Princess Leia Organa sat in her chair in her office on board Home One, datapad in hand. The document displayed on the screen was a last will and testament. Her last will and testament.
As the last of the Royal House of Alderaan, one of her priorities since the destruction of the planet had been the survivors. Something that sometimes clashed with her status as Rebel leader, but she had always managed to give it its due importance. It was true that Alderaan had turned into a democracy centuries ago, but the House of Organa had remained of great importance, giving many statesmen and stateswomen to the system. A sage leader, her father had not only been the main actor in the covert political opposition against the Empire, but had also provided for its financial security.
Corporation behind corporation and figurehead behind figurehead, Bail Organa had secured a fair amount of financing for the Rebel Alliance in a net spread across the galaxy. Of course, in the time it had taken for her to recover after Alderaan's destruction, and believing her dead with the rest of her family, many of them had turned the business to their own benefit. Little by little, she had contacted them and most of them had honored the word given to her father.
The funds had been divided between the Alliance and the Alderaanian survivors, although that last part would have to wait to be delivered until the war was over. Therefore, the need for a will in case she did not survive it. Her natural heir, by trust and allegiance, was her friend Winter, who was also her sixth cousin by marriage. Not by blood, but it did not matter.
That detail reminded her of the ciphered datadisk she had found in the last cache of corusca gems and documents hidden by her father that she had been able to recover. The one in Ord Mantell. Han had taken her there, but she could not remember for her life why she had been so angry with him during that whole mission. Until the bounty hunter had ruined it all, that was. Then surviving had been her only thought.
A combination of passwords and a drop of her blood had given her access at last to the message her father had wanted to pass to her. It was simple, only one intriguing sentence.
If you ever need to know about your blood family, ask Obi-Wan Kenobi.
And then just MTFBWY. Love, always. Father.
Too bad she has gotten the message almost three years after the Jedi's passing away. She would never know the truth now.
The message had confirmed somehow what she had always known, that Bail Organa knew who her birth parents were, but for some unknown reason he could not tell her. Little details that had seemed unconnected at the time had become clearly related. Like why her father had accepted the launching of her political career shortly after a heated –and very private - conference with General Kenobi in his last visit to Alderaan.
Kenobi... Luke... Their names were forever linked in her mind since she met the young Tatooine native. Yet something else nagged at the back of her mind, like a memory long forgotten that had left a scar in her mind.
An image suddenly popped into her consciousness. It was her mother, on her deathbed. Talking to her. Her mother's mind had started to wander in the weeks before her death. In her seven-years-old sly innocence, she had taken advantage of the woman's ailing faculties and barraged her with questions any time she was alone with her. She had not been able to dig out much, though. Your father brought you from Coruscant after the Fall of the Republic and the green Jedi came with him. That was all she had found out.
Another connection fired through her brain. The Jedi Temple was in Coruscant. That was where the Jedi children were raised. Luke was the son of a Jedi and Obi Wan had hid in the same planet, curiously only a few klicks away from his aunt and uncle's farm. Could it be...? Could she...? Luke had hinted that she may be Force-sensitive...
Her comm chimed once, interrupting the flow of her thoughts.
She activated it automatically. "Organa here."
"Sweetheart, we're almost ready."
"On my way, General," she answered smiling.
Who would know that one day she would LOVE to be called sweetheart.
Oh, dear, she had to think of something to say to Luke now, Leia thought heading for the main hangar. She had no valid excuse to have failed to their appointment. Not even a good enough excuse to scold Han about his behavior early.
Because, the truth was that the moment he had stepped in the shower stall flashing at her his trademark lopsided grin, she had lost all control. Utterly and hopelessly lost it. The complaining words had not made it through her throat and her rational thoughts had died under the touch of his hands. Maybe it was the smoldering look in his eyes, maybe it was the rest of him, but the power he had over her had scared her a little.
She had feigned anger at Han over the silent breakfast but the rebel leader in her was really ashamed. Maybe Mon was right, men were a distraction after all. But what a wonderful one, the most treacherous part of her remarked. She could not even fathom what would be going through Luke's mind right now. What a mess.
She could not keep her stance for long though. When he had pulled her for a last kiss before parting, she had not resisted.
"I'm sorry," he had muttered by her ear at last.
"No, you're not," she said pulling him down for a second one. She had been alert to held a little of her back this time. The Ice Princess was glad to oblige.
He had started down the corridor with one hell of a smug grin on his face and she had been tempted to follow him and erase it... But that would have involved more kissing and that would have led to other things and then it would have been an endless cycle... She snickered, sheer happiness seeping through the worry, and went about her business.
Some of the upper echelon of the Alliance and most of the lower one were waiting in the hangar to say goodbye to Han and his team. She shook hand after hand until her fingers ached and finally gave a last hug to Winter and another to Mon Mothma.
"Take care, Princess," the old woman expressed affectionally, leaving for once old and new differences aside. "May the Force be with you."
Without looking back, she boarded the shuttle and went into the cockpit, taking a seat by Luke. Chewbacca busied himself with the start up.
"Hi," he said softly.
"Luke, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you waiting for me like that..." she started hurriedly.
The piercing blue eyes looked half-amused and half-embarrassed. "It's ok," he said looking away again. "I should have known better."
"No, it's not ok, Luke," the Princess retorted taking his hand. "It won't happen again, I promise..."
"I'm glad for you and Han," he interrupted. "You deserve each other..."
Leia, look! Chewie suddenly interrupted. Both humans turned their gazes to where the Wookiee signaled. They could see Han through the viewport, talking heatedly to Lando.
"Take her, she's the fastest ship in the fleet!" They heard him say, in a muffled voice.
"Alright, old buddy!" Lando answered laughing. "She won't get a scratch!"
"Oh, Force" Leia breathed in the shuttle's cockpit, eyes wide.
Chewie growled lowly. That's my boy!
"Amazing!" Luke confirmed, and smiled warmly. "Are we sure the carbonite didn't affect his brain?"
"I have your promise, not a scratch," Han's lips were saying now, before finally turning to the shuttle.
We haven't seen anything, the Wookiee warned.
"Nothing," the Princess and the Jedi confirmed, laughing loudly.