ABOARD THE ERRANT VENTURE, 40 YEARS ABE:
Riesel was waiting in the hallway when the Organa-Solos and the Calrissians exited. She was slouched against the wall, toying with a small datapad. She looked up at their arrival, her lovely furred face bright and curious, but her expression drooped when Leia shook her head and brusquely motioned for the Devaronian woman to stay where she was while Leia led their little group down the hallway away from her.
They stopped where the corridor split in three directions amidst a cluster of twinkle-lights and turned to face one another.
"So why's the name Revan got you and Bail jumping like somebody just spilled raw tibanna on the floor?" Han asked, leaning back against the nearest bulkhead and folding his arms.
"Revan is- was -a famous Jedi Knight," Bail said slowly. "And...a Sith Lord."
"And we're just hearing about them now?" Stella glanced over her shoulder, as though expecting Revan to come creeping up behind them.
"Revan died thousands of years ago," Leia explained.
"After the Revanchist Wars," Bail added helpfully.
Lando raised his eyebrows. "Let me guess," he said. "Named after…?"
"Darth Revan, yeah." Bail nodded. "It all started with the Mandalorian Wars, where Revan was this big hero who saved the Republic while the rest of the Jedi were preaching non-involvement...possibly for good reason, since in the process Revan fell to the Dark Side and became a bigger threat to the Republic than the Mandaorians had ever been. The histories are vague about when and how Revan died, though…"
"But if this was thousands of years ago, Revan definitely did die," Han said dismissively. Then frowned. "Right? Not even Sith Lords can live that long..."
Leia nodded. "Of course, but if this 'Emperor Revan' person is using the name, maybe they're using more than that. And maybe there'll be something in Revan's history we can use against them."
"So what's our next move?" Stella asked.
"We need to split-up," Leia said. "Somebody has to rescue Breha-"
"And that somebody's Stella, me, and our friendly volunteer trooper," Bail interjected. "You three," he pointed as his parents and Lando, "and Uncle Chewie are all too recognizable to sneak onto a Star Destroyer."
"Bail's right," Leia said grimly before anyone else could argue. "Besides, ever since we helped throw the Trandoshan slavers off Kashyyyk, you'd be hard-pressed to find any Wookiees in Remnant Space."
"And while the kids are off playing hero?" Han asked. He sounded resigned, like he knew what was coming next and already didn't like it. Stella blew him a kiss.
Instead of answering her husband directly, Leia turned to face Lando. "Lando," she said, "you need to make contact with Tionne at the Jedi Center on Coruscant. Nobody knows ancient Jedi history better than her."
"On Coruscant," Lando repeated. "The same Coruscant that was just attacked by an Imperial Fleet. The same Coruscant that's no doubt currently under an Imperial blockade."
Leia nodded. "That one, yes. The Jedi will probably have evacuated the center and gone into hiding, but if anyone can get through that blockade and find a bunch of Force Users who don't want to be found, it's the second-best smuggler in the galaxy."
"Second-best?" Lando protested, wounded indignation writ-large on his handsome face.
Han started to smirk, but Leia was already turning towards him to outline the rest of her plan. "You, Chewie, and I are going to Yavin IV."
Han's smirk vanished, replaced by surprise. "The Jedi Praxeum?" he said.
Leia nodded. "If they haven't already heard, we need to warn them that there's a new Sith Lord running around. That's also where we'll start our own research on this Revan imposter."
"If the moon doesn't have a blockade of its own by now," Han said glumly.
Leia smiled sweetly. "Good thing you're the other second-best smuggler in the galaxy."
"Who's first?" Han and Lando demanded in wounded unison.
"Chewbacca," Leia said.
Han and Lando exchanged a frown, then a shrug. "Yeah, okay," Lando allowed. Han nodded rueful agreement.
"We've only got one ship," Stella pointed-out. "How are we splitting that up?"
"We'll borrow some more from Booster," Han suggested.
"He'll be thrilled about that," Bail murmured.
Lando grinned and turned to face his daughter. "You think you can sweet-talk him?"
Stella smirked. "Give me five minutes."
Lando slung an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "You'll do it in four," he assured her proudly.
Han sighed, unhappy but resigned. "Sounds like we have a plan," he said. "Kid, let's go tell your new trooper friend all about it while Team Sweet-Talk gets to work on the old man."
"And may the Force be with us all," Leia said. She clasped her son's arm, mustered an anxious smile, and strode away down the corridor. Stella and Lando followed.
As Han and Bail turned the other way to return to where Finn and See-Threepio waited, Han frowned and glanced over at his son. "It's just 'cause we're famous though, right?" he asked, something that was almost a whine creeping into his voice. "It's not that we're too old to infiltrate a Super Star Destroyer."
Bail snorted. "Dad, I don't think you'll ever be too old to go sneaking around where you're not supposed to be, causing trouble."
Han looked immediately mollified. In fact, he practically beamed with pride. "And don't you forget it," he told his son, then grabbed the young Jedi for a quick hug. Their heads were exactly even now, and Han couldn't remember when his son had grown to match his height. "You be careful, now. Things can get messy when you're infiltrating Imperial ships."
"Don't worry about us, dad. We'll have Rey back in three tugs of a gundark's ears. You just find us something we can use to depose this new emperor."
"Don't you worry," Han said, tossing an absent-minded salute to Riesel as they walked past. "Deposing despots is your mother's favorite hobby."
The door slid open and they stepped inside.
