Chapter Text
Beyond the massive doors of Docking Bay 94 waited the ship that Han Solo had boasted as the fastest in the galaxy.
"That flies?" Rain stared at the battered freighter in disbelief. "I thought it was being towed."
Luke rubbed a hand over his face, exhaustion bleeding into irritation. "What a piece of junk!"
Rain moved closer to him, lowering her voice. "Are you sure he said ninety-four? Could every single one of us have misheard him?"
Han Solo was already halfway down the ramp, Chewbacca looming behind him, his grin unshakable.
"She may not look like much," he said, "but you're gonna love her once you see what she can do."
"What would that be, Mr. Solo?" Rain eyed the ship suspiciously. "Make a lot of noise, draw unnecessary attention, and somehow convince men like you that it's impressive?"
Han gave her a lazy wink. "Loud, reckless, and still standing. It's a winning strategy."
While they traded barbs, Luke drifted closer to Ben and the droids. "Do we really trust this guy?" he asked under his breath.
"We don't have much choice," Ben whispered back. "But yes, I believe he'll get us there."
Their conversation shattered under the bark of blaster commands. Luke looked up just as stormtroopers flooded the docking bay, their weapons raised.
"Stop right there!" one of them yelled.
"Chewie, get us fired up!" Han shouted, already running back to the ship. He pulled out his blaster and fired off several shots. "Everyone on board! Now!"
They sprinted up the ramp, pushing the droids ahead. Behind them, blaster fire shrieked through the air. Everyone was running except Rain, who walked at a normal pace, complaining about the indignity of rushing as she went.
A shot flew close to her head, barely missing by an inch. She stopped at the top of the ramp and turned furiously. "Careful! You nearly hit me!"
"Rain! Move!" Luke yelled wondering if she had completely lost her mind. He made a grab for her arm and pulled her inside just as the door started to close. Barely a moment later, the ramp had folded shut behind them.
The Falcon wobbled unsteadily before it lifted off, blaster fire pelting the hull. Han was in the cockpit, grabbing at the controls with Chewbacca roaring beside him.
"I know, I know!" Han yelled at him. "I'm going as fast as I can!"
Rain stumbled as the ship shook from side to side, catching herself against the corridor wall. Luke offered his arm again, allowing her to regain her balance.
"Strap in somewhere!" Han's voice echoed through the ship. "This is gonna get rough!"
They made their way to the main hold, where circular bench seats lined the walls. She dropped into one, fumbling with the safety harness. Luke sat as far opposite her as possible while Ben settled beside her, remaining calm despite the chaos.
Threepio was now wailing about their impending doom as Artoo beeped frantically at his side. Rain thought she was going to crack. It was only the idea of the pain of smacking metal that kept her from unleashing.
The ship bucked and shuddered until they finally broke through the atmosphere, where the motion eventually smoothed into something almost graceful.
Rain was the first to comment once things had calmed down. "Well, that exit was a bit dramatic!"
"You nearly got yourself killed!" Luke snapped. "What did you think you were doing back there?"
"Keeping my dignity!" she replied as if he had asked the most stupid question imaginable. "Rushing about and shouting like a lunatic is not really my style." She sat back giving him a sweet smile and a gentle voice. "But I understand your need for excitement, Luke. It doesn't make me think lesser of you."
Luke let out sigh of exasperation and unbuckled his harness, storming toward the cockpit."
"You see why it would never work," she said to Ben. "He's so moody sometimes. Such a contrast to my stark optimism."
Ben just gave her a tired smile before closing his eyes as if he knew something dreadful was about to come.
A short while later, the distinctive silhouettes of Imperial ships had started to form outside the viewport.
"We're coming up on a Star Destroyer!" Luke shouted from the cockpit.
Han's voice came back, tight with concentration. "Hold on, everyone!"
The ship jolted sharply, throwing Rain against her restraints. Then came the terrifying scream of TIE fighters.
