Authors note-
Hey! A little bit longer of a chapter this time. It's one of my favorites in this story, so I hope you enjoy! As always feel free to review and follow if you want to be notified when I upload a new chapter. Again thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing this story!
-KQinsights
All rights to Star Wars are reserved to Lucasfilm, I am just an admirer of the work. All rights to Promises are reserved to KQinsights
Cold was the first sensation he felt. An icy cold that began in the cheek, was pressed into the ground and ran down his legs all the way to his toes.
Heat was the second sensation he felt. The back of his body was warm, not hot, but warm enough that it counteracted the cold.
Weight was the third sensation he felt. Across the entirety of his body, he felt a crushing force that aimed to drive him farther and farther into the ground. A weight that made it difficult to breathe and impossible to move.
Finally, he felt pain. Pain radiated through the back of his head and down his spine. Throbbing and searing with each beat of his heart.
He couldn't see in front of him. Only a blur of white and gold light refracted in his eyes. Confusion took over his mind as he tried to piece together some semblance of where he was and what had happened.
He blinked once and the blur began to clear. Twice more and he began to see details of the brown leaves that were scattered in front of him. Once again and he saw his forearm and hand only inches away from his face. At that moment he had no idea whether or not it was still attached to his body. Involuntary fear took over his mind as the unconscious thought ran through him, asking whether or not he was looking at his severed arm. His conscious begged his body to move his finger, and to his appreciation, his thumb shook slowly up off the ground and crashed down a moment later.
His breath was shallow and short. Each inhale was a battle of wills, while each exhale was a fast forced release. His lungs seared, as they yearned for more oxygen, and the walls of his throat stuck together. Both begged for moisture and the sweet intake of air.
His mind was jumbled. He could not hold on to a single thought for more than a moment. However, one was strong enough to desperately keep recurring.
"MOVE!" his mind screamed as his limbs and lungs begged to be saved.
He did not think he possessed the strength to move, but his body was desperate.
It was a fight of a lifetime, but with every muscle in his body aching, he pressed his hands into the ground and began to lift his shoulders up. As he moved his muscles protested, but his lungs began to open, so he prevailed. With enough of his chest off of the ground, he quickly shifted his weight to his left hip. In one final effort for release he quickly picked up the entire right side of his body and rotated towards the left. His back collapsed against the hard ground, free at last.
His lungs filled and released in rapid succession. It hurt but he was relieved to be out from whatever had trapped him.
He laid there for a moment and stared up at the sky. His vision was getting better and better with each second and he could now almost make out a bird on a branch above him.
His mind was coming back now too, and questions began to take over. Bits and pieces came back to him. Leaving Leia, some mission, the forest, and then it all hit him.
Han sat up quickly and gasped at the sight before him. Still bodies everywhere. His crew. Dead. Masicured by the Empire's blasters. They were all so young. They never had any real battlefield training. None of them were prepared for their enemies' sneak attack. They came out of nowhere and in full force. Han had just about had his fingers on his blaster when something came in front of his vision and pushed him backwards. It was such a blur. His head was throbbing hard. All of the gears turning took more energy than he possessed.
Han brought the palm of his hand to his temple to apply pressure, when he saw the young capital kid next to him.
The sight of his green army jacket revived Hans' memory, and immediately he was filled with guilt, and panic.
Han scrambled over to the kid, who laid still, with his back on the ground.
"Kid! Hey! Can you hear me?"
Han bent down to his chest and checked for a heart beat. It was there but it was faint.
"Come on Kid! Open your eyes…"
His eyes began to flicker at the sound of Han's voice.
"That's it… Open your eyes…"
"General Solo?" The boy managed to stammer.'
"Yeah, its me kid,"
"What… What happened?"
"You jumped in front of me. Stupid. Stupid! I could have gotten a clip on 4 or 5 of them." The kid stayed still while Han looked him over. He had a pretty good burn that ran from his navel to his side and another on his left quad. Both severe but neither fully penetrated.
He had been the weight Han felt. After pushing him out of the way, Han faintly remembered hitting his head on a rock and then a crushing weight falling on to his back. Everything went black after that.
"I'm sorry sir…"
"No!" Han took a pause from looking hiim over and point his index finger in the kid's face. "Don't you ever apologize." His tone was definitive and harsh. "You got some pretty good burns in your abdomen and your leg, but I think you'll live," Han continued. "Can you get up?"
"Yeah I think so."
Han grabbed his forearm and helped him to his feet. The kid let out a small cry as his abdomen contracted.
"We gotta get out of here. They could come back at any minute. Can you walk?" Han asked, still holding onto his arm.
"I.." He took one step forward and his face grimaced. He almost completely lost his balance, but Han caught him just before he doubled over.
"I got you," Han moved to his left side and draped the kid's arm over his shoulder. Han tried to bear as much weight as he could.
