From a Certain Point of View
Two months later, on a day like any other, Han rolled out of his bunk on the Falcon and walked straight to the cockpit. Sliding into the captain's chair, he slipped his headset on and comm'ed hangar control.
"New Republic Control," the voice on the intercom crackled in response.
"This is Han Solo of the Millennium Falcon. Get me General Antilles. Please."
Han had continued with his life after Leia left. He had moved the Falcon over to the military hangar and had never slept another night in Leia's apartment. He literally lived at work, submersing himself in his everyday routine.
Sometimes in the middle of the night he would go back to her apartment in hopes of finding her there asleep or waiting for him, but she never was. He had spoken to Wedge, Carlist Rieekan and any other contact he thought might help him. He had even paid a visit to Roman. But no one knew or no one claimed to know where she was and there was no record of her ever leaving the planet.
Han flipped switches and turned knobs and felt his own being coming to life along with his ship. He had no idea where he was going, no reason why this day seemed different than any other, other than it just felt right.
"Antilles," Wedge's voice came through Han's headset.
"I've got to go, Wedge. I can't stay anymore."
There was a short silence, and then Wedge replied, "Honestly, I'm surprised you've stayed this long. Good luck, Solo."
"Thank you, General."
"If there's anything you need, you know where to find me."
"I appreciate that. Solo out."
When the Falcon's repulsorlifts engaged and Han lifted off the duracrete earth of Coruscant, it felt like a piece of him slid back into place. He had been planet bound since Leia brought him back from his ordeal. The novel sensation of flight, the physical rush it afforded him, the comforting familiarity of him and his ship and the vast universe ahead of them seemed to swell inside his every blood cell until his veins would burst from the pressure.
The Falcon slid out of Coruscant's atmosphere and patiently waited for her next instructions. Han stood and walked over to the navicomputer, stared at its complex controls for a long moment and then punched in a course and vector that was committed to his memory like his home planet of Corellia. There was no doubt that this was where he needed to go.
When the Falcon touched down on Kashyyyk three days later, there was one, lone, familiar figure standing on the platform waiting to greet him.
[What happened to the Falcon?] Chewie roared as soon as Han began to descend the boarding ramp.
"She was out of my hands for a little bit," Han replied as he ran his hands along the support strut. "You'll have to pry the story out of her."
Chewie walked along the ship, raising his paw and caressing each new, welded piece of skin. [They did a good job at least.]
"Yeah. I think I have Leia to thank for that."
[You met back up with the Princess?]
"In so many words, yeah."
Chewie did not respond but continued to intimately survey the battered freighter.
"How's the family?"
[Everyone is well. They'll be glad to see you.]
Han didn't respond.
[If you are staying long enough to visit.]
"Of course," Han replied quickly. "Of course, I'll make time to see them."
[You did not last time you were here.]
Again, Han was silent. This time Chewie turned his attention away from surveying the Falcon and looked directly at Han, waiting for his reply.
"I was in a hurry to run away last time I was here," Han stood tall and spoke the words as if they were his own punishment to say them and hear them being said. "I'm not running anywhere…anymore."
The fur on the side of Chewie's face moved as if from a light breeze that wasn't there. Han knew that it was a smile. [Good. Then let's go have dinner. I can smell Malla's cooking from here.]
Han received a warm welcome into Chewie's home and attracted the attention of the surrounding families. Human visitors were rare on Kashyyyk and humans that could speak and understand Shyriwook as fluently as Han, even more so. It was late in the evening by the time all of the visitors had gone home and Malla and Chewie were wrestling to get an excited little Wookiee to bed.
Han walked along the perimeter of Chewie's house, nestled on the strong branches of a wroshyr tree. The lights of neighboring houses twinkled amidst the branches for as far as he could see and the strong scent of the forest complimented the towering masses of trees and limbs.
The evening had brought with it a strong, cool wind and the floor beneath his feet creaked and moaned with the subtle movement. There were the sounds of lost birds cawing to find their nest mates and the growl of unknown dangers wafting up from the dark nether regions far below. It was nature's conversation and no translation was needed.
One by one, the twinkling lights from houses were snuffed out making it seem as if the darkness were winning some sort of primordial fight. The caw of the birds ceased and the growling droned down to a purr as everyone found their way home. Han stood alone and watched and listened to it all, his hands curled around the rough edge of the safety railing.
[I had to promise him that you would be here in the morning.]
Han turned at the sound of Chewie's voice. Instead of responding right away, he opted to hold his gaze for a long moment. There were many things that needed to be said between them, but Chewie was like the wind and Han was the moving branch. "I will be," he finally replied, with more conviction then the response reasonably required.
Chewie stood tall and watched Han as one watches a candle burn down to its wick. It was a mesmerizing stare full of patience and years of silent understanding, always knowing that the day would someday come but unable to hurry it or force it for fear of snuffing the flame that made it all possible.
"I should've stayed with the Rebellion…," Han began out of nowhere and Chewie did not react but continued to listen. "You were right about that. And, really, I've known that for a long time, maybe since the day we lifted off of Yavin four. But I've only recently realized why I should've stayed." Han paused, the words coming to his mind unbidden and unrehearsed and Chewie's silence acted as the only encouragement they needed. "I thought you wanted to stay to smash the Empire for all that it had done to you and your people. And that should've been enough of a reason for me to stay, I know that, pal."
