FAMILY
by ardavenport
"No!" Leia stared aghast at her friend.
Yeno Thratz shook her head sadly. Her enviable high cheek bones looked stretched, her skin grayed like her hair with fresh wrinkles from a new personal tragedy beyond her years. "It's true Leia. Samok is gone . . . . to the First Order."
"No! How? What? Did he leave a note or something?"
"No, no ….." Yeno lowered her head and exhaled a near sob. "We got it from intelligence. He's been spotted with them in one of their releases."
Leia had ceased watching the holo-publicity from the First Order, the Empire Reborn or Returned. Or Rehashed as Leia thought of them. The daily synopsis of their propaganda was bad enough. She put a consoling hand on the taller woman's arm. "Yeno, I'm so sorry."
A smartly dressed Lieutenant appeared, part of the activity around them intruding on the private moment between the two women. "General Organa, supplies have been loaded onto to two Berek freighters and Captain Lornis is asking permission to leave early -"
"Yes. He can leave early." The Lieutenant began to spin around. "But tell Commander Tok first if they still want an escort."
Her expression immediately softening again, Leia turned back to her friend. "I don't suppose it's possible that this is all just a mistake?"
"Investigator Simor was very thorough even before he came to me." She lowered her eyes and dabbed at a corner before looking up again. "Actually he's been very understanding. He let me come here to tell you that I, understandably, " she let out a nervous laugh, "won't be able to help." A quick glance from her brought Leia's attention to the two alert guards standing by a wall nearby, out of the way of the busy techs, but their attention still warily on Thratz.
"Of course . . . ."
"There will have to be an investigation. I'll be on . . . . leave for a while. Just in case . . . ."
"No! You are not a sympathizer to the First Order," Leia denied, but as soon as the words were out of her mouth she knew that the whole Thratz family would be under suspicion. Anger fueled her next outburst.
"Oh, how could Samok do this to you? To his whole family? For the First Order?"
"Samok hasn't been happy since that latest scandal in the Senate. The Republic is not taking action -"
"But the First Order? Was Samok so desperate for action that he would join the First Order? They want to bring back the Empire. Have people just forgotten how bad the Empire was?" Leia spat. What was wrong with people these days?
A junior officer with a small data screen flinched from the expression on her face as he arrived. "The ammunition for the ship cannons has arrived, but the crews aren't sure -"
"Talk to Admiral Akbar, he's in charge of that."
The young officer fled.
Yeno Thratz shook her head slowly. "I think Samok finally decided that the Republic wasn't going to keep the galaxy safe anymore."
"Safe? Is that what he wants? Safety? Tell me, why would anyone think that holos of stormtroopers blowing people's heads off would make them feel safe?" she demanded.
Another person might have quailed from the venom in Leia's voice but Yeno knew that Leia's outrage was justifiable and not aimed at her, though the people passing them were giving them a bit more space than a minute ago. She sighed a long calming breath.
"I think I'm going to take some time to spend with my children and grandchildren. Keep them safe," she vowed quietly to herself, her eyes looking past Leia's left shoulder.
Leia thought it was a good idea, especially if she did not want any other members of her family joining the First Order with her husband. But she bit those words back.
"You should. Take care of your family."
Yeno's golden eyes suddenly looked back with a new intensity.
"What about your family, Leia? Where's Han?"
Leia, couldn't say, especially now that Yeno was under suspicion no matter how unjust she thought that might be.
She shrugged. "He's helping us. If you want to covertly supply a Resistance, you need smugglers. Han's good at that."
Yeno looked down at her with almost pity. "You shouldn't fight so much. Don't give him any reason to leave; he'll take them." She had known Han as long as Leia. "And don't spend all your time doing this. What about your, son?"
The sudden turn to her own family surprised Leia. "Ben? He'll be fine. He understands. He knows we have to do this. And he's with his uncle."
Glancing toward the guards, a signal that she was leaving, Yeno put her hand on Leia's shoulder. "Take care of your family, Leia. Keep them close. Or one day you might look and find they're not there."
Leia Organa nodded and returned the other woman's touch of reassurance. "I will."
***/||\\*** END ***/||\\***
Disclaimer: This story first posted on tf.n on - - - . All characters and the Star Wars universe belong to Disney/Lucasfilm; I am just playing in their sandbox.