Title: A New Beginning (1/?) Author: Jessica Barber Author Email: mara_jade101@hotmail.com Category: Series (New Republic) Keywords: None Rating: PG-13 Summary: See prologue Disclaimer: See prologue Chapter One I know that I shall meet my fate somewhere among the clouds above. -- Unknown --An Irish Airman Foresees His Death "It's a long, lonely ride, Princess." Han said affectionately. Leia kissed Han goodbye. "I'll miss you while you're gone, too." Han smiled lopsidedly at his wife. Her brown hair was down, reaching past her waist. Her eyes sparkled -- that was new, it had been so long since she had been this bright. She needed this break. She wore a light gray flight suit; she was ready to board her own personal ship, the Alderaan. "I know. Have fun on Yavin Four." "Sure you don't want to bring the children along?" Leia asked, jokingly. "To Tatooine? Are you kidding?" Han and Leia stood in front of the _Millennium Falcon_. Chewbacca was waiting inside the cockpit, ready to fly the Corellian ship off of Coruscant. Han could not wait to leave, yet he did not want to leave his wife behind. Han had been planning on a break for a while, but when he had finally been given the chance, the best idea he could come up with was to visit Tatooine. A few of his old smuggler friends were probably still hanging out in the cantinas, perhaps they could stir up some trouble. (a/n: I know, I know, Han would never want to go to Tatooine, but hey, my fanfic right?) Leia on the other hand was going to the Jedi Academy on Yavin Four to visit her brother. Surprisingly she was given a break from her new duties as Chief of State, Han had sworn it was either a miracle, or Leia had screwed up everyone's mind on the Inner Council with the Force. Leia had only laughed at him. (a/n: I know, I know, that kind of thing would never happen . . .) "You be careful, Princess." Han said, smiling into his wife's brown eyes. She was so beautiful. "Make sure Threepio is capable of taking care of the kids." Leia smiled. "He will, with the help of Winter, of course. The kids would probably end up tearing all of Threepio's circuits out before tomorrow morning if Winter weren't there." "You're right about that." Han looked up the ramp of the Falcon as he heard Chewbacca bellow from the cockpit. "Okay, okay. I hear you Chewie!" He yelled up the ramp. "See you later, Sweetheart. Tell Luke I said hi." "Sure thing, Han." Leia kissed him one last, quick time. Han strode up the ramp, looking back only once. Looking back too late; Leia was gone. Han frowned, but continued on to the cockpit. Chewbacca sat waiting impatiently in the copilot's seat. Han slipped into the pilot's seat. The ready lights were lit up. Han re-checked everything, being scolded in the process from Chewbacca who had gone over everything while waiting on Han. After Chewbacca's brief lecture of why he wasn't appreciated as much as he had been, Han lifted the Falcon off the landing pad of the Imperial Palace. Chewbacca growled and then grumbled something under his breath. Han smirked at the brown haired Wookie. "So what if I've turned into a softie? I love my wife." Chewbacca growled again, this time it was shorter and he did not mumble. "There's nothing wrong with long goodbyes. Sorry I kept you waiting." Chewbacca grunted. "Yeah. I agree. Finally we're away from Coruscant. Finally Leia's away, too." Chewbacca grumbled. "I may be a softie, but I'm not an old softie." * * * It was mid-day and as hot as ever. Squat, sun-bleached structures lined the streets of Mos Eisley: a place that offered no grand welcome to the visitors and natives who milled around in the open, dirt roads. Making his way through the crowded streets of Mos Eisley, Micht pushed his way past an odd collection of aliens. The large, red twin suns of Tatooine lay overhead, fanning heat throughout the entire city. Heat waves, almost like water, visible in their intensity, taunted Micht, making him thirsty. Micht pushed his brown, sweat-soaked hair out of his handsome face and continued on to the Star Sung Cantina where he was to meet up with Serena. Micht hated Tatooine, but he loved being around the scum that existed in it. Mos Eisley was like a heaven to him. In Mos Eisley questions were rarely asked; identification seldom needed, for illegal trade was the economy of the city. If only it could be cooler. Micht was from Naybetr, a planet with three small continents, ninety-five percent of it being one large ocean. Micht had grown up on Brine, the smallest of the three continents. He had grown up surrounded by water. He had grown up loving water; at night he dreamed of the cool, ocean winds, and the white surf. Now he was on one of the, if not the most, driest planets in the galaxy. 'I go from heaven to hell,' Micht thought dryly. Ahead of him, Micht saw the Star Sung Cantina. It was a plain, single-leveled, squared, sun-bleached abode. Nothing of any importance, it was just where he had told Serena to meet him. Outside the doorway that led into the Cantina stood a young woman . . . teenager. She was kicking up clouds of dirt from off the street with the toe of her boot like she had nothing better to do with her life. Micht recognized her immediately as Serena. He wondered why she was not inside the place like they had agreed. Now angry, he was easily angered, of course, he could never stay angry for long, Micht stomped up to Serena. "I told you to meet me inside! Do you know how many spies there are out here?" Serena stared at Micht with indifference. She sighed, "If you keep yelling, of course there will be spies everywhere." She spoke neutrally. The girl's response annoyed Micht. "Just go inside," he ground out. Serena shook her head. "No, I have a certain . . . problem . . . with the place. I don't like it. We'll walk. Sorry I didn't mention this problem earlier." Micht stared at the girl in disbelief, but allowed himself to follow her away from the Star Sung Cantina and into a crowd of short Jawas. Micht pushed and kicked them away like dogs. They twittered and threw their thin fingers at him, gesticulating wildly. Micht just _knew_ that they were yelling out a stream of curses. Micht and Serena walked in silence until they were away from the twittering Jawas and no one of any suspicion seemed to be following them. "I have the money, but do you have the spice?" Serena, in the shadow of an overhanging balcony of one of the nicer buildings, narrowed her eyes. "Yes, all of what you wanted." "Give it to me." Micht held out his hand, Serena laughed coldly. Spice was the name of a genre of different kinds of drugs. The kind Micht was buying from Serena was a mix of two of the best. At least, these had the best effect on him. Most of the mix was made up of glitterstim spice, which was mined in tunnels underground on the planet Kessel. It was usually