The Rebel Faction

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> No, it doesn't make me sad. I block it precisely to keep me from getting sad.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

Leia shrugged, and rose from the chair, stretching. A more natural smile came to her lips.

"Well Captain, I think it time that we uncluttered your bridge now."

The two met eye contact and traded warm smiles and an unreadable look, their usual farewell, and then Leia left the bridge. Amalia fell into step beside her.

Leia was on her way to her quarters, which was a short walk. Corellian Corvettes still were not very large vessels in the overall view.

"Tell me, when was the last time you weilded your lightsaber, Jedi Master Amalia?" Leia asked suddenly and inexplicably as they walked, though her tone was idle.

"Touche" was all Leia said in initial response to Amalia's question.

She looked down at the saber she now held. It's polished surface gleamed under the ship's lighting.

Leia then took in a long breath, almost as if in preparation for something.

"Not anytime that I can easily recall."

She shrugged with some difficulty.

"It's just... hard not to, Amalia. It's been a long, hard time. And... it'll take time for me to deal with me first. There's no such thing as immediate results here"

They had reached Leia's quarters, and she busied herself with entering the code to unlock the door. But then she paused, and stood there with a blank expression on her face, lost in her own thoughts.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> What <!--EZCODE BOLD START--> do<!--EZCODE BOLD END--> I feel?<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

Her mind searched for an answer to that question, and as she probed her mind, she found it quiet, calm.

Why? Because she had all of her thoughts sealed off, both to herself and to everyone else.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Too protective, perhaps...

But controlled, refined, is my nature.

Pffft. Politics.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

Leia grinned inexplicably, except there was a sudden difference.

She was allowing her humor to be sensed through the Force.

Leia realized Amalia was waiting on her. She quickly keyed in the code, and the door slid open quietly.

"You may come in, if you wish"

Leia turned away from Amalia and entered the room, the lights automatically coming on as Leia voiced a command.

Leia smiled and plopped down onto a rather simplistic looking couch.

"Well, it's not like I have much to talk about these days..."

She paused.

"I haven't talked to you since I left for Endor."

She put her foot up on the low table in front of the couch, remembering the tense conversation she had shared with Amalia before she left.

"Well, let me tell you, that was one boring trip...."

Now that was a tall tale if she'd ever heard one. Leia broke out in a fit of laughter, fell off of the couch, and in the process hit her head on one of the legs of the table.

"ow"

She sat up.

"Ok, I lied. If you call mysterious men following me, crash landings, Ewok tribe feasts, odd visions, and a lot of sight seeing boring, then I'd really like to hear about your life, it must be exciting."

She turned serious again.

"But I do remember our talk before I left. Remember what I said about why I was going?

Well, I probably should have told you before now that what I went in search of there, I found.

Guess it hasn't been apparent to you ever since, I have barely seen you at all."

A more gentle smile crossed her face now.

"But... I suppose you shall see in due time."

She sighed in sudden frustration.

"I wish I knew why I had to come on this stupid trip!"

She noticed Amalia looking questionably at her.

"Well, yeah, I know the fat beaurocrats just want my presence...

But they never do things without double motives..."

She looked up at the still standing Amalia with raised eyebrows, but said nothing more.

Leia nodded silently.

"Me too."

The ship shuddered as it docked with a smaller shuttle that would ferry them down to the surface. Leia rose from her seat on the floor.

"Well, that was a short chat."

She shrugged at Amalia with a helpless air, then walked over to her bed and shouldered the single pack laying on it. She gestured to the door.

"Shall we?"


<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> An hour later, main Corellian docking bay...<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->


Leia walked slowly down the shuttle's landing ramp, Amalia accompanying her once again after a short separation. Leia was being cautious... she stepped off of the ramp, and simply stopped, looking around.

"Yeah, I thought so" She muttered to Amalia, who turned to look in the same direction. Apparently true to Leia's assumptions, here came Leia's set of Republic bodyguards and a man dressed crisply in a high ranking uniform of the Republic security force. Leia found her aide suddenly hovering at her left elbow; Amalia was still at her right, quiet yet strong, she noted.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> I guess you’ll have to bear with me for a while... sorry.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

Leia’s apologies to Amalia were deep and strong through the Force, but outwards nothing showed except Leia’s now carefully postured form and well practiced expression of patient kindness as the small party reached them.

“You must come with me at once” the man said tersely without any preamble. This caused a wave of curiosity to flow off of Leia as she appraised the man, and started walking again. Now he too fell in step beside her on the left.

“Might I ask why?” She replied after some while.

“Not openly, no.” The man said hesitantly. Leia responded with a noncommittal ‘hmm’ and reached out to Amalia questionably through the Force. Amalia seemed resolute, she would follow. Leia offered her feelings of gratitude, and allowed herself to be directed towards an armored speeder. She hopped in first, followed by Amalia, and lastly by the Officer. Her aide and the rest of the entourage that had been following them entered a second car behind the first.

As the door was closed and the car started on it’s way, Leia nodded to the man.

“All clear?”

The man nodded.

“Then please do inform us of what situation warrants this reception... and this trip.”

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> And it had better be a good one, to warrant all of these arrangements....<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> was the unvoiced comment directed towards Amalia.

Unfortunately Leia had to attune most of her attention on the speaking man, and missed some of Amalia's last message.

Something was wrong, she felt it strongly, and it was enough to distract her from Amalia. Her eyes narrowed as she waited for the man to start doing some explaining.

He cleared his throat, and began.

"As you know, there have been multiple attacks by terrorists of unknown allegiences on various diplomatic proceedings held on Corellia. When you had left, things had been relatively quiet for a while."

Leia nodded. "Yes, it was why I was given leave."

The man also nodded. "Well, exactly one week ago today, a large political function attended by a considerable number of representatives from different planets was attacked. It was a close call, nobody was killed, but many were injured. We can't allow this to go on.

Intelligence reports have narrowed down the list of suspects to a rogue group acting on it's own. The same people have been spotted at each event, and they use the same methods and tactics.

Despite the redundancies, our security forces cannot seem to pinpoint the terrorists before the attack and get away. That is where you come in, Ma'am..."

The man swallowed hard.

"Though I personally am against such a risk, the security director wants to insert you in a political party tomorrow night. With you being a Jedi and all, he thinks you may be able to sense the terrorists and point them out so we can pick them off before they act."

He looked at Amalia, as if seeing her for the first time.

"You're a Jedi too? We're in good luck then, you'd be of great help if you were to 'mingle' in the crowd... we can't do that with the Head of State"

Leia spoke up.

"How do we know they'll attack this dinner?"

"Because... it's sort of widely known that you're going to be attending..." the man said a little sheepishly.

Minor irritation flashed in Leia's eyes, but she shunted it aside. Better not to kill the messenger.

"Intel also reports that they have recieved word of the attack. They say it'll be the routine deal for these guys, and stand strongly behind their accuracy... for once. hmph"

Leia glanced sideways at Amalia and smiled, though it seemed, and was forced.

"So how are you for a nice big, boring diplomatic dinner?"