"The Hapans have kept closed borders for over three thousand years," Han said. "I've seen firsthand what happens when you get too close to them.

Believe me, they're hiding something."

"Hiding something? They've got nothing to hide. All they have is a peaceful way of life that they feel is threatened by outside influences."

"If this queen mother is so fantastic, why would she feel threatened by us?" Han asked. "Nah, Princess?she's hiding something. She's scared."

"I can't believe this," Leia said. "How could you even think that? If things were so terrible in the Hapes cl.u.s.ter, don't you think we'd see defectors, refugees? n.o.body ever leaves."

"Maybe it's because they can't get out," Han said. "Maybe those Hapan patrols don't just keep out the troublemakers."

"That's absurd," Leia said. "You're paranoid."

"Paranoid, huh? What about you, Princess? Have a few baubles and trinkets so blinded you that you can't see straight?"

"Oh, you sound so sure of yourself. Do you really feel so threatened by Isolder?"

"Threatened? By that big lout? Me?" Han pointed at himself. "Of course not!"

She knew he was lying. "Then you won't mind that I'm having a private dinner with him tonight?"

"Dinner?" Han asked. "Why should I mind that he's dining with the woman I love, the woman who claims to be in love with me?"

"You're so cute," Leia said sarcastically. "I came here to invite you to dinner, too, but now I think that maybe, just maybe, I should just let you sit up here and gnaw on your own petty jealous fantasies."

Leia stormed from the control room of the Millennium Falcon, and Han shouted at her back, "Well, fine?I'll see you at dinner!" He banged a wall with his fist.

After Leia left, Han threw his heart into working on the Falcon so that his mind numbed and the sweat poured from his face. He used a few tricks he'd learned to boost the rear energy deflector shields 14 percent over their peak efficiency rating, then went under the ship to work on the swivel guns while Chewie stayed inside, pulling out the main focusing lenses for the ventral blasters. Two hours of hard work later, an entourage entered the docking bay with fat old Threkin Horm in the lead.

The president of the Alderaanian Council floated in his repulsor chair as he led Prince Isolder, the prince's bodyguards, and half a dozen curious minor officials around the hangar bay.

"This, as you can see, is one of our repair docks," Threkin Horm said in his nasal voice, planting a thumb firmly between his third and fourth chins. "And this is our esteemed General Han Solo, a hero of the New Republic, working on his private?er, uh?ship, the Millennium Falcon."

Prince Isolder scrutinized the Falcon, gazing at the rusting metal exterior, the odd panoply of components. Somehow, in all his years running the Falcon, Han had never felt quite so embarra.s.sed by the thing.

It truly did look like a hunk of junk, sitting there on the gleaming black floors of a Star Destroyer. Isolder stood taller than Han, and his thick chest and arms seemed somehow intimidating, but not as intimidating as his regal manners or the calm strength of his face, the sea-gray eyes, the straight nose, and the thick hair hanging around his shoulders. He wore a different outfit now, another silk half-cape, over a white top that did not conceal the sculpted muscles of his belly or the prince's dark tan. Isolder looked like some barbaric G.o.d come to life.

"Han here is an old friend to Her Highness Princess Leia Organa," Threkin Horm added. "He has, in fact, saved her life a number of times, if I am not mistaken."

Isolder shifted his attention to Han and smiled warmly. "So, you are not only Leia's friend but her savior?" Isolder asked, and in his eyes Han thought he saw true grat.i.tude. "Our people owe you a great debt."

Isolder's strong, soft voice had an odd accent. The long vowels were deeply inflected, as if the prince were afraid he would cut them short.

"Oh, I guess you could say I'm more than her savior," Han answered.

"We're lovers, to be precise."

"General Solo!" Threkin sputtered, but Prince Isolder raised a hand.

"That is all right," Isolder said. "She is a lovely woman. I can understand why you would be attracted to her. I hope my appearance here hasn't been too . . . unsettling."

