Aldera Palace

"Well…at least Obi-Wan isn't here to lecture me about lightsaber loss."

Everyone in the room turned to glare at Anakin, even Master Yoda.

"Anakin," Padmé said coolly, "this is not the time to joke around."

"I'm not kidding," Anakin, replied, "every time I lost my lightsaber, he'd go into some lecture about 'this weapon is your life'."

"Anakin if that were true, you'd be dead," Padmé sighed.

"Skywalker," Mon Mothma cut in, "can you please be quiet, you've been talking to yourself for over an hour now."

"At least you aren't upside down." He shot back, getting a glare in return, "I mean come on I at least-"

Anakin didn't move, the pupils in his eyes dilated.

"Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Windu asked Anakin in a bored voice, having given up on trying to break free from his own ray shield.

"It's hazy, but…whatever it it's getting stronger."

"I thought you couldn't use the Force in a ray shield?" Viceroy Organa asked.

"You can't use it, but you can still feel with it. Like walking around in the dark, you have to feel your way through," Anakin replied, focusing on the haze.

Everyone else was silent, trying to drift off to sleep, something they had been deprived of for a few days. Padmé had tried envisioning the fields of Naboo, while Bail thought of Leia's younger years, before she had become a Jedi. Both Garm Bel Ilbis and Mon Mothma counted backwards in their heads, while Master Yoda and Windu meditated.

There was a sense of calm and peace in the room that was usually prowled by Sith adepts or Imperial guards. The peace soothed everyone's nerves and many were close to sleep.

"LEIA!"

Everyone was shaken out of his or her light doze, and more glares were projected at Anakin. He didn't care though and struggled in the shield.

"It's Leia! She's getting stronger, or her presence is at least. Which is weird, but she's on her way here!"

"What?" Many said in unison.

"Hmm, not alone young Organa is," Master Yoda said, "many masters and knights with her, there is."

"There are others too Master, I don't know who they are, but they're on our side!"

"And you know this how, Master Skywalker," Senator Ilbis said.

"Regardless of how he knows, he is right."

Everyone turned towards Procer, no one had heard or felt him come in.

"Great," Anakin growled, "just what we were missing…a Sith lord."

"Do you ever shut up Skywalker?" Procer asked gently, check the three individual ray shield holding each Jedi master.

"It stops me from fainting," Anakin bit back.

"Fainting?" Procer now looked mildly curious.

"I'm upside and the blood is pooling in my head," Ankin said evenly, " why is it that I am the only Jedi hanging upside down?"

Procer bent over to stare in Anakin's face, "because you amuse me that way."

"What are you? Three?" Bail asked, looking at Procer.

"Bail!" Mon warned.

"You better watch your tongue Viceroy, or you won't be speaking at all," Procer said, glowering at Organa with sickly yellow eyes.

"I'll be careful," he answered.

"You'll be dead!" Procer shouted, holding out his clenched fist.

Bail began struggling for air, but decided that holding his breath would be a smarter idea. He used his unbound legs to kick at Procer. He succeeded, knocking the Sith Lord over. His grip lessened and Bail was able to breathe again. He kicked harder, aiming for the Sith Lords face, but Procer caught his foot and twisted it until the joint popped out of place.

"Hmm," Procer said, releasing his hold on the Viceroy's foot, "you are more like Leia than I thought."

He threw one last glance at Anakin and then walked out of the room.

"Bail are you alright?" Padmé asked, moving closer to Organa.

"I'm fine," he whispered, he was in too much pain to say much else.

"Why? What possessed you to attack him," Padmé continued, trying to distract him from his pain.

"Pulled. Off. Key. To. Ray Shield," he said stiffly, punctuating each word.

Padmé looked over to where Procer had been and saw exactly what Bail had said, the key to the ray shield. She scooted over to the key, and made her way over to the ray shields. It was difficult for her to stand up at first, but she managed. Her hands were behind her back, so it was hard for her to know what she was doing. At long last she was able to release Master Windu.

"Thank you Minister," he said, standing up tall.

"Unlock me, and go tend to Bail," Padmé said, it only took a few seconds for the binders to fall off her wrist.

