February 27 1925 - 7 PM - Town of Nenana

Lando Calrissian loved the cold, snow, and all of the other activities that came with it. Though looking at him one might not have guessed that particular fact as Calrissian was always dressed to the nines - decked out in his three-piece suits in all sorts of fabrics: stripes, plaid, tweed, and wool. If Lando had it his way, he would also be moving with flourish, a cape swishing behind him, but alas the styles of the mid-1920s didn't have capes at the forefront of fashion. So Lando made due with his suits, adding flair with the slit pocket colors, usually a bright and vibrant color: bright pinks and neon greens were his favorite. And when he was going casual, though his casul would be most people's formal, he liked pullover sweaters and cardigans, paired with a pocket watch and a walking cane. Though people couldn't give him too much grief for his apparel, he owned the only clothing store in the small town of Nenana, Cloud City, the name choice due to the town, in winter with all of the snow on the ground it felt like walking on a city in the clouds. However, he wasn't dressed in his typical day-to-day clothing that evening, Lando Calrissian was in typical musher's gear instead. His knowledge of fabrics being highly beneficial to his dressing, as layers with the right kind of fabric could mean the difference between life and death in below zero weather. Every musher needed a good base layer: merino, fleece, or down, Lando preferred fleece. This base layer would usually be a one piece suit, and on top of that would be a wool, long-sleeve shirt, a down vest and jacket, as well as snow pants. On top of all of this would be a parka jacket, including a fur parka ruff. Fur was a critical addition to the hat, mittens, and ruff; most mushers preferred utilizing beaver fur. For shoes, snow boots were a given, but they had to be lined with a lightweight merino wool, and thick alpaca socks were a must to prevent frostbite.

The man himself was currently waiting at the train station of Nenana, last stop of the line, with his team of dogs and sled infront of him. As well as being a successful businessman, Calrissian loved to race dogs, and was damn good at it too. Nenana and Nome were both centers for dog racing, people coming from all over Alaska to train, and Lando owned a kennel attached to his home. In fact, the kennel is where he had met one of his oldest friends, Han Solo, taught him everything he knew about dog sled racing. Solo had a real knack for it, could beat Lando in a race only after a few months of training, and most importantly he knew how to take care of the dogs. If you couldn't properly maintain your team it didn't matter how fast you were, you were destined to lose. He missed the old pirate, chuckingly to himself at the thought, at 35 years old Lando was five years Han's senior. Han had moved to Nome from Nenana in late 1917, wanting to raise his own dogs, and not end up competing with his friend. Lando tried to convince him to come back, tell him they could both run a kennel and that Nenana could use a good carpenter, so Han had crafted a sled for Lando as a departing gift. But the telegram Lando got in response to his request stated that he might have considered it if he hadn't met an intriguing brunette, and he intended on marrying her sometime in the future, he just had to get her to like him of course. The next time he heard from Han came from a letter in the mail, the contents of the envelope containing an invite to Han's wedding, to a Miss Leia Organa. And now six years later him and Leia had had a daughter, cute as a button too, Lando thought. A daughter that he desperately hoped would be saved with the medicine he was helping to deliver. When Lando had gotten Dodonna's telegram he already knew that he wanted to help, he was the closest racer to pick up the medicine from the train. So there he found himself, on the train platform, briskly walking up and down the length of his sled and team to keep warm, willing the train to get there faster. He was brought out of his pacing with a shout, "Hey! Are you a Lando Calrissian!"

Jogging toward the musher was a young man, dressed in a bright red parka, Lando nodded in approval to himself, he admired anyone who made a bold fashion statement, "Yeah kid?"

"I just tried stopping by your store," the man panted a bit to catch his breath from running, "but it was closed, but then one of your sisters saw me standing outside and said that you were at the train station, and that I might catch you if I hurry. Oh by the way," the man rambled on to Lando's amusement, "I think it's a real good thing you're doing here - I mean helping deliver that medicine to those kids down in Nome, when it's so cold and all of that." Lando chuckled at the young man's behavior, probably about 17-years old, remembering when he was that young and wide-eyed.

"Is there a reason you wanted to see me?"