"Better?" Han asked as he took a step forward and the kid hopped with his right leg.
"Yeah, better."
Every step was a battle. Han could tell the kid was in pain, but the best they could do for right now was to keep moving. Han had no idea where he was or where he was going. When they left the scene, there were so many footsteps in the mud, Han couldn't tell where they came from. Eventually he found a tree he thought he recognized and headed in that direction. For all he knew he was headed in the complete opposite direction, but he had no choice.
They hobbled together for what Han assumed was an hour, but in reality he had no idea. His head was pounding, his eyes burned from the sweat that dripped down his forehead, his left shoulder was rubbed raw from the constant pressure of the kid's weight, but he mustered on. He had to. He promised Leia he would come home.
He knew, she knew. Not because of any of the force bull-shit Luke was always going on about, but because he knew Leia. She would have been asking for updates of his mission every chance she got. They might have lied to her for a little while, but Leia had a knack for reading people. The moment she got a hit of dishonesty, she wouldn't have let up until she had the truth. He knew she knew, but he hoped she was still oblivious. She couldn't handle the stress of this right now. He could picture her pacing back and forth around in their small quarters, talking to herself and cursing his name. He begged her to sit down, take a break, but he knew she would not stop until he was back in her arms.
"I promise," Han whispered to himself, repeating the words he had whispered to her that previous night.
Han took another step but his shoulder was not complemented by the weight of the struggling kid. Han looked to his left and saw the his eyes rolling back in his head and his body falling limp.
"Whoa! Kid! Hold on, hold on!"
Han set him down on the cold ground of the forest and knelt beside him.
"Hey! Kid, open your eyes. Come on. Don't do this to me here."
He was still but Han could tell he was still breathing.
"Come on," Han whispered more to himself than to the boy laying on the ground. Han picked up the kids shoulders and shook them a little. The kids' eyes flew open in a panic.
"What happened? Where am I?"he questioned frantically looking around at his surroundings.
"It's okay. Calm down," The kids eyes began to slow and then fixated on Hans face
"General Solo?"
"Ya, it's me. You ok?"
"Ya, I think so. Everything just looked really dark all of the sudden and then… I don't know what happened,"
"You passed out," Han said with a bit of a smile of relief that the kid was still hanging on.
"Sorry General, if you just give me a minute I will can be back on my feet and we can continue."
"What did I say about apologizing? And it's about time we take a break anyways. God only knows if we are even going in the right direction."
"Whatever you say, General," The kid responded with a smirk as he pulled himself up to a fallen tree behind him.
"Here," Han said as he handed over a canteen that had been swung over Han's other shoulder. "Drink,"
The kid grabbed without hesitation and drank the cool water, unsatisfied by the little that was left, but happy to have gotten any at all.
"Thanks," he said hesitantly, realizing he had drank the last of their water. The kid began looking around at their surroundings and saw nothing but trees in every direction. Nothing familiar. "Where are we?" He asked, still searching for familiarity.
"I'm not sure," Han responded. "We were only a mile or so out when the attack happened, but I had to guess which way we came from. I would have thought we would be back by now, but our pace was much slower than our way out here."
"Any idea what time it is?"
Han looked up to the sun. It only broke through the trees here and there. "Early evening, I'm assuming. Sun will be down in the next 30 minutes or so. Not sure we are going to make it back to camp tonight," Han said, sighing. Sorry, Lei. You're going to wonder for one night longer, he thought to himself. Guilt overtaking every sense in his body. He should have never come out here. But here he was, there was no changing the situation now.
"What's your name kid?" Han asked, needing a distraction from his inner thoughts.
"What?" The kid asked, asstounded by the question, and Hans need for a conversation.
"You got a name? Or do you just want me to keep calling you kid?"
"Raymond, sir. My name is Raymond Jennings,"
"Alright Raymond Jennings from the Capital,"
Raymonds eyes lit up with Han's mention of his home.
"You were listening?"
"Not by choice, I assure you, but I think I remember most of your stammering. Nervous talker are you?" Han asked with a slight smile.
"Unfortunately sir. Probably not the guy you want with you on a silent recon mission, but I could do little to change my assignment,"
"You have no idea," Han said looking down at his mud stained hands. "First assignment?"
"Yes sir. That obvious, huh?"
Han chuckled." Yes, but it wasn't the taking that gave you away?"
"Sir?"
"It's the look you had in your eyes. All of the new recruits have it. It's a mixture of ambition, overinflated confidence, all trying to mask the absolute terror you really feel." Raymond laughed and nodded along with Hans' description.
"Sounds about right," Raymond agreed.
"So why did you join the Resistance Raymond? Done with the preppy life in the Capital?"
"Sort of sir. My father fought in the Resistance. Of course, it wasn't much of a rebellion back then, it was really just a group of Old Republic sympathizers, fighting against the ever growing Empire."
