Her legs felt tight, the muscles fatigued, but all she'd done was sit on a sofa. Leia pushed herself, determined to keep Han behind her so they wouldn't have to talk.

She didn't want to hear anything from him; he would point out the pervasive mantle of misperception Emperor Palpatine laid over Imperial City, but he didn't have to, not to her; it was so thick she almost couldn't breathe here.

And the damn lift tube. Why was she always stuck with him and a lift tube? She sought a sensible excuse to go alone while jabbing the ready button with her finger, and got mad at herself for being so ridiculous.

They were the only ones in it. Leia started to tremble a little, and gulped some air, forcing herself to think of Jargist a floor below, then two, five...

"You need something to eat, Highness?" Han had given her a glance but was watching the floor numbers shift when he spoke.

Leia lashed out, "Put any thoughts of vacation aside, Captain." She refused to move her head up or to the side to see his face, but by rolling her eyes a little she saw he reacted with just his eyes, closing the lids over them a little longer than a blink.

Ten floors...

"You look a little shaky is all." He was frank. There was no tenderness, no accusation.

Fifteen...

Alderaan was gone. Leia thought of the men. Jargist, her father, Lennist.

Eighteen...

"I don't like small spaces," Leia said, moving her lips as little as possible.

"Since when?" Han asked.

"Since."

Twenty-two...

He nodded. "Makes sense."

Her exhale was lengthy. She forced herself to take as long with the inhale, and found she could control the trembling. "No it doesn't," she snapped. "It's completely irrational."

The lift tube would climb thirty-five floors. Ten more to go. He had smiled a little.

"It's called an aspect," she bit out.

"Thought is was claustrophobia."

"It's not." She listened to herself- had she just lied? It felt the truth, but she would rank it as one of the stupidest answers she'd ever given, since she was a child. Was a lie a denial of truth, or was her irrationality spreading, like a disease.

Five floors and Jargist would soon leave her thoughts, like John Bannon had so quickly before.

"At least this tube is fast," Han said. "Been in some that just crawl."

Two floors left. Leia didn't answer. She held her breath, and when the door slid open marched two steps out and stopped. There was another door to exit the building.

It smelled like a city. Not fresh air. It smelled of metal, exhaust and trash. Babies, meals and detergent.

Leia hadn't minded living here. It was so different than her main residence on Alderaan, Aldera. There, it smelled like rain and mountains, nerf pastures, and fires in the hearth. Imperial City had an energy, an excitement. Being away from either meant returning was a special thing.

She was furious at the city. Despite all its energy, despite the range and variety of culture, it was no better than the rest.

"I'm going to walk a while," she dismissed Han. "I know how to get back."

"I'm stretching my legs, remember?"

"I don't want company."

"Fine." But he was strolling on along, lagging behind while her pace raced.

The pedestrian walkways branched out along buildings or across the skyway. Railings of duroglass kept walkers safe but were otherwise open air. Leia stopped after a few blocks and whirled on him. "Why are you with me?"

He looked innocent. "With you? Why, I'm headed for A-C district. There's a bakery, makes the best baningka. Where are you going?"

Damn his glibness, she thought. "It's probably out of business."

"Probably," Han agreed.

"Look at the city," Leia glared at her surroundings. "It's a shadow of what it was." It was too bad attitudes and prejudice didn't have an economical impact, Leia thought.

He shrugged. "Maybe."

"And if you think you are on assignment," Leia threatened. "Your duty is to the CTC, as pilot. Your job is finished. So if Rieekan has asked you"- it sounded so rude, to just use his last name- "to keep an eye on me-"

"Look, Highness. Leia, alright? I'm not followin' you, and I'm not keepin' an eye on you. I'd like to walk, and may I walk with you?"

That stopped Leia a second. "You're asking?"

"Yeah, and I want a baningka. If the bakery is still in business."

If he was telling the truth, it would be silly to not let him accompany her. She didn't think he was, and she was reminded of Luke's earlier description, Han was a part-time con man. Still, she couldn't see it would cost her anything.

She wanted to walk so she could think. She was shaken, and unsure why. The feeling had come upon her before she left Danneria's apartment. Did it stem from the significance of leaving Jargist, Danneria's frightened apathy, or Leia's call for activism? Walking would give her time to review what she'd heard, learned and felt. Walking was movement, maybe even progress.

She cocked an eye at Han, guessing his motivations, and he was grinning at her in that irritating way like he was having fun when he shouldn't be. "How much time do we have?"

"Few hours. We can play tourist."

"I was never a tourist. The bakery is in the Corellian district?" She resumed walking and he was beside her.

