From a Certain Point of View
"Now?" Han shouted from deep in the mechanical well of the Millennium Falcon.
"Nothing." He heard Leia answer from where she sat at the engineering console in the main lounge.
Han flung the maintenance wrench out of his hand along with every curse word that he knew before he drew in a deep breath and climbed out of the well.
As he entered the lounge he glanced at Leia before catching sight of Chewie walking in from the cockpit. The two seasoned pilots shared a wordless conversation through their subtle body language, not wanting to put voice to what they had discovered.
"What?" Leia demanded as she watched the silent exchange.
Han turned and looked at her for a moment. "The Falcon's been…tampered with."
[By someone who knows what they're doing.] Chewie growled as he walked over to the engineering console and began to punch random buttons.
Leia stood, giving way to Chewie. "Tampered with, how?"
"Skillfully," Han answered, and in response to a pointed look from Leia continued, "Well, what's most disturbing is that it had to be done from the inside."
Leia shifted on her feet and Han took her arm and led her to the banquette. When she sat, Han turned and began pacing the lounge as he continued, "I guess the more that I think about it, it could've been done pretty quick by someone, like Chewie said, who knew what they were doing."
[Right here at this station.] Chewie added.
"What exactly did they do?" Leia pressed.
Han continued to pace the floor, still processing what they had found while he tried to put it into words for Leia. "They twisted the code. The code that was already twisted seven ways to Corellia by Chewie and me. They made it so we wouldn't be able to get off the ground, disabled the repulsorlifts. They didn't even make it too hard to figure out what they had done. But they didn't make it easy to undo."
[But it's not impossible.] Chewie added.
"Right," Han agreed as he pressed his thumb to his mouth and stopped walking. "Why wouldn't they have just sabotaged it outright? Totally disabled us so that we could never get off the ground?"
[When you're the only ship on planet.] Chewie grumbled, a Wookiee version of a mumble.
Han looked at Leia and then turned away, walking towards Chewie.
"Looks like someone else was planning a quick getaway," Leia said softly.
"Yeah," Han agreed absently as he watched Chewie's paws flip and turn knobs in a blur of grunts and fur and then added, "In my ship."
"It could actually be a good thing, that they had to do this from the inside of the Falcon," Leia offered.
"Right, I know." Han turned back to her and said, "I can only think of a handful of people who've been in here."
"And you're sure no one could've broken in?"
[Positive.] Chewie answered without turning around or stopping his work.
"Yeah, there's no way. We have double and triple checks, even if someone had been able to get passed the security, there is no way we wouldn't know about it," Han agreed as he walked towards the holochess table and Leia.
[And nobody has.] Chewie added.
"Well then, that's good. That's actually really good. It could be our first break on who's behind all this."
The trio compiled a list of anyone who may have had a millisecond of free time within the Falcon. Since Chewie had not been around much in the past few weeks, it was the memories of Han and Leia that were truly put to the test. In the end, they came up with six names: Roman, Orren, the twins, Meisha and Shanel but they were always in the company of Zacari, and lastly was Krom, one of the tall, crazy-looking humanoids that had stood on either side of Leia when Han had first approached her after arriving on Yavin.
"Zacari would've told me if Meisha and Shanel had fooled with anything and I don't think their two brains together could've figured this out," Han stated as the three of them began to pick apart the list.
"That could very well be an act, Han," Leia countered.
[When was Roman left alone onboard?] Chewie asked in a tone that Han recognized as accusatory.
Han said nothing but looked towards the woman that had volunteered Roman's name for the list.
Leia placed her elbows on the table, pressed her hands together and rested her face against them for a moment before she dropped her hands down and said, "It was weeks ago, when he had shown up that morning that we…" She looked at Han.
"Alright," Han said shaking his head. "I remember, I walked out and he walked in."
"I remember watching you walk down the path, all the way down the path while I sat in the cockpit and…" She swallowed. "I remember thinking that there was no way you would've invited Roman in, I really thought I was going to find him waiting outside for me."
"But I did and you didn't."
"No, I found him in here."
[Sounds like more than enough time.]
"What was he doing?" Han asked curiously.
"Just…standing there," she gestured towards the middle of the room. "I remember that I jumped when I came around the bend and saw him."
"What did he say?"
"He said," she looked down as if trying to remember his exact words. "He said that he didn't want to intrude and that he was just waiting for me…"
Han watched Leia as her voice trailed off. "But?" He asked.
