War {3}

Chapter 30

"Leena, hand me that wrench will you?"

"Sure."

"Thanks." Han grabbed the wrench from Leena's hand and tightened a bolt that had a nasty habit of coming loose. "What're you doing down there?"

Leena's little horns popped up just enough for Han to see them. "Trying to see why the hyperdrive on this thing's so awful. You've made way too many modifications."

"Now wait a minute-!" Han's outcry was silenced by his comm beeping, and Leena now popped her entire head out above the floor to see him take the call questioningly.

"Solo."

"General Solo, it's Dender. I request your presence up in the briefing room immediately. Bring Commander Tano as well."

"Got it." Han and Leena exchanged a glance before wordlessly removing themselves from the entanglements they'd gotten into from having working on the Falcon for so long, and Leena followed Han curiously as he exited the ship and made for the briefing room.

She jogged next to him, frowning. "What do you think this is about?"

"Guess we'll find out when we get there." Han shrugged nonchalantly, and Leena stayed quiet in response until they'd reached the door.

The door to the briefing room slid open quickly, revealing a relatively small room with vertical glass maps showcasing nearby star systems. Dender stood in front of one of them with a worried frown on his face, but as soon as the two walked in his face cleared and he nodded in greeting at them.

"General. Commander." He greeted the two, and Leena couldn't help but think that Dender's tone held a hint of disdain for both of them. She knew he didn't appreciate Han's carefree attitude and snarky remarks without Leia present to balance him out, and as for Leena's attitude she couldn't think of any reason he didn't like her.

Maybe he was just grumpy today.

"I have a mission for the both of you, to keep you occupied and busy while also being useful." Dender informed them, pulling up a map of Shili. Leena recognized the planet immediately due to their proximity to it, and she was able to see it from the window in her quarters.

Leena listened intently to the general's explanation. "You two will travel down the surface of the planet, and see if the natives would be willing to house some of our supplies and perhaps aid in fighting if necessary. Due to our recent catastrophic losses, we are in dire need of new, neutral systems to give aid if not help fight for the cause. Their sister planet Kiros was eventually an ally after the slaver crisis; perhaps we can rekindle that relationship."

"Why us?" Han inquired, sounding rather bored at the notion. Leena had to admit that she didn't really like playing the role of ambassador either, but unlike Han she would probably be treated fairly by the natives due to her heritage and fluidity in Togruti.

"Commander Tano will be the translator and negotiator while you, General Solo, will act as the ambassador and peacemaker." Dender explained, albeit hesitantly. Leena could see that the general didn't have faith in either of them completing the task very well due to their violent tendencies, and based on Han's scowl he noticed as well.

Dender closed the holomap with a definite snap, signaling that the briefing was over. "Any questions?"

"Why do I even need to go if Leena will do most of the heavy lifting anyways?" Han gestured to the younger girl, who looked a bit taken aback by Han's trust in her. "She's already a member of their species; they'd be better listening to her than from me. Besides, she can already speak the language, right?"