Chapter Text
Princess Leia Organa came back to herself one bit at a time. The softness of the bed became evident before she even opened her eyes. It was a welcome surprise. With a Rebellion raging, and thousands of people who required accommodations, Leia couldn’t be demanding about her own. Still, she couldn’t say she didn’t need the rest.
Han… You self-conceit moron…
It was hard to imagine that with the state of the Galaxy as it was, Leia had the time to devout so much of her thoughts to a single being —an obnoxious one on top of it. But she couldn’t help it. She couldn’t stand the memories of seeing him frozen in carbonite, nor the notion of not knowing what may be happening to that good-for-nothing smuggler. Whatever it may be, she wasn’t going to find it out slacking on her bedchambers.
Leia pushed away the covers and sat up, only to be stunned by her surroundings.
The strange room was in some atmosphere, that much she could tell. A window was opened on the nearest wall, welcoming a gentle breeze and the warmth of a yellow sun. Aside from that, there was little Leia could make sense of. The furniture was cozy —Leia noticed a desk and some book-filled stands—but the materials seemed rustic. The walls and furniture had no visible trace of alusteel, or of any other modern alloy. Most of the materials appeared to be made of basic wood. There was also the fact that Leia found no recollection of ever being in that room before.
Weren’t we on our way to Ord Mantell?
Leia stood up with growing unease. She was supposed to be on a ship out to meet Maz Kanata when she’d gone to sleep.
An even bigger shock rattled Leia when she became aware of her body. She wasn’t only wearing some unknown cotton sleepwear, but her whole body seemed to have shrunk overnight. She stared at her hands terrified, and touched her face. When she noticed the small mirror on the opposite side of the room, she raced there, and gasped.
She was still her—thanks for small mercies—but that was where the calm ended. The reflection staring back at her was eerily familiar, yet also way younger than it had been the day before—early teens, if she had to venture a guess.
By the Force, what’s happening?
It took Leia some minutes to wrap her mind around it. She sat back on the table and tried to get her facts straight. It didn’t feel like she was dreaming—she tried to wake herself up several times. Also, no known technology could shrink bones and deage a person like this. If this was real, it had to be the product of the Force , perhaps? It sounded mad. Why would the Force put her through this?—whatever this was. It was Luke who dealt with that. Still, what other explanation did she have?
Leia tried to push that away. The Force or not, she wasn’t one to dwell on problems. She needed to find a solution. Han was frozen in carbonite somewhere in Tatooine, and the way to help was to reach Maz Kanata so she could provide a cover for the rescue. That was what she needed to focus on. She needed to find answers, and a way out of here. Then, she’d figure out how to get back to her ship and continue with her rescue plans.
The door didn’t slide when Leia approached. It had no electronic component whatsoever. Leia had to turn around the rudimentary knob so she could open it. It creaked when she pushed it and peeked outside. The inside of the house looked styled in the same ancient fashion, though neatly arranged. Leia found a wooden staircase not far away, and the echo of voices reached her from downstairs.
She leaned against the wall and started walking down quietly, one step at a time. She looked for her blaster, but her sleepwear had no holster. She’d seen other clothes in the room where she’d woken up, but since none looked familiar, she decided to investigate instead of changing.
The voices became louder the closer she got to the lower floor. A faint memory in the back of her mind told her that she should know those voices, but it wasn’t until she reached the bottom of the stairs that realization dawned upon her. Leaving all caution behind, she dashed into the dining room, where she found her parents, chatting casually over biscuits.
“Well, if that’s the case, we can make some cuts on the upcoming festival. There’s no need to waste resources on some London rock band,” Bail Organa said to his wife, casually sipping from a mug with hot tea. He was dressed in simple clothes, unusual to Alderaan’s fashion.
“Tell that to the rest of the city council. They’d been thinking of making it a high-end event,” Breha responded, carrying her own mug to sit next to her husband. She wore an unadorned blue dress without any headdress.
Leia couldn't believe her eyes. Her parents had died in Alderaan’s explosion, and yet here they were, chatting lively over tea and dressed in strange clothes.
A dream. This has to be a dream. It can’t be anything else.
“I see the value of attracting attention,” her father went on, still unaware of Leia’s presence. “But, the festival could hire local bands, or look for sponsors. I’m not supporting cutting down on the school budget just so the council can parade their hotshot London group around our streets.”
“Mum? D-Dad?”
Her parents took immediate notice of her at the shaky sound of her voice.
