A Transitory Connection – Luke/Leia/Lando/Chewie Vignette
Leia's thoughts whirled as the Millennium Falcon soared away from Bespin. She kept seeing Han's face, frozen in the cold carbonite even though she had only seen it for less than a second, yet it was etched in her mind permanently.
Then there were her own words to him, words that needed to be said when she learned that he might die. They had been dwelling inside her waiting for this moment, the moment when she would realise what her own feelings were, the moment when she thought she would lose him.
"I love you!"
They seemed out of place in such a grim setting, but from the time they had kissed until the time of his reply they seemed the only two people in the room. Lando wasn't there, neither was the bounty hunter or even Darth Vader, menacing as his presence was.
But there was the brief moment of elation, so brief that there wasn't a measure of time to capture it, as Han replied to her revelation.
"I know."
This was surprising, as it was he who was obviously in love with her, even from the moment they met on the Death Star. And the fact that he knew that she loved him, that the love was not one-sided but given and accepted in return, she felt as if there was nothing could separate them.
Then reality set in, steamy reality as the carbon freezing took place and the cold reality of his fixed expression.
Then something suddenly cut into her thoughts with the speed and impact of a proton torpedo. She felt a strange sensation, as if someone was calling her name.
"Luke?" Leia was startled by the sound of her own voice, this broke the spell but before she spoke she had a reminder, a very clear reminder. "We've got to go back." Leia said quickly.
Chewbacca growled with surprise and Lando shot her a curious glance.
"What?" Lando looked at her incredulously before turning his attention back to his piloting.
"I know where Luke is," Leia said, more conviction coming into her voice as she spoke.
"But what about those fighters?" Lando asked.
Chewie agreed with him.
"Chewie, just do it," Leia said desperately, she knew if she could convince the Wookiee Lando would come around to the majority decision.
"But what about Vader?" Lando demanded.
This time Chewie agreed with Leia, and Lando gave up the fight.
"All right, all right, all right," he said impatiently and he made the necessary changes to their course.
Leia felt the Falcon move and she played back what she saw in her mind. It was Luke, he looked completely exhausted and in great pain, he was hanging from a thin pole beneath a large metal surface that Leia quickly knew to be the underside of Cloud City. He cried out to her, hanging very precariously onto the metal and looking utterly helpless.
But there was something else there beside what could be seen and heard, even though it was entirely within her own mind, she could feel Luke's pain, his anguish and a strong feeling of betrayal. There wasn't anything that could explain that in what she knew, so she put it to the back of her mind and tried to stay calm.
"Look," Lando pointed out the viewport at the approaching city. "Someone's up there."
"It's Luke," Leia said, relieved and confused that what she saw was true. "Chewie, slow down."
She urged him. "Slow down and we'll get under him. Lando, open the top hatch."
Lando left the cockpit but left the piloting to Chewie. Leia sat tense in the navigator's seat, then looked back out the viewport – and wished she hadn't. Luke was falling from the city, could they get there in time...
"Okay. Easy Chewie," Leia said, her voice was even but her heart was in her mouth.
She then heard several thuds on the hull above them, she turn on the comlink. Hoping...
"Lando?" She was still surprised how controlled her voice was.
"Okay, let's go," she heard him say and Chewie slowly began to move the shop away from the city.
There were several explosions that had Leia thrown against the restraints in her seat. Chewie howled as he tried to bring the Falcon under control.
Then Lando half-led, half-carried Luke into the cockpit. He was as bad as the vision she had of him, no worse as she could see here that he there was something troubling, as if he had just learned something about himself that was terrible and frightening.
"Oh, Leia," Luke moaned as he almost collapsed in her arms.
She helped him out of the cockpit and helped him onto one of the bunks; several times they were thrown against the wall as the Falcon made its escape. She pulled a blanket over him, noticing that he didn't have his lightsaber and noticing that his right hand was missing.
"What happened?" She asked him automatically but Luke didn't want to answer. "This will help with some of the pain. Don't worry," she added, daring to smile. "I'll get you to an Alliance medical facility," she reassured as she put a protective clamp around the cauterised stump.
