Sillymbols


Setting: A year before the Hand Of Thrawn series. Approximately 18 ABY.

Summary: Han and Leia invite Luke to the shockball tournament on Coruscant and are surprised at who he brings on a date.

The sounds of the crowd were past a chaotic roar with the action on the field drawing in cheers and boos at the same auditory level. People and several alien species were still scrambling to get to their seats as the shockball championship game had started several minutes before. It was the debut of the refurbished Imperial Arena, now renamed the Freedom Dome. New Republic officials sought out to rid the old arena of any signs of the old Imperial Arena. New shockball players were recruited and the New Republic Rebels found themselves against the champion Kuat Shippers. Tickets were sold to those with high stature and Chief Of State Leia Organa Solo and her husband, Han, were included.

At the moment, Leia's focus was not glued on the field like her husband's. She kept her mind and sight on looking for her brother, whom the Solos gave two tickets to. Luke announced to her that he planned to bring a "special friend". Leia could only suspect–and hope–that the friend was a certain red-gold-haired someone who could someday find her heart through her brother's. She had hoped for the past decade that the two of them would get together. Though she could sense Luke's presence near, she still kept a watch on the section's entrance with her eyes.

"He'll be here," grumbled her husband beside her. He was already through eating a ronto dog and working on his first of many Gizer ales.

"I know. I just can't wait to see who it is."

"We all know who it is," Han remarked.

"Maybe."

"Listen, if I've seen two people who were destined to be together, it's those two."

Leia's watch on the entrance was suspended for the moment as she turned to glare at her husband.

Han realized his blunder and quickly corrected, "I mean besides us." He then took a long swig of his ale.

Leia considered. "You really think Luke and Mara belong together? They sure don't act like it. They argue all the time."

"So do we, but at least their arguments are logical."

Leia squinted at him. "You mean our arguments are illogical?"

Han backtracked once again. "No. I meant that the fact that we argue is illogical. We always make up even after our worse ones."

"So you're saying–"

"Hey, there's Luke!" Han called out with an intense relief.

Leia turned to see her brother coming out of the entrance to start searching for his seats. Along with him was the unmistakable long red hair and lithe dancer's figure. Leia touched Luke's mind and he found her immediately. Leia couldn't read Mara. More likely she had her mental barriers up.

Luke nudged her and she went first as he followed her. They climbed up the aisle steps amongst the crowd. Leia noticed with pride that some of the crowd stopped cold when they spotted the Hero of the Rebellion and Jedi Master brush past them. Mara reached their aisle first as she struggled through seated fans annoyed at getting up and letting her pass by. Her hair was longer than Leia remembered since the last time she saw Mara. It fell over her face, thus obscuring it from Leia's view.

Leia called out to her, "You might need a haircut, Ma–" The hair was brushed back to reveal an unrecognizable identity. Leia stuttered. "...uh...someone else."

The young woman's face brightened and she burst out in a high-pitched voice, "You think I need a haircut? I don't know. I got one last week and I tried this new salon and they nearly fried my hair and I paid thirty credits for it. Can you believe that? I know, too much, right?"

Leia could only grunt in shock.

"Exactly. Too much. Like that is a lot for a hair stylist to charge. That was before she charged to wash it. You're Leia Organa Solo? It's so cool to meet you. You are like my best hero. I thought it was awesome to work on the same building floor as the Luke Skywalker, and then I get to meet his famous sister. I just gotta say, wow!"

Leia kept her stunned look and glanced at her brother who was coming behind the young woman. "Luke, are you going to introduce us?"

He reached their seats and said, "Yes. Leia, this is Marelle. Marelle, this is my sister Leia. Marelle works near my office."

"So I gathered." She turned to Marelle and greeted with her hand outstretched, "How do you do?"

"Uh...I do well, I guess. It's just so awesome to meet you."

"As you've said," Leia replied.

"Oh, did I repeat myself? I'm just nervous and I repeat myself when I'm nervous. Ever have someone repeat themselves when they're nervous? I bet you hate it. Am I sitting here?"

Leia gestured to the empty seat next to her and said, "By all means."

Marelle sat down as Luke did the same in the empty seat next to her.

Han's focus was still on the game until his wife nudged him and he blurted out absently, "Hi Mara."

Marelle announced in an overly cheerful voice, "It's Marelle."

He looked and did a double take. "What? Oh. Uh...hi?"

"You must be Han Solo. My stars, it's so awesome meeting you. I've heard all about you and the Aluminum Falcon."

"Millennium Falcon," he corrected.

"That's what I said."

Han shared his wife's shock and he looked at Leia and silently mouthed the words, "Who is she?" Leia could only shrug.

Leia went ahead and asked Marelle, "So what do you do in the New Republic offices?"

