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"Kashyyyk," which is true, and Chewie lets out a mewling kind of growl as if to say damn right we are.

The resemblance to the Old Luke in the moment is reassuring. There's no way any of them can go back to being what they'd been before all of this, but they're allowed to have moments of regression. Han likes to think it makes the rest of what they have to do easier.

"Not sure where after that, but I owe Chewbacca some time with the family, and you could use some fresh air." And getting carried around in a quulaar.

He's still frowning at Han, but Chewie's corroboration is pretty hard to argue with. Luke doubts they could go anywhere else after an announcement like that, but he guesses he can see why Han would've thought it a good idea for them to go there. He's never actually been to Kashyyyk personally, nor met Chewbacca's family, and it's a pretty good bet for an inhabited planet where people aren't likely to bring up his reputation much. Or the holothrillers. So he relaxes back into his seat a fraction, even though his arms are still crossed.

"How long's it been since you've been back, Chewie?"

Chewie growls a response between managing his side of the flight console, and Han readily translates, "Less than a year."

As far as Han's concerned, Kashyyyk is where Luke can decompress without exploding. Plus, there's plenty of nature around, so he can do whatever Jedi meditation he likes so long as he's not in a Wookiee's way.

He can also enjoy the fact that there is nature on this planet at all, something there's been precious little chance to do even after leaving Tatooine. The trees are likely to make Endor look puny, with significantly fewer bad memories in the mix.

"Tell me about your family," he asks Chewie.

It's nice to have a captive audience, and Chewie whuffs and grumbles and growls. Han listens and turns slowly in his seat now that they're in hyperspace and his attention isn't needed at the console.

"Has to be, what, six years since you and Malla had that wedding?" The nodding and grumbled Wookiee laughter needs no translation, and Han actually smiles. "Which makes Lumpawarrump about five."

Chewie has plenty of time to tell them all about his family and home planet on the way there, but that doesn't make Kashyyyk any less breathtakingly beautiful. The Ewoks had had settlements among the trees, but the Wookiees have whole cities in tiers, entire existences spent without touching the ground. Luke's seen trees since leaving Tatooine, but never so big or so many.

He gets about a minute of quiet awe before the quulaar topic comes up, at least, and then Han gets more than a minute of a good laugh at his expense. Luke gets the distinct feeling that this is payback.

But it is, admittedly, hard to stay mad. Malla introduces them to hot chocolate and other exotic sweets, and Chewie's clearly thrilled to be back home. The Shyriiwook isn't always easy to follow, but the hugging and Han's translations don't leave a lot to doubt. He tries to follow Han's instructions and put things about the Republic out of his mind, but it's only so long before he can resist asking:

"Have you heard from Leia?"

Hey, at least Han knew what Luke was getting into from experience.

For his part, Han hasn't taken any of his own advice. When he's not helping Luke around the little village or translating, he's making regular comm contact with Leia and a few other contacts in this sector. With Leia, half the conversations have involved poorly received attempts to get her to join them on this little retreat. The rest has been to keep an eye on things, Han's paranoia never quite shutting off completely, and to make sure nothing that is happening ends up happening too close.

Probably why the look he gives Luke for the question is more incredulous than it might have been otherwise.

"Yeah, plenty." He eyes Luke for a second before realizing something. "And don't go doing that... Thing, either. It's the middle of the night where she is on Coruscant and she doesn't need you waking her up."

"I wasn't going to!" he says defensively.

He's tempted to point out that if he was going to do that, he wouldn't have to bother with asking Han about her anyway. And that he knows Leia is asleep, even without calculating the time difference. Then again, Han's never been too clear on the limitations of the Force, and he hasn't been interested in learning; that'd probably fall on deaf ears.

"I just wanted to know how my sister's doing."

Stressing the word pointedly in case, you know, Han forgot or anything.

He's never been clear because it's weird. Leia has talked to him before about it, explaining things as she comes to understand them, but most of it sails over his head.

"Your sister," and it is a small miracle he doesn't roll his eyes, "is doing fine. Except for the fact that she won't just come with us."

Why yes, Han is annoyed that Leia isn't joining them in jumping on the 'Run Away From Your Problems' vacation tour.

"She's probably got a lot on her plate," he says guiltily, and bites his lip.

She always does, of course, but it can't really help to have Han, Chewie, and himself gone. To say nothing of the fastest ship the galaxy's probably ever seen. Leia's too responsible to ever just abandon her duties for the New Republic, even if it is for a much-deserved vacation with her best friends.

"Maybe we should go back and check on her."

"When doesn't she?" But Han deflates a little. He's just as worried about Leia being overworked as he is about Luke hiring investigators over Mindor, except he can only seem to handle one of them at a time. He's done worse juggling acts, but the risks are generally a little higher with Skywalkers.

"Still got another stop before anybody goes back to Coruscant, kid."

