Chapter 3 – Questions & Complications
The Millennium Falcon landed in the same clearing that Luke had "landed" the shuttle in. As Han and Chewie began shutting certain systems down, Leia looked out the cockpit window at the semi-intact wreckage of the shuttle.
Han noticed her gaze and said, "The kid's fine, assuming he was on that shuttle. He's the best pilot in the fleet, and that doesn't look like the worst landing I've ever seen. He could easily have walked away from that."
Leia smiled uncertainly at Han. "I know he survived Han—I can feel it. But there's something strange about the way that shuttle feels—something familiar almost..."
Han raised an eyebrow. "You're starting to sound like Luke."
She grinned at him. "Well he is my brother, you know. Some of that Jedi mysticism had to rub off on me a little."
Han snorted. "I had to fall in love with a princess who's also Force sensitive. I suppose next you'll tell me that Darth Vader is your father."
Leia quickly laughed. "Sure, Han, and Jabba was yours, right?"
"Not the last time I checked, "he said with a grin. "Well, this ain't getting the kid found. Hey Chewie, you finished over there?"
The Wookie growled in agreement with Han, and the three of them left the cockpit.
C3PO and R2D2 were waiting in the Falcon's common area. "You two wait here and guard the ship."
Threepio said, astonished, "but General Solo, sir, I'm afraid our programming doesn't cover things like guarding."
Artoo beeped and whistled at Threepio, sounding insulted. Threepio hit Artoo on the head with his arm. "R2D2, you and your crazy ideas are always getting us in trouble."
Han smiled, "You two do what you do best—improvise." He hit the switch on the landing ramp and he, Leia, and Chewbacca left the ship while Threepio was still sputtering.
As they walked down the ramp, they could hear Threepio saying, "but we don't know how to improvise!"
Han looked at Leia. "Next time, those two are riding in the cargo hold."
She smiled.
The three of them walked over to the crash site. "Doesn't look that bad. Hey Chewie, check the stabilizers on this thing, I bet they're blown."
Chewbacca honked and headed for the rear of the shuttle.
Han looked at Leia. "Let's check out the inside ourselves." He indicated the shuttle's landing ramp. "After you, sweetheart."
Leia looked at him, smiled, and then proceeded up the landing ramp, followed by Han. Once inside, they stopped at the top of the landing ramp, and Han said, "I'll check the cockpit, and the cabin on the starboard side. You check the port side."
Leia nodded, and then added, "Han, be careful. There is something very strange about this shuttle."
He winked at her. "I'm always careful, princess." He headed for the cockpit of the shuttle.
She checked the survival gear storage lockers, which she noticed had been left open, and gear was lying strewn about. She frowned when she noticed that most of the food supplies were missing—Luke had had survival training, and knew that you only carried what you could. He had taken enough for two. The shuttle was in no danger of exploding and he could have come back for the rest if he needed to. For that matter, why hadn't he stayed with the shuttle? That was the first rule of survival for pilots.
She turned to the weapons lockers, and discovered another mystery. A blaster rifle was missing. Luke had his light-saber, why would he take a blaster rifle?
Frowning, she went into the port side cabin. She fumbled for the light switch for a moment, and then turned on the lights. "Han!!!" she screamed. She could hear his thumping footfalls as he ran back from the cockpit.
"What's the matter, "he asked as he entered the cabin.
Wordlessly, she pointed at the pile of Darth Vader's armor that lay in the corner of the room.
"Oh sithspit!" said Han, then he paused. "Wait a minute... I thought his dark and nastiness couldn't live without this stuff."
"He's not supposed to be able to," answered Leia. Luke, what happened here? She thought. Did you remove him from his armor so that you could bury him without it? The thought that Luke could have saved Darth Vader was simply impossible. "We need to find Luke," she said. "You sure he was on this shuttle?" asked Han, concerned.
"Oh yes, I can feel his presence here, somehow," she answered. "It's very strange."
Han made a noncommittal noise and then bent down and picked up the helmet. He said, "let's get out of here. I bet the kid went down into the ruins."
Leia nodded, her eyes still lost in thought. She noticed the helmet in his hands. "What are you going to do with that?"
"Show it to Chewie. He needs to know that something strange is going on here."
"That makes sense," she said.
Han noticed her distraction. "Are you all right?"
Leia looked at him. "I'm trying to come up with a logical explanation for that being here, and I'm not having much luck. The thought of Luke betraying us just doesn't make any sense."
"You know as well as I do that he can't wouldn't do that," replied Han. "When we find him, he'll probably have some silly explanation—some Jedi thing, probably."
She sighed, "you're probably right."
