A/N: First off, major apologies for not updating in such a long time. I was away for a month on a holiday in Europe & then as soon as I got back I was straight back in to uni & studies. Anyway, I finally got this chapter finished. I hope you like it. If there are any mistakes it's probably because I only re-read it once because I just wanted to get it up for you guys as soon as I could.
Second, thank you all for the follows & reviews. It really means a lot to me. Hopefully I can do better in the coming months & update more regularly for you.
And, lastly, some of you might notice that there's a reference to Star Wars Rebels in this chapter, but that's all it is. A reference. I will not be incorporating any characters from Rebels (or from TCW) into this story because a) they don't fit with the plot and b) I don't know the characters well enough to write them. So, if you haven't seen Rebels you're not missing anything major. Just thought I'd make that clear.
Lando peered around the corner and pulled his blaster from its holster, thumbing the switch to kill. His eyes skimmed over the empty docking bay, although it wasn't really empty. At least twenty of Jabba's mercenaries were hidden around the perimeter, weapons primed and ready for action. He had been surprised that his tip-off about the oncoming attack on the spice shipment had worked, but then again, the Hutts would go to any lengths to protect the likes of glitterstim—hell, anyone would—so he supposed it wasn't completely shocking that Jabba had fallen for the trick.
Lando watched quietly as one of Jabba's representatives stepped forward into the docking area. The Hutt himself wasn't present right now, although Lando knew that the space gangster was lingering somewhere close by to the docking bay, no doubt waiting to deal with the supposed attackers once his mercenaries brought them down. Lando gritted his teeth slightly as he heard the whine of a ship's engines approaching and he ducked back into his hiding place. He just hoped Leia's team knew what they were doing. They couldn't risk letting Jabba find out that the Alliance was involved in the attack. They didn't need another war on their hands.
Soon enough, a shadow passed over the sandy docking bay floor and Lando looked up to see a dull, bulky transport lowering itself down into the docking area on its repulsors. It touched down moments later and Lando peeked around the corner again. Off to the side, Jabba's representative was shifting nervously on his feet. Lando didn't blame him for being anxious; they all knew an attack was coming and that meant that people were going to get hurt—and being right out in the open didn't exactly help one's chances at avoiding a laser blast.
The representative stepped forward as the transport's cabin depressurised with a soft hiss, visibly pushing down his nerves as he did so. Well, at least the man had guts, Lando thought grimly. Too bad it wouldn't save him. Lando lifted his blaster up and locked his sights onto the representative's large head. He laid his finger on the trigger but didn't pull it just yet. He could only start taking out targets during the firefight. That way, everyone would be too busy to realise that he wasn't actually on Jabba's side.
The door of the transport began to open and Lando gritted his teeth slightly as he heard the whine of another engine approaching rapidly. Leia's team was here. He re-checked his aim and pressed down on the trigger slightly, watching as the representative turned to look at the approaching ships, eyes widening with fear. Lando gave himself a three second countdown and then pulled the trigger.
Or he would have if a sudden burst of green laser bolts hadn't forced him to duck for cover as they spattered wildly across the docking bay floor in front of him. Lando cursed sharply and peered out again as the ships came around for another pass, green turbo lasers firing. He swore again at the sight of them, stomach tightening with dread.
TIE fighters. Two of them.
How the hell had the Empire found out about this?
Lando ducked behind a crate as the docking bay erupted in a burst of blaster fire and pulled out his commlink, frantically entering in Leia's comm code as he did so. He snapped off a couple of random shots at the enemy TIEs and then brought the commlink to his mouth as soon as it connected.
"Princess, we've got trouble," he hissed as he ducked for cover once again. "Imperial fighters. Somehow the Empire must've found out about our little ruse. Tell your team to turn back, get Han and get out of there now!"
There was a sharp crackle of static and then what seemed to be a short muffled conversation, before Leia responded.
"No, it's okay, Lando," she said, voice warped slightly by the static. "They're ours."
"What?" Lando hissed sharply as he glanced out again at the TIEs, which were now joined by two unmarked fighters, all spewing laser blasts onto the sandy pavement below. "How'd you manage that?"
"It doesn't matter," came Leia's swift response. "Just make sure you get on one of them before they leave—and don't get killed in the process!"
"Sounds easy," Lando replied drily. He snapped off a couple more shots, only this time he made targets out of Jabba's mercenaries rather than the fighters swooping over the docking bay. "Don't you think it's a little risky stealing two TIEs?"
"It's fine," Leia brushed off quickly, her voice now reduced to a whisper. "I have to go. Keep them occupied."
"Will do," Lando assured her as he fired twice at the closest mercenary. The Rodian fell to the floor in a heap, smoke rising from the charred hole in his chest.
"Be safe," he added, but he was too late; Leia had disconnected already. He sighed sharply and shoved the commlink back in his pocket, glancing at the docking bay entrance as he did so. More of Jabba's mercenaries were rushing in through the door, blasters firing at the ships above. Lando raised his blaster and took aim at the closest one.
"This had better work," he murmured grimly as he pulled the trigger.
