Of course it wouldn't do to walk around Imperial City in the uniform of the Rebel Alliance. Nor would wearing the robes of a former Senator, but Leia only had her uniform or the Death Star gown.

She stood in Han's cabin, considering what to do. They could invite Jargist's mother's cousin to come to the docking pad, and Leia could just stay on board, and fulfill her promise to escort Jargist without leaving the ship.

She lifted her chin at the thought, as if the empty room had issued a dare. She wasn't going to risk immediate arrest by wearing the garb of a perceived terrorist, but nor was she going to hide. She opened the one cabinet Han had left unlatched, and rummaged within.

Han had permitted her his clothing before. On the way to Yavin, both she and Luke had done their best to clean the only set of clothes they owned before landing, and Han had said they could put on something of his own while theirs dried.

His attitude about it was very casual, familiar. How often did he lend out his clothes, she wondered.

She'd borrowed a charcoal gray, long-sleeved shirt; the colors seemed apt and she didn't want to see her own skin.

Luke must have made use of Han's cabinet again for the medal ceremony, she suddenly realized, picturing him at the back of the room before beginning to march down the aisle toward her. It made her smile slightly. There she'd been, in John Bannon's room, standing like a mannequin while droids altered Mon Mothma's gown to fit her, while Luke...

She could feel through the memory of the event how excited he was. He'd wanted to look nice. Presentable. Not like the farm boy from Tatooine. And so he remade himself out of Han's clothes. Yes. The yellow jacket; black shirt; high, polished boots; and the brown pants with the blood stripe down the sides. Obviously Han's. The beaming smile and the lightsaber- now those were all Luke.

Leia smiled again. At least he had something else to wear on his days off. She turned her attention back to herself.

Her trousers, she decided, were just that. Straight leg, bland tan color, crisp seam, pockets at the rear and front. There was no piping, no design, nothing to indicate they were part of a uniform. Simple and nondescript. They would suffice.

She found the gray plain-weave she wore before and slipped it over her head. It had a ribbed collar that hugged the neck- a man's neck; on her it was wide and loose- she felt sure Han had abandoned it because he found it confining. It was light weight but of a structured fabric, so it didn't just hang on her. The hem came down to her thighs. She thought she ought to give the outfit a quirk, so rummaged some more and came out with red boot socks. They were longer than her calf and would stick out over her boots and cover where the pants slid in.

She stood on one heel at a time and tapped her toes, a test. This would do. She was not making a statement. The hairstyle would do that. She wandered into the 'fresher.

She had paid tribute to the destruction when greeting homeworlders by styling her hair after the goddess of Loss. It seemed now something other was called for, and she stood a long moment, thinking of her role, and her mother, and the situation at large.

Discord? she asked her image in the reflector. Jargist's chosen goddess? She was one of the twelve who wove a planet from her fingers. The birth of a planet seemed the opposite of chaos, but yet there Discord was, dancing with her sisters, a part of creation.

Perhaps creation was chaos. Catastrophe was an assignation; an acknowledgement of not just damage, but a sudden and unalterable change.

Damage was how the mortals viewed it. And Leia knit her brows and moved her eyes away from the reflection of her own face; she was on the verge of seeing, of understanding.

Mortals and the divine, the finite and the eternal. Creation and destruction were the same thing. Goddesses shouldn't hurt, or feel pain. They did only when filtered through the lens of a mortal's eye.

And mortals held the myths. Leia blinked, and returned to the reflector, a little disappointed. That was nothing new. Even in the great scope of this galactic civil war, it was humans who made it. It made her wonder how many of the goddesses had been real.

Destruction was creation, and it was left to Leia to be the architect. She would like for the ending to be and Alderaan was made again, but that didn't seem possible. The best she could hope for right now, as much as she could see into the future, was and the hearts of the people were soothed.

Her hair was very long, past her lower back. Sometimes it seemed too much; why so long when it only got hidden away. But today it was like a blank canvas, and she was glad to have it.

