A.N.: Due to some responses to Chapter 25, I'd just like to say this quickly. With Bail and Breha's reactions to this whole scenario, I just wanted to show that they do care and they want to be okay with the relationship, but they care too much for Leia to just let it pass without a second thought. As for Leia's behavior, is it not plainly human to break down every now and then? I'm sorry, but I thought I'd portrayed these ideas clear enough. That's all I have to say. Thank you everyone for reading.
[You said you have Solo. So, show me. I don't see him!]
Boushh, hardly one to buckle under the stress or even fear Jabba could draw, smiled under his mask, remaining calm despite the chances. The chances looked great. They really did, but he had to admit it wouldn't be enough to please the hutt crime lord. "Relax, my Lord Jabba. Solo is within our reach, practically walking into our open hands. Foolish him, you shall have him within the evening. You needn't worry, my Lord."
[It had better be so,] the great and mighty Jabba boomed, throwing out an arm to wack the poor Kowakian monkey lizard who was seated at his side. [If he is not hanging on my wall before I go to bed tonight, my hunters shall pay the price for Solo.]
"Yes, Jabba. I promise you the smuggler by tonight." Turning on his heel, Boushh left quickly, but casually, not letting his slight anxiety show. He would see Han Solo in carbonite by the end of the day or it would be him. He vowed this to himself, knowing it to be as true as day. If he failed to catch the cocky, Corellian smuggler . . . it would be a sad legend to leave, a failure Jabba would not let anyone forget.
Dressed in typical Rebel attire, from the cargo pants to the hidden blaster and detonator pouches to the gloves and boots, Leia had to try to stifle her excitement, reminding herself constantly the seriousness of the situation. Her father had permitted her to wear these for this mission, but she knew he was still battling with whether to let her officially join the Alliance or not. She already held a certain rank within the organized rebellion, acting as a sort of spy and intermediary between it and the Empire, but it was different to fight, to be in the middle of every battle. Very different. Leia couldn't argue this and she had decided to drop the argument. Things as they were already were enough of a shock for her poor parents.
And still they'd agreed. She smiled at the thought. They were going to help her find Han and this mess would be over with. Sort of. They'd never said anything about the relationship itself and, shortly after Leia's private discussion with her mother, Sabé had told her of her aunts' plans, Mothma's agreement. The engagement of her and Isolder was finalized.
She could see their return to Alderaan so clearly now. Han would be safe from Jabba, but locked away in Alderaan's most secure prison, charged with half a dozen crimes against the princess. One count of stalking, one count of alleged kidnapping, at least three for invading palace grounds without permission, and one count of trying to escape. That's what they would say. Then, while she cried and plead in Han's defense, Celly and Rouge would drag her off, dress her like a Hapan bride, marry her off and count the money. And what a picture she would be, a princess to 64 worlds, seated on a throne that felt uncomfortable, dressed in the Hapan queen's wear of skinny dresses with a tight bodice and jewels adorning her hair and face. And none of it would feel right. She'd feel misplaced. She would feel like a doll rather than a person with servants and aides flocking to do everything for her, dress her, bathe her, practically live for her. And like a doll, she would sit and watch, unblinking, unmoving, probably thinking of the days before her expressions were painted for her.
Leia shook those dark thoughts away, focusing on the task at hand. She would deal with the future when it came. For now, she wasn't going to let Han leave her like this. He did the selfless thing, she did the selfless thing. She wasn't going to let Han's life end like this.
To prevent her mind from further thinking of such thoughts, she let the soft whine of the working engines fill her mind, listened to its rhythmic beating until she had it down, tapping it away at her thigh. She held up her gloved hands in front of her face squeezing them into fists, humming the engines rhythm, thinking to herself, I'm coming, flyboy. You just wait. I'm coming for you.
Leia released a sigh, turning to face the other side of the bunk room she was in. She was aboard her family's private freighter the Tantive IV. They were flying her for the rest of the trip to Coruscant at which point, they'd find a less conspicuous, smaller vehicle to ride the rest of the way. Leia hoped they'd find Han on Coruscant. She remembered him saying once that he's visited before and wished to go again. Besides, it sounded like just the place he'd hide on. A bustling, crowded planet too large to bother searching for on-the-run smugglers, mercenaries, and criminals of the law. She wasn't sure where she would search next if he wasn't here, but she did know she was willing to comb through every cantina on the core world if it meant finding him. Maybe, she would hear a thing in the holo reports. A suspicious, junky ship breaking down in the middle of space sounded about right and Leia had to chuckle at her own thought. If only Han could make it that easy.
Leia left the cabin for the crew quarters where her father was in a discussion with a few Rebels who had been recruited to help in Leia's search. Three men in all and Leia had personally helped pick them for the Alliance. First, there was Keyan Farlander, a pilot from Agamar who now flew for the Alliance's Red Squadron. Beside him stood Jek Porkins and Wes Janson, a couple of the greatest pilots from the Rebellion. "Princess," Farlander smiled at her in greeting and bent to a knee to bow over her hand. "What an honor to meet you in person."
