Commander Elaan was escorted through the Palace under heavy guard. The hallways which she had traversed so many times as a member of the Chume’doro now appeared almost unrecognizable, so much of their finery had been removed or destroyed. The Crimson Veil had even stripped the gold paint from the walls, intending to sell or use the raw materials for less vain purposes.
Her escort finally reached what had once been the throne room. Only now there was no throne. In its place were a series of holographic displays mounted on the dais, each one showing footage from newcasts or surveillance footage taken from elsewhere in the Cluster. Kalen, leader of the Crimson Veil, watched the displays, his back to Elaan.
The guards left her alone with him. Kalen’s head had inclined slightly at the sound of footsteps before he turned around. Their eyes met. Elaan reached up, removing the mask which covered her nose and mouth. It slipped from her grasp, clattering on the dirty marble floor as she swiftly closed the distance, all but flinging herself into his outstretched arms. They kissed in front of their world, their silhouettes bathed in the pale blue light of the holos.
“I didn't believe any of this was real until now,” she whispered as he continued to press his lips to her face. “By the Force, Kalen, I’m never leaving your side again. If I do I'll go back to dreaming...” Pulling back just enough to look at him, her brow furrowed. “Why are you wearing a crown?”
“Hm? Oh.” Kalen reached up and plucked the diadem from his head. He looked at it as if he had forgotten he was wearing it. “Vonce found it among the Queen’s things and put it on my head as a joke. I was thinking of having it melted down and used to make medals for our war heroes.”
“What about the rainbow gems?” she asked.
He smirked. “What would you have me do with them?”
She studied the iridescent jewels encrusting the crown. “Sell them to the greedy corpos on Coruscant,” she suggested. “And give the money to the families of our honorable dead.”
“I like the way you think.” He turned to glance at the holo displays. “I haven’t been outside the Palace since we took it from the loyalists. What’s it really like out there?”
Elaan described her recent travels through the Hapan capital. Ta’a Chume’dan’s starport had been declared a neutral zone and safe haven for refugees, but protesters and rioters could be found throughout the rest of the city. They shouted for the journalists' cameras and held up signs with slogans that ran the gamut from pro- to anti-monarchy. Many also targeted the Alliance, the Senate, the Chancellor, the GADF, the SIA, and the Jedi, whether accusing them of tyranny, impotence, or apathy. One in particular that stood out to Elaan had read: PICK A SIDE BEFORE YOU KILL US ALL.
Kalen snorted. “Nimaa’ri has fled to Fondor to plead her case before the Senate. If they choose to support her…” The Crimson Veil was strong and not without allies, but they couldn’t stand against the full might of the Alliance. They would be crushed.
“What are you going to do?” Elaan asked.
He was quiet for several moments, winding a lock of her hair around his finger. “I have been considering the strategic benefits of surrendering myself to the authorities.”
“No.” She shook her head firmly. “You can’t. They’ll kill you.”
“Like they killed me on Gallinore?” He gave her a little half-smile. “Either Nimaa’ri goes, or I go. With the way things are turning out, it looks like it will have to be me.”
“But what about all your plans for the Cluster after the Consortium is no more?”
“You can bring those plans to fruition—"
“Stay and bring them to fruition yourself!” she snapped back. “You tried to have a martyr’s death last time. It didn’t work. You would have died for nothing. I brought you back so that you could set things right again. Don’t run away now, my love. Stay by my side and fight!”
He clasped her to his chest, holding her tightly as if he were afraid she would disappear. “All right,” he said, breathing deep. “I won't surrender. But this Crimson Veil gig..." He cringed. He'd always hated that stupid name. Vonce was the one who picked it, of course. "We need a new approach, one not tainted by the past."
Taking her hand in his, he turned around as if addressing a crowd gathered in the throne room. "With the death of our head of state, I declare a new government overseeing the Hapes Cluster. The Hapan Union. A democracy free of queens and kings, nobles and elites. A society where men and women work together as equals. The Consortium is no more.”
Elaan raised their clasped hands. "Long live the Hapan Union!"