“Oh, Leia, good morning, darling,” her father said with a warm smile. “Still in pajamas? Feeling lazy this morning, I see.”
Her mouth dropped, unable to form the words. This was surreal. Impossible. And yet… And yet…
“Is there something wrong, dear?” her mother asked.
Leia couldn’t hold it much longer. She didn’t care how crazy all this was. It took her two seconds to cross the distance between them, and she jumped to hug her parents.
“How can this be?! Alderaan exploded! I saw it happen! I was even there, so many times! Nothing was left! Nothing!” she cried, not bothering brushing away the tears.
“Exploded? What do you mean?” Bail narrowed his eyes, pulling away to look at his daughter. He pushed a loose strand of her hair away. “Everything is alright, Leia.”
Breha leaned over with a warm smile. She brushed Leia’s cheek. “Nothing exploded, dear. It was just a bad dream.”
“The budget may explode if we don’t rein the council though,” Bail quipped, earning an amused look from his wife.
Leia brushed away the tears. “How— How can you be here?”
“What do you mean here ?”
“I mean… you were gone,” Leia’s voice almost broke. She had to touch their cheeks again, make sure they were alive and solid.
“Oh, Leia… dear, we're here. We’ll always be here for you,” her mother reassured her as she enveloped her in a hug.
Leia shook her face. “It doesn’t make sense. I wasn’t here. I was on a starship, on my way to the Ord Mantell system. We’d just entered light speed, and then, I woke up here. How?”
A wide grin appeared on Bail. “Starships? Light speed? That was quite a dream, wasn’t it?” he said, ruffling her hair.
“Starships are real,” Leia insisted.
“We’ll if they are, that's news to me,” Bail said. “But don’t quote me on that. I’m just a small city council member. Space travel and aliens could exist without me being informed about it.”
Leia stared at him in disbelief, but she detected no lies on his expression. On neither of them. They seemed to be her parents, but not quite the ones she remembered.
Still, what world was this? No starships? Or knowledge of life on other planets?
“She’s always had a big imagination,” Breha agreed, “But… are you sure you’re alright? It seems you’re quite upset this morning.”
“No! I’m fine, truly. It’s just… a dream. As you said.”
Leia could make little sense of this. If she was indeed on another planet—one which was ignored or wasn’t incorporated into the galactic system—why was there a version of her deceased parents here? Why was she here? How could they remember her?
Whatever the case, it was better to play along while she found out more.
“Are you sure, dear?”
“Yes, mum.”
Bail exchanced a concerned look with his wife, and ended up shrugging. “In that case, you may better get changed, young girl. Breakfast should be ready soon.”
Leia nodded and walked back upstairs, giving a wistful look behind her. Illusion or not, it was hard to walk away from them. What if all of this fantasy disappeared and she didn’t get to see them again?
She changed clothes as fast as she could. Most of the clothes felt off, yet she picked one set and went on, trying to make sense of her daily routine and the much different refresher facilities. One way or another, Leia managed to be seated with her family for breakfast.
It was the most bizarre experience she’d had. A part of her kept an ear open, trying to understand this different world. Another, kept a close look on her parents, following every laugh… every gesture she’d thought lost in her memory.
Breha Organa was the mayor of a small city, in the outskirts of a much larger city called London. Bail was a member of her council. Leia was apparently their eleven year old daughter, and devoted most of her time to studying in a local school. She checked her school books too. The planet was called Earth , and the only advanced species in it were humans. From what she could tell, it was entirely isolated from the rest of the galaxy, and their technology was hundreds of years away from developing space travel.
It was halfway through the day when the doorbell rang.
“Oh, please, come on in,” Breha said as she guided a man with large robes and a pointed hat in.
When the man stood at the far end of the living room and raised his head, Leia gasped.
“Hello there,” Ben Kenobi said with a grin.
The man before them was undeniably Obiwan Kenobi, the old war general. He seemed closer in age to when Leia had first met him as a girl than on the last glimpse she got of him in the Death Star. Even when there was some gray on his otherwise brown beard, he didn’t appear as rugged as Leia remembered him. In fact, he looked upbeat for a man who was supposed to be dead.
He wouldn’t be the first one to return to life today…
“My name is Obiwan Kenobi, and I come here bearing news.”
“What kind of news?” Bail asked, wary.
“The positive kind for sure. Though not easy to digest, I’m afraid.”
“Is this work related? Because this is my house, and I would prefer if city matters were discussed at City Hall, during office hours,” Breha said, putting a hand on Leia’s shoulder.
