Chapter 14
Han was awoken by the dawn. He opened his eyes slowly to see the sickly-colored misty sky, the air damp with fog and the ground and rocks covered with tiny ice crystals. He nuzzled his cold face and damp hair into the sleeping bag where his and Leia's bodies had created enough heat to keep them warm all night. He was grateful to find her still asleep, pressed up to him. Their bodies hugged each other's curves, their fingers interlaced. Leia's hair was down and spread out everywhere. Han breathed her in deeply, trying to savor this moment, because he knew there was an argument coming as soon as she woke up. She was so soft, so warm, smelled so good...
Even Han had doubted if kissing her had been a good idea. He'd wondered what kinds of repercussions last night would have, even as he made love to her. But it had seemed so perfect. They'd made love like they used to, as if no time at all had passed. Their bodies still knew one another's, though their hearts and minds were grasping for answers and finding none. Last night, throwing all caution aside, Han had whispered, "I love you," very softly into Leia's hair as they lay in the afterglow. Thankfully, he got no answer, as she was already asleep.
Now, he watched her breathe. He wasn't hoping for anything from her, as he himself did not know what to hope for. He knew what he wanted, but he did not know what would work out.
Oh, but Leia...laying there...chestnut-colored, chestnut-blossom-smelling hair spread everywhere...no longer the round-faced girl he had loved but a woman with a grown round-faced daughter of her own...she looked more beautiful than ever...
Leia had always been the only real one for him, since he'd heard her say, "Into the garbage shoot, fly-boy!"
He smiled at the memory and kissed her softly. She didn't open her eyes, but she smiled slightly and lay her head on his chest.
Just as he was about to wake her up--they had to get moving--she gasped and opened her eyes. They were distant, as if she were seeing somewhere else. "Han..."
This had to be one of those Jedi things. "What is it, babe?"
She closed her eyes, feeling, searching... "Hanna and Luke...I can feel them again..."
"All of a sudden?"
She nodded. "They're awake...they're all right. Luke..." she whispered, reaching for her brother. "He's confused...weak...but he's not in any danger."
"What about Hanna?"
"I can't...not from this far away." She got out of their sleeping bag and began to dress hurriedly, to distracted to be modest. But Han had seen her naked many times before. He took the hint and, trying not to stare at her, found his pants and pulled them on.
The sun was rising. The air was luminous with misty dawn and twinkling ice crystals. The light made the quartz columns glow, more beautiful than the night before. Han watched it as he rolled up their sleeping bag. "Gorgeous, huh?"
Leia smiled, putting a pack brought from the Falcon on her back. "I thought we'd found that out last night."
Han flashed her a sexy smile. Then, out of genuine curiosity, asked, "How d'you think a place would get like this?"
She shrugged. "Must have been very seismically unsound until a few tens of thousands of years ago."
"I guess so." He watched her face in the light and wondered if they'd still be in bed if it were a better time. "Hey, sweetheart..."
"Hmm?"
He was about to tell her how beautiful she looked with her hair down and messy, damp, but instead he asked, "Uh...which way are they?"
She pointed about ten kilometers away, at the forest floor.
"I don't see any--"
"They're there. I know they are."
"Okay. Fine. But...how do we get down?"
Leia kicked a pebble of the side of the ridge. "We could fix the Falcon." Under her breath, she added, "Again."
"Yeah...maybe. But I don't even know if the air's safe for her even down here. Anyway, it'd be faster to walk if..." he looked down the side of the ridge and winced. "Guess there's only one thing to do. Why don't you go look for a way down and I'll go work on the Falcon."
She nodded. "Sounds good."
She was about to start off, but Han wouldn't let her go without talking about last night, or at least her giving him some kind of sign that everything was going to be all right. The thought of her scouting around the edge of a sheer cliff face this high up made him wary, too. He took her hand tenderly. "Be careful," he warned, and drew towards her to kiss her lips...
She backed away. "No. Don't."
He let go of her hand. "Why not? Are you going to tell me that--"
"Han we should have known--"
He drew away in anger, picked up their things to take them back to the Falcon. "Damnit, Leia! Don't give me one of those 'we should have known better' talks! We did know better, we did it anyway, and we should be grown up enough to deal with it now. Besides," he calmed himself down, looking deeply into her eyes, "You liked it."
Without another word, he started back towards the Falcon. Leia didn't answer. She didn't know what to say.
