Kess and Luke stepped easily between the Purple shrouded sentries and right down the middle of Leia's office common. The place was a buzz of activity, and no one really gave them a second glance as they walked right up to Winter's desk and reported in for their appointment.

Soon, Yana stepped up beside them with datafolios in her arms and smiled hello at them both. Kess smiled at her but didn't say anything. As they paused to smile at each other, eyes saying everything their mouths couldn't / wouldn't, a man in Imperial black uniform and purple guard accents stepped up to Yana's side with a datacard. "The information you requested."

Yana took it from him. The man then turned his feet to the Jedi, snapped his heals and bowed. Luke eyed the man with distrust, but they never got the chance for formal introductions.

Leia stepped out with the group of her previous appointment and smiled sweetly to bid good bye. Instead of facing and bowing like she usually greeted new arrivals, this time she just turned her feet back around to the her office, flicked her head and winked an eye for them to come in there with her.

Luke nodded at the Black and Purple Guard. "Excuse us," and turned to leave the man behind.

Kess was a little surprised that Yana stepped in with them, but that made sense. She was visibly more surprised when the Black and Purple Guard stepped in behind Yana and closed the five of them in the room together.

This guy was an Imperial. Kess could tell by the way he stood and snapped his heals at things, by the way he bowed and lifted his chin with haughtiness at things. She thought this meeting was going to be about the wedding, and since it wasn't public yet, why would an Imperial be in here to listen to it?

Her eyes shifted with uncertainty back to Leia. The Lord Chamberlain stepped around her desk and moved a datacard from one pile to another, but she didn't sit down. Luke and Kess stood easy side by side in front of her, though were still clearly reporting as ordered. Kess expected this meeting to be quick. They had nothing to report because they hadn't talked about any of it yet. Kess had ideas, sure, but she didn't expect the final say on any of it. Besides, they were supposed to be partners now.

Yana sat down in a side chair and switched on her notepad.

"Okay." Leia peeped brightly as she popped a snack into her mouth. She eyed the two Jedi as she chewed and rubbed her palms together. When she swallowed the bite, her voice was bright. "Talk."

"We don't have much," Luke warned.

Leia shrugged her hands and set her knuckles on her desk. "What do you have?"

"Um." Luke and Kess nearly eyed each other, but didn't really need to.

Leia took the initiative and gestured. "First man?"

Luke blinked. That one was easy. "Wedge, of course."

Leia motioned to Kess. "First lady?"

Kess pointed over at Yana on the side. Yana grinned big.

Leia nodded. Then, "When?"

"After the academy is built," Luke said automatically.

"Time table?"

"A year or two?" Luke shrugged.

"No." Leia declined and popped another bite into her mouth. She grinned over her chewing. "Too long. Try again."

Luke flattened his mouth. "Let us get at least a functioning infrastructure and the first couple of facilities built."

"Okay. Time table of that."

"Six months? Maybe?"

She accepted that with a nod. "Good." Her eyes changed. A new question. "Big or small?"

"Small," they said in unison.

"Can't be too small," Leia warned.

Luke sighed for more grinning patience. "As small as we can get away with."

Kess grew more comfortable with this discussion as she realized they were already on the same page about all of it so far. Kess shrugged to defend his statement. "Iktri can't host a whole lot of people."

Leia's eyes changed. She slowly nodded and sat down in her desk chair. "So you are going to have it at the academy."

"Well yeah. Of course."

"Even though you could have a big one here," she taunted.

Luke and Kess eyed each other, smiled bashfully, and sighed.

Leia explained gently. "Guys, this is a huge symbol of the reformation. The bigger we can make it the better."

Luke drooped his head aside. He had no problems declining the galaxy's curiosity about his private life. "They can watch the damn thing on the vid."

Leia folded her elbows on the desktop and softened her voice. Her eyes aimed at Luke as though she was trying to pull a Force Persuade on him. "Are you sure you won't consider having it here?"

"No." He stood firm on this, and stared his sister down.

