All Bets Are Off - Chapter Four
Commander Lyrena Vitrk arrived back on base in the company of Leia Organa and their all-female mission team, and promptly set the crew to work on locking down the ships that had just returned from Pargaux. They were all exhausted, but the princess seemed pleased by the diplomatic progress she had made during her meetings with the Pargauxian hierarchy.
They were all looking forward to some downtime, but Lyrena realized that would be somewhat delayed when she looked up and saw Han Solo approaching the Green Squadron's landing area.
"Hey, Princess," he called. "Got a minute?"
Security Officer Drina Mactil, standing at Leia's side and engaged in earnest conversation with the Alderaani princess, abruptly stopped speaking and eyed the tall Corellian suspiciously. It was obvious to Lyrena that the stern security expert was ascertaining the threat level, taking in Han's size, his low slung blaster and his seeming familiarity with the royal young woman in her charge.
The Falcon's pilot noticed the scrutiny and jutted his jaw at her, but spread his hands wide as if to show he presented no threat.
"Is this being bothering you, Princess?"
"Yes, he is," Leia sighed, "but he's harmless."
Han frowned at the princess' condescending rebuff, which she answered with a dry arch of one fine eyebrow. "Officer Mactil, this is Captain Han Solo, a contract employee of the Alliance. He often pilots his ship on my missions," Leia pointed across the hangar to the Millennium Falcon.
Mactil's eyes widened at the sight of the beat-up freighter. "Your Highness, in terms of your safety, is that wise?"
"Hey!" Han snapped at the imposing woman.
Lyrena glanced back and forth between the pair. Mactil was nearly as tall as the Corellian pilot, and her deep brown skin presented a striking contrast against her buff-colored Alliance fatigues. She appeared unperturbed by Han's outburst, coolly scanning him up and down with dark amber eyes before flicking her gaze back to his ship.
"I will need to inspect your vessel, Captain, before we can allow the princess to take another flight with you."
"Inspect my… allow…?" Han sputtered. "Look, sister, that ship has saved her tiny ass on more than…"
"Thank you, Drina," Leia interjected, speaking warmly to the officer. "We can discuss this later."
"Yes, Ma'am. Good-bye, Captain. I'm sure we'll meet again." The security officer shot Solo a final stony glare, and then turned on her heel and marched away.
The second she was out of earshot, Solo gave an exasperated-sounding huff. "What the hells, Sweetheart?" the Corellian complained as he lifted Leia's travel bag by the straps and prepared to sling it over his shoulder.
"Don't 'what the hells' me, Captain," Leia said, eyeing him up and down. Reaching out, she snagged her bag back from him and gave him a scowl.
The snarky intonation she gave the word "captain" clearly riled Solo, and he bit back at the diminutive diplomat. "You haven't seen me in three days, Your Worship, so whatever it is that has your undies in a bunch can't be my fault."
"I've heard that before," she said dryly. "But you seem to have the remarkable ability to annoy me and cause me trouble even when I'm light years away."
"Annoy you...what trouble? What in the nine hells—."
"Ahhhh, just like old times," Lyrena sighed, watching the two bicker.
While Lyrena finalized her block of flight data into the log, she—and the rest of the Green Squadron crew gathered alongside her—listened in as the princess and the smuggler carried on with their cantankerous conversation, seemingly oblivious to their nearby audience.
"Janson will be sorry he's missing this," Touvi said as she ventured over to stand at her commanding officer's shoulder. Lyrena tapped the last of her report into the datapad and then offered it to the communications specialist. She accepted it with a nod, and then began logging her own report. "He likes it when they fight. What's the issue this time, so I can rub it in the next time I see him?"
"Beats me," Lyrena shrugged. "I thought they seemed to be on friendlier terms lately."
She glanced over at the bickering duo, and then paused for a moment and lowered her voice. "Evie...the other night? When we were teasing Synja about her crush on Wedge? And Ryn said something about Corellian men being known for a particular, um, skill?"
Touvi glanced up, and rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah. I don't think I'll ever again be able to look at Antilles' mouth when he's talking."
"And did you notice how Leia got all flustered? Mumbled an excuse, and left the room?"
"Yeah, I figured maybe we'd crossed the line, got a little too raunchy for her."
