Chapter II:
The Rebels on the Yavin base were not worrying about protocol tonight.
It was a few hours after the destruction of the Death Star and not a single person was paying attention to their duty. The exultation was too much.
Leia opened the door to find Luke standing rather nervously outside.
"I noticed you were holed up in your room, so I've come to order you to have some fun."
Leia smiled. "Yes, sir. Though, may I mention that I outrank you?"
"Nevertheless," said Luke irritably, "I have come to escort you to the premises."
"Can I at least make myself presentable?"
He reached behind her and yanked out the fastening pins. Her hail tumbled down, framing her face.
"No," he said firmly.
Leia laughed. "Is this what it means to let your hair down?"
He grinned. "In a manner of speaking, yes." He offered her his arm and she took it. "Off we go."
The officer's mess hall was a mob scene. The tables had been shoved against the wall to make room for a dance floor. Many couples were already moving to the upbeat music.
Leia couldn't help but smile. For once, the members of the Rebel Alliance were forgetting the urgency of their situation, the threat of the Empire, the duty shift that started in five minutes, and simply enjoying the fact that they were alive to worry about such things.
"I think the food is over here," shouted Luke over the din.
"If we can get through the crowd," she countered.
He seized her had and lead her through the crowd to the table against the far wall.
"Kid!"
Leia turned to see Han waving. They both returned the gesture as he made his way through the crowd towards them.
"Try the Raychest," he urged. "It's the only thing worth eating around here."
"Naturally Corellian," Leia said.
Han grinned. "Naturally, all perfect things, including myself, hail from the Corellian Sector."
"I think I'm going to be sick," Leia muttered to Luke.
He handed her a warm piece of Raychest and she bit into it. The rich taste and the sweet smell nearly made her weep.
"All right, I'll concede the point," she said around a bite.
Luke wiped a crumb from her chin. "Not talking with your mouth full, Leia. Didn't they teach you anything useful at the Royal Court?"
Leia swallowed. "Flogging peasants and being bossy comes with the territory; other than that, I don't think I need any instruction."
Luke shot her a mischievous glance. "How about dancing?"
"Don't even go there," she countered.
"I'm willing to take my chances."
Leia pushed the last of the Raychest into her mouth and took his hand. "You're on, farm boy!"
However, as soon as they reached the dance floor, the music ended and was replaced by a more traditional song.
"I don't think I know this one," Luke admitted.
Leia's brow furrowed as she attempted to remember where she'd heard the piece before. A memory of the court dance instructor came to mind and she buried her face in her hands.
"Oh no," she groaned. "It's the p'qua."
"The what?"
She looked up. "A very traditional ballroom dance from the Corellian Sector. Han would be right at home." Taking him into a dance position, she grinned. "I'll teach you but you'd better have fast feet. You go four diagonal steps, then a half-turn, then repeat the process the process until the music stops."
"If I'm not mistaken, we'll have an audience."
Leia grinned. "What, are you scared?"
"After you."
The main beat came on and she took off at a furious pace. Luke, surprisingly kept up fairly well, but they kept getting their feel entangled and soon Leia was laughing harder that she could ever remember.
"No right," she sputtered.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
He took her through a fast spin, then the resumed in the wrong direction. Leia kicked him none-too-gently in the shins.
"The other way," he said incredulously.
"I can't believe with directional skills like this you ever managed to hit the Death Star."
He laughed. "Flying has nothing to do with feet and insane music."
"True."
She released his left arm and stepped to the side, repeating the step, then snapping back into position. They repeated the gesture, then spun out and back into dancing position.
"I'm never letting you dance with me again!" he panted.
"Oh, come on," she said, "Just another thirty seconds."
"It's lucky we're the only people on the floor or we'd kill half the base." He released her arm. "Up for another spin?"
She spun furiously, stumbling halfway through but keeping up the pace.
"Wonderful. Now when you land in a graceful heap it won't look so bad."
"Switch off, farm boy!"
