Disclaimer: Not mine. I'm just playing. I'll put'em back when I'm done.

Rating: G

Synopsis: A certain pirate has certain secrets he hasn't shared.

The setting sun fell through the window, brightening the room, when Leia stepped into the silent living room of Han's quarters. Three weeks earlier, he had taken off on a lengthy mission and she missed him already. She knew that it would be at least two more weeks before he got back and being in his quarters somehow made him feel nearer than he was.

She walked aimlessly through the living room, brushing her hands along the furniture, thinking about their last talk. They had, as usual, had a fight, but something had changed between them. Maybe it was just her, but she felt somehow empty without him now. She would tell him this when he got back. Stopping for a moment, she wished he would come back this very instant. Then she shook her head with a smile. He probably felt the same way when she was gone. He would come back soon and when he did, she would tell him how she really felt.

Thoughtfully she pulled one of the drawers open in a small bureau, that stood along side one of the walls. Looking down at the disorder, she noticed a small, worn holocube. Wondering what it could be, she picked it up. Maybe it was a love-letter from an old girlfriend, she mussed, smiling at the thought. She activated it by pushing a small button embedded in its side. A three-dimensional picture formed over the cube, but it was not the kind of picture she had thought it would be. It was the picture of a woman all right, but she was holding a baby and smiling at whoever had taken the picture. Leia turned the cube a bit and noticed that it had a switch for playback. Apparently this was one of the more sophisticated holocubes. She flipped the switch and watched as the picture of the woman and the baby faded and then the woman returned alone. There was no sound recorded, but it was obvious that she was fond of the person recording her. She waved, smiling broadly, then reached out of the camera's view and picked up the baby, holding the little girl up so that the person recording them could see her. Mother and child looked amazingly alike and Leia couldn't help smiling back at the image. The woman seemed so lively, so full of joy it was contagious.

But then confusion settled in. Who was this woman? Why did Han have a holocube-film of her? She played back the piece of film again, watching the woman and the baby. Almost as if on second thought, she then turned it over and looked at the bottom of the silvery cube. Written in black were a couple of words in the most delicate handwriting Leia had ever seen. It said:

Here's something to remember me by. Love, Alana.

Being more curious than she actually wanted to admit, Leia started going through the other drawers to see if there was anything else, that might let her know who Alana was. Maybe she was a sister or a cousin or some kind of family member. She found another cube, this one a little older and a little flatter and switched it on. The bittersweet voice of a young woman filled the room at that. She was singing a lullaby and due to another inscription, Leia knew that it was Alana. She sang the song to her baby, who was called Keeva. After the song had ended, there was a brief pause, then the voice said: I love you, and the recording switched off.

Stubbornly denying any other explanation at the present time, Leia figured that Alana had to be a relative. She dropped down on the sofa with the two cubes in her hands, staring at them with resignation. Apparently, this woman had meant something to Han and the only reason, that Leia could think of, which would justify that he hadn't told her about Alana, was that Alana was dead. Whoever she was, she had to be dead. Spending some time thinking about what she had seen here, an idea started to form in her head. It was a long shot, but worth exploring.

She stuffed the cubes into the pockets of her jump suit and went to the extensive library-console, which was connected to the main-computer of the Alliance and contained all possible information about the major worlds. She entered the database and accessed the files on Corellia.

Hesitating for a moment, she silently asked herself if she really wanted to know who Alana was. Then nodding to herself, she typed in a search-path. She entered the approximate age, height and name of Alana, but stalled when the database asked for the last name. She thought it over for a minute, then taking a chance she typed in the only name she could think of. Solo. The database asked her to wait and started its search. It brought back the answer far too fast for her liking. The screen didn't give a whole lot of information about Alana, since she was dead as Leia had suspected. It did give her one piece of information, though, that she didn't really know how to handle. It said:

Name : Alana Solo (born Stark)

Age : Twenty-three standard-years

Place of birth : Corellia

Current status : Deceased

Leia looked at the screen for a long time, then finally switched it off. Born Stark? That meant that Alana had married into the Solo-family. Providing that there was a family to speak of, of course. If not, it could only mean one thing. Alana had been married to Han.

An idea flashed through her head and she reactivated the database. This time, she typed both Alana and Keeva's name, both with the surname Solo. The database searched for a moment. The information that flashed onto the screen made Leia a little sad.

Name : Alana Solo (born Stark)

Age : Twenty-three standard-years

Place of birth : Corellia

Current status : Deceased

Children

Name : Keeva Solo

Age : Two standard-years at time of mother's death

Place of birth : Corellia

Current status : Unknown (presumed dead)

If Alana had been married to Han, then Keeva had been his daughter. Apparently, something had gone wrong after Alana had died. Han had never mentioned either a wife or a daughter and Leia didn't really believe that he had dumped the girl somewhere. So, apparently, the girl was dead, too.

On second thought, Leia started another search, looking for a girl named Keeva Stark. That gave a positive result. The screen said:

Name : Keeva Stark

Age : Fifteen standard-years

Place of birth : Corellia

Current status : School attending

Making a face, Leia didn't really know what to do next. This girl could be the same, but then again, she might not be. The only way of finding out would be to find out where this girl was living and if her current status was the same as the two-year-old information claimed.

