By planetary standards, the season of Decline offered some lovely weather. The shadows were long, caused by a low, golden sun. The breeze chased the smell of overripe fruit away and the temperature was not the type of hot that made one seek the shade.

"Decline," Princess Leia mused in the front seat of the speeder. While many trees were bare or sported brown, dead leaves, there were also a good number that were still green. She was the kind that gathered information and tested ideas before coming to a conclusion. "It's misleading."

Luke, on the other hand, was more apt to listen and extract the intended meaning. "It's depressing."

"It's 'cause you know," Han spoke as he steered, one finger pointing upward in punctuation. Chatter was unprofitable to him, or perhaps he'd been alone too long.

His responses often caused more questions than gave answers and Luke and Leia glanced at each other. Which of us knows, their look said, and what do we know. And how does he know.

"Decline refers to when the ecosystem begins to stop taking nourishment from the sun, and as a result harvest is stopped and plants, as well as many animal species, enter a period of dormancy," Threepio felt obliged to explain. He was the fourth occupant, in the rear of the speeder next to Luke. He had been physically unable to reach the shoulder restraints and strap in, and had his metal arms raised up and bent at the elbow, ready to protect himself.

"We figured it out, thanks," Han said in an unfriendly tone. His earlier question to Leia does he have to had elicited a single answer: yes.

"You are most welcome, Captain Solo," the droid happily answered, and continued on as if the humans had no knowledge of anything without his assistance. "As the season of Rebirth follows in six Imperial months, it does indicate that the process of decline is reversed. Therefore, I would agree with Master Skywalker. The moniker reveals a rather needlessly gloomy outlook-"

"We get it, Threepio," Luke tried to stop him.

"- which doubtless is a reflection on early inhabitants' lack of scientific understanding combined with-"

"My desire to shoot you also has no scientific basis," Han said. "But there it is."

"Oh-" the droid sputtered.

The expression on Leia's face- she'd been thinking of the word decline, and as a result she looked both resigned and prepared- softened. Requests and orders were what typically quieted the droid, and now she learned apparently a confusing hostility worked as well. It wasn't an approach she would undertake personally, but it was effective.

Without the droid's chatter, it was quiet inside the speeder. At times this silence felt comfortable but at other times all three were reminded how little they knew each other. The quiet was made tolerable by their recent successes. Yes, there'd been more than one, and yes they seemed to need each other for them to be able to happen. Right now, they sped along a countryside in golden sunshine, a precious cargo looking like ordinary baggage locked out of sight, and it was a beautiful, successful day.

Han glanced over at Princess Leia. No one had much sleep the night before and he was wondering if her being tired would aid him in his game. It was his own, secret game, How to Rile a Princess, and it didn't bother him at all that tweaking circumstances was a form of cheating. He pushed a button and the rooftop over their seats slid back.

"Ooh," Luke said, and he shifted in his seat behind Han so that he was partially leaning out the speeder.

"Must you," Leia said resignedly, but that was all the complaint she mustered because she knew Han wanted one. The stiff breeze that blew her hair had an immediate, invigorating effect. She checked the reflectors at each side of the speeder to ensure no one was following them, and then the one over her seat to see how her braids were managing.

Level one, Han thought, a little disappointed, to himself. "Gotta see what this baby can do," he told her. "Now, if you had sprung for the upgraded model-"

"I believe it was you," Leia broke in smoothly, countering his goad with one of her own, "who said that a true pilot knows how to bend a machine to his will. I assumed you were talking about yourself. So clearly the upgrade was an extraneous expense."

She turned her face toward the window, not bothering to see how her comment registered on his face. Sometimes the need to speak took effort and she needed to rest. She was suffering recently, spiritually drained, and a normal conversation sapped her of strength, words needing to arise from somewhere bottomless in her. Han rarely employed regular conversation with her. She couldn't be normal, and he was the only one who didn't ask her to be. At least not now, and she wondered if that would ever change. If she would just walk away from his ludicrous statements or his needling, and leave him be the only not normal one.

His conversation wasn't helpful or enlightening in the greater scheme of things, but it helped her. He prodded for responses, and she found them, answers zinging with an accuracy she thought she had lost. She was up for his challenge, and oddly grateful. Stifling the Smuggler was a pastime she found she might come to enjoy.

Luke had been watching the way dried leaves swirled in their wake like they were excited about something, only to settle down to the ground again, embarrassed for revealing too much. It was not unlike Han and Leia, he thought. "She got you," he told Han. "But I do agree we don't want to catch the attention of the authorities."

"We'll never know in this jalopy," Han muttered.

