Vacation Chaos
Leia sat at her desk at the small but well furnished office. She was looking forward to the nice, long vacation that she and her family would be going on the next day. Her husband, Han Solo had somehow gotten Leia, their two children, Leia's brother Luke his wife, to agree to a vacation on the water-world Calamari. She was looking up places to stay when Han walked into the office.
"Hey, how's your day going?" he asked.
"Pretty good. I'm just looking up hotels on Calamari for us to stay in."
"Don't bother. I've already gotten us two rooms in the Grand Hotel. I hear they have a pretty big casino, too," Han said with a lopsided grin. Leia smiled back at him.
"Thank you. You knew I didn't have enough time to do it by myself, didn't you? I don't know what I'd do without you," she smiled again.
Han was just about to say something when the annoying buzz of Leia's comlink went off.
"Organa Solo here," she said into it.
"Yes, there is a meeting in the council room that Mon Mothma wishes you to attend," the other said.
"Great," she looked at Han as if telling him she was sorry, "I'll be there in a moment. Organa Solo out."
"I'm sorry. Wish we could've talked longer, I totally forgot about this stupid meeting."
"That's okay. I need to go tell Luke and Mara about our reservations any way."
"I'll be home as soon as the meeting's over."
Leia sighed, "I love you."
"I know." For some reason it reminded Leia of that day on Cloud City when… but that was a long time ago, no need to think about it now, she had a meeting to attend to. She picked up the data pad on the desk and headed downstairs.
"Well, if we aren't careful news will leak out about our move," Admiral Akabar said with an unusual Mon Calamarin gesture.
"I agree," Leia said, glancing at the data pad containing the information about the next base move that they were considering.
"Are you sure that we can move to such a remote planet, though?" another councilor asked.
"It's not as much of a remote planet as you make it sound. In fact one reason that we decided to go to Tatooine is the fact that everyone thinks it is too remote for a base," Mon Mothma replied.
Leia was sitting in silence as she read the data pad. She wondered why in the worlds they had chosen her to keep the top-secret information. She sighed, wondering how much longer the meeting would last.
The meeting was longer than she had expected it to be and it was about eight-forty-five when she got home. Leia was expecting to have to pack her suitcase, plus Han's and the twin's, but when she walked into the bedroom she was amazed to find the bags packed, the kids in bed, fed and bathed, and Han asleep in a chair with a data pad in his hands.
"Oh, I don't know what I'd do without you," she whispered, as she tossed her data pad into the suitcase. It was the perfect ending to the busiest day ever.
* * *
The next day she got up early and fixed breakfast for her kids. Jacen and Jaina were one-and-a-half year old Jedi twins, who Han and Leia were very proud of. Jaina was already showing a abilities in the Force; Jacen was more interested in animals. Once the children had eaten and she had woken up Han, she began to fix their breakfast.
They were in the middle of eating when Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker came bursting through the door.
"Aren't you ready to go yet?" Luke asked excitedly.
"Hold your mynocks, kid. Can't you see were not done eating yet?" Han replied.
Luke reluctantly settled himself in to a chair.
As soon as they finished eating their breakfast, Han and Luke went to get the Millennium Falcon ready to fly, while Leia made sure the twins had everything packed that they needed. Mara was fiddling with the small blaster pistol that she carried in a holster on her sleeve. Leia wondered if it was just a bad habit of carrying it, or if she felt she really needed it.
Thirty minutes later they were off headed toward the Calamari sector.
* * *
Leia walked into the control room of the rather beat-up ship that she had once called a piece of junk; Han always seemed to prove her wrong about things like that. Leia took a step back when she saw the amazing view of Calamari out of the view port. It was a misty blue-green color in places but in most it was blue. More than three-fourths of the planet was covered with water.
"This is the Millennium Falcon requesting clearance to land," Han said in to the comm.
"We read you loud an clear Millennium Falcon," the control officer said, "Approving landing sequence now."
"Thank you," Han said and shut off the comm. "So far so good," he said to the others that had begun to crowd around to see the view. Luke noticed that Mara was nowhere in sight.
Mara was in her chambers washing up after the short rest she had had. Luke tapped on the door and entered without waiting for an answer.
"Are you okay?" Luke asked her.
"Yes," she answered, "is it all right with you if I wash up before going down to some strange planet?"
