En route to the meeting, they passed several dignitaries who had to stop and congratulate Leia on her Senate confirmation. It was a lot of walking and stopping and walking and stopping, which Fett found tedious. Being able to step into Dyrk's armor served its purpose, but he was glad he wouldn't be doing it often.

They stopped again to allow Leia to speak with a Togruta senator and her aide, and he passed the time by dwelling on the fact that under her gown she was completely naked, still warm and wet between her thighs. What happened in her office was unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome. He was scheduled to leave Coruscant first thing in the morning, and it might be some time before they could meet up again.

At the conference room, Kivin and Atar took up position outside the door while Fett and Adira followed Leia inside. The Hapan official was waiting inside, but it was his bodyguard that drew Fett's attention immediately. He wore a long cloak and a hood that concealed his face and he didn't stand like a guard. When he moved his right hand to adjust his cloak, the light glinted off of a thick gold ring. "Stay on your toes," Fett said on the comm channel he shared with the guards. "Something stinks in here."

"Need us to come in?" Kivin offered.

"Not yet. Stand by." Fett was not in the habit of explaining himself. If the man was an assassin, then he was not particularly apt at his trade, and would very soon be dead.

Leia didn't have an earpiece in and was unaware of their conversation. When she stopped this time, Fett and Adira took up position on either side, one step in front of her to force additional space between her and the Hapans.

"Your royal highness." The official bowed deeply. "I am Irryn Lum'a, a humble ambassador of the noble Queen Mother of Hapes."

"Welcome to Coruscant," Leia replied warmly. "I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting."

"It is I who should be apologizing to you for my poor timing. This is a busy day for you, I am sure."

"Not so busy that I can't make time for an honored guest. Please, let's sit."

"Your highness is most kind."

Not many people continued to use Leia's Alderaani titles. Fett thought it must be deliberate.

"You asked to speak to me personally, Ambassador. I hope I can be of assistance."

Lum'a smiled. "You were part of the committee that prepared the holovid invitation to Hapes to join your Republic, were you not?"

"Yes, I was."

"Your presentation impressed a great many people. You spoke with such passion and conviction about your work. And of course...your accomplishments speak for themselves. In spite of your many trials, you have conducted yourself as a princess should, with grace and dignity." The ambassador leaned forward. "The Mandalore system was once and unruly collection of worlds and trade routes, with different factions vying for power. Now they have joined the Republic under your guidance, and they thrive. It seems that there is nothing your highness cannot do."

"I thank you for those kind words," Leia replied. "But credit for the unification of Mandalore belongs to Fenn Shysa, the chief of the Mandalorian clans."

"A folk hero," the official replied with a bemused smile. "A figurehead. Without your legitimacy, Mandalore would still be be an obscure system known only for it's mercenary trade. Your modesty, Princess, is most becoming. But unnecessary"

Leia blinked once, and Fett recognized the gesture as a sign of irritation. Her voice, however, remained calm and even as she spoke again. "Mandalore has seen the benefits of an alliance with the Republic, and the Republic is honored to have them. If the Consortium joins our ranks, they can experience the same advantages."

The ambassador seemed pleased by her response. "The queen mother has authorized me to offer you an alliance. One that would increase your own sphere of influence as well as the Republic's."

Leia's eyebrows arched. "Consider me highly intrigued."

"The queen mother will command the Hapes Consortium to join the Republic, and to bring the riches of our worlds and the bravery of our forces to it's aid. As part of the same alliance, the queen mother would offer you, Leia Organa of Alderaan, her greatest treasure. Her son Isolder, the Chume'da. By our custom, his wife shall someday reign as queen."

Adira gasped audibly over the comlink, prompting a status check from Kivin. Fett barely heard them. His attention was focused entirely on Leia's face as her expression slowly moved from inquisitive to shocked, from shocked to confused and finally polite but wary. "I am deeply honored by the Queen Mother's proposal," she said carefully. "But I hope you can understand my reluctance to-"

The ambassador's guard took a step forward and raised his hands to his hood. That was as far as he got, before Fett's blaster pistol was at his throat. The man froze, and the ambassador made a distressed noise. "Your highness, please-"

Leia raised her hand, a silent command to back off. Fett lowered his weapon, but kept his gaze fixed on the guard as he let his cloak fall to the floor. He was young and handsome, clad in the fine clothing of nobility. "Your highness," he knelt gracefully, bowing his head in a show of respect. "Please forgive me. I never meant to cause alarm. I am Prince Isolder."

She gazed down at him remarkable composure, the only sign of her astonishment was the slightly more rapid rise and fall of her chest. "Welcome to Coruscant, Prince Isolder."

"Thank you." The prince had the grace to look sheepish. "I apologize for my deception. My mother wanted our introduction to be a more ceremonious occasion, but...I was afraid you were about to refuse."

"I see," Leia replied, her tone still measured.

"Will allow me to explain myself?"

"Of course." It seemed she was feeling more control of the situation now, she gestured to the sofa. "Please, join me."

Relief and hope were clear in Isolder's face as he rose and took a seat. "What Ambassador Lum'a said is true, we were all greatly impressed with your presentation. Based on your words, I began to see the advantage of joining with the Republic, and I was not alone. But the more I watched it, I came to realize something more. Here was a woman with conviction and strength, who traveled in the highest circles of power and still speaks for outer rim systems and sentient beings with no voice. A woman like that, so compassionate and beautiful...I began to dream that perhaps such a woman could be my wife. And our marriage," he added quickly. "Would bring the Hapes Consortium and the Republic together as well. For the good of the galaxy."

