OOC: I'm starting this thread for someone, and he darn well better post to it! grrrr :)

~~~~~~~~~

Sipping from her drink, Chiisai looked over her breakfast buffet, trying to decide what would most tease her palate this morning. Fruits and pastries, meat and breads, there literally dozens of chooses to be had. Chiisai insisted on all of them being here because you simply never knew what your morning tummy would require. She didn't care what happened to the food after that, but as long as it was ALL here, she was perfectly satisfied.

Oh course, if there was one thing missing she would throw a tantrum that would rattle the walls but that wasn't important this morning since it was, in fact, all there.

Picking up one perfectly peeled pinkish fruit, she nibbled delicately on it before turning to watch a protocol droid enter the room. She'd thought about buying this one, didn't have a clue what model it was but the company had sent it to Chiisai for her to look over a few days. Here on Coruscant they knew she had money and were quite willing to cater to her to get her to spend it with them.

"Good morning, mistress." The droid greeted her in her planets native language before it set a small device on another table. "Your morning missives are ready for viewing and I have taken the liberty of weeding out those unacceptible."

This was perfectly fine with Chiisai since the droid had proven to be quite knowing in such things. She didn't have to torture herself looking at things sent by those of a lower class than she cared to deal with. Saunting over to the unit, her soft blue robes flowing behind her, the tiny woman punched a button before gracefully lounging back on a nearby couch. Her mail started to play for her, some holographic, some simple readings, others just a few words flashing across the screen. She didn't care for those, showed bad taste and form to not consider her worth sending a more exspensive missive.

They were mostly invitations, one or two well worded pleas for a loan, but it wasn't until the last message played that Chiisai sat straight up in her seat, dark chocolate eyes going wide as the machine told her where this one was from.

"No!" Instant red hot fury coursed through her viens as Chiisai slung the fruit across the room where it splattered on the wall. "How did they find me?!" Her tantrum in full swing, pillows joined the fruit as Chiisai raged, her cheeks pink with her anger, panting as she threw anything she could find to lay her hands on.

After all, it wasn't ever day she got a letter Hapes Nova.

(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.)

The sound of a brand new hyper drive suprised Chiisai since it seemed to have no sound at all, it ran so smoothly. She'd put off buying a ship, hadn't really seemed to have a need for one, but now that she had, the tiny woman was glad. All new and shiny still, the small cruiser was more than adaquate for her needs. Of course, she'd had a few surprise weaponry added because she truly trusted no one, but that was also adequate. She had no intents of showing up on Hapes without out a few tricks to help her out of any tight spots.

At first Chiisai had decided to ignore the missive she'd recieved but the more she thought about it, the better the idea sounded. It wasn't like she really wanted to be chosen to replace some dead relative, but the opportunity for power and connects was there. She was also supposed to be gathering information on anything she could find for an interested party and the future ruler of Hapes seemed like a more than interesting tidbit to find out about.

So now, she, along with a few new sparkly battle driods, just a couple really cause Chiisai didn't want to spend more credits than she had too, were closing in on Hapes. A new ship, new droids, the protocol droid she'd taken a liking to and a new wardrobe were all safely under Chiisai's belt. She'd learned all about politics from her grandfather and wasn't about to be caught off guard.

It was just a matter of seeing who else would be there now.

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-->

Funerals were so... boring. Chiisai could think of no other word for them. She had arrived late, but apprently not late enough as she stood among the mourners for the former Hapan Queen. With just her protocal droid, it was bad form to appear with battle droids, Chiisai tapped her foot irritably, wondering when this was going to be over.

When the old woman was dust, the little Hapan thought finally, things would be moving along but she was sadly mistaken. Chiisai couldn't hide her growl of annoyance at the site of some politician standing and getting ready to make a speech. Oh no, he better not, was all she could think, but yes, indeed he was. The man launched into his statement, lamenting the virtues of the slain Queen, but Chiisai wasn't having it.

With a swirl to her smokey gray outfit, her concession to the black mourning since Chiisai knew she looked smashing in grey, the tiny woman quietly, but with great dignity left the funeral. After all, she wasn't here to impress anyone, she was just here to see who came out the winners.

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?)

Ikarrus watched the gray clad woman make her exit and the room became a flurry of whisperes.


The woman he was with turned to another moderately politically placed companion .. (a fellow female).


Ikarrus' trained eye studied the woman for all of two seconds realizing that there was a reason for her being 'moderatley placed'.


<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> The poor woman couldn't make a decision on her own if her life depended on it. Probably rose to where she did due to family connections..<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->


He looked behind her discreetly and smiled as her "man" was standing closely behind her, warning <!--EZCODE BOLD START--> him<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->with his eyes.

Where it not for the funeral, he would have laughed.. (truth be told, he still almost did)..


<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Keep your pathetic woman..<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->


As the man moved an arm around the other woman, Ikarrus simply ignored him and looked straight ahead.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Public contact distracts the woman from her duties...The more powerful of women, detesting the contact in all but the most private of circumstances..<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

He looked at his woman companion and thought to her purring the night before...


...the stratches..


<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> On the road from Point A to Point B there are a number of Interlude C's...<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

His eyes were cast down as the Hapan reflection music started and the Queen's ashes collected by the mechanical arms within the fires..

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Now who is going to take power?<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"I need to check your vehicle." he whispered to the woman. "It's times like these one must be cautious..[/i]


But in fact, he was bored and wanted to leave the woman's presence. He left before the woman nodded ... noting subtly that he projected that she had not control over him.


<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> She might have to die...<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->