Between the Lines
by suezahn
Disclaimer: All characters depicted herein are the property of Lucasfilm, Disney, etc. My only profit is in the form of readers' feedback. Please be generous!
Note: This story was originally written in 1995 and has now be revised and updated for consistency with the rest of the Kismet series. Please note that the OC name Kristin Aldritch = Keris Aldric now. I decided the old name was too "Earthy." A very special thank-you to my lovely proofreaders: Erin Darroch and Marjorie Joyce. The original story was awarded STAR aWARdS Best Long Story 1995.
Chapter 7
"Let's start with that." Leia leaned over the shoulder of her assistant and pointed to one particular figure that appeared on the man's screen.
"Three thousand credits?" the soldier-cum-CPA questioned, glancing up at her.
"It's not realistic, even for a base this small. Not since the Empire began the trade embargo on Methus Major." She sighed at the harsh reality of their limited monetary resources. Public support for the Alliance was increasing since their triumphant destruction of the Imperial Death Star, but so were their expenses. Warfare was not a cheap undertaking. "Change it to seven. We'll just have to cut somewhere else."
The man grunted, lost in thought. They both studied the readout in silence, searching for a possible candidate for cutbacks.
Abruptly, Leia had the distinct feeling that she was being watched. She dragged her eyes away from her work and turned to discover Han Solo poised within the entrance to the Command Center. He was staring back at her. It was an electrifying connection and for an agonizing eternity, she didn't know how to react. Ever since her inadvertent and humiliating episode with the intercom system a few days ago, she'd managed to avoid him. Then again, it hadn't been difficult. In fact, she had the distinct impression he'd been avoiding her. Was it possible that he'd somehow missed the event, and that none of the gossipers on base had felt duty-bound to fill him in on every sordid detail? That seemed improbable. More likely, he was allowing the tension to build until he saw fit to gloat. That would be more Han's style.
She maintained a cold demeanor as she broke their mesmerizing exchange and turned away. Let him come to her if he had something to say.
A moment later, Leia overheard Solo begin a conversation with General Rieekan and she couldn't help but turn back. The two were standing at her empty post beside Lieutenant Aldric.
"Commander Skywalker reported in yet?" Rieekan queried.
"No," Han answered. "He's checking out a meteorite that hit near him."
"With all the meteor activity in this system, it's going to be difficult to spot approaching ships."
There was an instant of uncomfortable silence that Leia could sense from across the room, then Han switched topics and announced loud enough for anyone prone to listening, "General, I've got to leave. I can't stay anymore."
Leia felt her soul splinter into painful fragments as she witnessed Solo's declaration. Until that moment, she'd convinced herself that his renewed threats to leave had been just that—threats.
"Princess?"
The illusion was over. Han's decision to move on was now very official and very real. Fear, anger, and desperation warred within Leia. Each emotion demanded immediate action but she couldn't choose which impulse to obey.
"Princess?"
Leia pulled her gaze away from the departing smuggler to find her assistant gazing up at her. "Perhaps our estimated costs for supply transports could be recalculated?"
They certainly will be if Han leaves. Without answering him, Leia looked back in time to see the general shaking hands with Solo in a respectful farewell.
"You're a good fighter, Solo. I hate to lose you."
"Thank you, General."
With visible expectation, and what Leia swore was trepidation, Han Solo turned on his booted heel, heading in her direction.
Oh Goddess, not here in the Command Center!
Her strongest impulse now was to run but there was only one pathway out, and he was blocking it. She maintained a glacial facade as the smuggler drew near, even as her fingers dug a little deeper into the cushioned headrest of the accountant's chair.
Han's face, on the other hand, was anything but devoid of emotion. What Leia saw was perhaps one of the most honest and hopeful expressions she'd ever observed on the smuggler's mobile face, certainly since they'd returned from Ord Mantell. She suddenly wanted nothing more than to melt once more for him, right there in front of everyone.
"Well, Your Highness, I guess this is it."
