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Captain Kathryn Janeway hadn't gone into this dinner completely blind, but she hadn't been far from it. The woman she was meeting with was a senator from the planet of Coruscant, and now that she was sitting across from her, Janeway could see that she was human—or humanoid, at least—maybe a few years younger than herself. The senator was a wonderful host, obviously highly practiced at holding social events that doubled as political networking. The dinner was intimate, with a table meant for two people and minimal courses rather than a full state dinner.
For the first half an hour or so of the meal, the conversation was kept fairly light, Janeway's host—Senator Organa—mostly asking questions about Earth, the Federation, and Starfleet that Janeway was happy to answer despite the bittersweet memories the questions dredged up. As the main course wrapped up, however, Organa finally breached her reason for inviting Captain Janeway to dinner that night.
"I understand how isolating it is, for nothing around you to be familiar. This is not my home planet," she explained at Janeway's inquiring look. "It's strange to speak of it with someone who doesn't already know. I have one of the most recognizable faces in the galaxy, you see, and I have since I was a girl. In this galaxy, at least." She took a deep breath, visibly centering herself before continuing. "My planet, Alderaan, was destroyed nearly twenty years ago now by the previous galactic power, the Empire. The planet itself was completely destroyed, and the only survivors are those of us who were off planet at the time."
"I'm sorry for your loss," Janeway said. How did you respond to someone who had suffered a tragedy of that scale? The same way you responded to any other kind of grief, she supposed. It was never enough, or at least it hadn't been for her when she'd lost her father, but it was still better than saying nothing.
"I've had to make a new home for myself, because I had no other options." Here Organa leaned across the table, taking Kathryn's hand in both of hers. "I wish you and your crew all the best in your journey home. I can't promise the aid of the Galactic Senate, but if there is anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to let me know."
"That's very kind of you, Senator. If there's anything we can do to return the favor, we'd be happy to do so."
Later, just before Janeway left, Organa made one final request.
"I know what it's like for there to be a distance between yourself and the people you're surrounded with because of rank. I grew up that way, although I've been lucky to find people I can be myself with. I'd like to offer a listening ear, at least until you travel out of long-distance comm range."
"In that case," Janeway said with a conspiratorial smile. "You should call me Kathryn."
"Leia," the senator offered with a smile of her own. "Call me Leia.”