The Other EU: Guest Review of "Jawas of Doom" #81 from the Original Marvel Series

This review was submitted by Elivagar.  Thanks for taking the time to do it!

SPOILERS! This is more of a play-by-play than anything, so if you want to be surprised while reading this particular comic for yourself, skip it.

I present to you, JAWAS OF DOOM! Marvel Star Wars #81

It's the morning after the Battle of Endor and instead of luxuriating in the warm embrace of his lover, Han is arguing with some pilot about money. Han was looking to score a loan from this guy, but apparently still owes him from back on Hoth, so Mr. Pilot isn't exactly jumping to hand out anymore cash. Han attempts to sway him with excuses and bragging, but the pilot has heard enough and takes off.

 

Suddenly, Leia is at Han's side and she's in a pretty good mood...for now. 

 

He goes on to tell her about his money problems. Leia generously offers to lend him credits because she's loaded but Han clearly has some deeper issues and refuses her help. He storms off yelling, "I always made it on my own and I intend to now. I don't belong to anything!" Sheesh, Han. Save it for COPL. All the while, Chewbacca is napping with some Ewoks.

Lando, Wedge, and Luke are recounting the events of last night and notice Han and Leia's little altercation. Of course, big brother Luke asks if everything is okay. Leia excuses Han's behavior, telling him that things have happened so fast for him and that he just needs some time.



Meanwhile, Han is trudging through the forest still pouting when he comes across the Millennium Falcon. Instantly, his mood is brightened. Good thing he hasn't noticed the missing sensor dish. He checks out the inside of the ship and notes that the pair of dice are still hanging in the cockpit (which I've only ever noticed in A New Hope). Chewie finds Han still feeling sorry for himself and gives him a big hug. Aww.

We cut to some time later, and Han has realized he has a stash of money waiting for him on Tatooine. Usually, it's never a good idea to visit Tatooine, but since Jabba and Boba are both dead, his figures it's a good time to go pick it up. He brings Leia and Artoo along with him, insisting that the only reason he brought them along was because Chewie wanted to hang with the Ewoks and Threepio is the only one who speaks Ewokese. Leia doesn't buy it and knows it's totally because he's hoping for some good stuff.


We are shown a series of panels informing us that Boba Fett has in fact been burped up by the Sarlacc. Some Jawas find him, thinking that he's either a droid or a cyborg. At least, that's what some protocol droid tells them. Boba is thrown in the back of a sandcrawler, but oh no, some Sand People are hot on their trail.

Back on the Falcon, Han is arguing with someone named Garrick about landing in Mos Eisley, since, well, Han sort of just blasted out of there last time. Leia interjects, offering some clearance code she has. See Han, she's always got you covered. Just accept it. Leia points out that doing things the nice way gets results, but Han lets her know that beating someone's ass would be more satisfying.

So they're off to get Han's credits while Artoo stays behind to recharge. Leia waits outside the office when some cloaked, green guy asks her if she's "working". So either he thought she was a prostitute or a drug dealer, as he mentions that there isn't much of...that...going on since Jabba's been dead. She's pretty quick to inform him that she's just waiting for her friend. Then they start discussing Jawas and crime rates.

Inside, Han is once again arguing, this time with the man-woman (I can't decide what it is exactly) at the desk about his money. His account was frozen because he was frozen, and since he isn't frozen now, he can't possibly be the same customer. He'll have to take it up with a computer. Han isn't okay with this so in typical Han style, he storms off to get himself a drink, Leia chasing after him. He's hesitant to let her follow him into the Cantina, but Leia will do what Leia wants.

They share a tender little moment, but it seems that Threepio has ruined her for life, as she now thinks about droids any time she's about to kiss Han.



Who'd have thought it wouldn't be a good idea to leave your droid alone in a spaceport on Tatooine? Artoo is now missing, so Han and Leia go looking for him. They find that Garrick guy from earlier working on some speeders and ask him if they've seen anything suspicious. He claims to mind his own business and reminds Han that it is every man for himself around here. Han kicks him in the face and hijacks the speeders along with Leia, following the tracks of a sandcrawler. Oh yeah.

