E Rafiel asked at the bar for a man by the name of Han Solo. She was then directed to go talk with a large, hirsute beast who sat alone in the crowded place. Living on Ord Mantell got you used to a wide variety of life forms fast, but E was still a little nervous about approaching a Wookiee. She'd heard all the usual portside yarns that described them as fierce, quick-tempered brutes. She stepped meekly up to the table and the Wookiee, who seemed to be lost in thought, looked up and focused his serene blue eyes upon her.

"I am looking for Han Solo," she spoke softly. "I was told that you are his first mate?"

The Wookiee grunted and nodded. Ever wary of a bounty hunter's tricks, he waited for her to say more.

E Rafiel realized that she wasn't going to be able to understand a single syllable the great beast uttered. "I, uh, have to talk with him. Where can I find him?"

Chewbacca shook his head. Solo wouldn't appreciate an interruption right now.

"It's important," Rafiel squeaked.

Chewie tapped a large finger on his chest. The girl seemed to understand that she'd have to tell him how important it was.

E Rafiel bit her lip. What if this Wookiee was not a rebel? Did she dare to speak of these matters with just anyone? Drawing a deep breath, she sat down and decided to chance it. Perhaps the name alone would do, without saying too much. "It's about Leia..." Rafiel flinched as the first mate surged to his feet. Oh, no, now you've done it!she thought helplessly. If he's not a rebel, he's going to shoot you right now.She considered going for her stunner, but found soon that she needn't have.

The towering anthropoid made an unmistakable "follow me" gesture and led the way through the rear entrance. She trotted after him to the antigrav lift. Chewbacca impatiently, yet gently, pulled her onto the platform and they rose slowly to the top level.

The apartment into which the Wookiee led them seemed to be empty at first, but the first mate's growls soon brought a dark-haired Corellian man and a woman in from the terrace.

"What is it, Chewie?" the man asked. He didn't seem at all disturbed by their intrusion; such was his faith in his partner's judgment.

The Wookiee howled urgently and pushed Rafiel forward. Solo looked from his partner to the nervous Ordian in sudden concern. He turned abruptly to the other woman and made a brief apology and an obscure promise to look her up in the near future. After he hustled her out the door, Han returned to face Rafiel. "What about Leia?" he asked, his handsome face deadly earnest.

E swallowed and related to Han as best she could the details of Leia's hasty plans to go and meet Emil. Han Solo frowned. "I know that she had to try and find the missing agent," Han told her. "That's her mission."

"Well, it's just that the message said to meet him at the Starfall. And that's a pretty rough area..."

"That's downport, isn't it?" He looked for Chewie's support. "Guess it couldn't hurt to go and take a look for ourselves, could it, Chewie? We might even hear something about the scout pilot." The Wookiee nodded emphatically.

"You stay here!" Han ordered as he and his partner left.

"Yes, sir," E Rafiel whispered. She hoped that she'd done the right thing. At least this Corellian was more of what she'd imagined the heroes of the Alliance would look like.

Leia hadn't come this far to falter now. She stepped into the dark tavern and pushed her way through the motley patrons with a confidence that she knew was false. She had a strong feeling that something was wrong. As far as she could see in the small dimly lit den, Emil was not there. No! Wait! There was a lone figure who sat on a small stool behind a table of rough-looking natives. He met her inquisitive gaze and Leia recognized him as the man she was searching for. She could tell that he recognized her, too. He stood up and walked slowly towards her.

Emil realized why Captain Krahar had displayed such an obsession with capturing his Alliance contact as soon as he saw her. He must've suspected that it was Leia Organa. Truly a prize. She was standing next to the bar, waiting for him to reach her. He knew that the Imperial spies were probably calling the captain at this very moment. He walked mechanically up to Leia.

Leia reached a hand out to the haggard man who stood before her. "Emil?" It will be all right now,she thought. She would get him off this planet and back to the safety of their base. But when he lifted his eyes, she could see that he was crying and knew, then, that her earlier feelings of dread had been justified. Something was terribly wrong here. There came a sudden commotion from the back of the bar and from the front.

