Welcome! This is the first part of a two-part series. This first part remains in the canon galaxy and part two is very much an AU. In this part, the Rebellion splits it up into three separate bases, with Luke and Leia at one, and Han and Chewie at another. This results in an increase in tension between Han and Leia, as they are forced to acknowledge their feelings. Hope you like it :)

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Our Separate Ways

By Dant Solo

There was so much to do and so little time in which to do it. The fleet was splitting up, breaking into separate cells assigned to one of three bases in different sectors. Together, the rebels were too vulnerable. If discovered by the Empire, they would all be wiped out. Since Yavin IV, there had been no permanent home for the growing members of the Alliance. Drifting through space, hiding from Imperials and bouncing through hyperspace from one end of the galaxy to another had been the norm.

But they needed a place to settle. They were wasting fuel they could barely afford.

Leia had somehow wound up in charge of overseeing the distribution of supplies between the bases. It would be a less difficult task if the rosters for each base didn't keep changing. Each time she had things in order, she received a new staffing list. Different numbers meant a change in the necessary supplies. And Leia had to go over the numbers again and make adjustments. It was frustrating as hell.

The console ahead of her sounded, alerting her to a new message. With a grim shift of her lips, she retrieved the message to find that it was yet another roster, this one for the Rattaran sector. Leia sighed and wondered if the list would continue to be updated even after the separation occurred. Perhaps at that point, it would no longer be her problem.

As she glanced down the list at the highlighted names, the Princess couldn't help but wonder what caused the highest-ranking Rebel leaders to reassign chosen members of each base. She would have to ask General Rieekan. Perhaps she could make him end this madness.

A name on the list for Rattaran caught her eye and gave her pause.

Han Solo.

Leia frowned. Last time she had checked, Han had been assigned to the Wishnu base, with Luke and herself. This latest change left her feeling deeply unsettled.

Along with Luke, Chewie, and herself, the Corellian pilot had become something akin to a family, inseparable. They often traveled together on missions and spent a great deal of their limited free time together. Well, her free time was limited. Han mostly did whatever he wanted.

But, in spite of the fact that he often drove her mad, Leia had grown quite attached to Solo. She considered him a friend. One that she hadn't considered might be stationed far away from her. She was well aware that he hadn't become an official member of the Rebellion and that he might pick up and take off at any moment. Yet, she hadn't expected to be separated from him by the Rebel Alliance.

It was silly, but somehow Leia had just expected that the four of them would be assigned to the same base. And that had been the case. Why had it been changed?

Of course, Chewie went wherever Han did. And this left just Luke and Leia at Wishnu.

Something deeply unnerving took residence in her chest, a heavy weight of disappointment that she was abhor to acknowledge.

She would miss him. In all his brash, swaggering smugness, he had unwittingly become important to her. She didn't care for this realization; because his transient nature, his inability to commit to anything other than himself and his ship, had made it easy to maintain a more casual distance than she had with Luke. Luke was dedicated to the Rebellion, and in turn he was loyal to Leia. Solo had no such loyalty to anything but his co-pilot and his ship. But, something inside her had unintentionally let him in more than she had planned.

She supposed she was not giving Han enough credit. He did have some loyalty. After all, he had risked his own neck for Luke and herself multiple times, starting at the Death Star battle. Oh, he might deny it, might claim to have returned for the possible reward, for a chance to "screw the Empire," as he so eloquently put it. But Luke and Leia had discussed it many times at length and had repeatedly come to the same conclusion: Han couldn't stand the thought of them blown to smithereens by the Death Star. And that was why he had returned. And perhaps he had stayed on with the Alliance for the past year for the same reason: he cared about Luke and her. And just maybe, for the Rebellion's cause. But he would never admit any of that.

She glanced again at the updated list for Rattaran, her stomach sinking. Well, she would just have to push this news out of her thoughts and continue, as always. Yes, she would miss that rakish nerfherder, but she had survived much worse pain.

When Han's comm pinged, he retrieved it from his pocket and read the new message about his reassignment. His brow lowered as if by a sudden cave-in.

Rattaran?! What the hell? When had that happened?

Frowning, he moved to the computer console in the Falcon's main hold. He had limited clearance to access the Rebel Alliance's files, but personnel general information was one file he was privy to. Settling into the seat, he pulled up the file for Wishnu and scrolled through it. Commanding officers were the first to be listed and there it was, in plain Aurabesh: Leia Organa was still stationed at Wishnu. Scrolling further down the list, he found Luke's name as well. Han's had been just several names after the kid's, but it was now glaringly absent.

He sat back in his chair, staring at the name that should have been his. Han had no idea who Solomun, Jakum was, but he suddenly had an intense dislike for him.

This turn of events was unexpected and unwelcome. Solo turned it over in his mind, trying to sort out exactly why it left him so uneasy. For the past year, he had always been stationed in the same locations as Luke and Leia. Han had started to wonder if it was the Princess' doing. Coupled with the fact that he was almost exclusively assigned as her pilot on missions, he practically assumed that she was behind these decisions. But this latest circumstance…had the princess arranged it? Or was it a random roll of the dice?

The thought of the day-to-day activities involved in the Rebellion seemed hollow without Luke or Leia around. It hit him hard and fast that he might be lying to himself. He had spent almost three years loudly declaring that he was still there because the Rebels were a great place to hide from Jabba, the money was good, and the work was easy. And most of the time he had believed it, barring a few questionable moments with the princess.

Now he found that those reasons seemed much less appealing. How had he gotten this attached to the kid and the princess? It certainly hadn't been his intention. Although he liked them both practically from the start.

