ABOARD THE ERRANT VENTURE, 40 YEARS ABE:
The hanger in which the Lady Luck had docked was not one of the Errant Venture's private bays (intended by the designers for the use of ranking Imperial officers; now used by Booster to conceal ships or shipments that he wanted to hide from the rest of the crew or passengers). Nonetheless, Han and Lando passed unnoticed as they trotted down the ship's ramp; anonymity was sometimes as good at solitude for maintaining secrecy, and without their old uniforms they were just two ordinary aging humans. On board Booster's floating gambling den, even Lando's glittering cape didn't stand-out enough to catch the eye.
The soft warble of Chewbacca's farewell did, but once the Wookiee finished waving and ducked his head back inside the hatch the fleeting attention he'd garnered dissipated.
Lando waved back and then slumped, turning to glance at Han. "How many times do I have to say it? I want you to take her." He hitched the strap of the satchel he was carrying higher on one shoulder and tugged at his cape so it could swing free despite his burden.
"She's your pride and joy," Han protested. His own simple vest posed none of the difficulties of Lando's more fashionable ensemble, and he let his own satchel dangle loosely down his back. They fell into step together across the bustling hanger. "I just don't feel right about it. We should switch."
"A freighter with a hold full of foodstuffs is the perfect ruse to slip me onto Coruscant," Lando insisted. They dodged around an elderly astromech and exchanged distracted waves with a visored mechanic shooting sparks off the landing gear of an even older looking shuttle. "Meanwhile you, Chewie, and Leia will fare a lot better in a sprightly, well-armed and better-shielded yacht like the Lady Luck if you're going to be trying to outrun Imperials to Yavin and further."
"Well...maybe," Han allowed, his weathered face drawn up in a grimace.
"Certainly," Lando corrected. "Besides, you're almost as good a pilot as I am, and you'll have Chewbacca to help make up for your deficiencies." He paused, as though wrestling with the words, then said, "I trust you to bring her back in one piece."
Han grinned. "Keep talking, pal. We both know I can fly circles around you on my worst day."
Lando snorted. "Sure," he said. "Delude yourself if it makes you feel less outmatched…"
They paused at the open ramp to a blocky, yellow-plated freighter. It was small for a cargo-mover, only a little wider than the Millennium Falcon and about three times as tall. Its faded paint was dented, scratched, and edged with rust. Han's expression sobered and he caught Lando's hand in a tight forearm grip. "I'll get her back without a scratch. I promise."
"You'd better," Lando said, returning the grip. His smile seemed forced. "I'm sending any repair bills to you."
"Leia's good for 'em," Han quipped.
Lando barked a weak laugh. "Yeah, nice to have someone respectable in the family, isn't it?"
"Comes in handy," Han agreed. They stood together a moment in silence, their faces-so different in form: Lando's only faintly lined despite his age, handsome and mustachioed; Han's craggy and clean-shaved-briefly wearing near-identical expressions of subdued worry. Then Han flashed a crooked smile and they stepped forward together into a tight hug. "Good luck, buddy," he said, clapping Lando on the back.
"You too," Lando said, his own smile falling into a concerned frown as they stepped apart. Han handed Lando the satchel he'd carried and turned to head back to the Lady Luck.
From inside the freighter, a light voice said cheerfully, "Oh I say, Master Calrissian, have you looked at this vessel's offboard control circuitry? Why, I daresay it dates from the age of the Old Republic! How charming to be on a ship with so much history!"
Lando grimaced. "Yeah," he muttered, "charming. Hey!" He raised his voice and Han turned back to look, his eyebrows raised. "You sure about sending the droid with me? Won't you miss him?"
"Nah," Han assured his old friend, "you'll need Threepio more than we will. He's got all those nice, handy codes that'll get you through any security the Jedi might have going." He smirked. "Besides, I know how fast you get lonely when you're by yourself. I wouldn't want to take away your only company."
"Oh dear, Master Calrissian!" Threepio's distant voice echoed down the ramp. "This vessel doesn't appear to have functioning vid-screens or holo-displays anywhere onboard. Well don't worry sir, I have eight-thousand nine-hundred and thirty-seven audio entertainment files saved to my databanks. I shall assemble a selection of recitations to provide entertainment for your journey!"
Lando's grimace deepened. "Thanks, buddy," he called to Han, not sounding like he meant it. "So glad you're looking out for me."
Han tossed him a cheeky wave. "Anytime, pal." He was still grinning as he turned away.
Lando sighed, shook his head, and slung the second satchel over his free shoulder. Then he climbed the ramp to his borrowed freighter. This was going to be a long trip.
Notes: In one of the upcoming scenes, there is to be a Jedi Character Cameo. I recently came across a character whom I really liked for the role. Unfortunately, the release of TFA predates the source for that character's first appearance so technically, I can't use them yet without breaking the conceit of this fic. I've made a survey so you can help me decide what to do, if you're interested. Unfortunately given FFnet's feelings on links, I can't connect you to the survey directly but if you find this fic on AO3 (same title, same username) the survey is linked there at the bottom of this chapter.
P.S. to reviewers: if you want answers or replies, you need to log-in (or ask on AO3) as I cannot respond to anonymous reviews on FFnet and I'm not going to be replying to individual reviews within the fic itself, sorry.