"I work for General Bel Iblis. This place is so cool. Can you imagine I've never been in here even when it was owned by the Imperials. I've never even been to a shockball game. When Luke said he had tickets, I just jumped at the chance to go."

Luke intervened to say, "Actually, I just asked you if you've ever been to a game."

Marelle cuddled up to Luke and sweetly chimed, "And I said no but I would love to go. Hey, look at that, I'm a poet! It was so nice of you to invite me."

"You've been cooped up in that office for so long, I thought you needed some fresh air."

Marelle let out a shriek that could rival the cry of a baby Krayt dragon. It was her laughter. Then she stated, "Oh, Luke, you're so funny." She turned to Leia. "Isn't he so funny?"

"Hilarious," Leia dead panned. "So what do you do for Bel Iblis?"

Marelle just smiled and kept her mouth shut. Luke then said, "I can't seem to get the truth out of her about that yet."

Marelle said casually, "Nobody can get the truth out of me because even I don't know what it is. I keep myself in a constant state of confusion."

"I don't doubt it," Han muttered, to which he was greeted with a kick to his shin. He finished his ale and hailed the vendor coming up the aisle that he needed two more ales.

Leia leaned over and said, "Honey, I told you I don't want any."

"Who said one of them was for you?" After he bought the two ales, he set one down and started gulping the other.

Marelle asked, "How does this game work?"

Leia looked at Han and he was forced to answer her. "Well, there's eight men on each team, see. They have to get a shockball through the other team's net without getting hit directly by it. They get knocked unconscious when they do."

"That sounds dangerous," Marelle remarked.

"That's shockball. They do have padding and they wear anti-electrostatic mitts."

"Yeah, they look cute."

"Cute?" Han barked.

"Yeah, especially that dark-haired one." She turned to Luke. "Can we meet them?"

"I don't know any of them," Luke answered.

"I bet they know you. Hey, they knocked out that dark-headed cutie!"

Han smirked. "Yeah, got hit from behind with the shockball. I could tell that kid has no defense. The Rebels have no chance against Kuat." Just then, Han suddenly stood up along with other fans and yelled, "Hey, ref, that was a foul! He can't hit him with his bubble stick like that! C'mon, ref, are ya blind?"

Marelle looked over at Luke and said, "You're right, he does get into this game."

Luke explained, "Han's probably got money riding on it. Don't you, Han?"

Han sat back down from his tirade and shot out, "You better believe I do. Five to one odds against the Shippers. I had to take that action. Lando's playing the safe odds with the Rebels. He's always played safe bets." Upon his next sentence, Leia mouthed it verbatim. "That's how he lost the Falcon."

Marelle emitted her ear-piercing laugh again.

Luke commented, "You're betting against the Rebels. There's symbolism for you."

All of a sudden, there was a laser shot and Marelle caught a glimpse of another player going down at the same time. She cried out, "Oh my stars, they shot him!"

Stifling his laughter, Han dead panned, "That's the halftime warning shot."

Marelle didn't seem to notice the other fans around them who were also laughing at her. She sat back down without a care and stated, "Oh, well. I didn't know." She turned to Luke and asked, "Hey, do you want something to drink or eat?"

"No thanks."

"Well, I'm going to have a ronto dog." She started to get up before Luke warned her.

"Don't have too many or you'll spoil your dinner tonight at the Cosmidian."

Marelle said to Luke, "I won't. I'll be back before you can say Jedi mediation trance."

As she waded through the crowd again, Luke uttered to correct her, "Meditation trance."

Leia remarked, "The Cosmidian? Fancy." After a few awkward silent moments, Leia began to say, "Luke, I hate to say this–"

"So I'll say it," Han injected. "What in the hell are you thinking?"

"What?" Luke replied innocently. "I've seen her sometimes as I go into my office and I thought it would be a nice gesture to bring her here."

"Sounds more like she invited herself," Han suggested.

Leia finally asked, "You do know who she looks like."

Luke crinkled his brow and questioned, "Who?"

Leia grinned. "A certain former Emperor's Hand."

Luke cried, "Why? Just because she has red hair?"

"Not just that. I thought it was Mara when she came up the steps. She has Mara's same figure."

Han cut in with, "Well, not exactly. Marelle has much bigger," he stopped as soon as his wife gave him a glare and he finished with, "uh...arms. Much bigger arms. Yeah." He took another huge gulp of his Gizer ale.

Luke admitted, "I just thought she was nice. She's high-spirited for sure. She is a bit talkative."

Han almost spat out his ale. "Talkative? Luke, she could talk Threepio's ears off. I mean she is, uh...back already. Hey, Marelle."

Marelle was indeed wading through the aisle but was empty handed. "Hey, guys. I'm back."

"You didn't get anything?" Luke asked.

