New Books Announced to Fill the Gaps Between Episode VI and Episode VII

Sorry, I do not have a link to an article at the moment but it has been announced that there will be twenty new books to be released, I believe starting in August, that will fill the gaps in the new canon and explain to all of us what has happened between ROTJ and now.  From a marketing standpoint, clearly this move is brilliant.  I would be willing to bet that there are some Star Wars fans out there who were never all that interested in the EU but will be reading some of these books to prepare themselves for the new movie and find out what has been happening. 

I think under different circumstances, I would be excited about this.  To be honest, with the way I'm worrying about what they are doing with this movie now, I'm actually kind of dreading it.  And I probably won't be reading any of them before the movie comes out, although that would've been true whether I was feeling cynical about it or not.  I still want the movie itself to be sort of a surprise.  Which reminds me to remind all of you, please do not discuss spoilers in any of the comments.  You are free to link to anything as long as you warn us and don't mention any specifics, but for those of us who don't want to know, don't just blurt anything out.  Although from what I understand, while rumors are flying left and right, nothing at this point can be confirmed anyway, so you may believe something you read, but it may be completely false. 

I don't know why, recently I've been a lot more concerned with what they are going to do with these movies.  I feel as though they are going to almost go out of their way to make it incredibly different from the EU as it was before.  I guess that gives them more room to "play" but at the same time, so much of what happened in the original EU (what are we calling it now?) took the character arcs from the movies and brought them to their natural progressions.  Han and Leia got married and had kids.  Luke started a Jedi academy and trained the next generation of Jedi.  Leia became a real leader, Han maintained a strong presence with the New Republic.  The Empire didn't completely disappear but they also were no longer in power.  If you change those things, you basically are telling me that the end of ROTJ was a complete lie.  Just kidding!  They're smiling now, but really the Empire is still very much a big deal and Han hasn't changed at all and will go back to his old life and Luke is going to disappear and Leia is just going to continue to be a miserable, alone woman serving for the greater good.  Fooled you!  It'd be like if the prequels had come out first, and then when ANH came out the Empire totally hadn't gotten anywhere and Vader wasn't that big of a deal as a villain. 

Sigh.  Please don't ruin my favorite movies for me for the rest of my life.  I could let the prequels go and pretend they don't exist because they were all different people and a whole different thing and we already knew how that turned out anyway.  These are my favorite movie characters and I'm just really concerned that they are going to completely tarnish them.  I'm not feeling particularly optimistic. 

As a final note, Episode VIII has a release date of May 26th, 2017.  And the first spinoff movie will be titled Rogue One, and I believe will center on the beginnings of Rogue Squadron.  I am completely indifferent right now to the announcement of Episode VIII's release date, because if Episode VII destroys my love of Star Wars, I really won't care.  A Rogue Squadron movie could be cool I guess, and has a lot less potential to have elements that send me into nerd rage.  Although I have to admit, the fact that we're apparently going to be getting a new Star Wars movie like, every 6 months, seems a little... excessive almost.  Can they make them all worth watching?  Is it going to feel more like when we get into the late seasons of TV shows and they are running out of ideas and the quality really suffers?  So many questions.  I'm curious to hear all of your thoughts on this.

Harrison Ford Crashes Plane, But He'll Be All Right

If you are just now hearing this news from my blog, I'm kind of disappointed in you.  And also wondering what hole you've been hiding in for the last day.  Yesterday afternoon in Los Angeles, Harrison Ford crashed his plane into a golf course.  The news broke very shortly after it happened, and I was informed by one of you fine people, and then I immediately went to Twitter and Google, mostly in the hopes that it was a hoax.  This would not be the first time that someone went on the internet and tried to convince everyone that Harrison was dead.  Unfortunately, further research indicated that it looked pretty darn true, and then I spent the next hour with an unreasonably high heart rate, just sitting still and looking for updates.  Just for your own future reference, I've found Twitter to be the best source of developing stories.  Millions of users and easily searchable, and some of the information is instantly available directly from people who were actually there to witness it.  It is both amazing and frightening sometimes, this world we live in.

After some initial panic and reading a lot of headlines that said "critical condition" which you should all know is basically a death sentence, further updates revealed that he had been awake and talking and stable when they got him out of the plane.  Then eventually his son Ben used Twitter to send a message telling us all that his dad was going to be ok.  See?  I told you Twitter was a great resource.

According to Ben:

"At the hospital. Dad is ok. Battered, but ok! He is every bit the man you would think he is. He is an incredibly strong man."

Now that was comforting in two ways: First, that Harrison will be all right.  Second, to learn that he is just what we all like to think he is.  Now that we know that, I don't think we need any more evidence, like having him crash his plane and come out all right.

