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And so the assassination attempt occurred.

At approximately 3:04 hours, while the Queen Mother slept, two assassins made their way up to the Queen's suite inside the royal palace. They then triggered a security lockdown, causing one of the Queens' guards to run to see what was happening. Due to this lockdown, the Queen was stuck within her chambers. During this time, the assassin was to kill the other guard.

It just so happened that the guard happened to have been replaced by Ashe that night.

The Quermian assassin walked down the hall, blaster drawn and aimed at Ashe. He fired two rounds, knocking the charric from her hand. That was his first mistake. Ashe rolled across the carpeted hallway, drawing her spare charric. The two exchanged shots, both missing, the Quermian singing a hole into the blastdoor controls to the Queen's room. As the blastdoor reopened, the Queen stumbled out, into the line of fire. The asasssin was smart, shooting out the security cameras, then turning his blaster to the Queen. Suddenly, Vaan arrived from behind him, force pike blaring. He swung, but the Quermian ducked, bobbing it's slender neck. Vaan overswung, and instead hit Ashe, who flew into the wall, grasping her shoulder.

As the Queen Mother screamed for security, Vaan hesitated a moment, to look at Ashe. The hesitation would cost him dearly. The assassin fired two rounds into the Queen's head, killing her instantly. Vaan leaped out in a fit of rage, but the gloved Quermian stunned him with a pocketstunner. Vaan collapsed to the ground, and the last thing he could see before he blacked out was the Quermian fitting gloves over his hands.
***

The Palace guard arrived in the hallway to a frightening scene. The blastdoor to the chambers laid smoldering and broken. To it's right was an incapacitated female Chiss. In the center of the hall laid the Queen Mother, dead in every right, her head still smoldering. To her right lay a dead Quermian, and to her left lay Kev'aa'nuruodo, unconcsious, but holding a charric in two gloved hands.

"Has the transmission reached the Dominion yet?" an impatient Elshae'k asked again that week. Today he was on raid, in his commandship Conquerer, escorted by two Acclamantors and some fighter squadrons.

"No confirmation yet," Sven replied keenly. "Or rather... it reached, but Vaan hasn't replied yet."

"It's not like it's that far," Elladan replied. "Bespin was half way on the other side of the galaxy, but Hapes is within spitting distance. Maybe something happened..."

"Incoming convoy," the nearby radar officer called. Sure enough, four cargo haulers exited, followed by a single aging frigate and corvette pair.

"Tell me what I'm seeing, Captain."

"Exactly what's there," Sven replied. "Not much. Shall I deploy the Transverter?"

Elladan gazed musingly at the ships from his bridge for a while before replying. "I think Borril's decided to alter his trade routes. My money says he's paid the pilot to come anyway, while the real convoy flies a different route."

Sven shrugged. "Commander?"

"Go ahead and deploy your ships. In any case, we get some new transports and a frigate and corvette. They could use the extra ships at Taris."

~

"Captain, that's either a planet, or one hell of an asteroid."

The Mandalorian officer stepped closer to the viewport of the Canderous frigate. Zooming closer every moment was a very, very large rock. Far away, one of the stars in the background was becoming slightly larger. "Comm in Mandal. Dispatch a science droid."

While the orders went out, the crew got a good look of the rock as it came in. It may have been an asteroid once, millenia ago, but, like Kessel, this overgrown rock had been caught in n orbit and joined the local gravity field's planets.

"Confirmation from the droid, Sir," another officer piped up. "Mostly nitrogen and mthane atmosphere, very thin. Weak gravity, but enough to walk and move equiptment without hindrance. Local composition includes several valuable metals, and possibly low counts of tibbana pockets beneath the surface."

"A regular goldmine."

Moments later, Mandal replied. "Estrange, congrats. Evidently, you've stumbled onto a previously unaccounted-for star system with a standard sun. Move in for further recon; we're sending back-up teams."

"And the final tally is?"

"Nothing," Detre replied, handing the datapad over to his commander, once they'd dropped the ships off at Taris. "Personal belongings and loot, but no cargo at all. It seems your theory was correct."

