Star Wars Alliances S1 EP 1 Unfriendly Assemblage

Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia are sent to a meeting on Hojan Five. They are to meet Senators, Ambassadors, Chancellors... but little do the group know that their little Rebel meeting is in danger!

Next: Star Wars Alliances S1 EP 1 Unfriendly Senator

Category:shortstory

''It is a time of hope for the Galaxy. The Death Star has been destroyed, Rezi Soresh's evil creations and the Imperial Commander himself gone, setting the stage for the Rebel Alliance to grow, with new heroes leading the battle.''

Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia have gone on countless missions since the Death Star's destruction, but death trailed very closely behind them.

Now, the Rebel Alliance and Princess Leia have called for a special meeting on the moon of Hojan Five—four important politic figures, Chancellors, Senators, and Ambassadors are attending, but unbeknownst to them, a spy is in their midest....

Hojan Five was a moon—a forest moon—often used for nothing. Nothing whatsoever, as it had no food, materials, or anything of the sort. Even the trees' trunks would be destroyed after one shot at a decent power setting.

But the fact that nobody would have good reason to come, was why it was exactly the best place to come for a secret meeting. Especially a secret meeting in which Ambassadors, old Senators, and Chancellors of distant worlds would come to visit a diplomat from the Rebel Alliance, who's heritage had been of the late Bail Organa, her adopted father, and Queen Breha, her adopted mother.

Leia Organa had known Han Solo wouldn't have wanted to come to this mission for a number of reasons, including selfishness, but the smuggler had come anyway, along with two droids—R2-D2 and C-3PO—and a young aspiring Jedi who had saved her from the Death Star, along with a furry Wookiee by the name of Chewbacca. All these people, she trusted, even if she disliked some of them. And so she trusted them to bring her to the location of the meeting with the Ambassadors.

"I still don't like this," Han said. "If something goes wrong, we'll all be fresh meat for the Empire."

After the Death Star, Yavin, the Bacta on Theyferra, and X-7, and in general surviving an entire year against the Empire, she was confident enough to know that risks were the only way the Alliance was going live.

"What, so you're worried about me?" Leia retorted, taking a stance that in politics had been a firm 'no'.

"He's right, Leia," Luke said.

Leia turned to the young Jedi. She knew that he still wasn't quite as powerful as the Jedi of old her father had spoke so much about, but she trusted Luke with her life, and made it quite obvious.

"We've kept safety into our hands more times than I can count. Garrick Sedwar will alert us if anybody comes into the system, and we'll have enough time to escape—with the Senators and Ambassadors."

Chewie roared.

"Me too, pal," Han said. "Me too."

Threepio, also in the cockpit, took a step closer to the Princess. Artoo beeped next to the golden protocol droid. "Of course not! I'm not doing it to him, I'm doing it to her highness."

Leia raised her eyebrow. Threepio was an odd droid, but she'd known him a very long time.

"I believe the odds of the Imperials finding us are 1229 to one."

"Eveybody seems to be against me today," Han muttered.

Chewie roared in the co-pilot seat.

"I am not complaining, you furry oaf. Just stating fact."

"Either way," Luke began, "please be careful, Leia. And, may the Force be with us."

They set the Millennium Falcon down towards a small canopy of trees, and began walking to the meeting place.

Once there, Luke saw Leia slip a data card into a slot, and Luke heard doors open in front of them. He looked around...

And saw that the metal in which the data card slot was, lead all the way behind an area of moss, and through all the moss was a blast door, which was open. Leia walked in first, along with Han, Luke, Chewie, and the droids in the very back.

The meeting place was large and dark, with little moss around, the inside seemed to be really clean.. Luke could see lights, but they weren't on.

Two shadowy figures were past them into the room, and turned to face the new arrivals. For a second, Luke wondered if he should pull out his blaster, and aim it at the figures. From the look on Han's face, he was thinking the same thing.

Luke reached his hand down a couple meters towards his holster—

But before that the lights turned on, and Luke saw who the shadowy figures were.

One was a tale bulky male Twi'lek, another was a tall male human.

"Ah," the Twi'lek said, "we thought you had left us, Senator Organa," the Twi'lek chuckled.

"I don't leave my people behind, Ambassador Leekian Ruwn."

"I am glad that is so," Leekian said.

Leia bowed, and Leekian did the same. She turned to the human.

"Chancellor Pepin, I am glad to see you."

