Reworking my Solo Rewrite. A 2nd Draft if you will. This is what I call a movie-fic, a fanfic movie idea. The story basically has us follow Han Solo, beginning on Corellia where he struggles to survive, forced to do smalltime crime. As he joins the Imperial Navy, he makes a career moving contraband within the Empire. As he eventually is forced to leave the Navy, he moves on to bigger heists, joining forces with hardened criminals and making a name for himself as a privateer for hire.

SOLO

Planet of Corellia:

Stars. We move down and come a cross a half-finished Star Destroyer, people and droids hard at work like tiny ants all over the huge ship. The Star Destroyer is not in space, but in a dockyard surrounded by a large town, the ship floating in an anti-gravity field.

In the town, a crowd of people are watching a holographic transmission of Chancellor Palpatine proclaiming the Republic as the first Galactic Empire ( the iconic scene from Revenge of the Sith ). The Corellians aren't sure what to make of it.

One of the men speaks to the people next to him. "I heard we're gonna keep building warships for the navy."

"Why?" a woman wonders. "The wars are over aren't they?"

"Please!" the man says and sneers. "The Separatists rebelled against the Republic. How many worlds will rebel now that they've created an Empire? Believe me, the wars wont be over anytime soon."

Another man, arms folded over his chest, shakes his head. "Republic or Empire, I don't care. As long as we keep building ships it means food on the table."

A young boy, 12 years old, listens to the grownups; this is Han Solo! He leaves and runs down the street and finds a platform that overlooks a street on a lower level. A regiment of Clone Soldiers marches by together with AT-PT's and even AT-ST's, the soldiers carrying banners.

"Han!" a woman calls out and walks up to the boy and grabs his arm. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"I just wanted to see the soldiers, mom" Han tells his mother.

His mother turns into a massive frown. "Soldiers? Thugs protecting the rich and wealthy, that's all they are. Look up there." She points at the Star Destroyer being built up in the sky. "You see that? Those ships might mean we all have a job, that we all have food on the table. But somewhere else in the galaxy, those ships will be a symbol of oppression and occupation. Never forget that Han. Those with power will do anything to keep that power, they will lie, cheat and abuse anyone if it means keeping their power. And all we ordinary people can do, is to take every chance we get to exploit the bastards. Turn the tables on them whenever we can. Do you understand? Never let them push you down. Always push back. Always."

Corellia, 8 years later:

Han Solo, now 20 years old, dirty and scruffy looking, sits and drinks water from a bottle.

"Han Solo!"

Han looks over at the alien that has called out his name. The alien yells at him in an alien language and waves him over. Han Solo puts the bottle back in his belt, gets on his feet and gets back to work.

Music begins to play, Sugaan Essena with The Hu, as a long montage begins; Han Solo and other workers weld plates, work with electrical wiring, carry heavy parts, connect machines and cables, the work is hard, they struggle to get things done but they do it, it is dangerous and exhausting work. In the end, Han and other workers step onboard a speeder-skiff that takes them away from their workplace. As the skiff moves away, Han looks at what they've been building; an Imperial Star Destroyer.

Leaving it behind, Han watches as another Star Destroyer is released from the dockyards anti-gravity field, it rocks a bit as its own anti-gravity engines catches it and then it slowly begins to gain altitude as its engines comes alive.

The skiff flies into town, a rundown, shady place to live, drunks and prostitutes walking the streets, people selling food from stands, thugs and gangs everywhere. Imperial propaganda is everywhere. Han Solos eyes catches an ad that shows TIE pilots flying TIE Fighters and TIE Interceptors.

"Join the Navy Academy today" the ad calls out. "The Empire needs every able pilot out there. If you think you have what it takes, then join the Academy and protect your family and the citizens of the Empire from pirates and rebels. Make a difference. Be a hero. Be an Imperial."

Han Solo exits an elevator in an apartment-building and enters his home; it is small, dirty and poor. He picks up a small device from the floor and places it on a shelf; it activates and shows a holographic image of his mother. He finds his father asleep in bed, fully dressed. Han walks in and picks a spice-spike from his sleeping fathers hand; addictive spice-fumes escaping the spike. Han throws it out a window and then leaves the apartment.

