There was a second in which he doubted; a second in which in which he could hardly swallow the concept of what had just gone on. But the next thing Han knew, Leia was getting to her feet, stumbling towards him. "It's okay," she croaked, with a voice so hoarse that Han could hardly believe her despite how much he wanted to. "Did you hear all of that?"

"I don't think I heard everything," Han said slowly. "But I heard enough. Enough to know that you just agreed to be Darth Sideous' Padawan because he was going to give you the freedom you wanted."

"Then don't you see?" Leia pleaded, grabbing onto his arm. "The future, our future, Han…it'll be better this way. You say you love me. In the society we live in, we would never have a chance. It's forbidden among the Jedi, but not in the Sith. You and I could have everything we wanted."

"So you're actually willing to lose Luke, destroy your father and leave your mother with nothing?" Han shot back. "I for one don't think that anything would be worth that kind of sacrifice, even though everything you said sounds so wonderful. Do you really want to do this?"

Leia bowed her head, looking dejected but not broken. She could feel the presence of the Force along with that of the man she had just declared her master. But most of all, she felt the cold recede from her for this first time in hours. The source of her new found warmth and light was directly in front of her, and on its way to rescue her. She could even feel it lying in a hospital bed, recovering from a speeder accident. These people were a part of her, and she could never give that up for anything.

An idea struck her as she contemplated Han's question. "No," she answered at last. She remained in the same position until she felt the anger subside in her. Then, drawing her lightsaber, she turned and struck Palpatine.

Or, more correctly, the place where Palpatine had just been. Cursing, she felt around her with the Force, trying to locate her opponent. Palpatine was too quick; before Leia saw it coming he had ignited his weapon and placed its blade near Han's throat. "Not so quick to rebel now, are we?" the old man taunted. She countered his attack, pushing the energy beam further away from the captain.

Leia felt the anger returning like an immense feeling of power that she hadn't yet connected with. She could still feel a slight chill still within her, but she brushed it away as the chancellor jumped into the rafters. She followed soon after, trying to keep her mind on the task at hand. Other thoughts were running through her brain like stampeding banthas, threatening to aid Palpatine. Leia once again attacked him, determination fueling her; she refused to let him catch her off guard.

"Face it, young Skywalker," the Sith cackled. "You are no match for me. I sense the anger in you. There is great potential for improvement, though, if you harness that anger and use it against your opponents. As a Sith you would rise to power. Soon no one could stop you. You have done nothing that couldn't be changed, my young apprentice, by simply using your weapon against your foolish brother instead of against me."

Something clicked into place in Leia's mind. "You say that no one could stop me," she said as she countered his blows, her face set. "What is to stop me from destroying my brother and father and you along with them?" The man who was nearly her master said nothing, but she could tell that he was afraid; his next few moves showed that he was obviously daunted. "I sense much fear in you, Master," Leia mocked.

"I am not afraid of you, Padawan," Sideous replied. He paused to scan the floor below, but in the second it took him to register Luke's arrival to the warehouse through the front door, Leia caught him off guard and struck at his arm. Her lightsaber left a large gash; Palpatine clutched at it, rendering him helpless. Just as she readied her weapon to deliver the final blow, she remembered what the old Jedi masters said when educating her as a Youngling: let go of your anger. Doing as she had been told for the first time in a while, Leia turned off her blade.

"Although it may seem foolish, old man," she said, turning to the Sith lord, "I trust that you cannot overpower me. Your philosophy is wrong. Anger does not strengthen you, but only clouds your judgment."

"As does," Sideous coughed, "your love, your caring, your sympathy. If ever you had a weakness, Skywalker, it is your compassion. You see light where there is only darkness, you seek help where none will give you anything but sour remarks. You are a fool, Leia, a fool who thinks that every life form has as big a heart as you do."

Leia smiled slightly to Palpatine's surprise. "I'd rather be labeled a fool for giving them more credit than they deserve than labeled a monster for viewing them as inferior." The Sith lord shook his head at her speech, then jumped down, amazed at the fact that Leia did not follow.

"I will find you someday," he taunted.

"And when I am ready, I will strike you down," Leia returned. She sat in the rafters, looking down on her brother and Han. Luke found her swinging her legs as they danged over the edge, smiling at him and waving. At last, when she was sure the Sith and his cronies if he had any had left, she jumped down.

Coincidentally, Han Solo was standing right near the spot where she landed. Despite her attitude Leia was near to breaking down, fighting fatigue and the cold that was threatening to once again rear its ugly head. She felt an overwhelming need for warmth and support, and so sought the nearest source of either or both.

Han's heart had never beaten so fast in his life. Leia threw her arms around his neck, embracing him tightly and sobbing against his shirt. "It's okay," he whispered, leaning down so she could hear him and also catching a whiff of her hair. It smelled incredible, he thought. Why hadn't he noticed it when he'd kissed her?

"I feel so weak," she said, at last peeling herself away from Han's arms. "I'm defenseless against him, and I fell for his tricks. Now here I am, having faced him but let him go, bawling my eyes out over nothing."

"You're not weak," Luke said sympathetically. "Palpatine was right about one thing. You really are one of the strongest Jedi in the order, Leia. How else could you have stood up to him like that?"

"Yeah," Han added, "not to mention you're pretty darn brave. I really admire the way you were able to overcome your anger and all that stuff. Man," he muttered, "I must be going soft. But it's true. You impressed me. You still impress me, Leia, and I don't think you'll ever stop."

"Thanks," she said. But suddenly, another thought broke the smile that was threatening to break out on her face. "Where's Mother?"