Chapter Eight
The rest of Han and Leia's trip to Q'Alde passed uneventfully. Neither talked much, and both avoided the subject of the kiss. Leia was relieved Han seemed willing to let it go since she had been afraid he would tease her about it, although now she found herself inexplicably angry at his seeming indifference.
Han woke Leia from similar nightmares each night—although the princess seemed not to remember any of it in the morning, she did look like she had been sleeping better when they arrived two days later. It was early afternoon when they landed.
Because Q'Alde's location made it difficult to have true Imperial rule, Han and Leia were met at the spaceport by a small delegation of Q'Alde that included some of the most prominent political figures on-planet.
The Q'Alde, like the Twi'lek, were a humanoid species. They were shorter than the average human, and had no hair on their bodies. Their skin colors tended toward brown, but with a blue or violet undertone, and they faced the same problem the Twi'lek did under Imperial rule: they weren't quite human enough to escape notice. Hence, they were excluded from the Imperial Senate and faced discriminatory laws throughout the Empire. Even without direct control over their planet, the Q'Alde had faced enough discrimination to warrant their extreme caution when it came to the mostly human Rebellion.
The delegation, headed by A'mar, a senator, received Han and Leia graciously, taking the time to give them a small tour of the city and the grounds of the honeycomb-like state building before showing them to a suite of rooms that were decorated in the same dark colors the Q'Alde seemed to favor. Here the delegation left the two visitors to rest, mentioning that someone would come by in a few hours when it was time for the night's meal and entertainment.
When the door closed behind the last of the delegation, Han quirked an eyebrow at Leia, having been warned that they would probably be under surveillance, even in their own rooms. Leia was impressed by the subtle network of thin audio wires attached to the wall and made to look like part of the room's decoration. It would be impossible to destroy the network without also damaging the room.
But they were prepared for this. Leia took out a mirror she had brought with her and set it in the bathroom. Inside was a dampening device that had sufficient range to cover their suite.
She reentered the front sitting room.
"There. We should be able to talk freely now."
"I still don't understand why they bother if they know we're going to jam their bugs. And won't this offend the Q'Alde?"
Leia said, "No one really expects to listen in on the conversations in a delegate's private rooms." Here she grinned. "They just hope they can."
That night at dinner Han noticed a general lack of enthusiasm on the part of about half those present. It seemed there was a strong, but small, group of Q'Alde who wanted to merge with the Rebellion and an opposing group who wanted to stay far away from any involvement with the other group. The rest looked like they were waiting to be convinced of something—and like they were judging Leia.
The entertainment turned out to be an ancient traditional style of Q'Alde drama that Han found slightly dull, but that Leia appeared to take in rapturously. When it was finished, A'mar, the delegate that appeared to have been assigned to Han and Leia for their stay, led them back through the labyrinth of corridors to their suite.
He paused outside the door. "I hope you enjoyed tonight's play, Princess. It is one of our most cherished pieces from the northern continent's Golden Era."
Leia inclined her head. "I can understand why, Senator A'mar. It's very charming. An optimistic play about the connection of strangers."
A'mar looked pleased at this description. "That is always how I have seen it. There are some who view it as a cautionary tale. After all, the main characters do not find happiness in the end."
"True, but it was not because of their actions toward one another that they missed their happiness."
A'mar smiled. "Indeed."
And with that one word, A'mar opened the door for them and swept down the corridor, where the nearest bend took him out of sight.
Han and Leia entered, and Han closed the door.
"I can see the game being played, but I think I understood tonight about as much as you understand Sabaac." Han was referring to the time on their trip last year he had attempted to teach Leia how to play his favorite game.
Leia remembered how she had lost fortunes of imaginary credits to the ex-smuggler and how angry she had been. She had known she was overreacting, even at the time. She shook her head ruefully at the thought of her behavior. Han certainly had a way of bringing out her worst.
"It's just practice. Everything means something at these affairs…the only trick is reading your audience correctly."
"Well, it's all the same to me."
But, as Leia found out, Han was actually pretty good at reading people. They discussed that night's happenings, and she was amazed at what Han picked up from the people around him. He was hopeless at remembering names, but he could remember small looks and reactions that were very helpful. He lacked only the training on how to respond in a diplomatic situation.
She supposed his background helped him pick up on the clues he noticed. When she mentioned as much, he shrugged and said, "Everyone has something to protect, and if you know what that is, you can usually deal with anyone well enough."
He left Leia wondering what he had to protect, and how staying with the Rebellion helped him do it.