Chapter Eleven

They never left anything to chance. This mission had a lot of moving parts and Leia was careful to vet and review every aspect. They kept it as small as possible, moved as quickly as possible, factored in delays and contingency plans. The cabin, nestled in a forest in a remote region on Commenor, was scanned inside and out as soon as they arrived. Sensors were placed in the trees to notify them of any approaching beings then Han and Chewie returned to the Falcon and monitored the long-range radar for ships.

They watched the shuttle, piloted by Tycho and carrying two potential donors, land. Leia comm'd Han to let him know things were starting. She sounded slightly nervous, excited that all her hard work might come to fruition. He caught an edge, like maybe something was amiss, but didn't press the issue. He told her, go get 'em Princess, then settled in to wait for her signal that it was time to go.

Something was missed, though. Something or someone got through.

The explosion was bright and vivid against the night sky. Han saw it before the sound hit him in the cockpit. He was at the ramp in seconds and screaming for Chewbacca.

"I got a med kit. Grab more supplies." Han dropped the ramp and pulled a bag over his shoulder. "Get bandages and bacta. Hurry up!"

Han didn't wait for the Wookiee's reply. He was down the ramp and running, blaster in hand and ready, through the trees in mere seconds.

There was no moon and the night was pitch black but he followed the cabin lights through the trees. He covered the ground quickly. He could smell the explosives, smoke. It didn't look like there was any fire, he took that as a positive, but he wasn't going to feel relief until he found her. Until he knew she was alright.

The first person Han found was one of the donors, an older man in an expensive, and now covered in dust and grime, suit. He was in shock, standing outside the cabin and staring back at the collapsed side of the building. Han gave him a quick glance, determined the man wasn't going to provide much information, and rushed inside.

Another man, presumably the other potential donor, stood in the center of the room. He was older, bearded, quite tall. The donors' names—Daushan and Szahan—flashed into his mind then he pushed them aside. Pyrtor was standing beside the old man and Han barely wasted a moment wondering what the hell he was doing there before turning to the explosion site.

The corner of the room was blown out, glass and steel strewn across the front grounds. Part of the ceiling had fallen in and plaster and wood covered the remnants of furniture and building scattered around the room. Tycho was yelling to be careful, there might be tripwires. There was blood and what looked like the start of a bruise on his forehead. Luke called back, saying the trip wire is what set it off. They were pulling out rubble to clear a space as Leia was huddled, leaning forward, on the floor.

Han didn't stop to ask questions. He pulled Leia back so she sat on her haunches. He couldn't speak. His heart was threatening to burst out of his chest. He couldn't swallow. He grabbed her face, forced her to look at him. Her face was more pale than usual, drained of colour. Her eyes were full of anger and fear.

He took a second, taking her all in, his thumbs caressing her cheeks. He was starting to calm down when he saw the blood. Her shirt was covered in blood, there were smudges along her neck and jawline. He was about to jump into action, carry her to the Falcon, when her hands went to his wrists. She gave her head a small shake.

"It's not mine." She spoke barely above a whisper but he heard her clearly because her voice was all that mattered.

He nodded once then let go of her. The only thing he could do now was help her. Whatever she needed.

She turned away and he noticed for the first time the man lying on the floor. He was young, maybe twenty, covered in blood and struggling to breath. Leia had her hands over a large open wound on his side, applying pressure and stop the flow of blood.

"Who is he?" Han snapped his fingers and pointed back to the main room. Luke grabbed a small blanket from one of the chairs and tossed it to Han.

"He came on the shuttle. He helps with the cabin." Leia folded the blanket and placed it on the wound as a better brace.

Han opened up the med kit. He filled the infuser with bactaid. "Do you know his name?"

"Mosumi." Leia leaned forward, trying not to put too much pressure on his ribcage but enough to slow the bleeding.

"Hey, Mosumi," Han said. "Giving you a shot." He released the bactaid into the young man's neck.

"The explosive was in the firewood." Luke stood beside them with his arms crossed over his chest. He wasn't sure what he should be doing.

"How do you know?" Tycho continued pulling debris from around the young man. Giving them more space to work gave him somewhere to direct all his energy.

Luke shrugged his shoulders. "The Force?"

