Author's Note: I'm still trying to get used to writing Han, Leia, and Luke's characters...if they ever don't seem like themselves, I'm sorry, but I have a good reason for everything-for example, in the previous chapter, I know Luke isn't one to just surrender. But, he was surrounded, so he would have been captured anyway, and there were innocent (okay, maybe not completely innocent...) people in the catina as well, and he didn't want anyone to get hurt. Besides, his lightsaber was stuck in his utility belt!!

Nemesis' Arrow: I hope that the author's note explained that well enough...sorry!! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you for reviewing!

stocktonwood: I'm glad you like the story so far! hopefully, it won't disappoint you!

Gevaden: I hope you like this chapter! Thank you for reviewing!

Princess-Aiel: I'm glad you are enjoying it. I'm sorry its fast...I tend to get right to the point. I'll try to slow it down, though. Thank you for reviewing!


Luke's consciousness returned slowly. Looking around groggily, his heart sank. The walls were the familiar color of Imperial detention cell white. He fought his rising despair as he realized that if he was back in his cell, Han would be as well. Vaguely, he wondered where Leia and Chewbacca were. Luke twisted around painfully when he heard voices somewhere beyond his door.

Abruptly, the door opened and two stormtroopers marched in. Without a word, they seized him and led him further down the hall, toward a dead end. Luke raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. One of the stormtroopers hid a laugh, causing an even more perplexed expression to pass over Luke's face. The other stormtrooper, whom Luke had just noticed was considerably shorter, blasted a hole in the garbage chute. Luke's eyes widened as he was shoved in.

As he unburied himself from the junk surrounding him, Luke heard two familiar voices laughing histerically. He spun around and came face to face with Han and Leia. Both of whom were wearing stormtrooper armor, without the helmets. Luke scowled," You could have told me who you were."

"Your face...it was so funny!" Han shouted as he laughed.

"If that happened to you, I doubt your face would be much better," Luke retorted. Leia was gazing at Luke with concern. When he noticed, Luke asked," What's wrong, Leia?"

Leia sighed and asked," Are you all right?"

Glancing at his broken left wrist, Luke replied," I will be. Don't worry, Leia."

His sister nodded uncertainly, drifting toward the small hatch that led to the shipping bay. Han managed to pry the hatch open, and they found themselves staring at the bottom of the Falcon. Han and Leia helped Luke scramble out. Leia followed her injured brother, although Han had to give her a boost to get out. Han leapt out and brought his companions to the cargo entrance of the ship.

"I'll be glad to get out of here..." Luke said softly to himself.

Leia heard him and smiled sympathectically," I'm not surprised. Your visit wasn't too pleasant."

Han shook his head, never had he been very good at sentiments. He then proceeded to open the cargo hold, accessible from the ship's bottom. Luke shook his head as he pulled himself in. I should have known Han would have a back door.

Once everyone was inside, Han led them down a long tunnel until he reached what appeared to be a dead end. When he knocked softly, the wall melted away, revealing a rather large, hairy being. Han smiled and greeted it," Hey Chewie!"

The Wookie growled his response, and they crawled out into the main portion of the ship. Luke noticed that they had come in through the hidden compartments he had waited in before, years ago, when he had his first brush with the Empire. It was on that same mission that he lost Ben Kenobi.

"You all right, kid?" Han asked, snapping Luke back into reality.

Luke nodded, still feeling a bit of sorrow at the thought of Ben's death," I'll be fine."

Leia wandered over and put a hand on Luke's shoulder, saying," You seem to be using that phrase a lot lately. Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

Taking a deep breath, Luke tried to put confidence in his voice," Of course. I'm going to be fine, Leia. Don't worry."

Leia still looked uncertain, but Han was calling for them to come to go to the guns. Luke took one side while Leia took the other, and they were off. It wasn't until they were out of the Star Destroyer that Han thought to ask," Luke? How are you shooting with one hand?"

"Ah, with a bit of assistance," Luke called back, immediately refocusing on the task at hand. A TIE fighter closed in on the left, and Luke closed his eyes, drawing on the Force. Trusting the Force to aim, he pushed his thumb down. The young man opened his eyes just in time to see the fighter explode. Han saw the display as well, and shook his head in disbelief. How does he do it?


"What do you mean, they've escaped?" the commander asked in disbelief. His eyes blazed with anger as he turned on the unfortunate messenger," Who was supposed to be watching them?"

"There was a bit about the schedule today, Commander," the uncomfortable admiral replied. He continued," There was no one on duty when the prisoners went missing."

The commander glared at the messenger. He quickly dismissed him, giving only one order. The prisoners had to be recaptured, alive.


"I've got it!" Luke called hours later, when their pursuers had seemed to give up. In his hand he held a homing device. The young man sprinted up to the cockpit, where he was greeted by Han.

"Thought so," Han muttered to himself. Looking up, he stated," I'll disable it. Luke, you need to have Leia help you with that wrist."

