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Why?

Wedge shut the door behind them.

"I wasn't going to hurt her!" Zeke quickly defended himself.

"Oh I know that!" said Wedge quickly. "But you see that guy in there with the lightsaber? He didn't!" Wedge sighed, "What made you do that Zeke?"

Zeke stared at Wedge as though the question was the most ludicrous thing he had ever heard. "Come on! You heard her! You've got ears! She provoked me!"

"Yeah, well that's not an excuse for pinning her to a wall!"

Zeke was obviously not in the mood for a lecture. "Look, Wedge, mate! I really don't wanna talk about this right now!"

"Listen Zeke," Wedge said exasperatedly. "I was trained to fly an X-Wing and command troops. Not sort out the problems of today's youth! But I am trying to help you here!"

"Help me?" Zeke said disgustedly. "That's all you guys have been saying since I was brought on this stupid ship! 'Oh we're going to help you Zeke!' That's all I've heard, but you know what? I don't feel helped!"

Wedge was short with him. "This is the longest amount of time you've went without drugs? Correct?"

Zeke nodded, knowing where this was going.

"And if you come back to Coruscant with us, what will you do? You will be able to earn some honest money if you stay off the drugs, and that's going to get a lot easier once the withdrawal symptoms have gone away."

Zeke looked at his feet.

"Plus, I don't think Han would appreciate you calling his ship stupid," Wedge concluded.

Zeke suppressed a laugh at this. "Han's gonna hate me for a lot more than just calling his ship stupid." The severity of what he had just done hit Zeke all at once. "Oh gods! They're all gonna hate me!"

Wedge chuckled, "No they're not! Trust me; believe it or not, we're used to this sort of thing."

Zeke looked up at his companion, "So you usually take in drug ridden teenagers for rehabilitation, do you?"

"Yeah, but we've never had one quite like you before."

Lando slipped through the door behind Wedge.

"There's an awful lot of frowning going on!" he said in a falsely cheerful voice.

Zeke put his head in his hands and sank down the wall to sit on the floor. He was the physical form of despair. Lando and Wedge knew that it was better to let him sulk and not to bother him.

"How's Leia?" Wedge asked Lando quietly.

"She's okay," Lando said, giving Zeke a sideways glance, "She's well enough to start a campaign against Zeke anyway. She's trying to convince Luke to throw him out as we speak. The only thing that's really damaged is her pride, I mean, pinned by a seventeen year old. Not something that usually happens to Leia."

"I don't see what they've got against each other," Wedge said, running a hand through his hair, "Mind you…Zeke probably started it."

"Did not," said a small voice from the floor.

Both Wedge and Lando ignored it.

"How we gonna fix this?" Lando asked extra quietly, more to himself than to Wedge.

"We can't," was the reply. Wedge turned around and looked at Zeke, "But we can make it easier for him,"

"What are you thinking?"

Wedge considered, "Hum…what about a 108?"

Lando paused for a minute then said, "Nah, to soft. What about a 273?"

Zeke had raised his head to listen, where they speaking in…code? Lando and Wedge?

"Not the best idea I've ever heard…not the worst, but not the best…" Wedge laughed suddenly, "The worse was Janson's idea of a 422 on Mon Mothma!"

Lando gasped, "You didn't!"

"We did!"

"Oh goodness…there are no words… the Rogue Squadron versus Mon Mothma!"

"You're telling me! Me, Janson, Hobbie and our Master Luke spend that night in a ditch full of water trying to hide from her personal guard!"

Lando erupted into laughter. Wedge turned to Zeke, "remind me to tell you about that sometime, you'll love it!

"Anyway," Lando choked, "What about a…..746?"

"Too much preparation needed."

Zeke wasn't sure, but he thought he might be catching on, "Hey! What about a 939?"

Both stared at him with extremely shocked looks on their faces. Then in perfect unison they exclaimed, "Are you mad!"

"Maybe if we wanted to kill ourselves and everyone else on board and if we had the resources….maybe, but not today!" explained Lando.

'Okay,' thought Zeke, 'Maybe I'm not getting the idea.'

Wedge clapped his hands together in glee. "I've got it! I'm a genius! It's official! We should get certificates… signed by us! It's perfect! It's simple, irritating and it'll annoy Han senseless!"

