abstract
| - Ariana Millikin was the only daughter of Mathias Millikin, diplomatic aide to the Organa family on Alderaan, and his wife Jenra, a medic. She wa the youngest of three children; her eldest brother, Bastian, attended the Naval Academy and was a gunnery officer on the Imperial Star Destroyer Intimidator when he was killed. Her other brother was Jase Millikin, whom she had thought was killed on Alderaan when it was destroyed. A serious but content child, Ariana spent the first few years of life in ill health, which left her with a fragile look throughout her adult life. Her primary joys were in reading and in following her father about on his various duties, though she was never allowed anywhere in the least bit classified. The young Alderaanian princess, Leia Organa, was a few years older than Ariana and served the role of role model, although the two girls rarely saw one another. Generally Ariana followed her brother Bastian around, tussled with Jase, and generally grew up in that only-daughter manner that sometimes straddles the line of little boy and little girl. Dolls and the like didn't appeal to her, but neither did truly tomboyish games. What she preferred were games of skill, of strategy, and reading. When she was barely into her teens, Ariana was designated as a gifted student and indicated interest in a military career. Her parents shipped her off-planet to interview at the Academy for early admission; it was this fortuitous trip that took her off of Alderaan before the Death Star visited. When she returned to find Alderaan totally blown away, she immediately sought out the Alliance but was thwarted by her protective relatives. She was, however, able to catch up with the Rebellion at its new base on Hoth. Young and passionate, Ariana found her desire to exact revenge for Alderaan was not sated by her work with the rebels. On Hoth, for example, she primarily helped care for Tauntauns, hardly the sort of duty that she craved. She nevertheless persevered, assisting where she could, even learning the rudiments of starfighter piloting to fight where needed. Her marksmanship with a blaster improved rapidly, as did her abilities in searching and hiding in crowds. She strove for assignments that would offer her contact with Imperials, and while they came every so often, she usually ended up doing what she referred to as flunky work: support functions such as working with the medical droids. Her chance to make a difference finally came when Han Solo allowed her to join his strike team on the forest moon of Endor. Though wounded, she saw the battle through and helped plant the detonators that destroyed the shield generator and led to the destruction of the second Death Star. Though most of her work involved unimportant tasks, Ariana did have one gleaming opportunity to exact revenge: a scouting assignment took her to Coruscant itself, where she was sent to obtain data on an Imperial outpost. She found out while near the Imperial Palace, however, that two of the designers of the Death Star's weapons system were on Coruscant. Unaware, of course, that a second Death Star was being designed, she decided to do what many a survivor of Alderaan would do and when she left Coruscant, those two weapons designers were dead, executed by blaster shots to the back of the head. Ariana was not convinced that the Battle of Endor was the conclusion of the war. After helping for a few months on the forest moon, she volunteered for anything and everything that involved hunting down Imperial stragglers. Once again, for the most part, she found herself involved in relief missions: when she would wander from system to system, practically looking for a fight, she would end up setting up hospitals, passing out supplies, repairing buildings. Her last effort landed her on Tatooine, and while this did afford her ample opportunities for fights in Mos Eisley, she wasn't satisfied with just any fight. She wanted to beat on Imperials. In light of this continuing need to eradicate the Empire she left the desert planet for Dac. For several months after she arrived on Calamari, Ariana was employed by the New Republic's Diplomatic Corps, first as an attachee, then as a full ambassador and assistant to the Director, Venus Darkstar. She traveled extensively and at times acted as an escort/pilot to Director Darkstar. Then, without warning, she disappeared from Calamari entirely. In the months since her resignation from any and all New Republic ranks, Ariana had been seen only a few times in public, most especially in formal attire at the publicized opening of the Keepon Casino on Caspia's Kichnar Orbital Station. Her role there resembled one of hostess rather than guest, and she was very frequently at the side of Talon Karrde. For many months Ariana was an agent in New Republic Intelligence (NRI), first working undercover with the Diplomatic Corps, then actually taking over the rank of Head of Active Intelligence. This is the rank she held when she decided to leave the Republic to work for, officially, Keepon Entertaining, Incorporated, as an executive assistant and negotiator. In reality, as a few people know, she was working for Talon Karrde in his many business interests.
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