Archive Date: February 14, 2001
Author's Webpage: http://diana.slashcity.com/
Category: Adventure, AU
Feedback: Always welcome, good or bad.
Notes: If these things bore you, skip on to the story. I would like to thank the SWAL-Edit members who gave me encouragement, feedback, and advice during the writing of the first half of the story - and who didn't kill me when it took a year to write the second half: Destina Fortunato, Irene, Cara Loup, and Anne Higgins, thanks for guiding me through my first Han/Luke story. Secondly, big thanks to Cara Loup and Angel Sparrow for beta-reading the second half of the story and keeping me on target. Your advice and suggestions were priceless, and if there is an award for Beta-Readers, then Cara should definitely get it. And to those who read the first half of the story and didn't kill me for taking so long to finish it - thank you very, very much for not giving up on me.
[ ] Indicates speech translated from the original language to Standard.
Pairing: H/L
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: Star Wars 4 - A New Hope
Warnings: This is an Alternate Universe story, so some of the events and dialog in the original movie have been altered to fit this story. If you can't stand the idea of someone tinkering with George's vision, then move along 'cause these aren't the droids you're looking for.

Chapter 1

Han Solo nursed his drink and looked over the crowd in the cantina, experienced eyes gauging each patron's potential for danger. Not that he was expecting any but it was a habit - and a very good habit for a smuggler to have. It had kept him alive on more than one occasion in a career that offered no rewards for carelessness.

It was late afternoon and the bar was starting to get crowded. Locals and travelers drifted into the cantina in search of something to get them through another dreary night in another dismal spaceport on another backwater planet. Booze, company, trouble - any and all three could be had here or at any of a dozen similar places in Mos Eisley. Anyone with the price of a drink could find a not-so-quiet corner in a little bar to settle for the evening. A few more credits and one could go across town to one of the Hutt establishments where the booze was better and the company more attractive, but Solo was content to remain where he was for the moment. The place was relatively clean and if the company was a bit rough, well, so was he. Besides, this was a good place to pick up another job and, as far as he was concerned, the sooner he was away from the Hutts, the better he liked it. Content in the feeling of a successfully completed job and credits in his pocket, safe with the wall at his back, he allowed himself to sprawl comfortably in the booth and watch the passing show.

Deceptively sleepy eyes tracked his co-pilot, Chewbacca, as the Wookiee made his way back through the crowded bar with an old man at his side. A hermit, by the look of him, and a local...although there was something in his walk, his bearing, that was different. He had the look of a man who was used to being in control although he was prepared to be pleasant about it. Solo watched the old man approach with interest and nodded for him to take a seat in the booth.

"Han Solo. I'm Captain of the Millennium Falcon. Chewie here tells me that you're looking for passage to Alderaan?"

Sharp blue eyes met his across the table. "Yes, indeed. If it's a fast ship."

"Fast ship?" Solo pretended to be offended. "You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon?"

He saw the hint of a smile on the old man's face and Solo coolly added it to his assessment of the man. "Should I have?"

"It's the ship that made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs." Solo said, deliberately using the wrong terminology as he watched the other man. "I've outrun Imperial starships - not the local bulk cruisers, mind you. I'm talking about the big Corellian ships."

There was that faint smile again and a raised eyebrow, and he knew he was dealing with a born negotiator. Solo settled in to enjoy the next phase saying, with a shrug as if he didn't care, "She's fast enough for you, old man. What's the cargo?"

The man looked down, his eyes hooded, and said mildly, "Only passengers. Myself, possibly one other, two droids - and no questions asked."

Solo's sense of danger came on-line and he said sharply, "What is it - some kinda local trouble?" The last thing he wanted was to get into a conflict with the Hutts.

"Let's just say that I'd like to avoid Imperial entanglements."

Solo relaxed. "Well, that's the real trick, isn't it? And it's gonna cost you something extra. Ten thousand, all in advance." He felt Chewbacca's surprised movement; they never charged that much for a simple passenger run. He gave the Wookiee a reassuring look and turned a bland face back to the old man.

An appraising look from the old man, and Solo knew that a serious offer was coming. "I can pay you two thousand now - plus fifteen when we reach Alderaan."

"Seventeen, huh?" Solo studied the old man thoughtfully, wondering at the reason for such a large offer. Something inside him urged caution. He didn't really need the credits. His account was nicely flush thanks to the fee he had recently earned from the Hutts and this spoke of trouble that he definitely didn't need. Still, you could never have too many credits...

"Okay, you've got yourself a ship, Mr. - "

"Ben Kenobi."

"Kenobi. When d'you want to leave?"

"Tomorrow morning." A troubled look crossed the old man's face. "I've got some - personal matters to finish first."

"Fine with me. We leave in the morning. My ship's at docking bay 94 - and bring the two thousand with you." Solo's sharp eyes caught movement near the doorway. "And if you wanna avoid Imperial entanglements, you better move fast."

The old man nodded and Solo was impressed to see that he avoided looking toward the doorway where four Stormtroopers had entered. Kenobi was evidently no stranger to trouble, then, but didn't go rushing out to meet it. He rose, pulling his hood up and over his face. "Tomorrow morning, docking bay 94. I'll be there." He slipped into the crowd and disappeared.

Solo turned to his partner with a grin. "Well, looks like another bit of good luck, Chewie. Can't say that I'll be unhappy to leave this place - and now we won't be makin' an empty run. We'll be able to line up something decent - and legal for a change - on Alderaan."

Chewbacca made a grumbling comment about the fee that Solo had demanded and he snorted. "You gettin' soft on me, pal? I'm running a business, not a charity, and something tells me I'm gonna earn every credit on this one."

[You earned no credits saving me. In fact you lost - ]

"Would you keep quiet about that?" Solo looked around to see if anyone else had heard the Wookiee. "Word gets out and everyone'll be trying to scam me. Besides, you were a special case - I hate slavers."

Chewbacca softly growled, [You are a good friend, Han.]

Solo grinned. "You, too, Chewie. Go on back to the ship and get it ready. I'll be along shortly."

Chewbacca nodded and left, and Solo debated the wisdom of ordering another drink or going elsewhere. He had just decided to leave and started to get up when a shadow fell across the booth.

[Going somewhere, Solo?]

The Corellian pilot glanced briefly at the creature that slid into the seat across from him and, resignedly, he settled back into his seat.

"As a matter of fact, Greedo, I was thinkin' about calling it a night and headin' back to my ship." He regarded Greedo warily - they had a history predating the Rodian's association with the Hutt, and none of it was pleasant. "I see that your master let you out of your cage for the evening."

Greedo grinned and Solo repressed a shudder at the sight. [Jabba the Hut is very pleased with you, Solo. Not every pilot would face off an Imperial Customs officer - most would have dumped the spice to save themselves.]

"Yeah, well, I figured that - between the Hutts and Customs - I'd rather take my chances with Customs. So what d'you want? Jabba already paid me; our business is finished."

Huge eyes glinted at him across the table. [Jabba suggests that you relax after your harrowing ordeal at the Golden Spice Club tonight.]

Solo eyed Greedo suspiciously, wondering what he was up to. "The Golden Spice Club, huh? Too high priced for my tastes."

Greedo produced a card, sliding it across the table toward him. [Admission card, dinner and drinks on the house, and an unlimited credit line for - other pleasures, compliments of Jabba.] He stood up and bowed his large head mockingly at the pilot. [Jabba hopes to have the opportunity to utilize your - services in the future, Solo.]

After the Rodian left, Solo picked up the card and studied it for a long moment. Hutts never did anything out of the goodness of their hearts. It was a trap, that much he knew, only he wasn't sure what kind of trap. Jabba obviously wanted to get some kind of hold over him, to control him like he controlled everything else he touched.

What would it be, he mused. Get him drunk and rob him? Not subtle enough - Jabba had to know that Solo wouldn't carry the credits and it wouldn't do Jabba's reputation any good if word got out that he had stiffed a pilot. Drugs? Not likely - no pilot worth his ship would risk addiction. Get him to run up a debt? More likely, but Jabba had to know that the Corellian was cautious where credits were concerned. Sexual blackmail? Solo smiled at that idea. He had few hang-ups where that area was concerned and didn't particularly care if the universe knew his preferences.

Hell, life was too dull if you never took a chance, he thought with a grin as he stood up with the card in his hand. No matter what, this would be a unique experience, one he would probably never forget.

Chapter 2

The Dug bouncer at the door to the Golden Spice Club snarled and would have turned him away but looked almost stunned when Solo presented the card. Within minutes, the manager had hurried out, glaring at the Dug before turning to Solo. The pale-skinned Twi'lekian gave the Corellian an ingratiating smile.

"Captain Solo! I am Din Bardeeda and I am pleased to welcome you to this fine establishment. Please, come this way."

Din Bardeeda gestured for Solo to follow him as he led the way to what the Corellian could see was the best table in the place. He sauntered in the Twi'lekian's wake, eyes flicking over the place as he coolly assessed the décor and the patrons. Jabba had a sweet little business here, he thought appreciatively.

Settling at the table, he glanced at the hovering waiter. "Whisky. A large one."

The Toydarian flitted off and Din Bardeeda presented him with a menu. "As our honored guest, your meal and drinks are on the house. If I may make a recommendation - "

Solo waved away the menu. "Whatever you suggest."

The whisky arrived quickly and he sipped it, cocking an eyebrow. This was the good stuff, the really good stuff - stuff he normally couldn't afford. He idly wondered what this was setting Jabba back, how much he had set as the price for a pilot, and then his meal arrived. It was organic and smelled like heaven, and he settled in to enjoy his first non-synthesized meal in months with real pleasure.

Sated, he sat back into his chair with his second whisky and watched the floor-show with a jaundiced eye. The scantily clad creatures parading around the stage were good looking enough and the show was somewhat entertaining but it wasn't what he was in the mood for tonight. A pair of green-skinned Twi'lekian twins, a male and female, were on stage at the moment and had obviously been told to pay special attention to him. They undulated as they danced, stroking each other while they eyed the Corellian seductively, inviting him to join them.

Solo shifted uncomfortably in his chair, feeling his body respond. It had been a long time since he had had pleasant companionship, someone to wrap his arms around and bury himself deeply within, and his body was making its needs known. And he knew that he could find relief here, that Din Bardeda would be only too happy to provide him with suitable entertainment, but he wanted more than that. He wanted to ease the lonely ache within his bones for more than just a night. He sighed, knowing how futile that thought was, and signaled to Din Bardeda.

The manager was immediately at his side. "Yes, Captain Solo? What may I do for you? Another drink? Something a little stronger or more - exotic - perhaps?"

Solo shook his head. "No, I'll just settle my account and head back to my ship."

The manager looked more than disappointed; he looked nervous and almost frightened, his head-tails twitching. Solo thought in amusement that Jabba would not be pleased with the failure of whatever scheme he had worked up.

"But surely the evening is young! Perhaps - perhaps some companionship. We have the finest collection of Pleasure Partners on the planet, any species and gender that you can imagine."

Solo hesitated. It had been a long time and there was no telling when he'd have the opportunity again. And Jabba had the reputation of running a fine collection of licensed Pleasurers. "Well, I don't suppose it could hurt to take a look."

The manager almost beamed at him. "Certainly! Certainly! What about this pair?" he asked, indicating the dancers undulating on the stage. "Beautiful creatures, are they not? And dancing is not the only skill they possess."

Solo studied them critically. They were indeed beautiful, and with both a male and female all his needs could be met. He cocked an eyebrow at the manager. "On the house as well?" Din Bardeeda coughed delicately and Solo grinned. "I didn't think so. Bet these two fetch your highest price, too."

"And well worth every credit."

Solo shook his head and started to rise. "Too rich for my blood."

"Wait! Captain Solo, please!" Solo could almost sense the tension rolling off the manager. "I'm sure that I can find something to suit your taste and your price."

Solo could almost taste the danger now - Jabba must want him in his pocket badly. He was tempted to walk away, to get in the Falcon and leave that night, and the hell with his passenger. On the other hand, he had never run from a fight without sizing up the odds and he wasn't about to start now.

"All right. Human - male or female, it doesn't matter which."

The manager made a notation in his pad. "Ah, yes, we have quite a nice assortment available this evening. If you will follow me upstairs..."

Solo followed the Twi'lekian up the stairs and into a private parlor where a dozen humans were being hastily assembled, both male and female. At a snapped order from the manager they formed a line of sorts and the manager gestured toward them.

"Take your pick, Captain Solo. I'm sure that you'll find that any of these will be worth your time and credits."

Solo slowly walked down the line of Pleasure Partners, assessing each of them coolly, and had to admit that Jabba's reputation hadn't been exaggerated - he had assembled the finest collection of Providers that Solo had seen in a long time. All were physically attractive and dressed to reveal their full charms, and all appeared to be well-trained in the art of seduction as they flirted and postured, trying to attract his attention. One clung to his hand as he passed, another going so far as to reach out to stroke his face. All trying to be selected. All but one.

Solo stopped in front of the last one in the line, a young man of no more than twenty, and studied him curiously. The boy was staring at the floor, a near-sullen look on his young face, pointedly ignoring the Corellian. He was no beauty - his nose was too snub, his hair lifeless and dull, his body thin and undefined under the tight one-piece body suit he wore. He also looked like it had been a week since his last bath. And whoever had chosen that olive-color clothing for him deserved to be spaced. Still, there was something about him, something that made Solo stop and take another look.

"What about this one?"

Din Bardeda looked affronted to see the boy in the line. "He is not worth your time, Captain Solo - he shouldn't even be here. I told Jabba that he would not make a good pleasure partner - he bit the last client to buy his time."

"Bit him, huh?" Solo looked over the boy with renewed interest. He liked a show of spirit. And the little voice inside his head that he had learned to listen to was practically screaming.

The boy raised his eyes briefly, meeting Solo's eyes with a defiant glare, and the Corellian nearly laughed out loud. So that was this little one's trick, he thought in amusement, looking the boy over again. The defiant-whore game was one he'd played before and he knew all the rules. And it was certainly more enticing than the fawning attentions of the painted pretties around him. If the boy played the rest of the game out as well as he started, it could be an interesting evening.

He cut short Din Bardeeda's protests. "Don't worry. I can handle him."

The manager sighed and shrugged as if consigning Solo to his fate. "Very well. Let me show you the back rooms - "

"Actually, I was plannin' on spending the night."

The Twi'lekian brightened at that. "Yes, Captain. A room for the night and the company of this one for the entire time?"

"Yeah. And make sure the room has a bath - a real one, not one of those sonic showers."

The manager practically drooled. "That'll cost extra."

Solo held out his club chip. "Put it on my account."

After scanning in the card, Din Bardeeda gestured for Solo to follow him down the hallway. Solo took the boy's arm and he glared at the Corellian, trying to pull his arm away. Han jerked the young man tight against his body, looking down into suddenly wide eyes, and was amused by the beautifully faked fear.

"Don't even try it, kid. I'm a helluva lot tougher than you."

The boy stopped struggling but glared again. Han ignored the look and pushed him after the manager.

Din Bardeeda stopped in front of a doorway, unlocking it. "I believe that you'll find these accommodations to be our best, Captain." He flung open the door, bowing the Corellian into the room, and Solo pulled the boy with him. "Have a pleasant evening. If you should require anything, the boy knows where everything is located."

Solo let go of the boy's arm in the middle of the room and went to work locating the hidden cameras and microphones. He didn't mind the Hutts knowing his personal preferences, but he'd be damned before he provided them with entertainment - or blackmail vids.

He caught a glimpse of the boy moving stealthily toward the door and smiled to himself. He liked the kid's initiative, not waiting for Han before putting the game in motion. Not that he intended to let the boy take control.

"I wouldn't try it, kid. I'm an expert with this blaster, and I get the impression that your owner wouldn't weep if you were damaged."

The boy turned defiant eyes on him while giving the underlying impression of barely controlled panic. "I don't want to sleep with you."

Solo was impressed: a first class performer, far too good to be stuck out here on this rim-world. Later, when they were through, he'd find out more about the boy, see if he could use a little help getting in touch with the right people.

"You ain't got a choice in the matter."

He finished disabling the devices then checked the windows and doors for quick escape routes if needed. Business taken care of, he looked over the amenities with satisfaction. It was a good-size room with an extra-large bed; experimentally, he tested the mattress and found it to be quite comfortable. Second order of business, he thought, and located the bathroom through a doorway in the wall and grinned at the sight of an over-large tub.

"Oh, yeah," he said in satisfaction, and turned on the taps to begin filling it.

Looking around for the boy, the Corellian found that he had followed Han as far as the doorway to the bathroom. Time to throw him off just a bit, show him who was running things. "Strip."

Suspicious eyes stared at him. "Why?"

Han gave him an amused look. "I don't like sharin' my bed with more than one occupant, and you look like a haven for any number've life-forms. You got a thing against being clean?"

"I've been in a punishment cell for three days," the boy snapped. "I didn't have the luxury of being able to get clean before being sent up."

"Well, kid, this is just your lucky day for everything, isn't it?" He gestured toward the tub. "Get in."

The young man approached the tub and stared at the water spilling into it with near-awe. "You mean you want me to get completely into the water?"

Han looked at the boy curiously - that awed tone of voice had been genuine. "You never heard of a water bath?"

"Waste of water."

He saw the boy's fascination with the filling tub and thought that the boy must be a native, which explained a few things. "Yeah, well I prefer water baths and showers to sonics. I've never been keen on havin' a layer of skin removed - even if it's already dead."

Han turned off the water and looked back at the boy. "I said strip and get in."

The boy flushed and raised his chin defiantly. Solo met his eyes straight on, going for complete control of the situation. "I'm gonna call my partner. When I get back, you be in that tub or I'll strip you myself. Clear?"

Not waiting for a reply, he went back into the bedroom and commed the Falcon. "Hey, Chewie. I'm spendin' the night in town." He sighed at his partner's response. "I'm being careful, pal. Don't worry about me - I can take care of myself." He ignored Chewbacca's derisive snort at that and signed off.

Without the boy there to watch him, Han set the door locks for maximum privacy and pulled a mini-sensor out of his pocket, attaching it to the door. If anyone so much as breathed on the door, he'd know about it. Feeling a little more secure, he unfastened his holster and set the blaster on the table beside the bed. He removed his vest, tossing it on a chair as he walked back into the bathroom, and then he had to laugh. The boy was lying back in the tub, a look of blissful pleasure on his face. At the sight of the Corellian, however, he flushed bright red and sat up in the water, his hands moving protectively over his genitals.

Han frowned and leaned against the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest. An unpleasant suspicion was filling his mind. Slowly, he said, "Y'know, for a pleasure boy, you sure get embarrassed easily. Just how experienced are you?" If possible, the boy flushed even more. "Don't tell me - I'm your first customer."

The boy cleared his throat. "Second."

Han wanted to swear. So the kid was no trained Pleasurer playing off a little dominance game, just a wet-behind-the-ears amateur. Waste of perfectly good credits, he told himself in disgust. Harsher than he intended, he said, "Right. You bit the first one."

There was defiance in the look cast his way from under the fringe of bangs. "Yes. I did."

"Mind if I ask why?" The boy muttered something and he frowned. "You mind repeatin' that a little louder, kid?"

The boy turned his face and met his eyes, and Han saw embarrassment, anger, and defiant pride in the blue eyes. "He forced my mouth open and stuck his dick in it. So I bit him."

Surprised, Han laughed and saw the blue eyes widen in surprise at his reaction. He knew that he should pack the kid up and send him home to his mommy with a few well-chosen words that would scare him into choosing a new line of work. He knew it, but he was intrigued by the combination of innocence and brash defiance in the boy. Maybe he would keep the kid for the night after all.

"Well, in that case we can forget about oral sex. Tell me, kid - " He broke off, straightening up as he began unbuttoning his shirt. "I can't keep calling you 'kid'. You gotta name?"

"Luke," the boy said. "Luke Skywalker."

"Luke." He leaned against the counter and pulled off a boot, watching the boy splashing water over his arms in an effort to clean off the dirt. "It works better if you use soap."

Luke looked at him blankly. "For what?"

Han sighed, shaking his head in disbelief, but couldn't help smiling a bit. "I didn't plan on bathin' you as part of tonight's agenda."

"This was your idea," the boy pointed out, and there was a slight twinkle in his eyes that made Han grin. He liked the kid's spunk and was pleased to see he had a sense of humor, too. Maybe the evening wouldn't be a complete waste of time.

"So it was." Han removed his other boot and crossed to kneel beside the tub, reaching for the soap. "Whew!" he said as he caught a whiff of the scented soap. "You're gonna smell like a Rogelian bordello but at least you'll be clean."

He worked up a lather and began soaping the young man's back. The boy tensed immediately when Han touched him, gradually relaxing under the brisk and non-sexual attention. "So, Luke Skywalker. You mind tellin' me how a kid like you ended up choosing Pleasurin' as a career path?"

"I didn't choose it," Luke said quietly. "I'm a slave. Jabba had me sent here."

Stunned, Han sat back and stared at the naked back before him. Images burst into his head - laser fire and a woman's scream, flames and children crying, taunting voices and a wounded roar. His hands clenched involuntarily into fists and a shaft of cold, pure anger arced through him.

