Hanna was sitting cross-legged in the shade of the cantina, sifting through the sand before her with her fingers. She didn't look up when Han and Luke came and stood beside her, though Luke knew that she could sense them. "Windy never showed up, did he?" asked her uncle.
Hanna shook her head, still concentrating on the sand.
Han cleared his throat. He didn't want the first words that he spoke to his daughter to be sappy or false or any kind of pre-meditated, meaningful nonsense. He wanted to help her, to be friendly. He was never her father before, so why should he start now? He just wanted to be someone that she could like. He stuck his thumbs in his belt, trying to be casual. "Luke says your ship's got a bug."
The girl looked up, daring to meet his eyes because of their mutual interest in the topic. She nodded. "The computer speaks gibberish and keeps shutting itself down. Luke's a mechanic, not computer technician, so he can't help."
"Neither am I, but..."
"Hanna, his ship can run the diagnostics. We just have to set up a link between your computer and his. Is that all right?"
Hanna got up, dusted the sand off her sky-blue pants, and thought. Luke tried to look reassuring--he knew that this must be scary for her. At last, she nodded again. Luke smiled. He didn't know what would happen after today, but for now he was with Han again, and maybe Hanna would get to know her father, just a little.
Suddenly, Luke had second thoughts about all of this. He wondered what Leia would do when she found out.
As Luke watched father and daughter work together on their ships, he was glad to note their cautious ease with each other. They were both terrified, he knew, but their likeness to one another made it easier to be together.
Luke let them talk and work as he walked around the Falcon. It was all almost as it was nineteen years ago. He'd flown in this ship as a youth, running away from the Empire with the Rebellion, going on missions, or sometimes just floating around, looking for excitement. In those days, Han, Leia and he were always together. Han and Leia fought like they were married; Luke and Leia were very close friends, bashful but affectionate with each other; Luke and Han were childish young men together--though Han was ten years his senior--making Leia roll her eyes but smile in spite of herself. Leia took three years to decide between Luke and Han, and when she finally did and chose Han, it was unknown to her that Luke had actually been her brother all along.
So then things changed, but they were just as good as they had always been. Luke was much more mature, but still liked to joke like before; he and Leia began to understand the Force connection they had and also began to use it; Han and Leia were falling more and more in love, and Luke felt left out but was so happy for them. He noticed, however, that Leia was a lot more cautious than Han as far as their relationship went. That struck him as odd on one hand, because he'd thought Han would be afraid to commit to one woman, which turned out to not be the case. On the other hand, it made sense: Leia had always been so committed to Alderaan and then to the Rebellion that she found it very difficult to let herself love a person as much as she loved her cause. And then Hanna came along.
Luke stood in the sleeping quarters of Han's ship, looking at the four bunks. He'd spent a lot of nights here, once. He'd learned a few years ago that it was possible to feel trace presences of a person in a place that they had spent a lot of time, even if it had been years before. Here he felt the presences of Han, Leia, Chewie, Lando, and Wedge. It was a comforting feeling--very, very comforting. Once he had considered the five of them his family, before Han left, Chewie went home to Kasyyacc, Lando went off on his own again, and Wedge started a family of his own. Now it was just Leia of the original five.
Luke sighed and sat on one of the lower bunks. He had been just a child for most of those five years between the first Death Star and when Han left. He had been so easily pleased, to awed by all he saw, so fulfilled just to have friends who lived him. And he would give almost anything just to have that back.
He wondered, if it had been up to him somehow, would he chose for Leia to have Hanna and for Han to leave, or for Hanna to have never been created and for his youth to seemingly never end. He shook his head, smiling. No, he knew what he'd choose. As much as he missed the way things were, he loved Hanna very much--she was like a daughter to him. He wouldn't give her up for anything.
Luke raised his head to a knock at the doorway. Han was standing there, leaning up against the wall. Except for his gray hair, he could be twenty-eight, as he was at the Death Star, all over again.
"You okay?" he asked.
Luke nodded. "Yeah, I'm just...thinking."
Han nodded knowingly. " 'Bout the old days."
"Yes."
