Chapter Text
Five years after Endor, Leia was beginning to suspect that Luke was the better of the two of them at politics.
She had basically founded the New Galactic Senate from the ground up only to be told through a surprise meeting that she was not formally allowed on the senate. Swinging from Chewie’s arms, she tries to remember where she went wrong in the formation process. Nothing comes to mind, but she’s sure she had to have messed up somewhere to make it so that the rest of the senators betrayed her this way. This evening was supposed to be the last few meetings to set up a time to announce that the New Galactic Senate would be up and running. Instead, she was brought to a conference room with three of the Senators who would run for the Chancellor position.
“What?” she squeezed the metal cup of caf so hard it started to bend. “You can’t-”
“Miss Organa-” Count Jorgurner started.
“It is General, Count Jorgurner.” Leia fumed. “Unlike some people on this Senate, I fought and earned my title. If you don’t care to use my Rebel Title, then use my Alderaanian title of Princess.”
“That is what we wished to discuss,” Senator Aneb Ney interrupted. “Speaking in terms of technicalities, well…”
“Makers!” the Abednedo Senator Bushar hits the desk in front of them. “Legally speaking, General Organa is not allowed in the Senate because Alderaan is not a planet.”
The hall was silent. Where Luke would have taken a breath to steady himself in the Force before spitting out some ridiculous bantha-shit Jedi riddle, Leia took that brief second in the Force to fuel her anger.
“Say that again, Senator.” Leia’s gaze could have made a Wampa cringe. “Tell that to the Alderaanian people scattered across the galaxy.”
Bushar frowned. “General, it’s not personal. If there was anyone left from Scarif, they would be told the same thing.”
“Unlike Scarif, Alderaan had people stationed around the galaxy.” Leia stood up. “This is blatant discrimination. I am the only representative from an obliterated planet. I built this Senate from the rubble of the last one and now you want to tell me-”
“That you can have a seat on the Senate for viewing purposes.” Count Jorgurner said, as he sipped from his glass of Cheedoan Whiskey. “Just not a voting seat.”
“An honorary Senator,” Bushar said. “So you can see what you built flourish, but to stay fair to everyone, you may not fully be a voting senator due to not officially having a planet to back.”
Which is what led to Leia currently being carried out by Chewbacca after having thrown her cup at Jorgurner’s head and knocking him unconscious.
“Put me down, you walking flea-ridden Bantha!” Leia kicks her legs around trying to find some leverage. “I have to go back, Chewie!’
Chewie roars softly while shaking his head. Leia growls out of frustration and tries to remember what Luke told her about using the Force. Why didn’t she pay attention at the time? Damned Jedi.
“Chewie, come on. I can’t be seen like this outside the Senate Chambers!”
He roars back that technically speaking, she wasn’t outside the Senate Chambers, but on the landing pad.
“It’s the same ferricking thing!’
Chewie asks if she remembers the plan for tonight.
Leia stills. “What was the plan? I was supposed to have a meeting in half an hour that is now, apparently canceled so I have no plans for tonight.”
Chewie replies that Han spent a fortune trying to reserve a table at the Chandrilian dinner that was supposed to be an hour ago.
“Why would he do that?” Leia gasps. “Oh no.”
Chewie nods silently.
“That was tonight?” Leia sighs. “Damn.”
Chewie lets her down when they make it to the Falcon, Han standing on the ramp of the ship with his arms crossed and leaning on the entryway. “Well, look at what the loth cat dragged in.”
“Han,” Leia runs a hand over the twin buns at the top of her head. “I am really sorry for missing our anniversary dinner. I was sucked into an unscheduled meeting where-”
“I don’t want to hear any excuses, princess.” Han looks at Chewie and nods inside the ship. “Chewie, start the ship up, will ya?”
Chewie roars an affirmation and makes his way to the cockpit.
“Why is he starting the ship? I haven't even packed a bag yet, Han-“
“You’re not coming with us.” Han sighs. “We have a lot to talk about. Come inside.” Han turns around and Leia huffs before quickly following after him.
“Han, look, I really don’t think I can handle any of your shit tonight, so let me just get some food delivered and we can have a quiet night in-“
“See, this is why we need to talk.” Han sits on a crate across the room from her. “You can’t keep thinking that everyone needs to do exactly what you say. I shouldn’t have to break my back trying to please you!”
“Oh, come on, Han.” Leia rolls her eyes. “I never needed you to break your back to please me.”
