Chapter 3: Leia

"This has got to be the work of the empire!"

"They have never targeted us like this before! It was a lone attacker, probably seeking favor with the empire."

"It was a skilled shooter! The blaster wasn't made to fire more than once! He knew what he was doing. If not for the Jedi, the princess would be dead!"

Bail huffed silently as the emergency council raged before him. Nervous councilors shouted repeatedly about the possibility of more attempts, or tried to twist this to fit the empire's schemes. Their raised voices grated his ears and he massaged his tired eyes.

From his position just behind the senator, Dardan recognized the look of annoyance. The senator's patience was near to running out. The long day and emotional turmoil was leaving clear stress on both Organas, Breha having secluded herself by Leia's side. The young princess still seemed so shaken by the close call.

If not for her…

Dardan glanced toward the young girl at the other side of Bail's forces. The senator had refused to let her leave with the other cadets on patrol, instead insisting she be party to the emergency council meeting. She flanked Bail on the opposite side, silent and stoic, taking in the room with still eyes. The saber she had hidden earlier now swung in clear sight on her belt. So, she was a Jedi…a legendary warrior from the old republic that had magical powers. Were they all so young?

He turned his attention back to the Senator. Bail had obviously known. Was she a secret member of the alliance? Their trump card against Vader? If so, why was she playing cadet in the palace?

Dardan shook his head. Politics were not his wheelhouse. He focused his attention back to Bail as the senator jumped to his feet, finally bellowing "Enough!"

The raucous collapsed into silence.

"This wasn't the empire."

The council bubbled to erupt again and Bail hurried to continue.

"At least not directly." he sighed and pulled a stack of holo-flyers from his desk, each one showing some variation of the rebellion as traitors and terrorists. Some advertised bounties; others spelled elaborate tales of lives lost in the battle. "The empire has no solid proof that Alderaan supports the alliance, so they cannot target us directly, but they have been doing a good job making the rest of the galaxy hate us."

Ariala glanced over them and had to admit, some were rather convincing. To the average citizen, one not under the thumb Palpatine's dark rule, they could be very persuasive.

"He's riling the people against us; using their fear to root us out. I'm certain this assassin is the product of these." he flung the pile into the center of the room angrily.

"But to go after the princess..." another member started."What is the target there?"

"Kill Bail and he'd be a martyr, Camloui" answered Alfren from the other side of the room. "Break him and the Senator could be persuaded to join the empire."

"Not only that, but the Princess isn't a political target; a single shooter, a tragic death. We'd have no ability to retaliate."

The council jumped into conversation again, Bail falling to silence as he weighed the realizations. His daughter...his daughter...they almost took his daughter! Hot tears pricked at his eyes, his vision bleeding red. He didn't need to be here…Leia…he needed to be with Leia.

"Councilors..." his voice cut through the din again. "We have been at this for hours. I am tired, my family is tired. For now, the assassin has been confirmed dead and every sign points to him working alone. We need time to gather our thoughts, contact our scouts, and come up with a plan." He pushed away from the table.

"Your families have all been relocated to the safe houses and you are welcome to stay here for the night. Please, let us reconvene when we have calmer minds."

The councilors muttered their agreement, giving various well wishes as they exited the room.

Suddenly alone with only his guards, Bail exhaled again, tiredly falling back into his seat. Energy drained from him as though his very soul was being sucked into a black hole. From his left, he felt Dardan's eyes nearly boring a hole through his head.

"It was hardly necessary for you to know, captain." Bail lowered his hand, only just glimpsing the guard hurriedly looking away. "She was sent to me for her protection."

Dardan glanced again at the girl, starting when his eyes met hers. She was watching him …afraid? Yes, that was fear in her blue eyes, fear and something else…something threatening.

"You understand that her presence must be a closely guarded secret?" Bail was speaking again. Dardan nodded slowly. He had been only a boy when word of the Jedi Purge swept through the galaxy but he had not forgotten the surgical precision of the emperor's order.

"Of course, sir." He paused, "But sir…what about everyone else? I can wrangle the royal guard to silence, but the spectators…there were over a hundred people in that area alone that would have seen her. What should we do about them?"