I'll be honest, I've thought before about how I'll feel when he dies.  I mean, unless I die pretty young, and that would be a bigger problem I think, I'm going to be around to learn of his death.  I don't know what it is, as I don't really have much attachment to any other celebrities, but I just know I'm going to be really upset when he dies.  Which is why he is not allowed to die for at least twenty more years.  Minimum.  Only when he is old enough that he has done and seen everything there is to see and do, then he is allowed to go peacefully.  Hopefully not in a fiery plane crash.  Seeing that news and all that critical condition talk, I really did get nervous.  And I thought I might be ok if he only made it ten more years, but then last week Spock died, and I have never even seen an episode of Star Trek, and only seen the new movies (plus I think once my parents had us sit through Wrath of Khan when we were kids, but I don't remember anything about it)  and he is about ten years older than Harrison and even that sort of made me sad and made me realize that early eighties is still not old enough for us to be able to say, "Well, it was just his time."  No.  We are not done with him yet.

For any of you who haven't read details, he is banged up pretty good but should make a full recovery.  Although there were reports that he had a pretty major gash on his forehead, so one wonders if he may have a new scar to balance out the one on his chin but that remains to be seen.  There are also reports of some other broken bones but nothing confirmed there and no new updates today.  Trust me, I check constantly.  All I seem to get when I check are more jokes about the Kessel Run and Boba Fett taking him down or the classic line from Indy, "Fly?  Yes. Land? No."  As well as some creative pictures.  I admit the humor does help, especially since it means that it's not serious enough that we are not allowed to joke about it.

One good thing that has come out of this is that Harrison is all over the news.  Not just the bad news either, but clips from his movies.  I for one would like to see this push the Academy to finally give him the Lifetime Achievement Oscar he needs because there is apparently no chance they will ever give him one for acting.  Or, even better, nominate him and give him one for his portrayal of Han Solo in Episode VII.  How amazing would that be?  I mean, that will never, EVER happen, but it would be pretty awesome.

One thing has become clear through all of this, although I had suspected it anyway: Everyone freaking loves Harrison Ford.  Seriously.  I mean, everyone was going crazy at the thought of the loss of this iconic actor.  And then there is all of this talk about how "heroic" he was by being able to bring the plane down like he did, because the engine totally failed.  There was nothing he could've done, and he did everything "right" under the circumstances.  It is oddly comforting that it appears that most people love him as much as I do.  (ok, maybe not quite as much, but still)  I mean, the second person I heard the news from was my brother, who even through text sounded genuinely concerned before I reassured him that the first reports of "critical injuries" were not true.  This may also help anyone who was previously joking about not wanting to see this old man in the new Blade Runner movie.  I mean, now that we almost lost him, let's put him in all the movies!  I'm not kidding.  ALL the movies.

When I heard the news I was actually watching Crystal Skull on TV.  I had the frightening thought as I watched that the old Indy on screen was actually SEVEN YEARS YOUNGER than Harrison when he reprized the role of Han Solo.  I mean, he's gotten so old.  I get even more depressed when I realize how old he really has gotten, and how long ago he was actually my age (hint: he was my age before I was even born, and I'm no spring chicken anymore) But we're definitely still not ready for him to go yet.  I do hope that he heals quickly and makes at least a few more awesome movies before he's done.  And that when he does die, he is super duper old and we will be at peace with it.

And hopefully this will be just like the broken leg a few months ago (he's had a rough year, hasn't he?) and in a month or so he'll be totally fine and we'll have forgotten what we were so concerned about.  You know, I've always worried that he would die in a plane crash and last night for a little while I thought I was right.  If he does, I hope it is not for a very, very long time.  Ok, that is probably enough babbling about my love for Harrison and relief that he will be all right. 

Submission by CCP

Hi, everyone.  Or those of you still paying attention.  I realize things have slowed and I apologize for that.  I suspect in the coming months when Episode VII becomes really imminent we will all have a lot to talk about and have some discussions there, but for now, there just isn't much going on.  CCP has submitted a story for your reading pleasure so here it is.  Please comment if you enjoy it!  It will be posted in three parts, so here is part 1:

Chapter 1, The Book

Hoth 3 ABY

Chewie’s loud growls finally broke through Han’s dark contemplations, “look,” Han interrupted, “I got something to say you’re not going to like it but you are going to listen,” Han looked straight into his oldest and best friends eyes.  Han sighed and drug a hand over his face, “you are not going into Jabba’s with me,” his friend stood immediately loud angry growls reverberating off the walls of the Falcon, “hey, hey,” Han interjected, “I’m the one who got us into this mess.” 

