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Of course, Han Solo knew who the Princess of Alderaan was and always thought she was incredible - but she existed on a planet thousands of miles from his, literally and metaphorically. He lived on Corellia - not a terrible place to live, and, although she was a celebrity without a home, the entire galaxy had adopted her as their own.
A pilot his whole adult life, Han had only recently assumed an alluvial existence on his home planet. Two years earlier, a severe hand injury ended his galactic freedom. The roving spirit now found himself unexpectedly grounded for the first time in his life.
Han worked and lived in the Teeno Village district, a haven for broke artists, located near Coronet City. No, the ex-pilot wasn't a painter, writer, performer, or creator of anything tangible. In fact, only one kinship linked him to the other residents: he was also dirt poor.
Han rented a small loft in the heart of the district's bustling outdoor market. Despite living amid lively cafes, art galleries, and arts & crafts booths, the asocial individual remained free from serious relationships. Despite many a woman's best efforts, he lived as a content bachelor, favoring meaningless flings over long-term entanglements.
Despite his allegiance to single life, Han had developed several friendships over the last few years. He lived with his former co-pilot and best friend, a Wookiee named Chewbacca. He had also reconnected with his only serious past girlfriend: Jessa, a successful marketing executive who lived in downtown Coronet City. Han had even developed a friendly rapport with his ex-flame's new husband, Hertz Reemin, a soft-spoken mechanic with a wry sense of humor.
It was just another average day when Han walked through the packed street to work. As he entered his store bearing the uninspired name, The Pilot's Shop, a repository that he'd purchased with piddling savings from his suspended smuggling operation, he nodded at Chewbacca who manned the cash register. The morning started like any other. All in all, Han had little reason to believe that his life would soon change forever.
"Any sales today?" he asked his partner, flinching before he even heard the answer.
"One stressed mother bought her bratty kid a bag of space ice cream," Chewbacca informed him. "He screamed and cried until she caved into his temper tantrum."
"Great," Han grumbled. "That purchase will pay for five minutes of our electricity this month."
"Want me to grab us some kafe?" the Wookiee asked. "Maybe it'll ease the pain of this morning's bad sales."
"Buy me half a cup. That's all I can afford."
Chewbacca growled in agreement. He grabbed several credits from the cash register before bolting toward the door. As the Wookiee left, he nearly crashed into a female customer entering the shop.
Han scribbled dismal sales figures on a notepad and casually glanced at the new patron before returning to his work. When a startling realization suddenly hit him, he abruptly returned his gaze to the attractive woman. He studied the petite brunette with a puzzled expression, but she avoided eye contact with him. Instead, she ran an index finger along a row of children's picture books lining a crowded shelf.
"Can I help you?" Han asked.
"No, thank you," she murmured softly. "I'm just looking for a gift for my friend's child."
Her voice instantly confirmed his suspicions. The legendary Princess Leia of Alderaan, the most famous star in the galaxy, stood inside his store. Years earlier, the courageous woman risked her prominent position in the Imperial Senate to work as an undercover informant for the Rebel Alliance, a team of mavericks seeking to overthrow the oppressive Empire. When the Imperial faction discovered the royalty's betrayal, they abducted her, holding her prisoner on the Death Star, a massive space station and superweapon capable of destroying entire civilizations in seconds. For weeks, the Imperial army, led by the terrifying Darth Vader, tortured the princess hoping to intimidate her into revealing the hidden Rebel base's location, but she refused to cooperate. In retaliation, the Empire obliterated Alderaan, the peaceful home planet of the princess, killing her parents, loved ones, and millions of innocent people.
Over the next three years, the Princess helped the Rebels defeat the Imperialists in several wars, including the Battles of Yavin and Endor. Rumors circulated that her brother, a Jedi named Luke Skywalker, killed both Vader and his boss Emperor Palpatine in a lightsaber duel aboard the second Death Star, but no one had ever confirmed or denied the rampant gossip. Regardless, the siblings became celebrated war heroes, and their post-Rebellion lives often dominated newspaper and holoshows. Recently, Princess Leia had assumed a senatorial role with the freshly-formed New Republic.
Han couldn't help watching the Princess as she flipped through various books. He had always found her beautiful, but she looked even more stunning in person. His heart beat faster when the Rebel heroine edged closer to him to examine an oversized picture book that caught her eye.
"That book stinks- just in case, your browsing turned to buying," Han admitted. "You'd be wasting your credits."
