CHAPTER 2:

Han Solo entered the cockpit of the rebel shuttlecraft. Although it was hard for him not to be at the helm of the ship, Arhul Narra and Wedge Antilles—both members of the Rogue Squadron—were excellent pilots, talent beyond belief (but not as good as Solo) so Han had piloting the starship. After all, he was the leader of this mission. Both pilots looked up at Han as he stepped into the cockpit.

"We're preparing for the jump to light speed," Wedge informed Han.

"Good." Han sat himself down in the seat behind Wedge and strapped himself in as Narra programmed the jump.

"We'll come out of light speed a parsec outside of Vivicus so we'll have time to evaluate the Imperial activity in the planet's orbit," Narra informed his command leader.

"Good thinking."

Narra activated the intercom. "Jumping to light speed. All personnel secure yourselves."

"Okay." Wedge grabbed the lever on the control panel of the starship. Narra held his fingers over the controls above and to the right of his head. "On three. One…two….three."

Wedge pulled the lever as Narra punched the hyper drive button, and the shuttlecraft thrust forward. The cockpit filled with bright blue light as the stars streaked by. Han basked in the beautiful light effect of the stars. It was his favorite part of a flight. Well, maybe his second favorite. Situations that required some very involved fancy flying was his favorite.

"We should arrive outside of Vivicus in a standard day. Then will make the short jump to Vivicus."

Han unstrapped himself from the seat and rose. "Make sure you get some sleep before we get there. Hobbie and Tycho will relieve you from duty in five hours."

"Yes, sir," Narra answered. Wedge looked at him.

"Don't call me 'sir'," Han ordered.

"Yes, si—Captain."

Han grunted as he exited the cockpit, closing the door behind them. He walked into the lounge to find Luke and Hobbie playing holochest while Redge and Tycho—both technical geniuses, sat bent over a data pad at the table situated cross from the holochest board, most likely reviewing their parts in the mission. Leia was the only one missing. Han had picked up on the crews' reservations about Leia taking part on this mission. He even overheard Redge tell Luke that Han had picked Leia for this mission to get inside her pants. Han wanted to punch the guy out, but Luke—despite his own misgivings about the princess being chosen for the mission—stood up for her honor and put Redge in his place. Still, it was obvious they saw her only as a diplomat who should stick to her strengths and go on missions to convince other beings to join them in the fight against the Empire.

Leia wasn't ignorant; Han was certain she picked up on the negative vibe. And as it was, Luke was the only one relaxed and comfortable around her. The others saw her as royalty, the last princess of Alderaan, not a as a soldier, a person just like them. They seemed reserved and rigid when she was around. It was no wonder that Leia wasn't out in the lounge socializing. If she wasn't out there, she must be in the bunks. Maybe she was asleep already. Han decided to check on her. He headed to the bunks. There he found the princess lying on her stomach upon her bunk with her data pad in front of her.

"Whatcha doin', Your Worship?"

She looked up, startled and then narrowed her large brown eyes at him, obvious displeased with his moniker for her. "I'm synching my data watch with the layout of the Imperial Bureau."

He sat down on his bunk across from her. "Good idea."

"I've memorized it, but just in case."

"Good. What about the security codes?"

"I memorized them last night after the meeting."

"Don't program 'em into your watch."

Leia rolled her eyes. "Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"Now that you mention it—"

She arched her right eyebrow and gave him a hostile look, daring him to continue on, but he didn't. She returned her attention to her data watch.

Han sat down on his bunk that was across from her. He was transfixed on her as she transferred the information from her data pad to her watch. Her hair was hung down her back, fell over her shoulders, and every so often she tucked an errant lock behind her ear only for it to fall again. Leia wore a pale pink T-shirt and pink shorts with splatters of white flowers that exposed her pallid legs. She wore white socks, thick and pristine. Han wasn't used to seeing Leia like this, out of uniform in comfortable clothes that showed off her figure. He always imagined she'd slept in something that covered her from neck to feet. Maybe she wasn't as hard as she presented herself.

