Chapter Twenty-three

The next day

"Whatdya mean, Coruscanti Labels wants to weasel out my contract?" Han yelled at Lando as he paced the man's apartment. "It's good for another two standard years!"

Lando swallowed nervously. "And that's not the only problem, Evin."

Han glared at the older Corellian. "I'm waiting."

"The movie company doesn't want you to star as the lead in their assassin droid movie. They want Pall Zappis to take over your role as the bounty hunter."

"Why?" Han asked, gritting his teeth in frustration. "That guy's a total jerk. His last holo-movie flopped and they lost money!"

Calrissian coughed, and moved a few steps away from Evin, who he noticed was ignoring the 'don't wear a blaster strapped to your hip' rule. As well as totally flaunting the 'always dress like a star' rule. A plain white shirt and black slacks? How many years would it take him to teach that boy how to properly dress, anyway?

"Everyone seems to think you've become a liability all of a sudden. There's a little clause in your contracts and that clause states they can withdraw if you show poor moral character or judgment in your private life."

"What the hell have I done that shows I have poor moral character?" Han growled, eyes narrowing. "Giving hundreds of thousands of credits to charities? Paying for the Jedi Academy to be built... on my property?"

"To be fair, no one knows about the credits you give to charity, and that was your decision to keep things quiet," Lando pointed out. "And a lot of beings don't much care for the Jedi making a comeback, since they associate Jedi with Sith, and, um, Sith are bad. Really bad."

"Luke is not going to bring the Sith back," Han said, annoyed. "He wouldn't do that."

"If you wouldn't be living with Princess Leia, none of this would be happening," Lando replied in exasperation. "A one night stand? Well, that I could probably work around. I could tell everyone it was a lapse of judgment, and promise everyone it won't happen again. But she's living with you, Evin. And the Hapen Royal Family is dragging her through the muck with this custody thing, and you along with her."

Han rubbed his jaw in frustration. "There is no way in hell I'm tellin' Leia to pack up and move. I love her."

"Love? Love?" Lando shouted suddenly, waving his arms in the air dramatically. "How can you be in love with her? You've only known her for, what? Two weeks?"

If Lando only knew the truth, Han thought in despair. Instead, he mentally counted back and lied, "Eight, almost nine weeks. Since the Dinner Club show in the Hapan capital."

"Nine whole kriffing weeks, and you're throwing your entire career away for her? Are you insane?"

"For her? You don't know Leia," Han snarled.

"I've known her better and longer than you've known her, Evin," Lando responded. "I know that she's a wonderful person. I know that she's high class and royal and all that. Don't tell me I don't know her."

Han shook his head, frustrated beyond words that Lando would assume he knew Leia better than Han did. And he couldn't exactly correct him. "I love her," he repeated.

"Are you sure you're not confusing love with infatuation or sex, Evin? You're young, and it takes maturity to know the difference." Seeing the murderous glare in Evin's face, Lando took a step back, holding up his hands to ward off a possible punch. "I'm just asking you to consider it."

"Get a lawyer and fight the movie company and Coruscanti Labels for breach of contract," Han said tightly. "If they want out of those contracts we've both signed, then they're gonna pay."

"I've already contacted your lawyer. You do recall that you keep a lawyer on retainer anyway, Evin?"

"Yeah, I remember," Han mumbled, although that was yet another lie. He had so many employees now that it was hard to remember all their names and what they actually did to earn their credits. If his income dried up, so would theirs. It was a huge burden that Han Solo would never, in a million years, have expected to bear.

He headed for the door, not wanting to listen to any more bad news from Lando.

"Hey," Lando called out.

Han sighed and turned around. "Yeah?"

"How the heck do you know Chewbacca?" Lando asked, changing the mood and the subject rather abruptly.

"What?"

"All the HoloNet entertainment channels showed you yesterday in a rather seedy part of Coruscant, having drinks with Ambassador Chewbacca. Everyone is speculating on how you two know each other."

Han suddenly wondered if it was possible to turn to the dark side because of his hatred for the shills that constantly followed his every move, non-stop taking holos and snooping into his personal life.

"I just bumped into him, and started talkin'," Han said carefully. Kriff, that excuse sounded exceptionally lame even to his ears.

"You understand Shyriiwook?" Lando questioned, astonished.

"Um, yeah, a bit." Lie number three.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I would swear you must somehow be the reincarnation of Han Solo."

Han blinked, then replied, "Solo died three years ago. I'm twenty-four. The age thing doesn't add up for reincarnation, Lando."

"Evin' turned and walked out of the apartment before Lando could respond, leaving his agent pursing his lips in thought.

Hapes

The Queen Mother thrust the disk toward his son. "Your ex-wife has filed a lawsuit with the New Republic, seeking custody of Isabell."

"She won't win," Isolder responded as he picked up the disk, looking at it with disdain. "And what if she does? We do not have to obey their laws."

"She is becoming a nuisance."

"You are the one that ordered me to marry her," Isolder said, eyes narrowing at his mother. "I never wanted that smuggler's reject for a wife."

"We must crush her spirit. Give her a warning she cannot ignore. Make her fold," the Queen replied, her lips twitching.

"How?"

"Use her new lover."

"I don't understand."

Queen Filamina sighed. "Do you recall the rumors about the Princess and Solo? The ones about what happened in a place called Bespin?"

"Vaguely. Solo was tortured and placed in carbonite. The carbonite is what eventually killed him, if I recall correctly."

"Yes. Tortured. And from what I have gathered, she was forced to watch Solo's suffering."

"I do not understand what you are saying, Mother."

"We have devices that inflict far more pain that a simple scan grid, my son. Devices that either kill the victim, or render them into a permanent mental void. There has never been a recovery."

"You want us to bring Leia back here and torture her?" he questioned. He could see where a dead or mentally destroyed Leia would no longer be a problem for them in the future.

"No, Isolder. We kidnap her lover and put him through the ultimate in our punishment - the Hapan Ion Conduct. He will be returned to her as either a corpse or a body with no mind left and a holo-recording of how it happened. It will be our warning to her to withdraw her suit and leave us well enough alone."

The idea of killing Evin Dayson or destroying his mind appealed to Isolder more than he wanted to admit. And judging by his mother's expression, she obviously longed for revenge over Evin Daysun's rejection of her offer to become her concubine, as much as she longed for revenge over Leia. "I will arrange the kidnapping, Mother."

"Good. Do not allow for mistakes."