*****************
Luke woke up in a huge, old-fashioned, four-posted bed with curtains of crimson brocade. They looked like something the Emperor would have decorated his mistress' bedrooms with. The thought made Luke nauseous, so he pushed it away.
Now, where the hell...
He tried to sit up and found all of his mussels stiff and tired. His brain was foggy. He knew that feeling. On a few of the occasions that Luke had been injured badly, he'd been put on strong pain killer / sedative drugs which left him feeling like this if he was out long enough. He wished he knew how long this time.
He felt Leia near by. She was sleepy and concerned, and she reached out to him anxiously. He drowsily assured her that he was all right for the moment, and made sure that she was far enough away to be out of any danger that he might be in. She was.
Hanna...she was next door, in much the same state he.
He pulled back the enormous down comforter and the crimson silk sheets. All of this finery would make him feel silly if he wasn't so concerned about finding out what was going on. He was grateful to discover he was in his own undertunic and pants, his robes folded in a corner of the bed (his lightsaber no longer attached to his belt, of course), and not in some gaudy red silk pajamas to match the decor.
Though the all white undertunic and tight pants made him feel like a farm boy, he didn't bother with all of the black robes. He just pulled on his black boots, buckled them, and opened the curtains.
A large, warm, old-fashioned bedroom and lounge greeted him. Everything was of red cloth or black marble. Across the room was an immense black marble fireplace with red couches facing it. A low table was set for one, covered in expensive, gormett cheese, fruit, breads, cakes, fish, wine, and other, stronger drinks.
Luke was starving. He couldn't tell how long he'd been asleep, and even when he'd been--what? captured?--he'd been starving. But there was not way he'd trust that food--
Still, if they'd wanted to kill him, he'd been sedated and in their possession for hours or days. They'd had plenty of time to do what they liked with him. They'd even undressed him and put him to bed. Actually, they'd been very good to him...
Which made Luke very suspicious.
But as long a he left the alcohol alone, eating the food would probably be all right.
He went stiffly over to the table and grabbed an Orkiiese pear--oblong, not too sweet, white skin and indigo meat--and inspected the room as he ate. There didn't seem to be any surveillance devices, but that didn't mean they wern't there. But Luke could usually feel it when someone was observing him. Even if there were security cameras or microphones, no one was watching.
The door to the room was a huge black marble slab that looked as if it slid aside to let people in and out. There were not controls on his side of the door. No latch or knob or buttons or wires or anything.
Only one thing to do, then.
He tried to push the door aside with the Force, but something was keeping it from moving. He reached for the controls on the other side of the door and found none there, either.
Then where?
Sith.
No windows. Despite the comfortable warmth and glow of the room. Luke knew he was underground.
He finished the pear and went back to the low table to get some bread and cheese. The pear seemed to be having no ill effects on his system, which meant the rest was probably safe.
After he'd eaten--not too much; he did not want to take advantage of the hospitality of someone who had knocked him out in order to bring him here--he reached out to Hanna again. She was confused, but comfortable. He warned her not to get too comfortable, and to drink only water.
Just then, the door opened, though Luke knew not how. In stepped a tall man, ten years or so younger than Luke, dressed in fine clothes of dark blue and green taffeta. A black cape flew behind him as he walked.
He smiled at Luke, and, though ominous looking, did not strike Luke as a direct threat to him. He actually came across as rather friendly. "Ah, General Skywalker. You're awake. I trust you are enjoying your stay?"
Luke was wary. "I was until I opened my eyes. Your decorator should be shot." It was something Hanna would say, and Luke felt sometimes that her cocky sense of humor gave her power that he did not have. "It looks like the Imperial Palace before we remolded."
The man's grin turned colder, like one not accustomed to being insulted. "Yes. We actually have some of the decorators that worked on the Palace."
Luke raised an eyebrow. "I see. And...who are you?" he asked dryly.
The man sat on a couch opposite Luke. "I'm just a friendly gentleman with a business proposition for you."
"Right...then why kidnap me?"
"An...employee of mine felt that you would be more likely to listen if you, well, had no choice."
"An employee?"
A deeper voice came from the half-open doorway. "Luke--"
Luke rose to his feet when he saw the young man enter the room. "Max..."
He was...all grown up, as Luke was surprised to discover. Taller than when he left, shaggy dark hair. He definitely looked Corillian. "Luke, I'm sorry we had to do it this way. You wouldn't of listened otherwise."
Luke, dwarfed between the two bigger men, sat down again. He didn't feel endangered, but there was definitely something very strange going on here.
