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"Every Rebel is a volunteer," Leia said. "Every man and woman here is free to choose."

Luke shot her a sharp look. She was coming dangerously close to admitting that Halle and Nahj were right, that she was recruiting for the Rebel Alliance. It was a dangerous slip. And that wasn't like her, either.

"You're their leader," Nahj snapped. "They do as you ask."

Their leader, Luke noted, not our.

Leia whipped her gaze toward Fess. "Does he speak for you, too?"

"I speak for myself," Fess said.

It was odd. Luke had heard Leia's stories about Fess's buffoonery and empty-headedness. But the stories didn't match the man.

"You take danger upon yourself so easily," Fess said, "and the fight is all you need to sustain you. So it's understandably difficult for you to understand that these people here don't need a fight: They need food. Bacta. Blankets. You're offering them a war. That's no substitute for a home."

"I'm offering them a reason to live," Leia shot back. "The Alliance gives me a reason to go forward. Everyone should have that chance."

"Not everyone's like you," Fess pointed out. "Some people just want to live in peace."

Luke flashed back to Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's broken bodies. They'd never wanted to fight anyone. But the Empire hadn't cared.

"Not everyone's like you, either," Leia said, her face white with rage. "Not everyone's so craven and weak. So useless."

Fess opened his mouth—then shut it again. He turned to Nahj. "I think it's best if I go."

Nahj nodded. "I'll go with you." He extended a hand to Leia. "You made me a promise, Your Highness. I hope you do not forget it."

"I've promised to defeat the Empire," Leia said. "And nothing's more important than that."

CHAPTER TWELVE

"You're late," Halle Dray snarled, barring the door. "You're sure no one followed you?"

Ferus nodded. "Why do you think I'm late?"

She stepped aside.

"You never mentioned you were so cozy with the princess," she said, as he followed her into the abandoned house. The others had already arrived. They were assembled in the dusty remains of the living room. Shards of transparisteel littered the floor, and moonlight filtered in through the shattered windows. It was a sad, forgotten place in a sad, forgotten corner of the city. A perfect spot for secrets.

"Cozy isn't the word I would use," Ferus pointed out. "In case you hadn't noticed, she hates me. Even more so, now that she realizes I'm with you."

"That's right." Halle's voice was laced with sarcasm. "Sometimes I forget—you're with us."

It had taken Ferus very little time to get the others to trust him, but Halle Dray remained the lone holdout. He didn't take it personally: She trusted no one.

J'er Nahj had once told Ferus that she'd worked at a wildlife medcenter on Alderaan, tending to injured stalking birds and sick grazers. But that was before, in what she referred to as her other life. If there was any gentleness left in her now, she hid it well.

"We were right," Halle told the group, as the meeting began. "Leia is here to draft survivors into the Rebellion. She pretends to want to help us, but she's just looking for martyrs to her cause."

"Do you have proof?" Ferus asked.

"Wherever Leia goes, a new crop of Rebel fighters is sure to follow. I don't believe in that kind of coincidence."

Ferus frowned. "Leia's Rebel sympathies are well known. It doesn't mean she's on a recruiting mission."

"Wake up, Fess," Halle snapped. "She's had her minions poking around Delaya for weeks now. And here she is to close the deal. You saw her with Kiro Chen."

There was murmuring at the name. Though none of them knew Kiro personally, it was common knowledge that he'd been working with General Rieekan—and everyone knew that Rieekan spoke for the Alliance.

"I wanted to believe that she was sincere about trying to help us," Nahj said. "But it seems clear that she has other priorities."

The twin brothers Driscoll and Trey Bruhnej muttered to each other in disgust. "She hasn't gotten enough of us killed?" Driscoll said aloud.

"Apparently two billion isn't enough to satisfy her," Halle