Chapter 14- The Tractor Beam and Leia Found
Lena watched with un-Jedi-like excitement as they came out of hyperspace. She also felt a niggling dread. What she had felt in the Force earlier wouldn't stop nagging her. Someone- or a lot of someone's- had died. It also had to be someone close to her as she probably wouldn't have felt such sadness. It could of been her aunt and uncle, mother, father, brothers, or sister, but the Force was silent in that regard.
Lena looked up as they left hyperspace in what appeared to be an asteroid field. "What the-" Han started to say as he got back into his seat.
Chewbacca growled as Lena gripped a handhold and the ship jarred about. "We've come out of hyperspace into a meteor shower. Some kind of asteroid collision. It's not on any of the charts," Han answered Chewbacca.
"What's going on?" Luke asked as he and Obi-Wan entered the cockpit and stood behind Lena.
"Our position's correct, except no Alderaan," Han said.
"What do you mean? Where is it?" Luke asked, confused. It suddenly hit Lena what happened and the feelings in the Force. It apparently hit Obi-Wan at the same time.
"That's what I'm trying to tell you, kid. It ain't there. It's been totally blown away," Han said, his eyes roving the console in front of him. As if a button or switch could solve Alderaan's destruction.
"What? How?" Luke asked in shock.
"Destroyed by the Empire. My cousin and I received transmissions about how the Empire destroyed Jedha and Scarif the same way. I had no idea that such a technological terror could become planetary," Lena commented, it suddenly hitting her that some of her family had been destroyed with Alderaan. Hopefully her father was still on Yavin IV with Cora and her mother and brothers were on Naboo.
"The entire Starfleet couldn't destroy the whole planet. It would take 1,000 ships with more firepower-" Han started to say and then his console beeped. "There's another ship coming in," Han said.
"Maybe they now what happened," Luke said hopefully.
"It's an Imperial fighter," Obi-Wan said, apparently thinking the same thing as Lena as explosions rocked the Millennium Falcon. A tie-fighter then came onto their viewport. Lena breathed deeply, using a Jedi relaxation exercise her father had taught her when she was Cora's age. Remember, Daughter, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force, Lena heard her father's voice say as calmly as if he was ordering breakfast instead of teaching her how to relax.
"It followed us!" Luke exclaimed.
"No, it's a short-range fighter," Lena said.
"There aren't any bases around here. Where did it come from?" Han asked.
"It sure is leaving in a big hurry. If they identify us, we're in big trouble," Luke said.
"Not if I can help it. Chewie, jam it's transmissions," Han said.
"It would be as well to let it go. It's too far out of range," Obi-Wan said.
"Not for long," Han said, pressing buttons in front of him.
"A fighter that size couldn't get this deep into space on its own," Obi-Wan mulled thoughtfully.
"He must have gotten lost. been part of a convoy or something," Luke said.
"Well, he ain't gonna be around long enough to tell anybody about us," Han said.
"Look at him. He's heading for that small moon," Luke said, sitting up.
"I think I can get him before he gets there. He's almost in range," Han said.
Lena felt the blood drain from her face. "That's no moon. It's a space station," Lena said, the Force speaking volumes to her brain.
"It's too big to be a space station," Han disagreed.
"I have a very bad feeling about this," Luke said as they got closer.
"Turn the ship around," Obi-Wan ordered quietly.
"Yeah. I think you're right. Full reverse! Chewie, lock in the auxiliary power" Han ordered Chewbacca. The ship bucked violently. It was then that Lena realized that the station knew they were there and that they had turned on the tractor beam. It was more evident on account that they were still going to the station. "Chewie, lock in the auxiliary power," Han ordered again.
"Why are we still moving towards it?!" Luke nearly shouted.
"We're caught in a tractor beam. It's pulling us in!" Han said as the ship shook again.
"There's got to be something you can do!" Luke said.