Chewie tilted his head in a gesture of understanding and forgiveness.
"But you didn't want me to stay for you at all."
Chewie's head jerked up and for the first time he looked stunned by Han's words, as if everything else he had said had been expected and not very revolutionary or surprising. But that this was.
Han wanted to look down at his feet, or up at the bits of dark sky above, or over to the trees in the distance, anywhere but at the piercing blue eyes that were watching him. But he kept Chewie's gaze as he said, "You wanted me to stay for me. For Luke and for Leia and for letting myself belong to something again, like I haven't let myself do since…since I had a family…since I had a home."
Chewie moved as if to say something and Han stopped him, "I ain't done."
Again, the Wookiee tilted his head and remained silent.
Han continued, "I can't take credit for this, but I told Leia that you left me because you finally gave up on me and I thought that, I really did. But she said that it was maybe because I gave up on myself and…now I know that she was right."
Han felt like a son that had just pleaded for amends from his estranged father. He had no idea he had wanted to say those things to Chewie. No preconceived notion that this was the reason for his visit, but now that the words were out of his mouth he knew that this was exactly what he was supposed to be doing with his life at this very moment. It was a very foreign but comforting feeling.
Chewie threw his head back and guffawed as he released one of the worst curse words in Shyriiwook. The sound of his exclamation seemed to travel as far as the twinkling stars overhead.
Han's mouth dropped. "What was that for?"
Chewie shook his head and stared at Han for a moment before he said, [She did in less than a year, what I couldn't do in nearly a decade.]
Running his fingers through his hair and tilting his head down towards the ground, Han eyed Chewie from under his brow as he said sheepishly, "Yeah, well she had some things in her arsenal that you…that you just don't have."
[I guess so,] Chewie agreed and then paused a moment before he asked, [So, where is she?]
"I don't know. She left."
Chewie shook his head.
"Not like that. Well, I guess it was like that. But..."
[Is she Vader's daughter?]
"Yes."
[She told you that?]
"Yeah."
[How did she know for sure?]
"Some ancient Jedi named Yoda."
Chewie didn't respond.
"I'm gonna find her," Han finally spoke into his silence. "I'm tired of running, and I think she is, too."
[You want me to help you?]
"No." Han shook his head and spoke softly. "I came to here to say what I've said and that's it."
Chewie was silent for a while until he said, [I would like to help.]
Han fought back on both a wide grin and an onslaught of tears. He swallowed any further attempts at empty refusals and simply replied, "I'd like that."
Chewie described to Han how a task force had landed on Kashyyyk and tested several pre-selected Wookiees for Force sensitivity. A few Wookiees, presumably those who had tested positive, had disappeared without a trace. The pair spent several days speaking to the families of those Wookiees who had disappeared and even to some Wookiees who had been tested and left behind. The whereabouts of the missing Wookiees remained a mystery, but that they were rounding up Force sensitives for some sort of academy became very clear.
Han felt certain that he would find Leia at wherever this academy was. And after exhausting all leads on Kashyyyk, Han and Chewie boarded the Falcon and began a planet hop tour of the mid rim planets surrounding Kashyyyk. Evidence of the same type of testing and disappearances were found amongst nearly all of the neighboring planets.
It took the pair nearly two months to establish that they were finally on the heels of their prey, utilizing the timeline of the reported disappearances. Certain that they had determined their probable direction and path by the time they reached the Outer Rim, Han and Chewie sat on the planet of Barabl and plotted a jump that would hopefully put them ahead of their target and place them on-planet both well before and during the testing.
From all the intel they had gathered, it seemed a forward group would hit the planet first to meet with the heads of state and discreetly put a call out for Force sensitives. By the time the candidates had been gathered and tested, a second crew arrived to shuttle the successful candidates off-planet.
In order to jump ahead of the forward crew, Han and Chewie looked two to three months down the potential path for a planet where they might have some luck to get on the inside.
Pouring over planetary data and fighting over who were actually friends or foes, the two had just about given up for the day when Han stood up and jabbed his finger near the tail end of the Corellian Trade Spine and shouted out, "Lando!"
[Calrissian?] Chewie roared the word like an expletive. [You think he'll help us?]
Han shrugged his shoulders and sat back down while he moved his finger away from the star map. "Sure, why not? Lando's always been a romantic at heart. Bespin's perfect, it's a good two months out for the speed they're traveling and from what I hear, Lando's the kingpin over there. We won't find any of our other contacts with that much clout."
Chewie refused to look at the map but stared at Han instead.
Han finally looked at Chewie and smirked, as if admitting that he didn't believe a word he just said but still felt confident that he held some sort of trump card. Heaving his chest back, he took a deep breath and offered, "Plus...I have a lot of money saved."
[You have money saved?] Chewie exclaimed. And then, shaking his head, said, [Now I have no doubt that woman is a Jedi!]
"Can it," Han replied without amusement as he turned his attention back to the star map.