“Oh really? What about when I had to stop going out with Lando for our weekly card nights?”
“You hated it, anyways.” Leia sits down at the Sabacc table. “You always complained about how much you lost.”
“Have I ever made you stop doing things?”
“You wanted me to quit the Senate.”
“And did you? No.” Han stands up and shakes his head. “I can’t keep doing this, princess.”
“Well, you’ll be happy to know that I was kicked out of the Senate, then.”
Han raises an eyebrow. “What did you do now? Pull a blaster on that Count guy?”
“No.” She looks down, embarrassed about the smirk that crosses her face at that. “Since Alderaan doesn’t exist anymore, technically I can't hold a spot on the Senate since I have no planet.”
Han lets out a disbelieving noise. “After everything you’ve done, they just kicked you out?”
“They offered me a seat in the Senate, but it’s an honorary one. I wouldn’t have any voice in any matters.” She scoffs. “They basically spit in my face and expect me to not be upset. I told them no.”
“Well,” he says, a bit hesitant. “At least now you have freetime. We could go find Luke-”
“I can’t abandon this, Han. I can’t let them think they’re winning when they’re not.”
“So I should not abandon us?”
“What?” Leia’s head shoots up. “What are you talking about?”
Han sighs, his hands resting on his hips as he looks towards the entrance of the Falcon. “We’re not good, princess. And I don’t think we’ve ever really had it going for us since Endor.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Leia crosses her arms. “You’ve never been happier since you left smuggling behind.”
“That’s the thing,” Han looks sadly towards her. “I don’t think you ever saw how much I wasn’t. Luke gave me some advice when he called last-“
“When did he call?” Leia was up and crossing the room towards him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Leia.” Han puts his hands on her shoulders. “Luke told me I need to give you space, that the Force ju-ju said that you had a split path ahead of you or something, honestly, I tuned him out a bit at that. And I need to go figure out some things myself-”
Leia shoves his shoulder back. “You and my brother have been talking about me behind my back?”
“Leia, it’s not like that-”
“No!” Leia pushes past Han towards the landing ramp. “I don’t want to hear it. Tell Lando I’ll contact him tomorrow about a ship, but for now, I have to go.”
Leia storms off the ship, not even saying goodbye to Chewie, who waved sadly from the cockpit.
“Leia, please-”
“No,” she turns to see Han at the top of the ramp. “You and Luke betrayed my trust, talking behind my back like that. Go run off to wherever you were going to go and leave me alone.”
“Leia,” Han takes a breath, he seems hesitant. “If I leave, I probably won’t ever come back. I don’t think I can stay in one place for as long as I’ve stayed with you.”
Leia purses her lips.
Han looks down before looking back up. “Ask me to stay and I will.”
Leia shakes her head. “You can’t make me decide for you, Han.”
Han smiles sadly. “Sure you can. You’ve done it for five years now.”
Leia never shed a tear during any of her many kidnappings and torture session. But here she is with tears in her eyes as she faces Han, someone who doesn’t deserve to see them. Luke apparently told Han that she needed to make a choice and to apparently give her some space to do so. Was this that decision? Was Luke telling Han that he needed to leave for her to make the right choice?
“Go,” she says quietly. The lights of Chandrila sparkle against the hulls of the ships around the Millennium Falcon. “Tell Lando I’ll be needing a ship as soon as he can get me one, when you see him. I can’t stay here and I’ll be damned if I have to face you after you made me choose between you and the good of the galaxy.”
Han bites his lip before he nods. “I’ll let him know, sweetheart.”
Leia turns and heads back to their…her apartment. She needs to pack and try to contact Luke to figure out what he meant. But for now, she just needs to get somewhere private so she can release her pent up emotions.
She wipes at her eyes as she hears the Falcon take off. She takes off in a run down a shortcut. Maybe the strain of muscles will help her push down this anger. She starts sprinting down sidewalks, twisting around late night wanderers while she tries to not think about how Han once brought her flowers and a caf before a meeting with some senators from the Hosnian System. How he seemed to know exactly what to do when she worked herself up after a long night of debates on the floor of the pre-Senate.
She makes it to the door in record time, panting and sweating through her white dress. She feels the weight of her hair having fallen from the buns stuck to the sides of her neck and tries not to imagine Han laughing after sex a week ago when she told him about her latest success in the Senate building.
