Free Star Wars Journal - Hero for Hire by Han Solo by Donna Tauscher

her noble knight.

DATA PAD ENTRY 15
    Han: Odd. Now here I am, the big hero, locked up and helpless while the fairy princess is held captive. Great fairy tale. And where is the noble knight?
    Chewbacca: Bwaarrk!
    Han: You think so, Chewie? Well, I hope you’re right about Luke. I’ve got to admit that just remembering how he took the Death Star gives me hope. Last minute saves. That’s something Luke and I have in common.
    Sai’da: It seems you have much in common.
    Han: You’ve got to be kidding!
    Sai’da: It’s true that I don’t know Luke, but it certainly seems your fates are interlinked.
    Han: Can’t deny that.
    Sai’da: Yes, and it appears that the explosion of the Death Star didn’t end your association. I thought you wished to return to Tatooine with the money for Jabba the Hutt. Considering your current circumstances, something must have detained you. Your newfound affection for…
    Han: No!
    Chewbacca: Vrowk-rr-vorghh.
    Han: True, one thing leads to another, and maybe if we had left before the ceremony, things would have turned out different. But the ceremony itself is not important, Chewie.
    Sai’da: A ceremony? I believe the ritual of ceremony for any given culture is of interest.
    Han: You would.
    Chewbacca: Rruumpph!
    Han: Okay, pal.
    I don’t really want to talk about the ceremony, Sai’da, but since Chewbacca wants to hear about it again for some peculiar Wookiee reason, I guess you’re in luck.
    To begin with, I had my doubts about the ceremony. It was a little too formal for my taste. Plus, I didn’t like all the show. And I was pretty eager to get back to Tatooine. But everybody, especially Leia, wanted to honor me.
    I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want anyone to have to beg me. I mean, they’re good people and how could I turn away from them? But I needed some time alone.
    There was too much excitement. I thought if I could just think things through, I could figure out my life a little.
    Luke showed up first. What a great kid, when you get right down to it. He was so happy. He kept saying he knew I would join the fight and not let him down. How an ace pilot like me deserved a ceremony.
    It was like I was his new best friend. His sincerity embarrassed me a little. That kid has a feeling and he just shows it, you know? The ceremony thing was made for guys like him. I told him I’d consider it after he’d hugged me for about the tenth time.
    “Ben would have wanted it,” Luke said. “He would have been proud. I know he’s proud. I know he knows.”
    The kid was starting to sound like the old man. He was even getting that look in his eye.
    Then the commander came to see me. I was honored. And he said he would be honored if I would stay for the ceremony. Everyone was being so nice to me that I was starting to feel a little shy. Which for me is a new way of being. I mean, everyone was a hero in this battle, so why was I getting the medal?
    But it was Leia who really got to me. She talked about all the guys who didn’t make it back to the base, all those brave kids. She said how she wished they could be there for the ceremony. It would mean something to them. And if it didn’t mean anything to me, then think of the pilots who died for the Alliance and for one another. At least I could honor them.
    She was right. I couldn’t turn my back on what they had died for and just say, “Oh, no thanks. I’m taking my reward and heading home.”
    It was such a small thing she was asking me to do. And yet it was a big thing, honoring those who had made the ultimate sacrifice.
    I said yes.
    She was so gentle. And beautiful. Once she had accomplished her mission, she had a chance to rest. It looked good on her. Even her voice seemed softer.
    Chewie was thrilled. He had wanted to stay all along.

DATA PAD ENTRY 16
    Han: Now that everybody was in agreement about the ceremony, all we had to do was show up. Luke, Chewie, and I were dressed in our finest, which wasn’t much, and waiting for the