"Such language," he teased.
The music ended and the spectators burst into enthusiastic applause. There were a few whistles and catcalls and Leia blushed.
Luke for his part flung his arms around her and lifted her off her feet in an embrace.
"Thank you for that," he panted. "That was the most fun I've had in weeks."
She grinned and rocked back onto her feet. "Me too, we'll have to do it again sometime."
He took her hand and kissed it. "Next time I pick the music."
She brushed a strand of hair, damp from perspiration, from her brow. "Of course."
A much slower song came on and the dance floor filled again. Luke bowed. "May I have this honour?"
She curtsied. "The honour is mine."
She placed her hands on his shoulders and he around her waist.
"We've got a long way to go," she said quietly. "But I think tonight will give us our second wind. We've been plagued by despondency for too long."
He winced. "I know the feeling. How long have you been with Alliance?"
"Since the beginning," she admitted. "When my father, Garm Bel Iblis, and Mon Mothma signed the Corellian Treaty consolidating the various resistance groups, I was twelve. I was a courier at the age of thirteen, the Alliance's eyes in the Senate at eighteen. I've been through most of our crises in one form or another."
"You're an amazing person," he said.
She smiled. "I'm glad someone thinks so."
He shrugged. "When in one week, someone pulls off her own rescue by blasting her way into an Imperial garbage chute, tells off Han, helps command a major space attack, and teaches a hopelessly uncoordinated farm boy to do the p'qua, you have to gain some respect for them."
"What about you," she said. "You invaded the entire Death Star stormtrooper force, figured out a way into the maximum-security detention level, staged an albeit partially unsuccessful rescue attempt, blew two TIES out of existence on your first try, then destroyed the most powerful weapon in history. If this is what happens in a few days of you life, I can't wait to see what you do with the rest of it."
"Me, too."
He grinned. "I would be honoured to have you as a friend. Would you so indulge me?"
"A little late to ask," she teased. "I considered you a friend the moment you uttered the words "I'm here to rescue you."
The Rebels on the Yavin base were not worrying about protocol tonight.
It was a few hours after the destruction of the Death Star and not a single person was paying attention to their duty. The exultation was too much.
Leia opened the door to find Luke standing rather nervously outside.
"I noticed you were holed up in your room, so I've come to order you to have some fun."
Leia smiled. "Yes, sir. Though, may I mention that I outrank you?"
"Nevertheless," said Luke irritably, "I have come to escort you to the premises."
"Can I at least make myself presentable?"
He reached behind her and yanked out the fastening pins. Her hail tumbled down, framing her face.
"No," he said firmly.
Leia laughed. "Is this what it means to let your hair down?"
He grinned. "In a manner of speaking, yes." He offered her his arm and she took it. "Off we go."
The officer's mess hall was a mob scene. The tables had been shoved against the wall to make room for a dance floor. Many couples were already moving to the upbeat music.
Leia couldn't help but smile. For once, the members of the Rebel Alliance were forgetting the urgency of their situation, the threat of the Empire, the duty shift that started in five minutes, and simply enjoying the fact that they were alive to worry about such things.
"I think the food is over here," shouted Luke over the din.
"If we can get through the crowd," she countered.
He seized her had and lead her through the crowd to the table against the far wall.
"Kid!"
Leia turned to see Han waving. They both returned the gesture as he made his way through the crowd towards them.
"Try the Raychest," he urged. "It's the only thing worth eating around here."
"Naturally Corellian," Leia said.
Han grinned. "Naturally, all perfect things, including myself, hail from the Corellian Sector."
"I think I'm going to be sick," Leia muttered to Luke.
He handed her a warm piece of Raychest and she bit into it. The rich taste and the sweet smell nearly made her weep.
"All right, I'll concede the point," she said around a bite.
Luke wiped a crumb from her chin. "Not talking with your mouth full, Leia. Didn't they teach you anything useful at the Royal Court?"
