"Well, good news is, I've found our guy," Mara informed, walking up to Ben and Luke, who were now standing a safe distance from the bar. "And, like I said, he can be bought. The bad news is that his amount is a little higher than I thought."
"How much does he want?" Ben asked.
"Eight thousand - in advance."
"What?" Luke cried out. "We could almost buy our own ship for that!"
"Trust me, it could have been a lot more if it weren't for me," Mara said. "And besides, who would fly it?"
"We could!" Luke said.
"Well, yeah, of course, we could," Mara halfheartedly agreed, rolling her eyes. "But we have to be as discrete as possible. Buying a whole own ship will only draw unwanted attention. On a freighter, we're just another piece of cargo. Inconspicuous."
"But, c'mon, Mara, you don't have to listen to this guy-"
Mara straightened, suddenly a bit defensive. "That's my friend you're talking about, Luke."
"Is it a fast ship?" Ben calmly interrupted, sounding a lot like a tired parent.
Mara gave him a strange look, but nodded. "Oh yeah, it's fast. I've outrun Imperial starships in that thing, and - and don't mention this to him, okay? Or he'll never shut up about it. But it made the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs. Trust me, it's a good ship."
With that, Ben nodded, saying, "Tell him we'll give him two thousand now, and fifteen thousand once we reach Alderaan."
Mara's expression morphed into surprise, wondering if Ben could really live up to a promise like that, but she nodded, quickly making her way back to Han and Chewbacca.
"Seventeen?" Han asked in disbelief when she relayed the information to him. "Alright, Mar', you got yourself a ship."
Mara smiled, patting Han on the shoulder. "Great. Thanks, Solo." She turned, waving Luke and Ben over. Once they arrived, Mara took it upon herself to introduce everyone. "This is Luke Skywalker and Ben Kenobi. Boys, meet my old friends: Han Solo - Captain of the Millennium Falcon, and his first mate, Chewbacca."
"I take it you've accepted our offer," Ben assumed.
Han nodded. "We'll leave as soon as your ready. Docking bay ninety-four."
"Ninety-four," Ben confirmed.
Han's eyes flickered to something behind them, and Mara followed his gaze to a small group of stormtroopers talking to Broxin. The bartender pointed behind himself, in the direction of Mara and her friends.
"Looks like somebody's beginning to take an interest in your handiwork," Han remarked.
Mara looked over to Luke and Ben. "You two go. I'll meet you at the dock in a few minutes."
Luke gave Mara a worried look, looking like he wanted to object, but he didn't have a choice in the matter as the stormtrooper drew nearer. Mara watched as he and Ben discreetly slipped out the door, without any problems, thankfully. The stormtroopers walked closer to the table, and Mara, Han, and Chewie sat casually - arms back, legs crossed - eyeing the Imperial troops suspiciously as they passed.
"Seventeen thousand!" Han laughed once the troops were out of earshot. "You guys must be really desperate. This could really save my neck." He looked over at his Wookie companion, instructing, "Get back to the ship, get it ready."
Chewbacca then, too, made his way out of the Cantina. Mara got up as well, but she was stopped by Han when he grabbed her arm, pulling her back.
"What?"
"I want to talk to you."
Mara raised an eyebrow. "About what?"
"You know what," Han said, crossing his arms. "What are you really doing out here? What kind of 'business'?"
Mara crossed her arms indignantly, matching his pose. "I'm sorry," she said, heavily sarcastic. "But I'm pretty sure I made it clear that I didn't want you asking."
Han pointed a finger at her. "That's just it it," he said. "Your whole, 'No Questions Asked' policy. Smuggler or not, you've never been like that; not with me. Now, why don't you tell me what's really going on?"
Mara looked up at him, before deflating slightly. Even if Han was wrong--Mara did keep secrets, from more people than just Han--he was right about the fact that he deserved to know. She would be hard-pressed to get herself, Luke, Ben, and the droids to Alderaan if Han Solo was flying the ship. But her position in the rebellion was a delicate matter. She couldn't let information like that out to just anyone, or she would have a death sentence on her head bigger than anything Jabba the Hutt used to threaten her with.
With a sigh, Mara began, "Listen, Han, there's a reason why I didn't tell you a lot about myself when we first met. I know we were friends, but it wasn't safe for you to know."
"Know what?" Han pressed.
Mara looked down and shook her head. There was no keeping this from him anymore. Not in this predicament and certainly not when he would be the one taking them to Alderaan. Best to put it out in the open now.
Steeling herself, Mara looked back up and said, "I'm with the rebellion."
"You're with the what!" Han shouted, eyes practically bulging out of his head.
Mara struck him on the shoulder with the back of her hand. "I know you heard me, Solo--and keep it down." She gave him a sharp look, before continuing, "I'm not here to recruit you. All I need is a ride to Alderaan. You and Chewie deliver, you get paid, I take it from there."
"No, no, no, Mar', this isn't something I can brush under the carpet," Han said. "That's where you went last time? You left smuggling to go to something even more dangerous?"
"Like I said, Han, it was none of your business," Mara said, bristling. "And it still isn't."
"Well, you can't exactly expect me to just drop you on Alderaan and take off, now, can you?"
"That's the thing, actually--I do," Mara snipped. "It's what you do, Han. You take off as soon as you get your money - and I'll make sure you get it, as long as you bring me to Alderaan."
