Chapter Four

Hapes

When she had first left Coruscant, all those long months ago, Leia had hoped she would come to love Isolder. Now she knew the truth. There would never be love between her and her future husband. This was the ultimate Royal Marriage of convenience, put in place by both the Ruling House of Hapes and the leaders of the New Republic.

It was now only two days until her wedding. As a young girl, Leia had, like most other girls dreamed about her perfect wedding, what she would wear, who she would marry. Never in her wildest imagination did she think she would marry a man she didn't love and that obviously didn't love her. Because, if anything was now apparent, it was that Prince Isolder was marrying her because his mother, Queen Mother Filamina, had ordered him to do so. Ever so polite and deferential to Leia, he showed no passion toward his fiancée, and the only intimacy they shared were stoic kisses on the cheek after dinner before they each retired to separate bedrooms in separate areas of the palace.

Leia couldn't stop thinking about the man she'd love and lost. When Luke had arrived on Hapes two weeks ago and told her the terrible news it didn't seem real. Her first reaction was annoyance, and she told Luke to stop joking - Han was most certainly NOT dead. Han must have decided to manipulate her emotions to get her to return to Coruscant and Luke was going along with the Corellian's lame game plan. Right? RIGHT? Then, seeing her brother's shattered expression, Leia knew it was no joke, no manipulation. Han was dead. For three solid days Leia stayed in bed, wishing she could die as well. I deserve to die. I left him for another man. I told him to have a nice life, even though he already knew his life was about to come to an end. It wasn't supposed to end this way. Han was supposed to swoop back into my life, come here and rescue me from this nightmare.

That was never going to happen, though. On the morning of the fourth day after learning the news about Han, Leia got up, got dressed and steeled herself to enter into a loveless marriage, for the good of the New Republic.

It's what I deserve.

Kashyyyk

Doctor Nik had provided Han - now officially using the name Evin - with two thousand credits as well as one pair of brown slacks, tan shirt and ankle high black boots. After leaving the apartment on Corellia, the first thing Han did was stop at a gun shop that sold blasters and bought himself a replacement DL-44 and gun belt. This set him back over four hundred credits, but he considered the money well spent, even though Han knew he'd have to spend more time and money to modify this blaster to match his missing one.

His next expenditure was a one-way ticket to Kashyyyk. He would go to Chewie's home and tell him he was still alive. This would probably take some fast talking, but Han was confident he could convince his long-time partner who he really was, deep down. Of course, after Chewie believed him, they would jump into the Millennium Falcon and rush to Hapes to stop Leia from marrying that Hapan slimeball. He and Leia could still have their happily ever after, once he convinced her who he really was. If anyone could pull this off, the ever confident Corellian believed he could.

So, with those thoughts in mind, Han knocked on the door of Chewie's home expecting Malla, Lumpy or maybe Chewie to answer the door. It wasn't any of them.

An older female Wookiee answered the door, frowning at the human standing in front of her. *Yes? Can I assist you?*

Han stepped back, studying the home's outward appearance to double check he was at the correct home. "Yeah, I think so. I'm looking for Chewbacca. He lives here."

*Not anymore.*

"What?"

*Not anymore,* the Wookiee repeated slowly, rolling her eyes. *Can you understand Shyriiwook?*

"Yeah, I can understand you just fine."

*He sold it to me just last month.*

"Sold it? Why?"

*He moved,* she replied, trying to keep patient with this strange human.

"But... but where did he move to?"

*Coruscant.*

"Coruscant?" Han asked, incredulously. "He hates living there."

*Perhaps it had something to do with his new job?*

"What kind of job?" Han prodded, knowing full well he was annoying this lady Wookiee to no end.

*Chewbacca took the job as Ambassador of Kashyyyk, representing all Wookiees in the New Republic. The job was offered to him immediately upon his return to Kashyyyk.*

The Corellian was staggered by this information. How could he waltz back into Chewie's life now? He was in a prestigious job, living with his family. He's truly made something of himself, Han thought in awe, tinged with more than a little regret. Of course he did, now that he's not tied down to a drifter like me. He might even be happy I'm dead and his life-debt is finished.

He thanked the Wookiee for her time and wandered off, pondering his next move. He needed his ship, and that was a fact. Perhaps it was berthed back on Coruscant. But how to get it back? He knew he could never tell Chewie who he was, not without Chewie once again, probably reluctantly giving up everything and following his friend out of a sense of duty. He also didn't have enough credits to purchase the Falcon back from Chewie, and what's more, Han suspected Chewie wouldn't sell it to him, anyway, without knowing his true identity.

So the only alternative he could see was stealing his ship and heading to Hapes alone. He just needed to hurry, and work out minor details like eluding that tight port security on Coruscant. I'll guess I'll just make it up as I go along.