"Yes, that's fine. I was just concerned about you."
"Thanks."
"What's wrong?" Luke asked, halfway closing his eyes and reaching out with the Force. "You're nervous. Do you think something bad is going to happen down there?"
"I don't know. I felt a disturbance in the Force," she muttered picking up her lightsaber from the table and hooking it to her belt.
"I don't sense anything," the Jedi master said. "Don't worry so much, we'll all be fine."
"Okay, if you think so," she was still skeptical about it.
"Look, my skills are more attuned to notice danger than yours, I would have known sense we got out of lightspeed that something was wrong. I'm going to help with the luggage," Luke sighed and left the room.
Han and Luke were getting the last of the luggage on the carrier to head up to the rooms. "I sure am glad Leia packs light. She has to go so many places on such short notice that she doesn't have time to put everything she owns in the bag," he lifted the small suitcase onto the cart and looked at Luke who was lugging a large, heavy bag toward him.
"Mara needs to take lessons from Leia then. This thing has enough stuff for her to move here!" Han laughed then took the bag from the younger man.
* * *
The room was fairly large, at least large enough for four people for six days. It contained a master bedroom, an undersized bedroom, and a refresher unit. The master room had a desk with a small, and rather slow computer sitting on it. It was the best they could do though.
"Well, at the price I paid, this sure isn't what I was expecting," Han commented.
"Oh, you did a fine job of getting us this room. I was impressed when I heard the words 'Grand Hotel,'" Leia replied as she put the twins in their play pin. And their vacation slowly went down hill from there.
Han grunted.
Jacen and Jaina were both asleep when Leia carried them in, now Jaina was awake finding something very fascinating about her shirt. Han took his suitcase into his room, when he returned Jaina was looking at him. Her expression was saying 'hold me, Daddy.' He picked up his daughter and she flung her little arms around his neck.
Back in the bedroom, Leia was hoping that Luke and Mara had found their room better suiting than Han had found theirs. If Luke thought as positive about their room as Han had, Leia and Mara were going to be miserable for the next week or so.
Dinner wasn't so bad; the others had found their room quite suitable. They had some kind of native fish that Leia had no idea how to say the name of and vegetables that tasted like what we would know as mushrooms with rice. The twins didn't much care for it.
"Mara and I were looking at some of the brochures that were in our room and we saw something that the kids might enjoy doing," Luke said swallowing his last bite of fish.
"Well?" Han asked rather rudely.
"It's some kind of class, if you want to call it that, that kids can learn about the sea creatures of Calamari. You think they'd like that?"
"Sure they would. Jacen especially." Leia said.
"Well, the catch is that sense they are so young you or Han will have to stay with them," Luke said Leia.
"I can do that," Leia answered.
"What are you guys gonna do?" Han asked Luke and Mara.
"Well, I was thinking that Luke and I could see some of the sights and retire early," Mara smiled at Luke. He smiled back not quiet catching her hint.
"How about you," the other asked.
"I want to check out that casino I read about," Leia rolled her eyes at Han.
"Hey, they have three rooms with six sabacc tables in each, or so I hear," Han said with a lopsided grin.
"Well, have fun but remember that we have to have money to buy our food," Leia warned.
"Hey, it's me," Han said as he gave the server the credits to pay for the meal.
"Okay, whatever you say."
The twins really seemed to have a lot of fun at their 'class', Jacen loved seeing all the marine life. Leia enjoyed the break from having to always amuse the kids. They were upset when they had to go back to the hotel. Leia was ready to go back and kill Han if he had lost all their money, but to her surprise he hadn't.
"…In fact I won twenty-eight thousand credits," he boasted.
"Wow, must've been a pretty good game," Leia answered a little surprised.
"Yeah, there were seven at the table and I busted two of them." Leia tried her best to smile; she didn't much see what Han saw in gambling. To tell all truth, Leia despised casinos. But whatever made Han happy.
Leia had gotten a rather excited Jacen and Jaina ready for bed and was now settling them in. Han was in the refresher unit getting ready for be himself. Leia picked up her data pad and data card. When she tried to insert the data card, she realized that there was already one in it. The card contained the information form the meeting she had had a few days before. The top-secret information on their Tatooine base move. She fumbled with the card, and thought that she really needed to get the information back to Mon Mothma on Coruscant. Anyone could tap into the message and sell it to the Empire. That could be disastrous. Even though Leia had sworn not to tell anyone about the information until it was official, she didn't know anything else to do.