It was a flash. A sudden awareness. Luke knew there was a device tucked in the logs Mosumi carried in from the backlot. The young man was fidgeting with the bundle as he walked. Luke knew, somehow, Mosumi was twisting wires he shouldn't be twisting. Luke could see it without actually seeing it. He sensed a spark just before it ignited and pushed, again somehow, the logs from Mosumi's hands toward the outer wall. It went off midair.

"It was supposed to go off in the fire." Mosumi's eyes were wide, panicked. His voice was ragged and weak. "Happened too soon."

"You knew?" Leia's eyes filled with anger again. "How did you get here with the device?"

"Already here." Mosumi closed his eyes. He struggled to swallow.

Leia brushed back hair, smearing more of Mosumi's blood across her forehead. She ran through all the background checks in her head. Mosumi was eighteen years old. He had worked for Lord Daushan's estate as a ground's keeper for almost two years. From Makondu. Arrived on Commenor two years ago as part of the refugee relocation program. No family listed. No known associates that raised suspicion.

Chewbacca burst in the door followed by the other man, who looked like some of the shock had worn off. The Wookiee did his quick survey of the room then moved to Han and Leia.

"What do you got?" Han reached for the supplies in Chewie's arms.

[For him? Bandages. Med scanner.] Chewie stood over them. [He doesn't look good.]

"Leia, we need to leave now!" Pyrtor called from the main room. He sounded panicked. He was shouting to be heard even though the cabin was relatively quiet. "There's nothing you can do for him."

Everyone turned to look at Pyrtor, surprised to hear him speak. Maybe surprised that he was even there.

"Hey, Mosumi." Han filled another infuser. "Gonna give you a pain killer."

Mosumi nodded. His eyes were still wide and his breathing was getting more ragged. He didn't flinch as Han put the infuser against his neck and hit the injection button.

Luke took the med scanner from Chewie and held it over Mosumi, moving it down his body and back up. He quickly reviewed the report and shook his head at Leia.

"There's massive internal bleeding. Losing too much blood. Organs ruptured. Heart rate low. His body is in extreme distress."

"No shit." Han grabbed the scanner from Luke and rechecked the report.

"Where's the nearest med center?" Luke looked back at Lord Daushan and the other man, Count Szahan.

"You can't just take him to hospital." Pyrtor moved to a window. He scanned the night skies. "Everyone would see you."

"We have a private facility at the factory. We can take him there." Daushan was calm. He stood still in the center of the room, his focus on the Rebels as they cared for the young man.

"Is he stable enough to move?" Tycho also kept his eyes on Mosumi. He was trying to not get too agitated by Pyrtor's pacing.

[No. He won't make it.]

"You don't know that!" Leia whipped around to look at the Wookiee. She almost never snapped him. Usually his calm, observant presence was reassuring. In that moment, she found it arrogant.

[I do.]

"We should leave him here." Pyrtor was back at the window, looking for approaching ships. "Or finish him off."

"Finish him off?" Han looked at him. He almost laughed. "Do you think he's a sick thranta?"

"Why did you do this?" Leia leaned in closer to Mosumi. Her voice cracked but she was calm. She didn't sound angry or scared.

He looked at Leia for a few moments and Han almost swore the kid shrugged. "Money."

"That's it? Just money." His blood was already soaking through the blanket pressed against his wound.

"Gonna bring sister here." A small amount of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. "A lot of money."

Leia knew Mosumi was lucky to get off Makondu when he did. The planet had suffered through years of war as local crime lords vied for power. Even the Empire abandoned their attempts to control the government and resources, leaving the Makondians to fight among themselves. It took months of negotiations led by Bail Organa and Mon Mothma to establish a cease fire and evacuate some refugees. Then, following the chaos of Alderaan's destruction and shutting down the Imperial Senate, the borders slammed shut again.

Life would have been easier for Mosumi on Commenor. She knew that Daushan's factory supplied good housing and living wages but she also knew it wasn't enough to help anyone back on Makondu. There was no one to apply outside political pressure anymore. Only money, and lots of it, bought passage.

"Chewie, hand me the bandages." Han held his hand out without looking back. "Luke, c'm here. Gonna try wrapping the blanket to him. Maybe secure it."

"Here." Tycho handed him another blanket. "Use a fresh one."

Luke moved to Mosumi's side to help support his upper body as Han wrapped the bandages. Leia moved closer to his head and took one of his hands.