"As am I." The Chancellor's voice was smooth and sleek, and a gave Luke the impression of a man used to controlling others.

"How goes Eerwn?" She asked.

"It goes well. The Imperials have not yet established a garrsion, and so we are able to transport out milta off-world at any point."

Luke began to think back to when he had been given his briefing. He had been tired at the time, but he remembered the most promising Ambassador was Chancellor Pepin. He had owned a world half in the Unknown Regions and half in the normal galaxy, and so it had taken the Empire a long time to get around to them, especially since Separatists had destroyed most of the files that indicated their existence. Since they had been ignored for so long, they had a military of their own, and the Alliance was hoping to recruit them before the Empire dropped the hammer on the planet.

"Hopefully we can come to arrangements that will suit all of our means," Leia said.

"Indeed," Pepin said.

The Twi'lek, Leekian, moved towards both of them, wanting to be included. "Now, shall we find out where the rest of our council is? Or are we it, Senator Organa?"

"No, there's more," Leia said. She herself wondered where they could be.

"Shall we begin our negations without the presence of the others?" Pepin asked.

"I'd rather wait until the others arrive—"

"I mean your body guards, Princess Leia," the Chancellor said.

"Fine," she told the Chancellor. "Let me just have a word with them first."

Turning away, she, Luke, and Han walked a couple more paces before they stopped.

"I don't like this. At all," Han said.

"Me neither," Leia said, and Luke found it rare that Han and Leia were actually agreeing, but it wasn't a concept Luke was probably gonna get used to. "But we need this, to survive against the Empire."

"Do you need it? Or does the Alliance need it?" Han asked.

"We," she lifted her hand around the room, encompassing Chewbacca, the droids, Luke, and Han. "We need it, Han."

Luke nodded. "Like it or not, we're dedicated to this now, and we're gonna have to see it through. Together."

"Expect for the fact we aren't gonna be there when you all negotiate," Han pointed out.

Threepio walked up to them. "There is a one in a 1000 chance that one of the Ambassadors will betray the Princess, and a one in a 2000 chance they will succeed in beating the Princess, and a one in a 3000 chance they will kill he—"

"We get the point, Threepio," Luke said.

"Very glad I could've been of use, Master Luke."

R2, next to the Protocol droid beeped.

"Of course not..."

Luke looked away from the two droids bickering and back to Leia and Han.

"Please, do this for me, Luke, Han. Just this once." She gave them a strap, with a com-link attached. Han and Luke grabbed their respective ones. "It's an emergency comm, and if anything goes wrong, I'll activate it. And then you two, and Chewie, will come to the rescue. Okay?" Leia smiled.

"Fine," Han said. Luke could tell he wasn't thrilled.

"Just stay out of trouble," Luke said. "Please."

"Welcome, Senator...?"

The Rodian said something illegible. Han wished that they had Threepio with them, but the droid had went with Leia to her secret meeting.

"I'll, uhm, just call you Reeehzhan," Luke told the Rodian. He slid a data card into the same place Leia had slid hers, and the blast doors came open. The Rodian made a gasping sound, and looked back at Han, Luke, and Chewie.

"Go on," Han said, and pointed towards the conference room Leia had gone into a few minutes ago for the meeting.

Rodian nodded, and said some other sound, and began walking towards the room Han had pointed to. The door closed behind the Rodian.

"Guard duty," Han muttered.

"I know," Luke said. "But Leia's got a good reason for doing this. She always does."

"Or does she? She could've just said no to that Chancellor hot-shot."

Chewie roared at Han. "Well," Han began, "she—"

"Could've botched her chance at bringing a whole new army into the Alliance's inner circle? Sorry, Han, but I probably would've left you at guard duty, too."

"Thing is, it's guard duty... but we're not guarding the Princess," Han said. He hated leaving her behind like this, unprotected, weak, with only a flinging arms droid to protect her.

"That worries me too."

"Yeah, well, it worries me a whole bunch. And if we're not careful, something is gonna go very, very, very, wrong, and we won't even be there to see it."

The new arrival, the Rodian Ambassador, sat down on one of the chairs at the round table, and looked around. The Rodian said something in his own tongue.

"He says 'hello'," Threepio translated.

"Hello to you as well, fair Rodian," the Twi'lek said. Leekian looked at Threepio expectantly...

