Something was bothering Luke. Really bothering him. Han could see in the set of the Kid's shoulders and the tightness around his mouth. He was hiding it well. Very well. It would have been written all over his face, once. Han had to fight back a smile at the memory of Luke when they'd first met. He'd been so young and naïve then; foolishly idealistic and impulsive. He hadn't lost his idealism, though it was less brash now, and his eagerness had been tempered.

By Bespin, Han realized, his grin fading. Bespin held ghosts for all of them now, Luke not least of all. Luke confronted Vader there and lost more than his hand. Judging by the hint of reserve in the young Jedi's eyes, he'd lost what was left of his innocence. Luke wouldn't talk about it, though he had been perfectly willing to listen to Han when the smuggler had been struck with the strange urge to spill his guts over what had happened on Cloud City.

Han glanced over the console of the Imperial shuttle again, knowing full well that everything was fine. It was a habit: one never knew when the Falcon was going to act up, so it was best to always be on guard. Apparently it didn't matter what ship he was in. He was stuck with the habit.

It had to be Tamara. She was what had changed his young friend. Han hazarded a quick glance to Luke. The sandy-haired man was relaxed in his seat, eyes closed and face still; meditating he'd said, before falling into what looked almost like a nap to the former smuggler. But it wasn't. There was a calm focus to Luke's features that told Han it certainly wasn't sleep. He scoffed to himself. Who'd have thought that he'd believe in the Force of all things. After all the strange stuff he'd seen in the Galaxy, he'd never put much stock in the Force. Now? Well, Bespin happened. Seeing Vader deflecting a blaster bolt with a gesture? His blaster flying into Vader's outstretched palm? Tamara—no—Athara pushing Leia back into her chair with only a thought? Before anything strange from Luke he'd always managed to rationalize away. Well, he didn't exactly believe now, but he didn't doubt anymore either.

He also couldn't quite believe Athara was Vader's apprentice. A bitter, sick feeling bloomed in his stomach, just as it did every time he thought about his friend. Could he even still call her that? She belonged to Vader. She couldn't be, could she?

Han couldn't help the flashes of memory trying to convince him she was. His years as a smuggler had made him a fairly good judge of character. That's why, against all odds and his better judgment, he'd gone along with the old man's plan on the first Death Star; for some reason he'd trusted Kenobi, and Han had long ago learned not to trust easily.

There was that look on her face. The sick feeling eased. When Leia had torn off Obscura's hood to reveal Tamara—no, it was Athara, he had to keep reminding himself—there was that look. Well, not even a look, really. Her face had been cold and blank, unnatural looking compared to the lively expressions and teasing looks he'd grown used to. But her eyes had been tortured. He'd seen that then. Like with Luke, he'd known—or thought he'd known—her well enough that he could read the Lady Captain as well as anyone else. Her jaw had been clenched in what seemed like pain, no matter that her face and her voice had been unreadable. He'd known how good she was at hiding her true feelings; he'd seen her interacting with Alliance brass, with Leia, smugglers, pirates, dealers, Imperials and more. He knew she could bluff and misdirect and hide herself with the best. That he'd been able to pick out her misery even with her reactions and expression schooled as they were? He supposed it could have all been an act, but his instincts urged him to think otherwise.

She cared about them. She legitimately cared about them as her friends, he concluded. Even Leia, who he knew Athara wasn't keen on—for good reason, he understood now. She had to. There was no faking that expression. And the careful, wary way Vader had been watching her and Leia's interaction? Han hadn't missed that. Perhaps the Dark Lord didn't trust Athara anymore either.

Was it possible Athara was still on their side?

According to the Kid, Chewie and Lando she was. Chewie had given him a full account of what had happened on Bespin after he'd been frozen—a shudder rippled inadvertently through him at that particular memory—and how Athara had appeared in Luke's X-wing to pick off the TIE-fighters harrying the Falcon. And Lando had confessed that his plan for freeing Chewie and Leia had initially come from Athara's pointed suggestion. Luke had quietly pointed out that Artoo's knowledge of the deactivated hyperdrive had come from N3, Athara's droid. And the way she had confronted Fett in the carbon freeze facility? And the fact that the Mandalorian had backed down? That revelation had nearly floored Han. No one intimidated Fett to back down. If her actions on Bespin weren't proof...but the suspicious part of him couldn't help but consider that it was all a ploy on her part to regain their trust...while his gut was inclined to dismiss that distrust.

