Facing the Dawn with Sleepless Eyes ...

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Han was sitting in the curved bench of the Millennium Falcon’s galley with a half full glass of a colorless liquid in his hand. It was a loose, but familiar grasp. Like he had held a glass like this a thousand times and he knew exactly how to wrap his fingers around it comfortably. Whatever he was drinking smelled kind of like what leaks out of a power coupler when it’s busted.

He happens to be drinking it slowly, at least.

His other hand is occupied stroking through over the hair of a young lady who decided that his thigh ought to be her pillow while she took a nap.

Most days on the YT-1300 were good. Better than they had any right to be.

A fact that he attributed much of to the very same lady in his company now, but the path they treaded earlier in the day had been as choppy as entering a planet’s atmosphere during a raging storm. He should have seen it coming. He did, after all, accept a job that was going to have them delivering vaporators to a collective of moisture farmers on Jakku.

Yeah. That Jakku. The very same desert planet that he had gotten the lonely girl off of. The one she spent so many years waiting on, barely scraping by sometimes, waiting for people who never did end up coming back for her. The planet she never hesitated to mention that she would be perfectly happy never to go back to.

She put on a brave face when he told her their destination. Tried to act like it didn’t bother her, but he was beginning to know Rey very well and she wasn’t quite the card player he was yet. He saw the worry in her eyes and the nervous fidgeting of her hands when she thought Han wasn’t paying attention.

Hardly ate anything all day.

Didn’t find the usual things to talk about.

The worst of it, however, was when she tried to smile for him. The occasional attempt to smooth things over and prove to him that everything was okay – but the smile was wrong. She wasn’t feeling it and it made for a lame comparison to one of her real smiles; which he was pretty sure could light up Umbara if given the chance.

Han felt terrible about everything, of course.

Didn’t even come to bed, which, Rey realized after an hour or two of trying to wait up for him. That was when she took it upon herself, blanket in hand, to wordlessly collapse on him in the main hold. It was the only way she could see herself getting any rest.

Comments

[thesefirststeps]

It's meant to say good morning just as much as it's meant to steady hers, as well. At the moment, a kiss would be too distracting, so she'll have to save it for later. Besides, with Jakku looming larger and larger the closer they get, she needs all the concentration she can pull together to keep from working herself into another worried frenzy.

The last thing any of them needs is a repeat of just a few hours prior.

"I know", she murmurs, glancing at him quickly, offering a tight, nervous smile. "But I'd rather be out here. Just in case you need me."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

It's possible for one person to land the Millenium Falcon by themselves. The usual checks and commands run by the co-pilot just get sequenced by the ship's 'intelligence' and the pilot handles business as usual.

It's not optimal, Han never likes to rely that heavily on the droid brains, but you can do it easily enough. If they needed to, he's pretty sure Chewie or Rey could handle it too. But the wisdom of his partner seems to echo in the back of his mind. There are three of them onboard the ship. There's no need to do it the hard way.

He offers a half smile back to Rey.

"It's always easier to bring her in with two."

[thesefirststeps]

Rey's gotten to know the Falcon as well as she has its pilot and copilot, and she knows that her presence is not required to ensure a smooth landing. In any case it can't hurt to offer another pair of eyes and ears and hands.

Even if she doesn't actually offer any assistance, she still wants to be here to help.

"I know. I'm happy to help in any way I can. "

[twelve_not_fourteen]

"You don't have to leave the ship while Chewie and I are unloading."

He figures that couldn't hurt to remind her one more time. He suspects that Rey probably will anyway, when all is said and done, but if she's really feeling skittish about being left behind ... staying on the ship is the best way to assure her that he (and Chewie) have no intentions of that.

With that said, Han grabs the headset and begins the song and dance that is speaking to planet Jakku's transit authority. It ought to go pretty easily this time because unlike many of the other times he has to get permission to land on a planet, he's not actually doing anything illegal this time.

[thesefirststeps]

She considers the option very seriously for a moment, and ultimately decodes against it. She's a grown woman, after all, and giving into a completely irrational fear makes her seem... childish. Besides, the more hands at work, the quicker the unloading will get done, and the quicker that happens, the quicker they can take off for better places.

