Marks Of Honor

                                        by 

                                Carolyn Golledge



Story tag:  This one was written in 1990. It is a sequel to a story titled
Kessel Slave -- but you don't need to read it to follow this.
In my version of SOlo's past, he rescued Chewbacca from slavers by shooting
up the place from a distance and giving the wookiees a chance to run. Han
was then sent to Kessel by Imperials and Chewbacca came after him and 
freed him.



     “Hey! Be careful with that stuff , kid! " Han Solo warned.  He watched
as Luke Skywalker nodded acknowledgment and more carefully continued with
his work. The two men had been working for the past three hours, stripping,
cleaning and testing various engine parts from the Falcon. Chewbacca was still
with the ship, doing some of the heavier dismantling, then carrying the pieces 
to his friends who worked within the engineering workshop on the far side of the
Hoth hanger. 

     "These Adrin plugs look clean now,  Han,"  Luke called.  "I think, " he added
doubtfully as he examined the one he had just lifted from the bowl of dilute acid. 

     Solo crossed to Skywalker’s side.     "Yeah, that one's okay," he said. "We'll
take those out, too. Give me the gloves, huh? I want to start on this stuf f ." He
indicated the tiny bolts he had removed from the heavy casing that sat on the
icy floor. "Ya gotta watch these real close.    They only need a few seconds each.” 

     “Han? Luke? Are you in there?" a woman’s voice called from the doorway. 

     "Oh,  great, "  Solo muttered.  "Her Worshipfulness has come to visit the peasants. " 

     Luke gave Solo a reproachful look. "Can't you be nice to her for once?" He went to the door. 

     Solo stared after  him, eyes all shocked innocence.  "Hey! I'm always nice!" He gave Leia
a smirk as she entered the room. "Want somethin', Your Highnessness? I'm kinda busy. All 
dirty, too." He indicated his once white shirt which was now now covered with grease. 

     Leia sighed, shook her head, and refrained from asking him if he'd ever heard of coveralls.
 "As a matter of fact, " she said tersely,  ignoring the mischief in his eyes,  "I was wondering 
how the repairs are coming. The Council wants to ask how much it's going to cost them this time.” 

     “This time!" Solo repeated in an injured tone. '”This time!? Hey! The Falcon’s taken a lot of 
damage for you and your precious Alliance, sweetheart!    A little gratitude wouldn't kill those 
high and mighty ones you mix with." 

     “Well, “ Leia began, “we do appreciate...”

     "Yeah, yeah, sure,"  Solo cut her off.  He noticed Luke watching him with something like 
pleading in his eyes.  Immediately,  he decided to get Leia all steamed again.  The kid hated it 
whenever they had one of their slinging matches.  "Why is it always 'we'?" he began.  He took
at step closer to her,  smiling crookedly as he saw her blush.   “Come on, sweetheart, admit it. 
You like what you see." He spread his arms. Luke sighed heavily, closed his eyes and slumped 
back against the wall.. 
 
     Leia smiled coldly up at the Corellian. "You're having delusions of grandeur again, f lyboy. "
She turned to go. "I can see I'm wasting my time here." 

     "Oh, hey,  don't go away mad, " Solo called. "I'll apologize." 

     Leia stopped but didn't turn around. "You?! Apologize!? Ha!" 

     “No, really," Han continued. "I'll apologize."  She began turning toward him. "If you 
admit what I said is true." 
 
     "Why, you conceited..." Leia began.     She came to an abrupt halt as the icy ground 
trembled and she slipped.  Solo caught her and she immediately pulled free, almost falling again. 

     "You should be more careful, " he teased.  “The earth always moves when ice melts. Someday 
it'll happen to you." 

     Leia turned scarlet with embarrassment and rage, then abruptly  kicked Solo’s shin.   He grabbed
at his leg and hopped about,  rubbing at it with an exaggerated display of pain.  Even Skywalker 
had to grin at little at that. 

