Of Spies and Sabacc (Pre-ESB/Leia, Han, Luke, Chewie) Thanks for the Noms!

Disclaimer: All characters in the Star Wars universe are sole property of George Lucas. Just borrowing from his creations for entertainment purposes.

Summary: It is 17 months after ANH and the Alliance is experiencing hard times. Princess Leia finds out that there is a spy sending information to the Empire...


Chapter 1

?There?s a spy among our ranks,? Frendon Ackban, senior aide to Mon Mothma declared.

Princess Leia Organa sighed as she looked out the porthole. They were aboard the Republic cruiser Lightning, deep in the heart of space, traveling in a convoy of thirty ships to the temporary Alliance base at Prandor.

Frendon?s news, while unwelcome, wasn?t unexpected. This wasn?t the first spy the Rebel Alliance had to contend with, and it certainly wouldn?t be the last. Leia had sensed, for some time, that there might be a problem of this nature. Nothing she could put a finger on, just that too many little things had gone wrong recently. She turned back to look at the Mon Calamari, ?Why do you say that??

?Too many events in the past four months: When we tried to set up temporary base at Lesparik?our scout ships found Imperial Star Destroyers cruising the system?the disappearance of the Independence and her escort ships?and the death of Colonel Prispan.?

?Colonel Prispan?? Leia?s voice was sharp. ?When did this happen? Wasn?t he on his way to Konedor to meet with Pago Tekor? I heard that Pago was offering to help us purchase six new cruisers and something like fifty new X-wings. Stars know we could use them. What happened??

?We?ve just received reports from Pago that he had the preliminary meeting with Prispan, but when he left Pago?s palace, Prispan was gunned down on the streets of Koneyos?ti City by a squadron of Imperials.?

?Blast!? Leia exclaimed, distressed, ?Prispan is one of our most valuable officers! This is just terrible! How do we know that Pago himself didn?t engineer this whole thing himself??

?Well, as hard it is to believe of a gangster like him, Pago had more reasons to want Prispan alive than dead,? Frendon said, his contempt for Pago clear in his voice.

?What do you mean?? Leia asked.

?Well, you know Pago has a lot of reasons to dislike the Empire. Did you hear of the incident on Ruyto where his favorite daughter was killed??

?Favorite daughter?? Leia was amazed, ?Pago is a Triki! He must have hundreds of children! How can he even remember them all??

?Even insectoids can have feelings,? Frendon countered, ?In any case, it?s believed that she was killed by agents of the Empire?that she had too many leanings toward the Alliance. Pago had stayed out of politics until then, but since then, it?s open knowledge that Pago wants revenge. On top of that, you know Konedor is only twenty light years from an Imperial base. The stormtroopers and officers like to go to Konedor to gamble in Los V?yani and then harass Pago?s ?businesses?. He has plenty of reasons to want the Empire off his back?no, I?ve been in contact with Mon Mothma and we both agree that a spy is involved. We don?t agree on who, but we think it?s someone who?s been on the Alerion base.?

?Wasn?t Alerion evacuated a couple of days ago??

?Yes. We intercepted three unauthorized transmissions sent from Alerion just before Prispan left. All transmissions are encrypted, and our analysts think that these are Imperial codes. We?ve got the best slicers in the Alliance working on these codes, but we haven?t been able to crack it, yet. In any case, Prispan left Alerion three days before it was evacuated, and in since he?s been gone there have been no unauthorized transmissions from either Alerion or the evacuation fleet.?

?Who do you think this spy is?? Leia asked, feeling a sudden shiver going up her spine at the look the Mon Calamari was giving her from his fishy eyes.

?Well, Mon Mothma thinks it could be any number of officers at the Alerion base, especially someone who worked in communications. After all, Alerion was used as a training base, and most of the personnel coul

 

Cool stuff! You don't usually see fics in this time period. I'll look forward to reading more.

 

Thanks for the encouragement!

 

MMmm... yes, I'm an OT fanfic freak. I'll be following this.

~*Senoj*~

 

Chapter Two

?Han Solo?? Leia?s breath caught in her throat. ?That?s impossible.?

?Solo was the one who ferried Prispan to Konedor,? Frendon said.

?That doesn?t make him a spy!?

?I know that Solo is a friend of yours, but the fact remains that he?s a smuggler??

?Was a smuggler,? Leia interjected.