"Oh, yes," Threepio said. Leia had to roll her eyes, and smiled. "Twi'lek Ambassador Leekian says—"

The Rodian cut him off with several sounds, and pointed at the Twi'lek, and then looked at Threepio.

"He says that he understands basic. To be perfectly honest with you, Princess Leia, I do not get why he understands but can no—"

"Don't embarrass yourself, Threepio," Leia told him.

"Oh, yes, of course, Mistress Leia, uhm, I mean Princess Leia."

Pepin raised himself off his chair a couple inches, and in seconds everybody was looking at him. "Princess Leia, I believe pleasantry talk is over. Shall we speak about your true purpose?"

"My true purpose, Chancellor Pepin, is convince you all that the Empire can not be reasoned with, and must be fought."

"And?..."

Leia focused her gaze on Pepin. He seemed to have no idea how to slowly push away pleasantries, but he was the person Leia had to convince the most. "And to see if you would want to commit any support to the cause."

"Hmm," Pepin said. "Interesting. Perhaps, armies?"

"If anybody has any, yes, we'd like armies."

"And so your true purpose is revealed."

The Rodian said something, and Threepio straightened at Leia's side, obviously happy to be included again. "Senator Reenhen says that bickering and direct confrontations will get us nowhere. He, instead, wishes to speak about what the Alliance would do for worlds that support it."

"We'll use the support you would all give us, and use it to make the galaxy a free place once again, including your world. No planet would be left under the dark, evil, Imperial shroud."

"A noble purpose indeed," the Twi'lek said. "I, for one, am willing to pledge all of my support to this cause, and this cause alone, with no payment but that."

"But will your world actually ever be free?" Pepin retorted. "There's almost no chance that the Alliance will actually win."

"It is a risk the Twi'lek people are willing to take," Leekian responded gravelly.

Senator Reenhen, the Rodian, spoke once again. "He says that he is not convinced," Threepio translated. "He believes that Rodia needs more immediate support than what the Twi'lek Ambassador is content with. Personally—"

"We don't need your opinion, Protocol Droid," came a new voice.

Leia looked to see a man with shaggy hair, and a very laid back attire in general, his hair slipped back...

"Senator Been Hun?" She asked.

"Yep, that's me, lil Princess."

The holos she'd seen hadn't made him seem this... stupid.

"Sit down, Senator."

"Did I miss the pleasantries?"

"Yes," Pepin said.

"Good. I'm looking forward to talking about this Rebellion."

"Are you now?" Chancellor Pepin asked. "Because this is very little about the Alliance. More about us."

"Then I demand we change the subject," Senator Been Hun said.

Demand? Either Hun had let himself drop since the Imperial Senate was disbanded, or he some contacts in high places. All the more reason to recruit him. She sighed. The hardest ones were the best ones, and even though she had already convinced Leekian Ruwn, it still wasn't the best she could hope for. Having the Twi'lek's people support would help, but not nearly as much as Pepin army, or Hun's possible contacts and large list of followers.

"I believe we have talked enough about ourselves for now, how about we begin to, as Senator Hun suggested—"

"Demanded, actually."

"—begin talking about the Alliance, and what exactly would the Alliance need from us?"

Leia knew she couldn't get out of it now. She pushed back a sigh, and began speaking. "The Alliance would take anything you can spare. You might lose something in the moment, but you'll lose everything if the Alliance does not restore freedom."

"A grand speech again," Senator Hun, the shaggy haired man said. "But towards the end you pointed back where it was before I made the suggestion. I believe, lil Princess, that we," he tried to make his voice sound louder and more prideful, "should disband for the time being! And continue later, after we're had our refreshments."

Leia eyed him. It would give her more time to study all of these people, but still, if that Flyboy suggested it, there was probably something else going on. "Anybody want to agree or object?"

The Rodian said something in his own language, and Threepio, next to Leia, translated. "Senator Reenhen says that he agrees with, quote, ' Senator Shaggy ' Hair—that's what he said, and I have no idea, oh, uhm, yes—that's all he said."

"Your protocol droid is very interesting," Leekian, the Twi'lek said. "And I do agree with Senator Hun. A break would serve all of our purposes."

"I do not agree in the least," came Chancellor Pepin's smooth voice. "We all have business pending else where, and being bothered by this for long than needed is not exactly called a good use of our time."

"Well, you seem to be overruled, Grandpa," Senator Hun told him. "Let's get a breath of fresh air."

Finally, after at least twenty minutes of having to sit guard and having to let a Rodian and shaggy man through, they were letting them see the Princess.

