Tatooine Ghost | Troy Denning | 2003 | Legends Universe

Part 67

“Uh, Leia, dear?” Han asked. “Maybe you missed that part about not getting paid. No matter what they say, with Jawas it’s strictly payment up front.” “Han, are you saying you were willing to let that poor creature suffer until she told us what we want to know?” “Well, when you put it like that…” “Besides, she has a broken leg,” Leia added. “She’s going to need a ride.” Han raised his brow. “That’s what I love about you.” “Quick learner?” “Tough negotiator.”

Tatooine Ghost | Troy Denning | 2003 | Legends Universe

Part 66

Han shot her a don’t-push-it look, but said, “I don’t know what I’ve been thinking, acting like the Provisional Council is the whole government. Don’t expect me to sit down with Mon Mothma or Borsk Fey’lya anytime soon, but I’ve got too much on the table to turn my back on the New Republic now.” He thought for a moment, then frowned. “And you’re the biggest part of it, Leia. Nothing’s going to change that.” Leia grew almost dizzy—in the good way. “And I wouldn’t want it to.” Chewbacca groaned. Leia took Han’s hand and would have kissed him, except the Jawa was watching. “We have to try,” Han said.

Tatooine Ghost | Troy Denning | 2003 | Legends Universe

Part 65

“None of her business and in a minute.” Han kept his eyes fixed on Leia. “I thought you wanted to recover the painting. I want to recover it.” Leia stared at him. “Why, Han?” “Like I said, it’s a great painting.” Han glanced at the Jawa, clearly trying to decide how much he could reveal. “One I wouldn’t want the Imperials to have.” “Why, Han?” Leia repeated. “And I’m not talking about how useful the moisture-control device would be to them. I want to know why you wouldn’t want them to have it.” Comprehension dawned in Han’s eyes. “Because I don’t want it hanging in some Imperial admiral’s stateroom.” His tone was growing defensive, a sure sign that they were treading ground close to something he did not want to admit—perhaps something he did not even understand himself. “Didn’t I say that already?” “Not good enough,” Leia said. “You’re no longer a member of the New Republic government or military. What do you care if it falls into enemy hands?” “I care, okay?” Not even waiting for Leia to shake her head, Han continued, “I’ve been a nerfhead lately.” “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

Tatooine Ghost | Troy Denning | 2003 | Legends Universe

Part 64

Han turned to Leia. “You let them have Twilight?” Leia shrugged. “We had other things to worry about.” “Other things?” Han demanded. “After all I’ve been through to get it? After all we’ve been through? What could be more important than that?” “You, Han,” Leia said. “I told Chewie to take care of you and forget about the Squibs.” Han scowled, looking more disappointed than angry. “That wasn’t very smart, was it? Chewie’s the big one.” “Han—” “You should have sent him after the Squibs and stayed here to take care of me yourself.” Han did not seem to notice that Borno and Chewbacca had stopped talking and were now listening to him and Leia. “Maybe then you wouldn’t have collapsed—” “Han!” “Yeah?” “I did stay,” Leia said. “Stay where?” “Here, with you.” “You did?” Han’s scowl changed to one of confusion. “Then who was watching the Squibs?” Leia shook her head. “No one.” That seemed to take the efflux out of his nacelles. His jaw dropped and he stared off toward the sandcrawler for several moments, then finally asked, “So you just let the Squibs go after Twilight alone?” Leia nodded. “Because you were worried about me.” Leia nodded again. “Well…” For once in his life, Han seemed at a loss for words. Chewbacca groaned a suggestion. “Huh?” Han asked. Chewbacca added an explanation. “I suppose that is what you say.” Han turned to Leia. “Thanks.” “Don’t mention it.” Leia pasted on her most diplomatic smile, then gathered herself to rise, adding under her breath, “Nerf herder.”