??And once a smuggler always a smuggler,? Frendon stated firmly.

Leia took Frendon?s statement with a grain of salt. After all, the Mon Calamari were well known to dislike smugglers. ?He was instrumental to our victory in the Battle of Yavin,? Leia said, ?And he?s been helping us ever since then!?

?In no official capacity,? Frendon countered, ?After all this time, he remains uncommissioned?how serious can his commitment be if he refuses to officially join the Alliance? How do you know that he hasn?t stayed around to sell information to the Empire? It?s well known there?s a bounty on his head and he needs money very badly.?

Leia bit her lip. It was true about Han and the bounty. Having run afoul of Jabba the Hutt a couple of years back, there was an enormous bounty on Han?s head. He had been given a sizable reward for his part in the Battle of Yavin, but that didn?t begin to cover what Han owed. Leia had wanted to help him for some time, but all her available funds were tied up in helping the Alliance and she hadn?t been able to access her off world Alderaanian accounts.

?That?s not enough for me,? Leia said, finally. ?I don?t believe that?s reason enough to accuse Han of being a spy.?

?No?? Frendon asked, ?Well, let me enlighten you further, your Highness. Solo is one of the people who might have had access to the information that was leaked. Solo was Prispan?s escort to Konedor. Since Solo left, there have been no unauthorized communiqués intercepted from the Alerion fleet. And, since he escorted Prispan to Konedor, Solo seems to have disappeared.?

?What?? Leia felt a sudden dryness in her mouth, and a sharp fear stabbed her heart. Solo disappeared? ?Oh no??

Leia had made many friends in the months since she openly declared her allegiance with the Rebel Alliance. Friends that gave her strength and comfort after the loss of her home world of Alderaan and her adopted family. But among all the friends she had made, none were as dear to her as the ones who had rescued her from the Death Star a year and a half ago. She had not seen Han since he had gone to Alerion, nearly four months ago, but she still thought of him every day, wondering what he was doing. Even at gunpoint, she might never admit out loud how important a friend Han was to her, but the thought of him in danger or possibly dead made the blood drain from her face.

??I?how do you know that he wasn?t killed by Imperials or kidnapped or??

Frendon snorted, ?Come now, your Highness. We all know that Solo was an expert at taking care of himself. He was supposed to check in with us at twelve-hour intervals until it was time to return with Prispan. Solo checked in on arrival and then in the past twenty-four hours, we?ve had nothing. He?s given us the slip. He was working as an aide to General Rieekan at Alerion. Who knows how many Alliance secrets he might have taken with him??

Leia shook her head, ?I think your views of smugglers, or former smugglers is coloring your views on Han??

?And with all due respect, your Highness, I think your friendship for Solo colors yours. When was the last time you saw Solo? How do you know what he?s been up to??

?He?s innocent,? Leia insisted.

?Then prove it!? Frendon challenged.

Leia paused for a moment, startled, and then said: ?All right, I will.?

 

Hi, JediSenoj451 and HanSolo29. Thanks for your encouragement. Sorry, I didn't post a note to you earlier, but I was in a hurry to get my second post up, and my son was howling for dinner...I'm also a big OT fan--so I hope this story eventually lives up to your expectations!

 

oooo.....Han! You don't see much of him anymore. but a spy? Not my baby!! Keep this up!

 

Great Posts

 

To HanSolo29, TheBiggerFish and Kab730 thanks again for the words of encouragement. Another post to follow tomorrow.

 

Ooooh! Sounds like this is almost turning into a "who dun it story." Interesting. Waiting for more.

~*Senoj*~

 

Hi, JediSenoj451. We're still on the buildup part. It may be a while before the plot thickens, but keep watching.


Chapter Three
The door chime sounded outside Leia?s quarters. She paused in the act of packing, and went through her receiving room to answer the door. Luke Skywalker stood outside with the astromech droid, R2-D2.

?Hello, Luke,? Leia said, ?Come in. Flight maneuvers over??

Luke entered and followed her through her receiving room to her bedroom. Unlike most Alliance personnel who had tiny cabins or shared cramped quarters with roommates, because of Leia?s status, she had a suite of rooms to herself. ?Hmm?how could you tell?? Luke asked, ?The fashionable orange flight wear??

