Disclaimer: Lucas and Disney own Star Wars and all related characters and worlds. I'm just having some fun playing in this wonderful world.
Author's Notes: Though it may not seem like it at first, this is very much an AU. The story follows the original trilogy, but it is not totally prequel compliant (no midichlorians here) nor does it follow any of the EU/Legends stories, although I did borrow some ship types and planet names from Legends. This is absolutely not TFA compliant.
This story is also a crossover, though I am intentionally not mentioning what it's a crossover with. I think if you knew that right from the start, it would ruin the impact of the first three chapters, which are crossover free. I promise that you don't need to know anything about the other title to understand this story.
Thanks go to my two betas for this chapter, MandyQ and Phantomoftheoperalover.
Dedications: Each chapter of this story is dedicated to one of my favorite Star Wars fan fiction authors, except this chapter, which is dedicated to two writers. First up is GreatOne, an amazing writer of Star Wars AU, mostly featuring Han and Leia. It's a great loss to the community that GreatOne recently removed their account from . The second dedication is to Chanel19, who has written a wonderful series of Han/Leia fics.
A Soldier's Heart, A Princess's Destiny
by Mako-clb
Chapter 1: From One Mission to the Next
Leia opened the door to General Carlist Rieekan's office to find Han and Luke already seated across from him. Chewie was leaning against the wall closest to Han. Leia paused in the doorway, looking a bit confused. She hadn't known that Han and Luke were back from their most recent mission, and she felt a bit hurt that none of them had contacted her immediately. Or more accurately, she was hurt that Han hadn't comm'd her. He had gotten into the habit of contacting her as soon as he was back on base, usually before he reported in to his superiors. When Leia had chastised him for it, Han had told her that she was the only superior officer he cared about. She hadn't corrected him about the lack of military etiquette since and had actually been secretly pleased every time he did it. Seeing Han here, knowing he hadn't comm'd her first, left her feeling a little disappointed.
Leia turned her gaze to Carlist, all business. "General Rieekan, you said it was urgent."
"Yes, please take a seat," Carlist said as he gestured to the only open seat, located between Luke and Han. "And, please, there's no need to stand on formality. What I have to say is just as personal to us as it is professional."
Not sure how to respond to that, Leia took the open seat, waiting for one of the men in her life to explain what was going on.
"Solo's mission was an unqualified success," Carlist began. "We have our techs combing through the data now, but just based on the preliminary information mentioned in Luke's report, we should have the data to take down a number of Imperial holdouts."
Leia nodded, not surprised in the slightest that Han's hunch had paid off in regards to the location of the Imperial data storage facility. Han would call it relying on his gut or just luck, but there were times Leia wondered if he wasn't a little Force sensitive, though Luke and Han had both told her several times that despite, or maybe because of, his incredible Corellian luck, Han did not have even a drop of Force sense in him. Leia was equally unsurprised to learn that although Han had been in charge of this mission, Luke had completed the report. It wasn't that Luke particularly liked doing the mission reports or that Han was incapable of doing one. It was just that Leia knew her lover well enough to know he hated doing formal reports. She also knew Luke well enough to know he knew the same thing and would complete the report on Han's behalf.
"Their mission also resulted in some rather unusual information falling into our hands. I'm grateful that they brought this information directly to me," Carlist said, nodding to Han and Luke.
"If it's important to the Alliance, we shouldn't hide it," Leia said. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that."
"We're not hiding it," Luke said. "It's all still there in the data. We just thought it was something that should come from us. That you shouldn't have to read about this in a report. And, we wanted General Rieekan's opinion."
"Read about what?" Leia asked, not at all sure she wanted to know. They were all acting so oddly, as if they were worried about her. Did they think she was that fragile? Hadn't she proven that she was strong enough to handle whatever came her way? Or, was it that the information was that bad, whatever that bad might mean.