Han was mesmerized by the way she focused on her task, her large brown eyes squinting at the screen on her data watch, her upper teeth pressed against the fleshy part of her bottom lip. Her legs were curled up in the air with ankles crossed. She was a contradiction, an enigma to him.

"Their records are kept on a computer in a center room on the third floor." She didn't look up from her data watch. "It's not going to be easy. But nothing is ever easy for us."

"I don't know. Escaping the Death Star was pretty easy."

Leia looked up at him with a furrowed brow. Han winked at her and smiled. She shook her head and gave him a closed mouth smile in return.

"Your back-up plan is risky. Hopefully we won't have to use it."

"General Dodonna has a lot of confidence in the information our spies recovered. I'm guessin' we have a mole in the Empire. Most likely we won't need the back-up plan."

OUR spies, Leia noted, WE have a mole in the Empire. Not the Alliance's spies, the Alliance's mole. Perhaps he was starting to see himself as part of the Alliance. Maybe he would stick around longer than she thought. That wouldn't be too bad. He vexed her, but she had taken a liking to him. And he was pretty decent when they weren't fighting like now.

"Do you have a plan for getting out?" The princess joked, swinging her legs back and forth.

"No garbage chutes, that's for sure."

She rolled her eyes. "You're never going to let that go."

"No." He then said, "Just remember, I'm the one in charge here."

"Then we're doomed."

Han rose and patted her head. Leia swiped at his hand.

"I think you're gonna be the most prepared for this mission," he commented as he started toward the exit. He stopped at the doorway and looked over his shoulder. "Be sure you get some sleep."

"I will. You too, Captain."

"So now it's 'captain'," Han muttered as he left the room.

Leia smiled as she watched him go. Han was definitely a mystery to her. The laid-back-hardly –ever-serious-avoid-all-commitment man was more than what he seemed, and she regretted calling him a mercenary after he rescued her from the Death Star. She never thought he'd join a mission as important as this one—not just take on a mission but lead a mission—for the Alliance. Maybe this was the first step of officially joining the Alliance. Leia wanted him to join, though she didn't quite understand her reasons. He was an asset to the rebels and a natural leader even though he could be unpredictable. And he made her feel safe. Why? She didn't know, and it made her a little uneasy. With her father and all her family and friends gone, and Darth Vader after her, she rarely felt safe these days. And now, this man who could leave the Alliance at any time made her feel safe. It probably was because he rescued her from the Death Star—for a reward. That experience created a bond between them despite their usually hostile interactions. Or maybe it was because he didn't treat her like royalty or that she was going to break at any minute like everyone else did (minus Luke). It was nice having someone around like that. No matter, his taking on this mission raised her opinion of him—not that it was that low in the first place.

Leia would never tell Han or let it show, but she did admire the man. He acted like he didn't care about anyone besides Chewie, but he risked his life for her and Luke when he didn't know either of them. Leia smiled to herself as she remembered how Han charged at those storm troopers so Luke and she could escape another way.

He certainly has courage.

And then he came back to help Luke blow up the Death Star. Han had his promised reward, and could have left to pay of Jabba the Hutt like he planned, but he didn't. He saved Luke. And he did that without a promise of a reward and wasn't upset that he didn't get one. Leia was definitely wrong about him; he wasn't always out for himself.

And then there was the fact that Han had stuck around despite the price on his head. He risked his life when Wedge crashed his X-Wing in Imperial territory. Han didn't hesitate to rescue him with Chewbacca's help even though he barely knew Wedge.

And now he took on this mission. Leia was certain he was getting something out of it; he needed to make a living. But this mission was more dangerous than the weapons and supply runs Han had done for the rebellion. It was something that the High Command trusted Han with this mission even though he refused to officially join the Alliance. Did she trust him? Leia rolled her lips between her teeth. He could leave at any moment; she didn't trust that he'd stay. But she trusted him more than anyone else, maybe even more than she trusted Luke—and she trusted Luke with her life—and trusting Han that much scared her. She barely knew him.