Han enters a garage, pulls a tarp from a speeder-bike and gets on it, starts it up and drives off, out into the shady town. He doesnt do anything crazy, follows traffic and is a good citizen. At one point, he passes two stationary security-officers on a speeder-bike each.

"Dispatch" one officer says over his radio. "This is G-F zero one eight, we have eyes on the speeder that caused all that trouble last week. Looked like the same kid piloting it. In pursuit."

The two security-speeders heads into traffic and gives chase. Han looks over his shoulder has he hears the sirens and spots the flashing blue and red lights. He grins and speeds up. The chase is on!It is a brief, but high speed chase through traffic. Han Solo manages to shake his pursuers with ease with some fancy driving/piloting.

Proximas Tavern:

Han parks the speeder in front of a tavern and enters. He makes his way to the bar and a man having a drink. The man glances at Han.

"Hey, kid. You got what I asked for?"

"Sure do" Han says and retrieves a computer-card from his bag. "Guidance regulator for a turbolaser. Fresh from the docks."

The man grabs the card and inspects it. "Not bad, kid. Not bad at all." The man in turns picks up a can from his own bag and hands it to Han. "Dont eat it all at once." The man eyes Han as the kid places the can in his bag. "Come one, kid" he then says. "Follow me."

"What?" Han says a bit surprised. "Why?"

The man holds up a communicator. "I listen to the security comms. Seems like the authoroties have been trying to keep up with you for the past month. And failed. Street-racing, huh? Win much?"

Han shrugs his shoulders. "I've won four out of four races so far."

"Speeders that fast, huh?"

"Not really" Han says. "I'm just that damned good of a pilot."

The man grins and gives Han a nod. "Come on. Follow me."

Han follows the man to the back of the bar and through a door. They enter another door and take a flight of stairs down. They enter a large basement, made into a luxurious establishment with dancing girls, gambling and drugs. They cross the establishment until they reach a bunch of wealthy criminals gathered around a pool. Suddenly a huge worm/serpent/fish like creature emerges out of the pool and looks down at the man that has brought Han Solo.

"Cal Trennon" the female worm/serpent says. "What have you for me today?"

Cal holds up the guidance-regulator. "Guidance hardware for your blockade runner. Military grade, straight from the navy dockyards. Your guns will hit any pirate or patrol that comes withing range."

"Excellent! Cal, I can always count on you to deliver the goods. Always impressive. Always. A weeks worth of rations will be waiting for you, as agreed."

"I am greatful, lady Proxima" Cal says. "Tell me, have you sorted out the problem with tomorrows race?"

Proxima sneers. "No, not yet. The idiot crashed the speeder so hard there is nothing left of it. Ah, speaking of the idiot."

Two guards brings a man in and pushes him to the pool.

Proxima turns to the newcomer. "You cost me three crates of spice and two crates of rations, you bloody fool! And you crashed my speeder! How will you repay me?"

"I'll win tomorrows race. I promise you. I can win it. No problem."

Proxima eyes the pilot. "You? Win? With what? We have no speeder fast enough to join the race. How will you join?"

The pilot struggles to come up with a solution.

"I have a speeder" Cal then says and gains everyones attention. "But there's one small problem with it."

Proxima turns her body to face Cal. "And what problem would that be?"

"It's not fast enough to win the race" Cal says.

Proxima frowns. "So how does that solve my problem?!"

Cal grins. "The trick is that the speeder needs the proper kind of pilot. A pilot that can win even if the speeder isnt good enough. Funny thing is... I know such a pilot."

Cal holds out his hand towards Han and everyone turns their attention to him.

"Hey!" Han says. "Listen, I dont know whatta hell is going on here, but you got the wrong guy."

Cal turns to Proxima. "He's won the midtown race the last four events. Four wins out of four races in total. Same speeder, same pilot."

Proxima is intrigued. "Interesting. The midtown race is rough. No rules. Lots of security patrols interrupting. Four wins must be a record, I think."

Cal nods. "Eight years since it happened the last time."

Proxima chuckles. "I am impressed. The boy must have reflexes good enough to fly in a pod-race. A shame he is only human."