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Leia stepped quickly down the spiral staircase, keeping her footing light on the cold, sandy stones. Her gloved hand skimmed the cool, rounded walls as she moved swiftly downwards, wondering just how much further she had to go. Her breathing was already laboured from the climb up the outside of the main tower and it was growing even more ragged by the second. But she didn't even consider stopping to take a break. She didn't have the time. And, more importantly, Han was waiting for her.
Luckily, there were only a few more turns of the spiral staircase left and Leia's hand slid to her blaster as she reached the bottom. She edged along the wall, making sure to keep in the shadows and then peered out around the corner. Her grip on her blaster loosened slightly as she took in the sight in front of her.
It seemed her diversion had worked magnificently. Not a single one of Jabba's followers were to be found in the large audience chamber that lay in front of her. She let a small smile cross her face—one which grew even wider as she caught sight of a large, familiar chunk of carbonite.
Han.
Leia hurried forwards, her eyes never leaving her trapped lover. Her breath quickened and her heart fluttered in her chest. Oh, it felt so good to see his face again, even if it was frozen in a heartbreaking expression of agony.
She stepped up onto the dais and paused in front of the carbonite block, shivering slightly in the eerie silence that lingered over Jabba's palace. She trailed her hand slowly down Han's chest, a small chill running through her fingertips at the touch. Then, she turned and started flipping the control dials on the side of the carbonite block, all the while keeping an ear out for any disturbances in the palace that might indicate any unwanted company.
Leia took a deep breath as she turned the final knob and stepped back to watch as the carbonite glowed golden around Han's frozen form. There was a soft hiss as the compound turned gaseous once more and Han, now unsupported, fell heavily to the floor.
Leia was at his side in an instant. She wrapped an arm around his chest and rolled him over, supporting his upper body as he regained consciousness.
"I can't see," were his first words, and Leia's heart skipped a beat at hearing his voice again, even if it was cracked and dry from the carbonite hibernation. Oh, how she had missed him.
"It's okay," she whispered, gently stroking his damp, messy hair out of his face. "You have hibernation sickness. Your eyesight will return but it might take some time."
"L... Leia?" Han whispered, voice, and body, trembling. His hand reached blindly up to touch her face and she couldn't help herself any longer. She didn't even reply. She didn't need to—the deep, passionate kiss she gave him was answer enough.
She pulled away after a moment and smiled at him.
"You don't know how much I've missed you," she whispered, not quite managing to contain a sob as she remembered the terrible events of the past few weeks...
Han frowned instantly. "What's wrong?" he asked, trailing his hand softly down the side of her face.
Leia swallowed and shook her head. Then, remembering that Han couldn't see, she murmured quietly, "Nothing."
"Leia..." Han's voice was laced with concern.
"We can discuss it later," she replied quickly, taking a deep breath and pulling herself together. "Right now, we have to get out of here."
She wrapped her arms around Han and began pulling him up. But she froze a second later, a swift nudge from the Force the only warning she had as a cold, hard object was pressed to the back of her head.
The barrel of a blaster.
"Not so fast," came a cold, smug voice.
Han tensed and Leia cursed inwardly at her stupidity for not paying more attention to her surroundings.
"You're not going anywhere, Princess."
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Luke ran a hand through his not-quite-neat hair as he moved swiftly down the grey corridor of the Executor. The hallway was pretty sparse at this early hour, although the few officers and techs that were present still stepped out of his way as he passed. It seemed that his position on the command ship was becoming quite well known.
Luke paused briefly at the junction of four hallways and quickly ran over the directions that Vader had given him in his head, before turning and taking the left passage. This hallway was completely empty and Luke eagerly took advantage of that fact. He yawned softly and dropped the rigid, Imperial-like posture that he was getting used to wearing as he moved throughout the command ship.
Luke turned down another corridor and yawned again. His body was still weary from the torture and strains of the past few weeks—not to mention from the severe lack of sleep—but today he was feeling particularly refreshed, or at least more refreshed than he had been in a long time. He had actually slept last night, which was almost a miracle—and also a bit concerning—considering the events of yesterday had lead to him murdering a Rebel spy.
Luke slowed as he reached his destination: a basic, grey door at the end of the corridor. He straightened his black uniform and quickly ran his hand through his hair again before he pressed the door release and stepped into the room.
"You are on time, for once," Vader commented, turning around to face Luke from where he stood at the end of the large, sparse room.
"Yes, father," Luke replied, struggling not to make a snarky reply. The door slid closed behind him and he waited patiently for Vader to announce the latest test.
The Sith Lord studied him for a moment and then strode slowly forward, extending, as he did so, his hand and... a lightsaber hilt. Luke stared at it in silence for a moment and then looked up at his father's black mask.
"Today we will continue your mental shielding," Vader rumbled. "Only this time, you will do it while fighting me."
Luke looked at his father with wide eyes and raised eyebrows.
"But I haven't even managed to hold a shield while meditating," he exclaimed incredulously. "How am I supposed to do it while fighting?"
"You must learn quickly if you wish to evade the Emperor's interest," Vader replied darkly as he handed Luke the lightsaber.
Luke turned the hilt over in his hands. It was long and sleek and was weighted nicely. His thumb hovered over the trigger but he couldn't bring himself to press it.
