Chapter Fourteen

"I did it for you."

Leia sat up straight on the edge of the bed, her hands folded in her lap.

"It was the only way to see you." Pyrtor leaned forward in his chair, elbows on knees.

"That sounds more like it was for you."

"And I thought I could assist you in acquiring the funds you needed."

"You helped with the initial contact and that all that was required."

"I've been running a charitable foundation for a number of years. I'm quite skilled in raising funds." He smiled what he must have assumed to be his most charming smile.

"A charitable foundation largely funded by Thyre Industries." She kept her steady gaze levelled at him. "And the Rebellion is not a charity."

"I did what I felt was necessary to move this along more quickly. So we could get ourselves back on track."

"Back on track?"

Leia sat across from him in the small hotel room. There wasn't much furniture—the hotel wasn't designed for traveller comfort as much as easy accommodation—and somewhat difficult to maintain distance.

"The sooner this war ends, the sooner we can return to our old lives." Pyrtor crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair. He kept his smile in place, looking pleased with his decisive statement.

Leia almost sighed. He was a handsome man. He was well aware of that fact. But he was also delusional.

"My life before the war is gone. There is nothing for me to return to."

She had arrived in the room before Pyrtor and scanned the premises for bugs, cameras, stowed weapons. Then she slipped a blaster beneath a pillow, another in the garbage receptable in the corner. Ensured the blade in her boot was pointing in the right position.

Han taught her how to prepare a room before these meetings. She had espionage training during her time with the Senate and her early days working with the Rebellion. She knew how to sit so she could spring into action. How to engage in hand-to-hand combat if necessary. But Han believed the best defense was a good offense.

You gotta suss out the space. What's your best angle for attack? Where do you want them to sit? Most will come in and sit in the chair you give them so you figure out what works. If you gotta dive and roll for a weapon, where do you want that weapon to be? And if you get someone who knows the game and doesn't sit in that chair, where do you need to go next?

Pyrtor didn't move the chair from where Leia placed it when he sat down.

"I didn't mean that exactly." He also didn't sound apologetic about his miscalculation. "I meant us. I would like to move this process along so we can go back to how things were." He smiled at her again. "The fact that you contacted me this time is promising."

"Let's move on from this topic."

She didn't want to be there any longer than needed. Luke and a few local Rebel cell members were keeping watch over the room, the building, the area but she wouldn't feel safe until she was back on Hoth. She recognized the irony of that thought.

Leia passed Pyrtor a datapad opened to a holo. "Do you recognize this man?"

He examined the holo. "It's not very clear." She indicated he should swipe to the next holo and he tilted the datapad for a better look. "I'm not sure. Perhaps."

"Who do you think it might be?"

"Leia, it could be anyone."

"Not anyone." She kept her rigid pose, her unshakeable tone. "You were going to suggest someone specific."

Pyrtor raised his arms in resignation. "This is only a guess. I don't want to endanger an innocent man."

"Why do you think he would be in danger?"

"Are you looking for an innocent man?"

"We have a number of priorities. Do you recognize this man?"

Pyrtor sighed. "It could be Karax Ado. It looks similar to him. He's about that height. I've seen him wear that style of coat."

"And who is Karax Ado?" Leia took her datapad back.

"I've only met him once. Seen him a few other times." Pyrtor recrossed his legs, taking on a casual, almost relaxed look. "His security company did some work for Dynsara. Not for Thyre Industries, mind you. At least I don't think so. He put in the security system for one of her residences."

"Do you remember the name of his company?"

"I'm sorry, no." He took a moment, took note of Leia's look and tried again. "It sounded something like Skyper."

"Skaagen?"

"That sounds right."

Leia looked down as she took a deep breath, clasped her hands in her lap again. "When you met this Karax Ado, did you notice any distinguishing features?"

"Yes. He had a red birthmark under his right eye."

Leia nodded. They had searched for information on Skaagen Security but found nothing. Splicers determined that if the company did exist, all records were now wiped clean. Until this moment, they had no means to dig deeper or find anyone who might be involved. She suspected that Karax Ado might be similarly elusive but it felt like they were finally one step closer.

She should have brought a bottle of water with her. She was tense, on the verge of angry, trying to keep herself from pacing or flailing her arms. Her go-to calming maneuver in these situations was to sip water. Keep her hands busy. She made sure she had all the safety features for this meeting but forgot the little things.

