CHAPTER 10:
Leia rolled onto her back at the sound of the door opening. Her eyes remained closed as she fought to find her voice. "Han?"
"Hellooo. You aren't what I expecteddd."
Leia forced her eyes open. A man who was a few inches shorter than Chewbacca and had arms riddled with menacing tattoos stood over her. He wore beads in his dark wiry beard, and his bruised head was bald. He exposed his sharp gold teeth in an expression akin to a grin.
"Who are you?" Leia asked.
"Han hasn't mentioned me?"
She slid her hand under the pillow. "I'm sure Han will be here any moment to rectify the situation." She inwardly cursed her voice for making her sound like easy prey.
"I am Mran Swelen."
The man pointed at himself with one hand while spreading out the other in a welcoming manner. Leia took in the long sharp talons decorated with artful patterns. He stepped closer, and she scooted towards the wall.
"No need to fear me, my darling." Swelen leaned over her. "Let me get a better look." His black eyes roamed over her. "My, you are a young thing, nothing but a child."
Leia pulled Han's blaster from under the pillow and pointed it at Swelen. Her fingers fought against the weapon, making it difficult for her to aim. She cursed herself again for her clumsy action as Swelen laughed. With one swift move, he grabbed her wrist and squeezed hard. The blaster tumbled out of her hand. He picked it up and placed it on the bedside table.
"Now, that wasn't not very nice." He wiggled a finger. "I haven't seen a female human in a while. Now be a good little girl and stay still." He grabbed the edges of the blanket and pulled it away from her body. Leia's feeble grip gave no resistance. Swelen caught both her wrists with one hand and held them over her head against the pillow. His menacing grin widened as she struggled to pull her hands free.
Leia lifted her chin. "Han will be back any moment."
Swelen laughed and clicked the talons of his free hand together. He dragged them down her body. She flinched, and he chuckled. He hooked a talon under the edge of her shirt and slowly pulled it up to expose her stomach.
"You're going to regret this," Leia said through clenched teeth.
"She's right."
Swelen kept Leia pinned to the bed as he twisted to face Han. "Solo. So good to see you again."
"I'm sure you're glad to see me." Han's eye narrowed on the man. "Step away from her. She's mine." Solo stepped deeper into the room. "And you know I don't like to share."
Chewbacca bared his teeth and growled.
The princess opened her mouth to retort but quickly closed it when she looked at Han. His eyes were narrowed on Swelen, and his lips cut a razor-sharp line. She had never seen him so intimidating before, and it scare her.
"This child is yours?"
"That's what I said." Han's voice was low, his tone threatening.
Leia's would-be assailant pulled air through his flared nostrils. "But she is untouched."
"I'm saving her for a special occasion." Han took a step closer to Swelen.
Leia's eyes widened before glaring at Han. He didn't notice her, though. His attention was solely on Swelen. Swellen released his hold on her to face Han. This was her chance. She bit her lip and started to scoot towards the blaster on the bedside table.
"I'll pay you a large sum for her. Perhaps the amount that you owe Jabba."
"She's worth a lot more. Definitely more than you could ever afford."
The princess reached out.
Swelen hissed. "The way I see it, you owe me, Solo."
"I won your ship fair and square," Han jutted out his chin. "It's not my fault you're a lousy Sabaac player."
Just as Leia's fingers touched the blaster, Han shook his head. Swelen's eyes flew to her and she withdrew her hand. She expected Swelen to grab the weapon, but he stayed where he was.
"You should've given me a chance to win it back."
"Whaddya expect me to do?" Han looked around. "Stick around until you found some way to cheat?"
"Watch yourself, Solo." Swelen flashed his razor-sharp teeth. He turned his attention back to the princess. "Since when did you get in the habit of keeping children?"
"I'm not—" Leia started.
"What can I say?" Han took closed the distance between him and his enemy. "I'm a changed man. Not as nice as I used to be. I might not leave you as pretty as the last guy you got entangled with." Han rocked on his feet with his hands in his pockets, tongue running over his own teeth.
Swelen surveyed Han. "You don't scare me, Solo. The last guy who crossed me is dead."
"You better leave before Chewie here gives you what you deserve. You'll be the one who won't survive."
Swelen laughed mirthlessly. "I highly doubt that." He took one last lusting look at Leia. "I hope you get better, little one. It'd be a shame if you died." Chewbacca lunged at Swelen, and the man jumped back. "Watch your back, Solo. Your time is coming."
XX
Han moved to stand next to Leia as Chewie escorted Swelen out. Han watched them until the door closed. He then balled up his fist and slammed it into the wall causing Leia to flinch.
"Ow!" Han shook his hand and brought it to his mouth.
"Let me see," Leia tried to sit up, but a fit of coughs overcame her.