Leia returned to her quarters and went through her schedule, trying to figure out if she could in any way squeeze in a trip to Corellia. She eventually found a time, which would force her to leave the following day. Considering the consequences of her actions, she tried to come up with a reason for justifying this trip to both the council of the Alliance and to Han, if it turned out to be his daughter. She had after all gone through his things without his permission. Well, Han she could deal with. The council was a different matter entirely.

***

Leader Mothma looked at Leia as if she had appeared out of thin air. "You want what?" she asked calmly, trying to understand why Leia, who was completely devoted to her work, suddenly wanted to take off for a couple of days to pursue something that might turn out to be nothing.

"I want to go to Corellia. Tomorrow. I'll leave at dawn and I'll be back within a week. I just need to do this," Leia tried to explain. It was as difficult as she had feared to explain what she wanted to do without really disclosing the truth.

"You want to go to Corellia to find a girl who might be your relative, but you're not certain?" Mon Mothma asked with disbelief. She was afraid that the pressure she had put Leia under suddenly had become too much for her. Apparently she was chasing shadows.

"Sort of. It's difficult to explain, really. I just need to make sure," Leia said after a moment's thought.

Mon Mothma gave it some serious thought. Maybe it would be best if Leia took some time off. Even though she was young, she had worked so much since the destruction of the Deathstar, that she might be close to breaking down. And, maybe she had done it already. "Are you planning on going alone?" she then asked, eyeing Leia with a concerned expression.

Leia had actually thought about it, but then decided that she would ask Lando for help. He was, after all, Corellian himself and would know his way around that world. A lot could be said for Han, but Lando was a lot more careful. "No, I had thought about asking Lando to come along. He knows Corellia."

Mon Mothma nodded, a little more at ease. "That's good. Well, if you think you have to do this, take that week. I wish you luck in your search for this missing relative," she then said.

Leia smiled. "Thank you, Mon. It means a lot to me," she replied and left Mon's quarters.

The leader of the Alliance looked at the door for a moment longer, then shook her head. Soon, she would have to return to her primary base after finishing a lengthy round-trip to all the other bases and she was looking forward to going back. But, Leia concerned her. The young senator had been under a lot of stress and she was obviously starting to show signs of it. Hoping that Leia returned before she had to leave, Mon Mothma returned to her doings.

***

Leia found Lando where she thought he might be. He was working on one of his many ships. Stopping underneath the extremely well-kept yacht, Leia watched him working on one of the landing-claws for a moment. "Oh, Lando."

The way she said it made him turn around cautiously. "What did I do?" he asked. For a reason that was obvious to him, Leia still felt inclined to doubt his integrity from time to time. He didn't blame her, but it usually meant that she blamed him for things he hadn't done.

Leia smiled, knowing how he felt. "You didn't do anything. I just need a favor," she replied and he relaxed visibly.

"I see, your Highness. And what kind of favor might that be? I can't conjure Han up out of nothing if that's what you want," he replied, making a joke.

"I know that. I'm not asking you to, even though I do miss him right now," she replied. "The favor is of a completely different nature, even though it has something to do with Han. At least I think it has." She hesitated, wondering if Lando might know something about the girl and her mother. "I want to go to Corellia. Tomorrow, to be exact. At dawn. For a week."

Lando raised an eyebrow. "To Corellia? Whatever for?" he then asked, sounding stunned.

Taking a deep breath, Leia decided to tell him everything. "Have you ever heard Han mention a woman named Alana?" she first asked.

"No, not that I can remember. Why?" Lando replied, slightly puzzled.

"Well, apparently he was married to her," Leia said, causing Lando's face to drop.

"Say what?" he asked, looking completely lost.

"I found a holocube in a drawer in his living room and it had the name Alana on it. So, I went to the database and searched for that name in connection with Han. Apparently, she was his wife. But, she's dead now. They had a daughter together, who's probably living with Alana's family. At least that's my guess, because the girl has Alana's maiden name."

At that Lando raised his hands. "Stop for a moment. You're saying that Han was married to this – Alana? And that they had a kid together? But, Alana is dead and the kid isn't. Did I get that right?" he wanted to know. Leia nodded. "What is it you want to do, then?" he asked on.

For a moment, she hesitated. "I want to know if that child is his. If so, I want to know why she isn't with him and why he never mentioned her." The explanation sounded reasonable to herself until Lando pulled it apart.

"That's nice. What if that is exactly the way Han want's it, if the kid is his? Let's say she's living with relatives and doesn't know anything about Han. What are you going to do then? What are your plans?"

Leia saw her plan starting to crumble. She had actually no idea about what she would do, if the girl was Han's daughter. If she were, what then? "Well – I'm not sure. I just want to know. I need to know." She frowned for a moment. "If she is his, which I think she is, I just want to know why he hasn't mentioned her. I mean, you don't just have a daughter somewhere and forget about it."