"Artoo found some unusual files amid the data we collected," Luke explained. "All of the files were heavily encrypted, confirming we found an Imperial Intelligence hub. We had Artoo start decrypting the files right away, and he found something odd. Among the usual military and intelligence files, he found supply requisitions and shipping manifests."
"Why would anyone, even someone as paranoid as Palpatine, encrypt supply requisitions?" Leia asked. It was true that the Alliance had kept requisition and supply deliveries encrypted, but that was because every active Alliance member understood that even the most mundane bit of data might help the Imperials track their location. Perhaps that was the answer.
"I didn't get it at first either. They just seemed like random supply deliveries, but the more of that stuff we decrypted the more suspicious it seemed. Call it smugglers' instincts, but something about them seemed too random to be random," Han said, taking up the explanation. "Of course, turned out I was right. Those random supply runs were actually kinda regular, and somebody went to a lot of trouble to leave just enough of a data trail that it wouldn't look suspicious on a casual look. But there were enough dead ends and encryption to let you know somebody's hiding something if you really look. Once we knew that, we were able to connect the dots with some of the other files we found. And, it all adds up to the Imps having a garrison assigned somewhere in the Outer Rim Territories. It's part of some secret project involving an Alderaanian temple."
"An Alderaanian temple," Leia repeated, not quite believing what she was hearing. "Why would there be an Alderaanian temple in the Outer Rim? And, why would the Empire care about it?"
"Not the Empire, the Emperor." At Leia's confused look, Luke continued. "Apparently, this was a personal project of the Emperor. All of the personnel were assigned by him personally, and he went through a lot of trouble to hide the fact they were out there. Supplies were shipped via third parties instructed to drop them off in nearby systems where they would be picked up later for final delivery so the shippers weren't even aware of exactly who they were sending the supplies to or where. I got the feeling that not even our fa…not even Vader knew about this project."
Leia noticed the slip, how Luke had almost called Vader their father. Carlist knew, of course, as did all of the Alliance leadership. As much as it had almost broken Leia to do it, she had announced her biological connection to that monster. Admittedly, she had not made a full, public announcement, but she had felt compelled to tell Mon Mothma, Akbar, and the other members of Alliance High Command. She had wanted to give them a chance to ask her to leave the Alliance, to distance themselves from her so that the truth wouldn't tarnish what they had all fought so hard for. She had been so grateful when the majority of them had been, if not supportive, at least not hostile. Leia suspected that Carlist and Mon Mothma had a lot to do with that. Still, even after eight standard months, even after finding that her life hadn't fallen apart as drastically as she thought it would from that revelation, Leia wasn't ready to forgive that man for what he had done—to the galaxy, to her, or to Han.
"We got no idea what the old bastard wanted, but it must have been a big deal if he went to all that trouble to station a garrison in the Outer Rim, pull in some professor types too, supply them, and keep the whole thing hidden from just about everybody," Han admitted. "And, based on the records, it's been going on almost as long as the Empire's existed."
Leia shook her head, not so much in denial at the Emperor's actions, but in an attempt to clear her mind, to help all of the confusing thoughts running through her head settle into some kind of sense.
"The Emperor officially banned all religions, so why would he care about a temple to the Alderaanian Goddess? Why wouldn't he just destroy it or repurpose it, as he did with all the religious sites on Coruscant?"
Leia's questions were met with silence, not that she had really been expecting any answers. Then another question came to her, one that she was almost afraid to say out loud, but one she suddenly hoped with all her heart were true.
"Could this temple," Leia asked, in a quiet, but somehow steady voice, "could it be part of the reason Alderaan was destroyed?"
Leia felt Han take her hand in silent reassurance that Alderaan's destruction was not her fault. She didn't need to say anything. Neither did he. Just as Han knew Leia loved him, he also knew that Leia blamed herself for what happened to Alderaan. And, he knew that even as she asked the question, Leia hoped it was true but deep down would never believe that it was anything other than her own fault. It was pain and guilt that he could never fully erase, only soothe when it flared up.
