Mon Mothma looked like someone had just punched her in the gut.
"He's telling the truth," Luke said.
The Chief Councilor lowered herself into her office chair.
"I would like to believe you," she said, folding her hands on her desk.
"Yeah, I know it sounds crazy," Han allowed. "But Leia's alive and we know who attacked her. It's a real complicated story and quite honestly I think I only know half of it but…" Han paused. Frowning, he looked down at the datacard in his hand, and then back at Luke, and then Mon Mothma. "You know what?" he said then, "the hell with it." He put the datacard back in his pocket. "Come with me."
"Come where?" Luke asked before Mon Mothma had a chance to.
"I got a speeder parked downstairs," Han answered. "it'll take about an hour to get there, but their shuttle should be back by then. I was only supposed to bring this datacard to you," he explained to Mon Mothma, "but I think it's better if you both come back with me. We can discuss it all together. And I know Leia'll be glad to see you both."
Mon Mothma didn't say another word. She simply stood from her seat and gestured for Han to lead the way. The group of them hurried out through the outer office, down the lift, and out through the main doors to the public landing platform. Han was less careful moving about now than he had been coming in—confident he was unlikely to be detained by military authorities with the Chief Councilor in his party.
The three of them piled into the speeder and Han set the nav controls to take them back to the safe house where he'd left the Falcon and where Leia and Lusiil's shuttle was due to land any minute. He wasn't sure just how the old ambulance was going to fit in the hangar bay with his freighter, but that was one of those things he was willing to leave to Lusiil.
"So you've seen her then?" Mon Mothma said to Luke, more than halfway through the ride, which had been eerily silent up to then. "How is she?"
"No, I haven't," Luke answered. "I just got in from Terephon."
"Then how is it…?" she choked on her words then. Luke could tell what she was trying to ask, and he did his best to answer.
"I could feel it," he said to her. He knew Mon Mothma had served the Old Republic, he knew she'd known Jedi in her youth, so he had hope she believed in the things he was saying. "I felt it when she was attacked. But I never felt her die. And I'd know what that feels like; I'm sure I would. And it was all so confusing—so when I got in today I went to see her, where she's lying in State. And I can tell you: I'm sure that's not her. I can't tell you how I know," he said, hoping she'd presume he was talking about The Force and not about the crime he'd committed to confirm his suspicion, "but I know. That's not my sister."
Mon Mothma shook her head. Luke could tell she had a million more questions stewing, but he wasn't going to force her into a conversation she wasn't trying to pursue.
The three of them were quiet for the rest of the ride back to the hangar bay where The Millennium Falcon was temporarily berthed. Han led the others to the lift, hoping he remembered the codes Lusiil had given him. There was no sign of the ambulance, and no indication anyone had been through here since he'd left two hours earlier; he could only hope that the women had arrived on schedule and would be in the apartment when they arrived.
The last thing he wanted was to have Luke and Mon Mothma questioning his honesty—or his sanity—were Leia not to be here when they arrived.
They took the lift down the single floor, and Han was first out when it opened into a wide vestibule. The place was painted white all over, with a row of oval-shaped windows where the walls met the ceiling and curves in every place a person might expect to find corners. It couldn't have been more the opposite of the last place Lusiil had brought them.
"Sweetheart," Han called out.
"She's in the bedroom," Lusiil's voice answered him. She came around from behind them, stopping short when she caught sight of the group emerging from the elevator.
"I brought company," Han said then. Lusiil's mouth had fallen open and she nodded.
"Yes," she managed to say.
"Lusiil," Han said, "this is Leia's brother, Luke and Mon Mothma—Chief of the New Republic Provisional Council."
"Jedi Skywalker," Lusiil greeted, "Madame Chief."
"Lusiil's the one been takin' care of Leia," Han said to his guests. "She'll be the one doin' most of the talkin'," he added. Then to Lusiil he said, "I'm gonna go get Leia."
Lusiil nodded and gestured to a dark wood door around the back of the lift on the opposite side from where she'd come from.
It was less than six meters between where Han stood and the door Lusiil had indicated, but he charged across it like it was the greatest gulf he'd ever experienced. He'd been focused on his mission, amazed by running into Luke and consumed with the idea of putting their plan into motion, but now that all those distractions were no longer at the forefront all he could think about was getting to Leia.
He needed to see her. He needed to touch her and to hear her voice and be sure she was all right. When he reached the door, he didn't bother knocking.
Han came into the bedroom quietly, closing the manual-hinge door behind him before taking careful steps across the dark sienna carpet toward the bed. Leia was curled up on her side, facing away from the door, and she rolled over when she heard it latch behind him. He could see the IV apparatus from the bunker had been moved to the bedside, but he could also see Leia was wearing long sleeves at the moment, and the tubes weren't connected. He could only hope this had been borne of recovery more than stubbornness.
"Hey, sweetheart," he said closing the distance between them and coming to sit beside her on the bed. "I didn't mean to wake you."
"I wasn't asleep," she replied, reaching out to take his hand. "I'm not tired, but I came in to have a shower and Lusiil insisted I lie down afterward—something about elevating my body temperature and getting dizzy."
"Yeah, I've always liked her," he teased. Leia crinkled her nose at him.
"This bed is nice," she said. "Nicer than the one at the other place."
"Good," he replied.
"You going to stay here tonight?" she asked.
"If you want me to," he replied. Leia sat up and shrugged, still holding on to his hand.
"I didn't know," she said. "You just got the Falcon back. I thought maybe you'd want to spend the night with the other woman."
Han chuckled and wrapped his arm around her.
