Chapter Fifteen:

The only reason Luke was on his feet was because of a stim shot Hazael had forced Luke to accept. It was well into the next day, nearly lunchtime, and Hazael sat in his office working on something while Luke cleaned as usual.

Luke had been ordered to clean every inch of the kitchen, and the sight of the room had reminded him of what had occurred inside it the night before. Shuddering with horror, Luke did his best to hurry through his cleaning of the kitchen.

He was deep-cleaning, per Hazael's orders, and then Luke was to organize the pantry. After the previous evening, Luke wanted nothing to do with the food area of the house, and Hazael knew that full well. That was why Luke's owner had placed special emphasis on the area.

It didn't help matters any that Hazael had entered the kitchen at one point to make himself some breakfast, the scent of his food reaching Luke and making him nauseous. Now Luke was scrubbing the floor with a small rag, his movements weary and downtrodden.

Luke's body ached all over, internally and externally. He hurt from the fists to his face and torso. His cracked ribs were now more cracked from the kicks to his body from a grown man with heavy boots on. Then there was his mouth, throat and stomach... all of which still burned from the boiling hot soup that had been forced into him, and then had come back up with stomach acid.

Luke felt wretched, and his head ached in concert with the rest of him. All he wanted was to go back to sleep, but he didn't dare defy his master ever again. He had decided to simply bend to his master's will because it was less painful to do so.

Luke hadn't slept well either, from a combination of being cold— since he didn't have a blanket anymore— as well as from nightmares and pain. Luke had had bile come up more than once to burn him anew, and he'd been forced to sit upright in his corner rather than lay down.

His rubbed-raw shoulder was only getting worse; his head constantly hurt from the too-tight goggles, and his heart seemed to be permanently heavy with depression. Why should he even try to be positive anymore?

Luke resorted himself to his circumstances, helpless to do anything else, and continued his work.

00000

Leia was ready for Han when he appeared at lunch, looking the part of a student, which Leia had to admit she was impressed with. They caught each others' eye across the play yard the students used for lunch break, and Han nodded with his head to one corner of the playground, in which a swing set rested.

Leia took one swing, and a few minutes later Han joined her. A glance about them showed nobody was paying them any mind, so Leia pulled out the credit chips.

"Here you go." She handed them over, and he pocketed them swiftly.

"Thanks," Han said softly. He then looked to her. "If you loan me your datapad, I can look through the stuff you already have, or I can find articles and such for you while you're in school. I'll have much more time to do so."

Leia eyed him curiously. "You'd look things up for me?"

Han nodded. "You tell me the topic, or a specific thing, and I'll do what I can to find answers."

Leia considered this. "How will I get the datapad back?"

"I'll be back at the end of school, meet you here, and then you go on to home," Han answered.

Leia nodded slowly, seeing his logic. "Alright. I did download a few articles yesterday, and I managed to squeeze in some reading this morning, but I didn't get far."

"What all have you already done in your search?" Han asked.

It's so nice to have someone to talk to about this! Leia thought with an ache in her heart. How she wished she had the support of her parents...

"I got all the records regarding my brother's death. But I've only gone through the medical ones so far. I figured since the cause of his supposed death was a brain aneurism, I'd start there."

Han eyed her. "Have you found anything yet?"

"No," Leia replied. "Not yet."

Han hummed. "Then it's probably time to look at other aspects of the situation. Medics don't normally log the crime scene after all."

"Crime scene?" Leia echoed.

Han inclined his head. "The place where it all happened."

The bell tolled, and Han rose, extending a hand. "Datapad please."

Leia hesitated. "You're going to pay off your debt first?"

Han considered. "Tell you what, I'll meet the guy after I get your 'pad back to you, alright?"

Leia again felt his honesty in the Force and accepted. "Please be careful. Everything I have is on this one pad."

Han lifted a brow. "It might be a good idea to make a copy: you know, in case something did happen to this one." He hefted the pad she'd given him.

Leia blushed, wondering why she hadn't thought of that herself. "Well, I have to go. See you later."

Curious as to how he'd gotten into the schoolyard, Leia turned to find him again, but he was already gone, causing her to blink in surprise.

00000

Anakin stopped outside the door to Leia's room that evening, knocking on the door.

"Come in."

He entered, seeing that she was doing homework, and he smiled softly. "Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to let you know we will be having guests for dinner tomorrow."

Leia blinked. "Oh really? Who?"

"Hazael and Tibni," Anakin replied, watching her reaction. She didn't disappoint.

"Them? Why?"

Anakin lifted a brow. "Why not?"

Leia shifted. "Sorry. I just meant, why are they coming to dinner?"

Nodding once, Anakin answered. "Your mother thought it would be nice to help Tibni meet some persons; maybe make a friend. That would help him be a better ambassador for his people."

Leia looked contemplative. "I think it could help, yes."

Anakin eyed his daughter, sensing something off about her. In fact, she had been acting strange for a while now, and he was worried about her. He watched as she returned to her homework for a moment, and then gently touched her hand.

