Spirit of the Shifting Sands

By Ash Darklighter

Disclaimer: characters and situations used in this fic are the property of Lucasfilm Ltd. I am not making a single credit out of any of them.

Chapter 12

In the depths of a Freighter - destination - outer rim territories

Leia pulled her cloak further about her shoulders and tried to sink desperately into anonymity. She was now travelling in disguise on a working freighter to the Outer Rim territories. How Winter had done it, Leia was uncertain, but through her old contacts and a perfect memory in how to avoid Imperials during the civil war, Leia was now trying to avoid her own side from discovering she wasn't safe inside the Imperial Palace. This wasn't something she'd thought she'd ever have to do again. Still, it was imperative she found her brother before the Imperials did.

*************************************

The Imperial Palace, Coruscant

They'd created the holo programme themselves and by the time that the fake Leia was in place looking suitably wan, the children had been told and with adult manners had given their mother the assurance she'd wanted. They hadn't been able to see her off and her last view of them had been of Jacen with his arms round Jaina and Anakin. The latter's eyes had fixed on her with a peculiar intensity.

"May the Force be with you," was all he'd said. Leia had bit her lip and fled to her own room. She'd emerged half an hour later with red-rimmed eyes.

Winter had given Leia the necessary documents.

"Where did you get these?"

Winter smiled grimly, the look sitting oddly on her chilly, serene perfection. "Don't ask. I still have access to places you never would have dreamt about back in the days when I worked for supply and procurement. You'll have to go down one of the tunnel shafts to escape detection. We don't want anyone to know you're not on Coruscant."

"The secret passages, you mean. I thought they'd all been found when the twins were small and closed up."

"No, not all of them were located." Winter smiled. "It's good to have one or two pieces of extra information at my disposal. Mara can be very helpful. She wanted to make sure that if we ever had to get out of the palace again we could do so."

"Mara did?"

"Yes. She wanted your family to have that little piece of additional security. You can get out of the palace without anyone knowing. But I know, and Luke knows where the passages are located. I'll open the nearest one for you. It will take you on to one of the mid-level traverseways."

Winter returned to her serene visage and handed Leia several items, including a holdout blaster, money – Imperial credits, food and false documentation. She also handed Leia a bundle of clothing. "I suggest you change out of the Senatorial robes."

"Where on Coruscant did you dig those up from?"

It was Leia's old combat tunic and boots, plus a heavy black cloak.

"You'll need to change your hair and face but that won't be too difficult." Leia grimaced, but pulled her hair from its ornamental coronet and braided it back from her face as severely as she could.

"I have an idea," murmured Winter. "We can dirty your face a little and add fake prosthetics..."

"No. Keep it simple. Yes, grime me up a little, but not prosthetics. I take it I'm not travelling Diplomatic class. Who would think that High Councillor Leia Organa Solo would be travelling alone across the galaxy?" She disappeared behind her dressing screen.

"Yes. That did cross my mind. Simpler is best. Your clothes still fit?"

Leia's voice was muffled as she struggled into her outfit. "They do actually. Tighter here and there, but I'm not looking to be a fashion plate." She emerged ruefully staring down at herself. "The black cloak hides most of me – which is not a bad thing."

Winter looked troubled. "You are sure you want to do this?"

Leia stared her long-time friend and companion straight in the eye. "I have to. It's what I must do – for Han and for my brother. If I don't do this, it will take a very long time to repair the damage I've caused."

For Winter it was like seeing the young Princess again…. The fire burned in her brown eyes and a rebellious tilt lifted her chin.

"Han loves you, Leia. All you've done was try to do the best for the New Republic like you always have. He'll understand. He's not always been whiter than white himself. You do what you have to do to survive. You'll do what you have to do to mend any damage." Winter moved to the desk console and entered a sequence of digits into the panel. There was a slight grating sound and a panel behind a tall set of shelves slid sideways.

"You'll have to use the Force to move that, Leia. I can't do it."

Leia nodded and closed her eyes. "Do or do not, there is no try," she whispered. The piece of furniture moved a fraction and Winter surveyed it with satisfaction

With a nervous smile Leia moved to the opened passageway and disappeared from sight. The only sound was the shelves moving back into position and the patter of Leia's disappearing footsteps.

Winter pulled a comlink from her flowing blue gown. "Khask'hitorr, she's on her way. Look after her."

"I will, Mistress Winter," the Noghri's growly voice rasped.

