~Lando's POV~
Han did not possess a discreet bone in his body. Lando, through countless adventures within the slave realm at the side of the scruffy pickpocket, had deduced this from the start. It was not from lack of trying, or intelligence on Han's part.
No, at times Lando hated how smart he was. Especially when his very smart plans required a delicate touch, which they almost always did. Usually that task fell to his lot when Han failed to meet up to his own great aspirations. Like the Millennia. Han, for some reason, still seemed to believe that the hunk of nonsense could be fixed.
Nonetheless, Han just wasn't very subtle. Or quiet. Or secretive. Heck, the boy couldn't keep a secret for very long. Though he was an enigma himself when it came down to it. Thus, Lando was still wondering how he supposed to pull his latest stunt off without being caught and punished when they ran into two very familiar but very unwanted faces.
It had happened no sooner than when he had hissed at Han's back: "You're going to get us caught, moron!" When Han started whistling for stars sakes within the Sith Palace at least five feet from the blasted doors of the mechanics shop.
Then, crouched and head down as they sped through the halls, Han had met his just deserts in the sleek form, or rather sleek forehead of Leia Skywalker. "Ow!" they grunted in unison as they turned a corner. Han, his eyes on Lando since he had been about to snap something back, and Leia, who hadn't been paying attention, crashed into one another's thick heads with finesse.
It probably didn't help that Lando burst into laughter but hey, chisszk like that was funny.
"Kriffing sleemo!" Leia sneered as she reared back, right into her brother, who had his own lips twitching up but held it in as he searched the halls for anyone coming up. Lando, for one, was laughing too hard. Han deserved it, too.
"Who are you calling sleemo?" Han demanded, rubbing his forehead as he divided his efforts between glaring at Lando, Leia and rubbing his thick skull.
"You, idiot!" Leia hissed back, furiously. "What are you guys doing out here?" She demanded. Lando frowned as he pulled himself back together. Force sensitive's or not, children of some damned Chosen One or not, he still didn't like the way this kid spoke to them. As if they were superior, as if they were anything special.
"None of your business," he growled back, nabbing Han's arm and hauling him to his feet. Luke placed a hand on Leia's shoulder but she shook it off with a shrug and stood herself. Ungrateful whelp.
"What are you two goody-two-shoes doing out?" Han bit back in return.
"We were actually looking for you guys," Luke explained peaceably.
"Us? What'dya want?" Lando asked, surprised. Didn't the holy children of the Order have better things to do than to muck about with dirty slaves?
"Your knowledge," Leia grumbled, having calmed down as she dusted herself off peevishly.
"You guys know that there's some sort of machine blocking the Jedi from using the Force, right?" Luke went on without prologue. Lando had to hand it to him, he got down to business with little fanfare. Unlike Obs who had a back story and another back story and probably a bunch of fancy words and 'points of view' that he needed to make clear before he started in on anything.
"We've heard of it," Han replied cautiously. It didn't really matter who these guys were, neither of them knew them well enough to trust them yet. And in the life of a slave slash spy, you were always ready for deception.
Being a double spy himself, Lando would know.
"Do you have clue where it might be?" Ah. Lando exchanged a glance with Han that communicated a plethora of meanings. It was odd how they could speak with one glance. After all these years of sticking side by side, it came naturally.
"Why do you want to know?" Han asked casually. Leia scowled at them while Luke guffawed in amusement.
"Why else? We're going to go find it. For the moment of attack," Leia spat.
"Well," Lando broke in before Han could reply to the jab. "If you're so dead set on that plan, you won't mind if we tag along," he stated.
The twins answered in firm unison. "No!" They cried.
Han cocked his head. "Why, Lando," he gasped dramatically. "I think these two younglings just tried to order us around," he told him.
"Why, Han, I believe it is so!" Lando agreed, flinging an arm over his eyes as if to shield from a terrible truth.
"But as I recall, they came looking for our help!" Han stated. Lando bit his bottom lip to keep in his laughter.