Leia sectioned off her hair. A horizontal line of braid would start a few inches down from the top of her head, where the rim of the queen's crown sat; the topmost hair would be simply brushed back, smooth. Below the line she gathered varying thicknesses of strands for braids, and didn't follow a pattern. She plaited; finite and definite, and she wove; intertwined and random. Loss, Memory and Harvest at the top; Time, Discord and Wisdom throughout.

Before heading to the lounge, she picked up the files she would hand over to Jargist's cousin. Han and Jargist talking were talking.

"... worst already happened, right?"

"I guess so."

"So how bad could it be?"

A Solo pep talk, Leia thought. She slowed her steps, to listen.

"Even if, oh, I don't know," Han's imagination posed, "they lock you in a room and never let you out and beat you-"

Leia's brows raised.

"That's a bit much," Jargist also sounded surprised.

"But is it worse," Han said.

"Um," Jargist said, and Leia decided to interrupt them.

"Han," she said. "He's fourteen."

Jargist flushed and averted his eyes, and Leia saw he was at that awkward time when he didn't want to be a boy but neither did he want to be a man. "It's okay to be nervous, Jargist," she told him. "I think what Captain Solo is trying to say is that it's important to get past what makes you nervous. Like swimming. You have to jump in to get wet."

Jargist nodded.

Leia reached out and touched his shoulder, briefly. She didn't know what to say. You'll be fine sounded empty and patronizing, and it might not be true. Jargist was fortunate, but what brought him here was awful. "It's okay to be nervous," she said again.

Han palmed the rampway. "Ready?"

Sometimes he called for all her diplomacy. Leia was aware of Jargist, and she bit her tongue. She simply arched a brow. "You're coming?"

He answered her unspoken challenge. "Yeah."

"Stretching your legs?" Leia kept her brow up.

"That," Han allowed, "and I haven't seen the city in a while."

"In that case," Leia granted, "have a nice time. I'll be with Jargist, and then I have some errands I want to complete."

Han sucked in a cheek. "S'okay if I see you off, kid?"

Jargist was aware he was in the middle of something, but didn't know how to handle it. He hefted a satchel over his shoulder, some clothes donated by the CTC, and shrugged. "I guess."

Han's eyes flashed at Leia. "Let's be off, then," and he disembarked his ship.

"Are we in danger?" Jargist asked Leia as they made their way down the ramp.

She wanted to touch him again but something held her back. Touch didn't seem part of the destruction of Alderaan; at least, not many had used it on her. "No," she said. "Captain Solo is just being cautious. The only beings here who know we came are your cousin's family."

Han had chosen a docking authority on the outskirts of the city, and they rode a crowded public shuttle. Their fellow riders paid little attention to them, but Leia took in each passenger, identifying only three life forms not human. She imagined telling her father, and knew the description would make him sorry. In the days of the Old Republic Coruscant was a hub of trade and commerce, teeming with all kinds of life forms, but Palpatine's empire was based on human superiority. Beings were now classified as to how they could best serve humans, and the active diversity of cultures in the city was now glaringly absent.

How quickly it happened, Leia thought. Even as a child, visiting the old city with a new name, there were different foods to try, a medley of languages to hear. Her family apartment had been located in the government district, but there had been neighborhoods where beings from the same planet clustered. Alderaan had one, Leia knew; Corellia's was large. Little Rodia was a bit of a tourist attraction because it replicated the homeland jungles.

Cranes dotted the rooftops as buildings continued to grow higher. The reflection of the shuttle rippled across the walls of windows that characterized Imperial City architecture. Jargist's new home had windows that arced in a semi-circle. His cousin did not live where Leia's memory told her the Alderaani neighborhood was located. The residence was on the one hundred tenth level; not as high as the prosperous, but not low enough to be considered underlife.

The shuttle depot was on the seventy-fifth level. They rode the tube lift up and Leia clenched her jaw and looked fierce. Her fisted hands were the only outward signs of anxiety over the tight space, but neither Jargist nor Han seemed to notice. She was glad they couldn't hear her heart hammering in her chest.