"Yeah. Where are you headed?"

"The financial district."

He didn't ask why, but he did assume, "One of your errands."

Leia remained tight-lipped. She was surprised he had made note of her earlier comment on the ship. "Yes."

He didn't press it. "What kind of baningka do you like?"

"That's a pastry, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Do you have a sweet tooth, Captain?"

He looked down at her face, eyes just brown but amused. "What makes you think so?"

"You made that compote. And you said- at least I thought I heard so- you muttered 'cake batter' up in the apartment."

His laugh tried to cover up some embarrassment. It was charming. "I was reading recipes for it," he told her. "What she said, about the Emperor, it reminded me of a baking direction."

"Folding in ingredients," Leia knew what he meant. "To blend them." It made her shiver.

They turned right into a walkway that crossed the speeder lanes. Traffic zipped above and below them. Leia thought about her father and the speeder he transported from Alderaan with the rest of his luggage. He had always liked the open air.

"Did you live here?" she asked Han. "Is that how you know the bakery?"

"No." He shuddered a little. "This," his hand gestured out at the city, "don't make you claustrophobic?"

Her smile was grim. "It's not a tight space."

"Is to me."

"I spent the season here. Every year, since I was twelve. My father was a career politician. My family had an apartment in the government district."

Han looked puzzled. "What season? It's always the same here. "

"That's a difference between you and me, Captain. You think in terms of planets and I think in terms of society. When the Senate was in session. That was the Season. Part-time residents. The symphony played its highlights, the museums opened grand exhibits, productions debuted on stage, restaurants burst with diners. It lasted six weeks."

"There's no season for spice," Han said. "Year round."

"You were a frequent traveler here, then? Smuggling for Jabba the Hutt?"

"Yeah. Big market. There was another guy, though, frequent guest of Jabba's. He'd give me a side job." Han lowered his gaze to meet her eyes, gauge her reaction. "Ancient relics."

Leia sidestepped a woman steering a repulsor carriage. A baby's legs kicked inside it. "I'm not surprised," she said. "Palpatine is a big collector."

"Stupid fashion."

The simplicity of his statement amused her. As an outsider, both of the law and society, Han was a witness to human's envious nature, and she found it interesting it compelled him to remain on the outside.

After walking in silence for a time, Han said, "Think Jargist will do okay with Danneria?"

Leia sighed, bitter disappointment rising again like bile. "I have a feeling she's not too different than many others in the city."

"She talked more scared than apathetic," Han defended her. "It's likely they are watched."

"I was watched," Leia said.

"Yeah, well. You've been gearing up for this- not the destruction, but resistance- for how long?"

Leia nodded. She saw now possibly it was her whole childhood. "I told you he was fourteen. Jargist."

"You did."

"And he's so intelligent. He could take over as leader of a movement here, and accomplish so much, if I fostered him. Instead, I will leave him, and Jargist will play smashball, and go back to school and make friends and learn to like baningka. And soon, things will start to fade."

"I don't know about that," Han said. "Take Luke, for example. He still gets fired up."

"Luke's not a politician. He gets fired up for other reasons." Her reasons, and General Kenobi's, and hers had caused the murders of his aunt and uncle and Kenobi's had resulted in his own slaying.

Han continued, "And there's people where I'm from that haven't forgotten the bombing. It was a long time ago, but they don't just visit the park. They raise their kids to join the Alliance."

His face was serious like she hadn't quite seen it yet. "Do you remember it?"

"That's what I'm telling you. The whole planet does. Even ones who weren't born."

Leia looked around. They were in district A-C, the Corellian neighborhood. It was crowded in the walkway now, and out the paneled duroglass railing Leia saw the district spanned at least four buildings on either side. Banners flew out windows in writing she couldn't read, in all about ten stories of building. It looked active, a healthy, viable neighborhood.

"But how many are potential Jargists?" Leia said.

"Not everybody has a Viceroy for a father," Han said.

Leia scowled.

"I'm not insulting you this time," he insisted. "You gotta admit, I have a point. It's hard to rise above, whether it's how much money you got, or what your government sets out for you. You started at the top. Look, I found a bakery. Do you want a baningka or not?"

"No, thank you." The sudden desire for a baningka was made up, Leia decided. He had said a bakery; he'd spoken off the cuff, as usual, and only hoped his excuse could become a reality. They headed toward it.

"We could check out the A-D district if you like. See what's become of it. You might find a grill still open." They emerged out into open air, along a pedestrian sidewalk that hugged a building's side one hundred twenty-two stories up. Leia held her elbows; it was windy up here.

She declined his offer. "It's gone."