To be fair, it had been a while since she had to consider all the pieces. She had been working with Han on these missions for so long and they were so accustomed to what each of them did, what they were responsible for, that focusing on the security measures meant she forgot her personal essentials.

But now she was focused. She wasn't going to lose sight of her mission or let her thoughts of Han take precedence. She certainly didn't want to dwell on the fact that she missed him on this mission. Or dwell on his touch. His tongue. The look of pain and confusion when she pushed him back a little too hard before Luke entered the hold.

"You tried to contact me shortly after we saw each other on Commenor. Why?"

"I didn't like how we left things." He sounded defiant. Like he was teaching her a lesson. "I also had some information that seemed pertinent at the time but you didn't respond."

"What did you think was so important? That you don't consider as important now."

She wasn't used to seeing Pyrtor look uncomfortable. He always maintained an unflappable appearance. Almost. He was taken aback whenever she ended things with him but quickly regained his confidence, believing she would be back. He was panicked and distraught at the cabin after the bomb. He arrived thinking he was the man of the hour, who brought them all together, but fell apart when the reality of the situation set in. He responded with anger, an unusual stance for him. He was indignant that violence and death had invaded his perfectly curated world.

"I overheard Dynsara talking about the cabin. Or a cabin."

She closed her eyes for a moment. Took a slow deep breath. She wasn't surprised by the Dynsara connection but she was still angry. At Dynsara. Pyrtor. Herself. And she needed calm composure if she wanted more information.

Leia had struggled to rebuild, reassemble her life after the destruction of Alderaan and there had been mostly forward motion until the cabin on Commenor. In order to survive, to process everything happening around her, she maintained parallel selves in tandem. They made slow headway in the war, even while suffering losses, keeping momentum and somehow not losing hope. She located new funding sources. She gained experience as a military leader, proving herself time and time again. Her success rate in the field, despite numerous setbacks and missions gone awry, was noted by everyone.

And her newer being, whoever she was when with Han—someone who could be adrenaline-filled and perfectly relaxed in equal measure, who felt seen and wasn't constantly concerned about what he saw, who could laugh with abandon and sometimes cry without worrying about looking vulnerable and weak, who knew, for the first time in her life, that she could break apart and someone would mind all her pieces, who could demand something for herself, not the Rebellion, not the greater good, but only for her and he would respond, take her beyond what she knew and open that new world to her, accepting her desire, demanding even more from her—could exist alongside the Leia who occasionally met with Pyrtor for information, who let everyone think it was something it was not so she wouldn't fall too deep on the other side.

After the cabin, the balance was gone. She had trusted her instincts and maybe put everyone, the entire Rebellion, in peril.

Leia bristled but kept calm. "Why were you suspicious?"

"Well, I don't know of any cabin that she would be referring to." He scoffed. A joke that only he understood. All of those small details of his personality that used to be quirks were now grating on her. "It was more that she called it the scene. And she stopped talking when she realized I was nearby."

"But she didn't say bomb, rebels?"

"No. As I said, I tried contacting you a few times but didn't hear back. Then I realized I was probably overreacting." He didn't mention his own reaction to the scene, that he was upset or rattled by the experience. He didn't want to draw attention to that display.

"Who was she talking to?"

Pyrtor's face dropped and the realization hit him. Leia's senses switched to overload. She made a quick survey of the room without turning or giving herself away.

"I'm going to assume your silence means she was speaking with Karax Ado."

Pyrtor still didn't speak but she knew his mind was racing. He was trying to come up with an excuse, find some other reason or explanation, deny the obvious.

"Do you think your sister could be responsible for the bomb?"

He shook his head. He looked shocked. Appalled. Confused.

"This holo was taken outside a warehouse on Sieggaro. We identified others going in and out of the same building, sometime with Ado. Their names also appear on the list you provided earlier. The same information Dynsara erased from the Thyre database. Engineers who are known associates of the Empire and at least one who was involved in the development of the Death Star." She watched Pyrtor try to keep his expression neutral. "The mystery contracts the Thyre board was concerned about, were they located on Sieggaro?"

Pyrtor slowly shook his head.

"But Sieggaro means something to you."

He cleared his throat. Recrossed his legs. Apparently that was his nervous tic.

"Dynsara's residence, where Skaagen and Ado provided the security system, is on Sieggaro."