Inside the sandcrawler, Artoo runs into Boba Fett, somehow remembering who Boba was even though I'm pretty sure they were never in the same room together. Han and Leia arrive and start flying around, shooting at the sandcrawler to get the Jawas to stop. Of course they don't, they just start shooting back.

In all of the action, Leia's speeder gets shot down, but Han is oblivious while she eats dirt. The Sand People from earlier? They've caught up with them, and they're laying down massive fire on the sandcrawler, but Han still thinks it's Leia blasting them.

He makes his way up top the sandcrawler, and falls into the open hatch, coming face to face with Boba. Unfortunately, in Han's clumsy maneuvering to the top, he crashed his speeder into the treads of the Sandcrawler, and what do you know, it's heading straight for the Sarlacc Pit. But no one is steering.

Now Han and Boba need to team up to get out of there. Boba must have been smacked on the head just right because he has no idea who Han is. That is, until Leia opens her big mouth. But for the time being, he is compliant. This is the first time I've ever seen the word "Hallelujah" used anywhere in the Star Wars universe. Han gets out with Artoo, and being the good guy he is, is about to save nasty ol' Boba. Leia yelps Han's name just the right amount of times for Boba to remember, and then turns on Han. Can't say he didn't try.

In an ironic conclusion, Boba ends up right back in the Sarlacc along with the sandcrawler. I almost feel bad for him. He was only free maybe a few hours.



So Han, Leia, and Artoo walk off the sunset. And then they are massacred by Sand People.

Just kidding. But seriously, I wouldn't be wandering the Tatooine desert at night. I suppose they have no choice.

Apart from Han's irrational actions and balled up fists, it's a fun read. You get to see Han and Leia together and there are couple of nice moments. The art is decent, nothing jarring at least. For about 4 bucks, it's a nice addition to a collection.

Please Tell Me One of You Can Attend This Event...

... because I live nowhere near here and can't.  Anyone see this?

http://brea.improv.com/show.cfm?id=190764

Yeah, this looks awesome and also gives the impression that it is a one weekend event, not like Wishful Drinking where she will be cruising the country putting on shows for years.  So please, please someone go and report back to the rest of us and find a way to participate and ask the kinds of questions you know we all want to ask!  The tickets are amazingly cheap, too!

Happy Star Wars Reads Day!

One of these days I'll get to write a post that doesn't have to start with yet another apology for lack of blogging.  You know when you fall out of the habit with something it's always harder to get back into it?  That and I'm not getting much help, and other things have been busy.  I do hope that it doesn't stay this way.

It had just come to my attention that today is Star Wars Reads Day.  So apparently you need to get out your Star Wars books and do a bit of reading in honor of it.  I'll admit that I haven't done much reading myself lately.  Definitely not those EU books I still owe you a bunch of reviews for.  I promise that project is not abandoned, especially since we've left off on one of my favorite EU books and I certainly feel it deserves a review. 

Just this past week we had an interesting book hitting store shelves: "The Essential Reader's Companion" which outlines basically all (or at least the vast majority) of the books in the Star Wars EU.  Of course this will include lots of prequel stuff as well, but the books we know and love are also there.  I have not yet had a chance to check it out and I'm not sure if I'll be buying it.  I was hoping to get a chance to run to the book store to at least flip through it but there is some decent new art work in there that might be worthwhile.  Anyone here get a copy?

In other book news, I've just learned that "Scoundrels" has been pushed to January 1st rather than the original December 26th date.  Honestly, that date doesn't mean much to me because December 26th seems like a stupid date to release a book anyway.  Why not before Christmas?  I'm sure they have their reasons.  Sure, and they had their reasons for killing off two thirds of the Solo kids, too...

One thing I will admit to having read recently was the second book in Alex Wheeler's young readers' series, "Hostage."  It is the second book of six in the Rebel Force series.  Yes, these books are written for children and at least according to my driver's license I'm an adult woman, even if I'm not yet old enough to be president.  I learned of this series a few years ago from another Han and Leia fan who had mentioned having gotten them for their kids (I wish I had that excuse) and wound up reading and enjoying them, so since they are cheap, I decided to check them out. 