Han sat opposite him, reminiscing. "Me an' Leia used to sleep here, you above us, Chewie across, and whoever else was along for the ride above him."
"Except before there was a 'you and Leia,' you would sleep above Chewie."
"Sometimes, if we needed an extra bunk, you'd sleep with Leia..."
"That's because she trusted me--"
Luke knew he shouldn't have said it as soon as it was out of his mouth. Han looked angry at his conjuring up the memory, though it would have been funny if his relationship with Leia hadn't ended the way it did.
"I'm sorry, Han," Luke near-whispered.
He just took a deep breath, and didn't say anything.
"Kind of strange though," he Luke said, trying to lighten the mood, "being back here with you. I mean, on the Falcon."
"Yeah. I could almost trick myself into thinking it's like twenty years ago." He smiled. "But we're gettin' too old to do the crazy things we used to."
"Speak for yourself. I am not too old."
Han laughed.
"I'm not. I can still do all of the things I used to just as well. Some of them better."
He shrugged. "Then maybe it's those damn Jedi robes. You look like old Ben Kenobi."
Luke smiled and wanted to argue that his robes were nothing like Ben's, and besides which he was a lot younger than Ben still, and he would never have a beard. But he knew Han didn't mean it at all--he was just looking for ways to rile Luke. He loved doing that.
"Fine, Han. Whatever you say."
Han was taken aback. "Givin' in? That doesn't sound like the stubborn, whiney farmboy I knew."
"Like you said, I'm old. I think I've grown out of the stubborn, whiney farmboy character."
"We'll see."
"So, did you figure out what's wrong with Hanna's X-wing?"
Han nodded. He looked mildly worried. "Like I said, it's got a bug. But this looks like an intentional virus to me, kid. I think someone messed with Hanna's ship."
Luke frowned. "But who would do that? Who would give her a virus that just causes the screen to display random letters and then shut down? Seems kind of pointless."
"Yeah, well, me an' Hanna agreed that if the virus had kicked in while she was in hyperspace the ship would get spread across space-time."
"And no more Hanna."
"That's right."
Luke sighed. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. "I am so tired of this. Why can't people just leave me and my family alone?"
Han smiled. "Just like the old days, right, junior?"
Hanna shook her head, still concentrating on the sand.
Han cleared his throat. He didn't want the first words that he spoke to his daughter to be sappy or false or any kind of pre-meditated, meaningful nonsense. He wanted to help her, to be friendly. He was never her father before, so why should he start now? He just wanted to be someone that she could like. He stuck his thumbs in his belt, trying to be casual. "Luke says your ship's got a bug."
The girl looked up, daring to meet his eyes because of their mutual interest in the topic. She nodded. "The computer speaks gibberish and keeps shutting itself down. Luke's a mechanic, not computer technician, so he can't help."
"Neither am I, but..."
"Hanna, his ship can run the diagnostics. We just have to set up a link between your computer and his. Is that all right?"
Hanna got up, dusted the sand off her sky-blue pants, and thought. Luke tried to look reassuring--he knew that this must be scary for her. At last, she nodded again. Luke smiled. He didn't know what would happen after today, but for now he was with Han again, and maybe Hanna would get to know her father, just a little.
Suddenly, Luke had second thoughts about all of this. He wondered what Leia would do when she found out.
As Luke watched father and daughter work together on their ships, he was glad to note their cautious ease with each other. They were both terrified, he knew, but their likeness to one another made it easier to be together.
Luke let them talk and work as he walked around the Falcon. It was all almost as it was nineteen years ago. He'd flown in this ship as a youth, running away from the Empire with the Rebellion, going on missions, or sometimes just floating around, looking for excitement. In those days, Han, Leia and he were always together. Han and Leia fought like they were married; Luke and Leia were very close friends, bashful but affectionate with each other; Luke and Han were childish young men together--though Han was ten years his senior--making Leia roll her eyes but smile in spite of herself. Leia took three years to decide between Luke and Han, and when she finally did and chose Han, it was unknown to her that Luke had actually been her brother all along.