The headache that had been building in Bail's temples snapped behind his eyes at the question. Valid as it was, it was a stress he was not sure he could currently handle. "That…will be tomorrow's problem."

"If I may offer a suggestion?" Ariala spoke gently, her distant gaze still focused on something beyond the room.

Bail nodded.

"Spread a rumor that is easier to swallow." She refocused her eyes on Dardan. "The Royal Guard already use blades, it would not be such a stretch to say that a new version is in production."

"There is nothing exciting about a new guard tool…" Bail contemplated. "Before the Celebration is over, they will most likely forget…" Bail rounded on his captain, a glimmer of fiery hope in his otherwise tired eyes. "I want you to supervise that. There are plenty of gossips on the palace staff. Shouldn't be too hard to get that going."

"Yes, sir."

Bail nodded, turning to his right. "Ariala," she stepped forward. "Thank you, for saving my daughter."

She said nothing, inclining her head to accept his gratitude.

"I would like you to take the task on as a permanent position."

"Senator!"

"Quiet, Dardan. Your forces are not being demoted." Bail locked his attention to Ariala again and she felt his burdened heart reach out to her. "Leia is my life. I thought she was safe from this kind of thing at least for a little while longer…I need to know she will be protected. I won't order you to do it, simply ask. Please, transfer to Leia's personal security division."

The young Jedi considered him for a moment, eyes flickering to Dardan, before falling respectfully to one knee. "I will protect her with my life, Senator."

She could hear their voices even before she reached the door and was nearly tackled to the ground as she entered, Antsul leaping excitedly over to greet her.

"You're really a Jedi?"

"Come on, I told you there's no way."

"But you saw that lightsaber!"

"I bet she stole it."

The cadets were nearly shouting over each other and the small room seemed all too similar to the council chambers Ariala just left. She pulled herself from Antsul grip with a gentle smile.

"Ari, come on Just tell us. Is it true?"

"I said she's not." Tyrald huffed grumpily in the corner.

The rest of the room watched her with bated breath. Bail's words – and Ben's – echoed in her mind, and she shook her head. "I'm not."

She felt, rather than saw, Antsul deflate.

Tyrald scoffed. "Hmph. Told you."

"But what about the lightsaber?" Violles asked from the corner. While they hadn't interacted much one-on-one, Ariala and the girl clicked a bit more than either did with the boys on the squad. There was a wave of loneliness and betrayal emanating from her as she watched Ariala.

The Jedi turned away, pressing the Force into silence. "I bought it."

The silence following her answer was enough to tell they didn't believe her. She shrugged. "Look, a bunch of trash washes up in the outer rim. It looked pretty cool so I paid a month's worth of credits for it from some skeevy trader that came by once a moon cycle." She turned to her own bed and started pulling things together. "Thing didn't even work when I first got it."

More tense silence followed her words and she did not need the Force to know they were upset. A Jedi was a symbol of hope, of the old times, and she was tearing that hope away. But it was for their protection. If they hated her…she forced that thought aside and focused instead on stuffing her belongings into her sack.

Tyrald finally broke the silence. "Would have been cool if you were, though. I heard Jedi could control things with their minds and see the future."

"Yeah…"Anstul sighed. "That could have been real handy. We'd know when the commander signed us up for mess duty."

The squad chuckled weakly.

Violles softly chimed in. "I heard Vader is a Jedi…"

Ariala felt her heart stop, blood running cold. "That's not true."

"How do you know?"

Ariala couldn't bring herself to turn around, but she answered with as much confidence as she could muster. "The Jedi are the good guys. And Vader is clearly not a good guy."

"But he's invincible…and magic."

"They say he can read your mind and make you do whatever he wants," Antsul added.

"They used to call that a Jedi Mind Trick." Tyrald again. Ariala wasn't sure what his tone meant.

"He is not a Jedi," Ariala knew her response was sharper than necessary. Her own confusion, fear, and hatred mixed with her words. "Vader is evil incarnate. A destroyer. Nothing about him is good or happy and if the old Jedi were still here, you saying that would be an insult to their entire order!" She was glad she was not facing them. She was shaking, tears threatened to spill out. She needed to go.