Luke sighed as he wandered back toward his sister, who seemed to know why he was coming. He extended his left arm hesitantly, and immediately felt Leia's gentle grip on his forearm. Her eyes were apologetic as she asked," Are you ready?"

Taking a deep breath, trying to conceal the growing fear, Luke nodded. Leia's other and tightened firmly around his left hand, and she snapped it back into place quickly. This motion drew out a loud, pained cry from Luke. He jerked back involuntarily, and Leia could see his pain reflecting through his eyes. Luke paled significantly from the extreme pain, and Leia felt remorseful.

Seeing Leia's face, Luke comforted her," You had to do it. I am grateful you did. Imagine if it had stayed that way! There would be no more use for me..."

Leia smiled at her brother's generosity. It was immensly difficult to find someone who cared more about your pain than their own, and even more difficult to be that person. She gently told her brother to rest, then went to check on Han.


"Luke, I'm gonna need you up here!" Han's cry echoed through the ship. Despite his discomfort, Luke ran to his friend immediately. Leia was there in an instant as well.

Once the twins arrived in the cockpit, the reason behind Han's order was clear. The Falcon was surrounded by Imperial ships. Luke never hesitated and went straight to the laser cannons. Leia followed quickly, but tumbled down the hall as Han pulled the ship into a sharp turn. Luke fired at the nearest TIE, as Leia hollered at Han to be careful.

After taking several hits, Han managed to maneuver the Falcon out of the Imperial trap and hit lightspeed. Luke walked over to Leia shakily, and his face was considerably more pale than normal. Suddenly, Luke stumbled and Leia was at his side immediately. Helping him to the nearest seat, Leia called to Han to come help.

Han appeared a few moments later, grumbling about women and how they always wanted him to do things immediately. His grumbling ceased when he saw his friend sitting on the bed, swaying. Looking at Leia, he demanded," What happened? I thought he said he was fine!"

"Doesn't he always say he is fine?" Leia replied, rolling her eyes. Their attention was brought abrubtly back to Luke as he gasped and passed out. Their eyes traveled first to Luke, then looked up and met each other. Leia spoke first," How far is the base?"

Han's eyes narrowed as he thought about it, then answered," We can make it. It's only about a half hour away, and we're already at lightspeed."

Sighing, Leia positioned Luke into a more comfortable position, and silently hoped they would make it in time. Staring at Luke, she thought, What happened? He seemed all right before the fight.


Luke awoke with a groan. His eyes seemed glued shut, and he was having difficulty opening them. Once he finally managed to get them open, they snapped shut again. Lights were glaring above him, and his eyes could not handle them yet. Slowly, he tried to push himself into a sitting position, but was overtaken by dizziness. He could hear voices around him, and he wondered vaguely, What's going on? Where am I? What's wrong with me?


"Princess Leia, you wanted us to inform you of any changes in Luke's condition," a medic declared as he approached Leia. The woman nodded, hoping that the change was a positive one. The medic continued," He has regained consciousness, although he still doesn't seem entirely with us."

Leia walked briskly over to her brother's bed. He sensed her presence, and opened his eyes slightly. With a raspy voice, he managed to say," Leia? What..."

Smiling sadly, she covered his mouth before he could finish the question. She softly explained," We made it back to the base shortly after you passed out. You have to stay in bed, Luke, and don't try to move around. Your injuries are healing well. However, you seem to have fallen ill."

Luke closed his eyes and sighed inwardly. Leia told him to rest as she left to find Han.


"I imagine Skywalker will be feeling the effects of the disease we administered by now," Commander Glarin declared with a smirk.

The scientist who had created the deadly disease nodded in response before replying," The rebels will have to listen to your demands. Only I have the cure."


Suddenly, the medic bay was bustling with activity. Leia and Han rushed in, hand in hand, immediately. They met each others eyes and let go immediately, hoping no one had seen them. Fortunately, everyone's attention was focused upon Luke.

The young Jedi seemed to be having a seizure. His entire body was jerking, and his breathing was irregular. Eyes wide with shock, Han yelled," What's going on?"

"We don't know, Captain," a medic said, trying to keep his tone calm despite his frustration," he seemed to be improving. We've discovered a large amount of bacteria spreading rapidly, but we can't seem to kill them or slow them down. This disease is...well, it's not like anything we have ever seen before."

Han's fist clenched in anger, and Leia immediately asked," How do you believe he recieved this disease?"

"It was injected while he was still a prisoner of the Empire," the same medic replied. He continued," Apparently it takes a few days to start showing symptoms. We'll have to test both of you to make sure you don't have it."

As Han and Leia turned to go be inspected, they heard a cry," He has gone into a coma!"


Author's Note: Before you start sending me reviews telling me that the last line is this chapter is really stupid, I already know. It bothers me, but I didn't want to make everyone wait a month for me to find the right way to phrase that. So, give me your suggestions, and I'll fix it. Sorry!! The next chapter should be up next weekend...I hope. Okay, now review! Please, let me know what you think!