Realizing that the boy had gone silent and was looking at him uneasily, he consciously tried to relax and began shampooing the boy's hair. "What'd you do to piss him off?"

"It wasn't me - it was my last owner. He owed Jabba some money and didn't pay it off so Jabba - collected on the debt."

"Jabba's famous for his way of collectin' debts," Han said grimly. He had heard rumors that Jabba dealt in slaves but nothing concrete. Now he knew, and he would be damned if he would take another credit of the Hutt's money, no matter what it cost him in commissions. As for what to do now - he had no idea, but he was determined to learn more about the kid.

He pushed down on Luke's head and the boy obediently slipped under the water to rinse his hair off. Han tugged him back up by his hair and began soaping it again.

"Hey! You already did that!"

"Yeah, and I got about one layer of filth cleaned out - I can almost see what color it's s'posed to be." He scrubbed in silence for a minute. "How old are you, kid?"

"Twenty - ow! Okay, I'll be nineteen on my next birthday." Luke looked at him sideways, his mouth set. "I'm not a kid."

"You are to me - kid. When I was your age, I'd been workin' ships for two years and was headin' to the Academy."

Luke's head jerked up and he stared at Han in surprise. "You've been to the Academy? But you're not - " He bit his lip, flushing.

Han's jaw tightened as he said flatly, "Let's just say we had a difference of opinion. I got my own ship now, the Millennium Falcon, and make a pretty good livin'." He finished rinsing off the boy's hair and drained the tub, then began filling it again. He stood up and unfastened his pants, tossing them on the counter after stripping them off. "Scoot forward."

Luke had been watching him strip off his pants with open-mouthed surprise and now he saw the boy flush, rapidly sliding forward in the tub and sloshing water onto the floor. Han chuckled and climbed into the large tub, settling down at the back and stretching his legs to either side of the boy. "You can slide back this way now."

The boy was hunched into a ball near the front of the tub, as far away from Han as he could get. "I'm clean - I'll get out - "

"Relax, kid. I'm not gonna hurt you." Luke inched backward and, impatiently, Han reached out and hooked an arm around his waist, hauling the boy back to rest against his chest. Slightly exasperated, he said, "And you mind tellin' me how a Pleasure slave gets to be eighteen and is still a virgin?"

Luke flushed and tried to relax against the Corellian's chest. "I've only been here a week - and I spent most of that in the cells."

"That's not an answer, kid." The boy's head was tucked under Han's chin and he found that it was soft and silky against his skin and the color of pale honey. He ran an exploratory hand over the younger man's chest and found it to be sleek and hairless but more muscled than he had first thought.

"My last owner ran a repair shop - engines, droid, mechanicals - you name it and we fixed it." Han saw a hint of a smile on the boy's mouth and thought that it was a sweet looking mouth when he wasn't sulking. "Not much call for - for other things in that business."

"You haven't been in some of the repair shops that I have, kid. I've been screwed more than once."

Luke laughed at that and Han could feel him relax a little more. He tilted his head back against Han's shoulder, closing his eyes. "My uncle had a moisture farm - it wasn't much but we got by. Seven years back, there was a bad storm and some of the equipment got damaged. Uncle Owen borrowed from Deeto for the repairs. The next year we'd almost made it clear when the sand-people attacked and destroyed most of the vaporators - the sand did the rest. Deeto called him on his debt and took me as a slave to settle it."

Han uttered a curse under his breath but Luke turned his head and looked at him, and the Corellian thought he saw reassurance in the boy's eyes. Eyes that were suddenly older than his eighteen years. "It's all right. Deeto was kind to me. And I liked the shop a lot better than the farm. I still lived at home but I got to work with all kinds of engines - I'm good with things like that. And Deeto would let me borrow his landspeeder to go racing at Beggar's canyon with the guys. Uncle Owen hated that, said I took too many risks."

"So you've been a slave since you were - what? Twelve?"

"Yeah, but things were getting better. Uncle Owen was almost out of debt - we even talked about me going to the Academy next year."

"So what happened?" Luke fell silent and Han reached up to stroke his cheek. "Talk to me, Luke."

Luke sighed. "Deeto was addicted to gambling. I'd see him win credits one day only to lose them the next. Only this time he bet with the wrong people. Deeto couldn't pay the debt, so Jabba took everything. Including me."

"Your uncle?"

"Dead." Luke shivered, flinching as Han wrapped his arms around the slender form for comfort.

"Take it easy, Luke. I won't hurt you. I'm not into pain."

He saw Luke flush as the boy tried to relax against the Corellian's chest. "Some are."

"Some are what?"

"Into pain. I've seen some of the others - afterward."

He turned his head and kissed the soft, sweet smelling hair. "Aw, kid, I won't let that happen to you."

Luke turned his head and looked him in the eye. "But you won't be here after tonight."

There was no reply to that one. Blindly, Han bent his head and kissed the younger man, trying to offer the only form of comfort that he could. He could feel the boy's startled response, his lips parting involuntarily in response to the pressure of the older man's mouth. Han tightened his hold on Luke, deepening the kiss, until he was devouring the younger man's mouth. He could feel the trembling response in the body pressed against his when he finally released him.

"What - what was that?"

Han grinned, feeling the rush of something stronger than alcohol through his veins. "You never been kissed before, kid?"

"Not - not like that."

Han ran his hands down Luke's body, turned halfway into his arms. "Did you like it?"

"Y - yes."

"You don't sound sure of that. Maybe I should kiss you again."

Luke closed his eyes and tilted his head up in mute invitation. Han chuckled and obliged, his hands stroking over the younger man's body as he possessed the boy's mouth. When he finally released Luke, breathless and gasping, the boy sagged against him.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes. I liked it."

Han laughed. "Then you're gonna love the rest." Luke shivered in his arms again. "What?"

"I've never - I don't know how - "

"Yeah, I figured that out for myself." He studied the face close to him, noting the downcast eyes. "Look, kid, raping virgins is not my idea of fun. I never took anyone to bed that didn't want to be with me and I'm not about to start now. So if you don't want to do this, we'll call it a night."

"And if I - want to?" came a whispered question.

"Then I promise I'll make it good for you."

Luke turned his face into Han's chest and murmured, "Yes. I want to."

Han stood up, tugging the young man up with him, and wrapped them both in towels before leading the younger man back into the bedroom. Moving quickly, he pulled back the covers on the bed and lowered the lights, then turned back toward Luke. And stared in stunned surprise.

Luke had finished drying off and dropped the towel onto the floor, standing with the light from the bathroom outlining his body. Cleaned up, the boy was more attractive than he had first appeared - in fact, he was almost beautiful. His body was still a little too thin but had more definition than even the skintight jumpsuit had displayed and his skin had a golden tint to it that invited touch. And without the layer of dirt, he looked rather endearing as blue eyes peered out shyly from under the fringe of gold hair.

"I'm sorry," the young man said softly. "I don't know your name. Din called you 'Captain'..."

Han had to swallow twice before he could reply. "Solo - Han Solo."

"Captain Solo." Luke took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders. "What do you want me to do?"

"Just - come here."

Luke hesitantly approached the Corellian. "Will you - will you kiss me again?"

"Oh, yeah," Solo said, grinning. He reached out and took the young man into his arms, kissing him gently to start. Luke melted against him, trying to deepen the kiss. Han chuckled and pulled back. "Slow down, kid. We got all night."

Han turned the younger man, pushing him down onto the bed, and then stretched out on his side next to the young man. He ran a gentle hand over the lean body, now tensed again with fright, and leaned over to nuzzle his neck.

"Relax, Luke," he murmured. "I promise I won't do anything that you won't like, but you'll enjoy this a helluva lot more if you relax."

Luke nodded, drawing a deep breath, and whispered, "Is - should I be doing something?"

"Just lay back and enjoy. I'm gonna make you feel real good."

Han leaned over to kiss him again and felt the younger man relax as he responded to something he had already enjoyed. Han deepened the kiss, taking his time to explore the welcoming mouth under his and encouraging Luke to do the same. He responded eagerly and Han was pleased to see that he learned quickly.

Without breaking the kiss, he allowed one hand to slowly move down the body pressed next to his, gentle fingers exploring the warm flesh of the boy's back. Muscles under the sleek skin spoke of hard work done over many years, confirming that this was no pampered pleasure pet. Han enjoyed the feel, the combination of hard muscle and skin, and slid his hand down to cup the firm ass. He heard the soft moan of the fully-aroused young man and released his mouth, allowing his lips to move over downy soft cheeks and down to nibble at an earlobe. Luke groaned again and clutched him with both hands, arching against his body so that their cocks brushed together. Han had to stop for a moment, catching his breath and calming his heart - it had been too long and this was going to end way too soon if he didn't regain some control.

He brought up his exploring hand and placed his index finger against the boy's lips, tracing them with a fingertip. Luke eagerly sucked in the finger and Han nearly groaned at the feeling of the lush mouth wrapped around his finger, imagining it wrapped around his cock. A grin crossed his face as he recalled the fate of the last person to attempt that, although he doubted that the kid would bite him. Not on purpose, anyway.

He removed his finger from the young man's mouth and replaced it with his mouth while his hand returned to its earlier exploration. Sliding his hand between the firm cheeks, he let his moistened finger gently circle the small opening there, probing it carefully. Tight, very tight, and if the boy was not the virgin that he claimed to be, he was as near as made no difference. Overwhelming desire to breach that hole, to feel the tight heat encircling his cock, nearly drove him out of his mind. Reluctantly, he moved his hand away and returned to stroking the sleek back. Luke was too tight and too nervous to allow Han to take him without a great deal of discomfort and he had promised not to hurt the boy. Perhaps later, when the kid had relaxed from a good orgasm - hell, they were both young enough to be able to come at least once again that night.

Han rolled the younger man over onto his back, his own body following to cover. Luke's arms came around him, clinging to him. He was gasping for air as Han released his mouth and let his own lips move down to the boy's neck.

"Does this feel good?" he asked, nuzzling the tender flesh.

"Yes," Luke whispered although it was close to a moan.

"Talk to me, kid," he ordered, continuing to move down the lean body. "I like my lovers to tell me if they like what I'm doin'."

"Okay." As Han ran his tongue over the nub of a nipple, Luke arched up with a gasp. "Yes! Maker, yes!"

"You like that?" Han continued to work over the tight bud, reveling in the gasps of pleasure and moans that he was wringing out of Luke. Then he moved over to the other nipple, continuing to tease and torment the young man until he was nearly weeping with frustration.

"Please, oh please," Luke begged, arching his hips up to rub against something, anything.

Han moved back up the slender body, capturing an eager mouth again as he settled down over Luke. Aligning their cocks, he began rocking his body against Luke's, relishing the slick feeling as their bodies rubbed together. Freeing his mouth, he buried his face against the slender neck, nipping and sucking at the supple flesh. Luke groaned, arching up underneath him, and Han increased his thrusting.

That was all it took; Luke gasped and convulsed under him and the beautiful sounds of his pleasure tipped Han over the edge. He came with a groan, spilling his release over the slim form that lay dazed and gasping under him.

He rolled off Luke's body and lay on his back, catching his breath for a moment before reaching over the side of the bed to pick up the towel that he had dropped there. He wiped himself clean and turned to do the same for Luke.

Luke was lying with his eyes closed, breathing raggedly, but his eyes flew open at Han's touch. Han smiled reassuringly as he wiped the semen off the young man's body.

"You okay, kid?" Luke nodded, but he looked uncertain. "What?"

"You didn't - " Luke blushed, embarrassed.

"Fuck you?" He grinned as the young man blushed even more. "Plenty of time for that later. For now, I need t'sleep."

He pulled the covers over them and ordered the lights off, then settled down on his side, letting his eyes slide closed. It had been a long time since he had felt secure enough to fall asleep with someone else in bed with him. Much safer not to, considering his usual bed-companions. But there was something about this kid...

Beside him, he could feel the younger man shift and settle into a comfortable position. As the boy's breath evened out in sleep, Han drew a deep breath and let himself relax. Smiling contentedly, he drifted into sleep.

Chapter 3

Han woke in the middle of the night to the sense of someone leaning over him. Without opening his eyes, he moved quickly, pinning his would-be assailant to the bed with his hands and body, and then ordered the lights up to quarter-bright. Luke's blue eyes looked up at him and Han felt a surge of disappointment. He ruthlessly suppressed it. Stupid to expect that the kid would feel anything for him, even stupider to fall for a pretty face and innocent manners. In all likelihood, it had been an act and the boy was no more innocent than any of the other whores in this place.

"Just what were your master's orders - act the innocent virgin, get me to let my guard down? And then what - rob me? Drug me? Kill me?"

Wide, frightened eyes looked up at him and the blond head shook vigorously. "No! I swear - I had no orders. Please - let me go."

Han tightened his hold. "You weren't leanin' over to kiss me, sweetheart. Now tell me the truth or you'll find your career as a pleasure slave seriously shortened." He grasped the younger man's genitals, squeezing them meaningfully.

Luke winced in pain. "I was trying to make sure that you were asleep. Then - then I was going to - steal some credits. Not a lot! Just enough - just enough to secure a hiding place till I can find my family. I swear it!"

Han frowned, hearing the ring of sincerity. "Family? You said your uncle was dead."

"He is. My aunt was taken and sold, like me." He opened his eyes and stared up at the older man. "I didn't lie to you, and it wasn't an act. I'm really - you're my - my first..."

Han released the young man, sitting up with a sigh. "You know, kid, you could have just asked. Although you're crazy if you think you can hide anywhere on this planet from the Hutts. You run away and Jabba will track you through your implant. He'll catch you and by the time he gets around to killin' you, you'll be grateful to die."

"There are places where I can have the implant removed, for a price."

"Yeah," Han said angrily, unable to believe that Luke would take such a dangerous risk. "Back-street butcher shops. If they can locate the device and if they can remove it without scatterin' your body parts everywhere. And if you're damn lucky and they get it right, there's still a good chance that you'll bleed to death or die from infection."

"Then kill me now. Please."

Han stared down at the boy, startled by the desperation in his voice and the bleak despair in his eyes. "Are you crazy?"

"No." Reaching out with reflexes quicker than Han had expected, the young man snatched the blaster off the bed table. But instead of aiming it at Han, he held it against his chest, the grip pointed toward Han. "Pull the trigger."

"You're nuts, kid. There's no way'n hell that I would kill you."

Blue eyes looked up at him, but now they were hard as stone and more compelling than ever. He could almost feel himself falling into their depths as he heard the soft voice continue.

"You'd condemn me to this life? To being taken and used by anyone who has the credits to buy my body for an hour or a night? I'm not stupid, Captain Solo. I've seen the others - not the Guild pleasurers but the slaves like me. I know the kind of treatment I can expect. And when I've gotten too old or too damaged, I'll be sent to the mines. Do you know the life expectancy of a salt mine worker? The lucky ones die before the first month is over. I'd rather die now."

Mesmerized, Han found his hand on the grip of his blaster, his eyes locked on Luke's. His heart was beating so hard that he could hardly hear anything but it. He fought against the compulsion to pull the trigger and sweat trickled into his eyes. He blinked to clear them and, suddenly, found himself free. With an oath, he tossed the blaster aside and took the young man's face between his hands.

"Don't be a fool! While there's life there's hope - d'you hear me?"

"Yes," the boy said faintly, his eyes reflecting such pain and disappointment that Han couldn't help himself. He leaned down, kissing the younger man, taking his mouth ruthlessly. Arms slid up around him, holding him closer, and the boy's mouth opened willingly under his assault, surrendering completely. He welcomed the surrender, delving deeper to possess Luke, and rocked his body against the lean form under him. His cock responded eagerly and he could feel the willingness in the boy's body so he was surprised when Luke tore his mouth away.

"No," Luke gasped. "Not like this. Take me...please. Show me what it's like to belong to someone."

Han groaned as the words went straight to his cock. This was insane. There was no profit in getting involved with a barely-legal slave who didn't even have the good sense to know he was better off here than dead or in the salt mines. Too late, his body told his mind as the younger man shifted under him, spreading his legs. Much, much too late.

He pulled away from the younger man for a moment, grabbing a tube of sweet oil from the bowl beside the bed. He turned back to Luke and found that the younger man had propped himself up on his elbows, watching Han intently. Han cleared his throat.

"It'll be easier for you on your hands and knees."

Without a word, Luke rolled over on his stomach and lifted himself to the required position. Han felt his mouth go dry. So beautiful, he thought. So trusting. He squeezed some of the oil onto his fingers and moved closer to the younger man, resting one hand on his back for reassurance as he stroked an oiled finger over the tight entrance. Luke shivered and Han didn't know if it was with pleasure or terror or both; he leaned over to press kisses along the supple spine.

"Easy, Luke. Just relax," he murmured. "I'm stretchin' you to make it easier but you gotta work with me."

He pressed his finger in and felt the resistance for a moment before it gave way. Slowly, he stroked his finger in and out, heard a groan of pleasure from the boy, and added another finger. More resistance but he was slow and thorough and before long Luke was rocking backward, seeking more from him. He leaned over to kiss his way up the spine again as he slowly added a third finger, felt the slight stiffening under him.

"Shh," he murmured. "You're doing fine. Almost there." He slowly pressed in with three fingers. "Does this hurt?"

Luke shook his head but in a way that made Han doubt his words as he said, "No. Just - tight." He twisted his fingers, seeking the magic spot, and smiled as Luke suddenly gasped. "Maker! What - oh, please! Again!"

Instead, Han pulled his fingers out and slowly pressed inside with his cock. He heard the gasping breath, felt the instinctive urge to pull away, and wrapped his arms around the slender waist to keep the boy still. Luke made a sound between a gasp and a sob, and Han paused to allow him to catch his breath. He brushed a kiss against the back of the younger man's neck, murmuring reassurance. Feeling the body beneath him relax, he slid back and pressed forward again, this time a little deeper. Slowly, painstakingly, he repeated this until he was fully sheathed inside the young man.

Pausing again to allow Luke's body to become accustomed to him and stop fighting, he nuzzled against the boy's neck, now covered with a thin sheen of sweat. "Easy, kid. You're doin' great. Just relax - I promise it'll feel good."

He saw Luke try to nod and then Han shifted backwards, hearing a soft sound that could have been pleasure or pain or both. Sliding forward, he heard a groan that was definitely pleasure and smiled. Slowly, as slowly as he dared, he repeated his thrusting and felt the slowly building response of the body he possessed. Luke was moaning now, a beautiful sound of desire and need. Reaching around, he found that the kid's erection had returned and he grasped the swollen cock with his hand. Luke gasped and surged backward, impaling himself on Han's cock and making it rub against his prostate.

Han chuckled at Luke's cry of startled delight and pressed a kiss against Luke's neck. "Like that, kid?"

"Yes, oh yes!"

"Then hang on - it's gonna get even better." Holding onto the young man's hips, he began moving quickly, sliding in and out of the tight heat. Luke groaned and tried to push back but Han held him still. "Don't do that," he growled. "You'll hurt yourself. Let me do all the work."

Luke obeyed, nearly sobbing with his need, his arms collapsing under him. Han groaned as the shift in position tightened the hot channel around his cock and he felt the waves of heat starting to build within him. Another stroke and then it was too much and he was exploding into the sweet warmth surrounding him. Collapsing onto the slender, strong back under him, he had just enough presence of mind to reach around again and grasp the kid's cock, pumping it in rhythm with the shuddering aftershocks that were still rocking his own body. He heard the wordless cry, felt the warmth on his hand, and then the muscles around his cock were clenching so hard that he thought he would come again from the sheer intensity of it.

He felt the collapse of the body under his and followed Luke down to the bed, unable to do anything more at the moment as he tried to catch his breath. When he could move again, he gently eased out of the young man and flopped onto the bed on his back, sighing in satisfaction.

Grinning, he glanced over at the boy, intending to tease him about being a natural in bed. Luke still lay on his stomach, his eyes closed, and as Han watched he saw a tear trickle out of the corner of the young man's eye. Concerned, he rolled onto his side and caressed Luke's cheek.

"You okay, kid? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No." A slight smile curved his mouth. "That was the most incredible - thank you."

"So why the water-works?"

Luke's eyes opened and, if possible, the desolation in them was greater than it had been earlier. "How will I be able to bear anyone else touching me after this?"

Han swore silently to himself even as he reached out to pull the younger man into his arms. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been, allowing his own lust to overwhelm him and destroy Luke. He knew how much the kid hated this life and he had just wrecked whatever last bit of pride the boy had. He had gone ahead and taken the boy, shown him what it was like to have a partner who cared about his comfort and needs, when the kid would be lucky if his future clients didn't hurt him too badly. This boy wasn't a trained Pleasurer, secure in his sexual identity with a contract and a powerful Guild standing behind him. This was a green kid, a slave, a boy whose life had been shattered in the space of a few days. And Han had joined the ranks of all who had betrayed the boy since he was twelve, no matter how good his intentions. He snorted at that - he hadn't even had good intentions. He had wanted Luke and he had taken advantage of the kid's vulnerability.