Instead, he looked up at Vader and asked, "Why can't I have my own back?"
He immediately regretted those words, however, because Vader's presence suddenly flickered with a dark anger.
"Remember which path you have chosen, Luke," the Sith Lord growled. "You must leave your previous life behind. First, your friends, and now, your weapon. They will only hold you back otherwise."
Luke dropped his head instantly and nodded. He should have known better than to ask such a foolish question. Vader was right. If he truly wanted to do this, then he had to leave everything behind. He was trying his best, but it was proving to be extremely difficult—especially when his lightsaber had meant so much to him...
Luke shook his head to clear his thoughts and returned his gaze to the saber in front of him. His heart rate picked up as he trailed his fingers over the hilt and then let them rest on the ignition button.
Would the blade be red?
That was the main question making his head spin right now. The colour of blood and revenge, red lightsabers were the weapon of choice of the Sith and were something that Luke had come to despise over the years of his Jedi training—they always resulted in so much bloodshed. But then again, there was something oddly alluring about wielding such a symbolic and powerful weapon...
Luke snapped the saber on and it ignited with sharp hiss, the colour... white.
Luke frowned, a faint sense of disappointment flickering through his mind as he held the saber aloft in front of him. But he was also extremely curious.
Why would Vader give him such a blade? And why would Vader even have it in the first place?
"It belonged to an old enemy," Vader rumbled, answering Luke's unspoken question. "It is the only blade I have in my possession—besides yours and my own, of course—and since you are not yet worthy of a Sith blade, I figured you could use it for the training sessions."
Luke nodded slowly, but his attention was caught by Vader's Force presence as he spoke. It had flickered with an odd display of emotion at the mention of an old enemy. Luke's brow creased slightly as he looked down at the blade again. There was more to this saber than Vader was letting on, but perhaps that wasn't a question for right now...
Luke snapped the saber off and closed his eyes, sinking his mind into the folds of the Force. He was greeted once again by the dazzling display of his Force presence and he was caught momentarily breathless by the sheer vastness of power that he could feel at his fingertips. He took a deep breath in and began calling his presence towards him, just like how Vader had instructed him to.
But his concentration was suddenly broken as the Force screamed at him and he quickly ducked and rolled. Luke opened his eyes as he brought himself up into a low crouch, frantically searching for the source of danger.
"Do not lower your defences," Vader growled, his red lightsaber humming dangerously at his side. Luke gaped for a second, confused by the sudden disruption of his thoughts, before it clicked. Vader had tried to attack him.
"You didn't even give me a chance to prepare!" he exclaimed.
"There will be no chances with the Emperor. Now, weapon on and shields up."
Luke gritted his teeth and ignited his saber as he rose into a defensive position. He reached out into the Force again—this time keeping both eyes locked securely on Vader—and began calling his presence towards him once again.
But Vader didn't give him nearly as long this time.
There was a sharp whoosh as Vader's lightsaber swung towards him and Luke was forced to drop his connection to the Force yet again as he brought his weapon up to deflect the attack. Another two strikes of the red blade and he was on the ground, caught off balance by the sheer force of Vader's attacks.
But Vader didn't even give him a chance to catch his breath. Luke's eyes widened and he rolled quickly to the side as the red blade slashed at his neck. He missed it by an inch.
Luke scrambled backwards and onto his feet, his breath heaving as he raised his saber in front of him again.
"Perhaps I overestimated you," Vader growled, moving swiftly forwards to land another three blows to Luke's lightsaber.
Luke stumbled under the force of the attacks but managed to keep his footing this time. His vision darkened slightly at the edges and he shook his head to shake the fatigue that was creeping into his mind. After two weeks of being unconscious and hours of rigorous torture, it seemed he had quite lost his stamina.
He ducked and rolled again as Vader lashed out at his torso.
"Your fighting is sloppy and you still haven't managed to produce a shield," Vader growled, stalking forwards as Luke backed away slowly in an attempt to regain his breath. "Perhaps I should just hand you to the Emperor myself."
"No," Luke breathed out as he tightened his grip on the saber. "I can do this. I am worthy of becoming your apprentice."
"Then prove it!"
Luke launched himself at Vader, landing two swift blows to the Sith's blade and forcing Vader back a couple of steps. But that was about as far as he made it before he was on the floor again, clenching his jaw in pain as he clutched at the spot on his chest where Vader had landed a short, but powerful, Force push.
"That's not… fair," Luke heaved out, awfully winded by the blow. "We were fighting… not... using the Force…"
"The Force is your ally, Luke," Vader hissed, circling Luke like a predator as he struggled to get to his feet. "But if you don't use it, it will be your downfall."
Luke groaned in pain as he pushed himself up off the ground. His chest was aching but he raised his lightsaber again, determined not to give up. His vision swam and he stumbled to the side to catch himself.
"Shields up!" Vader growled.
"I'm trying!"
"Then you're not trying hard enough!" Vader stalked towards him and Luke backed away slowly, the edges of his vision flickering with shadow. "If you do not succeed at this, Luke, then you will stand no chance against the Emperor."
