Han's Gamble

Author's Title : "Han's Gambe"

Author: Darth En Ghedi

Origin: Portugal

Language: English

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“That’s enough!” The voice came from behind, apparently scared and tired, “I can’t go any further…”
Han Solo sighed and ignored, they had to continue their pace.
“Han! Please!” The voice insisted.
“Alright…” He conceded, “I think we lost them anyway. How are you?”
In the shadows, Lando Calrissian was breathing hard. “I’ll live!” He said.
“That will be the last time you ignore me, right?” Han smiled in the darkness.
Lando finally lit his plasmatorch. He wasn’t smiling.
Both men were sitting in the round sewer tunnel, with a diameter large enough to allow a tiny Ewok to move freely. The smell was nauseous, both Han and Lando had ignored it a few kilometers behind.
“You were the one that cheated, not me!” Lando said while recovering his breath.
“Hey! I won that game fair and square! They didn’t know how to lose! I warned you about that scum.” Han said gesturing to the end of the tunnel where they came from. "You were the one who didn't listen!"
“Han, honestly! You are kark in Sabacc… I had a great hand to win. You couldn't stand still. You just had to cheat!”
“I did not…” Han was interrupted by a sound coming from the end of the tunnel, “we need to keep going! Can you go on?”
“Sure!” Lando rose turning off the plasmatorch, “Lead on… champ!”
Han smiled again speeding the pace. There was a faint light upfront, the tunnel was ending.
“I can see a light! We’re almost there!” Lando said.
"Thanks! I couldn't figure it all by myself..."
“I hear them coming, Han. So much for the escape route!” Lando joked.
“We could just turn around, how about that?” Han asked, aggravated.
They finally reached the other end of the tunnel. But instead of an exit, they found a fence. Han tried to move the fence but it didn’t budge. “Now what?” He asked.
“Blast it!” Lando said instinctively.
“They took our blasters, remember?” Han revived Lando’s memory.
The sounds coming from the tunnel were now louder.
“We need to do something!” Lando forced the fence to no effect.
Han picked his plasmatorch and had an idea. Moving fast he took the plasmatorch from Lando’s pocket and unscrew the bottom.
“What are you doing?” Lando asked.
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m blowing up the fence!”
“You’ll kill us!” Lando said grabbing Han’s arms.
Suddenly they realized their voices were just too loud. The sounds coming from the end of the tunnel were now speeding up. Lando let go of Han’s arms.
Han spilled the plasma content of both torches on the fence and clicked the igniter. Both men covered their faces when the fence blew in an intense white explosion.
It took a few seconds for the dust, debris and burnt plasma to settle. Both men were coughing, covered in gray dust, while they finally jumped out of the tunnel.
“Great! We’re in the middle of nowhere!” Han vociferated.
“I think the ship’s this way!” Lando said pointing to their right.
“Then we’ll move this way!” Han said running the other way.
“You don’t trust me?” Lando asked, following.
“That’s where they’ll follow us.” Han said. “And no! I don’t trust you!”
There was a small road leading to a canyon. Just out of pure luck, Han found himself in the right trail to reach the docking bay.
“I guess I was right… Talk about luck...” Han smiled.
“But that will also bring them this way!” Lando pointed his thumb over his shoulder.
A group of thugs were heading their way. If they didn’t spot them, they would soon.
“Run!” Solo screamed.
Between stumping, pushing and falling, both men reached the entrance of the docking bay where they both landed their ships.
Blaster fire crossed over their heads.
They reached the building, pushing two surprised guards out of the way. But, running down the large corridor they reached a second group of guards. This time they had blasters aimed right at Han and Lando. They stopped.
The mob on pursuit was just entering the complex.
“Authorization!” One of the guards said.
Han thought fast… Sweating and desperate, he looked beyond the men’s shoulders and saw Chewbacca, the Wookiee and Han's friend near the ships. He looked surprised.
Han swallowed. He would use the oldest trick in the book. It would work. It always did. He looked at Lando, who appeared to guess what Han was thinking. He could only hope so.
“Look! That Wookiee is getting away!” He screamed!
When all guards looked back, both men pushed them away and ran down the platform to the hangar. When the guards stood up, the pursuing mob had already reached the docking bay entrance.
“Look there’s more!” Lando shouted.
In the confusion the armed men just opened fire. While the mob and the guards were trading fire at each other, Han and Lando ran to the ship, grabbing a surprised Chewie by the furry arm.
“Run Chewie!” Han screamed.
The Wookiee gnarled and roared.
“I’m sorry buddy, when we got to go, we got to go!” Han smiled.
Han and Chewbacca ran to their ship. Lando screamed.
"No! Take mine, you'll never make it out of here in that nut shell!"
Han thought twice looking at his, well, borrowed ship he took from Nar-Shaddaa a few days ago from a sleeping drunk man. He needed to leave. So he left. No questions asked. The Hutts were, quite persuasive. "The kark with it!" He thought. It was a light, low shielded transporter. They would be vaporized by any plasma gun.
"Fine!" Han said while grabbing Chewbacca's arm again.
The Wookiee gnarled again.