Lando nodded. "Okay, I'll go with you to Corellia. I'll help you find the information you want. But, I won't help you do anything crazy. Okay?" he then replied.

"Fair enough," Leia said, nodding.

***

The capital of Corellia turned out to be one of the less attractive cities Leia had seen. The spaceport alone was not of the better. Standing on the landing pad beside the ramp of Lando's ship, the Serpent, Leia hugged herself as an icy wind gusted over the port. The port-buildings looked ramshackle and the ground beneath her feet was cracked and overgrown.

"Nice, isn't it?" Lando asked sarcastically as he closed the ramp and secured the ship. "I never much cared for Corellia. I always thought it was both an ugly planet and an ugly town," he added, giving her the coat, which she had forgotten inside.

Leia shrugged into it, glancing at him. "I thought you were supposed to be loyal to your home world," she then said, as they started walking toward the entrance to the port.

"Yeah, I am. Corellia is not my home. Kosar, one of the outer planets, is." He opened the door for her and they stepped into a spaceport that looked like a lot more inside than outside.

People were walking everywhere, mingling with each other, buying, talking, eating. Leia watched the commotion for a moment, remembering that Corellia did not have one of the most basic laws as most other big worlds. On Corellia, the intermingling of races wasn't prohibited in public. She saw as unlikely couples as wookies and stenaxes, two races that had absolutely nothing in common. "So, do you think Han is loyal to this place?" she wondered aloud.

"Don't know. He doesn't talk too much about Corellia. I've actually never discussed it with him," Lando replied, protectively taking her arm as a burly, mean-looking man started to stare at her.

Leia returned the man's stare until he looked away. "Neither have I. It's like he doesn't want to talk about his past. What happened to him here?"

They had started walking again, but Leia's question made Lando stop. "What do you mean? Why should anything have happened to him here?" he wanted to know.

Leia shrugged. "I don't know. I just think it's odd that he has never really mentioned anything about his childhood or his life here. I mean, I know for sure that he's been a child," she replied with a sigh. "Well, never mind that. Where do you suggest we start our search?"

Lando smiled a little. "Oh, I think I know just where to go. An old friend of mine. She's pretty well-informed."

***

The space-port bar was a shabby place and Leia at first had doubts about going in. But, since she was holding Lando's arm nobody sent her any looks and she was dressed to fit in with the crowd. The gray, somewhat worn outfit she wore wasn't very becoming, but she looked like anybody in it. The coat was a long, black thing, that reached all the way to her ankles and was bulky enough to conceal a gun. She didn't carry one, but she looked like she did.

Lando lead the way into the bar to a table at the rear. A woman was sitting at it, her boots resting on the tabletop, some kind of straw clenched between her teeth. She was strikingly beautiful, Leia thought. She seemed to be tall with a mane of black hair that was harnessed with several golden rings into a pony tail hanging over her right shoulder. She wore black combat-briefs with the Corellian blood stripe on the side and a black turtle neck sweater. Lying next to her on the bench was a black leather-coat. Leia also noticed that the woman was armed heavily.

Without asking, Lando sat down across from her and Leia followed his example. Smiling at the woman on the other side of the table, Lando leaned forward. "Hi, Trisha. How have you been?" he asked.

Trisha had regarded him with cool, steel-blue eyes ever since he had come into her view and she was still doing so, not taking the straw out of her mouth. Then her eyes wandered over to Leia. "Who's the broad?" she asked.

Leia started at the term, feeling offended by it. Lando grabbed her arm, preventing her from retorting angrily. "She's a friend. That's all you need to know about her," he replied. "And, watch your mouth around my friends, Trisha," he added.

Trisha regarded him calmly, not taking offence. But, she didn't excuse either. "What do you want, Calrissian? Whatever you ask for, it's gonna cost you. Even though we're friends, I don't hand out anything for free," she eventually said. Her tone of voice was deep, almost raw, and Leia briefly wondered if she had a throat-condition of some kind.

"We're gonna need help to find a kid," Lando started.

"A girl of about fifteen," Leia interrupted.

Trisha gave her a strange look. "It speaks, too," she then said, returning her attention to Lando, leaving Leia to seethe with anger at the remark. "You know her name, that girl?" she wanted to know. Apparently, she didn't deal with other women. Or, maybe, she just didn't like them.

Lando made a face, then nodded. He would have to do a lot of explaining to Leia later. He knew that. The way the princess was scowling didn't bode well. "Yes, we have her name. It's my friend here who's looking for her. She has the details," he then replied.

"Is that a fact?" Trisha commented dryly. "Why don't you ask — your friend to give me the details, then?" She finally reached up to pull the straw out of her mouth and dropped it on the floor. Pulling her feet off the table, she leaned forward, looking directly into Leia's eyes. Leia felt very uncomfortable about that look. It almost implied that Trisha knew everything about her that was worth knowing. "This ain't such a nice place for a princess, is it," Trisha then stated, causing Leia to gasp. In order to avoid needless complications, Leia and Lando had agreed on not disclosing her identity. That Trisha knew who she was could mean that others knew, too, and that in turn could mean trouble.

