"What do you think they want?" Leia murmured. "Money?"
Han shot her a sharp look. Every once in a while, she said something that reminded him of the distance between them. It wasn't the kind you could cross in a ship. "Well, I doubt they're begging for the fun of it, Your Highness."
Without hesitating, Leia pulled out a pouch of credits, hurrying toward the boys.
Something familiar about the setup clicked in Han's brain. "Leia, wait-"
Too late.
As she dropped a handful of credits into the tallest boy's outstretched hands, he snatched her wrist and twisted it behind her back. A rusted vibroblade appeared in his other hand.
He held it to her throat.
"You kids crazy?" Han shouted. "You really want to face off against a Wookiee? Wookiee? " "
To help get the point across, Chewbacca shook his furry fists in the air, roaring.
The other two kids looked nervous, but the one in charge didn't flinch. "Just give us all your credits and we'll leave you alone."
"And what makes you so sure we'll leave you you alone?" Han shot back, his fingers twitching toward his blaster. Not that he'd shoot at a bunch of kids. But if he could scare them, or cause some kind of distraction... alone?" Han shot back, his fingers twitching toward his blaster. Not that he'd shoot at a bunch of kids. But if he could scare them, or cause some kind of distraction...
He shook his head, tempted to laugh. Served him right, falling for such a worn-out stunt. He'd pulled it on more than a few clueless oldies himself back when he was a kid.
Not that he'd ever been dumb enough to attack a Wookiee Wookiee.
"Do you know who I am? am? " Leia asked in an icy voice. "I'm-" " Leia asked in an icy voice. "I'm-"
"Not the kind of gal who scares easy," Han said quickly. Talk about not having a clue.
Did she really think it would help help to tell them she was a princess? A to tell them she was a princess? A rich rich princess? "And neither is my friend here." princess? "And neither is my friend here."
Chewbacca roared again, louder this time. "So how 'bout you put down the knife-"
"How 'bout you you stop wasting my time, old man," the kid snarled, "and hand over the credits." stop wasting my time, old man," the kid snarled, "and hand over the credits."
" Old man? Old man? " Han took a step forward. He didn't need a blaster. Not to handle this punk. Chewbacca growled. "No thanks, buddy," Han said. "This one's " Han took a step forward. He didn't need a blaster. Not to handle this punk. Chewbacca growled. "No thanks, buddy," Han said. "This one's all mine. all mine. " "
Han didn't hear the footsteps behind him, and he didn't hear the blasterfire. He just saw the laserbolt slam into the kid's blade, centimeters from Leia's neck. It was a clean hit-the blade went flying. The kid backed away, examining his hand like he couldn't believe it was still in one piece.
Han couldn't believe it either. It was one of the cleanest shots he'd ever seen. He whirled around. A plump old man stood behind him, his jaunty grin mostly covered by a thick, graying beard. Han scoured the streets, convinced this this couldn't be the guy who'd fired the shot. But there was no one else around. couldn't be the guy who'd fired the shot. But there was no one else around.
And the old guy was holding a smoking blaster. "Thought we agreed you kids weren't going to do this anymore!" he called out.
The lead kid reddened and retrieved his blade, shoving it into his back pocket. "Wasn't planning to," the kid said sullenly. "Not my fault they showed up in this neighborhood.
They were asking for it."
"Come on, Mazi," the man said sternly. "Try it again and the deal's off."
"Yeah. Fine." He glared at Han. "But I could've taken you, old man. No question." He nodded to his friends and, without a word, they slipped away into the darkness."
Han grinned. The kid had spunk, you had to give him that. "Friends of yours?" he asked the old man.
"I pay them to run errands for me, do odd jobs, and the like, as long as they promise to stay out of trouble. That's the deal." He was talking to Han-but all the while, he was staring at Leia.
She glared back. "You're alive," she said flatly.
The man looked down at himself, as if examining the evidence. "So it would seem."
Leia had never expected to see him again.
"Princess." He took a step toward her, his arms outstretched, then hesitated and dropped them to his sides. "I'd heard you were here."
"And I-" Leia stopped, overwhelmed by a swirl of conflicting emotions. "I thought you were still on Alderaan."
He smiled gently. "I had some business on Delaya. I arrived here the day before the attack."
"I'm glad," she said flatly.
"This guy a friend of yours, Highness?" Han said.
"No." The word came automatically.
"Fess Ilee," he said, shaking hands with Han and nodding toward Chewbacca. "I am a friend of Bail Organa's."
"He was was a friend to my father," Leia clarified. "But my father is dead." a friend to my father," Leia clarified. "But my father is dead."