If you want something new to read, and you're not embarrassed at the idea of technically reading children's books, I'd recommend picking these up.  Honestly there's not a huge difference here between these and a regular adult Star Wars novel, obviously barring the few that contain graphic violence or sexual overtones.  The language used is a bit simpler and the chapters and books themselves are a lot shorter, but they're still pretty enjoyable.  The stories take place after ANH and long before ESB and there are some good Han and Leia moments.  In the one I most recently read Han takes her back to the remains of Alderaan.  It's nice to see them addressing some of these things.  So if you're bored and want something quick to read, grab these books.  You can read them cover to cover in probably ninety minutes.

Other than that, anyone reading anything lately?  Are you interested in trying to start up the EU book club again?  I'll be pretty busy for at least a couple more weeks but would be open to getting back into it hopefully after that.  It will be winter, after all.  And I'm embarrassed at the fact that over the past four months we've had as many posts as we used to have in just one, and I don't like that!  I'm not making any promises, but I'm going to try to be better.  And as always, if you have anything you want to post here whether it be a story or a general guest post about whatever is on your mind, don't hesitate to ask!

Indiana Jones and the Blu Ray of Awesomeness

It's hard to believe that one short year ago we were blessed with Star Wars on blu ray, which I picked up at about 8am on release day at Target, just to get some stupid free lithogram things that still sit in an envelope in a box.  But you know, at the time, I just had to have them.  And like any good Han and Leia fan, the first thing I did with my new box set was go straight to the Empire special features and watch that super smokin' hot alternate kiss on the asteroid.  I stand by the fact that I prefer the kiss as it is in the movie from a pure story-telling standpoint, it doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy watching footage of take after take of them trying different kiss versions.

But wait, I got sidetracked because that is definitely not what this post is about.  No, now we have been given another treat in the release of the Indiana Jones saga on blu ray.  I feel this is at least somewhat relevant to this blog because Star Wars fans and Indiana Jones fans tend to intersect quite a bit.  I know this is not universal (just ask Push) but at least it gives us something to talk about. 

Unfortunately I am on the road this week and it is a little inconvenient for me to pick it up until I get home.  Not to mention pointless since I can't watch it.  But rest assured I'll be all over it upon my return home, at which point I will dig into the special features.  Mostly because any new footage of Harrison Ford at the absolute peak of his hotness is of great interest to me. 

Don't worry, I'm a way bigger Star Wars fan than Indy fan.  Every once in a while I try reading some Indy fanfic, and it does nothing for me.  But you have to admit that they are some pretty cool movies.  And look at that picture up there!  Not to mention the fact that three of these four movies offer something highly desirable that Star Wars never did: shirtless Harrison.

So did anyone pick this up yet?  Anyone see any fun features?  We'll talk about Star Wars next time, I promise. 

We Always Come Back

I know, I know.  Worst bloggers ever.  After months and months of lots of good content, you are left with this vacant wasteland that is hardly ever updated, and even when it is there is never anything interesting to be read.  I hope that you don't think this is permanent.  I have no intention of that being the case.  If you've been around the fandom long enough, you've seen plenty of people immerse themselves in writing and participating in communities like this, only to then suddenly fall off the face of the Earth.  It can be disappointing and saddening. 

But another thing that happens if you stick around long enough is that it seems that sooner or later, almost everyone comes back.  Sadly, not some of those people who have left unfinished stories we'd really like to see finished, but a lot of others.  Just recently there has been a mino resurgence of a few people who had been missing for years, so it just goes to show what an impact this fandom has on people.  Our interest may wane here and there, but I don't think it ever disappears entirely. 

We can maybe blame the month of August.  Has anything ever been accomplished in August?  The blog was about the last thing on my mind.  It's difficult when even when you do post things, whether they be here or on fanfiction.net or wherever, people aren't really saying anything.  Nobody likes talking to thin air.  Well, some people maybe do, but they should be in some sort of an institution. 

I can't promise that the content is going to magically improve immediately, I just wanted to offer some reassurance that nobody has disappeared and I at least have no intention of doing so.  Sometimes though we need a little break and sometimes this kind of silly stuff isn't in the forefront of our minds.  Sometimes we even have real work to do, as annoying as that can be! 

