milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Bright and early again, the bar's resident dining car is behind the bar, setting out juice, sugar, sauces, all the things one needs for a good breakfast at the end of the Universe, the specials already written up on the chalk board:

Breakfast Specials
Breakfast Wellington
Apple And Raisin Oven Pancakes
Half a grapefruit

"What'll you have?"

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"Pleased to meet you." The man's hand doesn't feel like Han's would, Lando thinks. Too rough, not at all like the hand of man who just slept away a year on ice. If it's a disguise, it's better than anything Han could muster himself.

And then it hits him.

"Han's been here?"

"You too." Indy nods. "I met him a while back, yeah. Though I haven't seen him again."

"I think it was not too long after Christmas. Before the influx of people who worked with him, for him, or who took some of his genes."

"Knowing Han, he was probably here to get away from at least some of them - of us. Or from whoever he owes money too this month.

"I hope that none of them have found you, by the way. If they have, I apologize on Han's behalf. He can leave quite a trail of devt and debris in his wake." Lando smiles, thinking about some those times.

"I'll have to give him a hard time about not telling me about the Bar. It makes a nice change from home."

"It's not a bad place." Indy smiles. "No apology necessary. I've only been found by Luke, Jaina and Tahiri, from his universe... and yours too I'm guessing."

"As far as I can tell, my universe as well, yes. Though the Luke who's here is not necessarily the one from my timeline, if what Jaina is saying is true.

"But as far as I can tell, one Luke is the same as the next." He sips his caf.

"Tell me - how did Jaina react? She's his daughter, you know."

"I know," he says with a snort. "It was kind of awkward at first, but she quickly realized I wasn't who she thought. She's a good kid. Offered to let me try out the simulators upstairs some time."

He angles his head curiously. "She was here the other night actually, with some Jedi named Zekk. Said she'd been out of the bar for five years, though only a week passed here. And they were acting a bit strange. Finishing each other's sentences and stuff."

Lando loses his smile. "Five years? She was already twenty years ahead of me to start with. How atrange.

"Though as for finishing each other's sentences...well, maybe she's found someone new and they're just that close."

"She said they weren't an item, but they were certainly close. But it was more like brain sharing. I presumed it was some Jedi thing, and they didn't seem too keen on elaborating. Sounded like plenty of people weren't accepting their bond too well where they came from. Han included."

He shrugs it off. "Are you a Jedi as well?"

Lando smiles a bit. "Well, if I know Han, he's probably being an overprotective father, and just letting his prejudices about anything he doesn't understand and anyone he doesn't like get in the way of rational thought.

"Though when it comes to Jedis, I don't enitely blame him.

"Which is to say, I'm not a Jedi, and I'm not really sure what to make of the idea of them."

Indy nods his agreement, in not an un-Han-like manner. "I've a great deal of respect for all the magic I've seen here, Jedi magic being just one type I've encountered." He wiggles his fingers mystically. "Some of the other types saved my life a couple of times. But I'm still kinda cautious of it all, and nobody's ever really explained that Force thing to me properly."

"Mara Jade gave it a good shot though."

"I don't think I know Mara Jade. I guess she's another one of the Jedis that Luke's going to find.

"I accept that there is magic in the universe. A young woman named Mel showed me that just by cutting herself, beleive it or not. But the way some talk about the Force, they magic is sound like it's a law of nature.

"And the Jedi knights...well, I know most of what I was taught as a child about them was a lie, but that doesn't mean that there isn't something about the notion of a group of them returning to power that doesn't make me uneasy. Luke is a good friend, but sometimes when he gets going, he can be a bit scary."

"I don't know Luke that well, but, yes... you could say he's gonna find Mara Jade at some point. And Mel, heh, she's a very close friend of mine. My room mate's girl actually. I'm not at all surprised she showed you her healing speed in that way."

Indy slides his coffee mug back from a refill. "So what do you do in your universe, Lando, if you're not a Jedi?"

Lando remembers the name Mara Jade now. The other wife. But not in the mood to ponde rsuch things, he leaves that alone.

"Mel did surprised me with that trick, but I have to admit that it was effective.

"As for what I do...at the moment, I'm still a general in the Alliance. The rebellion is close to won, but ther's likely to be a few more battles before the Empire completes its fall. When I head home, I'm probably going to be in one.

"But I was, and will be once this is over, a businessman. Something of an entrepreneur, in fact."

"The Alliance being the good guys, I assume." The other people from Lando's universe may have mentioned it in passing, and Indy uses the Axis and Allies comparison from second world war movies he's seen to complete the connection.

"You're Bound? That no business rule's gotta suck for you then," he jokes.

"The Aliiance - formerly the Rebel Alliance - are the good guys, yes. Though I think soon we'll be calling ourselves the Republic again.

"I'm not Bound, though. I'm been able to come and go so far, and hope it tays that way.

"As for the no business rule, well, I suppose I'll have to live with it. But I also think that there are other things A respectable businessman can do that will aid his business without being business." It's clear that Lando has been thinking about this.

"And what did you do back on Earth, Jones?"

"Archeologist, teacher, explorer, linguist, adventurer..." he reels off.

"My, you are a busy man." Which explains the worker's hands. Thre is a still tiny chance that Han is having some fun with Lando, but somehow the idea tha Han would even pretend to be any of those things seems unlikely. "Do you still keep up, or are you Bound?"

"Well, emphasis on adventuring with the goal of recovering rarer antiquities than the usual archeology expeditions lead to. Teaching's my cover," he smirks.

"I've been stuck here for seven months now, and there were four before that when I stayed voluntarily, for research purposes."

Lando grins a bit"I've heard there can be good money in archaeology, but I've slways steered clear of it. Always seemed a bit risky, and there are too many fakes in the market where I come from. But it sounds like it can be challenging. Though so can teachng, if your studnets were like I was as a youth.

"What kind of researcxh did you do here?"

"Fortune and glory, my man." He claps Lando's shoulder. "That's what it's all about. Assume the risks and bring home the big prize one day. Though the dangers aren't really in trade, but more the actual search and recovery... um... and escape."

"My students are good kids, I just neglect them badly when my other work comes up. They're probably more used to substitutes by now."

"As for research, I didn't really get very far. Just noting things about the magic, the characters I met and their stories, and the environs around here."

Lando has to laugh a bit now. "My gods, man, are you sure you aren't Han Solo after all? That sounds like something he might say. Though I don't think he would know a Corellian relic from the angine block.

"And I can't agree more about how to make the money. If there isn't some risk, in fact, I'm not sure it's worth my while." And by now, Lando has finished his breakfast.

"It's been good talking you, Jones, but I think I'm going to head outside. Haven't been out ther yet, and I think I should before I head home."

"Ok, Lando. Nice to meet you and have fun out there. It's pretty."

He gives the guy a parting nod.

"You can call me Indy, by the way. Maybe we can talk again if you come back."

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