Ariala swung her pack over her shoulder and stepped toward the door.

"Ari, wait." It was Antsul. He sounded so much like Luke. Her heart clenched but she stopped. She still couldn't turn around. "We're sorry. You don't have to leave."

The others chimed in their apologies. She heard even Tyrald's awkward "yeah, sorry".

"We're not saying the Jedi are bad…"

She shook her head. "It's not that." Breathing deeply, she forced herself to face them. They deserved a proper goodbye. "Senator Organa moved me to Private Division." The gasps were sign enough. "Squad sixteen."

"You got a promotion?!"

She cringed. Of course, Tyrald would take it worse.

"Mother of Moons that is that biggest pile of Bantha fodder I've ever heard!" Tyrald fumed. "You've been here less than half my tenure and you get a promotion cuz you're the laserbrain who got lucky?!" He stalked over to her, barely restrained by Antsul's outstretched arm.

"That's enou-"

"Oh shut up, dirtball. Any one of us could have been in the same position. But do you think we would be getting a promotion?" he shoved his finger at her. "No. Because Dardan's been right all along. You got in here by sucking up to the senator and now you just leapfrog over everyone working harder than you?!" He spit at her feet and drew himself him. "Maybe you are a Jedi after all. Just like Vader."

"That's over the line!" "Blast it, Tyrald!"

Ariala barely heard her squad's bickering, his last words ringing in her ears. The Force lashed violently within her. Like Vader…like Vader?! She felt it, the part of his life in the stream of the Force and closed her finger around it. She could so easily be like Vader.

I see in you much of your father – and much of your mother – but I fear you could sway too easily toward one.

Ben's voice cut through the anger and she dropped the thread. What had she been about to do…?

Without another word, she turned and stormed from the room.

Breha's soft voice was all that could be heard in the otherwise silent room, the smooth sounds of the old lullaby filling her with comfort as she watched Leia. The princess finally slept, the adrenaline from the morning fading into complete exhaustion. Leia's young face was creased with thin stress-lines, streaks of tears still dried to her cheeks. The same streaks dried on Breha's face as well.

That morning's attack played on a loop in her mind and with each repetition she felt her heart would stop. In painful slow motion she saw the glinting, red, blaster bolt break from the crowd, felt the warning freeze in her throat…then the cadet was there, Leia pushed back as the guard had jumped up, lightsaber singing as it whipped through the air and beat away the deadly projectile. Breha reached, fearfully, for her daughter but Leia was unharmed, though quite shaken. She had seen it too, the flare that would have ended her life. Her brown eyes were wide, she pressed herself to the floor of the float, calling for her mother's hand.

The terror in her daughter's voice was even more heartbreaking than the attempt. Leia was always a strong spirit. Breha had not heard her scream so frightfully since she was but a babe plagued by nightmares.

The queen felt her heart shudder again, fresh tears breaking her voice, and she pulled her sleeping daughter into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry, my child. I promised to keep you safe…I failed."

"She still lives, Breha." The queen did not look up. Though she had not heard the door open, the voice of her husband was welcome. "We did not fail her."

Bail joined her on the bed and she felt his arms wrap around them both. Leia squirmed sleepily in the warmth and they parted if only to let her recapture peaceful rest.

Only now did the queen take in her husband. He fared no better than the rest of his family, overtiredness drawing down his face. She stood and gestured him to follow, moving away from the bed. The sentry posted at each corner of the room shifted for their privacy.

"What does the council say?"

Bail shook his head. "They could barely agree on anything. They are so afraid."

"Will they do nothing? Leia's life - " Her maternal anger soared.

"I will not allow that to happen, my love." He pulled her close. "But Leia is still with us, her would-be killer dead. I must think outside of my own anger. To retaliate blindly would endanger us all."

The warmth of Bail's embrace was too comforting to Breha's battered heart. She felt herself melt weakly into him. "I cannot lose her, Bail. I can't…we waited for her so long."

"I know, my love." Bail felt his own strength melting. "I know. I will do everything in my power to keep her safe."