"I'm...sorry," Emil croaked.

Leia didn't need to see them to know that there were stormtroopers converging on her from all sides. She just stared at the haunted eyes that could no longer meet her own. He backed away as strong hands grabbed her arms. An Imperial officer, a lieutenant, came up and inspected her face. She stared back coldly.

"Ah, good. Emil, you've done very well. Captain Krahar will be pleased." He ordered a trooper to remove her cloak. They then confiscated her laser and searched her. The patrons of the bar were enjoying the show. Several rude remarks reached her ears as she endured the public humiliation of the trooper's unprofessional groping.

After they were finished, the lieutenant ordered the men to take both Emil and the princess back to SPC Security. The troopers marched them out the door and away. Leia glimpsed Threepio as she was pushed through the door. There was only one chance!

"No!" she shouted, and tried to break away from her captors, "I don't want to go to Space Port Central Security! Let me go!" Her guards subdued her roughly, laughing at her foolish attempt at escape. Leia continued to struggle feebly. Threepio, unnoticed by the Imperials, turned abruptly and headed in the opposite direction.

The droid was moving along at his best speed, but he knew it was going to take him too long to get back to Nida's and time was of the essence here. He dithered to himself about not being able to use public transport unless accompanied by a human until he caught sight of a moving walkway that marked the end of this less-than-desirable section of Jettee-Fel. With a mechanical sigh of relief, he stepped aboard it and was sped away.

Han Solo and Chewbacca were driving as fast as they could along the coast. Solo was muttering crossly about the evening traffic. Chewie pointed out that they really didn't know if Leia needed their help.

"You know, Chewie," he said as if he hadn't heard the Wookiee, "I thought that Luke was the impulsive one. She should've at least asked us to tag along. That droid certainly ain't gonna be much help." He shouted a curse at another driver who cut them off. "After she had to ditch that speeder, I shouldn't have let her go off alone. She needs my luck."

Chewie reminded his partner that the princess knew too well how he felt about "getting involved."

"We're here, aren't we? If that's not involved, I don't know what it is."

"Why don't you tell her?"Chewie asked.

"She's just rubbing our noses in it, Chewie. She knows."

"Your nose, Captain, and I don't think so."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means,"Chewie explained, "that in all the years I have known you, you have never lied to me--yet you continue to deny that any of this means anything to you..."

"You know how I feel about causes!" Han scowled.

"Yes, I do, and that leads me to believe that it is your feelings for Leia that keep you with the Alliance."

Han's mouth dropped open and he struggled for a convenient denial. "Leia! Nah! It's Luke. Someone's got to keep an eye on the kid..."

"Then how come we're not on that probe mission to Hoth?"

Han swerved to avoid a collision with a hoverbus. He knew that Chewie was right and he couldn't lie. Not to Chewie. "Sith take me," he said sheepishly. "First Nida, now you..." Han shifted uneasily. "Do you think--I mean...am I really broadcasting that strong?"

Chewie chuckled and hooted. "Nida and I know you very well. It is apparent to such as us. Not to others, like Leia, although, she does smell very receptive to your pheromones. That is why I can't understand your reluctance."

"What?!" Solo couldn't believe his ears. "I don't have phero--"

"Yes, you do."

There was no use in arguing the finality of Chewbacca's statement. His senses couldn't be denied. If there was something to smell, he could smell it.

"Well, that's just a biological function, a...physical manifestation."

Chewie nodded. "And physical receptivity does not necessarily mean emotional receptivity. Which seems to be important in this case..."

"Well...yeah, it is." Solo was slowly recovering from the shock. So, Chewbacca can smell when I'm...on the make? That was all?

"Hey, I have to admit that Leia's a great-looking gal, but so was, ah, what's-her-face back there at Nida's."

The Wookiee gave him a knowing look. "If all you wanted was to mate with Leia, and I know that you do, then you would've done it by now."

