***********************************************************
Once the Falcon was safely in space, Leia cut the engines, and ran back toward the hold. Han was now laying down on the acceleration couch, and Indy was looking at him with worry etching his face. Han was groaning in pain, but still conscious.
"Han, where were you shot?" Leia asked.
"In the leg... doesn't hurt too bad but... my head..." Han groaned as he held his throbbing head in his hands. There was a bleeding cut above Han's left ear from where a bullet had grazed his head.
"Looks like a bullet nearly got you. You're lucky," Indy said, "You might have a headache but at least you're still alive."
Leia quickly went and retrieved a medipack. She handed Han a vile of liquid. "Here," she said, "some pain killers." Han graciously downed the contents. Leia took a piece of gauze-like material and wiped up the blood. She then sprayed on some synthflesh. "Now, let me look at your leg," she said.
Han slowly sat up, and propped his right leg up on the couch. There was a dark crimson bloodspot around his knee. "Here," Indy offered, ripping the pants off just above the knee, "Ouch, that looks painful."
"I've had worse, it'll be ok," Han insisted.
Leia frowned. "Han, I think the bullet is still in there," she said.
Han suddenly became alert. "Huh?" he asked.
Leia bit her lip, "We can't let it stay in there, it might get infected."
Han's eyes widened. "No no no. You are not going to do it. No way. We can wait til we get back to Courscant. I'm not having you slicing my leg up. Out of the question," he said frantically.
"Do you want some sedatives?" Leia asked.
Han shook his head, "No because you're not taking that thing out. You can forget it."
Leia ignored him, and instead turned to Indy. "Indy, would you hold his leg in place?"
Indy looked at Han, and Han gave him a pleading look and shook his head. "Sorry pal," Indy said. "She's right." He placed a hand on Han's ankle, and one above his knee.
Leia pulled out a bottle of antiseptic and squirted it on Han's knee to clean it out. Then she pulled out a small surgical vibro-blade. Han's eyes widened as he saw the light glistening off the metal blade. He fleetingly tried to squirm away. "Han, if you keep moving around like that your whole leg will be sliced up by the time I'm through," Leia admonished him. "Now sit still."
Han reluctantly settled down. As Leia leaned in closer and closer, he bit his lip. This was going to hurt.
Leia could see the bullet lodged in the tissue of Han's joint. She carefully leaned in, then as swiftly and painlessly as possible, she cut the metal projectile out. Han's fingernails dug into the fabric of the couch as he tried as hard as he could not to scream out in pain.
"There," Leia said in a satisfied tone. She held up the bullet. She squirted some more antiseptic on the wound, then sprayed some synthflesh on it. "Good as new."
Han glared at her. "I hate you," he ground out through clenched teeth.
She shook her head and made a 'tsk, tsk, tsk' sound. "Is that anyway to treat your doctor?"
"That felt more like torture than medicine to me," Han replied. Leia just smiled at him, then kissed him on the forehead.
She turned to Indy, "Thank you for your help, Indy. You make a wonderful nurse."
"Oh gee, thanks," Indy grumbled. There was a pause, then something dawned on him. "We're in space now, aren't we?" he asked. Leia nodded. "Can I... can I see it?" he asked, sounding like a little boy.
Han grinned. He pulled himself slowly to his feet. "Only if you say please," he said. He grinned and, with a slight limp, motioned Indy to follow him to the cockpit.
Indy stepped into the cockpit. He gazed outside the window. He was amazed by what he saw. There was blackness all around, the darkest black he had ever imagined, and within it the millions of tiny stars which had once seemed so visible from Earth. But now they glowed even brighter. And below them, looking like a precious blue and white marbled decoration, was Earth. Indy said nothing as he stared out into the void. He could only stand, open mouthed, and gaze in wonder.
Han and Leia couldn't help but smile. The wonder of space and seeing a planet from outside it's atmosphere was something that had become routine for both of them. Seeing Indy's reaction now, some of the mystery and magic of space flight came back to them.
Indy, still staring out the window, whispered, "It's beautiful. I... Thank you. This is really something."