Before Luke or Carlist could say anything, Leia continued. "We need to go there. We need to know…whatever there is to know."
"I have every intention of sending a strike team out as soon as we can determine where to send them," Rieekan said. "Anything that Palpatine was going to this much trouble to hide cannot possibly bode well for the Alliance or the good people of this galaxy. I'm sure Mon Mothma and the rest of High Command will agree. And, as a survivor of Alderaan, I feel your need to discover if this is truly a temple to the ancient Alderaanian deities, and if it is, we must find a way to preserve it, preserve a piece of our culture."
Leia nodded, taking a deep breath. She sat straighter in her chair, shoulders back, head lifted, eyes looking directly into General Rieekan's. She squeezed Han's hand briefly before pulling from his grasp and placing her hands in her lap. In her most regal and commanding voice, Leia said, "I will personally select the members of the strike team and be directly involved in planning the mission."
Carlist recognized that this was not a request from a ranking member of the Alliance, but an order from his princess. While Leia rarely gave such direct orders, and even more rarely still used her royal authority to demand anything, Carlist was certain this was an order. Not that he minded. In his mind, it was only appropriate that Princess Leia Organa be directly involved in any mission that dealt with what remained of Alderaan.
"Of course, Princess."
"And, once we have made all the necessary preparations, I will lead the strike team personally."
SW-SM-SW-SM-SW-SM
"I don't like this."
"What exactly don't you like, General Solo?"
Han bristled at the formal title. He knew better than most that this mission was bringing up a lot of personal issues for Leia, and when things got too personal for her, she tended to hide behind formality and anger. At least she did in public, and a mission planning meeting was public enough. Han also suspected Leia was still upset that he had suggested she let him lead this mission. Of course, he had at least been smart enough not to make that suggestion in public. He had done it in the privacy of their quarters on Home One. Well, really they were Leia's quarters, since technically Han and Chewie slept on the Millennium Falcon, but since Han stored about half his clothes at Leia's and spent the night there whenever he and Leia were on Home One at the same time, they both considered it their quarters.
"The makeup of the team, for one," Han said. He'd said the same thing to Leia last night, right before he suggested Leia not go on this mission. He knew what her argument would be, since he suspected it would be the same one she used last night. Han really didn't expect to change her mind, but bringing up the issue here, in front of Rieekan and Akbar, just might have different results. Then again, it was guaranteed to get Leia thoroughly angry at him. Han decided he would rather deal with an angry Leia than an injured or dead Leia.
"Every member of the team has proven themselves to be both loyal and skilled," Leia responded in her iciest tone.
"I've got no problem with their skills. They're all good guys," Han replied gruffly, knowing Leia knew that already and knew exactly what his problem was. "My problem isn't who's on the team, it's who isn't."
"Can you elaborate, General Solo?" Rieekan asked, giving Solo a look that made the Corellian think that Rieekan knew this argument was more personal than professional.
"We need somebody with some medical training and at least one decent repair tech involved in this show," Solo said, just as he had last night to Leia. "We don't know exactly where we're going or what we're gonna find when we get there. If we end up in the far reaches of the Outer Rim, backup may not make it in time if things go wrong."
Leia smiled at Han, a little too sweetly. "I agree with your assessment," she said. "If you had read the updated roster that was sent to your data pad, you might have noticed the addition of Corporal Kes Nightcrawler from the maintenance pool and Corporal Miz Uno from medical. I have also requisitioned a small shuttle to transport them and asked their superiors to provide a recommended supply list based on the personnel and transports involved in this mission. Of course, I'm recommending that Nightcrawler and Uno both remain in their shuttle, hiding just outside the target system with a single fighter escort for protection. They can be called in if needed."