"And to fight with you," Janson added, expressing the same gesture as he took her hand from the Corellian's.
"I might say the same of you, as well. Major Janson, I believe it is?"
"Yes. And," he cocked a brow at her and asked, "Princess Leia, I believe it is?"
Confused, Leia drew back and turned her gaze to Farlander just as Janson erupted into laughter. Farlander rolled his eyes and explained, "He's the wing nut of the Rebellion. A little empty in here," he pointed to his forehead. "And he is the proud owner of a lame sense of humor. We just ignore him."
Her features clearing, Leia nodded. "Got it. Well, I appreciate the sacrifice all three of you have given to help me with this personal quest. I know the Rebellion needs its pilots-"
"Think nothing of it," Porkins shook his head, taking his turn to formally greet the Alderaanian princess. "Princess." He nodded once.
"Officer Porkins." Leia nodded back.
"There isn't much for us to do at the moment. Right now, it's all ground runners smuggling stuff around and recruiting."
"All that they want us to do is train," Farlander added. To his comment, Janson took on a desperate look and cried, "And I don't want to train!"
"Anyway, let's get to this . . . person we're looking for. You said he has a billion credit bounty over his head?" Farlander looked amazed at the mere thought. He waited for a response while watching Leia with his amazed expression. Leia didn't return his gaze, but nodded slowly. "About that much."
Janson whistled a high note and clapped her shoulder. "He's in deep water, Princess. Especially if he owes his money to Jabba. I'm not a smuggler, but I've heard enough about the crime lord. The worst there is, I hear."
"Look, all I need help with is finding Han. I can't let these bounty hunters find him first. Please, you have to help me find him first."
"I'm sorry, cupcake," Janson said, leaning against the wall while he used exaggerated gestures with his hands. Leia fumed, but the pilot ignored her. "But here's the deal. He's got a bounty on his head. We can help you find him. We will, but it won't do either of you much good if he's still got a bounty on his head. Jabba will still have people looking for him everywhere."
"So, all that needs to be done to get rid of the bounty hunters is to give Jabba the money?"
"Unfortunately, that's not how it works. The money doesn't matter anymore."
"But isn't that why he has the bounty on Han? Shouldn't that be enough?"
"No!" Janson shook his head, almost laughing as he leaned towards Leia to tell her, "He's a crime lord! Nothing's ever good enough!"
"The only money that matters anymore is the money the one who kills your Han Solo will get. Jabba doesn't trust Han. He doesn't trust him to pay him back what he owes from the lost glitterstim. Now, Jabba just wants his body to be sure the deed is done. It's stupid, but it's smuggling. That's how it works. This isn't going to end until the bounty's off. And that isn't happening until Jabba's dead." Farlander said it with a laugh, but Leia weighed his words carefully, turning them over and over in her head until she voiced those thoughts. "So," she began, still thinking over Farlander's words. "What you're saying is . . . we need to kill Jabba?"
It was funny, Han thought, how a wonderful dream could be twisted into a sort of nightmare. Han had dreamed of Leia before, of everything he could imagine a life with her being like. At first, it had started like that. He'd found himself sitting on the porch outside of Leia's room, the alluring Princess herself seated in front of him. He had focused on her every word her mellifluous voice spoke, laughing with her and enjoying this visit like any other. And then the scene had changed. Just like that, Leia no longer looked happy, but tortured. Her face contorted in pain, she reached out for his arms, crying, screaming for him. "Help," she cried, her arms stretched out. "H-Han! Help me!" Desperate and terrified, Han threw out his arms and grabbed hold of Leia's, tightening his grip before he began trying to pull her up. But the problem was, the harder he held on . . . the more she slipped away.
"Han!" Leia screamed again. As the realization dawned on him, Han loosened his grip and told her, "I'm sorry, Princess." Then, the space between them opened until Han realized that he was the one falling now. Not her. Han gave a faint smile of victory because he only wanted Leia safe. And now she was.
Han woke up in a sweat, his pillow damp beneath his head. He shook remnants of the dream away, reminding himself that Leia was safe now. She was safe and that was all that mattered to him.
From the other side of the small, dingy hotel room, Chewbacca growled a question of worry and Han responded with, "I'm fine, Chewie. It's alright. It was just- just a bad dream."
The wookiee didn't appear too pleased with his answer. He shook his furry head and sat up in bed, asking again, [What's wrong, Cub? Is this about the princess? Don't lie to me. There's this glimmer in your eyes, a glimmer that's always there whenever you're thinking about her. Good or bad. Are you sure you're alright?]