Han looked up from his hands and watched the kid as he explained.
"They got pretty close once to ending it all. About 6 years after the Empire took over, my father led a group of 15 men that quietly infiltrated the ranks of the Empire. A few even worked their ways up to the top of leadership, with orders to kill the Emperor if they ever got the chance."
"Your father was one of the Rising 15?" Han said, astonished. He had heard the stories, but always thought they were just that, stories.
Raymond laughed at Han's expression and continued. "Yes. At one point he was one of the highest-ranking members of the Empire along with his right-hand man, Rickon, who was also a part of the Rising 15. My father trusted no one more in the world, but in the end, he regretted ever putting too much trust into any one person. Rickon grew to love the power. He loved the feeling of having life in his hands and the ability to crush it at any moment. My father had no idea until it was too late," the kid's face eased into a sad numbness.
"What happened?" Han asked more and more intrigued with every word. He had heard the stories, but so many conflicted one another, that he never knew what was true.
"Well, the Emperor was said to have scheduled a visit for the Base where my father and Rickon worked. My father had worked for almost 4 years for that moment, but it was taken away from him at the last second. As the Emperor offloaded from his ship, my father had a blaster pointed right at him, but seconds before he was able to pull the trigger, Rickon shot him in the back. He died instantly. I have no idea what happened to Rickon, but I do know that my father never came home."
"I… I had no idea. I'm sorry. Your father and his companions are legends where I come from. We always heard stories, but never knew what to believe."
"Don't apologize. I barely knew my father. He enlisted when I was a baby and I never saw him again. He would send my mother and me letters whenever he could, which were few and far between. Then they just stopped."
"What happened to the other men?"
"Most of them were killed. Rickon was rewarded for his actions and to add to his triumph he ratted out the other 13 members. One or two escaped before they were found. We eventually got the story of how my father died years later from one of the surviving members."
"Wow," Han sat back and tried to wrap his head around what Raymond had told him. "So you joined the rebellion to, what avenge your father?"
"No, not really. More or less finish what he started."
"Well sorry kid, but the Emperor is dead, the war is over,"
"You and I both know that isn't true. The war will never be truly over. Not until there is not a single Empire sympathizer left in the galaxy. I want to finish my father's work. I want to bring peace to the galaxy once again, a peace my generation has never known."
Han understood that desire, but he still had one question. "If you have such aspirations, then can I ask why you jumped in front of the blaster bullet that was meant for me?"
Raymond briefly looked down at the ground, looking almost embarrassed to say, but he continued anyways, "You're married to the Princess right?"
Han was surprised by his question. "Yes?" he answered, lingering on the question mark.
"I heard in the holos a little while back that she is with child?"
Han shook his head slightly confirming Raymonds question.
"Growing up all I had were the stories of my father. I would have done anything to actually have known him. I couldn't let another child go through what I went through. A child should know their father, and a father should know their child."
Han didn't know what to say. He just stared at the kid, astonished. He had not only saved his life but his daughter's life as well.
XX
She had not moved , but she was exhausted. Exhausted from thinking, from worrying, and from composing what was left of her dignity.
Luke and his crew had left about an hour ago and there had still been no word. Leia clung onto the com Luke gave her before he left, begging it to ring.
Please, please, bring him home. She pleaded in her own mind. As if chanting it would make it come to fruition any faster.
It shouldn't have taken this long. She knew that wasn't a good sign. Each passing minute added to her trepidation. But she could do nothing but sit and watch and pray, to a god she didn't believe in.
She wasn't alone though, and for that she was thankful. Chewi had come over to see her right after Luke left and had not left her side. He was not happy she was here, but understood. They both sat and watched the running room in silence as they passed papers and spoke over intercoms to other solidres. She couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, which was probably for the best, the less her mind had to think the better. All she wanted to know was if he was alive, or… or if he… she couldn't bring herself to say the words. She was a realist for most of her life, but the mention of death and Han was a bridge she was not willing to cross.
She watched and watched, and waited. Then she saw one of the commanding officers hang up his com and look right at her. It was not a deliberate attempt at getting her attention but she had caught his eyes. When they met, his eyes immediately shifted and panicked elsewhere.
Her heart began to beat faster and faster as he pushed himself back from his desk and walked over to the commanding officer.
She sat up following his movements across the floor.
"What? What is it?" Chwie asked, watching her. When she didn't answer he followed her line of sight and saw the two men whispering to each other, both sneaking a look back to Leia every now and then.
The commanding officer nodded fast and dismissed the other soldier. He whispered something to the man sitting at the big data table to his left and then made his way over to where Leia was sitting.
As he approached, Leia, with an assist from Chewi, pushed herself up and out of her chair, and made her way over to the double metal bar railing that surrounded her observation deck.
"What is it?" she asked quietly, looking down at the commander.
