"Princess? The Emperor requests your presence in the command center."
This time, the aide came without a stormtrooper escort and she took
his proffered
arm willingly. The apprehensive look on her face was mingled
with
the small pleasure of spending time with him.
As they walked, she asked softly, "Luke will be there, won't he?"
Han wasn't sure he liked the hopeful sound of her voice, or the way
she
seemed to caress the name. "Yes."
Leia watched his jaw twitch, and felt the arm under her hand tighten.
"You're his lover, aren't you? You're jealous."
"No."
"But--"
He looked down at her, half pitying, half contemptuous. It wasn't
a look she'd seen before, and she knew she didn't like it now.
"Princess,
there's a lot of words for what we do, him and me, and most of
them aren't fit for the ears of a pampered lady like yourself,
but love ain't one of them. Making hate is a whole lot closer."
He pushed the memory of last night down with a vengeance.
She looked at him in a new light, wondering if this was the real
Han Solo she was seeing instead of the self-effacing Imperial aide.
"I'm not jealous of you, Princess. Just worried for you.
When Lord
Vengar sets out to have something, he gets it. You already call
him
by name, and look forward to seeing him. Think about it."
"Everyone is worried for me, Mr. Solo. And I can take care of
myself."
The answer was stiff and prim. Han shrugged mentally, and decided
maybe
she could.
Lord Vengar met them at the lift and offered Leia his arm. "Very
prompt,"
he complimented as he escorted the princess to the observation deck.
Han remained
on the balcony near the lift. He clutched the rail as he watched
and waited.
Inactivity had always chafed at him, but in the last few weeks, he
had learned
waiting was an activity in itself. He had to be alert and attentive
to the slightest change in atmosphere and respond accordingly.
It wasn't
much different from piloting, but he was in the uncharted space of
words
and mind-control when he'd always let his blaster speak for him.
"What a lovely couple," commented Tarkin as Luke led the princess to
join him and the Emperor. "Princess, you don't know how hard
I found it to
sign the order for your termination. But your taciturnity leaves
me no option."
//FATHER!//
//All part of the greater plan, my son. Don't shout like a panicked
child. She
will be yours.//
Leia stood firm, an uncompromisingly haughty look on her face, but the
hand on
Luke's arm tightened imperceptibly.
"Before your execution, I would like you to be my guest at a ceremony
that will make this battlestation operational. No system will
dare oppose
the Emperor now."
She managed to glare at both of the men before her. "The more
you tighten
your grip, the more systems will slip through your fingers."
"Not after we demonstrate the power of this station. In a way,
you have
determined the choice of the planet that will be destroyed first.
Since
you are reluctant to tell us the location of the rebel base, we have
chosen
to test the destructive power on your home plaent of Alderaan."
The familiar blue and white marble gleamed outside the viewport.
Han clutched
the rail a little tighter, and Leia's fingers closed a little more
of the arm
she still held.
"No! You can't. Alderaan is peaceful, we have no weapons--"
Tarkin overrode her, "You would prefer another target? A military
target?
Then name the system. I grow tired of asking this, so it will
be the last time."
The tall man advanced on her, forcing her to step back and to the side,
putting her against Lord Vengar's chest. "Where is the Rebel
base?"
"Dantooine. They're on Dantooine." The Princess looked brokenly
at the floor,
taking in only the firm warmth behind her.
"You see, my lords? She can be reasonable. Proceed with
the operation.
You may fire when ready," he informed the gunnery officer.
"What?" Leia shrieked. Han gripped the railing hard enough
to turn his knuckles
white. Lord Vengar restrained the Princess from assaulting Governor
Tarkin.
"Dantooine is too remote for an effective demonstration, but don't worry,
we will
deal with your Rebel friends soon enough." Tarkin turned away
from her to watch
the procedure.
Lord Vengar still held her shoulder, and as the beam of energy, millions
of times
more powerful than had ever been loosed on the galaxy before, stabbed
toward her world, she turned and buried her face in his tunic so she
would not have to watch the death of all she held dear.
//She is yours if you time the asking properly, my son.// The
mind-voice
held a satisfied smile. Luke matched it with one of his own,
seen only by his father.