THE RETURN OF HAN SOLO CHAPTER 2

"We can't take him with us." Irr argued, with a wave of his arm. "We'll be lucky to get off here ourselves before it's blown."

Alcy continued to gather medical supplies from around the med unit, grabbing air syringes, vials of pain medication and surgical instruments. She placed all that along with two extra tanks of oxygen on the lower shelf of the gurney where Han lay. "If he's here, it stands to reason others are." She looked at Han once more… "He must have been one of their commanders."

"Then why try so hard to save his life if he was here to help blow us to hell?!"

"I don't take sides…I take care of the casualties the sides leave." Alcy said bitterly as she grabbed bags of anti-bac and fluid, stashing them on the lower shelf with the other supplies. Just then another, stronger bombing impact shuttered the facility.

"I've heard stories all my life of the Rebellion. They've fought for years to protect planets' freedoms the Empire seeks to rule. You have to admire that, and I'd rather be with the ones who are trying to build something than the ones who want only to destroy and dictate." Alcy said as she finished placing items in the boxes.

"Let's check for broken bones before you strap him down for transport, I was too busy just trying to keep him alive." She and Irr rotated Han's ankles, bent his knees, pressed down on his hip bones, bent his wrists and elbows…finishing by checking his neck. "He's in pretty good shape for an old man…he sure was lucky." Irr commented as he began placing and securing the straps over Han's body.

Alcy looked up, straight into Irr's eyes.."Maybe it wasn't luck." She commented cryptically as she placed a medi-reader on Han's arm…"I'll see at a glance his temperature, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and heart rate." She looked around, her eyes stopping on Han's clothes….and blaster. "Get those. He'll need them later. We've got to go NOW!. Take the other end." Irr stashed the bundled clothes and weapon, then grabbed the foot end of the table and together they wheeled Han through the door.

"Which way?" Irr asked when they were in the hallway.

"To the left, toward the flight deck. We'll get a ship there. You can fly can't you?"

"Medi-vac ships. All med-techs were required to know how to fly."

Alcy nodded and they began moving toward the lift…..

"Punch up to level fourteen." Alcy said, watching the unconscious Han and medi readings closely.

"I just hope we don't run into anyone up there." Irr stated.

The closed lift didn't muffle the growing sounds of battle as they rose, and a powerful blast caused the lights to flicker…. the lift moaned and slowed…. "Don't stop…don't stop…" Irr begged as he placed his hand on the wall.

The crawl upward was slow, but after what seemed an eternity, the lift stopped and the doors

slid open.

The med-tech stuck out his head and scanned the massive, almost empty flight decks and seeing on one, he nodded to the doctor and they guided the gurney out and toward a cluster of service ships.

"That one." Alcy said, pointing with a nod of her head.

"That's a mid-sized freighter. Thought we were taking him off on a medi-vac."

"No, the freighter will have food, water and other supplies we'll need. Besides, a freighter

will have trade routes programmed on the navi-consoles…we'll find a place."

Moving steadily toward the ship, they were stopped by a loud voice yelling 'HALT'!

The doctor and med-tech looked warily at each other, then stood still.

The Officer's booted footfalls clicked and echoed across the shadowy macreet floor as he made

his way to where they stood.

"Who are you?" He asked, patronizingly.

"I'm Dr. Revidian and this is med-tech Doman."

The stern officer was silent.

"Is this," he nodded to the blanket covered gurney, "a casualty?"

"Yes." Alcy answered, showing no apprehensiveness.

"Are you sure it isn't someone you are trying to sneak off this facility under the guise

of a patient?" The officer sneered, scanning their white lab coats.

Alcy stiffened and said. "Come take a look." She took the edge of the blanket and pulled it out from under the straps, down to just below Han's navel."

The officer took a step closer to look and couldn't stop a gasp that uttered from his lips when he

saw the black hole in Han's abdomen.

"That's not a battle wound….that, most likely, had to be done by the monster you serve under. Kylo Ren. Eveyone's seen that light saber he wields." Alcy told him.

Just then, sparks from a near direct proton hit sprayed over the floor and they all ducked,

cowing until the sparks died out.

"Why are you bringing him up here?" The officer demanded, regaining his composure.

"There are some things I need from the Medi-vac ship."

"Wouldn't it have been better to keep the patient in the med center and have the tech come up and get them?"

"A waste of precious time. Waiting for him to come up here and then back to the unit."

The officer bit his lip, thinking, suspicious…

'DECK OFFICER…SCRAMBLE FIVE FIGHTERS IMMEDIATELY!" Came the order over the intercom.

The man looked toward the deck station, then back at Alcy….undecision on his face.

"You better go do your master's bidding or you may suffer the same fate as this man."

The doctor told him.

The Officer turned and took off at a near run to the station to carry out the order.

Alcy checked the readings on Han's arm. "Let's get him aboard quickly and leave!"

They moved as fast as they dared to the freighter. Irr climbed into the ship, soon finding

the release on the cargo loading ramp.

Together, they maneuvered Han up the ramp and into the ship. "Secure the gurney with those cargo straps." Alcy grabbed the first one. "Then get powered up and fly in the opposite direction from the fighters."

As they finished the strapping, another powerful hit shook the freighter in a blinding

flash of firey sparks and white light.

"Go…go!" Alcy yelled.

MORE…. JUNE 8th