Han could feel the drop before his body hit the carpet. Gravity pulling him downwards, his muscles tensing up, his mind knowing the sensation of free falling.

The ground hit him sooner than expected- in just a few seconds- jolting him awake instantly. He grunted, pulling himself up with one arm on the bed. From atop it, Chewie looked down at him with curious eyes.

"I apologize for having to do that." Leia came around the other side of the bed. "But you wouldn't wake up no matter what I tried."

"So you just decided to push me off the bed?" Han accused.

"As I said, you left me no other choice. I tried calling your name, even shouting it. I tried shaking you, but you remained asleep. I had to use the Force," She explained.

Han shook his head, waving her off. "You better have a good reason for waking me up like that."

Leia nodded. "There is a woman outside calling for you. She seems upset."

He didn't even have to ask; he knew immediately who the woman was. Of course, she would show up at possibly the worst moment.

"Qi'ra," He sighed, marching off towards the front door. Sure enough, there she was, standing on the porch and peering through the window.

"Stay inside," Han ordered, glancing back at Leia, who had followed him. She looked just as intrigued as the dog beside her.

Pulling the door back, he quickly stepped outside to greet Qi'ra, closing the door just a little too hard behind him.

"Han! Do you know how long I have been waiting out here for you?!" She demanded. "Almost an hour!"

"Okay, let's not overexaggerate here." Han tried calming her as he led her to the garage.

"I told you I was coming," She reminded, pointing her finger at him. "Is the car ready?"

"Yeah, here it is." With an over-the-top gesture and a fake grin, he pointed her to Mercedes parked in the garage.

Qi'ra's eyes brightened at the sight. "Oh, I must start it up!"

Han handed her the keys without a word, letting her test it out. She hopped into the driver's seat, igniting the engine with a grin.

"That'll be two hundred." Han came up to her, sensing that she was pleased with his work.

Before she could pull out her wallet, Qi'ra's head turned towards the woman who had just entered. She was wandering around the shed, glancing at the various tools and shelves.

"Han," Qi'ra started to say. "Who is this?"

"This is Le-"

"Leia Naberrie Organa," She interrupted, stepping forward to the car. "Daughter of Padme Naberrie of Naboo and Bail Organa of Alderaan."

By the time she finished listing her titles, Han's hand was already covering his face. Even Qi'ra seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Al-Alderaan?" She repeated, scrunching her face. "Is that somewhere in Africa?"

"No," Leia answered. Meanwhile, Han shook his head, knowing exactly where this was going. "Alderaan is- was the planet I was from."

Qi'ra looked at Han, who had been looking at her this entire time. He was leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed, taking in the scene with amusement.

"Ah." Qi'ra pursed her lips. "I don't know what you mean."

"You and me both," He piped up. "Leia believes she's from outer space."

"You mean like an- an alien?" Qi'ra's eyes examined the other woman from head to toe. "Well, she certainly has the look."

Leia narrowed her eyes at the pair. "I take it you mean my hairstyle and attire. I'll have you know they are part of Alderaan's long history and tradition. For those belonging to the noble houses, they are important and customary."

Han began to roll his eyes, but Qi'ra just looked even more confused. "You mean you are like royalty?"

"Yes..." Leia hesitated. "And no. It is complicated. My mother came from a royal bloodline-"

Han couldn't contain his grin anymore; it was all just too ridiculous. First, this woman claimed to be from space. And now, she was claiming to be some sort of alien princess?

It was too much.

"At the rate you're going, the next thing you'll be telling us is that you're responsible for Roswell!" He roared with laughter.

"I know you don't believe me," Leia sighed. "You have made that clear enough."

"How can you expect me to?" He scoffed, moving off of the wall. "Qi'ra, I'm not going to let you listen to this anymore. Get out of here while you still can."

"Yeah, I have to go." She took out her wallet, handing over the cash.

Qi'ra smiled up at the man, thanking him. She turned to Leia; her smile becoming stretched. "Um, it was nice meeting you."

"You too," Leia said, clasping her hands together.

"I'll see you later." Han leaned over the car door. "Tell me if the car gives you any more problems."

"Of course." Qi'ra brushed a strand of hair from her face. "You know you're the only one I trust."

The woman had barely driven off when Han heard chuckling from behind him. He turned around to find it was now Leia who was laughing at him.

"What?" He walked past her.

"Oh, nothing." She smirked, continuing to gaze at him. "But that woman was clearly jealous."

"Qi'ra?" Han had to make sure he heard correctly. "Of what?"

"That I am here."

Han clapped his hands together, doubling over in laughter. "You are just completely full of yourself, aren't you?"

Leia shrugged. "That may be true, but I could sense she disliked me being here with you. She seemed... catty."

"You're telling me women aren't alike all over?" Han retorted, which immediately earned him Leia's ire.