She looked up to him. "I remember finding it funny that he wouldn't have at least called my name. Made his presence known. Or something."
[We need to be careful with this.] Chewie grunted as he moved to sit down on the other side of the banquette from Leia.
"Yeah, I know," Han answered, eying first Leia and then his co-pilot.
"What does he mean by that?" Leia asked.
Han walked over to the console and stared at the flashing lights as he answered her, "He means there are still six names on that list and we can't…we have to remember that."
"I agree," Leia whispered.
Han took her words as another stand for Roman's innocence. He grabbed the back of the high-backed chair and dug his fingernails into the cushion headrest. Taking a deep breath he turned back towards her and Chewie. "That doesn't mean that we both don't think that he's our top suspect."
Leia held Han's gaze for only one brief moment before she looked to Chewie. Han watched as his friend shrugged his shoulders at her, confirming Han's statement.
She looked back to Han. He had approached her and was standing on the other side of the holochess table from her. Laying his hands on the table and leaning towards her, he said softly, "Out of all of 'em, it sounds like he had the most time and the best opportunity and means."
She closed her eyes briefly and then nodded her head and said, "Alright, I admit I may be wrong about him."
"Make his presence known," Han whispered as he stood up straight, repeating Leia's words from earlier as something tickled at the back of his mind.
"What?"
"You said you were surprised that Roman hadn't made his presence known. Shouldn't you have known he was there anyway, with the Force?"
She sighed, as if she had thought of it already. "He could've been shielding."
[Only Sith shield in that way.] Chewie stated as he stood up.
"What does that mean?" Han asked.
"We teach shielding techniques as part of Jedi training. But never full shielding, it draws upon a power that is of the dark side. But I'm not always in-tune with the Force like I should be. My mind was a million parsecs away that morning, he could've been partially shielding and that was enough to catch me off-guard."
Chewie's fur ruffled but he said nothing.
Han bit. "Why would he even be partially shielding?"
Leia hesitated; her eyes glanced to Chewie then back to Han's. "A Jedi can use shielding techniques to hide…intimate feelings that he doesn't want to broadcast."
Han crossed his arms. "Intimate feelings for you?"
"In this case, probably, yes." Han stared at her and she added, "You knew we dated. I can't control how he still might feel."
Han unfolded his arms; this wasn't the time or the place to worry about Roman's intimate feelings towards Leia unless those same feelings were the driving force behind any sinister actions. It certainly marked as another strike against him in Han's book, for more reasons than one.
Han felt Leia and Chewie watching him and he drew himself out of his musings and said, "Earlier, in the meeting…when you got spooked. Was it from someone in the room?"
Her chin came up quickly and a wave of enlightenment washed over her face. "Actually, no."
Han said nothing, not sure what to make out of the answer he had not been expecting.
"I felt it, swarming around me, but not from inside of that room. Hovering outside of it, was more like it."
[That would eliminate Roman and Orren.]
"Unless they were shielding," she countered.
Han shook his head and let out a quick breath. "You know this Jedi crap is friggin' ridiculous."
[I should return to the temple.] Chewie growled.
"Right," Han looked at Chewie and agreed. "No use blowing your cover now that we can't leave."
[Or to let them know you tried to leave or that you know anything is wrong with the Falcon.]
"Right."
"I thought they were waiting for us to try and leave before they made their move. But if they wouldn't ever know if we tried, then what are they waiting for?"
Han just stared at her; he could see Chewie out of the corner of his eye doing the same.
Leia turned to Chewie. "It's bearing down on me. Can't you feel it, Chewie?" The desperation in her words only served to bolster the tension already building in the room.
Chewie nodded and gave a soft woofle and then turned to Han. [You'll work on the code?]
"Yeah," Han replied as he walked toward the engineering console.
[You should check all the weaponry, too.]
"Right."
Chewie looked down at Leia. [I'll see you at the assembly.]
"No," Han said, taking a step toward Chewie. "She's staying here. We don't separate. At least not Leia and me."
"Han."
"Don't." He held his hand up, his straightened arm shielding himself from her words. His palm held up defiantly in her direction, eyes never leaving Chewie as he spoke. His words, if not his gaze, directed to her. "They want the baby, probably at the cost of your life. I'm not letting you outta my sight."
"Alright."
