A/N: Exciting times! I've finally set up the story...so now it gets interesting! ;) Please read and review.

For those who haven't read the canon books...in the first Han Solo trilogy, Han escapes from what is sort of like a child trafficking ring to join the Imperial Navy. Before that, he was raised on a ship that orbited near Corellia by a man named Garris Shrike. His brother was injured on his arm, thus the cloak, when Han escaped and was reported to 'never be the same again' when Han finally met Garris again at a later part in the trilogy and killed him. During his stay with the Shrike brothers, he was ordered to be a thief and con artist in order to bring back things from the wealthy people on Corellia. When he went against orders, Garris abused and tortured him severely, which is what lead to his grand escape. Wookies were present on the ship, one being Han's best friend until she was murdered in the escape, thus the Wookie guard I gave Larrad.

Also, I wanted to say that FINALLY, my book has been released on Amazon and on digital for the Kindle! If you're interested, check it out; the title is 'Wildest Dreams' by Shannon Rona.

And lastly...thank you for the kind words I've received! Please keep the criticism coming!

VII

"I know that Rebel ship has more space for all of their equipment, but without a shield generator that functions, we won't make it through the rest of the core."

In Renn's workshop, Han was arguing with Chewie as he inspected a boxy looking version of the Millennium Falcon. It wasn't the same, so he would never compare the two. Just by looking at it, he knew the stowaway space that the Falcon had wasn't included and the bunks in a small cabin weren't included in the design, but it had the same type of controls that he was used to piloting. He hadn't flown anything else since his Imperial Navy days, which, he reminded himself, he didn't want Leia or Luke to find out about. Dealing with the questions he'd get about Bria once they got out of Corellia was enough to think about.

Han ran his hand over the smooth surface of the bottom of the ship, checking for any fractures in the body or parts that would need replacing before they could enter hyperspace. He looked at every detail closely, his mouth parted half way as his forehead wrinkled in concentration. He tilted his head to keep his sight on the ship as he bent down to the parts that were closer to the ground.

Chewie, standing away from the ship, rumbled an argument in defense of his opinion.

Not taking his eyes off of his inspection, Han answered with, "Every Imperial fleet out there is looking to hunt us down, buddy."

Another argument from the Wookie.

"Well that's why we need the shields up," he replied sarcastically.

Chewie dismissively agreed to disagree with a faint chatter about Leia being upset about the lack of storage before quieting down. Han, who had finished crawling under the ship and returned to his friend's side, hooked his thumbs in his belt and glared at the big furry creature beside him.

"Her royal Highness has too much on that ship, anyhow. It would do her some good to clean house before we get to Naboo," Solo retorted.

Then, the two were interrupted by the sound of distant footsteps of someone running in their direction. Both turned around, as if their actions were synced, and saw a blur of a Rebel fighter suit coming towards them. The orange stood out nicely on the green landscape.

"Guys!" A frantic Luke Skywalker called as he caught up to the building's open doors. He collapsed so his hands rested on his knees while he caught his breath. "Where's Leia?" he asked as soon as he was able to speak.

"Thought she was with you," Han told him.

The last they saw of the Princess, she was headed off with Artoo-Deetoo into the trading post, following Luke and See-Threepio.

"No, I went to check out some parts for the ship." Luke was concerned. "I thought she came back to you."

"No sign of her, kid," Han informed him.

Luke stood up straight and headed for the loading ramp of the ship Han and Chewie had been checking out.

"We gotta get out of here," he ordered, looking back at his crew.

"Well hold on a minute," Solo told the boy, taking a step toward him and grabbing his arm. "What's the rush?"

Luke caught his steps and turned to face Han. "We're in danger," he warned him. "A transport just landed with a commander and several of his officers."

"The Empire?" Solo asked, trying to figure out the enemy.

"No, I don't think so," Luke said, discouraged.

"Well then what's the danger?"

Han didn't get why Luke was so scared of a fleet landing. For all they knew, it could just be another group, like themselves, landing to get some supplies or fuel up.

"I can feel it," Luke told him flatly.

Skywalker knew Han never believed in the Force. He had told him so back on the Falcon when Obi-Wan was teaching him the basics of it all. He didn't want to argue about it now. Part of him anticipated Solo trying to fight with him so they could stay.

Instead of arguing, though, Han let go of Luke's arm and frowned.

"All right," he agreed.

Solo moved away from the two to walk around the ship to where Renn was working on one of his droids while they were inspecting. Luke stayed with Chewie; he wanted to keep a look out for Leia if she was making her way back to the building. Then it hit him; Theepio had never made it back with him.

"Hey Han!" Luke called to his friend. "I'm gonna go collect Threepio. He never made it back, either!"

But just as he was about to run back out into the sunlight, he heard a reply from Solo.

"I think we have some bigger problems, kid," Han shouted back, stopping Luke from leaving.

When he came back around the side of the ship, Chewie let out a yowl louder than anything Luke had ever heard before. Solo had his hands behind his head in the air, and his DL-44 was missing from the holster on his right leg. Then, two Imperial guards walked out behind him, their own blasters pointed at the pilot's back.

"I'm sorry," Renn apologized, walking out behind them. "They tracked you down and got to me while you were looking over the ship. I had no choice."

Han rolled his eyes, but didn't reply.

