A/N: Mich and Urazz, thanks for not giving up on the story. Hope you enjoy this next chapter!
Mara, Han, and Chewbacca sat in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon and marveled at the sight ahead of them. Cloud City at Bespin was undeniably a beautiful place. The pinkish and purple clouds swirled around the spire rising from the planet's surface like wisps of the cotton candy Mara remembered from Alderaan.
"Wow, that's just…incredible," Mara breathed in awe.
"Yeah, I'd say Lando's done pretty well for himself," Han agreed.
"How did he ever come to own something this magnificent?"
"Supposedly, he won it in a game of Sabaac." Han looked over at Chewbacca and grinned wickedly. "Guess he must've improved since the last time I played with him."
Chewie barked at him reprovingly. [You probably shouldn't bring that up when you see him.]
"What, you don't think he's over it by now? That was almost ten years ago!"
"What are you talking about? Why would he be upset, Han? I thought this guy was a friend of yours and now you say he may be holding a grudge? Of all the irresponsible, arrogant--"
"Will you calm down?" Han said in irritation, interrupting her mid-rant.
Mara gave a small sound of displeasure and settled for fixing him with her deadliest stare. "Well, tell me what happened then."
"We played Sabaac, I won and he lost. That's it."
"That can't be it. Tell me the rest."
"Well, we were playing for some pretty high stakes…"
"So you took him for a lot of credits and he might still be upset over it?"
Chewbacca huffed a huge laugh. [They weren't playing for credits.]
Han looked uncomfortable and Mara was about to get frustrated.
"Han! Just tell me what happened! What were you playing for?"
"You're sitting in it."
Mara looked at him uncomprehending for a moment and then she sputtered, "The Falcon? You took his ship?!"
"Hey, he knew the stakes going in! If he didn't want to risk losing it, he shouldn't have put it up!"
Mara stared at him for a moment longer and then, to Han's consternation, she began to laugh. He frowned as she almost lost her breath from whatever she found so funny.
"Care to share the joke?" he asked with an edge of sarcasm.
"It's just that…" she was struggling to talk and breathe and laugh at the same time. "…I thought you said you were playing for high stakes!"
"Hey!" Han shouted indignantly.
Chewbacca howled with laughter at Mara's comment, but Han didn't see anything amusing at all.
"That's not funny. Shut up, you big fuzzball." Chewie and Mara only laughed harder. "As for you…" he pointed to Mara, and now she could see that his mouth was starting to twitch upwards. Han had always been able to laugh at himself. It was one of the many things she admired about him.
"Okay, it might be a little funny," Han muttered. He turned back around to face the viewscreen and continued to talk to himself. "Someone remind me again why I left behind a very lucrative smuggling career to put up with this aggravation?"
Mara leaned forward, still chuckling, and gave Han a kiss on the cheek. "Because you're one of the good guys, Han Solo."
"Yeah, well, don't let that get around. You'll ruin my reputation."
To Han's relief, the comm crackled to life and interrupted their warm, fuzzy moment. How was he supposed to maintain that tough smuggler image when Luke, Mara and Wedge were able to get to him so easily? It was annoying at times.
"Unknown ship, you are in restricted airspace. Please identify yourselves immediately."
"Han Solo, in the Millennium Falcon. I need to speak with Lando Calrissian--"
"Millennium Falcon, please be advised that this is restricted airspace--"
"Yeah, yeah, you said that already--"
The official voice continued as though Han hadn't spoken. "--and you are asked to immediately vacate the area. If you do not comply, you will be fired upon."
"Whoa! Hold on there, buddy! Let me speak to Lando--"
"Baron Calrissian will not see anyone who does not have a landing permit. Please vacate the area immediately or you will be fired upon."
"Well, how do I get a landing permit?!" Han demanded.
"Please vacate the area immediately or you will be fired upon," the anonymous voice repeated.
"Lando! I know you're sittin' in some plush office listening to this and laughin' your ass off! You know it's me and Chewie, now will you please let us land!?"
There was a momentary pause as the communication between the two ships was cut off. Han was getting close to panic--where else could they go if Lando sent them on their way--when the voice came back.
"Millennium Falcon, you are cleared for landing platform 327. We will guide you in. Do not deviate from your present course or you will be fired upon."
"…or you will be fired upon." Mara had to bite her lip to keep from laughing as Han mockingly recited the Cloud City pilot's favorite threat along with him.