The three were silent the whole way.

Leia nudged Jargist as the door asked for identification.

"I'm Jargist," he said nervously. "Aunt Cassie's son."

Leia melted a bit. His mother was known in his family as Aunt Cassie, like Breha was the Queen. She gave him a nod. She was angry the door was closed. The receiving family had been notified of their arrival time. "You're strong," she told Jargist.

They couldn't hear anything through the door. Either the family was deep within the apartment and needed time to reach the entry foyer, or they were staring silently at the video feed of the three standing on the other side.

"I wonder if they have any pets," Jargist remarked.

Finally, the door slid to the side, but an inner one, transparent, prevented them from entering. A woman stood on the other side. Leia's gaze was drawn to the wide streak of hair dyed blue along the center of her head; it disappeared into a mound of dark bun. The eyes were as expected, brown. The woman was in her late forties, stout, and of medium height. She wore a long navy blue tunic that went down to her feet. Gold embroidery framed the sides of her torso, and the waist was tailored.

How did her visitors appear, Leia wondered; Jargist stood in his student tunic, Leia with all her braids and the high red socks, and Han wore the blaster slung at his thigh. The woman made no motion to open the second door.

She used the intercom, looking between the three strangers as if she couldn't tell who she was looking for. "Yes?" Her eyes settled on the boy.

"We're not takeout delivery, lady," Han growled.

"Han," Leia said quietly, though she felt the same resentment. She tried to sound pleasant. "We've come from Buteral," she said. "You're expecting us. Jargist is here."

Jargist answered like a student. Poor boy, Leia thought. He had told her that though they were family, they were strangers to him. He raised his forearm. "That's me," he said.

"May we come in?" Leia said. "Jargist has come a long way, and he's been through a lot-"

"Yes," the woman said. "We all have."

Leia put some steel in her voice. "And I'm not about to drop him in Imperial City without making sure he's in a safe place."

"Of course," the woman nodded. The door panel slid back. "Of course. Where are my manners? Come in. Welcome, Jargist. I'm your cousin, Danneria. We've met before, when you were very little. Do you remember?"

"No," Jargist answered.

"I don't expect you would." The woman finally made a small smile. "You were very young."

It felt like ages since Leia had been in a home. Her first time Since, she thought. So many firsts.

Was this what frightened Jargist's cousin Danneria? Was it facing the tragedy head on, or was there more to it?

Along the wall that separated foyer from passageway Leia saw empty crates stacked carefully. She drew Han in and introduced him. "This is Captain Solo."

The woman merely nodded. She didn't ask for Leia's name, and Jargist looked at Leia questioningly. She signaled him to be quiet with a small shake of her head.

"We'll sit in here," Danneria said and led them to a formal sitting area.

Danneria gestured for them to take a seat. It was tastefully decorated in Alderaani style, Leia noted. A tapestry hung from a rod and covered most of one wall. There were wooden Thought Bowls, and a candle, much larger than any that were used on Buteral, rested on a ceramic plate on a high, narrow table. Its wick was blackened, and Leia realized Imperial City was probably the first to learn the news. The first thirty days had passed a while ago here.

The arched windows started at the floor and graced most of the high wall. Speeder traffic outside zipped by, and Leia was reminded of watching fish swim in a tank. Leia and Jargist sat together on a sofa while Han took a seat by himself. He did not make himself comfortable. Whatever his motivations were, Leia found she did not mind he was here, and met his eyes briefly.

Danneria offered them refreshment, which they all declined.

"This is a lovely apartment," Leia said, looking around. "Have you lived here long?"

"Actually only about two months," Danneria answered. "Thank you. I feel like we've finally finished unpacking."

"I wondered," Leia said. "I figured you probably lived in the A-D district."

"We did. Are you familiar with Imperial City, then?"

"Somewhat." Leia kept it vague. "How long have you lived offplanet?"

