Member of the Guild
by Kate Birkel
art by Dani
PART 4
Han dozed uneasily in his bed, stifling an occasional groan as various muscles in his body cramped and twisted. The medical droids had explained to him how amino acids and other proteins had built up in Han's muscular system while he had been in carbon freeze. They had done their best, but the overload would have to dissipate on its own. In the meanwhile, all Han could do was try to bear with it as he drifted in and out of consciousness. And yes, Mistress Leia had been in several times, but Captain Solo had been under heavy sedation each time. Han cursed the protocol droid for lack of any other constructive action.
"Captain Solo."
Han opened his eyes to see a human doctor standing next to the bed.
"Yeah. What do you want?" Han demanded in a surly tone. It wasn't the doctor's fault she wasn't Leia, but he did not care.
"You have a visitor, Captain Solo. Twenty minutes only, please. Then you will have to start physical therapy."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Han's ill mood vanished. He pushed himself up in the bed. His eyes sparkled in expectation and he smoothed the covers next to himself so Leia would have a place to sit. Unfortunately, he was in no shape to pursue further intimacy, but it was better than nothing at all.
Abruptly, Han's pleasure died as Ryo Gren swept into the room.
"Guildmaster!" Horror-struck, it was the only word Han could utter.
Gren halted at the foot of the bed and stared down at the younger Corellian with an expression of acute displeasure. Han closed his eyes and slid down under the covers. Had the amino acids and proteins gotten into his brain as well as his muscles? If so, like the cramps, this vision, too, would go away shortly.
"Sit up straight when I am speaking to you, Journeyman Solo."
Han cringed. It wasn't a delusion. "Yes, Guildmaster," he croaked. He addressed a quick plea to the gods of his ancestors to strike him dead and deliver him from his misery.
"I suppose it's too much to hope for that you have a reasonable explanation for all this," Gren growled.
Taking his time, Han pulled the covers back and sat up again. He looked at the Guildmaster as his agile mind scrambled for a plausible excuse.
"I've already gotten the story from Calrissian and Chewbacca."
Gren's statement blighted all of Han's fabrications. Then a ray of hope cut through his panic. Since the Guildmaster already knew Lando and Chewie were involved, he could spread the blame around a little instead of having it all dumped on him.
"You are an idiot." Ryo disabused him of that idea.
"It wasn't my fault!" Han found his voice. "Things just kept happening."
"And who told you to carry cargo for Jabba the Hutt?"
"I needed the money. Chewie and I were broke. The Falconwas dying under my feet."
"You could have returned to Corell for repairs. No thanks to you, there is enough money in the Guild treasury to cover the repair bill. And the job would have been done properly, without the hyperdrive malfunctioning every two seconds."
"It's not my fault," Han repeated imploringly. "We had a run of bad luck."
"And just how did you expect me to explain to my oldest friend that his firstborn son was lost because of yourincompetence?" Gren ignored the interruption.
"But you've talked to Chewie. He's okay."
"Through no effort of your own."
Han flared up. "Hey, I've saved his fuzzy hide any number of times!"
Afteryou got him into trouble in the first place."
"It wasn't mewho got him caught with those slavers. I risked my neck to get him loose."
"Then led him straight into an Imperial dungeon."
Han shrugged. The Guildmaster had made up his mind as to Han's guilt and nothing he might say would change it.
"I suppose you have a reason for not having written to your grandmother, either, in the past two and a half years?"
"I was busy?"
"You are thoughtless, lazy, and arrogant--intolerable qualities for a future Guildmaster of the Corellian Independent Traders."
So thatwas why the Guildmaster had come so far. "I don't want to be Guildmaster. I've told you that a hundred times."
"When--and if--you ever grow up, you may make that decision," Gren said icily. "Right now, you seem to be making a successful career of being irresponsible. I would have thought that twenty years under my tutelage would have erased that particular flaw, but I have to remember you spent the first six years of your life with your father and mother. How Icould have produced anyoneas scatterbrained and flighty as your father, I'll never know. And your mother was worse!"
"Now, hold it!" Han protested. "You weren't any model of propriety in your day, either. I've heard tales."
"Inever got mixed up with some quixotic rebellion, and Inever chased over half the galaxy after a princess!"