The Wookiee deflated suddenly looking at his cub in wonder, “it’s past time I quite skirting around the facts, this situation is wholly my fault, and its gotten way out of hand, Ord Mantell showed me that.”  Han gestured to the seat the Wookiee had vacated earlier, waiting until Chewbacca had settled himself before he continued.  “We’ll dock in Mos Eisley,” Han spoke with determination, it was obvious that he had thought this through, “I want you to wait with the ship, I’ll take a speeder out to Jabba’s Palace and take care of that.”  “Now,” Han spoke to Chewy sternly, “I want you to promise me, on your honor, that you won’t wait more than three days.”  Chewbacca’s eyes widened in understanding as Han continued, “If I’m not back in three days you’ll know that your debt to me has been terminated.”   

Han was surprised when his friend sat watching him quietly, it wasn’t like Chewie to take these types of things calmly. “Will you promise, give me your word on this,” when Chewbacca agreed Han felt himself relax for the first time in days, “I’ve got a will in the strongbox, it passes the Falcon to you.”  Han paused feeling the best he had in days it was the next request that frightened him, what he was about to admit.  “Should the worst happen and I don’t come back you will be free to return to your family and have every right to,” Han looked his friend hope brimming in his eyes, “if you are willing I want you to carry out one last task for me,” Han held up his hand forestalling his partner’s agreement, “hear it before you agree.”  Chewbacca waited calmly knowing that this was going to be big he tried to remember Han ever being this concerned or thought out about the future.  “I want you to come back and look after Leia,” Han found his friend staring intently, “not a life debt or anything like that just get her through this war, you’ve kept me alive this long and I know it will be harder with her but sometimes I don’t think that she expects to make it through this.”  Han paused looking down to the package resting on the table, “after the war is over and yall have all settled into good lives I want you to give this to her.”  Han slid the brown paper wrapped package across to his friend, “and tell her I’m sorry,” he gulped, “tell her I’m sorry for everything, and I hope she has a good life, she deserves it.”  Chewbacca’s acceptance was long heartfelt and left Han’s eyes wet as he choked out his thanks.  The Corellian stood abruptly wiping his eyes before pulling on his parka, “Come on the faster we get this girl up and running the quicker we can be done with this.” 

They had been interrupted by C3PO not long after getting to work. The attack at Hoth, and the escape to Bespin had followed soon after.  Chewbacca had stood by the princess’s side, respecting his cub’s wishes, until they had finally retrieved Han from Jabba.  The Corellian had never asked his friend about the package in the five years that followed, but the Wookie knew better than to think that he had forgotten it, so Chewie kept it safe waiting for the time that he would pass it to its proper owner.  Chewbacca’s heart felt incredibly heavy as he watched the Happans make their proposal.  The princess would be intolerably tested by this.  He listened carefully as Mon Mothma expressed her wishes and gave condolences to Han and Chewie had to question the beings that Leia had put her faith in.  How could anyone ask Leia who had suffered the loss of so much and bore the burden of that guilt to give up the one small sliver of happiness she had managed to find with Han. He followed Han out of the observation room and straight up to the Rebel Dream where they had left the Millennium Falcon prior to leaving on their last mission, Leia’s ship.  He was not surprised when Han immediately started banging away on some recalcitrant part or another.  Leia’s visit turned sour quickly and then the prince appeared to insult the Falcon.  Chewbacca set about his task the second Han left for this dinner with Leia and the Happan Prince.   He found the package where he had buried it in his locker still unopened.  The Wookie left soon after Han returned hoping that the Princess would be alone when he arrived. She opened the door still dressed for the formal dinner she’d had earlier.  Chewbacca took her disappointment for what it was, when she told him that she’d hoped he was Han the Wookie knew that he was on the right track and invited himself in.  They sat in the living area of her suite of rooms Leia was quiet and pensive when Chewbacca removed the package from his bandoleer pouch she looked confused.  He slowly and calmly explained when he had come into possession of it, and why.  Leia’s eyes shown with unshed tears as he explained what his duties would have been if things had turned out different and when he was expected to pass the bundle to her.  He explained that he felt now was the right time.  When she asked him what it was he admitted that he didn’t know but that it was important to Han and it belonged to her.

Leia had waited barely a minute after the Wookie excused himself to open the package half expecting silky negligée with some kind of lecherous note.  What she found instead was a leather bound book.  Opening it the first lines written in Han’s legible but abrupt hand writing shocked her especially noting the date.

To the Love of my life Leia Organa,

The life, times and dreams of Han Solo.

Leia turned the page immediately finding more of Han’s hand written words.

