Chapter Twenty-four
Coruscant
Chief of State Mon Mothma was standing by her duraglass window inside her elegant apartment, looking out at the endless stream of space traffic when Leia Organa was admitted inside.
Not certain the older woman had heard her enter the room, Leia gave a slight cough to indicate her presence. Mon Mothma turned to face her and Leia could see disappointment sketched into her worn features.
"Thank you for agreeing to see me," Leia said carefully, watching Mon's reaction.
"How could I refuse?"
"I wasn't sure you would see me," Leia replied. "With everything that's being said about me in the media."
The Chief of State stepped away from the window and moved gracefully over to where Leia stood. The Princess could see that the mantle of being the Leader of the New Republic was wearing heavily on the woman. There were lines in her face that hadn't been there the last time Leia had seen her, only a few years earlier.
"Why are you here, Leia?"
"I would like your support in my custody battle. Maybe you could even vouch for me in court."
"I'm not certain I can do that."
Leia felt her face flush. "I've always done your bidding, Mon. Why can't you do this for me?"
Mon Mothma sat down delicately on a crescent shaped, white sofa. "I have never understood you, Leia. I don't believe Bail and Breha would have understood you, either."
"That seems unfair."
"Is it?" Mon responded tartly, tilting her head up to gaze at Leia. "Maybe, just maybe, I might have understood your youthful infatuation with the smuggler. Solo was not from your society or class, but in the face of war and death, I could, just barely, understand your attraction to that... man. He was very handsome and daring so he naturally turned your head, muddled your thinking. Hormones can do that in youth. Still, in the end, you did the right thing by breaking off that, that unseemly affair and marrying someone that was suited to your station in life."
Stunned at the President's cold words, Leia could barely formulate a reply. "I love Han."
"Loved. He's dead, Leia." She sighed, shaking her head sadly. "He was a great help to us during the rebellion era. I did not wish that type of end upon him."
"Just because someone dies, doesn't mean that your love for them dies," Leia pointed out, her lips trembling. She didn't want to break down in front of this woman or suddenly spout the truth that Han wasn't actually dead.
"Nevertheless," Mon continued with her chastisement, "He's gone. It doesn't matter anymore. What matters is how you are behaving now. You've left your husband for a Corellian entertainer! Your parents would be sorely disappointed in you."
"I didn't leave Isolder," Leia snapped, feeling outraged at Mon Mothma's assumptions. "He forced me to leave the Consortium with no notice whatsoever. He divorced me on outrageous charges, and he stole my child."
"You are having an affair with another man."
"Isolder has had affairs! Endless affairs since our marriage!" Leia shot back furiously, desperately trying to maintain her composure. "His mother keeps concubines! Isolder hasn't touched me since I found out I was pregnant, and even before then it was by appointment only!"
"Really, Leia, I'm not interested in hearing about your failings as a wife."
"My failings? What about Isolder's failings? He never loved me! He married me to give Hapes a female heir and for no other reason. Why did you feel it was your duty to pressure me into a loveless, arranged marriage?"
"You are being melodramatic," Mon Mothma replied, shaking her head. "You knew when you accepted his offer of marriage that this was a business arrangement."
Leia stalked around in a frustrated circle before stopping directly in front of the New Republic's leader. "And you were the broker to this sham. You sold me, body and soul. You knew I loved ...I still love... Han and you don't care how I feel. I hurt the man I loved, all for the good of the New Republic. I was stupid enough to let myself believe it would make a difference for the galaxy and for my displaced fellow Alderaanians."
"It has made a difference."
"In what way? I was never truly the Queen of the Hapans. I was just put on public display, attending formal events as I pretended to be a Queen, a Queen with no real power. That power remained with Queen Filamina. She promised me that one of their planets would become New Alderaan and that didn't happen. In fact, the New Republic promised financial support to my fellow Alderaanians for relocating to a system they could call their own, and that hasn't happened either!"
"The New Republic has a lot to deal with, and finances are stretched thin."
"I'm stretched thin too, Mon. I feel like I'm about to snap, in fact."
Mon Mothma's face softened a bit. "I'm sorry you had a bad marriage. But I don't see where having an affair is helping matters."
"It's not an affair," Leia informed her quietly. "Affair implies something that is going to burn itself out and come to an end."
"I've seen this man's holo-cube vids. After I found out about your aff... relationship with him, I even watched one of his recorded concerts. He has women quite literally throwing themselves at him. I can see where you might have your head turned by yet another sexually attractive Corellian, once again -"
"My head isn't turned. I love him," Leia interrupted hotly.