Han flushed. In his anger at Gren, he did not hear the door to his room opening again. "She's not bad for a princess. Just give me some time to break her in properly."
Leia skidded to a halt just inside the door. "Not so bad for a princess!" She breathed hard, glaring at Han. "Break me in properly? You--you--you louse!"
Han's face fell and he leaned forward. "Aw, Leia, honey, I didn't mean it that way."
"Don't 'Leia honey' me, you miserable boat jockey!" As Han watched, the anger on her face turned to embarrassment as she became aware of the Guildmaster watching them with interest. "My apologies, Guildmaster," she said stiffly. "I was just leaving."
"So soon, Your Highness?" Gren asked with innocent affability. "You just arrived."
Without another word, Leia marched out the door. Han collapsed back on the bed.
"Now look what you've done!" he moaned.
"You did it yourself." Gren had no sympathy. "Grandstanding again."
"It's gonna take me hours to coax her around again," Han muttered. Then he brightened.
Gren coughed, reminding Han that he was in still bigger trouble. The younger Corellian nodded in acknowledgment and looked the Guildmaster full in the face, waiting for the next question.
"How did you manage to allow Vader to catch you flat-footed?"
The harshly voiced query deflated Han once more, and he sagged even more against the bed pillow. Frantically, he ticked over several facile explanations in his mind before discarding the idea altogether. "I wasn't paying attention," he admitted sheepishly. "My shields have been up too long."
"As I thought." Gren scowled, letting Han squirm around under his glance for a few uncomfortable moments. Then he reached inside his cloak to unfasten something he had brought with him from Corell. He tossed the item to Han. "It's time to stop running," he said gently.
Without thinking, Han caught the object. His hand closed around the butt of the lightsaber. "No!" Han dropped the weapon onto the floor where it landed with a dull thunk.
"Adolescence is over, Han," Gren continued in the same gentle voice. "It is time to accept your responsibilities."
"No!" Han repeated. "I don't want that thing any more than I want to be Guildmaster."
Gren came around the side of the bed and picked up the discarded lightsaber. Idly, he hefted it.
Han placed his hands behind his back. "You're not going to play me for a sucker with the guilt routine. You're the Guildmaster and you can chew me out from here to Corell as a journeyman, but you're not gonna con me into carting that thing around with me. I like the life I'm living. It may not be much in your opinion, but it's the only life I've got. I'm not gonna get fried by the Emperor and Darth Vader for carrying around excess baggage. That's what killed my parents." He shook his head violently. "Nope. No way."
"This 'thing' as you call it, did not kill your parents." Gren's voice was hard as flint. "Stupidity and arrogance killed them. The same stupidity and arrogance that's going to kill you if you don't get your head out of the clouds. You are less than four years from your majority. No more running away; no more games. You've had your fun. Now, grow up!" He paused, then continued in a softer tone. "I have let you have your head these past five years. Never once have I preached family obligation or duty to you--even when you took it into your head to join the Imperial Navy. But the time has come for you to consider the future and those who have cared for you and raised you. Your grandmother lost her only son. Must I tell her someday that she has also lost the son's son?"
Han kept his mouth set in stubborn lines and said nothing.
Gren activated the sword. The room vibrated with its pulsating hum as he made a couple of passes through the air with it. Fascinated, Han watched, but resolutely left his hands where they were.
"I was not given the Talent," Gren reflected. "Your father had it only to a small degree, but youhave it in full measure. It comes from my mother, your great-grandmother. She tried to teach me, to no avail. When she died, the Jedi were already in eclipse. I sent your father to Dagobah, but the Master returned him in short order as not being suitable. Your father learned only enough to be dangerous to himself and everyone around him. On the other hand, the Master kept you for three years, until you ran away and turned you back on his teachings completely." He switched off the saber.
At the same moment, the door to Han's room opened and Luke Skywalker rushed in. He saw the saber in Gren's hand, and a wary look appeared on his face. Han sighed.
"Han!" Luke exclaimed. "What's going on in here?"
"None of your business, kid," Han growled back.
Luke looked past Han to the Guildmaster, his eyes drawn by the saber in Gren's grasp. "I thought I felt something," he said. "Who are you and where did you get that?"