She didn't respond. He started to sputter, shift in his chair, and refuse to see the obvious.

"It has to be a coincidence!" He looked like he was about to stand but sat back again, straightened in his chair. "Sieggaro is largely an industrial planet. Thyre isn't the only company to have factories and labs there. Dynsara isn't the only executive who lives there part-time."

She had the urge to laugh. Leia felt certain Pyrtor, on a good day, had more sense. He was refusing to see the truth right in front of him.

Their conversation moved in circles. After claiming he knew little about his sister's business dealings, he suddenly had many theories about her activities and connections. She was concerned about security, especially at the labs. Much of Thyre's work was top secret to avoid copyright and intellectual theft. It was common practice, especially in the tech industry. Of course she had contacts with the Empire. Of course she wasn't going to discuss them over family dinners. There was nothing untoward about hiring a separate company for a private matter like home security. It was admirable, in fact, that she wasn't utilizing company funds and workforce for her private needs.

"Do you know why Ado was escorting these engineers in and out of the warehouse on Sieggaro?"

"No."

He was calmer now, clearly thinking he had cleared the air about his sister and Skaagen Security. He leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees.

"I didn't know anything about the bomb, Leia. You have to believe me."

Leia said nothing, let him think she was considering his guilt or innocence, hoping that he would reveal more without her asking.

"Leia, I know this has been a difficult time for you." He was trying to sooth her. "I am going to make this right."

She raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"With us." He smiled. It was his I know I'm a handsome man smile. He didn't flash a grin. Leia knew that only some people could flash a grin and make it work. "As I said, I am doing this for you. For us."

She knew that wasn't true. Pyrtor might run a charitable foundation but he was not an altruistic man. When they first met, he was using her as much as she used him. They filled a need for each other. She had an easy cover for her covert activities. He had a worthy co-host, someone who helped paint the picture of a respectable man of society. But now, he simply didn't want to lose. Women didn't break up with him. He wasn't going to accept the fate she had decided.

"Pyrtor, there is no us. There hasn't been an us for a very long time."

He sat back again, crossed his legs. The confidence was returning. "Perhaps not at the moment but I will make it right."

Was Pyrtor always this arrogant? Perhaps she simply hadn't noticed it so acutely before. Or perhaps, when you live your life surrounded by privilege and the privileged, you don't notice these characteristics as much. Everyone, even the kind, generous ones like her father, probably had a touch of it. She probably did.

Han's level of arrogance, his self-assured and braggart personality, was so cutting to her at first because he didn't mask it in polite decorum. He shouted it from the rooftops and followed it up by action and, largely, success. Even when things went wildly off-course, he almost always came through in the end.

Did Han still exude that same amount of arrogance? Was he as brash and contrary and full throttle as when she first met him? Leia wasn't certain if she had grown accustomed to his ways or if he had toned things down as they got to know each other. Trusted each other. Maybe he didn't need to shout so loudly when he knew she was looking.

Because now she was paying attention. In fact, it was increasingly difficult to turn away. Leia felt the colour rising in her cheeks as she thought about his head between her legs. The rush of her climax. The completeness of her release. She took a deep breath then continued with her interrogation.

"How much does your sister know?"

Pyrtor held his hands in front of him and vigorously shook his head. "Nothing! I've told her nothing."

"Everything indicates that Dynsara knew about the bombing, whether or not she was involved in the planning or she heard about it afterward. Does she know who attended the meeting?"

"I… I don't know. I'm not sure how she would have that information."

"Did you have contact with either Daushan or Szahan before meeting the shuttle?"

"I contacted Daushan to ask where and when to meet. I said you requested I attend." Pyrtor watched Leia take another deep breath and look to the ceiling. He was starting to lose his cool again. "And I didn't use my own commlink. I've watched enough holo-dramas to know not use a personal device."

"Where did you get this other device?" She briefly looked down at her hands, clasped so tightly together her knuckles were white.

"I used one from the office." He shifted in his chair. He kept his legs crossed, hands in lap, but all sense of acting casual was gone. "They aren't associated with anyone. They use them for guests coming into the office, clients, testers. They wouldn't know it's me."

"Except they would know as soon as it was turned on. They could see what other Thyre personal device is nearby. They would know every message sent from this supposedly untraceable device originated from your exact location."