The older woman again sighed and shook her head. "You just said you still love the late Han Solo. Which is it, Leia? Who do you really love? I think it was never love with either man. It is simply lust and this one is using you for publicity to further his career. He is not good enough for you."
Leia clenched her fists in anger and frustration. First it was Han Solo that wasn't 'good enough' for her. He had been called low-class and worthless by both the media and people like Mon Mothma and General Dodonna, even though he had risked his life countless times to keep her safe and had faithfully assisted the Rebel Alliance for years. Now, as Evin Daysun, with his own fortune, a movie career still in its infancy and a singing career that had not reached its apex, he was still considered not good enough for her. Yet, someone as smarmy and duplicitous as Prince Isolder was considered worthy. It made Leia want to scream.
Instead of screaming she calmly responded, "If you won't help me, then General Rieekan will. He's always been in my corner. He was the only one that pulled me aside and told me I was making a mistake by marrying Isolder and pushing Han away. The only one." Besides Luke, of course, Leia remembered sadly. Luke had practically begged her not to marry Isolder.
"He will not be on your side with Daysun."
Leia turned and fled the apartment, fearing that Mon Mothma may be correct.
Two weeks later
The movie studio, up against the proverbial wall time-wise, had quickly caved at Lando's threat of litigation if they replaced Evin with Pall Zappis. Lando hadn't even been certain their threat to fire Evin was real. However, he was less certain that Coruscanti Labels would be willing to re-sign Evin once his contract expired. The media could be ruthless and fans could turn on their favorite star in a heartbeat.
However, this meant that Evin Daysun was free to start shooting his next movie. Lando had decided that it would be safer and much more private for all concerned if Evin and Leia used his spare bedroom in his apartment instead of using a hotel room. Corran and his wife would stay in the nearby hotel suite, which the movie studio had rented for Evin Daysun. Mirax was thrilled with the luxurious accommodations, intended for a big celebrity rather than the celebrity's bodyguard.
Today Leia was sitting in an upscale restaurant eating breakfast with Mirax. The two women looked surprised when Corran entered the room and sat to join them.
"Aren't you supposed to be in the lower levels with Evin?" Mirax said, buttering a slice of toast.
"Evin told me it wasn't necessary for me to tag along today," Corran said with a shrug, reading the menu set into a screen. "They're only recording a few scenes and they've hired extra security for him, anyway. I'll take a ride down in a little while to make sure things are okay."
Leia felt a spike of fear, then tried to dismiss it as irrational. Han was perfectly safe. The company had plenty of security guards surrounding him. Every day for the past week, since the movie started recording, things had gone somewhat smoothly. However, last night Han had returned injured to Lando's apartment, limping and looking sheepish, claiming he took a wrong step during an action sequence and twisted his ankle. Leia was fairly sure he enjoyed the fussing over him all night long, and Leia made sure he kept an ice pack pressed against his ankle to keep the swelling down. This morning Han's ankle had been back to normal, and he'd jokingly claimed it was her Force abilities rather than the ice pack that healed him during the night. Han had left the apartment after giving her a long, lingering kiss as a thank you for 'fixing him up', as he called it.
She would comm him during lunch, to dispel her fear. He would be fine and tease her for worrying unnecessarily.
Han woke up with a splitting headache and a metallic taste on his tongue. He opened his eyes to pitch blackness. Where was he? He could tell by the odor he was inside of a ship, while the sound of the engines indicated the ship was in hyperspace.
He tried to move, before realizing his arms were tightly wrapped against his body, trapped inside some type of restraint. Solo then tested his legs and ankles, quickly discovering they were clamped together with binders. Crap.
Shutting his eyes he tried to remember the last thing he was doing... ah...he was recording a movie scene. That was it. The director had yelled 'cut' so Han had wandered off toward his trailer for a refresher break. He recalled stepping inside the refresher, then nothing else.
A stun bolt. It would explain his headache and the taste in his mouth. He'd experienced both sensations before. So, I've been kidnapped, he surmised, trying to remain calm. But by whom? A crazed fan, like the one he and Luke had scared back on Corellia? That would be bad, especially if the 'fan' was a lunatic like that nut-case guy had been. Maybe a gangster that wanted a ransom? That could be just as bad, especially if the gangster was a Hutt. Han hated Hutts. Please don't let it be a Hutt.
Those were the only two possibilities that came to his mind and neither one sounded much better than the other. Maybe I should have let Luke teach me some of that Force stuff. It might've come in handy right about now.
Why is my life always so damn complicated?