"Look at me." She squeezed his hand. She spoke in a low, calm voice. "We're going to get you to a med center. Hang on. Focus on me."

"They'll be here. If I don't signal. Still come." Mosumi didn't look scared. He stayed focused on Leia.

"Ask him who paid him." Daushan stepped closer but kept his distance. "Who knew we were coming here?"

Leia didn't look up, kept her eyes locked with Mosumi's and repeated the questions.

He shook his head. "Guy gave me half the credits. Instructions. Rest." He coughed again. "When done."

Leia repeated the question again. "Who hired you?"

Mosumi shook his head.

"Leia, you're wasting time." Pyrtor called from the main room. He was keeping his distance but trying to get her attention. "We need to end this now."

"Red eye." Mosumi tried lifting a hand, tried pointing to his right eye. He struggled to push the words out with so little breath. "Tall. No name. Don't know."

Leia nodded.

Han secured the last of the bandage and Luke stepped back. The young man let out a sigh but gave no other indication of discomfort. He kept his eyes on Leia's.

"Sorry."

"Me, too." She gave his hand another squeeze.

"Think that's the best we can do right now." Han stood up and looked at the other Rebels. He finally took in Tycho and realized he was hurt more than let on. He tossed him the small med kit.

"Do you think you can carry him?" Luke looked at Chewie.

[I can but it will make things worse.]

"What's your first name?" Leia moved to a more comfortable position as she leaned in closer.

"Dak. Dakomo. Dak."

"Okay, then. Dak."

She was trying to distract. Keep him focused on anything other than dying.

Tycho grabbed some wipes and a bandage from the med kit and handed it back to Chewie. "I'll get the shuttle warmed up. We can be out in five." He gave Han a quick slap on the shoulder before walking out of the cabin.

[I'm going back outside. Keep watch. We need to leave soon.] Chewie acknowledged Han's quick nod then left.

"He's not providing any information." Pyrtor moved closer, stopping a few feet away. He looked determined, almost proud. Like he had crossed some great divide.

"He gave information." Han scowled at Pyrtor. Tech Boy was so distracted by his own panicking he wasn't paying attention to anything around him. Mosumi didn't know who hired him. Didn't care. He was offered money. He needed money. Case closed.

Han thought about what he would have been willing to do for money and he knew it wasn't this. He'd been desperate before. He'd been desperate for most of his life on Corellia, a few times since he was running jobs on his own. He pulled some crazy stunts but he wouldn't have picked up an assassination job. There was a small part that understood this kid's desperation. Han didn't have a kid sister to look out for but he had a death mark and a bad debt hanging over him. He'd killed beings so they didn't get him first but hired assassin was something else. That was too far.

"Lord Daushan." Leia didn't look away from Mosumi. "You and Count Szahan need to go with Lt. Celchu. Pyrtor, too."

"Can we get him to the shuttle?" Daushan asked.

"I think Chewbacca is right." Leia didn't look up and kept a tight hold on Mosumi's hand.

Daushan looked to Luke, confused. Luke shook his head in reply.

"We could try." Daushan insisted. "We should take him."

"There isn't time." She smiled at Mosumi. She exuded calm, gentle energy.

Mosumi's breathing was raspy and shallow.

"You're the one who needs to be on the shuttle." Pyrtor was suddenly at her side. He grabbed her arm, pulling her hand from Mosumi, and tried to make her stand up. Leia yanked her hand back.

Han reacted quickly, practically leaping over Mosumi to Pyrtor, but Luke was faster. He got in between the two men and held them at arms' length.

"You need to leave, Pyrtor." Leia resumed her position beside the young man. "You weren't supposed to be here and now you're in the way."

"Luke, you have more sense than this," Pyrtor was still shouting. "I know you care about the Princess. She needs to leave. You can all do what you want but she needs to leave."

"Pyrtor, calm down."

Count Szahan's voice surprised them. The older man had barely spoken all evening. He looked concerned and irritated. The evening clearly hadn't gone as planned but after the shock wore off Szahan seemed more annoyed by Pyrtor's reaction than the actual blast.

Luke turned back to Pyrtor. "She needs to do this."

"This monster tried to kill her. Kill all of us. Why waste a second on him?" Pyrtor looked like he wanted to spit, a very un-Pyrtor-like move. "He's trash."

