"Solo?" General Rieekan asked, noticing his arrival and straightened up from his console.

Han lifted his head up, "No sign of life out there General. The sensors are in place. You'll know if anything comes around."

General Rieekan tilted his head slightly, "Commander Skywalker reported in yet?"

Han shook his head, "No. He's checking out a meteorite that hit near him."

General Rieekan points at his radar screen, "With all the meteor activity in this system, it's going to be difficult to approach ships."

Han took a deep breath, and finally blurted out what was on his mind, "General, I've got to leave. I can't stay anymore."

The General frowned, "I'm sorry to hear that."

Han shot the General a half marked grin, "Well, there's a price on my head. If I don't pay that off Jabba the Hut, I'm a dead man."

The General nodded understandingly, "A death mark's not an easy thing to live with. You're a good fighter, Solo. I hate to lose you."

"Thank you Sir."

Stopping in the corridor, Han turned to face Leia who was looking over some data, and noticed she looked a little concerned, it was one discussion he was hoping he didn't have to have. Not now anyway, "Yes...your highness?"

"I thought you had decided to stay?" She asked

Han couldn't tell what emotion she was feeling, she hid them so well, it was something that annoyed him, that she could hide anything, "Well the bounty hunter we ran into on Ord Mantell changed my mind."

"Han we need you!" She shot back

Han drew back slightly, "We?"

"Yes."

Han knew it was cocky, but he took a chance. "Oh, what about what you need?"

Leia shot Han a mystified glance, "I need? I don't know what you're talking about?

Han shook his head, annoyed, "You probably don't."

"And what precisely am I supposed to know?"

Han made a large gesture with his arms, "Come on! You want me to stay because of the way you feel about me."

"Yes. You're a great help to us, you're a natural leader."

Now Han was flustered, "No! That's not it. Come on." He made several noises of annoyed disgust He smiled to himself, then laughed, knowing it would annoy her further. Leia stares at him, then it clicked in her mind, Han can see it.

"You're imagining it."

"Am I? Then why are you following me? Afraid I was going to leave without a goodbye kiss?"

Leia scoffed, "I'd just as soon kiss a Wookie."

Rebuffed, Han turned to leave and stride down the corridor shouting, "I can arrange that! You could use a good kiss!"

Chewie was still struggling to fix the central lifter, Han noticed he had taken it apart again. "Again, why do you take this apart now? I'm trying to get us out of here and you pull both of these!" Chewie set off a series of irritated growls, added even a few words Han couldn't distinguish. He saw Threepio walking across the hangar, his arms flailing heading towards one of the rebel pilots. He sighed and rolled his eyes, "Protocol droids..." He turned back to Chewie, "Put them back together now." Chewie mumbled back, but he started to put the lifter back. Han was antsy to get back and pay off Jabba. He prefered his legs unbroken and un-dismembered.

Han couldn't shake off a terrible uneasy feeling, he didn't believe in that force nonsense that some of the Rebels mentioned, or what that old man Obi-Wan talked about, but he chocked it up to the argument he had with Leia and his debt with Jabba. He got into the Falcon and ran his hands through his hair, sighing audibly, "I hope I'm doing the right thing." He could hear Chewie growling in response, he responded back and pounded the roof, "It's not like we're not coming back!". Chewie wasn't happy with that response, "Luke won't mind okay?" Han noticed a pilot getting on a tauntaun outside the blast doors, he thought it curious but was more interested in getting out of here. He focused instead on his console, and reading the data his ship's computer was imputting.

Chewie had finally finished putting everything back, although it seemed as if it took two-hundred rotations, and the ship was ready to leave. He thought against saying goodbye to anyone, just in case. "Let's get the hell off this barren wasteland."

Leia stood there, as she saw the Millennium Falcon leave the hangar, her vision cloudy with the few tears she allowed herself. No one knew where Luke was, and on Hoth that was a death sentence. She could curse him for not coming back with Han, she thought of radioing Han to go out and look for him, but he was as good as gone. He made himself clear, he was in it for the money and now he had it.

Leia didn't want to feel any attachment to him, but she found herself in that situation anyway. Sila Kott went out on a tauntaun because the speeders weren't ready yet. She insisted, "He'd do the same for us Ma'am." Leia knew she was right, Luke was becoming quite the poster boy for recruiting, the farm boy from Tatooine who took down the death star, she feared without him there would be no more Rebellion. Leia sighed, she felt so useless, but she learned from an early age what a burden leadership truly was.

She returned to the console and the radar screen, hoping to spot trouble before it found them. She couldn't shake an odd feeling reaching out to her, that Luke was in trouble right at this very moment. It felt like shapes just under a silken sheet, unable to truly tell what was underneath it. She stopped what she was doing and trying to focus on the feeling, not knowing why it was important, but occasionally she had these feelings and chocked it up to what some would call a 'woman's intuition'. She felt...upside down, could hear moaning, and fear, there was fear. She opened her eyes, "What in the?"

"What is it Leia?" asked General Rieekan

She swallowed and shook her head, "I don't know, I just feel...like Luke is in trouble right now."

"Out on Hoth, we're all in trouble right now."

That didn't make her feel any better, and neither could she focus on her console.

The storm was getting worse, the wind gusting worse than anyone in the base had experienced so far, and the sun was setting. Hope was lost for Leia, she stood inside the entrance to the Rebel base, waiting for any sign at all, with Major Derlin. "Sir, all the patrols are in. There's still no contact from Skywalker or Kott." A Rebel Lieutenant reports to Derlin. Leia averted her gaze to the floor, she didn't want to believe there was no hope. Threepio bent slightly to look at her, "Mistress Leia, Artoo says he's been quite unable to pick up any signals, although he does admit that his own range is far too weak to abandon all hope."

Lost in thought Leia just nods in acknowledgement. "Your Highness, there's nothing more we can do tonight. The shield doors must be closed." Major Derlin repeats, he then turns to the Rebel Lieutenant, "Close the doors."

"Yes Sir." Artoo then began to set off a series of what sounded like complex and mournful beeps. Threepio began with his very non useful statistics. " Artoo says the chances of survival are seven hundred seventy-five...to one." The door slammed, causing a large echo. Leia just stared at the door not really knowing what to do, leaving two of her own men out there. "Actually, Artoo has been known to make mistakes... from time to time. Oh, dear, oh, dear. Don't worry about Master Luke. I'm sure he'll be all right. He's quite clever, you know... for a human being." Leia silently turned around and walked back to her console. Her feelings about Luke's well being were only getting worse.