Leia,

I hope this note finds you well.  I’m sure that by now you, Chewie and Luke have defeated the Empire, and settled into a peace you truly deserve.  I am both apologetic and unapologetic for saddling you with Chewbacca.  I apologize because I know how absolutely determined he can be once he sets his mind to a task. There were times when I am sure that you hated him and railed against his overprotective nature with all of the scorn and anger at your disposal.  I am also sure that this had absolutely no effect on him.  I am unapologetic because I know since he accepted my last request that you will be kept safe to a fault, from both outside and inside forces which would wish to cause you harm.  You will also be kept safe from yourself something he has actually excelled at with me.  He has been my one true and steadfast friend throughout my life the only person that I have felt I can truly count on.  I suspect that it will be sometime after the war has ended before you were able to convince him to retire his post as your protector that was likely the catalyst that got you this book.  He has likely seen you married off to a good man with a couple of kids. I know that you will marry a good man because it is nothing less than you deserve, remember that Leia you do deserve happiness.  I am sure by now you are wondering why I left and why this transcript was left for you.  The simple answer to both questions is that I love you more than I think I have ever loved anything before.  I left because of Ord Mantel you could have been killed because of me and I couldn’t accept that.  I also could not risk your life further.  I left you this memoire such that it is because I wanted someone to remember me. I know of course that Chewbacca will and so will Luke but this is a story meant only to be told to the woman I love. There is a lot in here that Chewie doesn’t know along with what he does.  You have gleaned some of what you will read but not all by a long shot.  I have been a mystery to you and it is not in my nature to share but I wanted you to know all about me.  I am sharing this with you because you are the only person that I can ever conceive of sharing these things with, and someone out there will know my story, the whole story.  If nothing else it will give you some great ammunition for your children’s bedtime stories and maybe I will become something of a legendary space pirate to them.

With Love

Han Solo

Leia found herself torn and unsure but she turned the page nonetheless. Her hand went to her mouth feeling shock and pain as he started his story.

My first true memories are of the streets, I have earlier vague memories of a woman I believe to be my mother, and she had a kind smile and dark maybe black hair.  She sang lullabies to me with an amazing voice as she held me in the tightest hug. It might be the only time I’ve really felt safe. Her name was Jaina.

Leia read on not the leisurely sort of reading that someone did on a lazy afternoon but with the voracious appetite of an intellect that had just found the source of all knowledge.  She continued learning of Han’s life on the streets surprisingly no grisly details seemed to be left out of that or of his life under the imposing thumb of Garris Shrike.  Leia paused with the death of Dewlanna, realizing that the female Wookie was the closest thing Han had ever had to a mother.  Leia slowly got her emotions under control and continued.  She found herself laughing at his description of her when he had seen a picture on Alderaan.  Her heart soared as he found his first semblance of happiness with Bria Tharren. She felt his pride at enrollment in Caridia and then graduating at the top of his class.  She understood his shame at his dismissal.  She both smiled and at times openly laughed through his adventures as a smuggler.  She found herself again loathing Bria Tharren when he described the betrayal on Yelsia, although she was already familiar with that tale.  Leia cried the entire time as she read his description of their time with the rebellion and his feelings for her, again he left nothing out.  She paused tears openly streaming down her face this section of his life was concluded with their argument in the halls of Echo Base on Hoth, followed by another note.

If I’m right and you did love me know that it is that belief that gives me the strength to do what I’m doing now.  I know that we fight and argue all of the time but I do believe in you, that’s why I would not join if you must know.  I don’t trust governments every time I have put my trust in one I have been burned, but I do believe in you Leia, and that’s why I stuck around all of that time.  I also love you Leia and that is why I had to leave, when you got hurt on Ord Mantell all I could think was that you could have died because of me.  That you could have died because of my irresponsibility is something I cannot live with so I left to clear the debt.  I don’t think I have the ability to give this explanation justice but there it is.  I do apologize for everything that may have hurt you I might not have been mature enough to deal with some of the feelings that I found myself having.  You probably don’t believe it but I also had dreams and ambitions for the future, you became central to those dreams and ambitions, some I will admit are positively pornographic, but those are too private to write down anywhere.  I did want you to know some of my ambitions for us and that is why I share these things here.

He described several scenarios in all of them they were happily married with children but it was the one that he described as his favorite that she decided was hers as well.  It was amazing how well he knew her even then.

I often dream of a home by a lake somewhere that has seasons.  Kids running through piles of leaves in the fall and snowballs in the winter. Spring would be spent catching light bugs and summer would be spent swimming and sailing. I think you would want a sailboat so you could teach your children the same way your father taught you.  The house would have wide porches where you could enjoy the breeze and privacy so we could skinny dip when the children are off visiting Chewie and his family.  Nights during the fall and winter would be spend in front of a fireplace snuggled under blankets reading the children stories and talking about our days.  In the spring we would sleep with the windows open and run through fields of grass.  Summers would be filled with adventure sailing the lake and visiting old friends. 

She reread his description of the lake twice her own imagination filling in details he had left out she had stopped crying now feeling hurt that in the years since the war ended he hadn’t shared all of this with her. She turned the last page to find a final note.

I hope you have found your happy ever after Leia if it is anything like what I have described that is all the better live a good life and please remember me fondly if you can.