That shut Han up for a moment. Leia had seemed against the idea of bringing along medical and mechanical support last night. Then again, now that Han thought about it, she never actually objected to that part of his argument, she just hadn't outright agreed. Hell, she even improved on the idea with the addition of the shuttle carrying supplies and the fighter escort. He really did love Leia's mind as much as he loved her body, but he loved both of them more when they were working with him instead of against him. Or, against herself. Leia had a tendency to be a bit self-destructive, especially when it came to anything related to Alderaan or Vader. It was why Han had been so insistent last night. It was also why he knew he would never convince her not to go on this mission. If she wouldn't stay behind, Han had to make sure he could keep her as safe as possible.
"I've also adjusted the parameters to reflect your other suggestions from last evening," Leia added, as if Han had made some official, polite recommendations regarding the mission instead of butting heads with her last night over dinner. "We will also carry enough supplies to allow the team to hold and defend the location for at least two standard weeks to allow for reconnaissance and for additional personnel to arrive, if necessary."
Well, that was one hell of an apology. Leia had not only openly agreed with most of the points Han made last night, she had even given him credit for the ideas and subtly hinted at the change in their relationship. Han didn't care so much about getting credit for anything, but he had been less than pleased with the fact Leia hadn't publicly acknowledged that the two of them were together now. Not that she had been hiding it, but Solo did worry sometimes that she was a bit ashamed of their relationship.
Hell, Solo was a bit ashamed of their relationship sometimes, ashamed for Leia. Han knew that he wasn't quite good enough for the woman, yet, but he would make sure he was eventually—he could protect her with his piloting and quick-draw skills, and he was learning how to protect her heart and mind, too. It was something he promised himself he would learn because that was where the real danger was for Leia. Like anything Solo set his mind to, he was a quick study, but he knew he would never be good enough for the princess. Taking the field commission as a general had gone a long way in making him more worthy in the eyes of the Alliance leadership, at least he hoped it had. And, he also hoped it would be enough for the people of Alderaan to accept him. That was the big problem. Leia could ignore the Alliance leaders; she'd done it once already when she left to rescue him from Jabba. But, her commitment to the survivors of Alderaan wasn't something she would disregard, not even for him. If they said anything as a group about their princess carrying on with the likes of Han Solo, she might just let him go. And, losing Leia in any way wasn't something Han wanted to face.
"Good, good," Solo said. "But, we still need to add two to the mission roster."
"I know who you're going to suggest, General, and I believe we've been over this already."
"Yeah, we have, but seeing how you agreed with my other suggestions, I thought maybe you'd reconsidered this last one."
"There is no reason to reconsider. You were invited to this briefing because your team brought us the information about the possible existence of an Alderaanian temple," Leia said, her voice and posture letting Han know she was in full princess mode. But her voice did soften when she added, "for which I am personally very grateful."
Han nodded in acknowledgement. Maybe he was getting somewhere after all. That meant it was time to shut up for a moment. Han was learning fast that if he wanted to get his way with Leia, he had to push hard, but only so far. If he didn't let her get the rest of the way herself, she'd just get stubborn and refuse to listen even when he was right.
"However, you and your entire team need some time to recover from your last mission," Leia added. "We can't afford to push people so far that they make mistakes or endanger themselves."
Okay, Leia was worried about him. Han hadn't picked up on that last night. That took some of the sting out of Leia's refusal to let him go along on this mission. Worry was something he could understand. It wasn't necessary because he could handle things just fine, rest or no rest. He had been doing that for most of his life, but Han could understand Leia's worry because he worried about her. He worried about her even now when he knew perfectly well that from a purely military standpoint that Leia could take care of herself as well as any soldier in the Alliance.
"We'll have the time to recover," Han said, implying he was talking about the entire team, but he knew Leia would get that he was talking about himself and Chewie. "We've still got to get everything together and wait for the intelligence guys to sift through the rest of the data and see if we can figure out when and where that next supply shipment is scheduled to come from."
"And, thank you again for that suggestion, General. It was an excellent idea, and I'll be personally counting on your help in the coming days to determine the best way to use that information to locate the temple and take down the Imperials stationed there."
