Luke made the final adjustments to the controls as Han slid into the co-pilot's seat. They were headed back to base on Chandrila, the final supply run of their trip about to be completed upon their return. The ship roared as they took off into the sky, cutting thru thick clouds of the planet's atmosphere before entering into the darkness of space. The ship continued its ascent, easily gaining towards the cruising altitude in which they could make the jump to hyperspace. The planet glowed beneath them, fading into the distance slowly. This should be an easy flight home Han thought to himself as he looked out into the vast distance in front of them.
His thoughts were quickly cut short as a loud bang shook the ship, the metal hull vibrating around them. The cockpit shook violently as Luke grasped the ship's controls tightly.
"What in the hells was that?" Luke yelled.
"Someone is firing at us. Get up!" Han bellowed back at Luke as he jumped from the co-pilots chair. Luke quickly leapt from the pilot's chair, allowing Han to take over the controls. His arm stretched above him and flipped a set of toggle switches, a long row of lights on the panel flickering to life.
"We're still too close to planet. We can't make the jump to lightspeed yet. We're going to have to try and lose them until we are free of the gravitational pull" Han exclaimed, his brow furrowed.
The ship took another hit from a laser blast, rocking violently. The cabin lights flickered, darkness enveloping them for a moment before the cockpit re-illuminated. Several buttons on the control panel began flashing, a loud beeping echoing thru the cockpit. Han slammed his palm against a row of flashing buttons, the warning alarm ceasing abruptly. Silence fell around them for a moment before the roar of ship engine overtook them from above. A small freighter could now be seen in front of them, speeding into the distance. Luke and Han both stared at the ship, intensively studying it for a moment.
"That's not an Imperial ship. There's no markings. Who is after us?" Luke's voice was heavy with worry and confusion.
Han studied the ship for a second longer as it arched in the distance in front of them, turning to make its way back in their direction.
"Pirates..." Han muttered, a look of concern crossing his face. "They're coming back to attack. Luke, get to the gunner hold!" he yelled out.
Luke turned quickly and sprinted from the cabin as Han ripped a headset from a hook on the control panel. He placed it on and could hear radio static. Luke's voice cracked thru the white noise, alerting Han he had reached his position.
"Han, can you read me?"
"Loud and clear. Alright, kid. Deflector shield is up. You got to fire on them as soon as you can. They're going to play dirty" Han instructed to Luke.
Han was all too familiar with how pirates operated. He knew that they would try to disable to ship enough and then seize the opportunity to board. I hope to gods this Alliance ship can pull off a miracle. He wished he had his own ship, he knew the Falcon could easily outrun them, having done it many times before in his smuggling days.
The enemy ship was approaching them quickly as Luke fired off the first round in their direction, laser blasts hitting the top the the ship, small explosions igniting in the dark sky. The pirates returned blasts towards them as Han maneuvered out of the direct line of fire. The Alliance ship felt clunky and slow compared to the Falcon, Han struggling to make the quick turns he was accustomed to being able to do. Luke narrowed his eyes before squeezing off another few rounds, the pirates ship was agile and easily dodged the laser fire.
"We're going to have to try and make a break for it, kid" Han shouted over the head set. "There's no way we are going to get a direct hit on them".
"Alright. I'll keep on them to try and buy us some time" Luke responded, his voice interrupted by the sound of the laser cannon as he continued to fire in the pirate's direction.
Han attempted to veer starboard before regaining speed to get them out of there. The engines whined loudly as the ship rocked to the side, shaking violently. They had taken a serious hit, the ship no longer able to maintain altitude. Han felt his stomach drop as he pushed against the controls as hard as he could, the ship's engines sputtering around him. Come on you hunk of junk hold it together his mind screamed. The control panel flashed various colors of warning signals in front of him as he tried to regain control of the ship.
"Start the landing cycle, there's no way we are going to re-gain any altitude" Luke yelled over the radio.
Han reached up above him and flipped a switch, activating the cycle, placing little faith in that it would do anything to save them. The engines groaned as the darkness of space faded above them as they began to re-enter the planet's atmosphere, clouds swirling around them. The ship showed little sign of slowing down as it began crashing thru the tree tops, the loud sound of branches scraping and snapping against the metal as the ship tore it's way towards the surface.
