“A moment of your time, Empress Organa?”

Leia opened her eyes and saw Zuckuss standing before her. The masked, insectoid leader of Viddu’s Hounds bowed politely, but she sensed predatory intentions. She could feel the threads of his aura whipping around like a nest of serpents; she had no doubt Zuckuss was Force-sensitive. Though the bounty hunter probably did not know anything about the Force, she could guess that he had probably learned to trust his instincts, and also had a knack for getting his way in most situations. Though he seemed decrepit, she knew it would be better not to underestimate him.

“Of course, Mister Zuckuss,” she said, forcing a smile.

They stood before the wide entrance of the upper landing pad of Vader’s Fortress, which overlooked the smoldering Gahenn Plains, a tormented landscape bleeding through open veins of fire where smoke rose in thick columns. Nevertheless, blue sky could be seen beyond the dark roof of ash, lending a sort of lifeless beauty to the land. She had hoped meditating in this spot would calm her, for she did not look forward to what she had to do.

“Your Majesty,” said Zuckuss, “I heard you were able to apprehend Luke and his Imperial accomplices. This pleases me greatly. I only hope… well, were we of some help in this task?”

“You were,” said Leia. “Who knows how things might have gone without your assistance?”

“Ah-h-h!” Zuckuss shook his head. “I hate to imagine trained killers loyal to the fallen Empire overpowering what paltry security this place provides. And then going on a rampage, I’m sure!”

“Well. The day is saved, it seems.”

“Indeed, indeed.” Zuckuss hesitated, and Leia felt the bounty hunter’s aura coiling before the strike. “But if I may ask, Your Majesty… what do you plan on doing with Luke?”

Leia immediately sensed the danger that would follow an honest response. “He will be punished,” she said, hoping to throw him off with a vague response.

“I see. I see. And so he should be! So he should be. Only… I wonder if the New Republic has the means to punish such a man?”

“What do you mean, Zuckuss?”

“Just that… well, my esteemed employer, Viddu the Hutt, has something of an interest in that man. It seems Luke Skywalker has been in trouble before.”

“Oh? What have you heard?”

“It is well-known among the Hutt Cartel that Luke Skywalker slaughtered Jabba the Hutt, as well as many of his loyal followers. In fact, he sent in his friends beforehand in order to weaken Jabba and gain his trust. Then Luke turned on him, murdering him in cold blood.”

Leia’s stomach tightened on a hard knot of ice. Just the mention of the monster’s name was enough to send a part of her spiraling into a dark tunnel which seemed to have no bottom. What made her disorientation even worse was that there was another part of her, something strange and domineering, which felt an almost sexual rush at the thought of the creature. She felt sick even as heat rushed into her loins. She took in a deep breath, covering her shame with anger.

“What has that to do with me?” she snapped.

“Forgive me, Empress, it’s just that… in the New Republic, Luke was exiled for ideological reasons. But in the worlds ruled by the Hutt Cartel, Luke is wanted for many, many counts of murder. While you may have disagreements on policy with Luke, my employer has an obligation to see that justice is done to that killer. Actual justice, Your Majesty.”

Looking beyond the little bounty hunter and focusing on the scorched plains, Leia forced her emotions into a deep, dark pit. “I must speak with him first,” she said. “Then I will decide his fate.”

* * *

Catching her in the hallway, Lando could not help but notice the look of annoyance that Leia failed to hide. As if he did not already have enough to worry about with keeping this facility running, now this conflict between friends had fallen into his lap. He did not appreciate having his loyalty pulled in different directions, and seeing Leia look at him like he was some annoying door-to-door salesman really twisted the knife. He stopped short and Artoo bumped into his legs, beeping in surprise before spotting Leia and falling silent.

“Leia!” said Lando. “Er, Empress Organa - I’m glad I found you.”

Leia signaled to her two escorts, tall Republican Guards in flowing violet robes. Without a word the masked guards nodded, then made their way past Lando. He waited for them to turn a corner in the gleaming black hallway.

“Have you decided what to do with Luke?” said Lando. “Is he okay?”

“He’s fine, Lando,” said Leia. “You needn’t concern yourself.”

