
“What happens to me now will change nothing,” the attacker growled. “The message has been sent and we have served our purpose. Death to the New Republic. Long live the Empire.”
“Get back,” Jaina warned. “He’s going to—”
Sure enough, the attacker bit down on an electro capsule and his electrified body collapsed to the ground. Growling in frustration, Jacen tore the mask off of the attacker… only to drop it as he stepped back in shock.
“What is it?” Jaina asked, stepping closer.
Jacen said nothing and Jaina soon realized why as she looked down at the face of the deceased assailant. Although it was far younger than she had ever known it in her life, the face the attacker wore bore an uncanny resemblance to that of her uncle, the great Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.
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