Han Solo didn't answer. Was that all that was lacking here? Emotional receptivity? He wondered if his partner was as adept at sensing that as well as hormonal changes.

They were approaching the shabby streets of the downport section of Jette-Fel. "Hey!" Han hit the retros. "Isn't that Threepio?"

The tall droid was whizzing towards them on a moving pedal belt. Leia was not with him. Han stood up in the speeder and waved an arm widely. He ignored the angry driver who had nearly rear-ended him. "Hey! Tin-Head!"

Threepio started in recognition of the less-than-flattering hail, and without the proper calculations, stepped off the speeding belt. Han and Chewie cringed at the resultant crash. They jumped out of the speeder and went to help the droid. As they pulled the battered protocol mechanism to his feet, he sputtered, "Oh, Captain Solo! It was awful and there was not a thing I could do to stop it!"

"I'm not surprised..."

"I was following my previous orders and coming to find you!"

"Where's Leia?" he snapped.

"She and Emil Sonel were just taken to Space Port Security. The nearest offices, I think. You see, it was a trap."

"Uh-huh. How many were there?"

"Ten stormtroopers and two Ordian officers."

"All right! You go back to the room at Nida's," Han instructed shortly. "Wait there."

"Are you sure I might not help in some way, sir?"

"Just stay out of my way, goldenrod." Han wrinkled his nose. "And take a bath or something!"

Upon reaching the SPC Security offices, Captain Krahar had studied his prize with great satisfaction. "Well done! Well done, indeed," he gloated. "I don't suppose that you'd tell us anything, would you?" He lifted Leia's chin with a none-too-gentle finger. She jerked her head away and said nothing. "I didn't think so," Medon observed. "Take them away."

Leia paced her cell. No one had spoken much on the way to this detention area. She glanced at Emil, who sat in a corner, head low upon his chest. She was certain that the cell was monitored, so asking Emil about what he had learned was out of the question. If he had any valuable information, it was as good as gone. She maintained her silence, unable to trust herself to speak of anything but business right now. Hopefully, Threepio would have gone back to alert Han and Chewbacca. If she had any hope at all, it now lay with those two. No doubt, the whole network operating here would soon crumble. Unless E Rafiel managed to escape detection.

I guess I botched it,she thought miserably. I should've suspected Emil...no, that's not true. How could I have believed anything other than what I had been told? It's Emil. He cracked.

She moved closer to the defeated man and knelt on the floor before him. If she were going to fail here, she would at least have some answers first. Slowly, his face came up. His eyes spoke of pain and anguish. And guilt?wondered Leia. She searched his hopeless countenance.

"Why?" she whispered. He turned his head, looked away. Leia tried to control the anger but this was the man who had betrayed her! He owed her an explanation. She raised her voice. "Why? Damn you! How could you do this?" The words rang out hollowly in the cell. Emil cringed. When Leia spoke again, she couldn't disguise the disgust in her voice. "What could they have offered you? Your life? You couldn't be so gullible. This is the Empire we're dealing with!" When no reply was forthcoming, she stood and retreated. She tried to clear her mind. It was useless to take out her frustrations on the pitiful creature that shared her captivity.

"Not...my...life," came the low voice from behind Leia. She turned to face him once again. He was staring up at her, the pain in his eyes escaping to color his words. "Not my life," he said again a little more harshly. "I gave that up when I began. They killed my wife--"

"They destroyed my people!" Leia declared bitterly. "My planet!"

"And were you there? Did you hear their cries, their pleas?" Emil got to his feet and let his own anger rise as well. "Did it tear you apart when you were helpless to aid them? Would you have saved them if you could? Do you still wonder if there had been any other choice you might've made? Were you so sure of yourself, of all that rested on your decision?"

"I had to be," she replied in a lower voice. "We all have to be." Emil's words were cutting deeper than he'd ever guess. Leia had crossed those bridges long ago, but that didn't stop his remarks from hurting. No one had ever dared accuse Leia of having made the wrong decision concerning Alderaan. Only in the dreams...only the dead...