"Oh yes, sorry about that," the young man appeared sheepish. "I was wondering if you were still selling tickets to the Ice Classic?"

He was of course referring to the Nenana Ice Classic, sponsored by Lando himself of course. It all started in 1917, Lando was just setting up shop and running his kennel. He wanted to see when the river would open for boats to come in with supplies, such as his beloved fabrics and clothes. He decided to make money off of it in the meantime. The Classic was a nature-based lottery, people could buy a ticket and pick a day in April or May when they believed that the ice on the Tanana River would break up. A man-made tripod was placed on the river ice, 300 feet from the shore, and is connected to a clock which would fall from the tripod as the ice broke apart and moved. Han Solo himself won the lottery, winning $801. Lando thought that maybe with the cash Han would stay but he was off to Nome the following week. Calrissian was surprised when he found all of that money in one of his coat pockets, along with a note that simply read, "Now put that down to start your store! - Solo" Han was a big softy after all. Although he might have also been compensated by also winning one of Lando's dogs, Millenia, after a game of poker. He wasn't surprised that Han wanted the dog, she had taken to Han like a leech when he started training with Lando. He missed the old girl too, but knew she was doing well with Han.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Lando finally responded with some amusement, "You must be new here. Tickets have been on sale since the first of this month and can be bought until April 5."

"Yeah, my folks and I moved out here about two months ago from Anchorage."

"Enjoying the country life compared to the city?"

"It's definitely been an adjustment, that's for sure."

"I'll bet. Well lucky for you I always carry tickets on me." And with that Lando fished around his sled looking for the strips of lottery tickets, the task more difficult with his mittens on, but he wouldn't dare take them off in this extreme cold. At last he finally located one and offered it to the young man and quickly pocketed the money in exchange.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Digging into his pocket the kid gave Lando a folded up piece of paper, "My guessing date and contact information is all on that, sorry it's folded."

"Ah don't worry about it kid," Lando waved him off before putting the piece of paper tucked in with the other lottery tickets.

"Thanks again Mr. Calrissian-"

"Please, Lando is fine."

"Lando," the young man nodded to himself. Suddenly the loud shrill of a train horn was increasingly becoming louder as the locomotive began pulling into the station.

"Good luck Mr.- I mean Lando!"

"Thanks kid, hey, what's your name?" Lando shouted out after him as the kid began to jog away.

"Bodhi!"

An unusual name Lando thought to himself, but quickly made himself focus to the present, as the conductor climbed out of the front car, with a large heavily wrapped parcel in his hand. He looked around before spotting Calrissian, and wearily walked over to him.

"You Calrissian?"

"That would appear to be true."

Shaking his head the man carefully handed Lando over the antitoxin, Lando estimated it weighed about 20 pounds before securing it to his sled. Standing back up, Lando would have thought the conductor would have already gone back to the train but he was still standing there in front of him, "You are all crazy for doing this, it'll be pure luck if you don't all freeze to death. If I were you I'd wait for the ports to open up."

Lando practically recoiled in disgust at the implication of the man's words, "So you'd willingly send dozens of children to their deaths without even trying to do anything to stop it?"

The man didn't say anything in response, too cold to argue.

"Yeah that's what I thought." Shaking his head, Lando got up on the slide and shouted out "Hike!" With a flash he and his team of nine dogs were off to make the journey to the next relay. Staring after him, the train conductor shook his head again before trudging his way back to the train.

Temp: -62 F/ -52 C

Now that Lando was really thinking about it, he might have hated the cold after all. The situation had quickly slipped from his grip as the night got later and the temperature steadily dropped. He and his team had to divert onto the Tanana River which offered them a more smooth path, due to the ruts in the main path he wanted to take. Well in his freeze at least I won't have to worry about the ice breaking Lando thought darkly to himself. No, the river at this time of year might have been 40 inches thick. He didn't even want to think about how far below zero the temperature might have been, but he knew the cold was at a dangerous point, could feel or rather not feel it in his hands and feet. He had to do something to keep warm so he wouldn't quite literally freeze to death. It was too windy for him to stop and set up a shelter, lack of movement would ensure him turning into an icicle. Standing on the sled wasnt helping, it's why the dogs were in better shape than he was at the moment, they were in constant motion. He'd had to stop them a few times along the way. Their breath was freezing around their mouths and he'd had to break it off so they wouldn't suffocate. Movement, movement, he needed to move!