"My Lady, your father has requested you forgo today's council meeting."

"No, Isamira," Leia chided with resolve she hardly felt. Despite how much her handmaiden claimed she slept since yesterday, Leia felt heavy and slow. But she had only just been allowed to sit-in on council meetings and this recent attack was not going to chase her away. "I'm going."

"Princess, please - "

"I have made up my mind."

Isamira sighed. "At least take your guard. If I let you go unprotected, your father will kill me."

"It's just across the courtyard!" Leia rounded on her, but the plaintive expression on the maid's face broke her. "Fine, Isa. Fine. Call them quickly."

Isamira beamed. "It's hardly a matter of calling them…" she tapped the console beside the door, a full contingent of Private Division guards revealed just outside.

Leia cringed at the over twenty personnel that would add to her already half-dozen strong entourage, but made no vocal complaints, simply shaking her head as she moved to join them. The crowd parted as she stepped in, closing before she could take the head of the line. "Is this really necessary?" The confined movement was just like yesterday. Her paranoia spiked and she hated it.

"Your father's orders, your highness." The guard directly to her left answered. She recognized him, and most of them really, from the reserves of the Division used to expand ranks when dignitaries visited.

"Oh, alright."

Toward the front of the group, blocked from the princess's sight by the taller sentinels, Ariala listened. With the exception of yesterday, she had not been near the Princess before, or as it turned out, truly looked upon her face. Her sister's face.

She had confirmed from the other guards that Bail and Breha had no other children. Leia was her sister. And fate felt all the crueler.

She pushed aside her thoughts for the remainder of the trek, focusing instead on her mission. She probed the Force for any disturbance, kept eyes roving behind every pillar, ears open to the slightest off putting sound, but there was nothing. Much to everyone's relief, the convoy crossed the wide courtyard to the council building in peace.

Ariala watched as the Princess moved inside, accompanied only by a single handmaiden. She had to fight not to stare. The Jedi could see her own features in the princess, and the Force hummed at her as Leia moved by, an energy like static popping momentarily between them. Leia seemed unfazed by it, if she had even felt it at all, and crossed into the room silently.

Fate was cruel indeed. Ariala fell into the waiting formation with the others, her mind racing. She knew them both now, her brother and her sister, but fate laughed as she was kept apart.

Master…did you know? Did you know I would be made to suffer them so close yet so impossibly far away?

She thought of Luke, her closest friend on Tatooine now so many star systems away. So many years they had been side-by-side, drawn together by the Force. And now she foresaw the same with Leia. Was this what Ben had wanted when he sent her here? To have the family she always wanted dangled before her, beyond her grasp? Was this a test of her patience? Her resolve?

If Luke and Leia were her siblings, then they too were Vader's children. What would they think if they learned the truth? Learned about their reason for surviving? She glanced at the door.

Did that reason even exist anymore? Leia had a family here and Luke his own on Tatooine. Though it may not have been perfect, they both knew happiness and a life of peace. And Leia, princess of the galaxy's kindest and warmest people would have wanted for nothing. Ariala doubted she even knew her parents were of different blood. Bail would never submit his child to face down the empire, no matter how strong she may one day become. And Luke…Luke was tied to the outer rim planet by Ben and his uncle.

No, she was alone. She had them, she knew them, but she was alone in her destiny. And for all that mattered, she had no family.

xxxxx

Within five minutes of being in the room, Leia immediately regretted her decision to come. The councilors danced pitifully around the incident and regarded her with the softest kid gloves she had ever seen. Even her father seemed loathe to fully address the matter at hand.

She huffed as yet another councilor stood. "Senator, if you don't disagree, the matter should be handled by outside forces, to keep Alderaan safe from…" his eyes flickered to Leia and the girl rolled her own. "…further incidents."

"Incidents," Leia huffed. "Just call it what it is, councilor."

"Leia," Bail's tone warned her to silence.

She didn't listen. "I am not afraid to look what happened yesterday in the eye. An attempt was made on my life. To kill me. If I can say those words why can't any of you?" She glared around the room and took their silence to continue. "I appreciate your concern, all of you, but I am just one Alderaanian. If this could happen to me, it could happen to any of our citizens."