Leia swallowed. "Flogging peasants and being bossy comes with the territory; other than that, I don't think I need any instruction."
Luke shot her a mischievous glance. "How about dancing?"
"Don't even go there," she countered.
"I'm willing to take my chances."
Leia pushed the last of the Raychest into her mouth and took his hand. "You're on, farm boy!"
However, as soon as they reached the dance floor, the music ended and was replaced by a more traditional song.
"I don't think I know this one," Luke admitted.
Leia's brow furrowed as she attempted to remember where she'd heard the piece before. A memory of the court dance instructor came to mind and she buried her face in her hands.
"Oh no," she groaned. "It's the p'qua."
"The what?"
She looked up. "A very traditional ballroom dance from the Corellian Sector. Han would be right at home." Taking him into a dance position, she grinned. "I'll teach you but you'd better have fast feet. You go four diagonal steps, then a half-turn, then repeat the process the process until the music stops."
"If I'm not mistaken, we'll have an audience."
Leia grinned. "What, are you scared?"
"After you."
The main beat came on and she took off at a furious pace. Luke, surprisingly kept up fairly well, but they kept getting their feel entangled and soon Leia was laughing harder that she could ever remember.
"No right," she sputtered.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
He took her through a fast spin, then the resumed in the wrong direction. Leia kicked him none-too-gently in the shins.
"The other way," he said incredulously.
"I can't believe with directional skills like this you ever managed to hit the Death Star."
He laughed. "Flying has nothing to do with feet and insane music."
"True."
She released his left arm and stepped to the side, repeating the step, then snapping back into position. They repeated the gesture, then spun out and back into dancing position.
"I'm never letting you dance with me again!" he panted.
"Oh, come on," she said, "Just another thirty seconds."
"It's lucky we're the only people on the floor or we'd kill half the base." He released her arm. "Up for another spin?"
She spun furiously, stumbling halfway through but keeping up the pace.
"Wonderful. Now when you land in a graceful heap it won't look so bad."
"Switch off, farm boy!"
"Such language," he teased.
The music ended and the spectators burst into enthusiastic applause. There were a few whistles and catcalls and Leia blushed.
Luke for his part flung his arms around her and lifted her off her feet in an embrace.
"Thank you for that," he panted. "That was the most fun I've had in weeks."
She grinned and rocked back onto her feet. "Me too, we'll have to do it again sometime."
He took her hand and kissed it. "Next time I pick the music."
She brushed a strand of hair, damp from perspiration, from her brow. "Of course."
A much slower song came on and the dance floor filled again. Luke bowed. "May I have this honour?"
She curtsied. "The honour is mine."
She placed her hands on his shoulders and he around her waist.
"We've got a long way to go," she said quietly. "But I think tonight will give us our second wind. We've been plagued by despondency for too long."
He winced. "I know the feeling. How long have you been with Alliance?"
"Since the beginning," she admitted. "When my father, Garm Bel Iblis, and Mon Mothma signed the Corellian Treaty consolidating the various resistance groups, I was twelve. I was a courier at the age of thirteen, the Alliance's eyes in the Senate at eighteen. I've been through most of our crises in one form or another."
"You're an amazing person," he said.
She smiled. "I'm glad someone thinks so."
He shrugged. "When in one week, someone pulls off her own rescue by blasting her way into an Imperial garbage chute, tells off Han, helps command a major space attack, and teaches a hopelessly uncoordinated farm boy to do the p'qua, you have to gain some respect for them."
"What about you," she said. "You invaded the entire Death Star stormtrooper force, figured out a way into the maximum-security detention level, staged an albeit partially unsuccessful rescue attempt, blew two TIES out of existence on your first try, then destroyed the most powerful weapon in history. If this is what happens in a few days of you life, I can't wait to see what you do with the rest of it."
"Me, too."
He grinned. "I would be honoured to have you as a friend. Would you so indulge me?"
"A little late to ask," she teased. "I considered you a friend the moment you uttered the words "I'm here to rescue you."