"I know", she answers, shrugging. "But I'm going to do my job, anyway. You didn't hire me to sit here and look pretty."

This time, the smile she offers is a bit more real, a bit more amused. Hopefully, all would go well so that they could leave quickly. She doesn't want to stay for a moment longer than completely necessary.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

He has a smart answer for that, as he does for so many of the things people say to him. Making a fist around the microphone portion of the headset and thereby blocking out the sound of his voice from the people on the other end, he tells Rey this:

"I don't have to pay you extra to look pretty, darling. I get that for free just having you around." And then he offers her the smile that had help him charm so many others in the past and he winks at her.

Now, back to business.

Han releases his grasp on the mic, but taps his finger against it twice. It creates a thumping noise over the comm channel. "Sorry transit control, we had a burst of static." He drawls. "Can you repeat back the last transmission. Over."

[thesefirststeps]

Rey hardly ever expects anything different! Still, he catches her completely off guard as he effective puts the conversation with transit control to a halt in order to, what ... fluster her?

The comment was more than enough to do it. The wink just adds to her amused consternation. Still, there's no helping the way her smile curves and grows upon her lips, nor the way she can't quite keep from blushing a faint pink color.

He's good at that.

Han returns to his communication, and Rey just watches, utmost fondness in her eyes. Yeah, she's sure, this is exactly where she's meant to be.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

After another minute or two of very hum-drum discourse with the people who give clearances for the sandy rock they're about to land on, Han eventually does get his permission to land. He records the string of characters that get read to him into the ship's log and then, he hangs up the headset.

He expected everything to go right and it did. Still, he's glad to have it be over. He's not particularly fond of talking to people over comms.

"Alright, Rey, let's bring her in." Han murmurs as his hands begin to dance over the control panel. They glide from one switch to another trigger so fluently, it makes you believe he could do this with his eyes closed if he wanted to.

[thesefirststeps]

It probably was a very dry conversation, at least on Jakku's end. It wasn't as though she'd known very many people very well, but she'd learned early that they weren't exactly known for their sparkling wit or senses of humor. Luckily enough, once the clearance is given, that conversation can cease.

There were probably better things to focus on, anyway.

Like the way she's transfixed by the swift motions of his hands dancing over the control panel, so practiced and sure, never missing a step, a beat, a switch, trigger or button. It's beautiful, really, and she thinks that she could watch him pilot like this all day.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

"So long as we're not touching during a sandstorm this should be pretty easy."

Generally, speaking the desert planets were a little less concerning with erratic weather. On the other hand, they're hot. Even though the Falcon's climate controls are working to keep them cool; as they get closer the planet, the temperature of the ship's interior raises a few degrees.

Han glances over his shoulder at a display placed behind him before his eyes flick forward again. The ship sighs when they hit atmosphere, but it doesn't tremble all that much. Han's hand breezes through another sequence of movements and sublight engines reduce their speed as they sink towards the planet.

[thesefirststeps]

"This time of year, they don't usually kick up until nightfall. As long as we're long gone before then, we should be fine."

If anyone would know, it's the girl that had spent the last fourteen years on said planet, day in, day out, memorizing everything about it, including weather patterns. Unfortunately, there is nothing to be done about the heat, already creeping through the closer they get to landing.

Rey brushes her hair out of her face, and glances at the gauges nearest to her, unsurprised to note that everything was working within the correct parameters. This ship never fails to deliver.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

"Good. I don't plan on being here more than two hours."

The ship seems to go through cycles. Maybe now that there are three of them on board, ship maintenance won't get skipped as often as it has in the past. They still won't have a tremendous parts budget, but hey ... one problem at a time. You can't fix everything at once.

Somewhere in the back, Chewie has left the cabin and is doing something in the galley. Perhaps near it? Han can't quite tell and besides, his mind is on landing the ship.

Han guides te ship toward the northern hemisphere of planet. They happen to have exact coordinates for the farm that they're looking for so that will make finding the place fairly simple.

