by Alex Wheeler
Chewbacca, who had been twisting Kiro into a knot, dropped the man and rushed to help the princess. Using Leia as a shield, the men backed away. One of them raised a comlink to his lips. "Now!" he snapped.
A large speeder truck whooshed down the street, screeching to a halt just long enough for the men to toss Leia inside and hop in after her. They scooped up Kiro's limp body and sped away. Han took aim—but didn't shoot. He couldn't risk causing a crash—not with Leia inside.
The speeder disappeared around a corner.
Luke sank to his knees. "I let her go," he said, sounding dazed. He unclipped the lightsaber from his belt. "If I'd trusted myself enough to use it…"
"Then you'd probably have gotten yourself killed, kid," Han said impatiently. They were wasting time. "At least you're still in one piece. That'll come in handy when we rescue her."
"She trusted me," Luke said, as if Han hadn't spoken. "I was supposed to protect her."
Han ran out of patience. "So do it!" he snapped. "She's out there somewhere, counting on us to find her."
Luke stood up, and retrieved his blaster. "You're right," he said, with renewed determination. "Let's find her."
Chewbacca growled the question that Han had been trying to avoid.
"I don't know how," Han retorted. "But we will."
He had to.
I was supposed to protect her, Luke had said, blaming himself.
But you weren't, kid, Han thought, watching Luke take a few practice swipes with his lightsaber, as if the weapon were good for anything but party tricks. That was my job.
The Alderaanians were running out of patience. As the minutes passed, they gathered around Ferus, clamoring for answers.
"You said she'd be here!"
"What kind of game is this?"
"Is this all a big joke to you?"
But Ferus had nothing to give them beyond empty reassurances. He'd been expecting Han and Luke more than twenty minutes ago. Something had obviously gone wrong. But until he received details, there was nothing he could do.
His comlink signaled an incoming transmission.
"It's me," Halle Dray's voice said. "Where are you?"
Ferus stepped away from the crowd. "In my room," Ferus lied. "Getting ready for tonight." He knew Halle and her group still thought the meeting was going on as planned. Apparently their leak was less reliable than they'd thought. "What do you need?"
"I just wanted you to hear it from me."
"Hear what?"
There was a pause, a jumble of voices in the background, and then:
"What am I supposed to say?" Leia's voice.
"That'll do quite nicely," Halle said.
A poisonous brew of rage and fear began churning in Ferus's gut. "You have the princess," he said, keeping his emotions under tight control. "Congratulations. I thought we weren't moving until tonight."
"And Nahj thought 'we' included you," Halle said coldly. "I suspected differently. I see that I was right."
"You set me up," Ferus said, the pieces beginning to into place. "You told me about your plans—"
"To see if you'd go running straight to the princess. Which you did." Halle laughed harshly. "Job well done." She broke the connection.
"Was that the princess?" someone asked. "Is she on her way?"
Ferus couldn't answer.
He'd done it yet again—failed the person he most wanted to protect. And it could have been avoided, had he only paid attention. He'd devoted all his energy to the big picture, getting swept up in questions of Luke and Leia's parentage, their future, the fate of the Empire. He'd lost track of the present, and missed crucial details. If he'd been listening to the Force, he would have heard what was approaching.
But he'd listened to nothing but the drumbeat of his fears for Leia, and he'd let that thunder drown out everything else.
Not again, Ferus vowed to himself—to Leia. He'd lost too much.
He wouldn't lose her too.
Ferus has never felt such a moment of perfect fear. He sees the princess at the top of the crane, seeming so much smaller from so far away. She swings herself onto the catwalk with an easy grace, and he admires the way she fearlessly tiptoes across. Her instincts and reflexes are beyond human. She is strong with the Force, even stronger than he had expected.
But she is untrained, and as she scrambles down the scaffolding, he sees her hand slip. Her foot misses its grip. She lets out an alarmed squeal and begins to slide—
Ferus moves with lightning speed, nearly flying up the side of the scaffolding. He catches her.