Opening the door to find a sterile environment seems to be the breaking point for her. All of Han’s things are gone, leaving nothing but her bare essentials. Her dad’s cloak is still in the closet next to her mom’s matching pantsuit. The kitchen utensils are still there, but the decorations are all gone. All back on the Falcon where they came from.
Leia leaves the message on her comlink for the morning, collapsing in the bed with just one blanket and the plain white sheets with a stain on Han’s side from when he tried to surprise her with breakfast in bed. She takes a deep shaky breath, letting one tear fall before a few others follow suit. She buries her head in the pillow, smelling Han’s shampoo in it before crying herself to sleep.
Lando says he has a ship for her when she calls in the morning.
“Han mentioned that you needed the best, so I was able to track down an Alderaanian Tri-Wing Pegasus Starfighter and a cruiser to hold it for a longer distance that’s been heavily modified. Both of them are untraceable, just in case.”
Leia squeezes her eyes shut. “Thanks, Lando. Tell me how much I owe you for both ships.”
“Han took care of it.” Lando frowns. “Said he should at least help you get to where you need to be after…everything.”
She shakes her head. “He didn’t do anything wrong. Bad timing on everyone’s end, I guess.”
“Yeah, well,” Lando shrugs. “As long as you both can be happy, then there’s nothing wrong.”
“Sure,” Leia smiles. “Does the ship come with a name?”
“No name, yet.” Lando smirks. “You have some time to think of one. Me and Gilroy should be at the landing bay in a few hours.”
“See you then.” Leia hangs up and looks at the blinking message again. For some reason, she can bring herself to see what it says. She calls Luke, promising to listen to the message after.
Luke picks up on the third ring.
“Leia.” he smiles softly. “I’m sorry.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, Luke?” Leia’s voice cracks. “You know you can always talk to me about these things.”
“It wasn’t my place to interfere.”
“But you’ll tell Han and interfere that way.”
Luke sighs. “My talk with Han was not interfering with what the Force was telling me your choices will be.”
“So what choice will I have to make?” Leia raises an eyebrow. “Is this about you teaching me the way of the Jedi?”
“I will always teach you if you decide that you would like me to,” Luke shakes his head. “But no. I’m not quite sure what it meant. It was pretty vague and foggy, but it did say pretty clearly that you had two paths to choose from.”
“Yeah, well, that’s pretty much bantha-shit.” Leia frowns. “I resigned from the senate.”
Luke’s eyebrows raise. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Leia sits back in the chair. “They offered me a non-voting seat. An honorary title, basically.”
“That’s,” Luke pauses. “Have they offered a seat like that to anyone else?”
“No,” Leia furrows her brows. “It’s discriminatory and a slap in the face. I built that karking government from the rubble and as thanks, they tell me I don’t get to have any hand in the decisions of the Senate because my home was blasted out of existence.”
“Leia-“
“Luke, you wouldn’t understand.” She winces. “Well, you might, actually.”
“Yes, I would. But that’s not what I was going to say.” Luke takes a breath. “I was going to say our father went through something similar.”
Leia’s blood freezes in her veins. “Don’t.” She whispers.
“I understand your reservations regarding anything to do with him, but he was in a similar position within the Jedi Order.” Luke looks away from the camera. “But besides that, our mother was in the Senate before it was fully taken over by the Emperor. I can have R2 send you everything I could find on them, if you would like.”
Leia shakes her head. “I want nothing to do with him. Our mother, maybe. But not him.”
Luke smiles sadly, it’s like a punch in the gut. “I’ll send everything. I’ll keep them as separate as I can, but their stories are extremely intertwined. It’s hard to separate them.”
“Then try harder.” Leia winces at the tone of her voice. “I should go. I have a message waiting for me. Call me whenever you’re able to, I’ll have a lot of downtime.”
“I will. May the Force be with you.”
Leia disconnects the call and releases a deep breath. Fuck.
She’s glad for the distraction of the waiting message. She presses play and goes to start cleaning out the place.
“Hello, General Organa. This is the Chandrilian Medical Facility calling about your most recent blood work for the yearly Senatorial Health Review. Please call us back as soon as you are able to.”
She quickly presses the redial button on the comlink and waits. Was there something wrong with her blood work? Was she dying? A beep signaling a connection broke her train of thoughts.
“Chandrilian Medical Facility, how can we help you?”
Leia clears her throat. “Hello, this is General Leia Organa. I’m calling back in regards to the blood work I did a week ago.”
“Perfect! Let me get Dr. Gregorian to explain. Please hold for a moment as I transfer the call.”