Cal turns to Han. "A human might never be good enough to fly in a pod-race, but we sure as hell can win the Ben Iblis Gauntlet. What do you say, kid? If you'll do it, I'll give you rations and water for three days. If you win, I'll give you food and water to last you a month."

Han looks at Cal, then at Proxima, then back at Cal. "And if I refuse?"

Proxima leans down to Han. "If you refuse, boy, then it is I who wont have to worry about rations for a month."

Proxima quickly swings back to the other pilot, jaws open wide and she dives down on him. The pilot screams with fear and his head and torso is then instantly swallowed. Proxima lifts her prey up as she begins to swallow the pilot down whole until he is gone. Han is terrified as he can see a bulge along Proximas long throat as her meal slides down. Proxima turns her attention back to Han.

"Do we have a deal?" Proxima asks.

"Sure" Han nods, hesitant. "Why not."

Cal pats Han on the shoulder. "You'll be alright, kid. Dont worry about it."

Ben Iblis Gauntlet:

Han flies his speeder at reckless speeds. He is in a race with two dozen other speeders, flying along a track filled with obstacles. One pilot miscalculates and crashes violently. Two others flies dangerously close, so one of them lashes out with a chain and strikes the other pilot from the speeder. Han manages to avoid disaster thanks to his skill as a pilot, dodging obstacles and dangerous pilots as he goes.

Watching the race is Cal, following Han as he goes. Not far from Cal is Proxima together with Imperial officers, a governor and Corellian bluebloods, there are also two Hutts present. This is basically the Corellian version of the Tatooine Pod Races.

It is a dangerous highspeed race that sees a lot of contestants crash and burn. In the end, Han Solo wins thanks to his excellent skills as a pilot. The crowd storms Han and picks him up, cheering him on as a hero. Cal approaches Han with a smile.

"You did good, kid. I knew you would" Cal says. "Come on. People want to talk to you."

"Alright" Han says and follows Cal.

Cal brings Han with him to the stands where all the VIPs are gathered; Proxima, the Imperials and the Hutts and the Corellians.

"Commodore Keylon" Cal says as he brings Han with him to a couple of Imperials and Corellians. "You asked for the victor. May I present, Han Solo. Winner of this Gauntlet."

"An impressive display" Commodore Keylon admits. "You're a natural talent, mister Solo. This is Corellia, so excellent pilots are far from being a rare thing here. But that was truly exceptional."

"I do my best" Han says. "I just fly, that's all."

"Tell you what, mister Solo" Keylon says. "The Empire has always need of pilots. Hunting pirates is a noble proffession. How about if I offer you a job?"

"Flying for the Empire?" Han says with a cocky smirk. "I'm sorry, sir, but Im no fan of getting shot at."

Keylon smiles. "Neither am I. Think about it, mister Solo. I promise you, a career in the Imperial Navy is a better offer than Corellia will ever give you."

"Thank you, sir" Han says and offers his hand. "I will consider it."

Keylon eyes the hand and then with a smile shakes it. Han pats Keylon on the shoulder and then leaves together with Cal.

Keylon turns to talk with the Corellians and Imperials, when one of the Corellians points at his uniform and the two security-rods he wears in his chestpockets.

"Didn't you have three of those?" the Corellian asks.

Keylon pats his uniform.

Han Solo secures a hover-cart to his speeder and loads it full with ration-boxes and water-bottles. Cal watches as Han climbs into the seat of his speeder.

"You did good, kid" Cal says. "Next Gauntlet is in three months. Stick around."

"Will do" Han says and then takes off, leaving Cal and the area behind.

Corellian Slums:

Han flies through the town, late at night. He moves through a shady part of town and eventually moves in under a bridge. Homeless people warm themselves by fires burning in barrels. A small group of people step out of the shadows, looking like guerilla-commandoes and armed to the teeth. Their leader is a woman, eyes stern and features covered by hood and cloak; Ahsoka Tano!

"You got it?" Ahsoka asks.

"Sure thing" Han replies, quite cocky, and hands over the security-rod he pickpocketed from Commodore Keylon.

Ahsoka inspects it, sticks it into a small device and then nods as she sticks it into her innerpocket.