Han glanced back at Luke again.

There was something between them. He'd been wondering since that first trip to Nubia. Oh, then it had obviously been nothing but interest, especially on Luke's side. But since then...well, Han knew the signs. Luke had fallen head first for the Lady Captain since then and, if Han was any judge, which he knew he was, Athara had fallen for the Kid right back. Plus, if what Chewie had told him was anything to go by, something had definitely happened wherever the two of them had disappeared to after Hoth because first Luke had stuck out his neck for Vader's sidekick when she'd rejoined the fleet after Bespin—despite her anxious protestations, apparently—and second they had apparently been very obviously involved on Tatooine.

It was about time....

Han fought back an ironic grin at the thought. Here he was trying to figure out if he could even still trust Athara and yet he was pleased that she and the Kid had finally stopped circling each other.

It would certainly make sense that it was something to do with Athara that was bothering Luke. Come to think of it, Han was a little surprised that Athara hadn't shown up for this mission or the offensive. It had become rather clear to him a long time ago that she had no love for the Empire, despite the events on Bespin. Perhaps it was because she was still not in the Alliance's good books? No, that didn't sit right. Han nearly shook his head at the thought. Athara wouldn't sit back from something as important as this mission just because a couple of bureaucrats didn't like her. Well, it certainly would have been handy to have her along, especially given her past as an Imperial.

He'd read over some of the intelligence she'd given them during her time in Alliance custody, while Han had been frozen. It was substantial. It was also rather enlightening. Han had barely been able to wrap his head around just how high up in the Empire's hierarchy she'd been. When she was still with the Empire, she could have walked onto any ship and taken complete command, that's how powerful and how influential a position she'd held. For her to turn her back on all of that? It was mind-blowing. Especially given how tied emotionally she seemed to be to Vader. Her abject refusal to give the Dark Lord up had rubbed Han the wrong way at first, but given what had apparently been revealed when Athara had been brought before the Alliance Council and High Command? Chewie had also told him about what Athara had inadvertently revealed that day. Vader had raised her, and apparently Vader had defied the Emperor in not delivering Athara to him but instead allowing her to go into hiding. That had to say something about their relationship, right? And at the same time, apparently she'd been doing just about everything she could to keep Luke out of Vader's hands, nearly giving herself up on Hoth and getting shot on Bespin to do so. It was nearly enough to give Han a headache.

Next to him, Chewie rumbled out a question that Han was nearly too preoccupied to hear. He shook his thoughts loose, flashing his co-pilot a quick grin.

"Nah, Chewie. I'm just thinking. Trying to figure out Tama—I mean, Athara." He paused, glancing yet again to Luke to make sure he was still out before turning to Chewie, keeping his voice low, "you really think she's still on our side?" Chewie gave Han a steady look before nodding solemnly but emphatically, and launching into a quick list of the evidence as he saw it that she hadn't actually betrayed them. It sounded rather like the one Han had just been contemplating. Han soon found himself nodding absently along, unable to argue anything the wookiee said.

"She let me have her arrested," Han nearly jerked around in his surprise at Leia's soft voice. She wasn't looking at him, instead staring without focusing at the back of Chewie's seat. Han frowned at the tone. He'd never heard her so sedate when talking about Athara. In his short time since being thawed, Han had quickly discovered not to bring up Vader's apprentice in the Princess' presence. Usually her eyes would flash angrily or she would launch into her own list demonstrating that Athara had betrayed them. Han knew what drove it; pain, guilt, grief. Athara was the only one Leia had who had been there on the Death Star that she could blame for what happened, the only one she readily had to blame for Bespin. Really, Athara was a scapegoat for Leia, only Leia was too stubborn to admit it.

"I had expected her to fight it, but she didn't. She all but asked to be arrested. I didn't believe that she would actually give us what she did on the Empire, and I certainly didn't believe it would all be real intelligence. I was so sure she'd play us. And she gave the Alliance the Tantive IV. Just gave it to us. She never had to admit that she had it; no one would have ever known. But she did." Leia's voice shook for a moment at the name of the ship that was her last link to her Homeplanet, but she quickly forced herself to recover. She sounded like she didn't quite know what to make of what she'd seen in Athara since Bespin. But then her voice hardened again.

