Chapter 1 – He's just a boy.

"Come on, what's he done now… I wanna hear it. If he's shaved Chewie again, he's on his own." Shouted Han as he made his way into the room where Leia was sitting. She was sat resting her chin on her fist and elbow on her desk. Han entered the room and his angry demeanor dropped to floor as he caught sight of a down Leia. He took a couple of steps more into the room before resting his hands on his hips.

"This can't be good, come on what's he done?" he said in a softer tone.

"I just can't reason with him." Leia replied. She stood up and then walked over to a huge window overlooking the busy skyline of Hanna City and then folded her arms.

"He's getting more like you" she added before turning her head and lifts her eyes to look at Han, he smirked and seemed unimpressed by the comment.

"He stole an X-Wing." She said.

Han's eyes widened "An X-Wing…Ben?" He replied with disbelief.

"Poe and his squadron where dispatched… we thought we had an imperial spy escaping" She told him.

"Wait a minute, they didn't …" Han asked with a worried voice and stretching out the palm of his hand toward Leia before she interrupted.

"Ben's fine, they didn't do anything. He sat it down just outside of the city. He blew a few mining drones out of the air so there's a few unhappy traders Il have to talk to. He will likely have to face a trial, unless I can somehow convince the high command this was a mistake… or a training exercise... or something. The laws here won't protect him and they could send him away to a labour camp." Leia said.

"He's just a boy" Han exclaimed.

"Oh come on Han, how many boys his age can pilot a starship, ride speeders… can do the things does." Leia said with angst.

"He's wreckless, it's in his blood" Leia conceded before turning back to the window. Han immediately mistook her disappointed demeanor as blame and took a breath.

"Oh so this is somehow my fault now." Han replied in an angry tone.

"Remember sweetheart, we were both rebels. He doesn't just get the scoundrel gene from me." He added thrusting his finger towards her, ever the hothead.

Han walked off in a huff, he took a seat and then rested his elbows on his knees letting out a few more sighs. Leia turned and followed him over to the sitting area.

"Han, I wasn't talking about you" she said softly to him.

"What do you mean?" he replied turning his head toward her.

"It's my fault, mmm sort of. It's my blood that's the problem." She said. She then took a seat beside Han and held his forearm. Han immediately felt bad for what he said and put his hand on top of hers. Those old feelings came flooding back as though they never went away.

"Leia it's not your fault. He IS just a boy, Ok he can pilot a starship, Chewie and I used to take him out in the Falcon all the time when we were delivering cargo… he's just a quick learner." he said, trying to ease her worry.

"Han, it's not that… there is something else." She said with dread and she looked up and him.

"Leia, what is it? Did he kill someone?" he asked. She got up and walked back over to her desk and tapped a blue button that was being emitted onto her desk and picked up a small remote and made her way back to Han and sat beside him again.

"I got this report from the battalion commander who was on duty guarding the squadron hanger. Over one hundred personnel were on duty that day. There were two guards on the hanger doors and another two patrolling inside the hanger." She said precisely.

"And he managed to sneak past them all and fly off… the kids a better smuggler than I am." he retorted.

"Not exactly" said Leia. She took the remote and pointed it out in front of them and pressed a button that initiated a hologram recording. The blue flickers of the hologram showed a recording of the debrief that the guards had given following the theft. It emitted out into the center of the room and the huge window automatically darkened to enhance the light from the recording. It went on for a few minutes as one the guards who was patrolling the hanger gave his account of a very normal day.

"What's this got to do with Ben?" he questioned looking at her.

"Listen." she replied. Han looked back toward the recording.

"…I got to the end of my patrol route and started to make my way back. I then heard the hanger entrance doors opening in the distance. I then hit my comm' button on my helmet and asked control if there were any personnel scheduled to be coming through into the hanger. I thought it could be a maintenance crew or a droid crew here to do some refueling. They didn't answer so I said 'control, do you copy' again with no answer. I then pulled up my blaster rifle to my side and jogged over to where I knew Olsen could see me. I waved and signaled over to the door with my hands and he shrugged. I then gave a signal to quietly move over to the doors and began to make my way over to him. When I made it to him we both crouched and I asked if he could get in touch with control, he couldn't… no response. Then all of a sudden we see this boy, no older than nine or ten with black hair and civilian clothing running towards the X-Wing. I was a little shocked, I looked at Olsen and he looked at me. We both stood back to our feet and I shouted 'HALT!' and I think we scared him a little. He swung his arm around to us and out of instinct we both tried to raise our blaster rifles." Explained the guard on the recording.

