Chapter 10 – A Change of Plan
Telmann Page felt slightly uneasy as he walked along the dank hallways of Joral's fortress. The air stank like a Weequay's armpit and it was far too gloomy for his comfort. Not that he expected comfort of any sort. Upon their capure he and Kell had been transferred to a shuttle heading out to Nal Hutta, supposedly for questioning. But he did not quite understand why they were being brought to the Hutt, and not the Imperial commander. Roj Kell was walking at his side quietly and he was studying the fortress with mild interest. There was no sign of anxiety on his part. Well, as long as the Imps did not know they were facing a Sith the two of them might get a chance at escape.
In the throne room Joral was resting on his dais, and not surprisingly, really, there was a human standing next to him, dressed in an Imperial Captain's uniform. A Twi'lek prisoner, Haman, the General guessed, knelt quietly in front of them. He did not even look up when the newcomers arrived. Page and Kell were shoved forward and the troopers forced both men to their knees, so that the three capitves formed one neat row. The Captain looked them up and down and a sudden smile lit up his features. He gave Page a curt nod of acknowledgement.
"General. What a surprise."
"General?" the Hutt boomed. "Which one?"
The Captain pointed. "This is General Telmann Page of the New Republic. Chief Security Advisor, too, if I am informed correctly."
"What is he doing here, then?" Joral snorted.
"That's what I would like to know, too," the Captain said softly. "With your permission, Your Highness, I would like to remove the prisoner for questioning."
"Not yet, my friend. This one," the Hutt waved a pudgy hand in the general direction of Roj Kell. "Who is he?"
"Sir," one of the stormtroopers replied smartly, " he allegedly initiated this rebellion in the first place."
The Hutt's golden eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Is that so? Haman!"
Jerking upright the Twi'lek raised his head. He was trembling. "Yes, master?"
Page gave a contemptuous grunt at the creature's pitiful whining tone. Had the thing no honor? The Captain threw him a quick, warning glance, but Joral ignored his reaction completely and continued: "I was led to believe that it was you who plotted behind my back, Haman. Perhaps you know this one?"
"You are mistaken about your ally's intentions, Joral." Roj Kell's voice was soft, and yet it commanded instant attention. The General noted with some satisfaction the surprise on the Imperial captain's face. Rising to his feet gracefully the Sith Lord took a step back, studying the chamber intently, and deliberately avoided eye-contact with the Hutt lounging on his throne-like dais. The Captain lay a hand on his blaster, causing a small uproar in the ranks of the stormtroopers, who tried to sort out their weapons and keep an eye on the prisoners at the same time.
"What makes you think so?" Joral asked calmly, and Page thought he could detect a hint of amusement in the huge alien's booming voice. Apparently Kell had noticed that too. Turning his head he gazed at the Hutt coldly, his expression almost a sneer.
"The Empire has betrayed you already and yet you are fool enough to trust them. There is just one reason for Imperial troops to interfere now."
"Yes, indeed. That reason is the impending attack of the New Republic navy."
"You are a fool to trust the Empire, and a fool to trust the word of the traitor Haman." Shaking his head Roj Kell faced the Hutt fully and took a step toward him, his move so full of menace that it made even Page jump. Joral though was perfectly calm. The Captain was dividing his attention nervously between the old man and the Hutt, and his hand still clutched the blaster tightly. "Captain Kuyan," Kell continued sharply. "You met with the Council of Five on Ryloth, you promised Haman your support. Is that not so?"
"Yes," Kuyan grated out, looking surprised at his answer.
The Sith smiled coldly. "You see? They intended to use you as bait for the New Republic, and you were fool enough to fall for that."
"And only a fool would trust a Sith," Joral replied, "Guards!"
Page was as surprised as Kell, judging by the old man's expression, when a stunblast hit him square in the chest and left him on the floor, looking pretty dazed. The setting must have been to full, Page thought, judging by the smoke that rose from Kell's clothes. He winced when the Sith sat up slowly, and he ran a hand across his own chest gingerly in sympathy when he saw the severe burns that left the other's skin an angry, bloody red.
"Your mind tricks do not work on me," Joral continued in a most satisfied tone. "And my ally will be delighted when he learns of your capture. Is that not so, Captain?"
The man sagged with relief. "Yes, of course. Grand Admiral Markhan will be most pleased." But there was a frown lurking on his forehead. Undoubtedly he was wondering who exactly they had captured.
"Your heroic effort in assisting the Hutts in this difficult time will be remembered fondly, Captain Kuyan," the Hutt purred. "A pity that you died in the line of duty." Page had exactly half a second to drop to the floor before the guards fired again. A few moments later the smoldering corpses of the Imperials joined him there. Joral's slow laughter filled the silence with an eerie sound. "You see, esteemed Sith, I am no fool. Not at all."
Roj Kell was glaring daggers at the huge alien. "You knew all along."
"I suspected, and you and Haman confirmed my suspicions. Now, what shall I do with you? Undoubtedly the Grand Admiral would give much to have you in his hands."
"Maybe he would. I have no idea," the old man answered haughtily.
