NOTE: In my version of this galaxy far, far away, the Galactic Standard Year consists of ten calendar months, each containing 40 days, or four ten-day weeks. A Galactic Standard Day consists of twenty, fifty minute hours. But this is usually deferred in preference to local time.
Inspirational music: "The Mummy" soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith, "Moulin Rouge" soundtrack by various artists, "Tarzan" soundtrack by Phil Collins and Mark Mancina, "Touch" by Sarah McLachlan, and "The Mask and the Mirror" by Loreena McKennitt.
ONE NIGHT on BESPIN
by LeelaStarsky.
CHAPTER ONE
It was a mammoth city, hanging in the clouds like the forgotten toy of a god, gleaming pink and gold in the afternoon sunlight. Solo followed the cloud cars across the top of it, then descended among the spires of buildings as they did until they reached the designated landing platform. Then he faultlessly brought the Falcon to rest.
They all stared at the empty platform for a long moment and, Solo suspected, none of them thought it bode well. Where was security? Where was Lando for that matter? Either he was still too angry with Han to contemplate seeing him or he no longer cared, and Solo really couldn't see that being an option.
The truth was, every alarm system, every gut feeling in his body was screaming at him to lift off and get the hell out of there. But he had no options. He couldn't go anywhere without a hyperdrive.
Solo started locking down the ship and Chewie fell into routine with him. He chanced a look at Leia and caught her staring out at the loudly vacant landing platform. She met his gaze briefly and was suddenly galvanised into action. Releasing her safety restraints and climbing out of her seat, she left the cockpit and Threepio followed her.
"Oh, no one to meet us," Threepio said as he came to the end of the Falcon's landing ramp and stopped.
Leia stopped beside him, obviously unsettled. "I don't like this," she growled.
"Well, what would you like?" Solo snapped, then thought snidely, A royal delegation? Nevertheless, he had enough sense to leave it unsaid. He was as unhappy about the situation as she was.
"Well they did let us land," Threepio observed helpfully.
"Look," Solo said, trying to mollify her, "don't worry. Everything's going to be fine. Trust me."
The door to the landing platform whooshed open and a squad of armed security guards moved into place, lining the entrance to the city. Then a dark skinned man stepped from their midst and walked towards the Falcon, his cape billowing in the sharp wind.
"See?" Solo said. "My friend."
Leia folded her arms defensively and regarded the newcomer with reservation.
Solo started forward to meet the approaching figure and paused beside Chewie. "Keep your eyes open, okay?"
Chewbacca growled a low affirmation and Solo moved to meet his friend. He paused when the cloaked figure stopped three meters away and glared at him
"Why you slimy, double-crossing, no-good swindler!" the man said darkly. "You've got a lot of guts coming here, after what you pulled."
Me? Solo indicated himself innocently. Calrissian approached, glowering, then abruptly lunged at the Corellian. Solo, feeling sure he was about to be hit, raised his fists in self-defence. And was surprised to find himself being embraced in enthusiastic greeting.
"How you doing, you old pirate?" the man crowed exuberantly. "So good to see you!"
"Well," Threepio said, "he seems very friendly."
"Yes," Leia agreed warily and followed Chewie towards Solo. "Very friendly."
"What are you doing here?" Calrissian wanted to know.
Solo gestured over his shoulder at the Falcon. "Ahh… repairs. I thought you could help me out."
"What have you done to my ship?" Calrissian demanded with mock outrage.
"Your ship?" Solo jabbed a finger at his chest. "Hey, remember you lost her to me fair and square!"
Calrissian noticed the Wookiee's approach and asked, "And how are you doing, Chewbacca? You still hanging around with this loser?"
Chewbacca gave him a reserved response and Calrissian's eyes suddenly lit upon the princess.
"Hello," he said with sudden admiration. "What have we here?"
Solo rolled his eyes as Calrissian moved past Chewbacca to give Leia his full attention.
"Welcome," Calrissian said smoothly. "I'm Lando Calrissian. I'm the administrator of this facility." He reached for her hand as he asked, "And who might you be?"
"Leia," she responded coolly.
"Welcome, Leia," he said, gallantly kissing the back of her hand.
As far as Solo was concerned, Lando had gone far enough. "Alright, alright," he said, taking Leia's hand and interposing himself between them. He grinned at Calrissian and scolded, "You old smoothie." The warning was there, despite his smile, and he knew Calrissian had seen it.