Anyway, please still stick around and please keep active within the community.  Make your presence known so the lurkers know that there are still plenty of us out there.  And soon, I swear, we'll start posting more here again!

Then You Stand - A Missing Moment from Seams2Be

The following is a missing moment submission from Seams2Be.  It takes place during the book Tyrant's Test when Leia witnesses Han's beating.

Then You Stand– Missing Moment from Tyrant’s Test

Her shaking was relentless and uncontrollable.  Fear shivered through her soul.  Leia tightened her arms around herself as she stood in front of the viewing screen in the small consulting office for the New Republic Strategic Defense.

An image came into focus on the wall mount monitor.

It was Han. 

Leia’s heart stopped.  Through her terrified deep brown eyes she saw Han being thrown into a non-descript room by two equally non-descript Yevethan guards. 

Han looked terrible, dressed only in some grungy oversized drawstring pants, no shirt or boots and from the looks of him, she knew he had already been worked over. Her husband looked like he had been in some notorious bar fight somewhere with one eye purple and swollen, hair a mess, and bruised welts covering his exposed body. 

“Oh, Han,” she whispered.

If she were with him, she knew he would make some wise crack like, “You think I look bad, you ought to see the other guy.” But no, this was no joke, no trick, no Force vision. This was real.

Inhaling a small gasp, Leia noticed his arms.  Han’s upper arms were bound together behind him by what looked like a thick nerfhide belt, rendering them useless. She frantically tried to reach out to him through the Force but all she could manage to do was search out his face on the monitor.

It was set and determined.  Leia knew that look, it was the bring it on you kriffin' bastard look.

Suddenly Leia’s really bad feeling became desperately worse.

The barbaric leader of the Yevetha, Nil Spaar, had just entered the view screen.  He must have been waiting in a corner of the room, just out of camera range, Leia thought to herself.

Without a word, Spaar punched Han in the gut, causing him to double over.  In a split second Han came up out of his hunched over status slamming Nil Spaar’s chin with his head, causing the Yevethan to hit his head on the bulkhead, inflicting a gash above his temple.

Han, whom had all odds against him, was not going down without a fight.  Leia knew he would keep fighting until he was unconscious or dead.  She feared both.

The taunting game continued. Spaar seemed to relish in his supremacy as he sideswiped Han’s legs, collapsing Han backwards on top of his tied up arms. The crunch of shattering bones was deafening.  Leia put her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.  Then Nil Spaar stomped on Han’s stomach, pinning him in place on the floor.  Blood was already trickling from Han’s nose and mouth.  Extending his razor sharp dewclaw, Leia saw that Spaar intended to gouge out Han’s un-swollen eye.

Haaaaan!!!  Leia’s inaudible screaming thundered through her head.  Let him go, she silently demanded.  Please stop hurting him, Leia quietly begged.  No, she whispered to herself as she swallowed her tears.  To the rest of the New Republic officers in theviewing room, Leia was soundless and stoic, she only pressed her hand to her mouth a bit more.

Once again Leia found herself in an eerily familiar position: silently helpless, witnessing the unspeakable. First it was her planet and now her whole world. 

Focusing harder on the view screen, Leia watched as the Viceroy continued in his quest to claw out Han’s good eye. Leia didn’t know if it was Han’s stubbornness or his unyielding will but he was able to cleverly deflect the blinding attempt by spitting into the Yevethan’s own eyes, causing Spaar to miss his intended target, inflicting only a cheek wound instead of the alternative. 

In that same instant, Han was able to kick out Spaar’s legs from under him, resulting in an embarrassing fall for the supreme leader.

However, also in that moment both Han and Leia simultaneously knew Han’s luck had just folded like a bad Sabacc hand. 

Enraged, Spaar went in for the kill and all life drained from Leia’s face.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Kriffing fool!” Leia wailed out loud to herself.  “Kriffin', kriffin' fool.”  She choked as she struggled to breathe.  Leia held her hair back again as another round of retching ensued. 

She couldn’t remember how she even got back to her private office, let alone how she made it to the refresher before vomiting. 

