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The Favor
🕑 Added 2025-01-23 23:22:43 +0000 UTCAfter a while talking to Leia, I felt we were getting closer to our destination. I decided to return to the main cabin to check on the situation. Upon arrival, I observed how we were exiting hyperspace, and the imposing view of Alderaan appeared before us. However, we soon spotted a nearby ship. From its shape, it looked like a light corvette—agile and well-equipped.
Suddenly, turbulence shook the ship with unexpected force. We barely managed to stabilize when Leia, accompanied by R2-D2 and PROXY, quickly appeared at the door.
"Galen, what's happening?" Leia asked, a hint of concern in her tone.
Before I could respond, a firm male voice resonated from the ship’s communicator:
"This is Kilik II from the Organa Fleet. We are informing the unidentified vessel to leave Alderaan airspace immediately. This is a restricted zone. If you do not turn around, we will use lethal force."
The urgency of the situation tensed the atmosphere. Sabine, with a worried look, turned to me.
"Galen, what do we do?" She said in an almost urgent tone.
Without losing my calm, I advanced to the communicator and pressed the button to respond.
"Kilik II, this is Rogue Shadow. Please do not fire. We have Princess Leia Organa aboard," I said firmly.
The communicator remained silent for a few seconds, a pause that felt eternal. Finally, another voice, different from the previous one, came through.
"Leia? Honey, are you there?"
Almost instinctively, Leia hurriedly approached the communication panel.
"Dad! I'm here. Please don’t shoot. The captain of this ship was kind enough to rescue me and bring me back to Alderaan."
"Understood, sweetheart. Don't worry, nothing will happen to you," the voice replied, warm and paternal.
Soon after, the original voice returned to the communicator.
"Rogue Shadow, prepare to dock."
The following minutes passed in tense silence as we carried out the docking maneuvers. When we were finally connected, I headed to the airlock with Sabine, Leia, and her astromech droid.
On the Organa Fleet ship, we were greeted by a middle-aged man, elegant and distinguished in appearance. His bronzed skin tone and confident posture reflected authority and nobility. By his side, several soldiers in pearl-white and light blue armor, the colors of Alderaan's personal guard, stood watchful.
"Dad!" Leia exclaimed with excitement, stepping forward to hug her father, while R2-D2 followed closely with a slight enthusiastic beep.
The reunion was touching. Even Sabine managed a small smile while witnessing it. I, on the other hand, remained silent, not expressing any emotion. Once the embrace ended, the man turned his gaze toward us. The warmth on his face shifted into a more analytical and serious expression.
"Leia, who are they?" he asked in a firm voice.
"They are Galen and Sabine. They rescued me from the Empire," Leia quickly replied.
The man nodded slowly, his eyes scanning us carefully.
"I see. My name is Bail Organa. You have the gratitude of the Royal House of Alderaan for bringing my daughter and R2-D2 back. I deeply appreciate it," he said, offering a small bow of courtesy.
"You're welcome, Your Majesty. It was an honor to help. However, if that’s all, we’ll take our leave," I said formally, turning to head back to the bridge.
My quick departure seemed to confuse both Leia and Sabine. Before I could move forward, Bail Organa raised his voice.
"Wait, please."
I reluctantly stopped and turned my head slightly to look at him.
"Before you go, I’d like to reward you for bringing back my daughter and my droid. I’d also like to speak with you, if possible, to get to know you a little better."
"I..." I began, ready to decline the offer. Rewards and formal talks weren’t of my interest.
"He’ll be delighted, Your Majesty." Sabine interrupted with a mischievous smile before I could finish.
I turned toward her with a look full of irritation, but Sabine simply smiled mischievously, ignoring my obvious displeasure.
"Excellent. If you would be so kind as to accompany me to my office," said Bail Organa as he headed toward a room in the ship. I followed him, though before entering, I cast an inquisitive glance at Leia, as if asking if she knew what this was about. She responded with a slight shake of her head, indicating that she had no idea either.
Once inside, I found myself in a well-decorated office. In the center was a table surrounded by several chairs, and the walls were adorned with paintings and antiques—objects that seemed valuable and difficult to acquire.
