The fight ended quickly. Whether the Inquisitor had underestimated me as an opponent or they simply didn't possess the proper training to combat me, I never knew. Soon enough, I had them down.
Blade set to their throat, I demanded, "How did you find me?"
"You'd like to know, wouldn't you?"
I repeated the query, then added simply, "Answer, or die."
"Guess I'll die then. Maybe. You don't seem to have the balls to finish me, Jedi. Do you, hmm?" The Inquisitor lifted their chin in defiant pride, and then laughed.
I could see that I'd get no answers this way. But how else could I interrogate them? I thought of my conversation with Leia mere minutes ago—how wonderful would it be to have the fabled powers of the mind now, able to barrel through their thoughts at a thousand clicks a minute, learning everything I needed to know! But no such luck. Too, they might soon call for help, and while the odds were remote anyone would hear them—
But to kill an unarmed prisoner was against the Jedi Code—my inviolate guide. I could not. I could not ever—
In the end, my moral dilemma was solved for me. The Force suddenly whispered of fresh danger, and the Inquisitor leapt up, making to grab their spinning blade once more—
I slashed my lightsaber, a fan of electric blue in the noon sun—
And the head toppled to the forest floor, rolling away from the body. The body buckled, a soft sigh escaping the trachea as it did so, then flopped to the ground at my feet. I extinguished my lightsaber, breathing hard.
It took me several moments to realize why my heart pounded so. That was my first kill. Sure, I'd killed sand people before—but they were vicious, mindless monsters. This had been a walking, talking, taunting sentient. And I'd killed them.
But no time to think about it now. No time. I had to burn the body, and find out if he had any help. Find out if anyone else was coming. Find out if Alderaan remained safe…
Find out how they had found me….
The trampling sound made me spin round, reigniting my lightsaber at the throat of the new intruders.
Amylin Holdo's eyes widened and she put up her hands. Tai-Lin Garr looked impassive in his calm. Leia—who apparently hadn't run away as I told her to, but had gone and gotten allies—had flushed cheeks and fiery eyes which dimmed with relief as she took in the scene.
"Well," said Tai-Lin evenly, a distinct note of respect in his tone that I didn't understand or feel worthy of, "it seems we've been rendered unnecessary."
"Not quite," I admitted quietly. "We've got to get rid of the body." And then I've got to figure out which one of you betrayed us.
OOO
"It isn't true, Luke."
"Leia. You're a wonderful queen. Shrewd." Cold and hard-hearted when you need to be. "So please tell me you don't see the same facts as I do."
We stood in her orchid garden. Though the fight had been hours ago, everything still felt startlingly fresh. I knew I needed more distance than this. One could become attached to the bad as well as to the good. But every time I attempted to release it, more memories kept floating into my mind, like the tendrils of smoke from the Inquisitor's pyre. It was summer, and no one had noticed a little "campfire" smoke. We were safe.
Relatively speaking with a mole in our midst. Because a mole was the only thing that made sense.
Just not to Leia; she insisted every one of the gathered allies was entirely trustworthy. She said, "Yes, I see the same facts, but I see a different conclusion."
"What would that be?"
"There must be a Force-sensitive child on Alderaan somewhere."
That paused me. The Inquisitorious regularly combed the galaxy looking for children with Force-sensitivity, but some still slipped through the cracks—like me, or Leia. Some places, like Tatooine or a royal palace, it was highly unlikely they'd look. But Alderaan itself, that wouldn't be too hard…
"A child near the southern continent?"
"Maybe. Or maybe they went looking for the child, but then sensed you and made a detour."
That was… not a bad point, I thought, deflated. But it was also all speculative. "How can we be sure of that?"
"I guess, while you're staying here and making sure there aren't any leaks from our friend, you can also go looking yourself to confirm it."
"What would I do with a baby, Leia?"
"It might not be a baby."
"You know what I meant."
"Aren't you always the one saying that we should stay in the moment and cross this or that speeder lane when we come to it?"
Using my own words against me. Smooth, sister. Very smooth.
"Besides," Leia added, "I'd like to know who you think it is."
"Who I think who is?"
"Don't play dumb blond, Luke. It isn't fitting."
"Fine. I have… a theory." Only I didn't want to wound her further by voicing it.
Too bad Leia remained perceptive. The light in her eyes dimmed. Her face fell. "You think it was Han, don't you?"
"…I'm only looking at the facts, Leia. He did already threaten us once."
"I know." Something you should know about Leia—she didn't trust very easily. That was one of the reasons I was inclined to believe her that everyone in that meeting had been entirely trustworthy; she was so careful, even paranoid about it. She had once trusted the wrong person, in Kier Domadi, and it had left a mark on her forever because of what it had spawned. She gave her trust with great measure.
To have someone as close to her as her husband abuse her trust would be… pretty catastrophic.
Leia's tone turned hard. "Go talk to him, then. I trust you." But I'm no longer so sure about him was the unspoken.
And it made my heart hurt.
OOO
Author's note: Please review if you liked reading! Thanks everyone so much for the support of this story. It means a ton :).