She only knew that she had watched helplessly as Han was beaten to a bloody pulp.  He was probably dying if he wasn’t already dead and she was to blame.  She would never forgive herself.  The entire situation was her fault.  So many paid the price for her decisions or lack there of, especially Han.

Nil Spaar had played Leia for a fool.  For months he led her on, under the pretense of peace, all the while committing sabotage within the senate and the entire galaxy for that matter. She couldn’t believe that she was so blind, so gullible and so stupid to not see through his elaborate schemes. 

She threw up again.

Pulling her head from the commode, Leia crawled across the refresher floor, curling up on the rug in front of the sink. Though the cold stone floor was where she thought she belonged. Just like Han, lying dying on a cold floor somewhere a million light years away from her. 

Tears streamed down her face, dripping from her chin and cheeks as visions of  bloody shadows haunted her.

She was inconsolable, which was fine since there was nobody to console her anyway. “I’m so sorry Han, I’m so sorry,” she whimpered aloud between sobs.  Speaking only to the air.  She was alone, so alone.  For a long time she lay on the hard stone floor, all the while thinking, How did I let this happen?

Whether it was five minutes or five hours, it didn’t matter to Leia.  Time was meaningless.  However, after a few more minutes lying on the refresher floor, Leia started to regain a bit of her sensibilities.  Her tears finally ceased and a new set of emotions kicked in.  The children, she thought to herself.  I’ve got to pull myself together for the children’s sake. Han would expect no less from me,  she added silently. 

Slowly she made her way from the floor to the refresher sink, splashing cold water on her face.  Looking into her own reflection, Leia didn’t recognize the woman looking back at her.  What the hell happened to me?  When did I lose my way? she pondered as she stared at the unrecognizable stranger in the mirror.

In that moment, she realized the brilliant ruse that Nil Spaar had pulled off.  Not only did he master the realm of physical torture, fear, and domination, but he managed to accomplish the most intimate personal type of torture; manipulation of the psyche. 

Gripping the marble countertop, Leia realized how she allowed Nil Spaar to plant the seeds of doubt within herself.  It was brilliant.  The vermin queen, Solo’s wife, Chief of State of the New Republic, oh how he managed to make her dance to his tune, orchestrating all the movements like a grand symphony.  Savagely beating her husband was probably for his own sadistic pleasure as much as it was meant to intimidate her into submission. 

“Over my dead body,” Leia finally uttered to the woman in the mirror, gripping the countertop even tighter.

Anger.

Rage.

Hatred.

Revenge.

She wasn’t sure if she was angry with herself for beingso easily duped, yes, but more likely her intense rage centered around the scum that devised the elaborate plot to begin with. 

When Leia thought about how she fell victim to the Yevethan’s ploy, words fell fast and furious out of her mouth…“You manipulative mother kriff………“ a string of intergalactic curse words spewed off her tongue with such ease and fluency, no one would ever expect a princess, let alone the Chief of State, to even know, much less utter, such vulgar dialogue.

Finally she had the strength to meet her gaze head on in the reflective glass.  She took a good long hard look into her eyes. She half expected to see Vader’s mask in the mirror, especially after the obscene verbal barrage she just unleashed.  Anger leads to the darkside, why does that saying always come into my head she wondered?  Well kriff that, it’s just one more way to make me second-guess myself, she thought.

If this was the path to the dark side, so be it.  But Leia wasn’t going to the darkside, no she was already someplace beyond.

War. 

She was about to bring all the hells of the universe upon Nil Spaar and his kind, ending his conquest to control the galaxy.

Releasing her grip on the refresher’s vanity countertop, Leia squared her shoulders and set her jaw, just like Han. She continued to stare into the mirror.  

From somewhere deep inside, Leia found what she had lost or had at least temporarily misplaced. 

She rediscovered the courage of her convictions.

She intuitively knew what was right and what was wrong, it was the essence of who she was. No more political correctness for fear of offending this senator or that trade group.  No more going along to get along.  No more self doubt.  She knew what she had to do.

It was as if a heavy, wet fog dissipated from around her.  With her new-found clarity and focus, she was determined to follow what she knew with all her heart was the right thing to do. 

She would not linger in the past, not even the recent past.  Pulling herself up by her proverbial bootstraps, she knew it was time she went home and comforted her children.  She had to be there for them and for all that was innocent. 