Leia turned to her father. "If you are right in your belief that this attack came as a result of the empire's provocation against the Alliance, then any member of the rebellion is at risk. I was a target because of my name but how many may be slaughtered in the shadows?"

The council stirred, muttering with understanding.

Leia stepped closer to the center, emboldened. "This attack was to create fear. To warn us away from our rebellion. But it came because the empire fears us. So we cannot give in. We cannot bend to the emperor's attacks, be they direct or through pawns! Do not be afraid to speak the truth of what happened and do not be afraid to confront it. The Alliance cannot let something like this break all you have achieved so far. Alderaan is the home of the Alliance, if we give in, they all give in. Do not tear hope from the galaxy just because of me."

Her impromptu speech drew to a close, the room quickly filling with thick silence. Many of the council looked to Bail for example.

The senator, in turn, looked at his council. He saw in them the tentative flickering of agreement that he felt building within himself. He had always known she had Padme's spark but it burned him to see it getting brighter. Leia was going to be a light to the galaxy, he realized, no matter what he wanted, he could not stop it.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he stood. "My daughter," Leia beamed under the pride in his voice, "is right."

As though they had been holding their breath, the council erupted in agreement. Bail allowed it for a moment before holding his hand up for pause. "We must counter the empire's sway of the people, if we are to ensure peace. As it now stands, with their fear ruling the galaxy, even if we succeeded in taking down Palpatine tomorrow, we would fall to the people still so loyal to them."

Leia stepped back as he continued, the council, more energetically delving into a solution.

xxxxx

The meeting continued for several hours after that, though the lengthy assembly did end in a solution they could happily agree upon: the Alliance would create their own propaganda and distribute it secretly through their network of spies to mid and outer rim planets not yet fully in the empire's pockets. Even Leia felt confident it would turn the tides. And so, when the room dumped out, the atmosphere brightened in light of their hope.

Leia hovered behind, watching them leave.

"You did well."

She tossed a smile back to her father. "I told you I could be better used here."

Bail chuckled. "Yes, I think you may have a point. But your studies must continue to come first. You may attend next week's meeting as normal, but you must listen only."

She frowned.

"Leia."

"Yes, father."

"Good." He led her gently toward the door. "Now I'm sure your mother would be happy to see you. Come, it's about time for lunch."

Leia broke ahead by a step, pausing as the guards moved to form around her. "Again?"

"Yes, again."

"Father, this really is too much. So many guards would be better served on the streets. The Celebration is still trying to go on but so many are so scared."

"There are plenty of soldiers on the ground. You will remain in this squad's care."

"I don't even know half of these reserves," she complained. "They could be out to get me, too." It was a weak effort and she knew it, but she really hated the fuss.

Bail only smirked. "You're right." Turning to the guard, he said, "Introduce yourselves."

Immediately they fell into a two lines, flanking the Princess. Those part of her normal guard stepped back, already well-known to the princess, and the rest faced her saluting. Leia laughed, un-amused.

One-by-one they stated their names and gave some variation on swearing to protect her. Most, she let slide over her head. If her father had his way, she'd have plenty of time to get to know them.

Ariala stepped forward as the introductions rounded toward her. "I am Ariala, originally of squad 286, your highness." The Force static popped again and this time, it seemed Leia noticed. She cocked her head and took in the young girl. "Aren't you…the Je-? " Bail coughed loudly behind her and Leia graciously took the hint.

Ariala gave no response so Leia stepped closer, tilting the girl's face toward her own. "You are! You're the one that stopped that assassin." She wheeled around. "But a cadet, father?"

Bail nodded. "In my eyes, by saving your life, she has earned the promotion. Besides, I thought you might have fewer objections if you had at least one sentry who you didn't have to crane your neck to see."

Leia reddened under the tease and playfully smacked her father's shoulder as the introductions continued.

Ariala stepped back into place, the small patch of her cheek where Leia touched burning with her secret. For the first time since her arrival, she hated being on Alderaan.