Luke gritted his teeth. He knew that. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not draw enough focus to produce a shield. He was just too exhausted.
"The Emperor will not kill you, Luke," Vader continued. "But he will make you wish you were dead. Do you know how he will do that?"
Luke continued to back away slowly, saber gripped firmly in his hands. He watched his father warily, but made no move to answer him.
"He will make you kill your friends," Vader hissed, the undertones of his words making Luke shiver.
"No," was Luke's instant reply.
"And you'll do it willingly."
"No," Luke growled, more firmly this time. He twisted the lightsaber hilt in his hands, clenching his jaw. He would never do that. Never.
"And with the way things are going, I'm almost tempted to make you do it myself."
"We had a deal!" Luke hissed, anger flaring inside him at Vader's words.
"Imagine their faces, Luke. Imagine their screams," the Sith Lord taunted, drawing ever closer.
"No." Luke's breathing was shallow as he placed a step forwards. How dare his father go back on his word like that?
"Imagine the pleasure it would bring you, taking their lives. Imagine how good it would feel."
"Enough!" Luke screamed, and he launched himself at Vader, lightsaber raised.
The blades clashed with a vicious hiss and Vader smirked behind his mask as the proper duel began.
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"On your feet," the cold voice growled.
Leia's pulse was throbbing loudly behind her ears as she looked down at Han. His eyes were wide, but unfocused, and his brows were knitted together.
"Now."
Leia winced slightly as the barrel of the blaster dug painfully into the back of her skull, but she nodded slowly and began helping Han to his feet.
"I know that voice," Han murmured as he staggered upright. Leia slung his arm over her shoulder to give him some support but she didn't dare turn around to face their attacker, for the barrel of the blaster was still resting against the back of her head.
"Did you really think I wouldn't recognise Calrissian?" the man said, smirk evident in his voice.
"Fett," Han hissed and Leia gaped slightly as, she too, recognised the voice of the infamous bounty hunter. The last time she had heard it, Han had been snatched from her for a year. Her jaw hardened and she curled her fist slightly. She wasn't about to let that happen again.
"Why didn't you tell Jabba it was a trap?" she asked.
"Because he's a bounty hunter," Han cut in before Fett could answer. "He only thinks in terms of money. He wants to sell us back to Jabba."
"Jabba would pay a great price for your heads," Boba Fett confirmed. "And this time, just your heads."
Leia shifted uncomfortably. She didn't like the look of the way this conversation was going.
"Especially once he realises that you're the ones responsible for the attack today," Fett continued.
Han frowned at this and Leia felt a chill run through her as she realised the severity of the situation. It wasn't just her and Han's lives at stake here. It was the entire Alliance. If Jabba found out that they had been involved in the attack on the spice shipment, then there would be no stopping him from destroying the Alliance once and for all. The Hutts certainly had the power to do so and the Alliance was already losing one war. They wouldn't last a day if another was forced upon them. She needed to turn this situation their way. And quickly. But how?
"Any last words?" Fett asked, jabbing Leia roughly in the back of the head with his blaster again.
"Now, look, Fett. Just listen to me for a second," Han sputtered, pointing his finger Fett's way. "We have powerful friends. We can get you whatever you want."
"I know what I want, Solo. And that's you and your pretty little princess dead."
Leia's heart fluttered as she realised she only had a couple more seconds to make a move before Fett pulled the trigger. But what could she do? She couldn't use her blaster. She'd be dead before she even removed it from its holster. Then what? Anything she tried would alert Fett immediately. Unless…
Leia closed her eyes quickly and tried to reach out to the Force. She didn't know what she was looking for. Heck, she didn't even know if she was doing this right! But nevertheless, she took a deep breath and focused. Han's continuous sputters—plays for time—faded away instantly and she inhaled sharply. She could feel the smuggler's presence glowing warmly beside her and behind her she could sense Fett's finger pulling down on the trigger...
Frantically, she searched for something—anything—to stop Fett. But then something changed. She could sense something new... A presence that wasn't there before.
And then suddenly a blaster went off. Leia pushed Han roughly to the side and together they tumbled to the ground, barely missing the laser bolt that sizzled past them as a second shot went off. Leia gasped in pain as her head collided sharply with the ground and she must have blacked out for a second or two because the next thing she knew, a set of footsteps were hurriedly approaching her.
She reached quickly for her blaster but stopped as a new voice rang out through the audience chamber.
"Leia!"
"Skyro?"
"Get up. Quickly. We need to go."
Leia grabbed the hand that Skyro offered her and pulled herself up off the ground, turning quickly to look at the place where she had stood moments ago. A blackened spot on the wall opposite showed the place where Fett's blast had hit, and as for the bounty hunter himself… Leia's eyes slid to the floor where Fett was sprawled out, unmoving.
"Is he…?"
"Stunned," Skyro answered sharply as he pulled Han to his feet.
"Thank you," Leia said, quietly.
Skyro glanced at her quickly, but did not respond. Instead, he gave a short response to Han's question of, "Who are you?"
"I'm a friend of Leia's. Now let's get you out of here."
