Well, this has rapidly become a series for me. It's just little vignettes leading into scenes or important events from the movies. I think I'll call it my Anacrusis series, after the music terminology for the few notes leading into a song. The first was A Matter of Manners followed by Melting Point. This one's for all you pre-movie Han fans out there.
"Chewie! Don't connect that wire yet!" A voice called from inside of a tube. The old YT-1300 looked the worst for wear, yet it had a subtle power about her. A roar answered the man, and a large hairy humanoid clanked down the ramp.
"No," the man continued, "I think I got it." Shimmying out of the small tube,a young man no more than 28 or 29 years old wiped his hands on a rag and approached the Wookie. "I think that about does it."
"Chewbacca mrawled a response and Han Solo chuckled, "Nah, come on. We're not too late. And I'm Jabba's best man; he'll give me time." Again, a soft roar answered him. "Hey, that wasn't my fault. I didn't know if they were planning on boarding us or not. Couldn't take that risk." He began packing away a toolkit. Shouldering it, he walked back up the ramp into the ship. Chewie followed, growling a question.
"I don't know right now. But don't worry; we won't be here long. We'll find a job real quick." Shuffling was heard from the storage locker as he stowed the kit. After a moment, he came back out and flashed a roguish grin at his large counterpart. "Trust me, it'll work out." He moved on, presumably back to his cabin to shower and change from his work coveralls.
Moments later, Han emerged fully dressed. Chewie took in his attire and woofed. The man only wore his gold bloodstripe when he wanted to impress someone – or warn them off. The DL-44 heavy blaster hung low but comfortably on his hip, and the spacer vest completed the outfit.
"Let's go, Chewie. We'll find work in the Cantina." They left the freighter and locked the ramp behind them. Walking purposefully, they sifted through the docking bay crowds, making their way to the hub of spacer activity on Tatooine: Mos Eisley.
As they entered the Cantina, Han inhaled deeply. He noted the band in the corner, but couldn't make out the song they were playing. His eyes roamed the bar area, recognizing several characters he wanted to avoid. Spotting an empty table near the back, he began moving.
"Chewie, go see if they have Corellian ale, will ya? I'll grab a table." Chewie nodded and whuffed, causing several around him to scatter.
"We don't serve their kind here," the bartender called to the door, but Han didn't even look. He stared down a couple of Bothans for the table and reserved it for himself and Chewie. One of the dancing girls caught his eye and winked, causing Han to smile slyly. He moved over to her, admiring her body as he approached. A commotion broke out near the bar, but it was over as quickly as it had begun. He turned back to the girl and was about to turn on the Solo charm when Chewie's voice caught his ear. He tried to wave him off, but the Wookie was persistent.
"Yeah, I'm comin'," He threw an apologetic look at the girl before sauntering over to his friend. "What?" Chewie began a long and complicated dialogue that only Han, it seemed, understood. "Alderaan, huh? What are they offering?" A response, then, "You don't know?" Han looked over at his table, taking in the appearance of his would-be clients, and smirked. "Chewie, I think Jabba's about to get his money and I'm gonna bank on this one. Let's go." Han took a step, then paused and looked back at the dancing girl. "Chewie, you go ahead. I'm gonna be just a minute. Yeah, yeah, I'll be right there."
And there you have it. R&R please! The next in the series will be between the Death StarRunflight brief in ANH and Luke and Han's conversation as he packs up his reward. H/L angst in that one, so look out!