"There's nothing I can do about it, kid. I'm at full power. I'm gonna have to shut down. They're not gonna get me without a fight," Han said, pressing buttons and flipping switches.
"You can't win, but there are alternatives to fighting," Obi-Wan said.
"Han, do you have hidden compartments in the ship?" Lena asked, the Force bringing an idea to her brain.
"Yeah. Why?" Han asked.
"I have an idea. If you could show them to me, they might be just big enough for all of us," Lena said. Han stood and took her to a corridor. He then lifted the lids off two compartments. They barely managed to get inside and the covers back before Lena felt a coldness in the Force and the thud of boots over her compartment. It was Vader! Lena held her breath as if the Sith could have heard her breathe.
"There's no one here," a voice said as the footsteps faded away. Lena then heard one of the compartments' lids lift and she and Obi-Wan lifted theirs.
"Boy, it's lucky you had these compartments," Luke said.
"I use them for smuggling. I never thought I'd be smuggling myself in 'em. This is ridiculous. Even if I could take off, I'd never get past the tractor beam," Han complained as she got out of the compartment.
Leave that to me," Obi-Wan said with the smallest of grunts as he tried to get out of the compartment.
"Old fool, I knew you were gonna say that," Han said.
"Who's the more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?" Obi-Wan asked sarcastically. Lena turned her head to avoid smiling.
"So what do we do?" Luke asked bewildered.
"Well, if it's Vader he'll send a team to search. And some stormtroopers to guard the ramp. When the search team gets here, call for the storm troopers. You two are young enough, you can pass as stormtroopers. Just take their armor and pretend you're a stormtrooper. The only problem is that Luke's too short," Lena said, looking at her brother critically. It would be hard to find a stormtrooper's armor to fit him and that disguise would never work on her, Obi-Wan, Chewbacca, and the droids.
Lena then heard the clump of the boots of the search team. Lena firmed her lips and held her lightsaber at the ready. Han cold-cocked one of the team and Lena used the grip on her lightsaber to knock the other out. "Hey, down there! Could you give us a hand with this?" Han shouted to the stormtrooper sentry. Two stormtroopers came into the ship and with the use of Han's and Luke's blasters, both were knocked out in no time. Lena went into the cockpit to grab her cloak while Han and Luke changed. Lena was stuffing her lightsaber into her Jedi boots when she came into the corridor. Obi-Wan and Lena pulled their cloaks over their heads and eyes and followed a wookie, two droids, and two stormtroopers. The trip to the air traffic tower was uneventful. The guard opened it to Chewbacca's hairy paw and Han's shooting, knocking him out. Luke shut the door and he and Han removed their helmets.
"You know, between his howling and your blasting everything in sight, it's a wonder the whole station doesn't know we're here," Luke said irritably.
"Bring them on! "I'd prefer a straight fight to all this sneakin' around," Han said.
"We found the computer outlet, Sir," Threepio said to Obi-Wan.
"Plug in. He should be able to interpret the entire imperial network," Obi-Wan said, motioning to Artoo with his chin. Artoo beeped and whistled furiously as his claw swiveled in the terminal.
"He says he's found the main controls to the power beam that's holding the ship here. He'll try to make the precise location appear on the monitor. The tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in seven locations. A power loss at one of the terminals will allow the ship to leave," Threepio said as the monitor showed one of the terminals and it lit up.
"I don't think you boys and Lena can help. I must go alone," Obi-Wan said, looking at all three of them before going to the door.
"Whatever you say. I've done more than I bargained for on this trip already," Han said.
"I want to go with you," Luke protested at the door.
"Be patient, Luke. You and your sister stay and watch over the droids. They must be delivered safely to Lena's father or other star systems will suffer the same fate as Alderaan. Your destiny lies along a different path from mine. The Force will be with you both always," Obi-Wan said as the door opened and he left. Chewbacca growled as Luke closed the door.
"Boy, you said it, Chewie. Where did you two dig up that old fossil?" Han asked rudely.