Tatooine Ghost | Troy Denning | 2003 | Legends Universe

Part 63

She managed to down the entire bottle of bactade, though the chalky taste was so terrible she wondered if she would ever be able to enjoy a mud-colored drink again. Han, she was happy to see, had also finished his. “Another?” he challenged. Just the thought of bactade made Leia want to retch, but anything to keep Han healthy. She smiled and said, “Why not?” “Set ’em up, Chewie,” Han said. Chewbacca grumbled that this was no time for a drinking contest, then gestured across the cave floor toward Borno, who was ambling in their direction with a Jawa cradled in the crook of one huge arm.

Tatooine Ghost | Troy Denning | 2003 | Legends Universe

Part 62

Leia ignored them and, still shaken from her vision—or was this one only a dream?—she turned to Han. “How are you feeling?” “Awful. Head like a bantha stepped on it.” He jerked a thumb at Chewbacca. “And this furbag keeps trying to get me to drink stale mudwater.” Chewbacca groaned defensively. “I don’t care when you mixed it,” Han said. “It still tastes like mudwater.” “Mudwater or not, you need to drink it.” Leia was determined to keep Han healthy. She forced a smile and raised her bottle. “I will if you will.” Han looked as though he had just walked into a performance hall to find a Gamorrean dancer on stage. “Afraid?” Leia asked. “Yeah, right.” Han snatched the bactade from Chewbacca, but continued to eye Leia. At first, she thought he was just waiting for her to drink first, but when she raised her bottle, he made no move to follow. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “Nothing.” Han lifted the bottle to his lips and, still looking at her, spoke around the opening. “Just thinking you look hot in white.” Leia ran a hand through her hair and found it caked with sand and sweat. “Yeah—hot is right.”

Tatooine Ghost | Troy Denning | 2003 | Legends Universe

Part 61

Leia returned her attention to Han. The color was already coming back to his face, but she needed him to wake up. Drinking was the only way to get fluids into his body short of reattaching the hydration drip—which they no longer had. Leia leaned close to his face. “Listen up, nerf herder. I’m tired of doing all the heavy work around here.” She kissed him on the lips and began to feel dizzy—and not in the usual way. Han wasn’t the only one who needed to drink. “Come on, Flyboy. Time to wake—” Her vision narrowed, then Han’s eyelids fluttered open, and she willed herself to stay conscious. Leia smiled. “That’s better…” But his eyes weren’t looking at her. They were glassy and vacant, the pupils fixed and dilated. “Han!” She grabbed his shoulder and began to shake him. “Where do you think you’re going? Come back here!” As if obeying, a pair of white pinpricks appeared in the depths of his pupils. They rose toward the surface, swelling into tiny balls of pale flame and spilling out over the irises until they completely covered the eyes, two tiny suns crackling and hissing in a pair of dead empty sockets. “Han?”

Tatooine Ghost | Troy Denning | 2003 | Legends Universe

Part 60

The whine of the TIE faded. Leia put the water bottles away and called the Squibs from their hiding places, but Han didn’t want them banging his head on rocks and insisted he could walk on his own. Leia found herself regretting every excuse she had ever used for not learning to use the Force to levitate stubborn husbands. Han lasted almost a dozen steps before his eyes rolled up and he collapsed again. Leia reached out to catch him, instinctively using both arms, and now she really regretted not learning how to levitate things. Once she had recovered from the pain, they carried him, Grees and Sligh taking the front, Leia and Emala the rear.

Tatooine Ghost | Troy Denning | 2003 | Legends Universe

Part 59

Still listening to the sound, she raised Han’s goggles and opened his cloak—the closures were difficult to work with one hand—then emptied her water bottle onto his face and clothes. Hot as it was, the moisture would still have a cooling effect as it evaporated. Han’s eyes opened, glassy and unfocused, and he rasped, “Another bath already?” “Just a shower.” Unsure whether he was joking or hallucinating, Leia cradled his head in her lap and pulled the water bottle off his belt. “Can you drink?” “Got a Gizer?” “A little warm water.” “That’ll do.” Han grabbed her shoulder to pull himself up, then scowled when she winced. “What happened?” “Fast stop,” Leia said. “I separated my shoulder—not bad. I can still lift my arm.” Han nodded, then finally seemed to hear the whining TIE and glanced skyward. “Tell me it’s not your shooting arm.” “It’s not.” “Good. No worries.” He took the water bottle and swallowed a few gulps, then made a sour face. “You call that a little warm?”

