Summary: Hibernation brings up things long forgotten. Set just before and
just after the Battle of Endor.
Disclaimer: Han is George Lucas' but this version of his background is mine.
The Night Before Endor
He was very small - a kid - with grown ups in long brown robes towering
over him as they talked quietly, worriedly with each other. There were other
kids there too, lots of them. Some his his size, a few larger, many smaller,
most crying.
Not him. He was looking, searching doggedly for a familiar face. At last
he spotted one.
"Obi-Wan!" ran to the man who turned and crouched down to meet him. Blue
eyes in an unlined face, now on level with his own, brown hair and matching
beard.
"Han!" urgently, "What happened to Helisee?"
He had to work hard not to cry then but he managed it. "She's dead. She
told me to run and I did, and then they killed her.
Obi-Wan hugged him close for comfort and to hide his own tears. "There's
nothing you could have done."
"Father." Ken-Gon was standing over them, the baby in his arms. Han
almost asked where Maia was but didn't - he was pretty sure he knew. "We've
got to go."
"Can I go with you?" even as he asked he knew he couldn't. Not because
they wouldn't take him but because it felt *wrong*.
'Listen to your feelings.' Helisee always said, 'It is the Force inside
you, guiding you.' and his feelings said 'No'.
Obi-Wan's must have been telling him the same thing. "I'm sorry, Han,
that wouldn't be a good idea." he looked around, called. "Dai-Men."
Another man came over. Younger than Obi-Wan and much taller with short
hair and the braid.
"Do you and Ham have room for one more?"
"Of course."
"Han, this is my friend, Dai-Men Jinn. He'll look after you."
Han bristled. He wasn't a baby! He could take care of himself.
Then Dai-Men said just the right thing. "We've got a shipload of infants
on our hands, we could use somebody old enough to help out."
"I can do that." Han said with dignity. "Good-bye, Obi-Wan. Good-bye,
Ken-Gon."
His new acquaintance didn't try to take his hand, just shortened his
stride so Han could keep up easily. Led him over to an older man, almost as
tall, but dark skinned with grey in his short cropped hair and beard.
"Master Hamilcar Solo," Dai-Men introduced, "this is a friend of
Obi-Wan's -"
"Han Mirian." he finished and bowed like Helisee had taught him to.
"Pleased to meet you, Han." a deep rolling voice replied.
He woke, blinking up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Where the hell..? Oh,
right, the capital ship. And there was Chewy snoring in the other bunk, feet
hanging off the end - they always built 'em to short for Wookiees.
*That was some weird dream!*
Uncle Ham and Jedi Knights and Old Ben and this mysterious so- called
Master of Luke's all jumbled up together.
Funny though - Ben'd been young and this Jinn'd had the face of Uncle
Ham's co-pilot Deak. He tried to shrug it off.
*Like I said, weird. Just a dream.*
But it had left him all knotted up inside and that was no good. They
were going into battle tomorrow, maybe the last battle. He had to be rested
and focused.
Automatically he went into his usual relaxation routine: Deep, even
breathing to wash the tension from his body, emptying his mind of everything
but the measured rythmns of the litany.
There is no emotion; there is peace.
There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.
There is no passion; there is serenity.
There is no death; there is the Force.
The Night After Endor
He was in their quarters, but the room looked smaller than he remembered.
Facing him was a little woman, plump and gentle with bright eyes and grey
hair knotted atop her head. Dressed in soft brown robes.
"Helisee." he heard himself say. "I thought you were dead."
"I am, my dear, but I've always been with you." she reached up to cup his
cheek, smiled. "I'm so proud of you, my Han."
Then he was in Chaimun's sitting across the table from the old man. But
this time it was just the two of them, no Luke, no Chewy, and they weren't
talking about passage anywhere.
"Did you know? Did you recognize me?"
Obi-Wan smiled. "Of course. Do you think I would have trusted Luke to
just any trader? I knew I could count on you to look after him - and his
sister too."
"You might have said something." Han grumbled.
"Such as? 'Remember me, Han, Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Jedi Temple when you
were a child?'" he snorted gently, amused. "You'd still be running."
Han grinned lopsidely in return. "Probably."
"Your feelings told you what you had to do. You just had to start
listening to them again."
He was sitting next to Uncle Ham at the controls of the 'Jinx'. "I never
forgot anything you taught me, not really."
"I know." his uncle smiled. "You were right to follow your own Path, Han,
it brought you to where you were needed."
"You're dead too, aren't you? Like Helisee and Obi-Wan."
"There is no death; there is the Force."
Han opened his mouth but Uncle Ham continued. "Dai-Men and Jayce are
still alive, and a few others. You have a great task before you -
rebuilding the Jedi Order."
"Now hold on a minute - I'm no Jedi! and it's way to late to make me
one!"
"Luke will need your help." Uncle Ham said sternly. "So will your
princess. Stop trying to run away from your destiny, Han, it never works."
"But I don't want to be a Jedi!"
"Han?"
He opened his eyes. A beautiful face, the most beautiful in the entire
universe was hanging over him, dark hair brushing his skin.
"Leia?"
"Who else? You were talking in your sleep - almost shouting. quoted. "'I
don't want to be a Jedi!'"
"Well I don't."
She giggled. "I don't think it's an option, Han."
"You can say that again." he pulled her down for a kiss.
*Sorry, Uncle Ham, Helisee, you're just going to have to settle for an
ex-smuggler and Rebel General.*