Leia smiled, ?Have a seat.? She turned to the little R2 unit, which she had given to Luke. The unit had once belonged to her mother, and held a special place in Leia?s heart, ?Luke keeping you busy, R2??

R2 beeped in greeting.

?Planning a trip?? Luke asked, surveying the unusual clutter in Leia?s bedroom.

Leia opened her mouth and then hesitated. The meeting with Frendon had been a high-level official meeting and the conversation there had been privileged. On the other hand, the conversation involved Han Solo, who was important to both of them. ?As a matter of fact, yes. It?s?it?s about Han.?

?Han?? Luke?s eyes widened. Since he had completed flight maneuvers and returned to Lightning, Luke had sensed that something was bothering Leia. He didn?t put this thought into words, not sure how Leia would take such a statement.

?Han?s in trouble,? Leia said, throwing another handful of clothes into her pack with a carelessness that was very uncharacteristic of her.

Luke swallowed, watching Leia?s tense behavior. Her agitated movements belied how concerned she was over Han. ?What?s happened??

?He?? Leia looked up and paused. Suddenly, she noticed the dark shadows under Luke?s eyes, ?What?s the matter, Luke? You look exhausted. You were only out on maneuvers for four hours.?

?It?s not the flight maneuvers,? Luke answered impatiently, ?What is it about Han??

?He?s disappeared,? Leia said, ?And I?m going to find out what?s happened.?

?Where are you going??

?Konedor. That was the last place Han was known to be.?

Luke?s eyes narrowed, ?There?s something about this you?re not telling me.?

Leia sighed and sat down, ?This is somewhat complicated, and I want to get going as soon as possible, but I had a discussion with Frendon Ackban earlier today. You understand, this is all high-level and confidential?but we believe that there?s an Imperial spy somewhere in the Alliance network. Mon Mothma?s intelligence points to someone from Alerion?and Frendon thinks the spy is Han.?

?Han!? Luke shook his head, ?No, that?s not possible.?

?That?s what I said,? Leia got up and continued her packing. ?In any case, Han has disappeared from a mission to Konedor and I?m going there to find out what happened.?

?Alone?? Luke asked.

?Well, I want to be somewhat inconspicuous,? Leia replied, ?Do you think traveling with a large royal entourage is a good idea??

Luke rolled his eyes, ?I don?t mean with a group of people, but just by yourself, this could be dangerous. If Han disappeared there?and we all know how good he is at taking care of himself?this could be very dangerous. Besides, what about Chewie? You know he?d die before he?d let anything happen to Han.?

?Well, who do you suggest I ask to go along with me??

?Me,? Luke replied.

?You?? Leia was surprised, ?But I thought your squadron was due for more exercises before we reach Prandon.?

?If you wanted to pull a few strings I?m sure the powers that be would approve my leave from squadron maneuvers. I want to know if Han?s all right, too. Besides, if anything were to happen to you??

?All right,? Leia said. ?I?ll talk to Major Tenning. If you want to come along, you?d better get packed. I?m going to meet with Mon Mothma?she just returned from Tuca?and I want to brief her on my plans, then I?ll meet with Tenning. Meet

 

Hmmm... I wonder if Vader is going to sense Luke's developing skills in this story? I suppose I'll have to wait to find out...

~*Senoj*~

 

Hmmm...JediSenoj451 and HanSolo29 I appreciate the interest (really, really, really, really! ), but ain't givin' nuthin away...you will just need to wait. I promise another post tomorrow, though.

 

Chapter Four

?And I thought there was nothing more sordid than Tatooine,? Luke commented as they walked the streets in Koneyos?ti City toward the palace of Pago Tekor.

Konedor was an Outer Rim planet, the main planet in the Konedor system. It had elected officials on the local level throughout the planet, but the Triki warlord Pago Tekor in effect, ruled the planet. Pago?s palace was situated on the south face of Mount Peporti in the northern sector of the planet. It was an imposing structure?a hodgepodge of dozens of architectural styles thrown together with many wings, columns, turrets, and balustrades as though a schizophrenic architect had designed the building. The effect was unsettling, to say the least.