"Yes, whatever shall they do without us?" He agreed.
"If you two are done playing dress up," Leia interrupted coldly. "It's too dangerous for you to come," she informed them.
"Yeah, it would be safer if you just told us where it was and left it up to us," Luke gave a sharp nod, his blue eyes buzzing with slight irritation.
Lando snorted and crossed his arms. "Whoa, slow down there kiddies. Whoever said we knew where it was?" The look of quick astonishment that flashed over their faces was well worth the word game.
"You don't know where it is?" Luke's eyes went wide. "Why didn't you say so?" He demanded.
"Because we know our way around here better than you two," Lando replied calmly.
"We can sense any obstacles in our way," Leia assured them with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"Is that so, princess?" Han mocked. "Because in order to hide your Force signature in a place like this takes some concentration. And if you're so busy concentrating that you run into my head, I think you'll need an extra pair of eyes," he pointed out.
"Which is why I'm here," Luke piped in, eyes flashing a dangerous warning. Lando gave him a smirk in reply, daring him to even dare and tango with him and Han. They were street kids, and what's more, older than Luke and Leia. He was pretty dang sure these two royal highness's wouldn't know what hit 'em if it came down to a real fight, no Force tricks or fancy flips that Jedi were known for.
"All the same," doubt crept in to replace the look of warning in his eyes. With a sigh, Luke turned to his sister. "They do make a good point, Leia. We don't know where we'll be going in this huge Temple. And we could run right into a Sith cave or something because of that. As much as I hate to admit it," he turned to give them an exasperated look. "We need their help," he growled. Leia did not seem surprised by her brother's revelation, tough she did not seem happy about it either. Hands on her hips, she turned her head to stare at them with narrowed eyes.
Lando did not know why, but he had to fight the impulse to fidget beneath her penetrating gaze. There was something about the way Force users looked at people that made him think they were staring into the depths of your soul and judging you.
He hated being judged.
At length, Leia nodded. "So we do," she conceded.
"Glad we're all in agreement," Han chirped victoriously.
"But if we do get into trouble…"Luke started to warn.
Lando waved his hand dismissively. "Then don't worry about 'protecting' us or anything," he replied. "We'll probably have to protect you, but that's besides the point," Han snorted.
"Cocky aren't they?" Leia acknowledged contemptuously. Luke sighed in defeat, his shoulders slumping.
"This is going to be a long day," he predicted to his sister, who nodded.
"Don't look glum, chum," Han teased as they walked past the twins.
"Where are you going?" Leia asked as they trailed after them, trotting to keep up with Lando's fast pace. Being a spy within downtown Courascant gave one a highly exaggerated walk.
"To the place where this machine thingy is most likely to be in," both twins waited patiently for the answer.
Han nodded to Lando, who snuck a smile back at them over his shoulder.
"Why, the basement of course," he quipped.
~Leia's POV~
"Has it always been this way?" Leia asked from behind Han and Lando, who cockily strode ahead down the deserted halls of the Jedi Temple. The further into the bowels of the ancient building they traveled, the worse it seemed to become as far as looks went.
She had thought that the stained walls and wilted gardens on the higher levels had been bad, but down here the walls seemed more desecrated, not because of what the Sith had done to them but rather what had not been done. I guess they never thought to come down here, Leia reflected.
They were only on level four from the very top level of the Jedi Temple, but the walls were still white. Not stained with blood and gore but rather merely dusted by cobwebs and a thin layer of dust coating them.
She wondered what had been down here. So far as she could tell it was merely endless hallways. No rooms or gardens. Nothing. Maybe the kitchen or sparring rooms were down here once, Luke suggested through the bond, but Leia shook her head.