Tatooine Ghost | Troy Denning | 2003 | Legends Universe

Part 58

“I said no.” Han glanced over at Leia. “I suppose you’re a part of this?” “This is the first I’ve heard of it, but—” “Yeah, sure.” Han shook his head. “You never give up, sweetheart. That’s one of the things I love about you.” “Han, if I said I wasn’t a part of this, then I wasn’t.” “Okay, so you weren’t part of it.” “But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea.” “It doesn’t mean it’s a good one,” Han said. “I know how this works, Leia. First I agree to go, then you work me over until I think going without you is the best idea I’ve ever had. I’ve seen you do that to planetary governments a hundred times. I don’t have a chance.” “You’re not a planetary government,” Leia said. “And I’m not trying to talk you into something you don’t want to do.”

Tatooine Ghost | Troy Denning | 2003 | Legends Universe

Part 57

Han rode ahead and off to one side. His pack beasts had become mounts for Chewbacca and the Squibs, so he did not have any extra dewbacks to lead. Still, the heat was taking its toll. He was wobbling and bouncing, and occasionally he struggled to stay in the saddle. Leia urged her dewback forward and drew alongside him. With his eyes and face hidden by his goggles and scarf, it was impossible to read his expression. But Leia could tell by the way his shoulders slumped and his chin drooped that he was not doing well. “Hey—” It hurt to talk, Leia’s throat was so dry. Han’s dark goggles swung in her direction. The slump vanished from his shoulders—a brave front for her benefit—but his chin continued to droop. Not a good sign. Leia held up a finger while she slipped her water bottle beneath her face coverings and drank. The contents were as hot as caf. “You remembering your water?” Han displayed the bottle in his hand and nodded listlessly. “If you’re trying to send me off to the Darklighters’ farm again, forget it.” His voice was too muffled to reveal anything more about his condition. “I’m not the one who sounds like a profogg… much.” Leia smiled behind her scarf and felt her lips crack. “I’ve given up.” That was a small exaggeration.

Tatooine Ghost | Troy Denning | 2003 | Legends Universe

Part 56

“That’s enough out of you three,” Han said. “I’m not going anywhere without Leia, understand?” Leia shook her head in frustration. “You’re impossible.” “Yeah? I’m not the only one.” An uneasy silence fell over the area as nearby Askajians politely averted their gazes and tried to pretend they had not overheard the argument. Leia sighed, then turned to Han and ordered, “Drink some water.” Han glanced over, not quite scowling, and said, “You, too.” They pulled their water bottles from beneath their cloaks, then tipped the necks toward each other in a silent toast. They drank together, the mystified Askajians watching and murmuring as they puzzled over erratic human behavior.

Tatooine Ghost | Troy Denning | 2003 | Legends Universe

Part 55

As they waited for the TIE to return, Leia glanced over and found Han waiting with his herding spear leaning against his leg and both hands braced on his saddle pommel. The muscles on the backs of his hands were trembling visibly. “Drink some water,” Leia said. “Just did.” Han straightened his back and patted the water bottle hanging beneath his cloak, then seemed to wobble in the saddle. “Why do you keep saying that?” “Because you’re looking a little shaky,” Leia said. “You shouldn’t be out in this heat, not so soon after yesterday.” “I don’t think the Imperials are giving us a choice,” Han said. “Except maybe a nice climate-controlled berth on the Chimaera.” Chewbacca groaned an opinion about that possibility. “I don’t care for how it would end, either.” Leia reached into her satchel and removed the vidmap Han had taken off his borrowed swoop before abandoning it, then called up a schematic of the area. “But the Darklighter Farm isn’t far.” “Not far at all,” Emala agreed from beneath her dewback. “You could be there in half a day at most, even by dewback.” “So?” Han demanded. “So you shouldn’t be out in this heat,” Leia said. “You haven’t recovered. I’m sure the Darklighters will hide you for a day or two.” “Us,” Han corrected. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”

