Han & Leia | Galaxy of Us

Chapter 11

"The fear of loss is a path to the Dark Side." – Yoda, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

No.

No.

No.

He wasn't dead, Leia refused to believe it.

He'd left with hardly a goodbye and a pat to her shoulder. He'd looked at her with such paternal pride before he'd headed to his ship; the daughter he never had, the father she had lost.

"It was a trap," Rieekan was saying in a grim tone, "We never stood a chance. They knew we were coming. They killed them all, the senators too."

No.

No.

No.

"Princess?" Rieekan asked, finally catching sight of her expression.

"He's not dead," she shook her head firmly.

"Your Highness, the place has been totally destroyed, we've sent-"

"He's not dead," she repeated, hard and sure. She turned on her heel and left, walking briskly up to her cabin. It was all nonsense; Dodonna was tough and he was intelligent too – even if it had been a trap, he could've fought his way out of it. Even if the place was destroyed...a flicker of hope rose in her chest...he could have escaped, couldn't he? Perhaps he was still there, back on the planet, they needed to send a rescue party, her mind worked feverishly, already conducting plans, forming a group of individuals for the job. She'd go too, yes, she'd make sure they found him. She'd tell Rieekan to gather a team – she'd lead and she wouldn't take any no's from him – he wasn't General, not when Dodonna was still alive.

She stopped in her pacing and headed to the door to go back, when it opened for her after one swift knock.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded harshly, "And don't you know any better than to walk into people's rooms without permission?"

"I knocked," Han said shortly. He'd been recovering well from his injury – she'd made sure of that – although he still favoured his left side. Why would he possibly be here now?

"If you're here to ask me when you'll be sent back on the field or to negotiate over your payment, we'll see to that later, I have to talk to Rieekan," Leia said sharply, moving past him.

"You just did, I thought." The quiet words reverberated around the room, holding her still.

"I came to my cabin to clear my head, now that I know what I have to do, I have to organize a search party for the General, I have to-"

"He's dead, Leia. They found his body, didn't you hear?"

She shook as a tremor of panic hit her. "Maybe they were wrong, maybe it wasn't his body they found, maybe-"

"Leia, he's gone."

She swivelled around to face him, walked up to him and jabbed him in the chest with a finger, "You don't know that. You can't just barge in here and say whatever you want. You don't know what you're talking about."

"I know what I heard," Han said calmly, "Listen, I know you're upset, but you can't go back down there like this. The men need a clear-thinking, rational leader right now and you're not thinking with your head, sweetheart."

"Don't call me that!" she gritted her teeth, "And don't tell me what to do. I don't know what kind of treatment you were used to back when you were smuggling and doing all sorts of illegal activities with a Wookie counterpart, but I call the shots here, you understand? And I know Dodonna's alive. I just know it."