"It's a long story! Trust me, we smelled and looked worse a few minutes ago!" Solo said. When he reached the main room of Lando's ship he couldn’t avoid making his comment.“What a piece of junk, Lando! We’re did you dig this up? Looks even worse from the inside!”
“She packs more than she looks, buddy!” Lando smiled while running to the cockpit, “I need a co-pilot, Han!”
“You’re a kark at flying, Lando. Let me take it!”
“Hey…” Lando started.
“It’s me, Lando! It’s me!”
Lando replied with a worried face. But he knew Solo was a great pilot. Or so they said. He stepped away. Chewie followed Han to the co-pilot seat.
By now, the mix-up had been solved outside and both the mob and the guards were firing at the ship.
“Take us out of here!” Lando screamed.
“Punch it Chewie!” Solo screamed.
The Wookiee had time to study the ship’s systems, while his friends spent their own time and money playing Sabacc who knows where. Chewbacca thanked for that spare time, he knew exactly where to “punch”.
The heavy freighter was surprisingly responsive. They left the Hangar under heavy fire. The Security Defenses had been activated. Their giant plasma cannons opened fire. Fighters were inbound.
Han flew the ship as if he always had. It felt natural, the controls seemed perfect and built for him. So he was being chased by fighters, it was nothing less than thrilling. The ship was a dream of a flyer. Every system was tuned up. Every gun fire was avoided. The heavy freighter was even more agile than the smaller fighters Han had used in his days at the Military Academy. It was a joy!
“This is getting hairy!” Lando said. The Wookiee let out a comment. “Sorry, Chewie, I meant the odds…”
“He knows, Lando!” Han couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll tell you, this ship is a surprise!”
“And it still holds few more surprises!” Lando said while rising to the back of the ship, “Come on, I need help back here!”
Han tapped Chewie’s shoulder. The Wookiee replied with an accepting roar.
Lando reached amidships and pressed a small button hidden in the wall. A door opened revealing a ladder that went up and down. Lando climbed up the ladder, Han looked inside the tunnel. Up and down, two heavy quad-laser cannons were mounted on the top and bottom of the ship.
“Come on!” Lando screamed taking the seat on the top gun.
“I could have used one of these on Nal-Hutta!” Han murmured.
The next few minutes were spent firing at incoming vessels with average success. The fight was easier than Han thought. In the end, who would expect a Corellian Cargo Freighter was carrying such defensive heavy guns?
When their tail was clear, both men climbed out of the guns.
“When did you fit them?” Han asked.
“I didn’t, I got it like that…”
“Got it? You mean you won it playing?”
“Yeah, some desperate guy, smuggler by the looks…”
They walked fast back to the cockpit.
"They won't quit! I know these guys!" Lando commented looking through the windshield.
"Thank you for invinting us here... Wherever this is! They're quite friendly!" Han said with an approving roar by Chewbacca.
"If they find your... rented ship... they'll be alerting the Empire any time now..."
“We need to hurry, then!” Han said while seating in the Captain seat again.
“Hey!” Lando complained.
“Input the coordinates to… well, somewhere else!”
Lando was beginning to say something, but thought better. The planetary defenses were now alerted, for sure. Better to leave this place while they could. He would discuss ownership later.
The Freighter climbed fast and reached outer orbit, then hyperspace. As smooth as a gizka's back.
“Wow!” Han let out when all was finally over. “You were right! It does pack more than it looks! What do you call it?”
“I don’t know!” Lando replied still recovering, “Last owner called it Millennium Falcon. I think it sounds too pompous…”
“Falcon, huh?” He asked looking back to Lando.
“Yeah! And it’s time you let me sit there…” Lando said, giving away a nervous smile. For some reason he knew what would happen next.
“I kind of like it…” Han said looking around. “You want to sell it?”
“You couldn’t afford it, Han!”
Chewie barked a laugh. Han stared at his Wookiee friend.
“Well Chewie here likes it too!” Han said. “Besides, how many ships do you have, anyway?”
“Han! No!” Lando raised his hand. “It’s not for sale. You saw how special she is!”
“Yeah!” Han leaned over his shoulder, facing Lando, “Come on, buddy! What’s your price?”
“Forget it, Han Solo! I know your credit balance quite well!” Lando shrugged.
“Alright! I’ll win it from you…”
Chewbacca murmured. Lando looked directly at Han.
“You want to play Sabacc against me?” Lando laughed.
“Yeah!” Han replied. “What can you lose?”
“What are you betting?”
“My apartment in Nar-Shaddaa…”
Lando laughed even louder.
“…and my Kessel map…” Han added.
Lando suddenly stop laughing. The Kessel map was Han’s greatest treasure. Where he supposedly marked every secret hideout in the Kessel system. Something like a list of secret spots where pirates hid their stolen items and often forgot. A treasure map like the old myths. Only this 'myth' was being unfolded right in front of Lando’s eyes, held by Han.
“What would I do with it? You have it for years and could never make use of it…”
“I think you could figure it out!” Han smiled and raised his hand.
Chewbacca observed the whole thing. He let out a soft bark when Lando raised his hand to meet Han’s.
“Let’s play, then…” Lando accepted.
Han smiled. This would be interesting.
He liked the ship. And he wanted it… He would have it! Just like everything else in his life.
Fair and square…
Or not…