"No. The lines were too long. Besides, I wanted to save my tummy for a nice big juicy ronto steak at Cosmidian." Her shrieking laugh made another appearance. She sat back down in her seat. "Are they playing yet?"

"In a few minutes," Han answered.

Marelle expressed, "Cool! This is fun. Hey, look, there's an Ewok. And a landspeeder. And that one's a star cruiser."

All three looked at her inquisitively but only Han dared to ask, "What are you talking about?"

She was looking up at the clear sky around the arena. "The clouds. See?" They followed her gaze at the sky and saw the clear space of sky that contained no vehicles or speeders in the vicinity of the arena. They could see the clouds but strained to see the shapes that Marelle claimed them to be. "Haven't you ever imagined what clouds can look like?"

Leia smiled at a distant memory. "I used to as a child on Alderaan," she reflected dreamily.

Marelle brightened. "Really? What made you stop?"

Leia shrugged. "I guess I got older."

Marelle scoffed and said, "That's no reason. We all get older but life around us pretty much stays the same. When I was younger I used to call those cloud shapes sillymbols."

Luke asked with interest, "Sil-what?"

"Sillymbols. I just took the words silly and symbols and combined them. That's what I called things that disguised themselves as other things. See, I believe there's meaning in everything, even if the meaning isn't always seen. It takes a lot of imagination to see things the way they really are and not how they look. I find that when people get older they seem to lose their imagination. Not me. I'll never lose mine."

"So you'll never grow up?" Han asked.

"Exactly," Marelle beamed.

Luke smiled at his sister proudly and Leia said, "That was very profound, Marelle."

Marelle's confusion was evident in her face. "That was what?"

Leia added, "Very wise."

"Oh, ok. Thanks. I think."

Luke put his arm around Marelle's waist and she took his hand in hers. That's when he heard his name called out by a familiar voice.

"Skywalker?"

Each of them looked up to see Mara Jade at the other end of the aisle coming up the steps.

Immediately, Luke let go of Marelle's hand and removed his arm around her waist. He cried out, "Mara! I didn't know you'd be here."

"I wasn't going to at first. Karrde got tickets and none of his crew could go. He gave them to one of Ghent's friends and he asked if I wanted to go. I hadn't been in here since the Empire days. So here I am."

Luke questioned, "And you're here with someone?"

Mara drifted her sight to Marelle and said, "As are you, apparently."

"Oh, yes. Mara, this is Marelle. She works on my floor. She's just a friend."

Marelle gazed at Mara and remarked, "You have beautiful hair. Where do you get it colored?"

Mara stated behind her veiled anger, "It's my natural color."

"Where's your date?" Luke asked.

Mara shot back, "He's not my date. He's off getting food. Our seats are further up. You been here long?"

"No," Luke answered. "And we really can't stay if we're to make our reservation at Cosmidian."

"Cosmidian," Mara repeated. "And Marelle is just a friend?"

"Of course." Luke turned to Marelle and asked, "You ready?"

"Sure. Let's go, cutie!"

"Cutie?" Mara mimicked.

Marelle stood up and announced to Mara, "I'm gonna have a big ronto steak."

"I'm proud for you."

Luke gave Mara a look of warning as he stood and she gave him back her rolling eyes. Luke then said his farewell's to his sister and Han.

Marelle quickly gave Leia an unexpected hug. "It was so cool to meet you. Hope we see each other again. See ya, Han."

Han waved back but his attention was back on the game.

Once Luke and Marelle were out of earshot, Mara uttered, "He better get her back before she has to get up for school tomorrow. What is he thinking dating someone that young?"

Leia shrugged. "I guess he just likes her. She looks like someone I know and I can't put my finger on it. You don't think she looks familiar?"

"No. Why should she? Oh, here comes Ghent's friend."

Coming up the aisle was a middle-aged man with slick dark-blonde hair and dressed in a black tunic. His arms were full of food and drinks and when a woman coming down the aisle bumped into him, he actually apologized. His looks were all too familiar. If Leia hadn't known any better, she would have mistaken the man for her brother. Han noticed him as well as he came up behind Mara.

"You ready to go back up, Mara?"

"Yes. Leia, Han, this is Ghent's friend, Juk Starkiller. Juk, this is Han Solo and the Chief Of State, Leia Organa Solo."

"You know all the big people, Mara. It is such a pleasure to meet you both. Uh, sorry I can't shake your hand. My hands are rather full."

Mara took one of the drinks to lighten his load and said, "I'm ready to go back up. Go ahead. I'll follow you." Juk nodded to Han and Leia and started up the steps. Mara told them, "I should let you go. Have fun." She climbed the steps behind Juk.

Leia and Han couldn't believe their eyes and Leia emphatically stated to him, "Not. One. Word."

Han wore his famous lop-sided grin and uttered, "Sillymbol?"

THE END.