"Oh," the woman sighed. Her eyes raised to the ceiling as she calculated. "Let's see. My eldest was three, about. Fifteen years, then. She looked apologetically at Leia. "A long time."

Jargist could no longer contain himself. In a tone of hurt, he gestured at Leia and spoke to his older cousin. "Don't you recognize her?" Danneria looked at him. "It's the Princess!"

The woman's mouth dropped open. "Princess Leia?" she said. "I thought- we heard-" she struggled. "By the goddesses." She jumped to her feet, turned in place, and then prepared to bow. "Your clothing-"

Leia put out a hand to stop her. "Did you not expect me?"

"No, Your Highness, no. They said only someone would accompany Jargist." Her eyes moved to him quickly and then back to Leia. "I had no idea you were- that's why I didn't recognize you- that is, I am sure it was reported that you were- that you did not survive."

"The reports were mistaken." Leia was angry again, not at Danneria but something. The misuse of so many lives. And she couldn't get over the blue stripe in her hair and wondered where the fashion originated.

She decided to pursue a course the woman couldn't deny. "Danneria," she spoke carefully, "thank you for being here for Jargist. Our lives, those of us who lived on Alderaan," it felt important to stress the difference between Danneria and Jargist, "are- altered. Drastically so. I don't know how long it's been since you last visited-"

"Last fete season." Danneria finally looked moved, like she would cry. "I can't believe it's true. So hard, when we're here, going about our day to day lives. I didn't even visit Cassie," she told Jargist. "I saw Grandmama."

Jargist's only response was to nod.

Han leaned forward, elbows on his thighs. "You really thought she was dead? The Princess? You didn't see what they're doing with the refugees, bringin' em' to Buteral?"

"We heard of Buteral, of course. Someone contacted me from there-"

"Carlist Rieekan," Leia put in.

"Yes. Rieekan. But-" Danneria looked thoughtful. "The Emperor has told us- he said he would enfold us into the Empire."

Han snorted, and muttered something to himself. Leia thought she heard the words "cake batter." Everyone looked at him, but no one commented.

"Buteral is an effort by the Core Treaty Consortium," Leia said. She decided to skip mention of the Alliance. "The Emperor has not contributed to it." She glanced at the candle. "How did you hear?"

Danneria wore an expression of intense concentration. She chewed first on her upper lip, and then her lower, before she said, "It's been... we only have the Imperial News Network, you know. The first I knew, Chandrila denounced it. That's it! There was no confirmation or denial, no evidence. And we were all..." She shook her head. "And then travelers. With holos, but it just looked like a section of space, you know, there was nothing familiar. It was almost like Chandrila had dreamed it, or we had, or there was an evil-" She broke off, and took a breath. "The Emperor finally made an announcement." Danneria laughed harshly. "It wasn't even the top story that night. It was one week after Chandrila's condemnation."

"What else has been reported?" Leia asked.

"That... It's confusing. That Alderaan was destroyed when terrorists seized an Imperial battle station. The Emperor has declared a," Danneria waved a hand, "he calls it a war, but it's self-styled. A war against terrorism. Like the war against the Jedi was.

"I realize, while the INN is the largest, it's also from one perspective," Danneria said.

Leia nodded. "Odd to think, isn't it," she said, "that you live in the same city as the Emperor and yet you know less than any citizen living elsewhere."

"Sometimes, when I hear a report, I have more questions when it is over. For instance, I still wonder how. How? How can terrorists do that?"

"I am Alderaan's Princess," Leia said. "I hope you trust the information I have. The Imperial battle station was what destroyed our planet; the technology was developed by the Empire. A battle followed, and an opposition calling itself the Alliance for the New Republic declared war, and were able to destroy the battle station. It was called the Death Star."

"So it's..." Danneria nodded to herself. "That's why," she said.

"What's why," Leia said.

Danneria shook her head. "Nothing."

"It's a civil war," Leia reported. "Many systems have joined the Alliance in open revolt against the Empire. "Naboo, Corellia, Chandrila, Duros, Sullust," she named the larger powers, "among others."