"How did you manage to bring that one of all cards?" Han asked.
"I don't know. I guess when I got home the night before we left, that I was so tired, that I forgot to take it out of my data pad."
"You need to be more careful, if you just forget next time it could cause trouble," Han cautioned.
"I will, I will. But for now I'm going to go to sleep." She reached over, Kissed Han and turned out the light.
"Goodnight," he said but Leia was already asleep.
The eyes that had been looking in the window were gone and reporting back to their boss. The life-like probe droid had been recording the Solo's conversation sense they had returned form dinner. Now the droid was coming to a halt in front of a smaller building. In it Imperial Admiral Pelleon was waiting for a report.
"Well, what did you find out?" the man asked.
"I found out about a base move that the Rebels are planning," it said in its mechanical voice.
"Very good, very good," he stroked his chin. "Keep a spy on them day and night." Pelleon seemed very pleased.
"Yes my master."
The next morning, the six decided they would go out to eat breakfast. When Luke stepped off the turbolift, he noticed a Mon Calamarin loitering around the lifts who was acting very odd. Luke, casually as possible, stepped closer to Mara and pointed him out.
"I told you something wasn't right," Mara whispered back.
Leia slipped over to the two, "What's up?"
"That guy--" but Luke stopped, "He's gone!"
"Oh well, let's just try to have a good time today, " Leia said.
Mara was still looking at the spot where the Mon Calamarin had been standing, wondering what he had been doing.
After the late breakfast, they decided that they would all go to the beach so they might be able to relax some. Leia took the kids to the water while the others set up some chairs.
"Look," Luke commanded.
"It's the same guy we say this morning," Mara noticed.
"I really hate to burst your bubbles, but all Mon Calamarian look the same," Han pointed out.
"Point," Mara agreed.
"No I can feel it, that's the same one."
"Okay, fine. I'll go over there and ask him if he's been following us around and if so why. How's that sound?" Han asked with a spark of dry humor.
"No, don't" Mara said thinking he was serious, "He's gone."
"An escape artist too, huh?" Han asked.
They stayed on the beach all morning until the twins started complaining about being hungry. While the others ate Leia checked in her bag to make sure that the important disk was still there. She was afraid to leave it in the room for some reason. It was there, thankfully.
Once she finished lunch, she decided she'd lie down and rest for a few minutes. She really wasn't planning on going to sleep that long, but it was about three hours later when she woke. Jacen and Jaina were nicely sunburned when she saw them a couple minutes later.
"Is you," Han cleared his throat, "um, you know the disk? Is it there?
"It was there before I took my nap, but let me check."
"Oh, blast," Leia looked up at Han, "It's not there."
"Well, look again." She looked.
"No, it's not there. We've got to go find it."
"I know, I know. Look, we can't take everyone with us," Han pointed out.
"Right. You Luke and I will go."
"Why Luke," Han enquired.
"Because he's seen the guy who I think took it and that he can sense him." Leia smiled, "And because I know that you don't really get along with Mara."
"Ha ha, it's not that I don't like her, it's just that we don't see eye to eye on things."
"I know, darling, I know." Leia totally understood what Han meant.
"Luke, I need you to come with Han and me to get something very important back that we go stolen."
"What about Mara and the twins?"
"I'd look kind of weird if we just left the room with four days of rent left."
"Yeah, it would," Luke agreed.
"Then let's go. I'll tell you about what we 'lost' on the way," Leia told her brother.
Luke knew the plan and was ready to help. Han was in the cockpit getting the Falcon ready to fly. Luke sat in the co-pilots seat fiddling with his lightsaber when he noticed Leia walk in. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked her.
"I'm worried about the mission, if you'll call it that. It's my fault the disk got stolen in the first place," her words hung in the air, but Han broke the silence.
"We're off."
"Um… Han, where are we off to?"
"Naboo," Luke answered, "Theed to be precise."
"About that, kid, how do you know for sure our mystery man's heading there?"
"I can feel it…" his voice trailed off. "I just know that's where he's going," Luke assured him.
"You Jedi are creepy," Han commented.