Leia couldn't quite stop the smile that spread across her face as he steered her towards the entrance, and for a moment Solo saw a whisper of the Leia who had been sharing his bunk for the last three weeks. He caught her eye and saw the hostility in her demeanour lessen slightly. She gave him a reserved smile then removed her hand from his.
"What's wrong with the Falcon?" Lando was asking.
"Hyperdrive," Solo replied, forcing himself to pay attention to the man.
"I'll get my people to work on it," Calrissian assured him matter-of-factly.
"Good," Solo said, and wondered when Lando would want to discuss payment. But Lando, it seemed, was set on impressing the princess.
"You know, that ship saved my life quite a few times," he told her. "She's the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy."
...
Watching Calrissian as he led them into the city, Leia could tell he was older than Solo by several years. Which didn't really surprise her. Like herself, Solo had been forced to grow up fast, and it was not unusual that he had moved in an older circle. Han had realised at an early age that his survival depended on his ability to learn fast, and that there was little to learn from his peers. That was why he had survived not just his youth on the streets of Coronet, but his life as a smuggler and the Imperial Academy as well.
Solo had warned her about Lando's prior ownership of the Falcon, largely, she suspected, because he knew Calrissian would make an issue of it. She got the feeling that losing the Falcon to Solo was something Calrissian had never quite got over and wondered exactly what sort of stunt Solo had 'pulled' on him.
"How's the gas mine?" Solo was asking. "Is it still paying off for you?"
"Oh, not as well as I'd like. We're a small outpost and not very self-sufficient. And I've had supply problems of every kind. I've had labour difficulties…"
Leia heard Solo chuckle and obviously so had Calrissian.
"What's so funny?" he demanded.
"You," Solo said, chuckling. "Listen to you. You sound like a regular businessman, a responsible leader. Who'd have thought that, huh?"
'Who'd have thought that', Leia echoed in her mind. Sounds a little like someone else I know, she thought. She slowed as Calrissian paused to look at his former friend.
"You know seeing you sure brings back a few things," he said.
Solo regarded the man with equal intensity and Leia suspected there was a lot not being said. He squeezed Calrissian's shoulder and agreed, "Yeah."
Calrissian started them walking again. "Yeah, I'm responsible these days," he said. "It's the price you pay for being successful."
Leia took the time to study the city as they moved through it. It was certainly beautiful, there was no denying it and, despite Calrissian's supply problems, the inhabitants looked well fed and happy. The architecture of the city reminded her of Alderaan and she suspected the architect was from her homeworld or at least a lover of it. Smooth, clean lines and lots of curves that suggested decorative without being frilly.
Chewbacca left her side suddenly and headed back the way they had come, leaving Leia wondering if he thought he'd forgotten something. Then she dismissed him. Chewbacca could look after himself. Whatever he was doing she was sure he'd have a good reason for it.
By the time Calrissian led them to the apartment he had set aside for them at the top of one of the upper spires, Chewie was back and Leia made a mental note to ask the Wookiee about it once Calrissian had left.
The Administrator opened the door with a grand flourish and said, "The royal suite." They all must have looked a little startled at the claim, Leia decided, because he hurriedly added, "Well, not really, but royalty did stay here once. Or so I'm told."
He was bragging, Leia realised and suddenly found herself doubting his claim. The comment disturbed her and she came to the unhappy conclusion that Lando Calrissian knew who she was.
The apartment was elegant, in a minimalist sort of way, and Leia decided it was probably the sort Calrissian reserved for business partners and visitors with money. People he wanted to impress. And wondered if he was deliberately setting out to intimidate Han. There was a panoramic window on the far side of the circular lounge, looking out over the city, and a large skylight overhead. The colours of the sunset had painted the room and caught the different angles of the tall, abstract sculpture in the centre of the lounge making it appear to glow like a frozen flame. Until Calrissian turned the lights on and shattered the illusion. Leia suspected she had chanced seeing the sculpture at its most impressive and decided that the artist would not have been all that impressed with Lando.
Calrissian swept around the perimeter of the suite and opened one of the four doors off the lounge.
"Bedroom," he said, indicating with his hand, then pointed at the door closest to the entrance. "Refresher." He waved at the doors on the other side of the lounge and said, "Same on that side." Only two? Leia thought, suddenly affronted at his assumption that she and Han would be sharing, then Calrissian looked at Chewbacca and added, "I assumed you'd want to stay with the ship."