"I wasnt sure you could pull it off" she says to Han. "But you were right. All we had to do was tamper with the original pilots speeder. You got their attention and you got in. I guess you're as good a pilot as you actually claim."

Han smirks. "Better. Im even better."

Ahsoka nods. "Stick around. We'll be in touch."

She turns and leaves with the others, except one who hands Han a bag before leaving with the others, entering the shadows.

Solos Apartment:

The door opens and Han brings in all the boxes and bottles he won in the Gauntlet. He opens one and picks up two cans of food and walks into the apartment. He stops to pick up the holo-device, puts it back in place and activates the image of his mother. He finds his father on the floor, a spice-stick in his hand, sleeping. Han places a blanket over his father and picks up the device he was given by Amidala, retrieving it from the bag. He puts it down next to his father and activates it; it is a glowing heater-apparatus. His father instantly reacts to the warmth it provides. Han picks up a can of rations, opens it and eats it sitting in the couch. It is a tragic scene.

Imperial Recruitment Office, Corellia:

Long lines of people lead up to the recruitment officers.

"Name?" an officer asks.

"Erin Ouro."

"Proffession?"

"Welder."

"Welder?" the officer says. "Infantry. Next! Name?"

"Belo Vouk."

"Proffession?"

"Mechanic."

"Mechanic, huh? Infantry. Next! Name?"

"Han Solo."

"Proffession?"

"I'm here to see Commodore Keylon" Han says.

"Proffession?" the officer says, irritated.

"Look" Han says, annoyed. "I'm here to speak with Commodore Keylon."

The officer eyes Han with suspicion.

Han sits in a small room on a lonely chair, two armed Stormtroopers behind him, with a black eye. The door opens and in walks Commodore Keylon.

"Mister Solo" Keylon says. "This is a bit of a surprise."

"I'm here to sign up" Han says. "Im a pilot and you know Im a damn good one. I can fly anything. And if it doesnt fly, I'll make it fly. I'll be the best damned pilot the Empire has ever seen."

Keylon gives the troopers a nod and they release Han from the shackles. Han and Keylon step outside onto a balcony on the large Imperial building. They watch as TIE Strikers flies past overhead and shuttles takes off and lands on platforms.

"You think you got what it takes, mister Solo?" Keylon asks.

Han nods. "That and then some."

"Good" Keylon says. "Because I'm going to recommend you to the Academy. Two years from now you'll be a pilot flying a TIE Fighter, gunning down pirates and criminals all over the sector. If you're as good as I think you are, five years from now you'll be an officer serving on a Star Destroyer."

They watch as a Star Destroyer slowly ascends to the skies, leaving its drydock behind.

"Three years, sir" Han says. "I'll be on one of those in three years."

Keylon smiles. "Welcome to the Imperial Navy, cadet."

"You wont regret this, sir" Han says as he shakes Keylons hand. "I'll be the best TIE pilot you've ever heard of. You can count on it."

Planet of Zargell:

An Imperial Zeta-class cargo-shuttle ( the quad-winged shuttle introduced in Rogue One ) flies towards the planet of Zargell. Onboard are two crewmembers; the pilot, Lieutenant Han Solo, now a few years older, along with his co-pilot, Ensign Munbrin.

Solo activates his communicator. "Zargell flight-command, this is shuttle Epsilon Three-Three-Zero. We're transmitting our code-clearance. Please confirm."

A voice responds over the radio. "Shuttle Epsilon Three-Three-Zero, this is Zargell flight-command. We have received your code-clearance and you are cleared to land."

"Understood." Solo says.

The shuttle flies past two Star Destroyers in orbit. The shuttle lands at an Imperial base on the ground, located not far from the frontlines of a warzone; the battles are heard and seen in the background. Solo and his co-pilot steps outside and are greeted by the quartermaster.

The quartermaster rests his hands against his hips. "Han Solo! Welcome back."

Solo grins. "How are ya, Ryq?"

"Could've been better" Ryg says. "The damned rebels on this good for nothing rock just don't know when to give up. Landed two bombs on us only three days ago. And we've been blasting them for how long? Twelve months? How about you?"