"Nah, Leia's not like that," Lyrena shook her head. "Touvs, you think…" she tilted her head toward Han and Leia, who had moved a bit farther away from the crew, but were still arguing.
"Hmmmm. Don't get that vibe off them...yet." Touvi surveyed the squabbling couple. "Makes you wonder about the geometry of it, though."
Lyrena furrowed her brow. "Geometry?"
"Yeah. Look at them, Lyr. He's a good foot taller than she is. How would they…you know…fit?" She made a few broad gestures with her hands to illustrate her point. "Geometry!"
Lyrena's curls shook as she laughed. "I'm guessing they'd figure it out. First, they need to agree they want to work together to solve that particular mathematical problem."
Meanwhile, Leia and Han's disagreement continued, growing louder and more animated.
"I don't need you to carry my bag nor do I need your approval before I go on a mission," Lyrena heard the princess snap in an icy tone. "I can and do fend for myself, Captain, and I have covered youas well, and you damn well know it. I certainly don't need you patronizing me like I'm some fragile little creature that needs shepherding."
"What the—? Shepherding?" Han's voice and face radiated exasperation.
"Pardon me," Leia returned, her voice dripped with sarcasm. "I misspoke. You're more familiar with nerf-herding, aren't you?"
"Ha. Ha. Ha, Princess," Han shot back sarcastically. "Very funny. I came over here all nice-like to ask how your trip went and I get this raft of bantha crap?"
"And while I was away, I suppose you weren't spouting off a 'raft of bantha crap' about me needing you, to stay safe? I don't need you tripping over me like some overzealous bodyguard, Captain."
"Who said I was…." Lyrena watched as Han's eyes opened wide, and then narrowed in realization. "Fuckin' Luke!"
"Don't bring Luke into this, Han. And don't you think I have enough trouble being taken seriously by certain people in High Command, without you running your big mouth about me needing protection?"
Han huffed and stared down at her. "No. That is not what I—." He stopped short and threw his arms up in frustration.
Leia appeared to brace herself in anticipation of Solo's next barrage, but Han didn't let loose. Instead, he planted his hands on his hips and took a calming breath. He gazed down at the princess for a moment longer, and then muttered something to her that Lyrena couldn't quite catch, before turning on his heel and walking away. Lyrena's eyes shifted back to Leia as the princess watched Han depart, his usual cocksure stride noticeably absent. The princess stood, rooted in place, blinking her big brown eyes and looking slightly stunned.
Before Leia could turn and catch all of Green Squadron blatantly listening to every word of the exchange, Lyrena grabbed one of the overstuffed bags nearest her and called out cheerfully, "Princess! Don't forget your loot!"
Although she recovered her composure quickly, Lyrena couldn't help but notice Leia's downcast eyes and perplexed expression as she turned away from the sight of the departing Corellian spacer.
"Hey, you okay?" Lyrena asked, her voice lowered with concern as the princess approached.
Leia nodded as she reached for the bag. "Fine, fine," she mumbled, and then tipped her face to meet Lyrena's gaze with a smile. "Shopping was fun, wasn't it?" she said, her voice sounding a bit too chipper to the Green Squadron Commander's ears.
She was obviously trying to change the subject and, rather than provoke the beleaguered princess, Lyrena decided just to go along with it. "Sure was," she agreed. "That was a great bonus. Don't often get time to shop, especially when we're out on a run with the guys. I can't believe I now own underwear that wasn't issued by the military!"
Leia managed a chuckle, but Lyrena couldn't help but notice that it sounded forced, and that her smile had faded.
"Hey," she murmured, and reached out to place a gentle hand on Leia's arm. "It's none of my business but…it was kind of obvious that you and Solo were having words. Want to talk?"
Leia chewed on her bottom lip. "I…I don't know."
Lyrena's heart gave a little lurch. The princess looked so...troubled, so forlorn. Lyrena genuinely liked Leia, and had enjoyed her company over the course of the mission. But, even during their whirlwind shopping excursion, the young Alderaani had remained unflaggingly reserved, despite Lyrena's subtle attempts to draw her out. She couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since another female had reached out to Leia with an offer to talk—if ever. It would do her a world of good to open up, to share perspective and perhaps gain some new insight on navigating through their male-dominated world with authority and agency. Or, to simply talk about men—or in Leia's case, a specific man in particular.