The look of invitation caused Leia's heart to nearly pound right out of her chest, but she'd been trained by the best. No appeasement, no surrender, no matter the color of his eyes. "That's right," she said in a soft and far too agreeable voice that left no room for debate.
Her response was obviously the last one Solo had expected. He failed at camouflaging the injury she'd inflicted by so easily accepting his departure, and swiftly assumed his familiar, well-worn sarcastic tone, but there was real anger and hurt beneath it. "Well, don't get all mushy on me. So long, Princess," he sneered, then pivoted around and marched toward the exit.
Leia turned to watch him storm away, her own emotions in a surging turmoil. What am I doing?! A very real part of her desperately wanted him to stay and yet she kept shoving him away with every biting word. Frantic, she glanced around before her eyes settled on Lieutenant Aldric, who had turned in her seat to witness the confrontation.
Keris seemed to read the princess' cry for help and made a simple gesture as she pointed toward the exit. Leia hesitated, without the slightest idea what she would say if she caught up with Han. Keris repeated the gesture with added insistence. "Go," she mouthed impatiently.
With a silent curse, Leia surged toward the exit and almost fell when she tripped over one of the cables lying across the floor. She reached out, grabbing hold of the closest computer bank to regain her balance, and then rushed out the exit and into the corridor with as much decorum as she could muster.
"Han!"
Solo had almost disappeared around the corner of the hallway, but he stopped and swung around upon hearing her shout. "Yes, Your Highnessness?"
As she marched up to him, Leia could see that he was in no mood to talk. Such reluctance was something new. In the past, he'd always encouraged their confrontations. She planted herself in front of him, determined not only to get an explanation for his latest change of heart but also to make her regal bearing match his advantage in height. "I thought you had decided to stay."
"Well, the bounty hunters we ran into on Ord Mantell changed my mind."
Ord Mantell. How she'd come to hate that name! She knew Han was in serious danger, and was right in his decision to go. She knew that. He was a danger to them all now. How could she argue with such common sense?
"Han, we need you!" she blurted out, hardly even aware of what she was saying. Her exclamation echoed as loudly in her head as it did down the icy tunnel. She watched Han's calculated reaction and realized the magnitude of her slip.
"'We need'?" he threw back at her, radiating frustration.
Leia tried to look as if it were self-evident. "Yes."
"Oh, what about 'you need'?" Solo poked a finger at her to emphasize his point.
"'I need'?" He'd never been so blatant and insistent, and it left her stunned. What did he want from her, anyway—a proclamation of undying love? "I don't know what you're talking about."
Han audibly sucked his teeth and snapped his fingers in a rude dismissal. "You probably don't." He seemed to declare the game a draw as he began walking away.
Infuriated by his insult, she wasn't about to let Solo get the last word this time. This entire ridiculous situation was his fault, after all. His long legs gave him an easy advantage, forcing her into a trot to keep up. "And what, precisely, am I supposed to know?"
She didn't bother to keep her voice down, oblivious to the base personnel that attempted to carry out their various duties in the middle of a battlefield. She struggled to match the Corellian's pace and nearly collided with one soldier who dodged to the side at the last moment.
"Come on!" Solo waved both hands in exasperation as he strode ahead of her, as if he were stating a case of fact to the jury of Rebels around them. "You want me to stay because of the way you feel about me."
"Yes!" She felt like a holodisk stuck in repeat mode. How many times did she have to recite this litany? "You're a great help to us. You're a natural leader."
Han stopped and turned back so fast that Leia skidded to a less-than-graceful halt to avoid crashing into him. He stabbed a finger at her. "No! That's not it. Come on."
For one brief instant, in her desperation, she considered telling him exactly what he wanted to hear. He must have seen it in her eyes because he jabbed a finger at her again. "Aahhh, come on.…"
The two combatants were forced to separate long enough to allow an innocent supplies-toting soldier to pass between them, and then Han leaned into her personal space with renewed intensity. He retracted the accusatory finger and tapped a thumb on his chest, leaving no doubt as to who had the upper hand. "Come on."