"Hey, Leia."

Leia was thankful that Luke came in at that moment and pulled her out of her musings because she certainly didn't want to know to where her thoughts would lead her. She smiled at her friend.

"How did your holochest game go?"

"Eh," Luke shrugged. "I lost ten credits, but I did win three games."

"Good. You're doing better."

"Yeah," Luke agreed as he climbed into the bunk above her. "Maybe next time I'll win my credits back."

"Maybe."

Leia felt Luke settle into his bunk above her. She turned offer her data pad, put it to the side, and crawled under the covers before turning off her reading light. She thought of Luke who lay above her, thought about how he doubted her abilities. She was disappointed in him; of all people, she thought he'd be supportive about her joining this mission. Luke was more respectful to her than Han, but he also talked to her as if she wasn't better than him. Luke knew her. She was surprised he opposed her participation in this mission.

Leia decided to share her feelings. "I know you don't think I should be on this mission, Luke."

He was quiet for a moment. "It's dangerous, especially for you."

"Why especially for me?"

"We'll be in Imperial territory. You could get captured."

"So could you. Or Han, or anyone else on this mission."

"Do you really want to go through what you did as a prisoner of Darth Vader's?"

A shiver ran down Leia's spine, and she said nothing. Luke peek his head over the side of the bed to look at her, and Leia erased all fear from her face.

"I just worry about you. Something bad could happen," he reasoned. "How do you think I'd feel if you died or worse?"

"How do you think I'd feel if something bad happened to you? Every time you're in that X-Wing fighting off TIE fighters I fear for you."

Luke's blue eyes gazed into hers. Her large brown eyes challenged him, and he frowned under her gaze.

"I just care for you."

"And I you."

"I…I don't really have a lot of friends in the Alliance," Luke admitted.

Neither do I, Leia thought. "What about Wedge and the rest of the Rogue Squadron. You do hang out with them a lot, and they do like your company."

Luke fingered his blanket. "They don't know me like you do," he whispered. "It's not the same."

She gave him a closed mouth smile. "You're special to me too."

"You haven't been on any missions like this."

"Neither have you."

Luke lay back onto his bunk. "Why did Han choose us for this mission?"

Leia thought about how Dodonna told her that Han would refuse to take on the mission if she wasn't on his command team. Why? Han had known her for a little over a month, and she hadn't gone on any of his missions before. She hadn't been allowed to join any mission before. The last mission she was on she played a diplomat while retrieving the Death Star's plans and bringing them back to Alderaan, and that didn't go exactly well. She would readily she was inexperienced in covert missions such as this. Why would Han insist on her presence? What made him think she was qualified?

What made Han think that Luke was ready for a mission like this? He was brilliant in the cockpit of an X-Wing, and had been very successful at his missions of escorting High Command to their destinations and supplying cover for supply runs, but those missions had to do with his piloting more than anything else. Luke had little experience in missions like the one they were taking on.

"I don't know, but he obviously has confidence in both our abilities."

"Do you feel ready for this mission?"

"Yeah," Leia answered. "I have confidence in Han's leadership." She then asked, "Do you?"

"Yeah, but I'm full of adrenaline," Luke confided. "I don't know how I'm going to sleep."

"Hey, guys—I mean, Princess, Luke," Wedge greeted as he and Narra walked into the room and found their bunks.

"So you can't wait for this mission to start, Luke?" Narra asked.

"Yeah, I'm kinda excited. I have never done something like this before."

"Well, just make sure you keep your head in the game," Wedge advised as he climbed into his bunk.

"I will."

"Cut the chatter." Nara pulled his covers over him. "The mission's gonna take place in the wee hours of the night, and we were up all night last night going over the plans and memorizing the codes. We need sleep. So good night."

His companions replied in kind.

