A QUESTION OF INTENTION

By: Hopefulwriter
Saga OT - Star Wars-The Original Trilogy
Han Solo, General Rieekan
Adventure
G rating

Summary: After the destruction of the Death Star, General Rieekan wonders why Han Solo has remained with them. He has questions and wants answers... and he gets them.



A young rebel called out to the tall, dark-haired man he had been searching for throughout the halls of Yavin Base. The effort had not been easy, as the man in question moved with quick purpose, but eventually, he caught up with him.

"Captain Solo?"

At the summons, Han paused and turned toward the voice. "Yeah?"

"I've been looking all over for you." The out of breath rebel remarked as he drew alongside the Corellian smuggler, glad he had finally stopped.

"Well, now you found me. What do you want?"

A slight blush of surprise flashed over the young man's face. He hadn't expected such abruptness from one of the Alliance's newly decorated heroes. "Uh....I don't want you...sir...ah...General Rieekan wants to see you in the Command Center as soon as possible."

Han muttered an impatient curse under his breath as he absently adjusted the fit of the strapped holster against his right thigh. The resultant creak of leather was the only sound in the hallway as the soldier waited for a response.

"All right." Han finally...reluctantly...agreed. He had no particular love for military hierarchy, even among the rebels, especially one of whom he knew virtually nothing. Not hearing the messenger's grateful 'thanks', he turned and headed down the corridor which would take him to the Command Center.
________________________________________________________________________________

Han's sharp rap on the office door brought an immediate acknowledgment.

"Come in." Rieekan's gravelly voice was unmistakable.

"You wanted to see me, General?" The smuggler asked as he shut the door behind him.

"Ah, Captain Solo," the officer greeted, closing a file drawer. "Yes, I did. Please..." he gestured toward a chair "..have a seat."

Han did as requested; the graying man then settled himself behind a cluttered desk. "I have something here I think you have a right to see." He said as he withdrew a data hardcopy from a folder.

With a puzzled frown, Han took the offered papers and began scanning them. Rieekan remained silent while he read, watching the play of different emotions cross the young man's features; shock amusement, surprise, anger.

Predictably, the pilot jumped angrily to his feet when he was done; slamming the report on the desk.
"What the hell do you mean checking me out?!? I thought I had my tracks very well covered."

"You did." Rieekan admitted. "It took me a lot of digging to get all that."

The admission did nothing to placate the Corellian. "There're enough charges there to have me executed four times, if I'm turned over to the authorities!" Han paced off his anger, circling the perimeter of the room like a cornered see-tar. He felt exposed, no longer i control...... ...betrayed...once again.

Rieekan waited for the man's anger to subside, knowing that only then would a rational conversation be possible.

"Is this how you treat people who help your....rebellion ?" Han went on, "Just a few days ago, your high and mighty Princess..." He waved his arms in a wide sweep, indicating the presence of the Senator Organa somewhere on the base..."gave me a Medal of Honor and now, you show me all this evidence you dug up against me! Well...let me tell you something...General..." He spat the word with all the contempt he had ever felt for any authority. "Hell and Hoth will exchange climates before I EVER help you people again!"

Rieekan retrieved the papers. "You've come to a mistaken conclusion, Captian." He nodded toward the chair, an unspoken invitation for the Corellian to take his seat again. Han hesitated before resettling in the chair.

"If you think about it," Rieekan continued in explaination, "you'll realize that the Alliance is in much the same position as you; outlaws, outcasts by some societies and sought after by those very same authorities to which you refer. We'd gain nothing by handing you over to them. That wasn't the purpose for this information search."

"What was?" Han questioned skeptically.

"Security reasons. We didn't really know who you were, or anything about you. You could have been planted by the Imperial Forces or even the Emperor himself. That bloodstripe you wear certainly attests to the fact of your past military association."

