Well, the bounty hunter we ran into in Ord Mantell changed my mind.
Leia was carefully looking over a Meiloorun at one of the many vendor stalls in the marketplace when Chewie, astonishingly silent on those huge feet of his, rushed over to her. His blue eyes were worried and his whole countenance was anxious. He grumbled at her, grasping her elbow lightly and motioning off to the area past the merchant’s stalls.
In the past three years, Leia had only begun to grasp a basic understanding of the Wookiee language, so she couldn’t be sure what he was saying, but she knew it was about Han. Immediately, she wished 3PO was with them, but he was not, and that was Han’s fault; the man could not stand the protocol droid. Leia usually argued with him when he refused to let 3PO come with them on missions, and most of the time she won, but she had seen no reason the droid would be necessary for a simple trip to a common marketplace. Knowledge of Basic was almost a requirement in places like this, especially since the Empire had taken over, and Leia was sure they would have no need for an interpreter. But with whatever Chewie was trying to tell her, his interpreter was not present to translate.
“Has something happened to Han?” she asked the Wookiee.
Chewie nodded fiercely, tugging on Leia’s elbow ever so slightly.
Giving the vendor a look of polite regret, Leia set the fruit down and let herself be led away from the stand. As they reached the edge of the marketplace, Chewie let go and began striding swiftly toward the main road. Leia followed, having to run a bit to keep up, but she didn’t complain. She rarely saw Chewie this agitated, and it worried her. They travelled some distance, with no sign of the man who had grudgingly escorted her on this foraging mission, until finally Chewie stopped and pointed. Leia focused on the area he indicated, recognizing the tall, lanky figure of Han Solo almost immediately. He was walking, his expression blank, eyes directed straight in front of him.
A Cerean was walking behind him, his huge cranium making him appear taller than Han, and in his hand was Han’s blaster. He kept it low, but it was very evident that Han knew the man behind him had it, and he knew how easy it would be for the man to use it. It was at that moment that Leia realized Han’s hands were bound in front of him.
“Bounty hunter,” Leia whispered, and she didn’t need to see Chewie’s vehement nod to confirm it.
Her mind began racing. Chewie couldn’t help, as she was sure he was wanted by the same person the bounty hunter was collecting Han for, most likely Jabba the Hut. And while she knew she also had a bounty on her head, she also knew most people would not recognize her as the “Warrior Princess of Alderaan” that her posters advertised. She dressed down, wore her hair different than she had in any formal holos, and if you asked anyone she knew back on base, she sure didn’t act like a Princess.
Looking off toward the direction the Cerean was taking Han, she knew they were probably heading for the spaceport. She had to do something before they got there. Not only was security tighter there, but she just didn’t want to take a chance of them slipping by and getting aboard a ship.
“Come on,” she told Chewie, and turned to run toward the spaceport, avoiding the road and using the alley behind the buildings instead. The Wookiee followed without arguing. She wished Han was half as accommodating as his partner.
Once she was sure they were ahead of Han and his captor, she moved up between two buildings and peeked out. Quickly, she started pulling the pins out of her hair, running her fingers through the braids until they were undone and her long tresses were loose. She unbuttoned the top two buttons on her shirt, then unbuckled her holster. She pulled out the blaster and tucked it into her belt at the small of her back. She handed Chewie the holster and said, “Wait here.” She headed out onto the street, turning at the last second. “Oh, and wish me luck!”
Chewie moaned what she hoped was “good luck,” and she turned back, zeroing in on the men she was seeking, who were now walking toward her, and headed their way. As she did so, she ran her fingers through her hair a couple more times, then unbuttoned one more button, pulling her collar wide. As she did so, her gaze met Han’s. If the situation hadn’t been so serious, she would have laughed as his eyes widened almost comically at the sight of her. She winked, ignoring the pounding of her heart, then focused on the Cerean.
“Joiak? Is that you?” she said loudly, catching the alien’s attention. “Oh, my goodness!” she continued, walking directly toward the Cerean, ignoring Han. “It’s been so long! How have you been?”
She watched at the alien’s eyes widened almost as much as Han’s had, and she just smiled bigger as she moved in close to him. Almost automatically, the alien turned to face her, his look of astonishment turning to confusion. “I don’t think…” he started.
“Oh, please don’t tell me you don’t remember me,” Leia said, letting her voice drop seductively. She reached up to touch his chest, turning her back toward Han. “Tepasi?” she continued, feeling the blaster at her back move along her spine. “Last Life Day?”
Suddenly, two strong arms appeared on either side of her head as Han brought the blaster up and over her. Resting his elbows gently on her shoulders, he pointed the blaster at the Cerean. “Yeah, Joiak,” he said, his voice as sarcastic as ever. “Last Life Day?”
With the Cerean staring fearfully at her blaster, Leia reached forward and plucked Han’s out of the alien’s grasp, the grabbed the one in his own holster as well. “Well, if you really don’t remember me from then, you will now,” she said drolly.
Han started backing away, keeping the blaster pointed at the bounty hunter, and Leia followed. When they were a few meters away, and starting to get the attention of others around them, Han brought his bound wrists back up over Leia’s head and nudged her with his shoulder. “Have a nice life,” he told the Cerean, and then turned and ran. Leia followed as Han ducked into the ally Leia had emerged from where Chewie was waiting. “Let’s go!” Han shouted at his partner, and Leia tossed the Wookiee the bounty hunter’s blaster.
“Present for you!” she grinned as the Wookiee began running along with them.
After several blocks, the laughter started. First Han, then Leia, then Chewie. They stopped, Han leaning with his back against the wall, and Leia leaned forward with one hand on her knee, the other holding out Han’s blaster toward him. He held up his still bound hands, her blaster still in one of them, and the three began laughing even harder than before.
Finally, Leia caught her breath, brushed a tear from her eye, and moved toward Han. “Here," she said, reaching into her pocket for one of the pins she had pulled from her hair. She handed Chewie Han’s blaster, then grabbed the binders. Within seconds, she had them unlocked. When she looked up, Han was staring at her, his eyes intense. She felt an unexpected shiver run up her spine at his look.
“That was amazing, sweetheart,” he said softly.
For the first time, the endearment didn’t sound sardonic.
“Uhm,” Leia muttered, at a loss for words. She dropped the binders on the ground and reached for her blaster, taking it out of his hand. She felt her face heat. “We should probably get out of here.”
Han continued to stare at her, his expression almost severe. Finally, “Yeah, okay.” He took a deep breath and straightened up, almost as if he was waking from sleep. He looked at Chewie, who had been standing silently watching them, and reached for his blaster. Chewie handed it over, then casually dropped the Cerean’s weapon. “Let’s go,” Han said.
As the three moved off in the direction of the Falcon, Leia tried not to notice how Han watched her pull back her loose hair and weave it into a quick plait. But she did glance at him as she starting buttoning up her shirt once more, and the flash of something she saw as he quickly looked away made her stomach flip.
Ignoring the feeling, she cleared her throat. “You owe me a Meiloorun, Solo.”
*******
Comments