"Annoying is the word," Han answered. "I mean, it's not as if I wished you were dead or anything. Neutered perhaps?not dead."

"I apologize, Prince Isolder!" Threkin stuttered, then shot a venomous glance at Han. "I rather expected more civility from a general in the New Republic. I thought he would at least know how to behave himself."

Threkin's frown suggested that Han was seriously in jeopardy of losing his rank, if Threkin had any control over it.

Isolder studied Han a moment, then bowed slightly so that his long, sandy blond locks danced around his shoulders. He smiled at Han, "Believe me, no offense is taken. General Solo is a warrior, and he wishes to do battle for the woman he loves. That is the warrior's way.

"General Solo, would you kindly show me the inside of your ship?"

"Gladly, Your Highness," Han answered, and he led Isolder up the gangplank. Threkin Horm sputtered and tried to follow, but two of Isolder's female bodyguards stepped in Horm's path. One beautiful redhead casually dropped her hand to her blaster, and a silent alarm sounded in Han's head. He'd seen people like her before, people who were confident, people so familiar with their weapons that the blaster seemed almost an extension of their bodies. This woman was dangerous. Threkin Horm must have realized this, too, for he stopped in his tracks.

As Han climbed up into the ship, he kept waiting for Isolder to slug him from behind. Instead, the prince simply followed, listened attentively as Han showed off his hyperdrive unit, the sublight engines, and the weaponry and defenses that he'd slowly built up through accretion over the years.

When Han had finished, Isolder leaned toward him and asked, seeming bewildered, "Do you mean to say that it actually flies?"

"Oh yes," Han said, wondering if the prince was truly astonished or if he were merely impudent. "And she's fast."

"The fact that you can keep this ship together at all speaks very highly of your skills. This is a smuggler's ship, no? Fast speeds, secret compartments, hidden weaponry?"

Han shrugged.

"I'm familiar with smugglers. I left home when I was young and worked for a few seasons as a profiteer," Isolder said. "Have you seen one of our Hapes Nova-cla.s.s battle cruisers?"

"No," Han answered, looking at Isolder, feeling curiosity and a sudden sense of respect for the prince.

The prince clasped his hands behind his back, said thoughtfully, "They are over four hundred meters long, go without refueling for over a year, are very fast, and could blow this ship out of the sky before you had time to cry out."

"Are you threatening me?" Han asked.

"No," Isolder said, then whispered conspiratorially, "I will give one to you, if you promise to use it to fly far, far away from here."

Han leaned forward, whispered back in the same tone, "No deal."

Isolder grinned, admiration shining from his eyes. "Good, you are a man of principles. Then let me appeal to those principles. General Solo, what can you really offer Leia?"

Han faltered a moment, unprepared to answer. "She loves me and I love her. That's enough."

"If you love her, then leave her to me," Isolder said. "She wants the security that Hapes offers her people. But loving you would only cramp her, give her a smaller life than she deserves." He began to leave, edging past Han in the small hallway, but Han grabbed the prince by the shoulder and spun him "Wait a minute!" Han said. "What's going on here? Let's put all our weapons on the table."

"What do you mean?" Isolder asked.

"I mean there are a lot of princesses in the universe, and I want to know why you're here. Why did your mother choose Leia? She has no wealth, nothing to offer Hapes. If you want a treaty with the New Republic, there are easier ways to get it."

Isolder looked down into Han's eyes, and smiled, "I understand that Leia has invited you to dine with us this evening. I think, perhaps, both of you should hear what I have to say."

Chapter 4.

When Han arrived at Leia's stateroom for dinner, dressed in his finest military blues with all the appropriate bangles, the party was already into its second course. It was obvious that Leia had not expected him.

Prince Isolder sat to Leia's left, dressed in a conservative dinner jacket, with his amazon guards at his back. Han couldn't help staring at the women for a moment?both of them were dressed in seductive outfits of fiery red silk, with silver-plated blasters sheathed on one hip and intricately decorated vibro-swords on the other. Threkin Horm sat to Leia's right in his repulsor chair, acting as a dinner escort. As the servers hurriedly set a place for Han, Leia introduced him to Isolder.