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Han awoke with the mission on his mind. He glanced at his chronometer. He had only slept for about three standard hours, and they would be arriving outside the orbit of Vivicus in maybe another four, give or take. The mission would begin in just a matter of hours. And he was the leader of this mission. How did that happen? He couldn't imagine himself taking on such responsibilities in the past—even in the recent past. Why now?

For the adventure maybe? Sitting around on the base was becoming boring. He could've just joined as a team member and not the leader. He could've turned Dodonna down. The general had to have a back-up plan if Han said "no" to his request. Maybe not. Why else would he have asked Han to lead the mission and let Han pick his team, allow him to choose Leia for his command team despite Dodonna's misgivings about her?

Maybe he did it for Leia. Han certainly didn't like how the High Command treated her, making her the "Face of the Rebellion" when she was so much more than that.

Han was amazed how Dodonna seemed to be putting a lot of faith into someone who wasn't a member of the Alliance. He was one of the few members of the High Command who wasn't suspicious of the smuggler, and he obviously didn't see Han as a threat to the Alliance's security like other members of the High Command. Han thought that was odd. General Dodonna was a military man in all sense of that word. Protocol and duty were ingrained in his being. Yet, he gave such an important mission to someone who didn't even believe in their cause.

Now the smuggler had the lives of others in his hands. That weighed heavy on Han's conscience. The odds of everyone making it back on this mission were low. Their blood would be on his hands. Han sat up in his bunk and rested his elbows on his thighs and his head in his hands. He felt as if a weight was upon his shoulders, and he feared he would crack under its pressure. He looked at his fellow comrades. Everyone seemed peaceful, unworried in their sleep. Luke was even emitting a light snore.

Han grimaced. Luke or Leia could be amongst the ones he loses. Maybe he shouldn't have put the two in this kind of danger. He may not have known them long, but he did know how they think and both were flexible and quite adept under pressure. They were perfect for the job. Still he worried. He had become attached to them. Han found that their escape from the Death Star, running for their lives, created a bond between them. He even considered Luke a friend. And Leia?

While their relationship was tumultuous, he felt connected to her and did consider her a friend. Did she consider him a friend?

He looked at the bunk across from his own, expecting to see Leia fast asleep, but he found her bunk empty except for her data pad. Han frowned. Where could she have gone? It was a small ship and she was in no danger, but Han couldn't help but worry. He stood up, stretched his arms in the air, and glanced around. In the bunk farthest from the door, Wedge was still up reading his data pad, probably going over plans.

"Have you seen the princess?" Han whispered.

"She got up about an hour and a half ago. She left without saying anything."

The smuggler pressed his lips together, put his hands on his hips, and nodded. He then exited the bunk room and absentmindedly went to search for the princess. He wondered through the lounge, but she wasn't there. Han next headed to the galley. The long narrow room was off the lounge on the starboard side of the starship. He walked through it but didn't find Leia there. He then passed through the engine room and made his way to the cockpit. When the princess traveled on the Falcon, she seemed to enjoy spending time his ship's cockpit when they traveled through light speed.

Han popped his head into the cockpit, and Tycho and Hobbie looked over their shoulders.

"Captain Solo," Hobbie acknowledged Solo's presence. "Checkin' up on us?"

"Uh…yeah." Han was disappointed that he didn't find the princess. "Everything okay?"

"Everything is under control," Tycho answered. "This shuttlecraft is probably the smoothest ship in the fleet. We should arrive at the scheduled time."

"Glad to hear that." Han stepped back. "Uh…carry on."

"Aye, Captain."

Han cringed. He hated everything military and all the pomp and discipline that came with it since his stint in the Imperial Academy. It made him more than a little uncomfortable. He shoved his hands in his pockets and traced his steps back to the lounge.

