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Operation Arrakis
False Truth
By Sylvana Lorrdain (with help from Josh Nolan)
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The familiarity of the clothing that had, ironically, been provided in her 
wardrobe was vague, and the fingers of her good hand played over the fabric 
as though she were reaquainting herself with an old friend.   That style of 
clothing she hadn't worn in nearly a quarter-century, and yet... it brought 
comfourt of memories from when her life had been much less complicated.

With the help of Fate's grasper arm, she silently struggled through 
undressing of the hospitalike gown and into the Lorrdian clothing. She darn 
well wasn't going to ask for help, she was stubborn as ever, even in simple 
things such as this.

Well, with THAT adventure over, Syl sighed.  She looked around the room, 
scowling at the corners where she just KNEW hidden cameras were watching 
her, hidden people watching those cameras, and hidden psychologists writing 
all sorts of hidden things regarding her not-so hidden status of image and 
biorhythm.

Sylvana was antsy.  How could she not be?  She was awake!  Using her hover-
chair she paced back and forth across her room for several minutes before 
giving out a loud, frustrated sound.  "Stay here Fate, I'm going exploring, 
if I stay here one more minute, I swear I'm gonna kill something," she 
muttered.

She was pleased when she found she hadn't been locked into her room, and 
was free to come and go as she pleased.  Silently, avoiding the looks of 
other patients, she wandered blearily about the halls until she found a 
door that lead to a lovely garden.

With TREES!  Maybe this place wasn't too terribly bad after all.  At least 
there were Trees, and trees meant comfourt to her.  She slowly made her way 
out beneath them, and closed her eyes with a sigh, one hand resting on the 
alien bark, but getting a comfourt feeling nonetheless.

From nearby, a soft voice spoke.  "Princess?"

Sylvana stiffened in her hoverchair,  her hand still against the tree's 
bark.

"Princess?  Have you come to save us?"

"Who's there?" Sylvana looked around worriedly, hoping it was just one of 
the local loons.

A man emerged from where he was standing behind another tree, his hair 
striped in silvers and golds.  "Princess... I can't believe it's true...."  
He dropped to one knee, bowing his head.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the humanoid before her, his hair was 
striped..... just like...  She shook her head frantically,  "No!" she said 
quickly.  "I'm not a princess anymore, please, don't call me that!"

The man looked up.  "Please, princess, don't deny your heritage!  For too 
long, I was enslaved by your father's master.  Think of the sacrifice your 
world made, Princess!  Take up that mantle!  Lead us to freedom!"

"No!  I promised I wouldn't go back!  You can't make me go back!!" Sylvana 
put a hand to her head as she shook it slightly.  The headache was getting 
worse.

Soothing calm feelings began radiating from the stripey haired man.  A 
reason the doctors  made *sure* his medications worked.  "Forgive me, 
Princess... Alderaan's destruction was a blow to the galaxy... I failed to 
consider that it would have been that much worse for you. Have mercy on 
your humble servant, Princess."  He bowed his forehead to the ground once 
more from where he knelt.

Sylvana's quick mind starts whirling - but cause of her vision's damage, 
which she more and more suspected the case, she could still only make out 
the striped hair on the man, and his constant bowing to her.  Though, 
Alderaan?  "Wait... what is your race?  You're not... Elenari, are you?"

"Elenari, your highness?  Your servant has never heard of Elenari, 
Princess.  I am a Firerreo."

Sylvana started a slow breath cycle, muttering to herself.  "Not Elenari, 
doesn't know what I really am, not Elenari, doesn't know what I really 
am...."

"...Highness?"

That broke it.  "Stop calling me that!!!  Twenty years ago I left that 
life, and I DONT WANT IT BACK!!!!"

The Firerreo suddenly backed away some, his head still slightly bowed.   
"Highness?  I sense... anger in you..."

That did it, she was full on panicking now.  "I'm not  your Highness, I'm 
not ANYBODYS Highness anymore!!!"

"Herthrir!" the voice of an orderly floated down the path before he jogged 
down.

"... Fegrin?  I was just talking to Princess Leia, and she got upset...."  
He was really worried at her reaction to him, it was completely not 
something he'd expected.

The Duros came over, "I think the royal audience is over, Herthrir - I'll 
meet you back in your room, and we can talk about this, all right?"

The Firrerreo nodded, the use of his name giving the Duros power over him, 
and ran off.

"Ma'am?  Are you all right, ma'am?"

Still caught in flashbacks, Sylvana was shaking, muttering to herself.  
"Not a princess anymore, can't make me go back, can't ever go back, how did 
he know, how'd an Elenari find their way here...."

Fegrin frowned slightly.  Being a Duros he had heard, and told, many tales 
in his life, and the children's tale of Elenari - a people of the Force and 
yet not - came to the fore of his mind.  But those didn't exist, they were 
just a children's tale.

Discreetly he pressed a button on his belt, activating a silent pager 
before slowly inching forward, non-threateningly.  "Ma'am?  Can you hear 
me?  He's gone now.  He can't hurt you.  You're all right."

"Leave me alone... they can't know I'm here, they can't find me!" She hid 
her face in her hand.  "just go away....... I don't want to go back...."

"We haven't told anyone you're here, ma'am.  You're safe here. No-one's 
coming to get you."

Then Dr. Anreson quickly arrived, having received the page moments before.  
"Doctor Lorrdain?" she gently put a hand on Sylvana's shoulder

The crippled doctor looked up, squinting in her inability to see properly.

"It's Doctor Anreson, what's wrong?"

Her voice was very small, "He knows...."

"Herthrir was just here, ma'am.  I think he thought she was Princess Leia."

Anreson nodded.  "Dr. Lorrdain, Sylvana - it's alright...."

"They can't  know," she whispered in return.

Anreson sighed, "Come along, I'll bring you back to your room now...."

"D'you need any help, ma'am?" The Duros asked.

She shook her head, "We'll be alright from here, thank you."

"Right you are, doctor," he nodded, and headed off to take up with the 
Firrerreo.

Sylvana fell silent as Anreson looked at her with almost pity on her 
features.  At least she THOUGHT it was  pity.   Hard to tell, she had 
trouble with her sight.

-----

Anreson shook her head, then moved to push Sylvana along.  The woman she 
was assigned to observe, and help, had fallen silent once more. Somehow, 
she knew she would be a hard case.  Perhaps, between receiving 
reconstructive medical care, coupled with psychiatric care, this woman 
would heal.

She hoped.  She'd seen Sylvana's ilk before.  Stubborn.  Withdrawn. And, 
now she realised, hiding terrible secrets.

Anreson had become an expert at treating secrets, even without knowing 
them.  She hoped she could pull it off again - if she could not. Well, then 
the Ralltiirian would have to come up with some other plan, wouldn't she?

*I promise, I'll do the best I can to help your mind ease,* she promised 
silently to the younger-looking doctor.  *I promise*