"I am and always will be his friend," Fess said steadily.
He was a man of soft, rounded edges, with a belly bulging over his belt and the makings of a double chin. His fingers were stubby, his nose bulbous, and his mind seemed to be as fuzzy as the back of his neck. Leia had never been sure of his age-most of the time, he looked far older than her father, weathered and weak. But there had been moments when, out of the corner of her eye, she caught him moving with a surprising grace, the years falling away from his suddenly youthful face.
He lacked every quality her father had possessed: nobility, courage, wisdom. Though he called himself a botanist, his main skill seemed to be currying favor. He grinned and nodded with greasy ease, laughing heartily at the weakest joke, complimenting the gaudiest gown. And yet Bail Organa had spoken of him privately with respect.
"How are you?" Fess asked.
"How do you think?" Leia snapped. Then she steadied herself. As a princess and a senator she'd grown adept at dealing gracefully with her enemies. And Fess wasn't an enemy, he was just a harmless parasite. "I'm fine," she said, more politely. "Thank you for helping us with those boys."
Fess shook his head. "I can't stand to see children forced to make a life for themselves on the streets."
He didn't sound like the Fess she remembered-but then, they were all different now.
"We should be going," Leia said.
"I'll come along," Fess suggested. "It's dangerous out here alone."
"I'm hardly alone," she said, glancing at Chewbacca, who towered over the humans by several feet. The Wookiee rumbled in agreement.
"I know this city," Fess argued. "I can be of assistance. Perhaps more than you know."
Han snorted. "What is it with you old men and your delusions of grandeur?" he muttered.
"Excuse me?"
"You just reminded me of someone else who thought we could use his help," Han said. "Didn't end so well for him."
"Perhaps he lacked my skill set," Fess said mildly. "But-as you wish."
As they said their goodbyes, Leia wondered if she would ever see him again, and if she cared.
She needn't have bothered. They were only a few blocks away when Han snuck a glance over his shoulder. "That's one stubborn old man."
Leia stopped short. "He's following us?" She whirled around, but the streets were empty.
"Ducks into an alley every time I look back," Han said. "Sneaky fellow, but not sneaky enough. Guess he doesn't know who he's dealing with, does he, Chewie?"
The Wookiee barked a yes.
"You want me to run him off?" Han asked.
Leia shook her head, and began walking again. "If he wants to follow us so badly, let him."
From everything she knew about Fess, she suspected his offers of assistance were as empty as his head. Still, there was a strange reassurance in knowing he was following her.
As if some childish, irrational part of her believed what her father had once told her that no harm would come to her as long as Fess Ilee was alive.
CHAPTER EIGHT.
" Fesssss, Fesssss, " " she hisses, laughing at the sound of it, wet and slimy like a Kowakian monkey-lizard. And that is what he looks like, she decides, with his greasy smile and those tufts of she hisses, laughing at the sound of it, wet and slimy like a Kowakian monkey-lizard. And that is what he looks like, she decides, with his greasy smile and those tufts of hair growing out of his big ears. hair growing out of his big ears. " " Fess the monkey-lizard. Fess the monkey-lizard. " "
" Shhh! Shhh! " " Winter urges her. Winter urges her. " " They'll hear us. They'll hear us. " "
" Relax, Relax, " " Leia tells her best friend. Leia tells her best friend. " " No one will find us here. No one will find us here. " " They have hidden They have hidden themselves at the edge of the grand ballroom, tucked behind a swooping marble themselves at the edge of the grand ballroom, tucked behind a swooping marble staircase. Leia is supposed to be in the center of the room, swinging across the dance staircase. Leia is supposed to be in the center of the room, swinging across the dance floor in a long ballgown of shimmersilk. floor in a long ballgown of shimmersilk.
But that was before she and Winter hid a giant wooly moth in the Minister of Agriculture's desk drawer. He deserved it-but Leia's father didn't see it that way. Agriculture's desk drawer. He deserved it-but Leia's father didn't see it that way.
(Especially after the wooly moth chewed through a sheet of flimsiplast containing the budget for the whole next year.) Now she is banned from attending the party-but Leia budget for the whole next year.) Now she is banned from attending the party-but Leia has decided that doesn't mean she can't watch. has decided that doesn't mean she can't watch.
It's more fun here, anyway. They have a pile of scavenged food, from t'iil seed cake to spiced grazer loaf. And from where they sit, they can easily hear all the silly people spiced grazer loaf. And from where they sit, they can easily hear all the silly people trying to impress her father. Leia is only eight years old, but she knows that grinning and trying to impress her father. Leia is only eight years old, but she knows that grinning and nodding and agreeing with everything he says isn't the way to do it. nodding and agreeing with everything he says isn't the way to do it.