So what in the hell did he do now? Feed the kid some pap about him only feeling this way because Han was Luke's first? Tell him that working as a pleasure slave was better than dying in some stinking mine? Encourage the boy to find a patron so he could become one man's pampered Pet instead of anyone's whore? Slavery was slavery, no matter how pretty the cage.

No, there was only one thing he could do.

He stroked the sleek skin, soothing and comforting. "It's okay, kid. You won't have to let anyone touch you again. I'm gonna get you outta here."

"You can't do that." Luke's voice was muffled and Han could tell that he was ashamed of his tears and trying to choke them back.

"'Course I can - I got connections. You'll be outta here and flyin' free before you know it."

Luke looked up at him, hope dawning in his blue eyes. "Really?"

"Would I lie to you, kid?" Han grinned at the boy, trying to cheer him up.

Luke tentatively smiled back, and Han could feel the boy's slender body relax in his arms. "Thanks."

"Least I could do, kid," Han said roughly, embarrassed by thanks he had yet to earn. "Now go to sleep. Tomorrow'll be a busy day."

Luke closed his eyes, snuggling into the older man's shoulder, and sighed contentedly. A few minutes later, his slow breathing told Han that Luke had succumbed to exhaustion from his overwrought nerves. And as Han waited for the morning, he held the warm and trusting body close and tried to figure out how to fulfill his promise.

Chapter 4

It was just starting to lighten outside the window when his internal clock woke him and Han realized that he had managed to drop off to sleep. He sat up, suppressing a groan. It had been a long night and he hadn't gotten nearly enough rest. Although, he thought irrepressibly, what he'd gotten in its place had been worth giving up sleep.

Luke was still asleep, curled up against his side as if trying to share his warmth, and Han looked down at him regretfully. Despite the boy's lack of experience - or maybe because of it - the previous night ranked as one of the best experiences in the Corellian's life. He was going to miss the kid, he thought with a sigh. Still, it was all for the best. He'd get the kid out and give him a chance at a new start, and after that the boy would have to sink or swim on his own. And Han would leave Mos Eisley and Tatooine and - if he was lucky - never see the damned planet again.

He slipped out of bed and dressed quietly, not wanting to wake his bed-partner. As he strapped on his blaster, a flash of memory from the previous night made him frown and look over at the bed. What was there about this kid that had made him act like that, had made him actually think about pulling the trigger of that blaster? He shivered, pushing the memory away, and sat down in the chair to pull on his boots.

Han was no closer to a solution to the problem of freeing Luke this morning although he had a few options lined up. The direct approach first - offer to buy the boy and see what happened. He had little doubt that Din Bardeeda would be glad to get rid of the troublesome slave while making a profit. Han knew it would cost him a lot but his credits were in good shape after the last commission. And there was something ironically amusing in the thought of Jabba's credits going to purchase one of Jabba's own slaves.

And if Din Bardeeda wouldn't sell, Han would go directly to Jabba and work a deal. It wouldn't be good - Jabba wouldn't want anything as ordinary as credits for the boy - he would want a piece of the Corellian's soul. Han had no doubt that Jabba's terms would be unpleasant and certainly illegal, but he wasn't in a position to bargain.

He frowned, wondering if this had been Jabba's intention all along. It didn't seem possible. Jabba couldn't have known that Han would choose the boy for a bed partner - or could he? Han had never made a secret of the fact that, while he was open to male or female partners, he liked the independent sort. Thinking back to the line-up of all the skilled and compliant partners available, he knew it had been the novelty of this scruffy-looking boy with his defiant attitude that had caught his attention. It was a given that he would learn that the boy was a slave, and Han's attitude towards slavers was well known. Hell, he had once shot a man off his ship for attempting to pass off a shipment of slaves as his wives and concubines. Once hearing Luke's story, Han was bound to be hooked.

Han turned narrowed eyes toward the bed where the boy slept still, wondering again if the kid could have been involved in the whole plan, if that story had been concocted to get past Han's defenses. That Luke was just a common little slut doing his master's bidding. As he watched, Luke shifted in his sleep, sighing softly like a much younger boy, and Han couldn't help smiling.

No, he'd bet his last credit that the kid was just what he appeared to be - an innocent pawn in a game of chance. And the beauty of the scheme was just that. Jabba had taken a big chance that Han would fall for his trap but the Hutt was nothing if not a cool gambler. Han almost admired the crafty, overgrown slug.

Almost. Except for the fact that an innocent had been used to bait the trap.

Han sat down on the side of the bed and gently smoothed the tousled fair hair. "Sleep sweet, kid," he murmured. "I'll be back for you shortly."

The halls were empty as Han made his way down to the first floor but he wasn't surprised given the early morning hour. He was surprised to see Din Bardeda on duty at the front desk and wondered if the Twi'lekian ever slept. It was just as well - now he wouldn't have to hunt him down to make the deal.

"Captain Solo!" the manager said, smiling that ingratiating smile that suddenly made Solo want to wipe it off his face. "I trust that you enjoyed your stay with us?"

"Very much."

"Good, good. Glad to hear it. And the boy?" he asked delicately. "No problems with him?"

"None." The manager presented him with a datapad of the charges he had incurred and Solo pretended to study it as he said, casually, "As a matter of fact, I was taken with him. I don't suppose that he would be for sale...?"

Din Bardeda's face was nearly orgasmic with bliss. "One moment - let me consult his record." He sorted through the padds and stuck one in the reader. As he perused it, his face fell. "Oh. No, I'm sorry, Captain Solo. The boy is not for sale. It seems that Jabba has - special plans for him."

Solo, in the process of putting his thumbprint on the bill, looked up sharply. "Plans? What kind of plans?"

"Terminal ones." Din Bardeeda avoided the Corellian's eyes.

Solo knew what that meant and his blood went cold. His stomach clenched suddenly at the image of blue eyes wide with terror and a soft voice changed to screams. He gripped the desk with one hand while the other clenched on the datapad, closing his eyes to shut out the images.

"Captain, are you all right?"

He nodded briefly, trying to bring himself under control. "Must've had a little too much to drink last night," he managed to say. He opened his eyes and found that he was looking at the desktop and at the padd with Luke's name blinking on it. He drew a deep breath and continued cautiously, trying to feel out the edges of this trap. "Seems to me like a waste of good credits. Kid like that's worth a lot more alive than as Rancor food." His eyes met the Twi'lekian's and he knew that the subtle message had been exchanged.

Din Bardeeda shook his head slightly, regretfully. "When the Hutts make a decision, they rarely change their mind. You could, of course, consult with Jabba yourself."

There - the trap lay open and inviting and Solo knew that he had been right. Jabba had used the kid to set him up and had planned to callously toss the boy aside like a worthless toy if Solo didn't go for the bait. He was suddenly determined not to play this game their way.

Coolly, he said, "Well, there're a hundred kids just like him - not worth bothering about." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of credit chips. "What's the damage?"

Din Bardeeda looked alarmed at his response and almost stammered, "No need to pay the bill today, Captain Solo! Your credit is good here. And - and if the boy did not suit you, perhaps we can locate another more to your taste?"

Another innocent destroyed? Solo wanted to kill the Twi'lekian with his bare hands but managed to shrug carelessly. "Perhaps. I'll be back in a few days."

The Twi'lekian almost visibly relaxed. "Good, good. Now, if you'll just give me your club chip, I'll make a note of your preferences."

Solo pretended to search his pockets. In the process of searching, he dropped the credit chips and they scattered on the floor behind the desk. The Twi'lekian bent down to retrieve them and, in the moment when his attention was distracted, Solo grabbed Luke's datapad and tucked it into his inner vest pocket.

"Sorry," Solo said, trying to look sheepish as the manager finished collecting the scattered credits and handing them back. "I'm having a little trouble holdin' onto things this morning. Too much of everything last night." He looked around the hall, looking appreciative, while his sharp eyes were quickly cataloging the entry points and general activity.

A glint of satisfaction appeared in the manager's eyes before he veiled them again. "Understandable. Your card, Captain?"

"I must've left it upstairs - I'll just run back up and look for it."

Once back in the room, he pulled out the datapad and glanced at it. The Hutts kept excellent records, he thought sourly, as he quickly scanned the information contained there. According to the padd, Luke's story was true - his previous owner had lost all his property and his account with Jabba had been "terminated". There was no information on the aunt in Luke's record, but Jabba was no humanitarian. If she had been able to work, she had no doubt been sent to one of his mines, and if not, she was dead. The final notation sobered Solo - the Hutt had ordered that Luke was to be brought to his palace later that day - "for the amusement of the Court". Although Solo hadn't had the dubious pleasure of witnessing such amusement, he had heard enough rumors to know that it was infinitely worse than a blaster shot at close range.

Solo closed his eyes, and leaned his head back against the door. He had been hoping that the Twi'lekian was wrong, hoping that Luke's situation wouldn't be so hopeless and that he could just free the kid and walk away. So much for his run of good luck.

"I'm gonna hate myself tomorrow," he muttered.

His mind racing over his options. Another quick glance at the padd relieved an anxiety - the location and deactivation code for the slave device was here. So, get Luke out of the club and off planet - and hope that Jabba didn't trace the kid's disappearance to him. And if he did - well, that blockade would just have to be run when he came to it. For now, he was running out of time.

Quickly, he attached the padd to a blank one he carried and downloaded the data. While the transfer was working, he pulled out his commlink.

"Chewie? Come on, big guy, wake up." A muffled grumble on the other end made him smile - Chewbacca was not a morning-Wookiee. "Yeah, yeah, I know what time it is. Look, is the ship ready to go? Repairs finished, departure clearance secured?"

[Of course, Han,] came the slightly affronted reply. [I have done this before.]

"Don't get your fur ruffled, pal. Just wanna make sure that we can take off right away if we need to."

The Wookiee's voice on the other end was suspicious. [Han, what are you up to?]

"Me? Up to something?"

[Solo.]

He sighed. "Just a little -recruitment effort, okay? You're always sayin' how short-handed we are. I just thought I'd do somethin' about it."

[Solo.]

"Gotta go, Chewie. See you shortly."

Solo pocketed both padds and commlink, then moved to the bed. Luke was still sleeping, and Solo stood for a moment looking down at the boy. The sheet was twisted around his thin body exposing the golden skin of his back and arms. Arousal flared in Han - the boy was even more attractive in the light of day. Suppressing his returning desire ruthlessly, he sat down on the bed and shook the boy's bare shoulder.

"Luke. Wake up, Luke. Time to get you outta here."

The young man stretched and yawned, blinking his eyes open, then a sunny smile lit his face. "Morning, Captain Solo."

Han couldn't help responding to that smile. "Morning, kid." He leaned forward to kiss lips that were still slightly swollen from the previous night and was amused to feel the younger man's arms slide around his neck, pulling him closer. "Sorry, kid, I got places to be. And if you want to get outta here, you'd best get movin'."

Wide eyes stared up at him. "You were serious? You have a plan?"

Han grinned at him. "I always have a plan. Now get dressed if you don't wanna get left behind."

Luke flung back the bedclothes and slid out of bed, fetching his clothes off the bathroom floor where he had dropped them, swiftly dressing.

"Okay, kid. I can't take you out the front - what about the back? Any guards?"

Luke nodded. "The doors are monitored to keep clients from slipping out without paying their bills."

"What about you? Can you go out that way?"

Luke nodded again. "They pretty much let us come and go during the day. It's not like we can go very far with the implant."

"Okay. I want you to go out the back and make your way to the main port, docking bay 94. I'll meet you there."

"But - "

"No time to argue, kid. And we don't have time to collect any keepsakes."

"That's all right," Luke said, pulling on his shoes. "I'm ready to go. There's nothing here for me."

Luke slipped out the door and Han followed a few minutes later, heading leisurely down the main stairs. He held up his club card with a grin as he approached the main desk. "Found it. The damn thing had fallen under the bed."

Din Bardeeda took the card with a smug smile and turned to process it through the main system. Han leaned casually on the desk and slipped the original padd onto the desk with the others. And in a few moments he was walking out the front door with the firm intention to never return to that club again.

Chapter 5

Han strode quickly into the docking bay, looking around for Luke. For one heart-stopping moment, he thought that the boy wasn't there, had been caught while trying to escape. But then a slender form melted out of the shadows and he drew a deep sigh of relief.

"You made it. Good."

Luke gestured toward the ship. "That yours?"

"Yeah. This is her - the Falcon," Han said, proudly gesturing to his ship.

Luke looked up at it and, for a moment, Han thought he might comment about its less than pristine appearance, but he just smiled. "She's nice."

Han visibly expanded at the compliment. "Yeah, well she may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts. I've made a lot of special modifications myself. She'll do point five past light speed." Luke looked suitably impressed and Han tugged him toward the loading ramp. "Come on."

Luke balked. "Where are we going?"

"You're comin' with me, kid."

Luke's eyes lit up for a moment as he smiled brightly at the smuggler, then his smile faded. "I can't. I've got to find Aunt Beru."

Han scowled at the young man, exasperated. He didn't have time to argue with the kid now - especially out in the open. All he needed was for someone to see the two of them together and report it to Jabba. "Not now, kid." He grabbed Luke's arm.

Luke pulled free, his mouth setting stubbornly. "No. I can't leave Aunt Beru. I've got to find her."

"And do what? You can't stay here."

"Then I'll leave Tatooine as soon as I can - with her," Luke said firmly. "I'll get a job somewhere, maybe here at the port. I'm good with engines. I'll save my credits and get my own ship - "

"And who's going to pilot it? You?"

"You bet I could!" Luke flared, stung to anger. "I'm not such a bad pilot myself!"

"Forget it, kid. The slavers would have you within a week and you'd find yourself on your back again."

"You can't make me - "

"Oh, yes I can." Han pulled out the datapad from his pocket and held it up so that Luke could see his name on it. "This says that I own you, kid. You belong to me now."

Luke's face went white. "I thought - I thought you were helping me get free."

Han avoided looking in the young man's eyes. He felt bad enough already - there was no way that he could lie to the kid but he'd be damned before he abandoned the boy here on the planet. "Yeah, well, you cost me more than I thought you would, so I plan on keepin' you with me for awhile."

"I see." Luke's face was still pale and seemed set in stone, but his hands were steady as he began unfastening his bodysuit.

Han froze. "What'n hell d'you think you're doing?"

"Starting to pay back my debt. How do you want me? Hands and knees again, or maybe on my back?" Luke pulled one arm free of the suit.

The sight of that golden arm and the awareness of the public place they were in brought Han out of shock. He grabbed Luke by the arm, holding the bodysuit closed as he hustled him up the access ramp and into the ship.

"You put that back on and I don't ever want to see you doin' that again!" Han blazed at the young man. "You're not some cheap slut to be fucked in public!"

Luke was reassembling his clothes but now his hands shook as he tried to work the closure. "No; I gathered that I'm an expensive slut. Would you prefer that we went to your cabin?"

"Luke," Han said in exasperation, and he pushed away the boy's hands so that he could close up the bodysuit. He felt a shudder run through the thin frame and groaned as he folded the stiff and resisting body into his arms. "Don't, Luke. It'll be okay - I promise. Look - I gotta job to do, one that'll bring in a lotta credits. As soon as it's done, we'll come back here and find your aunt and buy her back."

"Promise?" The voice was thick with emotion.

"I swear. It's just - I can't stay here right now, you understand?"

Luke pushed back a little, looking up into Han's face, and the smuggler was relieved to see some color returning to his face. "Are you in trouble, Captain Solo?"

Han grinned. "I'm always in trouble, kid." And more so since I met you, he thought in resignation.

To his amazement, Luke pulled himself together before his eyes, straightening his back. "Then we'd better get out of here quickly."

Han smiled in relief and took the younger man's face between his hands. "That's my boy," he said, and kissed Luke gently.

A sound between a laugh and a grunt caught his attention, and he turned his head to glare at his co-pilot. "What're you laughing at, fuzz-ball?"

The Wookiee bared his teeth in a grin and chuckled again. [It is a very attractive cub, Han.]

"His name's Luke Skywalker." Han saw that Luke was looking at the Wookiee in trepidation. "This is Chewbacca, my co-pilot and partner. Don't worry, he doesn't bite - much."

"Pleased to meet you," Luke murmured, holding out his hand and trying not to flinch as it was folded into the larger one for a vigorous handshake.

Chewbacca looked at Han in amusement. [The cub has good manners. I like him. Will we be keeping him for awhile?]

"Yeah, he'll be comin' with us."

[Good. Then perhaps you will not growl quite so often since you have a mate.]

Han flushed. "He's not my mate, he's my - " He hesitated, uncertain what to say. If he told the Wookiee the truth, Luke would be gone like a shot. "He's with me," he settled for, lamely.

The Wookiee studied him with sharp eyes but was distracted by a sudden growl from Luke's stomach. [It would appear that your non-mate is hungry.] With a gentle paw, he patted Luke's shoulder and indicated that he should follow the Wookiee down the main corridor. [I will feed him since you seem to have a problem caring for your - companion.]

"Great, just great," Han muttered. "Now Chewie's playing nursemaid."

He watched Luke follow the Wookiee down the corridor and, despite his exasperation with the boy, couldn't help admiring the tight young ass encased in the thin jumpsuit. Suddenly, he was glad that he'd brought the kid on board. He knew he'd have to tell the boy the truth as soon as they went into hyperspace and the kid could no longer jump ship. Luke would be furious but, with luck and the right handling, he would get past it and realize that it was in his best interest to remain with the Falcon - and Han. In the meantime, there were practical matters to handle.

In his cabin he found the device he was looking for buried in the bottom of a storage bin and checked it over carefully to make sure it still worked. Their passenger would be arriving soon and Han intended to take off the moment he did, before anyone noticed the boy was missing and looked in his direction. As he started towards the lounge and cargo hold, another thought occurred to him. In the guest cabin were some extra clothes, things left behind by passengers or lovers over the years. He hunted out some things that looked like they might fit Luke and took them with him.

Entering the lounge, he was amused to see that Luke was cleaning off his third plate of food. "You still eating, kid? Good thing we gotta decent fare - you're gonna eat me out of credits."

Luke mumbled "I'm hungry" around his spoon and Han cuffed him gently on the head.

"And don't talk with your mouth full. Didn't your folks teach you manners?" Luke just smiled at that and tucked into a rich-looking dessert that Chewbacca set on the table. "And you stop feeding him like that!"

[But the cub is hungry, Han,] Chewbacca protested.

"He's not a cub - he's a human who's gonna be the size of a freighter if this keeps up. And if he gets sick when we hit space, you get to clean it up." He looked over at Luke who had finished the dessert and was sitting back with a satisfied sigh. Not for the first time, he noted the thinness in the boy's face and said gruffly, "When was the last time you ate, kid?"

Luke shrugged. "Real food? About two weeks back. When you're in the cells, they only give you nutrient bars once a day." He looked up at Han through his bangs. "I was in the Cells a lot."

"I noticed that from your records," Han said dryly. "I have a feeling that you're gonna be a lot of trouble."

"I'd just gotten out when they sent word that all humans were to go upstairs and I got dragged along. I really wasn't supposed to be up there." He grinned at Han. "Lucky for me that I was, huh?"

"Yeah." And for me, too, thought Han and then ruthlessly squashed the thought. He was aware that Chewbacca was watching him closely and had a feeling that the Wookiee had figured out at least part of the story - and the stars only knew what Luke had been telling the co- pilot while Han was gone.

"Now, before our passenger gets here, we've gotta take care of that device." He consulted the datapad. "Says here that it's in your back, in the upper right. Take down the top, kid."

Flushing as he briefly glanced over at the Wookiee, Luke obeyed. Han ran the deactivator over his back, locating the implant under his right shoulder-bone. The location of the device was a particularly nasty one if detonated - not close enough to any vital organs to kill instantly, but just in the right place to cause a lot of internal damage. A slow, excrutiatingly painful kind of death.

"Hold still, kid. I'd hate to have our new paint job messed up." Pressing the deactivator firmly against Luke's skin, he entered the sequence numbers, breathing a sigh of relief when the indicator light changed to red to show that the implant was inactive. "Good. Now to get this thing outta you. It's gonna sting a little - you ready?" Luke nodded, and Han saw him wince slightly as the mini-laser punched through tissue to extract the small device, cauterizing and sealing the small wound on the way back out. A moment later, the small disk was lying on his palm while Chewbacca applied a healing strip over the small incision.

"Here, Luke. Souvenir."

Luke shook his head. "No, thanks. I'm glad it's out - I hated the idea of something like that in my body."

Han nodded, aware that his co-pilot's eyes were studying him intently over the head of the seated boy. He picked up the pile of clothing. "You can't go around in public wearing that thing. Here's some spare clothes and things we had on board - I think I guessed the right sizes. You can change in my cabin - first door on the right."

Luke took the armload with a smile that made Han feel like the sun had gone nova. "Thanks, Captain Solo," he said softly, heading towards the main corridor.

"Luke!" Han called and the boy turned back. "Call me 'Han', okay?"

That smile again, and Han thought he would do anything for it. "Yes, Cap - Han." Then he disappeared.

Han turned his attention back to his partner. "What're you lookin' at?"

[The cub was a slave? You found him in a Pleasure house?]

"Yeah. You got a problem with that?"