"I was sure," Emil said sadly. "I was sure all the while they asked me their questions. I was sure and prepared to take my secrets to the grave. Even when they tortured her, I was silent. She was innocent. She had no idea of who or what I was to you people, yet for my benefit, they tortured her to death. And I said nothing! All the while, I could hear her screaming and begging me to ease her torment, and I kept my oath. I couldn't even tell her--" He choked on the rest of his words. He was sobbing again. All the anger, all the strength it gave, was gone. The princess moved a little closer to him. She laid a small hand upon his arm as if to apologize for her harsh words.

"Go on," she urged softly.

"When she died, I was glad. I thought it was over and I longed for death myself. But they threatened my daughter--"

Leia felt the rest of her own anger fade away as she realized how powerful the conflicting forces within this man were. His eyes pleaded for her understanding, for her forgiveness.

"She's only...only a baby!"

Then Leia remembered the two-dimensional likeness. A woman and a child. Suddenly, she could understand, she could forgive. She put her arms around Emil and hugged him. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

He returned her embrace. He spoke of his final decision. "I couldn't go through it again," he cried. "She's just a baby...I gave them the only thing of value that I had. I had to do it...I had to!"

Leia tightened her arms around him, wondering if the child was safe now. She hoped so. One small good thing would come out of all this.

"I know I was a fool to believe them."

"No, Emil," she murmured gently. "They have what they want. She'll be fine. She'll be just fine. Don't worry."

"Deep inside," Sonel said hoarsely, "deep inside, I think my wife knew that there was a purpose behind it all of which I couldn't speak. That she hadn't suffered for nothing...but a child...a child couldn't possibly know that. She couldn't ever understand."

Leia nodded.

Chewbacca slunk quietly between the Security Patrol speeders. With practiced ease, he located and disengaged their starters. He heard footsteps and then quickly dropped to the ground and rolled under a dormant vehicle. The steps paused. Chewie looked nervously up into a thruster shunt, hoping that whoever it was out there wasn't going to start up the speeder under which he hid. He heard the footsteps receding. Cautiously, the large Wookiee's head poked up and peered into the darkness. He returned to his task.

Han Solo waited until two stormtroopers disappeared around the corner, then ran to the rear of the Security offices. He swung the small grappling hook on its line and released it in a long arc to the roof. Testing its hold, Han quickly deemed it satisfactory and began the climb to the top. Once there, he left the rope hanging and found the power lines that led into the building from a solar disc. He studied the various cables, unsure of which was which. He wondered if he couldn't have let Chewie take this job instead of the speeders.

With a sudden comprehension, he identified the slow feed cable leading to the solar cells that stored power for the dark sunless hours. Pulling a small tool out of his pocket, he disconnected it.

He thought he'd probably have about five minutes before they began to lose power and tried to figure out why. Han trotted to the edge of the roof and looked down into the row of parked speeders. A dark shape moved away from them and waved reassuringly. Han gave Chewie the high sign and turned to climb back down.

The captain was working a computer terminal himself. The operator stood by while Krahar called up data on Leia Organa from the Imperial banks. The screen flickered, then dissolved into meaningless test patterns.

"Now what's wrong?" he demanded of the operator.

"Sir, it could be a power ebb while we switch to nocturnal reserves."

But the screen never cleared. Before Krahar could order the man to check it out, a commotion in the outer room drew his attention. He stepped through the door and was greeted by the sight of a huffing and puffing spacer. The man was rumpled and leaning heavily on the officer's desk.

"Ya gotta help me," he panted. "He's trying to kill me!"

"Who is?" asked the duty officer.

"That blasted Wookiee!" Solo explained. "The governor's friend, you know?"

"What's going on here?" Krahar stepped up to Solo.

"It was just a harmless little card game, I tell ya!" Han spread his hands helplessly and well away from his blaster. "Those Wookiees, though, they have terrible short tempers."

A ferocious howl was heard from out in the street, followed by blaster fire.

