Author's note: Since technical problems put me behind in uploading the story, here's today's bonus chapter. As I stated earlier, barring technical difficulties, I'm planning on adding a chapter a day until this story is completed. Enjoy!
Han Solo was the first to enter the interrogation room, followed closely by General Rieekan and the doctor chosen to oversee the administration of the truth serum.
With only a moment's hesitation, Han trudged resolutely to the interrogation bunk and sat down. The medical droid on duty strapped Han to the table, and began running a series of medical scans. The serum had to be precisely manufactured based on body chemistry and weight, or dire side effects could result.
Han did not balk at the application of the restraints, though he did ask, "General, is this necessary?"
"I'm afraid so, Han. You are not a hostile witness, but the restraints will protect you in the case of an adverse reaction to the drug," Rieekan responded.
Han's eyebrows shot up in concern, but Rieekan cut him off before he could speak, "Such reactions are rare, Han. Besides, I have my most trusted staff physician here to monitor the proceedings. You remember Dr. Savofid, don't you?"
"Sure," Han replied. "You're the doctor who took care of the princess. How is she?"
The doctor looked at Rieekan, who nodded, and then responded, "She's recovering nicely, though she will need to stay in the medcenter a few more days. You took excellent care of her, Captain Solo. Otherwise, she might not have recovered so well."
Han said nothing, though he was secretly ecstatic that Leia continued to make progress in her recovery. It gave him a renewed sense of purpose, reminding him why he was here in the first place.
The droid was about to administer the serum when the general halted the proceedings. "I want Dr. Savofid to double check the dosage," he said.
Once the dosage was deemed acceptable, Han closed his eyes and felt the familiar pressure of a hypospray injection. He reminded himself to cooperate, but to protect Leia at all costs. He didn't want to give Malad any ammunition to use against her. The thought of Malad standing smugly behind the observation window ignited a spark of anger. He worked hard to snuff it out immediately, knowing that it could only hurt the situation.
He reminded himself to relax, but the drug soon did the job for him. He felt his muscles go limp and was infused with a glorious sense of warmth and comfort. He found himself in Leia's embrace, gazing out over the majestic Datokerrin Falls. His memories were illuminated then, reintroducing themselves to him as if old friends. No matter how painful or embarrassing the memory, Han felt an odd sense of joy at reliving them.
The rational part of Han Solo marveled at the power of the drug. Leave it to the rebels to find an interrogation drug capable of bringing cooperation through kindness. No torture involved here. In fact, he rather wished he could stay for a while.
In the background, he faintly heard the doctor say, "He's ready now. You can begin."
"Solo, can you hear me?"
"Yes, General," Han found himself replying without any conscious thought. He certainly hoped the general kept his promise, because he was completely unprepared to deal with this kind of drug. It was just so friendly. What did they do, extract the essence of Luke and put it in a bottle?
"We'll start with a few easy questions. What's your name?"
"Han Solo."
"What is your occupation?"
"Well, right now I go on missions for the Alliance."
"What did you do before?"
"Smuggling, mostly." That's it, Solo. Keep your answers short.
"Since joining the Alliance, have you ever had contact with the Imperials?"
"I've never joined the Alliance."
Rieekan smiled a bit…Solo could certainly be stubborn. "Okay, I'll rephrase. Since you met Luke Skywalker, have you ever had contact with the Imperials?"
"Sure, I've fought against 'em lots of times. I met several on the Death Star and shot at least seventeen of them. Then there was the Death Star battle…I got those TIEs pretty good and…"
Rieekan quickly cut him off. Leave it to Solo to be this difficult to question. "Let me try again. Have you ever spied for the Empire during that time?"
"No."
"Have the Imperials ever contacted you to do work for them?"
"No."
"Have you ever thought of selling secrets to the Imperials?"
"No."
"Are you working for anyone who might sell what you know to the Imperials?"
"No. These days, I only work for me."
"Did you know the Imperials would be on Ord Mantell?"
"No, or I sure as hell wouldn't have gone there."
"Were there any Imperials on Ord Mantell when you arrived?"
"Not that I could see."
"Did the original drop go as planned?"
"Yes, the contacts looked for the ring at the hot tub right on schedule."
"Did you meet with them afterwards?"
"Yeah, we met them at the formal ball. We struck up a friendship and exchanged coded messages at the end of the evening."
"Where was the information hidden?"
"The contacts hid it in a wooded area just off one of the Datokerrin Falls hiking trails."
"Was there any trouble retrieving the information?"
"No, the coordinates they gave us were perfect. I stood guard while the princess entered the shielding codes."
"Did you watch her enter the codes?"
"At times," he said, struggling not to add that he could not take his eyes off of her.
"Do you remember what the codes were?"
"Nah, I was too far away to see the actual codes." I wasn't interested in that anyway, he added silently
"So you never had access to any Alliance security codes?"
"Well, I know the code to my locker in the pilot's lounge, but that's about it."
Rieekan had to stifle a laugh and it took him a moment before he could continue. "When did the Imperials arrive?"
"I don't know for sure…sometime while we were on the hiking trails."
"Did they seem to be looking for you?"
"No. I asked some of the locals, and they said the Imps were there for some impromptu convention."
"Did you try to leave the planet immediately?"
"Nah, we figured we were safer in the hotel room."
"Why?"
"It was too risky to go out in broad daylight. Besides, if they weren't looking for us, the hotel room was a good choice. No one would be surprised at a 'do not disturb' sign on a honeymooner's door."
"So, why did you leave then?"
"We had been scanning the holonet just in case. A news report placed me on Ord Mantell…we couldn't risk staying and waiting for the Imps to connect the dots."
"What happened next?"
"We were almost able to sneak by the Imps, but they recognized us. Leia made a break for the Falcon, and I covered her. She took down two of the blasted Imps before they got her with a lucky stun shot. The force of the blow slammed her back into one of the ramp supports. I shot the remaining Imps in the hangar and carried her into the ship."
"How did you get away?"
"We were lucky they were trying to capture us rather than kill us. I maneuvered away from a tractor beam and fought off the fighters 'til we could jump to hyperspace. We barely escaped."
"Did you attempt to harm Leia in any way?"
"I would never hurt her."
Rieekan turned to the unseen observers and said, "I think we've got all we need to validate the information. Solo's clean. Let's put that intelligence to good use."
Unable to resist, Rieekan leaned down and whispered a final question in Han Solo's ear, "You love Leia, don't you?"
"Yeah, General, I do," Han replied sleepily.
Rieekan smiled gently and said, "I thought so. Rest well, Solo."
Han Solo had no answer, for he had already passed out from sheer exhaustion. The general instructed the doctor to examine Solo, then left to meet with the other Alliance generals. Once Solo had been given a clean bill of health, Chewbacca was called in to collect the sleeping smuggler.
The sight of Chewbacca carrying Han back to the Falcon did little to rouse suspicion--Chewie often had to assist his "drunken" friend back to the ship.
Once on board, Chewie carried Han to his room and gently tucked him in to bed. Rest well, cub he said, smiling fondly at his friend.
Han did, indeed, sleep soundly, his mind happily dreaming of waterfalls and a certain princess.
On the other side of the base, however, Han's nemesis was fuming. Rieekan's "interrogation" had made Han look like a saint, and had done nothing to tarnish the reputation of the princess. That simply would not do. He would have to speed up his plans or everything would be ruined. If someone got hurt in the process, so be it.