"Because this is who she is. She isn't going to leave him." Luke forced Pyrtor to look him in the eyes. "And we aren't going to leave Leia."

"But you should go." Han stepped back and put his hands on his hips. He had to force himself to turn away from Pyrtor. He wanted to punch him and the only thing that stopped him, other than Luke getting in the way, was knowing Leia didn't need that kind of distraction.

"What's your sister's name?" She took hold of Mosumi's hand again.

"Katya."

"We'll let her know."

Mosumi gave a brief nod. "He's coming. Should have signalled. He'll check."

Luke walked Pyrtor back into the main room. He looked angry but Luke sensed fear more than anything. Luke wasn't sure if Pyrtor was afraid for Leia or afraid more for himself but he knew that Pyrtor wanted to run. He didn't want to be anywhere near this cabin.

Luke looked at the three men. "Do you have everything? We need to get you on that shuttle."

"Make Leia leave." Pyrtor looked ready to pace again but held himself steady. "She should come with us."

"Then what?" Luke tried to keep his irritation in check but it was difficult.

"She could go to a safehouse. I know that's that General Dodonna and Mon Mothma want. I could find her a place. She's a princess. She shouldn't be here. How can you not see that?"

"Is this normal?" Lord Daushan looked over Luke's shoulder at Leia, Han and Mosumi. "This amount of threat? Does the Princess face this level of danger on a regular basis?"

"We're at war. There's never truly a safe space." Luke looked at Pyrtor for that last bit. There was no such thing as a safehouse.

"But Pyrtor is right. She could be more removed." Daushan lowered his voice like he didn't want to upset Leia.

"That's not who she is." Luke looked down for a moment, took a deep breath. "She would never ask anyone to go into a situation that she herself wouldn't. She will always be on the front lines. She doesn't pilot a fighter into a battle but she would if needed."

"I suppose I can understand her determination. After Alderaan."

Luke placed a hand on Daushan's shoulder. "She fights for Alderaan, for all its lost lives, but she would be here taking on missions if Alderaan wasn't destroyed. She's fighting for everyone. Not only her loss."

Lord Daushan nodded. "Bail would be proud."

"Everyone has different reasons why they fight. Seeking justice. Righting wrongs. Freedom for all beings. I have my own personal reasons, things I'm still learning about myself. Chewie's world is occupied and he lived in slavery for years under the Empire. Han acts like he only cares about himself but he can't walk away if he can help. He'll complain the whole time but he'll get the job done."

Pyrtor pointed to the side room. "This man tried to kill her. Us. What kind of war are you fighting if you waste so much time and energy on someone who tried to kill you?"

"What are we fighting for if we don't help when we can? Mosumi isn't a Grand Moff. He's a kid trying to survive in a world that doesn't make room for him."

Luke hadn't spent much time with Mosumi. He opened the cabin, started the fire, brought in drinks for everyone. But just as Han insisted on scanning rooms for bugs and cameras, Luke scanned people. It was something that Ben had only mentioned briefly during his tutorials on the way to Alderaan. Every living being was a part of the Force and every being's energy mixed with the Force around them. Some Jedis could read this energy. Understand what people were feeling. Luke could still only pick up on the most pronounced feelings, like Pyrtor's fear, but he could sense that Mosumi was nervous. Luke realized this must have peaked as Mosumi was carrying in the logs and detonator.

Szahan caught Luke's eye and nodded toward the other room. Everyone turned to look.

Leia was now sitting back on her haunches. Han crouched beside her. His hand was on her back and he was speaking quietly, close to her ear. She nodded slowly as she stared down at Mosumi's lifeless body.

As though she sensed them looking at her, she lifted her head while Han continued to whisper. She placed a hand on his, squeezing once, then stood up. She walked toward them.

"You should already be on that shuttle." She held her arm out, indicating they should make their way outside. She knew she was still covered in blood but there wasn't anything she could do about it at the moment. "We don't have much time."

"We haven't finished our talk, your Highness."

Tycho stepped inside. "We're good to go."

She nodded to the two older men. "I'll walk you all out."

She and Luke both moved toward the door, essentially herding the three men outside, but Daushan held his ground.

"What happens with Mosumi?"

"We can bury him here." Leia sounded calm and practical. She was moving on autopilot now. She had been in this position a number of times, having to decide what to do with the dead on a mission. They rarely had the luxury of returning anyone to their loved ones.

