Motives

"What is it that you want me to do?" ~ Princess Leia

Chapter Three

The Battle for Coruscant (5 ABY)

The Millennium Falcon tore into the docking bay of Home One, its landing skids screeching against the tarmac. Her dull white hull showed more than the usual set of blaster scorches and blackened war wounds. Outside, deeper in space, in the skies and atmosphere, the Alliance to Restore the New Republic was fighting its last stand to overtake the Galactic Capital City world of Coruscant. The seat of power in the Galaxy, capturing this world was more than symbolic, it was essential to establishing their new regime.

The battle was not going well; the Rebels simply didn't have the fire power to make a quick and decisive victory. Years of chipping away at the Empire through small, key assaults and stealthy maneuvers did not translate to their first real outright offensive. Princess Leia, who had been flying with Han and Chewbacca on the Millennium Falcon, had been called away from the fighting and back to Home One with an urgent message. Shortly after their hasty landing, the ramp of the old freighter clanked open and Leia came bounding out.

Mon Mothma stood alone on the hangar floor waiting for Leia.

"Mon," Leia greeted her as soon as she approached.

"The Corellians are here," Mon replied without returning the greeting.

"Thank the gods," Leia breathed. "Han thought he recognized a portion of their flotilla."

"They're here, but they haven't joined us."

"I don't understand."

"President Orakzai is asking to speak to you."

"Me?"

"Yes, now," Mon replied and tilting her head up towards a set of conference rooms overlooking the hangar bay, she added, "He's up there waiting for you now. He can see us, so be mindful of your body language."

Leia fought the urge to glance up at the transparisteel windows looming above them. "I should change," she said, remembering that her current attire could best be described as fighter pilot casual.

"There's no time," Mon replied, grabbing Leia's arm and beginning to guide her toward the lifts. "Leia, I don't have to tell you how desperate we are right now. Things are not going well, you know that, you've been out there. We need Corellia. They not only have their flotilla but they have assets on the ground that could prove immensely useful."

Leia was thrown by the desperation in Mon's tone. "I'm not sure what I can do to convince them."

The two women entered the lift and Mon turned to Leia, grabbing her at the arms – an intimate, familiar gesture that was not in character for the Leader of the Alliance. "Do whatever you have to. I don't know what it is he wants with you, but Leia this it. This is what your father died for, what Alderaan was lost for, what my son... We must take Coruscant or it will all have been for nothing."

Leia stood dumbfounded for a moment. She had so many questions. What were the parameters of any potential alliance with the Corellians? Who had met with them already? What had already been discussed? Just what would she be allowed to agree to? But all of that fell into oblivion as the lift doors opened revealing a hallway full of people, some familiar and some strange. Mon led Leia through the crowd to a conference room door.

"You will not be disturbed," Mon said, as she opened the door, allowed Leia to walk in and shut the door behind her.

A man stood at the far side of the room, his hands behind his back and his gaze looking down to the hangar floor where Leia had just come from. He was a large man, both tall and thick. He had dark hair and a crisp, tailored suit that seemed out of place on a military vessel being more suited for a ball or wedding. But he had been military. Leia remembered his name but she could not recall any details about him. Only that he had been a successful strategist and had won the election for President of the Corellian System by a landslide.

"President Orakzai?" Leia asked.

"Princess Leia," he replied, saying her name in way that made Leia uncomfortable.

"What can the New Republic do to secure Corellia's alliance, President Orakzai?"

He turned to look at her. "Wars are wars, Princess. Until they become personal and then they become tragedies."

"I personally would like to see this current tragedy put to a decisive end."

"Yes," the President replied and then spun away from Leia and looked out the viewport once again. He began to speak with his back to Leia, "What if I told you that you alone had the power to deliver Corellia to the New Republic?"

"I would say if that were true, her flotilla would already be here."

The President chuckled and turned around to face her. "You are a very smart woman, as I have heard. I hope the rest of this conversation will not be too difficult for you."

Leia swallowed and wondered if it could be about Darth Vader. It seemed impossible given the limited number of people that knew. "I'm not as delicate as I look, President," she replied with a lift of her chin.

He studied her, seeming amused. "You're in a relationship with one of Corellia's sons."

The statement threw her for a loop. Was this about Han?

"No need to be alarmed and there really is no need to answer. I know my information is solid."

"I don't see how that holds any relevance-"

"Personal matters hold the most relevance. It's the same reason the Emperor chose to destroy Alderaan instead of Duro or some other planet. Am I correct?"

Leia ignored the question. "Why does my current relationship matter to Corellia?"

"Corellia? To Corellia it matters nothing at all. It's to me that it matters and I have the power to deliver Corellia to the New Republic and you have the power to deliver Han Solo to me. So you see, this meeting between you and I will accomplish everything that could not be done earlier by a room full of blowhards and self-absorbed idiots."