Coruscant, two days later

Han was now down to his last nine hundred credits and no further ahead at locating his ship. He'd checked out dock after dock, even bribing his way into places he knew rich people and politicians kept their expensive ships safely locked away from people like, well, like him. But he could find no Millennium Falcon, anywhere.

Desperate for any information at all, he sauntered up to a young, human female wearing a Port Security uniform, and gave her a wide grin. It was time to find out how attractive this new body actually was, and if he could charm the ladies like he had in his prior life.

"Why, hello," he stopped, and peered at her name tag. "Captain Sundi Dell. That's a cute name. My name's Evin. Do you work here?"

She looked up from her stylus, obviously prepared to make some snarky comment but it died on her lips. Instead, she blushed and replied, "Of course. Can I help you?"

Okay, not bad, "Evin". "Yes, as a matter of fact. I'm just a tourist from Corellia, looking for an old freighter, a YT-1300. It's called the Millennium Falcon, and I've heard it's a real famous ship. So, ya know, I'd like to see it for myself. Even if it's just off in the distance."

A strange look crossed over her features. "That was owned by General Han Solo. I don't know if you've heard, but he died a short while back. Everyone on Coruscant was just so upset. He was so well known and well loved."

"He was?" Han asked, eyes widening. "Loved, I mean?"

"Of course. He was a war hero, and helped bring down the Emperor."

"Oh, well, I knew that part. I just didn't know anyone actually loved him," Han said, frowning in confusion. None of the higher ups in the New Republic seemed to give him the time of day, and Mon Mothma was downright giddy when Isolder made his very public proposal to Princess Leia. No matter what this young lady was claiming, Han didn't believe for one moment anyone other than Chewie, and hopefully Leia, actually cared he was dead and gone. "So, do you know where the Millennium Falcon ended up?"

"I thought everyone knew," Sundi replied, looking at him with growing suspicion. "His friends sent General Solo's body into Corellia's primary with his ship, after a private funeral."

"They burned up the Falcon?!" Han gasped out, clutching his chest in horror. "But... why?"

"Why not? It was General Solo's ship. It was very appropriate that no one else ever fly it again." Sundi frowned in disapproval at his reaction. "You seem more upset about the ship than General Solo."

Han couldn't respond, feeling more than a bit nauseated over the loss of his ship, the only home he'd ever known, and he could only think, this day can't get any worse.

He was, once again, wrong.

Hapes

Luke put his hand on Leia's arm. Dressed in a wedding gown that cost well over fifty thousand credits, she looked like the most beautiful bride that ever existed. Except for her expression, which was more in line with a condemned prisoner walking to her execution.

"You can still leave," Luke told her. "You don't love Isolder and this marriage isn't necessary."

"Yes, it is."

"It wasn't your fault he died," Luke insisted, knowing he'd never forget Leia's horror, grief and utter devastation after hearing about Han's death. "I'm certain he didn't blame you for anything."

"I should have been with him until the end, so I'm to blame for that," Leia replied grimly. "He died believing I no longer loved him, and for that I will never forgive myself."

"Leia, please reconsider...this is your life you're throwing away."

The Princess shut her eyes. "Just escort me down the aisle, Luke. This is my punishment, my penance."

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Luke held out his arm and walked his stubborn sister to her fate.

Back on Coruscant, Han strolled out on a wide sky-high sidewalk, and into the bright sunlight from the relatively dim interior of the spaceport. Blinking to adjust his eyes, he nearly ran into the back of several Twi'lek females, staring up at a huge holo-screen attached to a building across from the speeder traffic lanes. Han was used to these common and intrusive abominations, blinking advertising at all hours of the day and night, and occasionally showing something a bit more interesting, like political hearings or inane talk shows.

"Sorry," he muttered to the Twi'leks, who didn't reply or even take their eyes off the screen. In fact, everyone around him had stopped walking and were staring up, transfixed, at the screen. Puzzled, Han followed their gaze upward… and felt his blood run cold. Leia's wedding was being holo-cast to everyone in the New Republic to view.

"No.." Han whispered. It took all of his willpower to remain standing. I should have gone directly to Hapes. I could've stopped her. But now it was too late. He'd lost his chance, and it was over. First his body, then his best friend and his ship and now the woman he loved. The final thread to his past was severed. Everyone he loved, everything he held dear was gone. Blinking back tears of rage and frustration, Han longed to blast apart the screen that was mocking him and he clenched his fists in rage. Suddenly the holo-screen did just that – it exploded in a spectacular display of pyrotechnics, making all the beings watching it screech in surprise and cover their faces for protection, even though it was too far away to actually cause viewers' any harm.

Han took a step back in surprise, as well. He had never seen a holo-screen explode. But it was a coincidence, he told himself. He certainly didn't cause that to happen. But what Han did intend to happen would be to find the nearest bar and drink himself into oblivion.