Motives
"S-A-R-T-A-I-N, look me up." ~Watts Sartain
Prologue Part 2
Several weeks later at an Imperial Outpost on the borders of Kashyyyk (9BBY) …
"And so then the damn thing puts his hands on its head and let's Solo lead him right out of the house. No net, no stun cuffs, no nothing. It was like a godsdamn holovid, I tell you. Ain't that right, Solo?"
Watts' arm was in a sling, he had a broken shoulder blade and a pretty nasty gash healing on his hip. The other guys sitting around the lunch table looked over to Han for confirmation.
Han shrugged, looking down at his plate without comment.
"Aw, don't pay attention to him. He's sulking over a girl. Ole Slick ain't got time to talk about Wookiees."
"What are they gonna do with all these Wookiees anyway?"
"What did all these Wookiees do? That's a better question."
"I heard they were conspiring to overthrow the Emperor."
"From the treetops?"
"They're great hunters and warriors. It's possible."
"They hunt game and they've only been known to fight defensively. Anyone who believes that they're rounding up the Wookiees as conspirators is a fool."
"Have you seen how they-"
"That's enough chatter. Everybody fall out."
The Imperial Officer stood at the entrance of the small mess hall and eyed each soldier down as they brushed passed him to leave. "Solo, Sartain," the Officer said. "Report to Commodore Rutien's office, immediately."
Two untouched platters of food slid off into the receptacle.
"Yes, sir."
"Yes, sir."
The pair had not walked two steps before Watts began to speak. "What's Rutien want with us?"
"I don't know. Probably missed chewing my ass out since we graduated."
"You ever figure out what you did to piss that man off?"
"I was born, apparently," Han supplied.
"Yeah, you seemed to have pissed off a lot of people that day."
They walked together into the large antechamber of the Commodore's office suite. A young girl sat behind a large desk. "The Commodore will meet you in his conference room."
Watts immediately zoned in on her. "How'd you like to meet me in my quarters?"
She stopped what she was doing and leveled her gaze at him. "Don't you bunk with a hundred other men?"
Watts smiled, all white teeth and dimples. "Shy, are you? Your quarters, then?"
Han grabbed his friend by the arm. "C'mon, Sar. You're in enough trouble already."
Watts struggled but let Han lead him away as he called back to the young girl, "S-A-R-T-A-I-N, look me up."
Han pushed his friend into the small conference room and the pair each plopped down into the nearest chair that they could find.
"Well, I swear," Watts began, spreading his hands out on the table. "I didn't do anything this time."
Han did not reply.
Watts leaned forward. "What gives, Solo? You ain't said two words to me since I got back from Medical."
Han looked at his friend, a steady hard gaze.
"Is it Legs? Because, you know I-"
Han banged his hands against the table and stood. "It's not about Sasha, for Sith's sake," he replied.
"So? What then? What is it, Slick? What gives?"
Han ran his fingers through his hair and plopped back down into his seat. He ran his thumbnail across the grain of the table. "I did something, Sar. I just-"
"Gentlemen." A tall, lanky man entered the small room, his eyes trained down upon the datapad in his hands.
Han and Watts both greeted him with a "Commodore" as they straightened up in their chairs.
The man stood there for a second and looked down at the two young men. "Almost one full month of active duty before a report containing both of your names comes across my desk? I have to say that I'm impressed. I didn't expect you to last half this long."
"Don't ever let it be said that we do anything in halves," Watts replied.
The Commodore stared down at Sartain. "Truer words might not have ever been spoken," the man replied and then returned to his datapad.
Han watched the man as his long, bony fingers entered unseen data onto the grid. A female officer walked into the room behind Commodore Rutien. She was holding a small bag in her hands.
The Commodore did not acknowledge the arrival of the woman. "There's been a suspected outbreak of airborne coomb spores," he said, finally lifting his gaze from the datapad and looking down at Han and Watts. "Ensign Lazarus here will take your blood and test you for exposure."
"Coomb spores?" Watts repeated. "I didn't hear the quarantine alert and I just got out of Medical. When-"
"You will allow the Ensign to extract your blood and leave the commentary for the mess hall, Lieutenant." The Commodore shut down his datapad and held it against his chest. He looked toward the nurse and nodded his head for her to begin.
The nurse began to remove needles, bandages and vials out of her bag, arranging them on the table as she prepared.
Han watched everything, his face blank.
"What was the exposure perimeter?" Watts asked as the nurse rolled up his sleeve. "Was the entire base exposed? Why aren't you mask-?"
"That is on a need to know basis, Lieutenant," the Commodore answered. "I suggest you keep your mouth shut and let Lazarus do her job."
