Disclaimer:
Inspired by:
Honky Tonk Girl
Written by Joe Nichols, Steve Dean, and Will Nance. Performed by Joe Nichols.
To think, after all her adventures and near-death escapes, she would end up in a desk job. Leia looked out the window once again at the busy hum of the city, rushing on, passing her by. She sighed, lost in daydreams of a former life when every day was a test of her strength and tomorrow was never a certainty. At least, that's how she remembered it.
Suddenly, a shout pierced the paperwork silence. Leia snapped to attention. Down the hall, someone screamed. Her secretary gasped. "Out the window," Leia ordered her. "Go along the balcony, and make sure everyone else gets out." The secretary sat, frozen to her chair. A shot rang out. "Now," Leia barked. She gave the younger woman a shove.
"Yes, Senator," the secretary squeaked, and wriggled through the open window. Leia pulled a blaster from her desk drawer. The weight was reassuring, the grip comfortable in her hand. She headed for the door.
The hallway was empty, but there were voices coming from the lobby. Security would be on the way, but she wasn't going to wait. She leaned against the wall and looked carefully around the corner.
The receptionist cowered behind the desk. A security guard lay slumped across the steel countertop, presumably the victim of the one shot. His killer looked to be one of three beings dressed in black robes. They wore full-face masks and carried impressively large rifles. Raising her own weapon, Leia stepped into view.
"In the name of the Republic, I order you to drop your weapons," she commanded with practiced confidence. The attackers only laughed, a tinny, mechanical sound.
"Your little toy does not scare us. We will not be ordered away," one replied.
Leia placed her blaster on the floor and raised her hands. "Then perhaps we can reach some sort of agreement."
"That's not likely," the nearest said. "Unless it involves your pretty little head mounted on my wall."
Leia shrugged. "Very well." In a split second, the blaster was back in her hand. Three shots, three flashes, and that was all.
The head of security charged in and stopped short. Leia smiled innocently, blowing away the smoke from her blaster. "Nice of you to show up," she said. Her days in the field were long gone, but she was still a soldier at heart.