Skyro slung Han's arm over his shoulder to give him some support and then began moving back towards the stairwell. Leia frowned as she watched the two men move slowly across the audience chamber floor. It wasn't like Skyro to ignore a thank you statement, especially from her.
"Come on, Leia," Skyro called over his shoulder. "The attack won't go on much longer. We need to leave."
Leia lingered a moment longer, her brow creasing even further at Skyro's clipped tones. But then his words sunk in and she stepped forward quickly, momentarily brushing her concerns to the side. In a matter of seconds she was at the base of the stairwell and she turned to give the audience chamber one last look. And instantly her eyes fell on the unconscious bounty hunter.
"Wait!" she called, turning to look at Skyro and Han who had already begun making their way up the stairs. "We can't leave Fett here."
"We don't owe him anything," Skyro replied, not stopping. "Leave him."
"No, you don't understand," Leia snapped back, a little flare of anger sparking at the cold shoulder she was receiving from the captain. "He knows the Alliance was involved in the attack. We can't risk him informing Jabba."
Skyro sighed heavily and came to a stop. He turned around as best he could while still giving Han the support he needed and gave her a look.
"Then what do you suggest we do? Kill him?"
"No," Leia replied, affronted. "We take him with us and then drop him off somewhere along the way."
"Like where?"
"I don't know," Leia replied, crossing her arms. "In the middle of the desert, perhaps?"
"There's still the chance that he'll find his way back and tell Jabba everything," Skyro pointed out.
"Well, it's better than leaving him here, giftwrapped and all," Leia returned, her glare fiery.
Skyro studied her for a moment, jaw tight. Then he replied, "Fine. You take Han. I'll get the bounty hunter. But if he wakes up and kills us all, then it's your fault."
"Fine," Leia replied stiffly. She moved quickly up the stairs to take over the role of supporting Han, while Skyro went to retrieve the unconscious bounty hunter.
"And I thought I was the only one who could bring out your temper," Han commented wryly.
Leia shot him a glare despite the fact that he couldn't see her face and began pulling him up the stairwell. It was time to get out of here.
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Parry. Duck. Swing. Block. Roll. Duck. Parry.
Luke was barely aware of his movements as he duelled fiercely with his father. Anger fuelled his motion and the Force enhanced his reactions. The fatigue of earlier was nowhere to be seen.
Luke pressed Vader back, a new, powerful energy flowing through his body as he fought. He felt stronger, more in control. He could do this. He could beat his father.
Luke lashed out at Vader's torso with his saber, but before he could make contact he was flying backwards through the air again. Luke growled as he flipped swiftly to land in a crouch, using the Force to control his movements. The white lightsaber hummed fiercely in his hand. It wanted blood. And so did he.
Luke pushed himself forwards with a Force enhanced leap and swiftly landed three strong blows to Vader's saber, pushing the Sith Lord back a couple of steps. But Vader wasn't about to back down and Luke barely missed having his head chopped off as Vader's saber swung by in a swift flash of red light.
Luke ducked and rolled, swinging his blade unsuccessfully at Vader's feet before he brought himself back up into a fighting position. But Vader was already there, lightsaber swinging towards him and once again, Luke only barely managed to miss the deadly blade. He turned and blocked two more attacks from Vader, but the third pushed him off balance and the fourth caught him on the arm.
Luke cried out in pain and stumbled backwards a couple of steps, clutching at the burning streak across the top of his upper arm. But he barely had time to regain his footing for another attack came from Vader, this one straight at his head. Luke ducked again, but found that the blow to his arm had quite shaken his focus, for there was a sharp sizzle as the very ends of his hair got caught by the blade.
"You could have killed me!" he yelled.
But Vader didn't reply, nor did he stop. Luke's eyes widened and his heart fluttered as the red saber swung towards him once again. He brought his own saber up to block the attack but his injured arm twinged painfully and he was knocked backwards off his feet by the force of Vader's blow. The tip of the red saber was at his throat in an instant.
Luke stared at the glowing blade of the weapon as he laid there, pinned on his back. A wave of fear washed over him. Vader was making no move to withdraw his saber and as the seconds ticked by, Luke could begin to feel his skin warm from the heat of the blade. His gaze flickered up to his father's black, emotionless mask and his stomach tightened. Was Vader going to kill him? He tried to control his breathing, steady his thoughts, but his eyes kept flickering back to the saber and Vader's unwavering hand. Was this the end?
But just as that thought passed through his mind, Vader withdrew. Luke breathed out heavily in relief, but the instant he did, his anger simmered back to the surface.
"If you're planning on killing me," he snarled, rising to his feet, "then just go ahead and do it."
He snapped his saber off and tossed it across the room.
"Quit playing with your food."
And with that, he turned and stalked out of the room.
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The ramp of the Falcon lowered slowly as they staggered closer. Leia squinted against the bright sunlight as she turned and looked behind her. Skyro was a good hundred metres or so away from her, carrying the still unconscious Boba Fett in his arms. It had been difficult climbing down the outside of the main tower, what with one dead weight and another vision-impaired, but they had made it without relative incident. Still, the effort had taken its toll and it was starting to show in all of them.