     The ground shook again, harder this time, and, off balance, Solo fell backwards, bumping the
workbench as he went down. The bowl of dilute acid tipped and slipped, splashing onto Solo's 
back and shoulders. He let out an agonized cry and scrambled to his feet. 

     "Han!" Leia and Luke shouted,  moving to help him. 

     “Don’t touch me!” Solo warned, his voice hoarse with pain, “you’ll burn yourselves.”
Even as he spoke, he was hurrying, stumbling toward the mechanic’s washroom. He 
tore clumsily at the catches on his shirt, wanting to remove it before the acid could bite deeper. 

     Luke hurried after him.   Leia lifted her wristcron to her lips and calmly called for a medic. She 
located the first aid kit then followed.  She found Skywalker pounding on a shower stall door. 
Leia heard the sound of running water from within. 

     "Come on, Han! " Luke called.  “Open up!”


     "He's locked the door?! " Leia asked in disbelief.  Skywalker nodded.  Leia took a step closer 
and called, "Han, open this door!" 

     "Go away," came the weak reply. 

     "Don’t be ridiculous!" Leia retorted.  "Let us in! We've got to get this 
Burn-Aid on your back! " 

     There was no reply. Luke and Leia exchanged worried glances, wondering if the man 
had collapsed. Leia made a decision. "Luke, break the door in." 
 

     She shook her head, took aim and landed a hefty kick on the lock. Luke copied her and the 
door flew open. Solo was standing under a torrent of water, hands braced an the walls, f acing 
them, the remnants of his shirt a sodden heap at his feet. His hair was dark and wet, plastered 
against a stark white face. "Why, Your Highness," he said, struggling for a casual tone, "I had no 
idea you were in such a hurry." 

     "Shut up and turn around," she said in both anger and concern. 
 

     Leia’s jaw dropped.   “Turn around," she repeated, thinking he couldn't have heard. 

     "I said no!"  Solo repeated  flatly.  His knees wobbled but when Luke made to catch him 
he suddenly straightened. "I mean it," he continued. “Go away. I can handle this.   Just 
leave the aid kit.”


     Leia dropped her hands in utter exasperation- . "I don't believe this!" 

     "You called for a medic, Your Highness?" a man said behind her. 

     Leia let out a relieved breath.   She turned to face Medical Officer Graysen. "Yes.
Captain Solo has acid burns on his back." The medic's eyes widened in concern. Leia 
added sarcastically, "But he can handle it." 

     Graysen came forward,  reaching toward the Corellian, but Solo warned, "Leave me alone.
Chewie’ll be here any minute ...  and he ... can..." The words trailed off as Solo swayed, then 
crumpled into a faint. 

     Skywalker and Graysen caught him as he fell, catching him about the waist to avoid 
touching the burns.  He hung face forward over their cradling arms, giving Leia a full view of
 his back.    She gasped.   “Oh, gods! Those scars! What happened to him?" 

     Puzzled, Luke looked quickly from her to Solo’s back., then reacted with equal  shock. 
He barely noticed the burns high on the shoulders.  The old scars were much worse.  Solo’s 
back was crisscrossed with a network of fine white lines, so extensive that they left very little 
of the flesh unmarked. Luke's stomach churned, and an image came to him of his dead aunt 
and uncle. But this had been deliberate, prolonged torture.

     "He's been whipped, " Graysen said in a sickened tone. "Or, more accurately by the looks 
of it, flayed. Help me lower him onto the stretcher. Tbe burns don't look too bad. If we get him to.." 

     “Han?” Chewbacca bellowed from the workroom. “Where are you ?”

     "He's in here, Chewie! " Luke called. He eased  Solo face down onto the padded stretcher.
"There’s been an accident. " 

     Chewbacca came to a halt in the doorway, shocked as he took in the scene before him.
He hurried to his friend's side. “How bad?” 

