The Children of the Stars

Missed Steps

Nellith surveyed the ballroom. Under the bright night sky of Hapes, the nine moons aligning along each of the circular skylights crafted into the gilded ceilings, the courtiers of the Remnant and Republic danced, each keeping their distance while maintaining facades of civility. Their negotiations had gone better the day after, although the matter of the Jedi had been forced off of the table by Tenel Ka, much to everyone's resentment.

Everyone wanted more control of the Jedi, Nellith had sensed that in the rainbow room, and she sensed it now from her throne as she watched the diplomats dance in a manner emblematic of their own diplomacy. They misunderstood the purpose of their order— they belonged to no one and were beholden to no political agenda. They were supposed to be agents of justice and what was right, of the will of the Force.

In the days since the presence of the Jedi had waned, it returned to the ideas prominent when her father was a boy. He'd told her how once, the Jedi had been feared during the rise of the New Republic. How when seeing a boy with strange powers and a lightsaber, they saw the ghost of Darth Vader and not the face of Luke Skywalker. They saw that ghost there, now that the Sith had returned.

And either you were like the Remnant, wanting control of a possible army. Or you were like the Republic, who wanted to restrict the Jedi out of fear of what they could become.

A flare of black skirts in the sea of finery drew Nellith's eye. She and the handmaidens had coordinated again, in black dresses with roughly matching silhouettes and golden details with white diamonds.

Vanya was the one who had darted past them. As the more obvious and distinctive one of the group, she wore a sleeveless gown with a golden pattern on the blouse that led into a high collar. Her armbands matched the pattern of the blouse, and had ruffled black tulle around the wrists like the layers over the black silk skirt lined with diamonds. She was stunning, and clearly the young Remnant officer agreed, based off of the way he looked at her.

Soon, Nellith spotted Sansa in a gown similar to her, but with more gold details and certainly less diamonds, but similar enough that she could assume her role as the other decoy, if needed with very few noticing the switch.

Jacen and Tahiri were dancing now on the floor, but earlier, Allana had accepted one with Jacen as a brother-sister dance. With her sweetheart neckline and rouched fingerless gloves that stretched up to her elbows, she looked more the princess than Nellith was sure she did.

Nellith wished she and Kyp could dance like Tahiri and Jacen were now, in the ballroom but also in their own little world at the same time, apart from the group dance that required the switching of partners.

But alas, the Chume'da had to wait to be asked.

Nellith impatiently clutched fistfuls of black silk, stuffed with diamonds in designs of the seven—pointed royal star that was the symbol of the Royal House of Hapes. She imagined herself a beautiful dark bird, whirling her skirts around like flapping wings, dazzling all.

Even if it was rightfully Allana that did all of the dazzling.

Still, even if it was under the guise as her sister, a part of Nellith wished she could be flashy and impressive, just for once.

These were not the right thoughts for the mission, she chided herself. They were selfish, impulsive. Born out of envy and pride.

But that didn't stop her from thinking this way, all the same.

Her wish was granted, however, in the form of Kyp Durron sauntering up to the steps in a bottle green dress outfit, eyes twinkling. He knelt before the Queen Mother and the Chume'da.