She didn't think so. Han was the one who answered, slowing his pace so that he could walk beside them. "What? You mean has this place always been the nicest looking spot of the entire blasted buildin'?" Han inquired lazily. Leia nodded, ignoring his language and how…Uncultured it sounded. She knew that Han was not unintelligent. He wouldn't have been allowed near Jedi if he were, but at times she wondered if that intelligence was a waste in him. He sure didn't use it very much.
"As long as we've seen it, it has been," Han said with a half shrug. "I remember when the Sith first dragged us here in nets," he showed a sour smile. "I thought that upstairs was pretty compared to the places I've been, and then Qe brought us down here. You remember, Lando?" Lando, up ahead with Luke, nodded without turning.
"This place was heaven above," he grunted.
"Father said that the Jedi Temple used to be beautiful," Luke said, looking around with curious eyes. Leia couldn't imagine what he was looking at. There was nothing but hallway around them. It was boring as all kriff, as their father would say.
"So does Obs," Lando agreed neutrally. "White walls, Jedi emblem everywhere you kriffing step. Gardens with flowers that glowed at night, a room filled with birds and monkeys, a station to watch the stars, even a communications center. Yessir, this place was the palace o' justice bringers," he whistled. "Too bad about it," he said, without much sorrow.
"Everything has a season," Luke agreed absently. Leia wondered what he was thinking about. Suddenly, Luke stopped, bringing Han and Leia to a stop behind him.
Lando, oblivious to them, kept going. "Hey!" Squawked Han. "What's the hold up, light boy?" he demanded.
Lando, hearing this, stopped and looked back at them with a scowl. "What's wrong with you? Are we finding this machine thing or not?" He called irritably.
Luke ignored them. His eyes had glazed over. Leia cocked her head, listening intently as he was to the sounds between the sounds. "Shut up!" She hissed at Han and Lando, both protesting loudly. They fell silent, though from habit or her command was a mystery of the Force.
Then she felt it, a tiny vibration in the ropes of life. "HA!" At the same time as Luke, she turned to the small air duct at the bottom of the wall to the left and yanked with the Force.
"Ah!" Han and Lando jumped when suddenly a small body came tumbling from the vents, bright hair flailing as she toppled out. Leia gaped at the eleven year old girl who laid on the ground, immobile and dizzy at their feet. Her hair was tied into a tongue of fire behind her head. The satin of her face was silky and had a healthy glow.
"Is she dead?" Han asked softly as they all crowded round to stare down at her.
"If she is, I didn't kill her," Luke responded, a crease forming between his brow.
Leia rolled her eyes. "She is not dead," she told the morons. "Her Force signature is still throbbing and well," she knelt at the girls side just a groan escaped past the small lips. It was then that Leia saw the lightsaber at her belt and vaulted back with a strangled cry of warning. "She's Sith!" She hissed to them, spreading her arms to keep them back.
Han and Lando both somersaulted backward with surprising skill. Luke scrambled away as if the girl were suddenly a roaring fire as her hair suggested.
The girl heard Leia's shout and groaned again. Rubbing her head, the youngster opened her eyes and sat up. "Ouch," she growled. Leia relaxed a trifle when she saw green eyes, stunning in their depth, instead of yellow ones. Slowly, the girl blinked at them with foggy eyes. "Ouch," she repeated. "Which one of you barves hit me?" She sneered.
"Who are you calling barve, barve?" Han retorted hotly.
"Be nice," Luke commanded.
"She doesn't look like a Sith to me. She doesn't have yellow eyes," Lando observed distantly. Luke crept a few steps closer to the mystery intruder, who eyed him groggily.
"I'm not a rabid animal, you know," she sighed, getting to her feet. She reached up to smooth her hair back. A few strips had fallen from her braid.
"No, we don't know. Who are you? And how did you get here?" Lando asked, still keeping his distance.
"Who are you?" came the acid reply. Leia scowled. She didn't like this kid.
"His name isn't important," she spoke up. "We asked yours first. You can't blame us," she looked at the saber pointedly. "Since you are currently armed," she said. The girl screwed her face into displeasured confusion before understanding dawned on her.