Threkin Horm blurted rather icily, "They've already met."

Leia looked at Threkin, whose face was reddening in anger, and Han said, "Yeah, the prince stopped by for a chat while I was working on the Millennium Falcon. We, uh, found that we have some things in common."

Han turned away rather quickly as he took his seat, hoping that Leia wouldn't see his embarra.s.sment.

"Oh, really, I'd like to hear all about it." Leia's tone hinted at reprisal.

"Yes, General Solo, why don't you tell her all about it," Threkin growled.

There was an uncomfortable silence, and Prince Isolder cut in, "Well, for one thing, I was fascinated to learn that both General Solo and I had once worked as privateers. It really is a small universe."

"As privateers?" Threkin asked suspiciously. Han released a breath in relief.

"Yes," Isolder said. "When I was a boy, still in my teens, privateers attacked the royal flagship and murdered my older brother. That is when I became the Chume'da, the heir. I was young, idealistic, so I secretly left home, a.s.sumed a new ident.i.ty. For two years I plied the trade lines as a privateer, working on ship after ship, hunting for the pirate who killed my brother."

"What an intriguing story," Leia said. "Did you ever find him?"

"Yes," Isolder said. "I did. His name was Harravan. I arrested him, and we held him in a prison on Hapes."

"Working with pirates must have been very dangerous," Threkin interjected. "Why, if they had ever discovered your ident.i.ty . . ."

"The pirates were not so dangerous as one might think," Isolder said.

"The greatest threat came from my mother's naval forces. We had frequent . . . encounters."

"You mean your own mother didn't know where you were?" Leia asked.

"No. The media believed I was hiding in fear, and since my own mother did not know where I had gone, she downplayed my disappearance, hoping I would resurface."

"And the pirate that you captured, Harravan, what became of him?" Han asked.

"He was murdered in prison while awaiting trial," Isolder said heavily, "before he could ever name his accomplices."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, and Leia looked at Han.

She obviously recognized that Isolder had changed the topic to protect him from her anger. Han cleared his throat. "Do you have a lot of problems with privateers in the Hapes cl.u.s.ter?"

"Not really," Isolder said. "The interior of the cl.u.s.ter is remarkably secure, but we consistently have problems on the rim, no matter how well we patrol. Our encounters on the rim are frequent, and frequently b.l.o.o.d.y."

"I survived one of those encounters as a privateer," Han said. "After what we went through, I'm amazed that pirates would work your cl.u.s.ter."

Han wondered at Isolder. He had worked as a privateer, risking his life against the might of his mother's own navy, risking that the pirates he worked with might discover his ident.i.ty. Isolder was handsome and rich, and those traits in themselves made him a threat, but Han began to realize that this foreign prince must have a great deal of grit hidden beneath his smooth exterior. He wasn't the kind of man who needed to hide behind amazon bodyguards.

Isolder shrugged. "The Hapes cl.u.s.ter is very rich, and that always attracts interest from outsiders. But I'm sure you know our history.

Certain young men tend to glorify the old lifestyle."

"Your history?" Han asked.

Leia smiled. "Didn't you learn anything at the academy?"

"I learned how to pilot a fighter ship," Han said. "As for politics, I leave that to the diplomats."

Leia said, "The Hapes cl.u.s.ter was originally settled by pirates, a group called the Lorell Raiders. For hundreds of years they stalked the trade routes of the Old Republic, seizing ships, stealing cargo. And when they found a beautiful woman, some raider would take her as a prize to the hidden worlds of Hapes. In short, Han, the raiders were your kind of people." Han began to protest, but Leia smiled warmly, teasing him.

