Chapter 54
The transport ship reached Corellia.
Laetitia was standing away from Han and Qi'ra. Things were kind of awkward between them.
"Come on. That's us." Qi'ra said holding Han's hand but he stopped.
"What?"
"I'm not coming."
Qi'ra blinked in confusion. "What do you mean you're not coming? Proxima wants us here. We have to report back to her."
"And we will. Just … a bit later." Han said slowly. He was looking at the kid behind them.
"You're going to Tatooine, aren't you?"
Han sighed. "Yeah, I'll send the kid to Tatooine, show her around and then, come back."
Qi'ra exhaled in frustration. "I can't believe this. You don't even know this kid. She is not your responsibility."
"I'm making it mine." He said firmly.
"Look …" He said as he took Qi'ra's hands "I can't just leave a kid alone. You and I both know what it's like to be alone on the streets, not know what to do. No one deserves to go through that. She doesn't deserve to go through that. I'll take her to Tatooine and come back to you. I promise."
Qi'ra narrowed her eyes and looked at him. He was using the 'you're better than that to let a kid go through what we went through' card.
"You have a soft heart, Han."
"C'mon. You love me for it." Han smirked.
"Yes, I do."
They kissed briefly until Qi'ra walked out of the ship, not taking her eyes off of her boyfriend.
Laetitia and Han were sitting on the ground. They still had about 10 hours to reach Tatooine.
"Thanks for staying back … with me." Leah said, breaking the silence.
"I know you didn't have to. And your girlfriend didn't want you to"
"Nah, it's fine. You'll just owe me a favor." Han said coolly as he lied down to sleep.
"I can live with that."
"Besides, Qi'ra might act tough and cold but inside, she's really a nice person. Once you get to know her."
"Hmm. How long have you two been together?"
"3 or 4 years? I guess. We met when we were 11. We've been together ever since. When we first met …"
"Yeah, I don't care."
Han looked at her with fake angry eyes.
"Rude."
"At least I can fight. I didn't have my ass handed to me earlier."
"I have no idea what you're talking about. And like I said, rude. You're not supposed to use that kinda language."
"Whatever."
They both laughed. It was weird. It was like they had been friends for a long time.
Han was already sleeping but was preventing Leah to do that. He was snoring really loudly.
She noticed 2 men come in. They were wearing a full body white armor.
There was something strange about them. Laetitia could feel it wasn't her first time seeing people like that.
"Who are they?" She asked Han quietly.
Han opened his eyes. He saw them but closed his eyes again, leaning back.
"Stormtroopers. Here to 'serve us citizens'. Though if you ask me, they're the Emperor's monkeys."
Leah shook her head in confusion. She had no idea what he was talking about.
"You know, the Emperor ... He's been that for 2 days but already owning the place. Emperor Sheev …"
"… Palpatine." Laetitia finished quickly and angrily. It was like an instinct. She almost jumped up when she realized what she had just said.
How did I even know that?
Han sat up and faced Leah. "Yeah. How do you know that?"
Leah rose her shoulders "I don't know. I don't even know who he is or what he looks like. I probably met him before or knew him somehow."
Han scoffed "Kid, he's the Emperor. A kid like you could never even dream to meet people like him. It's not like you're a princess or anything."
Leah was about to say something but stopped. She could have sworn she had met this Sheev Palpatine guy and didn't like him. Even by mentioning his name, she could feel anger and hatred rising inside of her, though she had no idea why.
"Why is he an Emperor for only 2 days?"
"Because before that, he was the chancellor of the Republic. Now, he's the Emperor ruling his own dark Empire." Han said bitterly. It was clear he wasn't a fan of the Empire.
"Well, wasn't there somebody to stop him? A Republic is better than an Empire."
"Shh. You trying to get us killed?" Han whispered.
"I'm not really involved in all this but I heard the Jedi tried to kill him. And the Emperor returned the favor by wiping them out. They're all dead. Even if they're not, they're traitors and to be terminated on sight."
Leah frowned. "The Jedi?"
Han opened his eyes in annoyance. He wasn't gonna get any sleep.
"Yes, the Jedi. They're legends among people. You know, people with some … weird powers. They were like a cult, living in a temple. They were known to be the 'keepers of the peace' but in the last 5 years, with the Clone Wars going on around, they fought for peace." Han explained "And died for it, if you ask me" He added.
Leah just nodded in understanding. For reasons she couldn't explain, she felt tied to these Jedi. But why?
She just shook the feeling and went to sleep.
Laetitia found herself in a hill full of hot stones, with a river of lava passing by its edge.
She saw a man. She couldn't see his face. It was blurred but he had blonde hair. All she knew was that he was in pain.
She took a closer look and saw why. The man was injured and cut. He was limbless, begging for help.
Who is he? What monster did this to him?
She was about to go help him, pull him out but the lava caught a piece of his clothes and he was on fire.
She heard the agonizing scream of a man who was on fire. She wanted to move, to help him before it was too late, but she couldn't. It was like she was frozen, with no control of her body.
All she could do was to watch the man, whom she had no idea who he was, suffer.
Done :)
