CHAPTER VII

Coruscant was a planet of endless skyscrapers: a metropolis of the galaxy. It was one of the few planets to look exactly the same now as it did during the days before the rise of the Empire. Rey had never seen buildings before; while something like a castle she could at least comprehend, tall and sleek buildings like these felt like something out of a dream.

The Falcon made its way across the sky, before arriving at the Senate Building and began to land.

"Okay, we're here," Finn said, "But how will they ever let us see the president?"

Before Han could respond, a large group of droids and security were already exiting the Senate Building, and a woman stepped forward.

"That's her," Han said with a sigh, and began to make his way outside.

The group exited the Falcon and walked through the group, up to the woman. Leia Organa was solemn, quiet, and never took her eyes off Han.

Chewie was the first to come forward and give her a strong embrace.

"I missed you, Chewie," she said.

Next she hugged Udo; she had always liked Chewie's family.

She then turned to Han and said.

"I saw the Falcon was landing outside, and I knew trouble was here, and you along with it."

"Time's been good to you, your worship," Han said with a smirk, then turned serious and said "Leia, I saw our son. Or faced a Star Destroyer with him on it, to be exact."

Leia turned deadly serious.

"He tried to kill you?"

"Yes," Han said.

"Of course all this would happen now, when we have an election going on-"

"And that's why we're here," Finn said, holding up Veep, "Madam President, my name is Finn and there's a plot against you. This VP-unit had information-"

"I see," Leia said, "Thank you. Maybe it's best you talk to my advisors and technicians. They understand this stuff better than I do."

She then looked at Rey and said, "The Force is really strong with you."

"Oh, uh, thanks," Rey said, always feeling awkward when strangers told her this, "Are you a Jedi?"

"No," Leia laughed, "My brother was the Jedi. He trained a whole school of them. He taught me a little bit about the light side of the Force, but that's about it."

"Look, Leia," Han said, "We've got a lot to talk about-"

"You and I always did," Leia said with a nostalgic smile, "But I'd rather not get into it with you just now. Come inside; we'll give you quarters, and in an hour, we'll talk."

The group went inside. While Han and the Wookiees were led to their quarters and Finn and Veep were led to the advisors, Rey found herself alone with Leia. The two walked the halls of the Senate together.

"You said your name was Rey?" Leia asked.

"Err, Madam President-" she began.

"Oh, you can call me Leia. I've had so many titles over the years: princess, general, senator, and president."

Rey was astonished.

"How could anyone be all of those things? I'd be happy to have just been one."

Leia gave a big laugh.

"Well, it's a long story. I was raised on Alderaan as a princess in the Royal Family. Even after Alderaan was destroyed, I still used Princess as an honorary title. After the Empire fell, I was given the title of General by the Alliance, and it made sense. After all, most of my adult life had been serving in a military capacity rather than a royal one. Not to mention my husband was a General too, so it felt fair. When the New Republic was formed, I was made Senator and helped rebuild a lot of the democratic planets. And finally, when Mon Mothma stepped down, I ran for President and succeeded her."

"That's quite a life!"

"Of all the titles, General is still the one I like the best, the one that most describes me. But honestly, I'm fine with Leia. So-I see you and my husband have become friends."

Rey didn't know what to say; she was still in shock at being in the presence of someone who was both a president and royalty.

"Oh, Han," Leia said melancholy, "There was a time where all I'd ever do was sass back at any comment he'd make, and he'd come back harder with another sass. We spent a good chunk of the war against the Empire just hurling insults at one another. Even after we get married, we each knew how to make digs at the other's expense. I guess we always did enjoy it. But then the dark times came."

She became very sad, and Rey suddenly realized she could feel her sadness. Seeing sadness on a person's face was easy, but what Rey felt was something else. It was a physical sadness that was touching her, overwhelming her. It seemed to repeat the images of Remorse, Regrets, Mistakes, and Heartache over and over.

This must be what the Force is, Rey thought, what I'm feeling right now.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Our son turned to the darkside, became a psychopath I couldn't even recognize. My brother took it hard and disappeared. And our marriage, which had always been rocky, had nothing left. When I look at Han now, I'm all out of insults or snarky comments."

Rey gasped.

"How-how can you?"

"Learning to live with pain is one of the hardest things to do," Leia said, "Sometimes it's a crippling thing that can leave you in bed, unable to move. No, this kind of pain never goes away. I remember when Luke taught me about the Force and how seductive the darkside could be. At the time I naively thought: 'You'd have to be really emotional to fall for the darkside.' And then pain entered in my life, pain that has never gone away. I know now that if I ever used the Force, the darkside would be right there, staring me in the face. So-I work where I'm most needed: in the Senate."

Rey felt nothing but respect for this woman.

And right at that moment, they were interrupted by Leia's advisors.

"Madam President, we have studied the information on the VP-unit and cracked the code. We think you'll want to see this!"

"Alright," Leia said, "Let's make our way to my office."