"Oh, this?" She asked, holding up the saber in a peaceful gesture. "Its called a lightsaber," she told them matter of factly.
"We know what it is," Leia commented dryly. "We want to know who you are to be using it," she explained.
"Maybe she stole it. She looks like pick pocket material to me," Han put in his expert opinion. The girl wrinkled her nose.
"A pickpocket? Me? Sure. You must be slaves," she guessed.
"For the moment," Luke quipped back.
"I thought so. Don't worry, I won't hurt you. But I can't tell you my name or why I'm here. By the way, do you know how to get upstairs?" she wondered. Leia reflected that to the normal person, an occurrence like stumbling across some innocent girl asking for directions in the Sith Palace was highly unlikely. She glanced at Luke, his face was thoughtful.
"We're not showing you anywhere," Han growled obviously having come to the same conclusion as they had. "You could be an Empire spy," he said. The girl gave them a shocked expression before throwing up her hands in evident exasperation.
"Why does everyone think I'm some sort of Empire spy?" She cried in frustration.
"Well if this is how you usually meet people what else could you be?" Lando snickered.
"How about a person trying to get upstairs, slave?" Lando and Han both rankled at that.
"Listen, kid…" Han started in a sneer, but Leia cut him off calmly.
"You may have the saber," she glanced at the mentioned weapon again. "But we have the Force. And I bet we know how to use it just a bit better than you," this was a bluff, of course. She had no idea who this girl was or what she could do, but the other need not know that.
"What? Who do you think you…Wait," the girl squinted at them, realizing something vital. "You do have the Force," she realized. Her eyes abruptly grew wide with curious delight. "Are you guys Jedi?" She asked.
"Are you Sith?" Was Han's quick answer. Leia sighed, and just when they had been going somewhere.
"Sith? I hate the Sith!" Lando snorted.
"I've met a lot of people who swear up and down the galaxy, then on their mother's lives, then on their wives lives that they hate the Sith, and two days later they go to one for their pay check," he grunted. Leia agreed with his assessment.
"Give us some proof that you aren't Sith," Leia dared. The girl barked out a small laugh.
"I haven't killed you yet," she pointed out.
"Good point," Han muttered.
"You may have an agenda," Leia sharply retorted.
"You may have trust issues, but you don't hear me spewing it out," the girl snapped. Behind her, Han and Lando snorted with laughter. Anger and embarrassment flared within her.
"We'll take her to the others," She decided, her sharp words getting the attention of the snickering boys.
"Um, Leia? They're in a meeting, remember?" Luke recalled.
This piece of news was taken in excitedly by their hostage. "You know about the meeting? Where is it?" the girl suddenly piped in eagerly. The others snapped around to stare at her, alarmed.
"How do you know about the meeting?" Luke demanded harshly.
"A friend of mine is attending. Can you tell me how to go upstairs now?" the girl replied hotly, impatient.
"What friend?" Leia barked.
"A friend. Ugh, I see you all will be of no help," for a minute it looked as if the girl was thinking of crawling back into the vents before something occurred to her. She swung back around, saber in hand. The Force rippled with danger. Luke and Leia tensed.
"Wait a minute… What are you doing sneaking about anyway? How do I know you aren't Empire spies?" She wondered petulantly. Leia exchanged a glance with Luke, who had settled unto his heel thoughtfully. They had never been posed this question before.
"I know how we can settle all of this," Lando announced, stepping forward.
"With a good old fashioned wrestling match?" Han suggested slyly as he noticed Leia and the girl glaring at each other. Sounds good to me, Leia thought.
"No," Lando sighed cutting his friend an exasperated look. With debonair, he sauntered up to the mysterious girl and looked her intently in the eyes. At thirteen he fairly towered over her tiny form. It did not seem to intimidate her.