Leia pushed the button to raise the roof top.

"No, leave it down," Luke pleaded. He was enjoying the scenery. Travel was a side benefit to the war, and he was glad for the opportunity. He hadn't been to as many places as either Leia or Han, and it still amazed him. Nor was he going to hide his enjoyment. Leia and Han might roll their eyes at him or be entertained by his enthusiasm, but that's who he was and it was good for them to see it. It was when he looked at Han and Leia- a smuggler and a princess, the company he kept!- that he also felt an amazement for himself. They were strong personalities, but he thought he must be too, for them to hold a place for him. He was as vital an ingredient to their success as they were, and he had to pinch himself.

"It's nice through here," he said. "Must be an old speeder lane."

He had a point, Leia thought. She hadn't made that observation herself, and she wondered if she forgot how. She thought about travel differently than Luke. It hurt, and it had a purpose. But he was right; the trees were mature and turn-offs sporadic. Lonely farm houses or small developments dotted the countryside. The speedway was one lane, narrow and unkempt. Han had to steer around untrimmed branches.

"Indeed, Master Luke," Threepio obliged. "Perusal of the land grants indicates the city's growth expands ever westward. As we are traveling along the easternmost route, I would agree that this lane is quite old."

Han had been observing the same details but out of his own need, which was to get to the end of the journey as swiftly and safely as possible. He didn't often include safety. The concepts taken together were a bit of a conundrum, and his attention had drifted to seeking evidence in his experience the two could co-exist. His eyes darted to the rear reflector, which caught Luke's shoulder in the seat behind him, and then to the side, where the Princess sat calmly. He shifted a hip with a grunt, and pushed the accelerator.

"Captain Solo," Threepio's bent arms twitched, "I notice that our speed is now twelve units past the legal speed limit."

"You're venturing past my legal limit," Han warned.

"I only mention this because local law policy permits search of a stopped speeder. I certainly do not wish to heighten what appears to be an animosity towards me. Though I cannot understand why. After all, I am only-"

Luke patted the droid. "Thanks for the information, Threepio."

"Certainly, Master Luke. I do wish to make you aware there are no laws protecting droids from violence, even at the hands of their masters-"

"We'll put you back together if Han shoots you," Luke promised. Unlike Han, he was patient and unbothered by Threepio's traits. Since the droid had come into his service, a lot of things had happened, and Luke felt better about them if he believed there was a reason.

"That is not exactly reassuring-"

"Captain Solo won't shoot you," Princess Leia assured the droid. She glanced up at the smuggler. "Will you."

"Never say won't," Han answered.

"Someone's coming up behind us," Luke said. Han and Leia each glanced in the side view reflector on their side of the speeder.

"Who is it," Han said.

"How would I know?" Luke said.

"He means how cautious do we need to be," Leia interpreted. "Is it an Imperial craft?"

"He's gonna pass."

Leia squinted ahead. A curve in the lane blocked the view. "Idiot," she breathed.

"Maybe there's oncoming and we'll get to enjoy a head-on collision," Han said.

"That's not funny," Leia said. It was unlikely. They hadn't seen much traffic in either direction. Silence fell again and became much more tense. Each was thinking their own, very different, scenario of what might happen next.

They all watched as a dark maroon speeder with tinted glass pulled into the oncoming space lane to pass and edged ahead. Han lifted a hand off the steerer, intending to greet the pilot with a rude gesture, and Leia reached across, stopping him.

"Don't," she said.

Level two, Han thought, with bonus points for touching.

"He's in a big hurry," Luke observed.

"He's a local," Han concluded to them without basis of fact. "You're both paranoid."

"We've got good reason to be," Princess Leia said, her mouth set into the sour line of memory.

"Oh dear," Threepio fretted. "Best stay far away from someone so reckless they endanger their own life."

"Han's in the front seat, Threepio," Luke joked.

"I'm happy to eject the both of you, kid," Han drawled.

"Nah, it's okay," Luke laughed. "I'm just as bad."

"You may be worse," Leia said.

"I don't know," Luke said. "It might be a three-way tie, Leia."

"I would nominate all three of you," Threepio said. "There was that moment when-"

The droid made a strangled noise of alarm as Han's abrupt turn on the controls sent him tumbling against the speeder's door.

"What are you doing?" Leia demanded.

The maroon speeder had made a right turn into a residential area.

"Following him," Han said. He was grim but enjoying himself. He hadn't touched the decelerator.

The craft didn't handle all that bad, he thought to himself. Normally, he enjoyed testing the abilities of a craft, any craft. But it was true that also tended to attract the attention of local law enforcement, and since Han's passengers were the two most responsible for the Empire's recent and astounding defeat, lately he'd been pretty careful. It wasn't like him at all, and also lately he'd been irritable.