"Is that so?" she asked. A trace of amusement lit her lovely features as she paused to consider his honesty.
"Yeah," he answered, scooping up a book behind the counter and holding it out to her. "This book is much better. I think the man who wrote and illustrated it has actually piloted a ship, which helps."
"Thank you," the Princess politely replied, taking the book and examining its contents. "I will consider your advice."
Suddenly, Han noticed suspicious movement on the store security camera. He had studied the monitor just in time to see the only other customer in the shop, a middle-aged man wearing a large coat, slip a book into his pants.
"Give me a second," he told the Princess.
"I'm just browsing," the shoplifter told the owner who approached him with a glare.
"Bad news, pal," Han muttered, gesturing his thumb to the security camera. "I saw you shove that book down your pants."
"What book?" the man asked.
"The one in your pants."
"I don't have a book in my pants."
"Well then we have a problem because I say you do," Han answered, a slight growl punctuating his thinly-veiled threat.
The man stepped away from the ex-pilot. Alarm washed over his pale face. He swallowed nervously before speaking again.
"What if a book accidentally fell into my pants?" he asked.
"Then you have five seconds to fish out the Pilot's Guide to Coruscant from your pants," Han warned. "You then have another five seconds to wipe your slime from it and put it back on the shelf or buy it. Something tells me you won't choose the final option."
The thief slowly turned his back to the shop owner and pulled the book from his pants. He wiped it with his shirt sleeve and placed it on a nearby shelf, careful to evade Han's scowl. He headed toward the exit but stopped the moment he spotted the Princess, who stood at the front counter holding a handful of children's books, watching the entire exchange.
"Excuse me," the shoplifter called to the beautiful woman, fishing a crumpled piece of paper from his shirt pocket. "Can I have your autograph?"
"What's your name?" Princess Leia asked, her pink lips forming a thin, disapproving line.
"Ruppar," the man answered.
The Princess frowned at him for a moment. Finally, she scribbled some words on the paper and returned it to Ruppar without even looking at him.
"What does it say?" the thief asked, struggling to read the signature.
"It's my autograph," she answered, an overly-sweet timbre coating her response. "I also wrote that you belong in jail."
Han laughed loudly. He glanced appreciatively at the senator, admiring her rarely-seen humorous side.
"Nice one," Ruppar responded with a sly smile. "Do you want my comlink number?"
"Tempting," the Princess replied with a straight face. "But no."
The thief shrugged, unbothered by her rejection. Then the man walked out the door without uttering another word. For a moment, the princess and former pilot stood staring after him.
"Sorry about that man," Han apologized.
"No, that's fine," Princess Leia assured him. "I was going to steal a book, but I've changed my mind."
Han grinned at her, growing more smitten by the minute. The princess handed him several credits. On a whim, he threw an extra book into her bag and gave her the purchase.
"Your friend's kid might enjoy reading this book," he said, offering her another smile.
"Thank you," she answered. "I'm sure little Poe will love all these books. I should bring him by your shop sometime. He loves anything related to space. He wants to be a pilot someday."
"He couldn't have chosen a better profession," Han proudly replied.
"What about shop keeper?" the Princess asked in a teasing tone.
"Nah," he replied. "This job pays the bills. Flying is my passion. I'd still be navigating the skies if I could."
When she tossed him an inquisitive look, Han held up his hand and waved it.
"Hand injury keeps me planet-bound, at least for now," he explained.
The princess nodded slightly at him. The two gazed at one another for a brief moment, each clearly intrigued by the other, neither wanting their conversation to end. Finally, the Princess broke the silence by grabbing her shopping bag from the wooden counter.
"Thank you," she said, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "I enjoyed taking that criminal down a notch with you."
"I liked it, too" Han answered in a daze. "We should do it again sometime."
"See you," she said in a light tone.
Just as Han summoned the courage to ask the Princess for her comlink number, she turned away from him and headed toward the door. The enamored man's heart sank. He kept his gaze on the gorgeous politician until she had vanished from his sight.
Seconds later, Chewbacca returned with two servings of coffee. He set a cup in front of his friend and lazily stretched his back, growling loudly.
"You'll never believe who was just inside the shop," Han told him.
"Who?" the Wookiee asked, standing up straighter and scanning the store. "Was it someone famous?"
"Never mind," he quickly replied, suddenly wanting to maintain the privacy of the princess. "It was no one."