For the good of the galaxy. Fett gave a derisive snort behind the cover of his helmet, but his amusement faded when he saw Leia's face. There was a flicker of something in her eyes. Hesitation. She wouldn't actually-

Then again, why wouldn't she? She was a princess, this was more or less what she was raised and trained to do. Isolder was offering marriage, wealth and power, not to mention a valuable alliance with the Republic. It was a perfectly logical move for her to make, but it wasn't a particularly comfortable realization. There was a small, petty part of him that wished he'd shot the prince in the throat when he had the chance.

"I know this must feel sudden to you," Isolder continued. "But all I ask is for you to consider it. I would like for you visit Hapes, to get to know me, and to see the home I could give you."

"I promise I will give your offer my full consideration," Leia responded solemnly. "Perhaps we should speak again when my time is not so limited. We could have dinner tomorrow?"

"Of course." The prince bowed his head again. "My days and nights are yours."

"I don't like this guy," Adira muttered over the comlink. "I sort of wish you'd shot him."


Luke wasn't sure that Leia would be back yet, but he pressed the buzzer just in case. Almost immediately the door opened, but instead of his sister, a stranger stood in her place. "Jedi," he said mildly. "Come in, if you like." He wasn't wearing armor, but he spoke Basic with an accent that reminded Luke of the Mandalorians on Concord Dawn. This must be one of Leia's new companions.

"Is my sister still out?"

"Afraid so."

He entered the apartment, taking another look at his host. "You seem to know who I am. Have we met before?"

"No, but we've all been briefed on you." He gave Luke a once-over and a friendly grin. "Thought you'd be taller, somehow."

"Sorry."

"That's all right." He didn't seem displeased as he offered his hand. "I'm Dyrk Veet. One of the Senator's guards."

"Nice to meet you. I didn't know there were five of you."

"Five of us?" Dyrk raised an eyebrow. "Well, not technically. It's just that-"

The door opened, and Leia swept in with two of her guards. Luke could sense her disturbance immediately. Something had happened. "How was the reception?" He asked carefully.

"The reception?" Leia gave a distracted wave. "Oh. It was fine. Very nice." She turned to one of her guards as if she was about to say something, and then seemed to change her mind. "Dyrk, you and Adira are dismissed for the night. Please order some food and see to it that Kivin and Atar have a break to eat."

"Yes, Senator." Dyrk gave Luke a farewell nod and tapped the armored shoulder of one of the guards. "I'll need this back by morning, yeah?" The guard inclined his head in response and reached up to remove his helmet.

Boba Fett. Luke fought the instinctive urge to step back from the bounty hunter. He supposed it made sense that Leia would want her lover and co-conspirator by her side today, but that didn't make his presence any less of an intrusion.

The bounty hunter moved over to where Leia was standing, staring off into space. "Tell me what you want," he said abruptly.

Leia turned to look at him and frowned slightly in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"I don't have to stay here tonight."

"Oh." She shook her head. "No, please stay." A note of uncertainty crept into her voice. "If you want to, that is." He said nothing to the contrary.

"What's wrong?" Luke finally asked.

"I'm surprised you haven't heard," His sister replied. "Half the people at the reception seemed to know about it by the end of the evening." As her voice returned to her, so did her confidence. She began to pace the floor, pulling hair ornaments out as she she did. "Apparently I'm going to be married."

Luke stared at her, then turned his incredulous gaze to Fett, who managed to convey in a single look just how stupid he found that assumption. "To...who?"

"The crown Prince of Hapes." She took pity on him and gave him a smile. "I'm not actually engaged to him, Luke. But a considerable number of people made it perfectly obvious that I should jump at the chance. After all, he's handsome and charming and his mother rules over sixty-three of the most prosperous worlds in the galaxy-"

"Back up," Luke pled, holding up his hand.. "Start from the beginning. Who's the crown Prince of Hapes?"

"His name is Isolder." Leia pulled out the final pin and her hair tumbled down her back. "Apparently he saw me in the holo presentation we sent to his mother, Ta'a Chume, and fell in love with me."

"I thought that kind of thing only happened in holovids."

"And yet, he seems very sincere about it." Leia sighed. "I might be more cynical if he had anything to gain by marrying me, the fact of the matter is, he could have any princess he wants. He certainly doesn't need to settle for disgraced former royalty."

"You're not disgraced," Luke protested, but Leia cut him off.

"He might have some ulterior motive, but for the life of me I can't figure out what it would be." She hesitated a second before turning to look at Fett. "What do you think?"

"He meant everything he said. That's not a guarantee of safety."

"True." Leia took a deep breath, speaking over her shoulder as she walked into the kitchen. "He wants me to go back to Hapes with him. To see what the Consortium has to offer. We're having dinner tomorrow to discuss it."

Luke felt a prickle of surprise. "Are you...actually considering this?"

"We can't afford to offend Ta'a Chume, not while there's still the slightest chance of the Consortium joining the Republic. Their navy would almost double the number of battleships alone, to say nothing of the resources and trading influence." Leia's fingers drummed restlessly against the countertop. "This is all happening so fast. I've only just begun my term on Mandalore."

"Mandalore was always a stepping stone," Fett said flatly. "Hapes has wealth and ships. You could crush the remnants of the Empire in a matter of months."

Leia looked at him as if she was sure she'd heard him wrong. "What are you saying? That I should accept?"

Fett shrugged. "Why not? Can't fuck smugglers and bounty hunters forever."

"I see," Leia replied, her gaze dropping. Luke actually felt indignation on her behalf, before he reminded himself that he didn't actually want Fett to stick around and fight for her affections. He put his arm around his sister's shoulders, drawing her away.

"I think you could use a glass of wine."

"Yes. Please." Her back was rigid beneath his arm. "I would love one."