[You did not buy him, Solo?] Chewbacca's voice was grim.

"Of course not!" Han said indignantly.

[So you stole a Pleasure slave? From the Hutts?]

Defensively, he said, "Well, I couldn't just leave him there, could I? I mean, look at him! He's as green as they come. And they were gonna kill him - " He found himself unable to speak as he was engulfed in a rough embrace and he gasped for breath. "Chewie! Enough - you're smothering me!"

The Wookiee released him, fondly rubbing his head. [You are a good man, Han Solo.]

"Yeah, well, don't let it get around. It'd ruin my reputation," Han said with a grin. "Oh, and don't tell Luke that I didn't buy him." At Chewbacca's surprised grunt, he said, "He wants to find his aunt - I couldn't let him go wand'ring all over the planet lookin' for her. Jabba's goons would've caught him in a heartbeat."

[And when do you intend to tell him the truth?] At Han's flush, Chewbacca growled, [You would not use this situation to take advantage of the cub, would you?]

Han looked at him, pretending to be hurt. "You wound me, Chewie. Did it look like I was takin' advantage of him earlier? He's just as hot for me - " He broke off as Luke came into the room. "Now that's much better," he said approvingly. Luke flushed a little and looked down at the light colored pants and white tunic before his eyes came back up to meet Han's. The Corellian could feel the intensity between them and wanted nothing more than to take the kid back into his cabin and remove those new clothes. He sighed internally - business before pleasure.

"Our passenger should be arriving soon. Chewie, get the engines on line. We may need to get out of here fast."

He strode down the main corridor towards the access ramp, followed by Luke and Chewbacca. As the Wookiee went on past to the cockpit, Han turned to Luke. "Stay here, kid, and stay sharp. There could be trouble."

Luke squared his shoulders. "I'm ready for anything."

Han refrained from smiling at this and merely nodded before heading down the ramp. To his relief, he saw the old man walking briskly across the bay followed by a small astrodroid and a larger bipedal droid.

"Glad to see you made it," Han said sardonically, bowing the old man towards the access ramp. "We seem to be a bit rushed, so if you'll get on board, we'll be off."

Kenobi nodded and indicated that the droids should go onboard. He paused and looked around, frowning as if looking for something. Han thought that he looked older than he had the previous day, older and sadder. With a slight sigh, Kenobi turned and headed up after the droids.

Han was about to join them when the sight of something moving in the doorway caught his attention. Stormtroopers, he thought, ducking inside and yelling toward the cockpit, "Chewie! Deflector shields - now! Get us outta here!"

Swinging back briefly as he drew his blaster, he fired several shots making the troops dive for cover. He raced up the ramp and slammed his hand down on the quick-release button, and the hatchway snapped shut behind him.

"Hold on!" he yelled to the two men waiting in the corridor as the droids raced toward the cargo hold. He reached out to push Luke towards one of the emergency handholds along the corridor as the ship rocked under them. Despite the boy's best effort, he tumbled onto the floor and looked like he had decided to stay there for the moment.

When the ship settled underfoot, Han released his own hold and smiled down at Luke. "You did well for your first time, kid."

Luke groaned. "Even though I ended up on my ass?"

"Yeah - and it's a nice ass. And you didn't lose your breakfast."

Kenobi, obviously an experienced spacer, chuckled and held out a hand to the young man. "Here, son - let me help you up."

"That's right, you two don't know each other. Luke Skywalker, meet Ben Kenobi."

Chapter 6

Luke grinned at the old man and Han could see that Kenobi was struck speechless. He wasn't surprised - Luke in full-charm-mode was breathtaking. He moved slightly closer to the boy to emphasize his claim.

"Are you a Jedi Knight?" Luke gestured towards the saber hilt visible on the older man's belt. "I've seen some historical vids of them and they used to carry weapons like that."

"Luke Skywalker," Kenobi said, his voice oddly rough, and Han looked at him, puzzled. "I've been looking for you for the past four days. I thought you were dead, like - like your uncle."

"You were looking for me?" Luke asked. "Why?"

Kenobi sighed. "A long story, my boy. I knew your father - many, many years ago."

Han had a bad feeling about this and he interrupted. "Look, I hate to break up this reunion, but we got work to do."

He led the way to the cockpit, sliding into the pilot seat as his eye expertly ran over the instrument panel. Chewbacca growled at him and he glanced at the tracking screen. "I know, I know. Looks like two, maybe three destroyers. Somebody doesn't like our passenger." His hands flew over the instrument panel, "Try to hold 'em off while I finish programming the light jump. Angle the deflectors for maximum shielding."

Moving in concert, the two partners worked while behind them the image of Tatooine receded from view. Han glanced up briefly at Luke and Kenobi. "We've got two more coming in from different angles," he told them. "They're gonna try to box us in before we can jump. Five ships." He shook his head. "What did you do to attract that kind of attention, Kenobi?"

"Can't you outrun them?" Luke asked. "I thought you said this ship was fast."

"Watch your mouth, kid, or you'll find yourself floating home," Han snapped, hands moving more rapidly than thought. "There's too many of them, but we'll be safe once we make the jump to hyperspace." The ship rocked as Chewbacca swerved to avoid the ships firing at them. "Here's where the situation gets interesting," Han muttered, running through the calculations with practiced speed.

"How long before you can make the jump?" Kenobi asked. He was staring impassively out the forward view-screen, his hands tucked into the sleeves of his robe, as if facing down a fleet of Imperials was a daily occurrence. Han hoped to hell it wasn't.

"It'll be a few minutes before the navigation computer can compensate for the gravitational pull of the planet."

"A few minutes!" Luke exclaimed. "At the rate they're gaining - "

"Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy. Rush it and you could find yourself passing right through a star or caught in a black hole. That would end our trip real quick."

On the main panel, a red warning light began to flash. "What's that?" Luke asked, reaching a hand out toward the indicator.

Han slapped his hand away. "Don't touch that! We're losing a deflector shield." He glanced up at Luke briefly. "Better strap yourself in, kid. We're almost ready to make the jump."

Luke nodded and disappeared down the corridor with Kenobi while Han concentrated on punching in the final calculations before pushing the controls that would throw them into light-speed. He blew out a relieved breath to see the familiar rush of stars as they made the light-jump, thinking grimly that he would have a word or two to say to Kenobi.

Han checked the instruments one more time before pushing his way out of his seat. Squeezing his co-pilot's shoulder he said, "I'm gonna go back and check on Luke and our passenger. Secure everything here, will you?" Receiving the Wookiee's affirmation, he made his way down the main corridor to the hold where he found the two humans were unfastening their acceleration harnesses.

"You can relax and stop worryin' about your Imperial friends," he told Kenobi. "I told you I'd lose those slugs. They'll never be able to track us now." Without pause, he made his way over to Luke and ruffled the younger man's hair. "How're you holding up, Luke?"

"Fine, Han," the boy said with a smile. "I'm a little hungry, though."

Han laughed and shook his head. "Kid, you're gonna wear out the replicator if you keep going like this! All right - I guess I could do with a bite to eat myself. Unlike some people, I didn't get any breakfast this morning."

Luke grinned and went to the replicator while Han sat down on one of the acceleration couches and stretched out his legs. He saw the boy look over at the old man and, glancing at Kenobi, saw that the old man was watching Luke with hooded eyes. Luke seemed to flush slightly under this scrutiny and Han had a sudden feeling of disquiet. He remembered what Kenobi had said earlier and wondered what his interest was in the boy.

"Would you care for something to eat, Knight Kenobi?" Luke asked.

Kenobi waved his hand dismissively. "Thank you, no. And please - call me Ben." He looked over at Han. "Captain Solo, when do you expect us to arrive at Alderaan. My business there is rather urgent."

"In case the Imperials have mined the main subspace route between here and Alderaan, we're taking a more indirect route. Should put us at Alderaan in 20 standard hours, roughly 0200."

Luke brought a collection of dishes over to the table and settled comfortably beside Han. Absently, Han's hand moved up to stroke the boy's sleek hair and saw Kenobi's eyes narrow as he watched them.

"I was very surprised to find you here, my boy," Kenobi said. "Surprised and pleased. I haven't seen you since you were very small. The last I heard, you were living on your uncle's farm and working at a mechanic's shop in Mos Eisley."

"You mean, he was a slave in a mechanic's shop in Mos Eisley," Han said with a growl. "I'm surprised you didn't know that if you were such a friend of the family."

Kenobi's eyes met Han's across the room and the Corellian didn't try to hide the suspicion that he knew was in his eyes. The old man's expression was carefully neutral as he turned his attention back toward Luke.

Luke didn't appear to have noticed the silent confrontation between the other two men. "It wasn't common knowledge outside the farm. Uncle Owen was ashamed to be thought a failure. But you said that you had been looking for me - why?"

Kenobi sighed. "A week ago, I became aware that something was wrong concerning your family but I wasn't certain what. And then I received a message that I was urgently needed on Alderaan, so I went to the farm to say goodbye to my - your uncle and found it destroyed. What happened, Luke?"

"Jabba. He collected on all the debts owed to Deeto and if they couldn't pay..." Luke looked away, swallowing hard, and Han ruffled his hair gently again. "His men killed Uncle Owen. Then they dragged me and Aunt Beru out of the house before they set fire to the place." Luke cleared his throat roughly. "I don't know what happened to Aunt Beru. Jabba had me taken to one of his clubs and told me that I was a pleasure slave now." He turned his head and smiled at Han. "And then Captain Solo - Han - came along and rescued me, and I belong to him now."

Han shifted uncomfortably at the look that Luke was giving him; there was a a hint of hero-worship in those eyes, something the Corellian was certain he didn't deserve. And it seemed as if Luke had reconciled himself to belonging to Han and was prepared to make the best of it. Han knew he had to talk to Luke, tell him the truth and soon, but not here in front of Kenobi. He could feel Kenobi's eyes shift to him almost as if he had read that thought and carefully avoided looking at the old man.

Instead, he gently cuffed Luke's head and teased him saying, "If you ate this way at Din Bardeeda's, no wonder they were willing to get rid of you. Their profit margin must have taken a drastic plunge with you there." Luke just looked at him sideways and grinned.

Chewbacca came back into the hold to report on the damage that they had sustained during the attacks and Han stood up with a tired sigh. "We got a few things to take care of - Luke, give Chewie a hand, will ya?" He gestured to Kenobi. "I'll show you to your cabin before I get started, Kenobi."

"Thank you," Kenobi said gravely as he rose. "That would be most kind of you."

Han led the way down the main corridor, passing his own cabin and stopping at the door of one of the two passenger cabins. "Here you are. We don't have much in the way of comforts, but the sonic showers work and there's a food replicator in the hold area. Anythin' else you need?"

"Not at the moment," Kenobi said in a quiet voice. "I believe that I shall rest for awhile. I got very little sleep these last few nights looking for the boy."

Han grinned. "Yeah, well, one way or another the kid cost a lotta people sleep time." He went on his way, aware of the eyes watching him the entire length of the corridor.

Han spent the next few hours doing some of the never-ending repair chores around the ship, keeping an eye on Luke as he helped Chewbacca in some of the tighter areas. The kid hadn't been bragging before - he was good with engines, and Han soon felt comfortable letting the boy handle some of the work alone.

Han had just finished checking readouts in the storage area of the hold when he heard Luke and Kenobi's voices in the lounge area and, for a moment, he thought he heard a female voice as well. Glancing at the chronometer, he realized that it was nearing the dinner hour and - no doubt - Luke's stomach had led him in the direction of the replicator. He chuckled to himself and closed up the panel he was working on, intending to join them, but he paused when he heard them talking. He had a feeling that the old man was up to something and wasn't above listening in to find out more.

"My father didn't fight in the wars. He was a navigator on a spice freighter."

"That's what your uncle told you. He didn't hold with your father's ideals, thought he should have stayed home and not gotten involved."

Han found himself agreeing with Luke's deceased uncle about that, even more so when he heard Luke eagerly ask, "You fought in the Clone Wars?"

"Yes. I was once a Jedi knight, the same as your father."

The Corellian could hear the wistful tone in Luke's voice. "I wish I could have known him."

"He was the best star pilot in the galaxy, and a cunning warrior," Kenobi's voice was saying. "I understand you've become quite a good pilot yourself. And he was a good friend." There was a pause and Han frowned, wondering what the old man was up to. "Which reminds me - I have something here for you."

Han heard the old man leave the lounge and he entered from the back hold area. He saw Luke's face light up when the younger man saw him and smiled in return.

"I should've known you'd be in here," he said with a grin, trying to cover up his worry over what the old man was doing. "Eatin' again?"

Luke grinned but didn't seem to take offense and helped Han move food from the replicator to the table for the evening meal. A moment later, Kenobi joined them again and, if he was disconcerted to see Han there, he masked it well. For his part, Han leaned against the wall by the replicator and crossed his arms, watching the old man closely.

Kenobi held out a cylindrical object to Luke. "Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough but your uncle wouldn't allow it. He feared you might follow old Obi-Wan on some damn fool idealistic crusade like your father did. It's your father's lightsaber."

Luke studied the controls curiously and carefully activated the saber. He had read a little bit about these weapons and knew the damage they could do. Tentatively, he moved his hand in an arc and heard the blade hum in response as it sliced through the air.

"This is the weapon of a Jedi knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster." Han thought that Kenobi pointedly avoided looking in his direction. "An elegant weapon for a more - civilized age."

Two could play that game, Han decided. "The Jedi are extinct," he told Luke, "if they ever existed at all."

Kenobi looked at him and their eyes met. Han knew without words that the old man was subtly challenging him for possession of the boy, but for what ends he couldn't figure out yet. One thing was for certain - he'd be spaced before he let the kid get hurt.

"Oh, the Jedi were real," Kenobi said mildly. "For over a thousand generations, the Jedi knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the Dark Times. Before the Empire."

Luke deactivated the weapon and sat down on the couch, staring down at the hilt of the saber in his hands. Slowly, he asked, "How did my father die?"

Kenobi seemed to hesitate. "A young Jedi named Darth Vader - who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil - helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi knights. He betrayed and murdered your father." He sighed. "Now the Jedi are all but extinct."

Han said, abruptly, "You can talk about this later. Let's eat."

He watched Luke closely during the meal, worried by the younger man's lack of interest. Luke man hadn't put much food on his plate and he was pushing what little he had around with his fork. Finally, he looked up at Kenobi.

"Tell me about the man who killed my father, this Darth Vader."

Kenobi set down his own fork, turning towards Luke with a solemn look on his face. "Vader was seduced by the Dark Side of the Force."

"The Force?"

Kenobi smiled. "The Force is what gives a Jedi his powers. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together." A brief glance was flicked in Han's direction before Kenobi said, "You must learn the ways of the Force if you are to come with me to Alderaan."

"Now hold on a minute," Han interrupted hotly. "Luke isn't going anywhere with you. He's stayin' with me."

Kenobi ignored Han, turning to look at Luke. "I need your help, Luke." His voice was old and sad. "She needs your help. I'm getting too old for this sort of thing."

"She?" Han asked, wondering what tricks the old man was pulling now. "Who's this 'she'?"

Luke was shaking his head, much to Han's relief. "Han is right. I can't get involved. I belong to Han, and I've got work to do right here. Besides, I'm just a slave."

Kenobi glanced at Han sharply and the Corellian met his look without blinking. "That's your uncle talking. And Captain Solo."

"And I've got to go back to Tatooine to look for my aunt. I can't be getting mixed up in things like this." Despite his words, there was a note of longing in his voice and he looked over at the R2 unit in a way that mystified the Corellian. Han was suddenly worried.

"Luke, time for bed," Han said abruptly and Luke looked at him, startled. "Go ahead - I'll be along in a minute."

Luke nodded and quietly left the room with a troubled backward look at the old man.

Kenobi studied the Corellian in silence for a long moment, his eyes hooded. "You don't think much of me, do you, Captain Solo?"

Han met his eyes evenly. "I'd imagine that the feeling is mutual."

"You don't own the boy, do you?"

Han wasn't surprised - Kenobi man might be old but his eyes were sharp. "No, I don't," Han snapped. "I don't believe in slavery."

"So when are you going to tell Luke the truth?"

"When he's not likely to run off half-cocked and get himself killed."

"The boy should be free to make his own decisions."

"Come off it," Han said derisively. "We're both interested in him for our own purposes. But I'm less likely to get him killed."

"Are you?" Kenobi asked quietly. "If you don't really own him, then you didn't purchase him from Jabba the Hutt. Which means that you stole him. And if there's one thing that Hutts hate more than uncollected debts, it is someone stealing something that belongs to them. You have, in effect, put a price on both of your heads."

Han glared at the old man. "And what would you've done? Left him in that bordello? He was gonna be killed! And even if they weren't gonna kill him, he wouldn't last a month in a place like that. You've seen what he's like! I had to take him with me."

There was a soft laugh from the old man and Han looked at him, startled. Kenobi's eyes met his, cool and amused. "You remind me of someone I knew when I was younger. Someone who also made a habit of attracting pathetic life forms wherever we went."

"Luke's not a pathetic life form! He's - well - he's special."

Kenobi nodded. "Yes. I rather expect that he is. Unique, one might even say."

Han was getting annoyed at the amused barbs from the Jedi and snapped, "Well, what would you've done?"

There was a slight pause. "I would have stolen him as well."

Han was startled into a grin. "Yeah?"

"Of course." Blue eyes suddenly twinkled at him.

The smuggler laughed softly. "All right. How 'bout a truce? I'll tell the kid the truth in my own time and my own way - before we get to Alderaan - and I'll work somethin' out with Jabba. In the meantime, you don't say a word, and you don't get between me and the kid. Do we have a deal?"

Kenobi raised an eyebrow. "Allow me to begin training the boy and we do."

Han looked at him suspiciously. "Train him to do what?"

"To use the Force."

Han snorted. "What good is an ancient mystical religion gonna do him?"

Kenobi looked at him blandly. "It certainly can't do any harm, can it?"

Han stared at the old man, sensing a trap here but unable to see it. "I suppose not. Okay. You've got yourself a deal. And now," he said, standing up. "I'm going to bed. Luke is waitin' for me." He stood up and cocked his head at the other man saying, sardonically, "Unless you gotta problem with that, too?"

Kenobi raised an eyebrow at him in amusement. "I expect that young Luke is more than capable of choosing his bed partners without my assistance."

As Han headed down the corridor towards his cabin, however, he heard Kenobi call out his name and there was no mistaking the hardness in his voice. Slowly he turned and saw that the old man had stood up and that his eyes were just as hard.

"However, Captain Solo, I would also point out that if you hurt the boy in any manner, you will have to answer to me."

Han straightened and all trace of the easy-going smuggler disappeared. Two warriors locked eyes across the hold and Han inclined his head in acknowledgment. "Just as long as you remember that the reverse is also true - Jedi Kenobi."

He turned his head and continued onward toward his cabin, aware the whole time of the eyes that followed him.

Han palmed open the door to his cabin and secured the lock behind him, then looked around. Luke was sitting on the bed and his head jerked up when Han entered the cabin. The Corellian could see that the kid was looking a little uncertain again. He was also totally naked.

Han swallowed hard, suddenly feeling warm. Luke was watching him with hopeful eyes through the fringe of those preposterous bangs. First thing we do, Han thought to himself, is trim that hair. Okay, maybe the second thing...

"Come here, kid," he said softly.

Luke came into his arms willingly, raising his head for a kiss without prompting. And it was sweet and intoxicating, even better than last time with the younger man returning each kiss eagerly. A half-hearted thought that he shouldn't do this, that Luke was just in his arms because he thought Han owned him, was allowed to float away in the heat of building passion. It didn't matter why the kid was here - he would be gone far too soon and regrets could wait till then. He pushed Luke toward his bed and followed him down onto the mattress, kissing him with a hungry passion that flared brighter and hotter than the central core of the galaxy. Not love, Han swore to himself, never love. But it would do for now until the kid went away.

Chapter 7

Han Solo woke to the automated alarm and preset lighting of his cabin systems, immediately aware of the heavy warmth against his side. He yawned and opened his eyes, gazing down with a smile. Luke, he thought, involuntarily tightening his hold on the delicious bundle in his arms. He felt good, better than he had in a long time. Happy.

Returning memory made his stomach suddenly tighten. In a short time, just a few hours, they'd arrive at Alderaan. Before then he'd have to tell the kid the truth. He'd have to see the hurt and anger in those bright blue eyes and watch as Luke walked out of his life. Forever.

For a moment he cursed the promise he'd given the old man. If it weren't for that, he could keep Luke with him forever. Or at least until the kid found out for himself. Then Luke would still hate him, and still walk away. If it was going to happen, wasn't it better that it happened now, before he got too emotionally involved with the kid? At least he'd have some incredible memories.

He kissed the soft hair under his chin, shifting so that he could trail kisses across the closed eyelids. "Luke," he murmured. "Wake up. We gotta get up."

Luke turned his face into Han's shoulder, sleepily pressing a kiss against his skin, and murmured, "I'm up." His eyes still shut, he shifted closer to Han and drifted back to sleep.

Han chuckled. "I can see that, but that's not what I'm talkin' about. We'll be at Alderaan in a coupla hours and we got work to do."

