THE MESSAGE
"Ho, there!" The loud, thunderous greeting stopped Leia in her tracks, halting her progress across the wide hangar. It was a mammoth facility, filled with rebel ships, speeders and equipment and buzzed with activity as technicians and pilots readied the new base on Hoth for operation.
Leia searched in all directions for the gravelly voice, which spoke again. "Step lively, gal, an' gie an old man a hand." The beefy red-bearded fellow flashed a wide and friendly smile at her. "Mac's the name. I'm hauling med supplies for this wee get-together." He waved one hefty hand indicating the area.
"The Deck Commander can help you, sir." Leia told him politely, assuming him to be one of their regular shippers, of whom she saw precious few.
"I'm lookin' for a old buddy o' mine." He continued, oblivious to the woman's remarks. "Name's Solo….Han Solo."
Leia smiled as she took in the sight of the travel worn man. She should have known, only Solo would have friends like that. Friend, huh? She thought to herself. Outwardly she only replied. "Solo? I don't believe I'm familiar with the name." She couldn't take the chance of
revealing Han's association with the Alliance…she didn't know if this man could be a bounty hunter looking for Han.
"Well, he might be usin' a different name, but if Han boy's on this base, as lass smart as you would've already heard from him." The adjective clearly had noting to do with intelligence; the Princess felt her cheeks color lightly in spite of her best efforts to stop it.
The freighter, Mac, let out a booming laugh. "Aye, Ha's here! He told me all about this security business, an' I wasna to ask for him, but blame, gal, I've got a message for his co-pilot Chewbacca. I canna be deliverin' it, 'less I ask for 'im, now, can I?"
"I'll be glad to deliver it for you." Leia offered.
"No. But, you could bring Han to me. I'll not be turnin' loose of this message 'til I know Chewie gets it for sure. You go fetch Han, an' I'll be findin' this Deck Commander you spoke of an' get some help unloadin' the cargo."
Leia sighed impatiently. She was far too busy to be wasting her time tracking down the one person on the base she'd spent most of her time trying to avoid. Mac turned to leave and she
knew it was useless to try to convince the man to give her the message.
"Have you seen Han?" Leia poked her head through the open door of Luke's quarters.
Luke was busy stacking informational bits next to the computer terminal. "Not lately." He
replied off handedly."
"Do you know where I might find him?"
"You want to FIND Han? He asked, a teasing not in his voice.
"It's business." She answered flatly.
"Try the mess hall." Luke advised. "If I see him, I'll tell him you are looking for him. That
ought to shake him up."
"Don't do me any favors." Leia retorted as she left.
After checking the mess hall, passing by the bay where the FALCON was docked, and asking
numerous techs, soldiers and aides of Han's whereabouts, Leia was becoming increasingly irritated at not being able to find the one man whose habit was to be around when you didn't want him, especially since she was using up valuable time with an apparently fruitless search. She was about to give up and appoint some junior lackey to the task when she heard a familiar voice.
"You lookin' for me, you High and Mightyness?" Solo rounded the corner behind her.
Leia whirled to face him, making a mental note to throw in a sarcastic remark about his maddening swagger the next time they were in a heated personal argument. "Yes I am. Where were you?" She didn't try to keep her irritation from showing.
"Some things are private." He smiled wickedly. "Now, you've found me, what's so important?"
Aides and security guards who passed the couple smiled at them; squared off for another battle.
"There's someone here to see you." Leia told him.
"OH!?" His interest perked.
"It's not female." Leia assured him flatly.
"Then it can't be too important." Han teased.
"Come with me." Leia instructed, walking a few paces down the hall.
Han deliberately waited until a couple of soldiers were within hearing range, then spoke loudly;
"You want me to go WHERE with you?"
The Princess turned to see the two curious-faced soldiers staring at them. 'SOLO!"
"She can't resist me." He shrugged to the now whispering rebels as he followed.
"There're a lot of questions I want to ask you after you've talked with him." Leia spoke tight-lipped.
"You've got questions, but you won't tell me anything." Han argued.