Han Solo

She looked up from the book glancing at the chrono to find that it was early morning and knowing that she had to see him.  Still dressed in the evening gown from the night before she walked past the matching high heeled shoes, discarded on the floor the night before, and went into her bed room.  She looked up from pulling on a pair of socks and spacer boots to see the book where she had left it on the vanity.  The battered leather bound book sat surrounded by the priceless gifts from the Hapan Cluster and she found that all of that wealth seemed insignificant next to the book. The book had over the course of the night become her most prized possession.  Steeled with a new determination she contacted Winter to meet her in the room as soon as possible.  She confirmed with the Rebel Dream’s flight control that the Falcon was still docked in the bay and left with that most precious item clutched to her chest.

Marvel Star Wars #1 Released

In case anyone is interested, now that Dark Horse no longer owns the rights to Star Wars comics, Marvel will be starting with their own much anticipated series, and it finally comes out today.  There has been a lot of buzz surrounding this release, and what I've read makes it sound promising.  If you look around you can see some previews of the artwork, and it looks pretty good.  I will say though I thought some of these same thoughts when the last Dark Horse series came out and that was pretty disappointing.  Remember that talk of Leia marrying some random prince?  She didn't, but there really wasn't much to that story line.  Also, the artwork, while good in the early issues, didn't look much like the characters we know and love by the end.

I'll probably be picking this one up.  Or, truth be told, more likely I'll just go to Barnes and Noble and find it on the shelf and read it and put it back, because it takes about six minutes to read an entire comic book.  If these are good I'll buy them when they are released later in volumes rather than individual issues.  These will be considered part of the "new" canon, so apparently they are more official.  Let's hope they don't do anything weird or annoying. 

Be sure to let us know if you pick it up and what you think.  This is an exciting era for Star Wars fans, and hopefully this will be a good addition.  Certainly it can't be weirder than the original Marvel Star Wars comics, although some of those were actually decent before they really stopped trying later on.

Happy 2015!

Happy New Year!  I know this has been basically by far the worst year ever for the blog, so I apologize for that.  I do still appreciate any comments or readers or proof that you're still here and listening.  More importantly though, it's 2015, which means we have entered the year in which the new Star Wars movie will be released!  I bet a couple of years ago you never in a million years would've guessed that was going to happen.  I know I certainly wouldn't have.  It's still quite a ways away but since they announced Episode VII two years ago now, and that went by pretty fast, I'm sure we can handle a little over eleven more months.  And hopefully there will be some fun news about it that we can share and talk about here.  I'll post any interesting actual news and again, for now let's stay away from spilling spoilers in comments.  Speculation is totally fine, linking to spoilers while warning the rest of us that you are linking to spoilers is also fine, just make sure you're giving people the option to read it if they want to and not ruining it for those of us who want to be kept in the dark. 

Happy New Year to everyone, I hope it's a good one!

Story: "Parallel" Submitted by Zolo77

AN: Alright fellow shippers, this is a taste of the enormity which has been consuming my poor bedraggled brain for the last few months. I LOVE this new story - but I promise to finish Future before actually posting this one for real. But I got a little excited and had to share. fair warning, it might undergo a few more tweaks and edits before finally hitting the "big screen" but i wanted to get a feel for it. I hope you love it too. :)

Parallel  - by Zolo77

"Another?" Han asked, leaning down behind her, running a hand lightly down her throat, tipping her head back with the side of his thumb. His nose trailed slowly down hers and he kissed her, delaying any response.

The party had broken up well over an hour ago. And now, with the children fast asleep, they finally had the rest of the night to themselves. Leia had started the long cleanup process when Han had returned from the bedroom, a small navy box in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. He had herded her gently away from the momentous mess littering the kitchen, with the promise that it would all still be there in the morning. The place was a disaster by any standard: balloons, streamers, empty glassware and small white china plates strewn across every available surface. But he was right – it would keep.

"Mmm... please." Smiling lazily back at him, Leia curled her bare feet under herself and settled further into the deep-set sofa, listening to a mid-rim soul band coo softly around them from the in-ceiling speakers. The heels she had bought especially for tonight had been discarded hours ago, kicked off somewhere in the dining room - locating them was another task for tomorrow.

Han leaned over her then, picking up the discarded wine glass off the dark wood side-table and placing a kiss on her bare shoulder. Tilting her head to the side to encourage the gesture, she pulled her hair across her neck, gathering it away. They hadn't been like this for a while. Hectic schedules, coupled with the ever growing commitments and complications which came along with raising three small children, meant they had learned to cherish moments like this. Moments which, as both of them would attest to, came around far too seldom.

