** Interlude - The Heir of Hapes**
**Hapes, Fountain Palace**
**Royal Wing**
Standing before the full-length mirror framed in polished silver and rare iridescent shell fragments, Ta'a Chume'da examined herself with the critical eye of someone who had been taught since birth that beauty was both weapon and armor. At nineteen standard years, she possessed a figure that seemed sculpted by the gods themselves — tall, graceful, with the perfect proportions that made Hapan nobility whisper in envy. The sky-blue dress she wore clung to her form like liquid starlight, accentuating the gentle curve of her hips and the elegant line of her neck. Her long auburn hair, streaked with natural gold highlights from Hapes' perpetual daylight, cascaded down her back in artfully arranged waves.
She turned slightly, studying her reflection from every angle. A truly regal beauty. But this was no surprise. Ta'a was the Chume'da — the designated heir to the royal family of Hapes, daughter of Queen Mother Ni'Korish, and widely regarded as one of the most beautiful women in the entire Consortium.
"You look stunning, my lady," her maids chorused in perfect unison, their voices soft and reverent as they adjusted the final folds of her gown and placed a delicate tiara of sapphires and diamonds upon her head.
"I know," Ta'a replied simply, waving them away with a graceful flick of her wrist. Compliments were expected, but she had no patience for unnecessary flattery today. Her mind was elsewhere.
"Captain," she called, her voice carrying the quiet authority of someone born to rule. "I am ready."
Captain SarSaa, commander of the Chume'doro — the elite all-female royal guard — stepped forward. She wore the traditional blue armor and half-mask that concealed her features while still allowing her to project an aura of lethal readiness. SarSaa bowed deeply, her movements precise and respectful.
"The Incomparable One awaits you in the west wing, Chume'da. If you will follow me."
Six guards formed a protective circle around Ta'a as they exited the lavish royal chambers. The corridor beyond was a masterpiece of Hapan architecture — brightly lit by natural sunlight streaming through towering stained-glass windows depicting ancient victories of the Lorell Raiders and the rise of the Queen Mothers. The light danced across polished marble floors and carved columns that served more as artistic statements than structural necessities. Every surface gleamed with wealth and power.
Outwardly, Ta'a appeared the picture of serene composure — the result of years of rigorous training in etiquette and courtly behavior from her mother and aunts. Inside, however, she seethed with a mixture of impatience and anxiety. This summons was no ordinary audience. She could feel it in her bones. It was connected to the strange events of three months ago — when, for the first time in over three thousand years, an unmarked ship from outside the Consortium had been permitted to pass through the Barrier Nebula and land on Hapes.
The history of Hapes stretched back over four and a half thousand years. Long ago, the Lorell Raiders — a ruthless band of pirates — had discovered a stable passage through the treacherous Barrier Nebula and claimed the habitable world they named Hapes. It became their base of operations, a free port from which they launched raids on Republic trade routes for centuries. They plundered everything of value, but their most prized commodity had always been women — especially beautiful ones. Captives were sorted in brutal selection centers. The plain were sold in distant markets. The most exquisite became concubines and wives for the raiders. Boys born to them were raised as pirates. Girls remained on Hapes, raised by their mothers in the ways of their people.
This brutal system lasted nearly five hundred years until the Galactic Republic, tired of the constant predation, ambushed and nearly annihilated the Lorell Raiders. Only a handful of ships returned. For every surviving pirate, a hundred had died.
In the aftermath, the women of Hapes seized power. They swore never again to submit to men. The first Queen Mother took the throne and established the Hapes Consortium. Later queens closed the borders, using the Nebula as a natural fortress, and turned inward. Over three thousand years, what began as a single planet grew into a powerful union of sixty-three major inhabited worlds and fifty-six smaller colonies.
Now the seventy-second Queen Mother, Ni'Korish, sat upon the throne — a stern guardian of Hapan tradition and a fierce opponent of anything that threatened matriarchal rule. She had instilled in Ta'a a deep, burning hatred of the Jedi, who had once destroyed their pirate ancestors and later encouraged rebellions within the Consortium.