Leia stopped and faced him. "His name is Mac, said he's a buddy of yours, and he has a shipload
of supplies for the base. He also said he has an important message for Chewbacca." She paused, but only for a second. "How dare you, Han!. Jeopardizing our operation, just to give one of your pirate friend a job…"
"Wait a minute, Princess." Han read her thoughts. "Mac's got just as much to fear from the Empire as the Alliance. There's no way he'd give location information to them. He was a perfect cover for those medical supplies you needed. A regular freighter would've been monitored. It's common knowledge that pirate- independents frequent routes that carry them to uninhabited worlds or rim systems to cover their….trade secrets. There won't be any suspicions aroused, just 'cause he happened to pass somewhere 'near' Hoth."
Leia remained silent. What Han said DID make sense. Han blinked, returning to the earlier topic- "What message."
"I don't know." Leia began as they walked toward the bays. "He wouldn't tell me; he just said it was important." She watched as the smuggler's facial features altered in response to the information, but made no comment.
"Be careful, lads." Mac bellowed. "They winna be payin' me for damaged goods, so handle wi' a feather." He supervised the three rebel workers unloading his starship.
"Hey! Mac!" Han called to his friend as they neared the ship.
The pirate raised his bushy eyebrows in delight as Solo approached with a curious Princess in tow. "Han, ye old devil! How ya been, lad?" Han was suddenly engulfed in a hug that could have crushed a bram. "Let me look at ya." Mac eyed the spacer from head to toe. "Still in one piece, I see. Nothin' bionic, is there?" He winked a playful eye.
"No..not yet." Han told him with a smile.
"Want ya to know how much I'm obliged to you for sendin' this work my way. Runs for an old star rider come few an' far between, these days." He turned serious. "See you've hooked up with a pretty good outfit here, laddie." He nodded to Leia. "Some of the prettiest rebels I've ever seen."
"Mac." Han began an introduction. "This is Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan."
Leia snarled over Han's total lack of descretion, but Mac was, for once, at a loss for words.
"Well…" He managed. "I'll be. Sorry to hear the fate of your home-world, lass. Everyone in the Universe must know of it by now." Mac placed a hand over his heart in an awkward expression of reverence, partially allaying the Princess' irritation.
She dismissed the uncomfortable moment by changing the subject. "You said you have a message?"
"Aye, that I do." He groped for the wrinkled, folded piece of parchment in his pocket. " It's for that woolly partner of yours." He said handing it to Han.
Solo read it carefully. When he was done, he looked up. "I've got to find Chewie." He said emotionless.
"Good luck, laddie - see ye next time around." Mac called after the quickly exiting pilot.
Leia nearly ran to keep up with Han's long, determined strides. "Han, what is it? What's wrong?"
Han didn't reply. Nearing the FALCON, he spied his partner, wielding a load-lifter filled with
large crates, maneuvering them down the cargo ramp. He motioned to the Wookiee. "Hey, Chewie." Chewbacca looked up as he approached. "You better read this, pal. Mac just delivered it with the supplies."
Leia ,standing at a respectable distance to give them privacy, watched as the Wookiee scanned the parchment, then, bellowed loudly. Han nodded. "Right away." He agreed.
The Princess could contain her curiosity no longer. "Right away WHAT?"
"We're gonna leave, your Highness." Leia was floored. Not only had he used her proper title, but…well, she hated it when he didn't smile that cocky, foolish grin.. something was up.
She had no time to ask further. "Hey, Leia." She recognized Luke's call from across the hangar. "I see you found Han." Luke walked up to them. 'It must've been important - the whole base was looking for you." Han only nodded at Luke's statement. "What's with him?" Skywalker asked an equally perplexed Leia.
"Chewie got a message." She explained, voicing her impression of the situation…"It must have been bad news."
"Han?" Luke prompted.
Solo shrugged. "It was from Chewie's life-mate Malla. All it said was 'come home.'
It was Luke's turn to shrug." So, why don't you just contact her from here and find out what it's all about? No sense in wasting a trip. And, it'd be too dangerous to leave the area right now, with all the Imperials looking for us."
"If Mac made it, so can I, easier. Han told him.
"They couldn't send a message if they wanted to." Leia reminded Luke, We're under communications silence 'till everything's secure."
