"Where are those dumb droids when ya need 'em?!" An alarm blared once more as the machine flickered in red alert lights.
Han and Leia hadn't been successful when they had tried some of the old Imperial techniques, or even when Han tried to interpret the message through his rough knowledge of Corellian calligraphy. Despite all of their military experience, neither knew much of anything about languages except for the common dialects. So it was in Padmé's datapad that they carried nearly incomprehensible information that probably only Ghent would know how to solve.
At present, the three humans and Wookiee were running as fast as possible in no definite direction other than away from their pursuers. This whole game was getting old.
Turning at random, they found themselves in another port - one with speeders. The sparse amount of security surrounding the land vehicles was disposed of quickly before more stormtroopers could catch up.
Jumping into the back seat with Padmé, Leia shouted, "Go! Now!"
Her husband didn't need telling twice. Stepping down hard on the ignition, the Corellian sped right out of the open gate, swerving immediately to the left. He continued accelerating until reaching the main traffic route. Dozens upon dozens of speeders were racing past, albeit at slower speeds, but still enabling them to blend in with the crowd. Nonetheless, sirens were screaming throughout the streets as either the local police or the new Imperial arrivals ensued a spectacular chase behind them.
Sensing the other vehicles coming up on them, Han accelerated upwards abruptly. Leia felt acid tang at the back of her throat as her breakfast tried making a reappearance. The hotshot pilot was no less hedonistic as he took the speeder through an immense spin; luckily, they had taken the precaution of seat belts.
Despite his evasion tactics, the pursuing authorities had not been discouraged in the least. Two or three blaster shots ricocheted just behind the backseat with a ping - one left a sizzling whole in the previously shiny black surface.
Overly conscious of his close shave, Han reversed his approach as he dive-bombed into the traffic once again.
[Han! We won't be able to keep this up for much longer unless you want to be an order of fried ribenes!] Chewie was roaring into his ear.
"Hey, I've got it, Fuzzball. Just calm down!"
[Oh, yes. I'm perfectly calm. Actually, I'm so calm that if you stopped on the side of the road I think we might be able to ask for directions,] the Wookiee replied with uncharacteristic sarcasm.
"This is no time to be getting our nerves in a tangle you two! Captain Solo, please just move!" Padmé's tone was brimming with authority as she bellowed her order. Leia shrugged when Han gave her a skeptical glance.
"You heard her, scruffy."
Praying (to what exactly he didn't know or care), Han slammed his foot on the acceleration until he heard the pedal creak with the strain. Finally, as a crisp wind whipped at his face and hair, all else disappeared behind him in a blur. This was true adrenaline, just like the old days of speeder bike racing.
C'mon, honey! I know you've got it in you, he mentally told the speeder.
With a familiar youthful cockiness, Han felt himself becoming one with the speeder. Where he moved, she moved. And if he escaped these nuisances, she'd follow. The speed was exhilarating as he thrust the speeder forward through gods-knows-what. Han had one sole focus: the road ahead. And as the pavement approached him more rapidly he could barely feel the sway of the machine around him and the terrified screams of his passengers.
Gradually, Han was coming out of his high. The engine was beginning to shake, unstable and burned out. It had begun to cough like General Grievous before Han's euphoric state dissipated.
[Han! You've burned out the engine!] Chewie was roaring right next to him.
Leia was not without commentary, as expected. "Han, you laserbrain, we're breaking down. Again!"
"But thank the Force that Captain Solo managed to lose the Imperials," supplied Padmé.
"Yeah, and our lunches. Those maneuvers were absolutely maniacal, Han! But I guess I should have expected it. . . " His wife remarked, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before leaping out of the severely damaged vehicle.
Han didn't know what to say. He sat in the cockpit a few more dazed moments before a pair of strong, furry arms grabbed him by the armpits and forcibly stood him up on the ground. A couple of stunned moments passed before the former smuggler shook his head and snapped back to reality. Gods, how he missed antics like these.