Leia turned back to Han as they neared the ramp.
"How's your eyesight?" she asked quietly. "Do you think you can get the Falcon up and running?"
"Should be able to," Han mumbled, leaning on one of the rampway supports. "I can see a lot better now, really. And besides, I could prep the Falcon in my sleep."
"Okay," she said. "You go ahead. I need to talk to Skyro."
Han looked at her for a moment, a soft frown creasing his brows. Then, he glanced at Skyro. A look passed over his face that Leia couldn't quite decipher, but it was quickly replaced by a neutral expression.
"Okay," he replied simply.
Leia watched him walk up the rampway and then turned to face Skyro, who was only now arriving at the base of the ramp. He made to move past her, but she stepped in front of his path.
"What's your problem?" she asked, crossing her arms.
Skyro sighed impatiently. "Leia, we don't have time for this right now and if you haven't noticed, I would quite like to be rid of this," he said, glancing down at the unconscious Fett in his arms.
Leia stepped stiffly to the side.
"Thank you," Skyro said as he moved passed her and into the Falcon.
Leia followed a step behind, not intending to let Skyro get away that easily. Only once he had secured Fett to the table with a set of binders and completely removed him of weapons did Leia open her mouth to speak again.
"We are grateful for what you did back there," she said, accenting her words with a sharp raise of her eyebrows. "I hope you realise that. We owe you our lives."
"Yes, well that wouldn't have happened if you had listened to me," Skyro replied, turning to look at her, his expression hard.
"So what? We owe you one. That's not something to hate me for."
"I don't hate you, Leia, but you don't understand," Skyro replied, taking a step towards her. "You almost died."
"But I didn't."
"But you would have! If I hadn't disobeyed your orders to remain at the top of the main tower, both you and Han would be dead right now!" He studied her for a moment as he caught his breath. Then he gave a short laugh and shook his head. "But you don't see it, do you?"
Leia didn't respond.
"Do you know how I would feel if you died?" he continued. "If Fett had killed you back there and I had been left to deal with the bodies? It's been bad enough already, Leia. First, Luke and then this! I told you to let me come with you, but you refused without even considering the possibility that your plan had some major flaws. You didn't even consider what would happen to me if the both of you had been killed! You know, Commander Lears said you needed to pay more attention to the people around you, but what you really need to do is start caring for them," he finished harshly.
Leia opened her mouth to speak but closed it after she realised she didn't know what to say.
Skyro pushed past her and moved towards the cockpit, from which Han was just exiting.
"The Falcon's good to go," he began, but trailed off as Skyro stalked past him. He looked at Leia, confusion etched on his face. "What's going on?" he asked.
"Nothing," Leia snapped as she too moved past Han and into the cockpit.
Han watched her go, feeling thoroughly lost and confused.
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To put it simply, the journey to the rendezvous point was silent and uncomfortable. Right about now, Han was realising that he would rather still be trapped in carbonite than be stuck in the middle of whatever was going on between Leia and the man named Skyro. He narrowed his eyes slightly from his position in the back seat of the cockpit as he stared at the two of them. What was going on between them? He had heard them arguing before, but hadn't been able to make much sense of it as he had been too focused on prepping the Falcon. Also, he hadn't really felt that it was his business listening in on their private conversation.
But now he was curious, and just a little concerned. He had been gone for a year, as Leia had shortly explained to him, and a lot could have happened in that time. Leia had refused to give him any more details, but he couldn't help but wonder… were Leia and Skyro…?
He shook his head. No, that was stupid. The way Leia had kissed him before was proof enough that she still loved him. What was going on between her and Skyro was something different… But he couldn't figure out what.
"Coming up on the rendezvous point," Leia said tonelessly. "Prepare for landing."
Han leaned forward in his seat to get a better look out the viewport. Ahead of them, almost invisible against the endless sea of golden sand, was a small, silver shuttle glinting brightly in the light of the twin suns. Han squinted to get a better look, but his eyesight still wasn't back to normal so he leaned back in his seat and waited for them to land.
Once the Falcon was safely grounded, Han left the cockpit in a flash, eager to get out of the tense, uncomfortable air. He made his way to the back of the Falcon, stepping quickly past the still unconscious Fett and flicked the button to lower the exit ramp. As much as he loved being back on the Falcon, he couldn't be more glad to step out into the dry heat of Tatooine.
He lifted his hand to his eyes and turned towards the shuttle. Two figures were approaching him and he smiled as he recognised them through his blurry eyesight.
"Chewie! Lando!"
"Good to see you in one piece, old friend!" Lando said as he pulled Han into a quick hug. "I was worried you might've lost a limb or something during the de-freezing process."
Han laughed quietly but his voice was quickly muffled as Chewie pulled him into a bone crushing hug. The wookie let out a fond roar and began stroking Han's head.
"I'm alright, pal. I'm alright," Han mumbled, trying not to get fur in his mouth as the wookie refused to let go of him.
"Chewie, that's enough," Lando laughed. "We only just got him back, we don't want to go suffocating him so soon."
Chewie growled lightly but released Han after one last ruffle to the head.
Han ran a hand through his hair to sort out the mess Chewie had made as he looked to Lando.