"And you, General Page. What would you be worth to the Empire?"
Page rose again and shrugged. "A lot?" he ventured at last.
Once again the Hutt's laughter reverbrated from the chamber's high walls. "Indeed!" he wheezed. When his mirth had died down again he turned his gaze on the Sith. "I do not like it when people try to manipulate me, but I like betrayal even less. You, General Page, will leave and go back to your New Republic. Tell them the mighty Joral does not look kindly upon their trying to interfere."
"The Twi'lek – "
The Hutt waved a tiny hand dismissively. "The Empire rules Ryloth now. If your New Republic takes an interest in their occupying the planet, by all means, let them. But Nal Hutta and Nar Shadaa are mine. I am out of this game."
Swallowing a reply Telmann Page gave a hurried nod. "What about him?" He indicated Kell, who was still on the floor.
"He will carry a message for me to the Grand Admiral."
"What message?" the Sith inquired suspiciously.
"The Empire is not welcome here any longer, but we do not wish a conflict. It is clear to me that the Grand Admiral sought to use us only for his ends, with no benefits to us altogether. Therefore his betrayal exhausts our deal."
"And what makes you think I would ever deliver that message?" Kell challenged him coolly.
The Hutt's gaping mouth widened in a mirthless smile. "There is a convoy leaving today from Nar Shadaa. An Imperial convoy."
"You just had its commander executed," the other reminded him calmly.
"Others will take his place. You will return to Byss, dead or alive I do not care. The Grand Admiral is a devious man, but I doubt that, with the New Republic about to strike at his troops at Ryloth, he will have anyone to spare to pay any attention to Nal Hutta. You understand? Your master and I part in peace, that way."
A smile twitched at the corners of Roj Kell's mouth. "Well," he said, "I see that we were not able to fool you. I bow before your profound wisdom, Joral." The Sith inclined his head respectfully, but Page was certain that inwardly Kell was shaking with laughter. Not that he himself minded that the Hutt had it all back to front. Did he truly believe that the Sith had acted on Markhan's behalf? "I will deliver your message to my – master," the old man added smoothly, and the General could practically see Joral's heavy bulk inflate with pride.
"Then we are agreed," the Hutt boomed, sounding very smug and satisfied indeed. "General Page, please give my regards to the esteemed Mon Mothma. Should she need any assistance I am most willing to grant it to her."
"Of course. Thank you." Telmann Page bowed sharply before he stepped over to help the Sith Lord rise to his feet. "Will you be all right?" he asked quietly.
"Quite all right. Thank you," Kell replied just as softly. "Remember what I told you, General. It is important."
"Yes, I know. See you around."
"Possibly."
Belana frowned at Page's retreating back pensively, while two of Joral's henchmen rushed forward to escort Kell out of the room. She followed the trio slowly, at a loss of what to make of what had just happened. So the New Republic would confront Markhan's troops at Ryloth. How did that go together with Kell's plan? He owed her an explanation, that was for sure. They made their way to one of the palace's hangars, where an Imperial shuttle was waiting for them. A hurried exchange between the pilot and the guards almost resulted in violence, since Captain Kuyan was missing, but Kell calmed them down with a few Force-induced words of authority. What was he planning to do once they reached the Captain's flagship? After the shuttle had lifted off she tried to coax her lover into something of an answer, but, as it turned out, he himself was not certain what was about to happen.
"Who is that master he was going on about?" she asked, bewildered.
"I have no idea. Not Markhan, that much is clear. I suppose there is some sort of powerstruggle going on. Maybe some commanders think that Markhan is gaining too much power."
"What are you going to do now?"
"My task here is completed, even if it happened in a different way than I planned. The Twi'lek will join the New Republic and the Hutts will not dare to interfere."
"You told Page that you didn't want the rebellion to succeed...."
"To increase the pressure on the New Republic, and to force the Twi'lek to join. It is quite simple, really, when you know which levers to pull."
"Perhaps, in this case, that is even true," Belana conceded, astounded. So he had been planning on the Twi'lek joining the New Republic all along! And Joral had claimed that he was out of the game, which qualified as isolation, as far as she was concerned. Kell had thus achieved all of his objectives. "What about you?" she asked softly. "They will take you prisoner again, I know."
Kell scowled at that. "Thrawn didn't enjoy my company much, and neither will Markhan." His features lit up again when he added: "I don't think he'll like that message much. And I want to find out who is playing him and Joral both."
Aboard the Victorious Yana was feeling like a fool. She had trusted Abla, had loved him, even. That he would betray her like this ... The very idea of his deception outraged her. He had killed Marten – he had admitted it, when she had asked – and he had been relaying her discoveries to Tious Markhan all along. Incredible, that she had fallen for this traitorous slicer completely, and that she still felt a tiny spark of affection as she watched him pace the small expanse of her cabin. It was true then, that love made a fool of everyone.