"Her identity is a secret, got that?" Lando snapped, glancing about to make sure nobody had heard. Nobody was paying attention to them and he relaxed again. "Trisha, I'm going to pay you your usual fee if you give us information about that girl. And leave Leia alone," he advised.

Trisha leaned back, a cold smile curling her lips. "You used to be public enemy numero uno. — What's the girl's name?" she replied. She seemed set on insulting or revealing Leia.

Leia felt very much exposed and didn't look around for that very reason. If anybody had heard Trisha, she could be in trouble. "Her name is Keeva Stark. Probably," she replied, trying to keep the anger over Trisha's thoughtlessness out of her voice.

Trisha obviously enjoyed herself. "Keeva Stark. Probably," she repeated. "Fifteen you said?" Leia nodded. "Meet me back here tomorrow. Same time, same place. I'll see what I can dig up." With that, she dismissed them, pulling out a new straw from her coat and starting to chew on it.

Lando motioned for Leia to get up and they quickly left the bar again, heading back to the Serpent. Once inside, Lando closed and sealed the hatch. "Trisha isn't going to reveal anything, Leia. She has more money than she knows what to do with and, besides, who's gonna care. The Empire is history. You have nothing to be afraid of now," he then explained.

Leia eyed him for a moment. "Where have I heard that before?" she replied sarcastically. "I'm starting to think this might not be such a good idea, Lando. Even though the Empire doesn't exist anymore, there are still pockets of it left. I am not here on official business and that makes me a sitting duck. I can't expect protection from the Corellian government. Maybe we should leave while we still can."

To Leia's surprise, Lando shook his head. "Oh no, we don't. I'm not leaving until I've paid off Trisha. If you put her on an assignment like this and then take off, she's gonna hunt you down and kill you. And, believe me, she takes pleasure in that." With a sigh he dropped down on a chair in the common room of the yacht. "We'll just wait and see. Trisha will not turn us in. She's got too much at stake herself."

***

The following day, they returned to the bar, finding Trisha there already. Leia was prepared for her acid remarks this time and she had a few of her own to offer. But, to her great surprise, Trisha was uncommonly businesslike, when they sat down. She even bought them drinks.

"Okay, here's what I've got. There is a girl named Keeva Stark. Not difficult to find. She's related to the Stark's, a pretty powerful family. But, for some reason, the Stark's don't want her around. She's in an orphanage. Been there for years it seems. And, she's thirteen, not fifteen. Her mother's dead, her father gone to unknown whereabouts," she said, then slid a piece of paper over the table to Leia. "This is the address of the orphanage. It's pretty difficult to get a kid out of there when you're on your own, so I would suggest that the two of you pose as a married couple interested in obtaining a kid the easy way. I can get you the papers."

Leia picked up the piece of paper, frowning at the name of the orphanage. It was called Goldstar — Home for orphans and homeless children. "Do you have any information about the mother? Who she was, I mean?" she then asked.

Trisha nodded, pulling out a bunch of other papers. "The mother's name was Alana Stark. Apparently the father didn't have a say in the matter of the last name for the kid, whoever he was. You see, the papers don't really mention anything about him and his name has been erased from the files I checked. I don't really think that you'll have any trouble with the Stark's, though. The kid's been in more foster homes than I could count and, apparently, she's a pretty damaged thing. The main reasons stated from the foster homes for not keeping her is that she's unreachable, distant-minded, impossible to have a conversation with. You name it. One family stated that she had a picture of her father, which she was clinging to night and day. She doesn't seem to be able to adapt. You sure you want her?" Trisha looked from Lando to Leia and back again.

Lando glanced at Leia, then nodded. "If you could fix those papers for us, that would mean a bonus for you," he then said.

Trisha nodded, reached into her coat lying beside her and pulled out a small folder. "Everything you need for an adoption," she replied, handing it over to Lando.

He opened the folder and went through the fake marriage license, the fake names and papers. Shaking his head with a smile, he looked at Leia. "Take a look at this. She's pretty good, isn't she?" he said, showing her the folder. Leia simply nodded, glancing at Trisha.

"Well, how about some money then?" Trisha said, downing her drink.

Lando pulled out a folder of his own and pushed it across the table. Trisha picked it up and stuffed it into her coat. Then, she got up. "Nice doing business with you. Don't get caught," she said, tipped her forehead and walked away.

"Parster? What kind of name is that?" Leia then asked, examining the papers. "Dari and Tor Parster," she read, then shook her head. "Let's get this show on the road," she added, getting up.

***

The orphanage looked pretty nice from the outside, even though the building could be perceived as looming. Looking up at it, Leia felt a shiver running up her spine. This place was not a happy one. But, then again, how could it be? It was a home for outcasts, orphans, children without relations.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Lando asked after looking up at the building for a moment, too.

"What's there to do, Lando? I'm not even adopting her with my real name. Besides, I bet we'll be able to find a much more adequate home for her, if she turns out to be just another orphan without any connection to Han. I want to go through with this." With those words, she started walking up the stone steps leading up to the entrance. Lando caught up with her after a second, keeping his opinions to himself, since she apparently didn't want to hear them anyway.