He kissed her lightly again before standing and moving over to the bar on the far side of the room.
The living area they sat in was a large one, and secretly the reason Leia had pushed to buy the apartment in the first place. With room enough for three growing children, two offices and the master bedroom complete with a large ensuite which was tucked away with grandeur at the top of a curved staircase. But to Leia, the openness of the living space, with the full length windows and conversation pit complete with a built in holo projector and in-ceiling sound - which opened out to the dining room and kitchen, added something to this space which no other home had offered. Han had been pulled in by the large balconies, one on the main floor featuring sliding glass doors which opened seamlessly to an enclosed outdoor lounge and the smaller private deck off their bedroom – which in this particular district was something few apartments had. His insistence their children (and himself) be able to actually get outside on a daily basis was paramount. The large soaker tub in the master ensuite helped seal the sale further.

The memory made her smile. Their first home. Well, as a family at least, the unwelcoming ultra-modern bachelor pad they had landed in after the liberation hardly counted as a "home". She had been nearly desperate to leave the overwhelming feeling of confinement and utility for the comfortable, welcome openness their new apartment held.

Clinking glassware could be heard over the soft sultry jazz now playing overhead. The hi-ball and wine glasses were a strange memento as well, bought before they were even married, at an auction several levels down on Coruscant. They were also rather Imperialist in design, but Leia had loved them. Handcarved and label-less; from an unknown artist in one of the colonies, the set was simple in design and every glass a slightly different size. Often commented on by guests, the glassware had become an unintended conversation piece.

The bar was set against the full height transparasteel wall which ran the full length across the back of the living room, it offered a breath taking view of the city as guests helped themselves to any number of fine reserves which Han had collected over the years, and was secretly very proud of it. The bar itself was antique of unknown heritage. They had picked it up off-world and lugged the damn thing back with them. Bought originally to be the centerpiece in Han's office, they had managed to drag it into the living room and there it was staying – at least until his office was finished.

It was a bit eclectic, Leia thought, as she watched her husband pour from decanters they had received as wedding gifts. She smiled, biting lightly on her lower lip, thinking of their wedding. They had left straight afterwards, desperate to get away. Returning, weeks later, to chaos. Gifts has taken over, cluttering the apartment, piled everywhere. It had taken them days to organize, open and catalogue everything. Having not bothered to register – on top of not really having the time - they had received a fairly bizarre assortment of gifts, most of which they kept; among those were the various bar pieces from all corners of the galaxy as well as a strange metal sculpture, they had wrongly believed to be an ornament, until their first anniversary when the thing lit up and started to chime at midnight, the noise reverberating around their small bedroom; scaring the daylights out of both of them – it now lived in Han's unfinished office.

Tonight though, despite the beautiful lights of the city glittering around them and the hypnotic stream of traffic across the sky, Leia appreciated a far greater, private view. Han stood in front of the bar, tall and sure, white tailored shirt cutting a sharp contrast against the lights of the city laid out before him. He had been relaxed that evening, and after the last few challenging weeks, it was a nice break for both of them.

"Wine?" He questioned, breaking the spell, not looking up from his task.

Leia shook her head, "No, Whiskey Sweet, I think."

"You sure?" he asked, setting his tumbler aside he reached under the cabinet and produced an unopened small glass bottle filled with a slightly murky, dark plum liquid.

"Of course."

"I don't how you can drink this, it's terrible," he replied, sauntering over to her, offering the glass with a smirk. Taking the drink, fingers tracing lightly over the hand carved etching on the face of the tumbler, she smiled at him.

"Happy birthday, Sweetheart." He whispered, lightly touching his tumbler to hers.

"Thank you, tonight was wonderful."

"Good. That's what it was supposed to be."

Leia took a shallow sip of her drink and tried not to pull a face. He was right, it really was awful.

Glancing over to find him watching her, she made a face and shivered dramatically. Han laughed, scooping her feet from under her and gently placing them on his knees, pushing the gathers of fabric aside, clearing way for his hands on her calves.

"This is so bad. Can I have a sip of yours?" without answering, he offered her his drink.

"Let me make you something else."

"No, it's fine. It won't feel like my birthday without it."

It was a small, inside commentary which had started shyly a long time ago. Well before they thought of themselves as having secrets with each other.

They had been holed up in a dump of a town, on a backwater beaten up planet, waiting for an answer from local government officials on supplying for the Rebellion when Han had strolled into the living area of the small, trashy hotel room they were sharing, darkly dressed, blaster at his side.

"You're leaving?" Leia asked, annoyed with herself that her voice sounded slightly panicked.

"Yeah, seeing as it's only 2200 and we don't have to be anywhere tomorrow, I figured I'd get some air. Don't open the door to anyone; I have a key. I mean it, Princess. No one." She curled herself into the corner of the large threadbare sofa and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and rolled her eyes at him.

"Hey, I mean it. This isn't exactly the best part of town." Han took half a step towards her, uncertainly flitting across his face.

"I'm not a child, Han. I don't have to be left alone in a hotel room with specific instructions and a code word. I'll be fine. Go. Have fun." she made a flippant gesture of annoyance with her small hand and bent her head even further over the book she was pretending to read.