Seated on the single bunk, her shackled hands lying in ger lap, Yana tried to be as cool and forbidding as she could, while being so close to the man she had loved for close to two years now. He was seemingly trying to come up with some sort of apology, as if she could ever forgive him! Finally he stopped his pacing and turned to face her. Concern filled his dark eyes, concern and regret. She met his gaze haughtily, her lips compressed tightly in anger.
"Yana – "
"What?"
"I can only say I am sorry."
"Being sorry won't save you, Abla," she hissed.
"Why can't you just see reason? He won't harm you, all he wants from you is a bit of committment to the cause – "
"I don't want the Empire back!"
"You won't prevent its rebirth either, Yana. The New Republic cannot stand up to us. Not without Vader, not without Thrawn."
"What about Zsinj and the court?"
Abla shrugged dismissively and sat down beside her. "They are fools." Reaching out he ran the palm of his hand along her cheek tenderly. "Don't be a fool, Yana," he whispered softly.
She jerked her head away, but blushed immediately. It had felt so good to have him touch her again ... Too good. "Tell me Abla," she began hoarsely, "do you really believe the court will accept me when they know exactly that I am no more than Markhan's puppet?"
"You are the Emperor's daughter."
"And that's it, isn't it?" Looking him straight in the eye she said: "There has to be more for me, Abla. It is a poor bargain this way."
"I am sure the Grand Admiral will be amendable to your wishes."
She could see his relief clearly. But if he believed that he had managed to mellow her resolve he was badly mistaken. First chance she got she would kill him. In that regard she was very much like her father. Betrayal could not be tolerated, ever. Her thoughts of sweet vengeance were interrupted when the door opened without warning and a stormtrooper appeared, nodding at Abla.
"Sir, we have a problem."
"What problem? Is Captain Kuyan back?"
"No, sir. It seems that there have been some – difficulties on Nal Hutta. Joral has sent a messenger. Perhaps you should see for yourself."
"A messenger?" Abla bounded to his feet and strode over to the trooper. "Where is the Captain?"
"Dead, I think."
"What?"
"The messenger was very specific on that."
"Have the man escorted to the bridge and inform Commander Antham. I want a channel open to Byss by the time I get to the bridge."
"Yes, sir. As ordered."
Once the stormtrooper had left again Abla turned to face Yana once more. "One of your little schemes, Yana? Joral always seemed to have a soft spot for you."
"Did he? I never noticed," she lied.
"Very funny, baby. Come on. I want you with me, just in case he is one of yours."
Abla let Yana walk ahead of him so he could better keep an eye on her. He did not trust her, not after she had promised to kill him. Yana was not someone to resort to empty threats. She held herself high, all haughtiness and cool composure, and Abla did not doubt that she would use any means that might arise to twist conditions to her advantage. Which was why he had warned the Grand Admiral to be very careful around her. Take this incident on Nal Hutta. Somehow he doubted that Joral had the imagination to see through Markhan's plot. Most likely Yana had made good use of the information she had undoubtedly gained on Yaga Minor. Damn Zsinj and those bootlickers of a court. But one fact cast doubts upon that theory. Yana had not really had a chance to contact Joral, or had she?
Frowning a bit Abla quickened his pace to catch up with her as she strode toward the bridge. She stopped dead in her tracks all of a sudden, prompting him to run straight into her. Abla caught her self-consciously, before she could fall, and got a sharp elbow rammed into his stomach for his trouble. Screeching like a cat Yana whirled around, her hands raised high and balled into tight fists that descended upon his head with a vicious blow. He tried to shield himself against the assault, but only the interference of two stormtroopers could end her attack.
"Bastard!" she yelled, face red with anger and blue eyes throwing furious sparks. "I'll get you, you can bet your sorry ass on that!"
"Easy, girl," he told her as he straightened and rubbed a hand over his bruised cheek. For the first time he became aware of the gaping faces all around. The entire bridge crew was staring at him. His pride ruffled he raised his head and gave Yana a cold glare. "Secure her."
The two troopers led the still quivering woman over to one of the empty seats and made her sit down. She fairly ignored them, her gaze fixed solely on Abla. Feeling a bit uncomfortable he turned away to address Commander Antham, whom Kuyan had left in charge of the Victorious before leaving for Nal Hutta.
"Have you established a channel to Byss yet?" the slicer asked a bit harshly and Antham threw him a quick smile.
"Yes, sir. As you requested. Grand Admiral?"
"I hear you, Commander," the familiar voice of Tious Markhan replied calmly. "Is there trouble, Abla?"
"Apparently Captain Kuyan was killed on Nal Hutta," he replied, ignoring the sniggers that rose from the crew around him.
"This calls for retribution, don't you think? Commander Antham, I want you to take the Victorious on a hit and fade mission to target Joral."
"His palace?"
"Of course. Commander, you spoke of a messenger?"
"He is on his way to the bridge, I am told," Antham explained, and Abla noticed the nervous glance the commander gave the bridge entrance. "Ah, here they come."