Han has a good point. Leia's been overworked since before they ever met her, and the war's progression has done nothing to lessen the load on her. If anything, it's gotten worse, but you'd never know it if you weren't close enough to her. Leia's poise has never faltered, but that's no excuse for anything. Luke's ready to insist they start the trip back as soon as they can -- Chewie can always catch up with them after some more time with his family -- but Han's answer is, at least, enough to give him pause.

"When were you going to mention that?"

He doesn't surprised in the least, but that doesn't mean he isn't going to hassle Han for yet another stop on their impromptu trip.

He shrugs. Bakura had been an end point destination in the back of his head for a while. Not that Han is going to say so now and give Luke a chance to psych himself out of doing anything while he's there.

"Figure you and I can head out tomorrow. So, later tonight?"

That seems a logical timeframe for what is already, essentially, an extended vacation based on gentle and concerned kidnapping.

Gentle. Then again, he supposes Han could've always gotten Chewie to drag him out to the Falcon, so on a scale of one to Wookiee kidnappings he's doing pretty well.

"That's fine by me."

Luke's tempted to ask where they're heading next, but he's not sure he'd get a straight answer. Maybe Han's got an old friend (more on the Lando side of things than, say, Boba Fett) he wants to see while he has the chance.

"Don't worry, kid," and Han has that grin that says Luke might be okay to worry a little bit, "You'll like it."

Bakura is nice even without that senator he was hung up on. And while Han does have plenty of contacts he could catch up with, none are important enough to be a priority. Not right now, with the kid a mess and Leia back at home working and probably drinking too much caf.

"When you say that," Luke replies, straight faced, "I start to worry."

Han just keeps grinning and smacks Luke on the back a couple times. "Come on, or they'll put you in a quulaar again."

"Not that again," he says, making a face. "I wish you'd warned me about that."

But he says that unenthusiastically (still positive it's payback), and follows Han back, eventually preparing his handful of things and say his goodbyes to Chewie's family. In fact, he plays along with Han's secrecy until they make it to hyperspace, which seems more than fair to him.

He leans forward in his seat -- behind Han and Chewie in the cockpit again -- and then changes his mind and stands since they've probably got the time, stretching his legs.

"Okay, come on. Where are we going this time?"

There's no fun in watching someone else get stuffed in a baby sack if they know it's coming! Still, there aren't any to be seen when they leave, which is a relief, and they're already making good time when Luke finally pipes up about it.

Han turns in his chair to see him when he says, "Bakura."

The reaction should be good, he's hoping that it's good.

Luke just stills, his expression going from casual and relaxed to subarctic.

"No," he slowly says, "we're not."

Kesting hells, that is not the reaction Han was expecting. Wasn't that senator still there? She was nice! Luke should want to see her, right?

"Sorry, kid, you aren't flying."

(Chewbacca, at least, is doing his part to not laugh or make any noises, because he doesn't want to miss any of this.)

He can feel Han's surprise and confusion, all of it sincere enough to indicate he had no idea this could upset Luke, but it doesn't go very far to mollify him.

"I can't go back there." To be fair to Han, a few months ago this surprise would've been a welcome one. Since Mindor, though... "Not now."

More like not ever. If Gaeriel Captison had thought Jedi were too horrible to be allowed to exist back then, what'll she think when she hears about the battle against Blackhole? Fifty thousand people isn't the kind of number any rationalizing can find a way to balance.

Han had never been entirely up to speed about what had happened between Luke and Gaeriel. He knew there had been something between them, and then they had left. (There had been other things for Han to pay close attention to that trip, and now he really regrets not asking Leia for more details before heading out this way.)

"Why not now?"

Genuine and curious. Though, if Luke really does want to be punished, maybe hearing about balance from Gaeriel will do the trick and he can call off the investigation.

Luke frowns, pacing a few steps before sitting back down with a defeated air. There's nothing they can do about it now; maybe they can just leave before landing on Bakura once they get out of hyperspace. Besides, Han didn't know. He was trying to do something nice, which is pretty much all he's been doing since they left Coruscant.

"Did anyone tell you about the Cosmic Balance?"

"I've heard of it before." Because of course he has. Not that his knowledge on the faith is in depth (not that his knowledge on any faith is in depth, unless it was a scam he had to deal with directly), but he's got enough of a basic idea to know he doesn't believe in it.

"Never really made much sense to me."

PICK YOUR POISON
PIC PROMPTS / TFLN / RANDOM SCENARIO
HAN SOLO velocities	BETTY MCRAE bombsheller	RIVER TAM subsulcus	RIVER TAM (AU) comprehender
SIMON TAM vest	BRIA THAREN exulted	NADINE CROSS bridaled	GU JUN-PYO toddler
available on special request: veronica sawyer, benjamin linus, imani, maria deluca, mushu, poseidon, niccolò machiavelli, malik al-sayf, chloe

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