"Yeeeooow!" Solo cried in mock terror and leapt behind a desk as if to hide. The Wookiee roars got louder.

Krahar's eyes narrowed in disgust at the Corellian's cowardice. The governor's friend? A Wookiee? However unlikely, it wouldn't do to upset a guest of the governor. He gestured to the door.

"Go and subdue that beast!" he ordered the troopers who had gathered. "And restrain this man." He pointed at Solo and suddenly the lights went out.

Han Solo spun on his heel; shouting "Run for your life!" he exited down the hall toward the detention cells. The troops were obviously confused by all this happening at once. They hesitated until Krahar's sharp tones prodded them into action. He sent two men after Solo and ordered the rest out to find the mad Wookiee.

"Damn spacers!" he muttered.

The lights dimmed and Leia looked up in surprise. Odd,she thought. She was experiencing that strange sensation in the back of her mind again. Something was up. Something was going to happen. Without questioning her instincts, she stood up. "Emil! Get up!"

The man did so. "What is it?" he asked.

"I don't know," she frowned, feeling a bit silly until the sounds of laser fire came to them, muffled by the cell walls. They stepped back as the door to their cell began to smoke and whine. Emil wondered briefly why the princess was smiling.

Han was cursing himself for not realizing that a power outage would lock up the doors to a security installation. He grabbed the gun from the guard he'd just shot and started burning his way through the lock. When it opened, Leia rushed out.

"You all right?"

"I am now, thank you!" She was followed by a very shaken-looking young man.

"This Emil?" Solo asked, as if the man were not a sentient life form.

"Yes," Leia replied.

At that, Han angrily pushed Sonel up against the door. "Why, you!" he snarled, "I ought to--"

"Han! Stop!" Leia ordered tersely.

Solo released his hold on Emil, his eyes fixing the man with a deadly glare. "We gotta get out of here," he stated flatly.

"No!" Emil's eyes were fired with a new hope. "Your blaster!" He held his hand out for the weapon.

"Are you crazy?!" Han asked. "After what you did?"

Leia could see that there was only one other occupied cell in the detention area. She decided not to waste time arguing. She grabbed Solo's blaster from his holster and tossed it to Emil.

Han was taken completely by surprise. "Just what the hell do you think--"

Emil went to the other cell just as the two troopers arrived to apprehend their frightened Corellian. Han jerked the blaster up and fired at them. They dove for cover. One didn't make it. The other went to find help.

"Emil! Hurry!" Leia called.

Sweat dripped down Emil's forehead as he worked feverishly over the lock. Leia joined him, as Han was relieving the second dead man of his weapon. He ran up to them and pushed Leia aside. He then added a second blaster's fire to the lock. Finally, the door came apart.

Inside was a very frightened child. Her eyes puffy from both sleep and tears, she whimpered, "Daddy..." Emil bounded into the cell and scooped her into his arms. Han and Leia led the way out of detention.

Meanwhile, Chewbacca was laying flat on top of the building directly across from SPC Security. He howled mightily and fired at the troopers who scurried out of the offices. He stood up and ran to the edge of the rooftop and leaped to the next building. He laughed a Wookiee laugh as the troopers followed him below. Chewie turned to lay down more fire before leading them further away from the entrance of SPC Security.

The man who'd escaped the detention area burst into the front office where Krahar was watching the men in the street outside. "It's a break, sir! L-197 fell to fire."

Krahar's head snapped around. "Organa? Sonel?"

"They're loose, sir!"

The captain realized then that the Wookiee was just a diversion. He ordered the man from detention to go out and instruct the troopers to shoot to kill and bring back some reinforcements. As the trooper left, Krahar unholstered his own weapon and tried to put out a call to his own men, but the lines were all dead. He sought cover behind a desk and waited for someone to appear at the door leading to the holding area. It would be a long wait, though, for not being familiar with the Triordian building's layout, he didn't realize that there were several other rooms off the main corridor. And these were not high security. They had windows.