Her answer was low but audible and Han had to drop his hand and do a double take in her direction. His mind had already mentally processed an argument to the rebuttal he fully expected to hear from her. The fact that she had complied so willingly only served to pound a stamp of reality down upon the words that he had just uttered.
"Alright," he managed to heave the word off of his chest as everything crashed down around him. He could not lose her again.
"What will I tell everyone? I mean, we just talked about keeping up appearances."
He blinked, trying to calm the currents of thoughts in his mind. He could not have her ripped out of his arms again, not when she was finally content to stay there. "I don't know, how about: I'm very pregnant and my ankles are swollen and my back hurts and I'm not up to traipsing around the compound for your silly little meetings anymore."
She was watching him as if she could see his mental wheels spinning madly inside of his head. On her face was an expression that would more appropriately match his thoughts instead of his words. She answered, "I think I can come up with something slightly more diplomatic, but okay."
She had tried for some lightheartedness in her delivery, but failed. He could look at her and see how close they were to everything exploding around them. He tried not to think of the types of decisions that lay ahead of them. Fighting not to imagine what he would do if it came down to her life or-
"I do want to make one thing perfectly clear, though." Leia stood up and walked around the holochess table toward Han and Chewie. The softness of her voice was gone as was the attempt at levity and there were lines etched into her face that Han had never seen before. "To the both of you," she said as her eyes went from Han to Chewie and then back to Han as she continued, "Whatever happens. If it comes down to it-"
"Don't say it," Han shook his head, surprised at how his words had come out in a growl.
She held Han's gaze for a long moment and then turned and looked at Chewie as if unable to address the remaining words to Han. "I don't want to live my life at the expense of anyone else's."
Han stood, shaking his head at her, every muscle rippling under his skin from the strain of standing there and listening to her speak.
Her eyes remained on Chewie. "And I do mean anyone else's, but especially..." Her voice hitched and she placed her hand on her stomach and looked down at it and added, "If it's her or me…and it's up to either of you…" She looked up, her eyes finding Han's as she said, "It had better be me."
Her words hit him like physical blows and he stood for a moment as they finished their assault. "Excuse us, please, Chewie," Han said through gritted teeth as he grabbed Leia's arm and led her into his cabin. He pounded the control panel when he entered the room and as the door slid shut behind him, he spun around to face her and said, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I don't want there to be any doubt about my wishes. No hesitations."
"I won't let it come down to that."
"You were thinking it yourself."
"Then get outta my head!" He yelled as he spun away from her and ran his fingers through his hair.
He heard her whisper, his back still to her. "I wasn't in your head, not in that way. We both know things like this need to be discussed-"
He whirled around to face her. "This is not some damn Rebel mission. You are not some acceptable risk or loss! I will not let you martyr yourself for this baby."
Her face registered a shock, as if she was the one who had been hit by his words now, and she replied, "Don't you dare. This is exactly what I'm talking about. Don't try and distance yourself, Han."
He furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head to her in question, unsure of what she was talking about.
She continued, "This baby? Not our baby, or your baby, or my baby?"
He watched as she began to crumble in front of his eyes. Each word acting like a building block being removed from her, causing her entire demeanor to collapse as the sound of each syllable escaped her lips. Her voice continued to rise as if to prove to him or to herself that she was not, in fact, falling apart.
"Not the baby that you have felt move inside of me every night for the past month? The baby you and I made together." Tears began to stream down her face as she continued, slowly ramping up to an anger now, "The daughter you've been talking to and-"
He pulled her into his arms and held her as her body sunk in against him and she sobbed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, sweetheart," he mumbled into her hair with half-whispers, half-kisses. "But I can't have you talking like you already have one foot in the grave."
They held each other for a long while. The sound of Leia's sobs transforming into sniffles the only measurement of the passing of time.
When she had gathered herself up again, when he could feel her spine straightening as she composed herself, he heard her whisper, "You still have to promise me."
"Goddammit, Leia," he answered her tightly. His arms still wound around her protectively, lovingly, in total contrast to the sound of his words.
She pulled away slightly and stared at him.
He felt something break loose inside of him and he nodded his head and said, "Alright."
A warm pool of moisture puddled in his eyes and he looked up to the bulkhead to stave off the tears. He still held her loosely in his arms, and as if by the flip of a switch he could feel the flow of strength reversing from her to him.
I will not let it come down to it, he thought, right before he said, "If it comes down to it…I know…" He looked back down at her and whispered, "Just don't make me say it."
She said nothing as she let her body sink back into his embrace.