"Look, kid, I told you it was none of your business," Han replied angrily. "Now get out of here before I wring your neck!"
Luke looked as if he were calculating the odds of Han's simmering down before he could carry out his threat--which only intensified Solo's ire.
Gren took a step forward and bowed slightly. "I am Guildmaster Gren of the Corellian Independent Traders."
"Oh, Han's father," Luke said disingenuously, looking back and forth between the two Corellians.
"No, he's notmy father!" Han sputtered. "He's the Guildmaster. Now would you get out here!"
Luke gazed at Gren, who smiled pleasantly. "No, I am not Captain Solo's father," he confirmed.
"There, are you satisfied?" Han demanded. "Now, get out!"
"Well-l-l." Luke's face was animated with rampant curiosity.
"Look, kid, I'll tell you all about it someday," Han promised recklessly.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, sir." Gren added a not-so-subtle hint to Han's ravings.
"I'll hold you to that, Han." Luke smiled, then left the room.
The younger Corellian waited until the door was firmly shut. "Thatwas a Jedi knight," he said bitterly to Gren.
"He is a boy," Gren corrected Han. "Give him time to grow up." He placed the lightsaber on the bed next to Han. "It's yours. Do with it as you wish. I am no longer responsible for it."
Han could not deny the attraction the weighty object held for him. Even though he had not touched it physically in over five years, his hand still remembered every curve of the weapon, every scratch, every dent, and it took his full willpower not to snatch the lightsaber. A voice stirred in his memory--Deny us you may. Hate us you may. One of us your are. Ye-e-es. One of us your were born. One of us you will die.--a gleeful, almost malicious cackle.
Am I to die because of a ridiculous, old-fashioned superstition?Han angrily asked the voice. Only crazy people die that way. Crazy old men and stupid farmboys.
Reality exploded around Han. He cried out and gripped the edges of the bed convulsively. Heat assaulted his senses. Heat, mugginess, and slimy crawling things. No! You are not trying! Too selfish you are! Irresponsible and lazy!Sweat dripped down Han's bare back and he gasped for breath. Then it was cold, but he still could not breathe. My patience running out it is! Long enough waited have I! Fool you are!Han was sucked into a maelstrom of whirling galaxies, expanding and contracting solar systems. Stars went nova, then chilled down to blue radiance, fading to black nothingness. Planets exploded. Other planets evolved from cosmic dust. Yet, over all, there was order and harmony to it as if a greater force were directing it in a pre-set plan. Supersition, heh?Lightning ripped through Han, searing every nerve. He screamed, and then there was merciful blankness.
When Han opened his eyes, there were two faces bending over him. Gren seemed to be mildly amused, but Luke was white and shaking.
"Han, what happened?" Luke sounded breathless, as if he, too, had had his air supply cut off.
Han blinked several times. "I think someone just had a temper tantrum." His voice was weak and thready. He could not believe what he had just experienced. The wizened old Master had always been a little short-tempered, but never had he been that angry with Han.
"Yoda?" Luke asked hesitantly.
Han nodded, too shaken to refuse reality for once.
Luke glanced around the room uneasily as if expecting Dagobah to materialize right before his very eyes. Han sensed that Luke was not overly surprised to discover that he had had dealings with the Jedi Master. He also sensed that Luke was concerned about his own experiences with Yoda, and thinking about returning to Dagobah.
"Yeah, you do that, kid," Han agreed.
Luke gaped at the recumbent Corellian.
Han closed his eyes. "Forget it, Luke," he said warily. "Some other time."Luke continued to stare at Han. As if a pathway had been opened, Han could feel Luke's amazement transform into dawning comprehension tinged with awed respect, and Luke's words were no surprise when he spoke. "You're a Jedi, too, aren't you, Han?" He smiled with delight. "I always knew there was something more to you than you showed."
Han did not answer for a moment. Instead he held his hand out. Gren placed the lightsaber into it. Han's fingers wrapped themselves around the haft, fitting themselves to the weapon as if he had lain it down only seconds before. It felt proper. "Well, kid, maybe I am." His fingers caressed the weapon. For the first time in his memory there was a peace in a portion of his restless spirit. He opened his eyes and stared at Gren. "But I'm not a Guildmaster!"