Four stormtroopers, with a black-clad security guard leading them, escorted the messenger onto the bridge. To Abla's surprise he was human, not Twi'lek, as he had expected. Dressed in dark brown pants the man wore a long cloak that looked slightly torn and burnt, for some reason. Age had left a net of thin lines across the man's features and he moved gingerly, as if he were injured, which he was, as Abla noted on second glance. Severe stun blast burns criss-crossed the man's bare torso. Despite his apparent age the newcomer's features were still sharply defined, and there was a strength in his gaze that had everyone spellbound instantly.
The sound of urgent little noises from Yana's direction made Abla tear his eyes away from the stranger to look over at her. Mouth hanging open she was gaping at the messenger openly. Incredulous surprise was plain on her pretty face, mixed with fear. Did she know him after all? Commander Antham was apparently oblivious to the information broker's reaction. He took a step toward the messenger and nodded gravely.
"You have something for us?"
"Yes. A message from Joral."
Abla felt his body jerk in response to the old man's voice, that seemed to combine a rich baritone with silver chimes. The stranger gave him a thin smile, then turned his head slowly to look at Yana. She sat bolt-upright and blushed for some reason, casting her eyes down in embarrassement. What was going on there? Abla frowned fiercely at the two of them, but then the Grand Admiral broke the spell.
"What message would that be?"
"The Empire is not welcome in Hutt Space any longer. Joral requests you to withdraw your troops from Nar Shadaa and Nal Hutta immediately."
"Is that so," Markhan replied coolly. "Joral and I had a deal, as far as I recall."
"Yes. But you deceived him, did you not? You convinced Haman that you would support his rebellion on Ryloth. To Joral that qualifies as if you had broken the deal openly. For your benefit he will refrain from interfering in your quarrels with the New Republic."
"How gracious of him. He sent a messenger to tell me that? He could have contacted me personally. I wonder why he chose to send you. Commander Antham, can you give me a visual of our visitor?"
"At once, sir." Antham nodded at the comm officer, who executed the request immediately. There was a brief pause as the Grand Admiral undoubtedly waited for the image to resolve on his screen. Then the silence went on for a little while longer. Finally Markhan said:
"Commander Antham, you will take your flagship to Ryloth and establish order there. Take two additional ships as reinforcements. Send the rest of the convoy on its way here. Abla, you have succeeded in apprehending Yana Dar?"
"Yes, sir. She's here with me."
"Ah. Excellent. Welcome to the Empire, my lady. As for our unexpected visitor, Abla, you will make sure that he leaves Nar Shadaa with you."
The slicer gave the stranger a doubtful glance. "As ordered, Grand Admiral."
"That is all, gentlemen. Markhan out."
Yana jumped up from her seat, anger replacing surprise. "Why are you here?" she asked the old man. "Are you mad?"
"And who might you be?" the other asked right back. "You seem to know me, but I do not recall ever having seen you before."
Suddenly becoming aware of her being the sole focus of the bridge crew's attention Yana lowered her voice and said, a bit hesitantly: "I saw you once. On Byss."
The messenger frowned at her deeply. "Why? Who are you?"
"My name is Yana Dar. I am Darth Sidious' daughter."
Who the heck is Darth Sidious? Abla asked himself, before he realized that she was talking about Palpatine.
"His daughter," the old man hissed under his breath, and something resembling a growl emanated form his throat. Face twisting in anger he raised his right hand toward Yana, who took a step back and plopped down on her seat, eyes wide with fear. "He never mentioned you, Yana Dar." Shaking his head with a wistful sigh he relaxed once more. "You are right. He has paid for that already, and she is innocent regarding her father's deeds. Yet she was on Byss too," he added, seemingly to himself, and threw the information broker a dark look.
"It was not my choice," Yana explained quietly.
Commander Antham apparently had had enough of this discussion, undoubtedly very conscious of the fact that the Grand Admiral always expected his orders to be carried out without delay. "Enough of this banter," he snapped. "Othana, you have heard the Grand Admiral. Remove the prisoners from this ship and get on your way. Now. You," here he pointed at the messenger. "I don't know who you are or what the Grand Admiral wants with you, but you will behave yourself. Get going. We have a war to prepare."
"Lord Andorwyn! What is going on?" Leia darted after the Kuati, who was hurrying past the women's apartments down the hallway. The palace was in an uproar, and guards and nobles alike were running around aimlessly.
"Zsinj," Andorwyn answered curtly, his face a mask of worry. "He's suffered heavy losses at Ord Mantell. Chances are that the attackers will strike here next."
"What attackers?" the Princess asked, keeping up with his long strides with difficulty.
"They have wiped out almost the entire fleet Zsinj sent there. The Iron Fist is reported missing."
That made her stop in her tracks. "Zsinj is dead?"
"Presumably yes," he replied and turned to face her.
She lay a hand on his forearm urgently. "You know what that means! You will not escape Markhan now. He will hunt you down, all of you, and accuse you of high treason!"
"Come now, Princess," he replied with a cold smile, "you do not truly believe that the Grand Admiral is invincible, do you?"
"All I know is that he's got a fleet and you haven't. You are doomed. And I mean that."
