Chapter Twelve
"Solo, get down to the detention level now," Vader snapped through the comlink, eyes blazing. "I'll be there as soon as soon as I can get my suit back on."
"Yes, sir!" Han said hastily, scrambling down the hallway. "Uh, sir – what's wrong?"
"I have reason to believe that that boy who came in with Obi-Wan has escaped his cell. Get him secured."
"Yes, sir."
"And Solo?"
"Yes, sir?"
"I want him alive. I am going to question him personally."
"Of course, sir. Solo out."
Luke stood in front of the cell he was pretty sure belonged to the Princess, and sat on the floor in front of it, looking warily around for stormtroopers. Satisfied the coast was clear, he closed his eyes and wished for this door to open, too.
Nothing happened.
He frowned. How had he opened the other one again? Oh, right – focus.
He concentrated hard on the door and imagined it opening. When he opened his eyes again, the Princess was staring at him through the doorway.
"Hi, I'm Luke Skywalker," he said. "Do you know how to get out of here?"
She blinked at him in shock, then jumped to her feet. "This way. May I inquire as to what you're doing here?"
"Ben Kenobi and I were on our way to Alderaan with your droids, but our pilot turned out to be an Imperial and drove is unto the tractor beam."
She looked at the ground, but didn't stop walking. "Alderaan . . . doesn't exist anymore."
"I know." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'm sorry."
She smiled faintly. "Me too. I'm Leia Organa, by the way."
"Nice to meet you, Leia."
"You too, Luke."
Han dashed into detention area and took a deep breath. "Everybody out!" he shouted. "There has been a breach in security, and Lord Vader is coming to deal with it personally! He doesn't need your help! So clear out!"
The officer in charge sneered at him. "I've received no such report."
Han raised a brow. "You want me to call Lord Vader so you can ask him? He's not in a good mood, you know, what with the prisoner escaping and all. And you know what he's like when he's pissed." He gave the officer a significant look.
The man swallowed nervously. "Right. Alright, men, let's give Lord Vader room to work. I'm sure he'll call us back when it's safe."
Han grinned as they filed out the door. Perfect. Now he could do his job in peace.
"Artoo, Detoo, what are you doing? You're going to get us blown up if you don't stop fiddling with that computer, and I really think we're in enough trouble as it is!" C-3PO huffed at his counterpart.
R2-D2 made a rude noise ands continued nosing around the strange-looking computer terminal he had found in the room they were locked in.
"Well, I never --" 3PO began, only to shut up as the door opened. "Why Artoo, maybe you're good for something after all!"
"There's no one here," Luke observed as he and Leia peered around the corner into the control area.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Leia murmured. "There should be some resistance."
"There is, Your Worshipfulness," an all-too-familiar voice responded as the man it belonged to rose from his hiding place behind the console.
Leia groaned. "What do you want, nerfherder?"
"I want you and your little friend to stay right where you are until Lord Vader gets here to deal with you, alright, Your Highnessness? Makes my life a hell of a lot easier," Han explained.
"I don't suppose you have a blaster," Leia asked Luke wistfully, glaring at Han.
Han snorted. "Like we're stupid enough to let a prisoner keep a weapon. Really, Your Worship, give us some credit."
Leia gave him a dispassionate look. "I'd really rather not."
Just then, an officer entered the room. Han swung around, pointing the blaster at him. "Don't shoot!" the man squawked, wide-eyed. "I just forgot my identif-- Look out!"
Han turned again just in time to have Luke and Leia tackle him from the front instead of behind. Leia immediately snatched his blaster from him as Luke took down the other officer and stunned him with his own blaster. "Princess?" he said breathlessly.
"I'm debating whether to use stun or kill," she replied, studying Han with cool, calculating eyes.
"Nice to know you think so highly of me, Your Worshipfulness," Han snapped back.
Luke rolled his eyes, stunned him, grabbed Leia's wrist and took of out the door.
Vader strode furiously down the hallway, his long strides eating up the ground. He was so focused on getting to the detention level he nearly ran over two droids.
"Oh, I apologize most sincerely, sir," the golden protocol droid (which looked like the one he had had as a young man, not that he was comparing or anything) said as he stared down at them. The blue R2 unit (also looking quite like his old one) also gave a polite beep.
"Just move," Vader gritted out.
They did so, and Vader continued down the hall. Then he stopped. "Droids," he muttered and whirled around, recognizing the machines that the Death Star plans had yet to be recovered from.
Cursing under his breath at the fact that droids did not have Force presences, Vader took off in the direction they had gone.
Han woke all alone. Mustn't have been out long, he thought. The other officer was still out cold, and Vader hadn't arrived yet.
He groaned as he sat up, then stood. "Now if I were on a strange battle station and I wanted to get off, where would I go?" he asked himself.
To the place I came aboard, of course.
Still feeling slightly sluggish, Han took off toward the docking bay.
"That's the ship we came on," Luke told Leia, pointing to the Millennium Falcon. "But the tractor beam might still be in effect."
"If it's an Imperial ship like you said, they probably took it off," Leia reasoned. "I say we go for it."
They were about to make a run for it when a voice called out, "Master Luke! Princess Leia! Master Luke!"
"Threepio!" Luke turned and saw the two droids coming quickly down the hall. "Come on!"
"Ready?" Leia asked when the droids had reached them. Luke nodded and they dashed to the Falcon and up the ramp.
Han saw the escapees enter the Falcon and his eyes widened in outrage, then narrowed in determination. "Oh no you don't," he muttered, and took off after them.
Vader had choked three people by the time he made his way to the docking bay.
He was just in time to see the Millennium Falcon blast its way out of the Death Star. "Turn on the tractor beam!" he roared, but it was too late. The ship was out of range.
Vader growled, choked the man who had switched on the tractor beam for being too slow, and stamped off toward his chambers.
It was only then that he wondered where Solo was. His comlink beeped.
Luke and Leia collapsed in the cockpit, huge grins splitting their faces. "We did it!" Leia sighed happily.
"As long as they don't send any fighters after us," Luke added, looking over the hyperdrive console. "Wait – and Ben! We forgot Ben!"
"They won't," a voice assured them. "I've already spoke with Lord Vader, he trusts me to return you safely into his custody. And don't worry about the Jedi. Lord Vader's taken care of him, too."
Leia her head fall forward and banged it repeatedly against the the dashboard. Luke went pale.
"Watch it, sweetheart, you'll damage my ship!" Han told her.
Luke and Leia swung the chairs around to face him and came face to face with the blasters they had carelessly left lying in the hold.
"So nice to see you both," Han said, his voice sugary. "Now get away from the controls of my ship. I'm locking you in the hold the remainder of this flight."
