Was that... regret? Han grabbed at it with both hands, some chink in that previously impervious armour. "You don't believe they're right..."
"I don't think you're right either - I don't think there is a right - not anymore."
"Then leave! Just leave- get out of here."
"And go where? There's no place Palpatine wouldn't find me, not now. There's no-where left to hide. He'd raze a planet to track me down, burn through a whole system if he thought it would flush me from hiding- he's made that very clear and believe me he never bluffs."
"Go to the outer systems, the Unknown Regions. Take the Falcon- you can have her."
Luke smiled at that, knowing Solo meant it. "If I did I'd be signing your death warrant. And the Rebellion's. And anyone else who'd ever known me- anyone at all. He'd take you all down; first because he'd believe you'd helped me and second because he'd... he'd know that I'd sense it and eventually I'd have to come back just to stop it. And there are people here too now, people in the Palace who..." he stopped abruptly, as if realising what he was saying, those shields dropping into place with practiced ease. "And anyway; I need to stay. I have plans in motion and as I've told you, most of them involve my ruling the Empire one day. Which would be difficult to do from the back of beyond."
Han shook his head, frustration fuelling his discontent, but Luke only smiled again, amused at his friend's unease.
"I think," Luke said at last, "That one of the things I've learned being here is... not to take things so personally. Sometimes in the real world we have to accept that there are complications to every friendship. But that doesn't necessarily exclude them."
Han recognized the offer on the table... and why did the kid even have to check? He nodded, tipping his head, throwing out a casual jibe at his friend, "When the hell did you get so smart?"
The smile which had hovered on Luke's lips for so long finally touched his eyes, "Well you know, one of us had to grow up eventually."
They were silent for a moment, but it was less fraught this time, more comfortable. Han took a gulp from the brandy, still smiling into the glass...
Luke glanced sharply away then back to Solo, rising, his voice clipped and formal again. "Well this has been interesting, but I think it's time for you to go."
Han frowned, thrown by the sudden change in the kid's demeanour, "What?"
"Mara Jade's on her way up here and she doesn't keep secrets well."
Han glanced to the doorway Luke had already reached, himself rising. He almost asked how Luke knew, but stopped himself in time.
"She's been around a long time." he observed instead, "Are you and she uh...?"
Those mismatched eyes seemed to see clean through him. "She's still Palpatine's agent."
"Hey I didn't ask if it was serious."
The kid just smiled enigmatically, leaving Han to frown at his friend, curious...
"You need to take a left-" Luke said. "At the end of the corridor there's an emergency exit which has a deactivated alarm. Take the staircase up three levels- no further. When you come out onto the corridor you'll be under surveillance again but the lens is on your right hand side and doesn't cover the actual door. Turn to your left and don't look back and you won't be I.D.'d. Go straight to the nearest turbolift and don't get off until someone else is in the lift- and don't press the floor you need."
Han nodded, frustrated that their brief discussion was coming to an end all too quickly, "We should... do this again."
"No, we really shouldn't." The kid stated unequivocally, though there was amusment in his voice. "When you get back to your quarters, you should pack your bags and go. I assume you can get your own transport?"
"Hey- it's me."
Luke broke into a genuine smile, quickly quashed, and Han couldn't help but do the same. He had, he supposed, everything he'd come here for; let the others take care of the rest. He'd come to find an old friend- and much to his own relief, he hadn't been disappointed.
"Good to see you again, kid. Take care of yourself."
Luke smiled just slightly, those strange mismatched eyes at once familiar and strange. Han nodded once then set off down the corridor, two steps away before Luke's quiet voice called out, "Solo-"
Han turned and Skywalker raised his eyebrows pointedly, though he was still smiling, "You sneak back onboard my ship again and I'll throw you in the brig."
.
.
.
Unexpectedly, still figuring out his escape route, Han was visited just a few hours later by the big, no-nonsense dark-haired Aide, who politely but firmly told him to gather his stuff, then led him in silence to one of the restricted Bays.
When the massive bay doors cycled open, Han's eyes skipped about, trying to take it all in. This was one of the 701st bays, he knew, out of bounds to all personnel except members of The Heir's own squadron. The Alliance had no information at all on the 701st, except that they were completely loyal to The Heir; no idea of numbers, vocations, units, nothing. General opinion in the Intel circuits was that this was because the Empire didn't either- you couldn't steal information that nobody had.
Less than half the soldiers present were in 'trooper's armour, the rest in fatigues, a few in civilian clothes. The ships too were a mix, mostly TIE's, a squadron of I-TIE's neatly stowed, several skiprays and blastboats to the rear of the bay, none with military markings; he took care to try to remember those- he may come face to face with them again when he was in the Falcon an if he did, he wanted to know about it. Nothing bigger here, but then there were nine bays in total dedicated to the 701st.
He was still glancing about, trying to remember specifics, when Reece slowed ahead of him, making Han turn. They'd stopped near the front of the bay, a sleek but not too new shuttle there. Luke stood close by, speaking to a tall, moustache'd man with sharp eyes and a casual, effected slouch. He wore civiian clothes and a time-worn gunbelt. The matt, oiled blaster in it was a newer moel of Han's own Blastech.
When Luke turned simply nodding in recognition.
"Karrde, this is Solin; Solin, Karrde."
The two men glanced at each-other, each giving the other a professional once-over.
"Karrde has agreed to give you passage to the nearest planet." Luke continued.
Han opened his mouth to object, but Luke kept on talking without acknowledging him, explaining away his change of heart at leaving Han to make his own arrangements to leave without giving too much away. "Unsurprisingly, we keep a close tab on the military ships assigned to the Patriot."
Han frowned, wondering if there was more to it than that, but clearly now, before Karrde, was not the time to talk. Still, he couldn't help but make one last ditch try, uncomfortable at being cornered like this. "Ah, you'd never miss one ship on a Destroyer this size."
"Until it turned up trying to sneak back onboard with a hold full of explosives." Luke said mildly, tone neither accusing nor judgemental. "Besides, Karrde is heading your way."
"Which way's that?"
"Out." Luke said succinctly; "Quietly."
He took a step back, clearing Han's path up into the shuttle, and Han nodded once, setting forward.
"Incidentally... Solin; you forgot something."
A second man who had been stood close by, short and slight with olive skin and sharp, watchful eyes, stepped forward to hand Han a small box. He took it warily, unsure what would be inside.
When he opened it, it contained the five transmitters that Han had spent the last few days placing in strategic points throughout the Destroyer.
"Thanks for that." he muttered dryly.
"No- thank you." Luke said with a tip of his head, but there was humour in his voice so Han rolled his eyes before hesitating, unsure what to say, aware that many eyes were on him - that so much had changed.
But some things remained the same, if only because Han wilfully kept them so.