"Do not allow that ship to dock." Vader insisted with grave authority to a nearby officer. The Imperial Shuttle remained outside the Death Star as the black-clad tyrant peered at it menacingly from behind the lenses of his steely helmet. His labored breathed filtered through his helmet's respirator with a terrible hiss that had become both iconic and unnerving.
Otherwise, the room remained in silence as Vader simply stared out the viewport at the shuttle.
"I can feel them…" He said to nobody in particular. The officer swallowed hard, contemplating whether or not he should reply.
"M-my Lord?" He somehow managed.
"They're like magnets... and we're in the middle. One of them is on that ship, and one of them is here, on this station! FIND HIM!" Vader spun on his heel, his cape billowing as he left the room. The officer tugged as his collar, both relieved Lord Vader was gone, and terrified at the prospect of failing his given task.
Despite her fiery resolve, Luke could see that Hermione was still weary. She looked a million light-years away and sad on some fundamental level. There was something about her manner that Luke related to now. He tried to think about anything else, but the screams of his Aunt and Uncle echoed in his mind, unwanted and distant. Like an open flame, the horrible memory licked at his waking thoughts.
"Have you ever lost someone you cared about?" Luke asked, staring at his feet. Hermione looked away from the viewport for the first time in hours, now facing the young farmhand. She wondered what would've become of Luke if she hadn't showed up in his life. Would he be alive right now? Would his family? She felt his pain either way.
"Yes. I've lost some people close to me. Some closer than others." Her thoughts drifted to familiar faces, now gone. She paused for a moment, recalling her parents; erasing all trace of herself from their lives and memories. This war has taken its fair share and then some, the young witch thought.
"Some more lost than others… but it hurts all the same." She leaned against Luke, wishing she could put an arm around him. She recognized the inconsolable melancholy from Harry, although her good friend somehow kept it at arm's-length. Harry's past always managed to seem like bad weather on the horizon, but Luke was in the thick of a storm; his tragedy was recent and visceral.
"I cared about my Aunt and Uncle, but… it's not even what hurts the most. I feel like this might always happen. My mother and father died when I was young, now Owen and Beru? Who's gonna be next?" Luke's words weighed heavy, but he spoke calmly. Hermione wished there was more she could do for him. Yet, stuck in the shuttle, waiting to dock, all she could do was lean her head on his shoulder.
The small measure of comfort between the two friends carried unspoken meaning that neither could properly articulate. Luke had always felt like he was isolated from family and friends, on a planet alone, always gazing up at a star-laden destiny that was forever going to be out of reach. But now? That small planet had a population of two, and those distant stars suddenly seemed a whole lot closer.
The Millennium Falcon roared across the skies of the planet Takodana as Harry peered out the cockpit's viewport at the familiar blue sight. Between that and the lush green flora below, it reminded the young Wizard of Earth- of home. Han piloted the ship lower, zipping over the lake towards a structure in the distance. Harry couldn't help but recall the train ride to Hogwarts. What he wouldn't give to be on the Express right now, with Hermione and Ron.
He sat back, sinking into his seat, trying not to dwell on his current situation.
"Welcome to Takodana, Kid. Depending on which way you're flying it's either a bold frontier or the last gasp of civilization." Han seemed at ease as he landed the Falcon in a forest clearing, a short walk away from the ancient-looking structure.
"Who exactly are we meeting here?" Harry asked as he followed Han to the ramp, impatient and equally nervous.
"She's the pirate queen of the middle-rim." Han said as he grabbed a crate off of a bench, handing it to Chewbacca, and then grabbing another one for himself. Harry stood, watching them, trying to process that bit of information.
"A… pirate. We've gone to see a pirate?" Han smirked at Harry's incredulous tone, Chewbacca chortled, clearly amused. Arrnfnfnfnf.
"A pirate queen. And, yes. Keep an open mind." Han lowered the ramp, stepping out with his Wookiee co-pilot close behind. Harry rubbed his forehead feeling particularly overwhelmed and frustrated.
"A pirate… a bloody pirate." he whispered to himself as he started to follow Han and Chewie out of the ship.
Harry felt very at home with grass under his shoes and a blue sky overhead. Only the looming alien structure, now towering over them, reminded him that he wasn't back on Earth. The trio approached the building, but it was only Harry looking up at it in awe. Han and Chewie were clearly very familiar with the place.
"Harry, meet Maz Kanata: the beautiful and generous pirate queen." Han gestured to a diminutive, yellow-skinned alien, sitting in a folding chair, with a shade of some foreign design keeping the sunlight off of her. She sipped her drink and smiled. Harry tore his gaze from the building's height to look at Maz.
"Han Solo, your flattery is as cheap and insincere as your smile." Her voice resonated with an even balance of aged wisdom, and unfiltered sass. As if on cue, Han flashed his smile at her. Harry was only half surprised, fully expecting an alien, but not one so small. This is the pirate queen? He asked himself. If she'd had large pointy ears, he might've mistaken her for a house elf.
"That's why I've only got eyes for this guy." She winked at Chewbacca from behind the bottle-thick lenses over her eyes. The Wookiee ran his hands over his head, brushing his hair back smugly.
"P-pleased to meet you, your… highness." Harry wasn't sure how to address her, but queens were royalty, right? Maz let out a burst of laughter, one that seemed several sizes too big to be coming from someone so small.
"Oh I like this one, Han. He's got time."
"Time for what?" Harry chimed in.
"Time before you end up like this one!" She laughed again, pointing a bony finger at the unamused smuggler.
"Say, Maz, how come you're not inside?" Han asked, curiously noting her comfortable setup.
"Some damn fools decided to settle a two hundred year old grudge inside, at the bar. It got... messy." She scoffed.
"They killed each other…?" Harry looked towards the entrance, his imagination running wild. Maz smiled knowingly. Chewie snorted, amused again at the young wizard.
"Not quite, Harry…" Han interjected.
"I do not tolerate troublemakers here, at my castle. If you have an issue with someone, you take it outside. Otherwise… boom!" She mimicked an explosion with her hands, letting the ominous statement hang in the air. Harry looked deeply concerned, which only seemed to amuse Maz even more. She flashed a wide smile at him.
Han and Chewie set the crates down in front of Maz.
"Look, I managed to get my hands on a couple things of Corellian Reserve. I know how much you like the stuff." Maz happily inspected the crates, quickly producing a bottle of the alien brandy. Pleased but suspicious, she shot Han a glance.
"And, just what is it you expect from me in return, Solo?" A somber silence lingered between the four of them as Han looked toward Harry, leading Maz's gaze to him as well. Harry slowly kneeled down, reaching her eye-level.
"I need your help. I don't belong here…" He started to explain. Maz carefully set the bottle down, paying closer attention to the young wizard, her curiosity ignited.
"Yes, I can see that now…" She carefully stepped closer, slowly running a hand over his jacket- part of the outfit Han insisted he wear.
"You're from somewhere so far away…" She closed her eyes as she spoke, her voice seemed to echo his deep trepidation. Her hands studying his face now.
"And you're lost; separated from your friends… from your family, and even… your parents?" She opened her eyes wide as her fingers slowly brushed aside his messy hair. Her stare discovered the scar on his forehead.
"Oh yes…" She said, almost at a whisper. Han and Chewie traded a concerned glance.
"You do need my help."