Threkin Horm said in his high voice, "So the women of Hapes raised their children as best they could. The pirates would steal the boys, making them pirates in turn. They would leave for months at a time, then come back to rest." Han looked up. Threkin Horm was studying Isolder's bodyguards with as much interest as he usually showed food, and Han suddenly understood why so many of the Hapans were beautiful?they had been bred for it over generations.

Prince Isolder said, "When the Jedi finally wiped out the Lorell Raiders, the pirate fleets never returned. The worlds of Hapes were forgotten for a time, and the women of Hapes took control of their own destiny and vowed that no man would ever rule them again. For thousands of years now, the queen mothers have kept that vow."

"And they've done a fine job for their worlds," Leia said.

"Still, sadly, a few of our young men feel powerless in our society,"

Isolder added. "And so they glorify the old ways. When they rebel, often they become pirates. Thus we have a perennial problem."

Han ate a few bites of dinner, some type of meat that tasted spicy and amphibious, and he realized he had no idea what he was eating.

"But we are off the subject," Threkin Horm said. "I believe Leia asked only a few minutes ago what you two talked about today." He glared at Han.

"Ah, yes," Prince Isolder said. "Han asked a question that I believe deserves an answer. He wondered, with all the other princesses in the galaxy, including many that are far more wealthy than Leia, why my mother would choose her.

"The truth is, the queen mother did not choose Leia," Isolder said calmly, gazing at Han. "I chose her." Threkin Horm must have inhaled some food, for he began coughing into his napkin. Isolder turned to Leia.

"When Leia's shuttle landed on Hapes, she met my mother for a soiree in the gardens. They were so surrounded by dignitaries from the worlds of Hapes that Leia did not speak to me, perhaps never even saw me. I do not think she even knew I was alive. But I became enamored of her. I have never done anything like this. I've never been so impulsive. No other woman has captivated me this way. It was not my mother's idea to arrange a marriage with Leia. She only consented to my request." Isolder took Leia's hand and kissed it. Leia blushed, simply staring at Prince Isolder.

Han looked at Isolder's gray eyes, at the golden hair cascading down his shoulders and the strong, handsome face, and he could not see how Leia could resist such a man.

Then Han's mind went blank, and the next thing he knew, he was rising from the table, stumbling out of his chair. All eyes turned to him, and he felt clumsy, stupid, like a little boy. His tongue felt thick in his mouth, and he sat down. His mind was in such a turmoil that he said nothing, practically heard nothing through the rest of the dinner.

As they prepared to leave an hour later, Han kissed Leia good night, swiftly, and wondered afterward how it had felt to Leia, as if kissing were some athletic event she would judge. Threkin Horm shook Leia's hand warmly and left first, while Prince Isolder stood and talked quietly with Leia for a moment, thanking her for the dinner, thanking her for the time she had spent with him. He made some small joke, and Leia laughed quietly. Just as Han realized that Isolder was hesitant to leave Leia, the prince kissed her good night, holding her close. It started as a friendly kiss, the kind that dignitaries often exchange, but he lingered a second, and then for a second more. He stepped away, and Leia gazed into his eyes.

Isolder thanked her again for a wonderful night, glanced at Han, and a moment later Han and Isolder were outside her door, Isolder walking off with his bodyguards at his back.

"I'm going to fight you for her," Han said to the prince's back. It was an oafish thing to say, but Han's head was spinning, and he could think of nothing else.

The prince stiffened, turned. "I know," he said. "But I promise you, General Solo, I intend to win her. Much is at stake here, more than you know."

Long after dinner with Prince Isolder, Leia lay in bed luxuriating. She nearly fell asleep once, but the whining of the ship's engines as technicians tested the hyperdrive awakened her. On her dresser the rainbow gems of Gallinore smoldered in their dull lights, and in a corner, the Selab tree gave off an exotic, nutty scent that suffused the room. Threkin had insisted on storing the treasures in Leia's room, but Leia tried not to dwell on the riches. Instead, Isolder filled her thoughts?his courtesy to Han during dinner, his attentiveness, his small jokes and easy laughter. And finally, his profession of love.