Chewie growled an affirmative and Leia wondered why she hadn't considered that herself. Of course Han and Chewie wouldn't trust anyone near their ship unsupervised. She wondered if she would be spending her time in the apartment alone while Han abandoned her to concentrate on his ship, then felt guilty for wanting him all to herself.
Calrissian was explaining the vagaries of the comm system to Han and she looked inside the bedroom. It was as spartan as the lounge area with only a large bed in the centre. A very large bed. Luxury after the small bunk they had been sharing on the Falcon…
She walked through to the 'fresher which could be accessed from the bedroom as well as the lounge area. It was large and luxuriously appointed, the central feature being a large spa pool. The water in it glimmered enticingly in the light reflecting off it from an overhead skylight that looked like a smaller version of the one over the lounge, and Leia wondered how long she would be able to resist the temptation to plunge in.
She walked back into the bedroom and noticed there was a balcony area outside the large window. Walking across to it, Leia opened the access and stepped out on to it. The view was magnificent and the air was surprisingly mild. Lights could be seen all over the city now, despite it still being bathed in sunset colours, and she could see transport systems and distant throngs of people in the lower, open areas.
She looked at Han and Calrissian as they stepped out onto the balcony beside her and suspected that Solo had come looking for her.
"It's a lovely outpost," she admitted to Calrissian.
"Yes, we're very proud of it," he replied. "You'll find the air quite special here… very stimulating." He smiled meaningfully at her and added, "You could grow to like it."
Solo didn't miss Calrissian's flirtatious glance and obviously didn't like it. "We don't plan on staying that long," he said brusquely.
Leia raised an eyebrow at her simmering lover and said mischievously, "I find it quite relaxing."
Calrissian chuckled and they followed him back inside. As they walked through the bedroom to the lounge area, Solo caught Leia's eye and indicated the bed with his eyes. Like her, its size and possibilities had impressed him, and an amused, intimate look passed between them.
"I'll organise a repair crew for the Falcon now," Calrissian was saying. "Feel free to settle in; have a look around the city." He smiled at them. "Whatever takes your fancy."
His innuendo made Leia feel dirty, particularly as the sight of such a luxurious bed had prompted just such thoughts in her. Irritated, she moved to the panoramic window in an attempt to put as much distance between Calrissian and herself as she could.
"As I mentioned before," he continued, "I do have other matters to attend to. Perhaps we could get together tomorrow morning for a late breakfast?" He patted Solo on the back and headed for the door. "We can talk over old times; what do you say, buddy?"
Solo muttered something non-committal and Chewbacca succinctly told Calrissian that he would return to the Falcon immediately and await the repair crew and parts.
"Come on then," Calrissian encouraged and swept out the door with Chewbacca close on his heels. "You can make sure I order the right parts. Who knows what you two lunatics have done to her systems?"
The door shut, cutting off Chewbacca's reply, and Leia relaxed marginally, glad to see the back of Lando.
Immediately, Solo produced a small scanner from one of his pockets and proceeded to sweep the apartment for surveillance devices. Leia watched him affectionately. Han and his bug-hunts… Then he moved into the other rooms, systematic in his sweep, and Leia turned back to the sunset. It occurred to her that Threepio had not followed them to the apartment but, knowing the droid's propensity for wandering off and getting distracted, decided that he had probably gotten lost. She hoped he would have enough sense to simply retrace his steps and go back to the ship.
Solo re-pocketed his scanner, finally satisfied that the rooms were 'bug-free', and stepped back into the main lounge area. He turned and looked at Leia, silhouetted against the magnificent sunset visible through the panoramic window. He approached at a leisurely pace, walking around the lounge area, etching this view of her into his memory, his boots clicking softly on the polished floor. Leia looked up at him as he approached, and smiled. A soft, intimate smile that, Solo knew, was a smile she only gave to him. He returned it in kind and cupped her face with one hand, watching the changing light play across the contours of her face.
"Will Chewie be alright?" she asked quietly. "Do you need to go with him?"
"He'll call me if he needs me," he said. Tracing her hairline with a finger, he added, "He won't be back 'til the morning."
He was undressing her with his eyes. Leia licked her lips and smiled almost bashfully. "What about dinner?"
"Nah," he assured her, drawing her close. "He likes scouting around in the spacer bars; finding out what the gossip is-"
"Seeing how safe it is," she said, correcting him.
