Still not sure what the General was getting at, Han hesitated. Then he realized that Rieekan was a very busy man and likely wasn't going to waste time on personal questions. Plus, there was an underlying gravity in the older man's voice that suggested this was purely business.
"Sure, General."
Rieekan gestured towards the same hallway Leia had gone down.
The two men walked purposefully to the far end of the dimly lit passageway and went into the office with Rieekan activating the locking mechanism on the door behind them.
"What can I do for you, General?" Han sat down on the only chair facing the modest desk.
Solo was not surprised by the sparse surroundings. He knew Rieekan was a hands-on leader. One who spent more time in the thick of the action in the Command Center than buried behind some desk.
Leia preferred taking on active responsibilities on base and missions, as well. However, she worked herself to death administratively on top of it all by overwhelming herself in reports and information. Han found out early on that much of that 'busy work' – and many missions, too – could be delegated to lower ranking officers, but she would have none of it. She was bound and determined to do it all. One Princess against an Empire. Funny thing about it was that Han was betting on the Princess.
"What can you tell me about Ord Mantell that I can't get out of a travel guide or a data file?"
"Ord Mantell?" Solo stated it more than asked it. He was very familiar with it from his previous smuggling days. Like any popular place that has been popular for too long, Ord Mantell had a predominant criminal element as well as its gaudy tourist element and smaller versions of every other seedy sort of element in between. There was a lot going on there.
Han scratched his chin in thought. "Depends on which data file, General, but the criminal activity has grown a lot since the tourist boom years ago. It's still a popular destination, but tourism isn't the main reason to go there anymore. If anything, it's used as a cover. It would be do-able to get into without too much Imperial attention. There's too many big and small wannabe players vying for territory for the Empire to get any serious stronghold on the system."
"What are we talking on the danger scale?"
"Again, it depends on the objective, but someone who knows his way around could expect at least moderate danger." Solo shrugged, "It's no pleasure planet. Why? Are you in the mood for a little R&R?"
From the look on Rieekan's face, Solo's words were confirming the General's own dismal thoughts. "Not quite."
xxxmtfbwyxxx
Han had left Rieekan's office with an unsettled feeling. The General hadn't explained why he was asking about Ord Mantell and had asked him to keep their conversation private. As Han passed by Leia's office, his unsettled feeling grew a little more. His instincts were claiming that somehow Leia was gonna be involved with Ord Mantell.
"I have a bad feeling about this," he mumbled under his breath to the rocky outcroppings along the corridor walls.
If there was something big going on involving Ord Mantell and it was being kept quiet, then as a member of High Command, Leia would surely be involved. He didn't like that one bit. Of course, she was quite capable of taking care of herself. She was well-trained in defense, possessed a quick intelligence and a deadly shot. None of it mattered to him. He didn't want her going anywhere near that system.
Give it a rest, Solo, Han reprimanded himself. You don't even know what's goin' on and you're already acting like an overprotective lifemate. Any number of things could be happening with Ord Mantell that didn't include missions at all. He decided there was no sense in jumping to conclusions. Better to find out what the deal is first.
With that in mind, Han decided to stop and chat with an acquaintance in the Command Center on his way out. This acquaintance just happened to be female and just happened to be a good source of information a lot of the time. Odessa wasn't an exceptional beauty like Leia by any means, although she possessed similar coloring in her hair and complexion. Regardless, quite opposite of Leia in that she was always most noticeably flattered by Han's attention anytime he chose to bestow it upon her. Just a little of the 'ol Solo charm and a quick cup of jaava oughta do it, he figured as he walked up to her workstation.
Naturally, Princess Leia would choose then to reappear. From across the busy room, Han caught her reproachfully raised eyebrow aimed directly at him just as he bent down to say hello to the female tech. Undoubtedly, the Princess thought him an incurable womanizer.
While he was able to carry on a pleasant conversation with the human female in front of him, Leia's chastising inebriated words rang loudly in his ears… "Aren't you supposed to be 'Han Solo, Master of Corellian Charm? Ha! Shows how little you know. When all of those women you boast about get wind of this, Captain Gorgeous, you're gonna have a hard time convincing any of them to spend time with you."
Han barely registered that Odessa had agreed to a short break. He was curious if Leia would at least sneak a peek at the couple as they passed by her on their way to the mess hall. She had been making an exaggerated effort of appearing disinterested since her visibly sarcastic judgment of his socializing choice.
Indeed, she glanced up momentarily. While her face showed no emotion, he caught something barely perceptible in her eyes that triggered a small wince in Han's stomach. She was distressed. Suddenly, his answer to her that fateful night came back to him… he had captured Leia's waving hand and kissed it gently, unable to help himself, "Then I guess I'll just spend that extra time taking care of you…"
He didn't understand why he felt so guilty. There wasn't anything between Odessa and him. There never had been. Yes, she would flirt a little and try to gain Solo's favor by telling him what she heard, confidentially, of course. No, Han never went past that point with her and charmed Odessa into thinking it was a practice to be used only between themselves and that he would be most hurt if he found out she was telling anyone else about the information. If he seriously thought she was that much of a big mouth, he would've informed Leia to move Odessa to a position where she would be less in the know regarding important information. She wasn't his only source, after all.
Besides, ultimately, this was all about Leia's welfare. If that meant Her Worship would just have to deal with a little jealousy, then so be it. In fact, it might even help his cause of her admitting her feelings.