The words were clearly sincere. Han could tell by the way Leia looked at him when she said them that she really did appreciate his input and was counting on his help. But, the fact that she had let her political face drop in public during a briefing sent off little alarm bells in Han's head. He was beginning to think Leia was being just a little too nice to him. That meant she was about to say something she knew he wouldn't like, and she was trying to soften the blow.
"But," Leia said, her voice stern, "it just does not make sense to have the Millennium Falcon attached to this mission. This needs to be a small, well-trained force that can get in unnoticed. As you said earlier, we don't know what to expect. We aren't even sure what planet we'll be landing on. The Falcon is too well known to the Imperials. Despite our suspicions that whoever is assigned there has only had limited contact with regular Imperial channels, we can't assume they are unaware that the Falcon is on Imperial watch lists. There may not be a way to fly the Falcon in without drawing unwanted attention, and we can't afford to lose the element of surprise."
It was a good argument, one of the same ones Leia had used last night. And last night, Han had been a son of a bantha and shouted at Leia that only an idiot would think that anything other than the Falcon was the right ship for any job and that if she really cared about some stupid Alderaanian temple, she would be begging him to take her in the Falcon. Even before he saw the hurt look on Leia's face, Solo had realized he had gone too far. Between having just returned from a mission and spending an hour arguing with Leia about all those other issues, he really had been about ready to fall asleep on his feet. But, that was no excuse for his behavior. If anyone else had said that to Leia, Han would have punched him. Han had apologized immediately in the only way he really knew how. The whispered words and tender kisses had eventually turned to something more. What followed had been a good night in bed followed by a good night's sleep next to Leia. That coupled with a cup of kaf this morning had done wonders for Han's temper and his focus on the mission.
"I agree," Han said, deciding that if Leia could pleasantly surprise him by giving in a little, he could certainly do the same. "We shouldn't take the Falcon. I'll be happy to work with you on exactly what type of transports we should use once we've got more information to go on. But, Chewie and I can leave the Falcon behind for this mission."
Leia just sat there looking at Han for a few moments. It was clear she was too surprised at Han's willingness to leave the Falcon behind to come up with a response. That worked just fine for Han, and apparently for General Rieekan, too, since he said, "Good. We'll add General Solo and Chewbacca to the strike team. We'll meet again once we have more information. Meeting adjourned."
SW-SM-SW-SM-SW-SM
"You're making enough food for an army," Leia observed as she sat on a stool in the Falcon's galley. Han was cooking dinner for her, and she enjoyed chatting with him as she watched him prepare the meal.
"No, not an army, a Wookiee," Han said, chopping some lantyls with the same speed and dexterity he used when shooting a blaster.
"Oh, I thought we were going to spend a nice evening at home, just the two of us," Leia said, and Han was pleased to note she had just implied that she considered the Falcon home.
"Nah, Chewie should be back soon, and Luke's coming for dinner, too," Han explained. "But, we'll have the rest of the evening to ourselves."
"Chewie and Luke."
"Yeah, I promised Luke a home-cooked meal in exchange for taking Threepio off our hands for a few days." Leia raised her eyebrows, giving Han the look he had come to recognize meant that Leia thought he was up to something. She was usually right. "Don't look at me like that. You're the one who wants me to get some rest, and I'll get a hell of a lot more rest if Goldenrod isn't around to bother me."
"When did I say that?" Leia asked as she snatched a slice of kappa gourd from the counter.
"Hey, those are for the salad you insist we gotta have with dinner," Han admonished, even as he pushed a few more slices her way. "During the meeting."
"I did not," Leia said.
"Not in so many words, but I got the hint," Han said, adding the lantyls and some spices to the pot that was already simmering on the range. "You don't need to worry about me, Sweetheart. I can take care of myself."
"Somebody has to worry about you. You're too reckless sometimes."
"It's not being reckless. It's called being brave," Han said, pouring some Corellian brandy into the pot before taking a swig for himself. "And, you know that's one of the things you love about me."