"I know nerf were all over your planet, but they're domesticated lots of other places. You could still get nerf."

"Nerf on Alderaan grazed on a certain grass that was supposed to have given their meat that special flavor." Leia shook her head. "It can't be replicated."

"Damn close, though."

"No. It's gone. I won't take a substitute."

"Suit yourself. I'll just be a second."

"I'll wait out here," she told him with a small smile. "Make sure no one has alerted the authorities to your presence."

"It'll be me, won't it. They all think you're dead." He winked at her. "The glass is blaster proof, in case you try and shoot it."

Leia people watched as she waited. Again, it was mostly humans. She did see a few Wookiee, which surprised her. Corellians, if all these were, varied quite a bit in height and body type. The fashion was clean-shaven men; the women showed their arms. Interesting. Quite a few looked her in the eye, and she wondered if Han's gray shirt bespoke a cultural allegiance. But no one gave her a second glance.

She thought about what Han said. They all think you're dead. It was disconcerting. But she'd gotten her wish, the one where she moved freely, bitterly so; it was the maidens who signaled her identity. And wishes were no longer idle, indulgent things. She needed to learn to make good use of it.

Han emerged, carrying a sack. "Got one for you for later. And a meat pastry for Chewie. He'd be pissed if I didn't bring him back something."

"Have you checked in with him?"

"Yeah. Nothing goin' on."

Leia was still thinking about her presence here on the planet. "I've been dealing with IDIT," she said, watching Han pull a large pastry from the sack. It was covered in powdered sugar and he gave it a shake. He held it out to her, another chance offer, and she shook her head. "They're based here, and they know I'm alive."

Han licked sugar off his finger. "So?"

"So... why haven't they said anything?"

"Why don't you ask them? Think I know, anyway. That's your destination in the financial district?"

"Yes. I was only going to..." Leia had to think about it, because she didn't really know why she wanted to go. She thought it might be a form of touch. "... express my gratitude, for the work they've done so far. After the initial contact, it's been fairly painless. That's important to me. And while the money doesn't change things, for the adults it is a source of comfort. Like giving a child a blanket after a house fire."

He nodded. He was in between bites. And hungry, Leia figured, since the pastry was already almost gone. "You got an appointment?"

"No," Leia answered. Somehow it seemed funny Han would value a formality.

"And you want to get to the top."

"I do, yes. Now."

He pursed his lips. "I can help with that, if you want."

Leia took a breath and held it a moment. "If it doesn't involve shooting or hostages."

He smiled. "I know how to read a room. Might help to bring a dozen baningka. Executives like gifts."

Despite herself, Leia grinned. There was powdered sugar on his upper lip and she wanted to wipe it off. Instead, she said, "Was the baningka as good as you remember?"

"Nothing ever is."

IDIT occupied two stories, and the executive offices were on the second level. Leia approached the receiving droid and asked for the Chairman.

It asked the same thing Han had. "Have you an appointment?"

"No."

"The Chairman is in a meeting."

"May I write a message?" Leia asked politely.

"Certainly." The droid handed her a blank data board.

Leia tapped out, Princess Leia of Alderaan will be speaking to the press. She and Han had debated what the best way to get their attention was. Han's method was to focus on the finance part of her dealings with IDIT, but Leia figured truth also needed action. "Hand this to him, please. Interrupt his meeting. He'll want to see this."

The droid read it, aimed its photoreceptors at Leia, and read it again. Then it called someone from a back room. A human came out and read it. She approached Leia, who thought, here was an executive. Efficient and business like, little wrinkles above her lip revealing how often she pursed them.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I thought it rather plain," Leia said.

The woman's eyes raked Leia's appearance. "Who are you?"

Leia smiled. "I may be reduced to borrowing clothing, but I assure you, nothing has reduced my capacity to serve my people as the Princess of Alderaan. I am Leia Organa. And I only have a moment; my companion is waiting outside for me. I'd appreciate it if you show me into the Chairman's meeting."

The lips pursed is distaste. "This is highly irregular."

"Of course it is," Leia smiled.

The woman left her after muttering, "one moment", but was back probably as quickly as it took the Chairman to read the card. Leia was ushered in.

The conference table had a dozen conform seats arranged around it, but only five were in use. At least the IDIT board was mindful of its intergalactic purpose; four out of five were considered alien life forms. The table was a mess: butlers of kaf, water and sugar syrup were scattered about, data boards were stacked precariously, and smoke swirled around from two of the meeting members who were smoking.

"Yes," the Chairman demanded. "Princess Leia? What is the meaning of this?"