The town that supported the palace, though, was a bizarre, rambling series of uniformly tan-colored buildings with entrances placed haphazardly in all levels that resembled cut open cross sections of hornets? nests. This made sense since the main denizens of Koneyos?ti City were Trikis, an insectoid species that stood, on average, six feet tall, and spoke with rapid, clicking noises and buzzes that sounded vaguely menacing. Scores of Trikis were hurrying along the dusty streets, interspersed with the odd off-world species. Every once in a while a Triki would flutter his diaphanous wings and land on one of the upper story entrances to their hives/homes.

?It really does seem our lot in life to suffer,? C-3PO, the golden Cybot Galactica protocol droid whined as he followed Luke and Leia.

R2-D2, rolling along the streets beside C-3PO beeped in agreement.

?You still look tired,? Leia commented, ?Did you get any sleep on the trip over here??

?About an hour,? Luke said.

?Luke!? Leia remonstrated, ?I thought you were supposed to get rest! You were practicing with your lightsaber again, weren?t you? I admire dedication, Luke, but you need your rest!?

Luke sighed, ?I?ve dreamt of Ben only five times since he died. And each time I dream of him, he teaches me something new about the Force, like he?s continuing the lessons he started on the Millenium Falcon. It seems he?s given permission to appear to me to teach me?and these lessons will only continue if I take what?s taught seriously.?

Leia appeared skeptical, ?Well, as long as you?re awake for our interview with Pago?and you?ll promise to get some rest, later, right??

Luke smiled, and nodded, touched at Leia?s concern.

They continued down the streets for another ten minutes, eyeing the unusual displays of what Leia thought could loosely be termed food, being sold in the markets. She averted her eyes a little squeamishly from the baskets of wriggling larvae and barrels of grayish goo she saw.

?Are you sure this is a good idea going to meet with Pago?? Luke asked, nervously eyeing the two storm troopers that stood on a nearby street corner. Instinctively, he and Leia pulled their hoods further over their heads, shading their faces from view.

Leia sighed, ?We went over this on our way over here. We know Pago met with Prispan, so we know that Han must have gotten as far as Koneyos?ti. We know Prispan was gunned down here out on the street four hours later with his entire entourage. We have no reports that Han was anywhere in sight. Either that means that Han was abducted from Koneyos?ti or he would have been out of this town by then and didn?t know what had happened. My hope is that Pago can give us some clues on what might have happened.?

They approached the imposing main entrance to Pago?s palace, and were greeted by two Triki guards that were each at least seven feet tall. They wore metal plated helmets and carried lethal scimitars. The entrance they guarded was an enormous cavernous maw flanked by surprisingly verdant Palyano trees, the only plant life that they had seen thus far.

?We have an appointment to meet with Pago Tekor,? Leia announced to the guards through C-3PO?s translation.

?T?kr?ll?t kr?t trrrl?t, ti?? the guard?s mandibles clicked.

?He?he is asking your name, Your Highness,? C-3PO inte

 

Very nice action scene!

Well written... except for a few very minor comma mistakes. I can point them out if you want... but am not saying anything for now since some authors don't like corrections. Just let me know how you feel about it.

Hmmm... now this makes me wonder even more about Han. Why in the world DID he run off?

And, BTW, is this going to be an AU? Or will it fit in perfectly between Episodes IV-V? ?

Looking forward to more!

~*Senoj*~

 

Glad you guys liked it!

JediSenoj451: I'd appreciate comma repairs--I understand this is a weak point of mine. If you point them out I'll try to re-edit, but my future posts may still be littered with them. The only thing I feel I must leave in are commas before 'and' and 'but'...that was the way I was taught in the Middle Ages...

And I definitely do not plan to make this AU. While they are interesting to ponder on, I have a hard time with them because they are too formless...and then it seems to make the trilogy obsolete.

HanSolo29: My five-cent theory on Luke's training is that Ben was giving him more training than we saw, either through dreams or other media. Consider this: it took Anakin over 10 years with Obi-Wan and still he wasn't ready to face the trials. The time frame in the original trilogy only covers 4 years, and the time from ESB to ROTJ is only 1 year. The time Luke spent on Dagobah, even if you believe Dagobah has a different chronometer from the rest of the galaxy, couldn't have been more than a few weeks; after all, that was the same time the entire chase sequence with Vader/Han/Leia was taking place. As well, at the beginning of ESB, Luke can already use the Force to call his lightsaber. And also, when Luke meets Yoda, he says "But I've learned so much."
So...that's my theory on the training. Oh, and in case anyone reading this thinks I'm nuts, I do not spend all my time pondering these things.