She gave Danneria time to absorb the impact of the information, and then asked, "How is it here? As Alderaani, how is it? Are you feeling..." Leia hesitated a moment before forging on. "...any type of persecution? Are you allowed to express your anger and grief?"

"Yes." Danneria looked slightly heartened. "Emperor Palpatine ordered a thirty day flame in the public park. Most everybody is sympathetic." She tucked her lips over her teeth. "Of course, there's always some to fan the flames. My sons, in school- somebody told one Alderaan had asked for it."

Leia sat ramrod straight. Inside, she felt funny: nauseous and fluttery. "Alderaan did not ask for it," she said evenly.

"Of course not! My gods, to suggest such a thing," Danneria wrung her hands. "That's what I told my son."

"There was a reason you moved," Leia knew there had to be more to the story, "wasn't there."

"Well, it was sug- that is-"

"Lady, we aren't going to report you," Han broke in. "Stop bein' so scared." Leia looked at him. His eyes were dark.

Danneria licked her lips. "It was... a new directive. All of a sudden the Emperor declared a diversification of the population. Cultural districts were to be disbanded. A-D was the first. We were all sent two thousand five hundred credits to help in relocating."

"I hate to tell you this," Han finally sat back, as if he had been awaiting proof of the weakness of humans and finally had it. His hand dangled, relaxed, over the chair's arm. "You took a bribe," Han said.

"Han," Leia warned.

"No," Danneria objected. "No. We - we just did what the city said to do."

"And what if you didn't?" Han said.

"Why, I don't know."

"You're scared."

"No!" Danneria tried to deny again. "I'm sure it's- They say Corellia comes next, after the A-D buildings are updated."

"Yeah, Palpatine hates Corellians too. Only reason they outnumber Alderaani in the Alliance is because there aren't that many Alderaani left."

"How can you say that?" Danneria said to Han. Her eyes beseeched Leia for help.

But Leia wasn't going to ask Han to stop. It wasn't up to her. And it seemed the cut of his words needed to bring Danneria out of the blinders she had allowed the Empire to set on her way of thinking.

Han shrugged. "I'm being honest. Palpatine bombed us but that only killed a few thousand. It was a while ago too, so the population is back up."

He was pointedly unpleasant, and Danneria reacted with tears and offense, her voice high, making her sound like a child. She berated Han, first about his rudeness, and threatened to call the CTC for undue pressure, but then other things got mixed in. The move, INN, the credits, Carlist Rieekan: it seemed Danneria's confusion, grief and fear just poured out of her, what she had bottled up in the months Since.

Leia checked to see that Jargist wasn't too alarmed by the direction of their conversation. He was following intently, but didn't seem frightened at all. He already knew the truth, that was why, she thought.

She took in the furniture until Danneria's outburst subsided. The Thought Bowls were lovely. One was a porcelain, the other a turned wood, a streak of azurine added somehow. She got up to look, and sure enough, the tokens were set on a tray beside it. Leia submitted a token to the bottom of the wooden bowl. She crooked a finger at Jargist for him to join her.

"This is your new home," she murmured underneath Danneria's wails. "Tell it something."

Thought Bowls were an old tradition, but they were only used on special occasions now. A birthday saw numerous thoughts and good wishes dropped into the bottom of the bowl, and during the Fete season it was the practice to add one for each day of the season.

Jargist didn't pause long at all. He added two. Then he sighed.

Leia liked that he added two. It was considered impolite to ask what a thought was, but two indicated a depth of character that might help Danneria, once Han departed with his rudeness.

Leia's thought was a wish for clarity. Jargist's could have invited Discord and Hearth into the home. That wouldn't surprise her. Or maybe one thought was how he hated to be here, but the other was how glad he was.

"Jargist will be a wonderful addition to your family," Leia said as both she and he returned to the couch.

