what_wings_dare | Who's scruffy-lookin??

[She's not surprised Enfys didn't give up on finding coaxium, if that's what she was after. She's always been determined, from what Leia knew of her. Which admittedly wasn't that much because she didn't know her well personally, but mission results told a good enough story of what she must be like.]

What was it for?

To keep it away from the syndicate, for one thing.

[ which is an obvious good goal. Even when he was all in on the heist, it wasn't because he trusted Vos' intentions. ]

But mostly she wanted the resources to fight back.

[ she wanted all this.

She wanted to build the Rebellion. ]

So you helped her.

[a statement, not a question, because she knows Han. No matter how much he wanted to pretend to be a tough space criminal that only cares about himself, that wasn’t who he really was.

Her expression softens a bit, proud that Han, even before she ever had the chance to know him, had been doing the right thing to help the galaxy.]

[ And that... gives him all sorts of feelings. It should be a moment to bask in, because she loves him and she's proud of him and he ought to be able to be proud of himself. Because in the end, he did a good thing, back then. He did it because it was right, which wasn't an easy choice, because it was a fortune in his hands.

But there's so much pain and loss, and the questions that will never be answered-- he can still hear Qi'ra tease him, after all these years. You're the good guy. ]

Someone in the syndicate betrayed the boss, Chewie and I managed to get out before the dust settled, and Enfys got her coaxium.

[Probably never in a million years would she have guessed all this was the true story of his Kessel Run. From helping the rebellion to the raw coaxium, none of it is what she would've thought. Which really, should be par for the course with Han by now, she realizes. Nothing about him is really what it seemed to be at first glance.

But with the bulk of the story seemingly explained, there are still a few questions she has here.]

What happened to the rest of the people working with you?

[ How can he even begin to answer that. Trying to explain everything that happened would mean... explaining everything. And that's too much, too much to talk through, too much to let himself feel.

He'd have to tell her about betraying Beckett, and he can't do that. He can't regret it, but it's the kind of old wound that scabs over and doesn't really heal. Better not to pick it open. ]

Most of the original crew didn't make it, [ he admits. Between the explosion and the mess with the Crimson Dawn he's already hinted at, maybe that's enough. Maybe not. ]

Just us. Well, and Lando.

[ and the Falcon. ]

[She nods, taking his unspoken hint that's not ready or not willing to discuss everything else there. She knows how that feels. Maybe one day she'll get to hear more about the rest, but for now, she leaves it alone.

But Lando, though.]

Lando made the Kessel Run with you?

[ Maybe someday. Maybe. There's a lot in his past he'd rather not revisit-- a lot he's not particularly proud of, a lot that's just still painful, the kind of thing he deals with by not dealing with it.

But now, he has to stop running, one way or another.

Thankfully she's not going to pry right now. ]

Technically, [ he says, and oh boy is it a technicality, ] it was on his ship at the time.

[Everything Han's told her just now is something she's grateful to have learned. It was good to know he's always been the sort of guy she quickly learned he was, and a bit more about what he was doing years ago.

But those have been heavier topics. This little technicality, this is something much lighter that maybe won't keep him dwelling on the less than pleasant parts of the past.]

Was the Falcon in the same state then as it is now?

[She loves the ship, really, she does. It's lighthearted poking fun at the reliable old hunk of junk.]

[ wow, rude ]

The trip was....kinda not a smooth one,

[ he admits. Okay, actually, maybe it's a wonder he and Lando came to be on such good terms. Even before the whole betrayal-to-Vader thing. Their friendship is an old and complicated one, that's all. ]

I tracked him down after and won the ship off him. Should have been mine already.

[She's not going to argue with the "should've been his," because she's biased and agrees just because she associates the Falcon only with Han. Well, and Chewie. Either way, the Falcon belonging to anyone that isn't one of the two of them just feels unnatural.]

When you say "not smooth," how rough was it really?

[Yes, she's actually inviting open bragging about the Kessel Run now. More than the 12 Parsecs fact, the actual details of what happened--especially now knowing what the run ended up being for--are more interesting.]

Really there aren't that many reasons to go to Kessel that aren't terrible ones-- probably none at all that aren't criminal in some respect. People make assumptions, sometimes-- though the truth is most barely bother. The record, still, is that impressive.