Winter closed her eyes and sent a brief prayer once heard in Alderaanian temples into the air.

***********************************************************

The Hsuberry Stealer

The ancient freighter rattled as it took off and Leia huddled into her cloak, shivered – not with cold but with apprehension and excitement. It hadn't taken her long to mix with the ordinary concoction of life found on Coruscant. She made her way to the spaceport, Jedi senses on full alert, but no one noticed anything out of the ordinary about her. She couldn't afford to relax, but wasn't questioned when she boarded the freighter. It was going to be a long and uncomfortable trip. Leia was unaware of her silent follower as she settled into a disused space in the cargo hold. Winter had gotten her transport to the Outer-Rim territories but it wasn't luxury class. With a sigh she relaxed tense and cramping muscles and drifted into an uncomfortable sleep.

***********************************************************

A deserted corridor, B'Omarr Monastery, Tatooine

Cullen Page was troubled as he sat in the deserted corridor. The encounter with the B'Omarr monks had disturbed him in ways he hadn't yet examined. If they knew he was here and why he was here, who had betrayed them? Why was he still able to move unhindered around the palace? Perhaps they didn't know everything and he was worrying about nothing, but still that nagging, uncomfortable feeling in his gut remained. Page had learned over the long and turbulent years to trust that feeling. He pulled the datapad from its hiding place in his tunic and noted down a few figures. There were way too many people here. Too many people he had to get out, one of whom was the Jedi Master. Page had the feeling that the normally compliant Jedi would be difficult to move this time. He closed tired grey eyes. Who was he fooling – Luke Skywalker did exactly as he wanted to; you just had the impression of complicity.

'Someone was coming!'

Page melted into the shadows and waited – his breathing quiet and steady. But the soft footfalls slowed and he could almost sense the other person. Not with the Force. Cullen didn't have that skill, but he knew just the same. The feeling in his gut tightened.

"Page? It's Luke Skywalker."

The words formed and coalesced behind his eyes and he stepped forward. It was indeed the Jedi Master, but not a Luke Skywalker he'd ever seen before. He was dressed in tight pants and a long tunic covered by a long coat. On his head, over longish, brown hair was a wide-brimmed hat and a beard covered the determined chin. Only his eyes gleamed recognisably in the half-gloom.

'I should have made more use of him for intelligence' he thought ruefully. 'I would have passed him without a second glance.'

"It's clear here. We can talk." Luke brushed a hand over the beard smoothing it a little. He eyed Page with a hint of self-mockery. "It itches."

Page grinned, his teeth white in his tanned face. "I know the feeling." He rubbed his own stubble. "But it's nice to slob for a while."

Luke slid to the floor and sat carefully, his back against the wall. "The security here is incredibly lax. It was never so in Jabba's day."

Page grimaced. "Yes – I can't decide whether I'm delighted or annoyed. Is it to trap us or what?"

"It's given us the freedom to move undetected about the palace."

"I'm not so sure," muttered Page and recounted the strange tale of the monk and the brainwalker, but left out the bit about the monks seeking the Jedi. "I just hope he doesn't inform the Twilek that we are here."

Luke closed his eyes and concentrated on the leader of Cracken's special operatives. "I cannot detect that he is aware of our presence. These monks are seeking enlightenment. The writings of the B'Omarr are long lost. Perhaps they have talents we are unaware of."

"Like the Force?"

"Yes, very possibly. Like the Force, but... there's something missing here. It's as if there's a hole in it."

Page looked puzzled. "A hole in the Force?"

"I can't quite describe it, but I've come across it before and I can't think where." He pushed his hands into the pockets of his coat. "It'll come to me. It will."

They sat for a few seconds in the gloom, each busy with thoughts they were unprepared to divulge to the other.

"What next, Page?" Luke glanced at the other man.

"You get out. Now."

"And.... What do you mean? Get out."

"We want you out of B'Omarr. Orders have changed."

"But I'm not here, officially."

"Exactly." Page hit on the idea. "Official personnel only."

"Forget it. I'm not operating under New Republic guidelines this time."

"Your sister and the General don't want Jedi involvement. That's why Han was sent to negotiate and not Leia."

"Don't feed me that pile of Bantha excrement. It won't do. I don't believe you. Your control of your mind is good, but I can sense the evasion without even trying. There are Jedi involved. It There's Corran for a start."

"No-one knows about his abilities."

"Karrde does and Booster Terrik does. Then..." Luke's eyes narrowed and Page felt a chill run through him. "There's Mara Jade and don't tell me her abilities are unknown."

