The day after the battle of Yavin, Leia received word she was needed on Chandrila. Han and Luke were to accompany her.
"Say no," Han dared. "You deserve a day of sleep. Both of you."
Leia was pale, a little different than the Princess Han enjoyed arguing with on the Death Star. Luke was quiet, too. They weren't much fun and Han was starting to feel guilty about all the credits he stashed aboard his ship.
"I'm guessin' they want us for their parade," he said.
Leia nodded in that quiet way. On the Death Star she made it plain what she thought of him, but he didn't seem to register at all right now.
"Are you going to say no, Han?" Luke wanted to know.
Han squirmed. He should. If he had an ounce of brains he should have been long gone. But. It was one thing to take their money. It was another to leave when they were shells of themselves.
"I'll fly you," he negotiated. "Only way I'm goin', Your Triumph."
"Oh, good," Luke said. "When?"
Leia nodded again. "That's acceptable," she decided.
"If we leave now," Han quirked his lips to the side and did some mental calculations. "Might get there in time to get 'em out of bed."
"That's not necessary," Leia said. "We'll wait a few hours."
Han slid his elbows forward and clasped his hands in imitation of the Princess about to disagree. "I'm ready now."
She stirred a little bit. "This is not about you-"
"My ship." He spread his hands apologetically. "Find another way if you like."
He glanced at Luke while he waited for the Princess to answer. His thoughts were taking turns displaying themselves on his face: he wanted to be a hero, and he wanted the Alliance to embrace him. but he wasn't so eager he was going to fall right in step with them. What a pain he must have been on that moisture farm, Han thought.
Luke's thoughts finally concluded he wasn't the only hero. "Wedge should come too," he said.
"Of course Chewie's comin'," Han stated.
"Can I bring him?" The idea seemed to spark a little life in Luke. "Can I?" he asked Leia.
"Commander Antilles fought bravely," Leia said.
"And he didn't die," Han added.
"He should come," she decided.
"Alright." Han slapped his thighs and stood up. "Get your stuff. Don't keep me waiting. I'm gonna fuel up."
"Aye, Captain," Luke said with a smirk and went to tell Wedge. When Han turned around, the Princess was still sitting at the table.
Chandrila had one moon. A dead rock, it loomed large in the sky, but it was beloved.
"Ever hear the story?" Han told them during the landing.
He was done trying to get a rise out of either Luke or Princess Leia. Wedge wasn't much better and stayed in the crew quarters. They'd all been very quiet. Probably exhausted after what they'd been through on Yavin. What did he know. He'd only known them a couple of days. He felt all right. But then, it was what had happened before Yavin that probably had them so subdued.
"The moon was... a spirit, I guess. A god. And it shared the sky with the sun. They were lovers." He shot a glance over his shoulder to see which of the pair were blushing. Luke looked interested. The Princess was waiting for him to continue, the same weary expression on her face. "And they were the same."
"Two suns?" Luke said, intrigued finally. "Like Tatooine."
"Just a story, kid. There was no night. But the Sky was jealous and he killed the moon."
"How?" Luke asked.
"I don't know," Han said impatiently. "But look at it." He gestured out the cockpit window.
It wasn't a bad moon, Han thought. He'd seen ones with atmospheres, and life, or systems surrounded by countless moons, but from the planet this one looked really big. And ghostly, all in shadow. Except at night.
"The sun was on the other side of Chandrila and couldn't get to the moon in time to save her lover. She comes back each day and that's why there's night. It's her visiting her lover's body. The moonlight is from her, her holding him."
"She didn't take her revenge out on the sky?" the Princess asked.
"You both are way too serious," Han complained. "I learned the story from an old man in the Tentacles Tapcafe. It's a stupid name but it's got good ale. He hired me to smuggle watercloth to Naboo and he talked a lot. All I remember is the story about the moon."
"It's a nice story," Luke said. "I think it's really incomplete, at least the way you tell it, but it's really sad and full of love at the same time."
"Yeah, well." Han felt suddenly a little embarrassed. He didn't like the heavy silence and wanted to hear himself talk is why he told it; not for any of that other crap. "The old man told it better."
Mon Mothma, the first Chancellor of the New Republic, gave Luke, Wedge and Han a grateful nod but threw all her emotion at Leia. She hugged her a long time and even cried, and kept saying "My dear, dear Princess."
Finally, she pulled away and dried her eyes. "Come outside on the terrace, my dear. There's something you have to see."
The men followed behind. The Chancellor's- residence, or office, or both, Han guessed, overlooked the sea.
"We have a rare moon tonight," Mon Mothma said in needless explanation. The others gasped and even Han had to admit it was an impressive sight. The moon was full: huge and bright, and it was blue.
"It wasn't blue when we landed, was it?" Luke looked to the others.
Han shook his head. "Looked kinda gray."
"The blue moon occurs maybe once in a human's lifetime," Mon Mothma said. "I'm privileged to see it. I can't help but think that in light of recent events... well, I think it's for you."
"For me?" Leia asked, and put her hand to her throat.
"For all of us. We have an old story associated with our moon," the Chancellor began. "That in the beginning of time, the moon and sun shared a love and a duty-"
"Han was telling us. I mean, Captain Solo," Luke spoke up.
"He may not know this portion. The moon, at the moment of death, cried. That his love the sun would be lonely for all eternity. His tears filled our seas and colored the sky, his murderer, blue. I hear, Leia, that scientists say the reason for the color tonight is because there are large pieces of debris blocking the light waves. They say it is the physical remnants of Alderaan. But I prefer our old spirit. The moon cries, Leia. The moon grieves for what has been lost, for what will be an eternally empty place in our galaxy."
"Damn," Wedge said.
"You brought us for this?" Han asked.
"I did, Captain."
"Okay," Han nodded. "You got my vote."
"Whoa," Luke said and looked at Han. "Just a story?"
Han nodded slowly. "It's a pretty good story."
"I want to stay out here," Wedge declared, and Luke slung an arm around his shoulder. "I want to watch the moon."
"It's a beautiful story." Leia's eyes shone moonlight. She looked, Han thought, like the sun must look every night when she returned to her dead lover. Sorrowful. But lovely too, like the moon's gift was a comfort. That's why the sun returned.
For the prompt once in a blue moon.