"I will not tolerate remarks about women like that," she warned.

He exhaled loudly at her hypocrisy. "But you can insult 'Earthlings.' Got it."

"Anyways, Qi'ra is like my sister. I doubt she sees me the way you're thinking." He started to walk out of the shed, preparing to close and lock it.

Leia caught up to him, emerging out of the shed. "Well, if there is one thing I have learned from you wasting time flirting is that you can fix things."

"Yeah?" Han replied, pulling down the door. "And?"

"I need you to repair my ship."

She couldn't be serious. There was no way she could think he could fix a ship, no matter how delusional she was.

"I can sense your doubts. But this is not an option. You must do it," Leia insisted, much to Han's growing irritation.

"I can't do it." He scowled at her, but quickly backtracked when he saw her face. "At least not alone. I'm not an engineer."

Leia's eyebrows instantly went up. "But you know someone who is?"

He nodded sullenly, folding his arms. "Yeah, unfortunately."

~

Leia picked up the sunglasses, studying them closely. "These are interesting. What are they for?"

"They're to protect your eyes from the sun," Han answered as he drove towards the university.

"Hm." She put them on, admiring the way they looked on her in the mirror. "We don't have these where I'm from. Only goggles or helmets."

Han just turned up the radio in response, hoping she'd take a hint.

"These buildings... they are so hideous," she remarked. "So bland and uncreative. I understand that Earth is isolated, but I never thought it could be considered a backwoods planet."

Of course, this woman would not take a hint. He would have to literally carve it into his forehead for her to understand.

Was it too late to break his promise? Or would he have to veer off the road and crash in order to get out of this arrangement?

"I hope your friend is a lot more respectful than you," Leia stated, noting Han's cold response.

"No, he is just a lot more gullible."

"Well, if he is an engineer at the university then he must be smarter than you think," she grinned.

"Studying engineering, maybe I didn't make that clear enough." He reached her the sunglasses. "Give me those! You look silly."

Leia started to recoil in her seat, away from his reach, when she suddenly leaned forward over the dashboard. She took off the glasses, placing them above her head. "Is this the university?"

He slowly drew his arm back, coming back empty-handed. "Yeah."

"They all look so- so carefree."

Her sentimental tone made Han take his eyes off the road and glance at her. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. Her once serious gaze had softened as if overcome with the most beautiful sight.

She honestly looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Why wouldn't they be?" Han asked as he drove into the parking lot.

"The universities in my galaxy are dedicated to serving the Empire. As are the students. There is no time for lounging around, talking and laughing. Just the thought of that would get you expelled, if not killed." Leia's usual stare had returned.

"Are you sure you're just not from the Soviet Union?" Han asked, realizing he might have a KGB agent on his hands.

Suddenly, the whole alien princess thing didn't seem so bad.

"Why am I even telling you this? You don't care," she sighed to herself.

"Nope, but I'm sure he will be fascinated by this. C'mon, his dorm is this way." Han parked the truck, climbing out. As Leia unbuckled her seat belt, Chewie, who had been in the back, jumped out and ran after his human.

It did not take a genius to figure out they were attracting attention while walking across the campus. And Han knew it wasn't because of him or his dog.

Okay, maybe it was because of Chewie but he doubted it.

"We should have gotten you some new clothes first," Han observed the many stares coming their way. "And maybe a new hairdo."

"Why?" She glanced at him from behind her sunglasses.

"Because you look like you just came out of a sci-fi convention!" He tried to ignore the people pausing to look at them, but it was kinda hard to do when practically everyone was stopping. "Let's go to the mall."

"No, we are already here. And I am not wasting more time because of you." The woman sped up, leaving Han behind.

"Hey!" Han ran after her with Chewie alongside him. "You're going to pass the dorm!"

When he caught up to her right outside of the building, he instructed her to let him go in first.

"I'll call you in when I'm ready. But just wait right outside while I explain. Okay?"

She crossed her arms and nodded. "Alright."

Han held open the door, letting the woman and the dog enter. They made their way up the stairs to the room silently; Han being too consumed with his thoughts.

Who was this woman really?

Because as crazy as she sounded, she wasn't a complete liar. The ship was evidence of that much.

But there was no way she could be an alien. She looked too... normal. Even if Han believed in life outside of Earth, he imagined it to be a lot more freakish and inhuman.

He had to remind himself of the potential reward he would receive so he wouldn't turn back.

Just think of the reward, he told himself. This will soon be over and you will be rich.

Reaching the dorm room, Han knocked on the door and called out to his friend. "Hey, Lando? You here?"

The door slowly opened and a face peered from behind. "Solo? What are you doing here?"

"I-uh, I have a problem and I need your help." Han scratched the back of his neck.

Lando's mouth turned upwards into a grin. "You need my help? I never thought the day would come when I'd hear you say that."