Gren shrugged.
It was midnight, but Leia was once more wide awake. All day, her anger at Han had been growing, feeding off Ryo Gren's talk with him. The nerve of that Corellian bum! 'She's not so bad for a princess...Break her in properly.'An expensive crystal knick-knack crashed against a bulkhead, pieces tinkling to the floor.
"You--you--!" she screamed at the offending shards. "Three weeks I've been scared out of my mind, worrying myself sick!" The knick-knack's mate shared its fate. "I'll show you what a princess is good for!"
"That's why I'm here, sweetheart," a voice whispered behind her.
Leia shrieked.
"Not so loud," Han hissed. "You want half the ship in here?"
Leia stamped her foot. "How'd you get in here? Get out!"
Han grabbed for her. "I'm not the best smuggler in five parsecs for nothing, you know," he bragged.
Leia skittered away from him, slapping his hands down. "I'll scream again."
"You don't want to do that, Your Worshipfulness. Think of all the fun you'll miss."
"You're mad," Leia stated without qualification. "Absolutely, certifiable insane."
"That's okay." Han shrugged. "You love me anyway."
"No, I don't."
"Oh, yes, you do. You said so, and princesses don't lie. You fell in love with me the first time you saw me." Leering, Han caught her wrist and brought it up to kiss the palm of her hand.
"Let go of me!" Leia took a swipe at his face with her free hand.
Han stepped back with a pained expression. "Look, Leia, why don't you just drop the pretense and be nice. This body's taken a lot of punishment lately and if you want to enjoy what's left of it..."
"No, I don't," Leia said.
Han grimaced. "Okay, I know you want the big, romantic buildup and all that other stuff, but can't it wait? I promise--later. I'm tired and I hurt."
"I don't want that either," Leia said.
Han stared at her for a long moment. "I'm getting the distinct impression you don't want me here."
"What gave you the first three clues?"
Han stomped a few paces away, then returned to where he had been standing. "That's gratitude for you," he began to carp. "I save you any number of times, haul cargo for your rebellion over half the galaxy, and stick around just to make you happy. I could have gone back to Corell with the Guildmaster, you know."
"To make me happy?" Leia gasped.
"Sure. You're always miserable when I'm not around. Admit it: you missed me."
Leia scowled. If Han had planned it out beforehand, he could not have come up with any collection of statements more guaranteed to remind her of his less desirable characteristics: conceit and arrogance. "So, why don't you go back to Corell? That's what would make me happy. Getting you out of my hair."
Shaking his head, Han tsk-tsked. "I don't know what's gotten into you tonight. I expected a royal welcome, not the bum's rush."
Leia planted her fists on her hips and glared up at the pilot. "A royal welcome. You really expected a royal welcome." She took a deep breath. "Three weeks! Three rotten, miserable weeks I've been stuck here imagining all sorts of horrors. Then you just come waltzing in here as if nothing ever happened, without saying you're sorry, without anything except a wisecrack about how I'm not so bad for a princess and how all you need is a chance to break me in properly."
Han was exasperated. "First off, I've been out cold for three weeks; that time didn't happen for me. Secondly, what have I got to be sorry about? Do you think I wanted Vader and his bully boys doing what they did to me? Thirdly, you aren'tso bad for a princess. Course, you're even better when you forget about bein' a princess."
"But I can't forget about being a princess," Leia said sadly. Without anger, without hurt, she looked into Han's eyes. "I want you to walk out of here. It's over, done with, finished. It was nice for a while, but you're a luxury I can't afford. Just go away, please, and leave me alone."
Han looked as if a bucket of cold water had just been dumped over him. Leia backed up a few paces from him, eyes on his face. She watched as he sat down heavily on the bed and his shoulders slumped in defeat. Leia bit down on her lip, her hands clenched at her sides to keep from reaching out to him. Ithas to end now,she told herself. Later there would be even more pain because they would each have invested more of themselves in the relationship. Better the smaller pain now. Her throat ached and she realized what she was cutting herself off from.