"In a general sense they aren't. She has never formally registered as a pupil at the Yavin school."

"No and she never will. But there are people out there who know what she is capable of. She was the Emperor's hand after all."

"The General recruited her to help because of her Imperial past. She is used to dealing with these people and she was the easiest to insert as an undercover operative. She's been far closer to the Twilek than we've managed so far."

"Yeah, security may be lax, but not around the leader. Mara hasn't even seen him yet. So I don't call that much closer."

"I don't think he's been around much of late but we're not really interested in him. He's just a crime lord with delusions of grandeur."

Luke sighed. "There's more to this than you think. I have a hunch that our crime lord has big ideas and we cannot discount him totally."

"Maybe, but we have operatives in place to keep an eye on him. As for the Imperial situation, we're not doing anything about it for the moment."

"So the meeting that was to have happened...?"

"Stalemate. Nothing happened, nothing was settled and we have decided for the moment to leave and you should too."

Luke considered his long-time colleague thoughtfully. "Forget it, Page, I'm not going. I think you're wrong about this. When are you leaving?"

Page was silent for a moment. "Very soon."

"Clever, but vague – deliberately so, I would guess. It's going to be difficult to remove so many of the ops from here. When was Mara to go?"

"Soon."

Luke stiffened. "General Cracken is partly behind this, but I sense the mind and hand of someone else. It will come to me."

"Luke, we really want you out of here for your own safety."

"That'll be the first time anyone in the New Republic has thought about my safety. I'm usually the one they put in when there is no one left to insert and the last one out – usually drenched in bacta solution. Something doesn't add up and I'm not going until I find out what it is. I'm not leaving Mara and the others on their own. They can't know for certain that I'm here."

"It's been reported by some sources that Jedi have been seen recently on Tatooine."

"Just once – helping old friends and I've not been around before or since. The Empire can't prove I'm here. When is Han arriving?"

"He's not. I told you the High Council have ordered us out."

Luke felt his anger rise. They were being set up, he was sure of it. But anger was of the dark side and slowly he felt it subside. In its place was a determination not to let them get away with it. "No." he stated an icy calm stealing over him. "Leia wants me out and so does Cracken but there are others who need me more and I gave them a promise. I'll be here when you need me, Page, but I'm not leaving until we see this through. I'm not your back up; I'm Mara's. What do you really want from her?"

"She's infiltrated very close to the Twilek. She's to record who he's with, who his closest people are, who he does business with and has been working on checking out the Twilek's security."

"Mara stays – I stay."

"Luke, I'm asking you to leave for your own good. None of us are entirely sure what's happening. You have a responsibility to the New Republic."

Luke's eyes went cold. "No, I don't. I have a responsibility to my friends and family, the Jedi and to the Force. The New Republic doesn't own me. My sister thinks that if she appoints me as a Jedi advisor to the Senate that I'll go meekly home and spout New Republic platitudes until I'm part of their propaganda unit. This I won't do any more. I have to do what I was born to do. Serve the people of the galaxy promoting peace and justice."

He got to his feet and seared Page in place with a look. "I'll be here if I'm needed, but don't presume to give me orders."

"That went as expected," Page muttered. "And I never told him that last bit about the B'Omarr." He swore under his breath. It was not turning out to be a good day. He looked up to find that Luke stood over him.

"What about the B'Omarr?"

"Gorez!" The breathless female voice echoed down the corridor. Luke turned towards the sound and Mara came running down the passage towards him, followed by Karrde.

"What is it?" she whispered into his ear feeling his disquiet.

"Ask me again later," he whispered.

She turned to Page and handed him a datapad. "That's the specs you wanted. He's built up more hardware and weaponry than we'd presumed. Some of it isn't just small scale stuff. There's enough weaponry and ammunition to outfit a star destroyer.

Luke whistled softly. "I knew he had big plans."

The Twilek is due back today. From what his people are saying it's apparent that he's very restless and there's something about him that doesn't add up. Some of the men closest to him are quite frankly talking mutiny. He's trying to become Jabba the Hutt in that he's trying to become what Jabba was. The only thing is..."

Karrde grimaced. "He's not as good at it as Jabba was. He's obviously cunning and full of guile, but there is a weakness there too. There are emotions. You can't just become a Hutt."