They left the cabin and headed for the ramp. Behind her calm eyes, however, Leia was still thinking. Luke, I know what he told you, but I will NEVER accept that monster as my father. I don't know what happened here, but I will find out.
She descended the ramp to where Han was showing the helmet to a disturbed Chewbacca.
"Let's go find him," she said, shortly. She headed off into the woods without waiting to see if they were following.
"Hey, Leia!" shouted Han. He caught up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Whoa, Princess, he's not going anywhere. What's got you so upset?"
She looked at Han for a moment, and then, belatedly, realized that tears were running down her face.
"What's the matter, sweetheart?" he asked, concerned.
She sighed. "Well, Han, I told you that Luke was my brother. I know that Jabba isn't your father, but according to Luke, Darth Vader IS my father."
Han stood there stunned for a moment, while Chewie honked in sympathy. "Darth Vader is you and the kid's father?"
She nodded. "That's what Luke believes, anyway. I'm afraid that he's down here with him—that Vader survived the destruction of the Death Star."
"Hmm," answered Han. "That still doesn't explain how he could survive with the life support stuff in the armor."
"I know, "she said, "that's got me stumped as well."
"Well, let's go find Luke and ask him," said Han.
The three of them set off down the forest path towards the ruined city.
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Behind them, on the shuttle, a female figure pushed open the door of a hidden compartment behind one of the storage lockers. She crawled out of the small hole and stretched; enjoying the feel of cramped muscles being allowed to relax after hours in that tiny hole.
Muttering appreciation at the people who had left her easy access to weaponry—not that the lock on the armory would have stopped her, she had a pass-code for it—she settled on a small blaster pistol and a portable ion gun. Solo and Organa were known to travel with droids and she didn't want them interfering with her plans.
Finished, she left the shuttle and walked quickly across the clearing to the Falcon's boarding ramp.
How trusting of Solo, thought the woman.
She quickly, but silently made her way up the ramp, where she could see the two droids standing in the common area.
Almost too easy, she thought, as she quickly disabled both droids with one shot from the ion gun.
She made her way back to the engine compartment where she removed a small but critical part of the repulsor-lift engines that allowed the Falcon to get off the ground. This wouldn't have grounded the Falcon, she thought critically, except that there wasn't enough room in the clearing for the Falcon to use the sub-light engines for take-off.
"Now, where to hide this?" asked Mara Jade as she made her way out of the Falcon. Skywalker is not going to escape me!
The Millennium Falcon landed in the same clearing that Luke had "landed" the shuttle in. As Han and Chewie began shutting certain systems down, Leia looked out the cockpit window at the semi-intact wreckage of the shuttle.
Han noticed her gaze and said, "The kid's fine, assuming he was on that shuttle. He's the best pilot in the fleet, and that doesn't look like the worst landing I've ever seen. He could easily have walked away from that."
Leia smiled uncertainly at Han. "I know he survived Han—I can feel it. But there's something strange about the way that shuttle feels—something familiar almost..."
Han raised an eyebrow. "You're starting to sound like Luke."
She grinned at him. "Well he is my brother, you know. Some of that Jedi mysticism had to rub off on me a little."
Han snorted. "I had to fall in love with a princess who's also Force sensitive. I suppose next you'll tell me that Darth Vader is your father."
Leia quickly laughed. "Sure, Han, and Jabba was yours, right?"
"Not the last time I checked, "he said with a grin. "Well, this ain't getting the kid found. Hey Chewie, you finished over there?"
The Wookie growled in agreement with Han, and the three of them left the cockpit.
C3PO and R2D2 were waiting in the Falcon's common area. "You two wait here and guard the ship."
Threepio said, astonished, "but General Solo, sir, I'm afraid our programming doesn't cover things like guarding."
Artoo beeped and whistled at Threepio, sounding insulted. Threepio hit Artoo on the head with his arm. "R2D2, you and your crazy ideas are always getting us in trouble."
Han smiled, "You two do what you do best—improvise." He hit the switch on the landing ramp and he, Leia, and Chewbacca left the ship while Threepio was still sputtering.
As they walked down the ramp, they could hear Threepio saying, "but we don't know how to improvise!"
Han looked at Leia. "Next time, those two are riding in the cargo hold."
She smiled.
The three of them walked over to the crash site. "Doesn't look that bad. Hey Chewie, check the stabilizers on this thing, I bet they're blown."
Chewbacca honked and headed for the rear of the shuttle.
Han looked at Leia. "Let's check out the inside ourselves." He indicated the shuttle's landing ramp. "After you, sweetheart."
Leia looked at him, smiled, and then proceeded up the landing ramp, followed by Han. Once inside, they stopped at the top of the landing ramp, and Han said, "I'll check the cockpit, and the cabin on the starboard side. You check the port side."