"Okay, Leia," Han said in a beaten tone. "What's the realproblem? I thought you were just upset about me and the Hutt and the carbon freeze. I can understand that 'cause it kind of made me out of sorts, too. But I also thought we had something going for us and that you'd be happy to see me again. Guess maybe I was wrong. But the least you could do is explain what happened." His head snapped up. "It's not Luke, is it?"
Leia shook her head. "No, Han, it's not Luke. I like Luke, but...no."
"Some other man?"
"No, no other man."
"Then what the hell is it?" Han cried. The mask was gone and Leia saw the raw hurt trembling in his face, even more so than when he had been lowered into the carbon freeze pit.
"I--I can't explain," Leia whispered. "But it's for the best. I know it is. Please accept that. We'll both be much happier."
"Much happier," Han echoed her words hollowly. He stared down at his hands draped over his knees. For a space of a time, there was no sound in the room. Leia took shallow breaths, willing Han to accept her decision without further strife that could only cause more heartache. When, at last, Han looked up at her, Leia saw she had prevailed and felt a tremendous relief. "Okay, Your Highness, you win." Han lumbered to his feet. "I'll leave. The Guildmaster's appointed me official liaison between Corell and the Rebel Alliance. I'll do my best not to bother you. General Rieekan probably has all sorts of things for me to do that'll keep me out of your way."
"Good," Leia said through stiff lips.
Han hesitated a minute. "Well, goodbye, then, Your Highness," he snapped.
"Goodbye, Captain Solo." Leia gave him a cold, deliberate look, then turned her back to indicate he was officially dismissed. She waited, but she did not hear the door open. Why doesn't he leave?she thought anxiously.
Suddenly, strong hands grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. "No, dammit!" Han roared in her face. "I'm not leaving! You're going to tell me what's wrong and then we're going to fix it. Have you got that?"
Leia's composure broke at last, and she began to laugh wildly. "Fix it? Fix it? I'm tied to the rebellion and you're tied to Corell. How do you plan to fix that? It's not a droid or a ship. You can't hit this problem with a pair of hydrospanners."
Han looked confused. "What's Corell got to do with you and me? I haven't been back there in years. Just because the Guildmaster--" He stopped. "The Guildmaster," he said with a resigned sigh. "I should have known hehad a hand in this." He tipped Leia's face up so she was looking into his. "What did he tell you?"
Leia swallowed. "He--he said you'd return to Corell. That you'd be Guildmaster yourself in a couple of years."
Han rumbled with displeasure. "You believed him, didn't you? You really thought I'd run off."
"But he sounded so positive," Leia explained miserably. "And he is your father."
"No, he's not," Han protested. "I don't know where you and Luke got such a harebrained idea. My father's been dead for thirty years now. Ryo Gren's the Guildmaster. That's all there is to it. He's the Guildmaster and I'm a member of the Guild."
Once more in control of herself, Leia was able to study the Corellian's rugged face with a degree of dispassion. "There's more to it than that," she said firmly.
Han drew himself up, prepared to bluster. Leia fixed her eyes on him in a warning that she was not going to tolerate it this time. "Okay, okay," Han surrendered. "He's my grandfather. But,"he added sharply, "that doesn't give him the right to run my life."
Suddenly, Leia began to laugh again, this time with amusement instead of hysteria.
"What's so funny?" Han grumped.
"You--me--everything!" It felt good to be able to laugh again. It was as if some of Han's live-for-the-day philosophy had finally crossed over to contaminate her. For the life of her, Leia could not explain to herself now why she had even considered giving Han up just because she might lose him two years from now. Sure, maybe it made sense in a cold, intellectual sort of way, but who ever said life had to make sense? Besides, who knew where they'd all be in two years? Corell might suffer the same fate as Alderaan; the Imperials might home in on this space-borne armada at any moment.
"I don't understand this," Han mumbled. He gave Leia a sideways glance. "Does this mean everything's fixed now?"
"Not quite everything." Leia stopped laughing. "Why does Luke say you're a Jedi?"
"For heaven's sake!" Han exploded, his patience strained to the breaking point. "Because I am one! I've been a Jedi since before either you or Luke knew what the word meant. But what difference does it make? Why worry about it now?"
Leia considered his questions. "I don't know," she finally admitted. "I guess I'm just curious."