legal and taxed, but in Micht's case it was illegal for it was not taxed and he was using it as a drug for himself and not for its usual purpose. Spice was mostly used for psychological therapy, entertainment, and a number of other things. This giltterstim spice, though, was a mood-altering spice, which when taken gave one feelings of elation. The other, smaller part of the mix was ryll. Ryll was mined on the planet Ryloth, the home planet of the Twi'leks. It was a weaker form of spice, much more addictive, though, and could be taken the illegal way, as a drug. Not a drug for medication, but as a drug to get the same kind of pleasure Micht received from taking mood-altering spice. Micht knew that ryll was addictive, but he did not care. It was dangerous to his health, but he really did not care about that either. "Why?" Serena asked, trying to put on a mask of innocence. "I need it." Micht knew that if Serena were the type that showed expressions, she would have looked at him with a sly smile, instead she showed no emotion on her face, but her eyes told all. "For what, Micht? I think I should know, or I'll double the price. After all, I did risk my life getting this for you. And, the only reason I got it was because we're such great friends." "I like it. Okay?" Micht opened his palm wider and slightly shook his arm and hand, trying to hurry her up. "Can I have it now?" Serena pulled out a small black bag from her pocket. "It's not for any of your clientele?" Micht shook his head. "No, it's for me. Can I have it?" "I see, now, remind me. How much money did you say you'd be paying me?" Micht pulled out a similar bag from the pocket of his gray jacket. "Four-hundred and fifty credits." Micht tried to take the bag of spice from her, but Serena pulled her arm back. "I want to count it." "But . . . it's four hundred and fifty. Do you really think I would fleece you?" "If it is the amount you say it is, then you shouldn't have any problem with my counting it," Serena explained monotonously. "Fine, but hurry. It's burning up here, I want to leave." "At least you haven't had to live here for four years, Micht." Serena said as she put the spice back in her pocket and took the money from Micht. Serena squatted down under the shadowed overhang and poured out the credits, her back to the public. Hunkering down beside her, Micht watched as she quickly counted the credits. "Hey, Sere. Why stay here, huh?" "I know my people, my contacts." Serena said, half her mind on counting the credits, the other half on Micht. "Well, just come to Coruscant with me, babe. I'm planning to start my own smuggling operations. Bye-bye big guys like Talon Karrde. Micht is comin' through!" Serena managed an infinitesimal smile. "No way, Micht." "Hey, we're friends." Serena shook her head, "Yeah, that's why I won't go with ya. I also need as much money as I can scrounge around here and find. As long as I meet people like you my stack of credits will get larger." "You in debt, Sere?" Micht asked. "Yeah," There was a brief, uncomfortable, pause, "a little." "With whom? Look, I know most people and I could hide you from 'em." "From Sapht?" Serena asked, finally bringing her full attention to Micht by lifting her face up to him, one eyebrow arched over a gray-green eye. Micht's brown eyes widened and he kept himself from studying her tanned, angular face. "You got mixed up with Sapht? I can't hide you from him. Sorry, babe. I would if I could . . . but this man kept himself from getting killed by Boba Fett, he's real dangerous, Sere." Serena moved her face back down to the golden brown sand where the credits lay, a few strands of hair fell into her face and she pushed them behind her ear. "I know." "You close to getting the money he needs?" "No," Serena said as she poured the credits back into the black sack. "Ten credits short, Micht." Serena and Micht both stood up. Micht blushed, "That was an accident, I promise." He pulled fourteen credits from a pocket located on the side of his dark pants, drew ten out of the small pile, and threw the coins to Serena. Serena caught them and put them in the black sack. She then pulled out the bag of spice again and threw it to Micht. Micht caught it with both hands. "You be careful, Micht. Don't let anyone catch you with this. You're too young," Serena's voice took on a glimmer of amused sarcasm, "and handsome, to be buried in a rotting jail cell." "Yeah, wouldn't want a handsome twenty-two-year-old like me to go and get in trouble . . .Hey, as soon as you pay off Sapht, come find me on Coruscant, okay? We can get together for a drink or something." Serena rolled her eyes and stepped out from under the overhang and into the bright light of the twin suns. Micht followed her. "Look, Micht, you be careful with that stuff. Every time I see you, you want more and more of it to be made of ryll, and you know how dangerous ryll can be. I don't like your messing around with that kind of thing. Please be careful, huh?" Serena's face showed no expression, but Micht knew she really did care about him; she had to care about him, he was her only friend. "Don't worry about me, Serena. But, I'm serious. Promise me you'll come to Coruscant and look me up? I'm going to be there a couple of months doing some business. Hey, if I get going real good and have a booming smuggling operation, you can join up with me and become a smuggler." Serena's eyes widened with a little bit of interest at the idea of being a smuggler. "Sure. Sure, I promise. Being a smuggler might be fun. But, if I don't show up, and some day we accidently meet up, here probably, don't get all mad and kill me, okay?" Micht smiled, "All right. I'll be careful; you just be sure to pay off Sapht. You be careful. Bye then," Micht said casually, a little too casually. He knew he'd miss her and he should have hugged the girl or something. He stepped away from Serena and into the crowded streets of Mos Eisley. He'd been doing business with Serena for the past year, and she was the first person he had found that had not tried to cheat him in any way. She was a truthful and trustworthy contact, but he felt sorry for the girl. She was a beautiful eighteen-year-old stuck on a rotten desert world without anywhere to go, and unwilling to go anywhere with him. He did not understand why she would not want to come with him to Coruscant even if Sapht did follow her. She could probably make more money on Coruscant anyway. Maybe, no matter what she said about hating the place, something was binding her here. Who knew. Micht turned back around and saw Serena where he had left her. Now, though, her back was to the wall and she was once again kicking up a cloud of dirt. Somehow, he knew he'd see her again. 