Turning to unlock the refresher door, she took one last look in the mirror. She knew it was time for her to stand.

Thanks for the submission!  And again, if anyone has any stories or missing moments they would like to see posted here on the blog, please feel free to contact us!

Quickie Challenge #7

I know, I know, I'm a terrible person and have been horribly neglectful.  I promise I'm not gone forever, just chilling a bit for summer as everyone needs a little breather now and again, even from Han and Leia. 

But, to make it up to you, here is another response to the quickie challenge by Zolo77 as posted on fanfiction.net and further proof that it is never too late to get in on the challenge.  Thanks so much for the submission and enjoy!

Administrative Duties

She hurried towards the officers lift - which would take her directly to the bridge - as soon as the shuttle ramp had lowered, high heels clicking sharply on polished metal flooring, mind racing.

Why? WHY? Why had he done this?

How in the hell had he gotten away with it, and for so long!

If she was honest with herself, which at the moment she didn't want to be, the whole thing did have a sense of humour about it. A screwed up sense of humour, maybe, but it wasn't without a funny side.

She also knew that this had likely had started out as a harmless prank, perhaps even as a way to test the system and when it went unmentioned, he did it again.

And again.

Perhaps now he did it only because he knew he could get away with it.

Well, she thought savagely, not anymore.

The dedicated lift opened its doors at the far left corner of the forward deck. Eyes scanning the peace-time skeleton crew of officers as she stepped lightly out as the double doors opened to her. The noise from her shoes echoed across the large space, announcing her approach. Those nearest to her snapped to attention as she walked by them, her eyes continued to search him out. She came to a stop in front of a young deck officer. A tall, angular, awkward looking young man, whose eyes widened with surprise at her unannounced visit.

"Excuse me, I hate to bother you," smiling sweetly at him, "I am looking for the fleet's commanding General, could you please tell me where I would be able to find him?"

"Is General Solo expecting you, Ma'am?"

"Not that I am aware of, no. Although, he really should be."

"I'm sorry, Ma'am-"

"That's fine." She pulled out her comm, punched in a series of codes.

"General Solo." She growled into her comm.

A split second of silence answered her before his voice come through, clear with the slightest hint of a drawl she suspected only she could pick out. "Sweetheart. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Where are you?"

"At work."

"Where?"

"Currently, I'm on the bridge of The Truth. Enjoying the view."

"No, you're not."

He paused and answered slowly. "Yes, I am."

"No," Lowering her voice and turning from the young officer towards the viewscreen, Coreusant looming before her. "I'm on the bridge and you're not here. I need to speak with you. Now. In private."

"Well now, that sounds promising." She jumped slightly at the sudden volume of his voice which had not come from the comm. Snapping her head around she found him standing at attention behind her, drawn up to his full height, clad in a well tailored uniform which accented the width of his shoulders, blood red piping cut sharp lines down his torso, rank bars gleamed on his chest and cuffs.

Gods, he's impressive dressed like that. The thought popped happily and freely into her mind before she could summon the reason for her visit. No. No. That's not why you are here. He'll happily play that game with you at home, later. Stop it. Get a grip. Stop. Now.

Her mind started to work again and it suddenly occurred to her that she was staring openly at him. It also occurred to her they were not alone. Tilting her chin up, she addressed him quickly, trying to cover her embarrassment.

"As I was saying, General Solo, I need to speak with you. Now. Privately."

"Of course. I'm all yours." Throwing her a quick wink he turned, and with a small gesture, they were quickly left alone.

Her mind wouldn't focus. Scattered thoughts ran through her, but all she could do was stare at him.

This is ridiculous, you see him all the time. She chastised herself.

But not like this. The small wicked part of her countered.

Damn it.

Spinning quickly, she turned to face the viewport again; familiarizing herself with the planet below her, trying desperately to gather her wits. She almost had them when a pair of large, strong hands settled possessively on her waist and a hot breath against her ear whispered temptingly; asking her how he could be of service.

Wow.
This was altogether too much, her body screamed for him, while her mind, still trying frantically to remember why she was here, why she was mad at him, pushed her to remain calm, remain in control.