Lando looked at him interestedly, "I'm liking it! What's the number?"

Wedge couldn't even portray his excitement in the grin he was wearing. "851!" He proclaimed loudly.

Lando's smile grew until it was plastered right over his face. "You are a genius!" Then, he pouted. "Now why couldn't I have thought of that?"

They turned back to Zeke, crouched down beside him and discussed the content of Plan 851 in hushed voices.

'What do you reckon they're talking about in there?' Chewie asked Han thoughtfully. They were staring at the door avidly, not moving their eyes even to look at one another.

"Knowing those two," Han muttered, "they're probably trying to turn him into an evil minion, just like I predicted!"

Chewie let out a great guffaw. 'You always think the worst in people Cub!'

Han continued to glare at the door. "I have a perfectly good reason to think the worst in everyone, especially those two! Do you remember some of the stuff they've pulled off on us?"

'But now they've grown up! They're more mature than they were back then!'

Han continued as though Chewie had said nothing, "And not just us! You should hear about some of the stuff they've pulled on Mon Mothma!"

He stopped talking when the door creaked open and the schemers emerged.

"Hey guys," he greeted them. "We should be arriving in Nar Shaddaa soon, just so you know."

Han got up to return to the cockpit when Wedge said in a confused voice, "Why?"

Han stared at him as if he had lost his mind, "To rescue my kids!"

It was Lando's turn. "Why?"

Han hadn't caught on, but evidently Chewie had as he was doubled up behind Han's back, laughing silently.

"Come on Lando, don't make me go over the whole story again!"

It was back to Wedge, "Why?"

The Captain was starting to get frustrated. "Because it's painful!"

"Why?"

Han had caught on by now, but he decided to play along for now. "Because I gambled away my kids!"

"Why?"

"Because I was drunk!"

"Why?"

"Because I had drunk way to much alcohol."

"Why?"

"Because I was losing at Sabacc."

"Why?"

"Because I was playing badly!"

"Why?"

"Because I was drunk!"

"Why?"

"Because I had drunk way to much alcohol."

"Why?"

"Because I was losing at Sabacc."

"Why?"

"Because I was playing badly!"

"Why?"

"Okay! This isn't funny anymore!"

"Why?" both Wedge and Lando said in unison.

Han turned to Zeke, he had forgotten to be mad at him in the same way Leia often forgot when she was mad at him, "If you're in on this too," he said in a deadly voice, "I might just throw myself out the airlock!"

Zeke had been standing back, unsure whether he ought to participate. After all the trouble he caused he didn't want to anger his hosts any more than he already had. But then again, it had been Wedge and Lando who had recruited him and it might be funny to watch Han throw himself out into the vacuum of space.

"Why?" Zeke said simply. This accompanied with a small shrug was enough to provoke a growl from Han before he stalked off to the cockpit.

Both Wedge and Lando shot an 'I'm so proud of you!' look at Zeke before sneaking off after Han.

Zeke took Han's vacated seat. He was tired, he hadn't slept in days. On the journey to Commenor he had been kept awake by the other men, who had drunk all night long. And last night, apart from the prospect of not living to see another evening, he hadn't had a fix all day. He wasn't about to sleep in a hurry.

Zeke smiled grimly. One of the other pirates had sold him some tablets at about five in the morning, which he had taken straight away. They kept him awake for the rest of the night. The price for the pills was far too high, even if the drugs were as strong as the guy said they were. Thanks to that guy, Zeke was now broke.

'Well,' Zeke thought with extra malice, 'At least he died rich…' Zeke had watched as the supplier was cut down by Luke's lightsaber in a foolish attempt to attack.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't hear the footsteps coming towards him. Zeke was brought back to earth when he heard the talking.

"Honestly Luke, that kid should be thrown off the ship! He's a good-for-nothing little brat!"

Luke was walking up straight and looking so relaxed he could have been asleep- well, sleep walking with his eyes open, maybe. "Leia," he said in that oh-so-calm voice, "I know you're only saying these things because he pinned you. This really isn't like you! You usually give everyone the benefit of the doubt!" He grinned, "I bet if it had been me who had pinned you, you'd be telling Han to have me thrown out the airlock!"

"You know I never liked him before!"