I don't want to die right now. I finally have something to live for, thoughts of Leia flashed thru Han's racing mind. The ship crashed into the planet's surface with a massive thud. Han's forehead smashed against the control panel in front of him. His ears rang as pain washed over him, his head throbbing as silence fell around them. Han pushed himself back into the pilot's chair, dazed as he looked around him. His hand reached to his forehead, his fingers feeling a deep split in his skin. He pulled his hand away and looked down at his fingers. His fingertips were covered in blood. His head spun as he tried to make sense of things for a moment.
"Luke! Where are you?" Han cried out as he attempted to stand up. A wave of dizziness overtook him, his hands steadying himself against the control panel. He picked his head up and took a deep breath. I have to find out if Luke is alright. He staggered from the cockpit and made his way to the gunning station. He saw Luke slumped over the controls. Oh gods. He grabbed the back of Luke's shirt, pulling his motionless body back in the chair.
"Wake up, Luke! Come on buddy!" Han screamed, his hand firmly tapping against Luke's cheek. "Luke!".
Luke's eyelids parted slightly, his body returning to consciousness. He let out a low groin as he shifted his legs in front of him. Luke's hand reached towards his eyes and rubbed them, a dazed and confused look on his face.
"Where are we?" Luke asked, his voice sounding as if it was a million parsecs away.
Han stared at him, his heart racing in his chest. He's alive he thought, trying to calm himself down. His head still was spinning as he stepped back from Luke, pressing his back against the wall to steady himself.
"We got shot down, kid" he muttered, his speech slurred slightly. A wave of dizziness overtook him as he fought to remain standing.
Luke picked his head up from the chair and looked towards Han. He noticed Han was leaning against the wall, his head hanging towards the floor, his body slightly swaying, fighting to stay upright.
"Han, are you okay?" Luke asked, his concern growing as he noticed drops of blood scattered across the floor of the gunner hold.
Han picked his head slightly up towards Luke in attempt to tell him he was fine, even though he could barely see straight. Luke saw Han's forehead smeared in scarlet blood, a deep bruise forming now on his right cheek, a swirl of deep purple and blue.
"Shit, Han, you're bleeding" Luke exclaimed as he pulled himself from the chair.
"I know" Han mumbled as his hand reached behind him to the wall, attempting to steady himself.
Luke grabbed Han under his arms and guided him as he slid down the wall to sit on the floor. Luke looked around the gunner station for anything he could use to suppress Han's bleeding. He looked down to the edge of his shirt and grabbed it in his fingers, tearing the fabric quickly and pressing it against Han's forehead.
Han winced, his eyes squeezing tightly shut as Luke applied pressure against the wound. Luke knelt in front of Han for a few minutes before lifting the makeshift rag from his forehead. He pulled the bloodied fabric away and examined Han's wound.
"Looks like the bleeding has slowed down. How are you feeling?" Luke asked.
"Like complete bantha shit" Han weakly chuckled. He no longer felt dizzy, but his body now ached all over. He could only imagine how hard he must have slammed into the control panel upon impact for such a deep ache to already be setting in. He stretched his legs out in front of him as Luke sat down on the floor across from him.
"You alright?" Han asked. He looked at Luke and didn't see any noticeable wounds on him.
"Yeah, I'm fine". Luke replied.
"We need to get out of here. Where's your comm?" Han had a sense of urgency in his voice. He knew the pirates would find the downed ship soon enough.
Luke fumbled for his pocket and pulled out his comm. Han stretched out his hand for it as Luke shot him a forbidding look.
"Han, take it easy. I'll take care of this" Luke switched the comm on and spoke calmly into it.
"General Rieeken, please respond, it's Commander Skywalker".
A crackle of static broke thru as Rieeken's voice responded.
"Commander Skywalker, we lost all transmissions to your ship. Everything okay?"
"We've been shot down. We need help".
"Are you and General Solo injured? Where is your location?" Rieekan quickly asked.
The hum of a ship engine above the trees echoed around them. Han looked up and grabbed Luke's arm, pulling him from the floor with him.
"They're back. Run, kid!" Han yelled.
Luke released the button on the comm, cutting the transmission short and taking off after Han down the hallway of the ship. They rounded the corner and noticed the metal hull of the ship was crushed inwards, blocking their exit. Peaks of light poked thru the twisted metal as Luke reached for his light saber, activated it, and pressed it against the tangle mess of metal. The metal glowed red as he quickly drew the blade against it before deactivating the weapon. Luke took a step back and Han kicked his boot against it, an opening appearing in front of them. Luke jumped thru first, followed by Han, both men running as fast as they could thru the forest that surrounded them.