His expression softened as he noticed the dark circles under her eyes and flushed cheeks. She looked up at him, concern coloring her expression. Concern for him, and that made him feel guilty and angry and worried all at the same time.
"I'm fine." He picked up the glass of water and gave it to her.
"Why didn't you let me shoot him?"
"Rainer wouldn't take kindly to a shoot-out in his best medical research facility." He sighed. "You okay?" She nodded, but that didn't comfort him. "I'm so sorry. I should've been here."
"Han, I'm fine."
He gazed into her eyes, searching for the truth, but she looked away. It was obvious Swelen had shaken her, but he let the matter go; he already felt terrible that he let it happen in the first place. Why didn't he stay with her? Han took hold of the bottom of her shirt with the intension to cover her midsection but stopped when he noticed her skin was dark pink. He pushed up the sleeve of her shirt and found the same flushed tone on her arms. His brow furrowed.
"What?" She lifted her head to see her midsection.
"I don't know." Han pulled her shirt in place. "Where's that doctor?"
Chewbacca returned and leaned close to Han while Leia watched them converse. Han was thankful the Wookie kept his voice low so that Leia couldn't hear. Chewie then walked over to the princess, placed his hairy hands on the top of her head, and cooed before he left the room to go stand guard in the lounge.
Han took out his commlink. "Luke?"
"Everything okay?" The kid's voice betrayed his anxiety.
"We're still waiting for the doctor." He glanced at Leia and lowered his voice. "Have you gotten any visitors?"
"No."
"Make sure the sensors are on, got that?"
"They are. What's wrong?"
"Just ran into an old friend. I'll update you later when we know more about Leia's condition." Han clicked the commlink off.
Leia tilted her head. "Did Swelen go to the Falcon? Is Luke okay?"
"No, Luke's fine." Han exhaled and placed his hands on his hips. "Exciting day, huh?"
"When is it not when you're around?"
Han flinched and fell into a chair near her bed. He knew she was just making light of the situation, but Han couldn't help but feel terrible for what just happened. Swelen wasn't one to give up so easily. Tension pinched his shoulders; how would that thug retaliate? Maybe bringing Leia to Ord Mantell was a mistake. He looked at her. Her eyes were closed, and she was trembling. Han pulled up the covers and tucked them around her. Without thinking, he stroked her hair.
Chewie rreerarred as he entered the room with a man who leaned heavily on a cane.
Han stood up. "My crew member's really sick."
"Why else would you be interrupting my research?" Dr. Gre'hos limped across the room. "You must be very important…" He stopped when he caught sight of the princess. She sat up under his scrutiny. "Yes, very important indeed for Rainer to request my services."
"Rainer owed me a favor."
The doctor's blue eyes perused Han. "It must be a big one."
Han's expression darkened, but Dr. Gre'hos focused his attention to Leia. He sat down in the chair Han evacuated and lifted Leia's chin with his fingers. He turned her head slightly to the left and then to the right. He then peered into Leia's dark eyes.
"I'm Doctor Gre'hos. Who might you be?"
"No one of your concern," Han answered before Leia had the chance.
The doctor shot him a warning look. "Was I talking to you?"
Han opened his mouth, but Leia cut him off. "I'm no one. I'm his." She whispered and glanced up at Han.
Dr. Gre'hos narrowed his eyes and studied her. She met his gaze, her eyes never wavering. The doctor gave a slight nod and dropped his chin. "Okay, No One. Why are you here?"
"Isn't that what you're supposed to figure out?" Han interjected.
Dr. Gre'hos expelled a breath and rolled his eyes. "It would help if I knew her symptoms."
"I feel achy and a little shaky. Weak. It's a little hard to breathe," Leia said.
Chewie growled and Han spoke up. "She had a high fever earlier and I noticed some loss of coordination. She also has a scratch on her left arm."
The doctor lifted Leia's left arm and pushed back her sleeve. He carefully undid the bandage and examined it. "You use bacta gel on it?"
"Uh-huh."
The gash was a now a thin pink line and only a hint of the purple coloring surrounded it before could be seen. Dr. Gre'hos pushed her sleeve back further and scrutinized the reddish tone of her skin.
"Her other arm and stomach have that same color."
Dr. Gre'hos studied those body parts. He pressed his lips together, went to the cabinet, and pulled out a sleek silver scanner. He walked over to Leia and placed a rounded band onto her head and two bracelet-like devices around her wrists and ankles. Then Dr. Gre'hos pulled a thin rod from a hand-held holoscreen. He slowly dragged the rod over the princess starting from her head and ending at her feet. A green aura surrounded her as images on the holoscreen appeared.
"That's a pretty advanced scanner," Han said.
"Only the best as Rainer requested." Dr. Gre'hos ran his teeth over his lips and fingered the stubble on his chin as he read the read-out on the holoscreen.
Chewbacca guruffed and Han asked, "What's wrong with her?"
