Chapter 44- Lando Explains and Carbon Freeze
Lena looked around the small room. So far the only occupants were Chewbacca and Threepio. Chewbacca looked at her and growled happily or as happy as Lena could figure as Lena didn't speak the language of the Wookies or understand it. "If you are saying that you're happy to see me, Chewbacca, then I am happy to see you too. How are you Threepio?" Lena asked the golden droid. Apparently all Chewbacca had been able to work on was attaching the droid's head to his shoulders.
"I am quite well, Your Highness. Is that clothing new?" Threepio asked. Lena looked down at the beige and white dress that the Bespin ladies had dressed her in.
"Yes. Unfortunately it was all Lord Vader's idea, but thankfully I still have my lightsaber. While they were dressing me and their back's were turned I hid it in the settee cushions. Then when I was dressed, I slipped it into a pocket, that the Force be thanked, was in my robe. The pocket was large enough to conceal it. How do you feel, Threepio?" Lena asked.
"Much better, Your Highness. Oh, yes that's very good. I like that," Threepio said as Chewbacca fixed circuits. Lena nearly laughed. Threepio's head was on backwards, but his receptors were apparently not on and the droid didn't know that there was a problem.
"Oh, something's not right because now I can't see. Oh, Oh, Oh, that's much better," Threepio said as Chewbacca turned on the receptors. "Wait! Wait! Oh, my! What have you done? I'm backwards, you flea-bitten furball! Only an overgrown mophead like you would be stupid enough-" Threepio was interrupted as Chewbacca shut him down. The door opened and two stormtroopers entered, with Han between them. It didn't take a Jedi to see all the pain Han was clearly in. His face was an open book, along with the fact that he couldn't walk.
The stormtroopers dropped Han unceremoniously on the floor and Lena and Chewbacca went to him. Lena regretted that she wasn't a Jedi healer. If she could take Han's pain, she would. Chewbacca growled as he and Lena helped Han up. Han looked at them with a dazed look on his face. "I feel terrible," Han said, his voice just as dazed.
Chewbacca growled as Lena extended the slab that was a bed in the wall. "Here, Chewie, lay him here," Lena said. Chewbacca did as she requested as the door opened again and the stormtroopers pushed Leia in. Leia went to Han, stroking his forehead.
"Why are they doing this?" Leia asked.
"They never even asked me any questions," Han said in a low, slurred voice as the door opened again, revealing Lando.
"Lando," Leia said as she and Lena helped Han up and Lando stood in front of them.
Chewbacca growled and Lando flinched backward. "Get out of here, Lando," Han said with all the anger he could muster in his weakened state.
"Shut up and listen. Vader's agreed to turn Leia and Chewie over to me," Lando said brusquely.
"Over to you?" Han asked.
"They'll have to stay here, but at least they'll be safe," Lando said in a placating gesture.
"What about Han and Lena?" Leia asked.
"Vader planning to take Lena with him and Vader's given Han to the bounty hunter," Lando said, a slight look of apology in his eyes.
"Vader wants us all dead," Leia said, suddenly writing off what Vader had said about him being Lena's father in Lena's mind. No father would do to her what he had done. If he was ever Anakin Skywalker, he had been destroyed by Vader. Obi-Wan was right from a certain point of view that Vader had killed Anakin; the good man who was Anakin Skywalker.
"He doesn't want you at all. He's after Lena and her twin brother; somebody called Skywalker," Lando said.
"Luke," Han said.
"Lord Vader set a trap for him," Lando said.
"And we're the bait!" Leia snapped angrily.
"Yeah, well, he's on his way," Lando said as Han stood.
"You fixed us all real good, didn't you? My friend," Han said as he punched Lando, knocking him down. The Cloud City security got into the fight by knocking Han down, hitting him in the back with a blaster rifle.
"Stop!" Lando ordered as the guards pulled more weapons and aimed them at Chewbacca, Leia, and Han. "I've done all I can. I'm sorry I couldn't do better, but I've got my own problems," Lando said as he put his cloak back on.
"Yeah. You're a real hero," Han said with barely controlled venom. Lando looked at Lena and Leia briefly and then left the room, followed by the guards.
Chewbacca, Leia, and Lena started to help him up. "You certainly have a way with people," Leia said in a dry voice as they helped him back to the slab.
