Shades of Gray
Author's Note: This is my very first Star Wars fanfict! This picks up towards the end of the fifth movie and follows the story line from there…with a few modifications. Enjoy!
Nov. 2009: I'm the process of editing this fanfict, so stay tuned for new and revised chapters!
Disclaimer: Star Wars © George Lucas; Veraxia Solo and any other O/Cs I might add are © Kira V.
Chapter One: Introductions
I crept through the halls of Cloud City, looking about for a hallway that seemed promising. My black cloak swirled around me as I darted past a room full of stormtroopers. I was close, and I couldn't afford to be caught. Not when his life was at stake.
Perhaps I should introduce myself. My name is Veraxia Solo, younger sister of the famous Han Solo. I'd come to Bespin when a contact of mine informed me that Lando Calrissian had turned traitor and was planning on handing my brother over to Darth Vader. Naturally, I wasn't going to sit back and let Han have all of the fun, so here I was, in Cloud City, trying to find him and warn him before the trap was sprung. And if I came across anything that would be of use to the Rebel Alliance, then so much the better.
I emerged into an intersection of sorts, where several hallways connected. There were a few people about, but I moved briskly, keeping my head lowered. Things were going smoothly, and I could see through an open door a room with several files and papers. Perhaps this could shed light on the whole mess? I headed towards it, but froze as some inner sense signaled danger. Glancing about warily, I saw nothing. And then I heard the sound of mechanical breathing from behind.
I spun around, startled, and found myself face to face with Darth Vader. He was much more foreboding in person, a dark, menacing air about him. Without conscious thought, I found myself taking a couple steps back.
"Identify yourself," the black specter spoke in a voice that was both apathetic and chilling, "and state your purpose for being here."
"Well actually, I was about to leave," I replied, backing away even more.
"Not so fast." He advanced towards me, helmeted gaze tilted downward in my direction. "You haven't answered any of my questions. How did you get in here, anyway? The doors to this area of the building have high security measures in place to prevent people like you from wandering in here."
"I have my ways." I'd actually gotten in by ambushing a stormtrooper and using his armor to sneak in with the others, but I doubted I'd be that lucky this time. This run-in with Darth Vader had come at an incredibly bad time, and I knew I had to get out of here while I still could. I launched myself forward in a rolling dive that sent me past Vader. I leapt to my feet…and found myself staring into the barrel of an Imperial stormtrooper's gun. I heard the sound of several other guns being raised and knew that I was surrounded. A pity I'd discarded that stormtrooper's armor.
"Don't shoot," Darth Vader said from behind me. "At least, not for now."
"Put your hands up and turn around real slow," the man who had me at gunpoint ordered. I started to comply, but once I turned around, the game would be up and I was certain that some of the things that I carried on my person would be of great interest to the Empire. It was time to act.
It was a quick matter to throw the main stormtrooper's aim off, and then I dived to the floor, executing a quick somersault that got me past him and the semicircle of stormtroopers. And then I was off, streaking towards the end of the hall, where an open door stood beckoning with its tantalizing closeness. Blaster shots sounded from behind, but none hit me. I put on an extra burst of speed, doing my best to avoid the ever increasing number of shots fired in my direction. Suddenly, the door in front of me slammed shut. I skidded to a halt and turned in time to see Vader lower his hand.
"Answers first."
I hesitated, debating the wisdom of risking another pass through Darth Vader and the stormtroopers. Then I caught sight of a corridor to my right and dashed towards it. Unfortunately, a well aimed shot by a stormtrooper caught me in the arm. I would've probably kept going, but at that moment, something picked me up and suspended me in the air. I could feel a constricting sensation around my throat, and just when I started struggling to breathe and began blinking black spots back from my vision, the pressure eased and I was hurled backwards. I smashed into the wall before falling to the ground and landing heavily on my ankle.
By the time I had fought back the pain enough to look up, Darth Vader had reached me. "Get up," he ordered.
