Leia watched as the Falcon took off and soared beyond the horizon. Han had left. Just like that, he was gone. Leia had to steady herself, somewhat unaware of the daze she was in. Her breath caught slightly and she swallowed hard as she fought to hold back the tears.
He'll be back. He has to come back.
Leia felt Winter's hand gently steady her and she knew had to clear her mind. She had a mission.
The wait was unbearable. The silence was deafening. Worse was the uncertainty. Trevarin felt that his fate was sealed and it no way resembled the plan he had laid out for himself. He would die here, in a cold, dark deserted ship. His heroic attempt to rescue a princess unfulfilled; no recognition, no glory, no future. No forgiveness. For the first time in three years Trevarin felt the remorse that was buried deep inside. Acknowledging his crime, his recklessness and, above all else, his selfishness made him doubt whether forgiveness was possible. There were so many people he hurt, he knew this. This was a grief he could not bear, so he simply lived in denial of it all.
"Are you ever going to let me go?"
Trevarin didn't even look at the woman. He held his head down and gazed intently on the console lights.
"I'm not who you think I am. Let me go."
Without looking up he whispered, "You're free." But Trevarin knew he would not be. There was too much to atone for. What if he did survive? There was no home to go to. How could he ever face Leia again if she knew the truth? What if he prevented Alderaan from being saved? And then there was Carl. Would he forgive a nephew that had done nothing to show his appreciation to an uncle that was more like a father? He knew that even Carl might not forgive him for this final humiliation.
As Sunnari heard the words, she left him alone. She needed to get out of the room so she could breathe again. Going home is all she wanted for years. She was finished with her job. It was all out of her hands. And she refused to give anymore. Watching this Princess after all these years was just becoming too dangerous. The Princess was a grown woman now and underground; she would have to take care of herself.
For years her family served the Naberries and were always treated well. But it must come to an end. Padme's children were grown now and had found each other.
Fugitives from an Empire born of their parent's mistakes.
Hardly noticing the large display of oil paintings on the wall and the numerous sculpture scattered about the hall, Leia sat down on the bench in the small art gallery. Focused and calm for the first time in days, she felt ready for her meeting.
She waited for several minutes and she constantly scanned the room. At any given moment, her contact would make himself known. Art lovers flowed from one hall to the next, but she had a feeling that her contact was the finely dressed middle aged man down the hall that seemed to stop and admire each painting intently for exactly 96 seconds. He never seemed to pay any attention to the people around him.
He was now only three paintings away.
Leia stood up, as though she were continuing on her own tour, but she lingered a little longer at each stop so she could see what the man would do when he caught up to her. Kyle moved a little closer in Leia direction as well.
"Beautiful painting, isn't it." Leia heard herself.
Moving behind her, the man leaned slightly down toward her. "Fit for a princess, isn't it?"
Leia turned and gauged the man behind her. His sharp appearance and the intensity of his eyes suggested that he had more important matters on his mind than art.
Before she could respond, he gently reached for her arm and pulled her near, guiding her down the hall he came from. "You really must see the one back here." His demeanor to any observer made it appear as though he knew this woman well.
Surprised, but intrigued, Leia let her suspected contact lead the way.
He took her down the next corridor and the stopped at a rather large oil on canvas. Leia's eyes widened as the breath left her body as she realized what was before her. Her heart stopped. Alderaan. It was a painting of the capital, Aldera. The University was the focal point; in the background, you could just see the luminosity of the Palace.
Leia stood there for a long time.
Barron Dieldrin sat across from the Princess emphatically trying to explain, suddenly, after repeatedly assuring her otherwise the last few months, why it was suddenly not the right time for the Norvall system to offer its support.
It wasn't easy.
Leia was infuriated. She risked a lot for this meeting. Over the last several months, the time and resources it took to set this up, to make sure it was legitimate, that she could so this without jeopardizing the rebellion, was considerable. Now this man sat before her and was trying to explain why there would be not pilots, no fighters, no funding. And yet, made sure to indicate that should the rebels manage to turn the tide,'Norvall would appreciate a place in any new form of democratic government, thank you very much..'
"Princess, I didn't say never. It has just come to the attention of myself and my colleagues that our system has increased Imperial activity. Their military operation has expanded and the additional Stormtroopers would make it difficult to simply sneak out a squadron of fighters."
"Barron, anything would help. The fact that the Empire still allows you to manage your own military implies a certain amount of trust on their part. They do not see you as a threat. In fact, I'm sure they are quite aware that many of their best pilots are recruited from your ranks. It is in their best interest to allow you to continue you military traditions." Leia closed her eyes for a moment to let it all sink in. Then calmly she leaned forward and started again more slowly. "Surely, there is a way you can help. It doesn't have to be a squadron. Would they really take notice of a few ships? What about the pilots? You stated previously that you had several who may wish to join the rebellion directly."
"That is so. Truly, I feel ashamed that my actions are simply my reaction to my fear of the Empire."
"I understand." Leia reached across the table and gently touched the top of the Barron's hand. Of all people, Leia did understand.
They agreed to meet again later for dinner. And Leia, with Kyle close behind and catching up, waited for him.
They walked silently for a few minutes until Kyle broke the silence. "How did it go?"
"Not as well as I had hoped. But I think we're safe. I can trust him." Leia was sure of that.
Then after pushing the thought out of mind all day, she thought of Han, and she hoped he was all right.
It had been a while since Leia walked into a restaurant as elegant as this one. In fact, it was Han that last brought her to one. Stop it... The Alliance is depending on you, Organa... Leia couldn't afford to think about Han right now. It was a distraction she could not indulge in at the moment.
Flanked by Winter and Kyle, Leia followed the hostess to the table were the Barron was waiting. He stood as they approached and reached for Leia's hand when she stood in front of him.
"Princess, I trust you are well. I can only hope that you harbor no resentment, for I deeply regret the way things have turned out. Our intentions were only good I assure you."
Leia smiled and regally bowed her head forward. "Barron, I understand. I hope that you and your colleagues will reconsider when you feel more secure. Let us all enjoy this evening."
The four of them sat down although a lingering disappointment haunted them all.
Upon returning to the suite Leia found that Dieldrin didn't intend to send her hack empty handed after all. Two packages were waiting for her. One was a small box that contained 500,000 credits and a note. Leia read the note, but could not allow herself to unwrap the large object. She knew what it was. It was the painting of Alderaan that was in the gallery.
It took Han seven standard hours to reach the edge of the Honoghr system. Han tracked the distress signal and soon Another Chance was drifting before him, slowly growing larger. Chewie took over the controls of the Falcon as they got closer, as Han prepared to dock to the larger ship. He hoped the boarding went down all right. It would a shame for something to happen now...especially, he thought, when there's a beautiful princess waiting for me.