Solo looked at her for a moment, then answered honestly, "Yeah." He leaned down and kissed her jaw, just beside her ear, and Leia couldn't help responding, leaning into his embrace as he nibbled her neck.
"He knows who I am, Han."
Solo paused then frowned at her. "Lando? What makes you think that?"
"A feeling," she admitted.
Solo considered that for a moment. She was probably right. Lando wasn't stupid. He was certainly astute enough to follow the smuggler gossip network; to keep up with who was shipping what and for whom. No doubt Lando knew he had been working for the Rebels for the last couple of years, but would he have recognised the Princess of Alderaan? And what would it mean if he had? Solo doubted the man would want to risk his reputation, business, not to mention the safety of his city, for a quick sale of information that was likely to bring the big guns of the Empire down on his head.
No, if he had recognised the princess, Lando would want them out of there as fast as possible, which meant he would have the ship fixed sooner rather than later. And that, in Solo's opinion, could only work in their favour.
Leia slid her hands up under his jacket, tightened her embrace, and he reciprocated, sensing her unspoken apology for the tension that had been between them for most of the morning. Solo kissed the top of her head then started removing pins from her hair, felt her tense for a moment. She pulled away a little to look at him, her eyes glimmering in the soft light, but he continued to remove the pins, slipping them into his pocket as he went.
Finally, the plaits tumbled down and he carefully unwound each one, revelling in the silken feel of it sliding through his fingers.
"Which bed d'you wanna try first?" he murmured into her ear.
She responded huskily, "The biggest one,"
"I think they're the same size," he said, without stopping his nuzzling.
"The closest one," Leia amended.
...
In another part of the City, hidden from all but those who needed to know, was a room containing several Imperial officers, whose current duty involved monitoring the movements of the crew of the Millennium Falcon.
The remains of the nosy protocol droid, which the stormtroopers guarding the entrance had blasted, had been gathered up and disposed of. Now the technicians were concentrating on the screens relaying data from a network of the most up-to-date spy droids available and assuming that the blasting of the droid would be the most interesting thing they would see for the next fifteen hours.
They had a mobile probe following the Wookiee and one waiting to follow the Corellian and the princess should they leave the apartment they'd been given. There were also fixed 'spies' on the landing pad with the Millennium Falcon as well as in the apartment.
Two of the screens were currently focussed on the Wookiee, who was busy abusing the technicians trying to repair his ship, while the other five had been dedicated to the apartment. The black uniformed officers were variously eating, drinking and chatting, while keeping a respective eye on their particular screen. The boredom involved in this sort of surveillance was usually acute and such liberties were one of the perks.
Abruptly, one of the officers sat up, taking a keen interest in his screen, then announced lasciviously, "Heads up, boys; we've hit the jackpot!"
Boredom and tedium forgotten, the three screens not devoted to the Wookiee were switched to the bedroom which had their targets active in it.
With the latest Imperial Digital Imaging, depending on the amount of spy-imagers used, almost any angle and any zoom could be achieved in a surveillance, and the present officers knew how to use it to its full advantage.
Thus, when Darth Vader entered the room some twenty minutes later, it was to a room of excited, engrossed and highly amused officers, to whom the Dark Lord's arrival was like a bucket of cold water.
Three screens flicked back to their original surveillance of the apartment's other rooms, and several officers hustled back to their posts.
Vader was not stupid; he could guess what was going on. As could Lando Calrissian who had followed in directly behind the Dark Lord. He glared at the officers and winced as his own eyes strayed to the screen. Han did not deserve this, nor did the young princess.
"Lord Vader, is this necessary?" he growled, waving a hand at the screen while trying not to look at it.
Vader turned and seemed to regard him for a moment, although, with the mask, Lando could not be sure.
"It is relatively harmless, Calrissian."
The city administrator steamed impotently and tried to put as much outrage as he dared into his voice. "It is a complete invasion of their privacy!"
"Compared to what will happen to them in the morning, it is nothing," was Vader's callous response. He turned to the officer in charge, a thin, pale-skinned man who, Calrissian thought, could do with a month on a planet with some decent sunshine. Coruscant born and bred, he decided.
"Are the repairs to the Millennium Falcon going as expected, Commander?" Vader asked.
The officer nodded. "Yes, my lord."
The Sith Lord studied the screen showing the Wookiee. "Has the Wookiee been a problem?"
"Not yet, sir."
"And the interrogation preparations?"
"A scan grid and several interrogation droids were brought from the Executor before it left the System, my lord. I have the technicians assembling the grid now."