Danneria was calm again. Her eyes were puffy, while Han's had turned back to a dark green. "We are glad to bring him into ours," she said.

"There is a need," Leia said. "Quite a few orphaned children. Is there more to your family?"

"Oh, yes." Danneria arranged her hands in her lap. "I- you'll have cousins, Jargist. They are at school presently. Three. Boys," she tried to smile at him. "Ages fifteen to eighteen."

"Do they like smashball?" Leia asked.

Danneria smile reached her eyes. "They love it. Who doesn't? Two play in a league. We can get you registered," she told the boy, "next season."

Jargist nodded again. He looked miserable. Had he said anything?

"What were you wondering, Jargist?" Leia prompted him.

"Your Highness?" He blinked at her, unwilling to be drawn into the conversation.

"Outside?"

"About pets," Han put in.

"Oh, yes." Leia turned to Danneria.

"I had pets," Jargist mentioned, and flushed. "Long-haired virtins."

Danneria smiled. "A virtin," she said nostalgically. "We had one, but it died two years ago. We could get another. That might be nice. Provided you help care for it."

"That will be nice for you, Jargist," Leia encouraged. He nodded again.

Leia sighed at him. In a way, she hated to leave him, but knew it was for the best. "He'll need some more things," she indicated the small bag at his feet. "And I have some items of administration for you," she told Danneria. "We've set up a reparations fund in his name-"

"A reparations fund?"

"I have IDIT compensating families for their investment in the Bank of Alderaan, which of course is now ashes. You will receive an allowance for Jargist's care, and the rest is a trust to be managed by a financial officer until Jargist is of age."

"Alright." Danneria took the offered data boards and rested them on her lap. She didn't look like she understood.

"And there are some medical files, with provided references for continued care." Leia looked at Jargist. "I'm sure you know the situation. Jargist was with his school group. They've received a full checkup, ensuring their physical and emotional well-being. You can expect a follow-up visit."

"Will it be you, Your Highness?" Jargist asked.

"Probably not, Jargist," she answered, and felt a genuine sadness, both for her and the boy, for the whole condition of the galaxy. But he would make new connections, she knew, and only wished for her because right now everything else was strange.

"Why don't I show you around, Jargist?" Danneria suggested.

Han got up and stood at the high arched window, and Leia sat on the sofa. It was time to hand Jargist off. He would go to school, play smashball, pet a virtin. He would get new shoes, clothes, bedding. This was his home now, his sofa.

Leia joined Han at the window. He gave her a long look, but he didn't say anything, and when he'd seen enough or gotten bored, his gaze returned to the outside.

The tour of the apartment didn't take long. "... and maybe we'll host a gathering," Danneria was saying, "introduce you to everyone." She and Jargsit stopped by the long, narrow table holding the Thought Bowls. Danneria's smile was forced, like she was ready for Han and Leia to leave.

"Danneria," Leia said, and stopped.

"Yes, Your Highness?"

Leia didn't know how to say it. Danneria wasn't a coward, not really, but she'd never been challenged. Still, Leia felt it was no excuse. "I want to return to what we were talking about earlier. How there is evidence the truth is subverted here. I cannot leave without... I must ask you to rise above. Our planet is dead." Her voice trembled with fervor. "Please don't be- this is not the time to be afraid. You have a voice. We owe it to Alderaan to speak the truth. If it kills us, it is no different than what happened to our loved ones, is it?"

Jargist spoke, his eyes clued in on Han. "The worst is over, right? Is that what you meant, Captain Solo? Even if they lock us in a room and beat us, you meant the Empire."

"Sure," Han said easily, but Leia could tell by the fleeting glance he shot her he hadn't meant that at all.

Goddesses were dual natured, Leia had to remind herself as she left. Creation was destruction. And she was the Princess of Alderaan. Discord and Hearth. She'd thought her purpose was to gather her people, bring them safety and comfort. But as her halting words to Danneria formed a request, she heard herself ask her people to risk their lives for Alderaan.

May the goddesses grant me clarity, she prayed.