"Some of the soldiers were equipped with live stream camera feeds and they found something," He said hanging on the last words as if to imply something out of the ordinary.
"Well what is it?" She responded, growing impatient.
"I… we might as well show you."
He turned and nodded to the man who was sitting at the data table. In an instant the large screen at the front of the room sparked to life with the face of one of the soldiers. Leia recognized him. He had been a part of the Lukes group. She still clutched the Com he had given her and wondered why she had not been contacted first. She didn't know what to think.
"Private," the Commander said loudly, "what did you find?"
"I… I don't know what to say," the private responded with a defeated and saddened tone. "I… I'll just show you,"
As Leia watched the camera turn, she felt her legs go weak. Tears filled her eyes, and she let out a gasp in disbelief. Her hands wrapped tightly around the railing and she held on for dear life, as her body threatened to collapse. Fear ran rampant through every cell in her body. A fear she had felt before and that had only been taken away with his calming words. Pain shot through her back and abdomen, but she had not even noticed. Her eyes were glued to the screen, watching her worst nightmare come true.
Blood. Boddies. 7 or so spread out across the forest floor, not a single movement detected. Hundreds of footprints in the mud, but complete silence surrounding them.
Leia held her breath waiting to see what she thought was inevitable. His eyes flashed in her mind once more.
She saw Luke examining the bodies, but before she could get a good look at who he was looking at, the camera flipped back to the private face. His cheeks were tear stained and his eyes were red.
"Thank you Private, that will be all," the commanding officer said as he nodded back to the man at the data table and the large screen shut off.
Leia was about to protest when her hand began to vibrate. Forgetting she still was clutching the com in her hand, she was startled, but quickly looked down at the com that read incoming call- incoming call.
"Luke?" she whispered. Her pain and exhaustion rattinating through the speaker.
"He's not here, Leia! Han's not here."
Leia drew a choppy inhale as Lukes words crossed the handheld speaker. Her head dropped below her shoulders as she exhaled. She had held back her breath, and the sweet intake of air brought with it both relief and unimaginable pain. The floodgates that had held back the tourture and fear of the day opened.
It all happened so fast. She shut her eyes and felt every aching muscle and every throbbing heartbeat. Her neck went first as it could no longer uphold the weight of concern and anguish. Her arm went next. Her grip on the railing let up and her muscles released their strong hold that had kept her standing. Letting too much of the pain take over, her legs buckled, hurling her toward the ground.
She was moments away from impact when her shoulders were caught in mid-air.
"Princess!" Chewi roared as he watched her collapsing form. He jumped into action before she hit the ground. "Princess are you alright?"
"Chewie?! Chewie?! What's going on?" Luke asked, unable to hear anything but his sister's labored breath. "Chewie?! Is she alright?! Tell me what's going on!" He persisted.
Chewie set her down in the chair behind her and looked her over.
As her body was set against the chair her eyes slowly opened to find the large Wokkie and multiple members of the Resistance eyes trained on her.
"I'm alright. I'm alright," she stammered as her senses began to come back to her. She could hear Lukes quiet voice coming from the com that was now in her lap. As she brought it back up to her ear, she could hear her brother's concern.
"Leia?! Leia?! Can you hear me? What's going on?"
"Ya I'm here Luke," she said quietly, still regaining her strength.
"Leia! Are you alright?" Luke asked panicked
"Yes, I'm alright," pausing to let her words sink in. "Probably should have taken you up on that Lava Roll this morning," she quietly smirked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Gods Leia. Have you eaten at all today?"
Realizing at that moment that she had not eaten since lunch the day before, she let the silence speak for itself.
"Leia! You have to eat! If not for yourself than for the sake of the little one you are carrying."
Leia knew he was right. It had been more of a miscalculation than a deliberate decision.
"Give the com over to Chewie, will you. I need to talk to him, and for god's sakes get something to eat."
Leia handed over the com to the big wookie that was still inspecting her face.
"Luke wants to talk to you," she said, watching his eyes roam over her complexion. "I'm alright Chewie. I promise. Talk to my brother."
Reluctantly Chewie took the com and stood and backed up a foot or so, giving her room, but also standing close enough to catch her again if need be.
Leia surveyed herself and took note of what she felt. It was like all of the sudden her mind had been placed back into her body. She could feel her own heartbeat, as it began to slow back down to its resting rate. Her head throbbed from dehydration, and her stomach ached from a lack of food. Her legs were weak from standing, but every muscle in her body felt the same; a dull ache that had been consistent throughout the last few weeks. She felt her daughter move within her and a faint smile fell across Leia's face as she placed a loving hand over her foot that was pushing on Leia's left side.
"Sorry," Leia mumbled to her daughter, "Hang in there sweetheart, we will be back to the base soon," she whispered.