He gave an incredulous laugh. "You are ridiculous! We are not on our own, and even if we were, we are powerful enough to - "
Leia propped her hands on her hips and raised her chin haughtily. "To do what? Raise an army? I doubt it. If that really is Markhan out at Ord Mantell you are dead."
"And what if it isn't him?"
Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "You know as well as I do what that would mean. Irek Ismaren will not look well upon you once he learns of your taking his mother prisoner."
She could see that she had hit a nerve there. Suddenly Andorwyn grabbed her arm and dragged her toward one of the windows. "Listen, Princess, this is no game. We are leaving Yaga Minor within the hour, and it would be best for you if you went with us."
"Whatever for?" Leia inquired, knowing full well what he was going to propose next.
"If – if things don't turn out the way we have planned, we – we might come to a mutual agreement."
Twisting out of his grip the Princess laughed. "You believe the New Republic will offer you asylum? A bunch of self-indulgent vultures who care nothing for what is going on beyond their own small world? No," her lips twisted into a sneer, "you'll have to come begging on your knees for that, my lord. And now you should hurry, if you really want to leave in one hour."
Han Solo and Lando Calrissian pushed their way through the crowds surging toward the ports brutally. Everyone seemed to be on the run, and most people wore terrified expressions on their faces. Up ahead shuttles were descending on the landing pads of the governmental palace, and it looked as if the building was being evacuated.
"Do you think your Princess might have anything to do with that?" Lando joked.
"I doubt it," the Corellian growled back. "Where the hell has Fett vanished to?" The bounty-hunter had been with them only a moment ago, but Han could not see him any longer, a fact that concerned him very much.
"Don't worry about me, Solo." Boba Fett materialized out of the crowd and started toward the palace. "Better hurry, before – "
The whining sound of approaching TIE fighters hushed the crowd into silence. Heads turned upward everyone tried to make out the attacking ships. And there they were, dropping right out of the sky, guns blazing away, The crowd panicked.
"Damn!" Han let loose a string of colorful Corellian curses, but followed Lando and the bounty-hunter to a niche set into one of the nearby houses. "What's going on?" he shouted over the roar of a few hundred beings screaming out their mutual terror.
"An Imperial armada is running an attack on the planet," Boba Fett explained, sounding awfully calm. "We had better get Magrody out of there fast. And your Princess, of course," he added as an after-thought.
Suddenly Han had his blaster out and Lando followed suite. Staring into the bounty-hunter's masked face the Corellian frowned darkly. "Where have you been?"
"You truly believe you could be fast enough?" Fett asked softly. "Only the two of you?"
"I'll take my chances," Han snorted, "and Lando's always been a bit of a gambler. He seldomn loses, by the way. Now, again, where have you been? You forbade us to communicate with anyone, you controlled the comm, and I believe you just received new instructions. Care to enlighten us?"
"Not bad, Solo. Not at all bad," the bounty-hunter replied, sounding genuinely surprised.
"Anything to do with this attack?"
When Fett moved he did not care to stop before he had disarmed Han with a well-placed blow of a gauntleted hand and spun around to wrestle the blaster from Lando's grip. Holding both weapons he kept very silent. Han swallowed a fat lump of fear and raised his hands tentatively, seeing the baron do the same. "I don't like your attitude, Solo. I have a job to do and you two are interfering with that immensely, so here is how it's gonna be: Lucky for you my contractor is Joral, or else you'd be dead by now. I will go in there and get Magrody. Whether you want to follow to get your Princess I don't care, but if you get in my way again you are dead. Clear?"
That must have been the longest speech Han had ever heard from a bounty-hunter. Usually it was just something on the lines of "Hey, you!" or the all-time favorite "Drop that blaster!". He nodded slowly. "Clear, sure. Isn't that so, Lando?"
"Yeah, crystal."
"Good." Whirling around Boba Fett vanished into the crowd, blasters and all.
"Hey!" Han yelled after him. "You've got something that belongs to me!"
"Wanna go and get her back?" Lando asked, arching his brows coolly. The Corellian grinned at the baron nastily.
"The lady cost me a fortune and I'm kinda attached to her."
"I was talking about Leia."
"Yeah. I know. Let's go."
"Roganda, we are leaving," Leia announced, striding into the room like a queen. Looking up from where she had been studying the turmoil outside Roganda nodded.
"I thought we might," she answered with a small smile and rose. It had only been a matter of time, really, until something like that happened. "Are those Markhan's troops or the New Republic's?"
The Princess gave her a look of faint surprise, then continued with throwing together some necessities she obviously planned to take with her. "Markhan. Lord Andorwyn told me that Zsinj's troops have been almost wiped out at Ord Mantell. It stands to reason that they would attack us next."
"Can we escape?" Roganda inquired, excitement taking hold of her all of a sudden. She was completely alert, her worries forgotten for the moment. "How are we going to leave?"
"We'll think of something," the Princess offered. "Take only what you absolutely need. We have to go."
