"I've had closer calls."

Leia glanced at the mechanic.

"You might have heard, he's a regular moving target."

The mechanic grinned and clapped grit from his hands.

"Well, she's taken a bruising, but I figure she'll live. It's just a matter of pulling together replacement parts."

Han looked relieved. He had his mouth open to thank the mechanic when a tall, purple-complected humanoid wearing military utilities approached him.

"Welcome aboard Caluula Station, Captain Solo."

Before Han could reply, a silver-haired human officer stepped in and saluted him.

"Captain Solo, sir. I was with you at Endor."

Han thought for a moment.

"Uh, Denev, right?"

The man beamed.

"I'm proud that you remember me, sir."

"Likewise, Captain."

Leia folded her arms across her chest and stared at Han.

"That's the tenth person who's recognized you. What is this, a gathering of your fan club?"

Han frowned at her.

"Very funny."

"No, really, Han. Maybe you should have become an actor instead of a war hero. Just think of the following you'd have."

Han grabbed hold of his own chin.

"You'd pay good credits to see this face, blown up a hundred times normal size?"

Leia pretended to think about it.

"When you put it that way..."

"Captain Solo," someone said.

Walking briskly toward the Falcon was a portly but energetic human major general.

"Base Commander Garray," the man said, extending his hand to Han.

Han shook hands and gestured to C-3PO and Leia.

"Our droid, and my wife, Leia Organa Solo."

Leia elbowed him gently in the ribs.

"Thanks for second billing, darling," she said through a clench-jawed smile.

Han caressed his ribs and eyed Leia.

"The droid's generally well behaved."

He indicated Page, Cracken, and some of the others, introducing them by name. Garray nodded his head several times.

"Glad to meet all of you!"

His gray eyes returned to Han.

"Captain Solo, please tell me Mon Cal command sent you."

Han compressed his lips.

"Wish I could, Commander. The truth is, we got hit hard during a rescue mission at Selvaris, and Caluula was the only place the Falcon could go."

Garray's obvious disappointment was fleeting.

"We're proud to have you on board, regardless-all of you."

He turned to his even more portly adjutant.

"Chief, see that Captain Solo's pa.s.sengers are treated for injuries and well fed."

The adjutant saluted.

"If you'll follow me, sirs," he said to Cracken and the others.

Han kept silent until everyone had moved off.

"What's the situation here, Commander?"

Garray tilted his head to one side.

"Take a walk with me, and I'll explain."

He led Han, Leia, and C-3PO on a slow tour of the docking bay, in the strobing light of arc welders, past technicians and soldiers who looked every bit as scarred and patched up as the ships they were working on. Humans appeared to comprise the majority of Caluula's personnel, but mixed among them were Brigians, Trianii, Bimms, Tammarians, and other species from star systems proximal to Caluula. Nearly every individual and craft reflected the war's years of savagery. Some of the ships combined so many disparate parts, they were unrecognizable.

"The Yuuzhan Vong showed up about a month ago," Garray was saying.

"And it's been steady fighting ever since. Our defense platform is history, and for the past local week we've been under constant siege. But it's become clear that the Vong want to occupy Caluula rather than raze it, or they'd have dropped a moon on it or poisoned it like they've done elsewhere."

"Occupation seems a good guess," Leia said. "One of the ships we saw on our way in is a yammosk vessel." Garray nodded.

"That's already been verified."

"Still, it's curious that the Yuuzhan Vong would choose Caluula,"

Leia went on. "I don't know a great deal about the Tion Hegemony, but I do know it lacks most of the resources the Yuuzhan Vong usually come looking for."

"No argument, Princess. Caluula's mostly been a haven for scientists, because of some sort of natural phenomenon that occurs down there every so often. Our best guess is that the Yuuzhan Vong want to use Caluula as an entry point into the Tion Hegemony and the Corporate Sector. Then there's the shipyards at Lianna, though they haven't been turning out much since Sienar Systems pulled up stakes." Garray took his lower lip between his teeth and shook his head in exasperation. "But the Vong have to go through us to get there, and, thank the Force, that hasn't happened yet."

"If they're looking at occupying the rest of the Tion Hegemony, they'd have concentrated their efforts at Lianna," Han said. "For one thing, it's closer to the Perlemian, which they pretty much control anyway, from Coruscant to the Cron Drift." He shook his head. "They've got something else in mind. Maybe using Caluula as a staging area for an attack on Mon Calamari."