Once she had freed Master Yoda she turned to Anakin, who was giving her an odd look.

"What," she asked, giving herself a defensive look, but unlocking him anyway.

"I thought," he said slowly, standing up, "that you were the only Senator that ever did something stupid."

Executor, Alderaan Sector

Leia's stomach dropped as the Super Destroyer dropped out of hyperspace and into the ensuing battle. What she saw before made her feel uneasy. The Navy was here.

"I thought they weren't helping us." Luke said, uneasily.

"There weren't," Han said.

"It doesn't matter, Luke get everyone into a fighter, and prepare to drop in," Leia said.

"Princess," Rieekan said slowly.

"I know," she whispered, "hail them, I will speak to Dodonna."

Fight II, Alderaan Sector

"Admiral," a communications officer shouted, "the Executor is contacting us."

"They're here?" Dodonna asked, walking away from the strategy board.

"Here sir," the officer said, moving out of his seat.

"Dodonna here."

"Admiral. This is Leia Organa."

"You committed a felony Princess," Dodonna said coolly.

"I did, but I did what I thought was in the best interest of my people since who had so kindly agreed not to help us."

"We're here aren't we?"

"Yes, but I'm guessing it's only because you spoke with the survivors that came out of the blockade."

"That may be so but-"

"I don't want to here Admiral, you're nothing but a hypocrite in our eyes and I will inform Mon Mothma as such. I will accept my punishment, but I will aid my people first. Organa out."

Leia lokked over to Han and Rieekan, "now what?"

"Well…" Han started, looking curiously over at the Death Star, "do we have any idea on how to destroy that thing?"

"We've tried to find something, and we came up with nothing," Rieekan stated, "Princess maybe we could send the specs over to the Admiral, from what I hear he's pretty good with these things."

Leia nodded, then yelled over at R2 to send the plans over to Dodonna's ship.

"Leia are you alright?"

Han caught Leia as she stumbled backwards. He carefully lowered her to the ground, hoping she wasn't reacting to the Force-supressant wearing off.

"Papa," she whispered, "he…he's hurt."

"And you know this how?" Han asked, completely confused.

Leia merely shook her head and held onto her ankle. She tried calming herself down and the pain was slowly trickling away.

"The Jedi believe that…" Rieekan said, then stopped, "well before we knew about Leia's parentage the Jedi assumed that since Leia's birth had been somewhat…traumatic, that a survival instinct kicked in and made her bond with the first person she came in to contact with while she was concious."

"So why didn't she bond with any of her doctors?"

"She wasn't awake when the surgeon sewed up her back, and she was always cared for by droids until Bail sought to adopt her," Rieekan explained, rubbing an oblivious Leia's back.

R2 let out a series of beeps and whistles.

"That droids got something." Han said, not one for droids in general.

"Why don't you go check it out Leia, it might be the Admiral." Rieekan said soothingly, catching Leia's attention.

But Leia only nodded and stood up. She shied away from looking at Han and walked away towards the communications relay. Han went to follow her, but Rieekan caught his arm. Han glanced at his arm then at the General.

"Yes," he asked.

"Leia mentioned that you rescued her."

"Yeah so?" Han said, "it's not that big of a deal."

"It will be, especially to the Viceroy and the Skywalkers. The people of Alderaan will want to formally thank you, as will the Viceroy," Rieekan said.

"Why?!"

"Because Leia… the people love her, but thats not why I stopped you."

"Then why-"

"Leia also mentioned that you are an incrediable pilot. While your ship is questionable-"

"Hey!"

"If this Empire is as big as I fear, Leia will need someone who will watch her back, be her friend."

"She has friends," Solo said, trying to free his arm from the old man's grasp.

"But none that she's bonded to," Rieekan finished.

Han didn't move, "what? We're not-"

"Remember what I said about Leia bonding? When she meet you, I haven't a doubt that her survival instincts kicked in and she bonded with you," Rieekan leant forward and whispered, "even if she doesn't recognize it yet."

"Great," Han mumbled, "and to think at one point I was only trying to get her to Alderaan."