Lando did the only thing he could in the situation to keep warm and to keep the dogs moving.

Yelling out another command, "Easy!" and the team immediately slowed down. Lando then jumped off of the sled and began to run alongside his team, his lead dog noticing, and adjusting the team's pace so they could run in tandem. And Lando ran, and he ran, and he ran. He wasn't even tired, he couldn't allow himself to be, falling asleep in these conditions would ensure an immediate death. He must have ran for hours before he saw a roadhouse straight ahead to his right. Lando knew he and the team needed to rest for a few hours, and get a chance to eat and warm up.

"Whoa!" Lando yelled out and the team stopped infront of the roadhouse. As if waiting for his arrival, an elderly woman opened the door and gestured for him and his team to quickly get inside. After getting his dogs and sled in he pulled his watch out of his pocket and looked at the time: 3 AM. He had been on the road for almost eight hours. Knowing he couldn't rest for too long, every hour counted to get the medicine on time, he and the elderly woman running the rest stop quickly prepared a meal for the dogs and himself. Finishing up his meal, Lando settled in his sleeping bag, he had some time to get a few hours of shut eye before he had to start out again for the checkpoint at Tolovana.

January 28, 1925 - Temp: -56 F/-49C

Lando was back out on the trail at about 7 AM, giving himself 4 hours of rest. However things had changed overnight. In the morning, Lando had decided that three of his dogs would not be able to run, their paws damaged from the cold. He put the three dogs on his sleigh, wrapping them in a fur blanket. The deduction of runners put them at a slower pace, but he had to take care of his team first, better to be slower than not go at all. Lando reached the next roadhouse in Tolvana at 11 AM, but this time instead of an elderly lady greeting him, he was met by the next racer: Biggs Darklighter. Lando didn't know Biggs too well, he knew he was one of Luke Skywalker's friends and that he was a part of Rogue Squadron, so that put him at ease with the transfer. Biggs was ready to go but wanted to warm the medicine up first before he went out. This gave Lando and him a chance to talk.

"How are things going in Nome?"

"About as well as you can imagine."

"Have you seen Jaina?"

Biggs shook his head, "Luke called the other day, said it was pretty bad but that she's hanging in there."

"She'll beat this thing, her parents are two of the most stubborn people I've met, it's in her genes."

"Yeah, it's been hard on Leia to see her like this."

I bet, Lando thought to himself. Especially without Han with her. From what he had gathered combined with what Biggs had told him, Leia had Luke and Winter to keep her company, but he knew it wasn't the same as having the person she loved right next to her. Thinking about it more, Lando realized he hadn't seen Jaina or Leia in a few years and a decision was quickly made in his mind. He was overdue for a visit.

"Hey Biggs, how long do you think it'll take me to get to Nome from here?"

Biggs made the 31 mile journey to Manley Hot Springs without incident, arriving at 4 PM. There he was greeted by another member of Rogue Squadron, Jek Porkins, who began his relay to Fish Lake, taking the remainder of the day. On the 29th, Porkins made the transfer to fellow Rogue Corran Horn, who reached the town of Tanana very early in the morning. Both drivers made sure to warm the medicine at each rest post, ensuring it wasn't frozen solid. The importance of keeping the antitoxin safe was of the utmost importance to each driver, as they got further and further away from Nenana and closer to Nulato, where Han would be waiting to greet them.