The month's following the assassination attempt were silent, peace falling quickly back to the Planet of Beauty. The alliance's plan was so far faring well, while internal investigations had spoiled two smaller assassination plots for key council members, and Leia's inclusion on the meetings had been met with great acceptance, the girl often pulled in to broker peace between them. Bail had even allowed Leia to wander the palace grounds with a reduced escort after three months of peace went uninterrupted.

"I only ask that you keep Ariala at your side. She is good for you and skilled guard."

Leia made a great fuss of agreeing but, in truth, despite herself, the young Princess found herself drawn to the female.

Ariala was the perfect soldier. She only answered questions with as few words as possible and never dropped formality. She hovered out of sight like a shadow but was immediately at her side if she called. Leia found it a bit fun to worm her way under the girl's thick walls.

The Jedi, on the other hand, found the game painful. Burying away the pull of the Force was draining and hard on her heart no matter how desperately she tried to close it. Leia was so effervescent and kind, a feeling of warmth in the great power that reminded Ariala of her broken Force-memories of Padme. She both wanted to embrace the girl within her heart and push the whole thing away. Conflict raged within her daily and Leia's effort to weasel something from her only made it that much harder to resist.

"You didn't have many friends your own age, did you?" Leia asked one day while they walked the grounds. Ariala hovered a step behind her, the other two guards further back just beyond Isamira.

As expected, Ariala did not answer.

"My father told me that a general from the Clone wars raised you." Still nothing. "Rescued from the empire."

Ariala gave in. "Yes, your highness."

"On Tatooine, right?"

Again, "Yes, your highness."

"That's a rough planet, I hear. Even before the Emperor. Why go there, I wonder."

With no question to answer, the Jedi remained silent.

"What do you do on a place like that for fun, anyway?"

"Canyon racing, mainly, your highness."

"You ever win?"

"I did not participate, your high-"

"Then what did you do for fun?"

Again, the girl fell silent and Leia groaned. "Really? You won't even answer that? I thought my father assigned you so I'd have someone my own age to talk to, but I'd have a better conversation with a wall!"

Frustratingly, Ariala did not respond.

"Gah! Come here!" Leia dragged her ahead, waving off the guards that hurried to close the gap. Parted enough to prevent the rest of her group overhearing, she faced off the young Jedi. "Do you have some kind of problem with me?"

"No, your highness."

"Then what is it? You've been on my guard almost half a year but I swear I can count on two hands all the words you've said to me that weren't 'yes', 'no', or 'your highness'." Leia pulled her closer. "And I've tried. I thought first maybe you were too nervous or scared but no matter what I've said to you, you give me nothing!"

"I was not aware my duties as a guard included conversation."

"Oh, so you can speak!"

"My business is my own, Princess. If you have a problem with my -"

"I have a problem with someone who is supposed to protect me refusing to open up. How am I supposed to have confidence in you this way?"

"Are my skills in question?"

"Right now I couldn't give two bantha ticks about your skills – Jedi or not," she added with a hiss before jabbing her finger toward the guards in the distance. "Sheenr has three sisters and three daughters. He's the only male of this family for four generations, his favorite food is oro bark and he keeps a secret stash under his bed because it's the only way his family doesn't find out." She shifted to the other guard. "And Eddiric can't go two rotations without calling home to his father because they only recently lost his younger brother in an attack on an empire star ship." She dropped her hand. "I know them, I know their stories and through that I know my reliance in them is not misplaced.

"But you – you're a secret and that is more than aggravating. It's untrustworthy."

"If you doubt me, have me dismissed."

The smooth rebuttal only poured oil on the princess's ire and she was slapping the girl before realizing what she was doing. "Why are you so stuck up?! I heard how you don't even talk to your squad anymore. Weren't they your friends? Do you even know what a friend is?" She threw up her hands in frustration, Ariala's expression barely changing under the verbal barrage. "You keep up your cold shoulder and you're bound to die alone!"

Leia did not wait for the inevitable silence, stomping off.

Ariala did not follow.

Nor did she rejoin the group later that evening, secluding herself in the quiet gardens in which she had been left. Settled under a gently leaning Chinar Tree, she melted into the Force.