"We considered that," Garray said. "But I don't have to tell you that Caluula's well removed from the easy s.p.a.ce lanes. Mon Calamari's three microjumps direct, or you return to the Perlemian by way of Dellalt and Lianna, which takes just as long."

"So what do the Yuuzhan Vong want with Caluula?" Leia asked.

Garray looked at her while they walked.

"Captives. The Vong commander of the battle group even intimated as much."

"You've actually spoken to him?"

"Tattooed head to toe," Garray said, "and soon to be black with blood, if we have anything to say about it. He promised us n.o.ble deaths and everlasting life."

"Tough offer to turn down," Han said.

Garray snorted.

"Personally, I'll take the here-and-now."

"Where are you from, Commander?" Leia asked.

"Abregado-rae."

Han was surprised.

"You're a long way from the Core. Why'd you leave?"

"It was raining Vong fireb.a.l.l.s, and I started to feel like I was in the way."

Leia nodded contemplatively.

"There's no safe corner left."

Garray sighed with her.

"Not if the Yuuzhan Vong have their way. One more major push from them at this point... Well, who can predict how things will turn out, right?"

"Expect surprises," Han said. "There's a small resistance force operating downside on Caluula. But if this station falls, I don't see how they'll be able to hold out against a full-scale invasion."

"Just how bad off are you?" Leia said.

"Well, you've seen our starfighters. They're held together with spit and glue, just like we are. Ever since the HoloNet went down, we've had to rely on courier communication with Mon Cal, and that takes anywhere from three to five local days. In fact, we dispatched a ship just hours before you arrived. Galactic Alliance command hasn't been able to spare us any materiel, in any event. So we're critically short on food, munitions, spare parts, bacta. Many of the volunteers who came to our support are wounded. We've a lot of sick and dying." Garray paused, becoming more somber by the moment. "I've been fighting the Yuuzhan Vong for four years. I feel like I was a lot younger when this war started."

"We all were, Commander," Han said. He recognized Garray's type: done in by years of command; of sending soldiers to their deaths. A man who no longer needed to prove to himself that he was a hero. He was just doing his job, and hating himself for it.

Garray forced himself to brighten.

"But don't worry, we'll get the Falcon repaired, and we'll have you on your way in no time."

"We don't want to take your personnel away from their jobs, Commander, " Han said firmly. "Leia and I will see to the repairs ourselves." He paused, then added: "Between you and me, Garray, if Cracken and the rest weren't expected on Mon Calamari, we'd be staying behind to help you."

Garray smiled.

"I appreciate that, Solo. Reinforces everything I've heard about you all these years." He glanced at Leia. "Will the two of you join me for lunch?"

"We'd be honored," Leia said. She deliberately fell behind Han to whisper, "Everything he's heard all these years... One day they're going to build a statue of you."

Han gestured broadly.

"These are the people who deserve statues-every last one of them."

They continued to walk and talk and b.u.mp into people who knew or recognized Han-and Leia. Caluula seemed to have drawn every celebrated soldier, mercenary, and ne'er-do-well from within a thousand pa.r.s.ecs.

Commander Garray excused himself to attend to business, but promised he'd rendezvous with them in the mess hall. They were emerging from one of the transparent connectors that linked the station's separate modules when Han heard what he thought was a familiar voice. The source of the voice was a dark-haired man as old as himself, dressed in a worn gray flight suit that was cinched at the waist by a broad red belt. Of medium height but broad-chested, he was sitting cross-legged atop a cargo crate, in a murky area of the module, between a golden-furred Bothan and a tall Calibop whose wings were folded behind him.

Surrounding the trio stood roguish-looking human and alien warriors in similar gray flight suits, who might have made up a separate starfighter squadron, or just as easily a criminal swoop gang from Nar Shaddaa.

"Another fan?" Leia asked.

Han rubbed his stubbled jaw.

"I definitely know the voice from somewhere. But I can't place the face."

"So ask him."

Han nodded and sauntered over to the soldiers, every one of whom monitored his approach with a mix of amus.e.m.e.nt and wariness.

"I'm Han Solo. Am I right that we've met?"

The man looked at him askance, almost as if to display the ragged scars on the side of his furrowed and somewhat dark-complected face.

"Not in the flesh, Captain, though we have come close. I guess that means that we're not entirely strangers." He extended a meaty hand.

"Hum."

Han tried out the name twice, then shook his head. "Doesn't ring well. But you're sure we never served together? During the Rebellion, maybe?"