"We can take him." Daushan also understood the practical. He was a businessman. A Lord of an estate. Ran a factory. An effective leader. He was responsible. "We shouldn't leave him here."

Leia nodded. "Thank you."

"We need to move." Tycho stood at the door, his arms braced against the frame. He was spring-loaded and ready to go.

"Leia." Pyrtor took hold of her elbow. He no longer sounded angry, or desperate, but still determined. She looked at him, face set and stern. She carefully but firmly pulled her elbow from his grasp then followed him outside.

As Luke led the two older men out, and Han and Chewie followed with Mosumi, he glanced at Leia and Pyrtor standing a few metres away. He couldn't hear anything they said but it looked like a heated conversation, at least on Pyrtor's part.

Leia didn't have her arm crossed over her chest or firmly placed on her hips like she did during arguments with Han. They hung loose at her sides. Her chin was slightly raised. As Pyrtor waved his arms, emphasizing some point, she barely reacted. When she spoke, Luke didn't know what she said but he knew the tone. Her authority and stance were not in question. She had complete control and wouldn't cede an inch, all of which was clearly making Pyrtor more frustrated.

"You should change your route." Han moved next to Tycho, letting Chewie finish placing Mosumi in the cargo space of the small shuttle.

"I will. No lights. Fly low."

"I'll give you directions to a different spot." Szahan put his hand on Daushan's arm when he tried to interrupt. "It will be safer."

Tycho nodded and stepped into the shuttle with Szahan close behind. As Daushan shook Han and Luke's hands, Leia arrived at the shuttle. She gave him a soft, thank you, as Pyrtor walked on to the shuttle without looking at anyone. Daushan followed and the ramp closed behind him.

Luke wrapped his arms around Leia, hugging her close. "Are you okay?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be? Perfectly normal day." She gave him an almost smile and he laughed and hugged her again.

"Let's move." Han didn't stop to join in on the hugs or comradery but rushed past them, away from the shuttle and toward the Falcon.

They were only a few feet into the forest when Tycho lifted off, moving over treetops and the shuttle was quickly gone from sight.

Chewie was already in his seat, the start-up sequence engaged, as everyone quickly took their places in the cockpit. The Falcon lifted off, rising above the treetops as two ships approached. They were security patrol ships, built for lower atmosphere and heavily armed.

"We need to keep them away from Tycho." Leia placed a hand on Han's shoulder. "Don't let them split up."

Tycho's shuttle was gone from sight but it could show up on sensors. They needed to distract these ships and keep them off Tycho's tail.

When they had cleared the trees, Han spun the Falcon around and in a hard arc flew directly at the patrol ships. The pilots reacted quickly, veering off to either side so the Falcon could narrowly pass between them. The ships spun back around and followed the Rebels through the night sky.

The two other ships trailed the Falcon at very close range. Han and Chewie weaved over the forest, dodging blaster fire. One of the ships clipped the treetops then spun out of control, crashing down.

"Get a read on the ship!" Leia was leaning so far forward, trying to see out the viewport, she should have hit the buttons on the console herself. "Can you get an ID tag?"

Chewie did a quick scan through the monitor readout. [Ship's registered to Skaagen Security.]

In the rush, Leia wasn't able to pick up everything Chewie said. She tried looking over his shoulder at the monitor.

Han gently pushed her back with one arm, not looking at her. He flipped a few switches on the console. "Chewie, log whatever you got. We'll check later." He quickly looked behind him. "One of you needs to get to the gun terret."

Luke jumped up and ran out of the cockpit.

Leia was barely locked into the crash webbing when the Falcon rolled to avoid the incoming blasts. Han was doing what he could to keep the ship with them long enough that they could get a good shot in and avoid taking too many blasts in the process. They didn't want it to abandon this fight. They needed to ensure no information left this site and no one followed the shuttle.

The Falcon did another barrel roll, barely missing treetops, then pulled up in a wide arch and ended up behind the security ship. It only took a few shots from Luke's gun to connect and the second ship spun out. They didn't see much of the explosion because they were already heading up into the upper atmosphere.

They were on their second jump, ensuring no one followed them, on their way to the rendezvous point and all four of them were trying to keep busy. Avoiding the conversation about everything that had gone wrong. Luke tried talking to Leia as she sat writing at the holochess table but she wouldn't engage. And when she couldn't stand Luke's concerned gaze any longer, she moved to the cockpit.