'It might be a long while, but we'll run into each other at some point,' he thought to himself as a reptilian dewback covered Serena from view. * * * Serena walked through the shadow filled streets of Tatooine. A hot wind blew, buffeting her hair away from her white tank top and over her shoulders. Serena shivered slightly, though nothing showed on her face. A few locks of light brown hair fanned around her face as the wind suddenly changed course and swirled like a tornado around her. Serena looked up at the sky for a moment; you could not risk but a moment on the streets of Mos Eisley. Mos Eisley was the worst place you could possibly find yourself on Tatooine. However, for Serena, Mos Eisley was the best city to be in. It had the most scoundrels and the richest beings who longed for things like spice or other exotic products in all of Tatooine. Serena loathed Tatooine, it was as simple as that, and as soon as she could she would be off this sizzled brown rock for good. The heat was close to unbearable, even though over the past few months she had slowly gotten used to it. The main reason Serena hated this place was that no one here even understood what being humane was, so Serena had been living the life of a street walker, roamer, wanderer, nomad . . . the list went on and on. She tried her best to earn money, but it sometimes seemed as if this way of life were a waste of time. So, she stole food when she was hungry, clothing when she needed to be clothed, and money when she needed money, of course, going around stealing only gave her pittance. Serena, unlike what she had told Micht, did not have contacts. She had one contact, the owner of an unpopular cantina. But, the owner knew how to get spice, and a few people like Micht needed spice. The owner of the cantina only asked for ten percent of what she made, that was not bad at all. But, she still did not make enough money from that, for she did not know enough people or beings like Micht. Serena usually--it was easier than selling spice anyway--stole money from aliens or humans that were not from Mos Eiseley, pick pocketing them, or holding them up with her blaster. Today, though, there were very few out-of-towners, and if there were any, they were poor and helpless like herself. Except, she corrected herself, she was not helpless. She had been on Tatooine for four years, and in little more than one she had learned the tricks of surviving in Mos Eisley, or anywhere for that matter. She had drilled these rules into her mind, gone over them every morning when she woke up --usually in a dump building or her ship --and every night before she went to sleep. They were simple now that she had memorized them: Trust no one. Steal only when you need something. Stay away from the cantinas. Make people think you're married. Trust no one. Let no one follow you and get away with it. Killing in Mos Eisley was like eating lunch on Coruscant. Trust no one. Do not go out when it is dark or you will die. Lie to everyone, Micht was the one exception. Trust no one. The last twin sun was just beginning to set, and pink, purple, and green colors streaked across the ever-darkening sky. The sun's orange rays spread over Serena's bare and tanned shoulders, tanned from wandering the crowded streets everyday for the past year. The notable muscles on her arms and legs had once been covered by pale skin, now they were covered in a tan shimmer. Serena wore a pair of loose fitting, dark blue pants with the Corellian Bloodstripe on them. She had stolen them a long time ago from a Corellian bounty hunter, who had stupidly left her guarding his ship for a small price. Wide eyes and naivete were the easiest ways to trick grown men. Her pants were tucked into tight fitting black boots, which came up to the bottom of her knees. Tucked into her right boot was a small blaster pistol and dagger. Encircling her hips was a thick leather belt that held her blaster and vibroblade. Serena had tied the black leather belt as tightly as she could, but it did not help, in fact, even though it was tied tightly on her right side it sloped down to the top part of her thigh. Serena had thick honey-brown hair that billowed down to about three inches below her shoulders. She had dark gray- green eyes that always made her look as if she were day dreaming. She had perfectly shaped, full lips and a beautiful smile, though she rarely ever smiled or showed any feelings on her face. Serena reached the docking bays just as the last rays of the setting sun spread their dim light over Tatooine. Mos Eisley began to light up: small lights, timidly lit, adorned very few buildings which made it hard for Serena to see where she was going. Her eyes were not as used to the dark as other's were; being human, her eyes were not made to be able to see through black darkness. Thus, she rarely came out at night. Besides, nighttime on Tatooine meant trouble for someone who did not know their way around. Even though Serena knew every part of Mos Eisley, it was still a very dangerous place for someone like herself. Serena could have agreed to leave with Micht, but something else was telling her not to. Something was telling her to stay until . . . 'Until what? Until I die? I hate it here, I hate Mos Eisley, and that's why . . . why I don't understand why I must stay . . . what is binding me to this place?' Mos Eisley was one of the worst places to find yourself in all the galaxy. Spies from the Empire filled every corner, not to mention spies from smuggling organizations and bounty hunters. The only kinds of creatures you found here were those out for themselves and their highly prized money. Someone could be your friend one day, and the next want to kill you because someone was paying them ten credits to do so. Mos Eisley was indeed the scrap heap of the universe. Serena gazed past the buildings and into the desert surrounding her. Dunes of golden brown sand stretched across the dry, barren land bordering Mos Eisley. As the sky swallowed up the sun, the sand seemed to change from a golden brown color to a chilling white. The once searing breeze suddenly became cold, chilling Serena to the bone. In the distance she was able to make out, against the ever darkening sky, the even darker outline of the Jundland Wastes: a chain of mountains bordering the Dune Sea. Serena licked her dry lips. There might have been a breeze blowing, but it was still as arid as could be. Serena turned a corner, entering the docking bays, and lost her view of the empty desert. The desert _was_ usually empty, except for the Jawas and an occasional Sand Person. Most living things stayed in Mos Eisley or Anchorhead. The only humans whom Serena knew lived in the desert were the ones who owned moisture farms such as the one that the great Luke Skywalker's uncle and aunt had owned. Serena overrode a code on one of the large metal doors and watched as the door slowly opened. She looked inside, but