• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

Still, it was better than the silence.

As Han had guessed, it took a while to get their bearings and calculate a series of jumps that would take them on to their destination, the cluster of black holes known collectively as the Maw. He picked his way carefully through the enormous gravity wells, his old recklessness submerged beneath several layers of responsibility that a younger Han Solo could never have comprehended.

A younger Han Solo had never really believed in death—or rather, had never believed it could touch him. The loss of Chewbacca had changed that forever. Whenever he thought of losing Leia or one of his children, it put liquid nitrogen in his veins.

As he went carefully through the maze of deadly tides, Han was at least confident that there were few beings in the galaxy who could follow him. If an uninformed Yuuzhan Vong ship was tailing them, the invaders were as good as destroyed.

Thus, it was several days before his barely repaired Falcon made its final approach to the secret base they had named simply Shelter. It was a patchwork construction, largely put together from the pieces of the infamous Maw installation, which in its own time—the days of the Empire—had been a top-secret weapons facility. The facility itself had been blown to bits by its erstwhile commander, Admiral Daala, but using the wreckage, along with modules imported from Kessel—and with the help of some well-heeled friends—Han and Leia had managed to facilitate the construction of a space station.

As a location, the Maw was just too good to abandon, especially when a safe house was needed.

“Not much to look at,” Han muttered, watching the rough cylinder gain resolution and reveal its makeshift nature. The base of it was an asteroid fragment, but living modules, a power core, and a rudimentary defense system rose obviously from its surface.

“But it’s something,” Leia said, over his shoulder. “It’s a start. I never thought you could have pulled together the alliance it would take to build it, but there it is. Good work, Captain Solo.” Leia smiled and slipped her hand into Han’s.

“I … Thanks. But look what happened when I was out here. Anakin was nearly killed on Yavin Four, and we didn’t have the slightest idea of what was going on.”

“Anakin is safe on the Errant Venture, as safe as he can be anyway. Jaina’s on Coruscant. Jacen’s with us. I think we’ve done as well as we can, Han.”

“Maybe. Well, let’s see what they’ve done with the place.”

Lando Calrissian met them in the functional if unappealing docking bay. Someone had given it a coat of yellow paint, covering the mismatched plating it was built of, which was an improvement over the last time Han had seen it.

“I like what you’ve done to the Falcon,” Lando said easily, as they stepped down the landing ramp. “The mottled yellow patches against matte black. Very stylish.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve always had an eye for the trendy,” Han replied.

“And the beautiful,” Lando remarked, switching his gaze to Leia. “You’re more bewitching than ever.”

“And you’re as glib as always,” Leia replied.

Lando smiled his famous smile and bowed slightly at the waist.

“The Falcon—” Han began.

Lando waved his hand. “Think of it as done. We may not have much here, but we have what it takes to patch that old hunk of junk one more time, I think.”

He scanned over their lived-in clothes and Jacen’s bloodstains. “The same goes for the three of you. Visit the ’fresher and my MD droid, please. When you’re done, I’d be pleased if you would join me in my stateroom for food and drinks, before we meet with the others who have come.”

“The Hutt representative made it safely, then?” Leia asked.

“It was tight at times,” Lando said, “but we got him here.”

Han cleared his throat. “We can talk about that later,” he said. “Jacen, Lando’s right. You ought to have that cut looked at. And, Leia—”

“My legs are fine,” she assured him.

“Why don’t you let the medical droid take a look anyway? It certainly can’t hurt.”

“There’s plenty of time,” Lando said. “If you’ll just follow me?”

To Han’s