I slipped inside the metallic room, pulse pounding, my blaster rifle trained on the silent figure waiting within.

Princess Leia sat perfectly upright on the narrow cot, her iconic white robes slightly rumpled but her composure absolute.

“Well, took you long enough,” she stated, her voice tight with cool contempt, not fear. “Another Imperial interrogator dressed in black? You all look the same.”

I lowered the rifle just enough to signal recognition, glancing quickly at the magnetic bindings locked around her wrists. “Alderaan needs its princess. The code is Rogue One. We move now.”

Her eyes flashed, recognizing the secure phrase. The contempt vanished, replaced by urgent focus. "They’ve placed a full perimeter sweep on this wing. You have approximately four minutes before they cycle the heavy blast doors, locking down the quadrant."

I rushed to her side, activating the cutting tool on my wrist to shear through the bindings. "The plan is simple: get to the ventral maintenance access. It leads directly beneath the main launch bay. We secure an escape pod with pre-programmed jump points that will get you to a friendly system near Alderaan."

A sudden, jarring vibration ran through the deck plates—the Destroyer was changing course. Red emergency lights began flashing down the hall outside.

"Four minutes just became two," Leia observed, rubbing her freed wrists. She didn’t wait for my instruction, moving swiftly towards the cell exit. "Lead on, soldier. And try not to shoot any vital life support systems on the way out."