all that was there was another heap of junk. She let the door close and moved on to the next. She poked her head inside, but the bay was empty. The stars had begun to come out, and Serena was in a hurry; she needed to find a place soon before some male alien or human found her interesting. Making as little noise as possible, Serena walked on until she reached docking bay seventeen. She overrode the system and watched the door open. There was a sorta-ship-looking thing in it, and, she decided, it would probably be her best shot. She took a deep breath, and walked up to the ship, examining it. Personally, to her, it was another heap of junk. Yet, you could not read a book by it's cover, and maybe this ship was a really good one. From what Serena had heard about the hero Han Solo's ship, it was a hunk of junk, but it was a highly modified hunk of junk that had outrun Imperial ships more than enough. Serena looked for the opening to the ship, and when she had found it, she began to override the lock and password. Something good had to be in this ship. She needed something, anything, to pay off her debts. It was either this or sell her ship, and she would never sell the _Corellian Sunrise_. "Oh! Come on you stupid piece of junk! Open up! Why isn't this work-" Serena stopped in mid-sentence, sensing danger, and then she heard the familiar sound of a blaster being pulled out of a holster. Before she could turn around, the blaster was put against her back. Serena froze in place, trying to swallow the lump that was forming in her throat. "Okay, sweetheart. Put your hands up, and turn around . . . slowly," a brusque male voice said. Serena could feel the man's hot breath travel down her back. Her stomach twisted into a knot. She was dead, no telling what this man would do to her. A young girl all alone . . . Micht had told her to be careful . . . He jabbed the blaster into her back harder, "Now," he said harshly. Serena turned around slowly, and put her hands up in the air. The man was probably in his late thirties, maybe older. He had brown eyes and wispy brown hair. He wore a long- sleeved white shirt, covered by a dark, unzipped, aged vest. His worn-out pants bore the Corellian Bloodstripe in yellow. The man was tall, and rather handsome, uncannily familiar. Serena lifted back her head to look at him in the eyes. The blaster, leveled at her stomach, was moved up to her chest. She begun her much practiced speech. She was prepared for times like this one. This was not the first time she had been caught in the act of robbing a ship. "Look, I was just passing through when -" He interrupted her, "When you saw the docking bay door, overrode the code, saw my ship, tried to get into it . . . because?" "Because, I saw your ship and thought that this might be a smuggler's ship, looks like Han Solo's. I was going to wait till you came back." Serena said quickly, remembering her conversation with Micht earlier that day. "In my ship?" She frowned, "No." "Why would you want to be a smuggler anyway?" "I wanna job." 'Anyway,' Serena continued silently, 'it does sound rather fun. A lot better than what I'm doing now.' "Have your parents get you a job; you look too young for smuggling. How old are you?" "I'm eighteen, and very good with my blaster." Serena backed up half a step and looked up at him darkly, "I'm very dangerous, so don't even try to touch me." "Look, kid, I'm not that kind of person, and you are just a kid. So, like I said, have your parent get you a job." "I would, but they're sorta dead." The man paused, "Oh. Well," another pause, "sorry kid." He paused again, "Well, I was a smuggler once, but not anymore. I got nothing to offer you, but-" The man loosened his grip on the blaster, Serena knocked it out of his hand quickly, and dashed past the man. She looked back for a moment, saw the man pick up his blaster, saw something large come out from the other side of the ship. Serena turned back around and ran as fast as she could to the docking bay doors. "Hey! Kid! Stop!" When Serena halted to open the door, a big, hairy arm grabbed her and held her up in the air. Serena bent her knees up to her chest and grabbed the dagger out of her boots. She took it in her right hand and stabbed the hairy thing in the arm. It cried, roaring in pain. The tall, brown haired beast dropped her forcefully. Serena scrambled up and opened the small door. She ran out of the docking bay and past the other doors which she had entered earlier. The man, running hard and faster than Serena, caught up to her quickly and grabbed her around the waist with his free hand, his other hand holding his blaster. He pulled her back to him. Serena quickly lost her balance and stumbled backwards, pushing the man onto the ground. The man's grip was tight around Serena's waist and she fell on top of him. The blaster rammed painfully into her back and went off. All of sudden Serena could feel nothing but a dull throbbing pain throughout her entire body. She could not move, could not even open her eyes. She could just picture the blood gushing out of her back. It made her sick, well, she at least knew that if she could even feel her stomach she would be sick. All feelings were gone; she could not understand why she was numb but for the pain. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before, but then, she had never been shot before, either. Unconsciousness enveloped Serena. * * * Serena woke up. She slowly opened her eyes and when they had focused, she saw a big hairy beast standing over her. It was tall with brown fur and wore what seemed to be a bowcaster strapped to its back. Around its lower arm was a white bandage where Serena had stabbed it. The creature looked at her and cried out. Serena yelped and sat up. A sharp pain went up her spine; she grimaced, but stood up anyway. The same stinging pain went through her legs. Serena backed away from the animal and hit against a cot on which she had been lying. She slowly began to walk around the creature and started heading toward the opening. From the looks of her surroundings she surmised that she was in a ship, nevertheless she could not be sure. But, Serena was mostly concentrating on the tall animal before her. Then, the man from earlier rushed into the room and skidded to a halt, lightly smiling. "Oh, its just Chewie." "It's just who?" Serena asked scowling, not knowing what he was talking about. She had a painful headache. "It's just Chewbacca, my partner." "An animal is your partner?" Serena asked dryly. The man scowled this time. "He's a Wookie, not an animal." "I'm sorry, forgive me. And one more thing, what happened, where am I, and how long have I been here?" She asked coldly. "Six hours, my ship, and my blaster went off. It shot you, but luckily it was only on stun." "Luckily? My whole body feels like it's on fire, and