Leia sat in the co-pilot chair, tucking her legs under her and holding her datapad in her lap. She had showered and changed her clothes but didn't feel any cleaner. She intended to work but she couldn't pull her eyes away from the streaming lights of hyperspace. For some reason, she was thinking about swimming in a lake near Aldera. Those waters were crystal clear. As a little girl, she thought she could see for miles. Underwater, on her own in the complete silence, she imagined she could see to the other side of the lake. She could see beyond horizons. She could see forever.

She was so deep in thought that she barely noticed the flashing light and beeping from the console until Han's arm reached forward to shut them off. He sat in his chair, hit a few more switches then lowered the lever that brought them out of lightspeed.

"Get your report done?" He turned his chair toward her and leaned forward, resting elbows on knees.

She looked down at her datapad and shook her head. He didn't rush her. He gave her a few moments to decide if she wanted to speak. He was learning patience.

"Good thing I spent so much time planning this mission." She gave him a half-grin. "I mean, this was the organized down to the last detail version. Imagine what would have happened if I'd left things to chance."

"If you're looking for that added excitement, you could let me plan the missions for a while."

"That might be our best move." She tried smiling again. "For everyone's sake."

"Leia, you know you can't control every factor. Things happen. Maybe it's something like Mosumi who's there to make a mess of it. But it could have been a broken-down ship. Contacts that don't show. Hell, Wedge almost got caught on Phonn cos a rodent ate through a power grid and caused a blackout. You can't take this one on, Leia. It's not your fault."

She lifted her eyes to look at him and in a quiet voice said, "Don't tell me what to do."

There was a hint of joke trying to break through her sadness.

Han turned her chair so she faced him, bracing it against his knees to keep it in place. "We can focus on figuring out who hired Mosumi. Find the connection. Might be something in the ship info we pulled. Some guy with a red eye. Madine's team will find something."

She fidgeted with her hands. Picking at the edges of the datapad. Smoothing out the wrinkles in her pants.

"It was a pointless trip." She didn't want to sound weak, defeated. She took deep breaths, trying to regain strength in her voice but she wanted to crumble. She wanted his arms around her, holding her. "Wasted resources. Lost connections and financing. A waste of a year's work. A man is dead."

It never got easier. She could never truly accept that death was a part of war. She understood it happened. She knew it was something they couldn't truly avoid. But she refused to accept it.

He nudged her knee, trying to get her to look at him again. "There's more info in those files. You'll find something else. These weren't your only leads."

"It's useless. I need to move on. There's nothing there." Her voice started to tremble. She was about to break. "There's nothing left of him for me to find."

Han took both her hands, held them palm up. He couldn't stand watching her struggle. He wanted to give her some strength, some calm energy. Love. He wanted her to know that he loved her. Loved her when she was strong and when she was vulnerable. He had faith in her and her abilities. A never-ending amount of faith. The only faith that he had was in Leia. For Leia. He slowly massaged her palms with his thumbs.

Without thinking, because if he was thinking he wouldn't have done it, he lifted a hand and kissed her palm not once but twice. Then her wrist and forearm. When he realized what he'd done and decided he didn't give a shit, not in that moment, he held her hand against his cheek and closed his eyes for a second before she pulled her hand back gently.

"Leia."

She shook her head and looked down at her hands now folded in her lap.

"We can't." She wouldn't look up. "You shouldn't."

"Why not?" His voice was soft, almost pleading.

She was having trouble catching her breath. She bit her bottom lip. "You know why."

Yeah, he knew. Boyfriend. Rebellion. Focus. But none of that changed where he was at. He was still stuck in it. Still in love. Still willing to figure out whatever he needed to do to bring her closer. And he knew this wasn't the time. She needed something else right now.

"You're mixing stuff up." He watched her throat as she swallowed. She was trying to keep herself in control. He hoped it wasn't anger threatening to boil over.

"Mixing what up?"

"You think you're gonna lose sight of Bail if you can't figure this out. You think it means you didn't know him like you thought."

She didn't know how to respond when he hit on things so clearly. It made her feel vulnerable. Exposed. Like all her shields were broken. It was comforting and terrifying. She wanted him to see her, which was all the more reason to hide.

