As Amelia reached the Palace, she realised that it could only have been a day or two since she and Asane had 'left' on their 'vacation' and being seen now would arouse suspicion. So she kept to the shadows, pausing behind a large stone pillar as two guards patrolled past. When they had passed, she slipped out of the shadows and continued on into the main Palace, hood pulled up high over her head, shadowing her face completely.

Walking with her head down and her cloak wrapped tightly round herself, she was able to easily blend into the shadows, and once again gave a pair of patrolling guards the slip.

Reaching the throne room, she peered inside and saw that it was empty. Slipping through and out into the palace courtyard, she saw that it was deserted aswell. Making her way down to the gardens, she at last found Verle, in her handmaiden disguise, sitting on one of the benches, looking at the stars.

Hiding in the shade of an overgrown rose bush, she waited for yet another guard and a couple of handmaidens to pass, then slipped out again and stole silently over to the bench.

"Your Highness," she hissed, ducking behind a tree when another handmaiden came past.

Verle looked all about, surprised and a little spooked by the bodiless voice, but when she saw Amelia emerge from the shadows, she breathed a sigh of relief and motioned for the young decoy to join her.

"What are you doing here? I didn't expect you back for a few days yet!" she whispered in delight as Amelia carefully checked the gardens, then went to join the Queen.

"Did you succeed?" Kylantha pressed after a moment of silence.

"In a way," Amelia nodded, not looking up. Her hands were continually twisting and knotting in her lap, and tears were once again sliding down her cheeks, but the hood hid this from the Queen.

"We...we made it into the camp...checked out the database. My family name is on there, but we could not erase it because they had a back-up copy."

"It doesn't matter. At least now we know it's not a random attack then," the Queen replied. Then she looked about, as if expecting someone else. "So...where is Asane?"

As another guard patrolled past, Amelia melted into the shadow of the tree they were sitting under, and did not speak again until he had passed. She also couldn't help but notice how busy the gardens were tonight.

"We need to talk," she replied at last, fighting back the tears at the mention of her friend. "But not here."

"Amelia, what is going on?" Kylantha pressed, turning to look at the shadows where Amelia was hiding.

"There is something I must do first. Forgive me, Your Highness. I shall be back later, when we can talk properly."

"Where are you going?" Kylantha asked, concerned. Something had happened. Something Amelia was not telling her.

"I'll be back later."

With that, Amelia really did vanish then, sneaking back through the Palace the same way she'd come in. When she was out of the Palace and into the shadows of the street, she started to run, and didn't stop until she'd come to the Inn that Asane's Aunt owned.

Desperately trying to catch her breath, she knocked on the door and waited. After a moment when there was no answer, she knocked again.

Still no answer.

Rapping sharply on the door this time, Amelia pulled her hood over her head even more as someone walked by, and pulled her cloak tighter about herself again. She'd dumped her bag in a large bush back in the Palace gardens, so now her hands were free once more, and one of them delved into the pocket of her cloak, her fingers closing round something small as the door finally opened.

The door finally opened with Hopal greeting Amelia with a smile, "Ah, there you are..... It was Amelia wasn't it?.... Come inside now, come inside...." She said as she let her past and then made her way over to the stove. She carefully began to pour warm soup onto a cup for Amelia, handing it to her.

It was clear that Hopal already realised that something was very wrong for Amelia to be here as she was, without Asané, but she remained calm and sat with her.

"I can see that.... You have something to tell me..... Don't you...." She said with a sad smile on her face.

Taking a deep, steadying breath as she pulled her hood back to reveal her tear streaked face, Amelia nodded.

"I...I...just thought you should be the first to know...I'm sorry..." she stuttered, barely able to speak. She physically couldn't form the next part in her mind, let alone her mouth, but forced herself to continue after a brief pause.

"I'm so sorry, but...as you know, we were sent on a mission and I don't know how much she told you about it, but...it went wrong and...and we were forced to fight our way out...Asane...she didn't make it. I'm so sorry. I tried to go back for her...I really tried...but I couldn't...there were too many. She's dead and it's all my fault. I'm so so sorry."

Amelia couldn't help it then, and had to look away, unable to face Asane's Aunt any longer out of shame and guilt. A fresh stream of tear trickled down her cheeks, the salty drops stinging her split lip as she stared at the table.

"She should never have come with me," she muttered at last in a voice barely audible. "It's my fault...and now she's gone. And I couldn't even bring her body back. I've failed everyone. You...her...everyone. I'm so sorry."

