Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars

Chapter 9: A Temporary Answer

A/N: Thank you for your wonderful reviews. They make me very happy to read. I am so glad that you are enjoying this story. Please, keep reviewing each chapter and let me know what you think! I love to know what you all are thinking!

"You two can stay out here and fight. I'm going to rescue the Princess."

Luke stood there for a second, completely dumbfounded. So many things were happening at once. Han had punched him hard in the face. His cheek was throbbing and he knew for certain that it was going to leave a bruise. Things had escalated immensely in such a short amount of time. Words were flowing from their mouths before either of them thought about the repercussions. Han had viciously attacked him both verbally and physically. Luke knew that their relationship was in a bad place and that it had the potential to get even worse.

Chewie took his lightsaber and cut a door into the metal. Luke still couldn't believe that had just happened before his eyes. His lightsaber seemed so small in the enormous hands of the Wookie. He cut through the metal effortlessly and had stepped up while Luke and Han fought each other instead of focusing on the real matters at hand. Chewbacca's instincts and courage might have earned them just enough time to save Leia.

Leia.

She had been taken by Darth Vader. This was exactly what he was afraid of. This is what he tried to ask Yoda and Obi-Wan and they ignored him. Did they know she would be taken? Or did they expect him to keep her safe? Had he failed them? Had he failed everyone?

"Luke!" Han yelled at him. He was already running into the building. "Come on, let's go!"

They entered and water was pooling up all around them. There was a large spiral staircase that Chewbacca was already running up. Han and Luke joined him, taking as many steps as they could at a time. Every other flight, there was a giant door that opened to a different type of room.

"How do we know which room they are in?" Han asked, looking between the two of them as they started moving higher up.

"He is on the top floor." Luke answered him, still stepping. "I saw him on the roof. He must have a small ship on the top floor that would allow him to escape at the highest level."

"Then we must go to the highest floor! We are almost there!"

The three of them moved fast, Chewbacca reaching the final door first. He waited only a few seconds for the other two men to catch up. The door was solid black with a single white stripe down the center. There was no window. No knob. No anything.

"How are we supposed to get in?" Chewbacca asked, eyeing Luke's lightsaber again.

"No." Luke said immediately. "That won't work. This door is only opening if Vader wants it to open."

Han narrowed his eyes. He bawled up his fists and began to slam them into the door. "Vader! I know you're in there! Face us like a man!" He continued to beat on the door, the skin on his knuckles started to rip away.

"Han, stop." Luke warned. "This isn't doing anything to help."

"Yeah? Like just standing there is helping?" He sneered at the young Jedi.

Luke started to protest when the hinges of the door cut him off. The door slowly creaked open, revealing a grey room. There was a round black chair in the center of the room atop of a small staircase. Darth Vader sat in this chair, his breathing loud. To his left, sat Leia. A medical staff of three were crowding her. Two dead Stormtroopers were at the bottom of the stairs.

"Leia!" Han yelled out. He ran forward.

One of the medical personal stepped back and revealed her. Her skin was pale and plastered with sweat. Her hair was no longer tied back. It loosely hung around her face, strands going this way and that way. There was blood all over the top half of her uniform. Her eyes slowly raised and she looked at Han.

"What the hell did you do to her?!" Han illuminated anger. His face was red and you could almost hear the grinding of his teeth.

Vader gestured to the Stormtroopers below. "Infidel soldiers who weren't able to follow simple orders. The matter was taken care of. The Princess will be fine."

"Your men shot her!" His eyes were glued to all the blood on Leia.

"Yeah, she will be fine once we get her out of here!" Chewbacca roared. He hated to see the little Princess in any sort of pain. She looked so fragile to him.

"You have taken her by force." Luke spoke, trying to ignore her injury. "If you weren't able to break her before, what makes you think you can break her now?"

"You need to leave." Leia cut in weakly. "All of you."

The three of them were stunned.

"Leave?!" Han cried out. "We aren't leaving you!"

Darth Vader let out a low chuckle. "I did not take Princess Leia by force." He sounded pleased. "She surrendered to me."

"What?!" Chewbacca growled.

"Sweetheart, you surrendered?!"

Luke looked at his sister. He saw the tiredness gleaming in her eyes. She was putting up a fight but he could tell that her blaster shot was draining her. "Leia, I don't know what you are doing, but you don't have to do this alone. I am here for you and I can help you."

There were tears forming in her eyes. "I am doing this to protect you guys. This is the only way, Luke? Don't you see?"

I stared at her. I watched the medical staff work on her wound. I looked at Vader, his gaze lingering on me. The answer was somewhere deep within me. I could find it. But I could see no answer right now. Leia was right. This battle had to go down this way. Everyone would have died. So many innocents would have died, and for what? To fight another battle for the same reason? How many would have to die for Vader to have Leia?

"We have to leave." Luke agreed.

"What the hell?!" Han shook his head. "I'm not leaving. What part of that do you not understand?"

"Why would we leave?" Chewbacca looked at Luke with a mixture of frustration and confusion.

Leia turned to Darth Vader. "Have some Stormtroopers remove them. I want them out of our sight."

"As you wish." He replied. He moved his hand and pressed a button green button that was on the armrest of his chair. Several Stormtroopers came in. They grabbed the three of them by their arms and began dragging them out.

"Leia!" Han screamed out. "No!"

Chewbacca let out a cry, thrashing against the group of Stormtroopers that held him.

"You must be strong, Leia." Luke spoke softly. "This is the answer for now."

Leia nodded her head slightly and kept her eyes locked to the floor.