"Han Solo, at your service." The rugged smuggler smirked at Harry, who nodded appreciatively in return.

"Harry Potter. Pleased to meet you." He gave a polite smile. Now shirtless and half-bandaged, he had his left arm raised over his head, as the immense Wookiee tended to him.

"Ow!" Harry exclaimed. RUAAAGH! Chewbacca roared in reply, startling Harry. Han laughed.

"Chewie here is used to patching me up, so he's learned not to tolerate any whining. Isn't that right, fuzzball?" Chewie nodded enthusiastically. RRRrrr-nfnfnfnf.

"Right…" Harry said, unamused, but still bewildered. Chewie stepped back, giving him a satisfied nod. Harry put his arm down, testing the wraps. Between those and the injections, he felt a world better than he had. He pulled his shirt down over his head, still cautious not to trigger any pain from his ribs.

"You look better kid. Where're you from?" Han asked, genuinely curious as to how anyone could still seem so shocked being inside a rusty old spacecraft like The Millennium Falcon. He had been ready to insist that it was an excellent ship, but was shocked when Harry was amazed with it anyways. Harry took a deep breath, pleased at the lack of any accompanying pain, and gestured at his surroundings.

"All this… I'm from a place without any of it." He stands up and looks around the room.

"We don't have spaceships in Great Britain. On my planet, sure we've been to space, but not much further than our own moon. I've seen things you probably couldn't believe, but this is all so foreign to me." Harry ran his hand over the paneling and the seat backs. He was in a starship.

"Listen, Kid… I've been all over the galaxy, and I ain't never seen a world with people that 'talk good' like you and I, who've also never seen a ship like this." Han's curiosity was well-masked by his skeptical tone. Chewie growled softly. Harry nodded, contemplating his response. He faced Han, a desperation weighing on his shoulders and solemnity on his face.

"Then imagine just how far from my home I really am." The concept bewildered Han for a moment before his practiced cynicism returned. Nevertheless, he wasn't about to patronize or debate this kid, there was a sense of maturity and responsibility about him that Han knew couldn't be faked. Wherever he was from, he'd probably seen a lot. Too much, maybe.

"Fair enough, Potter." Han casually replied.

"Why are we waiting here if the 'Empire' is around? You said you might know someone who can help me, shouldn't we get out as soon as possible?" Harry asked, all in one breath.

"They're probably watching for takeoffs. If I can wait them out, we can get out of here without a fuss, and without a fight. That's how I prefer to do things."

Harry nodded understandingly.

"Well, I'm going to run an engine check, make yourself at home." He gestured to the messy room with another insincere grin and ducked away into a corridor leading to the cockpit. Chewie stared at Potter with an abject sense of curiosity. Harry rubbed his arm, looking around, unsure what to do. chuckled nervously.

"I don't suppose you've got any games to pass the time around here?" In response, the massive wookie kicked a small, round, table nearby. The electronic apparatus hummed to life, like a holographic chess set, with monsters for pieces. Initially dazzled by the device, Harry quickly realized he had no particular fondness for outlandish chess games and backed away.

"No thanks, I'm not feeling a game of… alien… chess." He awkwardly sat down and twiddled his thumbs, as if he was in the waiting room of a dentist's office. Thoroughly amused, the Wookie chortled at Harry, Rrghghgh!


It didn't take the trio all that long to catch up to R2. Sneaky and crafty though it might be, the little droid couldn't outrun a landspeeder. Luke and Hermione had been discussing their plan, which basically boiled down to 'grab the pain-in-the-ass droid and keep going to Ben's, don't stop for anything until we're in front of his hut'. Luke was nervous as hell, and despite an admirable job of hiding it, Hermione could sense it.

In his own way, he reminded her of both Harry and Ron. For the moment, that was something of a comfort, making her smile without even realizing it. Her eyes were trained on the sliver of azure that lined the horizon, crushed down by the dark nighttime sky. Was Harry also on Tatooine? Was Ron? Hermione tried hard to think of a spell that would help her find them, but she felt fried. All she could do was hope that the old wizard had answers.

They tried to keep as silent as possible, speeding through the hostile territory. Large rock formations and small mountains whipped by as Luke guided the speeder through the wastelands. Only the droids could see the smattering of Tuskan raiders already taking note of the travellers. R2 let out a low worried whistle.


