It had been several months since the battle on Endor that resulted in the death of Emperor Palpatine and the collapse of the Empire, but there had been little time to rest for members of the former Rebel Alliance. Small Imperial factions were scattered throughout the galaxy. Some, so far out that news of the Empire's demise had not yet reached them. Others, forging on regardless, believing that rumours of the Alliance's success were exaggerated. Comfortable in their own pockets of power, they enforced their long held oppressive ideals with dogged loyalty. Mon Mothma, feeling strongly that the Emperor had managed to gain much of his power due to complacency within the Republic, was keen to re-order the new government; giving each world the chance to lead so as not to put power into the hands of one person again. With a view to de-militarising the Alliance forces and leaving defence of member worlds to the worlds themselves, she was in the process of recalling the fleet and decommissioning them, leaving small groups based on several worlds to co-ordinate a clean up operation.

One such base was onThyfeera, a planet in the Jaso System on the Inner Rim. During the Clone Wars, Thyfeera had been the main site of Bacta production and control of this production had been fought over for many years resulting in the brutal Bacta War. Now under the banner of the New Republic, Thyfeera had seemed an ideal place for a small but secret Alliance settlement. Thyfeera's tropical atmosphere, with it's spectacular mountains and lush forests, made it reasonably comfortable for humans and machines alike; unlike some of the bases the Alliance had had to endure, such as the frozen world of Hoth. Thyfeera's intricate network of caves had enabled the Alliance to set up a base hidden in the mountainside, unobtrusive to the rest of the inhabitants, and a convenient spot from which to run supplies to other nearby systems. With landing platforms jutting out into the open air and surrounding plateaux, the base was shielded from the more inhabited regions by a belt of rocky mountains.

#

Han Solo was standing on top of his ship, the Millennium Falcon, parked on one of the smaller landing platforms. He was enjoying the late afternoon sunshine as he made repairs to a transformer for the communications array. Holding safety goggles to his face and soldering the wires in place, he had a lot on his mind. Once reckless smuggler turned General of the Alliance during the battle of Endor, he had stayed on to help where he could, leading several sorties to clean up imperial factions, and running cargo and supplies in the Falcon to Alliance satellite groups set up in other systems.

He was tired and feeling a little frustrated with his lot. His ship needed new parts, much of which the Alliance had been supplying, but he could do with taking it to his contacts on Takodana. He could always rely on them to supply the specially modified parts he liked that made the Falcon a customised and unusually weaponised freighter. On top of this, he had had no time to spend with the one woman who had been responsible for getting him into all this in the first place, and with whom he had unexpectedly fallen in love.

Leia Organa had her own duties to perform. Her sought after experience kept her busy co-ordinating Alliance movements from their main base, or travelling to the seat of the newly formed Republic on Chandrila, Mon Mothma's home world, as ambassador and representative in order to push her cause and raise support for her continued fight to rid the galaxy of Imperial remnants.

Leia was a passionate and driven woman whom he found infuriating and incredible all at the same time. She got inside his head; her beauty, her versatility, her tenacious resolve to do good and her annoying ability to make more sense than he did. She wasn't like any woman he had ever known before or would have imagined ever having a relationship with but they had an unmistakeable chemistry, and she had managed to steal his loyalty and his heart. If he was being honest with himself, he would have to admit he had loved her from the moment he saw her during their escape from the Death Star, even though she had spent the majority of the first few years they had known each other, yelling at him.

Han was awaiting her imminent return from one such diplomatic trip. Her ship was on it's final approach to the system, he had been informed, and he was eager to see her face again.

Chewbacca, his co-pilot and old friend, appeared below and called up to him in Shryiiwook to ask how the repair was going.

"It's done. Try it now." Han replied and the Wookie disappeared inside the Falcon again. A moment later, he returned and gave Han a positive sounding growl and the equivalent of a thumbs up to indicate the array was now working. "Great Chewie. Let's move on to the hyper-drive checks then."

Han started to pack away the soldering kit when the sound of ship engines could be heard in the distance. He looked up, shielding his eyes from the sun and could see the Vohemar coming in low over the trees on approach to it's landing platform, some way from the Falcon. It was a Corellian CR-90 Corvette class ship, approximately five times larger than the Falcon and had been in Leia's service since the Battle of Endor. An old ship, with countless battle scars from it's various fire-fights, most of which Leia had been present for, it was still functional. Leia liked the familiarity of using it rather than any of the faster, newer options that had been offered to her. Taking a newer ship that could be put to more effective use than going backwards and forwards on diplomatic trips, would have been, she had said, a waste of resources when the Vohemar was perfectly serviceable. She knew the ship and it's capabilities and trusted the crew, who had been with her for many years and, besides, it reminded her of the Tantive IV; the same class of ship she was aboard when she left her fated planet of Alderaan. That gave her comfort.

