The crew spends two days in and out of hyperspace. Normally the trip from Coruscant to Alderaan would take the better part of a few hours, but Jeni plots a circuitous path to avoid hostile League patrols.
The Belisarion finally gets to Alderaan. The League attacked this world at around the same time they did Coruscant, but the Republic detachment here fared better than the one at the capitol planet.
It is 22nd Naval Defense Task Force, led by Commander Cev'ko, still with many cruisers, frigates, bombers, and other vessels at its disposal. The fleet hovers at Alderaan's exosphere. Small ships are ferrying supplies and personnel between the fleet and the planet, aiding in recovery efforts. At the Commander's request, the Belisarion docks inside his flagship, the battleship Aegica.
On the Aegica...
Ben, Jeni, Zero, and Bail are escorted to bridge. On the way there we see military officers trying to establish communications with nearby surviving Republic forces and giving orders to send pre-fab shelters and bacta tanks to the planet, sounding wary that supplies might run short.
When the four get to Cev'ko, the Commander recognizes Bail immediately and suggests that he take leadership over recovery on Alderaan not only because Bail is the highest-ranking royal but because that would be a sorely-needed morale boost. Cev'ko brings the group up to date on the war.
Cev'ko's last orders from on high were to use his army to detain the aliens on Alderaan in isolation camps. The commander's reluctance to act on the order was answered by a League attack on almost every world in the Core and many in the Expansion Zone. Since then, Cev'ko has been in charge of all military affairs on Alderaan. No-one has been detained in camps.
Friendly communications ceased only a few hours after the attack. The 22nd has sent scoutships to report on findings in nearby systems, always on the lookout for friendly reinforcements.
Bail does indeed take over managing the recovery duties. He needs to know the whereabouts of his wife Queen Breha. Cev'ko replies that security feeds last spotted her in the Royal Palace at the time of the attack. However, the Royal Palace was targeted by the League's turbolaser cannons. Though the structure is still recognizable, many parts have been turned to black smoldering dust and mangled metal supports.
Bail expresses anxiety over the possibility that his wife might been caught in the attack, and asks Cev'ko what he could do. Cev'ko already sent a reconnaissance droid to the ruins, but it has yet to report back. One of Cev'ko's subordinates thinks the droid might currently be surveying the subterranean levels, where commlink signals cannot pass through the rocks.
Ben takes it upon himself to find Breha for Bail. It was part of their contract on Coruscant. Ben may be a rogue, but he is a rogue who keeps his word with close friends.
Cev'ko discourages this, but Bail insists that Ben be allowed to go so that Cev'ko can deploy his already-limited manpower elsewhere on the world. Cev'ko relents and warns Ben that if he encounters substantial resistance at the Palace, the fleet won't know about it soon enough to send reinforcements in time.
Bail stays behind. Ben and Jeni are given demolition charges by the quartermaster to help clear away any rubble obstructing their path. The two and Zero board the Belisarion.
The freighter unclamps from the Aegica. In minutes, our heroes are descending upon the ruined Royal Palace...