The steady thrum of the landspeeder had lulled Hermione to sleep. Volatile images of destruction and Death Eaters raged across her dreamscape. Through the chaos… a face was appearing, horrible and forbidden, peering through the heavy fog of battle. Hermione found her mind locked onto the hellish vision, unable to turn away. Even through shut eyes it was painfully clear… she heard screaming, louder, and louder, and only now- at the height of its terrible volume did she recognize it… as her own.

"VOLDEMORT!" She yelled, waking like a bolt of lightning, eyes wide with sudden anger and terror. Luke reached over and gently put his hand on her outstretched arm. After a moment she realized she was aiming her wand at an enemy no longer there. Luke slowly lowered her arm. Her eyes met his, finding an unspoken word of caution in his gaze.

"We're close, I think…" Luke gestured for her to stay put. He grabbed his hunting rifle and macrobinoculars from the back of the speeder. He nervously looked around before putting the device to his eyes, scanning the distance. After a moment, Hermione impatiently broke the silence.

"Luke! Do you see anything?"

"No… no, I don't think I've got the right ar-wait, I see a small building." He adjusted the controls on the macrobinoculars, putting the small building into focus. Hermione sat up straighter, eager for confirmation.

"It looks like a small hut; definitely not abandoned. It could definitely be his, I don't know…"

"You sure it's not a Tuskan's house?" She cautioned.

"Nah, Tuskan raiders tend to live in small tribal groups; more tents and lean-to's rather than huts and houses."

"That doesn't mean we're not being watched!" C-3po hissed, his electronic voice somehow managing to quiver. R2-D2 agreed with a series of urgent beeps.

"My macrobinoculars aren't picking up any of them too close to us. The nearest I saw were at least a good several hours out, especially since they were on foot." Luke clipped the device to his belt and hopped back in the landspeeder. It hummed to life at his input.

"We'll be the hut in a matter of minutes. Hang tight." He assured. Hermione nodded with a sense of relief.


The short ride to the foothills which the hut sat atop was, as promised, brief. Luke absentmindedly suggested 3po watch the speeder. The robot jerked in disbelief. Hermione stifled a chuckle. She reckoned the droid always looked surprised with those perfectly round eyes, but the unflinching expression was so perfect. It really did look aghast at Luke's suggestion. 3po didn't argue, surprisingly, but his permanent expression continued to 'fit' as the nervous droid looked around the dark and barren environment.

Luke's hunting rifle was already slung over his shoulder, and Hermione had her wand out; ready for anything, she hoped. The narrow footpath to the hut was steep and ridiculously unforgiving. Hermione seemed to take to the hike easier than Luke, who was by far more comfortable in a cockpit or on a flat plain. Give me heat, give me dust, but blast these stupid rocks. Luke was making every effort not to complain aloud around the attractive young witch.

What's a "voll d'mort"? Luke thought. He almost asked, as they stopped to get their bearings, and drink some water, but decided to quell his curiosity until a more appropriate moment. Tatooine's three moons flooded the Jundland Wastes with their silvery glow. Luke noticed the way it highlighted Hermione's features as she stared up the path, at their destination. Luke was taken, he thought she looked stunning.

Hermione noticed Luke's dumbstruck expression. She pursed her lips and gestured for them to continue up the path. Luke quickly re-focused and proceeded. Boys, she thought, even on a planet with two suns and three moons, they're still the same.

They reached top in short order, looking around, unsure of what to do right away. The property was relatively well kept and simple. The hut wasn't too big, but enough that Luke easily pictured an old mystic satisfied within its cozy confines. The path ended near the side of the hut, its entrance facing a spectacular view of the treacherous wastelands.

"Luke…" Hermione whispered. The dire sense of alarm in her tone was not lost on Luke; his rifle at the ready the instant he looked in her direction. She slowly gestured to the rock ridge behind the hut. Luke spotted the huddled figures immediately.

"Oh no…" He said, not bothering to whisper.

"What are they?!" she hissed, gripping her wand tighter.

"We're surrounded by Tuskan raiders… this is how they stage ambushes. They've probably been following us since we hit the Dune Sea." He cocked his rifle.

"Do we have a chance?" She asked as even more figures appeared around them. Luke traded a worried glance with her.

"How good are you with that stick?" Luke's question seemed almost rhetorical, reinforcing the hopelessness of their predicament. Despite that, it seemed to bolster Hermione's resolve. She smirked as the duo closed the distance between each other, now practically back to back. She held her wand at the ready, looking back over her shoulder at the anxious young farm hand.

"Very." The one word reply surged with confidence.