Looking back up to Chewie he nodded and verbally agreed to whatever he and Luke were discussing. Realising her eyes were trained on him, Chewie wrapped up the conversation with Luke and hung up the com.
"He's not there?" Leia asked, confirming what Luke had said earlier.
"No he's not, but,"
"But we still don't know where he is," Leia cut in, finishing Chewie's sentence. The sudden relief she had experienced moments ago was again buried, as other possibilities filled her mind. He may not have been laying dead on the forest floor, but he was still missing.
"Do they have any idea what happened?" she asked, replaying the horror of what she had seen.
"Lukes not sure. He doesn't think it was the imperials. From what we know they don't have enough fire power for that kind of attack, let alone the manpower to possibly sacrifice."
"Then who?"
"He's not sure, but he's not giving up. They are going to stay out for the next couple of hours and look, but if it gets dark, they are going to have to turn in, just in case their troops are still out there."
"Right," Leia said, nodding her head slightly.
A sudden sharp kick from her daughter made Leia's face twinge.
"Are you sure you are alright?" Chewie asked again, catching her face.
"Yes," she said smiling.
"Ok," Chewie responded, still not believing her but trusting that she knew her own body much better than he could ever. "Then if you're ok for a minute, I will run to the mess hall and grab you some food and something to drink. Any requests?"
Leia smiled at her friend, "Anything and everything sounds amazing right now. But no fish, but if they have peanut butter I might have to give them a medal of honor." Chewi laughed and began to head down the ramp
"I remember," he chuckled.
Leia sat back in her chair once again and looked across the room. Her momentary optimism was shattered as new and unnerving scenarios played in her head. She had lost all control. The exhaustion of fighting off her morbid imagination had left her vulnerable. Her guard was down.
"Princess Leia?" The unfamiliar voice startled Leia as she disconnected with her mind and reconnected to reality."I apologize, I didn't mean to startle you."
"It's alright," Leia said as she tried to sit farther up in her chair to make herself seem more presentable. "What can I do for you?"
"Actually It's what I can do for you," the woman said, handing Leia a white mug that had steam rising off the top. "Tea. The tall wookie in the hall asked me to come and give it to you," she smiled as Leia took the cup from he, enjoying the warmth of it in her hands
"Thank you."
"Of course! It was funny really, I was just on my way down here to come and see you."
"To see me?" Leia asked hesitantly.
"Yes. May I?" The woman asked, pointing at a chair that sat next to Leia. Leia nodded slowly, still questioning why this woman had come to see her.
She was a tall, skinny woman that wore a balck Resistance uniform with a patch Leia did not recognize. She was about 5'8, Leia guessed. Her hair hung just below her shoulders and was a sharp black color that shined in the luminescent lights. Her features were kind, and her smile was inviting. What caught Leia's attention was her eyes. A golden yellow with a dark circle around the outside, that complemented her sharp cheekbones and her narrow jaw. They were absolutely stunning against her olive white skin.
"I am the head of the medical bay on this base, and I was asked to come check in on you," Leia held back the instant urge to roll her eyes and turn away like a child. Instead she put on her polite politician smile and exhaled slightly louder than she intended.
The women could sense Leia's unwillingness to participate in this conversation. "Again I do apologize, but we all want what is best for you and your child."
"Well, right now that would be my husband coming back alive and me and my family getting off of this god forsaken planet," Leia snapped, forgetting her polite act.
"I completely understand, and I can assure you that the many members of this base are doing absolutely everything we can to get him home to you," Her response was kind and genuine and it made Leia feel guilty for snapping. It had not been her who had sent her husband out on that mission.
"I apologize, the tumultuous stress of today is starting to get the betterment of me."
"There is absolutely no reason to apologize. It is completely understandable that you are not yourself during these trying times."
"Thank you," Leia said, easing into the back of her chair and feeling more comfortable not having to put on a show.
"May I ask how you are?" The woman asked, watching Leia look out across the room once again.
"I've been better," Leia chuckled, holding back her real pain.
"I can imagine. Are you about 32 weeks?"
"34 on Monday," Leia said, startling herself as she realized how large that number had become.
The woman nodded slowly, "Are you in any pain? Physically that is?"
Leia had not thought much of her physical pain, but that was not to say it was not there all of the time. She had not complained much, but it was a battle getting out of bed most days.
"I have contractions every couple of hours. They only last about 10 seconds," Leia did not understand what had compelled her to say that. She had not told anyone, but her doctor about the contractions. Not even Han knew.
"Most likely bracks-and-hicks, preparing you for your…" The woman left her sentence open for Leia to finish.
"Daughter," Leia said as she turned her head back to the woman's face and smiled.
"A girl! Congratulations, how wonderful," the woman said, smiling back. "Are there any other symptoms?"
Leia thought for a moment, as she began to feel the ache in her back starting to resurface to her attention.
"My lower back kills recently. So bad sometimes that it has kept me in bed."