He stood watching her for the span of several heartbeats, Leia could feel herself tensing, a warming blush crawling up her chest towards her throat. That always happened when he studied her, it was so annoying.

"Come with me."

Her head snapped up so fast she saw stars. "What? Come with you where?"

"Out. Could be fun. Like I said; we have nothing planned tomorrow, might as well go blow some steam and check things out."

That was the last thing she had expected, and it threw her off guard, and besides that, she hadn't really ever been the type to 'blow off steam'. She clung to her book staring at him, frantically trying to quell the warmth with had now certainly reached the base of her throat. "I'm not dressed. I haven't showered, you should just go. It'll take me a while to get ready."

"I'll wait. Go, go get changed. Take your time." Han turned toward the comm installed next to the door, and pressed a quick code. Leia sat watching him in dumb silence. "What are you doing?" she finally asked.

"Ordering a drink. You said you'd be a while, right?" This was all becoming too familiar, too comfortable, she thought as she watched him kick off his boots and fall causally into the large chair opposite her. This was very 'couple-ish' and she wasn't sure if she was comfortable with it. But, she thought, as she stood slowly and turned towards her room, if he was able to be friendly, then maybe this was a good idea, the alternative was a very long assignment and she didn't feel up to fighting with him any more than they would normally. "Wait, you ordered a drink? How is that even possible? We can't get them to bring us fresh towels." She spun around at the door and quirked her head at him.

He laughed at her expression, "Trust me. This place has more alcohol than it does clean laundry. And they'll do pretty much anything to make an extra credit or two. Now, go! We're losing daylight." He dismissed her with a smile and a quick gesture.

It hadn't taken her as long as she thought it might. Han had only gotten through half a glass of cheap whiskey when she emerged from her room; makeup dark and dramatic, hair pulled up into a messy pile, clad darkly as well, black slim leggings and boots with a loose deep green sweater over the only black camisole she had.

He caught her eyes and held her gaze a heartbeat too long, downed the rest of his glass and stood. "Ready?" she merely nodded, following close behind him.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, she thought for what must have been the hundredth time, as she caught their reflection again in a darkened window of a closed shop. They made an attractive sight, she admitted begrudgingly to herself. His tall, self-assured swagger complimenting her small frame nicely. "Here." He interrupted her musings, placed his arm around her shoulder and steered her into a smoky doorway off the street. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim. Han didn't seem bothered and ushered her into a booth in the back corner, catching a busty server by the arm and ordering something quickly as they passed. Leia tried to shrug out from under him, panic starting to creep its way into her mind.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"I said I'm fine," she snapped, instantly regretting it. They were getting along, and now she had ruined it.

"Okay." Han drew his arm off of her and placed both elbows on the table, jaw twitching as his eyes scanned the bar. She knew he was checking exits, he always did. Force of habit, she knew.

"Sorry." She whispered. Han didn't reply, simply nodded and kept his eyes away from her. At that moment, drinks appeared in front of them and she grabbed hers, shuddering slightly as she took a large gulp of the bitter liquid.

They sat in silence, growing comfortable with each other, watching the scene around them buzz and flow. An endless throng of beings - mostly alien - skirt around them.

"I need another. Same for you?" Han broke the silence, watching her with a look she couldn't quite place.

"Yes, please. No actually I'll have a Ruusan Ice Wine, if they have it."

"You sure? Have you ever had it? It's vile stuff. Really, you should get something else."

"No, it's fine. That's what I want. And yes, I have tried it; quite a few times actually." Leia started tracing invisible patterns in the rough wooden tabletop.

"Lady, you get stranger and stranger the more I get to know you." He remarked, signaling the server over again. She smiled quietly, perhaps the evening was saved, small spat avoided – or at least forgotten for now.

"That's rich, look who's talking."

He laughed then, a handsome rich laugh which forced her to look up at him. He looked so different at that moment, younger, less cynical and almost – free. Compelled by something but not knowing what exactly, and expanded her story.

"It was my sixteenth birthday; my friend Winter and I wanted to celebrate, so we snuck into the galley after the staff had gone to bed, broke into the liquor cabinet, but we didn't know what we should take, so we simply choose the closest bottle. It turned out to be that. It was horrible, but we drank it anyway since we really didn't know any better.: She stopped and smiled. She hadn't let herself think about Winter very much. Or her life before this. What was the point really? Everything was different. Gone. Han sat quietly, smiling as well. "Anyway,: she continued, "I left shortly after that to take my seat at the senate, but for my seventeenth birthday, Winter sent me a bottle as a joke. I never got around to drinking it. It was left in my apartment on Coruscant. Then, well -" she looked away from him without finishing. They sat in silence for a moment as a tired looking server dropped two glasses on front of them and gathered the chips before stalking off.

"Have you heard from-" Han asked quietly, sliding the small glass of wine to her.