"You tried?". Said a voice in the background, conducting the interview.

"Yes Commander. I was completely frozen, I couldn't move and neither could Olsen. I was trying, trying so hard I could have burst a blood vessel. It didn't feel numb on my body or like paralysis… It felt like I was being restrained. As if force was being applied everywhere, I could still feel everything and was totally aware… and scared too. I looked at him and he had his arm stretched out towards us with his palm open wide. After a few moments, he climbed into the X-Wing fighter, started it up and a flew out of the hanger. After he left, we were released, my arms flew up in the air and I accidently let out a round from my blaster rifle." He continued.

Leia pointed the remote and ended the recording and the room returned to light shining in from the window. Han was sat looking puzzled trying to understand as the cogs in his head turned. It didn't take long for the reality to become clear to Han and as it did, he let out one word "Oh."

"So you think he could be force sensitive?" Han asked as he got up and circled around to face Leia.

She nods.

"and if he is, that means he's in danger. He could be targeted for assassination, abduction or recruitment. The dark side has ruined trillions of lives and if the free galaxy see's there could be a chance of it returning… they won't take that risk, and then there will be those who want to manipulate him for his power. He has to try and control it and keep it hidden." She appealed.

Han turned away, whipped back the bottom of his jacket and back went his hands on his hips. He wandered over to the window and stared out to the busy skyline as Leia did.

"Will you speak to him Han, for me?" She implored.

"Me!?... You want me to talk to him?" he snaps back around with the reply and points inward to his chest.

"You're his father." She said.

"Yeah I know but come on… we haven't exactly seen eye to eye. He stopped talking to me last time I left and I still don't think he has forgiven me." He said as he shrugs his shoulders and arms.

"Will you try?" Leia asks.

"I think it's a bad idea. What do I say to him, it's not a typical father-son conversation and the force ain't exactly my specialty" He said.

"You'll think of something, you always do." She said with a smile.

Leia stands up and walks over to Han and stands in front of him and close, very close. He senses she needs a hug and he obliges. She rests her head on his chest for a moment and then closes her eyes. The moment passes and her eyes sharply open.

"What about Luke?" she asks, the hug ends as she moves back.

"What about him?" He replied skeptically sensing she had this on her mind already.

"Really!?" she said sarcastically.

"He is the only person who would understand what he is going through, he might be able to help him." She said.

Han becomes angry as he turns away from her "No – No way. He's not going with that… that hermit. You have seen what Luke has become, he's brainwashed." He shouts.

"He's the only person who might be able to help our son!" Leia shouts back.

"He has devoted himself to the Jedi. He goes planet to planet with his band of freaks looking for Jedi texts and artifacts, you really want that for our son!?" he questions.

"No I don't want that but what's your plan Han, you don't want to speak to him, you don't want to get help for him. What choices do we have?" she says with a defeated tone.

"If you'd already made up your mind, why'd you ask me to come here in the first place?" He asks with no response.

Han soon sees Leia has already made this decision. He doesn't have a better idea, he knows he can't help. He's never been there for Ben when he really needed him, as absent as his father was for him. The hero of the years before is no more as Han is ready to run away again just as he once was on Yavin. The short silence is broken by C3-P0 who wanders into the room.

"Pardon me my lady but Master Ben has arriv… Oh, Han Solo good day" in that robotic voice.

"Save it 3-P0, I was just leaving." He says whilst locking eyes with Leia.

"I don't know what the right thing to do is Leia, but I have a bad feeling about sending him away. If he goes with Luke we could lose our son forever, he won't comeback the same kid." He says, his temper now seemingly settled.

"He might return a Jedi." She replies.

Han hears the footsteps of Ben running down the corridor and takes a glance over his shoulder.

Leia chances a line "This the part where you leave?" a tear drops from her eye and she looks away. She hears the sound of doors automatically opening and closing.

C3-P0 still stood there in deaf silence, he could easily be mistaken as being de-activated Leia asks.

"Get Ben for me please would you 3-P0. I need to speak to him."