“It does not, madam mayor. But it’d be better if we took a seat for it. What I am going to say is going to sound far-fetched to you—mad, even. But I give you my word that it’s nothing but the truth.”
Leia’s eyes widened. She stared at him intently, hopeful that perhaps he had answers to what the hell was going on.
Obiwan smiled. “You see, Mr and Mrs Organa, your daughter is very special. She’s the reason I am here in your lovely residence this morning. This may come as a surprise, but there’s more to her than you’d certainly believed until this point.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” Leia blurted. “You know me!”
Obiwan narrowed his brow and gave her the most intriguing of looks. “Why, I haven’t had the pleasure yet, young girl. Still, we have known about you for some time now,” he said. With a slow movement, Obiwan pulled his hands out of his long sleeves and showed them a yellowish envelope. “I come here with an invitation for you to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”
Leia was lost. She turned around and her parents looked just the same.
So… Obiwan wasn’t going to tell them she was from some other planet?
Kenobi just gave the three of them the widest of grins and asked. “This may sound strange. But, what do you know about Magic?”
Hermione Granger woke up with a start. She knew at once something wasn’t entirely right. Her head was muddled, and when she sat up on the foreign bed and the lights dimmed by themselves.
She almost gasped. The room she was in was practical in design and all white-coloured. No item there stood up in particular, as they all seemed produced with the same sleek style. There were no windows or hangings on the plain walls, and they gave the impression of being made out of plastic or metal. There was also a quiet hum around that she couldn’t understand.
Could this be St Mungo’s?
Hermione could recall the fight. She’d been at the Ministry of Magic fighting with Harry, Ron and the others. They’d been chased by Lucius Malfoy and other Death Eaters out of the Prophecy Hall, running through the darkest confines of the Department of Mysteries as they looked for a way out. They’d landed in the Space Room. Sudden orbits and planets spinning to them was the last she could remember. A magic illusion, for sure. Certainly she must’ve passed out and was now in some hospital facility.
If that’s the case, why does this look like a bedroom and not a hospital ward?
Truth to be told, Hermione didn’t feel ill, just slightly disoriented. She stood up, set on looking for the others. To her chagrin, she couldn’t find her wand nearby. Also, she realized that, as unfamiliar as it was, what she was wearing was a simple white night dress and not a hospital gown.
The moment she stood up, the lights brightened. The modern aspect of the room became even more striking, as if Hermione had landed herself in some science fiction movie. Even more shocking was finding a simple mirror where she saw her reflection.
What in Merlin’s name?
The image she saw was undoubtedly her reflection. But she looked at least two or three years older. Her hair was still a mess and she hadn’t grown too much—an inch perhaps?—but her features were longer and sharper. She leaned forward and touched her face, noticing the undeniable changes.
If this was Magic, it was none that she was used to.
A subtle buzz called her attention to the door. It wasn’t until then that Hermione realized there was no knob on it. The frame was a metal slab sealed tight, like a bunker’s entrance. Hermione pressed the shining button next to it. Then, the whole metal slab slid into the wall, opening the frame. Hermione gasped.
“Princess, We’re— Oh, my apologies, I didn’t know you were undisposed,” a man on the recently opened door said.
The man was wearing simple grey clothes with a black vest, and a sleek white helmet with a black visor, shaped like the one professional cyclists use.
“Undisposed?” she asked.
Hermione noticed she was still in her night dress. It wasn’t particularly revealing, but she still crossed her arms.
Wait, did he say ‘Princess’?
The man cleared his throat and looked at the side as he spoke again. “We’ll be out of light speed shortly.”
“Light speed ?”
“Yes. We’re almost at Scarif.”
Hermione was baffled. “Where?”
“I-I thought you’d be more informed. Admiral Raddus should know the specifics, your Highness.”
Hermione stared blankly. After a weak nod from her, the man left with a confused look.
She peeked at the corridor. It was white and in the same sleek style as her room. Movement and speakers echoed from afar. Also, there was that continuous hum coming from the walls.
Was this… a boat? A submarine? They did mention ‘arriving’ at some place.
Dazzled, Hermione returned to her room. She gasped again when the door closed by itself at her back.
It took a moment for Hermione to realize she wasn’t dreaming—at least not in the conventional way. After trying to wake herself up repetitively, she decided that the best thing she could do was get dressed and go get answers.
The wardrobe was well hidden. She spent minutes looking for it until she stumbled upon a button that opened a compartment within the wall. All of the clothes inside were made of fine fabric, and she picked the first one, fitting white trousers and blouse with a white overdress on top.
