How to Lie Convincingly – Chapter 14

Finally! Finally the fourteenth chapter has arrived! Anyway, sorry for the theatrics, but here is Chapter 14. It was a bit difficult for me since I haven't written H/L in, well, over a year, but here goes nothing!

"The worst lies are the lies we tell ourselves. We live in denial of what we do, even what we think. We do this because we're afraid. We fear we will not find love, and when we find it we fear we'll lose it." – Richard Bach

Leia would have jerked up when she felt water rain down all over her, but her head was injured, so she did not. She would have reached out for Han, but he was not with her in the bed, so she did not. She would have screamed when she felt a pair of arms yank her from the bed, but the water had stolen her breath, so she did not. Finally, when air was able to invade her lungs, she started screaming for Han.

A gloved hand clamped over her mouth.

"Quiet," the voice said sternly.

Leia was unable to see her attacker because she was unable to brush the water out of her eyes.

"Yano! Besa nice!"

Gungans? Leia recognized the distinctive accent. Suddenly, imaged flashed through her head:

The pair of Gungans on the elevator. Glaring at her in the conference. Examining her ring.

Are they trying to help me?

"Kerr, Kerr! Hold unda the ankles. NO. Ankles! Thosas aresa da feet. Gentle now, yesa. Right unda there. Now, besa quick, Kerr! Jump."

"What!" Kerr sputtered.

"Kerr, don't besa a fool! Rememba da plan. Go!"

Kerr tumbled face-first out of the small window.

"Now, princess, Isa gots to get you out of here."

The Ceelinite guards approached carefully. The first spoke, quivering: "My lord, wee have deteected unusual activitee in the hospeetal. It seeems the fire seestems are in operay-shun."

Laenrs turned on him with rage. "Well, what are you steel do-eeng heere! You eedee-ots! Eet ees an eescape plan! Obveeouslee!"

"Yes, sir! Away wee go, sir!"

"No!" Laenrs leveled them both with one mighty talon. "I weell have to go myself."

Han scrambled up the steep rock-steps carved in to the cliffs.

Don't look down, Solo.

He paused.

I hope Leia is all right. I entrusted her to those two nutjobs. They better bring her to me, and quick.

It had been hard to leave her. But when he opened the window to give the Gungan a piece of his mind, he quickly lost his fervor when he was told to listen, or risk losing everyone's lives, including Leia's. Yano, the Gungan, told him that he and Kerr were sent to Celeene to reach a weaponry settlement with the two representatives from Chandrila. When Yano discovered the identity of the Princess, he knew it was imperative to find the weapons and leave the planet immediately to give the weapons to the Rebels. However, Yano did not bank on Lord Laenrs capturing them both. Han remembered the conversation very well.

"Look, sah. No time for da details. We need you ta get aboards da ship, sah. Wesa have a way to harness the power of da weapons. Itsa ees a small, round orb. Brings it to the top of da Teesha Nai, sah!"

Now here he was, on some god-forsaken rock trying to find a small orb in a small chip. A small orb! Did they realize how many small orbs are on one ship!

Focus, Solo. If you lose this chance you'll lose all of our lives. Now, they said that their ship was on landing pad AVC…

AVC? That's right next to the Falcon!

With energy renewed, Han sprinted up the remaining stairs with little difficulty, spirits high to see his ship. To his dismay, the Falcon was guarded by four Ceelinites in full armor, but seemed otherwise the same as it had been when they landed. He slumped. Now how were they going to leave? Han looked at the Gungan ship with a little jealousy. It was smaller, less-than-half the size of the Falcon. And uglier, he thought. Yet it was the one he needed to get into.

All he had to figure out now was how to get on the ship undetected.

And find Leia. And get the Gungans. And his ship.

Oh, kreth.

After a few minutes, Han began to creep on his hands and knees towards the Gungan ship, stealing glances at the guards every few minutes. In each talon they held some kind of glowing sabre with a glowing tip, a weapon Han had never seen before. They did not seem to notice him. As Han re-focused his attention on his path towards the ship, his left hand snapped a twig on the ground.

Eight eyes zeroed in on him. Sith.

"Oh, uh, hey, fellas!"

He left me. He left me.

Leia was limp in the Gungan's arms as he tried to navigate his way through the flooded hospital. Following Ceelinite protocol, all hospital personnel had been evacuated.

That's one good thing about Celeene. Order is priority.

But where was Han?

"Where's…"

"Quiet! Isa needs to concentrate!"

Then the sprinklers stopped.

"Ayah! Finally! Now, princessa, do yousa thinks you can walk?"

He set her down. She was shaky on her feet, but the treatment Anjalee had given her had clearly accelerated the healing process.

"I think I can manage."

An unfamiliar voice startled her. "That ees good to heear."

Leia's heart rate accelerated. Come on, Han! Where are you?

A little rough, I know. It might take a bit for me to get back into characterization with these guys. And, this little baby was kind of a transition. The next chapter is sure to have more action in it, and probably will be close to the end. I expect the trajectory for this story to be 20 chapters, more or less (:. Thank you ALL for reading and managing to stay with me for over a year! I hope to not disappoint!