Thanks for reading! I hope this posts correctly on the first, fingers crossed...

They hadn't yet truly begun their mission, but the mood was already somber. Several weeks ago, General Rieekan had been captured by a group of Imperials. His entire task force had been killed. But due to his importance to the Alliance and the information he might possess, the general was reportedly still alive, held in an Imperial Correction Facility that was generally reserved for political prisoners. They were now half a day away from the Moltare system, where they would hopefully rescue Rieekan from his imprisonment.

Leia had insisted upon being a part of the rescue effort. She didn't have many people left to her, and she refused to sit back and watch while she lost another. There were only two ships, the Millennium Falcon and a small Corellian Pocket ship. Both ships would not even remotely resemble rebel forces. Most of the rebels were aboard the Pocket ship. Leia, Han, Luke and Chewie were the only exceptions.

Leia sat in the galley, alone with her thoughts. It had been nine months since Han had rescued her from that man who had accused her of being responsible for Alderaan's destruction. Since then, she found her feelings for the handsome Corellian to be utterly confusing.

He meant something to her, more than she cared to admit. Moments of genuine friendship were laced with an underlying tenderness, a feeling that sometimes swept over her, frightening her deeply. She was never sure, from one moment to the next, how she felt about him, and it unnerved her.

She knew how she felt about Wesley. She cared about him, trusted him and enjoyed his company when he was not giving her a hard time about Han or something equally annoying. Wesley was a dear friend. Perhaps they had something more than friendship, but she only allowed that to go so far.

But Han...

Han touched her in an inexplicable way. He made her feel vulnerable in spite of herself. She didn't like that feeling, yet at the same time craved it, like nourishment her body required to live.

Sometimes, when he looked into her eyes, they shared a heart stopping moment that both moved and baffled her. It left her feeling an array of emotions she could not define, and did not want to deal with.

She smiled at the ludicrousness of her situation. Han was Bria Tharen's man. Leia didn't even want anything from him beyond his friendship, so why did he make her feel such conflicting emotions? She liked things simple, as they were with Wesley. She felt confident in her relationship with Wesley. There was no uncertainty, no feeling of being out of control. There was little that Leia hated as much as she hated to be out of control. Particularly with her emotions.

It didn't matter. Han was obviously in love with Bria. She had observed them together on many occasions, noting their gentle affection and trying not to feel too jealous.

Dashing her thoughts instantly, Han entered the galley and threw himself into the chair across from her, smiling his most disarming smile.

"Thinking about me?"

She rolled her eyes, suppressing a grimace at the truthfulness of his words. "Do you think every woman in the galaxy thinks about you, Han?"

"Um, yeah. Don't they?" he asked in mock confusion, brow wrinkling comically.

She had to laugh at that, causing Han's lopsided grin to return. He reached over and took her hand in his, absently stroking her fingers with his thumb. Her heart rate increased the tiniest bit, but she did not allow him to see the way his touch affected her.

Luke came in just then, causing Leia to pull her hand from Han's self-consciously.

"Hey," Luke said in a concerned voice. "Was I understanding Chewie right, cause I thought he said something about you leaving?" His words were directed at Han, and they caused a cold fear to stir in the pit of Leia's stomach. Her eyes were drawn instantly to Han's face, where she saw a grimace pass over his features.

"Well, we're not going right now. But at some point...well, I've got some stuff to take care of. Stuff I've let go too long." He looked at the table, the floor, anywhere but at his friends.

"What kind of stuff?"

Luke always wore his heart on his sleeve, and his dismay at this news was obvious. Leia realized how different Luke was from her, despite their close bond. He was so open, so easy to read. She was more like Han, more closed and guarded.

Han squirmed. "Just some...stuff."

Luke walked to the counter, across from the table, and pulled himself up to sit, legs dangling. "Least you can do is tell us what."

Han let out a deep sigh of resignation. "All right, all right." He looked from Luke to Leia, then back again. Leia hoped she was doing a good job of hiding her swirling emotions. "I've got this price on my head..."

"What?" She knew that fear was written across her face but could not help it.

` Han smiled at her. "You worried about me, Princess?"

Incapable of a flippant remark, she only stared at him, mouth hanging open.

Luke's voice drew Han's gaze. "Why do you have a price on your head?"

"Well, when I was smuggling..." He repositioned himself in the chair, facing slightly away from Leia. "I got boarded by Imperials." He grimaced. "So, I had to drop my shipment. I tried to go back for it later, but that was it. I couldn't find it. So now I owe Jabba the Hutt the credits for the shipment."