BTW - speaking of people reading this, while I'm so grateful to my two faithful readers (pause here for hugs to HanSolo29 and JediSenoj451 )...*sniff*...doesn't anyone else like my little story? Are there any other OT readers out there?

 

I like your little story. I've always enjoyed a good OT story - there are so few of them.

That's an interesting take on Luke's training. It actually makes a bit of sense to me. Luke's lack of sleep reminds me of a lot of the college students around these boards.

Hooray for the middle ages.

 

Great Story-I'm looking forward to more!

 

Thanks RebelMom, HanSolo29 and Kab730...working on more...

BTW, RebelMom are you the same RebelMom who wrote "Mirror Manifest" on the Fan Fiction Archives? That was great!

 

Chapter Five

?Again, my deepest apologies on the?er?overzealousness of my previous High Chamberlain,? Pago said, (with Threepio translating) after greeting Luke and Leia. ?I would hate this incident to jeopardize in any way my relationship with the Alliance.?

Leia, Luke and the droids were now seated in Pago Tekor?s sumptuous receiving chamber, which was decorated in a beautiful, almost sensuous style with cushions covered with shimmering silks and elegantly carved furniture. Behind Pago were at least a dozen female Trikis that Pago introduced as his wives. Some were busily secreting Triki silk threads and weaving them into more silk cloth. Others were quite obviously pregnant with enormous egg sacs that seemed to be bulging.

Leia flashed a glance at Luke. Both of them were still reeling a little from the horrific way in which the unfortunate High Chamberlain was killed. Of course, his blunder nearly cost them their lives, but?Leia suppressed a grimace. It seemed the Trikis took everything to extremes. She would have to be very careful in what she said.

?No, Lord Pago, the Alliance values your support. We?express our regret over this incident?and agree it was just an unfortunate misunderstanding. We?re terribly sorry your High Chamberlain had to be?er??

?Don?t apologize for that bumbling idiot,? Pago said, contemptuously, ?Anyone who could blunder like that with such honored guests?well, just to avoid any future trouble, we?ll make sure with his replacement that this never happens again.?

A Triki servant entered bearing a tray with Corellian air cakes and cups of Jawa juice.

?Have some refreshments,? Pago offered, ?I assure you these are fit for humans, and I?m told they are actually quite tasty?to humans, that is.?

Not wishing to offend their host, in addition to the fact that they were both hungry, Luke and Leia each took a cake and gingerly took a bite. Just as claimed, the cakes were quite tasty.

?Now, as I understand it, you are here to resume negotiations in place of Colonel Prispan??

Luke shot a quick glance at Leia, who, with her years of diplomatic experience was better able to school her features, hiding her confusion. ?I?m sorry, Lord Pago, but there must have been a misunderstanding. We?re not here to continue negotiations. I had understood from Mon Mothma that another negotiator would arrive to take Colonel Prispan?s place in the next day or so.?

Pago seemed somewhat disappointed. ?I had hoped to be able to resume negotiations as quickly as possible. Doesn?t the Alliance want the new ships??

?Yes!? Leia answered, ?We?re very grateful that you are offering to help us obtain the ships, and we need them. It?s just that I?m?well, I haven?t been briefed in the particulars of the Alliance?s stance on these negotiations. You understand that I would not wish to offend you by contradicting something that was said earlier, and I certainly don?t want to make a mistake for our side of the negotiations.?

Despite Leia?s carefully worded statement, she and Luke could both sense a shift in the atmosphere, as though some of Pago?s earlier welcome and warmth had chilled. There was no change in his expression, and in fact, Pago?s response was very congenial.

?Ah, you sound just like your father. Bail Organa was quite the diplomat to his fingertips. You know, I visited Alderaan once, when I had just hatched out of my pupa stage. Such a lovely planet?although, somewhat too damp for my species. In any case, permit me to take this time to express my regret over the loss of your planet.?

Leia smiled her thanks, surprisingly touched. It was somewhat reassuring to her to hear all these expressions of condolence even so long after the destruction of Alderaan.

?Now, if you are not here for negotiations, what brings you here??

?We are actually here to investigate the death of Colonel Prispan and to locate a member of his escort who seems to have disappeared.?

?Ah, Prispan?s death! Such a tragedy. I had only met him once, of course, but he was quite the gentleman. I r