Saga High Stakes (Han, Lando) Inter-trilogy fun on the Sabaac circuit-Author replies 5/2/07!

Title: High Stakes
Author: brodiew
Timeframe: intertrilogy
Characters: Han, Lando
Disclaimer: This is all George's jungle.
Summary: Han and Lando face an accusation of cheating at cards.

It was a high stakes game with high rolling players in a high end casino, and as the hand of pure Sabaac was played, the table was upended with a howl of rage. Cards, credit chits, food, and drinks went crashing to the floor. A speck of fotchik flower dip hit Lando?s cheek as a heavy glop landed on the front of Han?s black vest. It stuck there, for a moment, and then slid downward until it fell to his pant leg and, ultimately, to the floor. Han watched it, wistfully, all the way down. Lando, calmly, raised a manicured hand to his face and removed the speck from his cheek.

The other players had dispersed as soon as the harangue began, but Han and Lando remained seated, the overturned table at their feet, blissfully content as the raging gambler shouted curses at them.

Leaning to the floor, where his napkin had landed, Han recovered it and began clean his vest and pants. Lando stared into the eyes of the disruptive presence with a simple, unperturbed, smile on his face.

?What?s the damage, Han?? said Lando, never breaking eye contact with the raging buffoon before them.

?The vest alone is more than the buy in on this game?? Hand replied, with a lopsided grin. ?Add in the pants, and this guy goes to jail.?

?A damn shame if you ask me,? said Lando, inspecting his own suit for signs of contamination. ?Didn?t you just buy that suit??

?This afternoon.?

Lando shook his head in pity. ?A damn shame.?

?Yup.?

?Are you two krifiing chiselers listening to me?!? boomed the large, red faced gambler. He was a tall man and thick. He was not all muscle, nor was he fat, but his bulk, apparently, gave him the confidence to throw his weight around. He wore a drab, colorless suit and simple bolo tie that made it obvious that he was from the outer rim territories. Han made him for a livestock baron of some sort.

?Don?t look at me,? Han said, suddenly feigning fear and jabbing his finger at Lando. ?He?s the one that took you down.?

?You two were working together!? he said, jabbing his index finger at Han, then Lando. ?I saw that from the start.?

Han lean back in his chair, placing his open right hand to his chest and crossing his right leg so his boot rested on the opposite thigh.

?I don?t think I believe you,? he said, purposefully.

Lando grinned and leaned back in his own chair. Folding his arms across his chest, careful not to wrinkle the lapels of his dinner jacket. He stared at man coldly.

?I don?t either,? he added.

A crowd had gathered around them soon as the table went over, but the shouting and cursing was drawing even more. There was a tension in the air; an uneasy feeling that the situation was about to come to a head.

?What do you mean, you don?t believe me?? said the ?rancher?, his exasperation growing. ?I saw it with my own eyes.?

?Prove it,? said Han, raising a finger to scratch an itching eyebrow.

?I saw it, too!? said another of the players, now standing in the crowd behind Lando. ?The dark one was palming cards. Check his sleeves.?

Lando smiled incredulously, shaking his head in disbelief.

Han turned to Lando his eyes wide. ?Did he really say ?the dark one???

?He did indeed, buddy.?

Lando turned in his chair, half standing and grabbed the lapels of the man who had accused him. Swinging back around, he threw the man to the ground, punching him twice in the face with short, powerful jabs. The man lay still at his feet.

Han turned back to their original agitator, who stood in a wide stance with a dumb look of confusion on his face.

?If you persist in this course of accusation, I cannot be held responsible for what may follow. You see what my friend is capable of? Is that what you want to happen to you??

The man bellowed with laughter. When he grinned, a gold tooth glinted in the light.

?I?m no pale, scrawny, weakling!? he said, t

 

Of course Han and Lando had to be cheating, to outcheat a cheater. That guy had all that coming to him. Well maybe not that last kick. *ouch*

And Han was right. In order to prove they cheated, he'd have to admit he did too. Or was he thinking beating the tar out of them would suffice?

Nerf Herder.

Maybe Han should wrap him up and bring him home to show Leia what one of those really look like. Nah. Then he'd be hurtin' just as much, I'm sure.

Great vignette. It wasn't what I expected at all. And you totally surprised me at the end.

 

Ha! That was awesome. My favorite bit was the very first paragraph, Han watching the dip ruin his clothes. These two make quite the buddy story.

 

I knew it! I knew it!

I had that scum picked as the real cheater, just mad at Han and Lando doing things better...

Hilarious!

 

This was great!

 

Lola64: Thank you, Dawn. I?m glad you enjoyed. I rather liked the nerf herder line, myself. And, yes, the cheater assumed that beating them down would suffice to cover his own actions.

JadeSolo: Thanks, Jade. I wanted to present Han and Lando as two guys that are so laid back and confident that a raging mad man didn?t have them worried. they do make a good team, don't they?

Noelie: Thank you, Noelie. This was a lot of fun to write. I?m glad it made you smile.

Laine_Snowtrekker: Thanks, Laine. I?m glad you got a kick out it.

 

Funny from beginning to end. Good stuff, Brodiew.

 

I?m gonna take my winnings out of your hide!?

?I hate to remind you, sir, but you lost this game,? said Lando, standing. ?You have no winnings.?


Leave it to Lando to find humor in the most awkward of times.

Very nice job on this

 

Bale: Thanks, Bale. I'm glad you enjoyed. It's good to see you, again.

Kelia: Lando is dandy, and Han is the ruffian. What a pair! Thanks for reading, Kelia. I'm glad it made you laugh.

 

Great viggie!

 

I love the first Paragraph, that was great. I have a challenge for you! Write how Lando loses the Falcon to Han!

 

Lando kneeled next to the nerf herder and opened his vest. He pulled three Sabaac cards from the inside pocket and showed them the crowd, before dropping them on the writhing body of their accuser.

?I just can?t abide a cheater,? Lando said.

?Nor, I, Lando. Nor I,? Han agreed

This was awesome! Just a friendly afternoon of relaxation for these two. Grat banter between Lando and Han. You have them pegged.

 

Godlen_Jedi: Thank you, Golden_Jedi. I appreciate your readership. I'm glad it make you smile.

Araxie: Thank you, Araxie. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'll take the challenge under consideration.

obsessedwithSW: Thanks, Sharon. This was fun to write and these two make quite a team.

 

Great Han and Lando. Sauvé and laid back, then tough and violent when the situation calls for it. Out cheating cheaters and coming off smelling like roses.

Neat buddy story.

 

Thank you, Marie. I'm glad you enjoyed the buddy nature of this fic. It was so fun to write.

 

loved it brew. you've got a special touch with those two, wish i could capture it myself.

also, shades of doc holliday (the val kilmer one) in this. the dandy side of lando, really just makes for a great comparison. doc couldn't be more laid back, but push him... well, he'd shell you faster than a nutcracker. lando's much the same, and you captured that in a great way.

glad that you're having fun with writing, especially when it's like this my friend.

:snoopy