Solo shrugs his shoulders. "Oh, you know, same old crap. Flying from one end of the Empire to the other."

The quartermaster nods. "I can imagine. Anything I should know about concerning your cargo?"

Solo hands Ryq a small box that the quartermaster puts in his pocket.

"Get it off and my boys will unload the rest" Ryq says.

Solo and his co-pilot retrieve a crate from the cargo-hold and leaves with it and only after does the quartermaster give his crew orders to empty the shuttle.

XXX XXX

The crate is opened and Solo hands out various items to a group of Imperial officers in a warehouse.

"Some Corellian brandy. A box of magluvian spice. Nuuvian slicers. A power-charger with a Mandalorian foculizer. And a vial of pishren neuro-toxin… don't drink it all at once."

A colonel steps up to Solo. "Solo, you got what I asked for?"

Solo offers the colonel a smile. "Sure thing, colonel. Straight from Nar Shadaa. Two bottles of belindan gin mixed with Moncal bile. What more do you need to forget the stress of fighting rebels?"

The colonel shakes his head. "I don't know how you do it, Solo. Where the hell do you find all this stuff?"

"Hey, it's what I do, colonel. It's what I do."

XXX XXX

Later, the colonel pours himself a drink of belindan gin in his office together with a captain.

The captain studies the drink. "How can a guy like Solo continue his business? Where the hell does he find all of this stuff? It's only a matter of time before a guy like him gets caught."

The colonel shrugs his shoulders. "Solo has connections all over the Empire. Officers in the army, the navy, hundreds of bureaucrats, maybe thousands, that he trades favors with. I'll tell ya, there is no-one in the Empire that has the amount of connections as Han Solo. If you want something that is not acceptable for you to get your hands on, Solo is the guy that will get it for ya."

The captain enjoys the drink but shakes his head. "Sounds to me like the day the guy goes down, he's going down with a big bang."

"I don't know" the colonel says. "Solo was a prodigy in the Academy. Pilot-skills unlike anyone else. The way I understand it, he was singled out to fly TIE Defenders as soon as he graduated."

The captain is obviously impressed by this. "So whatta hell happened? Why's he flying cargo?"

The colonel leans back comfortably in his chair. "He punched a Star Destroyer captain. Apparently, the guy was harassing a twi'lek dance-girl and Solo knocked him out. But Solo's commanding officer at the Academy made sure that Solo avoided penal-duty and instead had him transferred and demoted. So, now, he flies cargo."

The captain shakes his head. "Poor guy. But if he has a soft-spot for lowlifes, he just had it coming. He wont get any sympathies from me."

"I don't think he cares all that much what you think of him, captain. I'm not sure he cares all that much about anyone at all."

XXX XXX

Solo and his co-pilot hangs out with fellow officers and pilots at the base, drinking and joking and gambling. One TIE pilot is exceptionally cocky.

"So I came up behind the rebel fighter, an old separatist-fightercraft, put six salvos into his starboard engine and saw it go down in flames. Nothing to it. These rebels are nothing but farmhands and drunkards."

"Drunkards, huh?" an officer says. "If that's the case, how come I've been stuck here for the past year?"

The pilot shrugs his shoulders. "Hey, what you do on the ground is none of my business. But maybe the war-effort would have gone a bit smoother if the navy was put in charge of all of it."

Solo's co-pilot, Ensign Munbrin, eyes the pilot. "You don't think that two Star Destroyers in orbit is enough to uproot some rebels? Seems to me that the navy is having as much trouble as the army here on Zargell."

"No offense, ensign" the pilot says, "but what would a cargo-pilot know about tactics and strategy?"

The officer nods in Solo's direction. "Solo here once managed to fight off two old Y-wings with his Zeta-shuttle. Shot them both down."

The pilot is a bit surprised by this. "A shuttle? Shot down two fighter-bombers?"

The officer nods. "What was that move you made, Solo? You managed to get one Y-wings torpedo to destroy the other one?"

Solo shrugs his shoulders, appearing quite nonchalant about it. "It wasn't all that difficult. As long as you know what you're doing."

The pilot looks at Solo, not believing the story. "You took out a Y-wing, using another Y-wings torpedo?"