"But then she ran."

"You know why she did that, Leia." Han nearly jumped again as Luke's tranquil voice joined the conversation. Han peered around at the aspiring Jedi. He hadn't moved, his eyes still closed in meditation, but something in his demeanor had changed that indicated he was awake. Leia's eyes were focused intently on Luke, but he either didn't notice or wasn't reacting. After a moment he shifted, his eyes opening to glance at Leia. "Ever since she joined the Alliance, she's been trying to make up for everything she's done. You have no idea of the guilt that she carries, hidden away from everyone. The Emperor had the family that took her in as a baby on Vader's order killed to punish her; she blames herself for that. She blames herself for Bespin; you have no idea the effect being prevented from rescuing Han had on her." Han was about to interject, reminding them that he was right there, but Leia was already rejoining, her voice growing hard and sharp.

"I was not about to risk Han's safety on her conscience, Luke."

"She was willing to get him by herself, Leia. She was willing to take on Jabba by herself to get Han out. You know what happened on Bespin wasn't her fault. I know, even she knows, but she feels responsible anyway."

"And so she should."

"Leia," Luke implored, somehow managing to keep his voice level and calm. Han had to admit he was impressed. Luke rarely seemed to get into it with Leia, but when he had in the past it had been nearly as messy as when Han and Leia bickered. Somehow he was able to keep his cool, and Han could tell it was unnerving Leia. She was used to always sounding like the rational one, thanks to her history as a senator and an Alderaanian princess. But she was also stubborn. As though determined not to be outdone by Luke, she sounded just as calm and rational when she spoke.

"Luke, you weren't there. On Bespin or on the Death Star. You haven't seen her as Obscura. There was no humanity in her."

"Of course there was, Leia. Nothing is so simple as you're trying to make it sound. She'd been trained since she was a child to deny her compassion, her morality. She was raised to show no mercy. She was raised to survive. Had she stood up to Vader on Bespin he might have killed her, no matter his protectiveness toward her—he nearly did on Hoth when he discovered she had joined the Alliance—and then how would she have been able to help any of us. The Death Star was no different. You heard her in front of the Council; Alderaan was never supposed to have been destroyed. How was she supposed to stop something that wasn't supposed to happen? As it was, Vader let her go when the Emperor had decided she was to be brought before him, because of what she did in her pain when Alderaan was destroyed.

"She still has nightmares about that day. Alderaan haunts her, just as it does you, Leia." Leia was silent, her gaze once again fixed on the back of Chewie's seat. Luke just watched her, his expression faintly troubled. "That's why she's fighting so hard against the Empire. She's trying to atone for the past, even for actions that were not her own." The cockpit fell silent, no one quite willing to break the silence. Luke lifted his gaze to stare past Han, out the shuttle's viewport.

"If she wants to fight the Empire so badly, where is she now," Leia finally asked quietly, posing the same question that Han had been debating whether or not to ask, though there was a distinct accusatory note to her question that wouldn't have been in Han's. The troubled expression on Luke's face deepened. After a long moment he sighed heavily, his worry plain to see.

"She was supposed to meet up with me back at the Fleet. We'd heard the rumours about the second Death Star from her contacts on Corellia and she was insisting on joining the offensive, no matter what I said to try and dissuade her. I was afraid the Alliance would insist on arresting her again. When we went our separate ways on Tatooine, she insisted she would be there when I made it back, that once she was done with her business on Naboo she'd rejoin the Alliance herself," he shook his head slowly, "Something must have happened." Han frowned, Luke's worry apparently contagious. So that's what was bothering him. Chewie was the first to try reassuring him, earning a frown from Leia and a faint, appreciative smile from Luke.

On the shuttle's console, the hyperdrive's primary display began blinking, a soft accompanying pinging signalling that they were approaching their destination. Han cleared his throat, pushing aside all thought of Athara's apparent disappearance. He could hear Leia and Luke both shifting behind them, Leia turning to the internal comm system to let the company in the back of the shuttle know they were about to drop out of hyperdrive.

Letting out a long breath, Han exchanged one last glance with Chewie before reaching for the control to drop the ship out of lightspeed.

"Here we go," he couldn't help but mutter to himself, pulling back on the lever.

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