A few seconds pass before a gruff looking woman comes onto the holo. “Is this General Leia Organa?”
“That’s me. You wanted to talk about my blood work?”
“Yes, General. We wanted to call to inform you that you are pregnant. Based on the sample we collected from you, it looks to be about six weeks. Seven, if we add this past week to it. We have many different options for you to explore within the health coverages of the Senate-“
“Thank you, doctor,” Leia blinks in silence for a few seconds.
“Did you,” the doctor clears her throat. “That is, did you want to hear the different options? The Senate-“
“No,” she shakes her head. “I mean, I just decided to step down from the Senate so I wouldn’t have that same coverage.”
“Oh, alright. Well, General, I would recommend finding a doctor who specializes in human births while traveling. You’ll have to go pretty frequently, once every four standard weeks until the end of your second trimester. Then it gets more frequent. We also recommend no hyperspace travel at that time as well. I can transfer your medical records to you so you have them for your next doctor.”
Leia nods.
Dr. Gregorian sighs softly. “I do wish you the best, General. The Senate will be lost without you but I do understand why you would do so. You’re too good for these politicians, trust me. I’ve seen pretty much all of them for one thing or another. I wish you the best with this, even if the father is not in the picture anymore.”
She quickly says goodbye and hangs up, hand squeezing a shirt so tightly that her knuckles turn white. Pregnant. Six weeks- no, seven weeks now since the appointment was last week. She supposes that Dr. Gregorian was surprised Han wasn’t on the call with her, which is why she said that last part but…It’s what she was hoping for, before yesterday went to shit.
Leia started laughing, a hand coming to rest on the kitchen island in front of her. She has an actual living being starting to develop inside of her. The timing couldn’t have been better now that she has no more obligations with the Senate. But…could she raise it alone?
She slides down to sit on the kitchen floor, her heart racing.
Han left, did he hear this message and decide to leave because of it? Would he have suggested getting rid of it or keeping it before he left? He was supportive before, but what about now?
She needs to stop going through this line of thinking. She is here and Han is not. For now, she needs to figure out what to do. She’s still mad at Luke and can’t follow Han, that’s definitely out of the equation. Once Luke sends over the information on their birth mother, maybe she can look into that?
Sighing, Leia stands. She has a few hours before Lando and whoever Gilroy is to show up and still needs to pack her things. The apartment may still be hers, but she’ll be damned if she has to live in it with the constant reminder of every single loss.
Leia loads up the last of her things in the cruiser before heading back to where Lando and Gilroy, the Twi’lek pilot, are chatting.
“That’s the last of it. Thanks again, Lando.”
“No problem, Princess.” Lando tilts his head towards her. “Gilroy made sure that you should be able to pilot the cruiser yourself. Did you want him to run you through how to detach the gunship again?”
“No, I should be good to go.” Leia sets her hands on her hips. “Thank you both, I really appreciate it.”
Gilroy waves one hand in a dismissive gesture. “No worries. I was happy to return an Alderaanian ship back to where she belongs. Did you think of a name for it yet?”
Leia smiles softly. “The Avalon.”
“That was the city the consort was from, right?” Gilroy scratches behind one of his lekku. “Your dad?”
“Yes,” Leia responds, surprised. “How did you know? I didn’t think it was well-known.”
Gilroy blushes a bright purple, making the blue of his skin seem brighter. “I lived there when I was on Alderaan during the Clone Wars. I heard Calrissian mention your name and figured I would help out.”
Leia looks at Lando, who seems a bit surprised at the information like she is.
“Well,” Lando claps his hands together. “Thank the Maker you did, since I believe the Avalon is the perfect ship for the princess.”
“Yes, it’s honestly perfect.”
“Good!” Gilroy clears his throat. “Great, well, I think Lando and I should head out.”
Lando laughs before leaning in to hug Leia. “Take care, princess. Call me if you need anything, alright?”
“Will do, Lando.” She rubs his back for a second to lengthen the hug before she turns to give Gilroy a handshake. “Take care, Gilroy.”
“You, too.”
With that, Leia heads up to the cockpit. From what Luke has told her on the rare occasion he brings it up, their birth mother was from Naboo. It’s the obvious choice to start there.
She keys up a flight path to the Naboo system when her comlink notifies her that Luke sent over three files. One labeled “Padme,” another named “Parents,” and finally the one she almost deleted without opening it, “Anakin.”