"I… I don't know. It's possible." He stared at Leia for a few moments. "Perhaps it's Daushan who provided the information to the Empire." His face lit up like he'd thought of a brilliant idea. "You should ask Luke. He reads people through the Force, correct? Maybe he sensed something."

Luke. He was his usual self—friendly, caring—on the flight in but she knew things were changing. He was pulling away. He told her weeks ago on Sieggaro that he was applying for leave and she knew it was the right thing for him. She didn't think he would actually leave the rebellion but he needed to strike out on his own. The truth was the thought of him leaving didn't ache in the same way as thinking about Han leaving. It didn't feel like a part of her was being torn out. As much as it terrified her to have Han close, it was worse to think about being alone. Of scanning a room and knowing he wasn't there.

She wanted to confide in Luke. Not so much about Pyrtor, that felt like old news even though no one knew. She wanted to talk about Han. Tell him about the feelings that terrified her. That she was pretty certain she was in love with him, knew she was in love with him, but needed to keep her distance. She needed to protect herself, him, her work, the Rebellion. She wanted to tell Luke about her guilt in loving someone. The fear of losing everything again. The heart ache of knowing she so desperately wanted something, someone, she couldn't have. The pain of having that one small taste of being together.

But she kept her silence. Stood her ground. She needed to pull herself away from others, her reliance on them, her need for connection. She was losing focus on the things that truly mattered. She wasn't going to bring the Empire down if she couldn't last a relatively short flight and not wonder what it would feel like to have Han Solo inside her.

"How did you attempt to contact me afterward? By what method?"

Pyrtor's eyes widened slightly and he shifted in his chair.

"So, you used the same device."

She was going to need a splicer and intelligence team to determine if that could have led the Empire to Chomre. It wouldn't have been a direct route, comms were still encrypted, but if they knew Pyrtor was contacting Rebels, who knows what steps they put in place.

"Pyrtor, let me be clear." Leia put her hands on either side of her, pressing into the mattress. "I think Karax Ado knew when and where we were meeting. He left the bomb on the grounds. Hired Mosumi and gave him instructions on how to set the detonator before putting it in the fireplace. I think Ado was able to accomplish all of this because your sister provided the information. Dynsara had this information because you used an easily traceable device to include yourself in a situation that you had no business being a part of."

"No business?!" Pyrtor raised his voice. His face reddened in anger.

Leia was strangely pleased to get this reaction from him. She wasn't used to seeing him express so much emotion.

"First of all, you are my business. Secondly, you had these connections thanks to me."

"It's true that I asked you for your help with connections and that was clearly a mistake. One that I deeply regret. But I was very clear that no further involvement was needed on your part. I worked hard to keep you clear of these things."

"Don't speak to me like I'm a child."

"Then don't act like one."

She was tired of this conversation. Tired of him claiming he was devoted to her. Cared about her in any fashion other than how she reflected on him.

Leia felt her chest tighten. She wanted to rush out of this room and find Han. She needed to be near him, with him. Tell him the details of this meeting, listen to him grumble or mock or make her laugh. She wanted to soak up his energy, his love. She needed his steady nature. His impulsive reactions. His ability to know what she needed before she even recognized the desire.

She took in a deep breath, centered herself. She needed to control herself. Not let herself spin out of control. It's what happened when she let Han take up too much space in her thoughts. He brought up too many emotions when she only needed anger with a dash of hope to get her through these battles. She needed to push him, and anyone else who diverted her attention, to the side.

"Where's your commlink now?"

He almost rolled his eyes. "In my pocket. Turned off."

"The battery?"

He looked at her, confused.

Leia stood up, indicating he should do the same. "They know where we are."

He didn't move. He talked about loyalty. He and his sister had their differences but they were family and that meant more than power and profit. It was possible she had secret dealings with the Empire, tied up the company in weapons development against the board and their father's wishes, but she would never do anything that would endanger him or the family.

There was a time when Leia might have thought the same thing. That loyalty, family and an essential goodness would triumph but she had changed. Everything had changed. She couldn't look at the world in the same way. Leia understood evil. She had seen evil at work.

She barely took in what Pyrtor was saying. She was thinking about her family. The one she lost and the one she found. A long time ago, Han told her to think of her parents and their love for her in the present tense. That it didn't go away because they died. They instilled it in her and now it was something she could feel and experience every day. It was right there when she needed it.