"Okay, first of all, thank you again for rescuing my daughter," he said, heading to a drawer from which he pulled out a small cloth bag. "Honestly, the most valuable thing in the galaxy to me is that she's safe."
He sat at the table, and following his example, I also took a seat.
"You're welcome, Your Highness."
"You don’t need to be so formal, Galen," he said, surprising me by remembering my name. "Here. I hope this reward is adequate," he added, sliding the bag toward me.
Curious, I reached into the bag, and my eyes widened when I discovered its contents: 20,000 credits.
"Shit." I thought, unable to hide my astonishment.
"I see the reward is to your liking. Excellent. As you can see, money is not a problem for me. That’s why I wanted to ask you a favor. A friend needs an escort, and I thought you would be a good fit for the position."
"So that’s what this is about, huh?" I thought, beginning to understand the situation.
"Sorry, but I don’t think I understand. Why trust this mission to me? I haven’t shown any qualities that would make me the right candidate for it."
"Of course you have. First of all, the lightsaber you're carrying there shows that you're either a Jedi or you stole it from one. In either case, you know how to defend yourself and use it. You rescued my daughter from an Imperial base guarded by hundreds of troops and AT-STs, and you did it without being detected. Also, you're a member of the Ghost crew, am I wrong?"
I tried not to be caught off guard. Clearly, I had underestimated this man. How did he know Hera and the others? It was a mystery. But what was clear was that his deductive skills and ability to gather information were chilling. Maybe, with a bit of luck, I could use that to my advantage.
"No, you're not wrong. And I've changed my mind. I'll take the mission, but in return, I need a favor, and I also have something important to inform you."
At my response, it was he who now showed a look of surprise.
"You had my curiosity before. Now you have my attention."
"Do you believe in the Force, Your Majesty?"
"Curious question. What's behind it, if I may ask?"
"Let's say that depending on your answer, I might or might not tell you," I replied with an enigmatic tone. Bail seemed to ponder briefly before giving his response.
"Yes, I believe in the Force. I wouldn't be such a believer if I hadn't witnessed Jedi performing feats that would be impossible for anyone else in the past. However, why the question?"
"If you've had contact with Jedi in the past, you might be familiar with Force visions."
"I've heard of them, yes."
"Well, I can't give many details because the vision wasn't very clear, but in one I had recently, I saw your world, Alderaan, being destroyed. In my vision, it literally exploded into pieces."
Organa looked at me, stunned. "That's impossible. What could have caused such destruction?"
"I don't know. My vision wasn't very clear. But it's likely that, either now or in the future, Alderaan will be destroyed. If I were you, I’d prepare for the worst."
"And these visions? Are they reliable?" he asked as he stood up and approached the window of the room. From there, space was visible, with Alderaan in the background.
"So far, they haven't failed." I answered honestly.
"I understand. I'll keep it in mind, and thank you for telling me. Now, regarding your request, what did you need?"
"I told you earlier that I had a vision. Well, in that one and many others, there's a planet I can't recognize. I thought maybe you could help me find it."
"I could try if you give me a description that's detailed enough."
"The only thing I know is that its surface seems barren, with large fissures running across the ground, some of which are filled with a bright green energy. The planet looked dark, and I also saw some kind of ancient ruins."
"Hmph. No, I don't recall any world like that, but I'll look into it and let you know when I find it. With that description, I don’t think it will take long; it sounds like a rather peculiar world."
"Yes, it is," I said softly, visualizing the image of the planet in my mind.
"In that case, is it a deal?" Bail approached me again and extended his hand. "In exchange for your protection services to my friend, I will find this world, and you will be generously rewarded."
"Sounds good to me," I said as I shook his hand. "Who do I need to protect?"
"You’ll know when you get there. The only thing I can tell you is that she currently resides on Coruscant."
‘Coruscant? The Emperor lives there. Never mind, it's a big planet. As long as I don't do anything stupid and hide my presence, he shouldn't find out I'm there. Besides, I have the advantage that he thinks I'm dead... or at least, I think he does. Even if he knew I was alive, the last place he'd expect me to be is, none other than, in the heart of his Empire’s capital,’ I thought, quickly analyzing the situation.
"Understood. In that case, it's a deal." I responded, to which Organa smiled.
