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Han spoke through gritted teeth. “That’s an excellent question, Leia. He got sucked into some sort of Yuuzhan Vong snakeship that latched on to the Jubilee Wheel.”

Leia placed her hands on his shoulders. “Oh, Han, no.”

“Maybe he’s only been captured,” Han vented. “But that’s even worse.” He clenched his jaw and shook his head back and forth.

“Did you two accomplish what you set out to do?” Leia asked guardedly.

Han’s eyes found hers in the vanity mirror. “The enemy interrupted us.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Leia averted her gaze and returned to smoothing the bacta patch. “What will you do now?”

Abruptly Han stood up and paced away from the vanity, combing his hair back from his face with his fingers. “I don’t know. Look for him, I guess.”

Leia regarded him with disbelief. “Look for him? How do you intend to do that?”

Han shook his head. “I don’t know yet.” He glanced at Leia and scowled. “What do you expect me to do—pretend it never happened?”

“Of course not. I only meant—”

Han waved his hand at her. “Ah, how could I expect you to understand?”

Leia folded her arms and squinted. “You think I don’t know what it’s like to lose a friend?”

Han held up a hand. “I don’t need you reminding me about Alderaan or Elegos A’Kla—”

Leia’s eyes flashed. “Have you completely lost your mind? How dare you say that?”

Han met her gaze. “Careful, Leia,” he advised, “I’m not in the best mood.”

Leia clutched her neck in elaborate concern. “And I certainly wouldn’t want my name added to the list of people who have crossed the infamous Han Solo.”

Han pivoted slightly to throw C-3PO a wry glance. “Great little fighter for her weight, don’t you think, Threepio?”

C-3PO stared at him. “Pardon me for asking, sir, but—”

“Are you coming back to Coruscant with us?” Leia asked, planting her fists on her hips.

Han shook his head. “It’s like I told you, Roa and I were interrupted.”

“And you’ve no intention of telling me what this is about.”

Han shrugged.

“What happened to the man who preferred a straight fight to sneaking around?”

Han’s brow furrowed and his jaw dropped a bit. “Who’s sneaking around?”

She frowned in disappointment. “You’ve changed, Han.”

“What are you talking about?” he protested. “I’m the same as ever. Timeproof, weatherproof, rust resistant.”

“You think so?” Leia took him by the shoulders and swung him around to face the mirror. “Take a good look.”

Han fell silent for a moment. “That’s not the years, it’s the parsecs.”

Leia exhaled wearily. “You can be so exasperating.”

He snorted. “Yeah, I guess you wish you’d married some pro zoneball player instead of a smuggler, huh?”

Leia firmed her lips in anger. “That’s not it at all.” She gestured to the window. “It’s reckless of you to be roaming about out there. For all you know, the Yuuzhan Vong have some kind of dossier on you. There might even be a price on your head.”

“I’m not exactly ‘roaming about,’ Leia.”

“Then tell me what you’re doing.”

Han started to say something but stopped himself and began again. “I knew it would be a mistake to come here,” he mumbled.

Leia stepped back in genuine dismay. Now she stopped Han when he started to speak. “You know what I think, Han? I think that you should plot a course around Coruscant until you’ve worked this out. I mean it.”

Han nodded, tight-lipped. “Maybe you’re right, Leia. Maybe that’s for the best.”

She made no attempt to restrain him as he snatched his travel pack from the floor and let himself out. But no sooner did the door seal than she sank to the bed, as if stunned.

“Well, that certainly wasn’t in the plans,” she said flatly to C-3PO.

“The plans, Mistress?”

She looked at him askance. “It’s an expression, Threepio. I didn’t really have any plans.”

C-3PO appeared to slouch. Leia smiled in spite of herself. “Human thinking isn’t all it’s prized to be, Threepio. In fact, sometimes it’s better not to know what’s on someone else’s mind.”

Han placed his hand over the top of the squarish glass to prevent the four-armed bartender from