And yet… three months ago, an unmarked ship had been allowed through.
Ta'a had only caught a brief glimpse of the delegation — mountains of lavish gifts, priceless artwork, and rare gemstones presented to her mother. But it was the pale, hairless woman leading the envoy who had truly unsettled her. The stranger's gaze had felt like it could pierce souls. She had spoken with quiet respect to Queen Mother Ni'Korish, and — shockingly — her mother had listened.
Now another ship had arrived. And Ta'a had been summoned.
"We have arrived, Chume'da," Captain SarSaa announced, bowing low. "The Incomparable One awaits."
The grand doors to the west wing audience chamber swung open. Ta'a stepped inside with measured grace.
Queen Mother Ni'Korish sat at a small, exquisitely carved table of rare Hapan wood. Across from her sat a man. Not Hapan. Gray-haired, with piercing blue eyes and an aura of quiet authority. He looked perhaps a decade older than her mother, yet carried himself with the vitality of a much younger man. Power radiated from him — not the crude strength of a warrior, but something deeper. Sharper. More dangerous.
"And here is my daughter," Ni'Korish said, gesturing elegantly. "Ta'a, meet our new… ally. This is Master Sidious."
Ta'a approached slowly, studying the man. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the lightsaber hilt at his belt.
"He's a Jedi?!" she exclaimed, unable to hide her disgust.
"Not at all," Sidious replied smoothly in flawless Hapan, though with a distinct accent. "I would describe myself as an implacable enemy of the Jedi."
Ta'a relaxed slightly. "Good. If that is true."
Queen Mother Ni'Korish smiled — a rare expression. "Master Sidious has offered us a most generous alliance. Through him, we can obtain almost everything we need without ever opening our borders to the Republic."
"But… won't the Jedi and the Republic intervene the moment we draw their attention?" Ta'a asked, her sharp mind already calculating risks.
"The days of the Jedi and the Republic are numbered," Sidious said calmly. "You need not worry about them."
Ni'Korish rose gracefully. "I will leave you two to speak privately." She gave Ta'a a meaningful look before gliding out of the chamber, the doors closing softly behind her.
Ta'a turned back to Sidious, studying him more carefully now. He stood and approached, his gaze appreciative but not crude. No Hapan man had ever looked at her with quite this intensity.
"In truth," Sidious said softly, "the rumors did not do you justice. Your beauty surpasses anything words could convey."
Ta'a felt her cheeks warm despite herself. "What exactly did you discuss with my mother?"
"I offered her a great deal in exchange for alliance. In particular… cloning technology."
"Cloning?" Ta'a's eyebrows rose.
"Exactly. Your mother will be able to create a perfect heir, raise her, educate her, and transfer power when she deems the successor ready. No more dependence on natural births. No more vulnerability if a Queen Mother fails to produce daughters."
Ta'a's shoulders tensed. "Then… I would no longer be necessary."
Sidious stepped closer, close enough that she could smell the faint, expensive scent he wore. "Do not worry, Ereneda," he murmured, using the formal title that carried both respect and intimacy. "As soon as I saw you, I knew you had stolen my heart."
"Are we on such familiar terms already?" Ta'a asked, though her voice had grown softer, almost breathless.
"Any objections?" Sidious asked, gently brushing his fingers along her cheek.
Ta'a's heart raced. No man had ever touched her like this — with such confidence, such promise of power. She pressed herself against him, looking up into his eyes.
"Why not?" she whispered. "If Mother has decided to create a new heir through cloning… I may not survive the transition anyway."
Sidious smiled — a slow, satisfied smile that sent a thrill through her.
"Oh, I can offer you so much more than the title of Queen Mother of Hapes," he said, his voice low and hypnotic. "Would you be content with the galaxy itself at your feet?"
Ta'a's lips curved into a smile of her own — ambitious, hungry, and unafraid.
"I believe I would."