They nibble on sticks of sweetened Oro bark and watch Groos Corado try to persuade Tasha Moore to dance. They giggle as brothers Cassio and Pol Prentiss argue about Tasha Moore to dance. They giggle as brothers Cassio and Pol Prentiss argue about which of them cheats at greenputt. But worst of all is Fess Ilee. Leia has never heard which of them cheats at greenputt. But worst of all is Fess Ilee. Leia has never heard anyone talk so much and say so little. No matter how many words spill out of his mouth, anyone talk so much and say so little. No matter how many words spill out of his mouth, they all have the same meaning: they all have the same meaning: Yes, you're right. Yes, you're right.
She glares at him-then gasps, as he swivels his head toward her hiding place. His gaze travels over the heads of the crowd and locks onto her. She knows she is totally gaze travels over the heads of the crowd and locks onto her. She knows she is totally hidden-but she can't shake off the feeling that he knows she is there. hidden-but she can't shake off the feeling that he knows she is there.
" I'm bored, I'm bored, " " she whispers to Winter. she whispers to Winter. " " Let's get out of here. Let's get out of here. " "
But when she slips out of her hiding place, she walks right into her father. And he is not not happy. happy.
He doesn't yell. He simply banishes her to her room.
Tomorrow, she is supposed to go with Winter to the gingerbell blossom festival, but now, according to her father, that is now, according to her father, that is not not going to happen. going to happen.
That's what he thinks.
Leia waits until the house falls asleep. Then she opens her bedroom window and climbs onto the sill. Balancing carefully on the frame, she examines her options. There is climbs onto the sill. Balancing carefully on the frame, she examines her options. There is a low hanging tree branch, its tip just out of reach. Even if she stretches as far as she a low hanging tree branch, its tip just out of reach. Even if she stretches as far as she can, it won't be enough. But if she jumps, she will be able to grab it. Unless she misses. can, it won't be enough. But if she jumps, she will be able to grab it. Unless she misses.
She never misses.
Leia launches herself at the branch, digging her fingers into the scratchy bark. She dangles for a moment, swinging her feet through the air, proud of her daring. Then, hand dangles for a moment, swinging her feet through the air, proud of her daring. Then, hand over hand, she pulls herself to the trunk and shimmies down to the ground. over hand, she pulls herself to the trunk and shimmies down to the ground.
She runs across the dark and empty palace grounds, laughing into the night air. She is free. is free.
The city is different in the dark. The streets are abandoned. She doesn't know where she is going, but she doesn't care. she is going, but she doesn't care.
She doesn't hear the footsteps, doesn't notice the shadow following her through the night. night.
She is not afraid.
"You sure this is the place?" Han asked, as they arrived at the coordinates Luke had given them. "It's a dump." It was a massive duracrete warehouse, surrounded on all sides by mounds of trash. Much of Leilani seemed broken down and abandoned-but this looked condemned.
Leia glanced over her shoulder, but Fess had disappeared. She double-checked the coordinates. "This is it."
They stepped inside.
And into a nightmare.
How did this happen? Leia thought in horror, forcing herself to look into the desperate, hopeless faces of her people. Leia thought in horror, forcing herself to look into the desperate, hopeless faces of her people. How could How could I I let this happen? let this happen?
Since the destruction of Alderaan, she'd distracted herself with one Rebel mission after another, trying to bury her pain. Trying to forget.
But she'd never intended to forget the people who had been left behind.
"You were right, Manaa and Var Lyonn were hiding something," Luke said, appearing beside her. "This."
The man next to him, young, though his hair was streaked with gray, extended a hand.
"J'er Nahj," he introduced himself. "The Delayan government didn't want you to see the reality of our situation, but Luke here thought you'd want to know."
"I ran into Nahj outside of the hotel," Luke said, giving the man an odd look. "He agreed to bring me here so I could see for myself."
"More than seven thousand of us, Your Highness," Nahj said. "That we know of. The lucky ones had credits stored offplanet, or family and friends they could rely on. The less fortunate were taken in by the government, given houses and resources and put on display, to impress people like you. To make sure the money keeps rolling in. But here you see what happens to those with no luck at all. The ones who find themselves alone in the galaxy, everyone they ever knew and everything they ever had destroyed. The ones who can no longer afford to feed themselves-or the ones who can no longer muster the will to do it, because they would rather be dead. We're a drain on the Delayan economy. And worse, we're a reminder of unhappiness. It's easier to dump us here and forget about us.
Makes it easier for everyone to move on."