"Well, I know," Lyrena said firmly. "C'mon. I'll grab my bag and walk you back to your quarters. We can admire each other's purchases," Lyrena grinned, looping her arm through Leia's. "What you say to me, stays with me, okay?"
After a slight hesitation, the princess nodded her assent, and the two young women began carefully maneuvering together down the icy hallway.
Moments later, the two young Rebel women were settling into Leia Organa's private quarters.
"So, now that we're alone…." Lyrena raised her eyebrows inquiringly as she placed her shopping bag next to Leia's on the narrow bunk. "You don't have to answer, Leia, but you might feel better to talk about it. What did Solo say that upset you so much back there?"
Leia shrugged as she unpacked the lacy contents of her shopping bag. "That's just it. He didn't. Not really. It was….I was…I mean, I didn't give him any benefit of the… Oh, I just can't…in any way but the worst."
"I see," Lyrena intoned carefully, furrowing her brow and shaking her curly head. "You know, Princess, that made no sense whatsoever."
"That's just it. Nothing makes sense with Han and me." Leia took a deep breath, sat down heavily on the bunk and continued. "How do you do it, Lyr? Don't you get pushback from the male pilots?"
"Sure, some of them," Lyrena replied. "And the techs, too. I once had a co-pilot, who shall remain nameless…" she rolled her eyes and silently mouthed Wes Janson, eliciting a snort of laughter from Leia. "Anyway, he asked if I wanted him to take the controls during a tight landing."
"Take the….seriously?"
"Yeah," Lyrena shrugged. "I don't know. Sometimes I think they can't help themselves. They don't realize they're doing it until I call them on it, then it stops. On the other hand, the guys from places like Pargaux or Alderaan—matriarchal societies—they don't differentiate according to gender at all, simply because they weren't raised to think that way."
Leia nodded and breathed out another heavy sigh.
"But you know," Lyrena offered with a tight grin, "every once in a while you get one who wants to help you because they want to do something nice for you, not because they think you need it. Because they care." Lyrena coughed lightly and continued, "So...maybe Solo's one of those...and not just another pilot." She raised a brow in query.
"That's the problem," Leia sighed. "Maybe he's not."
Watching the princess drop her forehead into her palm, the Green Squadron commander reached out and lightly touched her shoulder. "And why is that a problem?" she murmured. "He's a good guy. Charming as hell and, goddess knows, he's easy on the eyes."
Lyrena thought that would make Leia laugh, but, when she realized it didn't, she nudged a bit further. "Leia, what's really wrong?"
"Time. It's just the wrong time to get involved. There's so much to do and getting involved with someone who's so complicated and—."
"Time is exactly why you should get involved and live a little," Lyrena countered. "None of us knows how much time we have. What's a better way to spend your time than to be with someone you love, huh?"
Leia's head snapped up, and her dark eyes widened. "I never said anything about love, Lyrena!"
Seeing that she had struck a nerve, Lyrena backed down. "Okay, okay," she said in a soothing tone. "Maybe not love but…caring for someone, caring a lot. That's a good thing, Princess. No matter what else is going on in the galaxy."
Leia sat quietly and merely nodded in response, pensively toying with the delicate trim on her new lingerie.
Lyrena knew in an instant that her instincts were correct. The young princess did care for Han...cared a lot, in fact. Was it love? Perhaps it was too soon for her to recognize that deep emotion. Or perhaps, given everything she had been through in her young life, all of the losses she had suffered and the pain of them that Lyrena knew the princess struggled to hide—she was afraid to allow herself to believe that she did. And perhaps she was even more afraid to think he didn't feel the same about her.
"I think…." Leia tipped her face to Lyrena's, her expression pained. "I think I hurt his feelings back there, Lyrena. Which means...goddess help me, but I have to apologize," she said, and then winced. "I dread apologizing to him. He can be so…so..."
"Difficult?" Lyrena offered.
Leia gave a small huff of acknowledgement. "Yes. Insufferable."
"Ah, Leia," Lyrena laughed. ''If you really did hurt him, he won't be an ass about any apology you might offer. Go," she said, giving the princess' shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "Get it over with. You may be sorry, but I know you. You won't be happy until you try to make it right."