Leia nodded, and then added, "Han, be careful. There is something very strange about this shuttle."
He winked at her. "I'm always careful, princess." He headed for the cockpit of the shuttle.
She checked the survival gear storage lockers, which she noticed had been left open, and gear was lying strewn about. She frowned when she noticed that most of the food supplies were missing—Luke had had survival training, and knew that you only carried what you could. He had taken enough for two. The shuttle was in no danger of exploding and he could have come back for the rest if he needed to. For that matter, why hadn't he stayed with the shuttle? That was the first rule of survival for pilots.
She turned to the weapons lockers, and discovered another mystery. A blaster rifle was missing. Luke had his light-saber, why would he take a blaster rifle?
Frowning, she went into the port side cabin. She fumbled for the light switch for a moment, and then turned on the lights. "Han!!!" she screamed. She could hear his thumping footfalls as he ran back from the cockpit.
"What's the matter, "he asked as he entered the cabin.
Wordlessly, she pointed at the pile of Darth Vader's armor that lay in the corner of the room.
"Oh sithspit!" said Han, then he paused. "Wait a minute... I thought his dark and nastiness couldn't live without this stuff."
"He's not supposed to be able to," answered Leia. Luke, what happened here? She thought. Did you remove him from his armor so that you could bury him without it? The thought that Luke could have saved Darth Vader was simply impossible. "We need to find Luke," she said. "You sure he was on this shuttle?" asked Han, concerned.
"Oh yes, I can feel his presence here, somehow," she answered. "It's very strange."
Han made a noncommittal noise and then bent down and picked up the helmet. He said, "let's get out of here. I bet the kid went down into the ruins."
Leia nodded, her eyes still lost in thought. She noticed the helmet in his hands. "What are you going to do with that?"
"Show it to Chewie. He needs to know that something strange is going on here."
"That makes sense," she said.
Han noticed her distraction. "Are you all right?"
Leia looked at him. "I'm trying to come up with a logical explanation for that being here, and I'm not having much luck. The thought of Luke betraying us just doesn't make any sense."
"You know as well as I do that he can't wouldn't do that," replied Han. "When we find him, he'll probably have some silly explanation—some Jedi thing, probably."
She sighed, "you're probably right."
They left the cabin and headed for the ramp. Behind her calm eyes, however, Leia was still thinking. Luke, I know what he told you, but I will NEVER accept that monster as my father. I don't know what happened here, but I will find out.
She descended the ramp to where Han was showing the helmet to a disturbed Chewbacca.
"Let's go find him," she said, shortly. She headed off into the woods without waiting to see if they were following.
"Hey, Leia!" shouted Han. He caught up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Whoa, Princess, he's not going anywhere. What's got you so upset?"
She looked at Han for a moment, and then, belatedly, realized that tears were running down her face.
"What's the matter, sweetheart?" he asked, concerned.
She sighed. "Well, Han, I told you that Luke was my brother. I know that Jabba isn't your father, but according to Luke, Darth Vader IS my father."
Han stood there stunned for a moment, while Chewie honked in sympathy. "Darth Vader is you and the kid's father?"
She nodded. "That's what Luke believes, anyway. I'm afraid that he's down here with him—that Vader survived the destruction of the Death Star."
"Hmm," answered Han. "That still doesn't explain how he could survive with the life support stuff in the armor."
"I know, "she said, "that's got me stumped as well."
"Well, let's go find Luke and ask him," said Han.
The three of them set off down the forest path towards the ruined city.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------
Behind them, on the shuttle, a female figure pushed open the door of a hidden compartment behind one of the storage lockers. She crawled out of the small hole and stretched; enjoying the feel of cramped muscles being allowed to relax after hours in that tiny hole.
Muttering appreciation at the people who had left her easy access to weaponry—not that the lock on the armory would have stopped her, she had a pass-code for it—she settled on a small blaster pistol and a portable ion gun. Solo and Organa were known to travel with droids and she didn't want them interfering with her plans.
Finished, she left the shuttle and walked quickly across the clearing to the Falcon's boarding ramp.
How trusting of Solo, thought the woman.
She quickly, but silently made her way up the ramp, where she could see the two droids standing in the common area.
Almost too easy, she thought, as she quickly disabled both droids with one shot from the ion gun.
She made her way back to the engine compartment where she removed a small but critical part of the repulsor-lift engines that allowed the Falcon to get off the ground. This wouldn't have grounded the Falcon, she thought critically, except that there wasn't enough room in the clearing for the Falcon to use the sub-light engines for take-off.
"Now, where to hide this?" asked Mara Jade as she made her way out of the Falcon. Skywalker is not going to escape me!