"So, one syndicate stealing from another-- probably no one'd care, except for the whole slave revolt thing. Which means when we left-- the one safe route had an Imperial blockade waiting for us."

The thought is still kind of chilling-- the Star Destroyer looming in the distance. Maybe they knew, even then, where the fuel would end up. Maybe it wasn't the syndicates or the slaves; maybe it was Enfys Nest, making her way toward the refinery, the Rebellion kindled already in her heart.

"So we had to find another way."

[That's some next-level bad luck at the very start of the operation. It's not hard to imagine whichever Moff was in that sector having connections to various criminal syndicates. That was normal, she'd even say. But what was unusual was them being overt about their support in this sort of way.]

Knowing you, I'm almost afraid to know what that other way you found was.

[ Pretty much par for the course, in Han's experience. The Empire cares when there's something they don't want to lose, or when they need to keep something away from someone else. The rule of law has always just been a convenient excuse. As long as there was an advantage they turned a blind eye to the syndicates. Always. It meant the syndicates did the dirty work for them. ]

Well... The thing about Kessel is, you can't chart a direct course there. They call the surrounding area the Maelstrom-- it's a mess of black holes, half-formed nebulae. Debris fields, asteroids... And a massive gravity well in the center.

We did that.

You did that.

[She repeats it, flatly. She's both a little surprised and in no way surprised. It's 100% a Han thing to do to fly into that mess, but it's borderline insanity to know you're flying into that many hazards, do it anyway, and somehow survive.]

Do Navicomputers even work with that much interference?

[She shakes her head in disbelief.]

Promise me you don't plan on doing anything like that any time soon.

[Preferably ever again, but she'll allow for unforeseen circumstances. She prefers Han very much alive and not at risk from black holes and space debris and gravity wells.]

I don't think any other ship could've,

[ he says. it's not the usual bragging tone he takes on when he talks about the Falcon, though his pride in his ship is as evident as ever. But there was a cost for that. ]

Plus we still had half a squadron of TIE fighters on us. And the things living out there...

I don't think I'm gonna have to defend the record any time soon.

[ .....yes, he would consider defending the record. Even if it's clearly the world's worst idea. ]

[She gives him A Look at his joke of defending his Kessel Run record. She knows he's probably, maybe, hopefully just kidding about that, but she feels like she has to make a point anyway.]

You're sure there were things living out there?

[Because rather than arguing about how stupid it would be to try to survive the run again, this is just as important.]

Oh, yeah,

[ he says, eyes widening a little. That thing that chased them into the Maw-- he's not going to forget it any time soon. ]

Giant deep-space things. Almost ate us.

[There are parts of space Leia is so glad she has no need or desire to ever visit. This maelstrom is 100% one of those places she does not want to see.

But with that, she looks over Han a bit suspiciously.]

Is nearly being eaten by deep space creatures a regular occurrence for you, and you just never told me?

[Han was the pilot who chose that particular asteroid, after all.]

No!

[ well, maybe. ]

Just... sometimes. It happens. It's not like I went looking for that.

We managed to trick it-- lure it in range of the gravity well.

I don't think I know anyone else that's had that happen to them even once.

[Let alone twice.

She feels bad for whatever poor monster they ran into in the maelstrom, because it really was just living its own space creature life and probably not acting out of malice. But if it was going to come down to Han vs space monster, she'd pick this way every time.]

You know, you pick the wrong part to boast about.

[ Han doesn't feel bad about it, not really. Things that are trying to eat him generally don't want to be reasoned with. He's confident he can talk his way out of most trouble, but... Well. Sometimes it's not gonna listen. ]

What do you mean? It was eight parsecs shorter than the best runs before.

[Leia bites back a smile, clearly a little amused by that still being his response, whether it's genuine or just an attempt to get a reaction out of her. She shakes her head, continuing--]

You don't think out-running deep space creatures and gravity wells might make for extra suspense?

[well really she means the helping other people out part, but that's something she knows he wouldn't include in any retelling.]

No one would care if we almost got eaten in twenty-two parsecs, [ he says, mock-haughtily. ]

[And she rolls her eyes, not actually really annoyed in the slightest.]

You want me to believe you wouldn't still brag about escaping a deep-space creature with cargo holds full of raw coaxium and still making the trip in twenty-two parsecs?

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Who's scruffy-lookin??

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