Together they stepped into a spacious, high-ceilinged hall, that was very hushed. Nowhere was the sound of children. Leia listened for a moment, hearing nothing but silence, until that was interrupted by a door opening somewhere to their left.

A tall woman with a businesslike attitude came striding toward them. "Good day," she said in a chirping voice, sounding overly glad to see them. "I am Mrs. Cambon, in charge of the Goldstar-family. Have you come to adopt a child?"

Leia felt inclined to step on the woman's toes, but naturally didn't. Instead, she smiled broadly back at her. "That is exactly what we have come to do, isn't it, Tor?" she replied in a delighted tone of voice.

Lando briefly looked a little surprised, then he nodded, smiling charmingly at Mrs. Cambon. "That's right, dear."

Mrs. Cambon almost rubbed her hands, then motioned for them to follow her back to her office. Once inside, she offered them a chair and they sat down. "Now, what did you have in mind? I'm afraid we do not have babies here, merely children from the age two and up. I hope that's satisfactory," she explained.

Leia frowned a little, then released another bright smile. "Well, actually that suits us fine. We are looking for an older child, to be exact. A child that is over the stage of being fed and cleaned. You know," she said, briefly inspecting her nails.

Both Leia and Lando were dressed in new suits, which they had bought an hour earlier. They looked like a wealthy couple and that had been the main reason for Mrs. Cambon's delight.

Making a waving movement with one hand, Leia glanced at Lando, noting that he seemingly had trouble keeping up the charade. Her behavior was apparently very funny. She smiled sweetly at him, at the same time glaring and he got his urge to laugh at the situation under control again. "We were thinking about the age of twelve - thirteen," she then said to Mrs. Cambon.

"Oh, that's a delightful age. Did you want a girl or a boy? Or doesn't that matter?" she inquired.

Leia pursed her lips, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I always did want to have a little girl to take care of. So, a girl — if it is possible," she replied, trying to keep her fluttering hands under control. It was part of the act, but she also felt nervous.

"Well, I can show you our file," Mrs. Cambon said, activating a switch on the table. In the middle of the table, a three-dimensional image of a girl of the appropriate age appeared. "This is Dina. Dina is twelve and a very sweet girl. She is a carefree soul and a good student. And, a very beautiful girl at that," Mrs. Cambon began.

She went through ten girls, never once mentioning the name Keeva. The thirteenth image replaced the twelfth and Mrs. Cambon froze for a second, then quickly replaced it with the next.

"Wait a minute," Leia said excitedly, thinking that this might be the troubled Keeva she had briefly seen there. "Who was that girl?" she asked.

Mrs. Cambon looked very uncomfortable. "I am sorry. That picture should have been erased from the file," she said.

Leia frowned. "Why? Has she already been adopted?" she wanted to know.

Mrs. Cambon looked rather guilty at that. "Not exactly. She's — well — I don't know how to put it, actually. She's a poor soul, if that is the right word to use. Ever since we received her she's been in severe need of mental treatment. She's afraid of everybody and has, as far as I know, not said a word to any grown-ups."

Leia's heart constricted at that. Somehow, she thought she could feel the little girl's presence in the building. It was the most lonely, most hurting little soul, she thought. "Oh dear. I think it will have to be her. I could give her all my love and teach her not to be afraid of others anymore," she said, wringing her hands theatrically.

Mrs. Cambon watched the display with heartfelt understanding. She had thought the same thing about Keeva herself, but she had never really had the time to deal with the girl. "Well, I don't know. Keeva will take a great deal of work. She lost both her parents when she was no more than two. We naturally didn't think she would remember, but apparently she has a very keen memory. Her dearest possession is a faded, very old-fashioned picture of her father. She has it with her everywhere."

Leia nodded, keeping up the charade. "Oh, that poor thing. It has to be her. I couldn't leave without her."

Lando raised an eyebrow, wondering how much of her reactions were an act. But, he wisely kept his mouth shut. Instead, he nodded, faking sympathy. "Yes, I think you're right, Dori. It will have to be her," he said, taking Leia's hand for a brief moment.

Mrs. Cambon eyed the couple for a long moment, then finally sighed. They seemed sincere enough and she kept trying to find a family for Keeva anyway. The girl was, in her opinion, suffering from arrested development due to her far too early loss of her parents. "Well, all right. But, you must promise me that you will bring her back, if she does not show any kind of response to you or your husband within the next couple of weeks," she finally said.

A relieved smile slipped over Leia's lips. "Thank you. Can we take her along at once?" she wanted to know.

"Don't you want to see her first?" Mrs. Cambon asked, sounding slightly surprised.

Leia shook her head. "Oh no, that will not be necessary. I am certain that I will love this little darling," she assured Mrs. Cambon, who shrugged and called for an assistant to bring down the girl and her belongings.

