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“A ysalamiri would do that,” Mon Mothma said.

“Yes, and so could someone versed in the dark side.” Leia let her words hang for a moment. “There is no record of a Kueller from Almania on Yavin 4. But Luke has lost a number of students—Jedi training is hard—and it wouldn’t be inconceivable that some of them would go to the dark side.”

“But why threaten you?”

Leia frowned. This was hard to articulate. “We’re the most visible Jedi, Luke and I,” she said. “Luke has brought back the Jedi Knights, and I am raising new Jedi. Luke has shown again and again that his powers will defeat someone strong in the dark side.”

“But if Kueller destroys you, he scatters the Jedi, and becomes the strongest in the Force in the galaxy.”

“Or so he thinks,” Leia said.

“It sounds plausible.”

“Yes.” Then Leia smiled at herself. “But I am rattled. It might be much more simple than that. Kueller might misunderstand the way the New Republic works. He might think I’m an autocrat and that my word is law. Then threatening my family might get me to force my hand.”

“He doesn’t know you well, does he?” Mon Mothma said softly. “Threats to your family always make you stronger.”

Leia’s eyes burned. She rubbed at them. She didn’t want sympathy. Not yet, anyway. Later, when she had time. “In either case,” she said, choosing not to respond to Mon Mothma’s last sentence, “the solution is the same. I need to step down as Chief of State.”

Mon Mothma clasped her hands in her lap. “You can’t do that now, Leia. I have had word from my sources in the Senate. Unless you campaign, you’ll lose that no-confidence vote. They’re looking to blame someone, anyone, for that bombing, and they’ll blame Han, which means they’ll blame you.”

“I’ve thought this through,” Leia said. She rubbed her hands together, nervous habits she hadn’t used in years. “If I step down, the vote is null, right?”

“Well, technically, it’s null only if you resign, Leia. A temporary standing aside will allow the vote to go forward.”

Leia nodded. She had been afraid of that, but it didn’t matter. Luke mattered. Protecting her children mattered.

Han mattered.

For the first time since she had become head of the New Republic, she could serve her family better as a private citizen than as a public one.

“I’ll resign, then,” she said. “The vote’s called off, and Kueller can no longer use the New Republic as his excuse for targeting my family.”

“What if he’s really after the New Republic?” Mon Mothma said.

“Then we’ll find out. He’ll threaten something else. But I’ll wager he doesn’t know as much about the other leaders of our government. I’ll wager my resignation throws him into a panic.”

“You’re probably right.”

Leia licked her lips, then turned. “I want you to take my place.”

“I’m no longer an elected official,” Mon Mothma said.

“You weren’t one when you restarted the Provisional Council, either,” Leia said. “We have no proviso other than elections for a situation like this. We just had emergency elections. We don’t need another. I want you to step in. No one will fight you. You’re too respected for that.”

“A few days ago, someone could have said that about you.”

Leia shook her head. “The opposition to my government began when the Imperials were elected to the Senate. This isn’t really a surprise to me, much as it hurts. Everyone loses power eventually.”

“This new Senate isn’t going to stand for a leader arbitrarily chosen.”

“Probably not,” Leia said. “But you can convince them of the crisis. Set a date for an election, and say you’re stepping in until then. I’ll turn over my government to you in a formal recorded presentation.”

“Recorded, Leia? Why not hold a special session tomorrow?”

“Because,” Leia said, “I won’t have time.”

Mon Mothma tilted her regal head. “What are you planning, my child?”

Leia met her gaze squarely. “I’m going after my brother.”

Skip 6 was shaped like a giant seething mud hole, floating in the middle of the asteroid belt. The top of the Skip oozed slime along its surface,