I have a headache. That's not luck." "Would you rather be dead?" "No." She frowned up at him. "Anyway, I had better go, how do I get out of here?" Serena started walking towards the doorway when the man hesitantly stepped in front of her. "Wait, the reason that I _tried_ to stop you at first was because I know somebody that might hire you, but you have to be really good." Serena feigned calmness, folding her arms over her chest. "I am really good, but why did not you just tell me that? You did not have to chase me and then shoot me to get my attention!" The man shrugged. "Usually when someone starts running from you, your instincts tell you to run after them. You could have stolen something. I don't know. Anyway, you have a ship?" "Yeah." "Which docking bays? These?" "No, it'll take me a good time to get to where the docking bays are, they're a good hour from here, and since its night . . ." She paused. The man nodded. "Since its night, I'm not going out there. It's dangerous at night." "How about me and Chewie here accompany you? We can go with you, and you can wait for us in space, until we get there. We can give you the coordinates, and then we can go." She looked at him uneasily and said nothing. "Go where?" she asked warily after a few minutes of strained silence ticked by. "Don't worry, I'm a good guy. Trust me." The man chuckled. "Well," She paused unsure. "Well, since I always go by my feelings, and since my feelings are telling me to go, I guess the only way I can answer that is: 'Yep, sounds fine to me.'" Serena said easily, not knowing why she was even talking to this stranger. But his looks . . . he looked so familiar. "Good. Let's get going. Come on Chewie." He waved his hand and started walking, with Serena right beside him. The brown Wookie fell in step with the man. "So, what's your name, kid?" "Serena. And you can stop calling me 'kid.'" The small group walked out of the ship. The man sealed the ship up, and they left through the door. It was late at night, but the city was alive with activity. A chilled wind blew softly. For a while neither talked. It did not bother Serena because she was busy enjoying the night air. This was the first in a long time that she had walked out at night. Then she realized that she had no idea who the man was. She looked up at him; he seemed to be concentrating--his mind off in some other region of the galaxy. "Well?" "Well, what?" he asked looking down at her. "What's your name, or should you not tell me?" "I would guess it doesn't matter. I'm Han Solo, I'm surprised you haven't noticed." Serena's eyes widened for only a moment, and then her face went back to the calm uncaring facade it had always been. Realization had taken over. "You're not Han Solo." "I am too. Anyway, how would you know if I was or not?" Serena studied the older man's face. She stopped walking and stared at him. Her mouth opened and closed, not able to utter a sound. When she had been younger she had seen pictures of the famous Han Solo. She had thought he would have been older. But the man was definitely Corellian, he had a Wookie with him, and he looked like the pictures she had seen. "You are! You're Han Solo! Wow! You're Han Solo! If I had known that was your ship I would not have touched it." Han looked back at her and gave a lop-sided grin. "Yeah, I'm Han Solo." The once soft blowing wind was now picking up speed, surrounding Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Serena in sand. The wind made howling noises as it made its way through the alleyways. The aliens and other humans that were out quickly ran into buildings on either side of the street. "Looks like a sandstorm is coming up." Han said, looking away from Serena to study the empty streets. Serena nodded. "Yeah, we had better find some shelter until it blows over." The once peaceful sky was only slightly visible as the wind picked up speed, throwing up more and more sand with it. Serena, Han, and Chewbacca walked faster until they reached a building with a small sign by the door reading in basic that it was the Star Sung Cantina. Han Solo and Chewbacca slowed, thankful that they had reached a building when Serena grabbed Solo's arm and pulled him back. "We're going in there?" asked Serena, worriedly, even though she let her face show no fear. She had heard of this place; she had been in this place. It wasn't as bad as other cantinas, but she had only been in a cantina once, and this was the one. She had gotten herself into big trouble. Ever since then Serena had decided never to go back. Yet, here she was with the great Han Solo, outside the Star Sung Cantina once again. "Don't tell me you're afraid," he said. "Well." Serena looked at the open doorway where thin cascades of light filtered through the sand-filled night. This was where she had first met Sapht and his gang. What if he or any of his men just happened to be here? They would certainly recognize her. Then she would be dead. "Let's go, unless you want to stay out here and wait for the storm," Han Solo spoke, not waiting for an answer. Serena gave up and walked through the entrance with Han and Chewbacca. The Cantina was barely lighted, and with all the smoke the light was even dimmer. It was hot, and it smelled like sweat. The cantina was full of aliens Serena knew about and aliens that Serena did not want to know about. There were tables of creatures playing sabacc and other card games. Han walked up to the bar and received the bartender's attention quickly. Serena looked carefully around. As far as she could tell, there were no men who worked for Sapht, but that did not mean that they were not here. Since the place was so crowded they could be hanging out in any of the darkened corners of the room. It had seemed to Serena, a long time ago, that Sapht was continuously hiring people, which meant that anyone of Sapht's thugs could recognize her and she would not espy him. "Corellian whiskey, two." Serena heard Han say. The bartender nodded and turned his back to Han and Serena. When the bartender handed the drinks over, Han asked him if there were any private room available. The older man nodded to a back door. Han took up his and Serena's drinks, and, upon reaching the back of the cantina, he opened a door facing a poorly furnished room. Before entering the room Serena stopped Han by putting her hand on his shoulder. "Where's your Wookie friend, Chewbacca?" Han nodded to a table. Sitting at it were a male and female human, a Rodian, and a Wookie, which Serena recognized as Chewbacca. "He's in a game of sabacc already. I think he's losing." Han answered, after the Wookie roared what seemed to be an expression of anger. Serena began to smile, but stopped. "That's a shame," she said without any feeling in her voice. Han and Serena walked through a small door, into a melancholy room