Well, maybe not immediately. At first, he had found the kid to be whiny and annoying, while Leia had been a royal pain-in-the-ass. But those first impressions hadn't lasted too long. The way Luke had offered his unconditional friendship to a cynical smuggler who had done nothing to deserve it had somehow endeared him to Han. It had baffled him to a degree, but he later realized that Luke saw more in him than Han was willing to admit was there. Even though he didn't like to think about it.

And Leia was quick to prove that she was far more than the bossy, stuck-up princess Han had first assumed she was. It had been fairly impossible not to like them both.

Just thinking about her now made his insides tight. He tried to unwind with a sigh but it didn't help.

Maybe this was a simple mistake. Maybe the princess could fix it.

Han shrugged out of his chair and headed out. "Chewie!" he called loudly, uncertain where his co-pilot was. He heard a faint, growling response. "I'll be back!" he bellowed as he headed down the ramp.

Han's casual stride through the main hangar belied the tension brimming inside. If there was one thing he had perfected at a young age, it was playing things cool.

Taking a glance into the Command Center, he saw that the princess wasn't there. The second most likely place she could be found was her office. He ambled through the corridors, affecting a bored expression. When he reached the door, he gave it three quick raps.

The door slid open and there was Leia, facing the computer console on her desk, looking tight-lipped and tense. She wore her most formal white uniform with her hair pulled back in an austere braid. Her tense expression relaxed slightly when recognition dawned.

"What can I do for you?" she asked, all business. There was no time for pleasantries.

He sauntered inside and dropped into the chair on the other side of her desk. "How's it goin', Princess?"

Leia frowned at him. He was always so flippant, as if he had all the time in the world even though he knew she did not. "What is it, Han? I'm kind of busy here."

He decided to cut to the chase, leaning forward, forearms on his knees. "How'd I end up on Rattaran?" Solo asked, point blank.

Leia allowed her features to soften. "Oh. Yes, I saw that."

"Did you change my assignment?" he accused in a harsh tone.

Stung, her features hardened again. "Now why would I do that?" she countered hotly.

Taken aback by her response, Han felt a bit foolish for his rash assumption. He took a moment to form a response. "You tell me." Most of the thrust had flushed from his boosters but he saw no way to save face other than to pursue his chosen line of questioning.

She regarded him with a tired sigh. Leave it to Solo to inflate his own importance. "Han, I have a lot of things on my plate right now. Your reassignment is not one of them."

How was the princess so able to make him feel like a loofnut? "So, why ain't I going to Wishnu now?"

"I don't know. You're not the only one who was reassigned. Something to do with evening out capabilities. I imagine they needed a good pilot at Rattaran." Truthfully, Leia had been disappointed to see that Han wouldn't be joining them at Wishnu. Had he not come in with blasters blazing with accusations, she might have told him so. As it stood, that information would now follow her to her grave.

"A good pilot?" he countered. "You mean the best pilot." He cocked his head back as he watched her lips firm to a thin line.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" she asked pointedly.

At the question, he sat up and leaned closer. "Since, you asked…" He gave a little shrug. "How 'bout you get me assigned back to Wishnu?" He flashed his most charming smile.

A tiny smile curved Leia's lips. "Han Solo," she breathed "Are you actually going to miss Luke and me?"

His frown only made her smile wider.

"Don't be ridiculous." Solo sniffed disdainfully.

"C'mon, Han. Just admit it."

It had been some time since he had last affected his mercenary tone with her. But it was easy to fall back into that familiar timbre. "Don't flatter yourself. It's just hangin' around with one of the commanding officers brings some privileges." He paused for effect. "And you're the only one that likes me."

His bluster didn't fool her for a nanosecond. "Who says I like you?" She arched a brow at him and tried to withhold a smile.

He smirked. "Of course, you like me. You're a woman."

Here we go again, thought Leia. She could never decide if he were genuinely this cocky or if it was all an act. "I'd forgotten how delusional you are about your charms," she replied dryly.

Did she know how much he enjoyed their banter? It never failed to light a spark in him. "Delusional?" Placing a hand on his chest, he affected a tone of offense, brow risen. "Aw, Sweetheart, you hurt my feelings."

He grinned and she couldn't help but grin back. Damn him, he was almost as charming as he thought he was. When he wasn't being an ass. "I think you'll recover," she dismissed with a serene smile.

A quick grin came and went then he was suddenly serious again. "So, how 'bout it?"

Leia sighed, glancing at her computer terminal. "How about what, Solo?"

"Gettin' me back on the list for Wishnu."

"I can't do that."

The lines of his forehead puckered. "Why not?"

"It would be an abuse of my position."

His mouth opened for several seconds before he responded. "Abuse of your position? What's the big deal? It's just one name on a list."

"Technically, it's two names. There's Chewbacca to consider as well." She was growing tired of this conversation. There was too much work to be done. "Now, if you'll excuse me." She threw a deliberate glance at the door.

His hackles were raised now. "I don't understand." He was supremely irritated. "Why can't you just do me this favor?"

The princess leaned forward on her desk and clasped her hands in front of her.

"Han, these decisions are made for a reason. I can't just go changing things to better suit myself. What kind of leader would that make me? I won't invoke special privileges for my friends."

"Some friend," he muttered under his breath.

Leia chose to ignore the comment. "I have a lot of work to do now, Han. I'm sorry I can't help you but it's out of my hands."

Only 'cause you want it to be, he thought with a sneer. He stood with hands on hips. "Thanks for nothin', Princess." With a scowl, he quickly palmed the door open and was gone.

Leia sputtered a breath of frustration. Han could be so maddening. Of course, she was disappointed that he was assigned to a different base. Upon receiving that information, her first impulse had been to step in and use her status to have it changed. But she was quick to see reason. Never in the past year had Leia used her position with the Alliance for personal gain or privilege. As a point of honor, she was not about to start now.

But she was going to miss that big, stupid nerfherder immensely.