A Huttese crime lord? Leia had heard plenty about the Hutts. She knew they were ruthless, cruel, and had very little mercy for those who crossed them. A disquieting sense of foreboding washed through her as she stared down at the tabletop. When she looked up, she saw that Han was watching her carefully. Their eyes met and held, and she thought she saw a hint of regret in his.

"Do you have the money for him?" Luke asked, oblivious to the moment that passed between his two friends.

"Not yet." His eyes didn't leave Leia's as he answered. "I'm still working on it."

"When did this happen?"

Mercifully, Han turned from Leia to look at Luke. "Right after Ylesia."

Luke nodded and a silence descended over the group. Leia was in a state of shock, confronted not only with the news that Han would eventually leave, but that his life was in danger also. She looked at his handsome face, thankful that he did not catch her observing him. What would she do without him? She had come to rely on him in many ways. He was a good friend, possibly the best one she had ever known. They were connected, and she could not imagine existing without that connection. The idea of him leaving was devastating. But to think that he might be killed...the thought brought with it a pain so intense, so biting, she had to push it from her mind.

Luke piped up again, breaking into her thoughts. "So, you'll bring this Hutt the money and then everything will be okay...right?" They all heard the hope in Luke's voice.

Han stood up and went to the doorway, his body angled away, giving the impression that he was ready to flee. "Well, I don't know if it's that simple..." He looked at the floor, muttered something about the engines and was gone.

Leaving Leia and Luke to stare at each other in disquiet. Leia could see that Luke was almost as upset over this news as she was. They had both grown fond of Han, and both would feel the loss when he was gone.

Gone. The word sounded so final, so painful. It seemed impossible to think that he would not always be nearby. They had spent so much time together this past year. She had even begun to request him as her pilot when she needed one to accompany her on a mission. Please tell me he won't leave, she thought desperately. I need him.

Suddenly it became too much for her. Without a word to Luke, she stood and left the galley, heading for Han's cabin, where she had taken up temporary residence. She needed to be alone. She couldn't hold herself together right now, and she wanted no one to witness her in this state.

Once in his cabin, Leia lie down on the bed, noting the way his scent still seemed to linger on the pillow. She inhaled deeply, memories of their time together flooding her, bringing tears to her eyes and causing her to wonder how this man had ever gotten past her self-imposed barriers and burrowed this deeply into her heart.

They were in. The commando team had gone before them, as a distraction. Now the main rescue party, consisting of Han, Leia, Luke, Chewie and Artoo Deetoo, had easily gained access to the facility, amidst the confusion. Although not actually in any official capacity, Han assumed command, finding a terminal and having Artoo plug himself in. The others stood cover as Han waited for Artoo to locate the data they needed.

Han's eyes scanned the data anxiously. Duty roster. Technical readouts for locking mechanisms. Wish I had time to get a look at that, might be helpful. As it was, they had just enough time, if even that, to find out where exactly Rieekan was being held. Continuing to watch the information that scrolled past him, Han's eyes locked on one particular bit before it was gone. Fleet Construction.

Han's mind registered that it was a short list of the highly secret shipyards where the Empire constructed their Star Destroyers. He realized instantly that this database was connected to the main Imperial database. A list of the secret shipyards that the Rebels had been trying to find for months scrolled by. He grinned, thinking that the possibilities for sabotage were endless.

Before he could put more thought to this, Artoo beeped excitedly. Han moved closer to the little droid, examining the floor plan of the map he had called up. Satisfied with what he saw, he patted Artoo on his silver dome. "Nice work." Normally he had no patience for droids, but the little astromech had come in handy on several occasions.

He turned to the rest of his small group, ignoring the distant sound of blaster fire that could be heard. "All right, let's go." Without hesitation, they followed his lead.

"General, we're here for you," Leia whispered to the barely conscious man on the floor of the Imperial prison cell. His face was swollen and puffy, with numerous bruises and lacerations. He moaned softly, seemingly unaware of who was speaking to him. It pained her to see him so battered and helpless. She pushed aside the childhood memories that flew through her mind.

"Chewie, pick him up. And be careful," Luke instructed.

Gingerly, the giant Wookiee eased the General into his arms, cradling him protectively.

"C'mon!" Han called tensely, his head darting back out into the hallway, searching for any sign of Imperials.