I started to push myself upright, but my arm and ankle cried out in protest. Vader must have signaled to the stormtroopers, because two stepped over and hauled me upright. I could feel blood trickling down my arm; a quick glance showed that it was already seeping through my shirt.
With the stormtroopers holding me, my cloak was pushed back a bit more to reveal my entire ensemble. My shirt was white, loose-fitting, and long sleeved. It was worn along with black pants and boots; a belt, casually slung about my waist, carried my main weapons. Darth Vader stood over me, no doubt displeased with my actions, but then he caught sight of one of the weapons on my belt.
"A lightsaber?" he hissed in surprise. "You're a Jedi?"
"No, I'm a stormtrooper," I replied sarcastically. Despite the casual tone in my voice, my mind was racing. I had to get out of here and warn Han as quickly as I could. But quick is a hard thing to manage when you're injured, surrounded by stormtroopers, and have a Dark Lord of the Sith in your face. It was bad enough that my arm was hurt; now my ankle was throbbing too. I was fairly certain that I'd have a trouble supporting my own weight, let alone attempt a successful escape.
Vader raised his hand, and my lightsaber slipped from my belt to his hand. He carefully activated it and examined the blade. It was a dark purple-black, intermixed with hints of red and light blue. "I've never seen anything like this before. What did you say your name was?"
"I didn't."
"I know." I didn't like his tone, and briefly wondered if Han was worse off than me right now. But I didn't have much time to dwell on this because Darth Vader was speaking again, this time to the stormtroopers. "Bring the girl and follow me." He strode down the hallway in the direction I'd initially been headed. The stormtroopers dragged me behind him, though I resisted as best as I could. Admittedly, this wasn't the probably smartest thing to do, especially since the stormtroopers had my arms secured behind my back and my ankle was threatening to give out on me. You have to give me some credit, though—I certainly did not make life any easier for the stormtroopers. Of course, I got a few more bruises than necessary, but that was only to be expected.
I was half dragged down several hallways until arrived in front of a large, foreboding looking door. Though somewhat grateful for the brief reprise, I couldn't help the feeling of apprehension creeping across me. The swoosh of the door was barely audible, but filled me with unease none the less. Darth Vader entered, my escorts dutifully following, and the door slid to an ominous shut. I swallowed nervously. This was shaping up to be a very long day…
***
A few hours later, I was taken to some sort of prison, barely conscious. Though Vader had started to question me, I hadn't told him anything important, like my name, my affiliation, my purpose—basically all of the answers he wanted. Instead, I'd settled for sarcastic responses and mocking expressions. Not my wisest idea, but it bothers me when my adversaries have the upper hand.
Anyway, I was dumped without ceremony onto the floor, which didn't help my state in the slightest. In addition to my badly twisted ankle and injured arm, I suspected I'd gained a few bruised ribs. Not fun. The door slammed behind me, and I raised my head cautiously to look around. Two figures were looking in my direction, and though I couldn't make out their faces, I could tell by their silhouettes that there was a female human and a Wookiee. A sinking feeling crept over me, for there was only one Wookiee that I knew of that would've come here. What was it Darth Vader had said about forty-five minutes before my interrogation had ended? "If you'll excuse me, I have an important appointment to keep…" I was too late.
I lowered my head in defeat, wishing I hadn't been so careless. I should've been more observant and just have stuck with the air ducts. Soft footsteps approached me, and I glanced up warily. I recognized the female as Princess Leia Organa, though I didn't know her very well. I did know, however, that she was a friend of the Rebels and that she'd accompanied Han Solo to Cloud City.
Leia knelt beside me, examining my injuries. "Come here, Chewbacca. Help me move her to that ledge." Chewbacca obliged and carefully picked me up. I groaned as he jostled my ankle and side, and he paused and sniffed my hair before letting out a grunt of surprise.
"What is it?" Leia asked, glancing at Chewbacca curiously. He let out a few more grunts, but she didn't seem to understand.
"He knows me," I wearily interpreted for her.