"And there are five in your family." Leia smiled at his expression. He looked as if he were trying to figure out whom Leia was talking about.
Almost five and a half hours later, Leia jumped in surprise when the alarm went off telling them they were coming out of hyperspace. Han jogged to the cockpit to turn off the autopilot; Luke was already in the co-pilots seat, stargazing, so Leia sat in a passenger seat.
"Wow, this really brings back memories, huh Han?" she mumbled. Han laughed.
"Uh… this is Han Solo requesting clearance to land," he said into the comm.
"You may proceed your current course to docking bay 334," the control officer replied.
After thanking him and turning off the comm, Han said, "Now, the search begins."
Leia could tell that there was something wrong as soon as she set foot on the surface of the planet. Luke must have noticed this too because he suddenly flinched and pointed to the right and ordered them to go that way. Han sighed thinking that this was a total wild-womprat chase. Noting that her was being left behind, he ran to catch up with his wife and brother-in-law. "Are you sure you know where we're going?"
"Yes, Han, I know where were going," Luke replied sounding a bit preoccupied. He led them around a corner into a dark ally.
"Great, thank you so very much for leading us here," Han said sarcastically, "We're lost and at a dead end!"
"No we're not, look over there, we can climb up those crates," Leia pointed out.
"Gee, Leia I don't know what we'd do with out you. What did you think I didn't see them?" Han replied.
"Han, no offence, but shut up," she replied.
"No offence taken, sweetheart," he replied sarcastically.
They climbed up the crates. Once they reached the top, Luke stopped and looked from side to side.
"Don't tell me that you don't know where to go," Han snapped.
"I won't, because if I'm not mistaken, our man should be right over there," Luke replied.
They climbed onto the roof and up a ladder. After repeating this several times, just as Han was ready to make a shrewd comment, Luke stopped and Leia told them to get down. Han obeyed.
There was a group of aliens standing in the shadows of a building. One was Mon Calamarian. There was also a Nikto, Rodian, Noghri, and a Twi'lek.
" What are we going to do?" Leia murmured.
"Well," Luke began, "I could do this…" Randomly picking a target and half closing his eyes, he began tinkering with the Noghri's mind, making him hear something behind him. The creature went to investigate. Han slowly pulled out his blaster.
"No!" Leia whispered. "They'll hear."
"You know I'd prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around," he replied.
The Twi'lek must've heard their conversation because it spun around, head-tail twitching. But Han wasn't paying any attention; he looked to his right and spotted a pile of scrap metal. Carefully he slinked over to the pile and plucked up a large, heavy, round piece. Quickly, and rather hard, the threw it at the Twi'lek causing a major concussion and it to fall onto the ground seven stories down-to it's death. Then, he grabbed his blaster and shot the Rodian in the chest.
"Gee, that brought back memories," he commented to Luke.
"I don't catch your drift."
"I'll remind you later." He turned around, expecting Leia to be crouching there still, only to find her in hand-to-lightsaber combat with the Nikto. "Leia!"
"Keep-the-other-one-busy!" she grunted as she slashed the critter open.
Luke began toying with the Mon Calamarin's mind, but for some reason it resisted. Han saw that they were in trouble if Luke couldn't use the Force somehow. But he could. Han told the other the plan.
Luke quickly used the Force to find the data card on his body. To his, slight, surprise, it was there. Luke snatched the card out just as Han rushed the Mon Calamarian and pined him to the roof.
Han pulled out his blaster, threatening to kill him if he didn't tell who had put him up to this job. It was too scared to say anything and the other was getting tired of waiting so he blasted it in the chest.
"What?" Han shrugged. "It wouldn't talk."
Later that evening, back on the trip home, Han confronted Leia.
"Knowing you, I would've thought that you'd have kept a better eye on that data card," he said.
"I know. I shouldn't have fallen asleep."
"But that's okay," Han said embracing her, "That's one of the many things I love about you."
"Um, sweetie? Would it hurt you too bad if you didn't mention this to Mon Mothma?"
"Sure thing," he whispered as he leaning down to kiss her.
They were interrupted when Luke came in to tell Leia that Mara was on the comm and wanted to talk to her.
Leia answered and Mara told her that the twins were doing fine and they would be waiting for them to pick them up when they arrived.
The chaotic vacation had turned out to be a good one after all.