"But you never started campaigning to get him forcibly removed before!"

"Well, nobody wants him here!" she protested.

"Well…" Luke smirked at being able to oppose the 'diplomatic queen', "Wedge and Lando seem to want him here. They're getting on quite well. Maybe you should take a leaf out of their book."

"But they're as demented as he is-"

It was just about time for Zeke to make his presence known. He crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair, making sure he looked confident even if he wasn't. He coughed loudly.

Luke and Leia spun around in surprise. Leia's mouth made the shape of an 'o' before Zeke started to talk.

"Demented's a bit harsh, don't you think? I thought 'possessed' was a better word. Though I did like your description of me as a brat, Leia! I found that quite original and very accurate."

Leia gave him an angry glare and turned around to walk off, Zeke decided now was the time, otherwise he'd lose his nerve.

"I'm sorry!" he said loud enough for her to hear him. She stopped and turned slowly on the spot.

"You're what?" she asked quietly.

"Sorry," he said meeting her eyes. They looked at each other for a long moment.

Then…

"I heard that Mr Jarret!" Wedge came out of the cockpit, "You broke the pact!"

Zeke let out a yelp of surprise at being grabbed by Wedge and Lando from behind, "You guys really know how to ruin a moment don't you!"

"We've perfected our technique over several years!"

Before Zeke could explain exactly what type of moment they had interrupted, the two of them had lifted him clean off the ground and were spiriting him away from Leia, down the corridor. As they went they scolded him for 'betraying them in the worst way possible, by speaking any word that wasn't 'Why?''.

Leia watched them go with disbelief on her face, "Did what I just think happened, really happen?" she said, not sure if her question even made sense.

Luke smiled at her, grateful that Zeke might just have redeemed himself in Leia's eyes. "Yes Leia, I say it did happen. But that completely depends on what you think happened."

His sister looked at him dumbstruck. "I thought he apologised- but that can't be possible!" She continued breathlessly, "It's taken five years of marriage to Han to get him to act even slightly considerate and he'd still never think of apologising so, well, humbly!" She shook her head and was about to continue but Luke predicted her words.

"And yet Wedge and Lando have managed to turn Zeke into an almost-perfect gentleman in less than a day?"

Leia nodded mutely.

Luke wrapped an arm around her shoulders while laughing. "Never worry my dear little sister! We'll tame your husband yet!" And with that, he led the still clueless Princess down the corridors of the Falcon.

Meanwhile, Zeke had been carried bodily all around the Falcon and then back to the cockpit as punishment for his 'betrayal'.

"Ouch!" he said indignantly, as Lando and Wedge dumped him on the floor, "I don't think I deserved that!"

Wedge grinned, "If you were in Rogue Squadron, we'd have done worse to you."

With that, both Wedge and Lando turned tail and left Zeke sitting on the floor.

Zeke was just in th middle of asking, "What kind of ship is this?" before Han spoke from his chair.

"They probably won't speak to you for the rest of the day now."

Zeke spun around on the floor, "They really do take it seriously, don't they?"

Han laughed, "Tell me about it. Mind you, they have a right. Back in the days of the rebellion, making other people look like complete idiots was the only enjoyment they could get. The rest of the time it was conferences, repairing damage to ships, attacking the Empire and the threat that the next time you go up, you, your mate or your commanding officer may not come down again. Can't say I blame them myself…except of course when they do something to me, then they've got no excuse."

Zeke snorted with laughter as he got to his feet, "I can't image, life around here ever being boring that's for sure!"

"Boring? Don't know the meaning of the word! Hey, Zeke, could you do me a favour? Go and get everyone and bring them back here, please."

Zeke smirked, "Why?"

Han Ignored him, "The reason's simple," he turned around in his chair so he was staring straight at Zeke, "We're coming up on Nar Shaddaa."

A.N Hello! We're back people and crazier than ever, thank goodness! We're getting close now…so close to achieving our goal!

Thorney: Half Term! WOOOOO! You can expect a couple of Chapters coming your way shortly!

Sweetdeath04: Is this chapter long enough for you? It reaches a total of 2471 words! That's got to be our record!

Please R&R 'cause you never know, we might get 150 reviews! Then we'll forever be in your debt!

Sweetdeath04 & Thorney