[thesefirststeps]

She'll work harder than she's ever worked before in order to make that wish a reality. "Get in, get out."

Rey's pretty good at jury-rigging parts to make them work, and if necessary, she can do the same with the Falcon. With the utmost care, of course, and respect for Han's ship. It's been with him a whole lot longer than she has, after all. With time, if given the opportunity, she'd get her back in perfect working order.

With her in the co-pilot's seat, Chewie can feel free to do as he wishes - it's not like all three of them needed to be here for the landing. In fact, her presence isn't strictly necessary, but still, here she is. Just in case.

Thankfully, it looks like they're not anywhere near where she'd made her home. And that knowledge makes another little bit of worry seem to melt away.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

It takes a few minutes of flying over a whole lot of sand and not very much life before Han does eventually find the place. He's looking a few of the readouts on his instruments, and he's frowning. Han's worried about putting the ship on unstable ground.

"Hey Rey." He says, the unusual presence of concern is touching the Captain's voice. "Where would you set the ship down around here?"

[thesefirststeps]

And that is Jakku, as succinctly put as possible, a whole lot of sand and very little else. It's amazing she hadn't gone crazy being stuck in the middle of nothing for so damn long.

"Hm?", she asks, glancing at Han, all wide eyes and confusion. "Oh - as far away from the ridge as possible. It's too unsteady to hold. Our best bet is the flattest part of the plain."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

It says a lot that Han is willing to trust anything other than his own gut when it comes to the fate of his ship. He feels like it makes sense to, in this case. Who better to ask than the girl who spent years upon years in this place and knows the way the terrain behaves better than anyone.

Besides, the few times that Rey had been in control of the ship, she had proved her own good instincts as well. And he's validated by the fact that she picked the same place that he would have.

So Han guides the Falcon to the ground and keeps away from the unstable looking area by the ridge that Rey had pointed out. The landing is relatively easy, since they're not fighting any weather and sand is among the more forgiving surfaces to put a starship on - when it's not gonna sink your poor ship entirely, that is.

The noise of the ship builds to a crescendo as the Captain touches the freighter to land. There's a groan as the ship settles and a long sound that almost seems like a hissing sigh. And then ... the ship quiets as the flight systems begin to power down.

[thesefirststeps]

It does, actually, and Rey is really rather touched that he'd even ask for her advice when he'd been at the helm of this ship for long enough to know exactly what it's capable of. But she had spent enough time on this graveyard of a planet to know its weather patterns and nasty little surprises alike, so any chance she can take to help, the better.

She might not be behind the controls, but she can offer her expertise nonetheless, and she is absolutely certain that with sudden gusts of wind a regular occurrence, the sand that makes up the dunes and ridges could shift at any given time, which might lead to total disaster for the Falcon and her crew.

The flat plain was always going to be the safest option, and easier to unload upon, too.

Once they've landed and begun to settle, she relaxes a bit more, relishing this moment to take some time to steady whatever nerves were still flaring at the thought of being right back where she'd never wanted to return to. The quicker the job is done, the quicker they can leave.

And never, ever return.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Chewbacca, forward thinking soul that he is, has already started prepping the cargo to be moved. Now that the Millenium Falcon is on terra firma (or what passes for it on Jakku, anyway) the three of them can go find their contact and start making the exchange.

The only exchange there is among spacers like this crew; money for cargo.

All goes well for a change. All the money that was promised, by the exact people who were supposed to be meeting them there. Han, Rey and Chewie get to hauling those vaporators and though they're heavy, that goes as expected too.

[thesefirststeps]

Thank goodness for Chewie. The more time shaved off of the exchange the better, as far as Rey is concerned. And although she considers, briefly, taking Han up on the offer to keep to the ship, she knew that that would only keep them there far longer than would make her comfortable.

So, she grits her teeth, and she powers through her nerves with hard work, focusing on getting everything where it's going. Not to mention hoping that nothing went wrong. Because in a line of work like this, anything could and did happen.

