"She's the best starship around, The Millennium Falcon. Faster than anything you could imagine. We've been all around the galaxy, that ship and me. Sure, her hyperdrive's a little faulty, but you really can't do any better these days. I'd say for a ship like that, combined with my superior flying skills," Han said, pausing to allow Leia to suppress a laugh, "it'd be worth around thirteen."

"Thirteen credits?" Padme said in disbelief.

"Thirteen credits? You're kidding me. I meant thirteen thousand credits." Han relaxed and waited for the weight of his words to sink it. It didn't take too long, and its effects were tremendous: Luke's mouth hung open, Anakin gave Han a look that plainly stated that he thought he was out of his mind. Padme just nodded, not because she accepted the offer but because she had been right. "Of course," Han said casually, stretching out on his chair with his arms behind his head, "you could always find another pilot…"

"No!" The whole family cried at once. Han gave them a smug smile, looking pleased; once again he had gotten his way. It was a few minutes before anyone spoke again; at last Anakin turned to Han and said, "Thirteen thousand credits for the trip to Coruscant, and an extra thousand to avoid any, ah, information leaks."

"Pleasure doing business with you," Han replied, giving Master Skywalker an overly enthusiastic handshake.

"Why don't you have some dinner?" Padme offered. She pulled out an extra plate and served him some meatloaf. "I'm Padme, by the way. This is our son, Luke, and our daughter, Leia."

"Well, Luke," he said, "it's nice to see that we've still got some Jedi around here. Most of them live in the big city." Luke smiled; taking Han's outstretched hand and shaking it. "And Leia, I believe we've already met."

Leia frowned, then gave him what could only be described as a cross between a death glare and a disgusted wrinkled nose. "Yes, we have. That's funny, I don't recall ever agreeing to this business deal," she retorted with a meaningful glance at her father. "But I suppose no one values my opinion."

Luke winced. "Sorry," he said, turning to Han. "Forgive my sister, she's a little…outspoken."

Leia shot a dark look at her brother, while Luke threw up his hands in defense. Han, of course, was thoroughly amused by all of this. "Well," said Anakin in an attempt to break the icy silence that was consuming them all, "Looks like we're going to Coruscant after all. We'll leave tomorrow morning, so Luke, Leia, you'd better start packing. Han, you can stay in Luke's room for tonight, there's a spare blanket you can use. Go on, don't be shy, eat as much as you want."

Not everyone was willing to extend the same hospitality towards the cocky pilot. "That's not a cue to shove your face into your plate," Leia snapped.

"I wasn't planning on it!" Han yelled back.

Padme thought that it was a good time to get the twins ready for tomorrow's journey. "Come on, Luke, you and Leia should start packing now," she said as she got up from the table. With a regretful glance at his unfinished meatloaf, Luke followed his mother up into his bedroom.

He had very few possessions, and it didn't take long to shove some extra Jedi robes and his clean clothes into a duffel bag. Luke checked to make sure his lightsaber was secure in his belt, then looked around to make sure he hadn't left anything. His room was bare except for the small bed and dresser.

Leia still hadn't finished her dinner, so she stayed behind. "I still can't believe we actually found a pilot," she said to her father, "even if he is an amateur."

"Amateur?" Han said defensively. "I've been doing this for years. Just ask Chewbacca, he knows I'm the best around. He's outside, working on the Falcon. Chewie's a Wookiee," he explained. Master Skywalker raised his eyebrows, but didn't interrupt. "And a darn good mechanic too."

"I didn't know Wookiees could fly," Anakin mused.

"I didn't know Jedi had families," Han replied.

Leia fiddled with her meatloaf, pushing it around with her fork. She was a bit stunned by the question, and for a moment wondered if Han wasn't above revealing Anakin's secret for money. "Well," her father began, clearing his throat, "actually, they don't. You see, marriage and attachment are against the Jedi code, so technically Luke and Leia shouldn't exist."

"I won't tell if you won't," Han promised.

"I'm holding you to that," Anakin said with a serious expression on his face. "If you ever reveal our location, you can kiss those fourteen thousand credits goodbye. That's why we had trouble finding a pilot. Most of them were real scoundrels; untrustworthy, had shifty careers, some were smugglers, some were in debt…"

Han shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"But luckily, we found you," he finished with a smile.

"Yeah," muttered Leia as she gave her meatloaf a particularly violent stab. "We're so lucky to have someone who's capable of being a major pain with a walking carpet for a sidekick. If anyone gets suspicious, I'm sure you can just smooth talk your way into even greater danger."

Han opened his mouth to speak, but decided that it was better if he just stayed on her good side. He was beginning to wonder why he had ever considered her beautiful. It wasn't a good idea to make your employer's daughter your enemy, he thought. After all, he was counting on those credits to pay off a few debts to the people who already were his enemies.

Leia got up and scraped off her plate, then headed up the stairs. Who did that Han Solo think he was, acting like a big shot and trying to catch her eye? She was almost certain that he'd been disappointed at the mention of Jedi not being able to marry or love. But it was just her mind (not to mention her emotions) playing a trick on her.

She rummaged through her belongings, tossing whatever she might need into a large leather bag. She had gone through almost everything, and then she noticed the jewelry box resting on her desk. Picking it up, she opened the lid and looked at the only thing inside: a small carved necklace that her father made her when she was a little girl. Not wanting to take the whole box with her, she simply slid the chain around her neck and placed the box in its original location.

Once everything was in place for the next morning's journey, Leia pulled down the covers and climbed into her bed, determined to get a good night's sleep.