Leia smiled again. "Forgive me for barging in. I'm only in the city a short time and I wanted to see you."

"What business have you in the city?" the Chairman narrowed his eyes at her. He hadn't been pleasant their first conversation, but had turned the work of reparations over to clerks. Leia did honestly wish to thank them, but she had a feeling they were droids supervised by one sentient, and she'd find them on the floor below. But the Chairman was still unpleasant.

"Not your business, I assure you, Chairman. I only wanted to express my gratitude in person for the assistance you have given the survivors of Alderaan."

"Yes? And what else? What about this?" He shook the message board at her.

"Isn't it clear?" she asked with bland sweetness.

"Clear- what about? Why?"

"I don't wish to say it twice, Chairman. You will hear it when I say it. It does, however, relieve you of your duty to the Empire in keeping my involvement a secret. Please, extend my deepest gratitude to those who have provided such diligent competence on the Alderrani Reparation Fund." She nodded once, smiled around the table smartly, and left.

Han was loitering outside a jewelry shop. "How'd it go?" he asked her.

"Better than I thought. It really rankled him for some reason."

"I told you. Easy to make someone like him rankle. Just hint at a secret and they go crazy."

Leia marveled with a shake of her head. "Your con method works."

Han looked suspicious. "You're not flush with success, are you? You better not be thinkin' of trying this on the Emperor."

The jewelry store was an upscale one. Leia stared at a man's ring studded with tiny gems of blue and green. But she had no use for jewelry. She turned away and resumed walking. "I want to put in a call to the Galaxy Satellite. I'm sure they have an office here."

"You really are going to talk to the press."

"Oh, yes. Right on the steps of the old Senate building."

Han's gaze lifted out to the city, a look of admiration on his face. "Then what?"

"Then..." Leia took in a deep breath, "One more stop."

Han was nodding to himself, flecks of gold in his eyes. "Figured it was something like that. It'll be like Dantooine."

He didn't notice until he was four steps away that she had stopped.

"Dantooine," she said, amazed that the gold in his eyes brought up in her memory the fields of grain they had seen. When he halted and looked behind him, she demanded, "What in the world are you talking about?"

"Dantooine," Han said simply. "You remember. Walking everywhere, gracing the countryside with your princess presence..."

"I bought candles on Dantooine," Leia said sternly.

"Which we could have done anywhere-"

"It was close-"

"But you had to go to Dantooine-" He lifted the arm holding the pastry sack and it swayed.

"- and there was a base there."

"Abandoned." Han took large, swift steps forward and turned so he was in front of her. "It's because you named it. In place of Alderaan. You offered it up. That's why."

Sometimes she wondered if it was hate she felt for him. His face, more than handsome, and the athletic ease of his body, distracted her. And quite possibly she had attributed his wild solutions to luck rather than smarts. But here he was, able to see through her in a way Leia didn't know herself, with an ease Dr. Renzatl would admire.

It felt terribly unfair, and she hadn't expected it, but two could play at that game. She gathered herself, and threw it out. "And you said I was hijacking your ship. You are the one attaching yourself to me!"

He flinched a little, eyes bright and very sharp. "Let's make a list, alright? I'm not following you." He held up a finger. "I'm not keepin' an eye on you." Another finger. "And I'm not attaching myself to you." He thrust his hand at the air. "I knew on the ship, the moment you said you have 'errands.'"

Leia tried to bustle around him. "I'm not interested in your boasting of human nature."

"Look, it's not a bad thing," he told her back. "Don't be so huffy. You think you're exposing yourself, look at me."

She stopped, and gave him three-quarters of her face, willing to listen.

"I get it. That's all I'm saying. You have to... I don't know. Not see it. Kinda touch it," his tone softened, and when she looked he seemed far away, "with your eyes."

She turned all the way to face him.

"I'm with you, is all." He nodded, and tried to lighten the moment. "Think I understand the big Wook finally."

She was grateful for the... what was it? transference?

Connection.

He kept on talking. "You said it yourself. You were watched."

"Yes," she finally managed to say.

"Do you already know what you're going to find? 'Cause if not-"

"I am stupid enough to hope, Captain; smart enough to know better. I... it will... I don't know. I want a reminder, of our- my- responsibility, a cementing. Not only of the house of Organa, but of Leia Organa's house.

"It's my one chance. Here, right now, except to Palpatine and a select few, I am..." Leia sought the word. Dead? Ghost? "Alone. I always have been, since. It's been... something, at least. And I'm about to give that up to where I truly have nothing but a war."

His chin was at his chest, and he was looking down at her from under his lashes, and his eyes were a murky greenish brown now. "Okay. Let's go see."