"No way, princess," he said. "If I had to choose between you and my ship, I'd choose you every time. But I don't," he affirmed. "The Falcon is docked safely upstairs and I can stay right here in this nice bed with you. But not now," he added, "I brought some visitors with me."
"Luke's here," she announced suddenly, as though she'd just seen him come thought the door. It was one of those things Han was just barely becoming accustomed to—that connection between the Jedi and the princess that sometimes defied his understanding.
"Yeah," he said, "Mon Mothma too."
Leia's eyes got wide, and she scrambled to her feet. Han followed as she dashed across the room to the door and along the hall into the apartment's sitting room, where Lusiil was sitting awkwardly with their guests. He couldn't help but notice how sure she seemed on her feet.
She was getting well. Han felt tears in his eyes at the revelation.
As soon as he spotted Leia, Luke was on his feet. He bounded out from behind a squat table and around a set of chairs to grab Leia around her shoulders. Leia grasped her brother's arms, squeezing him tightly as he held her.
"I knew it," he whispered to her, "I knew you weren't gone." Luke stepped back then to get a good look at her. She was pale, thinner than he remembered, and her breathing seemed off somehow. But it was her. And she was alive. And her impression in The Force was as strong and as hopeful as it had always been.
Leia turned to Mon Mothma then. She was standing, still on the far side of the little caf table, with her hands clasped in front of her. Her eyes were shining and her lower lip trembled.
"Just moments ago I'd have said this was too good to be true," she said. Leia reached out and took both her mentor's hands in her own.
"I'm so glad you've come," Leia said.
"So am I," Mon Mothma answered.
"Please, everyone," Lusiil addressed them, "have a seat. We have much to discuss," she reminded them, "and not much time."
This apartment had come with a service droid, who had dutifully brought the lot of them caf before taking possession of Han's datacard and serving as a holoprojector for the remainder of the meeting.
Lusiil had not been exaggerating when she'd said there was much to discuss. She went into as little detail as the others would allow as to the background on The Quiet, their operations during the years of the Empire, and just how they'd managed to fake Leia's death and sneak her out of the Imperial Medcenter. She'd been a bit more forthcoming on the investigation into the attack at the banquet and how they'd come to the conclusion that the attacker had been a Kobok.
It hadn't taken much beyond the holorecording from Kobothi space to convince Mon Mothma of Imperial entanglements. By the time all the evidence had been presented, not only was the Chief Councilor convinced, she was mad. Han could count on one hand the times he'd seen the Rebel Leader visibly angry, and this looked to be the worst of them all.
"We are running a parallel investigation," she said to the group as the caf was being cleared in favor of cocktails. "I have the power to suspend Summit business—which I shall do effective immediately. Each delegation will be brought in and questioned individually. The Koboks will be in the second wave, or perhaps the third, in order to avoid suspicion on their part. We'll bring them aboard Rebel Dream," she said then, "and as soon as they arrive we'll depart for the Tingel Arm. General Solo, can you bring Leia up aboard your ship?" she asked, "keep her hidden until we decide it's time to reveal to them their plans have failed?"
"Sure," Han replied, taking a sip from the whisky the droid had given him, "as long as you promise nobody'll try and throw me in the brig soon as I land."
"I bed your pardon?" Mon Mothma asked.
"Han is technically AWOL at the moment," Leia told her, "he took a big risk even coming to see you today."
"Oh, dear," Mon Mothma answered, "yes. I can make that assurance. I will speak to Carlist at once—tonight—to get that situation remedied. I promise you'll be in no peril aboard our flagship, General Solo."
"Then you've got yourself a princess hideaway," he agreed. "Luke," he said then, "I presume you'll want to come along?"
"Yeah," Luke replied. "I'd like to."
"It will be good to have you," Mon Mothma told him. "I should get going," she said then. "There's work to be done before morning."
"Let me drive you back," Luke offered. "My X-wing is going to be a lot more conspicuous parked for a few days at the Senate Complex than Han's speeder. I can get up to Rebel Dream tonight—make it look like I'm there to sort through Leia's things, maybe?"
"Yes," Mon Mothma affirmed, standing from her seat, "that's good. I think we all agree that we should keep the secret of Leia's survival among ourselves for the time being."
"I will drive you both," Lusiil insisted. "The speeder is borrowed and will need to be returned. And there are errands I will need to complete."
"You're coming with us, though?" Leia asked her then.
"If you'll have me," Lusiil replied, "I'd like to. I would appreciate seeing this operation through to its end."
"By all means," Mon Mothma replied. "The New Republic owes you and your organization a great debt."
"It's been my honor to serve you," Lusiil replied. "Senator Organa is vital to the establishment of the New Republic."
"Indeed," Mon Mothma replied reaching out to squeeze Leia's hand before standing. "She's likely to be Minister of State Organa before too long, if things continue to go our way this week."
Leia sat up straighter and tried to keep her mouth from gaping. That was the first she'd heard of such a thing. Even the idea she was being talked about for the job of the New Republic's chief diplomat was stirring. She had no idea what to say to that.
She stood up then, turning to embrace her mentor before moving to hug her brother goodbye.
"We'll see you all tomorrow, then," Leia said as the group of them moved toward the lift.
"Should we head up tonight?" Han asked.
"No," Mon Mothma answered him, "it will likely be late in the day before we have the Kobothi delegation aboard. A mid-day arrival should be fine."
Han nodded. Good. That was good. Leia liked the bed in this place and she needed a good night's sleep at this point. She'd complained to him that her bunk in the treatment bay of the old ambulance hadn't been very comfortable, and he knew the beds aboard the Falcon weren't much better.
Han slung his arm around Leia once they'd bid the others adieu.
Their plan was in motion, he was back with his princess, and the people who hurt her were about to be brought to task.
That felt good.