Leia sat at her desk at the small but well furnished office. She was looking forward to the nice, long vacation that she and her family would be going on the next day. Her husband, Han Solo had somehow gotten Leia, their two children, Leia's brother Luke his wife, to agree to a vacation on the water-world Calamari. She was looking up places to stay when Han walked into the office.
"Hey, how's your day going?" he asked.
"Pretty good. I'm just looking up hotels on Calamari for us to stay in."
"Don't bother. I've already gotten us two rooms in the Grand Hotel. I hear they have a pretty big casino, too," Han said with a lopsided grin. Leia smiled back at him.
"Thank you. You knew I didn't have enough time to do it by myself, didn't you? I don't know what I'd do without you," she smiled again.
Han was just about to say something when the annoying buzz of Leia's comlink went off.
"Organa Solo here," she said into it.
"Yes, there is a meeting in the council room that Mon Mothma wishes you to attend," the other said.
"Great," she looked at Han as if telling him she was sorry, "I'll be there in a moment. Organa Solo out."
"I'm sorry. Wish we could've talked longer, I totally forgot about this stupid meeting."
"That's okay. I need to go tell Luke and Mara about our reservations any way."
"I'll be home as soon as the meeting's over."
Leia sighed, "I love you."
"I know." For some reason it reminded Leia of that day on Cloud City when… but that was a long time ago, no need to think about it now, she had a meeting to attend to. She picked up the data pad on the desk and headed downstairs.
"Well, if we aren't careful news will leak out about our move," Admiral Akabar said with an unusual Mon Calamarin gesture.
"I agree," Leia said, glancing at the data pad containing the information about the next base move that they were considering.
"Are you sure that we can move to such a remote planet, though?" another councilor asked.
"It's not as much of a remote planet as you make it sound. In fact one reason that we decided to go to Tatooine is the fact that everyone thinks it is too remote for a base," Mon Mothma replied.
Leia was sitting in silence as she read the data pad. She wondered why in the worlds they had chosen her to keep the top-secret information. She sighed, wondering how much longer the meeting would last.
The meeting was longer than she had expected it to be and it was about eight-forty-five when she got home. Leia was expecting to have to pack her suitcase, plus Han's and the twin's, but when she walked into the bedroom she was amazed to find the bags packed, the kids in bed, fed and bathed, and Han asleep in a chair with a data pad in his hands.
"Oh, I don't know what I'd do without you," she whispered, as she tossed her data pad into the suitcase. It was the perfect ending to the busiest day ever.
* * *
The next day she got up early and fixed breakfast for her kids. Jacen and Jaina were one-and-a-half year old Jedi twins, who Han and Leia were very proud of. Jaina was already showing a abilities in the Force; Jacen was more interested in animals. Once the children had eaten and she had woken up Han, she began to fix their breakfast.
They were in the middle of eating when Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker came bursting through the door.
"Aren't you ready to go yet?" Luke asked excitedly.
"Hold your mynocks, kid. Can't you see were not done eating yet?" Han replied.
Luke reluctantly settled himself in to a chair.
As soon as they finished eating their breakfast, Han and Luke went to get the Millennium Falcon ready to fly, while Leia made sure the twins had everything packed that they needed. Mara was fiddling with the small blaster pistol that she carried in a holster on her sleeve. Leia wondered if it was just a bad habit of carrying it, or if she felt she really needed it.
Thirty minutes later they were off headed toward the Calamari sector.
* * *
Leia walked into the control room of the rather beat-up ship that she had once called a piece of junk; Han always seemed to prove her wrong about things like that. Leia took a step back when she saw the amazing view of Calamari out of the view port. It was a misty blue-green color in places but in most it was blue. More than three-fourths of the planet was covered with water.
"This is the Millennium Falcon requesting clearance to land," Han said in to the comm.
"We read you loud an clear Millennium Falcon," the control officer said, "Approving landing sequence now."
"Thank you," Han said and shut off the comm. "So far so good," he said to the others that had begun to crowd around to see the view. Luke noticed that Mara was nowhere in sight.
Mara was in her chambers washing up after the short rest she had had. Luke tapped on the door and entered without waiting for an answer.
"Are you okay?" Luke asked her.
"Yes," she answered, "is it all right with you if I wash up before going down to some strange planet?"
