Fame and Fortune

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Luke and Mara accompanied Queen Leia and her mother-in-law back to the Palace in their Royal hover-limo. Leia had also invited Lando to ride with them, which seemed to put Queen Filamina in a dour mood, as she kept her focus out of the window and ignored her guests.

Because of the lack of privacy Luke could not explain to Leia about Han, and also to inform her that he had not known about Han's existence until a month earlier. He felt Leia was still annoyed with him, and he wished he could have a moment alone with his sister.

Lando had never cared much for uncomfortable, long silences, so he finally tried to have a conversation. "Did you enjoy the concert, everyone?"

After a brief hesitation, Leia replied, "Yes, it was amazing." Especially when she considered who it actually was. She gave a thoughtful gaze over at Lando and wondered if he knew Evin's real identity. She suspected he did not. "I loved the last song."

"When Evin told me he was going to include that particular song in his set tonight, I tried to talk him out of it," Lando informed her. "He refuses to use voicorr. You know, the program that fixes mistakes when beings sing out of tune? I was worried he wouldn't be able to hit and hold that last note, but I guess I shouldn't have been concerned."

"How long have you known Evin?" Leia questioned the Corellian.

"Only a little over three years now," he responded. "For some reason though, it feels like much longer. When I first met him I couldn't put my finger on who he reminded me of, and then one day it just occurred to me...he reminded me of Han." Lando noticed Leia's slight intake of breath, and he felt his face flush a bit. "I'm sorry, Leia. I guess I shouldn't have said that. We all still miss Han very much. It's just that Evin..." he trailed off for a moment considering his words, then continued, "he sometimes says things and does things exactly like Han would do, so much so that it's eerie. Impulsive things, like jumping off that stage and heading into the audience. I could see Han doing something like that, just to get under a person's skin," Lando gave a furtive glance over toward Queen Filamina. "If you understand where I'm coming from."

"Yes," Leia agreed, not looking at Lando but at Luke. "Evin reminded me of Han instantly."

The small group was surprised when Queen Filamina suddenly turned her gaze from the window and addressed Lando. Due to her and Leia's Royal Status, both women faced forward in the limo while the others were facing toward the back. "I would like to purchase that man from you. The singer."

Lando blinked. "Uh, what? Who?"

The older woman gave a sigh, like she was so very tired of dealing with imbeciles. "The singer. You own him, and I would like to purchase him. Would twenty million in Hapan gemstones be sufficient? Or I could supply you with New Republic credits, if you prefer something less refined."

"I don't own Evin," Lando replied, still trying to wrap his mind around this woman's offer. "I'm his agent. "

"Is not an agent considered an owner on your backwater system, Corellia is it?"

"No, it's not," Lando responded, looking rather aghast. "Evin pays me. If anything, he owns me." He looked over toward Luke and Mara. The former assassin was struggling not to laugh and Luke's eyes were wide with surprise or perhaps concern. They were not being much help, so he turned to Leia. "Queen Leia? Can you tell your mother-in-law that Corellians don't own other Corellians? And no one owns Evin Daysun, except maybe Coruscanti Labels. But that's only until his next contract negotiations come along."

"Queen Filamina -" Leia started to explain, but was interrupted.

"Then you will need to contact this Coruscanti Labels being and pass my offer along to him," Queen Filamina told Lando. "Is he human? Or hopefully he is a Bith? Biths are very receptive to receiving large sums of credits in exchange for something they own."