He felt lips curve into a smile against his shoulder. The younger man shifted until he was draped over Han's larger form and began nuzzling the Corellian's neck. "Are you sure that you want to get up, Captain Solo? I can think of better things to do."

Han chuckled and said, mockingly, "I've created a monster." Then, as Luke's mouth found a sensitive spot along his collarbone, he groaned and said, "Well, I could use a little more sleep."

"Sleep is not what I had in mind."

Lips began trailing down his body, and Han had a moment to be thankful that Luke was a quick learner before a hot mouth descended on his nipples. Involuntarily, he arched against that mouth with a hissing intake of breath. He heard a soft laugh as Luke moved to his other nipple while teasing fingers played with the first. Then Luke was moving downward across Han's belly, hands tentatively stroking the erect cock. Han groaned, trying to keep from moving, unwilling to disturb the kid's voluntary exploration of Han's body. When he felt a tongue hesitantly run along the length of his cock, he had to grab the sheets with both hands to keep from surging up against the younger man's mouth.

He heard Luke laugh and glanced down to see the kid kneeling between his legs, looking up at him with mischief all over his face. "Kid, you bite me and I toss you outta the nearest airlock," he gasped.

Luke grinned. "Oh, I think I can think of something else to do with this." He bent and once again ran his tongue from the base to the tip, clearly imitating Han's earlier actions, then took him into his mouth. Han groaned at the sensation of moist heat wrapped around him and lifted one hand to rest on the younger man's head, not to control Luke but to assure himself that this was really happening. The kid was obviously unskilled but his cautious enthusiasm more than made up for the lack, and Han found himself rocking uncontrollably as the tension built up higher and higher.

He had enough presence of mind to tug at the kid's head in warning only to have his hand batted away, then the lightning bolts of release shot through him and he was coming. He heard a faint cough of surprise but the younger man held on, sucking and swallowing until Han had to push at his head, saying faintly, "Enough. Luke, you're killin' me."

Reluctantly it seemed, the younger man's mouth released him and moved across Han's abdomen with soft kisses. Han tugged at Luke's arm, pulling him up to rest on top of his body, and the younger man came willingly.

"You okay, kid?" he asked, kissed Luke gently. "Need anything?"

Luke grinned, shaking his head and flushing. "I - um - already came," he admitted a little sheepishly.

Han laughed at that. "Yeah, I remember when I was young and just thinkin' of something hot could get me off."

"You're not old," Luke protested, and Han felt uneasy at the almost worshipful glow in the blue eyes looking down at him. "Ben's old, but you're not."

Han reluctantly remembered his deal with the Jedi and sighed. "Some days I feel older than others." He pushed at Luke and the boy reluctantly slid off his chest to sit on the bed. "Time to get dressed, Junior. I got things to take care of and - and Kenobi wants to show you how to handle that thing your father left you."

Han got out of bed and started looking for some clean clothes so that he wouldn't have to face the kid when he told him the next bit. Somehow he had the feeling that it would be a little easier to tell Luke the truth when they weren't both naked.

"And you said yes?" Luke's voice sounded stunned and disbelieving.

"Well, I figured it was a better idea than you cuttin' off your arm - or putting a hole in the Falcon - or -"

Anything else he might have said was cut off as a half-naked body hurtled across the room to wrap itself around him in a ruthless hug.

"Thank you, Han," Luke murmured. "You've been so nice to me and I don't deserve it."

Han cleared his throat as he said, gruffly, "Sure you do, kid." Now, he thought to himself; now was the time to tell him while Luke was still feeling grateful to him. "Um - Luke, there's something else I gotta tell you." He was interrupted by a loud growl from Luke's stomach and couldn't help laughing. "Are you hungry again?"

Luke grinned up at him and picked up his tunic, pulling it over his head. "Guess I better get something to eat before meeting with Ben, huh?" He gave Han a quick kiss, scooped up his lightsaber, and hurried out, leaving Han standing and staring after him in exasperation.

"This just keeps gettin' worse and worse," he grumbled to himself as he finished dressing. Avoiding the passenger lounge since the last thing he wanted was to run into Kenobi, he headed towards the cockpit.

Chewbacca looked up with a welcoming growl. [You look tired, Han. Didn't sleep well?]

Han glared at him. "Very funny, fuzzball. As a matter of fact, I slept very well."

[And the cub?]

Han couldn't help flushing a little under his friend's knowledgeable look. "Knock it off, Chewie. Yeah, I like the kid. But I expect he'll be goin' with the old man when we reach Alderaan."

[He'd stay if you asked him.]

Han snorted at that. "Right. And I got a free loada spice for you."

[He would. He likes you.]

Han ignored the Wookiee and began checking their status. Chewbacca sighed and went to get breakfast, leaving Han to sit and brood.

An hour later, Han entered the hold, consulting the datapad in his hand and studying the sensors in satisfaction.

"Well, takin' this route may've been longer, but we missed any hyperspace mines," he announced to the room at large. There was no reply and he settled into a chair at the auxiliary station saying sarcastically, "Don't everyone thank me at once. Anyway, we're on schedule to arrive at Alderaan at oh-two-hundred hours."

Kenobi nodded once in acknowledgement. Han thought that he looked a little pale and shaky and wondered if the old man was ill. He frowned at that - leaving Luke in the guardianship of Ben Kenobi might not be a good idea if the old man wasn't up to protecting the kid. Knowing the kind of trouble Luke would attract, the kid needed the best protection he could get - which in Han's book meant himself.

Kenobi's attention was focused on the back area of the hold and Han glanced over casually, trying not to betray the qualms he felt as he saw Luke standing there with that old weapon. The young man seemed unaware of his presence, totally focused on the instructions that Kenobi was giving him, and Han felt uneasy.

Dismissing his feelings as jealousy, Han drew a deep breath and turned his attention towards the table where Chewbacca and one of the droids were engaged in a game of holochess. As he watched, the R2 unit made a move that caused the Wookiee to complain loudly while the gold protocol droid insisted it was a fair move.

"Let him have it," Han advised with a grin. "It's not wise to upset a Wookiee."

If a droid could look offended, then this one certainly did. "But Sir, no one ever worries about upsetting droids."

Dryly, Han said, "That's because droids don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that."

Chewbacca sat back in his chair, grinning and flexing his muscles, so Han neglected to add that this Wookiee was also a pushover. As long as no threat to Han or the ship was involved. C3P0 rapidly revised his stand, advising the R2 unit to let the Wookiee win, and Han had to laugh.

He casually looked back over at Luke and saw him standing in a defensive position, the old weapon activated in his hands. Luke was warily studying a hovering probe and, as Han watched, it attempted to draw Luke's attention with a false move. He saw Kenobi nod approvingly as Luke refused to succumb to the lure.

"Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him," the old man said, and Han restrained an impulse to roll his eyes.

"You mean it controls your actions?"

Luke's voice was solemn, drinking in every word the old man said, and Han wondered again about the wisdom of letting the kid train with Kenobi. Luke was so innocent, so unsophisticated; he could be taken by just about anyone with a smooth tongue and a good story.

"Partially, but it also obeys your commands," Kenobi replied. His attention was tightly focused on Luke, watching every movement, and Han felt another wave of uneasiness. He wondered about the odd set of coincidences - Luke's family killed, the kid taken by the Hutts, and Kenobi suddenly looking for him - all within the same short period of time. Something was just not right here, and he knew Kenobi wasn't telling them the whole story.

Not that it appeared to matter to Luke. The kid seemed drawn to the old man in a way that troubled Han. He'd heard all kinds of stories about the Jedi, even that they could manipulate people's minds, and always thought they were Old Wives' tales. Just like the Jedi themselves and the mysterious Force they served. But faced with the reality of Ben Kenobi, Han found himself wondering if part of the stories were true, if Kenobi was somehow mesmerizing Luke. He vowed to keep a closer eye on the pair - if Kenobi was making the kid do something that he didn't want to do, all promises were off.

As Han watched, Luke tried to strike at the hovering probe. It swerved out of his way and sent out a thin red beam which he tried to parry but missed. The beam struck Luke in the upper leg, and Han couldn't help chuckling at the sight as the kid tried to keep his numbed leg from collapsing under him. Still, Luke had good reflexes and Han thought he'd probably be good in a fight. Once he got past this Jedi nonsense.

"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid," he drawled.

Luke deactivated the lightsaber and looked over at him. "You don't believe in the Force, do you?"

There was a hint of disappointment in his voice and Han squashed the urge to reassure him. The kid was going to learn what he was really like sometime and it might as well be now. He deliberately rolled his eyes.

"Kid, I've flown from one side of the galaxy to the other and I've seen a lotta strange stuff. But I've never seen anything to make me believe there's an all-powerful Force controlling everything. There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny." He sent a challenging look at Kenobi. "It's all a lotta simple tricks and nonsense."

Kenobi's smile was almost condescending and Han ground his teeth. The old man looked back at Luke and stood up. "I suggest that you try it again, Luke. Only this time let go of your conscious self and act on instinct." He stepped over to the locker and picked up a helmet, placing it over Luke's head.

"With the blast shield down I can't even see," Luke complained. "How am I supposed to fight?"

"Your eyes can be deceived - don't trust them."

Luke took up position and, as Han watched anxiously, tried to defend himself from the probe's shots. He seemed to be doing okay at first but missed a needle-like blast that struck him in the shoulder.

"Stretch out with your feelings," Kenobi was advising and Han wanted to throttle him. It was stupid, impossible, asking the kid to do this - and if this was the kind of nonsense the old man was going to teach Luke, he was gonna get the kid killed. However, Luke appeared to take a deep breath and settle down, and Han was surprised to see him pivot with the remote, successfully parrying two shots.

"You see?" Kenobi said, his voice full of pride in the boy.

Luke was grinning as he pulled off the helmet, looking towards Han for confirmation that he'd done well. Once again, Han squashed his impulse to give him that assurance, saying grudgingly, "I'd call it luck."

"In my experience, there is no such thing as luck," Kenobi said dryly.

"Look, good against remotes is one thing. Good against the living, that's somethin' else." A light flashed on the board and an audible alarm sounded. "Looks like we're comin' up on Alderaan." Han got up out of his chair, heading towards the cockpit. "Come on, Chewie."

Behind him, he heard Luke's excited voice saying, "You know, I did feel something! I could almost 'see' the remote."

"That's good." Kenobi's voice was solemn. "You've taken your first step into a larger universe."

Yeah, thought Han. And your first one away from me.

Chapter 8

Chewbacca was already in his seat when Han settled into the cockpit, his eyes running over all the instruments with practiced skill. He made a few adjustments and then nodded to his partner.

"Stand by, Chewie, here we go. Cutting to sub-light engines." He threw a switch, watching with satisfaction as the stream of light outside the cockpit windows dropped to the familiar field of stars, and made preparations for entering Alderaan's orbit.

Only there was no Alderaan.

Gigantic chunks of rock hurtled out of the black nothingness, brushed aside by the ship's deflectors but making the Falcon shudder violently. Han cursed and swiftly began to compensate, barely aware that Luke and Kenobi had come into the cockpit to see what was happening. He rapidly checked his charts, thinking he'd somehow gotten the coordinates wrong and they'd come out in an uncharted meteor shower. Nope, this was where Alderaan was supposed to be.

Han looked up briefly, meeting Kenobi's eyes. "Our position's correct except. no Alderaan."

Luke blinked. "What do you mean? Where is it?"

Han's mouth tightened, not liking what he had to say. "That's what I'm tryin' to tell you, kid. It ain't there. It's been totally blown away." Luke looked stunned and Han didn't blame him. He was stunned himself.

Kenobi spoke quietly. "It's been destroyed by the Empire."

Han gave the old man an exasperated look. "The entire star fleet couldn't destroy the whole planet! It'd take a thousand ships with more firepower than - "

There was a warning indicator on his navigation panel and he turned his attention to it, noting that another ship was approaching. Running an identity check on the ship, Han frowned when he saw that it was an Imperial TIE fighter. It couldn't have followed them, and there were no bases around here - well, no known bases. The fighter seemed to spot them and abruptly reversed course.

"It sure is leaving in a big hurry," Luke said, and Han looked back at him, seeing the worried look in the kid's eyes. "If they identify us, we're in big trouble."

"Not if I can help it," Han said grimly. Kenobi was advising him to let it go, but Han ignored him, using all his piloting skills to keep up with the craft. Behind him, he could hear Luke and Kenobi speculating on how the ship had gotten out here, but he wasn't worried about that at the moment. It wasn't going to be around long enough to matter. The Falcon was closing on the fighter as it still tried to shake them off, but Han was a much better pilot. He was almost within range when Luke pointed out that it was heading for a small moon.

Han heard a peculiar tone in Kenobi's voice. "That's no moon. It's a space station."

"It's too big to be a space station," Han objected but then took a second look. There was something about that moon that was just too regular, too perfect. A chill ran up his spine.

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Luke said.

"Yeah, I think you're right. Full reverse." He began flipping switches, milking every ounce of power out of the ship. He felt it rock under a sudden pull from the station and swore. "Chewie! Lock in the auxiliary power!"

[Too late, Han! We're being pulled in.]

"Why are we still moving towards it?" Luke demanded, his voice shaking slightly.

"We're caught in a tractor beam," Han snapped, working every bit of magic he knew to give the ship extra power. "It's pulling us in, and there's nothin' I can do about it. I'm gonna have to shut down to save power."

He exchanged a look with Chewbacca and knew that the same thought was on their mind. The Imperials might want to get their hands on Kenobi, but they had no reason to want the Falcon or her crew. So, unless the people in charge were having a bad day and decided to summarily execute them, the worst he and Chewbacca could expect was confiscation of everything in their hold and maybe a little time cooling their heels in a cell. But the Empire was notorious for using bounty hunters for their dirty work and by now Jabba would have his people looking for Luke. And bounty hunters weren't too particular about the condition of their quarry, so long as they were alive long enough for them to collect their fee. If the bounty hunters got their hands on the kid.

Han drew in a deep breath and got out of his chair, his hand on his blaster. He had gotten the kid into this mess and he was going to do his damnedest to get him out. Reassuringly, he said, "They're not gonna get us without a fight."

Kenobi put a hand on Han's shoulder. "You can't win," he said quietly. "But there are alternatives to fighting."

Han looked at Kenobi questioningly, not quite sure whether to trust the old man but knowing that he had to protect Luke. "Okay, old man. You got my attention. What's your plan?"

Han cautiously pushed up a floor panel in the main corridor of the ship and looked around. The Imperial troops had searched the ship above them, but the panels in the floor had been specially installed as to be nearly seamless, so they'd come up empty-handed. He only hoped that those heavy-handed soldiers hadn't done anything to damage the Falcon during their search.

The next part of their plan went well, at least in Han's opinion. With Luke's enthusiastic help, he tricked two of the guards into coming up into the ship, attacked them and took their armor. Han and Luke put on the stormtrooper body armor and then led the way to the command office overlooking the hangar. A short fire-fight later, they had taken out the staff and were in control. Han was pretty pleased with the way things had gone and, after all the intrigues of the past day, it was a relief to have something tangible to fight.

Kenobi seemed less happy about their success, giving the smuggler an exasperated look as he locked the command center's door behind them. "Captain Solo, our plan was to attract as little attention as possible."

Han pulled off the stormtrooper helmet and glared at the old man. "I didn't see you comin' up with any other ideas! Besides, this whole thing is pointless. Even if I could take off, I'd never get past the tractor beam."

"Just leave that to me." Kenobi moved past him, directing the R2 unit to tap into the Imperial network. The droid appeared to find the information he needed and began flashing schematics on the screen.

Han rolled his eyes and flopped down in a chair. "Damn fool. I knew you were gonna say that." He looked over at Luke to see that the kid had a funny look on his face and was biting his lip. "You got somethin' to say, kid?" he asked irritably.

"No, Han," Luke said hesitantly, then shrugged. "Maybe he's right. I mean, between his yowling and your blasting everything in sight, it's a wonder that the whole station doesn't know we're here."

Han raised an eyebrow. "Bring 'em on! I prefer a straight fight to all this sneakin' around."

Luke looked like he was going to say something else, but Kenobi turned back and touched his shoulder. "I've located the power source for the tractor beam, but I don't think you boys can help. I must go alone."

Han nodded, leaning back in the chair and crossing his arms. "Whatever you say. I've done more than I bargained for on this trip already."

Luke looked unhappy at the idea of being left behind. "I want to help," he said to Kenobi, giving Han an appealing look.

Han's heart jumped up into his throat at the thought of Luke heading off into danger and he stood up. "Now wait just a minute - "

Kenobi's eyes met Han's, and the smuggler refused to back down. After a moment of tense silence, Kenobi shrugged and turned back to Luke.

"Be patient, Luke. Stay and watch over the droids." As Luke opened his mouth to protest again, he added, "They must be delivered safely or other star systems will suffer the same fate as Alderaan." The door opened and he looked into Luke's face, smiling. "The Force will be with you - always."

The door shut behind the Jedi and Han leaned against his partner, shaking his head. "What a crazy old man! I should've known he'd be trouble the minute I saw him. It'll be a miracle if we come outta this with our skins intact."

Luke's eyes were shadowed as he stared at the door after Kenobi. "He was a general during the Clone wars - he must have been a great man."

Han snorted. "Yeah - great at getting us into trouble."

Luke's shoulders slumped and he turned away, and Han gave an exasperated sigh. He hated to disillusion Luke when the kid clearly admired the old man, but it was time that the kid learned when to cut your losses. "Look, kid, I know he was buddies with your father and all, but - "

The little droid suddenly began beeping and shaking, and Han looked over at it in irritation. "What the hell's the matter with that thing?"

C3PO looked confused. "I'm afraid I'm not quite sure, sir. He says 'I found her' and just keeps repeating she's here. It's Princess Leia."

Luke swung around, his face lighting up. "The Princess? She's here? Where?" He hurried over to the droids, looking anxiously at the data the R2 unit was pulling up.

"Princess?" Han asked, confused. "Princess?"

Luke was ignoring him, impatiently waiting for C3PO to interpret the droid's information. "Level 5, detention block AA-23." The droid said solemnly, "I'm afraid she's scheduled to be terminated."

Luke looked appalled. "No! They can't - " He swung towards Han, his face lit with hope, and Han could hear the alarm bells going off inside his head. "Han, you've got to do something!"

"Now wait just a minute," he protested. "What princess?"

"The droids belong to her. Ben showed me a message from her, asking for his help - that's why he was going to Alderaan in the first place."

Han shook his head. "Now look, kid, don't get any funny ideas. The old man wants us to wait right here."

"But he didn't know she was here!" Luke said impatiently, turning back to the astrodroid. "R2, find a way into the detention block."

Han grabbed Luke's arm, pulling the kid back around to face him, and said firmly, "I'm not goin' anywhere. And neither are you."

Luke gave him a look of frustrated appeal. "But Han! They're gonna execute her! Look, a few minutes ago, you said you didn't want to just wait here to be captured - "

"Marchin' into the detention area is not what I had in mind. It's suicide!"

"You were willing to take a risk to rescue me!"

Han grinned at that. "Yeah, well, I had ulterior motives."

Luke flushed and Han thought that the kid looked so young when he did that. "But they're gonna kill her!"

Han released Luke's arms, hating what he had to do next, though he knew he had no other choice. "Better her than us," he said coolly. He wanted to shut his eyes so he wouldn't have to see the look of shock on the younger man's face, but he couldn't. And he knew that he'd see it in his nightmares for many lonely nights to come.

Luke walked away from him, and Han took a deep breath, slumping down in a chair. He'd known he'd have to disillusion the kid sometime, make him realize Han wasn't the hero Luke wanted him to be. But he hadn't anticipated how much it was going to hurt to see that look in Luke's eyes. He sighed again - at least this would make it easier to tell Luke the truth.

Before he had more than a few seconds to brood, Luke was back, leaning over the back of the chair. "Han?"

His voice was soft, seductive, and Han looked up at him cautiously. "Yeah, kid?"

Luke's lips were against his ear, the warm breath tickling his skin. "I was just thinking."

"Thinkin' what?" Han felt sharp teeth nip at his earlobe before moving down to nuzzle the spot right behind his ear that drove him crazy.

"You spent a lot of money for me."

"Um - " Guilt spiked inside Han and he closed his eyes, dropping his head back against the chair. "Luke - "

Luke moved around the chair, pulling Han out of it and into his arms. The younger man's arms went around Han's neck, drawing him closer, as Luke pressed kisses along Han's jaw. "And you never got paid for this trip."

"Yeah." Han wrapped his arms around Luke, hands searching for warm, golden skin.

"And she's probably rich."

"Who?" All the blood seemed to have left Han's brain because he couldn't figure out what Luke was talking about. Not that it was important at the moment. What was important was finding a way to get this damn armor off the kid.

"The princess," Luke said patiently, pressing kisses over every inch of Han's face. "Rich, powerful." His tongue traced the outline of Han's lips. "If you rescue her, the reward would be - "

Han tried to pull Luke closer, and the shifting movement pressed the groin armor against his aroused cock. The brief pain pierced the lust clouding Han's brain. He pulled back slightly so that he could see Luke's face. "What?" he asked, suspiciously.