Curse the man for being right. Leia both admired and agonized over Han's recklessness, especially when he was being reckless for her. "Fine, I'm worried. You and Chewie just finished a difficult mission. You insisted your team get some time off to rest and recuperate. You should take your own advice instead of trying to protect me. I can take care of myself."
"I know you can, Sweetheart," Han said, turning away from the meal preparations to face Leia directly. He had a serious look on his face. It was a rare thing, and it always made Leia nervous. "You're stronger and braver than anyone I know. You don't need me, but I need to do this. Watch your back. Protect you. I can't offer you much–"
"That's not true," Leia interrupted.
Han continued as if she hadn't spoken. "I can't give you money or land or fancy titles. But, I can do that for you. That's all I've got to offer, so let me."
Leia leaned across the counter and kissed him. What could she say to that? How could she reject Han's protection without rejecting him?
Just then, Leia heard the hatch cycle open. She snatched another slice of kappa gourd before getting up to greet Luke. Leia's connection to Luke was growing stronger every day, and it was one of the few aspects of being Force sensitive that Leia was actively happy about. Leia's friendship with Luke had been one of the few things that had kept her from completely collapsing under the pain and guilt of Alderaan's destruction. Well, that and Han, though for very, very different reasons. Now that Leia knew Luke was her brother, it made him even more important to her.
When Leia cut through the cockpit access way to get to the main corridor, she had been expecting to see Luke. Leia was surprised when she found him standing just inside the hatchway next to her assistant, Thena.
"I'm sorry to bother you, your highness. Commander Skywalker was kind enough to escort me here. I think I took your data pad by mistake when I left today. I'm so sorry. I think you might have mine," Thena said, her leku twitching slightly. What the twitching signified, Leia wasn't sure.
"Please come in. And, please, call me Leia," she said as she took the data pad Thena offered and ushered her into the entryway. "I'll be right back."
By the time Leia returned to the hatchway with her assistant's data pad, Luke and Thena both looked a bit uncomfortable. Leia shook her head, amused at Thena, but even more amused at Luke. Thena's discomfort was obviously making Luke uncomfortable despite the fact he was trying to appear calm and confident.
"Thank you," Thena said as she took the data pad Leia offered her. "And, I'm sorry again for bothering you, your Highness."
"Thena, are you Alderaanian?" Leia asked.
"No, I was born and raised on Ryloth with my parents."
"Then you have no reason to address me as your highness. You can call me Leia when we're off duty."
"Oh, I couldn't do that, your Highness."
Leia sighed. As a child, her royal title often kept the other children from being friends with her, and as an adult, it seemed that problem still plagued her. She genuinely liked Thena. The young woman was bright, and she had served the Rebellion well in the property department with her attention to detail and excellent memory. The problem was that Thena was a bit unsure of her own abilities and worth, and that self-doubt often came off as incompetence. Leia had easily seen past that and decided to mentor Thena, which was half the reason Leia had hired the young woman on as her assistant when several other members of the leadership had passed her over. But, Leia admitted to herself that most of all she was hoping for a friend. Leia had so few female friends, and as much as she loved Han, Luke, and Chewie, it would be nice to have another woman around to talk to.
"Since you came all this way, would you like to stay for dinner?" Leia offered, knowing Han was making more than enough to feed their little family, including Chewie, and still have some left over for Thena.
Leia felt Luke tense more than she saw anything in his posture and gave him a questioning look. He didn't say anything, but Leia felt his flutter of relief when Thena politely refused the invitation.
"What was that about?" Leia asked once Thena had started across the hanger to the main corridor of Home One.
"What was what about?" Luke replied as he headed for the galley.
"You and Thena. Why didn't you want her to stay?" Leia asked. "She's perfectly nice."
"It's nothing personal," Luke assured his sister. "She seemed nice enough the one other time I met her at your office. I just have something important to discuss with you, and I would prefer it just be family."