She is angry; she resents his help. But he will not leave her behind, not again. And by the time they are halfway home, she is asleep in his arms.
He walks slowly, carefully cradling the snoring bundle in his arms. He has not held her like this since she was a toddler. On the day he first came to Bail Organa to explain his mission, Organa had placed Leia in his arms.
Ferus had put her down immediately. How could he remain objective if he let emotions cloud his judgment? The Jedi way repudiated attachments, even to a small child—perhaps especially to a small child. He had turned from that way once, and the consequences had been catastrophic. Never again, he thought.
Now he knows he has been a fool.
He has denied the truth—and this, too, is not the Jedi way.
Leia is not a job. She is a child. And he loves her like she is his own.
He has been arguing with Obi-Wan about whether to begin training the Skywalker children as Jedi. Obi-Wan, as always urges caution. Ferus has his doubts. Shouldn't Luke and Leia be given the chance to explore their gift, to protect themselves?
Doesn't the galaxy deserve a new generation of champions?
"That's what they have us for," Obi-Wan always says. "Until they're older. Until things change."
Until the Emperor is not ruthlessly seeking out and murdering all Force-sensitive children, he means. Until teaching them the ways of the Force is not a death sentence.
And, the thought that is on both their minds, though neither will speak it aloud: Until we are sure they will not be like their father.
Looking down at Leia, Ferus now understands he will argue no more. Leia might be the key to defeating the Empire—but for now, she is a little girl. Ferus knows he will not risk her safety for anything. Not for the Force, not for the fate of the galaxy. He will save her from the truth about herself, until he knows she is strong enough to survive it. He will always save her.
Nothing matters more than that.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
She woke up in the back of a large speeder truck, her wrists and ankles bound. J'er Nahj leaned over her, dabbing a drop of blood off her forehead.
"Good," he said softly. "You're all right."
"Hardly," Leia said dryly, struggling into a sitting position.
A man she'd never seen before was at the controls.
Kiro Chen lay on a seat just behind him, his head on Halle Dray's lap, his eyes closed. Halle chewed on her lower lip and stroked his hair, never taking her eyes off his face.
Leia was on the floor of the speeder, just behind them, propped up against the back door. If she could find a way to open it and slip out…
"Not a good idea," Nahj said. "At the speed we're going, you'd be killed before you hit the ground. Just sit tight, Your Highness. You'll be all right."
"Don't waste your breath," Halle said. "She's not worth it. Look what her friends did to Kiro!"
"They were just defending themselves," Nahj pointed out. "He'll be fine."
Halle whirled around to glare at Leia. "He better be."
"He wouldn't be here right now if he hadn't betrayed me," Leia pointed out. She realized this plan must have been a long time in the making. Had Kiro been planning it from the beginning; when he first contacted General Rieekan? Had it all been a trap, designed to snare her? And she'd walked right into it, blind to the possibility that one of her own people could betray her.
"No, he wouldn't be
here right now if you hadn't betrayed us," Halle snapped. "None of us would. You put these events in motion, Princess. Whatever happens next, just remember that."
"Nothing's going to happen," Nahj said. "We won't harm you."
"Don't act like you feel sorry for her! After all the pain she's caused?"
I've done nothing wrong! But Leia couldn't say the words out loud.
Beside her, Kiro stirred. "Don't," he murmured.
"It's okay," Halle said, in a soft voice that made her sound like a different person. "They can't hurt you anymore."
"No, I mean, don't yell at her like that. She means well."
Halle shook her head. "You're confused. You don't know what you're saying."
Kiro sat up, shooting Leia an apologetic look. "I'm not confused."
"So you're taking her side now?" Halle asked. "You want to call it off?"
Kiro hesitated, then put an arm around Halle. "No, this is the right move. I trust you on that. But there's no reason to make it harder than it has to be."
Leia's heart thudded. "Make what harder?"