"Fine. Be curious--later. Right now, I've got other things on my mind. I promised you the thrill of a lifetime, and as a member of the Guild of Corellian Independent Traders, I never break a contract."
Brynn was dozing, her tall, slender form draped over the Guildmaster's chair, when the Guildmaster entered his office carrying a portfolio of agreement between the merchants of Gule Rannon and the Corellian Independent Traders. Gren chuckled to himself. He should have known better than to think his wife would wait until morning for his news.
The soft sound woke Brynn. Her eyes flew open and she stretched. "So?" she demanded before Ryo even had a chance to speak.
"So the boy's okay. How about a kiss? I've been gone for over a month."
Brynn stood up and gave him a peck on the lips. "Is he coming back to Corell? Who's the girl?"
Still grinning, Gren set down his carrying case. "Okay. I can see I'm not going to get any attention until I tell you all about it."
Brynn walked over to a wall cabinet and pulled out a bottle and two glasses. "I'm waiting," she commanded as she poured the virulently green liquor.
Gren accepted the glass she held out to him. "He was in a bit of a jam--a run-in with our dear friend Jabba. It's all straightened out now, though. The Hutt thought he could pull a fast one on me."
Sitting back down in the Guildmaster's chair, Brynn wrinkled her nose. "Jabba," she snorted.
"Don't complain," Ryo said mildly. "It gave me a chance to talk things out with the Hutt and saved me another trip out. Maga's still with him."
Brynn grimaced. "Stupid woman."
"No, not stupid. Just loyal." Ryo cast an appraising eye over his wife. "You'll be happy to know she's aged a lot more than you have, sweetheart."
Brynn laughed. "Flattery'll get you everywhere. Now, what about Han?"
"Like I told you, he's okay. He won't be returning to Corell right away, but he isgrowing up a little. I appointed him official liaison between the Rebel Alliance and the Guild for the next year or so. I figure it'll take that long before we can officially come out for the Alliance. It shouldn't take up too much of his time though." Ryo paused to take a drink. His face was serious when he resumed speaking. "He accepted the lightsaber."
For a long moment, Brynn stared at her husband. "I wish you hadn't done that, Ryo. The consequences..."
"Han's been through a bad scare," Ryo said firmly. "Darth Vader got the drop on him. He knows that he has to protect himself some way other than by pretense. He's just lucky his shields were still strong enough that Vader didn't realize who or what he was dealing with."
"Vader!" Brynn was appalled.
Gren shook off his seriousness and smiled again. "Don't worry, Brynn. It won't happen again. Han's almost strong enough to take Vader by himself if worse comes to worst, and he has a friend who's also a Jedi. Together, I imagine the two of them can handle just about anything--once Han admits to himself he needs a bit of help. And I wouldn't be surprised if the Master himself doesn't take a hand. The time seems right. The Empire is on its last legs. The Master has waited and watched many, many years."
Brynn shivered. "I hope you're right, Ryo." Her hand tightened around her glass before she forced herself to relax it. She took three or four breaths in order to calm herself. "You still haven't told me anything about the girl."
"Ah, the girl." Ryo walked over to the cabinet and poured himself a generous dollop of the green liquor. He came back to stand next to Brynn. "My dear, I believe you will shortly find yourself being presented to the Princess Leia Organa."
Brynn's eyes narrowed. "Ryo, is this your idea of a joke?"
"Not in the least, my dear," Gren said with perfect innocence.
Tipping her glass up, Brynn drained it with one gulp. She held it out to Gren who courteously refilled it for her. She peered thoughtfully into the greenness of the liquor for a space of time. Suddenly, she gasped between giggles. "The royal house of Alderaan? An Organa involved with one of the cutthroats of the Empire."
"It really is a pity Bail himself isn't around to appreciate the joke," Ryo sighed.
Brynn nodded. "Oh, yes. She's a lot like you--stubborn and independent. The boy isn't going to have an easy time with her, especially when the time comes for them to figure out how they are going to deal with Han's responsibilities as Guildmaster and her commitment to the new government." He grinned cheerfully. "They'll survive, though. They're young, tough, and in love."
"Sort of like us seventy years ago," Brynn remarked.
"That's why I know they'll make it."
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