Luke leaned forward again, kissing Han teasingly, just the barest touch of lips with a little flick of tongue. "More wealth than you can imagine."

"I can imagine quite a bit," Han said dryly.

"I bet you'd get it," Luke said breathlessly, continuing to rain kisses over Han's face while his hands moved down Han's chest, seeking some opening in the armor. "She'd be so grateful."

Han kissed Luke hard, tightening his hold on the younger man as much as Luke's armor would allow. "The hell with her money - or her gratitude," he said thickly.

Luke was breathing hard, too, and his eyes were like blue fire. "I'd be grateful, too." Questing fingers moved downward, seeking the opening to the armor over Han's groin. "Very, very grateful."

Luke's words were like cold water splashing over Han, and he grabbed the younger man's wrists, saying sharply, "Stop that." He pushed Luke away and paced to the far end of the command center, trying to get his arousal under control. Luke was not some two-credit whore, and he wasn't going to take him here - especially with an audience of two droids and an interfering Wookiee.

"Han?" Luke's voice was uncertain; he bit his lip as he looked over at Han. "What's wrong? Are you angry with me?"

Han drew in a deep breath and let it out. It wasn't Luke's fault if all he felt he had left to bargain with was sex. No, the fault was his own, and he had to make it up to the kid somehow. He couldn't tell him the truth right now - it would embarrass Luke in front of Chewbacca - but he could let the kid think he'd talked him into rescuing that damn Princess. Let Luke play the hero, build back some of the self-esteem Han had taken from him through his damned selfishness.

"Okay, kid, you convinced me," he said out loud. "We've lost a lotta commissions off this trip, so we might as well get somethin' outta this. A hefty reward from a grateful Princess could go a long way - maybe even get some repairs done on the Falcon."

Luke's face lit up and he flung his arms around Han's neck, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Han! You won't be sorry - I swear!"

He looked up at Han, dazzling the smuggler with that smile again, the one that made Han's blood pound and made him feel reckless. He closed his eyes against the mesmerizing power in the younger man's gaze and drew a deep breath. "So you gotta plan?"

Luke looked blank. "I hadn't thought about it," he confessed. "How would you get into a prison area?"

"Kid, I spent most of my life tryin' to stay outta places like that." Han rubbed his chin, thinking. "New prisoner? One transferring into that cell block?"

Luke nodded, grabbing a set of binders from the table and turning towards Chewbacca. "I'll put these on Chewbacca - "

[Not likely!] Chewbacca growled.

Luke jumped back, hastily handing the binders to the older man. Han grinned reassuringly at his partner and set the binders around the Wookiee's large wrists, making sure that the catch was open. Once they were ready, they donned the helmets again and Luke led the way out of the command center. As they stood in the doorway, C3PO called after them. "Sir, what should Artoo and I do if we're discovered here?"

Han shrugged but couldn't resist needling the annoying droid. "Lock the door. And hope they don't have blasters."

As the door slid shut behind them, he heard a faint voice saying, "That isn't very reassuring."

The space station seemed to be crawling with life forms of every description, both sentient and droid. They could hardly walk without stepping on something, although a roar from Chewbacca cleared a pathway so that they could reach the turbolift. And stormtroopers were everywhere Han looked, not that any of them were paying attention to him or Luke in their disguises. Still, it was enough to make him very nervous. He wanted nothing more than to get Luke and Chewbacca out of there and back on the Falcon as soon as possible.

Then there wasn't time for more doubts - the doors to the detention area opened and, as they approached the security desk, the guard on duty looked Chewbacca over with a sneer.

"Where are you taking this - thing?"

Han swallowed his anger at the insult to his partner, a flood of memories assailing him. The intolerance for other life forms that they used - and abused - was one of the things he hated most about the Empire. He barely heard Luke say, "Prisoner transfer from cell block 1138."

The security guard scowled at them. "I wasn't notified. I'll have to clear it." He reached for the intercom.

Han could see that Luke wasn't going to be able to sweet-talk his way out of this one, so he nudged Chewbacca as he surreptitiously readied his blaster. With a roar, the Wookiee "broke" the binders and Han shouted, "Look out! He's loose!"

The security guard reached for his blaster and Han took great satisfaction in shooting him squarely in the chest right after taking out the surveillance equipment. Luke and Chewbacca took care of the other guards while Han moved to the console, pushing the man's body to one side.

"We gotta find out which cell this Princess of yours is in." He pulled off his helmet as he accessed the details for the cell block, scanning down the list quickly. It seemed that most of this section was empty, probably because of the importance of the prisoner. "Here it is - cell 2187. You go and get her - I'll hold 'em here."

The main security channel was screaming for attention and he took a deep breath before opening the channel. He needed to convince the command center not to send reinforcements, buy them enough time to grab the Princess and get out. However, trust seemed to be in short supply among the Imperials and when the command officer demanded to know his operating number, he gave up and took out the communications unit.

Han raised his voice, calling down the hallway, "Luke! We're gonna have company!"

Almost before he finished speaking, there was the sound of blaster fire outside the sealed doorway and he retreated towards the corridor. "Get behind me!" he ordered the Wookiee, firing at the stormtroopers before retreating into the corridor, meeting up with Luke. "We can't go back that way!" he told the younger man, pushing him behind a metal archway for cover from the blaster fire.

"Well, it looks like you've managed to cut off our only escape route," said a sarcastic feminine voice.

Han looked around and glared at the slight woman in white who had taken refuge behind Luke. He grimaced as he recognized her type - young and arrogant, accustomed to throwing her weight around. Great, he thought sourly. Just what he needed - a royal with an attitude.

"Maybe you'd like it back in your cell, Your Highness?" he said with equal sarcasm. Then he turned his back on her, concentrating on keeping the Imperials from storming them.

"There's got to be another way out," Luke muttered, pulling out his comlink. "3P0.3P0! We've been cut off! Are there any other ways out of the detention area?" Luke covered his ears to try to concentrate on what the droid was saying over the sounds of blasters. "What was that? I didn't copy." He looked over at Han. "There isn't any other way out."

Han gave Luke a grim look - the number of troopers shooting at them was increasing, and he had a feeling they were preparing to charge the small party. "I can't hold 'em off forever! Now what?"

The Princess gave a very unroyal snort. "This is some rescue! When you came in here, didn't you have a plan for getting out?" As Han and Luke exchanged a look, the Princess grabbed Luke's blaster. She fired a couple rounds down the corridor for cover before shooting at a sealed hatch on the wall.

Han was impressed despite himself but snapped, "What the hell're you doing?"

"Somebody has to save our skins! Into the chute, flyboys!" She jumped into the chute, disappearing from view.

Han swore under his breath and snapped at Chewbacca, worried that he made too good a target for the stormtroopers. "Get in there!"

[But, Han! It smells like - like - ]

"Get in there, you big furry oaf! I don't care what you smell!" Han shoved his partner at the opening. "Get in there and don't worry about it!" Chewbacca dutifully dove into the chute.

Han looked over at Luke, saying sardonically, "Wonderful girl!" Luke gave him a startled look and Han added, "Either I'm gonna kill her or I'm beginnin' to like her. And I can just feel the gratitude rollin' offa her." Luke grinned and Han resisted the urge to reach across the corridor and pull the kid into his arms. Instead, he jerked his head toward the chute. "Get in there!"

Luke obediently jumped into the chute and Han fired a few more shots, figuring that the kid had had enough time to reach the bottom. With a whoop, he dove head first into the chute.

And landed, head first, in a putrid smelling pool covered with slimy floating debris. He pushed to his feet and shook off the filth clinging to him.

"Ugh! A garbage chute!" He gave the Princess a mocking look. "What a really wonderful idea! And what an incredible smell you've discovered!"

The Princess looked at him sourly, but Han ignored her, already fed up with spoiled royal-know-it-alls, and scanned the room for an exit. Chewbacca was pounding on the door, trying to force it open. Han sighed. When he'd first found the Wookiee, Chewbacca had spent over a month locked in a small, dark cell, and Chewbacca had never gotten over his fear of enclosed places. It was enough to drive his partner a little nuts, and being trapped in a garbage pit with a stressed-out Wookiee - much less a snooty Princess - was too much for him.

Han pulled his blaster. "Let's get outta here. Get away from there, Chewie."

"No, wait!" Luke yelled, but it was too late. Han's blaster shot ricocheted off the doors and around the room while everyone ducked for cover.

"Will you forget it?" the younger man snapped. "I already tried that! It's magnetically sealed."

Han looked at him, surprised by the sharpness of Luke's remark, and thought with a rueful grin that Luke was recovering some of the feistiness that had first attracted him. Then the grin faded as he realized that Luke's increasing independence would drive the kid away from him all too soon, and how much he'd miss the worshipful look in Luke's eyes.

The Princess was snapping some order at him and he swung on her, suddenly frustrated with the turns his life was taking and glad to have someone to take his anger out on. "Look here, Your Worship, I had everything under control till you led us down here! And it's not gonna take them long to figure out what happened to us."

Her eyes blazed back at him. "It could be worse -" she snapped.

A moaning noise filled the room, coming from somewhere beneath them. Han couldn't tell if the sound was organic or mechanical or a combination of both, but he decided that - whatever it was - he didn't like it. Neither did the Wookiee. Chewbacca howled in terror and tried to dig through the metal wall.

"It's worse," Han said grimly.

He looked around, searching for any sign of danger, and saw that the kid had pulled out his blaster and was staring at the pool of waste- water. "There's something alive in here."

"That's your imagination, kid."

Luke suddenly jumped, turning around. "Something just moved past my leg." He gestured towards a pile of debris. "Look - did you see that?"

"What?" Han asked, staring but not seeing anything. He turned to ask Luke exactly what he had seen - just in time to see Luke suddenly disappear, pulled under the water into the garbage.

"Luke!" Han shouted, moving over to where Luke had just been standing and frantically searching through the garbage for him. "Kid!" Han looked around desperately, trying to find the kid, but there was no sight of him or whatever had grabbed him.

Suddenly, Luke burst out of the murky water, a tentacle of some kind wrapped around his throat. Han grabbed the kid, trying to pull him to safety, while Luke yelled hoarsely, "Blast it!"

"Where?" Han demanded, trying to find a solid part of the creature to aim at without hitting Luke in the process.

"Anywhere!"

Han fired into the garbage, trying to avoid Luke's thrashing body, and the creature loosened its grip. He pulled Luke out of the water, holding the kid's body tightly against his, but the creature seemed determined to retain its prize. Luke was suddenly jerked out of his grasp, gone again before Han had a chance to stop it, and disappeared under the water once more.

Han swept aside the garbage, reaching as far down as he could to try to grasp some part of the kid's body. There was nothing, no sign of Luke, and he widened his search area, unable to believe that he wouldn't find the kid if he just looked hard enough. After a long minute of searching, he still hadn't found Luke and, as the floating debris stilled, a horrible feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. Luke was gone.

They all stood silently for a moment. Han was stunned, unable to believe that Luke could be dead, that he would never have the chance to put things right between them. Chewbacca stopped pounding and howling, and even the Princess seemed speechless. Each of them stared at the still water, trying to comprehend that Luke was gone - and that one of them would be next.

There was a rumble of machinery and then, abruptly, Luke burst out of the water again. Han was at his side in an instant, hauling Luke to safety even as he scanned for Luke's attacker. Luke leaned against him, gasping to fill his over-strained lungs, and Han had to resist an impulse to hug him even tighter. The kid stank to high heaven, had a nasty welt around his neck, looked like a drowned womprat - and Han thought he'd never seen anything more beautiful.

"What happened?" the Princess demanded, eyeing the cess-pool warily.

"I don't know," Luke gasped, staggering slightly, and Han tightened his hold to keep the kid from tumbling into the slimy water. "It let me go and disappeared."

Another mechanical clank shook the room, and Han looked around. "I've got a bad feeling about this," he said grimly. Whatever that thing was, it must have been pretty scared to give up its meal so easily. And anything that could scare a creature like that had to be bad news.

Again there was the distant rumble of machinery, a shudder of the walls around them, and then the side walls started moving towards them. Han swore under his breath as he realized that they were not just in a garbage pit - the chamber also served as a compactor.

"Don't just stand there!" the Princess snapped. "Try to brace them with something!"

They began jamming everything they could between the walls but nothing stopped the inexorable movement toward them. Han heard Luke desperately trying to contact the droids over the comlink, but there seemed to be no reply, and the smuggler grimly his struggle against the compactor. He even tried using a long, thick pipe wedged between the two walls, but it just folded. The thought of what that kind of pressure would do to their bodies made Han wince.

"One thing's for sure - we're all gonna be a lot thinner." He noticed the Princess unsuccessfully scrambling across the garbage and said, exasperated, "Get up on top."

"I'm trying!" she snapped, but it was clear that her long skirt was hampering her efforts. Han waded over and pushed her up onto the heap. It wasn't much, but it might delay the inevitable. He looked around for Luke, trying to make sure he was on top as well. When he glanced over at the Wookiee, still trying to pound through the door, he almost missed Luke's excited shout.

"3P0 - would you just listen?"

Han felt a small surge of hope, but continued his efforts to halt the walls. By the time Goldenrod got through talking, they would all be flattened, but what the hell.

"Shut down all the compactors on the detention level! Do you copy? Shut them all down!" Luke shouted.

Suddenly everything stopped. The walls stopped moving, the grinding noise stopped, and nothing reached out to grab them. Han let out a whoop of joy, joined by the cheering of the others. He was a little surprised when the Princess threw her arms around him for a hug, but just grinned and then looked over at Luke as he heard the kid order the droids to open the door. They were getting out - and it wouldn't be too soon for Han.

Once outside the garbage pit, they found themselves in some sort of maintenance corridor, unused by the look of it. Han removed the stormtrooper armor, relieved to be rid of the weight. At least the damn stuff was water-proof, so the only remaining stench came from their hair. And, of course, the Princess. He looked over at her with a smirk as he buckled on his weapon belt, noticing that she looked a little frayed around the edges, although she seemed to have managed to dry herself off.

"If we can just avoid any more female advice, we ought to be able to get outta here." Han picked up a blaster and handed it to Luke with a smile, relieved beyond words to see Luke grin back at him. It had been close that time - too damned close for Han's tastes - and he silently swore to keep a closer eye on the kid.

He turned with a start as Chewbacca suddenly yowled. Looking back at the shadowed hatchway they'd just passed through, he saw a tentacle flopping about in the doorway. Probably that creature looking for something to replace its lost meal.

"Oh, for the love of - "

Ignoring a shout from the Princess, he pulled his blaster and took aim. One shot scared the intruder back into its lair, burying the open hatchway in a pile of debris, Han noted with satisfaction. The Princess was sputtering something about the blaster's noise, but he ignored her, concentrating on coaxing the Wookiee out of the corner where he'd taken refuge.

"Come here, you big coward," he said to Chewbacca, but his partner shook his head, cowering. "Chewie, come here!"

The Princess swung on him and snapped, "Listen, I don't know who you are or where you came from, but from now on you do as I tell you." Without waiting for his reply, she turned and headed out into the hallway.

Han stared open-mouthed for a moment, then stomped after her. "Look, Your Worshipfulness, let's get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person - me!"

She gave him a sardonic look. "It's a wonder you're still alive." The Princess stalked down the corridor, glaring at the Wookiee as he didn't move out of her path quickly enough. "Would someone get this big walking carpet out of my way?"

Han looked after her in stunned disbelief. "No reward is worth this," he grumbled, following in the Princess' wake. He was aware from the way Luke refused to look at him that his standing in Luke's eyes had taken another tumble after that little altercation. He tried to shrug off the pain that followed, to regain his cynical detachment, but the sinking feeling in his stomach told him it was way too late for that.

Chapter 9

By dodging several patrols, they managed to reach an observation bay overlooking the hangar. Luke contacted the droids and learned that they were on the level below them. Han looked out the bay windows and was relieved to see that the Falcon appeared to be in one piece still, although that seemed to be a moot point to the Princess. She looked down at the ship and then back at him with a smirk.

"You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!"

Han glared at her. "Nice." Luke put away the comlink and nodded to Han that he was ready. "Come on."

They left the bay and hurried around the corner - right into a patrol of stormtroopers. The troopers appeared to be even more startled than they were, and Han automatically fired at them while they were still off-balance, hitting one. Unnerved by the ambush, the other troopers began running for cover and Han pursued them, yelling over his shoulder towards Luke. "Get back to the ship!"

With Chewbacca at his back as always, he chased the troopers around another bend in the corridor. For a moment, he wondered what the hell he was doing - Luke would hardly be impressed by his heroics if he ended up dead - and then he had no more time to think. The Imperials hit a dead end and swung back again to face their attackers. As it suddenly dawned on the Imperials that there were only two of them, they began firing at the pair. Han abruptly reversed course, continuing to fire over his shoulder as he and the Wookiee ran for their lives.

He hoped Luke had had enough sense to obey him, to run in the other direction while Han had them distracted - and he hoped the Princess hadn't come up with any more stupid ideas that would get the kid killed. A chill ran up his spine, but he shook it off. Luke was fine - he was a tough kid, resourceful, bright - and if that damn Princess got one single hair on his head singed, Han would personally take her apart.

Ducking down a set of maintenance stairs, he found they were on the main level, in the observation bay, looking out at an army of stormtroopers who now surrounded his ship. "Didn't we just leave this party?" he murmured to Chewbacca.

A noise down the corridor made him swing around, blaster ready to fire, and he grinned with relief as he saw Luke and the Princess. His eyes swept over Luke briefly, ascertaining that he wasn't hurt - and noticing a smug little grin on Luke's face. "What kept you?" he asked suspiciously.

To his surprise, it was the Princess who answered, in a droll tone of voice. "We ran into some old friends."

Han almost laughed at that. So she had a sense of humor underneath all that royal dignity. He gave her another look, reappraising her. Feisty, yeah, but he could deal with a feisty person. If she stopped throwing her weight around, he might even get to like her.

"Is the ship all right?" Luke asked, and he turned his attention back to the kid.

"Seems to be, if we can just get to it. Just hope that the old man got the tractor beam out of commission."

"Look!" Luke gestured towards the stormtroopers who were moving away, towards the other end of the hangar bay.

Han didn't pause to wonder what had gotten the troopers' attention. They'd have time to wonder about that later. "Now's our chance - go!"

They hurried toward the ship, and he saw the droids moving towards them from the other direction. Just when it looked like they were actually going to reach the ship undetected, Luke stopped dead and stared towards the far side of the hangar.

"Ben?"

Han stopped at the foot of the loading ramp and followed the direction of Luke's gaze. His heart nearly stopped when he saw Kenobi engaged in a lightsaber duel with a black-cloaked figure he recognized as the infamous Darth Vader. The old man's eyes flicked over to Luke for a moment and Han could have sworn that a smile crossed Kenobi's face. Han frowned. What in hell was that damn fool up to now?

And then, suddenly, Kenobi was gone, apparently cut in two by Vader's weapon. Luke gave a heart-rending cry of "No!" before he began shooting wildly at the stormtroopers separating him from his new teacher. Han started firing as well, trying to take out the troopers who were now shooting at Luke before one of them hit the kid.

"Come on!" he yelled to Luke, hearing the Princess shout that it was too late. Vader was heading their way and Han knew they'd better move fast, or their only chance for escape would be gone. "Blast the door, kid!"

Luke hit the target and Han grabbed his arm, pushing him towards the ramp. Luke seemed to temporarily snap out of his daze and raced up the ramp ahead of Han, slamming the hatch shut as Han headed towards the cockpit where Chewbacca was running the pre-flight cycle. Han dove into his chair, hands moving automatically to ready the Falcon for a quick take-off.

"I hope that the old man got that tractor beam outta commission or this is gonna be a real short trip," he muttered, throwing the last switches. "Okay - hit it!"

The freighter lifted up and he skillfully guided her out of the hangar, breathing a little easier once they were beyond the reach of the tractor beams. He knew it wasn't over yet, that they could expect a fighter attack once the Imperials got their wits about them, but right now his thoughts were with the kid. So, it seemed, were Chewbacca's.

[It seems the Old One lived up to his promise,] he said. [The cub will be grieving, Han. He will need you.]

Han was silent, but he knew that Chewbacca was right. And he had to admit that he felt at a loss, too. Despite his suspicions about Kenobi's motives, it'd been a relief to know that the kid would have someone to turn to when he found out Han had lied to him. But now that the old man was gone, where would Luke turn? Who would keep him safe when Han no longer could?

A warning beep from the console pulled him out of his thoughts and he studied the screens. "Coming up on their sentry ships - and it looks like they know we're comin'. Hold them off - angle the deflector shields while I charge up the main guns."

Han headed towards the cargo hold, and even as he entered he heard Luke's broken voice. "I can't believe he's gone."

The Princess was sitting next to him. "There wasn't anything you could have done," she said sympathetically.

In a softer voice than usual, Han said, "Come on, buddy. We're not outta this yet."

Luke looked up and Han gave him a reassuring smile, gesturing for the kid to come along. Luke jumped up and followed him, apparently glad for the distraction, and Han led the way to the gun turrets. He pointed Luke towards one while he settled into the other and snapped on the headset.

