Author's note: I must grovel. I realized, after I had pushed the final key to upload the first chapter of this story, that I forgot to thank my betas, StatsGrandma57 and jublke, who make my stuff so much better. Thank you both!

Boys Will Be Boys

Chapter Two

Centuries before the Rebel Alliance established their base on Yavin 4, the Massassi built a huge tower in order to properly worship their god, the sun. Apparently their god had not been appreciative of their efforts, for soon after the tower's completion, an enormous earthquake struck the moon, and the top third of the tower was so badly shaken that it now canted forty-five degrees to one side, leaving it resting precariously against one of the jungle's giant trees. More recently, the Rebels now in residence used the inconveniently tilted tower for X-wing training. Flying underneath the tower's top and around its base was called looping the tower and had become something of an audition for Rogue squadron. If a pilot successfully made it around the tower and tree with both themselves and their ship relatively unscathed, they were considered crazy enough to join the Rogues. Few pilots, even those who eventually became Rogues, were able to complete the loop without some damage to their ships, or to themselves. At least there had been no deaths from the stunt. Yet.

Yavin's sun had long since begun its slow descent toward the horizon as beings poured outdoors from the old stone temple that served as the base headquarters. They pounded through the jungle in order to find the best place to view the contest between Solo and Antilles. Wedge was still inside the temple doing the preflight on his X-wing while Han and Chewbacca were headed to the clearing where the Millennium Falcon was berthed. Luke, his head now cleared by a combination of fresh air, exercise, and emptying his stomach of its contents, stood in the middle of the worn stone apron outside the temple. He couldn't decide if he should try to talk to Han or to Wedge. Now that he could think clearly, he could see how dangerous and stupid this competition really was. He needed to stop it before one of his friends, or both of them, were seriously injured or killed.

"Luke? Luke!"

Skywalker turned at the sound of Leia's voice. She ran up to him, panting a little with exertion and obvious concern.

"Luke, what's happening?" The princess looked around at the beings running in all directions. "Are we under some sort of attack?" she asked. "I was in the command center; I didn't see anything on any of the plots or scopes."

"No, it's worse."

"Worse?" Leia stared blankly back at him.

"Worse," he confirmed. "Han and Wedge got drunk and someone bet someone that Han couldn't loop the tower in the Falcon. So, Wedge is going to fly it, then Han is going to do it, too. Or try to."

"Han can't do that in a freighter. Nobody can," she objected.

Luke pulled Leia out of the way of a Rodian who was pelting past them to head for one of the jungle paths.

"I know that," he said. "But you know Han, he doesn't back down from anything."

"But he's not stupid." Several Rogue pilots ran past them, one yelling Hurry up, Luke! on the way by. "And he would never risk the Falcon," Leia reasoned.

"He was drunk, so was Wedge. So was I. And," Luke paused.

"And?"

"And I may have implied that Han was a coward," he finished morosely.

"You did what?" Leia shouted. "Of all the stupid…he's so stupid…you're so stupid…men are so stupid!" she finished, her face set. "Someone has to stop this before they both get killed. Where's General Rieekan?"

"He has a hundred credit wager on the contest. Wait! Leia!" But Leia didn't hear him since she was already heading into the jungle toward the Millennium Falcon. Luke turned to the temple, hoping he could talk Wedge out of it before he took off, but the whine of an X-wing's engines told him he was too late.

When Leia darted out of the jungle into the clearing where the Millennium Falcon stood, she feared she was too late as well. The ship's engines were already lit and in standby mode. She could see that the only thing keeping it from lifting off was the fact that pilot and copilot were standing at the top of the boarding ramp, yelling at each other at the top of their lungs.

"It's my ship!" Han shouted, "I know everything about her. I can do this."

Chewbacca waved his arms over his head and roared.

"I know you're the copilot for a good reason," Han continued, "but this has to be one on one! You heard Wedge. And no one calls me a coward!" Han's own arms came up to shoulder height in an infuriated shrug. "What did you say?" he bellowed into Chewie's face. "What do you mean I'm going to flatten myself into the side of the tower if you aren't there to help me?" His face reddened. "Listen, you overgrown furball, I can fly rings around anyone in this ship, without anyone's help!"

"Han! HAN!" Leia stormed up the ramp and caught one of Han's arms to get his attention.

"Yes, your Highness?" His mood already foul, Han's sarcasm was at full bore. "Have you come to wish me good luck? Or maybe you'd like to make a wager? I think Janson's taking the bets."

Leia's grip on his arm tightened. "I'm trying to stop you. You're going to get yourself killed if you do this."

Chewbacca grunted in agreement.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Han growled as he pulled his arm free of Leia's hands. "I'm a better pilot than Antilles ever will be." He looked down into the Princess's face. "I guess I'm just going to have to show you, Sweetheart." His eyes met hers, hard and unyielding. "I'm going to have to show everyone."

He looked up at the sound of X-wing engines. Wedge flew over the clearing, waggling his ship's s-foils tauntingly. With a hard shove, Han pushed Chewie clear of the doorway, stepped inside and slapped the palm switch, shutting the hatch. The startled Wookiee shouted an angry howl, then grabbed Leia's arm and propelled her down the ramp, which was already starting to retract. With a whoosh, the Falcon lifted on its repulsors and became airborne.

In the now empty clearing, Leia and Chewie watched the ship as it headed toward the tower. Their hair blew wildly in the wake of the ship's departure.

With one hand, the Princess held her hair out of her face. "Good luck, flyboy," she said quietly.