She did as ordered, following the younger woman's instructions wordlessly. Reason told her that the girl had much more experience than her in a situation such as this, and additionally she had studied with her father. When all was said and done it was Leia's knowledge that had to suffice to get both of them out of here. Once they were finished with their hurried packing Leia slung a bundle over her shoulder and secured it around her waist, so it would not distract her on the run. Roganda imitated her and joined the Princess by the door. The sounds of a fight going on inside the palace had reached them moments before, and it was chaos as they stepped into the hallway. Servants and clerks were running aimlessly, intent only on getting out of the building.
"We will need some weapons," Leia whispered and motioned her companion forward. Slipping down the corridor after her Roganda felt her heart beat in her throat. All of her senses were heightened and suddenly the Force seemed within reach, such a bright light, making her feel safe.
"Leia!" she called softly. "The hangars are that way."
"They'll hit those first. No, we need something more inconspicuous. Do you have any idea? You know the palace better than I do."
"I believe there is a small gate that's very hard to find from the outside. Let's head that way."
As she turned away she felt the Princess' hand hold her back. Looking over her shoulder Roganda met the other's dark gaze.
"I trust you, Roganda," Leia told her softly.
"You are my only chance to see my son again," she replied. "Come, we should hurry."
The ran side by side, but only two hallways further their flight was stopped by a squad of stormtroopers, who were exchanging fire with some of the palace guards. Suddenly a man called over the roar of blasters whining: "Cease fire!" The stormtroopers obeyed instantly and, crouched behind a corner, Roganda and Leia watched a stocky human step out from the armored soldiers to address the guards.
"I am General Zi'Assime, and I am making this offer only once: surrender now and nothing will happen to you, as loyal subjects of the Empire. Yaga Minor is, as of now, under military order, and I represent the military right here. Drop your weapons instantly."
Roganda noticed the Princess shaking her head in quiet pleading, eyes wide. After a moment's hesitation they could hear the clatter of blaster rifles hitting the floor. "No!" Leia moaned softly and a second later the stormtroopers opened fire on the now helpless guards. "Let's go!" Grabbing Roganda's wrist she sprinted toward the opposite corner and into the next hallway. A volley of blaster bolts followed them.
"Over there!" Roganda yelled and dived toward a small door. Pushing it open she found herself in a small courtyard. Leia followed her promptly and closed the door behind her.
"It doesn't have a lock," she commented, "and we have no weapons."
"Leia!"
Whirling toward the owner of that sweetly familiar voice the Princess found Han Solo racing
across the gravelled ground toward her, a joyful smile splitting his face nearly in half. She ran to meet him and fell into his embrace gratefully, tears of joy and relief bursting from her eyes at the feel of his arms around her, holding her tightly. "Han," she whispered. "You're here."
"We had a hell of a time finding this damn gate," he told her with a chuckle, "and who could have known what was hidden behind it?" Someone cleared his throat discreetly to gain their attention. "Oh. Sorry." Han kept an arm around her shoulders as he turned to indicate a dark-skinned man standing next to him. "This is Lando Calrissian, an old friend."
"I am delighted to make your charming acquaintance," Calrissian said and flashed her a most winning smile. "And now, if you two love birds don't want to end up roasted alive, we should leave at once."
"Of course." Leia blushed ever so slightly, then disengaged from the Corellian and gestured for Roganda to join them. The woman was watching the newcomers suspiciously, but leia turned her attention back to her lover instantly. "Do you have the Falcon?"
"Sure thing. Let's go." Han grabbed her hand and did not seem to ever want to let go. Smiling to herself Leia stumbled after him, but she still kept an eye on Roganda, to make sure that the former Emperor's Hand was truly following. To her slight surprise Calrissian also kept an eye on the dark-haired woman.
Outside the palace the chaos had dimmed down a bit. The attack had stopped for now, but she knew all too well that this only meant that Yaga Minor had surrendered to the General's troops. Zi'Assime. There was another name she would never forget. She had known that he would not stay true to his promise when he had told those guards that they had nothing to fear from his troops. It was exactly that kind of cruelty among Imperial commanders that had given the Imperial military its reputation. Somehow, Leia thought, the navy had always been a bit of an exception there, and she suspected that her father had had a great influence in those matters. How else could men like Piett or Needa have risen to command?
"Did Father send you?" she asked Han breathlessly as she ran beside him.
"Not directly. He said I'd have his permission to go looking for you, but it was Joral who pointed us this way. He wanted us to kidnap Magrody, too, by the way. But I guess we can forget about that."
"Why?"
" 'Cause Boba Fett is after him, too. Turns out that Joral has blown his deal with the Empire and works his own scheme now."
Leia stopped dead in her tracks, forcing Han to stop, too. "What do you mean? What deal with the Empire?"
"Yana Dar had you kidnapped and brought here to make some deal. Joral was in with her and – "
"No, you are mistaken," Leia interrupted him. "Yana Dar was not the one who ordered my kidnapping. It was her." She pointed at Roganda. "Yana wanted me to help her, but she did not say with what."
"And where is she now? She was supposed to be with you at Yaga Minor."
"We were attacked." She looked back toward the governmental palace with a frown. What if Andorwyn and his cronies managed to escape? "We have to go. I'll tell you everything once we're on board the Falcon."