Han tried to make his voice sound convincing as he once again told Chewie, "Yeah, pal. I'm fine. Really," but it all came out so broken sounding and he couldn't manage to even try any longer. "I wish we'd never gone to Alderaan," he said, shaking his head and pounding a fist on his mattress. "I wish I'd listened to you and we'd gone to Eeropha like you'd suggested. Or Ojom. Anywhere but Alderaan. Anywhere away from her."
Alarmed, Chewie jumped from his bed and rushed over to Han, shaking the Corellian by his shoulders. [No, Cub! No! Listen to me! You can't think like that. You still love her. I know you do-]
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Han gently pushed his friend back, his eyes turning soft. "I love her, Chewie. I love her too much and now it hurts, being apart from her. She was the only light I had. For once, I actually had something to care about. I don't mean anything against you-"
[I know, Cub. I understand. Like I care about nothing like I do Malla, but you're my closest friend. My only friend. They're two different things. Two different kinds of caring. I understand, Cub, and I hate to watch you be without her.] Han went silent and Chewie knew that he'd strike into his awareness with just the right words. He understood and everything he was saying matched up exactly to what Han felt. He bit back a smile of victory and continued while Han had gone silent. [I'm glad we went to Alderaan,] the wookiee continued. [I'm glad I listened to you and we went there of all places. I'm glad everything happened the way it did because I saw how you changed when you fell in love with Leia. She made you a better person. You were happy, you were whole, you were different . . . but it was good. You became happier than you even were with Bria. I like you more that way and I swear, Han, I'll do whatever it takes to get Han back.]
His eyes dark with grief and his head hanging from his neck, Han shook his head, lying back down and pulling the covers over. "No, buddy. No, you can't. Leia's safe now. She's safe and you're going to leave her alone so it stays that way. I'm sorry I woke you. Now, let's get some sleep before tomorrow."
For a moment, Breha had to wonder had to wonder how much sleep her daughter had gotten since the suitors had come. The trip had become quiet, everyone resting, exhausted from the long day. The Tantive IV's crew was all lounged around the crew quarters, resting their heads for the night. Leia had fallen asleep first, her eyelids weighing too heavily and she's stayed awake for almost an hour before Breha had finally sat down beside her, taken her into her lap and sung softly to her into her eyes had fallen shut against the world, her body overcome with sleep. Breha held her close, still singing to her, chasing away as much of Leia's stress and fear as she could. Yet much of it remained and something told Breha that it wouldn't stop plaguing her daughter until this man of hers was safe and in her sights.
Love. Young love so fresh and painful, Breha pitied her, wishing this didn't have to be so hard for her. Maybe they would find Han, save him from his own bounty, take him back to Alderaan. And then? He would be imprisoned, threatened, never allowed to see Leia again. Leia would be married to Isolder, marrying the Hapan throne, moving to live with the prince in the Royal Hapan Fountain palace, upholding her own throne as Queen Mother of the Hapes Consortium. So would be the end of this tragic romance story. A love story with no loving ending.
Breha's gaze wandered the quiet room until she saw Tia. The Organa sister was watching Leia sleep, an odd look in her eyes that Breha didn't often associate with her husband's sisters. Sympathy. Pain. Regret. Sympathy! Her eyes glistened with tears and, slowly but surely, everyone's attention was turning to her. "Tia?" Bail spoke her name softly, reaching out to touch her knee. "Is everything alright?"
"I'd never say that what I did was right," she suddenly spoke, her teary gaze remaining on her niece. "Because it wasn't. It was dirty and it was wrong, but I understand. I still love Nial. I have to. He's mine and he's all I have left of Halagad. I don't want Leia to suffer like I have. I don't want this to become messy for her, to get her in trouble and make everything worse. I don't want her to make the wrong decisions like I did. She doesn't deserve that. She's better than that, than me. This whole time, I've seen her hurting and it's terrified me to think that she might do the wrong things, but I won't let her. I love Nial, but I won't let Leia make that same mistake."
Her short speech was as powerful as any rallying speech Breha had heard Leia ever give. Coming from Tia, the words meant something more, something only Tia could make them mean. Nial, her son, had been born out of an affair between Tia an Alderaanian named Halagad Ventor when she'd already been married into the House Vandron. To be honest, Breha had never looked upon the woman as decent since, but Breha had to consider her words and see through her eyes all the pain there. No, what Tia had done was wrong, but Breha could see the regret there. And the care for Leia as well. Breha had no words and she looked away, Tia's words still resonating in her mind.
Quickly, Tia got up to leave. She paused in the doorway leading down a short hall. Casting a long look over her shoulder to watch her niece sleep, she sighed once more and said, "It's not fair, Princess, is it?"
A.N. Happy birthday to me (tomorrow!)! I've finally finished this chapter! Sorry for the horrible chapter. This whole thing just might be getting too depressing for me, but I hope this isn't as bad as I think it is. If anyone has any suggestions on how to make this chapter better, please tell me!
Please note: (Author is willing to accept generous comments as birthday gifts.)