Thankfully, this exchange goes off without a hitch, and they're back on the Falcon, preparing for liftoff. This time around, she's in the galley, just looking for some quiet, just to compose herself. She'll be able to breathe easier once they're out of orbit.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Han's and Chewie's job, once they have finished prepping the ship, is to get them out of orbit. For now, this is the reason that he's not with Rey. As much as he'd like to be near her and offer her comfort in the form of some affectionate touches ... he figures she'll sooner be comforted by them being in hyperspace and heading towards Takodona.

So his next twenty minutes or so is spent doing precisely that. Yes, Chewie probably could have handled it himself, but he doubts very much that Rey was going to hold Han piloting duties against him in this case.

But when he's finished ... and the viewport is full of the tunnel of splintered blue and white light of hyperspace, Captain Solo heads immediately to the galley to find Rey.

[thesefirststeps]

She can wait. There are more important things to do than to coddle her, and yes, she's already kicked herself mentally for behaving in what she views as an embarrassingly childish way. Thankfully, neither Han nor Chewie have made mention of it, and Rey hopes that it stays that way.

And while she will easily and readily relish the comfort of those affectionate touches, she's so going to remind herself often that she's am adult, and she's going to fond herself in situations where she's going to have to just suck it up and deal. Which is probably what she should have done in this case.

You go where the job takes you, and you don't complain. Money is money, after all.

Still, once she hears his foot falls getting closer, it's easier to smile. And that she does, very grateful for his presence, and the way he never fails to take care of her in just the way that she needs.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

It's funny how tender the scoundrel can be when he's not preoccupied with shooting off a brag or making himself seem like he's tougher than the teeth of a Rancor. Certain people seem to bring it out of him more so than others and she's one of them, for better or for worse.

"How are you doing?" There's a look on his face of apology. He knows their trip to Jakku wasn't fun for Rey, but all things considered, it was the smoothest run that he's had in a long time. Well ... part from the glass exploding in his hand.

Wherever she's sitting she's going to end up with Han in her personal space. The bench around the holochess board is a prime locale, but even if she took up one of the chairs by tech station, he'll sit on her lap. Whatever it takes to be near her.

[thesefirststeps]

He's full of surprises, her Captain, and she relishes discovering each and every one of them in turn. It would be a lie to say that she doesn't take great pleasure in the softer moments. She's so used to taking care of herself, after all, that it feels like the greatest gift she's ever received when he takes care of her.

"I'm alright", she answers, and offers a smile as if to prove it. Not that it's a particularly bright smile, or even a big one, but it's real, and it reaches her eyes, and she's being completely honest. Now that they're making their way away from Jakku, and as long as she never has to return, she'll be fine.

And hopefully this means an end to the nightmares, as well. Or maybe their visit to Takodana will offer answers as how to put an end to them. All things considered, Rey is ... hopeful.

She doesn't mind his breaching of her personal space, and in fact, welcomes him with open arms, more than happy to be close, to luxuriate in his presence and his warmth. "I'm fine, I promise."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

She doesn't seem as perfectly contented as maybe she did on those last few days on Kashyyyk, but she does seem more relieved now that they were heading away from Jakku. Far more so than she did when they were heading towards it.

Though he wants to see her smile be more like the way he remembers it in his mind, he's not all that worried about its present condition. It will be brilliant again. Sooner or later.

Han leans against her gently. It's his wordless reminder that he's here with her. That together they can (and should) hold each other up. "You are fine." He says with a little nod. "It would take more than a wasteland like that place to keep you down, sweetheart. You're made of something tougher than most."

[thesefirststeps]

Not yet. But given some time, she'd get there. Most of her worry is already starting to fade, and the tightness in her shoulders is slowly but surely loosening. By the time they reach Takodana, she should be well on the way to finding her way back to her usual self.

By the time they get some answers as to what's causing her nightmares and ... her other abilities, if they're positive, she should smile brightly again. Maybe.

For the moment, she's perfectly content to be close, to reach for his hand and tangle their fingers, to speak gently to each other without disturbing the relative quiet of the room. She's perfectly content to just be together. "I don't feel it right now", she admits, sighing softly. "But I'll get there."