"You in, kid?" he asked and heard Luke's affirmative over the headset. "Okay, now stay sharp."

From the cockpit, the Princess' voice announced that Imperial TIE fighters were coming in - and what in hell she was doing in the cockpit of his ship was something he intended to take up with his partner once this was over. The TIEs zoomed in, small fighters that were deadly fast, and Han adjusted his targeting computer as they made their first pass. He didn't manage to hit any of them - but at least he kept them from hitting the Falcon.

With a glance back through the gunwell, he ascertained that Luke was holding his own, even though his voice was a little high-pitched and breathless as he called out to Han.

"They're coming in too fast!" Luke sounded slightly panicked, and Han wanted to send reassurance, but there just wasn't time. The kid would have to get a handle on himself without help.

The Falcon took a minor hit as one of the little fighters slipped under their defenses. It shook the freighter slightly and Han could feel the shimmy all around him.

"We've lost lateral controls!" the Princess announced.

"Don't worry, she'll hold together," Han said reassuringly, then looked around the Falcon's gun turret, as if she were a living entity. "Hear me, baby - hold together," he muttered.

Han finally got one of the TIEs, crowing in delight, and heard Luke's excited cry of, "I got him!" as he picked off another attacker. Han grinned - he'd known the kid would be good in a firefight.

"Great, kid!" he called, then warned, "Don't get cocky."

"There's still two of them out there!" the Princess said over the comlink.

"Not for long," Han returned, more for Luke's benefit than his own, and heard the kid make his shot successfully. And then the last fighter was in his sights and he took it out, watching it explode.

"That's it! We did it!" Luke crowed, excitement in his voice.

"We sure did, kid," Han said. "Chewie, are we okay?"

[Some damage, Han, but nothing serious.] Chewbacca answered over the headset, then there was a murmur of voices. [The Princess wishes us to take her and the droids to Yavin. Shall I set the coordinates?]

Han frowned. "What the hell's on Yavin - never mind, I don't wanna know. Yeah, Chewie, go ahead. The sooner we get rid of our guest, collect our reward, and get back to business, the better I like it." He glanced across the gunwell towards Luke's position, thinking that he needed to take a few minutes to see how the kid was doing. "Put us into hyperspace and take a break. I'll be there in a minute."

Luke was already in the access corridor when Han climbed out of the turret, and Han gave him a reassuring smile. "You did great, Luke. You got a good eye."

Luke drew in a deep breath and gave him a half-smile. "I've never done that - I mean, I've blasted womprats back home, but they weren't trying to shoot back at me."

Han laughed and pulled Luke into a hug. "You're crazy, kid; you know that?" Abruptly, Luke's arms went around him and he buried his face against Han's shoulder. "It's okay, Luke," he said softly and tightened his hold. "You've had a rough coupla days. Go ahead 'n let it out."

He had expected Luke to let loose and cry his eyes out, but only silent, hot tears dampened his shoulder. Han sighed; the kid had seen too much death over the past week. He awkwardly patted the younger man's back, not sure what to say. Han didn't know what kind of belief system Luke had grown up with - and he wasn't sure he could mouth platitudes he didn't believe in. So all he could do was hang on, stroke the soft golden hair, and wait.

After a few minutes, the silent shuddering eased and Luke turned his head, resting his cheek against Han's shoulder. "Thanks," the younger man muttered.

"Anytime, kid," Han said, giving him a brief squeeze. "Tell ya what - go wash your face and meet me in the cockpit, and I'll teach you how to fly this thing."

Luke's head jerked up and his eyes glowed just a little. "You mean it?"

"'Course I do. Been needin' a good navigator, and it never hurts to have another co-pilot." He ruffled Luke's hair. "Just don't go chasin' womprats in this thing, okay?"

Luke gave him a little smile and hurried out. Han headed towards the cockpit, smiling at the thought of cheering the kid up. His good mood wasn't even spoiled by finding the Princess in his flight chair. Han settled into Chewbacca's seat and checked the readings, noting that everything appeared to be okay. He slouched back in the chair and grinned over at the Princess.

"Not a bad bit of rescuing," he said smugly, not resisting the urge to gloat. "You know, sometimes I amaze even myself."

"That doesn't sound too hard," she scoffed and then leaned forward, serious. "They let us go. It's the only explanation for the ease of our escape."

Han looked at her incredulously. "Easy? You call that easy?"

"They're tracking us."

He shook his head, saying stubbornly, "Not this ship, sister."

The Princess sighed and seemed to be talking to herself as she said, "At least the information in R2 is intact."

Han shrugged. "What's he carryin' that's so important?"

"The technical readouts of that battle station. I only hope that when the data's analyzed, a weakness can be found. It's not over yet." She sighed again.

Han abruptly wondered what Luke had told her, what promises he'd made on their behalf. Well, whatever Luke had promised, he could just unpromise it. Han had had enough of this heroic bit, and he still had the matter of Jabba to attend to. There was no way that he was going to let Luke throw his life away on some damn heroic gesture.

"It is for me, sister," Han said firmly. "Look, I ain't in this for your revolution, and I'm not in it for you, Princess. I expect to be well paid. I'm in it for the money."

If looks could kill, the one that the Princess gave him would have struck him dead on the spot. "You needn't worry about your reward," she said icily. "If money is all that you love, then that's what you'll receive."

She got out of the seat and stalked from the cockpit, nearly running down Luke in the doorway. Han could hear her last parting shot, spoken to Luke but obviously directed towards the smuggler.

"Your friend is quite a mercenary. I wonder if he really cares about anything - or anybody."

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Luke watch after the Princess as she stormed down the corridor towards the hold. "He cares," he heard the kid say softly. "And so do I."

Han swallowed hard at those words and tried to focus his attention on the navigation console, punching up their destination and estimating how long it would take for them to get there. The Princess' comment had galled him, given how much he'd let one scrawny little ex-slave turn his world upside down, but Luke's soft reply had thrown him completely. Just how much of his feelings had he revealed to the kid?

He didn't look over at Luke as the kid slid into the pilot's seat, but Luke was eager to talk, and Han could feel sharp blue eyes studying his face. "What do you think of her, Han?"

"I'm tryin' not to, kid," he said shortly.

"Good."

There was a slight edge to Luke's voice, and Han looked over at him in surprise. Where had that come from? he wondered. The kid was studying the controls with apparent absorption, but his face was slightly flushed and there was a peculiar tightness around his mouth. If Han didn't know any better, he would've said that Luke was jealous.

In a thoughtful voice, like he was reconsidering the matter, he said, "Still, she's got a lot of spirit." He glanced nonchalantly over at Luke. "I don't know. What do you think? You think a Princess and I guy like me...?"

"No."

The speed of Luke's reply made Han laugh out loud. His own fears that Luke was becoming infatuated by the Princess were relieved, and he was amused that the kid was jealous. Han grinned. As if a little snip of a princess could take his attention away from the glorious sunshine that was Luke!

Han grabbed the kid's arm, tugging him across the aisle and onto his lap. "Take it easy, Junior. I got more than enough trouble just handlin' you." He captured Luke's mouth with his own, kissing him thoroughly. "Although I'm the one who should be jealous. Speakin' of which - just what happened when you two were runnin' around that station on your own?"

Luke flushed slightly as he shrugged. "She kissed my cheek, that's all. For good luck."

"Yeah? Where?" Luke touched a place on his cheek and Han possessively covered the area with several kisses of his own.

Luke's flush deepened as he looked up at Han through the gold fringe shadowing his eyes. "You don't need to worry, Han. I belong to you."

Han shifted uncomfortably. "About that - Luke, there's somethin' I need to tell you. I meant to tell you earlier but - well, with one thing an' another - "

Luke interrupted him with a kiss. "You talk too much." He shifted until he was straddling the pilot's lap. "And I could use a little 'handling' right now."

Han groaned, leaning back in his seat. "I thought you wanted to learn how to fly this thing."

"I think I can figure it out," Luke said as he nuzzled Han's neck. His hands moved over the older man's body, teasing the rising bulge in Han's pants. "This appears to be the control stick."

"Kid - stop - " Han panted. "We're not doin' this here."

"Why not?" Luke asked, not stopping. "You want me, I want you - "

"And we both stink from that cesspool and anyone could come walkin' along - "

[Am I disturbing you?] Chewbacca's growl was amused, and Han groaned, leaning his head back against the seat. Luke sat up and grinned at Chewbacca without moving from his place on Han's lap.

"Hi, Chewie."

[Hello, young one. Taking a lesson in flying?]

Luke laughed. "You could say that."

"Don't encourage him. And since when do you speak Wookiee?"

"Chewie's been teaching me," Luke said with a shrug. "I've always been quick with languages."

"Among other things. No," he said determinedly as Luke leaned in to continue his seduction. "I am not doing this here." He pushed Luke off his lap, got up, and steered Luke toward the doorway. "Later, Chewie."

"Much later," Luke added over his shoulder, then squawked as Han swatted his butt. "Hey, what's that for?"

"For bein' a smart-ass, wet-behind-the-ears kid."

Luke laughed and glanced over his shoulder at Han, his look blatantly provocative. Han grabbed him again, spinning him and pinning him against the wall as he devoured the younger man's mouth. Luke responded enthusiastically, winding his arms around Han's waist and pulling their bodies closer together.

"Let's go to your cabin," Luke panted. "We can take care of your - little problem."

"Little?" Han snorted, pulling Luke closer. "Kid, there ain't nothing little about any part of me."

"Yeah - I noticed."

There was only one proper response to that. Han kissed Luke until the younger man was breathless and hard enough to drill through a black star. The smuggler pulled back slightly, looking into eyes that were dark with lust and need, and said, "My cabin. Now."

Luke nearly slid down the wall when Han released him, but he caught himself and gasped, "Yes, Han." His hands were already unfastening his clothes as he hurried down the corridor, dropping his tunic just outside the door before he bolted inside.

Han followed more leisurely, enjoying the show, and bent over to pick up the discarded tunic. A slight sound from down the corridor caught his attention, and he looked around to see the Princess standing in the doorway of her cabin. There was a brief flicker of something on her face, but he couldn't tell whether it was surprise or distaste or even envy before the cool mask descended again. Han mockingly saluted her with the hand holding Luke's tunic, then followed his lover into his cabin.

Chapter 10

Luke's body was warm and heavy across Han's chest, and he found himself idly carding his fingers through the golden mass of hair beneath his chin. His body was pleasantly sated, and the dreamy smile on Luke's face told him that the kid was feeling pretty good himself. He allowed himself a smug smile; he had deliberately taken his time over their love-making, making certain that Luke was delirious with pleasure before seeking his own satisfaction. Luke had responded with gratifying enthusiasm, stilling any doubts Han had that the kid was only responding to him out of a sense of duty. Lazily, he thought that he could get used to this, and was amused when Luke's words echoed his own thoughts.

"After we find Aunt Beru," Luke said drowsily, "can we go some place where we can just do this all day?"

Han chuckled softly. "Kid, even I ain't good enough to do this all day!" Luke laughed and leaned up to kiss him briefly before laying back down. "Sure, kid. Where d'you want to go?"

"Don't care - just as long as it's warm."

Luke shivered slightly as he spoke, and Han reached down to pull up the covers. "Cold, kid?"

"Not anymore."

Han caressed the golden skin. "Sorry. I forgot that you're not used to space. It's a lot colder than that fireball you called home."

"Yeah." Luke was quiet for a long time. "Han, did I ever thank you for getting me out of that place?"

Han squirmed uncomfortably, realizing that the moment of truth had finally arrived. "No need to thank me, kid."

"Of course there is! I know that I was angry at first, but I really don't mind belonging to you now," Luke said softly.

Han swallowed hard at that, knowing that he couldn't put this off anymore. He slid out from under the younger man, got out of bed and crossed the room to where he kept his stash of booze. Pouring a healthy amount into a glass, he tossed it down and set both the glass and the bottle on the table.

With his back to the bed, he said flatly, "Luke, there's somethin' I gotta tell you, and I'm not exactly sure how you're gonna take it."

"Han?" He could hear the rustle of covers as Luke sat up, could feel concerned eyes on his back. "What is it? Did I do something wrong?"

Han shook his head and turned around. He didn't want to look at Luke while he told him, but the kid sounded panicked. He smiled reassuringly. "'Course not, kid. You've been great - and I ain't just talkin' about in bed. You've pulled your weight around here. Even Chewie likes you, and he doesn't usually take to people like this." He shrugged. "Me neither. Now that the old man's gone, I was kinda hopin' that you'd wanna stick around with us."

"Of course I will," Luke said, bewildered. "I belong to you."

Han drew a deep breath. "Luke, you don't belong to me. Not legally, at any rate."

Luke stared at him, wide-eyed. "Then who -" His eyes widened and a smile lit his face. "You freed me?"

Han closed his eyes briefly and sighed. "No, kid. I don't have the right to free you."

"Then who does?"

"Jabba."

"But - you bought me from Jabba. That's what you said."

"I tried, Luke. Din Bardeeda wouldn't sell. Said that Jabba had plans for you."

"But - you had my datapad - the codes!"

"Stole 'em."

"You stole - from a Hutt? Are you crazy?" Luke's voice was sharp with anger and fear. "Do you know what they'll do to you if they catch you?"

Han shrugged, trying to act nonchalant about the whole thing. "Well, I couldn't let 'em feed you to Jabba's pet, could I?"

"I don't know," Luke said bitterly. "It might have been less painful than what Jabba'll do when he catches me."

The pain in the younger man's voice was more than Han could bear, and he stepped towards the bed, his hand outstretched. "Luke - "

"Don't you touch me!" Luke said fiercely, scooting backwards in the bed and taking the sheet with him. "You paid for me for one night - that doesn't give you the right to touch me whenever you want!"

"Paid - " Han dropped his hand. "Is that what you think this is about?" he asked angrily, gesturing towards Luke and the bed. "You figure I was just tryin' to get some free sex?"

"What else can I think?" Luke demanded. "You force me to come on your ship by telling me you own me - and you haven't exactly refused my advances!"

"Of course I haven't - have you taken a good look at yourself, kid?" Han grinned at Luke, hoping that the humorous flattery would diffuse the situation. When Luke just glared at him, Han sighed and shrugged. "I couldn't think of any other way to get you off the planet - and I couldn't let the slavers get you."

Luke's face suddenly paled. "I can't go home."

"And you'd actually want to?"

Luke went still, and Han realized he'd said something terribly wrong, only he wasn't sure what it was.

"You never intended to go back, did you?" Luke's voice was sharp now, and Han could hear it tremble with anger. "When you said we'd go back for Aunt Beru - you lied to me!"

Han swore under his breath. Trying to keep a reasonable tone of voice, he said, "I didn't lie - I meant it when I said I'd help you find her."

"And how to you propose to do that? We set one foot on Tatooine and we're dead!"

Han rubbed the back of his neck, admittedly stumped. "I got friends - connections."

"You've got nothing!" Luke got out of bed, wrapping the sheet around him and heading towards the door.

"Where in hell d'you think you're goin'?" Han demanded.

Luke turned in the doorway and said coldly, "I'd rather sleep in the cargo hold than here with you."

The door opened and he stalked out. Han slumped down on the bed, buried his face in his hands, and contemplated getting seriously drunk.

Chewbacca was already in the cockpit when Han entered the next morning, and he could tell by the look the Wookiee gave him that Chewbacca knew something had happened. He compressed his lips and slid into his seat, hoping that his partner would refrain from commenting on the situation. As unlikely as that was.

[The cub was sleeping in the lounge this morning.]

Han frowned and said shortly, "Yeah, well, it wasn't my idea."

[You told him the truth.]

"And he didn't take it very well. So much for the value of truth in a relationship." He shut his mouth abruptly, wondering where that had come from. Relationship? Han Solo didn't have relationships, and he didn't have lovers. He had casual partners for mutually satisfying sex, he had Chewbacca for friendship, and he had the Falcon. What more could he want?

Han tried to focus on the console, noting that they were coming up on Yavin. About time - he would be glad to get this whole deal behind him, to get back to his life. To get used to being without Luke.

He ground his teeth together at the pain that lanced through him at that thought. What the hell was the matter with him anyway? Luke was just another casual sex partner, no different than any of the others he'd known and left over the years. Just a green kid with an annoying habit of getting him mixed up in the worst situations. A wide-eyed farm-kid who insisted on looking at Han like he was some kind of hero. He would be better off with the younger man out of his hair.

Han snorted at that, ignoring the startled look that Chewbacca gave him. Yeah. Right. And tomorrow he would take up moisture farming as a new career.

They were hailed the moment they got within communication distance of Yavin and, once the Princess gave the proper authorization codes, received clearance to land on the moon where the Rebel base was located. Han prepared for the final approach and went to the lounge to let his passengers know they were in orbit around the jungle moon.

The Princess looked at him with an amused and slightly triumphant smile as he entered. "Well, Captain Solo. It appears that you'll be rid of us before long, and I expect that it can't be too soon for either of us." Her eyes glinted at him and he couldn't help giving her a reluctant smile.

Han's eyes went past her to where Luke was sitting on the acceleration couch, but the younger man completely ignored him. The kid was dressed in a nondescript tunic and pants that Han vaguely remembered from the storage closet in the guest room, and his eyes looked shadowed.

"Yeah, well, I'll be glad to be done with these damn heroics and back to my regular business."

"And just what is your regular business, Captain?" Her voice was still amused and slightly condescending, Royalty unbending enough to talk with the Help, but there was a hint of something else under it that he just couldn't pin down. Something that carried a hint of wistfulness, even envy. "Smuggling? Blockade running? Probably nothing you won't do - for a price."

Under different circumstances, he might have laughed at her obviously romanticized notions about life as a freelance pilot. He would have told her greatly exaggerated stories about his escapades, just to see what she would swallow. But right now he didn't have the heart for it.

"Some things come with too high a price, even for me," Han said softly, hoping that Luke would hear the apology in his voice.

"I can't imagine what." She turned to Luke, smiling warmly at the younger man, although the sideways look she gave Han told him she was just trying to irritate him. "It seems like you're making the right decision to leave this pirate." Luke nodded, not looking at Han. "And don't worry, Captain - I've authorized Command to pay your fee as soon as we land."

"In that case, strap in. We'll be landing in just a few minutes."

Han turned and walked back to the cockpit, and for once his partner didn't comment on the grim look on his face.

Chapter 11

Their arrival on Yavin's moon instigated a flurry of activity. A man Han recognized as one of the Rebel leaders by his attitude swept the Princess along with him, while technicians hurried off with the droids. Even Luke vanished with some pilot named Biggs who appeared to be an old friend from Tatooine. Han watched them walk off together and turned back to his partner.

"Get us refueled, Chewie. I want to leave this place as soon as we've been paid."

[Han - ] Chewbacca patted his shoulder clumsily.

"Don't, Chewie. Not now." Han walked up the ramp, into his cabin, and pulled out the bottle of whisky.

He gave up on the whisky when the third glass failed to alleviate his misery. Sleep was also abandoned - the bed held too many memories. He swore, at length and fluently in four languages - it looked like he was going to have to change cabins if he ever wanted to get a decent night's sleep again.

He wandered down the ramp and into the hangar, watching for a moment as Chewbacca supervised the refueling of the Falcon. Mechanics were scurrying all over the place, working on last minute repairs of the fleet of fighters, and he grimaced. In their places, he'd be clearing the base before the Imperials showed up, but the damn-fool Rebels seemed determined to get themselves killed.

He noticed a lack of pilots, though, and followed a drone of voices to what appeared to be a briefing room. It was filled to capacity with personnel, including, he saw with a sudden pang, Luke. The young man was dressed in a flight suit and seemed to be chatting in a friendly fashion with the pilots sitting around him. Very friendly. Especially with that friend of his from back home.

Sourly, Han propped himself up against the wall. The kid either hadn't seen him or was pointedly ignoring him. Han didn't know which, and at this point he would rather not know. He turned his attention to the man at the front of the room, displaying the technical read-outs on the Death Star and lecturing about some sort of port or another that should enable them to blow up the station. Han snorted at that. Sounded like a good way to get killed, if you asked him.

He looked up as his partner joined him along the wall. "All fueled up?"

Chewbacca nodded. [The payment has arrived as well.]

"Good. Let's get it loaded and get outta here. I have a feeling we don't wanna be around much longer."

Han supervised the loading of strongboxes containing the Rebels' payment onto the Falcon, ignoring the preparations intensifying around him. Grudgingly, he admitted that they probably didn't have the manpower to evacuate all the personnel from the base, but still -

He glanced up briefly as Luke entered the hangar and saw that the kid drew a deep breath before approaching him.

"So you got your reward and you're just leaving?"

The sharp edge was still there in Luke's voice, and Han wondered if there'd ever come a day when the younger man would be able to forgive him. Maybe - but he certainly wouldn't be around to see it. He drew a deep breath himself and continued loading the strongboxes.

