The Violist: It's... good to see you care. xD
SevenTowers: Thanks for the review, glad you liked it!
Freetrader: Haha, calm down, don't kill me. Flattering, though.
Note: x.x Sorry that this took a while to get up, I kept taking it backdown and reloading a new one with theproper breaks, and it still didn't work. --; But, its up now, and Ch. III is comin'.
The Millennium Falcon took around four hours to get it so Han Solo felt it was flyable. And there he was, his hands lightly on wheel, feeling his heart fly up with excitement like the Falcon did. He couldn't suppress a smile of joy as he attached his microphone to his ear and so it was facing his mouth and watching Chewie do the same.
"Just like old times, bud." he said, grinning at the Wookie, who howled in reply. The space in front of him was dotted brilliantly with stars. He leaned to the left, getting the coordinates for Coruscant out of the NavaComputer. "One, two, three..." and he pulled the lever, watching the stars fly into a blur as he leaned back in content. This was so natural for him. Han couldn't believe he just had been wasting his life away on drink and feeling sorry for himself. All of his problems seemed to be left behind on the desert planet of Tatooine.
Hours later, the Millennium Falcon slowed from hyperspace, awaking Han from a doze he fell into while in the cockpit's pilot chair. As he looked at the planet, which was one large city, he couldn't help but grinning. He felt like the old Han Solo, the one before any of his crap happened to him. It was a job simple enough: pick up some guy from Landing Platform 27F, take him to Yavin IV. Easy cash. Life was looking up for him. Finally. After a year, he was actually not drunk and enjoying himself.
They found the landing platform all right, after around fifteen minutes of his initial de-acceleration from light speed. They landed, and Han walked off of his Falcon into the sunset appearing on Coruscant to no one.
"What the hell? A senator, late? He seems to not be making a very good impression on me, Chewie." he remarked to his friend with a smirk. With a sigh, he leaned against one of the landing legs of the Falcon, seeming casually bored as he examined his nails. His right leg was stepped out, while his left was bent at the knee and tucked under him under the rear, giving off that casual, masculine air that seemed to generate off of him. "Hopefully he doesn't make us wait too long, Chewie." he told his long-time friend.
"No, I don't need an escort, I tell you I am not in that much trouble, I am perfectly capable of traveling through space by myself, thank you very much - " argued a commanding female voice.
"Senator, please, the Chancellor wishes so, it is only for your own safety..." reasoned another voice, male this time.
"I still don't see the need. If you don't remember, I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself on numerous occasions, which I do not feel like naming at this moment - " Princess Leia Organa-Skywalker argued on the way to the landing platform where she was to board the ship that was to take her to Yavin. Truth was, she was too stubborn to admit that she was in danger, and that she needed to take a private ship with a skilled pilot to her destination. She knew this, but that wasn't going to stop her fighting.
Since she, well, for lack of a better word, 'dumped' Han, her work had become her life. She was convinced she had done the right thing, for both herself and the smuggler. Now that he was out of her life for good, they both can move on. Many people had protested to her decision: her brother, Luke, plus most of the pilots, especially Wedge and Janson. They never got along anyways, right? Right. She tried to date a few men at first, but she always broke off with them also, on the excuse that the New Republic needed far too much of her time and energy for her to be fooling around with men. It was the same thing she got rid of Han for, so it was perfectly plausible.
Leia correctly assumed that, out of loyalty to her, Luke would refrain from contacting his former buddy. He had argued relentlessly about it in the beginning, but he eventually gave in. Still, he managed to slip Han into a few of their conversations, which the Princess met with stony silence then a quick change of subject. She knew that it was occasionally, on accident, since Han had been a huge part of both of their lives in the past, but most of the time he was trying to make her feel guilty for leaving the smuggler. Not a very Jedi thing to do, but it was definitely a thing that a brother would do. She knew that it didn't concern him, anymore, as much as it used to, since he was extremely busy with the new Jedi Order, and Leia was relieved.
"Senator Leia Organa-Skywalker," started the exasperated, pompous senator. "We all know that you are capable, but we simply cannot afford to lose you in such an early stage for the New Republic. You are a skilled leader, and a wonderful negotiator, and we need to take every precaution if it means keeping you alive!" They walked through the doors to the outside platform, with the Princess arguing and keeping her eyes on the man in front of her.
"The assassin failed once, I am sure he will wait a bit to come up with a better plan before trying again! I assure you, Senator, that I am out of harms way! At least for the time being." she added.
"That's right. For the time being. Who knows if the end of this 'time being' will be while you are en route to Yavin, and then your public ship is boarded and you are kidnapped?"
"Oh, and you can completely and utterly trust this pilot? How do you know he isn't an Imperial with a grudge?" she asked, waving her hand to the human at the ship in front of her, who had slowly stood up. Obviously, she was too busy losing her argument to pay quite attention to who was there.
"This pilot used to work for the Rebel Alliance!" puffed up the other senator immediately. "He made quite a contribution to many victories that we have had!"
"Oh? Then why have not I heard of him before?" she asked, angrily, still too focused to even look at who she was talking about.
"Well, your Worship." said a deep, casual voice to her left. "It seems like we're stuck together anyway."
Han watched as Leia Organa-Skywalker looked around to him finally, taking a step backwards in great surprise. Yes. Of course his luck had to make his life more miserable in accompanying the Princess on a twenty-hour flight to Yavin IV. That didn't stop any sarcastic comment from coming from his mouth, obviously, and he had enough dignity for himself left to make his face blank of any emotion save slight amusement.
"...Han." she said, shakily, swallowing. It gave him a sick satisfaction to see how much he unnerved her just by him saying those ten words. She turned to the other man, who seemed surprised that they looked as if they knew each other personally. "I am not going." she said, flatly, about to turn. "I will wait for the next transport.
"Ah, your Highnessness, did I upset you already?" Han grinned, knowing he was being cruel and liking it. She seemed to have a guilty conscious anyhow, and he may as well humor that. "Don't worry, Senator." he mumbled easily to the man who didn't believe his ears. "I'll take her. Before someone murders her in her sleep." he called that last comment, a little too loudly, to the Alderaanian who seemed to be brimming with anger and fear, from what he suspected. "I mean, we all know how much of a tragedy that would be. To have the her Worshipfulness, the Senator Princess' pure heart to be absent from this galaxy - "
"You can shut it, laserbrains, we've heard enough." Leia snapped at him in interruption. "I tell you, I will not go."
"Why? Are you afraid of this man? He seems perfectly nice to me."
Han grinned. This stupid senator obviously did not recognize his so heavily sarcastic words. How he managed to become a politician was beyond him. "Yes, your Highness, I have nothing but good intentions. Besides, what would the Supreme Chancellor say when you refuse an order, and are in the firing range of this assassin?"
"Listen, it was a request, and therefore I have every right to refuse - "
"Han Solo has an excellent point, Senator, you may very well be killed if you stay here any longer, especially to wait for a private enough transport to bring you to Yavin IV."
"That's alright, Senator, I'm sure the Princess has a very good reason for distrusting a traitor General like me." Leia took a deep breath, glaring at Han deeply. Suddenly, she pushed past him, starting up the ramp.
"I have a bad feeling about this... I'm going to regret ever setting foot on this junk pile..." she muttered, as Han smirked and followed her up, with Chewie right behind him, who had kept very quiet during that whole exchange. Now, he let out a series of howls and barks.
"Don't tell me I shouldn't have done this, Chewie, consider it as... payback." A few more, slightly angry growls from the Wookie were emitted, which Han decided to ignore.