"Yes, that's fine. I was just concerned about you."
"Thanks."
"What's wrong?" Luke asked, halfway closing his eyes and reaching out with the Force. "You're nervous. Do you think something bad is going to happen down there?"
"I don't know. I felt a disturbance in the Force," she muttered picking up her lightsaber from the table and hooking it to her belt.
"I don't sense anything," the Jedi master said. "Don't worry so much, we'll all be fine."
"Okay, if you think so," she was still skeptical about it.
"Look, my skills are more attuned to notice danger than yours, I would have known sense we got out of lightspeed that something was wrong. I'm going to help with the luggage," Luke sighed and left the room.
Han and Luke were getting the last of the luggage on the carrier to head up to the rooms. "I sure am glad Leia packs light. She has to go so many places on such short notice that she doesn't have time to put everything she owns in the bag," he lifted the small suitcase onto the cart and looked at Luke who was lugging a large, heavy bag toward him.
"Mara needs to take lessons from Leia then. This thing has enough stuff for her to move here!" Han laughed then took the bag from the younger man.
* * *
The room was fairly large, at least large enough for four people for six days. It contained a master bedroom, an undersized bedroom, and a refresher unit. The master room had a desk with a small, and rather slow computer sitting on it. It was the best they could do though.
"Well, at the price I paid, this sure isn't what I was expecting," Han commented.
"Oh, you did a fine job of getting us this room. I was impressed when I heard the words 'Grand Hotel,'" Leia replied as she put the twins in their play pin. And their vacation slowly went down hill from there.
Han grunted.
Jacen and Jaina were both asleep when Leia carried them in, now Jaina was awake finding something very fascinating about her shirt. Han took his suitcase into his room, when he returned Jaina was looking at him. Her expression was saying 'hold me, Daddy.' He picked up his daughter and she flung her little arms around his neck.
Back in the bedroom, Leia was hoping that Luke and Mara had found their room better suiting than Han had found theirs. If Luke thought as positive about their room as Han had, Leia and Mara were going to be miserable for the next week or so.
Dinner wasn't so bad; the others had found their room quite suitable. They had some kind of native fish that Leia had no idea how to say the name of and vegetables that tasted like what we would know as mushrooms with rice. The twins didn't much care for it.
"Mara and I were looking at some of the brochures that were in our room and we saw something that the kids might enjoy doing," Luke said swallowing his last bite of fish.
"Well?" Han asked rather rudely.
"It's some kind of class, if you want to call it that, that kids can learn about the sea creatures of Calamari. You think they'd like that?"
"Sure they would. Jacen especially." Leia said.
"Well, the catch is that sense they are so young you or Han will have to stay with them," Luke said Leia.
"I can do that," Leia answered.
"What are you guys gonna do?" Han asked Luke and Mara.
"Well, I was thinking that Luke and I could see some of the sights and retire early," Mara smiled at Luke. He smiled back not quiet catching her hint.
"How about you," the other asked.
"I want to check out that casino I read about," Leia rolled her eyes at Han.
"Hey, they have three rooms with six sabacc tables in each, or so I hear," Han said with a lopsided grin.
"Well, have fun but remember that we have to have money to buy our food," Leia warned.
"Hey, it's me," Han said as he gave the server the credits to pay for the meal.
"Okay, whatever you say."
The twins really seemed to have a lot of fun at their 'class', Jacen loved seeing all the marine life. Leia enjoyed the break from having to always amuse the kids. They were upset when they had to go back to the hotel. Leia was ready to go back and kill Han if he had lost all their money, but to her surprise he hadn't.
"…In fact I won twenty-eight thousand credits," he boasted.
"Wow, must've been a pretty good game," Leia answered a little surprised.
"Yeah, there were seven at the table and I busted two of them." Leia tried her best to smile; she didn't much see what Han saw in gambling. To tell all truth, Leia despised casinos. But whatever made Han happy.
Leia had gotten a rather excited Jacen and Jaina ready for bed and was now settling them in. Han was in the refresher unit getting ready for be himself. Leia picked up her data pad and data card. When she tried to insert the data card, she realized that there was already one in it. The card contained the information form the meeting she had had a few days before. The top-secret information on their Tatooine base move. She fumbled with the card, and thought that she really needed to get the information back to Mon Mothma on Coruscant. Anyone could tap into the message and sell it to the Empire. That could be disastrous. Even though Leia had sworn not to tell anyone about the information until it was official, she didn't know anything else to do.