It occurred to her then, in an abstract kind of way, if the Imperials had imposed this as a means of garnering information out of her on the Death Star, they might have very well been successful. As of this moment, she was almost ready to give him everything she had. His hands started to move up her ribcage and she caught her breath, turning her head and met his eyes and moved away as much as his tight grasp would allow.

"I just read the Rodian Trade Spine route negotiation report, if indeed you care to call it that, which you submitted last month." He didn't answer her, only nipped lightly at her neck, growling playfully in her ear. She continued, having finally grasped her argument, she wasn't about to let it escape her again, she was, after all, a senator. "I'm not impressed, Han."

"Really? That was some of my best work."

"It was some of your most creative work, I'll give you that." He had stopping his ministrations on her neck for the moment giving her the opportunity to turn to face him, cheeks flushing.

"So, you're familiar with my other work?" He smiled, pulling himself up against her, towering over her slight frame. He eyed her playfully; slowly letting the full effect of his trademark grin add another level of distraction to her already frazzled demeanor.

"Unfortunately, yes. I had the privilege of reading the Squadron Flight Testing Analysis Report you submitted from Korleas as well as the six individual recruitment assessment coordination reports."

"I enjoyed writing the Korlas report."

"Yes. I could tell. But not nearly as much as the Rodian report. How could you, Han?"

"What?"

"Don't play innocent with me. Why would you do that?"

"Relax," he kissed her forehead, "No one ever reads those things anyway."

"Yes, yes they do! I read them!" She pushed herself away from him as best she could, she wanted, fervently, to stomp her foot at him, but didn't dare – Han would never let that go.

"I was hoping you would read them. Actually, no, I was hoping you would act them out. Again." He winked.

"This is so inappropriate, I can't even begin to-" He cut her off, moving swiftly, capturing her mouth with his, holding her to him.

There was so much more she needed to say. But not now.

Right now she only wanted him.

Moaning into his mouth she pulled on his hair, wrapping her fingers tightly through the tousled strands.

His hands, which had captured her face, now traveled down her shoulders, across her ribcage - grazing the sides of her breasts softly as he made his journey down her body - settling only for a moment on her waist, tracing her hips. Bending swiftly, he lifted her, suddenly, expertly; holding her securely to his chest. Her legs wrapped around him before she registered what was happening. Pushing her gently up against the viewscreen, Coreusant glittering behind her, his hands now free to trace slow circles against her thighs.

Oh Gods. She flexed her toes as he started pushing the light skirt of her dress slowly upwards, causing both her shoes to fall unnoticed to the floor with a light clang.

Her hands went automatically to the front fastenings of his trousers, quickly freeing him. Glancing up at him, she was met with heated hazel eyes and a slow smile.

"I love you." He breathed, as he moved her panties aside gently with one hand, while the other snaked protectively around her.

"Yes. I know." She gasped as his fingers lightly grazed her, letting her head fall against his shoulder, placing fleeting kisses on his neck.

He pushed into her, holding her to him as they ground together; relishing in their natural rhythm.

"Come on, Sweetheart. We have to be fast, Come for me." He growled low in her ear before grasping her lobe with his teeth, teasing.

Drained of all her anger and after all the hurt and rage she had carefully contained since she read his first report earlier that afternoon, she climbed quickly - hands gripping his shoulders - and came hard around him, her cried muffled by his invading kiss as he thrust hard into her several more times and came, collapsing against her, whispering love into her hair. They stayed this way, together until their breathing slowed again.

Leia untangled her legs from around his waist as he gently slid her down to the floor, a cocky self-satisfied grin gracing his face.

"Well, Your Worship," he said quietly a few minutes later, fingering a strand of hair which has fallen behind her ear. "Please feel free to come see me at work anytime."

Leia shook her head softly, smiling shyly back up at him. "I'll see you at home later." And with that, she pushed off from the viewscreen.

Han watched her walk towards the bridge's main lift admiring her retreating form, when she suddenly turned back around to face him.

"Oh, and General, I don't ever want to see a written report on this. However, I do expect a thorough debrief tonight."

And with that, she entered the lift back down to her shuttle.