Shaking her head, she lifts off, making note to read it during the two day journey to Naboo. She breaks the atmosphere with shaky hands and definitely not thinking about Darth Vadar.
A couple hours into the journey, she debates on whether or not she is a masochist or not.
“He killed innocent lives.” She says to the empty kitchenette. The rattling of the hyperdrive is the only response. “He destroyed my entire planet. My family and friends who were innocent.”
The silence lingers. “Learning about him won’t do me any good. It would just make me hate him more.”
She should have brought something to play music. Being alone on a ship for two days would be asking for her to lose her mind. She would have had some reading to do on the Senate had she not made a scene.
“What would you have me do?” She asks into the recycled air. There’s no response, of course, but she would have appreciated something.
The three files are glaring at her, begging her to make a decision on which one she should read first. She was going to read Padme’s file first, but the picture of Breha and Bail at her coronation seemed to hold her back. She has a mother…had a mother. She had a mother that was better than anything she could have made up in her head. Breha was compassionate and caring, where she seemed to be more head-strong and temperamental.
“You just remind me of someone,” Obi-Wan had said to Leia. “She was fearless too. And stubborn.”
At the reminder of Obi-Wan, a floodgate of pushed down emotions seemed to rise up. The brokenness she felt roll off of him in the Force when they met. How he had to face his padawan to protect Luke and her.
“Kind, but sad,” she had told Luke when he asked about what she knew about their mother. It was the same kind of broken that radiated in the Force around Obi-Wan, way back when.
She looks back at the picture of her parents. She doesn’t want to ruin what she has with them by learning about Padme. Would learning about Anakin grow her hate?
“Hate leads to the Dark Side, Leia.” Luke had pressed her about it before he left to start hunting down Jedi artifacts. “You can’t keep reveling in it. We are Force users, so we have to learn how to keep balance.”
“That’s karked, Luke.” She had responded, neck deep in picking leaders for the Committee to decide Senator Representative Planets. “Darth Vader deserved to rot in the galaxy’s hatred.”
“That’s exactly what I am saying.” Luke had put his hand on her shoulder then, drawing her attention up from the packets of paper. “He has enough hate. I’m not going to force you to forgive him for everything he’s done, I’m just saying that you need to let go of the anger.”
“That’s easy for you to say, you at least had the opportunity to let it all out on him.” She had smirked then, much to Luke’s disappointment. “Cutting off his hand with the lightsaber like he did to you was genius, by the way.”
“I don’t want compliments for the time I almost fell to the Dark Side, Leia,” Luke paused then. “But thanks.”
It’s probably all the memories of Luke that makes her click on Anakin’s file first. The first page talks about where he grew up: Tatooine. He was born with no father, with journals from Obi-Wan stating that his Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, saying he was born through the Force. Apparently genetic testing confirmed this in the Jedi Temple which labeled him as the fabled Chosen One. He had to leave his mother Shmi to join the Jedi since he won his freedom. Shmi stayed as a slave until she was bought and freed by her future husband, Cliegg Lars. She lived with Cliegg and her step-son Owen until she was captured and tortured by Tusken Raiders. Anakin apparently returned to Tatooine to save her after experiencing visions of her torture. He apparently tried to rescue her and killed the tribe of Tuskens in revenge after Shmi died in his arms.
She closes the file before she could read about Anakin himself.
She smiles to herself. He killed innocents even before he became Darth Vader. He was evil and always had been. Yes, it was out of some sense of justice, but really, he only had to kill the raiders involved in the torture, not the entire tribe.
“And that’s what you think differentiates you,” the Force seems to whisper to her. “You would have stopped at just those involved, he did not.”
“I would show mercy.” She whispers to the Force. “I wouldn’t kill innocents.”
“But you would still kill,” the Force whispers back. “And that’s what makes you the same.”
She throws the metal cup of water against the nearest wall in a fit of rage. “I am nothing like him!”
She takes a deep breath. Luke was headstrong and determined, just like Anakin was. Everyone she knew said Luke looked the most like their father; was the most like him, as well. She opens the file again to find an image of Anakin and Padme. Breha and Obi-Wan had told her that she looked the most like Padme. She opens the bathroom door to look in the mirror. If that were true, then why can she only see Anakin’s features staring back at her?
Same smile. Same nose. Same anger.