"No. I don't know where she was when... when it happened. I desperately hope she was off-world. But I might never know."

"I'm sure when the war is over, you'll find her."

"If I last that long, maybe." Leia said quietly. She offered him a small smile to his silence and lifted the glass, inhaling its offensively sweet smell.

Nothing more on that subject was said. He didn't bring it up again, and she had forgotten the exchange took place. It wasn't until several months later, Han and Chewie had gone on a stockade run with a few members from Luke's newly formed Rogue Squadron, when a strange box appeared in her room. It was wrapped simply. Curiosity finally got the better of her late that evening, after hours of staring at it. Ripping off the packaging she found a bottle of Ruusan Ice Wine. She knew immediately, even as she picked up the card and read the familiar hurried-slanted scribe, what this gift meant.

For you and Winter. Don't give up.
PS - Everyone hates Ruusan wine - call it Whiskey Sweet - it sounds better and at least people wont know you drink that stuff.

She had kept that bottle with her, it had been packed in her luggage during the evacuation of Hoth, and after being reunited with the fleet she had stared at it night after night. A reminder of two people she had loved, two people which the Empire had stolen from her. Two people she would devote her life to finding again.

It had taken years, but she had finally shared that bottle with Winter.

"Hey, you awake?"

She laughed, and nodded. "Just thinking."

"Of?"

"You."

"Oh, that's alright then." He smiled. "I have something for you." Han whispered into her ear after a moment.

"There's more?" she asked, Han simply hummed an affirmative sound, making her giggle. He shifted slightly and picked up the small navy box she had noticed early from the table beside him.

"There's always more. Here, happy birthday."

Leia took the small package from him, tracing the velvety feel of the box several times before lifting the top.

"Oh, it's beautiful."

"It reminded me of you."

xXx

"Thank you for today, it was perfect." With the lights of the city hidden behind the darkened wall of glass behind them, and a trail of clothing strewn up the staircase, Leia turned in his arms and staring up at the dancing points of light created by the candles on the bedside table.

"Good. That was the idea."

"Although, I think next year we need a bigger cake. There's hardly any left over, and Luke called dibs on the corner piece."

"He can't call dibs, it's your cake."

"Well, it's his birthday too, I guess. Although, I might eat all of it for breakfast. Then I can apologize later."

"Sounds very 'Solo' of you. I approve."

"I thought you would."

"So, what did you wish for?"

"I can't tell you! If I do, it wont come true."

"Please?"

"Fine," she sighed, leaning closer to him, fingers playing across his chest. "I wished for what every woman wishes for on her thirtieth birthday: I wished to be twenty-nine again."

"I've never understood that. What exactly is wrong with being thirty?"

"I'm not sure. It's not even that old, really." She looked up and scrunched her nose at him playfully. "I mean, it's not forty. Forty's old. Isn't it?"

"Excuse me, are you saying I'm old?" he turned quickly, pinning her under him and winding a hand loosely through her hair, massaging her scalp softly. Her eyes closed slowly and a contended sigh left her. "I'm saying you're mine." she whispered breathlessly.

"Yes, I am." And with that, he leaned down to kiss her again.

xXx

"Leia?" he breathed into the darkness.

"Yes?"

"What did you really wish for?"

"It's silly."

"What?" Han asked again, already knowing the answer. She buried her face into his shoulder, and breathed deeply.

"Alderaan. I wished for Alderaan."

Teaser Trailer to Premiere Friday November 28th!

The trailer is coming!  LINK  This Friday!  Sadly, of course it would be a real project for me to get to one of these theaters, so you people are all required to go see it for me if at all possible.  Hopefully it will be on the internet three minutes after it premieres so I don't have to wait too long. 

I'm sure it will reveal nothing, which is actually a good thing, I think.  But if/when I do get to see it I'm sure throughout the duration I'm going to forget to breathe.  This means it's really real, it's really happening.  I'm guessing the music will be involved, and the goosebumps I'll have while hearing it are going to be difficult to get rid of. 

How do you guys feel now that we are just over a year away from it?  What do you want to know about it?  What do you not want to know?  I'm torn.  Part of me wants to see a lot of stuff, but I think a bigger part of me wants to be surprised.  I will admit that as far as plot and such goes, I'd like to know beforehand whether or not Han and Leia are currently married/at least have been married, and if they have kids.  I want to be mentally prepared for the horrible possibility they aren't, or be relieved to find out there was nothing for me to worry about in that regard.  Beyond that, I think I'd like to mostly be surprised.  I don't want to know the whole movie going in.  I don't want to just be waiting for things to happen that I'd already heard about.  I think it will be more fun that way. 

But anyway, check the theater list up top and hopefully some of you live in big enough cities that you can actually go check it out!  Go see Hunger Games or Interstellar or anything!  Just go see it!