So then things changed, but they were just as good as they had always been. Luke was much more mature, but still liked to joke like before; he and Leia began to understand the Force connection they had and also began to use it; Han and Leia were falling more and more in love, and Luke felt left out but was so happy for them. He noticed, however, that Leia was a lot more cautious than Han as far as their relationship went. That struck him as odd on one hand, because he'd thought Han would be afraid to commit to one woman, which turned out to not be the case. On the other hand, it made sense: Leia had always been so committed to Alderaan and then to the Rebellion that she found it very difficult to let herself love a person as much as she loved her cause. And then Hanna came along.
Luke stood in the sleeping quarters of Han's ship, looking at the four bunks. He'd spent a lot of nights here, once. He'd learned a few years ago that it was possible to feel trace presences of a person in a place that they had spent a lot of time, even if it had been years before. Here he felt the presences of Han, Leia, Chewie, Lando, and Wedge. It was a comforting feeling--very, very comforting. Once he had considered the five of them his family, before Han left, Chewie went home to Kasyyacc, Lando went off on his own again, and Wedge started a family of his own. Now it was just Leia of the original five.
Luke sighed and sat on one of the lower bunks. He had been just a child for most of those five years between the first Death Star and when Han left. He had been so easily pleased, to awed by all he saw, so fulfilled just to have friends who lived him. And he would give almost anything just to have that back.
He wondered, if it had been up to him somehow, would he chose for Leia to have Hanna and for Han to leave, or for Hanna to have never been created and for his youth to seemingly never end. He shook his head, smiling. No, he knew what he'd choose. As much as he missed the way things were, he loved Hanna very much--she was like a daughter to him. He wouldn't give her up for anything.
Luke raised his head to a knock at the doorway. Han was standing there, leaning up against the wall. Except for his gray hair, he could be twenty-eight, as he was at the Death Star, all over again.
"You okay?" he asked.
Luke nodded. "Yeah, I'm just...thinking."
Han nodded knowingly. " 'Bout the old days."
"Yes."
Han sat opposite him, reminiscing. "Me an' Leia used to sleep here, you above us, Chewie across, and whoever else was along for the ride above him."
"Except before there was a 'you and Leia,' you would sleep above Chewie."
"Sometimes, if we needed an extra bunk, you'd sleep with Leia..."
"That's because she trusted me--"
Luke knew he shouldn't have said it as soon as it was out of his mouth. Han looked angry at his conjuring up the memory, though it would have been funny if his relationship with Leia hadn't ended the way it did.
"I'm sorry, Han," Luke near-whispered.
He just took a deep breath, and didn't say anything.
"Kind of strange though," he Luke said, trying to lighten the mood, "being back here with you. I mean, on the Falcon."
"Yeah. I could almost trick myself into thinking it's like twenty years ago." He smiled. "But we're gettin' too old to do the crazy things we used to."
"Speak for yourself. I am not too old."
Han laughed.
"I'm not. I can still do all of the things I used to just as well. Some of them better."
He shrugged. "Then maybe it's those damn Jedi robes. You look like old Ben Kenobi."
Luke smiled and wanted to argue that his robes were nothing like Ben's, and besides which he was a lot younger than Ben still, and he would never have a beard. But he knew Han didn't mean it at all--he was just looking for ways to rile Luke. He loved doing that.
"Fine, Han. Whatever you say."
Han was taken aback. "Givin' in? That doesn't sound like the stubborn, whiney farmboy I knew."
"Like you said, I'm old. I think I've grown out of the stubborn, whiney farmboy character."
"We'll see."
"So, did you figure out what's wrong with Hanna's X-wing?"
Han nodded. He looked mildly worried. "Like I said, it's got a bug. But this looks like an intentional virus to me, kid. I think someone messed with Hanna's ship."
Luke frowned. "But who would do that? Who would give her a virus that just causes the screen to display random letters and then shut down? Seems kind of pointless."
"Yeah, well, me an' Hanna agreed that if the virus had kicked in while she was in hyperspace the ship would get spread across space-time."
"And no more Hanna."
"That's right."
Luke sighed. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. "I am so tired of this. Why can't people just leave me and my family alone?"
Han smiled. "Just like the old days, right, junior?"