She met him with a defiant glare of her own. Suddenly, Lando started spouting off a multitude of codes in a different tongue that made Leia's head throb with their quickness. She saw Han smiling from the corner of her eyes. After a moment, Lando ended, and still staring seriously into the eyes of the girl, inquired politely: "Anything to say?" The girl blinked several times as if she were just waking up.
"What was that besides a headache?" She snapped. Leia was annoyed that she had copied her thoughts so exactly. You are better than this little brat. You are a Skywalker. You should kill her. She is a spy, the Dark Side coaxed. For once, Leia thought that maybe the Dark Side wasn't so wrong after all.
"She's not a spy," Han spoke up, immediately.
Lando nodded. "Sure isn't," he agreed, straightening.
"Told you," was the smug reply from the girl.
"How do you know?" Luke asked.
"I just named off a good number of Empire distress frequency Codes," Lando explained.
"You did?" The girl sounded surprised. Han nodded and walked up to put a supportive elbow on Lando's shoulders.
"He did. Good thinkin, Lando. Any Empire spy or Sith would have recognized those codes right away, even in a different language. Probably wouldn't have ended well, tying her down after she tried to strangle you for knowing that stuff, but hey, what're Force sensitive's for?" He winked at Luke and Leia.
"Just call me executioner," Leia dead panned.
"Not funny, Leia," her brother scolded.
"How do you know that stuff?" the girl demanded before Leia could reply to that.
"Lando is a spy for the Rebellion," Han explained before Leia could think of a suitable lie.
"You? But you're just a kid!" the girl scoffed, a glint of disbelief in her eye as she regarded Lando. The two boys exchanged glances. It had probably never occurred to them that normal kids their age never did any of the things they did. It certainly had never befallen her and Luke.
"Hard times breed hard fighters," Han stated with a modest shrug.
"And you're one to talk. Never seen a kid with a lightsaber before," Lando added darkly.
"Really?" She seemed unimpressed. "I have. But whatever. Now that we know I'm not a spy, let's go to the meeting," She offered.
"Can't," Han grunted. He jerked his thumb towards them. "They're names are Luke and Leia. I'm Han. This is Lando. We're trying to look for the machine that jacks up the Force around here. You know where it is?" he asked.
"Han!" Luke hissed. Leia, too was furious that all of their information was being given away so easily.
"What? She's obviously not a spy and we're not spies! You've got to trust a little before you expect someone to trust you, Skywalker," he told him wisely.
Leia rolled her eyes unhappily but the girl nodded. "My name is Mara Jade, but most people just call me Mara," she admitted.
"Good for you. Do you know where it is?" Han asked brightly.
Mara pursed her lips. "The machine that disrupts the Force so the Jedi can't use it?" She clarified.
"Yes!" Leia agreed, excited to know that they might have a lead. Wait until father heard of this!
"Sure I do. Its at the very bottom of the Palace. Why can't we go to the meeting? And why are you guys looking for it?" Mara asked confusedly.
"We want to destroy it," Luke explained.
"Really?" her eyes widened. "That sounds like fun!" she chirped.
"It'll be dangerous, not fun," Leia grumpily sneered. Mara waved this statement away casually. "You worry too much. Blowing the thing up, wow! Won't you guys get in trouble, though? Being slaves and all?" She asked. Leia refused to acknowledge the glint of concern in her eyes. It was insulting that this girl even think that they should need her help.
"We'll worry about that when the time comes. So, what do you say? Will you show us where and maybe lend that saber when the time comes?" Lando wondered, flashing his most charming grin. In Leia's opinion it made him look unbearably idiotic. But everything was a point of view.
"As long as I get to stab it," the girl replied.
"Deal!" All three boys exclaimed in unison. Leia frowned. She still did not like this girl. The Force was muddled with half-truths around her. Then again, its doing the same thing around all of us, she thought begrudgingly, unable to face the truth of her thoughts about the girl without the whole truth of the matter. Resigned to her fate Leia nodded and followed after the four of them as they stumbled their way through the Sith Palace in search of freedom's chains.