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Kat had not meant to get herself captured, but she guessed that most people didn’t get captured on purpose.
Still, she had snuck into the new Imperial battle ship to get the blueprints for it- not to get captured by Governor Lorenzo and the dreaded Darth Tanio. She had known that the mission was risky, obviously. But she had also known that this was also the only way to stop the terrible weapon that the Imperials had created. And Kat needed to stop it. Even if she was a princess, it didn’t matter. Someone needed to get the blueprints, someone needed to bring them to Barry Kenobi, and- And that person was Kat. And she had gotten the plans, was the thing. She had even gotten them to her droid, and recorded a message for Kenobi. She had gotten the droid out of the ship, even. In fact, Kat had done everything that she had set out to do- except for getting herself out of the Imperial battle ship. Kat seemed to have missed that part. And now, Kat was captured. In cuffs, being handled by Imperial thugs and the terrible Darth Tanio. All of her escape plans so far had failed. She was certifiably trapped.
But that didn’t mean she was done fighting.
“Governor Lorenzo,” Kat drawled, trying her best to be threatening. “I should have expected you to be the one holding Darth Tanio’s leash. I recognized your… specific stench, when I was brought on board.”
“It’s my cologne,” Governor Lorenzo said, playfully. “Charming to the last second, I see. You don’t know how hard it was, signing the order to terminate your life.”
“And yet you had the courage to do it yourself?” Kat asked, with a raised eyebrow.
“My dear Princess Katrina,” Governor Lorenzo said. “I am not here to execute you yet. Before that, I thought I would give you the pleasure of being my guest at the ceremony to make this battle station operational. No star system will dare oppose the Emperor now.”
“The more you tighten your grip, Lorenzo,” Kat drawled. “The more star systems slip through your fingers.”
“Not after we demonstrate the power we hold,” Governor Lorenzo said, with a sickening smile. “In a way, it was you who chose which planet will christen this battle station.”
Kat narrowed her eyes at the Governor. What did that-
“Since you don’t seem to want to share the location of your fellow rebels, I have chosen to test this station’s destructive power on…” Governor Lorenzo began, with a dramatic pause just for flair. “On your home planet, of Carnivaan.”
“No!” Kat cried out, unable to stop herself. She struggled against her restraints. “Carnivaan is peaceful! We have no weapons! You can’t possibly-“
“You want another target?” Governor Lorenzo asked, with a sick smile. “A military target? Then name the system.”
Kat felt sick to her stomach. She couldn’t say anything. Couldn’t do anything. Her restraints held strong.
“I’m growing bored of this,” Governor Lorzeno said, with a flick of his wrist. “So I’m giving you one last chance. Where is the rebel base?”
Kat heard the preparation of the weapon over the intercom. She saw Governor Lorenzo tense with anticipation. And Kat- Kat couldn’t help but think. Think about all the memories she had on that planet- her parents, her friends, her fellow Carnivanians. Think about how everything and everyone she loved was on that planet, how everything she had ever done was for that planet. Think about how that was a planet of pacifists, no weapons, no way to defend themself, every single person that planet innocent. And Kat, couldn’t help but think- think that there was a way she could save that planet. Save her planet. It- it meant endangering the lives of others… but it would save billions of lives. Billions of innocent, unaware lives. Billions of lives who hadn’t signed up for this, who just wanted to live. Billions of lives that Kat had sworn to save, as Princess. And- And Kat knew what she had to do.
“Tark’ei Legg,” Kat said, her voice barely even a whisper. “I- the rebel base is on Tark’ei Legg.”
Governor Lorenzo grinned at her, and it did nothing to settle Kat’s churning stomach.
“See, Darth Tanio? The princess can, in fact, be reasonable,” The Governor said. He turned away from Kat, and instead towards his lackeys. “Continue with the operation. Fire when ready.”
“What?” Kat asked. She- she couldn’t have heard that right.
“You’re far too trusting,” Governor Lorenzo drawled. “Tark’ei Legg is far too remote to make a spectacle out of this. But don’t worry. We’ll deal with your rebel friends soon enough, as well.”
“No!” Kat screamed. She pulled against her restraints, with every bit of strength in her body. “No-“
But it was useless. It was all useless.
She was stuck standing there. Stuck watching. Watching as the weapon fired. Watching as the laser beam arced through space. Watching as- as the laser with Carnivaan. Watching as the fragments of her planet, her home, her family- shot through space. It was gone. Kat- she could feel it. She could feel the vacuum that the hole where her planet should have been was. She could feel the death, the sudden blankness in the universe where billions of lives should have been. She could feel the way that her heart shattered, just like her planet had. She wanted to scream. She wanted to suddenly be strong enough to break out of her chains. She wanted to kill Governor Lorenzo and Darth Tanio with her bare hands. She wanted- she wanted her planet back. That was what Kat wanted.
And yet, Carnivaan was dead. Carnivaan was dead, and Kat didn’t even have the mercy of being dead with it.