Dr. Gre'hos didn't answer right away. He looked at Leia, knitted his brow, and looked back down at the read-outs on the holoscreen. "It seems she has contracted an unlikely virus. In fact, a case of this virus hasn't been recorded in this system for well over…a hundred years or so." Dr. Gre'hos returned his attention to the princess. "Now how would a no one like you contract such a virus? And where?"
Leia withered under his curious eye. She looked to Han who stepped closer.
"Doesn't matter why or where she got it. All that matters is she has it, and you're here to cure it."
Dr. Gre'hos leaned back and met Han's confrontational stare. "Cure it? Are you so certain I can cure it?"
Han was taken aback. It never crossed his mind that whatever Leia had couldn't be cured. Han looked at the princess. Her eyes were wide with fear. Chewbacca placed a hand on Han's shoulder but addressed the doctor.
"What kind of virus does she have?" Han translated.
Dr. Gre'hos took in the Wookie before he answered, "Xafaghila-VHF." He deactivated the scanner. "The nasty little virus causes fever, muscle weakness, fatigue, and hemorrhaging. That redness? She's hemorrhaging internally. The bacta gel you used on the wound caused the virus to go through her system faster. It will attack her brain, and her organs will start to shut down one by one."
"The bacta gel…I thought…"
"How could you know that would happen?" The doctor paused for a moment. "Of course, if you had a better scanner—"
Chewbacca grumbled and huffed. Dr. Gre'hos eyed him. "You look like you might have been around back when the virus ran rampant through the Serack System. Assuming you are telling me that there is a cure, you're right." Dr. Gre'hos pulled himself up on his cane and returned the scanner to the cabinet. "But, as you probably know, that was a hundred years ago, and there's been no need for Breva antibodies since then." Dr. Gre'hos hobbled toward the door. "Xafaghila-VHF happens to be one of those viruses conquered by great doctors of the past."
Han grabbed the doctor by the shoulder, and the older man pierced him with his eyes.
"This is a research center," Han said. "You know how to make the antibodies."
"I said that great doctors of the past created the antibodies." Dr. Gre'hos' eyebrows rose. "I'm in the category of great doctors of the present and hopefully the future." His eyes fell to the floor. "Unfortunately, a lot of medical information is no longer available thanks to Emperor Palpatine. In his early days, he killed physicians who aided non-humans and insurgents. Most of those physicians were also leading researchers who specialized in the control of VHF viruses and other deadly illnesses. Guess the Emperor doesn't give the future much thought, at least not from a medical point of view."
Chewbacca pulled Han from the doctor. Han's shoulders slumped. He glanced over at Leia but couldn't meet her eyes.
"Han." Her eyes pleaded with him to cool off. "It's okay. At least no one else will get it."
"If they aren't stuck with those Scillion projectiles." Han went to her side and took her hand. Chewbacca let out a quiet howl and stood next to Han.
Dr. Gre'hos stopped at the doorway and stared at the princess. He pressed his lips together in a thoughtful but grim frown as if he was weighing his options. He approached the group. "There may be something."
Both Chewbacca and Han's expressions lit up. "What?"
"It's risky. No guarantees."
"The only option, though."
"Yes," Dr. Gre'hos tucked his chin and leaning heavily on his cane as he returned to the seat next to the princess' bed. The doctor addressed Han and Chewbacca but kept his steely blue eyes focused on Leia. "Convalescent-synthetic plasma."
Chewbacca explained what that treatment entailed to Leia and Han.
"Replacing her blood with synthetic blood? No one has survived on synthetic blood alone." Han turned wary eyes upon the doctor. "It could kill her."
"Yes," Gre'hos turned his eyes upon Han. "That is why it's risky. She will be in a death-like state for three minutes. Hopefully, that will be long enough to clean the virus out of her system and replace the synthetic plasma with a transfusion of human plasma."
"Hopefully?" Han's voice rose, and Chewie quietly reminded him that the doctor was here to help.
"As I said." The doctor looked up at Han. "No guarantees."
Han looked down at Leia. She smiled up at him. "But it's something."
"Yeah." Han nodded. Something that can kill her. But she was dead without any treatment, so there wasn't much of a choice. "I'll donate blood if you need it."
"I thought you would." Dr. Gre'hos nodded. "Let's hope you're a match."
"And if I'm not?"
"If we can't find a match, then there's nothing I can do. I'll get someone to test your blood." The doctor turned away and exited the room.
Han stared after him until Leia squeezed her hand. "Everything will be okay."
He smiled at her. "Yeah. Sure," Han said then placed a kiss on top of her head. "You're going to be fine."
Leia favored him with a small closed-mouth smile and then closed her eyes. Han tucked the blanket around her and walked to the window. He looked out at the foliage and rock formations outside. This had to work. He couldn't lose her.