It was Padmé who brought them all on track, immediately listing all the things that were on the agenda in order for them to complete the mission. She was slowly evolving into an extremely capable and no-nonsense woman, something that surprised Leia in contrast to the handmaiden's earlier tears. But of course, the princess remembered those dual personalities that even she used to carry around when laboring under the Rebel Alliance. She vaguely sensed that the tendency to have public and private faces started earlier than that.
But more to the point, there was something that had grown in Padmé that made her so familiar it was disturbing.
"All we can do right now in our current state is to lay low and then proceed to form a plan of action. Leia, Captain Solo, and Chewbacca - are any of you familiar with the planet? I'm afraid I have not been able to identify anything other than the geography of Corellia and what is really needed is some handy street knowledge."
Han had finally snapped out of it, and was able to supply his inquirer with: "Sure, I've got plenty of street knowledge. I was on 'em for the first fifteen years. Just gimme a minute and I can figure out where we are. What didja have in mind?"
"Some totally unassuming motel. Something very, very civilian."
"Follow me."
Traveling by foot through the bustling capital of Coronet, and eventually into the sketchier parts of downtown, the group of four were navigated by Han to a seedy-looking motel wedged between several other buildings that looked as if they contained less than legitimate business.
Han paused to take a good once-over of the establishment. "Civilian enough, ya think?"
Sniffing a scent that happened to be on the unpleasant side, Chewbacca retorted that it was quite enough civilian for him to handle. [You and I have been in worse places, but they have probably never smelled this bad.]
"It's... perfect," Padmé cut in.
"If you say so, sister."
Within minutes, the scraggly motel operator of Duros origin led them up a creaky rust-eaten staircase. It was indeed perfect for their cover. While it would cause some inconvenience in a matter of connection, the four decided it was best to split themselves between two rooms; there would be nothing big enough for all four of them, and it would look strange for them all to stay in one place, regardless. Because Chewbacca insisted on staying with Han, they took one of the rooms which was on the second floor, while Leia and Padmé occupied an adjacent space.
"Enjoy your stay," croaked the landlord.
When the hole-ridden door closed shut, Leia wondered why the ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach had just gotten worse.
"Uncle Luke? Uncle Luke?" Something sharply prodded the Jedi Master's ribcage, resulting in a light groan. It was still early morning, a time when most preferred to sleep. Others, it seemed, had a different agenda.
Turning in the sheets to face his youngest nephew, he replied, "Anakin, what is it?"
"Mom and Dad are in trouble."
"Are you sure?"
The seven-year-old nodded. His Force-sense was by far the strongest of the Solo kids, a fact which often led to surprising discoveries. Luke, in his rumpled nightclothes, immediately arose from his guest bed and walked into the children's bedroom. He found Jacen and Jaina drowsy, yet perfectly awake enough to tell him what their brother had. They had sensed, with their superior connection to their parents, that Han and Leia had once again managed to land themselves into a spot.
"What was it?" He felt disappointed that he had not detected anything from his sister at all. Usually their bond as twins was strong enough that, even remotely, he could hear her through the Force talking to him.
Jaina answered first. "It's like Dad was getting really excited and really anxious at the same time. Kind of like when I'm playing a hologame or I'm against the X-Wing simulator and I'm trying to beat out the TIEs."
"And Mom was getting really tense and nervous too, right?" Jacen added.
"Okay. No need for panic yet. Your parents are always on an adventure. I'm going to make a few com calls to make sure that they're not in any real trouble. If they are, then we'll move on from there." Luke glanced at his niece and nephews for approval. When they agreed it was a sound plan, he continued, "Hopefully it's only your dad's ship. But knowing this family's luck... who knows?"
Slipping on his robe, the Jedi Master picked up the holoprojector device and started with the first and most sensible choice - Mon Mothma's office. As the ringer began, he shuffled into the kitchenette for a cup of kaffe. This was going to be a long day.