Mara looked at Page and handed him a pad. "I've done what you asked for but I'm not an assassin any more or..." she glanced sideways at Karrde, "…a smuggler either. I'm training to be a Jedi," she whispered and Luke smiled. The choice had been made long ago, if indeed she'd had any.

Karrde nodded, unsurprised. "Luke said as much. But it's my place to take down this individual. He killed my people and no one does that without regretting it." He faced Luke squarely without apology. "This is not about revenge, Luke. This is justice in our world."

Luke sighed but dipped his head. "I know, Karrde. I just wish there was another way."

Mara placed her hand on Karrde's shoulder. "There isn't and he knows that too. It doesn't mean he has to like it, but that's Skywalker for you."

Mara gave her chrono a cursory inspection. "Emperor's bones, I have to go. We're rehearsing again!" Turning she kissed Luke a little self-consciously on the cheek and sped off in the direction of the main audience chambers. Karrde smirked slightly behind his straggly beard.

Luke flushed a little but immediately turned to Page who stood surprised at Mara's affectionate gesture towards the Jedi Master. He brushed something off his tunic. "Where does the New Republic fit into this? I can't say I understand why you are so involved in this matter. The Twilek has nothing to do with them."

Page looked troubled as if he was fighting some sort of inner battle. Then he gave Luke a steady stare and nodded a little unwillingly. "I'll tell you what I know and that isn't very much, but this must go no further – understand?"

Luke returned the stare and Page began to talk.

*************************************************************

Mos Eisley Spaceport

"We can't just leave them there." Corran objected, somewhat loudly in Wedge's opinion.

"Ssh!" muttered Tycho.

"We've been given orders by General Cracken," growled Wedge. "Tycho's right. This is way too public for the discussion you've got in mind, Horn."

"But we can't just..."

"Corran's right," argued Tycho.

"We don't know enough."

The two rogues looked at their commanding officer. "Wedge!"

"We'd better get back to Pii3 and wait for orders."

"But it's not what you want to do. Is it?" said Corran.

"Just because you've done some training with Luke doesn't mean you go Jedi on me, Horn," bit out Wedge fiercely.

"That has nothing to do with it. We've trained too long with this weird guy who goes by the name of Antilles."

"Yeah, weird guy," added Tycho mockingly. "Knows how to go rogue when he has to."

"Look, will you..." He broke off his retort. "What's wrong?" Wedge called urgently as Corran suddenly spun round and started walking back the way they had come. "The shuttle's that way."

Corran stopped, closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. Then took to his heels and ran down the street.

"After him!" hissed Wedge.

A cloaked figure stood warily beset on all sides by a throng of people. She was lost – no question about it. Corran reached for her.

Someone grabbed hold of her elbow and she reacted without thinking by jabbing her fist into her unknown assailants midsection.

"Oof!" His breath escaped with a surprised grunt. But he kept a tight hold of her arm.

"Madam Senator, it's Corran Horn."

Leia stopped struggling and turned to face him. "Corran?" She peeled the protective, covering veil from her face and peered at the pilot.

"It's not safe for you out here. Did you get separated from the rest of your party? We didn't know you were to be joining the delegation."

"I…" She muttered, embarrassed, and let the pilot steer her into a deserted side street.

The running feet of Wedge and Tycho brought them into the alley and somewhere just behind them the noghri warrior put away his hunting knife as he recognised the scent of the three men.

"Leia?" Wedge uttered in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to find Han." Leia's voice was shaky and her face white under its dirt. It had been a long time since Leia had traipsed the galaxy by herself. Even in her early days with the rebellion she'd always been escorted and when she'd met Luke, Han and Chewbacca, one of them had always been with her. It was a very long time since she'd been so alone.

"The rest of your group? Surely there are others with you, your Highness?" questioned Tycho worriedly. To the Alderaanian, Leia Organa Solo was still his princess.

Leia glanced down at her shaking hands. "I'm on my own."

Corran frowned then turned to Wedge. "I felt her presence amidst the confusion. She was lost and for an instant she panicked."

"That's not like Leia."

"No, but Mos Eisley is a strange and violent place and she was on her own. I think we'll find she recovers quickly. She's quite a lady," he commented softly.

"That I know."

Tycho offered her a drink of water. "Does Han know you're here, Your Highness?"

Leia took a swig of the canteen and wiped her mouth using the back of her hand leaving streaky black marks across her face. Wedge hid a smile.

"No, he doesn't know I'm here. But Luke might. He can feel my presence when I'm near."

"That's how I found you," admitted Corran. "The feeling is so strange. It's like you called to me and were in the same room."