Leia often wondered if he knew this truth from experience or from carefully observing her. He denied, and if pressed he often pushed back in anger, having experienced love in any form. Claimed he had no frame of reference. And yet, he loved her. It radiated off him. Enveloped her. Gave her strength when she didn't think she could take one more step. Protected her when she needed to pause. She didn't have to scan a room to know he was there because he almost always was—standing at the back, arms folded, watching and listening. When he wasn't physically with her she could still feel him. He somehow never left her side.

Their relationship had always been a battle of wills. Stubborn people mostly working toward the same goal and rarely agreeing on the best method but still willing to follow or lead as needed. The fight over this trip and Pyrtor in general contained too many layers. She knew he was concerned about her safety and she knew there was element of jealousy. And there was the truth he was trying to embrace and she was fervently denying. She was too tangled in her own web. She didn't know how to get out of it and didn't know if she wanted to.

She was protecting him as much as herself. Maybe being together was too intense. Even during those few moments in the hold, her universe opened up and collapsed in on itself. Nothing else existed. It was only them. His touch. Their pleading, desperate voices. She didn't know she could feel so connected, so in sync, so in need of someone else.

No one prepared her for these feelings, this need. She could sacrifice, she could devote, she could give, but she didn't know how to take. How to process this level of want and desire. When it was only a part of her fantasies, something that never left her darkened bunk, it was within her control. If they were never allowed to move past the limits of her supposed relationship with Pyrtor then she had the control. She lived a life for others, not herself. Maybe there was a time when it was possible. When she might have allowed herself that opening. But no more. She didn't factor into her own life anymore.

"I need to leave." Leia looked around, reassessing her escape routes. She listened for any movement outside the room. She was ready to spring into action.

"We just got here. I hoped we could visit. Stay for a while."

"This isn't a social call, Pyrtor. It was a risk for me to come here and I realize now how big a risk. I don't believe that you intentionally betrayed us but you are being followed and others have taken advantage of our connection." She stared at him, expecting him to get up but he kept his seat. "We need to leave now."

"Solo won't care if you're here longer. He'll charge you by the hour."

"Solo's not here and that's not the point."

"Who brought you then?" Pyrtor seemed surprised by the change in routine. He was suddenly suspicious. "Luke?"

"Why is the name of my pilot of any concern? Now, if you don't mind, it would be best if you exited the room first." She waved her arm toward the door. They had sentries placed to notify her when the coast was clear and monitor all the passageways. She didn't want to walk away knowing anyone, including Pyrtor, was at her back.

"Are you involved with Luke? Is that what all of this is about?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm asking if you are with Luke and if that is the reason you won't give us another chance?" He stood up and he looked angry.

Leia was genuinely confused at his response. "You think Luke and I are together?"

How could anyone be so wrong? He was living in his own world.

"It's obvious that you have a connection. You practically finish each other's sentences. You're even physically affectionate with him in public. More than you ever were with me. The only other man you acted like that with in public was your father."

"You think Luke and I are involved because he reminds you of my relationship with my father?"

"You are deliberately misconstruing my words."

"I believe that's exactly what you said."

There was nothing for Pyrtor to see but in his mind Luke was the one. She and Luke were close but there was no spark. That had to be just as obvious. Pyrtor couldn't imagine her person—because there had to be someone else—being Han. He couldn't consider someone he saw as so removed from her station as a rival. That possibility simply didn't exist.

"I can understand why Luke would be appealing, under the circumstances, but you won't always be at war. Your perspective will change." Pyrtor tried to take her hands but she stepped back. His eyes darkened. "I still have access to information and could make more of an effort to discover whatever you need."

"Do you consider this tactic negotiation or blackmail?"

"Negotiation, of course." He smiled at her, trying for charm. "Give me another chance. Stop whatever is happening with Luke. Go back to our routine of meeting. I'll bring you whatever information I have."

It took all her willpower to not roll her eyes and swear. "That is not happening."

"I don't expect things to be as before, when we first met up again, but we can get back there. If you don't give up on us."

"You want things to return to the days after Alderaan? When I was numb with grief. Broken from the trauma. When the only things I could feel were fear and anger. Do you consider that a golden time?"

Pyrtor talked about his trips to Alderaan, the times she met his family. They appeared in the gossip columns on the holonet and referred to as the perfect couple. There was so much they could do together. It was a merging of power and influence. It didn't have to be love but it could still be mutually beneficial. When all this was over, she was going to need him to get back into society. There will be a lot of hard feelings.