The bathroom was particularly a challenge, but Hermione managed to sort out things.
She was barely a couple of steps away from the room, wondering in which direction she should go, when a golden android walked to her. She was dumbfounded.
“Princess, princess. There you are. D0BY was looking for you. Have you been informed of our imminent arrival?” the golden droid asked.
Hermione stared. She could clearly see the cables from the droid joints. And that voice…
“Dobby?”
“D0BY, your Highness. Protocol droid at your service.”
A smaller droid approached, making Hermione gasp. This one looked like a rubbish can, but it was mostly white with black specks around. Buttons and lights were reachable from the front, and the top ‘head’ rotated and had a small yellow lens.
“Oh, don’t scare her H3. Of course the princess is alright, can’t you see her?” D0BY said to the smaller droid.
“H3?” Hermione asked tentatively.
The small droid beeped.
“H3DW19. Don’t mind her. She just likes to meddle.”
This time H3’s beep came accompanied by a light shake from the droid.
Hermione rubbed her forehead. She sighed and leaned forward. The model H3DW19 was marked on the side of the droid. The font made it read suspiciously like HEDWIG.
Could this be a coincidence?
Whatever the case, Hermione addressed the golden droid. “Dobby?”
“One’s designation is D0BY, princess,” he clarified. “Droid 0BY series. D0BY is a protocol droid. D0BY is familiar in billions of communication forms. For instance, right now, I can tell your gestures point to being in deep thought about something… or perhaps they point to a human headache? I can procure medication for you.”
“That won’t be necessary, don’t go to any trouble,” Hermione said.
“No trouble, your Highness. D0BY is here to serve.”
Hermione huffed. She’d gone through enough fighting the house-elves servitude back home, she wasn’t thrilled to find that here. Wherever here was.
“And why are you calling me princess ?”
The golden droid turned to H3, who beeped, then turned to Hermione again. “You are Princess Hermione Granger. We are not in our planet, but it is custom for nobiliary titles to be—”
“Wait, what did you just say?”
It was then that Hermione was informed of their intergalactic voyage, and the supposedly highly-secret and highly-dangerous mission they were undertaking on a planet called Scarif.
Maybe I do need pain medication.
“Can you take me to this Admiral Raddus?” she asked.
“Of course,” D0BY said. H3 started leading the way before the golden droid had finished talking.
The path took its time. They passed long white corridors and elevators, with men dressed exactly as the one who Hermione had met in her room earlier. Some of them bowed lightly or referred to her with ‘Your Highness’, and her only reply was a stiff nod in acknowledgement. At one point they crossed a latch to board what D0BY mentioned was a larger ship called the Profundity . Their own ship was named Tantive IV .
At the control center—a cockpit half the size of the Great Hall—Hermione got a larger shock. From the ample windshield—if one could even call it that in space—she could see flashes of light as if they were moving at a high speed. It made her dizzy just to look at it. She grabbed a hold of the door frame as if to steady herself.
I can barely get on a broom. This… This is madness.
As if that weren’t enough shock by itself, the computer-filled control center was commanded by beings that were notoriously not humans. One of them—the one in the center—turned to address her.
“Welcome, your Highness. I wasn’t expecting you to leave the Tantive at this point. We’re about to reach Scarif,” he said.
Hermione was even more gobsmacked. The man—or creature—talked normally and wore clothes, but he looked essentially like a large blue amphibian. There were no creatures in her Magical Beasts compendium that looked like him.
After a moment where her only answer was a nod, the creature spoke again. “Is something wrong?”
“No. Everything is fine,” she said. “Fine.”
Hermione’s mind was in overdrive, trying to sort the puzzle. She was definitely not dreaming, but again, she couldn’t be sure she wasn’t either. The whole world had gone crazy, and besides, where were Harry and Ron in all of this?
“Where are we going again?”
The creature exchanged some uneasy looks with his men—who were also amphibian beings. “To Scarif, as you should be aware, princess,” he said. “Hopefully we can relieve Rogue One in their brave mission.”
That still didn’t clear things up for Hermione.
“What mission?” she asked. When she saw more uneasy expressions, she elaborated. “Had a rough sleep. My memory has been fussy since.”
The creatures seem to shrug. “They’re trying to retrieve the plans for the Empire’s weapon. Without a way to disable it, I’m afraid our whole struggle is lost, and the Galaxy with it.”
At that moment, Hermione felt a shift in the hum of the ship, and the glass before her reflected the change in movement. The previous flashes of light stopped, and in their place a whole sharp image came into view. And it was madness.
