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Chapter 20: Solo, Han Solo, Echo07Odessa had little new information since the last time Solo spoke to her and nothing on Ord Mantell. Luckily, she was in the beginning of her shift and couldn't stay too long. She was agreeable enough, but only in small doses. Why the Princess would even imagine Odessa was his type was beyond him.
Tired of sitting around and getting nowhere, Solo sighed and drank the last drop of hot liquid in his mug as he spied C3PO walking in. Considering Artoo was nowhere in sight, Solo surmised that Goldenrod was probably sent by Her Supreme Highnessness to do her royal bidding and to possibly seek out Solo. She had done this in the past when she knew that Solo would be lying low, hiding from her. Unfortunately for Solo, the droid was invariably dogged in his pursuit. Even when Solo would evade him several times, the droid would continue searching until he was able to find and speak to Solo or was recalled by the Princess. Han sometimes wondered if the Princess enjoyed 'sicking' the droid on him just for the sheer sake of annoying him.
On his way out of the mess hall, General Rieekan stopped Threepio. The General had passed by Solo and Odessa only minutes before, only waving a quick 'hello' on his way. Rieekan appeared to be giving 3PO instructions or a message of some sort. Spending quite a bit of time explaining until satisfied he had made the exasperating protocol droid understand, he turned without ceremony and left the droid standing there.
Han smirked. The droid actually appeared offended at the abruptness, despite its frozen metallic features. Solo knew he liked Rieekan for a reason.
Threepio gathered his circuits about him and resumed his original task, which, apparently, did not include looking for Captain Solo. Instead, the droid began to gather various foods and arrange them on a tray.
Solo got it now. The Princess had sent the metal-head here to fetch some food because she was no doubt immersed in her work again. She probably wouldn't bother to take the time to eat, even if she were hungry. More likely, Goldenrod was driving her crazy and she sent him on the errand to get him away from her for a while.
Threepio had finished his task and definitely spotted Solo sitting nearby. Apparently, deciding to be his polite golden self, he headed towards the pilot.
Or maybe, she sent him on a secret recon mission regarding Odessa.
Normally, Solo would have made a point to duck the droid in hopes of being spared his inane nattering, but 3PO knew something. Something that Rieekan wanted to pass onto Leia. Something that was important enough that Rieekan took the time himself to explain it to the droid. And that was the very thing that sent up the red flag, the time and effort that Rieekan spent on Threepio just now when he had been rushing to leave in the first place. Han considered that it could have something to do with the meeting Leia had mentioned or maybe Ord Mantell. If that were the case, this might be his chance at finding out.
All Han had been able to get out of Rieekan earlier in their meeting was: 'busy time for us.' Either the information was so hush-hush that it was only big brass stuff or it was too new to have made the rounds of the base scuttlebutt… or both. Whatever the case, Solo was now determined to find out. He never liked being out of the loop, even if it was a Rebel loop at that. Being in the loop kept you alive. Another habit Solo was not about to change.
Solo waved over Threepio to see what he could drum out of the droid.
"Hello, Captain Solo. Princess Leia said I might see you here."
"You don't say?" He smile grew as he thought of the Princess trying to slyly grill Threepio for details to see if Odessa was with him. Little did she know that her little plan would now play right into his own fact-finding mission about Ord Mantell. "You taking the Princess something to eat, Goldenrod? Or have you decided to give up power and lubricant and try some real food?"
Threepio being the literal droid that he was, answered quite logically, "Captain Solo, being a droid, I am incapable of consuming any type of organic food. This is most certainly for Princess Leia."
Solo rolled his eyes. He should've known. He considered asking the droid outright about Ord Mantell or about what Rieekan had said just now, but quickly scratched those ideas. He gave his word to Rieekan to keep quiet about Ord Mantell and droid or no droid; a promise is a promise. As for asking about the conversation with Rieekan, it would alert the droid to Solo's ulterior motive, which might get back to Leia. Nope, he would have to try to talk his way around to the information he wanted. He groaned inwardly at that thought. Of all the droids in the galaxy, this was the one he was going to have to try to out-talk. So much for the famous Solo luck, but he had no other choice. Somewhere, some god of protocol droids was laughing at him.
"Say 3PO, can you catch me up on what's going on?"
"Going on, Sir?"
"Yeah, you know, how goes the war?" Solo was trying to stay vague for the moment hoping the droid would give him some direction.
"I see," Threepio replied, his servos spinning fast while trying to interpret Solo's meaning. The Captain had a way of confusing the droid. "Well, patrols have not engaged any Imperials and our sensors have shown minimal signs of Imperial activity directly within our sector."
"Glad to hear it. How about General Rieekan? He must be pretty busy gettin' ready to move to the new base in the Hoth system?" Solo took a stab at bringing up the General, hoping it would lead somewhere useful.
"Why, yes, Sir. It's been quite a problem keeping the digging equipment from freezing, proper storage for –"
Wrong way. He tried a new direction. "What about upcoming missions? Anything special on the docket?"
"The upcoming supply runs listing can be access-"
"Yeah, I know where to find the listings." Again, a dead-end… maybe a more direct lead… "I was more interested in missions the Princess might be involved in."
"Princess Leia?"
"Yeah, that Princess." Yeesh! Which Princess did the droid think he meant? He had to hold his patience just a little longer before he let loose and throttled 3PO – for all the good that would do. Of course, there were always the hydro-laser cutters… "She might need a pilot or security escort or somethin'."
"I see," 3PO appeared to be deciding what to do with that.
Solo knew if the droid had been warned that such information was classified, he would withhold it. Not being involved officially Solo did not hold any clearances per se. Most of the time though, he was involved with classified missions nonetheless and 3PO was well aware of it. Still, the droid would do as instructed.
"Sir, Princess Leia does not have any unclassified missions scheduled at the present time."
Blasted diplomatic protocol droid! This was getting Solo nowhere. He tried another tactic; fighting fire with fire or, in this case, protocol with protocol.
"You see, Threepio," using the droid's proper informal moniker, instead of a more insulting nickname, "I need to schedule a private meeting with the top brass, and I was wonderin' if there was a good time to do it when they were all together in one place. That way, I wouldn't disturb anyone's important work more than I had to," Solo said, trying to sound as polite as possible while appealing to the droid's innate programming of proper manners.
"Oh, of course, Captain Solo. How very sensible and, I must say, quite polite of you considering your past beha-"
"3PO!" Solo couldn't take it anymore. He only hoped this was worth it in the end. "Just tell me a good time!"
"Ah, yes," the droid answered, bewildered at the complete turn-around from his polite behavior. "The soonest time would be an emergency meeting scheduled for today at 17:00."
"Great," Solo said as he walked away.
"How rude," 3PO exclaimed, watching Han's back as he walked out of the mess hall.