     "Acid burns, " the medic said. “Not too deep.  He should be okay." 


     "Chewie ... ?" Solo said groggily. He tried to push himself up but  grimaced in pain.  "Get
 me  ... outa ... here." 

     "You need bacta treatment,  Solo, " Graysen  insisted. "Ready, Luke?" he asked as he 
lifted one end of the stretcher. 

     "I can walk!" Solo protested, struggling again. 

     "Put him down a minute,"  Graysen ordered.  He pressed a hypo-infuser to Solo's throat
and the man slumped back limply, sound asleep.  “He’ll damage himself if he keeps  fighting 
us," the medic explained. "He's in shock." 


     Solo's  friends waited anxiously outside his hospital room,  hurrying to their feet whenever 
any medical personnel emerged f from within. Finally, the doctor came to them, a tired smile on 
his face telling them before his words that Solo would recover. 

     "Can we see him?" Luke asked. 

     Graysen nodded permission.  "It would be a good idea if you could take turns sitting with him
for the few hours. I don’t want to have to tie him down.  He keeps trying to leave." 

     Chewbacca growled something and Graysen looked to Luke and Leia for translation. "He says 
he's had the same problem with him in the past," Luke smiled. "Don't worry. He knows how to 
handle him." 

     "I'm glad someone does!" Graysen muttered. “Try to convince him to lie very still.  The bacta will 
take better if he doesn't move around.   I know he's uncomfortable, but it can't be helped. He's lucky. 
That was quick thinking getting under the shower. It saved him f from serious injury. Oh,”  he added 
as the trio headed for the door. "He's very groggy.  I gave him a sedative." 

    Leia grabbed at the Wookiee's arm before he could enter Solo's room.    "Why didn't he want us 
to see ... ?" 

     Chewbacca’s blue eyes clouded.  “He considers it a mark of shame.  According to the Corellian
Honor Code, death is preferable to a life of slavery. “ 

     "Slavery?" Leia whispered in horror, but Chewbacca had already moved away. She followed him 
into the dimly lit room and saw Solo lying face down on a bunk by the wall, a sheet drawn up to his 
waist, bacta strips covering his back and shoulders. 

     "Chewie?" Solo asked weakly. “About time you got here. Help me up.” 

     Chewbacca's growl was emphatically negative . "Okay! Okay!" Solo mumbled. "You 
don’t have to threaten me. It's just damn hard to breathe with your face buried in a pillow.”

     "You've got to stay still," Luke explained, "or the bacta --” 

     "Won't take," Solo finished sourly. "Is there an echo in here? I heard it all before, kid!" He peered up 
at him, only then noticing Leia's presence. "What's she doin’' here?" 

     Leia came closer to the bed. “Han,” she said, “I’m so sorry. If I hadn’t kicked you --”
     
     “Oh, will you forget it!” Solo snapped.

     Leia flushed. “Very well, Captain. I was just trying to apologize. I’ll leave you to your rest.”
   

     "Hey!" Solo called contritely. She stopped and looked down at him. Bleary-eyed, he 
held her gaze for a  few seconds,  fighting the effects of the sedative. "Look,  I just....” 
He shifted in bed, stifling a curse at the pain, then continued, "I don’t want you to 
f eel ....    It wasn't your fault. Okay?" 

     Leia smiled softly. “I understand. Thankyou.”  She couldn’t be sure, but it seemed for a moment that Solo’s
 pale face was brightened by a by a very unusual blush. The sedative must have mellowed him out. His eyelids 
drooped and he yawned, close to sleep. Leia decided that she'd never get a better chance to pry information
out of him. She didn't mean to intrude on his privacy but the evidence of that awful scarring added to her 
realization that there was much to Solo's past that would explain his cynicism, his mistrust, and his abrupt 
flashes of temper.
 
     “Rest, cub,” Chewbacca gave Solo’s head one gentle pat. “I will get back to those parts before
someone walks off with them.”

