Redamancy - Han Solo [3]

Chapter 5: Who Owes What To Whom

"I don't know! All I can see is a lot of blowing sand!" Han shouted over the ferocity of the sand storm. The empty blue sky from before had vanished, the rolling dunes swept up into the air, and now you couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.

"That's all any of us can see!" Tasha shouted back, head down, huddled against the wind and blowing sand, scarf over her face.

"Then I guess I'm getting better!" under normal circumstances Tasha would've probably laughed, but the uncomfortable storm coupled with a roughly dressed blaster wound in the arm were not a fun combination, and all Tasha wanted now was a sit down in the air-conditioned Falcon and maybe a nap. Two large blobs materialised out of the gloom, the distinct shape of the Falcon and what looked like Luke's x-wing.

The wind wasn't as bad as they huddled under the bulk of the Falcon, and Threepio, who had been unusually quiet for the duration of the journey back to the ship, looked around for the switch to lower the gang-plank.

"Will you get on with it," Tasha muttered irritably, not that Threepio could hear her over the sound of rushing sand. With a beep, the plank started lowering, its gentle hum comforting in the noise of the storm. Han turned to Luke.

"I've got to hand it to ya, kid, you were pretty good out there." Tasha smiled slightly, before faking a hurt expression.

"what about me? He turns up for five minutes at the end and gets all the credit?!" Han, Luke, Leia, Lando, all the heroes chuckled at Tasha's false indignity. Luke shrugged.

"I had a lot of help. Think nothing of it."

"No, I am thinking a lot about it. That carbon freeze," Han shuddered slightly, "it's the closest thing to dead there is. It wasn't just sleeping, it was a big, wide awake... nothing!" Luke nodded, not bothering to shout back a reply, and besides, what exactly so you say to that?

Chewie growled affectionately at Luke, mussing up his hair with a big furry paw, making the young Jedi smile. Leia hugged him, arms around his neck, and he hugged her back just as warmly before turning to Tasha.

"Sure you don't want to come with me?" he asked. Tasha just smiled slightly at him.

"I think my past needs to stay in the past," she said, slightly sadly, "and I'd rather like to avoid a shouting at that's been almost a quarter of a century in the making." Luke chuckled slightly, before embracing the still-slightly-blonde girl.

"Thank you." She whispered into his ear, and Luke's smile grew slightly.

"I'll see you at the fleet." He said to the group as he pulled away. "Come on Artoo." Tasha walked over to Han, sitting her hand on his arm. It looked like it was for her, but he was still a little shaky on his feet, his fingers still twitching sometimes with aftershocks of the hibernation sickness. Han looked over at Lando, eyebrows raised. This was the first real time they'd spoken since Han had come out of the carbonite. And Tasha would be lying if she didn't say Lando looked a little bit terrified.

"Guess I owe you some thanks, too." Han said, going from looking scary to slightly uncomfortable, leaning slightly on Tasha. Lando just smiled.

"Figured if I left you frozen like that you'd just give me bad luck for the rest of my life, so I might as well get you unfrozen." Tasha scoffed slightly.

"He means 'you're welcome,'" said Leia, setting a hand on Lando's arm as he chuckled slightly. Tasha raised her eyebrows at her sister's actions, making a mental note to bring it up later.

"Come on, lets get off this miserable dust ball." Said Lando. The ex-Cloud-City-administrator turned, walking up the ramp, Chewie following him close behind. Leia looked at Tasha, a silent question in case she needed any help, but the older girl brushed her off with a tiny shake of her head. Han put his arm around Tasha's shoulder as they walked. She watched the fingers on his left hand tremble, could feel the uneasiness in his step now the adrenalin from their near execution and the fight that followed had left his system.