Bail Organa paced around his room anxiously, considering his options.

You must remain calm. You are the leader of an entire nation, he reminded himself. Remain rational.

But how could he remain rational?

Although he attempted to keep his mind clear by focusing on whatever he could find to occupy himself, he could not help but think of the last conversation he had with Leia. Her words continued to replay in the back of his brain incessantly, haunting his every waking moment.

I'm not a real Organa.

Then, more quietly, the words she hadn't said...but that he feared hearing from her.

I'm not your real daughter, Daddy. Why even go through all this trouble to rescue me?

In the logical part of his brain, he knew that he had already assured her that he loved her. But still, he couldn't erase the sinking feeling that it wasn't enough. It broke his heart to think about her, all alone, thinking that maybe he had abandoned her. That maybe, she wasn't enough. That she wasn't his real daughter.

I would never abandon you, he wanted to scream across the galaxy, to every planet and moon in the solar system. Never have I ever wanted anything or anyone back so badly. Please, just send me a sign, anything, just tell me that you're still safe. That my baby is still alive. You don't even have to forgive me for failing to protect you, as long as I know that you're out there somewhere.

Breha had stopped speaking to him. They had both agreed not to reveal Leia's disappearance to the rest of Alderaan, but as their desperation continued to mount, the tension between the two of them also grew. Both of them had questions, questions that they had been keeping to themselves because of the pain that speaking them into existence would bring. Where is Leia? Is she still on Daiyu, or has she been moved off-world to somewhere even more dangerous and faraway? Is she even still alive? And more importantly, What if we are the reason she disappeared?

The questions continued to hang over their heads, but for the sake of their marriage, their family, their planet... they continued to keep their words to themselves. And so, the Organa family continued about their business, silent and efficient, not speaking a single word to each other.

Maybe General Kenobi will report back eventually, he told himself. Perhaps he simply lost contact and is lying low. He wouldn't want me to potentially jeopardize the mission.

But it had been hours since General Kenobi's last transmission, and when he sent men to search Daiyu, none of them could trace him back. This did not necessarily mean that he was dead, but the city was large and dangerous, and Leia was only ten. The more time passed between her disappearance and the present, the more Bail Organa felt like vomiting. He did not want to think about what business that a bunch of thugs in Daiyu had with his daughter, although he could not help but fear the worst.

How pathetic it was. If all his enemies could see him now, for the hack that he was, they would be laughing at him. There were so many who coveted and envied him for his position. Rich, powerful, the head of the Royal Family of Alderaan. With enough connections within the Rebel Alliance to accomplish whatever he put his mind to. He could command whoever he wanted to carry out his dirty work against the Empire, and they would obey him without questioning.

And yet it's not enough, he found himself thinking mournfully. What is the use of it all, if I can't even bring my baby home?

In a moment of desperation, he considered broadcasting a message to the entire Galaxy promising to pay any ransom demanded in exchange for his daughter. If the attackers were able to overpower General Kenobi, this must mean they were not to be trifled with, and would not take kindly to him announcing a reward in exchange for Leia's safe return. However, this would only alert their enemies to his vulnerability, and did not guarantee a response considering the kidnappers had not even contacted him for a ransom.

I could always turn myself in, he had told himself, desperately trying to believe that there was always a last resort, but even this was too risky. He had too much information about active Rebel initiatives that could not fall into the wrong hands. If whoever was behind this chose to torture him, the secret identities of multiple different Rebel agents might be discovered and used against them.

The way the Rebel Alliance was able to remain a secret for so long was because nobody fully knew the extent of it; only Bail Organa knew exactly who was who, and was responsible for arranging missions between the right people. For their sake, he could not afford to let himself get captured. Even though he wanted so badly to offer himself up. To say, Why don't you take me instead of my daughter? She's only a child. Let me take her place. Whatever you want from her, I'll do it, if you would just let me bring her home.

He could not, would not, because of all the people who he would be putting at risk. But the more time passed, the more he wanted to.

When he first found out about the abduction, he had thought it was one of their distant relatives, or perhaps some anti-Royalist organization seeking to blackmail him into abdicating. Clearly, that had not been the case. But who, then? Who else could possibly have some personal vendetta against Leia, the sweet girl who would never hurt a soul and said thank you to the droids when they brought her breakfast?

Or was it really that clear?

Nothing really was clear, was it? Every moment he tried to sleep, his head would fill with more questions, more what-ifs, more conjectures. Before, every part of his being had been dedicating to loving and showing his devotion to Leia. Now, he was reduced to a husk of himself, and every part of his being could not help but cry out from being unable to do what he was meant to do. Being without her was like trying to walk without his own legs. How could he breathe, when he was not even sure if his darling Leia still breathed? How was he meant to continue existing, to continue living a life without her in it?

More importantly...what if whoever has Leia finds out the truth about her real father?

He shook his head, trying to calm himself down. He didn't care if others found out that he was not Leia's biological parent. He would proudly scream to everyone that she was his, and that he was her father, and nobody could change that. But if they found out the secret of her true father, that would put her in danger. Those with a connection to Anakin Skywalker rarely lived to tell the tale. He had learned this the hard way.

Taking deep breaths, he forced himself to think clearly and finally came to a decision.

General Kenobi might have failed. But he knew of at least one other Jedi who he could still call on.

The holoprojector roared to life as he switched it on. He only had to wait a few minutes before a response finally came through.

"Hello, Senator Organa. Is everything alright?"

"Hello, Fulcrum," Bail Organa sighed. "And no, I'm afraid I have quite a serious predicament."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," the female Togruta blinked sympathetically. "Well, that's what I'm here for, isn't it?"