Master, I need your guidance. I cannot continue to face her on my own…

It came as no surprise that he did not answer. She knew he was too far away to feel her, to hear her. Still she reached out for him, seeking something that would tell her what to do next. Old memories floated back to her, crystal clear in the Force.

A Jedi must never forget: purpose over feelings.

You have a great future ahead of you, padawan. Do not lose sight of yourself in it.

The care of that which we protect is the very fuel that spurs a Jedi. But there must be balance. Life and death are a matter of fact. You must be able to let go when the time comes. But embrace and respect life as it lives and do not seek to throttle it. A flower only grows largest when it is given ample room.

Moment by moment, his relevant teachings returned to her. Advice she had either forgotten, or at the time, deemed unimportant now soothed her misgivings.

I can tell her then?

The Force shuddered as the possible future of such an action turned red.

But I must accept her…

It calmed slightly, still shivering.

She will always be my sister. I cannot avoid that. But I need not fear it.

Almost instantly she felt the knot in her chest from so many months loosen under the Force. She opened her eyes, breathing peacefully.

"Leia…"

Night had already fallen; the Princess would have retired to her chambers. Ariala sighed. Patience.

xxxxx

Leia stared as she stepped from her chambers the next morning to see Ariala once again leading her contingent. It wasn't her return – she was a strict enough soldier to know her duty – but there was something different about her. As Leia stepped by, she could just barely make out her whisper, "Am I allowed to be friends with the princess?"

The princess turned back, but Ariala had pulled herself to attention, staring ahead. A smile, however, just tugged at the corner of her lips and Leia, for the first time, felt something positive from her.

xxxxx

In the weeks that passed, Leia finally learned more about her mysterious guard.

"I have a brother, and a sister," Ariala revealed as they watched the stardancer flies from Leia's balustrade. "But I had to part from them when I came here. I cannot even tell them where I am."

"Why not?"

"Because I left…to join the rebellion. If they knew, they would be in danger."

Leia didn't need to look at her to feel the sadness in the Jedi's words. It was clear this was the burden that she held onto for so long.

"I'm sure this separation won't last forever. The rebellion will win and when we do," Leia placed a comforting hand over Ariala's. "You can go back to them and be a family again."

Tears choked them as blue eyes searched brown. Oh how Leia would never know how much Ariala desperately needed that to be true.

Leia pulled the girl into a tight hug and Ariala could not hold back the silent tears that spilled from her eyes. Every hurt and worry she had buried since she first stepped foot on Alderaan, nearly one year ago, found release in her gentle crying, and Leia, so maternal at heart, simply held the girl.

The deep and secretive underground bunker bustled with rumor and fear as the main arms of the rebellion floundered around their dwindling supplies. They all pretended not to notice the room at the other end, alit with fiery spirits. The leaders within, voices raised, debated their next move.

"A decision needs to be made." Draven cried, nearly wagging his finger at Mon Mothma.

Pamlo countered, "If it's war you want, you'll fight alone!"

From the other side of the table Vaspar said, "If that's the way it's going, why have an Alliance at all?"

"Councilors, please!" Mothma's voice was enough to cut the debate for a brief second and Blue Leader swept into the silence.

"It is simple, the empire has the means of mass destruction. The Rebellion does not."

"A Death Star? This is nonsense."

"What reason would my father have to lie," the young Jyn asked, bitterness on her tongue. She could hardly believe the great and powerful alliance was arguing about like a bunch of children. How hard was it to understand that the empire – greatest evil of the galaxy – was in possession of a weapon that could destroy planets?! Her father died so she could save them and they refused to take her seriously?

Already they were at it again, decrying the possibility and ducking their heads in the sand.

"What chance do we have?" She asked. "The question is 'What choice?' Run? Hide? Plead for mercy? Scatter your forces? You give way to an enemy this evil, with this much power, and you condemn the galaxy to an eternity of submission. The time to fight is now!"

A few voices chimed in agreement and she pushed on. "Every moment you waste is another step closer to the ashes of Jedha."

They stirred at the idea she was building toward. They wouldn't like it. But she had a plan, more than they did. "Send your best troops to Scarif. Send the whole rebel fleet if you have to. We need to capture the Death Star plans if there is any hope of destroying it."