“Needn’t… concern myself…?” Lando could not believe what he was hearing. “Leia, this is our friend we’re talking about! You better believe I’m going to concern myself!” Leia opened her mouth to speak, but Lando could almost feel that she was about to say something dismissive. Desperate to get through to her, he continued, saying, “First I hear that Luke’s hanging out with a bunch of stormtroopers, and Han is helping them hide out! Then a bunch of bounty hunters attack them, and they nearly kill Han? Leia, something isn’t adding up here! You have to admit, this isn’t like Luke! He wouldn’t be working with these guys if they were Imps!”

“But he is, Lando,” Leia said, biting off each word. “I tried to warn you and Han about Luke years ago, but neither of you took my concerns seriously. And now look what it’s come to! Even in exile, he’s been orchestrating acts of terror with the enemies of the New Republic.”

Lando gritted his teeth in frustration. “I only went along with your charade because I thought Luke was in trouble! If he’s actually working with these people, then we need to find out what’s going on here! The fact that Chewbacca hasn’t pulled Luke’s accomplices apart should tell us something!”

“Yes, Lando. It tells us that Chewbacca needs to stay here - permanently. You’ll need to take care of him and keep him out of trouble. If he gets dragged into a trial, even I won’t be able to protect him.”

“Woah, keep Chewie here? He’s a Wookiee! He needs space to move, trees, blue sky! This place would be the death of him! You told me-”

“Deals can be altered,” said Leia, leveling her gaze at Lando. “You keep Chewie and Artoo here, away from the public, and away from Han and Luke. I’ll do what I can for Luke, but the people he’s been working with are going to be tried - and executed. The citizens of the New Republic need to see that they will be protected from xenophobia. I will protect our people from human aggression. Especially against Imperials!”

Lando felt deflated. Though he would not lose any sleep over a couple of stormtroopers thrown in prison, he knew that if Luke was working with them, then there must be something to them.

“Imperials,” he muttered. “Are you sure they aren’t just some frustrated humans?”

“Frustrated humans?” Leia snapped. Lando was taken aback. “The era of making excuses for human behavior is over. It ended the day that I took power. You think Imperials are the only problem? Humans have been butchering aliens long before the Empire. Human history is nothing but the subjugation and enslavement of aliens by privileged humans!”

Lando lifted his palms, his mind racing for a way to calm down his old friend. Before he could speak, she pointed a finger at him, and he felt an uncomfortable weight settling in his chest. Instead of finding a way to smooth over the situation, he found it was all he could do to draw in the next breath.

“For thousands of years, humans have pushed everyone else around. And now that we’ve finally created equality between the species, what do the humans do? They lash out with senseless violence! Or, if they’re anything like the scum of Mustafar, they jump off the nearest ledge. They can’t stand a level playing field. They would rather burn to death in molten lava than give any nonhumans a chance. If you want to keep any of these disgusting humans around, then I suggest you keep them drugged up and zoned out, and clicking notifications on their newsfeeds.”

Fighting against the sensation of drowning, Lando forced out, “I don’t… I don’t understand why you…”

“Did you think you were going to negotiate with me, Lando?” As if Leia’s angry outburst had not disturbed him enough, she suddenly adopted an expression of cold condescension. “I know about your little side business. Selling steel to Imperial warlords hiding in the Outer Rim is an offense warranting execution. You’re lucky that we’re old friends, and that I need you to run this facility.”

Lando’s mouth went dry, and he could not stop himself from turning away in discomfort. “They just use it so they can fight each other,” he managed to say, repeating the excuse he often told himself. “And besides, if we keep processed materials lying around, it makes us a target for pirates. I’ve… I’ve often asked for you to bolster the ship-building industry. Maybe then I wouldn’t have to-”

“Create a make-work program of moving steel from one storage facility to another,” said Leia, sighing in frustration. “That will keep your people busy. And it will keep me from having to leave a garrison of Cheka with a Stralucitor in charge of this planet. Is that understood, Lando?”

Leia retracted her finger and Lando immediately felt a weight removed from his chest. He took in a deep breath. Still, he felt no relief. Utterly defeated, he muttered, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting with my brother.”

Lowering his gaze, he saw the rustle of her white robes as the Empress made her way past him.