"Ahh, I remember that feeling. It's like a full size bowling ball is crushing you from the inside out."
"Yes! Exactly!" Leia exclaimed, finally hearing words that accurately described the pain she felt. "You have children?" Leia asked curiously.
"Yes," the woman said, smiling like a proud mother. "A daughter and a son."
"Wow, you must be crazy for putting yourself through this twice." Leia said, earning a laugh.
"Yes, well I can promise you, there is no better feeling than holding that child for the first time. Makes the whole world fall away until everything that is left is you and your little family."
"Sounds perfect," Leia said, hoping that one day she could relate to that feeling of absolute perfection.
"My son was easy, but my daughter was stubborn. She used to sit back on my spine and crush my nerves until I could no longer feel my toes,"
Leia laughed, understanding the feeling and enjoying the empathetic conversation.
"If it is alright, my husband used to do this thing that really used to help, I could try and see if it relieves any of your pressure?" The woman said, standing up and taking a step closer to Leia.
Willing to try anything to relieve a part of what she was dealing with, Leia agreed.
"Can you stand for me?"
"You are asking a lot, but I can try."
The woman laughed and offered her hand.
With Leia standing with her back turned to the woman now sitting in the chair behind her, she felt ridiculous. She felt enormous and out of place in this place, which was ironic because war rooms had been her home for many years now.
"Ok I am going to apply some pressure and you tell me if it is too much or not enough or in a different spot, ok?"
"Ok," Leia responded hesitantly.
The instant relief Leia felt as the woman's thumbs dug into the exact pressure points in her lower back, was nothing short of a miracle.
Having the pain momentarily lifted, Leia let out a soft moan by accident as her eyes closed and she took in the newfound relief.
"Better?" The woman asked, holding her thumbs in the same position.
"Wow," was the only word she could use to describe her satisfaction.
The woman smiled and laughed softly. After about a minute she let go and to Leia's surprise the pressure in her back had gone away almost completely.
Tuning around Leia was wide eyed and smiling. "Tell your husband he is a genius," Leia joked as she thanked her.
"I would if I was not afraid his ego would becoming larger than it already is."
"I understand," Leia chuckled, thinking back to her own husband. "Then I will thank you."
"No need, that is what I am here for. Now I must get back to the Med Center but you must call for me if you need anything. And drink some of that tea, it's good for you and will make you feel a lot better,"
"Will do," Leia responded as the women turned to walk away.
"Oh wait," Leia said stopping the woman in her tracks "I didn't catch your name."
"Keris, your highness"
"No please call me Leia,"
"Alright, Leia," Keris nodded slightly, out of respect, and then turned her back and retreated down the ramp. Leia, took a sip of the tea and watched her walk away with her hands behind her back and her head held high. She passed by several members of the Resistance, but no one paid her any attention. Not a single eye followed her as she walked. Leia briefly wondered what that was like, to walk in or out completely unnoticed. She envied Keris's ability to become completely invisible. Leia had never lived a life out of the spotlight, but longed for a future where she walked without being propositioned, or when she could kiss her husband in public without worrying about holos around every corner. She was ready for a life of normalcy, except she didn't really know what that meant, and she doubted Han knew either. He had spent his entire life running from someone, the imperial arm, whichever bounty hunter he had most recently pissed off, and there had been quite a few of those in his time.
The image of a beach popped up in her head from time to time when she thought about a life outside the Resistance. The thought had always been a fleeting one though as Leia quickly realized she had copious amounts of work in front of her. But at that moment, she had no work to be done, no reports to be sent out, no one looking for her opinion on a difficult matter. In this moment she sat, trapped in her own thoughts.
She let her mind wonder. If a beach was her chosen destination what would her life look like? She took another sip of her tea as she closed her eyes.
She pictured a little wooden cottage that sat above white sand. The roof was made of dark wooden shackles that contrasted the tan siding, and there was a back deck that had a white railings and looked directly out toward the sea.
Her perfect home was not large by any means. She had lived in large places all of her life but they had always felt more like museums than a home. In her castle as a child there was so much free space that there was a constant shiver in the air. She imagined her home to be warm, not just because of the hot sun, but because of the love that radiated off of every surface. Everything she would own would have a purpose, and a special place in her heart because it was her own. She had worked so hard to get to a place in her life where she could buy something simply because it made her feel good, not because it was a necessity, or because it would impress the guests.
She closed her eyes and could hear the crashing of the waves and she could smell the salt in the air. She let her mind fall deeper into her imagination, as she finished her drink.
She felt the cloth chair beneath her and could feel the smile that was etched into her face as she looked off into the distance and saw her husband splashing around in the waves with their daughter.
Leia no longer sat in the cold war room, she was now in her own paradise far far away.