"Chewie wouldn't settle for that, anyway." Han alibied. "I owe my life to him and Malla. There's no way I wouldn't take him to Kashyyyk, if that's what they want."
"It's such a long distance." Leia spoke anxiously in spite of herself. "Will you come back?"
Realizing what her words implied, she continued quickly to cover herself. "We still need your help." She looked at Han.
Han gazed at her for what seemed an eternity. "It all depends on what we find when we get there." He said. "…But, we'll be back…sometime."
Chewbacca barked an impatient demand at his partner, and everyone realized how strained the moment had become. "Ah..Luke." Han cleared his throat. "Tell Rieekan we'll be back when we can. I'll find the Deck Officer and arrange for liftoff clearance."
"Let Leia tell him." Luke responded. "I'm going with you."
"No." Han spoke more sharply than he had intended. He sighed deeply to settle himself. "Look,
Leia needs you here. We'll be okay. Kashyyyk is a Wookiee world. It takes some getting used to. He winked in an effort to ease the tension.
Luke sighed, accepting the situation as it could not be altered. "The Force be with you both."
"Don't worry, Chewie". Han's voice rose over the warming hum of the FALCON'S engines. "We'll be there soon, and everything will be all right, you'll see." He realized that he was trying to convince himself as much as his partner.
Liftoff was uneventful; once in the black cloak of space, Han wondered what they would find when they returned to Hoth. He shook the unsettling thoughts from his mind. "I'll go fix us some avah." He said, rising from the confines of his pilot's chair. "We could both use a lift."
He gave the Wookiee a reassuring pat on his massive shoulder.
In the galley, Han filled two cups with dehydrated granules and added water to make a rich, dark liquid. He then placed them in the heating unit and in moments, they were steaming. He looked forward to settling down again and enjoying the invigorating beverage. At that moment, the FALCON lurched sharply, and Han was doused with half a cup of the burning liquid. Swearing and yelling at both the stinging splashes and his co-pilot, he made his way to the cockpit. "What're you doin?"
Chewbacca grumbled an explanation and an apology in one breath. Han growled. "Well, keep your mind on what you're doin' or we'll never get there!" He placed a cup in its holder near the Wookie and resettled in his chair. "I know you're worried, but I'm sure there's nothing seriously wrong."
Chewbacca gave another questioning woof.
"Well, I can't say I'm absolutely sure, but a message doesn't always mean trouble." Chewbacca made a lengthy reply, ending in a question as Han sipped at his still hot drink. "Yes, I can remember the last two times Malla called you home without an explanation, but, three times in all these years isn't much."
Han's furry co-pilot woofed and snarled between drinks from his own cup,.
Han complied to his question. "All right…let's see; there was the time Itchy was going to be voted in as a member of the local High Council. That wasn't bad news." Chewie alternately barked and laughed.
"Oh, yeah." The Corellian recalled. "I'd forgotten what happened AFTER the election. That WAS a problem. Okay. So there was one time an emergency called you home."
Chewie snorted his opinion of Han's short memory.
"Whaddya mean, I forgot about Lumpy? I just didn't want to get you more upset by mentioning it. For a two hundred year old Wookie, you sure don't have much patience. Just settle down and drink your ahva."
Much later, Chewbacca once again vented his impatient anxiety by rapping on the sensor screen.
"Hey, pal." Han attempted to calm him. Chewbacca barked and left the console, heading for his quarters. Solo knew he was very worried, but hoped the Wookiee could rest. While he was alone, Han took the opportunity to send several messages to outposts with which they were familiar, hoping to find some news.
When he returned to the cockpit, Chewbacca appeared much calmer. "Just a little bit longer,
and we'll be there." Han informed him. The Wookiee seated himself, and remained there, unmoving at the controls. It was only then that Han realized that he had mistaken Chewbacca's mood for calmness; the Wookiee had apparently resigned himself to the worst.
"Look, buddy." Han began. "Malla all right. She sent the message after all. She couldn't if something had been wrong with her." Chewie remained still. Han continued.. "The note didn't say anything specific. She would've told you, if it'd been anything serious. He still received no response.