that was very different from the rest of the Cantina. It was dimly lit, but there was no smoke in the gloomy air, though a slight hint of spice hung in the air. There were four tables in the room. The room was a dark olive green, and the tables were made of dark brown wood. A single, pale, yellow light hung over each wooden table casting phantoms in the corners of the room. There were also six large, gray stone columns squared off at the edges, connecting the ceiling and the floor. Four were near the corners of the room, and the other two were in between the corners, abutting the wall as if they were a part of it. At the far end of the room, next to the back wall, was a group of four female Gotals whose gray and black furs were slowly falling to the floor. They nervously looked at Serena and Han, then out the window located at the far end of the room. Maybe they sensed something wrong. Whatever it was, Serena ignored it. Han and Serena sat at the table in the center of the room. "So, kid . . . I mean, Serena, what's your last name?" Serena stared at her drink for a moment before answering. "Well, it's, it's . . . Maldrin. Serena Maldrin." "Then you're not from Tatooine." Han eyed the girl; she looked as if she were about to kick herself. "Um, no, I'm Corellian . . . yeah, Corellian. That's it. That's why my ship is called the _Corellian Sunrise_." "How did your parents die then?" Han asked, getting the sense that she was lying to him. He was not surprised. "Uh, I don't exactly know. One day they were there and the next they were gone." (author's/note: ha ha ha funny, what better excuse than a poor one?) Han frowned and decided to leave the subject alone. With drink in hand, Han watched Serena. She had not touched her drink, and she seemed to be thinking of something. Han left her alone, and began to wonder what he was doing, bringing this girl with him. He did not even know who she really was. "Whom do you know who will give me a job?" Serena asked all of sudden. Han brought himself out of his thoughts and looked at her. "Ever heard of Talon Karrde?" "Heard of him? I practically know everything about him. I can't believe it. I knew about the Smugglers Alliance, and your helping to bring it around, though by now it's probably worth nothing, but I didn't know that you knew him personally. I don't know, though I would have to be very good for him to hire me." Serena spoke dryly, but there was a hint of hope in her voice. Han could not shake the feeling, though, that the hopeful tone had been forced with great effort. "He'll hire you if he thinks your smart enough, quick enough, and tough enough." "Well, all I can say is that I hope I am everything he wants. So, are we going to Coruscant to find him?" "I'll have to contact him from Coruscant. We'll wait for him there. But before we do, I have to make a quick stop on Yavin Four." "Yavin Four?" Serena asked suspiciously. "Yeah, my wife is there, she wanted me to stop by for a day or so." "But, your wife is Chief of State, what is she doing at the Jedi Academy? --that is the Jedi Academy, right?" "It is. She's taking a break--a very short break of course--maybe three days. I'm not sure. Anyway kid . . . Serena, I have no idea how she was able to take off. I'm not that great in politics and stuff like that." There was a brief silence, and then, "So," Serena spoke casually, "do you want to know anything about me? Or do you always go around picking up girls and taking them to Coruscant no matter who or what they are?" Han looked at Serena half-surprised. "I'm ignoring your last comment, but some background information would be nice." Serena smirked. "Ever since my parents died when I was . . . fourteen . . .I'm eighteen now and I've pretty much been on my own. I've done odd jobs here and there, and this is my first time to leave Tatooine." Han watched as Serena looked over to her right at a window. She looked out of it as if she were watching something bad. Of course, all that was out there were the darkened streets filled with blowing sand. Maybe she sensed something bad, but whatever it was, he was not concerned. Han watched her until she shook her head as if trying to erase a bad dream for good. Serena started speaking again. "Well, I've been earning and stealing money so I could leave Tatooine. I wanted to start my own life. I had about two more years to wait till I had enough money, but I guess not anymore." Han was silent for a long time. He was too busy trying to figure out which parts of the girl's short story were true and which parts were not. Han studied Serena's face for a moment. She was really pretty, but what bothered him was that she never let anything show on her face. True, he had seen her smirk and frown, but that was about it. What was wrong with this girl? Was she made of stone, did she have no feelings at all? It was as if she wore a mask of nothingness. Except for her eyes. They seemed to make her look as if she were dreaming, and they also made her look young and innocent, nothing close to her real self by the way she talked, Han figured. Serena watched Han's eyes trail across the dimly lit room. His eyes passed over the other empty tables in the room and surveyed the last table at the opposite end of the room where the four female Gotals sat; their language was unrecognizable. "Well," Serena broke the strained silence, "that's all of my life. It's certainly not as adventured filled as your's." Serena hated to lie to Han Solo, she liked the older man. "No, it's not. I just thought that there would be more to it than that." 'Like how you became so good at flying, shooting, and using vibroblades. If you even are any good, that's not something you're born with, you have to learn it from somewhere.' "I guess the only interesting thing that ever happened to me was . . . there was this girl. I'd say she was Handerin, 'cause of those big blue eyes. She was also beautiful, which pretty much gave it away. I would have to say that she was either my age or younger. Anyway, we always seemed to run into each other at odd times on Tatooine. I wish that we could have gotten to know each other, but I haven't seen her for at least three months. "But, the last time I saw her, she did the strangest thing: I was about to get my head blown off by some kind of alien because I had tried to steal some money from him. That Handerin girl appeared and all of a sudden pulled the blaster out of his hands. It must have been some kind of mental power because she wasn't even near him. She lost control of it, and the alien got it back; but I was long gone by the time he turned around." "Sounds like the Force." Han mumbled. "Really?" she asked unemotionally. Han shrugged. "I don't know. Just guessing." Serena picked up her untouched drink and sipped at it. She quickly put it back down on the table. "What _is_ that?" she asked, with only a hint of revulsion edging its way into her voice. "Whiskey." Han smiled to himself. Something was bothering him: what would Luke and Leia think of his bringing a girl, no a teenager, with him from Tatooine? Most importantly, what would he say when asked how they had met? "Oh, she was trying to get into my ship to steal some things when I accidentally shot her. Now we're real good friends." Han shook his head. Too late to fix anything; he should have thought about all of this earlier. Though, if he had, would the girl still be sitting here in front of him? 