Which was odd. Why did Han care? She was just another passenger... but this passenger hadn't paid. In fact, he was still missing those 5000 credits Luke promised him.

"Leia!" Luke said.

She ran up to him. "Glad you're both fine."

"I'm glad you're fine, your Highness. A lot of things could've gone wrong."

"It's fine, Han. We're just taking a little meeting break; we'll be back at it soon."

Han sighed. "Exactly what I wanted to hear."

Chewie barked.

"He's right," Han said. "Us caring about each other. Such an odd concept."

Han looked over to Luke, but the kid was barely holding back a grin. He seemed to know something Han didn't. "Hey, what's so funny, kid?"

"You guys have always cared about each other. You just..."

"Bicker a lot?" Leia said.

"Yeah," Luke grinned.

"Let's just stop getting all warm and fuzzy—"

"Help! There is a dead body! The Rodian!"

Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewie looked at each other and nodded. "Wait here, Threepio, R2," Luke said.

The four of them ran towards the sound of the screaming, with Han in the lead.

Rounding the corner, they stopped.

And saw the Rodian lying dead on the floor.

"Senator Reenhen! He is dead!" The Twi'lek said. "Senator Organa, I believe we need to leave. All of us. In your ship!"

Leia just looked at the body. "We can't. Not until we find this traitor. We could go on the ship, and they might just have am easier time killing all of us before we make it to the next jump point. And, like I said. i don't leave my people behind. Neither do I let them die."

"Then what do we do?"

"We'll have to find out who this traitor is, and bring them to justice. Just like we will to the entire galaxy."

Shortly after, they had brought Senator Reenhen's body towards the main room, stunning Chancellor Pepin and Senator Hun. Even though Luke tried, he couldn't sense anything from them two. From Leekian, the Twi'lek, he could sense great fear, but fear of getting caught or being the next target, Luke couldn't tell.

"Senator Reenhen was killed by a blaster shot, but none of us heard it," Leia said.

"This points towards some sort of blaster silencer," Luke put it.

"We're going to search you all for silenced blasters," Leia said.

Luke himself thought that it could be Senator Hun, since he was the first to purpose they go out, and spread out enough for the traitor to kill someone. But Chancellor Pepin had also given them a very hard time, but it probably didn't extend all the way to murder. For Leekian Ruwn, it seemed a bit too convenient that only seconds after the Rodian's death—R2 had checked when he had been shot and what killed him—the Twi'lek was standing over him.

"This isn't what I signed up for when I came here," Senator Hun cried. "I came here to talk about a Rebellion—a foolish one at that—not to be put on trial for something I never did!"

Han wasn't having it. "Listen pal, we can't make exceptions because of some—"

"Han," Leia said quietly.

"Why are you so worried, Senator Hun?" Luke asked.

"No reason."

Leia raised her eyebrow. "We'll start with Ambassador Leekian Ruwn first, then Chancellor Pepin, and last Senator Hun. Alright?"

"Fine," Hun said.

Luke walked towards the first suspect, Ambassador Leekian Ruwn. He began to search.

"What if this murder is one of your people, Princess Leia?" Chancellor Pepin asked.

"They were all with me when the Rodian died," Leia said.

"Perhaps only after Senator Reenhen's death. Perhaps they killed the Rodian, and quickly came to you, and once your reunion was cut short, they came to see their dirty work."

"I trust them with my life, Chancellor."

"Do you trust them with other people's?"

Luke stopped searching Leekian. "Ambassador Ruwn is clear, your highness. He only had a small hold-out blaster."

"Alright. Search Chancellor Pepin next."

Luke walked towards the Chancellor, and began to run a weapons detector through him, and also began to check his bags and cases.

"What if it is one of your droids, lil Princess?" Senator Been Hun said.

"One of my droids could never kill someone."

"Are they just that tender?"

"No. They couldn't even beat one of those Porg things."

Luke stopped searching Pepin. "He's got a lot of weapons and gear, but no silenced weapon."

At that, Chancellor Pepin smiled. "I believe that only leaves one."

"It could still be her companions!" Senator Hun said.

"I'll search him," Luke said.

Luke took several steps forwards...

"Fine!" Senator Hun said. "I have a silenced weapon—but it was planted by somebody! I didn't have it when I came in!"

"A likely story," the Twi'lek said.

"It's true! Check for finger prints, for anything!"