As expected the port was closed, and stormtroopers were milling about, keeping a sharp eye on everything. Leia could make out six TIEs patrolling over the city and it was clear that they would need a great deal of luck to get off the planet. Chewing her lower lip thoughfully she tried to think of any way they could distract the soldiers, but none would come to mind.
"What are we going to do?" Roganda, who had joined her quietly, asked.
"I have no idea."
They were hiding amidst the throng of people that had assembled in front of the port, and the Princess winced at all those hopeful faces. Did they truly believe that they would be allowed to leave now? Suddenly someone tapped her shoulder and she turned her head to gaze at Han, who was silently pointing at something to the right. She noticed two men walking along a street that went parallel to the port plaza. One was Nasdra Magrody, and the other ... "Who is that?" she whispered and extended hert senses to get a read on the armored warrior.
"Name's Boba Fett," Han answered under his breath, "and he's a bounty-hunter. Come on, I think we should follow those two." He threw Leia a wide grin: "He's still got my blaster, and I want that back."
Running at Leia's side Han Solo was grinning like a fool, happiness filling his heart with an aching longing. He suppressed an urge to reach out again and hold her hand for the sake of mobility, but kept gazing at her in wonder. Finally, finally they were back together. She wore a determined expression on her face and Han thought that fierceness made her look even more beautiful. That was how he knew her, his warrior princess who never gave up, and that he secretly preferred over Leia the politician. Not that he would tell her that to the face, but he suspected she knew. After all, she herself found it refreshing sometimes to forgo all that back-stabbing and manipulating for the much simpler principle of friend or foe.
He and Lando had managed to come by a few blasters and Han had given Leia a spare one, retaining two himself. It had been clear to everyone in their small group that Roganda certainly would not be outfitted with a weapon. He was wondering why Leia cared to take the woman with her at all, after she had had her kidnapped. Throwing Roganda a suspicious look he saw tears streaming down her cheeks. What was it with her? Suddenly Lando tapped his shoulder and he stopped, catching his breath as he joined Leia, who stood at an intersection and was watching their quarry intently.
"We are on the southside of the port," Roganda supplied in a breathless voice.
"That's where the Falcon is," Han added, and cursed under his breath. "If that skunk dares touch my ship – "
"Han!" Shaking her head at him Leia was smiling. "The question is how we can get off-planet."
"I won't leave the Falcon behind," he replied stubbornly.
Up ahead Fett was dragging an unresisting Magrody along the outer wall of the port, all the while scanning it for something they could not see. Then he stopped and raised his arm, wrist pointed at the sky. A grappling hook shot out from his utility belt and landed on the wall's top. The bounty-hunter tugged at it once to make sure that it would hold, then turned his helmeted head to look back straight at Han and his crew. The Corellian froze.
"Has he seen us?" Lando whispered.
"I think yes," Han whispered back. "What is he doing now?" he asked aloud when Fett unhooked a grenade from his belt and threw it over the wall. His eyes widened in surprise when he understood and a whole string of Corellian curses were launched at the bounty-hunter. Han grabbed his blasters and would have stepped out from the protective wall they were hiding behind, had Leia not held him back.
"Han, what is going on?"
"He's going to – " The grenade went off on the other side of the wall circling the port with a loud boom. Fett snatched a knife from his belt and cut the cable on the grappling hook, then hurried further down the street, Magrody in tow. "Great," Hans huffed, "now every damn stormtrooper's bound to come poking around the Falcon."
"Does that mean we cannot escape?" Rogand asked softly.
"No, it just makes things harder. Come on." Han jogged over to the cable still hanging down the wall, the others hard on his heels. "Lando, you watch the street."
Hoisting himself up the cable Han was out of breath by the time he had reached the top. As expected troopers were swarming toward the Millennium Falcon. He also noticed that the ship's hull had been slightly dented and blackened by the grenade explosion. Damn bounty-hunter! So far the troopers had not seen him and he carefully brought up his blasters. A movement further down loosened another curse from his tonue. How had Fett managed to get across the wall? Taking aim he sent a blaster bolt toward the retreating bounty-hunter, thereby drawing attention not only on himself, but also on Fett. The troopers broke into confusion and Han yelled:
"Leia! Get up here and give me some cover!"
Heaving himself onto the top of the wall fully he braced himself and jumped. Impacting hard against the Falcon's hull he grappled for a better hold and sought some purchase for his flailing boots. Finally he managed to get on top of the ship and ran toward the port emergency hatch. Up on the wall Leia let loose a round of laserbolts. Good girl. His fingers worked the lock hastily and he heaved a relieved sigh when the hatch popped open at last. Turning his head he looked back toward the Princess. "Get down! I'm going to break that pretty wall!" She nodded and vanished instantly. Han dropped into the hatch and closed it, took the elevator down and raced through the crew-quarters and the main corridor toward the cockpit at record speed. Already he could hear blaster bolts impact against the ship hull. "Don't you dare, you bastards," he growled under his breath as he skidded to a halt in front of the cockpit door and palmed it open. "All right, old lady, let's see you in action."