Han eyed her strangely. "Fine. I'll take you and your friends to Alderaan. Under one condition."
Mara raised an eyebrow, prompting him forward.
"Ditch that rebellion and come back to the Falcon with Chewie and me."
Mara gaped at him. She sputtered for a few seconds, before managing a, "What?"
"You heard me," Han stated. "I'll take you to Alderaan, you can drop off whatever you need with the rebels. But after that, cut your losses and get out while you can."
Mara shook her head, letting out a laugh of disbelief. "The nerve of you, Solo. You know I can't do that."
"Do I?"
"Yes, you do," Mara said, barely able to keep her voice down. "You know me. I'm a fighter. I've always been a fighter. I can't just go back to smuggling when people are fighting for a cause I believe in - dying for it."
"Mar', what you're doing is gonna get you killed. Why don't you understand that?"
"I'm not your partner, anymore, Han, you can't just boss me around!"
"I'm not saying you are!"
"Well, you're sure acting like it. And I can take care of myself," Mara insisted. "I can make my own decisions--without you. Besides, I'm the one paying you. You're not in any position to be making demands."
Han stared at her for a long while, before he shook his head. "You know what, Mar'? You have changed."
Mara's glare grew icy. "And you haven't," she said. "And we are not having this conversation."
She started to walk away, ready to head to the docking bay, but Han just followed her.
"I beg to differ, young lady-"
"Oh, no, do not 'young lady' me-"
Mara didn't finish, skidding to a halt as she walked right into the barrel of a blaster pointed at her chest. She backpedaled, pushing Han back with her, as she slowly stepped away from an all-too-familiar Rodian bounty hunter.
"Going somewhere, Solo?" the alien asked in its native tongue.
"Greedo!" she exclaimed, voice dripping with mock-cheer. "You slimy little freak, I haven't seen your face in ages."
Greedo cocked his bulbous green head to the side, long snout wrinkling as he spoke. "You've got bad timing, Nevaeh, as always. I could hear your arguing a parsec away."
Step for step, Mara and Han backtracked into their seats at the table. Greedo slid in across from the, blaster never straying far from their hearts.
"As a matter of fact, I was just going to see your boss," Han told him. "Tell Jabba that I've got his money."
"It's too late," Greedo said. "You should have paid him when you got the chance. Jabba's put a price on your head so large every bounty hunter in the galaxy will be looking for you." He let out a low chuckle, seeming excited by the prospect of hunting Han for a change.
Han threw his feet onto the table, leaning back with an overly-casual air. From the corner of her eye, Mara saw him slip a hand around his blaster. Her fingers crawled to her own blaster. Just in case.
Despite the conversation they had just had, Mara couldn't help but feel like nothing had changed. She had fallen right back into place with Han, at least for the moment: side-by-side, flirting with death, smug the entire time.
"I'm lucky I found you first," Greedo said.
"Yeah, but this time I've got the money," Han insisted.
"If you give it to me, maybe I'll forget I found you," Greedo said.
Han rolled his eyes, picking at the wall behind him with an air of boredom. "I don't have it with me. Tell Jabba-"
"Jabba's through with you," Greedo interrupted. "He's got no time for smugglers who drop their shipments at the first sign of an Imperial cruiser."
Han sat up, shooting Greedo a look as he said, "Hey. Even I get boarded sometimes. Do you think I had a choice?"
By this time, Han had pulled his blaster out its holster. Mara did the same, finger poised over the trigger. She lined up the shot beneath the table.
"You can tell that to Jabba," Greedo said. "He may only take your ship."
Han's hand dropped from the wall, and he looked suddenly stone-cold serious. "Over my dead body."
Greedo nodded to Mara. "Then maybe he'll settle for just your partner. Again."
Mara tilted her head, eyes narrowed. "Are you threatening me, Greedo?"
"I really wouldn't, if I were you," Han muttered.
Greedo ignored him. "What would you do if I was, Nevaeh?" He looked between her and Han. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time."
Han simpered at him. "I'll bet you have."
Greedo moved to fire, but Mara was quicker. With the slightest twitch of her finger, she shot the bounty hunter dead. Han was nearly faster, but in the split-second that he took to shoot, Mara had already acted. A useless blast flew from Greedo's blaster just as the Rodian's head slumped lifelessly down, hitting the wall between their heads. A few inhabitants of the cantina looked up in surprise, before going back to their drinks, rather unimpressed.
After putting her blaster back into its holster, Mara looked up to see Han staring at her. "What?"
Han looked vaguely miffed, sliding his blaster back onto his belt as he said, "Nice shot."
Mara scoffed, sliding out of the booth. "You didn't think I got soft after just two years, did you?" She beckoned him out, heading towards the door. "Now, c'mon. We'll talk later, but we oughta get to the Falcon before Luke and Ben do."
For what might have been the first time, Han agreed with her. He stood up to follow her, but fished something out of his pocket. He nodded to Broxin the bartender, and tossed him a couple credits. "Sorry about the mess."
Mara couldn't help but add, "Till next time," throwing a wink Broxin's way before following Han into Mos Eisley, heading to Docking Bay Ninety-Four.
A/N
#marashotfirst
Good day, and imaginary hugs,
Lily_Jasmine