"Brief me again on the Hapes situation?" Luke asked.

Luke, Winter, and Leia were all crammed into Leia's walk-in closet, preparing for a Hapan state visit.

Leia sighed. Winter didn't look up from braiding her hair. "The Hapans are coming to open up trade relations with us. Leia's job is to actually negotiate the deal. Our job is to look pretty and prevent the situation from getting out of hand." Winter paused, still holding a piece of Leia's hair. "Pin." Luke dutifully handed her a hairpin. Winter took it and resumed work Leia's complicated braids.

"The Hapans like shows of power and wealth," Leia added. "If the New Republic shows a unified face, with everyone looking nice and respectable, the negotiations will start at a better place." She paused to apply lip stain.

Winter huffed out a little laugh. "Oh, is that why Han's not invited?"

Leia rolled her eyes. "Han's not invited because it's bad form to have a bunch of generals at a diplomatic visit."

"You're a general," Luke pointed out.

"I was a princess before I was a general. And now I'm a symbol." She dusted on the finishing touches of her makeup. "Besides, the Hapans specifically asked me to handle the agreement. I guess my visit made an impression on them."

Leia stood and smoothed out her skirts in front of her. Her dress was all white, with traditional Alderaanian beading and embroidery, and delicate lace sleeves. Luke and Winter were clad in cream suits with navy blue cuffs and collars. White for their committment to peace. Blue for their willingness to defend that peace.

Winter carried a stun pistol at her belt, while Luke had his lightsaber. Leia wasn't visibly armed, she hadn't been since she stepped out of combat, but she never went completely unarmed anymore.

"Wait," Leia said. She grabbed one last hairpin -- one with a large Alderaanian opal on one end. And a wickedly sharp blade on the other. Han had stolen it from some Moff in the middle of a campaign, and given it to Leia on her birthday. It took pride of place in the center of her crown of braids. It was the closest thing to an open declaration she could get away with.

They all filed out of the closet, and headed out to the lifts that would take them to the meeting hall.

The aides were almost done setting up the ballroom when they arrived. They had pooled all their resources to make a good impression with the Hapans, but it was obvious to the trained eye how stretched thin their budget was. Leia could only hope they would be too polite to point it out. The New Republic needed allies, and those allies needed to see they were making an effort.

Leia strode through the ballroom to a chair that wasn't a throne, but looked enough like one to send a message. It was in the center of the arranged chairs, and already seated next to it was Mon Mothma.

Mon stood and took Leia's hands in her own. "Leia! I'm so delighted you made it here safely!" She leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. Leia smiled and turned to face the man sitting on her other side.

Borsk Fey'lya had not bothered to stand to met her. "Princess Organa," he greeted. "I trust you understand the importance of these negotiations?"

Leia's smile grew strained. Before she could say something wrapped in three layers of politick back, Mon cut in.

"I have the utmost confidence in her. However, it would not do for any of us seated here to offend our guests." She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at Fey'lya.

Leia took her seat and faced the room in front of her. There was a carpeted aisle leading to the grand entrance of the ballroom, and seats on either side for important figures in the New Republic. The seats were filled, and the lights were starting to lower. Luke and Winter took their places behind her. Leia heard the distinctive sound of holocams powering up. It was time.

The procession started with a contingent of drummers and musicians. Their movements were synchronised to the beat they were playing, and they were followed by a group of young dancers. Older dancers followed them, and began doing lifts and even throws.

Beautifully dressed women came next, followed by scantily clad men carrying ornately carved boxes. The men knelt down and opened the boxes, offering jewels and precious metals, ornately carved weapons, priceless aged liquers.

Leia's heart began to sink. If the Hapans were opening negotiations with this, the would want something more valuable in return. And the New Republic had nothing to give.

The pomp and circumstance of the procession began to settle into something calmer. No, not calmer. If anything, the tension in the room ratcheted up even higher, even as the music swept into something more sedate.

The most ornately dressed woman yet came into the hall, followed by attendants and courtiers and a crowd of people who had no role other than to make her look powerful. Ta'a Chume. The Hapan Queen Mother. If she was negotiating in person, she could only want something no representative could get her.

She stopped a short distance away from where Leia was sitting, and paused. The Queen Mother stood to her full, impressive height, and gestured one of the men around her to go forward, to Leia.

Wait. Not just one of the men. This was Isolder, the Queen Mother's son. They had talked some when Leia had visited Hapes. For him to be coming forward and kneeling before her could only mean one thing...

"Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan," he said, speaking with only a slight accent, "General of the New Republic, conqueror of the Empire and all that it held..."

This. This was not good.

"I, and every Hapan state, every principality and noble of the Ancient houses..."

She was backed into a corner, surrounded by politics.

Isolder looked up at her from where he was kneeling. "...Would be deeply honored if you were to take my hand in marriage."