"It's the Force," said Leia simply.

Wedge surveyed the street ahead and decided it was safe enough to move. "I suggest we go to our shuttle, Leia. We can discuss what you want to do and try to contact Han."

Leia nodded decisively. "Just one thing, Wedge. Don't let anyone know I'm here. Not even General Cracken."

Wedge began to protest. Too many people were asking him to do the exact same thing.

"I've left a holographic double in Coruscant with Darpan Fever in an isolation unit. Only Winter knows I'm not actually there."

Tycho jerked his head towards Leia, his face suddenly anxious to hear news of his wife and son.

"Yes, she's fine. Missing you and small Corran is growing so fast. But you'll see him when you get home. Come on, we need to move."

Wedge raised amused eyebrows and gestured to Tycho and Corran. "Well, you heard the lady. She seems to have recovered."

"Nice," Leia muttered. "I have to find Han." She gave Wedge one of those looks that showed she was well aware of what her husband might or might not do. "I have to find him before he does something stupid."

"Uh… Your Highness," muttered Tycho. "Han might not be here any more. We've been ordered out."

"He's still here." She turned and faced the three men. "Do you think he'd leave Luke?"

The Rogues were left with their mouths open feeling slightly foolish. They knew she was right. There was no way Han would leave Luke.

"So you know that Luke is on Tatooine?" Corran ventured.

"Of course he's here. This is where the trouble is?"

Wedge looked at Tycho and rolled his eyes. Leia had hit the nail right on the head with the vibro-hammer.

*******************************************************

Luke's Home on the Edge of the Dune Sea

"I can't believe I almost considered going back to base. I must be getting old, Chewie." Han sighed softly.

Chewie barked and shook his head.

"I just got the feeling that there was something else on the agenda. I still have that feeling. But Leia would have told us if she'd known any more."

Chewie waved the bit of circuitry he was fiddling with. Sparks trailed over Luke's table.

"Don't set the place on fire. The kid put a lot of work into this place. You'd almost think he wanted to stay here."

"Maybe he does. He doesn't want to advise the Senate on Coruscant." Chewbacca picked up the macro-fuser and poked it into the piece of metal. "Han, my friend, let's go over what we know. Then see if we can work out anything else."

Han gave the giant Wookiee a speaking glance. "Sure, but watch what you're doing with that."

He stretched back in his chair and grabbed the mug of caf he'd made. "We were brought in to meet with the Empire. No one is supposed to know about this apart from the high Council, but there seems to be an awful lot of people involved. The Empire wants to keep hold of Tatooine and for the moment it suits the New Republic to let them do so. None of us have the resources for another fight over nothing." Han shrugged. "It seems funny to be co-operating with the Imperials without benefit of a truce."

"Shades of Bakura."

"No, not really. Bakura could come into the New Republic easier than Tatooine. It had an orderly system of government. It was also further out on the rim if that's possible. We are supposedly keeping Tatooine Imperial."

Chewie barked a pithy retort. "Tatooine's never been Imperial and never will be."

Han laughed suddenly, his face lighting up. "The Hutts couldn't hang on to it and it will never belong to the New Republic either. It's fitting that Luke was brought up here. These rimworlders are stubborn, independent and just plain troublesome. Tatooine is a one-of-a-kind place."

"What about Karrde?"

"Karrde comes into things when his ship is attacked. He just wants justice for his people and Mara is his second in command. She goes to investigate what happened."

"Which brings Luke into the equation."

"No one expected that for some reason. Luke either was supposed to go back to Yavin like the good little Jedi Master where he can be kept an eye on or..."

"Stay on Coruscant and be controlled by the Senate," Chewie finished grimly.

"Leia has been put under pressure to keep her brother where he can be managed for the good of the New Republic. She was unhappy about it but bowed to political pressure. She was as angry as I've ever seen her when Luke gave his last speech. It was one of the few times he hadn't let her go over it first. I have felt she's been under a lot of strain recently, but didn't want to talk, not even to me. Things haven't been quite as good between us lately. I can't seem to get her to talk to me. Any issues I have are deemed trivial. Luke's been avoiding her as she throws politics at him every way she can. All right, so he's had issues to deal with too, but..."

"I would suspect that Luke's been trying the polite way of letting your wife know he doesn't want to fall in with her plans."

"That's why she was unhappy when she found out about his location. Right where he could be the most trouble. If Luke finds out the sham reasons for that meeting he'll want to arrange another one and start peace talks."