He gave Luke the blaster, and he gave it to Leia. She brought our a hand ID machine, and scanned it over the blaster.

The machine beeped, and it went red.

"No finger prints," Leia said.

"That's impossible!" Senator Hun's shaggy hair was now shaggier than ever.

"Until we can prove otherwise, you're under suspicion, Senator," she said.

"Chewie, mind taking this guy to a cell?" Han asked.

"I'm innocent, though!"

"Don't worry, Senator," Luke said. "We'll find out who's actually guilty."

"What's a defel?" Leia asked.

"It's a Loth-wolf looking thing, but it's in a completely different light spectrum, so most races just see it as a shadow," Han said. "It also doesn't leave fingerprints."

"You think a defel planted the blaster?"

"If it was actually planted there."

Leia's comlink beeped. "It's Luke," she said, and turned it on.

"Hey, Leia, we've got another Ambassador here, you expecting her?"

In all of the chaos, Leia had almost forgotten. "Send her to the meeting room, and come here, too, Luke. We're close to unraveling this mystery."

"These are the people I know I can trust," Leia said.

The room consisted of the new arrival, Blohn Geem, an old friend of Leia's, Han, Luke, Chewbacca, Threepio, and R2. Everybody else was a suspect.

"I'm glad I'm in your confidence, Leia," Blohn said.

"So am I, Blohn." She nodded towards Han.

He pulled out a list of the four Ambassadors, including the dead Rodian.

"These are the suspects, and the Rodian, Senator Reenhen, is the one who has been killed. Proof leads us to believe it is this Senator Been Hun."

"But it's too obvious," Luke said.

"That's why I have doubts," Leia agreed. "See-Threepio and Artoo-Detoo ran scans of the Rodians, and revealed that he was shot, but nobody heard the blast, so we assume it is a silenced blaster, some newer tech."

Threepio took a step closer to the round table. "Poor Senator Reenhen was shot with a silencer, and when Master Luke searched Senator Hun, he found the silenced blaster. I for one believe—"

R2 beeped at his side.

"Of course it's obvious, that's why it's a waste of time to keep talking like this!"

Chewie barked at him loudly.

"Oh, yes, of course, Master Chewbacca."

Blohn laughed. "You have an interesting set of friends, Leia."

"They get a lot more interesting when you know them, as well. Anyway, Captain Solo believes that a defel might have placed the silenced blaster we found, but if there's a defel, we haven't seen it."

"I've never heard of defels," Blohn said.

"Do you know them as Wraiths?" Han asked.

"Oh," she said, and nodded. "That's their nickname?"

"Sure is."

Leia stood up a bit. "I've given all of the Senators emergency comlinks in case they are attacked. But we can't relay on that. Now, let's see if we can find out who this traitor is. Your thoughts, Blohn?"

"I doubt it's the Twi'lek. This Pepin, he seems to give a hard time. And Hun looks to be a very ineffective charmer, but not a murder."

"Looks can be deceiving," Luke murmured.

Poor kid, Han thought. He was probably thinking back to the X-7 incident, but he had to remember Han and Leia had experienced it too, not just him.

"I think we should see if we can question the suspects—"

An explosion rattled the room, and through Han's chair backwards, launching Han onto the chair and the chair on top of him.

Smoke filled the room, and screaming, but Han's ears were buzzing, he could hear very little...

"Han! Luke!" He heard Leia scream.

That was all he needed.

He pushed the chair off of himself, and heard a Wookiee battle cry.

"Oh dear, oh dear," Threepio said.

R2 had a electric tool, ready to stab.

"Han!" Luke said. "Come on!"

They ran into the hole the intruder had blown open and had left in—

Another explosion threw them backwards and covered the hole. The entire room was now in flames, and pieces of wood and durosteel fell from the roof.

"Artoo!" Han screamed. "Get the door open!"

"Now, Artoo! Now!" Luke told the droid.

The droid removed its socket from the door, and it opened.

Han, Luke, Chewie, Threepio, and R2 all ran outside.

As soon as they were all out, the room exploded once again, destroying everything inside the room.

"Han? You alright?"

"I'm fine, kid."

He looked around. No Leia, and no Blohn, either.

They were gone.

The traitor had taken them, and Han had just let it happen. It was over.

"They got her," Luke murmured.

''It isn't your fault, kid. It's mine.''

Next: Star Wars Alliances S1 EP 2 Unfriendly Senator