"We can't outrun them?" Luke sounded agitated. "I thought you said this thing was fast!"
"Watch your mouth, kid, or you'll find yourself floating home."
Despite her fear, Rain couldn't help stifling a laugh at Han's response.
"Someone get to the guns!" Han was yelling again.
"Where?" Luke asked already turning to move.
"Top and bottom turrets! Access points are..."
"I'll find them!" he rushed back past her and disappeared down a corridor.
Rain watched him go, then found herself unstrapping her own harness.
"Rain," Ben said quietly, "you don't have to..."
"If I wanted to sit around looking useless, I would have become a stormtrooper," she replied patting him on the shoulder with a smirk. "But, thank you, Mr. Kenobi. Your concern is duly noted and appreciated."
"You know how to shoot?" Han's voice sounded skeptical as it carried from the cockpit.
"I'm a Tarkin," Rain said as she found the ladder leading to the lower gun turret. "I held a blaster before a rattle."
She climbed down into the turret, dropping into the seat. The viewport wrapped around her, giving her a panoramic view beneath the ship. The controls consisted of a targeting computer, triggers, and a rotating mechanism.
"Okay, sweetheart," Han's voice crackled through the comm. "Let's see what you've got. Here they come!"
A TIE fighter screamed past her viewport, dangerously close. Rain swung the gun, tracking it, and squeezed the triggers. Red bolts lanced out, missing by meters.
"Everyone deserves a warning shot," she muttered, adjusting her aim.
Above her, she could hear the sound of Luke's guns firing. His voice crackled excitedly through the comm. "I got one!"
"Don't get cocky, kid. Just keep shooting!" Han shouted back.
Another TIE came in, closer this time. Rain led the target the way her father had drilled into her during endless, merciless Imperial training sessions and fired. The bolts ripped through the wing panel. The TIE spun wildly, then vanished in a brilliant explosion.
"Now that's how it's done!" She whooped, throwing her fist in the air. "You're welcome, gentlemen. That one would've ruined your day."
"Not bad!" Luke said, and she caught the proud edge in his voice.
The Falcon shuddered as another blast struck home, setting off more alarms.
"They're coming in too fast!" Luke yelled.
Rain let out a small snort. "Fast is just another way to shield incompetence."
"And it's working, so shoot faster!" Han barked. "Both of you!"
The TIE pilots were more skilled than she anticipated. She started tracking another fighter that was zigzagging and fired at him. She missed, her shot landing too wide.
"Oh, come on," she muttered under her breath. "I'm trying to look impressive, not break a sweat."
A TIE broke formation and dove straight at her viewport. She could see the pilot's silhouette through the cockpit.
She fired.
The fighter disintegrated in a flash of light. Shrapnel rattled against the Falcon's hull.
"That makes two," she said triumphantly. "But who's keeping score."
"Nice shooting!" Luke said.
"Naturally. I was top of my gunnery class, my teacher always said I would ..." she started.
"Got one!" he yelled.
"Well that was rude," she replied, slightly annoyed. "We can all see that you did without you having to interrupt me."
"Is she always this pleasant?" Han's voice rang through the comm.
Luke bit his tongue.
"I'm being exceedingly civil for someone currently saving your ship, Mr. Solo," her sharp voice came back. "Perhaps, in turn you might focus on getting us out of here."
"Oh, I will. You're not getting out of dinner that easily."
Two more TIEs were closely circling them. Up front, Han was swearing up a storm.
"Any time you want to jump to hyperspace would be great!" Luke yelled.
"We're still in Tatooine's gravity well!" Han snapped. "You want to fly through a planet, be my guest!"
Rain locked onto a fighter rising beneath them. "I know that move." She squeezed the trigger again and again until the TIE erupted into fire.
Above her, Luke made another kill, shouting in triumph. "Another one down!"
"That's it!" Han's voice was triumphant. "We're clear! Making the jump to hyperspace in three... two..."