"Skyro mentioned something about an attack," he said, hoping Lando might be a bit more willing to explain their current situation and why it had been so easy for them to get out of Jabba's palace. "Did you have anything to do with that?"
"Yeah, we did. We—" Lando began, but he was cut off abruptly by Leia.
"Lando, we have to leave now," she called from the top of the ramp.
Lando gave her a short nod, then turned to wave a hand at the small crew waiting outside the silver shuttle. He received an acknowledging wave in return and then the crew began piling back onto the transport.
"I guess I'll just have to tell you all about it on the flight. It's quite an exciting tale," Lando said, clapping Han on the back as he turned to make his way up the Falcon's ramp. Only, he stopped short as he saw Skyro carrying a limp Boba Fett down the walkway.
"What…" Lando murmured, brow creased.
"Yeah, we ran into a bit of trouble ourselves," Han explained as he moved past Lando to the base of the ramp.
"You're just gonna leave him here?" Lando asked as he watched Skyro lay the bounty hunter on the sand, wrists bound.
"Yep."
Lando stared a moment longer, then shrugged and followed Han up the ramp.
"Well, I can't say he doesn't deserve it."
Chewie roared in agreement.
Han entered the cockpit again and plopped back into his seat. Lando took the seat next to him and Chewie lingered in the doorway. Skyro entered soon after and placed himself in the pilot's chair next to Leia who was working at the controls.
Han gave Skyro a small glare. He hated not being able to fly the Falcon himself, let alone have some stranger do it for him. But Skyro seemed adept enough at piloting and both Leia and Lando trusted him, so Han let it pass. It wasn't like he could actually fly it himself anyway, what with his vision the way it was.
Han turned to Lando.
"So, you gonna tell me what happened or are we gonna sit in silence the whole way?" he asked with a wry grin.
Lando gave a short laugh and then launched into his story.
"TIE fighters?" Han interrupted midway through Lando's explanation. "How exactly did you manage to acquire two of those?"
"It was quite easy, actually," Skyro answered from the front. The tension that had been present earlier had now drained away and all of them seemed to be enjoying recounting the events of the day. "Prior to this, I was assigned to a scout group. We were stationed on Tatooine for a month and half, which gave us plenty of time to explore the region, including the local Imperial outpost. When Leia asked for ships, I knew instantly we could acquire two TIEs without difficulty. It was actually the other two ships—the unmarked fighters—that were the hardest to obtain. But we managed it in the end."
Han leaned back in his chair.
"And then you used them to attack a Hutt shipment—one that was carrying glitterstim?" he asked.
Lando nodded. "We barely made it out of there," he explained. "Jabba's mercenaries put up quite a fight and even with Skyro's crew being the excellent shots that they are, we were soon outmatched. I got on one of the ships and we were out of there in no time. We dumped the TIEs and the fighters and then took the shuttle to the rendezvous point. And, well, here we are."
"And the spice shipment?"
"Destroyed," Lando said with a wicked grin. "Chewie landed a devastating shot to the transport's engine as we were leaving. The whole docking bay went up in flames. You should have seen it. It was spectacular."
Han shook his head incredulously.
"That is one crazy plan," he said, grinning. "It's got Luke written all over it."
"Actually, it was my plan," Leia said, not looking at him.
"Well, that's even worse," he commented wryly. "It seems the kid's been rubbing off on you."
No one replied to that and Han frowned as he only now noticed the odd silence that had filled the cabin at the mention of Luke.
"Speaking of the kid, where is he?" Han asked, a strange flicker of concern spreading through his stomach.
The feeling doubled when no one replied yet again. Han shifted to the edge of his seat, suddenly more alert than he had been throughout the entire journey.
"Where is he?" he asked again, looking around at each of them. But none of them replied. And none of them would even look at him. "Where's my best friend?"
There was a moment's silence before Leia responded. Her voice was so quiet that Han could hardly hear her and it trembled ever so slightly as she spoke.
"Han, Luke's dead."
Han stared at her blankly.
"What?" he whispered. Surely he had misheard her. Luke couldn't be dead... Could he?
"Vader killed him, Han. I couldn't save him. He's dead."
Leia was full on sobbing by this point, but she still wouldn't look at him. Neither would anyone else.
Han shook his head. "No," he said slowly. "That's not possible. He can't be dead. Luke can't be dead..."
But the way everyone was acting all but confirmed it. Han gazed numbly around at them all, not knowing what to do, what to think.
After a few more minutes of silence, he got up and left the cockpit, his vision blurred, but not from hibernation sickness.
.
.
.
The command crew snapped to attention as Luke stalked onto the bridge of the Executor, still fuming from his fight with Vader. They watched him move down the runway with wary eyes, sensing that today would not be a good day to make a mistake. And that was certainly true, for Luke had made two kills in two days and he was quite eager to make it a third.
"Nothing to report, my Lord," Piett piped up from the corner where he was examining a screen with a number of techs.
Luke gave him an acknowledging look, then turned to look out the viewport. All that lay beyond him was black, empty space. Only a few small dots of white indicated that there was any life out there in the void. Luke breathed in deeply, then exhaled.
