Falling. That was the last thing Luke truly registered. Now he is struggling to hold on and not fall further into the clouds of the gas giant known as Bespin.
"Ben… Ben, help me," he said crying out to his old master for help. Luke knew deep down that his plea was not going to get answered so he decided to reach out to someone else, someone he knew cared for him and he had a connection. "Leia," he called out as he felt himself slip more. He called out again "Leia, hear me." As his grip was getting weaker he cried out pitifully one last time, "Leia."
In the clouds of Bespin, the Millennium Falcon was racing to escape from the following TIE Fighters. Leia could feel an almost tingling sensation throughout her brain. It was as if someone was calling out to her, then it hit her. "Luke," she mumbled under her breath "Chewie, we got to go back." She was still grasping at what the feeling it was that she was feeling was. "I know where Luke is." That was all she had to say to get Chewbacca to agree.
Behind her, she could hear Lando say, "You can't seriously want to go back toward that death trap!"
Chewie growls at that, Leia knew all too well what the Wookie meant. "No arguing, Chewie take us to the bottom of the city," was all she really cared to get out at that moment.
As the winds of Bespin blew, Luke could feel himself slipping more and more. He was completely unaware of the presence of the Falcon, he was barely conscious at this point so there was no way for him to have known.
Lando was staring out the viewport and exclaimed while pointing, "Look! There's someone up there!"
Leia looks where Lando was pointing and saw the person he was talking about. "It's Luke! Chewie slow down and get under him," she could only focus on the simple task at hand. Get her friend safe.
Lando rushed to the top hatch, opening it. In the distance, he saw TIE fighters swiftly approaching the Falcon. The bright green light of their lasers gracing the beautiful twilight sky with hot destruction.
Eventually, Luke felt himself fall. Lando caught the battered worrier and brought him to the inside of the Falcon. The Falcon then shook violently as a laser bolt hit the ship almost causing Luke to slip out of Lando's grasp.
The Millennium Falcon turned away from Cloud City and flew in the thick clouds of Bespin. Maneuvering rapidly to avoid the lasers of the TIE fighters. Leia and Chewie struggled to keep the ship in the sky. The constant explosions all around the ship's cockpit made it difficult to maintain a steady position.
Leia was about to reach for the switch for the intercom when the door behind her opened with a swoosh. Leia turns slightly at the sound to see Lando. "Lando is he alright," Leia asks in a panic.
Slightly behind Lando came a reply from Luke, "He'll survive."
Now Leia and Chewie turn fully to see Luke wrapped in a blanket all bloody and battered. He was barely standing on his own and was getting supported by the door frame and Lando. Leia swiftly jumps to her feet and hugs Luke. Chewie, still guiding the ship away from the city was struggling to do it on his own. Lando joined him with the task of flying the Falcon.
At the flank of the Falcon, TIEs continued firing and advancing as the planet and its clouds got further in the distance. The TIE fighter's pursuit closes in tighter and tighter rocking the Falcon with every hit.
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the Falcon R2-D2 was working on his golden counterpart C-3PO whose damaged parts were increasingly being made to a correct state. "Very good," 3PO says praising the small droid for his work. "Practically as good as new," 3PO says knowing that the little droid did all he could.
Artoo let out a series of anxious beeps seemingly worried about something.
"Don't worry R2, I am sure we will make it out. We always seem to," 3PO says knowing the group's track record with such things.
Back in the cockpit however Lando was not sounding as optimistic. Warning lights were beginning to blink on the control panel. As if on cue alarms start to blare with a loud obnoxious noise all throughout the ship. "These deflector shields aren't going to last much longer at this rate." Lando turns after his report to Leia and Chewie.
Leia looked over his shoulder and saw another blip on the radar scope, this one ominously large. "There's another ship," she says frightfully, "this one is much bigger, trying to cut us off."
Luke silently gasses out of the viewport into the starry abyss. "It's, Vader," he whispers almost to himself.
On the Imperial Star Destroyer, Darth Vader stands staring at the Falcon from afar. Admiral Piett is swiftly approaching the Dark Lord. "Lord Vader, they will be within range of the tractor in mere moments," the admiral reports positively certain.
"And their hyperdrive has indeed been deactivated," Vader says inquiring.
"Yes, right after they were first captured, sir."
The giant black-clad figure turns to the admiral and replies, "good. Prepare a boarding party and ensure they have their weapons set for stun." The Dark Lord simply wants to stop more possible harm to come upon Luke.
The Millennium Falcon has so far managed to evade the pursuing TIE fighters. On the ship, Leia is helping Luke to get to the location of most of the ship's medical supplies. There is a small bed that Luke is assisted in laying down in. Leia leaves him to rest and heads toward the cockpit. Luke mentally hears the mechanical voice of Vader.
Luke.
"Father," Luke replies instinctively to the dark voice. A fact that deeply scared him.
Son, come with me.
Luke now simply wants to escape the immense feeling of dread that has started to pour into his soul. He reaches out into the force to his old master and asks a simple question, "Ben. Why didn't you tell me?" There is a sudden jolt of the ship that causes him slight pain. Luke attempts to get up and go to the front of the ship but falls down hitting his head with another jolt from the Falcon. Luke almost falls unconscious at this, now he is just barely conscious. He faintly registers the voice talking to him in his head.
Back in the cockpit, Leia is setting the coordinates for a hyperspace jump. She looks at Chewie and says, "the coordinates are set. It's now or never."
The Wookie is all too eager to get out of the current situation and attempts to enter hyperspace. Suddenly alarms began to sound once more. He howls in despair and desperate frustration at the noise.
Yet again the hyperdrive system fails them.
From his Star Destroyer, Vader watches in frustration as the TIE's fire relentlessly on the Falcon. The Destroyer now closing in on the fleeing Falcon. It would not be long till his son was in his grasp.
Things were not looking good for the crew of the Millennium Falcon. All that could, work restlessly to fix the heavily malfunctioning ship. The ship then lurches and its movements stop. They had been caught in a tractor beam.