Leia nodded, though she kept her eye on Luke, clearly waiting for more of an explanation. The whole thing had Han grinning like a crazed toldak even though he only caught the tail end of the conversation. From the day he and Luke had rescued Leia from the Death Star, she and the kid had gotten along so well and Leia had been so sweet to Luke that Han had been both annoyed and jealous, especially considering how volatile his own relationship with Leia had been. Now that he knew Luke and Leia were twins, the jealousy was gone, but that didn't mean Han didn't enjoy it when Luke got on Leia's nerves. It was fun to watch the kid squirm, and nobody could get that reaction from the Jedi like his sister could.
The other reason Han was smiling was that Luke had just referred to Han as family. Sometimes, Han had to remind himself that he wasn't an outsider anymore. He finally had the family he had always dreamed about but had long ago given up on. Well, maybe it wasn't exactly the family he had always imagined, but it was still a family, one he had been welcomed into. Even though he would never admit it out loud, that was definitely something to be happy about.
"So, who showed up that Luke wanted to kick out?"
Luke sighed. "It was Leia's assistant, and I didn't want to kick her out."
"Good, 'cause I'm pretty sure that would blow any chance you have with her."
"Han, I think you have my assistant confused with someone else."
"That girl with the long, blue leku, right? She definitely has a thing for the kid. Last time I stopped by your office, Luke was all she could talk about. 'What's Commander Skywalker like? Does he really have a lightsaber? Oh, should I call him Jedi Skywalker?' Stuff like that."
Luke couldn't hide the blush spreading across his face, and Leia and Han were both pleased to see that the sweet, naive farm boy they had met several years ago was still there under the solemn Jedi knight.
The growl from the hatch announced the arrival of the last member of their little family. As usual, Chewie and his stomach always managed to show up just in time for food, and Luke was happy that Chewie had also shown up just in time to save him from more embarrassment. Luke helped Han take the salad and what Han claimed was traditional Corellian brandy stew to the lounge while Leia carried the dishes.
While Leia had her doubts that the stew was a traditional Corellian meal and suspected it was more than likely one of Han's improvised recipes, she had to admit it was very good. It seemed that everyone else agreed, since it wasn't long before the three Humans at the table were too full to eat another bite. The pleasant conversation, which included a rather amusing story about the hazing that the newest member of Rogue Squadron had suffered, continued while Chewbacca helped himself to a fourth serving of stew.
There was a brief lull in the conversation while Han brought out some tala berries for dessert. Luke used the opportunity to ask about the morning's mission briefing.
"So, have you selected your team yet?" Luke asked, and the princess didn't even need to rely on the Force connection with her brother to know something was up.
"Everything is in place, or as much as can be until we have a better idea of what we're dealing with," Leia replied, fairly certain she knew where Luke was going with this.
"Are Han and Chewie going?"
"Yup, got the official princess stamp of approval on that and everything, Kid," Han chimed in, and Leia couldn't help but smile. It was either that or smack Han, and since the change in their relationship from antagonistic to intimate, Leia found herself smiling more often than not.
"Good. I'm going, too," Luke said with certainty, and Leia's smile was replaced with an angry glare.
"When will you boys get it through your head that I can take care of myself?"
"I know you can, but–"
"No. You and Han always say that just before you insist you need to follow me on just about every mission I undertake. I do not need a babysitter or a bodyguard."
"I'm not suggesting you do."
"Really? That's what it sounds like," Leia said, clearly riled up.
"You're my sister. Of course I worry about you," Luke said calmly, raising his hand to forestall the retort he knew was probably coming his way. "But, I also know that you can take care of yourself. And, if you can't, if there's trouble, I know I can count on Han and Chewie to keep you safe."
"Good, then we agree that you don't need to come."
"No, I do need to go. Just not for the reasons you think."
Leia's diplomatic training kicked in. Knowing that it was never wise to make a decision without all the facts, Leia nodded for Luke to continue.