Fallen branches and leaves crunched under their boots as they sped thru the woods. They ran towards an area of thick underbrush, the trees becoming closer together, large ferns and bushes now surrounded them. The hum from the pirate's ship faded in the distance as they made their way further into the thick underbrush, their running slowing as Luke and Han pushed aside branches to make their way deeper into the covering. Luke spotted a large fallen tree in front of them and pointed silently, looking over his shoulder at Han. Han nodded as he followed Luke as he picked up his pace. The men climbed over the weathered moss covered bark of the fallen tree and kneeled down behind the large trunk, their chests rising and falling quickly, attempting to catch their breaths.
"Why'd they come back?" Luke quietly whispered to Han.
"They wouldn't go to all that trouble of shooting us down to go home empty handed". Han replied, his voice low.
Han rose slightly and peered over the top of the log, his fingers curled around his blaster. He could make out thru the branches that the pirate's ship had now landed in a clearing near the wrecked ship. Figures were moving around wreckage in the distance. They were far enough away that he could not hear their voices or make out any specific details of their appearances. He watched them for a moment longer, noticing that some of the figures already had crates of the Alliance cargo in their arms, walking towards their own ship with them. He knelt back down behind the fallen tree and looked at Luke.
"Hopefully they just take what they can get and leave" Han whispered.
"Aren't they going to wonder where the crew of the ship is?" Luke asked.
"Probably not. We aren't worth anything to them". Han hoped he was correct. He wasn't sure what the distant figures were capable of, if they would even bother to look for them. He had encountered pirates before, but always had managed to escape before the Falcon ever ended up in this situation.
Han and Luke remained silent as the minutes passed, each one longer than the last. The sound of a ship engine roared in the distance. Han peeked over the edge again and noticed the figures had disappeared from the wreckage. They must have gotten all they could he thought to himself. The pirate's ship hovered above the ground. Han crouched back behind their cover. The sound of the ship grew louder, the leaves on the trees above them began to swirl and rustle as a strong downdraft from the approaching ship stirred the air around them.
"Get low" Han ordered to Luke as he grabbed Luke's sleeve and pulled him down towards the forest floor. Han lay as close to the ground as he possibly could, the sound of the ship rumbling directly over them now was almost deafening. The ship's engines let out a long whine before deepening, the ship shooting above the treetops before disappearing completely into the cloudy atmosphere.
Luke lifted himself from the ground, the front of his tattered shirt now covered in mud. Han pulled himself up, equally as dirty as Luke's and looked towards the sky.
Luke picked his head up at the sky in the direction Han was looking in, squinting as he studied the clouds above them. "Are they gone?"
"I think so" Han replied, breathing a slight sigh of relief. He turned and climbed over the fallen tree trunk that had provided them cover and began to walk back thru the underbrush towards their downed ship. He paused for a moment, his view now clearer of the wreckage and took in the sight of how bad of condition the ship actually was in. The front of the ship was angled into the dirt, the damp earth spattered up against the sides. Twisted metal swayed in the breeze, the top and sides of the hull marred in laser burns.
Han looked behind him towards Luke who had made his way closer, now only a few feet behind him, his steps slowing as he took in the wreckage.
"I can't believe we are okay" Luke sighed, the full effect of how unlikely the odds were that they had both walked away relatively unharmed from such a crash setting in.
"You and me both" Han replied.
Luke fumbled for his pocket again, retrieving his comm.
"General Rieekan, do you copy?"
A hiss of static broke thru from the comm as Rieekan's voice returned the transmission.
"Commander Skywalker! What is going on?" Rieekan's voice was heavy with concern.
"General Solo and I are fine. We need a transport".
"What condition is your ship in?" Rieekan asked.
"Totaled" Luke responded, taking a quick glance in the direction of the ship, still shocked.
Luke finished his conversation, sending Rieekan the rough coordinates of where they had landed before deactivating the comm. Han and Luke were left in silence, other than than a gentle breeze swaying the trees above them and leaves stirring on the forest floor.
