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Princess Leia Organa couldn’t sleep. She assumed that the rest of the Rebels had long gone to bed after partying for hours. And the Alliance certainly had a lot to celebrate. A young farm boy turned pilot from Tattooine named Luke Skywalker had destroyed the Empire’s Death Star space station. It was a major win for the Rebels. Leia was proud of her new friend. But in other ways, the victory was bittersweet.
Prior to meeting Luke, Han Solo, who was the captain of the Millennium Falcon, his Wookiee and his Wookiee co-pilot, Chewbacca, while also being reunited with her droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO on the Death Star, Leia had been imprisoned there. What’s worse, Darth Vader and Grad Moff Tarkin had forced Leia to watch as the Death Star fired upon her homeworld of Alderaan. In an instant, the entire planet had been obliterated. And Leia immediately knew that her parents, Bail and Breha Organa, had been among the dead. It was hard for Leia to reconcile her joy at Luke taking down the Death Star with her grief over what had happened to Alderaan. And it was those conflicting feelings that were now preventing her from sleeping.
Leia sat up in bed. She realized that she wasn’t going to get any sleep. And not knowing what else to do, she decided to take a walk. Everyone else on the based seemed to be asleep, so Leia decided she wouldn’t disturb anyone, nor was she likely to be disturbed herself. She threw a robe on over her nightgown. She also put on a pair of slippers. Then she left her quarters.
Walking through the halls of Yavin IV, Leia was struck by the contrast from just a few hours ago. Where as earlier, the Rebels had partied like there was no tomorrow, now it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Leia couldn’t even detect any snoring, even though she knew everyone else on the base must be asleep.
Leia continued to walk until she found herself in the base’s hangar. She spotted the X-Wing Luke had flown in the battle. Seeing it now made her smile. But she fell solemn again when she realized how many other ships, X-Wings and Y-Wings alike, were missing. Several pilots had been killed in the battle. Leia had heard the survivors discussing their fallen comrades during the celebration. And she would work on organizing a proper memorial in the coming days.
Leia suddenly noticed a ship in the hanger that hadn’t been there before. It was the Millennium Falcon. She remembered that Han had landed the ship on a platform out in the jungle surrounding the base. And then Han, Leia, Luke, Chewie and the droids had been brought to the base on speeder bikes.. She didn’t know when, exactly, the Falcon had been brought into the hanger, but she thought that such a move was much more convenient.
Looking closer, Leia saw that the boarding ramp of the Falcon was lowered. There was also a light coming from inside the ship. Leia surmised that meant someone was still awake. Leia entered the Falcon. The further into the she went, she began to hear the voices of Han Solo and Chewbacca.
“Ha! I win again! That’s three hands in a row!” Han exclaimed. He and Chewie were playing Sabacc.
*All hail the greatest Sabacc player ever,* growled Chewie. Leia knew enough Shyriiwook to detect a hint of sarcasm in Chewie’s words. But he wasn’t intending to be mean. He as just just gently joking with Han.
“Am I interrupting anything?” asked Leia.
“What are you doing here, Your Worship?” asked Han. He had been calling Leia that since the Death Star. And even though it annoyed her, she didn’t feel like correcting him right now.
“I couldn’t sleep,” said Leia.
“And you decided to come to Chewie and me?” asked Han “Why?”
*Mind your manners, Cub,* Chewie admonished. *Welcome, Little Princess. We’re very happy to have you.*
“Actually, Han, I suppose I came by here to thank you,” said Leia.
“For what?” asked Han.
“Coming back the way you did,” Leia replied. “It shows that you really do care. I wasn’t kidding when I said I knew there was more to you than money. And now I want to apologize for earlier accusing you of only loving money.”
“I appreciate that, Princess,” said Han. “But shouldn’t you be thanking Luke? I mean, he’s the one who actually destroyed the Death Star.”
“But you set him up for it,” Leia pointed out. “I think that’s worthy of recognition. In fact, tomorrow, I’ll begin discussions with Colonel Willard and General Dodonna about awarding you and Luke with medals.”