Han clasped Indy's shoulder. "Anything for a friend," he said.
Indy finally tore his eyes away from the spectacle in front of him, and turned to look at Han and Leia. "As much as I could just sit up here all day, I think I'd better get back down to Earth," he said.
Han nodded. "Yeah. And we need to get back to our own time and place. C'mon," Han lead the archaeologist toward an escape pod. He stepped in, and entered the approximate coordinates of the desert outside Cairo into the navicomputer. "This pod'll take you back to Cairo. It's on autopilot, so you won't have to worry about flying it or landing it or anything," he told Indy.
Indy smiled, "That's good. I have a little landing problem."
Han stood, and exited the pod. "Well," he said, "I guess this is it."
Indy nodded slowly, "Yeah I guess so."
Leia stepped forward and gave Indy a hug, "You take care of yourself. Try to stay away from those Nazis, ok?"
Indy smiled as he pulled out of the embrace, "Ok."
"Thanks for everything," she said with a warm smile.
Han offered an outstretched hand to Indy. Indy took it, then pulled him into an embrace. "You've got something really special there. Don't let it go," Indy said so only Han could hear.
Han slapped his friend on the back, then they both stood back.
Indy stepped back into the escape pod. He sat down in a seat, and buckled himself in. "Have a good trip you two," he said.
Han nodded, "You too. And behave yourself Indiana Jones. I don't want to have to come back and set you straight."
The two men both smiled, their charming, half-smiles.
"Good-bye," Leia said.
"Good-bye," Indy replied.
Han leaned forward and palmed the door closed. From behind the protective glass, Indy tipped his fedora to the two spacers in farewell. Han waved, then hit the control to jettison the pod.
The escape pod rocketed away, quickly becoming smaller and smaller as it headed for Earth. Han and Leia watched until the pod was just a speck, and then they could see it no more.
Leia tugged at Han's arm. "Come on Captain," she said as she ushered him toward the cockpit. "We've got a big trip ahead of us."
***********************************************************
Once the Falcon was safely in space, Leia cut the engines, and ran back toward the hold. Han was now laying down on the acceleration couch, and Indy was looking at him with worry etching his face. Han was groaning in pain, but still conscious.
"Han, where were you shot?" Leia asked.
"In the leg... doesn't hurt too bad but... my head..." Han groaned as he held his throbbing head in his hands. There was a bleeding cut above Han's left ear from where a bullet had grazed his head.
"Looks like a bullet nearly got you. You're lucky," Indy said, "You might have a headache but at least you're still alive."
Leia quickly went and retrieved a medipack. She handed Han a vile of liquid. "Here," she said, "some pain killers." Han graciously downed the contents. Leia took a piece of gauze-like material and wiped up the blood. She then sprayed on some synthflesh. "Now, let me look at your leg," she said.
Han slowly sat up, and propped his right leg up on the couch. There was a dark crimson bloodspot around his knee. "Here," Indy offered, ripping the pants off just above the knee, "Ouch, that looks painful."
"I've had worse, it'll be ok," Han insisted.
Leia frowned. "Han, I think the bullet is still in there," she said.
Han suddenly became alert. "Huh?" he asked.
Leia bit her lip, "We can't let it stay in there, it might get infected."
Han's eyes widened. "No no no. You are not going to do it. No way. We can wait til we get back to Courscant. I'm not having you slicing my leg up. Out of the question," he said frantically.
"Do you want some sedatives?" Leia asked.
Han shook his head, "No because you're not taking that thing out. You can forget it."
Leia ignored him, and instead turned to Indy. "Indy, would you hold his leg in place?"
Indy looked at Han, and Han gave him a pleading look and shook his head. "Sorry pal," Indy said. "She's right." He placed a hand on Han's ankle, and one above his knee.
Leia pulled out a bottle of antiseptic and squirted it on Han's knee to clean it out. Then she pulled out a small surgical vibro-blade. Han's eyes widened as he saw the light glistening off the metal blade. He fleetingly tried to squirm away. "Han, if you keep moving around like that your whole leg will be sliced up by the time I'm through," Leia admonished him. "Now sit still."
