The Children of the Stars

She Who Will Come After

Sam had never been to Tenel Ka Chume'Dan before. Rarely did any stranger make it onto Hapes proper, much less the Royal City itself. Especially after the Second Purge three years ago.

Hapes had closed itself off to visitors after that— but it was rarely ever open to tourists and foreigners anyway. The Transitory Mists made that certain.

The landscape of Tenel Ka Chume'Dan was beautiful, with carved pillars woven with trees that looked to be crafted of silver and gold and flowers that should have been made of jewels.

Although their guard escort was quick to inform them that they did not, in fact, grow gold or jewels through their plants, despite their ridiculous wealth.

That was the strangest part about Hapes so far, Sam decided. The matriarchal society had some graces that were certainly difficult to adjust to, but he figured that letting Danni do all the talking was probably better from this point on.

No, the wealth just lying there, allowed to be weathered and eroded at for no care of the value there was distasteful to the son of the famous Rose Tico.

All his life he'd been told about his parents' childhoods. It was never to shame him or his little sister, but to remind them that they had so much more than anyone in their family usually did.

And it was to give lessons, like how much good they could do with their new status after the war.

Seeing the Hapans use their privilege like this. . . It was beautiful but also sickening.

The speeder stopped, and the guards left first, shielding the visitors from the eyes and ears of the Hapan populace. Although that did nothing for spyware. Sam could hear the thin mechanical hums— perhaps only truly audible with the Force.

But he knew it all the same.

The sun turned the sky pink— but it was not darkening any, not truly. For even the corners of the sky that were changing to a rich deep navy were already scattered with starlight.

According to Sam's history textbooks back at the Flight Academy, the abnormally bright cluster was the reason that the Hapans had such poor eyesight and was the origin of the famous proverb.

The Hapans may be beautiful, but they can't see in the dark.

Sam had a feeling the literal and non-literal interpretations of that were both true.

A guard offered her hand, to help Sam out of the speeder carriage. He accepted, then adjusted the jacket he had been loaned.

Scarlet with gold shoulder pads and trimming, it resembled a military dress uniform, perhaps— but one from an older age in their galaxy.

He even was asked to apply a golden kohl-like substance around his eyes, and include two dots of it above his lips. The stylists insisted that it was modest by Hapan standards, especially for a man who would have an audience with the Queen Mother herself.

Danni, however— Danni looked beautiful, Sam decided as she fell into place beside him. Her light brown hair was in braided buns reminiscent of her mother's and her mother's mentor, Princess Leia.

Her gown was a shimmering golden number, sleeveless with little diamonds embedded in the bodice and in her braided hair.

"We make quite the pair, wouldn't you say?" Danni reached for his hand, and he gripped hers nervously.

"I think so. Hopefully one of these times, we'll get around to a kiss."

Danni gave an unladylike snort that made one of the guards take pause.