It was obvious the princess didn't want to be found. So where would she go if she didn't want to be found? Han picked up the speed of his casual step and walked to the cargo hold. It was dimly lit and contained several vehicles and crates. He slowly made his way down the narrow walkways between the supply crates, looking into the nooks and crannies created by them. He found the princess at the end of an aisle leaning against a crate across from the haul of the ship, one leg curled around the other, and her head resting on her knee. Her hair hid her face and she was seemingly unaware of his presence. Han hesitated, unsure if he should interrupt her solitude.

"Go away," she quietly ordered.

So she did notice him. Han stepped forward so that he was standing next to her.

"What are you doing awake?"

She forcefully sighed, "Why are you awake?"

"Couldn't sleep." He sat down across from her.

"Captain, if I wanted company, I would have found a less secluded place. Or would've woken Luke."

Han ignored her comment. "Nervous about the mission?"

She looked at him, her eyes glistening. "No."

Han stood staring down at her for a moment, assessing the situation. She looked as if she was on the verge of crying, and he knew she'd prefer to be left alone with her thoughts. If it wasn't the mission that was on her mind, it must have been something else, something that must be so bad that her large brown eyes glistened with unshed tears. She didn't look like she should be left alone. Han folded his legs so that he was sitting across from her. He leaned against the haul and rested his elbows on his knees.

"If nerves aren't keeping you up, what is?"

He waited for her to answer, but she just lifted her head from her knee and looked away as she tried to reign in her tears.

"I am," he admitted to his surprise. "Nervous. Worried."

Leia looked at him once again. She had won over her tears; her eyes no longer glistened. "The great Han Solo who faced down a squad of storm troopers and rescued a helpless princess from the Empire's most lethal weapon is nervous and worried? Impossible."

"You were hardly helpless," Han countered. "Bossy, but not helpless."

The princess dropped her head against the crate, keeping her large brown eyes on him. "Why are you nervous and worried?" she asked after a moment of silence. "You've done weapons runs and smuggling jobs for the Alliance before."

Han scratched the back of his head. "I didn't have the lives of other people in my hands on those missions. There's a good chance not everyone's coming back from this trip."

Leia rolled her lips between her teeth. She wasn't expecting such an honest answer. Hell, she wasn't expecting Han to admit being nervous or worried. Han was always so self-assured, arrogant, and cocky around her. And here he was admitting his self-doubt. To her. This was an unusual situation, and Leia didn't know how to take it.

"We're at war," she finally said. "Casualties are expected. If we do…if we lose anyone, it won't be your fault. These men know the risk they're taking. They want to be here." She tipped her head to the side. "Besides, you're going to do just fine. General Dodonna picked the right man for the job."

His hazel eyes stared into hers. He didn't expect a compliment from her. "Why do you say that?"

"You're the only one crazy enough to pull off a mission like this."

"Uh…thanks?"

They broke eye contact and remained silent. Leia stretched her feet out in front of her, her stocking feet touching the haul across from her. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"What made you decide to lead this mission?"

"I dunno. Boredom. Something to do."

She furrowed her brow and smiled, "You needed something to do so you take on a dangerous mission, decide to lead it?"

"Adventure is the spice of life."

Leia nodded, relaxed her arms, and stared at her hands. "So why…" she started but then hesitated.

"Why what?"

"Dodonna said…." She bit her lip before continuing, "He said that you wouldn't take the mission unless you had me on your command team. Why did you want me on your command team?"

Han shrugged. "You were the best candidate for the job."

"How do you know that?" She met his eyes again. "You barely know me."

"I've seen you in action. You're a fast thinker. That's a handy trait on a mission like this. Who knows what could go wrong?"

She pressed her lips together. "Dodonna must have really wanted you. He was totally against me joining any missions other than diplomatic missions." She sighed. "To him, I'm just a senator and princess. The 'Face of the Rebellion'." She interlocked her fingers. "I don't want to be that. I don't know. After the Death Star, after Alderaan…." She faded off.

"Screw Dodonna."