Before them a large planet appeared, and the view of it almost knocked Hermione out of her feet. She’d still harboured the hope this was all a mistake. Space ships surrounded the planet, large and imposing, as nothing Hermione had ever seen.
The creature noted their arrival and turned on his communications.
“This is Admiral Raddus of the Rebel Alliance. All Squadrons report in,” he said.
So he’s the Admiral then. Brilliant.
The so-called squadrons reported one at a time. Then the Admiral spoke again. “Red and gold squadron, attack formations. Defend the fleet. Blue squadron, get to the surface before they close the gate.”
Stupefied, Hermione witnessed a swarm of smaller spaceships enter the scene, and a whole intergalactic battle unravelled before her eyes. Multi-coloured beams shot from one another, and several were destroyed as some made it through a large ring orbiting over the planet.
“Princess, princess!” the Admiral called.
“Eh, sorry, yes?” Hermione asked, finally coming out of her trance and realizing she was being called.
“You should board the Tantive. Whatever happens here, you should deny involvement. Be ready to depart. Hopefully with the plans,” the Admiral instructed.
Hermione still didn’t know what to make of this world, but did the only thing that made sense to her. “Yes, Admiral,” she replied and exited the control center in a hurry.
The way back to the Tantive IV felt shorter somehow, though more urgent. There were blaring alarms every few corridors, and the men were now running to their posts in a hurry without time to even nod at the princess.
Hermione was hyperventilating. She didn’t know what to make of things, but it felt of utmost importance to not be blown to bits in the space battle. That much she could piece together.
She found it unnerving. At least in the Department of Mysteries she could fight for herself. Here she was vulnerable, and even if she could find her wand, it wouldn’t be of much use if the spaceship exploded.
D0BY brought her up to speed on many things, and unlike H3, didn’t find it odd for Hermione to be asking things she should already know. The gold droid seemed eager to talk about anything really, much like Dobby.
Hermione found out what the Rebel Alliance was, and what the conflict with the Empire was in the large scale of things. She also discovered her supposed ties to the Imperial Senate and that she couldn’t be discovered helping the rebels, otherwise her cover would be blown. Most importantly, Hermione learned about the supposed Empire weapon, and the importance of those plans dawned on her.
A weapon that could destroy entire cities with one shot? Was that really possible?
She was called into the cockpit of the Tantive IV, which was way smaller than the Profundity’s. It was still daunting though, especially since here people expected more of her than on the Profundity.
“Should we help?” she asked her commanding officer at some point.
Flashes of the nearby battle reached them on their docking place, but the Profundity’s shield covered them.
“Not advisable, your Highness. We don’t want to expose your real role, and the Tantive doesn’t have the ideal weapons to engage in such a swift battle.”
Hermione nodded.
Space military books never came to me in the Hogwarts’ Library. Not like I would’ve read them if they had. I would've taken them as fiction. As I should. This is madness.
Eventually, several moments later, there was a shift in the battle. Then, Admiral Raddus called through the comms.
“Attention Tantive IV. Attention. We have successfully retrieved the Death Star’s plans. Men are carrying a physical copy to your vessel as we speak,” he said. “We’re being boarded though.”
Hermione gulped. Dreadful looks were exchanged among ‘ her’ men.
“It’s too late for us, but alas, we did our part. Now, we’re counting on you Tantive,” Raddus said. “We’ve started the undocking mechanism. Depart as soon as the plans reach you. You’re our only hope. May the force be with you.”
Then, static. Radio silence.
Hermione’s eyes widened, as she looked at the officers with chilling fear. Thankfully, they didn’t require any word from her. After a tense second of stillness, everyone came back to themselves at once. Rushed orders and buttons were pressed. And Hermione could feel the rumbling of the ship as it continued undocking from the Profundity in a hurry.
“Bay Officer, please report when you have the plans,” the commander said through the comms.
Silence.
“Bay Officer, I repeat. Copy when you have the plans.”
“Not yet,” a shaky voice replied on the other side.
“Time is of essence Bay Officer.”
The Commander had his finger hovering over the button that Hermione presumed would decouple them entirely from the Profundity. Hermione could tell cold sweat was running through him.
“Oh, my! That’s a monster! A monster!” the Bay Officer replied in the speaker, frantic.
Everyone in the cockpit exchanged worried looks.
“Bay Officer. Explain yourself.”
Nothing.
“Bay Officer. Do you have the plans?”