"It's all about timing" Solo says. "I let one of them lead me on so the other could come up behind me and take his shot. As the torpedo was about to hit me, I opened my emergency-venting system and blasted the torpedo with hyper-particles, moved out of the way and when the torpedo had reset its tracking-system, it locked on to the other Y-wing. Simple."

The pilot finds the story astonishing. "You would have to hit the torpedo with the venting-blast the moment before it's gonna hit your shields, if its gonna distract the targeting-system like that."

Solo simply smiles. "I know." Solo wins the game at that point, placing his hand of cards on the table. "And with that, I'll bleed you all dry and cut my losses. Keep the bottle, gentlemen. I can always get my hands on more."

Solo leaves. Solo's co-pilot, Ensign Munbrin, reaches over and retrieves the bottle of alcohol and pours himself a drink.

"Solo's from Corellia." Munbrin tells the pilot "Flying is in their blood. Corellians are mechanics before they can crawl and pilots before they can walk. Building ships, repairing ships, flying ships, it's what they do. It's all they do. And Solo was exceptional even for a Corellian. So don't worry about it, lieutenant, you'll never be as good as him."

XXX XXX

Solo is walking on his own through the base, late at night. The battles are heard in the background, speeders fly past, AT-ST's walk past, soldiers march past. Solo finds an out of the way place behind some buildings where he meets up with a civilian woman who steps out of the shadows; this is Qi'ra.

"Hello, Han."

"Qi'ra."

"You got what I asked for?"

Solo holds up a datadisc. "You need to ask?"

"Well, you never know. There has to be a first for everything."

"You thinking about making enemies?" Solo asks her.

"It's hard to avoid enemies in my line of work" she tells him.

"True, but picking fights with the Hutt's?"

Qi'ra studies Solo with intense eyes. "You looked at the disc?"

Solo grins. "Sorry. Couldn't help myself. So… patrol-schedules surrounding Kessel, huh? You planning on cutting in on the Hutt's smuggling-operation?"

Qi'ra smiles. "Kessel spice is the best there is in the entire galaxy. If I can offer lower prices than the Hutt's for Kessel glitterstim, I'm set for life."

"That's a big if. The Hutt's are territorial to the extreme. They don't like competition."

Qi'ra nods. "I think I can make a deal they can live with. The Kessel Run is close to eighteen parsecs."

"For good reason" Solo cuts her off. "The nebula makes hyperspace-jumps impossible and patrols and scanners have a tight watch on Kessel. Those eighteen parsecs are the safest route to avoid detection."

Qi'ra nods, she knows Han is right. "I intend to find a shorter route" she then says. "I'm confident I can make the Kessel Run in sixteen parsecs."

"Sixteen? What makes you so sure?"

Qi'ra grins. "I know a guy."

Solo laughs. "I see. Alright, I wont stop you. If you want to upset the Hutt cartels, be my guest. But don't expect me to come to your rescue, sister. Nal Hutta is not part of the Empire."

Qi'ra rolls her eyes. "Han, when have you ever had to come and help me?"

"Well, I do seem to recall that one time…"

"I thought you swore to never bring that up again?"

"Yeah, about that… I might have lied."

"Lieutenant Solo, First Class, I do believe you are a bit of a scoundrel."

Solo offers Qi'ra a charming smile. "Only when it's appropriate. I'm actually a really nice guy."

"Nice guys never finds it appropriate to be scoundrels."

Solo takes a step closer to her. "So they claim."

"Han Solo… will you ever change?"

"Maybe, and only maybe, if I meet the right woman."

"Is that so?"

Qi'ra takes a step closer to Solo and then they embrace and kiss.

To be continued…

Originally, I had Padmé showing up instead of Ahsoka. In my rewrite of the Prequel Trilogy, Amidala survived and was key in forming the Rebel Alliance, bringing Republic loyalists together with former Sepparatists to combine their forces against the Galactic Empire. So in this story, she does a cameo, plain and simple.

My plan has been from the start to write an Obi-Wan movie-fic where Amidala is the one to bring him out of hiding. So the two of them goes off on an adventure fighting the Empire, and well... I think I had to switch Amidala from this story, lol. But that is for another story.