She slams the door to the bathroom closed. She heads to the cockpit to change destinations. Tatooine was never somewhere she would think she would visit twice, but she thinks that she needs more information on Obi-Wan and Luke. If she is to believe the rest of the file on Anakin, she wants to make sure she has all the information possible.
Leia spends the rest of the trip reading through Anakin’s file. It’s lengthy and highly decorated. Her parents always said that the Jedi were peacekeepers, but from what she has read, they were also weapons. Generals in the Clone Wars, and wasn't that the kicker? They were both Generals. Both earned their titles, although- she thinks with an air of elitism- technically he was awarded with the title before he really earned it.
But what gave her surprise was reading about the time after Order 66 was issued. How Obi-Wan believed that Emperor Palpatine had gotten into his head and worked hard to turn him against the Jedi. How Padme came to him for advice, someone he did not fully trust but tolerated due to their shared connection with Anakin. It’s what made him trust her. How they went after him to save him. How Padme tried to save Obi-Wan from Anakin’s rage. How Obi-Wan tried to save Padme and the twins while also battling his padawan. How Padme named Leia for one last reminder of him.
Even her name was tainted.
He killed children. He almost killed his wife. He burned in lava with no limbs after fighting his former master. He is constantly in pain due to the injuries and metal suit he was forever trapped in. He suffered every day after, fueling the Dark Side of himself until Anakin Skywalker was dead by his hand as well.
“You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan, I did.”
That’s what Obi-Wan wrote when he faced Darth Vader during the rescue mission to save her so long ago.
If Darth Vader did kill Anakin Skywalker, then why did Anakin save Luke from the Emperor? Can someone switch sides of the Force just like that whenever they wanted? Luke seems to be adamant about Anakin dying a Jedi on the Death Star. But was dying for his son atonement for everything he did?
The hyperdrive alerts Leia that they are approaching the jump point to Tatooine. Two and a half days reading about Anakin Skywalker makes her anxious to see his homeworld. She buckles in and slowly drops out of hyperspace. Mos Espa is where Luke said the Skywalker Residence was. It wasn’t too far from Jabba’s old Palace. She reckons she should make a visit to see who took over after she killed him. She comms down to the Mos Espa Tower.
“Hello, this is the Avalon, requesting permission to dock.”
There is static on one end before a feminine voice comes over the speakers. “Avalon, who is requesting permission? This is a private hanger.”
Leia clicks her tongue. Of course it is now, thanks for the update on the documents, Luke. “Ah, sorry about that. This is General Leia Organa. I can dock at a public hangar, if you don’t mind sending me coordinates for it.”
The static is longer this time around. Dank Ferrick. Han was always the smoothest talker out of the two of them. She couldn’t exactly point a blaster at a comlink and hope they get the message that she normally got what she wanted. She thinks her father, Bail, would have been better in this situation as well.
“Avalon, the Boss wishes to speak with you. You can take Hanger 2. Safe travels, General.”
The Boss. Was that the being that took over after Jabba? She smirks as she readies for landing, taking her time and hoping that her reputation precedes her. Let them stew for a moment.
After she finishes docking, she grabs her blaster and vibroknife. She covers her back with a deep brown cloak that she thinks was Luke’s before he left on his hunt for Jedi artifacts. Her many victory braids form a single traditional Alderaanian braid down her back. She covers her head with the hood and lets the cloak trail behind her, strutting down the landing ramp to see two Twi’leks, the pink one with a blaster cannon in her arms and the teal one with her arms crossed.
“General Organa?” the teal one asks.
“Yes.” Leia stops with her hands on her hips. “The Boss wanted to see me?”
“He’s in there.” the pink one nods her head towards the palace. “He seemed happy to see you.”
“I would hope so,” Leia struts forwards, shouldering her way between the two of them. “I was the one who killed Jabba the Hutt.”
The silence that follows that statement is almost worth the Force-damned sand that seemed to already get in her boots.
She pushes open the palace door to see the throne room looking a bit different from last time. The noise seems to come to a complete halt when her eyes adjust to the dim lighting.
“Leia Organa.” A familiar voice booms from the throne. “The Hutt Slayer.”
“Boba Fett.” Leia tries not to let surprise tinge her voice or features. “You’re looking more chewed on than the last time I saw you.”
“And you’re wearing more clothes, princess.” Boba Fett smirks as he stands and makes his way towards her.
“You’ll have to try harder than that. At least take me to dinner first.”
Boba laughs as he waves to the crowd around them. “We’ll talk in private. For now, everyone raise a glass to the woman who cleared my path.”