"All that hurry for barely a half a standard unit," Luke said of the other speeder pilot.

"Let it go," Leia advised.

"Yes, please listen to Her Royal Highness," Threepio implored.

"Oh, sure." Han was sarcastic. "You can blow up the Death Star but you can't confront a bad driver."

Leia looked at Luke over her shoulder and he grinned at her. Outside, they flew through a suburban lane; houses with large yards arranged themselves equidistantly from the lane. The planned order made for a pleasant scene.

It was a nice neighborhood, Luke thought. The leaves scattered along the ground made it look picturesque. One residence they passed had a giant climbing web attached between the side and a tree; this was a favorite activity of off-world Rodian. And several had large pools set in the ground, the kind off-world Calamari installed.

"There are a lot of different life forms here. It's a mixed neighborhood," Luke observed. "I like to see that. What if you had a house here," he posed to the other two. "What would it say about you and your homeworld? Tatooine wasn't green, but I was a farmer. I think in a place like this I'd enjoy a huge garden."

Leia smiled wistfully and leaned her head against the seat. "I would only want to be comfortable. I'd have an outdoor living area with a fire pit and maybe a screen if it's buggy. A soaking pond, and soft chairs to curl up into and listen to the birds."

"That's today, in this weather," Han pointed out. "What's after Decline? Void, was it? Dark all day."

"I wonder if the neighbors are friendly with each other," Luke said. "All these different life forms. How'd they get here?"

"I imagine they are friendly," Leia said. "They probably all speak Basic, living here. And since there is an obvious variety, I would bet workplaces and schools accommodate for differing biological needs, like air and gravity."

Luke and Leia began to imagine the life of a homeowner in this neighborhood. "I'd go for walks," Leia said. "I'd have a pet." "I'd have one of those pools and learn to swim. And I like the leaves," Luke said. "I'd gather them in piles, hide stuff in 'em for the neighbor kids."

There was a quality to their discussion, the sad memory of security, that wasn't exactly realistic. Even Threepio seemed to sense it and didn't offer any facts and statistics.

Han followed the maroon speeder and grew more irritable with each home they passed. To him, this kind of playing pretend was a waste of time. Imaginations, for some reason, strayed too far from the truth. Luke and Leia had already been hit hard; why would they set themselves up again?

"I wouldn't live here," he said.

"No? Why's that?" Luke asked.

Leia said, "You'd be the one the neighbors complain about."

"No," Han growled, but then he tempered himself. She made him hit level one, hadn't she. "A house don't move," he offered as a reason. "I'd get bored."

"You want to be someplace different all the time," Luke concluded. "It's nice to take root somewhere, though."

Han didn't answer. His target had pulled into a covered port. The residence was wood, like the others, with numerous but small windows. The exterior didn't reveal much about the owner, except there was a tall metal post, and an Imperial flag flapped from it in the breeze.

Maybe that was revealing enough, Luke thought.

Han pulled into the speeder port behind the maroon one. Its pilot had already exited. He was a human, mid-forties, with a paunch and thinning hair. He was looking down at his comm unit. Talk about security, Han grumbled to himself. It pissed him off.

"Excuse me, asshole," Han leaned out in a friendly manner, "do you need any help?"

The combination of being greeted with a somewhat vulgar term and then hearing a polite offer of assistance confused the man. He looked up from his comm. "Excuse me?"

"You were flying like an idiot so I had you pegged for an asshole."

"Did I hear you right?"

"But then you turned so quick I figured it must be an emergency. Your house on fire?"

Only Han could be simultaneously friendly and insulting, Luke thought. No, on second thought, Leia was pretty good at it too, only she was not conversational; she tended to lecture.

"Did you just call me an asshole?" the man demanded. He held up his comm unit.

Leia already saw how this could escalate. Under her breath, she said, "Uh-oh. Han. He's recording. Drop it. Let's go."

"I always wanted to do this," Han said to her. Then louder, he called out to the man, "Just making sure you don't need help." He turned the speeder engine off.

"Don't get out," Leia warned.

Han got out.

"I don't need help," the man said. He took a step backward as Han approached. "I don't need-"

"I guess it's asshole, then."

"We don't need to be on film," Leia hissed. She tried not to feel alarm, and told herself their load in the storage bin of the landspeeder was safe.

"Look, asshole," the stranger's comm was making him braver. "What's your problem? What's the big idea following me in that hotshot speeder-"

Han didn't bother to answer. Hotshot. It was a kriffing rental and the Princess wouldn't spring for the upgraded model.

