Han Solo had only one thing to say upon entering his beloved Millennium Falcon. "Where's Leia?"
Lando glanced at Chewbacca before turning back to Han. "She stayed behind. She'll be meeting us at Mos Eisley spaceport."
"What's that sound?"
"Don't you recognize the groans and creaks this old bucket o' bolts makes? I thought hibernation sickness only affected eyesight…"
Chewbacca starting growling, and Lando stooped to peer out the viewport of the cockpit. "TIE fighters? Where'd they come from?"
Han was on his feet. "A trap," he said grimly. "Lando, I can see better, but not well enough to shoot down a TIE."
"Got it."
"Anybody here who can use the lower turret, Chewie?"
Chewbacca howled.
"No, I need you here! This eyesight thing is gradual, damn it!"
Chewbacca moaned as Han felt his way into the captain's seat.
"Are you kidding? No way!"
The Wookie growled more loudly and insistently, until a voice piped up behind them. "Did you send for me, Chewbacca? Oh, Captain Solo! I'm so pleased to see you again!"
"Yeah, I missed you so much, Threepio." Han grimaced at the control panel.
Chewie howled at them both.
"Gun turrets? But I'm programmed for linguistics and protocol!"
Chewie's growl became menacing.
"Er… That is to say, yes of course! Right away, Chewbacca!"
Han shook his head after C3PO had left. "He'll probably find some way to shoot his own seat out from under him." He looked over as Chewie said something to him. "Of course I'm seeing better!" Solo eased his hands off the piloting controls for a moment. "Uh… We're headed back the way we came now, right?"
.
Leia stumbled as she blocked Luke's strike, yellow-gold meeting silvery-white with a blinding flash. She had been improving with the light saber thanks to Kyle, but Luke had learned much from his failures against Vader. A wave of Force energy hit her as she wobbled, and she tumbled backwards, rolling back to her feet.
"The galaxy doesn't need more false hope or empty promises, Leia. It needs to be rid of the Emperor. Whatever the cost!" He was still trying to convince her, even as she was forced to defend herself.
"You've led a sheltered life, Luke. There are always costs not worth paying. What's more empty than a victory gained by losing yourself?"
A chunk of rubble came flying at her, and she used the Force to leap over it. But another wave of Force energy hit her at the top of her jump, sending her crashing into the wall. She was unconscious before she hit the floor.
Mara stopped leaning against the wall. "Excellent. I would have preferred dealing with her myself, but at least I can finish her."
"Mara, wait." Luke held out a hand, but she only sneered at him.
"You think I couldn't hear you two? I was standing right there almost the whole time. Stop kidding yourself, Luke. Just because she's your sister doesn't mean she'll ever see things your way. She'll never join us." With that she was in the air, preparing a death blow that would make the galaxy tremble.
As Luke watched helplessly, her leap suddenly reversed direction and sent her slamming into the wall behind them. With a sly smile, Luke turned around slowly. "Master Yoda. I was wondering when you would reveal yourself."
"Hollow, rings the title of 'Master'," came a voice from the pile of rubble in the room, "when heeded one's words are not."
"Well, if your ways are so wise, then why did they fail so miserably? Last of the Jedi? How could you even know that, the way you all scurried and hid like roaches all these years?"
"Always harsh, are lessons in humility. Our pride and arrogance, belief that invincible were we, to our downfall they led. No more blind is the one born without eyes, than the one who merely shuts them."
"So you admit to blindness in some areas but not others. Where exactly is the line drawn? Vader may have started down the dark path but it does not have to dominate his destiny forever."
"Less worth taking than others, are some risks."
"You can do what is necessary, and make things right later."
"Pfah! Who is it that decides how things are made right? Many definitions, does 'necessary' have."
"I know what I have to do, Yoda. I've made my choice."
"Yes. Yes, you have. Help you I will not. Nor will your sister."
"Why doesn't it surprise me you knew about that? So you also knew Vader was my father. Pride and arrogance have hardly vanished from your repertoire. Even when you were training me, you couldn't stop hiding things like a coward."
Yoda snorted. "Always did Obi-Wan place all his hope in you. But as we watched you both grow and mature, clear it was to Yoda that much more likely to succeed was the younger twin."
"I will succeed!" Luke activated his light saber as his shout echoed throughout the room. "I will kill the Emperor!"
Yoda unclipped his own weapon from his belt. "Ah, that. Yes, that I do see happening."
As if he hadn't heard, Luke charged at his former Master.
.
"Threepio! What in Hutta is going on?"
"These fingers, Captain Solo. They're just not built to grip…"
"I don't need excuses! I need laser fire that'll make these TIE fighters think twice about zooming right underneath me!"
"I will… Do my best, sir."
"Blasted droid… Chewie, divert more power to the shields underneath."
Chewbacca grunted as he flipped the switches.
Han gripped the piloting controls of the Millennium Falcon so hard he was starting to worry they might break off. He was finally able to see again – more or less. The flashing warning lights all over the instrument panels made him wonder if that was such a good thing. "Chewie, try to keep Lando's turret facing the incoming fighters."
Chewbacca growled.
"I know they're circling us," Han shouted back. "Just do the best you can!" He knew putting Threepio in the lower turret was a mistake. He hadn't seen that gun fire one blasted time.
Suddenly a female voice blared over the comm channels. "Hey Falcon… aren't you supposed to be heading the other way?"
Han watched a grey ship streak in from his left side and vaporize two of the TIE fighters making a run at his ship's underbelly. "Chewie, who on Hutta is that?"
.
Jan Ors brought the Moldy Crow around for another run at the TIE fighters swarming the Millennium Falcon as a male voice that did not belong to Calrissian replied over the comm. "Yeah, uh… Something's up. Change of plans." She frowned as she shot two more Imperials out of the sky. "I can see something's up," she snapped. Switching the comm off for a moment, she circled below the other ship as they headed back toward Jabba's Palace. "Artoo, who is that?"
.
Luke's weapon swung through empty air, and it took several seconds of looking wildly around the room for him to finally spot Yoda, guarding Leia's unconscious form, in the very place Luke had just been standing. "I can do this," he muttered.
A piece of rubble right next to him flew up from the ground, but he sensed it almost before it moved. Without looking, he swung his light saber and shattered the projectile. As he looked up, his eyes widened. Yoda had thrown his light saber! For a moment he watched the green bar of light spinning toward him, then he brought up his own weapon to deflect it at the last moment. Another piece of rubble came at him from behind and he spun, slicing it down the middle and then rolling backward toward Yoda. As soon as Luke was on his feet, the elder Jedi Master thrust his open palm at him, sending a wall of Force energy knocking Luke backward again.
Luke gathered himself. He knew Yoda was wearing him down – he was going to have to take a risk to break the Jedi Master's rhythm. He used the Force to pull the entire collection of rubble scattered around the room to him. With a great effort, he hurled it at Yoda all at once, launching himself into the air at the same time.
Yoda watched the shower of rubble approach, spotting Luke in the middle of it. He cupped both his hands and brought them together, and the cloud of rubble condensed into a large ball of rock, trapping Luke in the middle.
The stone prison rolled off to one side, and through the settling dust Yoda could make out a dark figure entering the room from the other side. The little Jedi Master snorted. "Vader," he said.