The councilors watched her in silent disbelief and Jyn waited for them to erupt again. Instead, only Pamlo spoke, leaning forward with enough interest Jyn was almost sure she'd be on board. "You're asking us to invade an imperial installation based on nothing but hope?"

"Rebellions are built on hope."

Mothma shook her head. It was a plan, but she could see it in their eyes: no one agreed. "I'm sorry Jyn, without the full support of the council, the odds are too great."

Jyn scowled and broke away from the table. She was done with the red tape of politics! If they wanted to concede to the empire, she wasn't going to be a part of it.

The councilors watched her go, momentarily saddened by her anger. They had not wanted to lose hope either, but death star or no, the empire had gotten too big to be taken out by such a small band of merry flyboys.

Mothma sighed, re-centering herself. "We need to prepare our evacuation. The empire will be looking for us so we must be discreet. Blue leader, your squads will orbit and be our eyes. Secure hyperspace passageways."

She waved a hand over the holo-table, a display popping up of their fleet. "We have over fifteen cruisers to move - " the rest of her words were cut off as a flight controller stepped in.

"Commander."

"Yes?"

"Did you authorize a 'Rogue One' to take the Imperial Ship?"

Mothma's face's paled. "Erso…" she exhaled, barely believing the thief's bravery. "Yes. Yes I did. Track their destination and prepare to launch on my command."

"Of course, commander."

Mothma turned back to the startled councilors. "It seems a new choice has been laid before us. Will we turn our backs on them?"

They fidgeted under her gaze and some seemed ready to argue, but they remained silent long enough she took it as begrudging acquiescence. "Good. Prepare your fleets. We have only one chance at this."

They bustled from the room, muttering amongst themselves.

"Bail, a word."

Bail stopped, watching his old friend. As the other councilors moved further away, her façade of confidence slipped into worry. "Despite what the others say, war is inevitable."

He nodded, his mind working double. "Yes, I agree." A pause. "I will not be able to join the fleet. I must return to Alderaan to inform my people that there will be no peace. The empire knows us too well. We will need every advantage."

"Wait," again, Mothma paused his retreat. "Your friend, the Jedi." A last hope.

Bail's eyes darkened. Kenobi. "He served me well during the Clone Wars and has lived in hiding since the emperor's purge."

Mothma pleaded silently with him and the man nodded. "Yes, I will send for him."

"You'll need someone you can trust."

"I would trust her with my life."

xxxxx

Leia, I had hoped to be home after all of this, to tell you in person, but I'm afraid that is no longer possible.

The little Bail hologram wavered on its disc as Leia watched. That her father had made efforts to contact her from the secretive rebel base only meant bad news. Her heart clenched as he spoke.

Leia, before I left, the council came to an agreement that you are ready for more responsibility. You are wise and patient and your advice has kept us from deciding too late or too rashly. You have the trappings of a wonderful senator.

He smiled at her glowing face and dreaded what he would have to ask next. Just behind his daughter, he could make out the outline of her Jedi guard.

Ariala, come closer.

Leia's face vanished for a second as she let the girl into frame, then reemerged as the holographic camera adjusted on the two figures.

Leia, Ariala. I have a mission for you. One of utmost urgency to the survival of the alliance. The empire is in possession of a weapon capable of great power but we have received word that there lies a weakness in it. A small team has been dispatched to retrieve the plans from within the Imperial installation. But it may not be enough.

His eyes moved to Ariala. You must go to Tatooine. Obi-Wan Kenobi may be our last hope. He looked back to Leia. The Jedi are our last hope.

Prepare a cruiser and leave immediately. I have already sent instructions to the council. They will support you.

Go, my daughter. I trust you with this more than I would trust anyone else.

Bail smiled as warmly as he could, praying the cold message could transmit his burning love to her. He had never wanted her to take on a mission so treacherous, but he was faced with little choice.

She has the Jedi to guide her, his mind tried to reason. She will be fine.

Giving one last wave, the hologram clicked off and Leia, focused solely on her assignment, met Ariala's eyes. "Let's go."

To be continued….