Han was awoken by the dawn. He opened his eyes slowly to see the sickly-colored misty sky, the air damp with fog and the ground and rocks covered with tiny ice crystals. He nuzzled his cold face and damp hair into the sleeping bag where his and Leia's bodies had created enough heat to keep them warm all night. He was grateful to find her still asleep, pressed up to him. Their bodies hugged each other's curves, their fingers interlaced. Leia's hair was down and spread out everywhere. Han breathed her in deeply, trying to savor this moment, because he knew there was an argument coming as soon as she woke up. She was so soft, so warm, smelled so good...
Even Han had doubted if kissing her had been a good idea. He'd wondered what kinds of repercussions last night would have, even as he made love to her. But it had seemed so perfect. They'd made love like they used to, as if no time at all had passed. Their bodies still knew one another's, though their hearts and minds were grasping for answers and finding none. Last night, throwing all caution aside, Han had whispered, "I love you," very softly into Leia's hair as they lay in the afterglow. Thankfully, he got no answer, as she was already asleep.
Now, he watched her breathe. He wasn't hoping for anything from her, as he himself did not know what to hope for. He knew what he wanted, but he did not know what would work out.
Oh, but Leia...laying there...chestnut-colored, chestnut-blossom-smelling hair spread everywhere...no longer the round-faced girl he had loved but a woman with a grown round-faced daughter of her own...she looked more beautiful than ever...
Leia had always been the only real one for him, since he'd heard her say, "Into the garbage shoot, fly-boy!"
He smiled at the memory and kissed her softly. She didn't open her eyes, but she smiled slightly and lay her head on his chest.
Just as he was about to wake her up--they had to get moving--she gasped and opened her eyes. They were distant, as if she were seeing somewhere else. "Han..."
This had to be one of those Jedi things. "What is it, babe?"
She closed her eyes, feeling, searching... "Hanna and Luke...I can feel them again..."
"All of a sudden?"
She nodded. "They're awake...they're all right. Luke..." she whispered, reaching for her brother. "He's confused...weak...but he's not in any danger."
"What about Hanna?"
"I can't...not from this far away." She got out of their sleeping bag and began to dress hurriedly, to distracted to be modest. But Han had seen her naked many times before. He took the hint and, trying not to stare at her, found his pants and pulled them on.
The sun was rising. The air was luminous with misty dawn and twinkling ice crystals. The light made the quartz columns glow, more beautiful than the night before. Han watched it as he rolled up their sleeping bag. "Gorgeous, huh?"
Leia smiled, putting a pack brought from the Falcon on her back. "I thought we'd found that out last night."
Han flashed her a sexy smile. Then, out of genuine curiosity, asked, "How d'you think a place would get like this?"
She shrugged. "Must have been very seismically unsound until a few tens of thousands of years ago."
"I guess so." He watched her face in the light and wondered if they'd still be in bed if it were a better time. "Hey, sweetheart..."
"Hmm?"
He was about to tell her how beautiful she looked with her hair down and messy, damp, but instead he asked, "Uh...which way are they?"
She pointed about ten kilometers away, at the forest floor.
"I don't see any--"
"They're there. I know they are."
"Okay. Fine. But...how do we get down?"
Leia kicked a pebble of the side of the ridge. "We could fix the Falcon." Under her breath, she added, "Again."
"Yeah...maybe. But I don't even know if the air's safe for her even down here. Anyway, it'd be faster to walk if..." he looked down the side of the ridge and winced. "Guess there's only one thing to do. Why don't you go look for a way down and I'll go work on the Falcon."
She nodded. "Sounds good."
She was about to start off, but Han wouldn't let her go without talking about last night, or at least her giving him some kind of sign that everything was going to be all right. The thought of her scouting around the edge of a sheer cliff face this high up made him wary, too. He took her hand tenderly. "Be careful," he warned, and drew towards her to kiss her lips...
She backed away. "No. Don't."
He let go of her hand. "Why not? Are you going to tell me that--"
"Han we should have known--"
He drew away in anger, picked up their things to take them back to the Falcon. "Damnit, Leia! Don't give me one of those 'we should have known better' talks! We did know better, we did it anyway, and we should be grown up enough to deal with it now. Besides," he calmed himself down, looking deeply into her eyes, "You liked it."
Without another word, he started back towards the Falcon. Leia didn't answer. She didn't know what to say.