A shout goes through the crowd as Boba leads her to a private room.
“I was being facetious about the date, Fett.” Leia raises a brow at the bed in the corner.
“I’m happily taken, Organa.” Boba frowns and crosses his arms. “Now, explain what you’re doing here before I kill you.”
Leia raises her hands in surrender. “Would you believe me if I said I’m on a journey of self-discovery?”
“Where’s Solo?”
“Geez,” Leia rolls her eyes. “I am my own person. Han is…somewhere.”
“You mean to tell me you don’t know where your own boyfriend is?” Boba scoffs.
“He broke it off.” Leia frowns. “Exactly four days ago, to be exact. So no, I don’t know where he is. It’s just me.”
“He broke up with you? Why?”
Leia growls out of frustration. “I feel like that’s a private issue.”
“Fair enough.” Boba sits down on one end of the bed. “I just found it too coincidental that I sent out my best sharpshooter days before you landed here. So why are you here?”
Leia opens her mouth to explain when Boba interrupts again. “This will determine if I think you get to have free reign in Hutt Space or not. I am the leader of it all, now. I guess that’s thanks to you.”
“Yes, well.” Leia shifts on her feet. “I’m trying to learn about Luke’s grandmother, Shmi Skywalker, while he is on the hunt for Jedi Artifacts. And Obi-Wan Kenobi, although Luke said he went by Ben Kenobi when he was on Tatooine.”
“Really?” Boba leans back. “Interesting. Well, I wish you luck then. It’s not every day the Leader of the New Republic is here-”
“I am not the leader.” Leia interrupts. “And I am not a part of the New Republic anymore.”
“Ouch,” Boba smirks. “What did you do?”
“Watched my planet get blown up by the Death Star.” Her voice is like ice. “Can’t be in the Senate if I don’t have a planet. It’s a small technicality that they failed to mention until after I built it from the rubble. So now, I’m helping Luke find out more about his family while he tries to build back the Jedi Order from ashes.”
Boba is silent for a while. “A truce then. I can’t promise not to kill Han on sight for kicking me into the Sarlacc Pit, but you and I are even.”
“Thank you,” Leia smiles. “You know, you’re not half bad, Fett. I think we could be great frie-”
HELP DAD GROGU TROUBLE
Leia gasps as she falls to her knees by the sheer emotion behind the words sent in the Force.
“Organa?!”
PLEASE HELP HERE
“Leia!”
“Sorry,” Leia gasps out, her heart gripped in the same terror that Grogu seems to be in. “I…You know how Luke has the Force?”
“The Jetii thing?” Boba presses a hand to her forehead. He’s kneeling next to her, although she didn’t see it happen. “Are you one, too?”
“Kind of,” Leia gasps. “Untrained, but that was my ch-”
BAD MAN HANDCUFFS BAD HELP SHIP PLE-
The emotions cut off. Leia collapses on the floor when the emotions whip out of her just as fast. “There’s a kid. He was reaching out to any Force user nearby for help. His message was cut off, I don’t know why.”
“Slow down,” Boba says softly. “There’s a kid in trouble?”
“Yes,” Leia closes her eyes. “On an Imperial Cruiser nearby. Or at least nearby enough for me to hear it.”
“Did the kid say where?” Boba sighs. “I just sent Fennec out to help Mando out with rescuing his kid from an Imperial Cruiser.”
“Didn’t happen to be named Grogu, did he?” Leia rubs her eyes. “Force, that hurts.”
“That’s the kid’s name.” Boba helps her stand. “We should go. Do you have a direction in where? We can take two ships, it looks like yours won't be big enough for Mando, the kid, Fennec, and us.”
“Yes, I think so. Let me just…” She tries to remember what Luke taught her about reaching out with the Force. Maker, she should have practiced more.
‘Leia…’ Luke whispers in her head. ‘I’ll send the coordinates. Why are you on Tatooine? Call me on the way. Grogu knows I’m coming.’
Leia opens her eyes. “Luke is going to send me the coordinates. I’ll send them to you once he does.”
Boba raises an eyebrow when her comlink beeps with a message.
“Which is now. Here, plug in your code.” Leia hands over her comlink to her. “I’ll head over there. Knowling Luke, he’s in an X-Wing. Not enough for a rescue.”
“I’ll be right behind you.” Boba nods towards the doors. “Lead the way, Princess.”
Leia smiles sharply. A fight like this was just what she needed.