Missing and Presumed Dead

Breaking Apart

She would not win.

Leia knew that the instant her decision was made. As confident as she was as a warrior, she had never truly trained in the art of the Force. Not beyond the minimal training Vader had given them, and not beyond what she'd seen Luke do. She was beginning to regret not taking Master Yoda up on his offer to train her.

But she couldn't undo the past. And as terrified as she was, she knew she'd made the right decision.

At least...if Vader had any chance of surviving, she'd made the right decision.

She could feel Luke pounding against her mental shields, but she kept him locked out, building up her walls as she took deep breaths, preparing for what she needed to do.

Luke is dead.

It was something she needed to believe, even though it was very obviously a lie. She knew Vader could sense it when she lied, so it stood to reason that the Emperor would have the same ability. But what if she believed something so thoroughly?

It was the only plan she had for protecting her brother. She had to hope it would work.

Luke is dead.

Luke is dead.

Luke is dead.

With each repetition, she imagined his broken body, of the feel of his warm blood staining her hands. She vividly pictured the sense of his bright presence in the Force fading to nothing, and the image she conjured up, of what had almost happened and what could still happen if she failed, was enough to leave her chest hollow.

But she didn't let it go. Not as she stumbled towards...somewhere. She wasn't sure where. She'd only bothered to look for the nearest escape pod route, not where the Emperor would potentially show up if he arrived.

Wait.

She paused, reaching into the Force for Vader. Even now, his mind was completely closed off to her, impenetrable of all thought and feeling. She wouldn't be able to communicate to him...

But she could sense a general direction of where he was.

How could she not, when she'd had plenty of time to get used to the coldness of his presence?

Her throat tightened, knowing what would likely happen.

For Luke. She thought, pulling out her comm link. Sure enough, there were plenty of missed calls from Luke already. For...for...

For our father.

He would never be the father she loved and missed dearly. She would never fully trust him, let alone forgive him. He didn't deserve it.

But whether she liked it or not, he had helped bring her into this world. And Luke was right--there was good in him. Even if she hated to admit it.

So maybe she could try to save him, since Luke couldn't.

Rejecting another call from Luke, she instead punched in the Admiral's contact information. She didn't know the full situation, but if this were to work, she'd need his help--

"Are you insane?!" were the first words the Admiral hissed when he picked up. There was no image, and there was quite a bit of noise in the background. "If the Emperor sees I've left--"

"You're loyal to my father, aren't you?" she interrupted, using her best, authoritative voice.

The Admiral paused. "Yes. I'd give him my life. Which is why I don't understand why you haven't--"