     “I’ll help you, Chewie,” Luke offered. “Take it easy, huh, Han?”
           
     “Sure, sure,” Solo muttered, eyes closed as he drifted toward sleep. He heard them leave 
then the sound as someone pulled a chair close to his bed. He looked up to find Leia Organa 
sitting by him. “Whaddya think you’re doin’?” he scowled.

     “Doctor’s orders. Someone must stay with you to make sure you don’t try to escape.”

     "Very funny! " Solo grumbled. “I don't need a nursemaid." 

     "Yes.  You made that very clear back at the hanger ." Leia paused,  reached out then resisted 
 the urge  to smooth a wrinkle  from the sheet. "Han, why? Why wouldn't you let us help you?" 

      He stared straight ahead, ignoring her and the question so long that she believed he would 
never answer.  Then he said flatly, "I can look after myself." 

     "Oh, right! " Leia exclaimed, then bit back her anger.  “We saw the ... we saw your back. There
 was no need for you to try to hide that  from us. " 


     Despite the pain it obviously caused,  Solo turned his head away from her. "Go away," he 
said. "I want to sleep." 

     "No, dammit! Chewie told us about the Corellian  Honor Code and how you feel about...”
 

     Solo turned back to her, his eyes bright with anger. "That's none of your business!" 

     Leia blushed and looked down at her tightly  clasped hands. "You're right. I'm sorry.
 I shouldn’t have said anything." She stood. "If you're really going to sleep, I'll leave 
you." She turned to the door. 

     "Leia," he said softly.  "Wait. Please. " 

     She stood rigidly, not wanting to turn about, not wanting him to read from her eyes how
 much his use of her name had touched her. “Yes?” 

      He sighed heavily.  "We've known each other for what   -- two years now?" 

     "Two and a half," she corrected, her back still turned to him. 

     "Right," he said sarcastically. "It's been so much fun! " She took a step closer to the door.
 "Aww, c’mon! I meant we've been through a lot of scrapes together, that's all..”  He paused,
 then added quietly, "I guess that gives you the right to make it your business.”


     She turned slowly about, looking so intently into his eyes  that he dropped his gaze to the
 sheets. 'There’s nothing much to tell," he said. "It happened on Kessel.  Chewie got me out.
 I didn't know him then, but he knew me. That part's kinda complicated. Anyway, you saw what
 they ... what happened. I killed a guard  ... a Wookiee. Do you know how they use Wookiees there?" 

     "Yes, " Leia said quietly, glad he wasn't watching her face, couldn't see the sickened  reaction
 to the images filling her mind.  “How old were you?”

     "Eighteen, " he replied, some of the usual cutting edge back in his voice.     “In their eyes., I had
 it coming. I owe Chewie. He got me outa that hellhole, fixed me up. Saved my life when the Imps 
caught up with me after I left t the ship .  “That's when the wounds got  infected, so it was too late
 for bacta. So, now you know. Okay? No big deal.”

      Leia shook her head. “If it’s no big deal then why the secret? Those are marks of honor, not shame.’

     Solo lifted his eyes to hers. “Corellians ain’t slaves." 

     Anger flared in Leia’s dark eyes. "Oh, I see - That's only for us mere mortals, is it? At 
least now I know where you conceit comes from! " 

     Solo blinked in surprise, then smiled slowly .  '"Now, now, Your Worshipfulness. Ya 
gotta watch that temper of yours.  It goes of f every time I remind you of my natural superiority." 

     "Your what!" she spluttered.  “Why I ought to --” 

     "Kick me while I'm down, Your Holiness?" he suggested softly. 

     "Oohh!  Why do I even try?  You're insufferable! " She headed for the door. "Heal soon, 
laserbrain! I want to hit you again!" 


     "I'll look forward to that!" Solo called as the door hissed shut behind her. He smiled, then 
finished softly, "Leia." 



                                                 END