Disclaimer: George owns everything Star Wars.
Standoff
Some might have called it beautiful. The fragments of what had been Alderaan flashed and blazed with independent light before turning into cold, black space debris. Lord Vader watched impassively. The wave of terror from an entire planet of sentient beings had ripped through the Force, and a weaker man would have collapsed under its weight. As it was, the black armor that had nothing to do with his attire deflected the torrent that subsequently washed over him unheeded.
The Princess trembled involuntarily. Horrified beyond comprehension and numb with shock, she wavered slightly before him. For a moment, he thought she might faint and he tightened his grip on her shoulder. She gave no notice as she fought dry heaves of nausea.
Governor Tarkin turned to face her, eyes of cold duracrete burning into hers. The challenge was all she needed to pull her back from the brink of despair. Straightening her narrow shoulders against Vader, she spoke with a poise that defied her youth, "And you call yourselves human."
Tarkin glared at her before turning his back to leave, "Vader. Take her away."
She did not wait for Vader's cue and began the trek back to the prison block of her own volition. Arriving at her cell, Vader waved the stormtroopers away and followed her into the dark cubicle.
Leia sat on the low bench and Vader felt her relief that she no longer had to rely on her quivering legs for balance. Grasping the edges of what served as a bed, she stared at the floor and devoted a great deal of concentration on simply breathing. Grief swelled within her and threatened to break the determined resolve that held it, barely, at bay. She would weep, but not in front of him. She was much too proud to let him see her tears.
Realizing that he had not moved, she glanced up at him, "What?"
He spoke with eerie calm, "You lied."
"Of course I lied," she spat. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't?"
Vader looked down at her, almost admiring her defiance in spite of himself, "You cannot win, Leia. I will not allow it."
Leia rose to her feet and looked him directly in the eyes. She answered with calculated precision, "And you cannot destroy the Alliance. I won't allow it."
Vader returned the hard stare. It was a standoff. Her latent Force ability bristled in his presence like filaments under a static charge. He wondered if she would ever acknowledge it.
Turning on his heels, Vader left with a swirl of black capes. This had not been the first contest with the Princess. But it was the first time that neither of them could claim victory.
-End
A/N: The line "And you call yourselves human" comes from a deleted scene in the documentary Empire of Dreams.