Anger was still readable on Han's face. "How in the name of all the curses of Ka'mon could you think I was an Imperial spy when I helped Luke blow that DEATH STAR into a million pieces? If I was working for the Emperor, he wouldn't be too happy with me for helping the rebels kill a lot of his officers...a lot of high-ranking officers, I'll bet."

Rieekan laugh , his humor not patronizing. "You know military strategy; your record shows it. You must know that this wouldn't be the first time an agent destroyed some of his own installations...and people..to convince an opponent of his sincerity, or to preserve his cover. What better way is there to infiltrate the enemy ranks than to help him pull off a difficult attack? What's the saying 'Sacrifice of the few for the cause of the many'?".

"Something like that." Han agreed, still suspicious and plainly hurt.

The General drew a deep breath before speaking again, he gazed at the younger man with a wise and knowing eye. "Besides." he continued frankly, "you would've done the same thing, were our positions reversed. Would you have thought any more..or less.. of us if we handn't bothered to run the check, and had accepted you, a total stranger, on your word alone?"

Han smiled in spite of himself and lifted a hand to his lips. Apparently Rieekan knew more about him than those facts in that report revealed. "No,." he admitted, relaxing. "I wouldn't've."

Pleased with this concession, the officer flipped through the printout. "Let's go over some of this." He suggested, scanning the papers and drawing out various pertinent bits of information. "Your schooling and military training are among the best I've ever seen. You're from a well known
and highly respected Corellian family....." Rieekan raised his eyes to Han...."Han Solo is not your real name." Han wince at that. Rieekan continued, "You commanded quite a few missions and acquired several decorations, including the Mark of Excellence. Quite an accomplishment for one of Jabba the Hutt's spice smugglers." Another unbidden smile played over Han's lips. "It's unfortunate your military career ended the way it did, with false charges and a court-martial. You had quite a future to look forward to. Betrayal by the ones you serve can leave scars that won't be healed by time alone.

Silence shrouded the room as Rieekan finished studying the report, which further detailed Han's more recent exploits in the smuggler's underworld. "I'm surprise you chose to deal with the Hutt."

"A guy has to make aliving." Han mused dryly.

The general laid down the papers and faced the young man before him with honest, objective appraisal. "When I said is was unfortunate your military career ended as it did, I meant it was unfortunate for the Empire. They obviously don't recognize talent when they see it. You've got character Solo, and a lot of fine qualities you can't hide under those scruffy deck clothes and that intimidating blaster. We could use a man like you."

His bluntness suprpised Han almost as did his commendations; for a while he didn't know what to say. "General.." He finally attempted, "I've got a lot of garbage behind me to take care of, most of it worse'n that report of yours makes it. You've got enough trouble staying one jump ahead of Vader and his troopers without adding on the risk of being tracked down by any number of bounty hunters or military police out for my hide."

Rieekas was undaunted. "It's a standing offer." He said as he rose to his feet. "We have a position for you when you are ready to accept it. We may be idealistic...some of a little too much... but, we know enough to appreciate genuine leadership potential when we see it." He smiled crookedly. "Even Leia would be quite impressed with your qualifications."

"You mean, she doesn't know about any of this?" Han was genuinely surprised.

Rieekan shook his head. "Only that a security check was run and you were cleared."

"Did she order it?"

"No, I took that responsibility on myself. Only you and I know the results."

"And what if I hadn't been cleared?" Solo asked, rising to face the General squarely.

Rieekan smiled. "Then those four executions you mentioned would've already taken place. We wouldn't be having this conversation."

For a moment both men were silent.

Han finally spoke. "'Id rather Leia didn't know about my past. Not now."

The older man's brows arched. "That's not a request many men with your abilities...and...reputation would make."

The pilot shurgged modestly. "Let's just say I want her Royalness to know me as I am now, a smuggler."

"It will go no further, then." Rieekan assured him as he handed the printout to Han. He took the papers and under the General's approving eye, ripped them to shreds.