"Leia is everything alright?" he asked.

Leia looked up to him, and he thought he caught a hint of uncertainty. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you don't seem entirely yourself of late," Anakin answered. "I know you enjoy reading, but you aren't normally so... reclusive." He gestured to her room for emphasis. "You spend nearly all your time in here now, and you always seem to be reading."

Leia frowned. "Is it bad that I'm well-read?"

Anakin sighed softly. "No, but you need to be able to moderate your time. Why not play a game, or go for a walk or maybe cook with me again..." Anakin lifted a hopeful eyebrow. "It was really nice getting to cook breakfast with you the other day. I'd like to do that more often if you are up for it."

Leia's heart warmed. "I really would, actually."

Anakin smiled in return, but he sobered again, eyeing her intently. "Seriously, though. Is something going on that your mother and I should know about?"

Leia looked down, and Anakin waited patiently. "Honestly, I've just been lonely." Leia admitted. "Winter is a great friend, but we never get to spend time together. And I love Ijon, but he's not exactly interested in what older kids want."

Anakin's heart went out to her. "Well, maybe we could make it more of a point to have family time. Would that help?"

Leia smiled. "That would be great Dad."

Anakin leaned over and kissed her head. "And why not try making a new friend at school?"

Leia bit her lip. "Well, I did make a new friend actually. But I wasn't sure you'd like that it's a boy."

Anakin did pause at that. "A boy?"

Leia nodded, blushing a tiny bit. "It's nothing but friendship, Dad, I swear."

Anakin watched her a moment, contemplating how he felt about his daughter having a boy for a friend. "Well, as long as he doesn't try anything, I'm alright with it."

Leia shook her head. "I don't think he's that kind of person."

Anakin offered her a warning look. "He'd better not be."

Leia placed a hand over his now. "Please trust my judgment Dad. I wouldn't hang out with someone who wasn't trustworthy."

Anakin knew she was right: his daughter wasn't easily swayed, and she was slow to make friends. But when she did make one, it was someone worth Leia's time. "Okay then. Well, how much do you have left on your homework?"

Leia glanced at her work. "About ten minutes."

"When you're done, we can work on dinner, then." Anakin stood, kissing her head.

Leia smiled at him. "I'll try to hurry."

Anakin's heart warmed, and he left moved to leave. Just before he got to the door, Leia spoke again.

"Oh, Dad?"

Anakin turned. "Yes?"

"Is Mom alright?" Leia asked. "I mean... she seemed pretty upset the other day."

Anakin inclined his head. "Yes. Padmé is just as strong as ever." He winked at his daughter. "You take after her like that."

Leia's happiness radiated from her being, and Anakin was glad he'd boosted her spirits. She returned to her work then and Anakin let her be.

00000

Han walked the dark streets with confidence, having lived down here for years. He made his steady way to one of the cantinas, one with a reputation for being particularly popular due to the fights that took place in the basement.

Han arrived at the door and the doorman eyed him with veiled interest.

"I'm here to see Zuph Onan." Han announced. "He's expecting me."

The man eyed Han, spoke into his comlink and then stood aside. "Go ahead."

Han nodded once and entered the establishment. He made his way to the staircase that would take him to the basement, and descended the stairs. The sounds of a fight reached him the farther down he went, until a well-lit room appeared before him.

Crowds of gamblers surrounded a caged ring, in which two Whiphids were going at it. Han saw that one was bleeding and winced in sympathy, but otherwise ignored the violence and made his way to the private box where Zuph watched over his domain.

Eyes followed Han and he resolutely ignored them, having no interest in entering the ring tonight.

When Zuph caught sight of Han, he motioned and the guards surrounding Zuph's box parted to let Han inside.

"Ah, Han," the Weequay said warmly, opening his arms in a gesture of greeting. "Welcome home."

Han shook his head. "This ain't home, not anymore."

Zuph clucked in disappointment. "Such a waste of talent."

Han withheld a sigh. "I've got your money."

Zuph sat upright. "Let's have it then."

Han pulled the credits out and handed them out, but before he release them he looked the Weequay in the eye. "I'm a free man now. As we agreed before."

Zuph narrowed his eyes at Han. "You win one more fight, and it's a deal."

Han didn't want to fight... but he wanted more than ever to be free. "How can I trust you'll keep your word?"

Zuph nodded. "Normally you can't; but if you do not fight, you will never be free of me. However, because you have paid me back, I will give you my word this one time. One last fight: if you win, you're a free person... but if you lose, you belong to me for three more years."

Han hesitated. "Who am I fighting?"

Zuph smiled. "There is one person I'd very much like to see go down. See, he's been a thorn in my side and losing me money."

Zuph indicated a Zabrak with an impressive array of horns and a tattoo pattern of red and black. "He will not be an easy target: but take him down for me and I'll let you go."

Han bit his lip, thinking hard before he sighed. "Deal."