Han reluctantly settled down. As Leia leaned in closer and closer, he bit his lip. This was going to hurt.
Leia could see the bullet lodged in the tissue of Han's joint. She carefully leaned in, then as swiftly and painlessly as possible, she cut the metal projectile out. Han's fingernails dug into the fabric of the couch as he tried as hard as he could not to scream out in pain.
"There," Leia said in a satisfied tone. She held up the bullet. She squirted some more antiseptic on the wound, then sprayed some synthflesh on it. "Good as new."
Han glared at her. "I hate you," he ground out through clenched teeth.
She shook her head and made a 'tsk, tsk, tsk' sound. "Is that anyway to treat your doctor?"
"That felt more like torture than medicine to me," Han replied. Leia just smiled at him, then kissed him on the forehead.
She turned to Indy, "Thank you for your help, Indy. You make a wonderful nurse."
"Oh gee, thanks," Indy grumbled. There was a pause, then something dawned on him. "We're in space now, aren't we?" he asked. Leia nodded. "Can I... can I see it?" he asked, sounding like a little boy.
Han grinned. He pulled himself slowly to his feet. "Only if you say please," he said. He grinned and, with a slight limp, motioned Indy to follow him to the cockpit.
Indy stepped into the cockpit. He gazed outside the window. He was amazed by what he saw. There was blackness all around, the darkest black he had ever imagined, and within it the millions of tiny stars which had once seemed so visible from Earth. But now they glowed even brighter. And below them, looking like a precious blue and white marbled decoration, was Earth. Indy said nothing as he stared out into the void. He could only stand, open mouthed, and gaze in wonder.
Han and Leia couldn't help but smile. The wonder of space and seeing a planet from outside it's atmosphere was something that had become routine for both of them. Seeing Indy's reaction now, some of the mystery and magic of space flight came back to them.
Indy, still staring out the window, whispered, "It's beautiful. I... Thank you. This is really something."
Han clasped Indy's shoulder. "Anything for a friend," he said.
Indy finally tore his eyes away from the spectacle in front of him, and turned to look at Han and Leia. "As much as I could just sit up here all day, I think I'd better get back down to Earth," he said.
Han nodded. "Yeah. And we need to get back to our own time and place. C'mon," Han lead the archaeologist toward an escape pod. He stepped in, and entered the approximate coordinates of the desert outside Cairo into the navicomputer. "This pod'll take you back to Cairo. It's on autopilot, so you won't have to worry about flying it or landing it or anything," he told Indy.
Indy smiled, "That's good. I have a little landing problem."
Han stood, and exited the pod. "Well," he said, "I guess this is it."
Indy nodded slowly, "Yeah I guess so."
Leia stepped forward and gave Indy a hug, "You take care of yourself. Try to stay away from those Nazis, ok?"
Indy smiled as he pulled out of the embrace, "Ok."
"Thanks for everything," she said with a warm smile.
Han offered an outstretched hand to Indy. Indy took it, then pulled him into an embrace. "You've got something really special there. Don't let it go," Indy said so only Han could hear.
Han slapped his friend on the back, then they both stood back.
Indy stepped back into the escape pod. He sat down in a seat, and buckled himself in. "Have a good trip you two," he said.
Han nodded, "You too. And behave yourself Indiana Jones. I don't want to have to come back and set you straight."
The two men both smiled, their charming, half-smiles.
"Good-bye," Leia said.
"Good-bye," Indy replied.
Han leaned forward and palmed the door closed. From behind the protective glass, Indy tipped his fedora to the two spacers in farewell. Han waved, then hit the control to jettison the pod.
The escape pod rocketed away, quickly becoming smaller and smaller as it headed for Earth. Han and Leia watched until the pod was just a speck, and then they could see it no more.
Leia tugged at Han's arm. "Come on Captain," she said as she ushered him toward the cockpit. "We've got a big trip ahead of us."
***********************************************************