"How did you manage to bring that one of all cards?" Han asked.
"I don't know. I guess when I got home the night before we left, that I was so tired, that I forgot to take it out of my data pad."
"You need to be more careful, if you just forget next time it could cause trouble," Han cautioned.
"I will, I will. But for now I'm going to go to sleep." She reached over, Kissed Han and turned out the light.
"Goodnight," he said but Leia was already asleep.
The eyes that had been looking in the window were gone and reporting back to their boss. The life-like probe droid had been recording the Solo's conversation sense they had returned form dinner. Now the droid was coming to a halt in front of a smaller building. In it Imperial Admiral Pelleon was waiting for a report.
"Well, what did you find out?" the man asked.
"I found out about a base move that the Rebels are planning," it said in its mechanical voice.
"Very good, very good," he stroked his chin. "Keep a spy on them day and night." Pelleon seemed very pleased.
"Yes my master."
The next morning, the six decided they would go out to eat breakfast. When Luke stepped off the turbolift, he noticed a Mon Calamarin loitering around the lifts who was acting very odd. Luke, casually as possible, stepped closer to Mara and pointed him out.
"I told you something wasn't right," Mara whispered back.
Leia slipped over to the two, "What's up?"
"That guy--" but Luke stopped, "He's gone!"
"Oh well, let's just try to have a good time today, " Leia said.
Mara was still looking at the spot where the Mon Calamarin had been standing, wondering what he had been doing.
After the late breakfast, they decided that they would all go to the beach so they might be able to relax some. Leia took the kids to the water while the others set up some chairs.
"Look," Luke commanded.
"It's the same guy we say this morning," Mara noticed.
"I really hate to burst your bubbles, but all Mon Calamarian look the same," Han pointed out.
"Point," Mara agreed.
"No I can feel it, that's the same one."
"Okay, fine. I'll go over there and ask him if he's been following us around and if so why. How's that sound?" Han asked with a spark of dry humor.
"No, don't" Mara said thinking he was serious, "He's gone."
"An escape artist too, huh?" Han asked.
They stayed on the beach all morning until the twins started complaining about being hungry. While the others ate Leia checked in her bag to make sure that the important disk was still there. She was afraid to leave it in the room for some reason. It was there, thankfully.
Once she finished lunch, she decided she'd lie down and rest for a few minutes. She really wasn't planning on going to sleep that long, but it was about three hours later when she woke. Jacen and Jaina were nicely sunburned when she saw them a couple minutes later.
"Is you," Han cleared his throat, "um, you know the disk? Is it there?
"It was there before I took my nap, but let me check."
"Oh, blast," Leia looked up at Han, "It's not there."
"Well, look again." She looked.
"No, it's not there. We've got to go find it."
"I know, I know. Look, we can't take everyone with us," Han pointed out.
"Right. You Luke and I will go."
"Why Luke," Han enquired.
"Because he's seen the guy who I think took it and that he can sense him." Leia smiled, "And because I know that you don't really get along with Mara."
"Ha ha, it's not that I don't like her, it's just that we don't see eye to eye on things."
"I know, darling, I know." Leia totally understood what Han meant.
"Luke, I need you to come with Han and me to get something very important back that we go stolen."
"What about Mara and the twins?"
"I'd look kind of weird if we just left the room with four days of rent left."
"Yeah, it would," Luke agreed.
"Then let's go. I'll tell you about what we 'lost' on the way," Leia told her brother.
Luke knew the plan and was ready to help. Han was in the cockpit getting the Falcon ready to fly. Luke sat in the co-pilots seat fiddling with his lightsaber when he noticed Leia walk in. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked her.
"I'm worried about the mission, if you'll call it that. It's my fault the disk got stolen in the first place," her words hung in the air, but Han broke the silence.
"We're off."
"Um… Han, where are we off to?"
"Naboo," Luke answered, "Theed to be precise."
"About that, kid, how do you know for sure our mystery man's heading there?"
"I can feel it…" his voice trailed off. "I just know that's where he's going," Luke assured him.
"You Jedi are creepy," Han commented.