Tatooine Ghost | Troy Denning | 2003 | Legends Universe

Part 54

The Wookiee, barely visible in the shadows beneath the dewback’s chest, was using the skirts of Han’s saddle to pull his weight off the straps. He caught Leia looking and flashed a friendly snarl to show he was doing fine. Han was sitting too upright, staring straight ahead with an artificial smirk across his lips, obviously aware that Leia was checking on him and just as obviously trying to appear stronger than he was. “Drink something,” she mouthed. Han raised a water bottle to his lips, then made a sour face and said, “You owe me some Gizer.”

Tatooine Ghost | Troy Denning | 2003 | Legends Universe

Part 53

Han glanced at his mount’s long tongue lapping water out of the basin, then whispered, “They’ve figured us out, Leia. They must have.” Leia nodded. “I think so.” Her stomach knotted with worry—not for herself, but for Han and Chewbacca. “I never imagined recovering the painting would lead to so much trouble. I feel terrible about the way I dragged you and Chewie into this.” “Yeah, like I’d rather be home wondering what’s happened to you.” Han looked at her from beneath his sand hood. His eyes were sunken and hollow. “Besides, you know I’m the only one who can get you out of this mess.” “Really?” Leia folded her arms across her wool-padded chest. “And you’re certain I need someone to rescue me right now?” Han waved a hand toward the Sidi Driss. “Yeah.” “You seem to have forgotten why we were there in the first place.” Leia spoke in a deliberately even voice. “I’m not the last one who needed rescuing.”

Tatooine Ghost | Troy Denning | 2003 | Legends Universe

Part 52

Han shook his head, then turned to Leia. “One more thing.” “I know.” She rose on her toes and kissed him hard and long. It was almost enough to make him forget what they were doing, especially when she finally stopped. “You love me.” “Yeah, that, too.” Han flashed her a scoundrel’s grin. “But what I really wanted to ask is did you remember to recharge my blaster?” Leia’s eyes started to flash, then she caught Han’s expression and got a pinched little smile. “What do you think?” She propped a hand on her hip. “Can we get on with it?”

Hi! I’m still new to the SW fandom and I’m starting to delve into the different books, but do you mind explaining the different types, like the difference between “legends” and “cannon?” does that refer to things published before the force awakens?? Or is there more to it; how many roughly are there?

Hello, and welcome to the fandom! 🎉 The universe of Star Wars content is huge and it can be as hard to navigate as an asteroid field, but I'll do my best to explain 🙂

The Legends vs Canon difference refers to content published before vs after Disney buying Star Wars (so we can call is BD/AD 😛).

Legends used to be known as the EU (Expanded Universe) before Disney bought Star Wars. It goes as far back as 1978 with the book Splinter of the Mind's Eye, which was a sort of unofficial sequel to ANH when they didn't know if ESB would get made! The EU was never sanctioned as canon by George Lucas, although he did offer his input and borrowed from what other authors had already done to maintain some consistency. It was re-labelled as Legends by Disney as a way to somewhat dilute the fandom regard of it as canon.

Canon, or Disney canon, refers to the continuity published by Disney. While it includes everything published after The Force Awakens, it also includes things that were published by Disney way before the movie's release, starting in 2014.

So you can think of it as two parallel universes. Both Legends and Disney canon have errors of consistency and, in my opinion, both are flawed.

As for how many books there are... oof, I don't think I can answer that question. Too many! But Wookieepedia thankfully has these amazing lists:

Full list of books (both Legends and Canon)

Timeline of Legends books

Timeline of Legends comics

Timeline of Canon books

Timeline of Canon comics

I hope that's useful!

~ @otterandterrier