"Look at it this way," Halle replied. "You claim you'd do anything to help the survivors of Alderaan?"
"It's not a claim," Leia shot back. "It's the truth."
"Then you should be happy to sacrifice yourself for the greater good."
X-7 was finally alone. Leia's bumbling friends had split up to search for her. X-7 had volunteered to cozy up to Prime Minister Manaa and Deputy Minister Lyonn, in case they knew anything. But helping Leia was of no concern to him. All his efforts to break through her guard had proven useless. Maybe with her out of the way, the others would be more forthcoming.
It had been a calculated risk, supporting the princess in her ridiculous plan. Pretending not to see that her new friend Kiro Chen was deceiving her. But his instincts had told him to go along with it, and X-7 relied on them without question. It had been infuriating, watching Chen weasel his way in, gaining her trust with such ease. The only consolation was that X-7 hadn't been the only one shut out. There was no question that the time on Delaya had driven a wedge between Leia and her friends. X-7 had stayed in the background, silent and accepting, in hopes that when the princess turned to someone, she would turn to him. Events hadn't played out in the way he had expected, yet X-7 still expected to turn the situation to his advantage.
If the others found her in time, he would lead the rescue and burrow even deeper into her favor.
If she died, there would be chaos. And when people were panicked, grief-stricken, and confused, it was child's play to get them to do whatever you wanted.
Either way, X-7 had no interest in leading the search. Pretending to be a normal human with normal human emotion was exhausting. And the more he tired himself, the greater chance there was he would make a fatal error.
This was the perfect opportunity for a break.
But just as he was settling into his blissfully blank repose, his comlink activated with an incoming transmission over the secure line. It was the Commander.
"Are you aware that Princess Leia has been kidnapped, and that her captors have plans to hand her over to the Empire?" he asked.
X-7 nodded.
The Commander's face flushed an angry red. "And are you aware that this has all happened at the command of the Dark One?"
Everyone knew it was unsafe to speak Darth Vader's name, even over an encrypted channel. But the Commander's meaning was clear.
"I was not aware."
The Commander bared his teeth in the predatory grimace of a rancor ready to strike. "Are you aware that the Dark One has made it a top priority to track down the pilot who destroyed the Death Star? That he might be on his way to Delaya as we speak, to personally supervise the interrogation?"
"I was not aware."
The Commander's rage exploded. "Are you aware of anything, you bantha-brained bludfly?"
X-7 swallowed hard.
"You will find Leia before his men can interrogate her," the Commander ordered. "You will interrogate her, and you will find the answers we seek. Enough delay! Get the job done, X-7. Or suffer the consequences."
No one at the warehouses would speak to them. At least not about J'er Nahj, Halle Dray, or Kiro Chen. Leia was merely an outsider. Princess of a planet that no longer existed. Neither Luke nor Han could convince them of anything else.
Fess had come up empty as well. He'd checked all the meeting spots used by Nahj and Halle's group, but there was no sign of any of them.
"You couldn't have known," Luke kept assuring him. "This isn't your fault." Fess didn't seem convinced.
"It's not your fault either, kid," Han reminded Luke. Han suspected he was blaming himself for keeping quiet about Nahj's little kidnapping habit. Sure, he'd made a mistake trusting Nahj. But then, Han had made a mistake trusting Kiro Chen. They all had. And now Leia was paying for it.
Leia had been gone for three hours, and they were no closer to finding her.
They were trudging through a narrow alley on their way back to their quarters when Han stopped abruptly.
"What?" Luke asked. Han shushed him, listening hard. Fess caught his eye and nodded. He'd heard it, too. Fess pointed toward a side alley that led to a dead end. Han led them in, giving Chewbacca a silent signal to hang back. Luke looked confused, but he followed along.
They'd made it almost to the end of the alley when Han spun around, his blaster raised and ready to fire. "You want to come out, whoever you are?"
Nothing happened.
Chewbacca positioned himself at the other end of the alley, blocking the way of anyone who might try to escape.