Quickly losing his temper over his friend's resigned fatalism, he grabbed the worn piece of paper, still clutched in the Wookiee's paw. Waving the parchment under Chewbacca's nose for emphasis, he raged. "No where does this say 'danger', 'trouble' or 'emergency'. Chewie remained silent.
Han took a deep breath…"I made some inquiries while you were resting and no one answered with any information. If Imps or slavers were around, or if there'd been a natural disaster, it would have been known by now."
The Wookiee looked up, realizing his friend had done all he could. No matter what had happened back home, Han would be there. Reassured somewhat, he relaxed considerably.
Seeing the capitulation, Solo sighed. "See, pal. You were just letting your imagination run away with you. Everything'll be fine."
Chewbacca growled as he adjusted his side of the flight console attempting normal routine once again.
"Well, yeah." Han agreed. "There is SOMETHING goin' on, but it doesn't always have to be trouble." Chewie nodded. The two pilots settled into the comfortable silence that grows between friends and waited out the remainder of the flight.
"The landing area's clean. No sign of any battles fought here recently." Han commented as they exited the FALCON. Chewbacca lifted his head, using all senses to detect any trace of danger or anything out of the ordinary. Han rested his hand on his blaster, ready for action if the need arose. "Doesn't look like anything's wrong." He concluded. "Let's go on to your house and see what's up."
Han didn't mind the trek through the lush green jungle of Kashyyyk. During the lengthy times he was confined to his ship, he had almost forgotten what vegetation looked and smelled like; planet fall on a wasteland such as Hoth was no reminder. The heat from the sun was a welcomed sensation on his back and shoulders. He watched as Chewbacca made his way gracefully through the underbrush; this was his world and he knew every bit of it.
On the outskirts of the village, Han spotted several Wookiees huddled together, talking. When the group spotted the two spacers, they fell silent immediately, watching as Chewbacca made his way toward home. When hailed by the furry pilot, they responded with only the customary welcome, then moved away quickly. Han didn't like that. Something was wrong.
Word of Chewbacca's arrival in the village spread quickly, and soon, many of the tree-dwelling
citizens lined the verandas of their home-trees, watching as the summoned head of his house neared his residence. Although they called the common welcome, Chewbacca marched on doggedly. Han grew more and more apprehensive for his friend. "Remember pal." He assured the Wookiee. "Things aren't always as bad as they seem at first." But, under his breath, Han reminded himself. "Now, if only I could remember that."
Chewbacca barely heard his words. Wookiees usually kept to themselves, and the fact that many others were watching and whispering made Chewie realize that something drastically had affected his family.
Reaching his home-tree, Chewbacca took the ladder rungs two at a time, causing Han to hurry to keep up.
They reached the door together. Now that the answer was so near, they hesitated to enter. Han placed his palm over the butt of his blaster, nervously. He sighed. "Well…are we going in?"
With a solid nod, the Wookiee pushed the door open and entered his home; Han right behind him. They stopped in the doorway, eyeing every nitche. The study was complete; Itchy roused from a nap in his rocker, Lumpy was playing quietly in the corner, flashing them first a look of fear, then one of delight when he recognized his father and Han. Chewbacca noticed Malla's sister, Reema, near a large cooking pot; she had squealed at their forceful entrance. Mall entered the center room quickly to see what all the commotion was about.
Chewbacca rushed to her, and they clasped in a Wookiee embrace. Han closed the door, watching as Lumpy wriggled in between his parents, also eager for some attention.. Everyone gathered 'round as Chewie fired a barrage of questions at his mate. To each inquiry, the female shook her head in negation. Chewbacca then barked a final question. "What was going on?"
With a slight nod of her head and a soft growl, she gestured for them to remain in the large
center room, then disappeared into another.
"What is it?" Han asked Chewbacca. A puzzled rumble told it to all. "A surprise, huh?"
Lumpy squirmed with excitement, and Itchy smiled knowingly. Soon, Malla appeared with a small, wrapped bundle and placed it in her life mate's awkward arms. Han drew back the covering from the baby Wookiee's furry face and grinned.
"Your daughter."