***

Leia rose from her chair and walked up to the window, feeling uncertain about her actions all of a sudden. She wasn't so sure that it would be a good idea to remove an obviously mentally handicapped little girl from the environment that she knew so well. Maybe that was why she couldn't fit in anywhere. Maybe this was home for her. Almost regretting her decision, she turned around again when the door opened. Whatever regrets she had, however, evaporated at the sight of the girl. She was too small for her age, skinny and sickly pale. She had huge blue eyes, that seemed to occupy the better part of her face, and her dark-brown hair was braided and hanging over her shoulder. She had her hands buried in the pockets of her gray dress and didn't look at any of them, when the assistant handed the bag with her belongings over to Mrs. Cambon. The assistant left again and Mrs. Cambon knelt down in front of Keeva.

"Keeva, these are your new parents. Can you say hi to them?" she asked, talking in a low, soothing tone of voice.

The girl took a long time to react, but eventually, she first glanced at Lando and then at Leia. There was no reaction to be read on her face. She didn't seem to care where she was or who she was with. Leia stepped up to her, looking down at her and the girl tilted her head a little to meet her eyes. "Hi," she whispered, as Mrs. Cambon rose and backed away.

"Well, I think you will find that she isn't very responsive in any way. It will take some time for her to get used to you. Promise me to treat her well," Mrs. Cambon said.

Leia turned around, nodding. "Yes, of course we will. She's our little girl now," she said, attempting to look happy.

***

Half an hour later, all paperwork had been dealt with and Keeva had officially been adopted by the Parsters. Leia and Lando said goodbye to Mrs. Cambon, Leia took Keeva's hand and they marched out of there, seemingly a happy couple with a kid. Once out of sight of the orphanage, Leia picked up the girl, because she was tottering after them and seemed to have trouble walking in general. Lando eyed the girl thoughtfully.

"I find it very hard to believe that she should be Han's kid," he said, as they entered the spaceport. Without waiting for a reply, he went to pay off their bill and returned shortly after to accompany them to the ship.

During the whole walk from the orphanage to the spaceport Keeva had done little more than look around. She seemed almost apathetic. Once inside the Serpent, Leia put her down and started walking toward the cockpit. It took her a moment to realize that the girl hadn't moved. She stood where Leia had put her down. Turning back, Leia eyed the lost-looking girl. Then, she turned to Lando. "Get us home, Lando."

He nodded and vanished in the cockpit. Leia returned to Keeva, took her hand and guided her into the common room. "Okay, we have to sit down and strap ourselves in until we've entered hyperspace. Have you ever flown before?" she asked while putting the girl on a chair and strapping her in. She kept on talking, not really expecting an answer. And, Keeva didn't disappoint. She said nothing at all. She merely looked at Leia most of the time with a piercing glance.

Leia didn't exactly think that Keeva was mentally deficient, though. The eyes told a story of their own. There was a smart little mind behind those eyes and Leia expected that it was only a matter of time before the girl would loosen up. "Keeva, I have a confession to make. Our name is not Parster and we're not married. The soul reason for doing what we did was to get you out of there and back to your father. Do you understand?" She tried to explain that she wasn't going to be the girl's mother. Apparently that didn't exactly rip the girl's heart out. She blinked and nothing else. "Do you know who your father is, Keeva?" Leia asked on, starting to get a little tired of her complete silence.

Just then, the ship jolted, making the jump to hyperspace and shortly after Lando came back to join them. Leia released their straps and then leaned back in her chair, thoughtfully watching Keeva. The girl had stopped looking back and her eyes were slowly drifting over the interior of the ship's common room.

Lando sat down next to Leia. "Well, has she said anything yet?" he wanted to know.

"Not a word. I'm starting to think she might not be able to," she replied with a sigh. "I told her the truth about us," she added.

"Might be for the best." He rose again and squatted down in front of Keeva. "Hi, I'm a friend of your father's. You know who he is?"

Keeva glanced at Lando, then reached into one of the pockets of her dress and pulled out what appeared to be a piece of paper. Lando got a closer look at it, though, and could tell that it was a picture. It was faded and worn. For a moment, the girl looked at it, then she turned her hand around so that Lando could see the picture, which fitted neatly into the girl's palm. He slowly rose again. "Yeah, that's your dad," he told her, then turned around to face Leia. "It's Han."

For some reason, this piece of information both discouraged and pleased her. The girl apparently was Han's daughter and now that she had her, she didn't have the faintest idea what to do with her. She started thinking that removing the girl from her usual surroundings might have been a little rash. Especially if her father maybe had placed her there to be rid of her. Leia couldn't imagine him doing something like that, but one never could tell.

After thinking about it for a while, she then smiled to Keeva. "We're both good friends of your father's, Keeva. May I see the picture?" she asked.

The girl glanced at the picture, then again turned her hand so that Leia could get a look at it. She smiled weakly at how young Han looked in it. Keeva held the picture for her to see for two minutes, then she pulled her arm back and stuffed the picture back into her pocket. For a long moment, the common room was silent, then Keeva lifted her head to look at Leia. "Is my father where we're going?" she wanted to know.

Leia was taken completely aback by her question. She hadn't expected to be able to get one word out of the girl and now she was talking. Getting a grip on herself, she leaned forward. "He isn't there yet, but he will come."