"Dented side panel," Han observed about the maroon speeder, circling it while the man pointed his comm at him. "Fender's completely cracked, grille's gone. Huh. You must drive like that all the time." He looked at his companions and shrugged elaborately. "Verdict's asshole, I'm afraid."

Leia had her head lowered, her hand on her forehead shading her face.

"Yup," Luke agreed.

"Oh, dear," Threepio said.

Luke had pulled himself to his feet by holding on to the headrest of Han's seat. "You could get killed, you know," he told the man, "driving like that."

"That's okay, kid," Han said, walking back to him. "Then it'll be one less asshole the rest of us gotta worry about."

"This is some kind of intimidation," the man said, pointing his comm in the direction of the speeder the others rode. "Human persecution. You're a bunch of being-bleeders, aren't you. Thinking you got to stand up all the time for other life forms. Well, let me tell you, I'm human! Humans are the ones who settled this galaxy. Humans are the ones who have driven every single important moment in history. We run this Empire! And no whining Wookiee, no reprimanding Rodian, no hulking Hutt is gonna-"

Leia couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Give me your blaster," Leia said to Han. "I'm going to shoot him."

Zing, level five! Han beamed at her. He shouldn't, but he wanted to see what she was going to do.

Luke somehow knew he was going to. "Han," he warned.

Han ignored Luke. He pulled his weapon from his thigh holster and handed it to her before he took his seat behind the steerer. All bets were on. She could just scare the man; Han often found waving a weapon around was enough to cause alarm. Or she really could shoot him.

He wouldn't think any less of her if she killed him. He might even admire her a bit more than he did already. This asshole might have a life, but Han would bet money society wouldn't miss him. It was okay in his book if she shot him, especially after what happened to the Princess's home. This asshole had a home. Maybe a family lived in it.

But you know what, Han told the asshole's ghost, life goes on. The wife could remarry. She could remember her first husband died an asshole, but she'd be happy again.

"Mistress Leia!" Threepio called in alarm. "Might I remind you that-"

Leia aimed for the fuel tank as Han started to navigate their own speeder back into the traffic lane.

"Good shot," he muttered. Liquid was pouring out of the vehicle.

"Get back here!" the angry man followed, still filming them. "I'm calling the authorities! You damaged my property!"

"You know, if you fire again at the fuel, you might spark it and blow the speeder up," Han informed the Princess.

She shook her head. "I don't want anyone to get hurt."

Luke, still standing with one knee on the back seat to stay balanced, brandished his lightsaber to protect Leia. He was a little carried away. This was just like training on Han's ship with the remote, and he knew he'd be able to deflect the man's shots, should he brandish a weapon.

"I'm a Jedi!" he hollered. He waved the blue saber around and it hummed loudly.

"Master Luke!" Threepio despaired. "Please, sit down!"

"We'll continue to damage until the Empire is no more!" Luke continued to shout anti-Imperial rhetoric until Han pushed the button for the cockpit to reseal.

"Shut up, kid."

The isolating silence of the closed speeder brought the three to a more sober mood.

"We shouldn't have done that," Leia said. Now that they were back in the space lane, she knew she'd acted rashly. It was new to her, this anger that demanded action, and she didn't think it was wrong, but sometimes it scared her.

"Whining Wookiee," Han commented darkly. "Hadn't heard that cute little language game."

"In fact, Captain Solo," Threepio welcomed a chance to inform the man, "it is called allit-"

"I'm glad we did," Luke said. "Attitudes like that trickling down into the most trivial aspects of life, you gotta try and make a change."

"I think I rather encouraged his viewpoint when I shot the fuel tank," Leia said. She was upset with herself. "Diplomacy and education is what really works. I played right into the prejudice. If I believe that all life is entitled to the same freedoms as humans, then I have to allow humans to continue to enjoy them, too."

She placed Han's blaster on his lap. The barrel was still warm, but he didn't complain.

"I just get so mad sometimes," she said. "After what the Empire did to Alderaan-"

Luke reached out to touch her shoulder. "Hey, you don't have to tell us," he said. But he didn't want her to dwell. "Imagine if Chewie were here, huh, Han?" he said of Han's Wookiee copilot, who had remained behind to stay with the freighter.

"At least we're just passing through, right?" Han took his hand off the steerer and showed them his open palm. "No harm done. Threepio can note the address and you can send the guy some credits to fix his fuel tank. Along with a pamphlet explaining why there's a civil war. No harm done, and we had a little fun."

"I have a good feeling about it," Luke declared.