"Why?"

"Because it's my wedding," he said. And that was the end of it.

Kess interrupted respectfully. "I'm in agreement on that."

Leia flattened her mouth and shared a glare of impatience with Yana. Yana spread a tight grin and a shy grimace.

Leia sat back her big chair and set her hands on her lap, cradling the growing belly. "Press release?"

Luke shrugged, "Whenever you want the news cycle. I don't care."

Kess shrugged too. Agreement.

"Who knows?"

Luke thumbed. "Wedge. Yana. Couple Rogue group pilots." He looked over to Kess.

"My brother and his wife, but they won't say anything to anyone."

"No?"

Kess shook her head. "They won't want to be around if my father finds out by accident."

Leia closed her mouth with respect. "You should comm him right before the press release."

Kess nodded fervently. She was already planning that.

"Will he come to the ceremony?"

"I doubt it." Kess had to admit aloud. Her soul grew somber.

Leia gave her eyes of sympathy. "I'm sorry."

"S'okay," Kess assured gently. "Not your fault." Then she added, "Or your father's."

Leia's eyes changed, she spread a soft smile at that respect and shifted her shining eyes to Luke. Luke rippled a grin to it and changed the subject. "May I ask a question now?"

"Sure."

He thumbed over his shoulder. "If this is still confidential, why are we having this Q and A in front of an Imperial?"

Kess glanced over her shoulder at the gentlemanly purple guard standing parade rest by the door. "That is a good question."

Leia adjusted her hands on her knee. "The purple guard assigned me a private security team."

"What's wrong with Chewie?" Kess peeped concern.

"Chewie's fine. He just can't do it alone."

Luke blanched. "A bodyguard to stand inside your office?"

Leia shined with humor. "Not usually, no. He's here for the details because he's going to have to ensure security for me at the wedding."

Luke flashed a silent laugh. His voice crooned with deep disbelief. "You're going to be on a nearly naked planet surrounded by Jedi, rebels, and at least one extremely protective Wookiee. What possible security measure are we not already going to cover?"

Leia smiled at the humor of it. "This is for the optics, Luke. I am neither Alliance or Imperial. The galaxy needs to see me being protected by both poliltical parties."

Luke sucked in a sign but flicked his brow to accept that.

"Which also means: You guys area going to need to invite Imperials to this thing."

Kess dropped her head back and groaned at the ceiling.

"For the optics," Luke said flatly.

Leia nodded.

Luke huffed out a breath of defeat.

Leia shook her head slowly to lay down a gentle law. "Have it on Iktri and as small as you can, I will grant you that, but we need the reformation crystal clear in every photo cap. Do it however you want to, but we need the visual."

Both Kess and Luke knew she was right, and agreed with it, but they didn't like it. Not because they minded so much having Imperials there, but the size of Iktri meant they were going to have to not invite a bunch of people they wanted just to make room for strangers that couldn't give a damn about their union.

Leia continued. "I'll have Questah write up a release and send it to you for approval before we post. Kess, let me know once you've told your father. I won't move before that."

"Yes, ma'am."

Leia looked to Yana. "Have you taken her shopping for the ball yet?"

Yana began to nod and angled her head with not the best of news.

Kess explained, "I didn't find anything that I liked."

Leia wrinkled her lips at her desk, cleared her throat, then tucked brown eyes back up to Kess for her turn at a Force Pursuade kind of look.

Kess flattened her lips to her teeth and smiled tightly. "But I will keep looking, apparently."

Leia grinned to Luke with that success, and she didn't even need to use the Force to make it work.

He just grinned at the floor.

"Anything else?" Leia asked them.

"No." Kess said.

"No." Luke admitted. "We'll get to work on it."

Leia nodded deeply and waved them to go away. "Thanks for coming by."

Kess and Luke shared a glance of trapped sighs and overwhelmed grins as they faced each other and marched out of Leia's office.

Yana got up, but Leia motioned her to stay. She eyed Ren Entada instead. "You may wait outside now."

