Han climbed down the rungs of the gunner's well with three worries: why had the Empire only sent a handful of Tie fighters after them when they probably had hundreds inside that Death Star, how were they going to make it to Yavin, and why hadn't he fallen down yet if the lateral controls were damaged.
He shrugged the worry about the fighters away. Maybe it had been a stupid decision. Yeah, that sounded like the Empire he used to work for.
And that princess must be wrong. They weren't spinning out of control. Yet. What did she know about reading a console panel on a space freighter? Han didn't doubt she was smart. Probably counted all the jewels set in her crown every day.
He heard himself think the last thought, along with the hum of his ship that was close to normal and not too alarming. There was a time for tactlessness, and Han employed it regularly, but it seemed in bad taste, even for him. She didn't have a crown anymore. She didn't have a planet, and that was mind-boggling.
She'd get plenty of pity though, from everyone, so she didn't need it from him. The kid- Luck? Luke? Something with an L- had already started, when he wasn't pitying himself. What a rube. Where the hells was he, anyway, it occurred to Han to wonder. Still sitting in the gunner's seat, reliving his two hits with a big smile on his face?
A loss of lateral controls was bad news, though. If those two- Her Royal Pain and the kid- thought it'd be a simple escape from here on out, they had another thought coming. It wasn't over yet.
He met Chewie in the corridor. "How're the laterals?" he asked. "I'm still standing so I'm thinking-"
*The shield component* Chewie reported as he rushed off to start repairs.
"Thought so," Han answered. "I -"
*Stop thinking and start flying*
"Talk about tactless," Han yelled at his partner's back.
*Only you*
Han humphed to himself and made his way to the cockpit. Still no sign of Luke. He better not be playing Jedi again with that lightsaber. They had work to do. Kid needed to learn priorities.
Princess Something Or Other was in his seat. Han set his jaw. It was one thing to help Chewie pilot when Han and Luke were in the gun well. That didn't make her captain, however. And the way she was sitting!
Well, actually, Han had never seen anyone sit like that. It didn't look very royal. She looked weary, and thoughtful, and like she was dreading something.
He should be looking like that. It was his ship. But oh yeah, Han remembered. It was she who gave him a destination when they fled the Death Star. The rebel fleet was on Yavin. He would wash his hands clean of her there.
The thought of the too-few Tie fighters bothered him again for a second, but rather than worry about that he preferred to learn what would get her out of his seat. So he peeled off his gloves and puffed up his chest at her.
She wasn't impressed. And she said their escape had been too easy!
Yeah, that explained the too-few Ties. 'Course, he'd thought of that too; he'd just not wanted to think of that.
They put up a good fight, though, Han defended them, and himself. What'd she think, the Empire ordered them to allow themselves to be destroyed? Plus they got in a few good hits and his ship was gonna limp into Yavin.
She looked... natural, in his seat. Well, it was only a chair. He probably looked good in it, too. And she looked comfortable, for the moment. She'd been through a lot, so that was okay. Still though, she was gonna have to get up.
He got suckered in. Asked a question. Broke his own rule, which was don't get involved. And her answer was so... beyond man to man, or man to woman as the case may be. She looked at him, and he saw how young she was, with big brown eyes, and he told himself, Han buddy, get the hell out. Hide your pink bunny slippers and never let her see them. Run the fuck away because this princess, this woman, was trouble. Big trouble, with her big brown eyes and her smart mouth and her thinking brain that was planning on ending the Empire.
"It's not over," she said.
That's what he was gonna tell them! Only he meant the damn flight and she's way out there, talking about battle and war against the Empire and he never thought he'd meet a person he couldn't keep up with and this new feeling was pretty scary. She really needed to get out of his chair.
"It is for me, sister," he proclaimed, watching her eyes flash and how he got her to jump to her feet and feeling like he scored but also feeling like he was failing at something and where the hells was Luke?
AN: This and the following two chapters were written in response to the prompt pink bunny slippers. If you've seen the movie (I think it's called A Christmas Story?) then you might get an immediate image of pink bunny slippers. Such a silly and fun prompt to insert in a galaxy far away, and I got a bit carried away.
Thanks for reading!