She could hear their laughs as the cold water touched their skin and could see the joy that radiated off the both of them. Absolutely perfect. She wanted to join them. Desperately, she wanted to run down the back deck stairs and jump into the crystal blue ocean with them, but something was stopping her.
She couldn't move. She looked down at her body and tried to pick herself up but a weight pressed against her. She looked up once again and no longer saw her family in the water. She scanned the beach, but they were nowhere to be found. Her heart beat faster and faster with every passing second. Why could she no longer see them? Where had they gone? Leia looked down at her legs begging them to move, but all she saw was blood. Her white sundress was stained red between her legs.
Leia gasped, not understanding what was happening. Again she tried desperately to move. Her hands gripped the wooden sides of the chair and pushed down, her mind screaming at her to move, but she was trapped.
The bright cloudless day, instantly turned into a blood-red sky. Her hair blew around her face as the wind picked up.
"Han!" She screamed, still unable to find her family.
When her voice stopped carrying across the empty sea, Leia heard the faint laughter. Dark chuckling surrounded her senses. It was behind her and in front of her. She looked around frantically trying to find the source.
"MAMA!"
Leia neck snapped to her right instinctively reacting to her daughters scream.
She was about 30 paces from the deck's stairs. She too looked like she was struggling to move. Move away form the impending black cloud that was sweeping towards her.
"RUN! Run to me!" Leia screamed breaking the wooden armrest trying desperately to push her way up. Leia momentarily looked down to see shards of glass penetrating through her hand. She didn't understand.
When Leia looked up again, the mist had almost reached her daughters back.
"Mama! Don't let them take me!" her daughter screamed as her left arm raised out in front of her, reaching for her mother, and the black cloud consumed her.
Leia's eyes suddenly sprang open as she felt a large kick to her rib cage. Her breath was heavy. Looking around she realized she was no longer at the beach, she was back sitting atop the observatory platform.
Another large kick, to her left side this time, brought her back completely back to reality.
Leia looked around the room and, to her surprise, no one had noticed she had dozed off momentarily.
Confused and a little light headed, Leia rubbed her stomach. It had felt so real. She could still hear her daughter screaming for her, but she could no longer picture her face.
"Sorry," Leia whispered, speaking only to her daughter, " I don't know what that was. Maybe we could use some fresh air?" Leia needed to clear her mind and get out of this room for a moment. Without hesitation, she pushed herself up and out of her chair, with no crushing weight forcing her back, and walked down the ramp and out of the war room, without a single eye noticing her.
XX
The sun had just reached the horizon, but the tree line had prevented much sun from coming through. The only light the pair had now was the pathetic fire Han scrounged together. Being cold and not being able to see more than 10 feet in any direction was a risk they were willing to take to prevent attention being drawn in their direction.
Food had been scarce. Han had been able to find a couple of berry's, but not much else. The water supply had run out a while ago, but it had only been a couple of hours and they knew they could go a few days without a meal.
What really worried Han was Raymond's condition. He was in and out of consciousness for the past couple of hours. The amount of time he was awake was getting shorter and shorter as the night grew near. Han had tried to move him, hoping he could make it back to base eventually, but neither of them had the energy to move more than a few yards. When he was awake, he did not make much sence. At times he called for his mother, and at others he screamed and cried out in pain.
Han knew infection had taken hold of the open wounds, but there was little out there he could do to stop the spread. This had not been Han's first encounter with disease, there had been many back in his imperial days that had similar wounds and died, not because of the broken bones or torn muscles, but because of the tiny organisms that festered within the dying flesh. Han only prayed it would be quick and painless, however that did not seem to be the case.
Every now and then Han had to smother the poor kid with his hands as he screamed so that they were not found. He felt terrible as he did, but their only advantage right now was that the Empire thought they were dead.
After another screaming episode had finished, Han lifted his hands from Raymonds mouth and looked down at him.
"I am so sorry kid," he said quietly as Raymond went unconscious once again.
The snapping of a tree branch drew Han's immediate attention. His hand immediately flew to his blaster and his eyes scanned the tree line for any movement. He saw nothing.
His hand slowly and quietly unhooked his blaster from his hip and Han raised it in the direction of the sound. He stayed still in his crouched position and watched the darkness around him.
His heart beat fast, and his mind raced. If they had come back, Han was confident that he could defend himself, but he couldn't protect Raymond at the same time.
From the left Han heard footsteps. They were back. A broken tree branch could have been mistaken for an animal, but not those footsteps.
Han quickly shifted his blaster toward the most recent sound.
"Han?"
Han jumped and spun around to his right with his index finger on the trigger. He was milliseconds away from pulling the trigger when he recognized the face.
"Luke?!"
"Han!" They both took two big steps towards each other and placed their hands on each other's shoulders, confirming that one another was real. Each took a moment to themselves bathing in the relief and joy of finding one another. Both had big smiles on their faces and multiple questions running around in their heads. Luke spoke first.
"Are you alright?"
