Mastermind

Part Two

The quietness within the ship made the others uncomfortable of the place they were about to visit. While the others did their own thing, it was Leia who failed to occupy herself with other duties as well as the fate of the Rebellion. In the confinement of his room, Erda  made modifications to his blaster when he received an unexpected visit. It came as a surprise when he discovered that Han was present to converse with him. 

"Hey kid. You doin' alright?" Han said coolly as he held onto his belt from either side of his belt buckle. 

"What do you want?" I replied, deadpanned. 

"Geez, relax. Will ya? I just wanted to talk to you about something. About the princess." 

"What, you're gonna ask me tips on Leia's likes?" 

"No. Actually, I was wondering what you know, so I can help you ask the princess out." 

Erda felt his cheeks heat up as he stopped making eye contact with him. "I-I-I don't know... I don't think she'd really wanna hook up with someone like me. I'm way out of her league." 

"C'mon, kid. You scored a kiss from the princess. Never say never. Look, when we get to Cloud City, just try not to do anything that'll upset my pal, alright?" 

"Can't promise anything. All we can do is trust you. This guy had better help us." 

"We'll be coming up on Cloud City soon. Hang tight, kid. You two will get together some point soon." 

As Han left his room, Erda was left to contemplate his next move in his strange relationship with Leia. Upon their arrival in Bespin, they flew through the clouds in the direction of the flying city when two patrol pilots hailed the crew of the Millennium Falcon, demanding to know if they had a landing permit. Han tried to tell them that he was trying to reach Lando when they fired warning shots. The pilots finally gave them permission to land on Platform 327. The city was somewhat like Coruscant except its different style and design. As Leia, Chewbacca, Erda, Han and Threepio exited the ship, nobody was around to greet them on the platform. 

"I don't like this," said Leia.

"I don't like it too, but what choice do we have? Either this guy helps us or not." Erda agreed cautiously, constantly scanning the platform for anything unusual.

"Well, what would you like?" Han spoke snappily.

"Well, they did let us land," Threepio debated.

"Look, don't worry. Everything's going to be fine. Trust me."

A door on the other end of the platform hissed open, from where a party was sent to greet them. As Han went to say hello, the man in the cape didn't share the same attitude.

"Why you slimy, double-crossing, no-good swindler," the man said in a crotchety manner. "You got a lotta guts coming here, after what you pulled."

Han didn't verbally respond, instead, he pointed at himself innocently. The man then broke character and laughed heartily as he grabbed Han by his biceps. 

"How you doin', you old pirate?! So good to see you! I never thought I'd get to see you again! Where you been?! What are you doin' here?" The man laughed jollily.

"Ahh, repairs. I thought you could help me out?" Han responded, relieved that his friend was no longer upset.

"What have you done with my ship?" He asked in all seriousness.

Han looked at him surprised. "Your ship? Hey... Remember, you lost her to me fair and square."

"Well, he seems very friendly," Threepio said confidently.