Calrissian flinched mentally at the mention of a scan grid and chose not to think too closely about it. Vader had moved to the screen showing Solo and the princess and watched as they completed their copulation. The volume for all the screens had been set low, yet the cries of passion from Solo and his princess seemed loud in the otherwise still room. Calrissian couldn't remember feeling more uncomfortable or embarrassed in his life. If the girl had simply been the sort of trivia Solo usually attracted, it wouldn't have been so bad; but she obviously meant something to him, and he to her. Calrissian shook his head; Han was in too deep this time, and there was nothing he, personally, would be able to do to help them. Lando suspected he'd be lucky to come out of this fiasco with Cloud City intact. And he knew for certain that if Solo survived whatever abominations Vader had planned for him, he would never forgive Calrissian.
The couple on screen were recuperating, talking quietly, and Vader asked, "You are recording, Commander Rosonger?"
"Yes, lord Vader-"
"Analyse every word. They may discuss where they had planned to rendezvous with the Rebellion."
Rosonger inclined his head, "Yes, my lord."
"I want transcripts of all their conversations, do you understand, Commander?"
"Yes, sir-"
"Every word," the Dark Lord insisted.
"Yes, Lord Vader!"
...
Leia took a moment to catch her breath then looked across at Han, on his back, recuperating, and smiled. She rolled towards him, settled into his side, and he draped his arm comfortably around her shoulders, drawing her closer. As an afterthought, Leia twined her leg around his and Solo eyed her warily.
"You're feeling energised," he croaked and attempted to clear his throat. Leia grinned sheepishly and nodded, running her hand over his abdomen. "You're gonna kill me, you know?" he pointed out, suppressing an urge to flee. She was ten years his junior after all.
Leia grinned and lifted herself onto one elbow so she could look him in the eye. "And you thought it'd be Vader or Jabba who killed you!" she teased. "Little did you know the true bane of your life was me."
"Oh, I knew alright," Solo replied then grinned. "I just couldn't help myself."
Leia lay her head on his chest and hugged him. "Me either," she murmured.
They lay quietly for a while, then Solo asked, "What did you want to do tonight?" His mouth twitched up on one side as he anticipated her answer. "Apart from more of this."
Leia smirked but asked, "What did you have in mind?"
Solo ran his hand through her hair. "I thought we could maybe go somewhere nice to eat. Real food, you know?"
Leia lifted her head and looked at him. "Do you think we should?"
"Eat real food?"
"Eat out," she clarified.
"Why not? No one here's interested in us."
"I hope not," Leia said warily, visions of Ord Mantell running through her mind. No one should have been interested in them there, either, but Jabba's bounty hunter, Boba Fett, had almost succeeded in not only capturing Han, but killing her as well.
"Well, I don't know about you," Solo said, "but I need sustenance." Leia giggled and he added pointedly, "Exactly! And if you want me to have any sort of stamina-"
Leia pushed herself up. "Want you to have stamina?" She laughed and straddled him. "I expect it, flyboy!"
Solo groaned and closed his eyes. "Leia, I swear…" He felt her go still and opened his eyes to find her smiling at him. "What?" he asked.
Leia ran her hand across his chest without taking her eyes off his, then leaned forward and touched his face. "Han…"
Solo's expression softened to one of total devotion. "What is it, Sweetheart?"
Leia opened her mouth to speak then closed it again and Solo smiled, his hands caressing her.
"I love you, too," he whispered back to her, the caresses from his hands becoming sensual and erotic. Leia closed her eyes, revelling in his touch, writhing in his lap, and Solo felt a stirring in his groin. It amazed him, yet how could he not? The visual stimuli she was providing alone was enough to send him rock hard, but the feel of her moist warmth rubbing against him…
Leia regarded him smugly and slid herself onto him.
...
Vader was leaving the room when one of the officers gasped and drew their attention to the screen once more.
"Again?" the words were out of Rosonger's mouth before he could stop them and he threw an apologetic glance in the direction of the Dark Lord. "Sorry, my lord."
Vader stared at the screen for a long moment before growling to no one in particular, "She defiles herself."
"Yes, my lord," Rosonger agreed unquestioningly.
Vader swept from the room, followed by Calrissian, and the remaining officers immediately relaxed and clustered around the 'active' screen, redirecting two more to focus on the couple from different angles.
"All that bullshit about Corellians must be true…" one of the officers muttered.