"I need to go on this mission with you for the same reason I resigned from Rogue Squadron and the same reason I asked to join Han's team on the mission to the Imperial intelligence base. I can support the Alliance best as a Jedi, and to become a better Jedi, I need to learn more about the Jedi Order and the Force."
"I know that's important to you, and Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar agree. Having a Jedi as part of our forces is more important than you leading Rogue Squadron," Leia acknowledged, "but I'm not sure what that has to do with you demanding to join my mission to search for an Alderaanian temple."
"Yeah, I wanna hear this one too, Kid," Han said. "You didn't mention anything about it being a Force thing when you asked to hook up with my team for this last mission."
Luke continued to speak directly to Leia, choosing to ignore Han for the moment. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to sound as if I were making demands. But, the Force was telling me I needed to go with Han's team, and I think that temple is why. And, now the Force is telling me I need to go with you, that we all need to go," and Luke waved his hand to encompass all four sentients at the table.
"Why?"
"I honestly don't know. I can't really explain it. I just know that wherever you're going, whatever's going to happen, I need to be there. It will help me better understand the Force and guide me in eventually establishing a Jedi academy. It's what I'm meant to do. It's what I want to do."
"Alright, I think we can make room for one more on my team," Leia said, smiling at Luke. She wasn't used to fighting with her brother. Even before they knew they were siblings they rarely fought. But, she couldn't let this go just yet. "Next time, though, maybe you should consider asking instead of making demands."
Luke returned his sister's smile as he said, "I promise to remember my manners and ask for permission if you promise not to jump to conclusions."
"I'll try, but I can't make any promises," Leia said, smiling and turning towards Han as she continued. "It seems I'm picking up far too many bad habits from this nerf herder."
"Hey, how did I get dragged into this?" Han asked with mock indignation. Then, Leia leaned in close and whispered something in Han's ear that had him smiling. The next thing Luke knew, Han was saying, "Okay, dinner's over."
Luke was thrown by the sudden change in Han's attitude until he saw the look on his sister's face. Suddenly realizing the gist of what Leia must have whispered to his friend, Luke decided it was time to go. As much as he loved Han and Leia, there were just some things a brother did not want to know about his sister.
Chewie must have realized the same thing because he offered to clean up after he finished his food, not that there was much left. Chewie had wisely continued to eat instead of getting involved in the family quarrel so he had finished off the stew already.
"Yeah, finish off whatever you want," Han said as he walked out of the lounge. "I gotta get something for Luke."
Chewbacca had just finished the last of the salad when Han walked back into the lounge, followed by Threepio. "Here you go, Kid. A deal's a deal."
Luke did his best not to roll his eyes at Han's eagerness to be rid of Threepio. The act was unbecoming of a Jedi, or at least Luke figured it was.
"Oh, Master Luke, I was pleased to learn that you will require my services for the next few days," Threepio said as he hobbled over to Luke's side. "I look forward to spending time with both you and Artoo."
The group said their goodnights before Leia and Han headed to their quarters, trusting Chewie to lock up the Falcon for the night. The Millennium Falcon was a much better choice for entertaining considering it had both a galley and lounge, but the bed in their quarters was slightly larger and much more comfortable, not to mention it offered more privacy. With Luke's addition to her team, everything really was set until the people from Alliance Intelligence sifted through the rest of the data, and Leia decided to take full advantage of having some downtime with her man.
to be continued…
More Author's Notes: I was planning to wait until I had finished writing this story to post the first chapter, but I'm just too excited about it to wait. That being said, don't expect chapter 2 until sometime in late January 2017. Reviews won't change when chapter 2 will be posted, though that one is already written, but lots of reviews will motivate me to write faster.
Also, for some reason the site isn't letting me upload documents. I have to do the copy-and-paste thing. I went back and tried to correct all the formatting that was dropped when I did that, but if I missed some stuff, please forgive me.