The sound of a ship's engine roared in the distance as Luke responded to his comm. A pilot's voice rang out
"Commander Skywalker? Do you copy? General Solo? This is Green 7. Do you copy?"
"Glad to finally hear from you!" Luke responded as he looked towards the sky, making out an Alliance ship above the trees. He waved an arm above him, hoping the pilot would notice them thru the thick tree cover below.
"Hold on for a minute, I will circle around to a clearing to land for you" the pilot radioed back.
The Alliance rescue ship returned to the base on Chandrila safely. Han followed Luke down the ramp into hangar, happy to be back in a familiar space. Han's head still throbbed, the front of his shirt still damp with mud, drops of dried blood peppering various spots of the dirty fabric. His whole body was sore, his cheek puffy and bruised, now a deep purple beneath the swelling. Luke paused and looked towards Han, noticing how beat up he looked under the strong hanger lights.
"You want me to come with you to the med bay?" Luke inquired, concerned with the condition Han was in.
"Nah. I want a hot shower and a long nap on my own ship right now" Han responded.
Luke nodded. "I'll check up on you later" he added, hoping Han would take him up on his offer to receive medical attention. He knew trying to convince Han of anything that was of no interest to him was a losing battle and watched as Han turned and made his way towards the Falcon, a slight limp in his step.
Han walked up the ramp of the Falcon, his feet heavy under him, every joint in his body aching, his temples still throbbing. He walked into the lounge and called out for Leia, hoping she was somewhere nearby.
"Leia? Are you here?" His voice echoed thru the empty ship. She's not here...Why is she gone? I wish my princess was here.
He began down the hallway to the bunk, longing to just fall into his comfortable bed, forgetting all about a shower. Even though it was a short distance, it seemed like it took an eternity for him to reach the doorway. He palmed open the door to the bunk, kicking his boots off before falling into bed. He hardly cared that he was covered in mud and blood, the soft pillows were too welcoming for him to leave them, a deep sleep quickly overcoming him.
Leia made her way across the hanger and up the Falcon's ramp. She entered the lounge and immediately noticed caked mud and bits of leaves across the metal grating of the floor. What in the hells? she thought to herself as she followed the clumps and smears of dirt down the hallway to the bunk. She pulled her blaster out of her bag and wrapped her fingers around the handle, her pointer finger laying gently across the trigger. She was unsure of what might be waiting on the other side of the door, her free hand slowly reaching up to palm the door open. She pointed her blaster in front of her as the door hissed open. She relaxed slightly as she saw Han face down in the pillows, snoring loudly. His body was diagonal on the bed, his legs dangling from the edges. She set her blaster down on the table along with her bag as she stepped closer to him, noticing that the back of his shirt was dirty and tattered, as if it had been snagged against branches.
She sat at the edge of the bed and placed her hand against the back of his shoulder, shaking him slightly. His head rolled slightly to the side from the pillows, exposing part of his injured face. A wave of shock overcame her, her hand shaking his shoulder again, this time harder in order to break him from his sleep.
"Han! Wake up!" she declared, a look of worry crossing her face.
He let out a low groan as he rolled to his side, pulling his legs onto the bed fully. Leia could now see the full condition of his injury. Dried blood was caked against his forehead, his cheek swollen and discolored. His eyes opened slightly, blinking slowly in the dim light. He seemed slightly disoriented as he looked towards her. Leia was stunned at his condition, her mind racing of what could have possibly happened that led him to look the way he did, wondering if Luke shared a similar fate as him. She placed her hand against Han's arm and looked intently at him for a second. She searched within herself. Luke is alright, I can feel it she thought to herself, a slight peace coming over her. Her attention focused back onto Han.
"Don't move, I'm going to get the med kit" she instructed to him as she quickly rose from the bed.
She dashed down the hallway to the storage closet. Han lay there, his mind foggy. He attempted to stretch his legs back out, his muscles screaming in pain as he moved. He rolled to his back as his fingers fumbled for a blanket, his body shivered even though the bunk was warm. He gave up his attempt for the blanket, it being too far away from him to get a good grasp on it. He raised his hands up to his forehead to push away his hair, his fingertips brushing against his wound, pain shooting thru his head, reminding him that he was injured. Leia stepped back into the bunk and saw Han had shifted his position in the bed. She sat back down on the edge of the bed near him, the med kit in her lap. She glanced over at Han.