"You, with the boy," the Stormtrooper on the left shouted at Chewie. "Drop your weapon and put your hands up!" He pointed his weapon at the two while the other guard kept his on Han's back.

Luke could sense an evil present, but didn't announce it. Vader. He kept the idea of his lightsaber in the back of his mind; the Imperial's didn't know he had it. The weapon was tucked away in his boot, hidden from view.

"Go ahead, Chewie," Solo called to his friend.

The Wookie moaned, but did what he was told. He put his crossbow down on the ground and then lifted his hands up. Luke mimicked him, not letting on about his plan.

Then, the Stormtrooper radioed into his caller on his wrist. "We have Solo, the Wookie, and the boy," he informed whoever was on the other end.

"Good, I'm glad you could succeed without letting me down." Vader's voice rang loud and clear back. "Bring them to the transport immediately."

"Yes, sir."

The transport. Vader must be on Corellia somewhere close. His presence was strong in Luke's mind. He could sense the power of the Dark Side. It was coming through stronger than he wanted it to.

"Let's go," the other Stormtrooper ordered, poking Han in the back to get him moving.

Solo scowled at the guard, but started walking towards Luke and Chewie. When he reached them, he gave his friends an apologetic look. He didn't have time to say anything else, though, because when the group looked ahead to start their journey into the open, they were stopped by another unit: the one Luke had seen land by the edge of the trading post.

"Not so fast," the commander demanded.

The officer was hidden behind hi soldiers, as he was when he came off of his ship, so only his voice was heard, but it was a voice that chilled Han to the bone. Luke felt his friend's heartbeat race when he heard the demand, but he wasn't sure why.

"We have direct orders from Lord Vader to escort these Rebels to the Empire," the first Stormtrooper informed the new commander.

"You can have the boy and the Wookie," the commander agreed. He stepped forward, out of hiding behind his officers. Then, the proposition. "But I want the Solo kid."

"Kid?" Han snapped. It had been almost ten years; he wasn't a kid anymore. "Who are you calling kid?"

The commander's cape wrapped around him as he stepped forward. His eyes, which were lit with satisfaction, focused on Han and his glare that wanted to burn the man alive.

"I guess it has," he agreed. "Han," he greeted.

"Larrad," Solo said smartly back. He didn't want to make it seem like a greeting; there was no one he wanted to see less than the commander standing in front of him. Larrad was brother to the officer who had raised him; the one who had beaten him and tried to kill him when he got older...the one who he had killed. There was no doubt in Han's mind that this was the revenge he had been seeking all those years.

"Release the smuggler," Larrad ordered the Imperial officers.

"We are on direct orders," the Stormtrooper argued. "Get out of the way, or we'll move for you."

The threat was not followed through well. They didn't move any further forward, due to another presence that made its way to stand next to Larrad. It was a Wookie, like Chewbacca, and with it came...

"Eris?" Renn questioned quietly.

"I'm sorry, Uncle," she told him sincerely. "We needed the money."

However, in the Wookie's arms was a body; a girl's body. She was laying with her head hanging back, obviously unconscious.

"Leia..." Luke whispered.

"We have the girl." Larrad spoke with security. He knew he would get Han, one way or another.

The Stormtroopers looked at each other, probably exchanging blank glances and trying to decide what to do. Leia was more important to the Emperor, but they had already told Vader that they had Han in their grasp, so showing up without him would only make the Dark Lord angry.

Seeing the moment of opportunity, Luke reached his hand out for his lightsaber faster than anyone in the room could handle. The weapon flew to his hand instantly. Turning it on, Luke took a fighting stance and faced the Stormtroopers. They had the weapons...they were the worst threat. He was only thankful that Vader wasn't actually with them.

One of the Stormtroopers tried to outsmart Luke and shoot at his legs to unbalance him, but Luke was quick. He blocked the shot with his light beam and it bounced back, hitting the soldier flat in the chest and knocking him out cold to the ground. One down.

The other tried to take Han in his hands and used him as a shield, but Chewie was fast and knocked him off his feet as the Imperial went to grab his friend.

"Thanks, Chewie," Solo said with gratitude as he stood behind Luke and his green light.

"Give her back," Luke demanded. He sounded almost childish; he was still young, and it showed at times.

"A trade," Larrad offered. "The Princess for the smuggler." Then, a pause as two more soldiers came out from behind the ground, both wielding weapons. "Or do you want to fight for them?"

Luke knew he would win if he tried, but he couldn't quite gasp the use of the Force perfectly yet. There was a chance the soldiers could take him out. He frowned in frustration.

Chewie roared a defensive roar from behind Han. Solo looked back at his friend and smiled, trying to look reassuring.

"They can't hurt me," he promised his companion. When the Wookie argued, Han told him, "I'll be fine."

"You can't possibly be think-" Luke stammered, but Solo cut him off.

"You take Leia."

Han was sincere with his request. Suddenly, Luke felt a warmth come over his friend, but he couldn't quite place a finger on what had caused it.

"Han," Luke argued, taking a breath in as he gave his friend a pleading look.

"I have some business to take care of, anyway," Solo continued.

Immediately, the Wookie tossed Leia to the ground in front of the group as the armed soldiers surrounded Han and secured his hands behind his back with restraints. He kept his gaze on Luke as they paraded him away and out the door until they forced him to turn around and walk straight ahead.

"Get going, kid!" He winked and faked a smile before he left the boy's sight.