The sun reflected off it's outer hull as it manoeuvred into position and settled gently onto the landing platform, steam erupting from it's underside servos. The roar of the engines died down to a low hum as the side hatch opened and two Alliance soldiers exited the ship to stand either side of the ramp. They were followed by a tall, smartly dressed female senatorial aide.

Commander Eldon Blake had risen up the ranks quickly, catching Leia's eye as an acutely intelligent and trustworthy confident; just the sort of qualities Leia looked for in an assistant. Her uniform was pristinely presented, a deep maroon colour with shining buckles down the front of her jacket, but her build was in sharp contrast to that of her employer. She was easily as tall as Han, at approximately six foot and some, and roughly the same age, with an athletic figure and ash blonde hair sharply tied back from her face.

Han watched the entourage intently, squinting into the sunshine, and eventually, his vigilance was rewarded. Leia's diminutive figure emerged from inside the ship, her full length robes of office appearing first as she walked down the ramp. Her long dark hair was braided in a high bun with a single braid hanging down the back of her cream cloak to her waist. Han's heart leapt at the sight of her. Flanked now by her entourage, her Alderaanian royal insignia sparkling in the sunshine on the front of her blue dress, her walk was characteristically regal and determined and her robes flowed, almost like water, as she moved.

Nearing the Falcon, she glanced up, mid-conversation with Blake, spotted Han and waved. She detoured to talk to him. Blake remaining a little way off to give her some privacy. He crouched down, still clutching a hydro-spanner and leant his arms on his knees.

Chewbacca simultaneously appeared on the ramp of the Falcon. Growling a happy greeting, he hurried down to hug her, his enormous furry arms enveloping her affectionately and messing up her hair.

"Hi Chewie. How's it going?" she laughed. Chewbacca growled a long explanation, gesturing to Han and shaking his head as if to say that Han had kept him busy with repairs for too long. "Really?" Leia grinned. "He's waited all day to see me?" Chewbacca nodded and growled a see you later then went inside the Falcon again. He was always sensitive to leaving the two of them alone.

Smiling broadly,Leia brushed a wayward strand of hair from her face and looked up at Han.

"All day?" she called up to him, jokingly

"He exaggerates," Han defended, and they both laughed.

"You're back early. How did the trip go?" Leia enquired.

"No problems. A simple drop and run," he replied, smiling back at her. "How about yours?" Leia looked a little reticent and sighed.

"Oh, you know how these things are." Han did. He had accompanied her on some of them and the political wrangling and petty individual agendas were far too much for him. It went straight over his head and he couldn't understand how Leia managed to keep her patience while she was negotiating deals. If it was left to him, he would have shot some of them by now. Given half the chance though, he was sure she would have shot some of them too but she was a highly trained diplomat, and exceptional control was part of the job.

"Everyone seems too pre-occupied with setting up the New Republic government that they have forgotten the fact that we still need the Alliance fleet to clean up the left overs of the Empire. One success, albeit a large one, and they think it's all over." Her voice raised slightly in frustration. "I've tried to secure a little funding and I have managed to gain support from a few Senators but not enough really,"she continued. She was looking tired from the long trip, he observed.

"Luke not with you?" Han asked. He knew Luke had accompanied her on this trip and was surprised he hadn't been with her when she returned.

"He stayed to sort out some of his own matters. He'll be back soon." She sounded vague.

"Are you going tohave some time to yourself now? You look like you could use some rest," he enquired hopefully. He was concerned for her tendency to overwork but was also keen to grab some personal time with her.

"I've been called to a meeting in the Command Centre with General Madine, something about strange activity near here, so I have no idea."

"I want to talk to you." Han said, just as Eldon Blake approached and spoke quietly to her. Leia listened then turned back to Han

"I'm sorry. I have to go. They're waiting for me." She gave him a resigned shrug. "I'll catch up with you later on, Okay?"

"Okay," he smiled wryly and watched her as she went inside the base at a brisk walk. Always in demand, he thought. It was a little unfair of them not to allow her time to herself. She was one of their most highly skilled leaders, but she wouldn't be much good to them exhausted.

#

In the Command Centre, there was the usual buzz. Personnel listened and replied to chatter over the comms channels with other personnel of outlying bases, their distant and distorted voices echoing round the cavern room.

Sparsely equipped with mismatched, ageing consoles and machinery, the command centre was dimly lit and a green glow from the central display console lit up the faces of a group of military personnel gathered around it.

