CHAPTER 1
Han Solo stretched his arms above his head, arched his back, and released the largest yawn possible. A crisp breeze swept through the hangar, ruffling his unkempt hair and caressing his cheeks. He smiled to himself. Today was going to be a beautiful day. The rebels were lying low after their last skirmish with the Empire so things were slower than normal. That meant he would have most of the day to tinker with the Millennium Falcon and break for rebel-supplied meals, of course. Yes, it was going to be a beautiful day indeed.
"Han! I'm glad I found you!"
Solo turned around and eyed Luke warily, "Hiya, kid. What's up?"
Luke Skywalker stopped to catch his breath. "I have a favor to ask you."
"A favor? What kind of favor?" Han dropped his hands to his hips.
"I need someone to cover my patrol duty."
"I don't know…" he looked back at the Falcon, "I have…"
"If I can get someone else to cover my shift, I can train in the simulators with the rest of the Rogue Squadron," Luke's large blue eyes pleaded his case.
"As I was saying—"
"Please, I really need more training."
Han sighed, "Isn't there someone else?"
Luke shook his head, "No. I've already asked everyone I could think of. You were last on my list."
"I dunno…"
"Please. I could really use this training time. You know how hard it is to get time in the simulator."
Han pursed his lips. That was true, and the more training Luke had, the better Han would feel about the former farm boy out there battling Academy-trained TIE fighter pilots.
He thrust out his forefinger, "But you owe me."
Luke's grin couldn't be any wider, "Of course! You're a real pal!" He turned to leave then stopped, "Oh! It starts in ten minutes." The he dashed off before Han could change his mind.
"Just great," Han grumbled.
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Han Solo glanced around for the officer in charge of assignments. His hazel eyes caught on irritated face of Princess Leia. Did she only wear that expression when she saw him, or was that sour face her every day look? Definitely the former, he decided. He never saw her with that look when she was interacting with Luke. Or anyone else, at that. He gave her an abbreviated nod then walked over to the man holding a data pad.
"What are you doing here?" Leia planted her hands on her hips.
Han lowered his brow, "I can ask you the same thing, Your High and Mightiness. Checkin' up on us commoners?"
Her large brown eyes widened and retracted. Just as she was about to retort, the officer answered Han's question, "She's on patrol duty with Commander Skywalker."
Leia raised her right eyebrow and lifted her chin.
"This day can't get any better," Han mumbled under his breath.
"What brings you here, Captain Solo?"
"Luke asked me to fill in for him."
"What?"
"I-am-doing-a-favor-for-Luke," he stated. He turned to the officer. "This doesn't mean I have to partner with her, right?"
"I'm afraid it does, Captain," the officer took a step back away from both Han and the princess. "The rest of the teams have already left. We were just waiting for Luke, well, you I suppose."
"Surely there is something you can do?" Leia asked eagerly.
"There isn't."
"Just great," Han gritted his teeth. "Luke owes me big time."
Leia rolled her eyes, "Of course, you wouldn't be doing this out of the kindness of your heart."
"You're always telling me I have no heart," he grabbed the surveillance equipment and walked toward the speeder bike. "Let's just get this over with."
The princess grabbed her equipment, cursed under her breath, and stormed pass Han. She mounted the bike and began fiddling with its controls.
"Whadya think you're doin'?"
"We've got an assignment to complete," she started the motor. "Get on."
"Uh-uh," Han planted his fists on his hips. "I'm driving."
Leia looked down at herself on the bike then at Han, "Doesn't look like it."
"You want me to come over there an' pull you off that bike?"
"You wouldn't dare," she glared at him, hands tightening around the handles.
"Uh," the officer cleared his throat. "Patrolling is going to take most the day. General Dodonna will have my hide if patrol's not completed by night fall."
"Most of the day?"
"There's a lot of territory to cover."
Solo narrowed his eyes on the officer and he took a step back. "You two need to work it out fast." With that, he turned on his heel and briskly walked away.
"So what are you waiting for?" Leia tilted her head. "Let's just get this over with."
Han muttered something under his breath as he climbed onto the bike behind Leia. He wrapped his arms around her, "Humph. Maybe this isn't so bad…."
"You just watch where those hands are, flyboy," Leia growled then slammed her foot on the gas pedal.
The bike lurched forward and continued to accelerate. "Yeah, a great day," he muttered into the wind.