Spycraft and Sweets
by Amy L. Hull
Written for Pontmercyingtilthecowscomehome for May the Fourth Be with You 2019 at Tumblr
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"Let's go!"
Cassian tried to grab her arm, but Senator Organa's improbably petite daughter dashed through the crowd like a seasoned operative. He gritted his teeth and dashed after her.
Ducking and swerving, he raced through the bright colors of the market banners, dodging women carrying fruit baskets, ragged children holding out grubby hands, and grinning vendors offering wares.
Fabric whipped in the wind, chatter rang on all sides, and his feet pounded a rhythm against duracrete and packed dirt.
The senatorial white flashed into view every few seconds through the riot of bright, flashy ads, and Cassian pushed his burning legs and lungs harder. How such a short kid-and she really was no more than a kid-was so fast was beyond him.
He zagged and raced down an alley, risking his charge on a guess, and he leapt out the other end, gasping for breath even before a tiny white whirlwind crashed into him.
In the tangle of limbs, clothes, and swear words no Core Planets princess would be presumed to know, Cassian wrapped his hand around the senatorial attache's upper arm, gripping tight. He might leave a mark, he knew, but imperial and bandit blasters left a worse mark.
"You are disrupting my mission," she hissed.
"No, you're disrupting mine." He met her eyes and pulled her up as he stood.
She twisted, yanking her arm.
He didn't loosen his grasp, but merely shrugged as she huffed.
She glowered at him, brushing dust from her clothes with her free hand. She tipped her head-every hair perfect in the elaborate set of braids-toward the alley Cassian had come from and walked toward it, not even trying to pull away and instead effectively dragging him with her. Several steps in, she body-slammed him into the wall, then leaned closer, cheek almost against his chest.
"What do you-"
Her eyes widened above set, pursed lips, and she looked from his eyes down and back at him again. He followed her gaze the second time, and saw a blinking light on a cube inside the satchel she held slightly open.
"Intel," she murmured, dark eyes fixed back on his as she tucked the satchel closed and adjusted it beneath her cape.
He'd been warned, but "a brash handful" had been underselling Leia Organa.
"I'm here for intel."
"Did you actually believe I was here on a 'mission of mercy'?" She raised an eyebrow above a tightly smug smile.
"Not even for a minute." He leaned forward and spoke into her ear. "But you have to make it look like a diplomatic and charitable visit. I'm here to make sure of that because I have been doing this since before you were born."
She jerked away from him, stalking back down the alley. "You're barely older than I am."
Three strides caught him up, and he stepped in front of her, leaning in to say, "And I've been fighting this war since I was six years old. If you're expecting that finally noticing people are dying under the Empire and leaving your fancy palace to visit a few dustballs will make you a legitimate freedom fighter, you're going to be very disappointed."
She thrust her chin up. "I don't expect anything." She shoved him aside and stalked away.
He surreptitiously scanned their path, the buildings, and the roofs, all the while keeping to her side. He might have business, but he was still there to guard the headstrong princess.
Keeping pace, he said through clenched teeth, "You should expect to get caught if you don't act the part of the diplomat you're here to be. That stunt on Wobani? I'm here to keep you from doing anything rash like that here."
She glared at him and picked up the pace. "I acted without full knowledge, and it cost dearly. I won't make that same mistake again."
"So you'll make different ones. Just don't forget that bringing out Wobani refugees, then getting your ships 'stolen' on Lothal already has you on Imperial radar. Even when you don't make a mistake, they're watching you. Don't forget it."
She gripped her satchel tighter and they walked in silence. It was better that way. Even this far out, there was no way to tell where the Empire had ears.
He waited until they were back amongst the marketplace stalls before speaking. "Your Highness, safety recommendations limit our time in the marketplace." He took her elbow and steered her down a side street.
Her dark eyes flashed with rage, and her lips thinned.
It was his turn to smile smugly, eyebrows raised.
"This is the best route to return to our ship, Princess."
She proceeded ahead of him, huffing again. He was sure he'd catch an earful when they were back on the ship.
He made a show of checking the route, the doorways, the roofs, and around corners, as he led them on a circuitous route through the maze of adobe residences. The Princess's white garments attracted more attention than his simple olive trousers and matching jacket with its pockets and cinched belt, drawing attention away from him.
One street looked like any other, one residence like its neighbors. Every corner sported thin children in worn or even threadbare garments, sweeping or spinning or scrubbing, depending on their age and gender.
Leia offered each a small sweet with a matching sweet smile. She barely hesitated as they moved through the streets, but the children all beamed at her like she had blessed all their ancestors.
Cassian felt his attention splintering. Watching for threats, tracing their path along a mental map, collecting datachips from drop points, and trying to discern where the princess kept her neverending stash of sweets.
Something about her manner struck him as cloying, and her attention to these children, it rankled. "Do you feel better about your wealth, now that you've given fruits and medicines to a rim planet and dulces to poor children?"
She glared at him then turned away, ignoring him until they rounded a corner and could see the small craft they'd flown from Alderaan.
When they reached the ship, Leia turned to a gathered crowd, waved, and tossed two handfuls of sweets. Cassian, shaking his head, keyed in his passcode. The ramp lowered, and she boarded. A spot of white caught his eye, and he picked up a stray sweet, then boarded. The ramp closed behind him.
"Ah, Cassian, you both returned," Kay-too intoned. "I thought you might shoot him for his insolence, Princess."
Cassian laughed. "You didn't think I might shoot her? She's far more annoying than I am."
"Yes, but her father is much larger than you." The droid pressed the buttons for launch and rotated his head. "And you're afraid of him."
Leia's mouth dropped open, but she seemed to be at a loss for words for the first time since Cassian had met her.
After a long moment, she burst out laughing.
Cassian snorted in response, strapping himself into the co-pilot's seat. As Kay-too guided them out of atmo, he glanced over his shoulder at her.
She was already carefully examining a datapad.
"What I said earlier, I crossed a line."
She glanced up at him. "It's forgotten, Captain."
Every hair was still perfectly in place, but now she frowned, deep in thought, as she twirled a curl by her ear around her finger.
"I wish, when I was a child, just starting to fight, that someone had brought me these."
Her smile, though small, seemed genuine.
He held a tiny white strip between his fingers. "'Hope is like the sun'?"
"It's part of a quote, from my mother's favorite Alderaanian poet: 'Hope is like the sun: if you only believe in it when you see it, you'll never make it through the night.' The sweets have a dose of vitamins in them."
It was his turn to stare, speechless.
"I was so angry when Father assigned you as my bodyguard. I insisted I could take care of myself, that I've already done several missions…" She hummed, shook her head, then met his gaze. "My father told me I needed to learn to work with you-with anyone I needed to-if I was going to be part of the Rebellion. So I brought sweets to keep eyes on me, so you could do what you came here to do."
He blinked several times. "You played at being this annoying rich kid so no one would notice me?"
She nodded.
"Maybe next time...we share the whole plan?"
She smiled a fully real smile this time. "Next time. Yes. I look forward to our next mission, Captain."
She returned to her datapad, and he returned his attention to the controls, watching as they jumped to lightspeed.
"Cassian?" Kay-too said.
"Yeah?"
"You were wrong. Again." Kay-too turned to him before continuing. "You are clearly more annoying than the princess."
Behind him, Leia Organa snickered.
They'd see about that, he thought. Next time.
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end
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