He placed the credits into Zuph's hand and felt his determination harden. He would not lose this fight! Han wanted to be free, to live where he could see the sun. He wanted to be among the stars like the smugglers and spacers.

And... he really did want to help Leia. He knew what it was like to have one's family taken away. Han had only ever had one person love him in his life: an elderly woman who'd taken him in when Han's parents abandoned him.

Anani had given him the pendant Leia held on to now, and Han would have given just about anything for one more day with the woman who'd been a mother to him.

His train of thought was broken when Han was ushered to the ring, in which one Whiphid now lay unconscious and the other was doing a victory dance.

Han accepted a pair of fingerless gloves and donned them before he entered the ring. Cheering went up: Han was well known in the ring, since he was the only child to enter... and survive. Han had been fighting for Zuph since he'd been eight, doing so as a way to earn food and lodging after Anani had died. It had been that and smuggling food from the upper levels to Zuph's establishment that had kept Han alive.

The Zabrak entered the ring, grinning snidely. "I'll take this runt down easily. Look at him! He couldn't hurt a flea!"

Some of the crowd laughed, but Han noticed how many more people seemed to be betting for Han to win. Han took courage from their confidence in him and he lifted his fists, signaling that he was ready.

The Zabrak snorted, but mimicked him. "My name's Koz," he said, leering down at Han. "Just so you know who took down the legendary Han Solo."

Han didn't answer, instead waiting for the Zabrak to make the first move. And that he did, seeming impatient to start. He took a swing at Han, who ducked the blow, feeling the heavy whoosh of air from the limb above his head.

Han jabbed at Koz's torso, catching him and making Koz hiss before the Zabrak aimed for Han down low. Han dropped to the floor and rolled between the Zabrak's open legs, coming up behind him and hitting him again, this time in the back.

Koz spun around and landed a solid punch in Han's face, and Han back-stepped swiftly from the force of the strike. Koz followed intently, already swinging again. Han managed to stay just out of range, spitting bloody saliva into Koz's face to blind him. Indeed it hit the man in the eye, and he roared, wiping at his visage.

Han took the chance to land a few blows, and Koz doubled over to catch his breath. The action allowed him to get closer to Han, however, and he grabbed the boy by the waist. Han was lifted from the ground, with Koz intending to throw him across the ring.

Han was swift to take advantage of his position, however and he wrapped his legs about the man's waist, biting his fingers to get him to release Han. Koz did so with one hand and Han was swift to wrap an arm about the man's neck. Koz baulked, trying to remove Han by ramming him into the nearest pole. Han huffed, his grip loosening, and Koz reached up and over his head to grab Han by the shirt. He was hefted up and over the Zabrak's head and thrown flat on his back. Han gasped, seeing Koz jump up with his elbow aimed at Han's chest.

Han rolled aside, so Koz missed, and Han tried to get to his feet, but the Zabrak spun where he had landed and kicked Han in the rear. Han flew forward from the force of the blow, and his head collided with another post.

Han saw stars, shaking his head as his world spun momentarily. He was picked up and turned around to face Koz, who had Han by the tunic now. "Prepare to die, Runt!"

Han sucker-punched the Zabrak, but the other refused to let go of Han. He lifted Han over his head again, but stopped so that Han's torso was directly over the man's horns. Han cursed as Koz pulled Han towards the horns, the sharp points beginning to dig into Han's flesh.

Han used an elbow to hit the back of man's skull, attempting to stun him, but the Zabrak only pushed harder, and Han gasped in pain. Han had another idea and with all the strength he possessed, Han kneed the man in the face.

He was rewarded with a sickening crunch as Koz's nose broke, and the man finally released Han with a scream. Han landed painfully, but he leapt to his feet, knowing he had to end this now.

Han leapt up and again wrapped an arm about Koz's neck, holding fast as Koz tried in vain to get Han to release him. He even slammed Han into the post again, but the boy managed to hold on, counting down in his head.

He looked to Zuph, who made a slicing gesture across his throat, and Han sighed. He didn't want to kill Koz, but he had no choice. Han held on until the man dropped limply to the ground, and then he released him.

Cheers and applause sounded all about him, but Han ignored it, focused on Zuph, who nodded once. Han saluted him and made his way to the door, nursing his middle only after he was outside once more.

Han walked to an abandoned factory and made his way inside, going to an office at the very top where he'd set up a little niche to call his own. Han lay carefully on his bed, lifting his shirt to view the damage. He had a ring of cuts on his torso, but they weren't deep enough to be fatal, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Han retrieved his medi-kit, which was simply a cobbled-up collection of medical items Han has happened to find. He applied what little bacta salve he had remaining, and then laid down to try and sleep. Just before he nodded off, he smiled.

He was finally free!

Closing his eyes, Han thanked the stars, and in his heart he recalled that he had promised Anani that he would get out from Zuph's control some day.

I did it Anani! Han told her, hoping she'd hear him.