Keeva nodded, returning to silence. Leia glanced at Lando, who shrugged. What more could they expect?

***

Due to an unfortunate incident, Han had lost his ship and had been forced to call in for assistance. Some kind of resistance group had mistaken his borrowed ship for a disguised imperial vessel and had blown it up. On account of that his mission had been cut short.

Wedge Antilles had gone out to pick Han up and had found an extremely displeased general standing on the assigned landing pad. Now he was sitting in the rear seat of Wedge's X-Wing, when they left hyperspace close to their home base. Wedge announced their arrival, then glanced over his shoulder, trying to get a look at Han. "How're you doing back there, General?" he asked.

Han cleared his throat, fighting to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. After all, Wedge wasn't to be blamed for what had happened. "I'm fine, Wedge. Just get us home, okay?" he grumbled and Wedge smiled a little at the sour tone of voice.

"Don't take it too hard, General. That could have happened to anyone," he then said, guiding the X-Wing toward the hangar as it came into sight.

"Yeah. Right," Han grumbled. He hated being a passenger in a small cramped ship like this, but it also bugged him that he couldn't even get a mission of such low proportions done without losing his ship. But, then again, if it had been the Falcon, he would have taken better care of it.

Just then, Wedge received landing permission and shortly after set the X-Wing down in the main hangar. The first thing Han did when he reached the ground was look around for Leia. But, she was nowhere in sight. Had their last fight really been that bad, he wondered? Or maybe she was just angry about the mission. With a sigh he turned to meet Luke, who had come to meet him.

"Tough luck, huh?" Luke asked, sounding a little more sympathetic than Wedge had. "Don't worry about it, though. It's not like you lost a battle cruiser," he added, grinning.

Han lashed out at him and Luke dodged his hand. "Why don't you try to avoid having your ship blown to smithereens by a bunch of no-wits? I should have taken the Falcon instead," he replied, unable to stop himself from smiling.

Luke chuckled under his breath. "Why do things like that always happen to you?" he wanted to know, putting a friendly arm around Han's shoulders.

With a sigh, the Corellian gave in and grinned broadly. "My luck, I guess," he replied. "Where's her highness, by the way? Sitting around somewhere fuming?" he added.

Together they started walking away from the hangar and Luke stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I don't know, to be honest. She was missing you very much. I thought she'd be here for sure when you came back. Maybe she had to go off somewhere," Luke said. Han only nodded in reply.

***

Back at Han's quarters, the Corellian was surprised to find one of the drawers in his bureau open. Luke closed it for him as Han dropped down on the sofa. "Did you see a holocube in there?" Han wanted to know.

Luke shook his head. "Nope, I didn't. How are you feeling?"

"Don't change the subject, kid. If that cube is missing, I think I know why Leia didn't show up," Han replied, making a face at the thought.

Luke frowned. "Because of a holocube? I can't imagine why that should make her stay away," he then said, slightly puzzled.

Han looked up at him. "You surprise me, kid. With all your mumbo-jumbo insight you ought to be able to see why," he mocked.

Luke shook his head, sitting down on a chair across from Han. "I know you don't believe in the Force, friend. But, give me some credit. I wouldn't want to go snooping around in your head to find the explanation. And, that's what I would have to do to find the reason, you know."

Han made a face at that. "Don't even think about it, kid," he warned with slight disgust, which made Luke smile. "If Leia has found that cube, I might as well tell you what it's all about. I've done my share to forget about it, but it's difficult to cut something like this out of your life," he began. Luke frowned a little, but kept quiet. "You see, I used to be married. Very briefly. It took a bad turn and ended." He hesitated, wondering if he did the right thing. But, if there was one person he would trust with his past, it would have to be Luke. "Alana was - special. I guess every woman is special when you're in love. She was out of a pretty wealthy family and they didn't like me, needless to say. But, we got married anyway. It lasted about two years. Then she died." Again he hesitated, not sure if he wanted to go on. But, if Leia had the cubes, she also knew about Keeva. "We got married out of two reasons. One was that we were in love, naturally. The other was a bit more important. Alana was pregnant. I didn't want the kid to grow up without a father. Besides, I happen to like kids."

Luke nodded. "So do I. So, what happened to the baby?" he then asked.

Han sighed deeply at that. "She died with her mother. I lost both of them in one stroke. Those two were among the best things that have ever happened to me. If it wasn't for that freak accident, we probably would never have met. I would have had a steady job somewhere, with a wife and a thirteen-year old kid. And a smart one at that. She looked a lot like her mother."

Luke had, as always, complete control over his feelings, but he could not deny the surprise at Han's revelation. "I'm sorry, Han. Things don't always turn out the way we want them to," he said.

"Isn't that the truth," Han mumbled, looking down at his folded hands. He felt the same surge of sorrow overwhelm him as he always did when he thought about Alana and Keeva. Even though it was eleven years in the past, he just couldn't let go completely.

"Well, I'll leave you alone now and try to find out where Leia is. I'll drop by later, okay?" Luke said, getting up.

"Sure kid. See you later," Han mumbled and Luke left his quarters.