"That's right. I got some old debts to pay off with this stuff, some insurance to arrange." The flicker in Luke's eyes told him that Luke knew exactly what he was referring to. "And even if I didn't, you don't think I'd be fool enough to stick around here, d'you?" Han saw a flash of pain on the kid's face and spoke softly, apologetically. "Why don't you come with us? You're pretty good in a fight. I could use you."

Luke gave him an impatient look. "Come on, Han! Why don't you take a look around?" He gestured to the bustling hangar around them. "You know what's about to happen, what they're up against. They could use a good pilot like you. You're turning your back on them."

Han shook his head, saying sarcastically, "What good's a reward if you ain't around to use it? Besides, attacking that battle station ain't my idea of courage - more like suicide."

To his surprise, disappointment mixed with acceptance on Luke's face, and something showed in his eyes that Han couldn't identify. "All right." Luke drew in a deep breath and blew it out. "Take care of yourself, Han. But I guess that's what you're best at, isn't it?"

Han watched him walk away, an ache in his throat even bigger than the one in his heart. "Hey - Luke!" he called out, before he even realized it. Surprised, Luke swung around and whatever he was going to say dried up. Now wasn't the time - and this definitely wasn't the place. He smiled weakly and said the first thing that came to mind. "May the Force be with you."

He could have smacked himself the minute he said it. Hell, the kid knew he didn't believe in the Force! Here he was, sending Luke off on the most dangerous mission of his young life, and he couldn't come up with anything better than that? Like I love you, Luke - or even Be careful and come home safe. But Luke just nodded and walked off, and Han watched him climb into an X-wing fighter. And all the while, his heart kept repeating the truth he'd just realized - much, much too late. I love you, Luke.

Behind him, Chewbacca growled. [Han - ]

He swung around and glared at his partner. "What're you looking at? I know what I'm doin'." While he continued loading the cargo, he hoped that he did.

They were cleared to leave immediately, the flight deck wanting to get all unnecessary craft out of the way of the fighters. Reaching space, Han went through the pre-hyperspace check-out, setting the co- ordinates for a Rimworld where he could take refuge and find out if the Hutts had connected him to Luke's disappearance yet- as well as determine if the Empire was looking for him.

He hesitated, glancing back towards the Rebel base in time to see a squadron of X-wings hit space behind him, and couldn't draw his eyes away. One of those fragile ships held Luke, and at the moment he wanted nothing more than to grab the kid, throw him on board, and punch it for the end of the known galaxy.

[Han. Do you want me to go to hyperspace? Han?]

Han dragged his attention back. "Um - not just yet. There's no rush, right?"

[Wrong.]

Han glanced at the sensor display to which Chewbacca was pointing and swore. The Princess was right that the Imperials had tracked the Falcon to the Yavin system, but Han hadn't expected to see the battlestation so close to their hideout. And he hadn't expected it to arrive so quickly. There was no way the Rebels would be able to take it out before it demolished their moon base.

"Chewie, patch me into their comm system! I wanna know what's goin' on."

He pulled on his headset, just in time to hear a mechanical voice drone, "The death star has cleared the planet." He swore again. He could hear the chatter of the pilots as they pitted their small craft against the station, trying to avoid the cannons lining the trenches. It sounded like imperial fighters had joined the fray - once he heard Luke's panicked voice telling Command that he had picked up a tail and couldn't lose it, and his heart nearly stopped.

With a growl, he disconnected his headset from the control console and pushed himself out of the chair. "Chewie, take us back! I'm goin' to the guns!"

He heard something suspiciously like a chuckle from the Wookiee. [Going back for the cub after all?]

"Hell, no. It's just that the damn Princess is still down on that base, and - while I could care less about her - I'd feel bad about takin' their money if I just fly off and let her get blown to bits." He heard Chewbacca's disbelieving snort, but he was busy strapping himself into the chair and warming up his guns, so he ignored it.

Over the headset, he could hear Luke setting up for his run and he muttered under his breath, "Hang in there, kid. I'm comin'."

Han tracked the TIE fighters making their way down the treacherous trench, watching with his heart in his throat as one after the other of Luke's escort were picked off, but he was still out of targeting range, and didn't want to risk hitting Luke's X-wing by accident. Finally there it was - his chance for a clean shot - and he took out the first of the pursuit craft with deadly precision. His second shot was a little off, but it had the side benefit of clipping the trailing ship and sent it spinning off into space, away from the Death Star. He ignored it - the craft was damaged and probably wouldn't hold together long enough to make it to an Imperial base. He concentrated on finding one small X-wing amidst all the smoke down there, crowing with relief when he did.

"You're all clear, kid!" he called out over the link to the Rebel base. "Now let's blow this thing and go home."

Then the missiles were away and Luke was pulling up. Han flew the Falcon protectively over the X-wing, shepherding it towards open space. If the station didn't blow, Han wanted lots of elbow-room for fighting. The sudden explosion behind them lit up the sky and Han found himself grinning from ear to ear, nearly bursting with pride. Damn, but that kid was just incredible.

"Great shot, kid! That was one in a million!" There was no reply from Luke, but he wasn't surprised - the kid was probably pretty exhausted from the fight. Besides, the things he wanted to say to Luke were best not said over an open comline.

Flight Command brought Luke's ship in first and the Falcon next. Han let Chewbacca handle the actual landing while he waited impatiently in the corridor. The minute they were safely down, he popped the hatch and raced down the ramp, heading towards Luke's X- wing.

He almost stopped in his tracks and turned back when he saw the Princess throw her arms around Luke, giving him an exuberant hug. But then he saw the light in Luke's eyes when the younger man caught sight of him. Luke pulled away from the Princess' embrace, and Han let a grin cross his face in return.

"Hey!" he called as he hurried across the hangar. Han staggered slightly as Luke threw himself at the older man, hugging him tightly.

"I knew you'd come back! I just knew it!"

The smile on Luke's face rivaled a supernova, and his eyes were shining with something like the old admiration. Han found his voice was gruff as he said, "Well, I wasn't gonna let you get all the credit and take all the reward."

The Princess laughed at that and hugged him, and Han ruefully thought that he'd just added more fantasies to her mistaken notion of him as some kind of noble scoundrel. He sighed internally and returned the hug, and damn if she wasn't a cuddly armful, for a Princess. If it wasn't for Luke.

"I knew that there was more to you than money," she said with a laugh, and he grinned, catching Luke's laughing eyes over her head. And then the three of them were heading towards the command center, arm in arm, and - for a few minutes - Han felt as if he had come home after a long, long flight.

Chapter 12

Several hours later, Han stood on the edge of the large briefing room and looked across a full room once again. Only this time, the crowd wasn't of respectfully silent pilots - it was a noisy and chaotic throng of Rebels who'd been given a reason to celebrate for the first time in a long, long while. And they were obviously taking advantage of the opportunity. Spirits and food of every description flowed freely everywhere he looked. A band was playing on one side of the room, although he didn't know how anyone could hear them over the babble of voices.

He craned his head, looking over the crowd, searching impatiently for one slight, blond-haired human. Despite that brief reunion hug in the hanger, despite the grins they'd traded during the award ceremony, Han hadn't had a chance to say a word to the kid in private. Luke was suddenly in the middle of everything - the hero who took out the Death Star, the farm boy made good.

Farm boy, not slave. Han had been able to do that for Luke.

The Rebel leaders were nearly as cynical as Han himself, and had been less than enthusiastic to welcome him back. No doubt expecting a demand for another reward - and he'd taken great satisfaction in the surprised looks on their faces when he'd returned most of what he'd received. They'd looked even more stunned when he told them what he wanted in exchange - Luke's freedom. After a short conference and a hurried communication with their home worlds, one of the generals had come up with a genuine offer of citizenship. Not that the Hutts would care about a little technicality like legal papers. Still, it would allow Luke to travel freely on non-Hutt worlds, without any awkward questions, and it would give him a respectable background.

So, with the little disk granting Luke Skywalker full citizenship to some backwater planet called Naboo in his pocket and a Medal of Honor hanging around his neck, Han had gone in search of the younger man. A search that was turning out to be more difficult than he'd thought it would be.

[Han! I thought you were going to miss the party!]

"Easy, Chewie!" he complained as he tried to free himself from the Wookiee's bone-crushing hug, catching a whiff of his partner's breath in the process. "Whoo! You been into the fermented fruit already? Go easy on that stuff, pal. The Falcon doesn't need more damage."

Chewbacca chuckled and rubbed his head affectionately. [The cub was looking for you.]

"Yeah?" Han knew he was grinning like an idiot, but he didn't care. "You see him around?" Chewbacca pointed and Han swung around, his eyes eagerly searching for the younger man.

Luke was standing at the other end of the room, talking to someone that Han couldn't see from this angle. As if he felt Han's eyes on him, Luke turned around and their eyes met. Han felt his breath catch in his throat; Luke was just so damn beautiful, and this time nothing would keep Han from telling him how he felt.

Nothing except Luke.

There was no trace of emotion on the younger man's face, and Han could feel his own smile falter. Then Luke looked away; the Princess was saying something to him, and he bent his head closer to hers, obviously trying to hear her better above the noisy crowd. She was telling him something with great urgency and Han could see the smile blossom on the younger man's face. That special smile, only this time it was for the Princess, and not Han.

Han swallowed hard and turned away, bumping into his partner in his haste.

[Han? Are you all right?]

"Fine - just a little tired." He didn't even try to conjure up a smile, knowing that the Wookiee would see right through it. "I'm goin' back to the ship. And Chewie - don't make it too late a night. I wanna leave first thing in the morning."

[But your cub - ]

"His name is Luke Skywalker. And he's not my cub. He never was."

Han ignored whatever Chewbacca said in response, ignored the smiles and back-slapping congratulations from faceless people as he pushed his way through the crowd. All he wanted was the peace and quiet of the deserted hangar and the Falcon, and the comfort of a fresh bottle of whisky.

Han lay sprawled across the couch in the lounge, a half-drained glass in his hand. On the table in front of him stood a nearly full bottle of whisky - not that it would remain that way for long. He intended to get good and drunk, so drunk that he forgot his own name, much less the reason why he was drinking. And in the morning his head would hurt so badly that he'd forget all about the pain in his heart.

Across the deserted hangar, he could still hear the sounds of the party. It looked like the damn thing would be going strong all night and well into the morning hours. And right there in the center of it, a beaming Princess hanging possessively on his arm, would be his Luke. Scratch that. Definitely not his Luke.

Han idly stretched out a hand and picked up the medallion from where he'd dropped it on the table, studying it with sardonic amusement. A pretty bauble, given with the thanks of a grateful Rebellion to a hero. Hero, he thought with a snort. Right. He'd only come back to save the kid - something he could hardly admit out loud since it seemed that Luke didn't want anything to do with him. Still, the trinket might be worth something, help defray his expenses. He dropped the medallion onto the table again, poured himself another drink, and took a big swallow.

The sound of booted feet along the corridor made him look up and he was surprised to see Luke standing in the doorway. His lips twisted and he tossed back the rest of the drink.

"Hey, kid, whatcha doin' here? Hell of a party they're throwin' over there for you," he drawled.

Luke came forward slowly, a guarded expression in his eyes. "Not just for me. You're supposed to be there, too."

Han snorted and leaned forward to pour himself another drink. "Yeah, well, I've never been much for civilized parties. Too hard to watch your back." He set the bottle down and leaned back into the cushions. "I'd offer you a drink, only I think this stuff's too much for you t'handle."

Luke's mouth tightened and his eyes flashed. "I'm not a baby," he snapped, reaching over to pour himself a drink. He tossed it back, coughing slightly as it scorched its way down his throat, then glared at Han defiantly.

Han grinned. "Careful, Junior - this is pretty potent stuff." He leaned forward to pick up the bottle and filled Luke's glass again. "Drink it like that and it's liable to blow out the back of your head." He raised his glass in a mock toast. "To the Saviors of the Republic."

Luke abruptly sat down in the seat across from Han. "Why'd you come back, Han?" he asked quietly. "The real reason." He looked over at Han, and the smuggler frowned down at his drink. "I don't believe that you came back for a share of the glory - things like that don't matter to you. And there was no profit in it, besides which Leia just told me that you gave back most of the reward. So - why?"

Han finished the rest of his drink and slammed the glass down on the table, pushing himself up. "Does it matter?" he asked. He pulled the packet containing Luke's citizenship disk out of his pocket. "Here kid, catch."

Luke automatically caught the packet, looking down at the unfamiliar seal. "What's this?"

"Citizenship disk, from some damn planet or another." Han couldn't look at Luke, afraid that the kid would see his feelings in his face, so he crossed the room to stand at the auxiliary console. He thought that he really should plot a course for the Rim now, lay it into the computer, ready for their departure - by morning, neither he nor Chewbacca would be at their best.

"Citizenship - I don't understand."

Han shrugged as if it was the least important thing in his universe. "I told some of your Rebel leaders about you bein' a fugitive slave - not where I found you or anything like that. They arranged this for you."

"Han - "

"I think you oughta know that I'm gonna straighten things out with Jabba somehow, so you don't have to worry about bounty hunters comin' after you."

"Han - "

"And I'll be leavin' in the mornin', so you won't have to worry about me hangin' around and embarrassin' you."

"Would you just shut up a minute!" Luke snapped, grabbing Han's sleeve and jerking him around to face him. "Of all the idiotic, pig-headed - " He threw his arms around Han's neck and kissed him, hard.

Han stood, stunned, for a full minute, barely able to comprehend what was happening. Luke pulled back and glared at him. "You know, you could help out here!"

That shattered Han's frozen confusion, and he wrapped his arms around Luke, hauling him in closer for a kiss that sent all the blood in his brain down south. "That's better," Luke gasped when Han finally released his mouth.

"Luke," he said hoarsely. "I don't understand -"

"I love you, idiot," Luke said, shaking him.

Han stared at Luke, open-mouthed and incredulous. "Love - ?"

"Yes." Luke unfastened Han's weapon belt, letting it fall to the floor with a clatter, and the older man protested briefly before Luke silenced him with another kiss. "I think you love me, too. And I know you need me as much as I need you."

Han surrendered, letting Luke pull him down to the floor, but rolled to pin the younger man beneath him. "This ain't a good idea, kid," he mumbled, tearing open the front of Luke's tunic even as he protested.

Luke gasped as Han's mouth assaulted a nipple, arching up against him. "No one will come along this time. I locked the hatch on the way in." He pulled Han's head to his again, devouring him with a kiss.

Han broke the kiss only to let his mouth travel across Luke's cheek. "This still ain't a good idea, Luke," he murmured. "Like your Princess friend said, I'm no good for you."

Luke glared up at him. "If you try to run out on me again, I'll - I'll - "

Han grinned down at him. "You'll what?"

Luke moved quickly, catching Han by surprise and flipping him over on his back. Then he straddled the older man's hips, holding him down while his hands pinned Han's wrists. He leaned over and gave Han a hard, savage kiss.

"If that's s'posed to be a deterrent, kid," Han gasped, "I gotta tell you that it ain't workin'."

"You aren't going to make me leave you, Han Solo," Luke said firmly. "No matter what you say or do. So you might as well just give up right now."

Han couldn't help the grin that crossed his face. "You gonna torture me if I don't?"

Luke grinned at him lopsidedly. "Yeah." He leaned over and kissed Han again, and this time it was soft and sensual, taking Han's breath away. "All night long, if I have to."

Han chuckled at that, although it was a little breathless. "I think I can handle it." He wrapped his arms around Luke, holding him close for another toe-curling kiss. His hands slid up under the loose tunic, caressing the warm, sleek skin. Luke's mouth had moved down to his neck, nipping at his skin with sharp teeth before soothing the slight wound with his tongue. Han groaned.

"Luke, kid - let's take this to bed."

Luke chuckled and Han could feel the vibration against his skin. "Floor too hard for you, old man?"

"Old?" Han said, with mock outrage, flipping them again. "I'll show you old."

He pushed himself to his feet, dragging Luke up with him. Luke laughed and let Han tow him down the corridor towards his cabin, although their progress was slow as they stopped every few feet for another round of kissing. Somewhere along the way, they lost most of their clothing, and Han refused to think about his partner's comments when he saw the trail of boots and pants and shirts. In fact, when he saw Luke bend over to pull his tangled pants off his feet, he stopped thinking altogether.

Luke gave a yelp of surprise as Han tackled him, sending him sprawling across the bed. "Han!" Luke protested laughingly. "You're still dressed!"

"Not for long." Han pushed himself up and rapidly stripped off his pants, his eyes never leaving the glorious sight spread across his bed. Luke, his skin flushed with arousal, his cock hard and begging to be touched. Han wanted to taste and touch every inch of that beloved body, and he hardly knew where to start.

Luke's eyes were like blue fire, and he held out his arms. "Han. C'mere."

Han crawled up the bed and covered Luke's body with his own, capturing his lover's mouth for another kiss. "Love you," he muttered in between pressing kisses against Luke's skin. "Never gonna let you leave me."

Luke arched upwards as Han's mouth teased a nipple. "Never want to leave. Love you forever."

Forever, Han thought, and his hands and mouth stilled on the kid's body. It was a scary thought. Hard enough to admit that he loved someone this much. Harder still to admit how much he needed Luke. But forever -

"Han," Luke murmured, running his fingers through the older man's hair. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Han said gruffly.

Luke suddenly reversed their positions, straddling him again, and grinned down at him. "Good. Because I seem to remember something about torturing you all night long." His kisses were hot and demanding, and Han forgot to worry about the future, forgot everything but his beautiful lover. Luke's hands and mouth caressed him, possessed him, heart and body and soul.

"Luke," he gasped against the lips ravishing his. "Love me."

He could feel Luke's mouth curving in a smile against his. "Already do, idiot."

"No - make love to me."

Luke pulled back slightly, examining Han's face to see if he really meant what he'd said, and that incredible smile lit his face. "Yes."

Han saw his lover reach for the lubricant and rolled onto his hands and knees. "Maker." He grinned as he heard the younger man's almost worshipful tones and looked back over his shoulder at his wide-eyed lover. "C'mon, kid. I'm getting' cold and lonely here."

Luke scooted up behind him, a slightly shaky hand caressing his back. "Han - I've never - I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," Han said, reassuringly. "Now give it to me."

He thought he'd die with frustration as Luke stretched him as carefully as any virgin, then slowly began easing his way into Han's body. Han growled with frustration and pushed back, impaling himself on his lover's cock. He groaned with pleasure; he'd forgotten how sweet it felt to open himself to a lover like this. Opening his body, his heart, his soul.

Han heard Luke gasping for breath behind him, his voice shaky. "Han? Are you - I don't think I can - "

"It's okay, kid," he said. "Go for it." He groaned again as he felt Luke's withdrawal, then his lover was pressing back into him, filling him again. Han pushed back in counterpoint to Luke's rhythm, felt his lover's hands clutch his hips tightly as he began to move faster and harder, and bit back a laugh. He would have bruises in the morning, and he couldn't care less.

"Close - " Luke gasped, thrusting wildly now, nearly sobbing with need. "So - close - "

"Go - ahead." Han felt his own climax building and grasped his cock, stroking it roughly. He heard Luke shout his name, over and over, and felt the shudders claim his lover, and it was enough to push him over the edge. He groaned Luke's name as he came, then collapsed onto the bed.

He managed to stir himself enough to grab a towel to clean them both, then settled under the covers with a contented sigh and Luke in his arms. The kid was already half-asleep, barely rousing to return Han's good-night kiss, and Han yawned once before drifting into sleep.

Han drifted up from a dream of cold and loneliness, to find that he was neither cold nor alone. Luke's arms were wrapped tightly around him, the younger man's face buried against his chest, a faint smile on his face. He turned his head, kissing the golden softness under his chin, smiling as he recalled the past few hours. There was a pleasant ache in his body and a contented fullness in his heart, and he thought he could get used to this.

A fragment of thought came to him and he shook the warm body in his arms slightly. "Luke. Luke, wake up. I got somethin' to tell you."

Luke raised his head, blinking blearily. "Whatizzit?"

"You were right. I need you."

A faint smile touched Luke's mouth and he pressed a sleepy kiss against Han's mouth. "Told you."

For once, though, Han wanted to be serious. "And I'm real sorry that I lied to you."

Luke rolled over on top of him, looking down into his face. "It's okay. I know that you meant well."

"And I'll find a way to get your aunt back, if I have to use every last credit."

Luke blinked and a slow smile crossed his face as he nodded. "Okay."

"But - "

"But?"

"This forever thing. I don't know - I'm not sure - "

"Doesn't matter." A beautiful smile lit the younger man's face. "I'm sure."

He dropped his head back onto Han's chest, yawning and snuggling closer as he drifted back to sleep. Han tightened his hold on the younger man and felt a smile form on his mouth. Luke loved him, wanted to stay with him, and would probably give up his new-found stature among the Rebels to be with him if Han asked. So of course he wouldn't.

He rolled his eyes at that and sighed, picturing all the ways that the kid was going to drag him into doing the heroic bit, no matter what his own plans were. But hell, there were worse fates that he could suffer. And at least he wouldn't be suffering alone.

He pressed a kiss against his lover's hair and carefully pulled up the blankets, making sure that Luke was covered against the cold. Then he closed his eyes and settled down to sleep. He had a feeling that he was going to need all the rest he could get.

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