*****************
Luke woke up in a huge, old-fashioned, four-posted bed with curtains of crimson brocade. They looked like something the Emperor would have decorated his mistress' bedrooms with. The thought made Luke nauseous, so he pushed it away.
Now, where the hell...
He tried to sit up and found all of his mussels stiff and tired. His brain was foggy. He knew that feeling. On a few of the occasions that Luke had been injured badly, he'd been put on strong pain killer / sedative drugs which left him feeling like this if he was out long enough. He wished he knew how long this time.
He felt Leia near by. She was sleepy and concerned, and she reached out to him anxiously. He drowsily assured her that he was all right for the moment, and made sure that she was far enough away to be out of any danger that he might be in. She was.
Hanna...she was next door, in much the same state he.
He pulled back the enormous down comforter and the crimson silk sheets. All of this finery would make him feel silly if he wasn't so concerned about finding out what was going on. He was grateful to discover he was in his own undertunic and pants, his robes folded in a corner of the bed (his lightsaber no longer attached to his belt, of course), and not in some gaudy red silk pajamas to match the decor.
Though the all white undertunic and tight pants made him feel like a farm boy, he didn't bother with all of the black robes. He just pulled on his black boots, buckled them, and opened the curtains.
A large, warm, old-fashioned bedroom and lounge greeted him. Everything was of red cloth or black marble. Across the room was an immense black marble fireplace with red couches facing it. A low table was set for one, covered in expensive, gormett cheese, fruit, breads, cakes, fish, wine, and other, stronger drinks.
Luke was starving. He couldn't tell how long he'd been asleep, and even when he'd been--what? captured?--he'd been starving. But there was not way he'd trust that food--
Still, if they'd wanted to kill him, he'd been sedated and in their possession for hours or days. They'd had plenty of time to do what they liked with him. They'd even undressed him and put him to bed. Actually, they'd been very good to him...
Which made Luke very suspicious.
But as long a he left the alcohol alone, eating the food would probably be all right.
He went stiffly over to the table and grabbed an Orkiiese pear--oblong, not too sweet, white skin and indigo meat--and inspected the room as he ate. There didn't seem to be any surveillance devices, but that didn't mean they wern't there. But Luke could usually feel it when someone was observing him. Even if there were security cameras or microphones, no one was watching.
The door to the room was a huge black marble slab that looked as if it slid aside to let people in and out. There were not controls on his side of the door. No latch or knob or buttons or wires or anything.
Only one thing to do, then.
He tried to push the door aside with the Force, but something was keeping it from moving. He reached for the controls on the other side of the door and found none there, either.
Then where?
Sith.
No windows. Despite the comfortable warmth and glow of the room. Luke knew he was underground.
He finished the pear and went back to the low table to get some bread and cheese. The pear seemed to be having no ill effects on his system, which meant the rest was probably safe.
After he'd eaten--not too much; he did not want to take advantage of the hospitality of someone who had knocked him out in order to bring him here--he reached out to Hanna again. She was confused, but comfortable. He warned her not to get too comfortable, and to drink only water.
Just then, the door opened, though Luke knew not how. In stepped a tall man, ten years or so younger than Luke, dressed in fine clothes of dark blue and green taffeta. A black cape flew behind him as he walked.
He smiled at Luke, and, though ominous looking, did not strike Luke as a direct threat to him. He actually came across as rather friendly. "Ah, General Skywalker. You're awake. I trust you are enjoying your stay?"
Luke was wary. "I was until I opened my eyes. Your decorator should be shot." It was something Hanna would say, and Luke felt sometimes that her cocky sense of humor gave her power that he did not have. "It looks like the Imperial Palace before we remolded."
The man's grin turned colder, like one not accustomed to being insulted. "Yes. We actually have some of the decorators that worked on the Palace."
Luke raised an eyebrow. "I see. And...who are you?" he asked dryly.
The man sat on a couch opposite Luke. "I'm just a friendly gentleman with a business proposition for you."
"Right...then why kidnap me?"
"An...employee of mine felt that you would be more likely to listen if you, well, had no choice."
"An employee?"
A deeper voice came from the half-open doorway. "Luke--"
Luke rose to his feet when he saw the young man enter the room. "Max..."
He was...all grown up, as Luke was surprised to discover. Taller than when he left, shaggy dark hair. He definitely looked Corillian. "Luke, I'm sorry we had to do it this way. You wouldn't of listened otherwise."
Luke, dwarfed between the two bigger men, sat down again. He didn't feel endangered, but there was definitely something very strange going on here.