'Yes, she would, because I'm a very stupid man.' Han smiled again. "So, you have kids, right?" Serena asked Han as she eyed her drink with disgust. "Yeah, three. Twins, a girl and boy, and their younger brother." He smiled, remembering their small pudgy faces. Serena took her gaze off her drink and looked up at Han. She tried to smile, but her face froze and the half smile fell away. "Wow, it must be great to have kids." "Yeah, it is." Serena said nothing in return. Han looked out the window that had attracted Serena's attention only moments before. All he was able to see was the dark alleyway and swirling sand. Even if there had not been a sandstorm, it would still be dark. Few stars were ever out, but that was what most Tatooine nights consisted of, little amounts of light, even in populated cities like Mos Eisley. Han had wanted Leia to come with him to Tatooine, but she had gone to Yavin Four instead. Han did not blame her, though. She seldom saw Luke since he had started the Academy. It was a shame she had not been able to meet Serena right away, she would have at least understood things better. With their three children and all of Leia's new duties, Han was surprised that they were even able to see each other during the day. Yet, through it all Han loved Leia more than anything, and nothing in the past had been able to tear them apart: from Imperials, to other men, to war. And, Han knew that nothing in the future, especially Leia's duties, could separate them either. "So, Serena, ready to go --" "Shhh!" whispered Serena through clenched teeth. "What?" asked Han surprised, and worried. It was safe to say that he now had a bad feeling about the situation. Serena's face began to pale. "It's that feeling I get when something's about to go wro-" At that point Han heard glass shattering and falling to the ground. In that same moment blaster shots flew past Han and Serena, barely missing Han's arm. Instead, it hit one of the female Gotals in the head, killing her immediately. Han and Serena dropped down behind their chairs, Han turned the table on its side using it as a shield against the blaster bolts and sand that were flying in through the window. Han quickly pulled out his blaster and set it for kill. He began to shoot through the smoke. He heard a loud cry, and figured that he had killed one of the unknown intruders. Han's blood turned cold. The cry sounded like it had come from a stormtrooper. Why would stormtroopers be after them? Was Serena just a spy? If so, why did she practically warn him of their presence? It had to be stormtroopers; there was no one else that would be stupid enough or brave enough to attack two people during a sandstorm from the outside. "It's him, I know it. I told him that I would pay him back." Serena whispered to herself. 'I should not have even asked to borrow the money in the first place. Now Sapht is gonna kill me because I haven't paid him back.' Serena grabbed for her blaster. She pulled it out of the holster strapped to her thigh. She got on her knees and put her blaster over the table. She then joined in the firefight between Han and the mysterious stalkers that were trying to kill them. Han edged closer to the end of the table to give Serena more protection. Every now and then he would either reach over the table or to the side of the table and shoot to where he mentally placed the window. He had not killed many stormtroopers, and Serena had killed even fewer, but she was keeping cool and controlled. That was good. Serena reached her hand over the table and pulled the trigger twice. No scream of pain came out from anyone, her shots had been wasted on the walls. She and Han had no fair chance, anyway. The window was only five feet high and four feet wide. Any male man would have a hard time getting through there unless he ducked down. Of course, two of them could be at the window on their knees shooting. Serena aimed the blaster at a lower point and pulled the trigger twice again. That time she heard a scream of pain. She had been right, they were not standing, they were on their knees at the bottom of the window. Serena glanced over to look at Han, but instead her eyes caught the sight of a black mark forming on their side of the wooden table. Serena nudged Han with the muzzle of her blaster, making sure her finger was off the trigger. He looked at her, and she pointed with the blaster to the black mark that was beginning to grow in size. Over the constant blaster fire, Serena heard Han swear. He turned to her and yelled, "They're shooting at that one part on the table to burn a hole through it. Don't ask me why, but I'm sure they have a good reason for it!" The black mark grew bigger, and a hole began to form. Serena took her eyes off the growing hole, and began to shoot over the table again. With her left hand, Serena grabbed one of the edges on the table to keep her balance. She heard Han yell "no!", but it was too late. The table broke apart through the center, sending Serena tumbling over to the right, and Han to the left. Serena rolled over to the wall against one of the columns. Red blaster fire surrounded her body. Serena quickly pulled up the half of the table that had broken off and used it as a shield. When she saw a black hole beginning to form on the wood Serena swore. Letting go of her half of the wooden table she scrambled as fast as she could behind the large square column that connected the ceiling and floor. Serena pressed her back hard against the stone column. She kicked the half of the wooden table away from her. Carefully looking to her side she saw Han Solo behind another column on the other side of the room. Serena copied Han's posture and stood up. Every few seconds she would throw her arm over the side of the column and shoot into the thick smoke that was beginning to fill the room, creating a smell of ozone. She heard no screams of pain, which meant she was not shooting anyone. Han was not either, and that only heightened the unpleasantness of the situation. Suddenly the shooting seized to exist. An eerie silence filed the room. Slowly easing her way out from behind the column, Serena finally spoke, "Han, I really don't think that we killed whoever was trying to get to us." "I don't