"I thought I told you not to move" she stated, her hand reaching out for his arm to keep him from brushing up against his injury again.
He let out another groan and let his arms fall to his sides, obeying her command to keep still. He looked towards her, a weak smile forming. She's here, my princess is here his mind finally awake enough to process his surroundings.
"Leia…" he muttered, trying to shift himself closer to her.
"Lay still" she instructed to him, her fingers fumbling thru the med kit, pulling out a cloth and a small bottle of liquid. She unscrewed the cap of the bottle and tilted it into the cloth, letting the liquid soak into the fabric for a moment. She set the bottle on the table next to the bed and turned to Han. She dabbed his forehead gently, clearing away the dried blood, exposing a deep gash in his skin. He winced, the liquid stung against the wound. He took a deep breath and let himself relax as she continued to clean him up.
Leia folded the cloth in her hands and set it on the table next to the bottle. She reached into the med kit once again, pulling out a tube of bacta. She looked at Han and let out a small smile as she brushed back his hair. She noticed his forehead was cool under her touch.
"Are you cold?" she asked, her voice quiet.
"Yeah…" he weakly nodded. He felt helpless as Leia effortlessly pulled the blanket over him that he had struggled himself to reach.
Leia squeezed bacta from the tube into her fingers and passed them gently over his forehead and onto his cheek before wiping the excess from her fingers. She smiled gently at him.
"That should help". She set the bacta tube back into the med kit and placed the kit onto the floor. She looked back at him, her normally strong and invincible Corellian now bruised and exhausted looking, huddled in a blanket.
"Thank you, my princess" Han muttered.
"You took care of me after Bakura, I have to take care of you now" she replied, her voice gentle.
She still wondered what exactly had happened, her mind had already come up with a thousand horrible situations that led him to ending up this way while tending to his wounds. She leaned towards him and tenderly kissed him, carefully avoiding the bruising.
"What happened?" she asked quietly.
"We got shot down by pirates and crashed" he replied.
Leia's eyes grew wide, never imagining that was the cause, her worry for him deepening at the thought of the terror Luke and him must have felt as their ship plummeted back towards the surface of a planet. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself, still in shock from his response, amazed that him and Luke walked away from such a horrific event.
"Oh gods, Han. How did that even happen?" she questioned, trying to still make sense of it all.
His mind was fuzzy with fatigue as he started to explain the events that had played out. He didn't get far into the story before his voice began to trail off, a look of complete exhaustion crossing his face.
"Han, it's okay" Leia interrupted him. She could tell he was struggling to stay awake. "You can tell me later, you need to rest. I'll come back in a bit to check on you". She tucked the edge of the blanket around his shoulders.
"I love you my princess" he faintly murmured, his eyes closing as his breathing deepened as he drifted into sleep.
Leia whispered back "I love you too" as she rose from the edge of the bed, palming the light sensor off before exiting the room, leaving him to sleep.
Leia made her way back to the lounge, her thoughts still racing as she sat at the holo chess table. She pulled her feet up onto the edge of the chair, her arms wrapping around her legs as she rested her chin on her knees. She let out a long sigh and sat in silence for a minute, trying to assure herself that everything was okay.
Footsteps echoed against the ramp to the Falcon. Leia picked her head up and looked towards the doorway, Luke appearing in the doorway. He looked to be freshly showered, his hair still slightly damp.
"Leia! Oh thank gods, I'm glad to see you" Luke exclaimed as he walked towards the table. Leia looked up and him and smiled, thankful to see her brother unharmed.
"Where's Han?" Luke asked as he sat across from Leia, a look of concern on his face.
"He's sleeping. He's pretty beat up" she replied.
"I know. I tried to get him to go to the med center when we got back but he insisted on coming back here alone".
"You know you can't make him do anything he doesn't want to do" she smiled, being all too familiar with how stubborn Han could possibly be at times.
Leia studied Luke's face. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Han got it worse then me, he was up in the cockpit. I was down in the gunner hold, I think I was just knocked out cold". Luke couldn't exactly remember the details of the crash either, the only thing coming to his mind was knowing that they were in trouble and then coming to as Han shook him. Everything else was still a blur.
"You want me to stick around for awhile?" Luke asked.
"That would be nice" she replied, thankful to be in Luke's company, the knot of worry for Han in her stomach relaxing slightly at her brother's gesture to stay with her.