"You're imagining things," she volleyed in a tone that failed to convince either of them.
Han Solo pounced. "Am I? Then why are you following me? Afraid I was going to leave without giving you a good-bye kiss?"
Leia felt her temper flare from the insinuation. She wasn't the one who'd asked for a kiss back on Ord Mantell, or the other times he'd finagled one from her. She wasn't the one who'd complained about how Luke was showered with friendly kisses for the simplest efforts while his own attempts to impress were rewarded with little more than a cautious thank-you and a multi-credit chip. The subject of kissing had always been Han Solo's obsession and button of irritation. In the heat of battle, Leia didn't hesitate to push it now. "I'd just as soon kiss a Wookiee," she declared, perversely proud of the flash of renewed anger she saw in his eyes.
"I can arrange that," Han Solo retorted. He abruptly ended their argument and stormed away. "You could use a good kiss!" he shouted over his shoulder, his baritone voice hoarse with aggravation.
Abandoned without the chance at a parting shot, Leia fumed. She glanced around in time to meet the masked smile of another Rebel soldier before he wisely ducked through the entrance to Supplies and disappeared. Wonderful!
Furious enough to growl, Leia headed back toward the Command Center.
Let the money-grubbing smuggler fly off if that's what he wants so badly! She had enough troubles in her struggle against the Empire; she didn't need this sort of pointless and unrewarding annoyance.
Leia sensed an instant change in the atmosphere of the Command Center when she returned. A few brave members of Headquarters personnel sneaked furtive glances but she ignored them. She didn't doubt that every person in the Rebellion held an opinion regarding her and Captain Solo. In fact, she was tempted to pick up that blasted headset and put out a call for volunteers to handle her personal affairs directly from now on since she was doing such an abysmal job of it.
Leia neared her empty post and noticed Keris's inquisitive gaze, but refused to acknowledge the silent question. She took her seat and stared at the comp screen, not moving.
A few minutes passed before General Rieekan dared to step up. "I'm afraid I have some bad news, Your Highness."
No kidding, Leia mused with a slow blink before glancing up.
Seeing her expression, Rieekan appeared grateful that Leia Organa was fighting on his side of the war. "It's just as I feared. There's been a recent increase in the amount of Imperial Naval activity in this quadrant of the sector. It's very possible they were able to track our relocation efforts to some extent. We need to restrict any air traffic going in or out for the time being, at least until our energy shields are up and operating."
Leia remained unmoved for a moment as the varied implications of the general's decision ran through her mind. She didn't even want to think about the possibility of their having to move yet again when they hadn't even finished setting up from the last evacuation. She was so tired of running, so tired of it all. Worse yet, she knew what Rieekan would say next. She could feel it.
"Of course, this restriction must extend to Captain Solo as well. We simply cannot risk drawing any further attention to Hoth. If the Empire detects his ship within this system, they'll be curious why a lone freighter is so far from the main traffic routes. You can see the logic in this, can't you, Your Highness?"
Surprised by General Rieekan's qualifying question, as if he needed her approval, Leia nodded in total agreement. Understaffing matters aside, she held no military rank within the Alliance command. The niche she had carved out for herself was one of supplies and economics.
"Normally," Rieekan continued in a lower tone, visibly uncomfortable, "considering your…acquaintance with Captain Solo, I would ask you to deliver the bad news, but…after taking recent developments into account, perhaps it would be wiser if I spoke with him myself."
Leia barely contained a petulant sigh. While Rieekan was an old family friend from her youth, it irked her to know he was allowing her personal life to influence his decisions. "Thank you, General, but I'm perfectly capable of handling the task myself."
"Very well, Princess." As an afterthought, he added, "You might also ask Captain Solo if he's seen Commander Skywalker yet. We're having trouble with the comlink again and he's been out of contact for some time."
Rieekan was about to step away, but then he paused to grip her shoulder. It was a subtle but comforting gesture before he moved on to other business.