Ren Entada clicked his heels, ducked his chin, and marched out too, closing the door behind him.

Leia set her elbow on the desk and her mouth in her hand, thinking hard.

Yana waited for instruction.

Leia's eyes flicked to her, grinned a little, and she turned for the intercom switch. "Winter, can you please get Division One Command on the comm for me?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Leia released the button with a dramatic lift of her finger and turned her eyes over to Yana again. Then she almost smirked at the admin. "Breathe."

Yana slammed her eyes shut and bowed her flushing face to her own lap.

Leia chuckled and when the comm screen rose from the flat of her desk, she reached over and angled it away. "Here, I'll make it easier for you." She shifted her big chair an inch to get in front of its new aim. Now, the camera would not have enough wide range to see Yana on the side of the desk, and Yana couldn't see the image on the screen either.

After a moment, Winter commed back through the audio. "Division One Command on line four."

Leia settled comfortably in her chair and hit the button.

Yana heard a woman's voice. "Division One Command. Commander Garyn. What can I do for you, Lord Chamberlain?"

Leia flicked an odd smile. "I need to speak with Division One's actual commander, please."

"He is temporarily detained. Is there some way I could be of service?" Clearly, Garyn wanted to handle this one on her own.

Leia pressed her mouth. "Will he be long?"

There was a pause before Garyn replied. "One moment."

After a beat, the noise shuffled. And Wedge's voice carried a little of happiness to take this call. Yana watched her own lap and listened to his voice.

"Well hello, Lord Chamberlain!" His voice smiled big, then settled to smiling business. "What can I do for ya?"

Leia lifted her brows. "You can confirm are we on a secure line."

Click. A pause . . . and a door closed. "We are now secure. What's up?"

"I need to ask you a favor," Leia told him. "One in the in strictest of confidentiality. And I need you to not wonder what it's about."

Wedge voice chuckled. "Standard operating procedure, your highness. What do you need?"

Leia smiled at the teasing title but kept to business. "I understand your going to be first man at the wedding."

"Ah!" He peeped, then laughed again. "News to me. But doesn't surprise me. Why?"

"Luke needs to get a suit or the Senate Ball coming up."

"Um, sure?"

"I want you to accompany him in that search so you can roll in the work of establishing and ordering the attire for the men in the wedding party."

"When's the wedding?"

"Not for some time," Leia admitted, "but I need those outfits ready as soon as possible."

"Um," he began to wonder but stopped himself from doing so. "Okay. Yes, ma'am. I'll get on it. Do we know yet how many men, or which men I'm going to have paper doll up?"

Leia angled her head. "You, Luke, and her brother so far that I know. I'll have Yana send you what details we have."

The air coming through the comm seemed to chill.

"Oh. . . ." He murmured. "Okay. . . ." His tone had lost all its lilt.

Yana felt the insult in her stomach.

Leia explained it simply. "She's going to Kess's first lady, Wedge."

"Oh! Yeah. Of course."

Leia blinked a new grin. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"No!" His voice was bright again, but he was chuckling nervously. "No, no. Not at all. I'll. . . I'll look for her message." He paused, and Yana could hear the hard sigh as though he were leaning too close to the mike. "Anything else?"

Leia pressed a glowing smile, "Be good."

His voice regained its old warmth. "Be safe."

Click.

Leia tuned her face over to Yana. Yana inhaled a breath and calmed her stomach, facing down the Lord Chamberlain on the pretense that Leia couldn't sense how wild her emotions were screaming right now.

Leia motioned her dismissed. "Send him what you have and help him out if he needs it."

Yana nodded tartly and closed down her notes.

Leia stood when Yana did, and both moved to the office door to get the next order of business. But Leia stopped her with a soft touch on the elbow. "Yana."

Yana faced her down with borrowed strength.

Leia smiled sweetly. "Breathe."

Yana scrunched and followed the order with a pink flush.

"Better?"

Yana nodded. Leia swished her out the door. "Go back to work."