Hopal sighed, it was the worst news she could have hoped to hear, but she took it strongly, "Its.... It's alright my child..... We always knew, when she joined the profession that.... There was a chance.... Of something terrible happening..... But.... You just never think.... It will be your own....." She said as she closed her eyes, trying desperately to hold back the tears for Amelia's sake, "It's not your fault Amelia..... The only persons' fault it is are those who killed her.... No one else.... You were both doing what you thought was right...... It... It was the will of the Force......" She said as she sat back in her chair, thinking of her precious niece whom she would never see again....

"I promise you...I...I will do everything I can to...to..." Amelia paused and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, then she looked back up with the same angry, almost vengeful look she'd shown the nexu back on Mandalore.

"Her death will be avenged...I promise you. I...I'll find those who did this to her and...they will pay. I promise you. If, by my life or death, I can avenge her, I shall. She was like a sister to me, and I know she meant the world to you too. Which is why I think you should have this."

Pulling the object out of her pocket that she'd been grasping during the entire visit, almost for support or reassurance, she held it out across the table to Hopal.

"It's a necklace I found amongst her clothes...I never knew she had it, but I guess she must have worn it under her robes. I packed her clothes in my case, so I'll bring them back in the morning, if you'd like me to?"

She shook her head, "No no..... She was... A dear friend to you also.... I can see that..... I have many things that will always remind me of her.... She was our little treasure..... You can keep the things you have of hers.... I'm sure she would want you to have them....." She said as she closed Amelia's hand with the necklace inside it.

She sighed, "It is.... A sad day in our family.... But I..... I want you to know.... That because of everything you did for her..... You are always welcome in this house....." She said as she lowered her head, trying to give a smile.

"Thank you...I am truly honoured by the gesture...but I feel that I am responsible for your niece's death...so...if there is every anything I can do for you or your family, name it, and I'll do my best. As the Queen's decoy, I'm sure I have a certain amount of 'leverage' so to speak. And you must also let me pay for the funeral. I understand it cannot be a true funeral, because there is no body, for which I am so sorry. But I have her handmaiden robes back at the Palace so we could put them on the altar with a few of her possesions if you would like? After all, it's not right that Asane should have no funeral at all...it would be disrespectful, and I feel I would be destroying her memory if we did not. So please...if you will not accept anything else from me, please accept that one thing. It is the least I can do for you during such a terrible time."

"Thank you for your offer my child.... Of course I will not deny you it.... It is very kind of you...... Does...... Does the Queen know of what has happened?" She said looking to her with unsure eyes. It was clear that the actual death of her niece had not completely hit her yet, it was something that would come to pass in the following days.

"When I came back here, I went to the Queen...but it didn't feel right to break the news to her first...you are her family after all...you should not have to hear about it from someone else. But I'll go and tell her soon. She has a right to know, after all...and I did promise I would."

Amelia sighed, looking down at the soup which was slowly going cold on the table infront of her. Not wanting to seem rude, even though Hopal was probably not in the mood to care about such little things, she took a few sips from the cup and tried to hide the wince as the hot...well warm liquid touched her wounded mouth.

Now she was at a loss for words, having never been in this situation before, and didn't know if she should stay and comfort an obviously distressed Hopal, or go back to the palace and give the poor woman some private time to come to terms with her grief.

She looked to Hopal, almost as if hoping to find the answer there.

"It's alright dear..... I understand...... I..... I know you have other things you need to be doing.... Your life did not revolve around Asané and it shouldn't now either..... You were both on a mission, and I'm certain now you will have much to research over concerning what happened..... I hope that..... You found what you had been looking for......" Hopal spoke as she stood up slowly, and made her way to the back of the house, before excusing herself to the back apartments of the building. It was clear that she needed time to adjust to the news, slowly it would come to her. In some ways she felt as a failure, she was meant to protect her niece, but was unable to when she needed it the most.....

Sighing again, Amelia also excused herself from the house and, standing on the front doorstep once more, she looked about the deserted street.

Having spoken to Hopal...having re-lived possibly the worst moment of her life so far...and having discussed it with someone who would no doubt be feeling the same as she did right at that moment strangely seemed to ease her mind a little. Indeed, she no longer cried whenever she thought of her friend, but that didn't stop the raw, burning emotion from errupting inside her each time.

She'd made a promise to Hopal, and one way or another, she was going to keep that promise, even if it killed her.

Pulling the hood back up, she made her way carefully and quietly back to the palace once more to go and inform the Queen of what had happened.