He was distracting her. It was misdirection. He was keeping her locked into an argument he knew she wouldn't ignore. She couldn't decide if he was delaying her so Ado and others could arrive or if he was hoping for another outcome. Leia didn't have the answer and she didn't trust herself to pick. She couldn't trust her instincts. Maybe she was blinded by her need to connect to her old life. Not wanting to believe she hid behind past choices and mistakes. Denying that Han was right and she had put herself in needless danger over and over.

He was still talking. He was only thinking about her. He could help her escape this life. Find her a safe place to hide. Perhaps he could help negotiate her surrender. If it's true that Dynsara has these connections, they could use it to their advantage. Thyre Industries had a lot of influence. They could keep her safe.

There was that word again. Safe. The misguided promise of protecting her—or anyone—from harm. Bodily harm. Emotional scars. The only place or time she ever felt safe was when she was with Han. When he grabbed her full attention, kept her in a story, listened, made her laugh. But it was an illusion. He could leave, disappear, die. He could distract her, use a different form of misdirection, and she wouldn't be there for her work like she needed to be. If her feeling safe, loved, meant it would take that much longer for others to be free then the answer was simple.

"I have no interest in any relationship, personal or professional." She was in full-on confident, diplomat mode. "I consider this matter closed. Permanently."

Leia was done. Whether or not her allowing her personal life to interfere with her overall mission, her devotion to the cause, caused a lapse in judgement that brought Pyrtor to the cabin on Commenor. Or if any of his communications brought Ado and the explosive, the Imperial fleet to the Rebel base. She knew there was a connection, intentional or not, and she is the one who brought Pyrtor into their midst. She also didn't know if falling in love with Han, feeling his love for her, distracted her from giving her full attention to the situation. If she would have shut it down completely much earlier, if she didn't need Pyrtor as an excuse. She only knew that she had to move forward and not make the same mistakes again.

Pyrtor stood tall. He looked down on Leia, using his height to his advantage but still not intimidating her. "You will regret this."

"I understand regret. This won't be one of them."

"Time will tell."

"Are you threatening me?"

"You don't think I could easily come clean? If Dynsara is involved I could tell her everything I know about you and your precious rebellion."

"I know you could and I am taking the risk that you won't."

Even if she didn't know that was true, she needed him to believe it. If he truly was on the edge of doing something that he can't come back from, assuming he hasn't already done so, she needed to edge him closer to her side.

He stepped away, picked up his jacket and bag. His eyes are hard, almost mean.

"I've always been willing to put up with your distant and sometimes cold nature but not everyone will."

Leia flinched but held her steady gaze.

"Luke might be fine now but his attitude will change when he realizes the Rebellion will always come first. And if the war ends, it will be the government or whatever organization you get yourself wrapped up in."

Leia was very aware there was no room for anyone in her life. She designed it that way. Did he not understand that this was the world she built? Alderaan, everything, was gone and she took the opportunity to create something new. A world with nothing else to lose. She tried letting others in. Surprised herself at how well they could all fit together. There were times when she let herself believe that could be her life. But it wasn't. It couldn't. She had one purpose and one purpose only. Destroy the Empire.

"You avoid human contact. You're incapable of strong emotions, passion."

Leia wondered how long he had been preparing this speech.

"I can accept this." He tried to stand taller. "I was willing to overlook this trait because I respect your title, your position. "

"How generous of you."

"It's not generosity. It's understanding. Empathy." He flinched slightly when she laughed. "Just admit who you are and leave others out of it. We are meant for each other. Cut from the same cloth. You will only do damage to others. They will expect more from you. Expect you to love them back when you only love the fight. The day-to-day will never matter to you. It's only big picture."

"Pyrtor, if you don't leave this room now, I will call in reinforcements."

He shook his head. "See? Cold." He turned back when he reached the door. "You will regret this, Leia."

"You said that already."

She watched the door close behind him, lost in thought for a few moments. She didn't know if he was threatening her personally or the Rebellion but realized it didn't matter. There wasn't much difference between the two.

Leia tapped out a code to Luke, letting him know she was leaving. She quickly retrieved the weapons she had stored around the room. She was calm, ready.

Pyrtor was right about one thing. Going back to the fight was the only thing that made sense to her anymore.