"Trouble for sure," Chewie agreed with a soft growl.

"The kid will never let you down in that respect. He attracts it." Han placed his hands around his mug of caf and sighed wearily. "I miss her, Chewie. We've never fallen out like this, not since we married."

"Why don't you contact her? The holonet is working again after you hit it and destroyed the link. You've had time to think, sort out things in your mind. Leia couldn't have realised she was playing into certain factions hands by trying to direct Luke's thinking."

"The connection was bad. It went all crackly. I did not do it wrong, you big furry..." Han stopped speaking and the naked hurt in his eyes became visible."

"Go and contact her. Say you're sorry."

Han nodded and made his way into the Falcon. After keying in his commands the screen sprang to life and Winter's serenely beautiful face greeted him with a distant smile.

"General Solo. What can I do for you?"

"Could I speak to my wife, please?"

Winter nodded, but avoided his eyes. "You can but I'm sorry, General Solo. Your wife is suffering from a case of Darpan Fever and is in isolation. You can see her and speak to her, but not for long. She's coming through the bout but tires easily."

Han closed his eyes. She was sick and needed him. "She's going to be fine, isn't she?" he asked anxiously. "How did she get it?"

"It was doing the rounds and she missed the inoculation. But, yes, she's going to be fine. Do you want to speak to the children first?"

"Sure. Are they okay? I mean..."

"Probably better than you," murmured Winter.

Han grinned painfully and waited as Winter whispered something to someone behind her. The next instant his children were before him and all shouting excitedly.

"Mama's sick," announced Jaina solemnly. "But will be better soon."

Anakin mumbled something and the twins threw him a warning glare. "When are you coming home?" he finally asked.

Han swallowed. "When I see what Uncle Luke is up to, I'll be home."

"But Trader Jade will see to Uncle Luke. She promised she'd look after him. She likes him."

Han grinned again. "Is she up to that? It strikes me that Uncle Luke gets himself in much more bother than most folks."

"She's very strong in the Force, Papa," said Jaina. "I think she'll see he's fine."

"Uncle Luke likes her a lot," muttered Jacen. "Awful lot."

'So even the kids had noticed Luke's fascination for the beautiful trader. Out of the mouths of babes.'

Winter appeared and shooed the children off to bed. "I'll put you through to Leia's room. I'm warning you, she's on the mend but very tired."

The picture changed to one of the small guest suites in their apartment and a white faced Leia lay sleeping on the bed.

"Sweetheart," Han called softly.

Leia stirred and her eyelids flickered slightly.

"How are you?" He asked anxiously.

Leia blinked a couple of times and raised herself carefully to a more upright position.

"Han. Is it you?" Winter spoke hoping Han wouldn't question the fake Leia for too long.

"Yes, Sweetheart. I'm sorry."

"So am I. Oh Han, find Luke. Please find him."

"Sure, sweetheart. You get some rest. I love you."

Leia's eyes flickered closed. "I know."

The screen switched back to Winter. "I'll look after her and the children for you."

"As always, Winter. We rely on you."

"Tell Tycho... Corran and I miss him."

"I will. So long."

Han sat looking at the blank holo-imager with a morose expression on his face. "I'd better find the kid. Who knows what will happen? Guess Cracken ain't gonna be happy with me." He stepped off the Falcon and adjusted the camo-netting. "Chewie…" Han's voice tailed off slowly. "I've just wired a couple of circuits together and I don't like the way the rig is lighting up." He began to pull the camo-netting off the ship.

"Chewie!" he bellowed. "Get off yer furry behind – we gotta get movin'. Before Cracken and others clue on to what we're up to. Start her up." Han dived into the cockpit and started flicking switches. "Stuff just came together. Luke could be in big trouble."

"I thought we'd established that," Chewbacca snapped irritably.

"Yes, but not from his own side."

There was an outraged roar from the Wookiee first mate and the engine on the Falcon roared into life."

"I should have seen this. I should have guessed." Han slammed his fist on the console. "Peace isn't profitable for some people."

"Where we going then, Han?" barked the Wookiee.

"Anchorhead. We need to see Fixer."

****************************************************

Mos Eisley

Corran grinned. Something zinged in the Force. It was these Skywalkers for you. "Come on, come on."

He hurried Leia into the speeder.

"Where are we going?"

Corran looked towards his boss who nodded and smiled.

"Anchorhead," answered Wedge, brown eyes gleaming.

*****************************************************