January 29, 1925

The weather had not lightened up in the following days since Han had left Nome. He was constantly battling stormy weather with his team, as they raced towards Nulato, stopping only at rest posts to take meals and allow everyone rest as it was too cold to stop in the blizzarding conditions. He wasn't far from the town of Nulato, and would probably reach it in two days. If he really pushed his team, he might have been able to get there in the late hours of the 30th but he didn't want to risk it with Millenia. The poor visibility and howling wind meant he had to put his entire trust into Chewie and Millenia to lead them in the right direction, as the wind was howling too loud for him to shout commands, and at times he couldn't see more than the sled and the two dogs closest to him. But they hadn't let him down once. And he couldn't allow himself to focus on much else besides keeping himself and his team alive as they made the trek from Nome to Nulato. The trail between the two towns is one of the most hazardous in all of Alaska, running along the Kessel Sound, known to most Alaskans as "the ice factory." Han would know, he had run the trail before. However he would be encountering a new risk on this journey, taking the 42-mile shortcut across the Kessel. It was the only option to save time as the next safest route was twice the length.

Han tried not to dwell on that part for too long, he would deal with it once he came across it, the worry would keep his mind from the task at hand, getting to the next nearest rest stop. He knew he was close when he felt the dogs begin to slow down, they remembered this path too. Seeing the small lone building come up to his right, Han smiled to himself as he thought about seeing an old friend. Pulling up to the structure, he got busy untying his team from the gangline so they could join him inside. He had almost finished untying when the door behind him burst open as a short woman stepped out underneath the hanging sign that read TAKODANA in bold letters.

"Han Solo!" The voice boomed out, still carrying the strength of its owner after all of these years. Han laughed quietly to himself, finishing untying the dogs, before standing up and turning around to see the face of the woman he came to view as a mother.

"Hey, Maz!"

Maz Kanata walked over to where Han stood and wrapped him a hug, the sight was quite comical as old Maz came up to the middle of his chest. Han returned the hug whole heartedly, enjoying the maternal gesture.

Pulling away Maz looked up at Han, hands on her hips but a smile on her face, "Where's my boyfriend?"

"Ah he's right here - Chewie! -" and the slim brown dog came bounding over, recognizing Maz before proceeding to jump all over her and shower the old woman with affection.

"Chewie you are full of it," Han shook his head in mirth.

"Oh you leave him alone! Now, where's my best girl, where's Millenia?"

Hearing her name, Millenia trotted over too, but with less enthusiasm.

"Han don't tell me you've been overworking her."

"Hey! I-"

Maz waved him off, "Ah nevermind, let's get all of you inside so you can rest a bit."

The old woman led them all inside and got them situated by the fire, as she and Han began preparing a meal for the dogs. Han let himself sit down in one of the chairs next to Maz as the dogs finished eating and began to sleep for a few hours. Maz joined him, carrying Millenia in her arms, before gently placing the old dog on the table. Han watched as she began singing softly to Millenia in a language that he didn't recognize, softly stroking her fur. They sat like that for a while, before Maz placed her face on Millenia's soft underbelly, giving the dog a kiss. Then Maz straightened up and turned in her chair to face Han, a solemn expression on her face.

"Han, Millenia is tired."

And Han knew what she meant, the meaning of her words extending beyond the fact that Millenia was tired due to the past few days. Millenia was tired of being a racing dog, not that she herself was aware of it.

Han's shoulders slumped, and placed his arms on the table, palms face down, "I know - I know she's tired. It's just this last race, this last one and then she can retire, she can be a house dog. I wouldn't have brought her out if I thought I could do this without her, but I can't Maz, not with everything a stake."

Maz placed her hand on top of his, "I know, I heard about the diphtheria outbreak in Nome"

"Jaina's got it."

Maz sucked in her breath, "Now that I didn't know."

"Yeah, yeah it's- Maz, it's bad."

"Well then, I understand why you brought Millenia out."

"I wouldn't have brought her if I didn't have to," Han echoed his words from earlier.

"She'll see you through."

Han didn't say anything in response, thoughts alternating between Leia, Jaina, and Millenia.
"Well," Maz stood up, "I prepared a bed while you were sitting here, go and get some rest for a few hours, I'll sit with Millenia."

Not protesting, knowing he would need his strength to cross the Kessel Sound, Han stood up and went up the rickety stairs that were across from the table which led to a landing with a bed in the middle of it. Sinking down on the soft mattress, Han rolled onto his side as he let his eyes close and let Maz's soft singing to Millenia drift him off to sleep.