"Ya, I'm ok. A few bumps and bruises, but nothing too serious," Han knew each other a number of questions waiting to be answered, but they would have to wait a few moments longer. "Luke you got to help me."
Luke narrowed his eyes in confusion as Han stepped aside, revealing Raymond's unconscious body on the ground.
"Good God…" Luke said as he saw the blood leaking from the open wounds and Raymonds labored breathing. "Han… I don't think he's going to..."
"No!" Han shouted, cutting Luke off with his index finger pointed directly at his face. Han crouched down next to the kid and began trying to pick him up. "We have to get him back to base." Han gritted out as his shoulder reabsorbed the weight of Raymond's body.
"Han…" Luke began again, but he was cut off once more.
"Luke! He saved my life! He's just a kid, and he jumped in front of a bullet for me. I'm getting him home!" Han said with vigor.
Without another argument, Luke bent down and helped pick up the boy with his right shoulder.
"Hey!" Luke shouted to the other members of the crew, "we need a med kit over here now!"
One of the crew members ran over and took a couple of looks at Raymonds wounds. After patching him up as much as they could, Luke told two other crew members to take him and carry him home. Han protested, saying he could carry him, but Luke saw the pain Han pushed down with every step.
"Han please, let them help," Han eventually accepted and the entire crew started walking back toward base.
"How far are we?" Han asked, unfamiliar with the surrounding area.
"About 2 miles,"
"What?" Han asked confused, "We were only out about a mile,"
"You must have been disoriented when you started walking, cause you went in the opposite direction."
"Oh God," Han said, shaking his head and feeling guilty knowing he had taken them farther away from base.
"Han…" Luke asked hesitantly, "What the hell happened out there?"
Han took a few seconds before answering. He hadn't really had time to comprehend what had happened. He wasn't even 100% sure he knew.
"I don't know," Han said, taking another few seconds to fragment memories back together. "We were walking one seconds and dodging blaster fire the next."
"We saw the bodies, it looked like an ambush,"
"You could say that. They knew exactly where we were and they came out of nowhere."
"How did you get out of there?"
"I… I almost didn't," Han stammered, as he remembered what Raymond had said earlier. " I was about to be hit, when the kid pushed me out of the way. I fell to the ground and must have hit my head pretty hard, cause when I woke up, the kid was on top of me and he must have covered my body because the Stormtroopers didn't bother to check if we were alive."
"Stormtroopers?" Luke asked, confused. He hadn't seen one in years, and thought they had all been disbanded.
"Ya. 10 of them at least, and highly equipped too. I think this planet has a lot more going on than a few surviving loyalists."
Luke stopped dead in his tracks. He didn't know what had stopped him, but suddenly he felt a shift in the force.
"Luke?" Han asked, turning around, "What is it?"
Luke just stared at the ground for a moment trying to piece together what he felt. Then it hit him like a speeder to the chest.
Luke desperatly grabbed for his com and dialed.
"Luke? What's wrong?" Han asked as he watched his friend frantically fiddle with his com, and then hold it up to his ear.
"Come on.. Come on.. Pick up Leia."
Her name shot through Han like a bullet. His face dropped and all of his attention was immediately focused on Luke.
"What?! Luke! What's going on?" Han asked as he closed the gap between them.
"Come on… COME ON" Luke said harshly as the line went dead with no answer.
"Luke!" Han yelled
"I don't know!" Luke yelled back as he dialed another number.
"Luke what is going on?! Is Leia alright?" Han yelled, speaking her name for the first time.
"I… I don't know," Luke stammered as he waited for the line to pick up.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Han yelled once again, his tone full of confusion and anger.
"I mean… I don't know. Something doesn't feel right."
"With Leia?"
"Yes. Dammit Chewie," Luke said as he dropped the com from his ear once again with no response.
"Chewie? Why are you calling Chewie? He's here," Han's confusion grew, and his heart beat almost out of his chest.
Luke hadn't had time to tell Han their whole story, but he didn't have a choice now.
Luke looked up from his com hesitantly. Han's mind worked quickly trying to figure out what was going on. Luke's pitiful eyes were the last piece of the puzzle.
"Luke. Where is Leia?" Han already knew the answer, but he needed to hear it for himself.
"Han… I had to," Luke said sheepishly.
"Luke! Where. Is. She?!"
"She's back at the base."
"Oh god!" Han said, turning his back to Luke.
"What? Han?" Luke quickly asked, still in the dark.
"Luke, they know we are here!"
Luke looked at his friend with a twitch in his eye brown, still not understanding.
"They knew where to find us! They had someone working on the inside! Luke! They're going after Leia!"
"Oh god," Luke whispered, as his face fell flat and his heart began to pound.
Both men took off in a sprint.
Authors note-
Hehehe! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I would love to know what you guys think! Again thanks for reading!
-KQinsights