The Legend of the Jedi Queen

47. Behind the Facade

It was three years into the future. She sat on the Throne of Balance, Tallis by her side. He sat on the arm of her chair, and the blood on his crown dropped down onto the blue gown Nellith was wearing. In front of her was a legion of Force-users, all with different lightsabers of red, purple, blue, yellow, green, and all sorts. Every lightsaber was raised to her in a salute. But their faces were in a blur. When Nellith looked to her feet, she saw her parents lying dead there, and Tallis looked to her, taking her face into his hand.

"They were holding you back," he said, his voice sounding more real than anything ever had. "Nothing will stand in our way."

He stood, raising his lightsaber. "LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!"

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN.

Nellith could hear echoes of it as her hazel eyes flew open. She propped herself up on her forearms and sat up, looking around the room. The Rainbow Palace was eerie in the moonlight, cast in too many shadows for Nellith to be comfortable.

She then heard it— it was subtle at first, but now louder. Nellith reached out in the Force, and felt the bright sunshine of Miri in the Force. Curious, Nellith got to her feet and opened the door. Miri glanced over her shoulder, her thin face finally having lost its mischief and excitement.

"Can I come in a moment?" Miri asked.

"Of course," Nellith said, and she let the princess in, shutting the door behind them. Miri walked over and sat on the end of Nellith's bed, the sheets exposed and the blanket on the other side of the room, kicked off most likely during one of the nightmares.

"What's going on?" Nellith asked.

Miri's presence was like a sun that had grown too much, and was about to implode. She was like sunspots and flares threatening all in their distress. She hesitated, looking out to the moon over the meadow.

"You can't go to the negotiations tomorrow," she said, in a voice so soft, Nellith had thought she had misheard it, at first.

"What?" Nellith sat beside her.

"You can't go," Miri said, her voice vulnerable, full of swirling emotions Nellith had only seen once before, in Tallis Shan. "Promise me you won't."

"Why?" Nellith offered Miri her hand, and Miri took it, clutching Nellith as if she was afraid Nellith would vanish before her eyes right then and there.

"I can't," Miri whispered, shaking her head.

"Why? Why can't you?" Nellith asked.

"Father said I couldn't interfere, I wasn't even supposed to know," Miri said, shaking her head more vigorously.

"Miri, is something happening in the conference hall tomorrow morning?" Nellith asked, her voice low.

"I can't." Tears started to roll down Miri's cheeks.

"Miri, please," Nellith begged.

Miri bit her lip, but neither nodded nor shook her head.

Nellith reached out her hand, thinking of what she knew her parents knew how to do.

She beckoned the secrets in Miri's mind to come forward. Images of an explosion of bombs, of some chamber under the castle, and of Andromeda Hux shaking hands with Ambrose immediately came out.

Nellith fell off the bed in surprise. Miri reached her hand to her head.

"I could feel you in there," she whispered. "You reached inside my mind."

Nellith scrambled to her feet and looked to Miri apologetically. "I had to know. I have to warn them."

"Don't." Miri clutched Nellith's arm, her fingernails digging into her skin. "They'll take me, torture me to make my father pay for breaching the agreement."

"I won't let them," Nellith assured her. "Because you're coming with me."

"What?" Miri let go. "What are we doing?"

"We're making things right," Nellith said. "You know where the bombs are."

Miri seemed hesitant.

"I can disable the bombs," Nellith said. "Tallis and I will make sure they don't take you— I promise."

"Tallis is coming?" Miri bit her lip. "Then we'll want to take Sam and Amilyn. Sam's a great mechanic."

"And Amilyn's a good politician, which means she can probably lie and cover for us," Nellith agreed. "We need to take Tallis. He's my friend, he's one of the best Jedi Knights I know."

"We'd better get going then," Miri said, getting off the bed. "We need to do it before the Second Order has realized what I've done."

Nellith grabbed her lightsaber, DL-44, and her multitool before following Miri down the hallway. She could only hope they wouldn't be too late.