think we did either," he said, "I think though, whoever it was is gone for now." He purposefully withheld his thoughts of thinking that the intruders were stormtroopers. "Where is your friend, Chewbacca? Don't you think if he heard this he would have come in?" Serena asked. Han looked around slowly and stood up. The sandstorm was over. He moved cautiously next to Serena putting his blaster back in his belt. Two of the Gotals were dead; the other two were huddled in the corner whimpering softly. He turned around to face where the shooting had come from. He had been right, it had come through the window. The glass was covering the floor along with a pile of sand, and there were a few scorch marks around the window frame. The sand had stopped blowing into the room, and the smoke was leaving through the open window. "I guess he is still in the main room," Han said speaking of Chewbacca. "Why didn't anyone come in here when they heard the blaster shots?" "I don't know. Maybe they couldn't get in." Han tried to open the door, but it was jammed. He tugged on the door with all his strength, and it finally opened. "I can't believe it," Han growled through clenched teeth, "no one even knows what just happened." Serena frowned as she walked out into the cantina. Her mouth dropped open, "Sithspawn! How?" she whispered. Han shrugged. Now Serena understood what he had meant. Chewbacca was at the bar talking to another Wookie, and everyone else was doing whatever they had been doing: playing cards, talking, or drinking. "I think, " said Serena, "that we had better go and not say anything about what just happened. It would just bring attention to us." "You're right, lets get Chewie and leave Tatooine tonight." Han caught Chewbacca's attention, and they left the Star Sung Cantina quickly. Serena hurried up to Han so she could walk by him. She said nothing, and neither did he. The three of them walked silently until they reached Serena's ship. Han looked at it carefully. It was shaped like the Millennium Falcon, but at the top, in the center, was a clear circle of glass. There were gun turrets at the bottom and top of the ship. It was very sleek and was as large as the _Millennium Falcon_. Han could easily tell that it had cost a lot of money. "Nice ship," he said. "Thanks. My father bought it for me." "Just wait for me and Chewie up in space, and we'll send you the coordinates to Yavin Four." The twin suns were just beginning to rise over Tatooine, filling the once darkened sky with splotches of pink and purple colors. Serena looked at the sunrise, surprised that so much time had passed, and then slowly nodded her head. "See you there, Solo." Serena walked into her ship without looking back. Sitting in the pilot's seat, she started up the repulsor lifts of the _Corellian Sunrise_, surprised that she still knew how to work the ship. The ship lifted up and left Tatooine, and Serena hoped with all her soul that she would never have to return. On the way back to the _Millennium Falcon_, Han tried to figure out why for any reason someone would attack him and Serena, especially stormtroopers. And then, what about this girl, Serena? Who was she, and why did she want to be a smuggler? And, furthermore, how did she know that something was wrong right before the stormtroopers attacked them? So many questions and no answers. Han thought back, she had said something about a feeling. He might be jumping to conclusions, but it sounded like the Force; maybe Serena was a candidate for Luke's Academy? Luke had told him that he was trying to find more Force sensitive people. Back in the old days there had been hundreds, if not thousands of Jedi Knights throughout the galaxy. Luke only had a little over a dozen right now. One of those was Kyp Durron. The young man had trained at Luke's Academy, turned to the dark side, and turned back. Now he would be one of the first Jedi Knights of the New Republic. There were two others that would soon become Jedi Knights, also. Those other two were Cilghal, the Mon Calamarian, and Dorsk 81 the eighty-first clone of his kind. Han did not know those two very well, but he knew Kyp so well that sometimes he even thought of the boy as his son. Of course, Kyp could never compare to Han's real sons. Han had saved young Kyp Durron from the spice mines of Kessel. He and Kyp had grown very close, depending upon one another for their own lives. Kyp had been strong in the Force, even dangerously strong. Once he had practically given himself over to the dark side. The spirit of a long dead Dark Jedi named Exar Kun had tricked Kyp into thinking he could learn more in the Force without turning to the dark side. But, from what Luke had told Han, despite Exar Kun's bidding, Kyp had not been able to succumb to the order to kill Han. Their bond had been too strong for Kun to break. After passing a test that even Luke had failed, Luke had given Kyp another chance. Han was glad for the boy, since he had been given that second chance to prove himself, Kyp would now be one of the first Jedi Knights of the New Republic. He would also be one of the strongest Jedi Knights of the New Republic, that, everyone was sure of. Han smiled to himself. He had missed and had wanted to see Kyp for some time. It would be great to see the kid again. Han's thoughts wandered back to Serena. Maybe she did not even have the Force. Perhaps she worked for the Empire. If she did, and she got information, then it would be his entire fault. The New Republic could fall because of him. Then again, maybe she was telling the truth. Maybe she was just an average girl with a little talent. But, why was he doing this for her? Luke would have told him that it was the Force leading him to these decisions. But maybe it was just plain stupidity. He just had this feeling he could trust the girl; he did not know why. Maybe he could even grow to like the kid, who knew? Right now, though, his main problem was determining who in the galaxy wanted him dead. He doubted that Serena had anything to do with this. So who was it? Could the shadowed figures at the cantina have just been after Serena? If so, then why? Chewbacca growled. "No, nothing's wrong, I'm just thinking. So much for our vacation. It just wasn't meant to be." Han said, letting all the unanswerable questions fall out of his mind. "We'll never get a rest, Chewie. Have you ever realized that?" Chewbacca grunted twice in agreement. Chapter Two. . . (a/n*Like it even a little yet? E-mail me and tell me what you think! mara_jade101@hotmail.com True, it is a bit rocky, but it will flow more and more as the chapters pass. E-mails are adored, I hope this isn't so freaky and horrible that it would ever BE MSTd, might be too long . . . anyway, flames and the like are printed out and stomped on, although constructive criticism is nice . . .^*^)