"We don't have time for this," Luke complained.
"He's there," Fess said with an odd certainty. "You've got nothing to fear from us!"
Han rolled his eyes. That wasn't exactly the message would have sent to a shadowy figure following him into a dark alley. But it had become clear the old man liked to do things his own way. Han played along, lowering the blaster. "Yeah, come on out, or stop wasting my time."
There was a flicker of movement behind one of the towering piles of garbage. It was the kid, Mazi. This time, he was alone.
Han sighed. He didn't have time to play babysitter.
"You know something," Fess said. It wasn't a question.
Mazi shrugged. "Hear you been looking around for Halle."
"You know where she is?" Luke asked.
Mazi shrugged again.
"Tell us!" Luke shouted.
Fess shot Luke a sharp glance.
"Let me handle this," Han said. He tapped the pocket where he kept his credits. "How much you want, kid?"
"Didn't come here looking for a payday," Mazi mumbled.
"Then what?" Again, Han wondered how long this kid would last on the streets. Rule number one: Someone offers you cash, you take it.
Mazi shifted his weight. "I met Princess Leia once, you know? School trip to the palace. Dead boring. But she was nice and all."
"Nice, huh?" Han grinned. "Not the first word that comes to mind."
"There's this place Halle and Kiro go when they want to be alone," Mazi said. "This abandoned schoolhouse, a few blocks up the river. They think it's like this big romantic secret that they're together. Usually pretend they don't even know each other."
"So how come you know?" Han asked.
"I know a lot of stuff," Mazi said. "It's easy to be invisible, when you want to be."
"And sometimes when you don't," Han said quietly.
"Whatever. Anyway, that's all I got." He turned to leave.
"Wait." Han pulled out a handful of credits.
"I told you, I didn't come here for that."
Han shoved the money into his hand. "Just take it kid."
Mazi grabbed the credits and ran off.
"What are you all looking at?" Han asked, realizing Fess and Luke were staring at him.
"You were rather good with him, Captain Solo," Fess said. "I wouldn't have guessed."
Che
wbacca barked in agreement.
"He just reminds me of someone," Han mumbled. He brushed past the others, heading out of the alley. "Now can we stop wasting time and go find Leia?"
They charged down the street, seeking out the building that Mazi had described. "Stay strong, Your Highness," Han heard Fess murmur. "We're on our way."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Stay strong, Your Highness. We're on our way.
It wasn't a voice in her head. It was just a feeling, a moment of calm and confidence. As if Luke was there with her, lending her some of that infuriating certainty that right would prevail. She stared blankly at the wall of her dim cell, trying to picture Luke's face.
But it wasn't Luke's face she saw, it was Fess's.
"You're sure we can trust them?" Nahj's voice carried through the narrow gap between the ceiling and the door.
"We're not giving them the prisoner until we get evidence that they're serious about resettlement," Halle said.
"Unless they decide to come and take her," Nahj pointed out.
"The Empire doesn't know where we're holding her," Kiro said. "Halle thought of everything."
"The man I've been dealing with reports directly to his Lordship Darth Vader," Halle boasted. "This is a done deal. You know Vader has the authority to make it happen."
"I've heard he can make anything happen," Nahj muttered. "That's what concerns me."
Whatever brief spurt of confidence Leia had felt was gone. All with a single word: Vader. She'd faced him before, and that was enough for one lifetime. If her friends really were coming to rescue her, they'd better hurry.
So you're just going to sit around and wait, Your Highness? Giving up that easy?
This time, the voice was in her head—cool, mocking, and completely her imagination.
I didn't realize you were such a pushover, Your Majesty. She could almost picture Han's crooked smile, goading her on. I know you royal folk are used to having everything done for you, so this may come as a surprise: Some of us rescue ourselves.
And, as so often happened when faced with Han's gundark-headed taunts, she couldn't help herself. She smiled.
Who's giving up? she asked the imaginary Han.