Leia looked surprised as she followed Chewbacca to one of the ledges that I assumed served as a bed. He set me down, and then leaned against the wall as Leia stepped forward. "Who are you?" Leia asked in a friendly tone.
I decided that I could trust her, seeing that Han apparently had, and replied, "Veraxia Solo."
"Solo?" she exclaimed in surprise. "Do you mean to say that you're related to Han Solo?"
"Yes. I'm his younger sister. You're Leia, right?"
"Yes," she replied, looking slightly taken aback. "What happened to you?"
"Darth Vader didn't care too much for my attitude," I answered grimly. "I was trying to warn Han about a trap, but I think it's too late for that now."
"Well, I appreciate your attempt to help us," Leia said, glancing at Chewbacca. He made a sound of approval in answer to her unasked question. I assumed it concerned my trustworthiness and closed my eyes, trying to shut out the pain that threatened to overwhelm me.
"Did you see Han at all?" I opened my eyes and saw Leia looking at me with eyes full of concern and worry. "No, sorry," I answered. After a few moments of silence had passed, I asked, "How did you all get in here?"
Leia described the disastrous "meal" in which they'd discovered that Lando had turned her and the others over to Darth Vader. Chewbacca let out a large grumble, and I smiled.
"What did he say?" Leia asked curiously.
"That it was hardly a meal, and he's still hungry." Chewie nodded in agreement.
Leia rolled her eyes. "I can't say I'm surprised."
We lapsed into a companionable silence, and I found myself drifting in and out of consciousness. I wasn't sure how much time had passed when the door opened again. Two guards walked in, supporting a figure between them. A figure I knew very well…
Han Solo—smuggler, Rebel ally, and much loved older brother—staggered forward. As the guards turned and left, he collapsed to the ground. Instantly, Leia was at his side. I desperately wanted to be there, but I could barely maintain my grip on reality, let alone leap forward and rush to my brother's side. I could only look on as Leia assisted Han to another one of the stone ledges and carefully helped him sit down.
"Are you all right?" she asked quietly.
"I've been better," he admitted. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.
"Han?" I called softly.
His eyes snapped open, and he glanced around warily before catching sight of me. "Veraxia? What the heck are you doing here? What happened to you?"
"Funny you should ask. But what happened to you?"
Han dropped his gaze. "Nothing you need to worry about." I rolled my eyes, but he didn't see me. With Leia's help, he got back up and made his way slowly over to me. "Veraxia, what am I going to do with you? I turn my back for moment, and you almost get yourself killed!"
"More like a few years," I muttered.
Han sighed. "I know." He glanced away for a moment before looking back. "You've grown a lot since the last time I saw you."
"It's called puberty," I replied with a laugh, then winced.
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault." I noticed that Leia was listening intently to our conversation and said, "Looks like you've found yourself a girl, Han."
"I found one," Han agreed, just as Leia burst out, "I'm hardly his girl!"
Han frowned in Leia's direction and then glanced at me. I smiled up at him as innocently as I could. "So what do we do now?"
"Let's see how you all are doing and then we'll take it from there," Leia answered.
"I thought you didn't like bossy females," I whispered to Han with a small smile.
"I grew up with you, remember? I can handle her." That comment gained him an angry look from Leia as she helped him back to the other ledge.
While Leia examined Han's injuries, I decided to try and determine my limits. Slowly, I started to sit up, but the sudden burst of pain caused me to black out. I came to a few seconds later and decided to try again, but with a bit more caution. It didn't work too well, and though I managed to sit up partially, the pain was unbelievably excruciating. I fell back with a gasp, which did not make things better at all. As my body collapsed back onto the stone ledge, I gave up and passed out. Some things just aren't worth the trouble.
A/N: If you actually liked this story, I would consider adding it to your story alert list; not that I need an ego boost, but b/c it'll be a while before I update again (school and evil homework…). Reviews are nice, too (and helpful!). Verax is Latin for "truth".