The man stepped aside, letting Han and Chewie enter the cramped space. "This problem must be quite serious if you're here."

"Yeah," Han answered, noting how nothing had changed. The room was as organized and as clean as ever. "I met this woman."

Lando chuckled, taking a seat in his swivel chair. "So you're here for that sort of advice."

"No," Han said sharply. "I mean, this woman claims she's from space and is on a mission to find her brother. The thing is, I saw her ship. It crashed near my house."

"But you don't believe her?" Lando raised an eyebrow, leaning back in the chair.

"Of course not. She's probably just some astronaut with amnesia who crashed her ship during a training exercise." Han folded his arms, looking at an illustrated poster of an astronaut repelling over a red crevice. Below the astronaut, the text said 'MARS EXPLORERS WANTED' in yellow.

"But I know you would," He continued. "She said if I help her I would be rewarded. I'll split it with you if you help fix the ship."

"Is she here right now?" Lando asked, petting Chewie.

"Yeah. Leia! You can come in here now," Han announced.

With hands clasped in front of her and her head held high, Leia stepped forward into the already overcrowded room. Han could tell Lando was immediately smitten with her as he instantly sat up straighter.

"Han, you didn't tell me she was so beautiful," He said, never taking his eyes off Leia. Han could only roll his at this lame attempt at a compliment.

Leia bowed her head. "Thank you, sir."

"Anywaaaays," Han interrupted. "Since I know you study astrology-"

"Astronomy," Lando corrected.

"Same thing," Han mocked. "Can you help her or not?"

Lando rose from his chair, approaching the woman. "Of course. But I would like to hear your story from your own lips."

Han struggled to suppress his groan, resorting to rolling his eyes again instead. Lando was not nearly as smooth as he thought he was. He was just coming off as a big ham.

"I had been listening in and what Han said is true. I am not from this planet, not even this galaxy. I traveled far to get here in order to find my brother. I don't know where he is or who he is, but I know he's here in this town. My ship had his coordinates programmed into it. But upon entering the atmosphere, my ship came into hot and fast. There was nothing I could do, but let it impact," She explained.

"Why do you need to find him?" Han could hear the sympathy laced in Lando's question, and he was actually surprised how easily he bought this story.

"It's a long story, but you deserve to know if you're going to help me. My galaxy is ruled by the Galactic Empire, a government so cruel and corrupt that it only came into existence through a coup," Leia described; her voice calm but severe.

"The Apprentice, or second-in-command, recently destroyed my planet, my mentor, and my father because he found out... I was Force-sensitive. And those who are Force-sensitive must work for the Empire. Their power has to be known to the Emperor himself, but my abilities were kept hidden."

"My brother, who I never knew, might also be Force-sensitive. And I have to reach him before the Empire does," She concluded with a sigh.

"You keep going on about the Force, but what does that even mean?" Han asked.

Leia looked up at him; her eyes taking on a devious gleam. "I'll show you."

She pointed her hand towards Lando's desk, staring intently at a flying saucer model atop it. It started to hover above the desk and then above Lando, spinning around as it if were actually a UFO. Both men watched with dropped jaws as it flew around the room before Leia caught it in her hand. Even Chewie seemed startled by what he had just witnessed.

Lando exchanged a glance with Han. "Yeah, dude. She's for real."

"That- That could have been some sort of magic trick!" He tried to argue. "Like with a wire!"

Leia smirked, placing the model back on the desk. "I hope you are not as ignorant as your friend, Lando."

"No. I believe you." He shook his head, taking her by the hand. "I will help you. But I'll have to come after class if that is alright with you."

"That is fine. I greatly appreciate your assistance," She smiled at him, gazing into his eyes. He did the same for what seemed like an eternity to Han.

"Alright." Han stepped in between the two before this turned any cheesier. "Are we done here?"

"Yeah, I'll come by your house later, Solo." Lando broke away from Leia.

"Thank you again." Leia waved as Han pulled her out the door.

"And you accuse me of flirting," He scoffed, walking down the steps alongside Chewie.

"That was not flirting!" Leia snapped from behind. "I was truly grateful for his help."

Han pushed open the building door with his shoulder. "Uh huh. Sure."

Leia marched up to him, turning him around to face her. "You are such a kriffing nerf herder!"

He took a step back, raising his hands in front of him. "What are you-"

"You are so weak-minded and-"

"People are hearing you-"

"I don't care!" She shouted, balling her fists. "I don't care if this whole kriffing planet hears me!"

Han glanced around, seeing the looks he was getting from the crowd students transitioning to class. What had gotten into this woman? "Just calm down, Leia."

No sooner had the words left his mouth did he know he screwed up. Leia seemed to only become more enraged with him. Her nostrils flared and she opened her mouth to hurl more insults, but then an incredulous look crossed her face. Her eyes widened and a small smile played on her lips.

"He's here," She whispered. "I can feel him."