"And there are five in your family." Leia smiled at his expression. He looked as if he were trying to figure out whom Leia was talking about.
Almost five and a half hours later, Leia jumped in surprise when the alarm went off telling them they were coming out of hyperspace. Han jogged to the cockpit to turn off the autopilot; Luke was already in the co-pilots seat, stargazing, so Leia sat in a passenger seat.
"Wow, this really brings back memories, huh Han?" she mumbled. Han laughed.
"Uh… this is Han Solo requesting clearance to land," he said into the comm.
"You may proceed your current course to docking bay 334," the control officer replied.
After thanking him and turning off the comm, Han said, "Now, the search begins."
Leia could tell that there was something wrong as soon as she set foot on the surface of the planet. Luke must have noticed this too because he suddenly flinched and pointed to the right and ordered them to go that way. Han sighed thinking that this was a total wild-womprat chase. Noting that her was being left behind, he ran to catch up with his wife and brother-in-law. "Are you sure you know where we're going?"
"Yes, Han, I know where were going," Luke replied sounding a bit preoccupied. He led them around a corner into a dark ally.
"Great, thank you so very much for leading us here," Han said sarcastically, "We're lost and at a dead end!"
"No we're not, look over there, we can climb up those crates," Leia pointed out.
"Gee, Leia I don't know what we'd do with out you. What did you think I didn't see them?" Han replied.
"Han, no offence, but shut up," she replied.
"No offence taken, sweetheart," he replied sarcastically.
They climbed up the crates. Once they reached the top, Luke stopped and looked from side to side.
"Don't tell me that you don't know where to go," Han snapped.
"I won't, because if I'm not mistaken, our man should be right over there," Luke replied.
They climbed onto the roof and up a ladder. After repeating this several times, just as Han was ready to make a shrewd comment, Luke stopped and Leia told them to get down. Han obeyed.
There was a group of aliens standing in the shadows of a building. One was Mon Calamarian. There was also a Nikto, Rodian, Noghri, and a Twi'lek.
" What are we going to do?" Leia murmured.
"Well," Luke began, "I could do this…" Randomly picking a target and half closing his eyes, he began tinkering with the Noghri's mind, making him hear something behind him. The creature went to investigate. Han slowly pulled out his blaster.
"No!" Leia whispered. "They'll hear."
"You know I'd prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around," he replied.
The Twi'lek must've heard their conversation because it spun around, head-tail twitching. But Han wasn't paying any attention; he looked to his right and spotted a pile of scrap metal. Carefully he slinked over to the pile and plucked up a large, heavy, round piece. Quickly, and rather hard, the threw it at the Twi'lek causing a major concussion and it to fall onto the ground seven stories down-to it's death. Then, he grabbed his blaster and shot the Rodian in the chest.
"Gee, that brought back memories," he commented to Luke.
"I don't catch your drift."
"I'll remind you later." He turned around, expecting Leia to be crouching there still, only to find her in hand-to-lightsaber combat with the Nikto. "Leia!"
"Keep-the-other-one-busy!" she grunted as she slashed the critter open.
Luke began toying with the Mon Calamarin's mind, but for some reason it resisted. Han saw that they were in trouble if Luke couldn't use the Force somehow. But he could. Han told the other the plan.
Luke quickly used the Force to find the data card on his body. To his, slight, surprise, it was there. Luke snatched the card out just as Han rushed the Mon Calamarian and pined him to the roof.
Han pulled out his blaster, threatening to kill him if he didn't tell who had put him up to this job. It was too scared to say anything and the other was getting tired of waiting so he blasted it in the chest.
"What?" Han shrugged. "It wouldn't talk."
Later that evening, back on the trip home, Han confronted Leia.
"Knowing you, I would've thought that you'd have kept a better eye on that data card," he said.
"I know. I shouldn't have fallen asleep."
"But that's okay," Han said embracing her, "That's one of the many things I love about you."
"Um, sweetie? Would it hurt you too bad if you didn't mention this to Mon Mothma?"
"Sure thing," he whispered as he leaning down to kiss her.
They were interrupted when Luke came in to tell Leia that Mara was on the comm and wanted to talk to her.
Leia answered and Mara told her that the twins were doing fine and they would be waiting for them to pick them up when they arrived.
The chaotic vacation had turned out to be a good one after all.