"Ben is a great man," Luke said stonily.
"Yeah. Great at getting us into trouble," Han said sarcastically.
"I didn't hear you give any ideas," Luke said angrily.
"I can't believe you two are arguing this now," Lena said, wondering if she'd have to step between the two of them with her lightsaber drawn to stop this fight.
"Well, anything's better than just hangin' around waiting for 'em to pick us up," Han said as if Lena hadn't said anything.
"Who do you think-" Luke started to say before Artoo beeped and whistled excitedly.
"What is it?" Lena asked.
"I'm afraid I'm not quite sure, your Highness. He says "I found her" and keeps repeating "She's here," Threepio said.
"Well, who... who has he found?" Luke asked, walking over to the droids.
"Princess Leia," Threepio said, looking up at Luke.
"Leia? She's here?" Lena asked, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. So Vader hadn't killed her secret sister. She hadn't become one with the Force yet, but Lena couldn't quite understand why she hadn't felt her on the battle station. Usually anyone with as high a midi-chlorian count as Leia and Lena had could be felt.
"Princess?" Han asked confused.
"Where? Where is she?" Luke demanded.
"Princess? What's going on?" Han asked.
"Level 5, detention block AA-23. I'm afraid she's scheduled to be terminated," Threepio said with as much regret as a droid can muster.
"Oh no! We've got to do something!" Luke protested, a devastated, shocked look on his face.
"We will, Brother. I have my lightsaber. We'll figure something out," Lena said, touching Luke's armored shoulder gently.
"What are you two talking about?" Han asked, shaking his head.
"The droids belong to her and Lena. She's the one in the message. We got to help her," Luke said.
"Now look, don't get any funny ideas. The old man wants us to wait right here," Han said warningly.
"But he didn't know she was here. Just find a way back into that detention block," Luke said to Threepio.
"I'm not going anywhere," Han said stubbornly.
"They're going to execute her. Look, a few minutes ago, you said you didn't want to just wait here to be captured. Now all you want to do is stay?" Luke asked.
"Marching into the detention area is not what I had in mind," Han said, a slight edge to his voice.
"But they're going to kill her!" Luke nearly shouted.
"Better her than me," Han ground out.
"Luke, let me. We're rich," Lena said, touching the back of Han's chair and saying to the back of his head. Jedi mind tricks wouldn't work, but appealing to Han's greed just might. Chewbacca growled as Han turned to face Lena.
"Rich?" Han asked.
"Mm-hmm. Rich, powerful. Listen, if you were to rescue my cousin, the reward would be-" Lena started to say.
"What, your Highness?" Han asked.
"Well, more well than you can imagine. My father will see to it if he's where I think he is," Lena said, coming up with a way to bait him without giving an actual credits amount.
"I don't know. I can imagine quite a bit," Han said, turning in his chair to face Lena.
"You'll get it," Lena said.
"I better," Han said menacingly.
"You will," Lena said, relieved that Han finally agreed.
"All right, your Highness. You better be right about this," Han said.
"All right," Luke said, looking around.
"What's your plan?" Han asked. Luke's eyes fell on a pair of binders.
"Um, Threepio, hand me those binders, will you?" Luke asked. Threepio gave him the binders. "Now, I'm going to put these on you," Luke said to Chewbacca who growled and swung his hairy arms forcefully. "Okay. Han, you...you put those on," Luke said, handing the binders to Han.
"Don't worry, Chewie, I think I know what he has in mind," Han said with a smirk as he put the binders on the wookie.
"Master Luke, Princess Lena, pardon me for asking, but what should R2 and I do if we're discovered here?" Threepio asked as the four of them prepared to leave, Lena clipping her lightsaber to her belt.
"Lock the door," Luke said.
"And hope they don't have blasters," Han said cynically.
"That isn't very reassuring," Lena heard Threepio say as they went into the corridor and the door shut.