Susan Zahn and Erin Darroch
Just Rewards – Chapter 10
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Summary: "If money is all that you love, then that's what you'll receive."
Disclaimer: All characters depicted herein are the property of Lucasfilm, Disney, etc. Our only profit is in the form of readers' feedback. Please be generous!
Ratings/Warnings: M; mild language; angst; some non-explicit suggestive adult themes
Time Frame: Extension and expansion of Star Wars: A New Hope; during and post-ANH
Tags: Han/Leia. Romance/Angst. Han Solo/Leia Organa
Note: With thanks to our lovely beta readers: CorieMariee, BonesBooth206, YellinYee, and Marjorie Joyce.
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Chapter 10
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The Millennium Falcon was no luxury cruise ship or state-of-the-art freighter. She ran loud, even on her best day, and it was only a matter of degrees as to whether her purring sublight and hyperdrive engines were running well or struggling. To Han's attuned ear, she was having one of her better days, and he was satisfied with the relative quiet.
He and Chewie had remained in the cockpit while awaiting the transmission from Flight Control of their hyperjump coordinates, and then after making the jump, to privately talk, or—to be more accurate—argue about what their next course of action would be after this new job was finished.
Predictably, Chewbacca had insisted that they ought to take the ten thousand credits, along with their reward, and go straight back to Tatooine to deal with Jabba before the business of the bounty on Han's head could get any worse. Except Han wasn't convinced that would be the best use of his money. A new full-spectrum sensor suite, he had argued, could turn out to be a better investment. If they could maximize profits, he could not only pay off Jabba, but maybe they could actually get ahead for once. There was also the matter of their current employment. If the Rebel Alliance wanted to pay him outrageous sums to haul their freight, he was happy to let them do it for as long as it lasted. Now that the credits were flowing a bit more freely, he didn't see the need to hurry back to pay off the Hutt. In fact, he rather enjoyed making the slimy crime lord wait. In the end, they had tabled the discussion and he'd left Chewie in the cockpit to mull things over while he headed back to make some hot kaffe.
Han made his way around the ship, checking that none of the cargo had shifted or come loose in the hyperjump and stopping along the way to peer into the rear and forward holds for the same purpose. Satisfied that everything had remained secure, he stopped in the small open area that remained in the main hold, double-checked the hyperdrive indicators at the engineering station, and continued on into the kitchenette to start the pot of fresh kaffe. It was going to be a while yet, due to the relatively short duration of their journey, before they got a chance to bunk in.
As Han waited for his drink to brew, he belatedly realized what was wrong. Things were too quiet. He'd forgotten that they had a passenger. He stuck his head back into the main hold proper, thinking maybe Leia had been sitting at the holochess table and he'd somehow walked right past her, but one glance was enough to tell him she was nowhere in the hold.
That's weird. She must be in the fresher.
He went back to his drink, poured mugs for himself and Chewie, then stepped back into the shrunken common area. The princess had not yet appeared. With a shrug, he headed back toward the cockpit. It wasn't like there was anywhere else she could go. They were packed into the Falcon like preserved Tesal fish, and she was bound to turn up eventually.
Thirty minutes later, when Han realized that the princess had yet to come forward to visit them in the cockpit, he began to wonder what was going on. He supposed there was the possibility she just preferred to keep things on a strictly business-only level—it wouldn't be the first time he'd had customers who preferred that sort of arrangement. Only he hadn't gotten that vibe from Leia. She'd seemed comfortable enough hanging out and chatting in the Falcon's cockpit only that morning when they'd escaped the Death Star—well, at least until their little exchange of words regarding payment. In fact, she'd struck him as being the sort of person who enjoyed space travel—something he had not expected.
Using the excuse of wanting a second cup, Han stopped in the main hold before making another quick circuit around the passageways, this time taking an extra moment to poke his head into the bunkroom. The three bunks were empty and the door to the fresher was open.
Okay, you're not going crazy. You saw her enter the ship and sealed up after her. There was no hull breach. She's got to be around here somewhere.
Han returned to the cockpit just as Chewbacca was climbing out of the copilot's seat.
"Hey, while you're back there, see if you can find the princess."
«What do you mean?»
"I thought it was way too quiet so I looked around, but there's no sign of her. Unless you want to explain to the Rebel High Command how we lost her Royal Highness…."
«Good point,» the Wookiee agreed as he left the cockpit. He was back within minutes.
«You'd better take a look, Solo.»
Chewbacca led Han to the forward portside hold and pointed down a narrow passage between the stacks to a dark corner created by an oddly shaped cargo container. The two of them exchanged a brief look of concern before Han took a tentative step forward and peered into the shadows around the corner.
There she was, seated upright with her back against the bulkhead and leaning against the crate, her knees drawn up into a tight hug and her head bowed. For a moment he thought she might have fallen asleep like that, but then he saw her shift a booted foot as she attempted to curl up into an even tighter ball.
Han drew back and hesitated over what to do. Common sense told him to leave her to her own devices and return to the cockpit—it was none of his business, and they would reach the now-revealed destination of the Rebel base on Serricci soon enough.
He exchanged another look with Chewbacca and changed his mind. They were partners and friends for a reason. The Wookiee gestured for Han to withdraw.
«Get her some kaffe. I'll be right back.»
Han returned to the kitchenette as Chewbacca disappeared down the ring corridor. When he returned to the tight passage that led into the portside hold, Chewie was already there, holding a threadbare blanket and a cushion from one of the relief bunks.
Han handed him the steaming mug and edged around the corner of the stack. Leia was still there, still motionless. He said in a gentle voice, "Hey. Want some kaffe? Something stronger?"
She turned her head to look up and fixed him with a hollow gaze. For an instant Han wasn't entirely sure that she even recognized him, but it might have been the bad lighting. Then there seemed to be a slight shift in her expression and she gave a slight nod. "Just kaffe."
Han twisted around, and Chewie, who was ready with the cup, passed it over. Then he followed it up with the cover and pillow. Han gave the Wookiee the flash of a smile that was both grateful and teasing. So much for Leia's "walking carpet."
Han squatted down to her level, set the mug on the deck in front of her, and then handed over the rest. "We'll make planetfall in about three hours. Chewie's going to cook something before then if you're interested."
"Thank you."
He met her eyes for as long as she allowed, until she bowed her head again. He stood up then, intending to head back toward the main hold, but something he had seen in her eyes kept him rooted to the spot, hands braced on his hips, his initial feeling of concern giving way to a broader fuming. He'd seen that desolate look before, in the faces of slaves and others who had lost everything to the predations of the Empire. It never failed to enrage him.
The naked pain on her face spoke of what she'd lost, but it also reminded him that she was human, and he realized this was the second time within the span of a few hours he'd discovered her in a similar condition aboard his ship. She'd had no time to recover, to mourn, or even to rest, and it didn't take a mind shrinker to figure out she was reaching some sort of breaking point. Maybe she was finding some measure of tranquility within the confines of the old freighter, and if so, he could appreciate that. The Falcon had been his own refuge for years.
He regarded her hunched figure for another long moment, and then turned to follow Chewie out, leaving her in peace. She would come find them when she was ready.