Leia looked at him and laughed. Then she sobered. "I don't know who I am anymore," she quietly said. "I just feel like I can't be who everyone wants me to be." She sighed. "So much has changed. I've changed, but everyone wants me to be who I was. She doesn't exist anymore."

She bit her lip. Why did she tell Han of all people that? Leia waited for some smart remark from Han, but all he gave her was silence as if he didn't know what to say to her. She felt uncomfortable and inwardly cursed herself for being so open. She hadn't opened up to anyone about her feelings, hadn't shared her thoughts with anyone else, not even Luke. Why did she so to Han? She suddenly felt angry at him, angry at herself for revealing as much as she did to this smuggler who endlessly teased her and made no commitment to the Alliance.

He finally asked, "Is that what's keepin' you up?"

"No."

"Then what?"

Leia hugged her knees to her chest. Han bent his neck to see into her downcast face.

"You can tell me," Solo quietly said.

The way he said that, so soft, so serious….After a moment of silence, she quietly answered, "Bad dream."

"Oh." He paused. "Wanna tell me about it?"

She shook her head and avoided eye contact. She felt weak and stupid and childish to be afraid of something like a bad dream, something not real though it felt real when she dreamt it. She felt herself trembling, felt broken, and Han was the one witnessing her weakness. How would he use that against her in the future? She rubbed at her eyes. How come she didn't just keep her mouth shut or left before he sat down across from her?

But Han's honesty, his lack of sarcasm and mocking, took her off guard and made it easy for her to talk to him about things she'd never talk about to anyone else. And it was somewhat cathartic release all that that was building up inside her. Although she was vexed at herself and vexed at him for being so nice, it felt good to get it off her chest.

Han suspected that her dreams consisted of Death Stars, Darth Vader, Alderaan, and all that she lost. He had never seen her grieve or even stop to take a breath since he had been observing her while on the base. Maybe she cried herself to sleep every night. Or maybe she was up every night fearing sleep, fearing the dreams that come with repose. He hadn't known her long, nor was she close to anyone as far as he could tell. She kept her distant from others, and Han knew that she was protecting herself from getting hurt. He used the same defense himself. She recently lost everything. Han may have not lost as much as he had, but he had lost a lot in life. He and Leia had that in common. Maybe that's why he was up talking with her, prying her troubles out of her. Maybe he didn't want to feel alone with his less-than-ideal past.

Without thinking, Han reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. Leia's large brown eyes flew up to look at him, and her cheeks flushed. She touched the tendrils that Han had touched.

"Sorry," Solo mumbled and looked away. "It's just that your hair is beautiful when it's down." He dared to return his hazel eyes to hers. "I couldn't help myself."

She sat there for a moment, pulling gently on her hair, and her cheeks turned even pinker. She studied him as if she was probing for any sarcasm on his part. She found nothing but sincerity.

Finally she quietly said, "Thank you."

Han suspected that although she probably received many compliments about her political prowess and honored as a princess, she didn't get many compliments on her appearance by non-royalty. And politics probably played a part in compliments coming from her peers. Or maybe, just maybe, she just wasn't used to receiving a compliment from him. He was hard on her. All of a sudden he felt bad about his biting comments and trivial arguments he incited.

Solo stood up. "I'm guessin' you've given up on sleep. Do you still want to be alone?"

Her large brown eyes looked up at him; her mouth formed a tiny "o". After a moment of hesitation she shook her head. Han held out a hand to her.

"Why don't we to the galley and get some much needed kaffe? I doubt anyone else is up yet, except Tycho and Hobbie, but their keeping watch in the cockpit."

Leia stared at his hand before giving him her own. Han was surprised by her action, but their whole conversation that lacked any mocking or fighting was quite unusual. It was the first time the two had an honest conversation. Maybe things between them would change for the better. Han pulled her to her feet. She quickly pulled her hand out of his. Then again, maybe nothing had changed. Nevertheless, he'd appreciate her company for as long as it lasted. He followed her out of the cargo hold and to the galley.