The stars suddenly stretched into lines, then exploded into the swirling blue tunnel of light. The violent shaking stopped again. The alarms went silent.
Rain let out a sigh of relief before climbing back up the ladder, her legs shaking. When she emerged into the main hold, Luke was already there, climbing out of his own turret access. Their eyes met across the room.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Luke's hair was disheveled, his face flushed with adrenaline and excitement.
"You did well," Ben said quietly, appearing beside them. "Both of you."
They looked over at him, still caught in the rush.
"You did great, Rain!" Luke said. "I didn't expect you to hit anything."
"Thanks," she said. "Low expectations make victories easier, don't they?"
Han appeared from the cockpit, Chewbacca behind him. "Not bad for a couple of first-timers," he said, looking between them. "Especially this one." His eyes lingered on Rain with new appreciation. "Knew there was fire under all that ice."
"I trust at some point there will be an end to these painful innuendos, Mr. Solo," she replied, brushing past him. "They're exhausting, and right now I just want to sit down."
Han gave her a cheeky wink before returning inside the cockpit.
She collapsed onto one of the bench seats. "Well, we survived our first battle, Skywalker."
Luke sat down across from her. "Could it be that we work well together?"
"Nah," they both said at the same time, laughing and breaking the tension.
Luke had started to look tired, the excitement replaced with exhaustion. Rain watched him staring into the hypnotic swirl of hyperspace.
Somewhere ahead was Alderaan, with a princess to rescue and a rebellion to join.
Rain was still lost in her thoughts when Han's voice broke through as he dropped into a nearby seat. "So... about that dinner."
She closed her eyes. "Stars. You're actually going to hold me to it."
"A deal's a deal, sweetheart." He grinned. "Besides, any woman who can shoot like that deserves a proper meal. I'll even break out the good rations."
"I'm overwhelmed," she sighed. "Truly. Please give me a moment to recover."
Luke made a noise of protest that sounded like a dying animal.
"Two hours," Han said, standing up and stretching. "Gives me time to clean up. Chewie, make sure nothing's on fire." The Wookiee groaned in response.
He disappeared back toward the cockpit, leaving the three of them sitting alone in the hold.
"I'm going to meditate," Ben announced, standing. "Perhaps you two should rest as well. It's been an eventful day."
He left before either of them could respond.
Rain and Luke sat in silence, the space between them growing again.
"You really were good out there," Luke said finally, not looking at her. "In the turret."
"So were you," she admitted quietly.
Another silence fell. She could feel Luke working up to saying something.
"Rain, I..."
"Luke. I can never be what you need me to be. Please accept it."
"I've never asked you to be anything except yourself."
"Right," she said skeptically, averting her eyes.
"At least tell me why you're so determined to push me away." Luke was giving her that intense look again. "I don't believe you barely remember our kiss."
"Even if I did. It doesn't matter."
"It matters to me."
"Why?" The word came out almost angry. "Why do you care, Luke? I'm Tarkin's niece. I've done terrible things. I'm not good like you are."
"I never said you had to be good," Luke said softly.
"That's not true. You nearly had a fit earlier over Threepio."
"You know what I mean."
"Luke, that was me being good! The old me would have just shot him with my blaster until he stopped babbling. We're two very different people. Can't you see that?"
"Rain..."
"I should go find where we're supposed to sleep," she interrupted, standing abruptly. "I need a nap."
Luke nodded, that same hurt expression flickering across his face before he hid it.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "Me too."
Rain walked away, feeling his eyes on her back until she turned the corner. She found a small bunk room. It was cramped and smelled of engine oil, but it was private, and she closed the door behind her.
Only then did she let herself lean against the wall, her carefully constructed composure cracking.
"This is fine," she whispered to the empty room. "Everything is fine."
The ship hummed around her, carrying them all toward an uncertain future.
And Rain, for the first time in years, had absolutely no idea what came next.