9. Day 15
The rapping on the hull turned out to be an usually harmless micrometeor shower. Small fragments of rock that wandered through the galaxy for eons, to end being sucked up by some star in the vast majority of cases. But that was not the destiny of this particular group of pebbles. Its path had crossed the one of a small and battered Corellian light freighter and some of them crashed into the unprotected hull. Many of them just bounced against it, leaving a new dent at the point of impact. Most of them were repelled when the energy shields went on and did no damage. But two of them, their mass and speed just enough to gather enough energy to pierce through two-centimeter-wide durasteel plating, went through. They vaporized in the process, leaving a couple of small holes through which the vital air leaked.
Normally, Han Solo would have just rearranged the containment energy grid that reinforced the hull to stop the leak. But that was only a temporary solution till the ship could be landed and the holes repaired. And it was also energy costly, so it couldn't be applied in a long-term basis. And energy or breathing air was not something the three souls on board the Millenium Falcon could waste.
Finally, if the long-range sensors had been on-line, the alarms would have warned them with plenty of time to dodge them. But since only the short-range ones were working, the only sign of them was a flickering dot on a screen, which unfortunately was behind Han's back at that moment.
Within seconds, the shields were up and the ship's Captain was surveying the damage. "Damn!" He swore, noticing the activity in the pressure gauges. "Chewie will be here in a minute," he announced to a disoriented Leia, upon exiting the cockpit.
After a shouting match with the Wookiee, Han went EVA. ExtraVehicular Activity. The Princess hated it, it was hazardous in the best of cases. A few seconds later, Chewbacca entered the cockpit, still growling under his breath. He sat in the copilot chair and directed a long speech to Leia, who only understood three words of it: no, danger and sleep. But it was more than enough for the princess to understand what was worrying him.
But nothing of what they feared happened. A few minutes later, the perforations were sealed and Han announced that he was going to check on the sensor array. That meant to deactivate the whole positioning/communications system and Chewie only agreed after another heated argument. But nothing went wrong and not long after he was reentering the Millenium Falcon.
Han Solo stood there in front of the airlock, with a component of the sensor array in one hand like a trophy and a smug smile on his face, while his travel companions shouted at him.
When they finished, he went to the shop at the back of the ship to localize a replacement for the damaged part and Chewie started to put on his own EVA suit. He went out with the brand new element and a little later, he signaled Han to turn the system on.
Nothing happened. After a few minutes of trying, they realized that the Millenium Falcon was basically blind and deaf.
When Chewie finally gave up and came in, all hell broke loose. Princess Leia realized that since that moment, she had never seen the Wookiee really angry and that an angry Chewbacca could be really, really frightening, even if his fury was directed at somebody else.
For the next two days it was all trial and error, error and trial.
The Captain and his copilot compared notes and memories, sketching madly on flimsy and arguing about what was the last modification they did to that system. Chewbacca went EVA two more times, trying different solutions to no avail. They took short naps now and then, ate whatever Threepio cooked and Leia put on the table and continued. She tried to help with the investigation of the failure but the thing was so out of the normal standards that she didn't even understand how it actually had worked the first time.
Only at the end of the third day they found the true problem and Han went out for the last time. When he came back, the threesome stopped breathing for a second as Han punched the button to turn the system on.
If the vacuum had carried the sound, their cheering would have been heard in Bespin itself. They had not only the short-range sensors back, but the long-range ones as well.
"This is worth a celebration!" Han proposed and dashed to the kitchenette.
An hour and a half later, they were sitting to dinner the three of them together, for the first time in that voyage. The long-range scanner working meant that it was not mandatory that someone remained in the cockpit at all times.
Han had been inspired or maybe it was that it was the first relaxed meal they had had in a long time, but everything tasted wonderful to Leia that night. The main course, the dessert, the wine, the company: everything felt just perfect.
Finally, Chewie grunted his excuses and left them alone. The silence stretched while the Princess emptied her glass of red wine. Han shifted in his seat and moved closer to her but not close enough to make her uncomfortable. There was something he had been brewing the last three days and now was maybe the right moment to face it. But he had to be careful, very careful.
"So," he started, "where were we?""Hmm?" Leia Organa looked at him over the rim of her glass.
"Our talk," he clarified. "The one that got interrupted by the sithspawned rocks."
"Oh." She gave him a non-compromising look.
"Yeah, 'oh'" Han teased.
"Oh." She repeated, playing innocence. "I wanted to thank you."
"You already said that. But there's no need," he said earnestly. Nevertheless, a naughty glint appeared in his eyes when he continued. "But if you insist, I've got somethin' in mind..."
Leia Organa narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Han's got something in mind? That's dangerous!
"Hey, trust me, we are friends, ain't we?"
The Princess made straight eye contact with him for the first time in this conversation and studied him for a while.
"Friends don't..." She finally said, waving vaguely her hand, "...you know."
He tilted his head a little and his seductive smile widened a bit.
"Why not?" Han asked, moving a bit closer. "If you want it and I want it, why not?"
She blushed now, knowing exactly what he was referring to. In fact, what he was referring to had been in her mind for a while. She had dreamed about that last kiss when asleep, she had been frightened as to what was she going to do about it when awake. Or what was Han going to do about it. About that kiss that had tasted like glory and fire at the same time. In fact, it had been the intensity of those feelings that had made her flee. It had been too much time since she had felt that way about anybody.
No, that was not true.
She had not felt that way with anybody ever. She did not know she was capable of. And that was frightening. And enticing. But she didn't answer and for once, let him do what he was best at. Seduce her.
Since she did not deny it, he went on, now with a serious expression on his face. "Listen, Leia, I know you've been through hell and now I understand some things better. But still... can't we try?"
"Try what?" She asked, alarms ringing in her ears.
He hesitated, looking for the right words.
"Be... more than friends..."
"Why now? I don't want to be a charity case," she blunted, a shadow passing through her face.
"That's not what I meant!" Han Solo panicked slightly. "It's just that now I see some things clearer."
He took a deep breath and continued. "I... I care for you. A lot. I always have. It's not the same."
She shook her head slowly.
"I don't know, Han."
"That's just it, you dunno, I dunno, why don't we find out?" He was almost begging now and she felt compelled to meet his intense gaze again. There was a new quality to his deep masculine voice, a tenderness, maybe even respect, she hadn't heard or noticed before.
"Find out?" She repeated like hypnotized.
"See where it goes. And if it goes nowhere, nobody has to know, I'll leave you with the Alliance and you'll never see my face again." There it was, his best card.
"That a promise or a menace?" Leia purred, suddenly playful.
"Don't turn my words around, Princess, not this time." He was smiling again, recognizing the old spark. "Ya know what I mean. Let's put it this way: I don't push, you don't run and maybe we can meet somewhere in the middle... and of course, nothin', nothin', you understand me, will ever happen that you don't want."
"You serious?"
He managed to retain a stern look for about twenty seconds.
"You are serious," she recognized, her eyes widening in surprise. "What I'm supposed to do now?"
"Say yes and kiss me," Han Solo proposed with a husky voice, the exact tone that always made her knees weak even if she was sitting. His arms had come somehow around her waist and the tip of his nose grazed gently hers.
"You're such a scoundrel..."
"That's what you like about me..."
Without more preamble, he tilted his head and softly placed small kisses first on the corner of her mouth and then along her lower lip. She still hesitated but lifted her chin, exposing her throat, and he obliged the invitation. With a shudder, she braced herself to him and spoke quietly:
"Just be patient with me..."
"All the patience in the galaxy for you, Princess," the smuggler answered, now cradling her delicate skull with his hand.
Her trembling lips finally reached up to meet his.