A long time after Luke had gone, Han sat still, recumbent on the sofa, a far away look in his eyes. After a while, he cursed softly. "Damn it. Why did you have to go around digging up my past, Leia?" he mumbled, suddenly afraid he might loose her on that account.

"Because I'm curious," Leia answered from the door.

Han turned to face her. "How long have you been standing there?" he wanted to know, as she slowly came over and sat down next to him.

"Long enough, Han. I'm so glad you're back," she replied, slipping her arms around his neck. He returned the embrace and then kissed her softly. She wasn't angry with him. "I'm glad your back in one piece. Don't worry about that ship. It's not like it was your fault," she added with a smile.

"It sure wasn't. But, I feel like hell on account of it. I can't even do this right," he replied, leaning back a little. "So, you're not angry anymore. And you're not angry about the cubes, either," he then stated.

"Angry, no. Disappointed, yes. But, of course, it's your life. If you don't want to disclose it, it's okay. I understand," she said, then sighed. "What happened? Why did you loose the ship?"

Holding one of her hands in both of his, he turned it over and traced the lines in her palm for a minute. "I was stupid. I should have known better than to park it where I did. Dumb move." He paused, then looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry. I've let you down," he added.

Leia returned his look, then smiled a little. "No, you didn't. It really doesn't matter. We'll pick up where you left off when you feel up to it," she admitted. "I'm only glad you're back. - But, about those holocubes. Alana was your wife, wasn't she?" she asked.

Han nodded thoughtfully, then repeated what he had told Luke. "I have a lot of regrets in my life. Alana and Keeva's death are among them," he added, looking away.

Leia reached out to touch his face, then ran a hand through his hair, causing him to look back at her. "How did she die?" she then asked, hoping that he wasn't involved in it in any way. She would never think that he deliberately had caused his wife's death, but they might have been involved in an accident.

For a moment, he just looked at her. Then, he sighed, looking down at his hands. "Have you ever heard about the Flying Queen incident?" he then asked.

Leia nodded, feeling a surge of sadness. "Yes, it was that passenger-liner, that the Empire blew up, killing over five hundred people because they thought there was a rebel on board, wasn't it?" Han nodded. "Was she on it? She and the baby?"

Again he nodded. "Yeah. They were going away on a trip to visit Alana's uncle, the only member of her family that wanted to have anything to do with us. I didn't hear about it until the day after, when she didn't call me. I called her uncle instead and he told me what had happened. It happened just over Cantri, on of the outer planets." His voice faded and he clenched his fists.

Leia figured that she had just learned why he hated the Empire so much. She tried to sense his feelings and they came through very clearly. He was still hurting and Leia felt that the time was right to tell him about Keeva. "I went to Corellia, Han. I didn't know that they were dead, so I checked our database. Alana was listed as being dead, but Keeva wasn't. So, I went to check it out."

Han had stiffened at her words, still staring down at his clenched fists. "What did you find out?" he almost whispered, afraid of what she might tell him.

"She's alive, Han. She's here," Leia said after a moment. Han slowly raised his head, looking at her. "I found her in an orphanage. Alana's family obviously didn't want to have anything to do with her, but her last name was entered as Stark, Alana's maiden name. So, they accepted her as the daughter of their daughter, but they didn't want to take care of her. I've informally adopted her under a false name. Lando helped me."

As if on a cue, Luke turned up in the door, holding the hand of a pale girl. Han looked past Leia at the girl, meeting her eyes. "Keeva," he mumbled, slowly getting up. He went up to her and knelt down in front of the girl, as Luke pushed past both of them to stand beside Leia. Taking the girl's hands, Han kept looking into her eyes. "Keeva," he repeated. "Do you remember me?" he then asked.

Keeva gently pulled one hand out of his and stuck it into her pocket to pull out her picture. She looked at it for a moment, then looked up at Han. Then, without the slightest sign of hesitation, she dropped the picture and wrapped her arms around his neck. He in turn slipped his arms around her and rose, lifting her up. She clung to him, wrapping her legs around him and he held her equally close. He then turned around to face Leia and Luke and both of them saw the tears in his eyes. "Thanks, Leia," he mumbled, briefly closing his eyes. Then he kissed the top of Keeva's head. "Thanks for bringing her back to me."

Leia felt that she had done a very good thing. She went up to them, carefully reaching a hand out to caress Keeva's hair. "You're welcome," she replied. At that, Han reached an arm out and pulled her close, too.

"This feels just like home," he then said, a wry smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

Luke stood back a little, watching the three of them with a smile. "This is some change, huh?" he then asked.

"Yeah, you might say that," Han replied. Keeva released him, leaning back a little.

"You look different," she said, reaching out to trace a line on his face with one finger. She had never in her short life doubted that she would see her father again. If not sooner, she would have left the orphanage when she was eighteen to search for him. Keeva was a very intelligent, very determined girl. She had a little of each of her parents and that would be a great benefit for her in her future. What Luke didn't tell Han or Leia at that time was, that he also felt the force in her. One day, whether Han liked it or not, Keeva would probably become a Jedi.

THE END