The Rebel Faction

(The crowd grew dead silent, in admiration, as Isolder stepped up and grabbed the torch. Placing it into the pyre, a tear fell down his cheech as the body of Queen Mother Djo was consumed by the flames. Everyone watched with angst, a sadness, and no one at that moment envied Isolder, no one was jealous. All were sad, struck with grief, save one, who was almost giddy with glee but managed to contain it very smoothly.)
(The only one dressed in black from fitting body armor instead of the usual Hapan ceremonial funeral attire, which was so over the top and expensive it would often be cheaper to buy sectors in the outer rim, Lady Montague turned more than the occaisonal head. All turned to those beside them and asked...)
"Her... where is she from... what world does she rule?"
(And everytime the answer that followed was...)
"I'm not sure."
(Only one person in the entire room knew who she was. The Hapan minister of fleet and defense held a base on Rendilli, a large industrial world that produced much of Hapan's defense fleet of Nova battle cruisers. Minister Set Aha was a caring man, who had always cared about his people, uncorruptable, always fair.)
(He was cooling in an arm of one of his shipyards, and Grand Admiral Chang had replaced him in one of his ooglith masquers.)
(Across the room, Chang took another order for the new Nova Seven, a Hapan cruiser he himself had designed. With a force feed of near reezing liquid fuel, the engines functioned incredibly efficently. They could perform at maximum power with minimal power drain and no overheating for hours, and the weapons systems were fed a more high energy yeilding plasma which, while slower firing, was infinitely more powerful. The ship wa hailed as a terrific marvel in engineering and Set Aha became famous throughout the cluster.)
(What most didn't know was about the little script Chang buried in the computer systems. When activated, the shields would invert, buckeling the hull and vaporizing the crew. In this manner, Chang would be able to kill half of the upper chain of Hapan command, with one hyperspace communique.)
(The others were here.)
(Isolder had let it be known that tommorow, a new Queen Mother would be chosen. Daughterless, no natural heir remained and even should one, Isolder's grief at allowing a Yuuzhan Vong ifiltrator to assinate had shamed him, and many had lost faith in him. The cluster was divided, and private vies for power were everywhere. It was of these that Montague took interest... they led all who had unbrideled ambition here, with the recall, all persons of Hapan descent were called. Those uninterested in the politics were few, either the working class with no power enough to come or members of the standing Hapan fleet, of low enough rank or hgh enough bitter animosity that chances of rapid ascention and commodation were slim to none. So Montague struck up a conversation with a pair of weel dressed prissy regals, her body warming at the thought of the poer ahead. She would be the Queen Mother of Hapes, and those fit to challenge her would be dead.)
(Now all she had to do was play games.)

Ikarrus Vreen watched dispassionately as the frail form of the former Queen Mother was eaten away by the fires.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> The best laid plans of women..<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

Isolder had been a fool and now his weakness was apparent, which (of course) was the gravest of sins; allowing other's to see your true face.

In a land ruled by Matriarchs, only those with absolute control could attain to power...only those could be the puppet masters.

Let the women have their glory...let them play goddess in their mind's fantasy for what did Ikarrus care?

The rich are still rich and the poor die. Man, woman...<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> we all die..<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

His eyes glanced down at the ring the old woman wore, now covered in the curling ashes of burnt flesh.

He turned his gaze from the ceremony to survey the crowd, noting the many "hopefuls" that ridiculously thought they might take the throne.

But Vreen thought to himself, <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> What if.. what if one of these young, impressionable young ladies took the throne?<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

He noted the woman in form fitting black and noted the fire in her eyes... quiet... set apart from the rest..

Not so much with her looks as much with her <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> presence<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->


And then, there was the child... or was she?

Many a deceptions have been carried out using such a ploy.

Ikarrus turned an ear to a whispering noble woman, truly an irritating woman..with more money than sense.

He kept his posture straight, ready at a moments notice to attend to his gentlemanly duties if necessary, hating them all the more..

The court was alive with intrigue even here... a state funeral, and Vreen merely an observer.

He cast another glance at Isolder watching the fires burn.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Your bones aren't even dust yet, woman, and they divide your kingdom as spoils...<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

The boy's power was broken... a Yuuzhan Vong had killed the Queen and a Yuuzhan Vong had yet to be apprehended.

He smiled...

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> How delightfully original... how delightfully un-Hapan..<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

And his eyes scanned the crowd once more...


<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> un-Hapan..<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->


and he noted another face...


<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> or.. exile..?<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

The protocol droid skuttled after the woman, "Mistress..is there anything I can do for you? You seem disturbed."

The protocol droid seemed to be thinking, "Well... I know humans always find a death to be disturbing...."

"Well uhm...." it trailed off.

(Uhm...I hope this is alright...I'm not exactly sure how to play a protocol droid, other than copying C3P0... Can I just do whatever I feel like, or am I restricted to being star warsy?)