Nothing.
“I repeat, do you have the plans?”
Nothing.
“Bay Officer?”
Dead silence. Worried expressions. The Commander turned to Hermione.
“Should we go, princess?”
Hermione was startled. “Ehm… eh?”
Thankfully, the speaker blared to life then. “The Bay Officer is dead! We have the plans! Go! Go! Unlatch!”
The Commander pressed the button. The whole ship rocked. Hermione had to hold onto a wall to avoid falling over as the Tantive IV hovered and sped away at once. Hermione let out a sigh as they left the rage of the battle behind and went into what they called light speed.
They were merely in travel for a few hours though, as their destination was a close distance away. Hermione spent some time alone, wrapping her head about the madness and trying to breathe normally. She asked a few more questions to D0BY to distract herself. Eventually, she was called back to the cockpit, where she heard the retelling of the brave man who managed to get the plans into the Tantive.
“Tatooine,” the Commander announced when they came out of light speed to stare at a brownish planet in the distance.
He’d barely said that when the ship started rocking.
“What was that?!” Hermione yelled.
“We’re getting fired at! The imperials tracked us!” one officer said. “One would imagine they would try comms first.”
“They don’t know we have a senator here, do they?” another replied.
“Don’t think that’ll help much, considering they saw where we’re coming from?”
“Silence!” the Commander, dispatching defence orders, and eventually, instructions to shoot back.
Hermione couldn’t do much but wait in a corner, lost in her thoughts. There was no point in finding out how to return to her world until she got out of this problem. She needed to get out in one piece before she could get to the bottom of it.
Several minutes later, the Commander let out a heavy sigh.
“It’s of no use. They’re catching up.”
Hermione’s eyes widened. “A-Are you sure?”
“Unfortunately, I am. We can't outrun a star destroyer, and our hyperdrive seems to be damaged after the first hits. The only reason they haven’t blown us up apart is because they want to make sure we haven’t sent the plans elsewhere.”
Hermione stared at the other frightened officers. They all seemed to be awaiting her words. “And, what will happen?”
“They’ll board us for sure.”
Brilliant. If only I had my wand…
“Will they kill us?” she asked, trying to sound matter-of-factly.
“If we resist. But not you, I imagine. You’re far too valuable as a hostage,” he said. “I’m sorry, princess.”
Hermione nodded. Hostage was preferable to death. That gave her time, though not sure what much else she could do.
“Don’t resist then. I don’t want anyone else to die,” she instructed.
She turned to the plans on her hands as if they burned her. The terrified officer who had brought them to her earlier described their attacker back at the Profundity as a beast, a large man in a black suit bearing a bright red blade of pure evil.
Someone mentioned that might have been Lord Vader. The Emperor’s dreaded enforcer.
“These plans. How many people died for them?” she asked.
“Can’t say, your Highness. Hundreds. Just today,” the Commander said. “But from what I heard, they’re worth it. Millions will die once we lose them.”
“Then we mustn’t.”
“I don’t see how we can stop them, princess. We’re too far away to transmit anything, and they’ll be jamming our comms.”
Hermione rubbed her forehead. She was out of her element. But still, there must be something that they could do. “What about a physical copy? Can we send it away? Do we have even smaller ships docked like the Profundity had?”
“Pods? Several. But they won’t let them go. They’ll blast any we let out,” the Commander explained.
“Even if we release them all at once?”
“Especially. They’ll know something is off, and they can track them all.”
An idea came to Hermione. “Supposing we manage to send a pod. Where would we send it to?”
“Princess…”
“Where?” she insisted.
“Tatooine. Pods don’t have hyperdrive.”
“Is there anyone we trust there?”
The Commander chuckled. “If you had asked me yesterday I would’ve said no. Not a single soul in that whole sandy hell,” he said. “But your father seemed to believe we’d find the old general, Moony Lupin here. That’s why we set course to this planet to begin with, remember?”
Moony Lupin? Was this for real?
“Alright. We’ll send the plans to him,” Hermione said.
“But princess, as soon as they detect life forms in the pods…”
“What if they don’t?”
The Commander looked lost. “What do you mean?”
“If there was a single pod, with no life forms in it. Could they assume it is just a malfunction and let it be?”
“Long shot.”
“But there’s hope?” she pressed on.
“We’re in the Rebellion. There’s always hope,” the Commander answered with a smile.
Hermione nodded. “Prepare a pod, and communicate our surrender. Meanwhile…” she said, turning to DOBY and H3. “You two, come with me.”