Chapter Text
The high of destroying the Death Star was long gone a year into their stay on Hoth. Luke was definitely losing some of the spring in his step as he reported to get another debriefing. He joined Leia and Han in the back of the room.
“What did I miss?”
“Nothing much. Mom’s just going over base protocol again with the doors and all. No one's been shut out yet, and I think she’s trying to keep it that way. Plus, they’re scouting out new bases now just in case the empire finds us.”
“Have we found any?”
“Nothing yet.”
Then alarms started blaring through the base, as an officer came to whisper something into her mom’s ear.
“Change of plans. Pilots, please report to your squadrons. Bail, Mon please stay.”
“I’ll see you out there.” Luke ran off to his squadron.
“Ready to go to your worship?”
Leia bit back a smile as she responded. “I told you to stop calling me that. And yes, I am. Is the falcon ready?”
“Hyperdrive is still touch and go but it should be fine.”
The ensuing battle was one of the deadlier the rebellion had seen. Turns out, the empire found the rebellion. They had managed to evacuate the base just in time, with Ashoka aboard the falcon too. The hyperdrive was going merrily along when it broke down in deep space.
“What the hell?”
“Han what happened?”
She was sitting with him and Chewie while Ahsoka meditated in the main cabin.
“I think the hyperdrive broke down again. I’ll try to fix it, but we might be stuck.”
She followed him into the main cabin while Chewie took over piloting for the time being.
“What’s wrong?” Ahsoka seemed pulled out of her meditation by their footsteps.
“The hyperdrive broke down. Again.”
“Can I look at it? Your father taught me how to fix ships during my padawanship.”
Han nodded. “Have a go. I haven’t been able to do anything.“
Ahsoka fiddled with it for about ten minutes before giving up.
“The ion exciter is completely busted. We’ll have to get a new one if we want to get anywhere with it.”
“There’s wanted posters of us everywhere. We will have to just go the long way.” Leia sighed.
-
It had been a week since Hoth. They were all suffering from some cabin fever, being trapped in the same metal tube. Leia and Han were sitting on the booth in the back of the ship, while they played space checkers.
It had been a year, and they had only built a flirty friendship. Of course, she had a crush on him, and she thought he liked her. But there was always some new mission or her father found a way to interrupt.
“Ha! I won again.”
Han pretended to be put out by this.
“What’s that make it, 77 to four?”
“Quite a miserable ratio.” She joked.
“Okay princess.” He smirked at her. They were sitting quite close on the sofa, their knees touching with his arm slung around the back of the sofa.
She smiled at the comment. “I don’t even know if I’m still a princess.” She leaned forward and rested her head on the palm of her hand. “I think my mother’s family is part of some nobility on Naboo though.”
“I don’t think I have any family left. My father’s long gone, and my mother is dead.”
He said this so lightly Leia was taken a little off guard. She opened her mouth to say something before he continued.
“I’m fine, really. It was a long time ago”
“Han, I think that’s worse.”
“Eh. I have Chewie. I met him as soon as I broke out of that flight school on Corellia.”
“And you have me too now, you know? As she said this she looked up, into his eyes. She was now fully aware of how close they were on the sofa.
“Yeah…” He was looking at her too, and they both started leaning into each other, finally,
“Leia!” Ahsoka called from the cockpit.
She swore under her breath as she dropped into the back of the couch.
“Yeah?“ she turned her head to see her walking in.
“Are you ready for training?”
She sighed as she got up from the couch.
“Sure.”
The next five hours consisted of a series of burpees, handsprings, sit ups, and sparring. Leia had taken off the snow suit she’d worn on Hoth and was down to a long sleeve lavender romper with metal arm bands and a silver belt holster for her lightsabers. The white snow boots were abandoned in the corner, after the third round of burpees she’d given up. Leia was pretty sure she had a pair on board somewhere that was better suited to everyday climates.
Han was still on the sofa, but had passed out with his holopad on his face. Once training was over for the day, Leia checked the navigator to find they were only a third of the way to the new base. She say back in the cockpit and muttered to herself.
“This is going to be a long trip.”