Han watched as the blue blood from inside his friend's veins filled the vial with red, murky liquid. He felt his own blood drain from his face and a cool sheen of perspiration cover his skin.
"Afraid of needles, Solo?"
Han's eyes snapped up to look into the Commodore's. The man's face was smug and indignant. "Not exactly," Han replied. "But I usually prefer to keep my blood inside my body whenever possible."
"Nurse," the Commodore said. "Make sure this one doesn't faint."
Several Minutes Later…
"This is bullshit," Watts mumbled as he rubbed his fingers over the bandage that now dressed his upper arm.
Han rubbed his own arm and silently rolled down his sleeve. The Commodore and the nurse had left them with orders to stay put.
Watts bolted up out of his chair and began to pace the room. "I'm tellin' ya," he whispered as he pointed at Han for emphasis, "something stinks in the garbage chute. There wasn't any coomb spore outbreak. Something else is going on here."
"Watts, sit down and focus. We gotta figure out what we're gonna do."
"Whatdya mean, what we're gonna do? We're gonna sit here 'til they come back and tell us what we did. So then we can deny it."
"Just like old times," Han said flatly.
Watts stopped his pacing and looked at Han. "You were about to tell me something before. What was it?"
"Damnit, Watts." Han stood and walked across the room. "I did something. I think I mighta got us both in trouble."
"What? What's up?"
"I don't know," Han replied, looking around the room. "You know they probably have this place wired."
"Probably? I'd bet my check on it."
"It doesn't matter. The whole coomb spore thing still doesn't make any sense."
"Maybe they need an excuse to get rid of us. Something to put in the letter home along with our dead bodies."
"I thought of that."
"Geesh, I was halfway kidding, now you're kinda scaring me."
"Whatever it is, I'm not gonna let you go down for it. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure of that."
"It's cool, Slick," Watts replied, sliding into an empty chair. "We're cool," he repeated and his expression sobered. "To tell you the truth, I'm ready to get the hells outta here. Body bag or no."
"I know what you mean."
The door opened. "Gentlemen."
It was the Commodore and as soon as he entered the room his eyes found Han Solo. Han stared back at him. There was a blood lust in the Commodore's eyes that could not be mistaken. Han swallowed and held his gaze.
"So what is it?" Watts asked. "What bullshit did your bullshit tests tell ya?"
The Commodore's eyes did not move. "Get outta here, Sartain."
Han shut his eyes. He knew.
"Screw you and the Emperor. I ain't going anywhere."
The Commodore moved swiftly. By the time Han's eyes had flown open the older man had Watts pinned against the wall by his neck. "I am so tired of you and your mouth, Sartain. You had everything handed to you on a silver platter and you have done your best to disgrace your family name and mar your legacy. You are a disappointment and if I wasn't so certain you wouldn't do it yourself someday, I'd take you down right here and now."
The Commodore held him for another moment and then pushed away from him and turned away. The door opened and the Commodore's assistant was standing there. "The security detail is here for Sartain. Admiral Orakzai is requesting an update."
"Orakzai?" Han asked, sitting up straighter.
"Thank you, Jilve," the Commodore replied. "Please have-" His words were cut off by a warbling alarm and flashing lights. "Holy hells, what now?"
"I wasn't informed of any drills today," Jilve supplied.
Rutien took one moment to look at both Han and Watts, his body hesitated as if torn in indecision, but then he turned and brushed by Jilve on the way out of the conference room, leaving Han and Watts behind.
Jilve surveyed the two of them and then, without a word, she followed the Commodore out and shut the door.
"We've gotta get the fierfek outta here," Watts whispered, pressing his ear against the door and trying to listen.
A calm, woman's voice was coming over the intercom. "Security perimeter breech at the detention facility. All personnel: full alert. This is not a test. Security perimeter breech on…"
"Something about the detention level," Watts said.
"The Wookiees."
Watts straightened up and looked around the room, as if he might find another door or a window that wasn't there before. "Maybe they don't like the room service," he mumbled absently.
"Look, Watts," Han said. "We don't have much time and we don't know what's going on. But I want out, either way. You heard Rutien, he wanted me, not you. I"ll go, you can stay and I'll...I'll understand."
Watts stared at Han. "Maybe we were exposed to coomb spores, because now you're just talking crazy."
The sound of heavy artillery and gunfire somewhere in the distance burst through the silent room. "Holy shavit," Han said coming to his feet. "What in the hells going on out there?"
Watts opened the door just slightly. "Whatever it is, it's just what we needed." He looked back at Han. "She's gone."
Han hesitated only a moment before he said, "Let's go."