"What is he doing?" Leia demanded, while her eyes never left the port wall. The roar of the Falcon's engines coming to life drowned out most of Lando Calrissian's response.
".... shoot his way clear!" she heard him shout.
"I figured that much out," she replied and withdrew further into the alley they had come down. Suddenly blaster bolts began sizzling through the air over head. "Duck!" Before she launched herself out of harm's way she made out a squad of storm troopers head their way. And Roganda stood frozen in the middle of the street! "Roganda!" The woman turned toward her, her black eyes wide with terror, and just at that moment her tiny body was lifted off the ground as a stray bolt hit her. "No!" Tears sprung to the Princess' eyes for some reason and she fired blindly at the advancing soldiers. At her side Calrissian was methodically picking off storm troopers with his own weapon. "Roganda," Leia repeated in a whisper.
"Come on, it's over," Calrissian told her softly and only then did she realize that all the soldiers were down. With a loud crash the wall behind them shattered. "The Falcon's waiting."
"We can't leave her behind," the Princess told her companion firmly and darted toward where Roganda was spread out on the cobblestones. She was still breathing, but her face was deadly pale.
"Give me some cover," Calrissian ordered as he picked up the small woman and headed for the ship that was still spewing laser bolts at the troopers inside the port. The entry hatch was open and faced the gaping hole in the wall, so Lando could just run ahead and into the ship's safe womb, with Leia close behind. She slapped her palm against the hatch release and immediately it snapped close again.
"Get her hooked up to emergency," she called after Lando before she veered off toward the cockpit to join Han. He was seated in the pilot's chair, his face grim.
"Took your time, honey," he said by way of greeting and Leia shot him an incredulous look before she noticed the sudden smile on his face. "Would you mind taking over dorsal?"
"No, certainly." The Princess ran toward the accessway and met Lando on the way. "How is she?"
"Not sure, alive for now," he replied briskly and jogged over to assist Han as co-pilot.
Just when Leia dropped into the gunner' seat the Falcon lifted off, pressing her down into the chair hard. She had barely time to strap in and grab the gun array. Once she had managed to take a calming breath, though, things looked better. She forced herself to become completely tranquil, like her father had taught her. Calling up the sensor screen she put on the head-comm and switched it on. "Ready to go," she announced.
"Great! Just watch whatever is coming at us from down-planet," Han told her. "I'll try to keep the TIEs away as best as I can."
"Sure," she answered with a smile. "Piece of cake." Dropping into the flow of the Force she let its calm guide her hands and relaxed.
Two hours later the Millennium Falcon was locked in hyperspace and en route for Coruscant.
After a having taken a long shower and dressed in fresh clothes Leia exited the bath-room and walked into the crew quarters leisurely, her dark hair glistening in the ship's artificial light. She almost jumped when Han hurried out of the captain's cabin opposite and stopped short upon seeing her. An awkward silence made the air brim with apprehension.
"How is Roganda?" the Princess asked with a smile and sat down at the table. A moment later Han stepped up to join her, but remained standing. He seemed strangely absent.
"She's better," he replied slowly. "Lando's looking after her, but we'll need professional medical assistance. Pretty bad burn."
"But she'll live."
"Yeah .... Listen –" he stopped himself and raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose wearily.
"Yes?" Slightly bewildered by his behaviour Leia started rising from her seat, but Han gently pressed her down again.
"No!" he exclaimed, looking frantic, but then his features eased again. "You'd better stay there if I'm going to tell you this." His sudden grin was somewhat at odds with what she could sense from him. Fear, worry and hope. What was going on?
"Han, I – "
"No, just listen. Please." Leia patiently folded her hands in her lap and waited, her dark eyes looking up at him expectantly. "Okay – " Han cleared his throat noisily and lay a hand on top of the table as if for support. He stared at the hand as if seeing it for the first time and mumbled something like: "Never thought it'd be so hard." The Princess' heart skipped a beat and she felt her face flush with joyful anticipation. Could it be? She felt like laughing out loud, and her lips twitched ominously as she tried to suppress her feelings. Then Han dropped down on one knee before her and both his hands wrapped around hers, holding them tight. "You, know, back on Corellia I was so mad when you had been kidnapped. And worried, of course – " he added hurriedly, his eyes widening with fear of having spoiled the mood. Leia simply smiled at him. Thus encouraged he continued somewhat shakily: "Thing is, we've been through so much together and I enjoyed every second of it. I think I know you feel the same." She nodded mutely and a relieved grin flashed across his face. "Great! I - "Again he cleared his throat and his expression turned serious once more. "I have waited for so long to ask you this ... Will you marry me?"
Unable to hold back her emotions any longer Leia exploded in tears and laughter and wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him close. "Of course I will!" Placing a kiss on his lips she whispered. "Did you ever have doubts about that?"
"Truthfully? No, but perhaps I just didn't want to believe my luck," he shot back, smiling.
Looking into his eyes deeply Leia felt her excitement fade into certainty. "I love you, Han."
"I know."
TBC