“I’ve got this,” Rey said giving Chewbacca a compassionate glance. “Go get some rest.”

Her voice was soothing, but still Chewbacca’s heart was breaking.

“Mrrh,” he gave with little more vigor than a whisper. Looking out into space from the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, the darkness was all-consuming, the emptiness matching the sadness of his soul, even though he felt as though he no longer had one.

“I know,” Rey offered and gave him a gentle nudge. “We’ll deal with Kylo Ren very soon,” she continued. “Until then, we need to find Luke.”

“Mrrharrhh!” Chewbacca howled. Kylo Ren would pay dearly for what he’d done.

He set down his headset and lumbered back to the game console. Everything reminded him of Han. Everything kindled a rage for Kylo Ren.

R2-D2 rolled up beside him. There was no need to scan the wookie. R2 already knew he was suffering.

“Wrrrp reep, brr orrrp,” the droid offered, but he received only silence. Chewbacca’s head was in his hands, his mane pouring down onto the game table like a muddy waterfall.

“Oo-oh,” R2 sighed and rolled closer to what Chewbacca expected was merely a friendly place beside him. It was then that the little hatch just above R2’s primary scanning lens popped open and an unopened bottle of the anCnoc 12-year-old arose. In that same moment, R2’s forward utility gate opened and out came his little mechanized claw holding a rock glass.

“Arrp orp errrp reeet rorrrt,” R2 explained and invited Chewbacca to take the gifts. Apparently Han had stashed the bottle and glass now on display not long after he and Leia separated. Unfortunately he was unable to retrieve it when R2-D2 went into hibernation mode, and now here it was – an accidental gift from Han to the only one with whom he’d ever consider sharing it – his truest friend, Chewbacca.

“Hmmph,” Chewbacca snorted as the sadness subsided for a bit. He took the bottle and pulled the cap clean without even unwrapping the foil. In an instant, the rock glass was half full.

Shortly the chamber filled with the familiar scent of dried cherries and honey drifting across the grassy hillside near his childhood home on Kashyyyk. In that moment, he was there, an untamed young wookie running and climbing and wrestling with friends.

He examined the dram before taking a sip. The console lights beyond it collected within, making it sparkle with brightness, like the first piercing beam of a Kashyyyk sunrise.

He went for a taste. The cherries were easy to find, as were cream-filled dark chocolates and chips of dried honeycomb.

The finish was an offbeat combination of something vegetal with a slightly bitter aftertaste from a reasonably sour grapefruit.

“Mrrahhrr,” Chewy called, took another quick sip, and thumped R2 in delight. It sounded like the lid being slammed shut on a garbage can. The little astrodroid didn’t appreciate the jarring, nevertheless he gave an affirming couple of whirs to show he was glad to have provided a moment of joy for a mourning wookie.

Chewy continued to sip the whisky. R2-D2 continued to stand guard. The sadness dissipated.

It was then that the hairiest of the two noticed the Jedi training ball that Luke and Obi Wan brought aboard many years ago when they first sought the Falcon for safe passage to Alderaan.

“Hrrlmf,” Chewy growled. Perhaps Kylo Ren wasn’t the only one to pay for Han’s fate. If it weren’t for Obi Wan and Luke approaching in Mos Eisley, both Han and Chewbacca never would have been woven into a saga which would see Leia give birth to Kylo Ren and eventually bring about the demise of the wookie’s best friend. Of course, Obi Wan was dead and well beyond blame’s reach, but they were currently en route to Skywalker.

“Mrrharrh,” Chewabacca howled and looked back into his twinkling glass. In this single grunt, it was decided that Chewbacca would wait by the Falcon once they arrive at Luke’s location, but he would be sure to have a “discussion” with the so-called Jedi master when the chance revealed itself.

“Marrhmf,” he said. In other words, he intended to be civil. “Mrraramf,” he added.

At this, R2-D2 rolled toward the cockpit. He figured he should let Rey know that Chewbacca might try to pull off Luke’s arms.