"There was a leak somewhere. Need to figure that out. But that has nothing to do with you and Bail. Nothings's touching that."

A different alarm sounded on the console and Han turned to deal with it. He flipped a few switches then checked the monitor.

"It's Tycho." He scrolled through the reading more. "Looks like everything's good. They're patching through from the comms station."

Leia knew Luke could talk to Tycho but she should go out to the lounge. It was her mission. She should connect with the team before they all headed back to base.

"Why was he there?" Han was still facing the console, scrolling through the monitor and pretending to read. "Pyrtor. Thought he was just connecting you with donors. Not a part of the actual meet up."

"Plans changed." Leia sighed. She waited for Han to finally turn to her. "I was surprised to see him, too."

She could have added that she was furious. That she had pulled him aside, hissed angry questions at him. Told him he was jeopardizing everything by being there. Pyrtor said he wanted to see her. He acted like he had control of the situation, like it was all his doing and she should be grateful.

After everything went to hell and Pyrtor decided to play the condescending and paternalistic card, trying to get her to run, to hide, she told him she was done. There would be no more contact between them. He yelled, tried to convince her to leave on the shuttle. Said it wasn't an environment for a Princess. Claimed her parents would be ashamed and horrified. She remained calm because she was no longer angry. She was resolved. Thanked him for his service, aiding the Rebellion, but someone else would be assigned as his contact. He tried arguing again but she wouldn't engage. He tried to hug her before leaving but she stepped away.

Han clasped his hands together. He looked like he wanted to say something. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times. Looked at her, gauging her emotional state.

"Do you think he had something to do with it?" His eyes were dark. He was suddenly the ready to spring into action Han, although she didn't know where exactly he would spring in that moment.

She shook her head. "No. He seemed shocked and terrified. If Mosumi did as planned, we all would have been in that room when the bomb went off."

"Or he had big plans of being your saviour. He wanted you out of there pretty bad."

Leia sighed. "Maybe he had that idea eventually. But I don't get that sense from him." She looked down at her hands. She could still feel Han's lips pressed against her wrist, her arm. "Or maybe I'm fooling myself. I'm not sure my judgment can be trusted."

He had a few more things he wanted to say about Pyrtor. Han didn't trust him. Han was sure it was about more than his own jealousy. Something didn't add up. But he was sitting with her when Mosumi died. He knew how hard she took it. She kept steady for the kid, held his hand, talked to him the entire time.

When Mosumi died, Han had no idea what to do. She didn't look like she was going to cry and he thought if he hugged her that might change. So, he crouched beside her, placed a hand on the small of her back, and spoke in a low voice about practical things. He and Chewie would take care of Mosumi. They'd bury him. Or take him with them on the Falcon, bury him back on base. Tycho had the shuttle ready. Chewie was at the Falcon. They were done here. They needed to leave.

Now, sitting in the cockpit, listening to her pain, her guilt, he knew she needed more.

"It's not your fault, Sweetheart." He gave her knee another quick nudge. "This isn't on you."

"It was my mission. My responsibility. I brought civilians in." She leaned forward, elbows on her knees. Her face only inches away from his. "I was impatient. I should have met with them individually. On safer ground."

"Leia, you know me." He held her gaze. "If I thought it was your fault, if there was anything you did or didn't do that let this happen, I would tell you. You can't predict everything. Sometimes it's about reacting. The kid died because he took the wrong job from the wrong guy. Hang on! Not saying it's his fault he's dead. I understand desperate and taking jobs to survive. I ran a lot of spice. But he made a choice."

She nodded once and didn't look away.

"And we got more intel now. Guy with a red eye who's desperate enough to hire a kid with no experience in espionage or with explosives. Skaagen Security might lead us somewhere."

The corner of her mouth turned up in an almost-half-smile. She was about to speak when there was a knock on the hatch followed by Luke's voice.

"Leia?" Luke sounded tentative, like he wasn't sure if he was interrupting.

They both leaned back in their chairs as Han told Luke to come in.

Luke quickly looked between them then focused on Leia. "Tycho wants to talk to you. He has a message from Daushan and Szahan."

Leia quickly stood up and left the cockpit without looking at Han, brushing past Luke.

"You good?" Luke gave a quick nod to his friend.

Han nodded but didn't reply. He turned back around in his chair to stare out the viewport and wait for word to make the next jump back to base.