“I’m sure the kid will like that,” said Han. “But you don’t have to give me one.”
“Why not?” asked Leia. “You’re a hero!”
“I’m no hero,” Han scoffed bitterly. “I’m just a smuggler.”
“You could be a hero if you really wanted to be,” said Leia. “It doesn’t matter what you were or where you came from. The important thing is what you become.”
*Wise words, Your Highness,* said Chewie. *Accept the medal, Han. It’s the right thing to do.*
“Ok, Chewie,” said Han. “Fine, Princess. You can give me a medal. It’s not like I’ll be sticking around here for much longer.”
“What do you mean?” asked Leia.
“I still got debts to repay,” answered Han. “Jabba the Hutt waits for no man.”
*Oh, yeah,* Chewie piped up. *I kinda forgot about Jabba.*
“I’m sure we can find a way to get your debts commuted,” said Leia.
“Good luck with that!” Han barked with harsh laughter. “You obviously know nothing about Jabba. Now, why are actually here, Princess? Did you really come by to thank me?”
“Of course I did,” said Leia. “What are you getting at, Solo?”
“It’s just that you came to my ship in the middle of the night,” said Han. “I told you I’m gonna leave. And I know I’m a handsome fella. I think you’d hate for me to be the one who got away.” He smirked.
“What?!” Leia asked loudly. “Are you nuts?! Yes, you are rather handsome. And you’re not a terrible person. But we only just met. Do you think everyone who comes across your path is secretly on love with you?”
“In the time we’ve known each other, you hugged me-twice,” said Han.
“That’s called being polite,” said Leia. “Ever heard of it?”
“You like me,” said Han. “You’re just too afraid to come out and say it.”
“Now I understand why you have such a big ship,” said Leia. “So it can accommodate your large head and even larger ego!”
“I don’t like the way you keep ragging on my ship,” said Han. “It did help save your life, after all.”
“And I am grateful to you and Luke for that,” said Leia.
“We saw it, before the Falcon got caught in the Death Star’s tractor beam,” said Han. “The ruins of Alderaan, I mean. There was nothing left but a debris field. That old Ben guy said it had been destroyed by the Empire. I didn’t believe him at first. It seemed impossible that even the Empire could pull off something like that. But now that I’ve actually been on the Death Star, I believe it.”
“You can’t even begin to imagine what it was like for me to watch as the Death Star fired on Alderaan,” said Leia.
“You’re right,” agreed Han. “I’ll never know what that was like. And I also realize that no amount of me saying I’m sorry can ever bring back an entire planet. But while I was on my way to Tattooine, I started thinking that if the Empire could do that to one world, they wouldn’t stop there. That didn’t sit right with me. I guess that’s why I came back.”
“And I and the other Rebel leaders are very glad you did,” said Leia. “I guess I do like you.”
“I like you, too, Princess,” said Han. “I’m sorry for what I just said. It was stupid. I don’t know what came over me.”
“You probably need some sleep,” said Leia. “Speaking of which, I think I’m finally ready to get some shuteye of my own. Goodnight, Captain Solo. Goodnight, Chewbacca.”
*Farewell, Princess,* said Chewie. *See you in the morning.*
“Nighty-night, Leia,” said Han. It didn’t escape Leia’s notice that this was the first time Han had used her actual name since they’d met. It was such a small gesture, but one that touched her deeply. She left the Falcon and returned to her quarters. She was able to sleep for the rest of the night.
After that night on the Falcon, Leia and Han talked whenever they got the chance. They very rarely argued. Before anyone knew it, the time had come for the medal ceremony. When Leia draped a medal around Han’s neck, he winked at her. She smiled in return.
Han ended up staying with the Rebellion. He and Leia formed a close bond. She would occasionally think back on Han’s assertion that she was in love with him. As time went by, she realized that she felt strongly for him. But if those feelings were truly romantic, only time would tell. At least, that’s what Leia kept telling herself.