She wondered as she wiped the sweat of Luke's face but knew better than to ask. Did lightsabers leave such wounds? Did Luke duel with Darth Vader?
"I'll be back," Leia promised and she kissed him softly, thinking him lucky to be alive.
The cockpit was blaring with alarms when she returned and Lando and Chewie were working frantically through all the clamour. They were just emerging into space and Leia thought she could see a distinct shape in the distance, and it wasn't welcoming.
Lando watched a control panel and adjusted some switches until Chewie pointed to one of the approaching blips. Leia sat down and looked closer at the one of the control panels.
"Star Destroyer," she said, confirming their worst fears.
"All right Chewie," Lando said, checking a readout quickly. "Ready for lightspeed."
"If your people have fixed the hyperdrive," Leia said and she noticed a readout on a panel next to her. "All the coordinates are set. It's now or never."
Chewie barked in agreement.
"Punch it!" Lando shouted and Chewie threw the hyperspace throttle.
As the engine began to sound in anticipation they all waited. Leia held her breath, waiting for the thrust of entering hyperspace to throw the back in their seats, waiting for the stars to form lines that would herald their sprint to safety. Nothing happened, no thrust, no star-lines, nothing.
"They told me they fixed it," Lando said. "I trusted them to fix it. It's not my fault!" He whined as Chewie barked at him angrily as he left the cockpit.
"So what do we do now?" Leia asked after she took Chewie's place in the co-pilot's chair.
"Pray and hope," Lando said frantically. "And get away from the tractor beam."
Either Lando was a very good actor and a complete idiot or he was genuinely concerned, either seemed a possibility, Leia mused as the shouts of Chewie and Threepio echoed down from the back of the ship.
Suddenly the control panel erupted in sparks which almost singed Leia's eyebrows. Leia looked at Lando quickly and decided it must be something Chewie was doing in the back, if he was fixing the hyperdrive at all.
In their frantic chase outside Bespin Leia's fears multiplied. Never had she felt so vulnerable, so utterly dependent on something beyond her control. They couldn't out-fly the Imperials forever, and they couldn't give up either. Leia ground her teeth, hoping against all hope that something would happen, they needed luck now. For Han at least, if not for herself and the others on the ship.
"Chewie!" Lando's voice shattered her thoughts.
The Falcon shuddered again, more laser blast from the TIEs and the Star Destroyer was close behind them. Chewie better pull something fast.
"It's Vader," she heard Luke say as he neared her.
Leia looked back at him for a moment; he looked almost feverish with the blanket over his shoulders and his eyes staring at the Star Destroyer looming at them. Leia turned her attention back to the controls but she heard Luke mumble something behind her. Behind her she could hear Threepio shouting petulantly about something. The Star Destroyer was closer, what was Chewie doing?
Suddenly Leia was thrown back in her seat, she thought it was another laser blast until she saw the star-lines in the viewport. At last, they were free and safe, really safe this time and no one could find them.
"You'd better get back to bed," Leia said gently as she got out of the chair, helping Luke to his feet and back to the bunk.
Luke didn't argue with her; he looked near collapse and was still not willing to talk about what had happened. He would in time, Leia hoped as she sat down near the holotable with her head in her hands.
Luke would get treated, that much was certain due her own pull in the Alliance and Luke's rank as a commander. But Han...she was going to have to explain to the Alliance how she needed time to go and rescue him. Would she get it? She hoped so but there was all these rumours floating around from the Bothan spynet about some big operation out near the Unknown Regions.
The Alliance was important to her but she couldn't just leave Han, not after what had been said, not after she realised that she loved him. Leia leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, then opened them again when she noticed Chewie was sitting next to her.
The Wookiee said something and made a gesture then took her hand in his huge hairy one. Leia was reminded of the 'life debt' that was between Han and Chewie, and how Han had said to Chewie to take care of her, not that she needed taking care of but it was a nice touch.
Leia smiled at him and then she knew that Han would once again be back with them, it was only a matter of time.