Reckless • Han Solo

2.7 Lies

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Another close encounter was the last thing Ellia wanted, but that's what she got. With another broken part and a run in with a Star Destroyer, she wasn't sure how Han did it, but he did. They were halfway across the galaxy, far away from any Empire ship.

"Captain Solo, this time you have gone too far," 3PO said making Chewie growl, "No I will not be quiet Chewbacca. Why doesn't anyone listen to me?"

"The fleet is beginning to break up," Han said to Chewie, "Go back and stand by the manual release for the landing claw."

"I really don't see how that is going to help," 3PO said, "Surrender is a perfectly acceptable alternative in extreme circumstances. The Empire may be gracious enough...."

Ellia reached over and turned C-3PO off in mid-sentence. "Thank you," Han said to her.

"What did you have in mind for your next move?" Ellia asked.

"Well, if they follow standard Imperial procedure, they'll dump their garbage before they go to light-sped, then we just float away," Han said.

"With the rest of the garbage. Then what?" Ellia asked.

"Then we've got to find a safe port somewhere around here," Han told her, "Got and ideas?"

"Nowhere are we?" Ellia asked him.

"The Anoat system," Han told her.

"Anoat system. There's not much here," Leia muttered.

"No. Well, wait," Han said pointing at his computer screen on the control panel, "This is interesting. Lando."

"Lando system?" Leia asked with raised eyebrows.

"Lando's not a system, he's a man. Lando Calrissian," Han told the two girls, "He's a card player, gambler, scoundrel. You'd like him," Han said smirking at Ellia.

She rolled her eyes at him, "Thanks."

"Bespin," Han told them, "It's pretty far, but I think we can make it."

"A mining colony?" Leia asked reading from the screen.

"Yeah, a Tibanna gas mine. Lando conned somebody out of it," Han informed her, "We go back a long way, Lando and me."

"I guess I better be getting something together than," Leia said to Ellia before leaving the cockpit.

"Can you trust him?" Ellia asked him.

"No," Han told her truthfully, "But he has no love for the Empire, I can tell you that."

Chewbacca's bark was heard through the intercom making Han change his readouts and stretched out to look out of the cockpit window.

"Here we go Chewie," Han said into the intercom, "Stand by. Detach!"

Han leaned back into his chair giving Ellia a small smile. A grin crept on her face before she leaned over and pecked his lips. "You do have your moments. Not many, but you have them."