"Glad to hear," the chiss answered. Outside the viewport of his Victory, one saw the busy station hovering over the planet, ships flying back and forth. "Has the Network pinpointed anything of this relevance?"

"Possitive. They claim to know the source of their convoys' comm feedings; a Bothan relay station a bit near Tanaab. If we can destroy the relay satelite, we cut off their hyperspace communications between Centares and near old Alderaan. However, if we can control it, we could gain information relative to their hyperlinks."

"Do you suggest a tactical strike?" the chiss asked.

"A small one, yes. If we can filch their codes without their knowing, we can track nearly every convoy they ssend."

"Then knocking out the relay is unadvisable. Mind if I send you?"

"Lord Chiss, I live for this purposse. Send me to be your avatar."

"Then you have my leave to go," the blue sentient finished. "Whenever you're ready. We'll stage a few more raids alongside your surgical mission. I think it's about time Borril sees our new Nemesis."

(( i wonder where elvis has been ... O_O Anyway, seems it's time to improvise ... All relevant characters - ie Padme, Xaron - are assumed to be hauling arse aboard. sweatdrop ))

Naboo ...

The Aldera Ballet's engines hummed to life, almost to roaring as Freya entered the craft, frantically waving the others aboard. Wasting no time, she then ran to the cockpit, and called out to Zell and Nat. "Okay, dudes, strap yourselves in, because we're like totally getting out of here!" With that, she too strapped herself into the pilot's seat.

She then clicked the comm. At the other end, she heard a static filled, barely audible transmission of her brother's voice. "... The .. purple ... bantha .. flies ... in ... the .. rain .." was the transmission from Gunther, replete with bursts of static. Had she the wherewithal and time, she'd have even had the transmission traced.

But then again, there was no need, as the odd message meant only one thing, confirming what her gut told her moments before.

Freya then got on the intercom. "Like, allright! This is totally your captain speaking. Flight totally leaving out of mega Sith-infested Naboo. Our destination is so totally wonderful, sunny Aduba Three. So, like strap yourselves in, and we'll be making the jump to hyperspace the moment we totally leave Naboo's gravity field,"

And, with that, had Freya the inclination to do so, she'd have looked to the right, seeing the giant Corellian Corvette from Kashyyyk lifting off. However, her mind was on other things, even as she gave nod to the giant ship. "So, I wonder how Angel is," she said, dialing the latter's comm frequency. "I bet she's so totally in a bar, singing 'la la la' after whooping that Sith," she laughed.

"Angel, this is Freya. How are you?" Freya asked into the comm, her voice suddenly seeming more sheepish, subdued and timid.

With that she shrugged, and prepared for lift-off.

Getting back into his ship Red has R4 annalyze the lightsaber.

"R4 please try & re annalyze the ship. Crossreference it with any similar ships & markings. I want somekind of info on it," Red said.

"Bip beep boop." Replied the R4-G4 unit. the little droid again scanned the unknown ship out his masters viewport.

"Like, hi!" Freya chirped to Gorwooken, motioning for him to take the co-pilot's station. "Like, are you feeling any better?"

"As for the situation here, the queen says to go totally find the Core Fleet. Naboo would be like mega-blitzed without them, and totally needs the manpower," she added.

"But, first, Chen wants to fly by where Bear was, if he's still hanging in there," Freya grimly said with a sigh, maneuvering the ship so that the large corvette could follow. Angel, I hope you're totally ok, she also mentally added.

Freya gave him a weak smile. "I got it. Whatever the outcome is, it's the least I can do for him,"

Within minutes, the Aldera Ballet arrived at the site in which Freya and Angel were ambushed.

"Let's keep the ship running," Freya gently said, patting the large wookie's unhurt shoulder.

She then went outside, seeing the now broken body of Bear, as the corvette landed, it's engings still running.

Chenahab, as well as a couple other wookie escorts went to retrieve their fallen brother. Nearby, also lay the broken shell of the Sith whom initially attacked them.

Freya simply looked to Chen, a small tear running down her cheek. "Let's do the burial in orbit," she sadly said. Pointing at the body of the Sith, she also said, "Him, too. Don't wan't to totally pollute the lake," she bitterly said.

(( elvis: i'll let you take Chen from here, if you like. ^^ ))