Several of them looked up as Leia and Blake wended their way round display consoles and desks to the central display, one moving towards Leia in a greeting; a bearded man whose red hair was beginning to dull with middle age.

"Princess. It's good to see you. I trust your flight was uneventful." General Madine shook her hand. One of the generals who orchestrated the Battle of Endor, Madine had known Leia professionally and personally for many years. She trusted him implicitly and valued his counsel so was delighted when he had accepted the role to stay with her onThyfeera rather than accept a commission elsewhere.

"It was, General. Sadly, so was my meeting but that's a story for later. What do you have to show me?" Madine turned to the console, pulling up a holo-image of the landscape of a planet on the outer rim.

"Our scouting party on Rattatak have reported some unusual activity. Speaking to local sources, it seems that they have had some disappearances which cannot be explained."

"Disappearances?"Leia said enquiringly. The general indicated the holo-image as several spots appeared, indicating different settlement locations.

"It seems that some of the inhabitants have been going missing from these areas over a period of several months, they say. There were vague reports of sightings of Imperial transports but our scouts haven't been able to confirm that. All they can say is that those reporting the sightings have said they were heading out towards the Codian Moon."

"Strange." Leia mused. "The Codian Moon. There's not much there. Just asteroids. No settlements."

"That's not all. They have uncovered a document which they have been told might hold an Imperial code. If we can decipher it, it might be able to shed more light on what's happening."

"Can we see it?" Leia asked. Another officer answered her.

"The scouts are bringing it back as we speak, Your Highness. It's contained on an ancient transcript, not electronic, and in a language they can't translate." Leia was interested now. That was a very old and unusual method of passing information. Not one she had thought the Empire was familiar with using. "They should be here by the morning," the commander continued. "We thought you would want to look at it as soon as possible."

"Thank you, commander. I would. Let me or Commander Blake know as soon as it arrives."

"Yes, Your Highness." The commander turned his attention to a lieutenant who was waiting to speak to him. General Madine took Leia aside.

"There has been mention of slavery," he said quietly. "Something that was more rife a number of years ago when you were campaigning against the practice but not impossible to imagine now. I just hope it's not the case."

Leia had spent her early years, when the Alliance was still young, running covert missions with her father specifically to disrupt slave trade routes. The Empire commonly used the money from such ill-gotten gains to finance itself, and anti-slavery was a cause particularly close to her heart. She abhorred the practice.

"I had hoped we had cut off most of the slave traders by now." Leia sounded confused. "The main slave operations were the spice mines on Kessel and Alzoc III but I thought we had wiped out those establishments long ago. I can't see a reason for it. I'll need to look at this document and then we might be more enlightened." She continued, almost in a whisper. "Incidentally, the information you provided while I was on Chandrila may be more than coincidence now that I hear this. I have asked Luke to look into it. However, I would rather we keep it between us for the moment until we know more." The general nodded.

"I thought the same. Let me know what he uncovers then."

"Certainly, general." Then, slightly louder she said, "Unfortunately, my meeting on Chandrila didn't result in more resources. It seems that many worlds are reluctant to let us hold on to their ships any longer and Mon Mothma is under pressure to return troops to their loved ones. I can't blame them really, but it puts us in a difficult situation should we need reinforcements quickly."

"Let's hope we don't need the extra troops for this situation." The general looked concerned.

A second general interjected.

"We've had to send out most of our X-Wings to support the transport of refugees back tothe Hosnian system and we are running dangerously low on supplies. Don't the council realise our situation?" General Kobar, a rotund Besalisk, sounded angry, the wattle under his chin inflating and deflating furiously. "They should spend more time on bases like this and see what we have to deal with."

"I understand, general and, with regards to some, I would agree with you, but Mon Mothma has seen her share of battle and knows the sacrifices we are all making. It's difficult to be the one to make these tough decisions sometimes." Leia tried to explain but she knew how hard it was for military personnel, managing for months under difficult circumstances, to see what they perceived to be privileged people making decisions that affected them. She had been accused of it herself, and most of the personnel on Thyfeera hadn't had any downtime since Endor. "We'll all have to muck in, general, that's all. We'll manage." She tried Luke's reassuring technique. It was more to convince herself than General Madine or General Kobar but it seemed to work. "Why don't you run over the current positions of all our personnel and tell me the state of the supplies and I will see whether I can find a solution to take the pressure off a little. Perhaps I can get General Solo to suggest some good sources of cheap supplies."

She took General Kobar aside by one of his four arms with a side glance at General Madine who smiled and turned his attention to the holo-display. This was going to take several hours, she realised, and she would have no time for refreshment this evening. Still, what was one more meal if her time meant she improved moral.