His upper arm was still stinging from where Vader had cut it with the lightsaber, but the pain was receding quickly now and soon it wouldn't even bother him. He curled his fist slightly and breathed in again. He didn't like how quickly he could lose his temper, but then again he did. It made him more powerful. It made him stronger. This truly was the Dark Side. And it felt good.
A soft whoosh from behind made Luke turn around and instantly his gaze hardened. Vader stalked up the runway towards him, black cloak billowing behind him as he walked. Luke clenched his jaw and turned his gaze on the bridge doors that were now sliding closed. He didn't want anything to do with Vader right now, so he stepped forward and began walking towards the doors.
"Luke," said Vader in his dark tones as he approached, but Luke ignored him, brushing past him with a slight bump to the shoulder.
"Luke," Vader said again, turning around and catching Luke by the arm before he could go any further. Luke hissed as his arm twinged painfully and he shot a glare at Vader.
"You should get that looked at," Vader commented lowly.
"It's fine," Luke grit out, roughly jerking his arm free of Vader's grip. Then, he turned and began walking towards the doors again.
"Luke—" Vader started with a growl, but he was cut off by a short exclamation from Piett.
"My Lords!"
"What is it, Admiral?" Vader hissed, turning his gaze on Piett who was approaching them quickly.
Luke sighed and reluctantly turned around to listen.
"We have just received a transmission from Tatooine, my Lord," Piett said, keeping his gaze firmly locked on Vader. "A Hutt shipment was attacked earlier today."
"I have no interest in the Hutts, Admiral."
"Yes, but," the Admiral stuttered, his gaze now flickering a bit. "They're blaming us, my Lord. Apparently two TIE fighters were involved in the attack."
"What?" Vader growled.
"It is true, my Lord. I have checked. Two TIEs were stolen from the local outpost earlier and they still haven't been found. It must have been the Rebels."
"Have you informed Jabba of this?" Vader asked.
"Yes, my Lord," Piett responded quickly. "Although he does not believe me. And he is threatening war if we do not reimburse them for their losses."
"Their losses are not my concern, Admiral. If they cannot protect their own shipments then it is their problem. Tell Jabba again."
"Yes, my Lord." Piett nodded shortly, before returning to the tech station where he began conversing quietly with the crewers surrounding it. Vader followed slowly, but Luke remained where he stood by the door.
As much as he wanted to leave, any news about Tatooine intrigued him excessively. Especially since Leia was said to have returned to the planet to rescue Han. Was it them who had stolen the TIEs? Was it them who had attacked the Hutt shipment? If it was, then there was a serious chance they were dead. After all, no Hutt would take to losing a shipment lightly. Luke shifted nervously on his feet.
Across the room, Piett turned to look up at Vader.
"Jabba remains firm in his beliefs, my Lord."
"Very well, Admiral," Vader said. "Inform him that I will send a representative to the planet."
"My Lord?" Piett questioned, a frown creasing his brows. "You're not seriously considering repaying him, are you?"
"No, Admiral, but he does not need to know that," Vader said as he began moving away from the tech station and towards Luke.
"Of course, my Lord," Piett responded with an acknowledging nod before he turned around to execute his orders.
Luke's eyes flickered up from the Admiral to the now quickly approaching Sith Lord. HIs gaze hardened but he did not move.
"I have a task for you, apprentice," Vader rumbled, coming to a stop in front of Luke.
Luke raised his chin and responded with a short, "My Lord?"
"But first I wish to congratulate you on your performance today."
Luke frowned at that and his stomach tightened in anger. Was Vader mocking him?
"You produced an excellent shield, although I gather that you are unaware of your success on the matter."
Luke's frown loosened and he looked up at Vader in shock. He had produced a shield? He hadn't even realised. He hadn't even tried to.
"You will find that things like this will become more natural to you, the more you embrace the Dark Side," Vader said, and Luke could sense that his father was quite proud of him. "And now I wish to present you with your final test."
Luke's heart fluttered in his chest. He had passed the shield training and now there was only one more challenge to face before Vader would accept him as his apprentice. He looked at Vader eagerly.
"I want you to go to Tatooine and convince Jabba that the Empire was not involved in the attack on his shipment."
"But what if I can't convince him?" Luke asked, a slight frown on his face. The Hutts could be excessively stubborn and he had heard that not even Jedi mind tricks could make them see beyond their immediate desires.
"I have enough contacts on Tatooine already," Vader rumbled. "It matters not if I lose one."
Luke nodded again, a flicker of excitement running through his stomach at the meaning of Vader's words.
"It will be done, my Lord," he said, bowing slightly before turning to leave the bridge.
"Oh, and, Luke."
Luke stopped and turned back to look at Vader.
"You'll be needing this."
Luke's eyes dropped to the object that Vader was holding out to him and his heart skipped a beat. He looked a Vader for a moment, wondering whether he was truly serious. But the Sith Lord made no move to withdraw his hand, so Luke stepped forward and tentatively took the object from him.
"Thank you, my Lord," he murmured quietly as he gazed down at the black and silver hilt of his father's lightsaber. "I will not fail you."
