Chapter Eight: No Objections?
"I'm worried about Han," Janice confided to Luke as they sat in the brightly-lit break room lined wall-to-wall with white tables and chairs. They sat across from each other at a far corner table about forty feet from the food replicator.
Janice was holding a white mug with a handle that, on one end, didn't quite adjoin to the rest of the mug, and Luke was sipping from a thin white cup.
Luke set the cup down on the table to reply. "Don't worry," he said. "We've gotten out of worse scrapes than this. If I know Han, I'd say he'll be back before you even know it."
"But what if you're wrong?" Janice tried not to show the fear in her eyes for her sister. She didn't entirely trust Han's rescuing capabilities.
"I'm not," he reassured, "and if I was, I'm sure you could forgive me." He took another sip, eyes fixed on Janice.
"It's not you I'd have to forgive," she said forlornly, looking downward.
He set down his glass. "Hey," he attempted to console, nudging her chin up with his half-clenched fist, "it's not your fault."
She half-smiled, letting the gentle touch linger, then sat upright. "I appreciate your sympathy," she said in a mature tone, "but I must admit it is partially my fault. I should have cautioned her not to go back to Sean's lair, except..." Janice frowned off to one side and wrinkled her brows. "What was I doing?" she asked, looking up at Luke.
"Dueling me," he answered simply.
Janice froze. "That's right... I was, wasn't I?" She shifted her eyes from him to the floor and back, slowly. Blinked once. Blinked twice. Leaned forward in the slightest, irresistibly drawn by that kind, smiling face of his. Swallowed.
But this couldn't be right, she thought. She couldn't love him... not now. She'd sworn never to love. But, still... it was kind of an unreasonable oath, considering the human fallacies. Weakness. Disadvantage. It was a curse, really, to be drawn to love. It was a curse.
And it never failed.
It wasn't failing now.
Yet, fate would have its way, as C-3PO fortunately sauntered right into the room at that precise moment, before Luke and Janice would have the chance to try anything.
"Janice! CoCaptain Janice! Thank goodness! I've been searching all over for you! We've received word from Han Solo. He's returning on the Millennium Falcon with your sister."
"Amarav!" Janice cried, leaping up and bumping the chair backwards. "Yes!"
Luke apparently shared her enthusiasm. "Woohoo!" he yelled, jumping up and embracing Janice as if they'd just won the lottery.
While Janice and Luke were ecstatically jumping around in the break room of the StarShip 2000, Han was piloting the Millennium Falcon back toward Amarav's ship.
"Can't believe they just let you go like that, kid," rambled Solo. "Things like this don't happen just every day, you know?"
"Maybe they do," she replied smartly, "we just don't know about it."
He chuckled, just happy to be out unscathed. "Well, princess, I'm going to expect some compensation."
"Expect what you will," she responded, with an air of haughtiness, "but you hardly did a thing."
"I saved your life!"
"They let me go!"
"Aw, come on! If I hadn't been there, that Sean guy would've had some sort of excuse for keepin' ya. I'm tellin' you, I saved your life."
"Fine." Amarav hesitated, then added, "You know, you didn't have to blast him, Solo."
Han grinned slightly. "What?" he said with a pretense of innocence. "It's not like I hurt him or anything! I just stunned 'im long enough to getcha outta there."
Amarav rolled her eyes. "Oh please... enough with the heroics already."
The Millennium Falcon arrived on the landing platform of the StarShip 2000. Luke, Janice, and Rosalee stood just inside to greet them.
"Amarav!" Rosie cried.
"Hey, Rosie!" she answered. They hugged briefly.
"Welcome back, buddy," Luke said to Han.
"Thanks for your help, Han," said Janice with gratitude.
"Don't mention it," he replied, happy to be appreciated.
Amarav sniffed the air with a regal presence and cleared her throat. "CoCaptain, here is the prized bostanite we've been searching for," she said, holding up a large container she pulled from the ship. "A gift from Enstacia."
"The bostanite!" Janice stood awestruck at the metallic substance. "Yes, Amarav! We can return to Delta Centauri, now! Our mission is complete!"
"Yay!" Rosalee cried, jumping for joy. "Amarav, you did it!"
"We did it," Janice modified, smiling at her younger sister.
Han suddenly perked up. "Hey, where's Chewie?"
Janice looked slightly sheepish. "Um, we're sorry Han, but he was getting a little out of hand." They began to pace back toward the main deck. "Attacked several officers, injured my copilot... anyways, we had to keep him in the containment room. My apologies, truly."
She walked two doors down the main hall toward the containment room, used for the occasional prisoner the ship might have to confine. She unbolted the door and, to her slight surprise, the Wookiee was quietly sitting facing a corner, face in hands and whimpering. He looked up when he heard the voice of Han Solo.
"Chewie! Come here, ya little furball!"
Chewie immediately complied, almost knocking his friend over.
"It's all right, I'm fine," he consoled, motioning with his eyes for the others to leave.
The other four left without any objections.