Vader looked at the carbon freezing chamber. As much as he hated the idea of putting Luke into it, Vader knew that in this case he had no choice. Luke wouldn't come willingly as he was too much like himself before Vader fell. Vader felt some relief that he wouldn't have to use this device on Lena. "This facility is crude, but it should be adequate to freeze Skywalker for his journey to the Emperor," Vader said with a pleased voice.
"Lord Vader, two ships approaching. X-wing class," a soldier came up to him crisply.
"Good. Monitor Skywalker and Talon Orran and allow them to land," Vader said. It didn't take much to realize that Talon would come as his remains hadn't been at Hoth. Talon would come for Lena as the fool thought Lena to be his daughter.
"Lord Vader, we only use this facility for carbon freezing. You put him in there, it might kill him," Calrissian said, in a warning tone.
"I do not want the emperor's prize damaged. We will test it on Captain Solo," Vader said with finality. There was no way Vader would try this on his son if he knew it would kill him. So it was good that Solo be the perfect test subject.
Luke and Talon entered the atmosphere of Bespin. Talon stretched out with the Force. Lena's Force signature was sharp and not muted like before. Hold on, Lena. I'm coming, Talon thought to his daughter and quickly received a burst of happiness. Talon smiled .
Stormtroopers guided them down into what appeared to be a freezing container. "If only you'd attached my legs, I wouldn't be in this ridiculous position. Now remember, Chewbacca, you have a responsibility for me, so don't do anything foolish," Threepio complained from his spot in a sling on Chewbacca's back.
Lena would have laughed, but then she saw Vader, who appeared to be looking right at her as he strode down the steps and they stopped in front of the freezing unit. "What's going on, buddy?" Han asked Lando contemptuously.
"You're being put into carbon freeze," Lando said in a low voice.
"What if he doesn't survive? He's worth a lot to me," Boba Fett said to Vader.
"The Empire will compensate you if he dies. Put him in," Vader ordered. As the stormtroopers moved to Han, Chewbacca then lost it, knocking the stormtroopers aside with his massive paws. Out of the corner of her eye, Lena saw Fett take aim, to have Vader push the bounty hunter's arm aside.
"Stop, Chewie! Stop!" Han ordered, calming the Wookie down.
"Yes, stop please! I'm not ready to die!" Threepio exclaimed pitifully.
Han managed to stop the Wookie and made him look at him as the stormtroopers cuffed him. Hey! Hey! Listen to me, Chewie. Chewie, this won't help me. Hey, save your strength. There will be another time. The princess and her cousin, you have to take care of them. Do you hear me? Huh?" Han asked as Lena and Leia touched Chewbacca's arms, Lena infusing the Force to comfort the Wookie.
Han then looked at Leia and kissed her before the stormtroopers grabbed him and attached him to a gurney over the freezing pit. "I love you," Leia said.
"I know," Han said as the platform lowered. Chewbacca howled as a white hazy smoke covered Han from sight.
Vader watched his daughter as the whole process played out. Whatever she was feeling through the Force, she had hidden it well as she stood there, her face the picture of Jedi calm as Solo was raised and then put on the ground with a thunk. Princess Leia looked in shock, gripping the Wookie and Lena's arms. Calrissian then looked at them before going to the slab that was Captain Solo. Calrissian got down to look at the meters and gauges.
"Oh, they've encased him in carbonite. He should be quite well-protected, if he survived the freezing process that is," the golden droid on the Wookie's back said.
"Well, Calrissian did he survive?" Vader asked.
"Yes. He's alive. And in perfect hibernation," Calrissian said. Vader turned to Fett.
"He's all yours, bounty hunter. Reset the chamber for Skywalker," Vader said.
"Skywalker and Prince Cail Organa have just landed, lord," Piett said.
"Good. I care not for Organa. But see to it that Skywalker finds his way in here. Calrissian, take the princess, Lena Skywalker, and the Wookie to my ship," Vader said as Lando tried to take Leia's arm, but she pulled away.
"You said they'd be left in the city under my supervision," Calrissian said, a slight anger in his voice.
"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further," Vader said ominously as he turned and walked away.
"Why are you so surprised, Lando? Did you really think Vader would keep his word?" Vader heard Lena say as she was escorted out with everyone.