They left the cell and the two dead guards behind, hoping that the commandoes were still having success with their diversion.

Han was in the lead, Leia close behind him. Chewie followed with his injured bundle, and Luke brought up the rear. Artoo rolled along a few meters past Luke, his dome rotating to allow his sensors to alert him to any immediate danger.

They rounded a corner, and unexpectedly, a lift opened right before Han, and five stormtroopers emerged, quickly snapping up their blast rifles.

"Back!" Han yelled, pushing Leia behind him and returning fire as he backed them around the corner they had just emerged from.

Blaster fire erupted around them, deafening in the narrow corridor.

Suddenly, Luke's mouth was beside Leia's ear. "We'll have to find a different way!" She nodded without looking at him and tugged on Han's arm, repeating what Luke had said. Intent on his targets, Han's body remained unmoving, wrapped around the bend, rigid with concentration.

Artoo beeped insistently, weaving in circles around Luke.

"This way!" He followed the little droid, pulling Chewie along with him. Leia grabbed Han's arm more insistently now, forcing him to respond. Slowly, he backed away from the corner, picking off one more trooper as he went. They followed in Artoo's path, Han and Leia firing shots at the Stormtroopers in pursuit.

Half a corridor away, as they passed through a brightly lit area, Artoo quickly jacked into a plug, instantly closing the unnoticed blast doors, effectively cutting off the Imperials.

The others looked at each other, grinning. "That's not a bad little droid you've got there," Han commented, causing Artoo to beep indignantly.

Chewie grunted his agreement, shifting Rieekan in his arms. Atroo beeped again, more insistently this time, trailing off down the corridor. Han looked at Luke and both men shrugged.

The underground level that Artoo brought them to led to a separate lift system that came out at the transportation garage. It had been a winding trek down to the level, but they had no followers and so far, and had remained unnoticed. As they loaded onto the lift, Han held back, grinning at his friends.

"I've got something I have to do. Go on, I'll catch up with you."

Chewie roared insistently.

"Are you crazy? We need to get out of here!" Leia's panic was evident in her voice.

Han just grinned wider. "Don't worry, Your Hignessness, we will." He hit the lift controls and the door swished shut. The last Han heard was Chewie's enraged howl, begging Solo to come back. Han knew well that if he hadn't been carrying Rieekan's limp form, Chewie would have been out the door in a shot, following his captain to ascertain his safety.

Han began to backtrack towards the last terminal he had seen. If he could just get that Fleet Construction file...

He pulled a blank datacard from his inside vest pocket, preparing himself for some quick work when he did reach the terminal. If he were able to take the time to consider his motives, Han would have realized that he was doing this more for Leia than for any other reason. This information would be quite a coup, and he knew how much it would please her. Perhaps he would even volunteer for the sabotage mission if all went well.

He had no doubt that he could pull this off. His good old Corellian luck had not let him down yet.

With the Falcon's engine's warmed and ready for take-off, the three members of the crew sat in the cockpit, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the vessel's captain. General Rieekan had been strapped onto the medical bunk and seemed to be stable. The concerned group waiting for Solo was mostly silent, each fearing the worst.

One particular member of the group was almost paralyzed with fear. Leia Organa felt as if she were going to be sick. How could he just run off like that? It was insane. Not one of them had the slightest inkling as to what he had gone back for. She couldn't imagine.

He has to be all right, he just has to be, she prayed silently. This was why...this was why she tried to keep her distance, to keep from letting anyone too close. So that no one person could become this important to her.

She felt as if there was a miniature rancor in her stomach, biting and clawing at her insides, ripping her apart from the inside out. What was Han doing? What could be this important? If he didn't make it back...well, if he did, she was going to kill him!

Her heart went cold at the thought of never seeing him again. She had survived the loss of Alderaan...barely. She wasn't sure she could take another loss. After Alderaan, she had put an icy wall around her heart, not allowing anyone to truly penetrate that frigid resolve...until Han. And now...if she lost him, she knew without a doubt that she would only allow herself to become further closed off, to freeze her heart from the galaxy entirely. And this time, she wasn't sure it would ever have the capacity to warm up again.

Please, she prayed to Gods she had given up on over a year ago. Please bring him back safely. Don't let him be taken from me, not Han.

In the silence, she heard Chewbacca whimper softly. She wasn't certain , but she thought the comment had something to do with him having a bad feeling.

That seemed to sum it up.