Leia squared her shoulders. "Whatever charges General Solo is facing-"

"Personal, Princess," the President interrupted. "This isn't about desertion or back taxes, I can assure you."

Leia swallowed. Personal vendettas were always far more dangerous than legal ones. She remembered now that Han had served under Orakzai during his short stint in the Imperial Navy. What could he have done?

"I don't wish to harm him," the General spoke into her silence.

"What is it that you want from him? What has he done to you?"

The man smiled patiently. "The war separated my daughter and General Solo. I have the power to now bring that very war to an end. And if I do, then I should like General Solo to return home."

Leia narrowed her eyes at him. "I think that would be up to General Solo."

"You lost your family because of this war," Orakzai stated. "Would you not give anything to have them back now that it's over?"

It isn't over, she thought but said nothing.

"The war divided my family. I want only want to bring them back together."

"General Solo can make his own decisions regarding his future. If he wishes to return to your daughter, I could not or would not stop him."

"Oh, I don't think you would have to stop him. Corellians in general can be very determined, strong-willed, stubborn, even. Especially when it comes to their loved ones."

Leia stared at him, still unable to comprehend or believe what he was asking of her.

"Yes, I'm sure that he is no longer in love with my daughter, if he ever had been. But there is much more to consider than that."

"As in?"

"As in," the General mimicked her. "As in, my daughter has a child. General Solo is a father. I'm afraid that fact has been cruelly hidden from him, a situation I wish to remedy as soon as possible."

The blood drained from Leia's face. "I'm sorry, what is your daughter's name?"

"Sasha Baies, she used her mother's surname growing up…as a security precaution."

Sasha. Han had spoken of her.

The man read the look on Leia's face. "So he has told you about her. That should be proof enough that she meant a great deal to him."

"They were very young. And she left him."

"Yes, that is true, Princess. But there is more to that story, more than even General Solo knows of."

Leia waited, staring at him feeling torn between incredulous shock and disbelieving anger.

The President sighed. "My daughter left Corellia at the height of the Imperial occupation. No one, including myself or General Solo understood why she had defected. General Solo left soon afterwards. Years later, as the war spread across the galaxy and left no place untouched by its devastating path, Sasha returned to Corellia." He stopped. "She returned…with a child. I cannot offer any excuse for what my daughter did."

Leia only looked at him. Han was a father. He had a daughter.

"Do you wish to stand between a man and his daughter, Princess Leia?"

She pressed her lips together, unable to answer him. She couldn't think. It was all too much for her to absorb. She turned away from him and looked out the large window. The Millennium Falcon sat in the distance. She stood staring at it.

The man approached her and whispered into her ear. "He will be returned to Corellia and accepted as family. His daughter will have a father. He will have a home. Isn't that something you wish someone could give back to you?"

"He could be a father to her without all this. Han would want to provide for his daughter and I wouldn't stop him."

"His loyalties would be divided," the man answered sharply. "I have a clear vision of what I want delivered to me in exchange for this alliance. I am sorry, but your feelings did not weigh into my consideration."

Leia turned away from the window to look at him. "And if he refuses?"

The man stiffened. "I'm afraid his acts as an Imperial Officer under Corellia will have to be answered for. He will serve a lengthy sentence in the worst Corellian prison I can send him to. If he escapes, with or without assistance, he will be pursued for the rest of his life. If he thought the Hutts held a grudge, he will learn to look back on his days in carbonite as pleasant memories compared to the wrath that I will inflict upon him…and his friends."

Leia stared at him in disbelief. There were so many possibilities that had flitted through her mind as she prepared to take this meeting, but nothing close to this. How could she have seen this coming? It was too surreal.

"Ah," the President said, sliding back into his friendly tone. "So much riding on you, I do apologize. I offer you Galactic peace in exchange for one man. I wonder, will you place your happiness above that of the entire galaxy?"

Leia turned away again, her eyes falling down upon the Millennium Falcon once again.

"I wonder," the President said. "If this is anything like when you saw Alderaan for the last time, Princess? Have you ever wondered what would have happened if you had chosen differently then?"

"I cannot make him agree." Her voice was hard and cold.

"I believe you can, Princess. He will have a much better life. You will have a much better life. How long do you think you will both be happy living the life of fugitives under Imperial rule?"

She did not turn to face him. She looked down at the Falcon, thinking about the losing battle they had just left. She thought about the conversation she and Han had had about their future. She thought of Alderaan, her childhood, her father...she thought of everything and nothing all at the same time. She thought about the feel of Han's lips on hers, of her father's arm around her shoulders, her mother's whisper in her ear. She shut her eyes briefly before she turned to face the President. "What is it that you want me to do?"