"See, I told you everything would be fine. We'll land, get my pal Lando to fix the hyperdrive and then we head to the rendezvous with the Alliance. No problem," Han said with a blustery confidence that Mara was fairly certain he didn't really feel. He leaned over to Chewie and muttered, "Just keep an eye out, okay?"
Once Han had landed the Falcon on platform 327 with all the gentleness of a feather touching the planet's surface, the three of them started warily down the open hatch. Across the way, they could see their 'welcoming party'. Mara took note of a handsome, dark-skinned man a little shorter than Han, dressed in a sophisticated outfit of dark pants and a sky-blue shirt. Stars, was he wearing a cape? Yes, he was, Mara realized with a grin.
The grin faltered as she saw the four guards flanking him, two on either side, all holding big weapons. None of them were smiling or looking much like a welcoming party at all. Han stiffened a little beside her, tilted his head slightly backwards, and whispered through the side of his mouth.
"Be ready to take a flying leap back towards the ship if things get hairy."
Chewbacca grumbled at that comment.
"Oh, shut up, Chewie, it's just an expression," Han said irritably.
They each kept a hand near the weapons they carried as they watched Baron Calrissian begin to stalk towards them. Mara glanced up at Han's face and she swallowed a little nervously when she understood that he was extremely nervous. How do we get ourselves into these situations? she wondered.
Then there was no more time for wondering because the Baron was standing right in front of them and he was cursing Han for all he was worth.
"Why, you slimy, double-crossing, no-good, cheating swindler."
"Cheating? Lando, I'm insulted. I would never cheat a friend, you know that," Han said in an affronted tone. "We, uh, are still friends, right?"
Lando's glare didn't decrease in the slightest as his eyes flicked back over the Falcon. "Are you at least taking good care of her?"
"Of course I am! I'd never let anything happen to her, you know that."
[That's why we are here to get the hyperdrive repaired.] Han turned a glare of his own on his partner.
"Did I not say to let me do the talking?" he muttered.
[No, actually, you did not.]
"Well, you should know that by now," Han said through clenched teeth.
To his surprise, Lando burst out laughing. Han, Mara and Chewie all turned to look at him with stunned expressions.
"You two haven't changed a bit! It's good to see you, Han, ol' buddy!" Lando said as he jerked Han into a quick embrace, thumping him on the back a few times. "Don't worry, Chewbacca, I know who the real brains of this operation are." Chewbacca laughed at the offended look on Han's face.
"And who is this lovely vision?" Lando said, as he took Mara's hand in his and lightly pressed a kiss to the back of hers.
"Mara," she introduced herself, a little coolly.
Han removed Mara's hand from Lando's and said with a grin, "Watch it 'old buddy', her boyfriend's a Jedi and he's the jealous type." He enjoyed seeing both Mara's blush and Lando's confused look.
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The children were crying. Piteous, wailing sobs that tore at his heart. Did no one else hear them? Why was no one going to see to them? Where was their mother? He whirled around, disoriented and uncertain of his location.
The walls and floor were made of stone, and he had the odd sense that he'd been here before. He began to move quickly through the hallways, searching for the children. Their crying became louder and he struggled with feelings of urgency and dread as he continued to search for them. He ran down a long hallway, opening doors, finding nothing.
A low, cackling laugh rumbled down the hallway, sending a shiver up his spine. There was only one door left. They have to be there…they have to be! he thought desperately. The door opened and he saw two small figures. A dark head and a blonde head…they turned to look at him and he could see the tears running down their faces. A dark form suddenly appeared from nowhere and snatched the small dark-haired one. The blonde screamed in anguish and he wanted to move forward, to comfort the small one, but he was frozen in place.
He turned his head and saw a young woman with sad, brown eyes and long dark hair. She stood, staring back at him, and she was crying silent tears. She was saying something…he could see her mouth moving, but he couldn't hear her words. He frowned as he tried to make it out.
From behind him, he heard a scream. A familiar voice, he knew that voice! He jerked around as he screamed her name. "Mara!" He only caught a glimpse of her red-gold hair as someone pulled her down the hallway. He was able to move once more and he gave chase to the sinister figure. "Mara!" he cried again, but she was only getting further away. He stumbled over something in the floor and looked down, recoiling in horror. It was Han. And he was dead.
"NO!" Luke came awake with a hoarse shout. He was sweating and gasping for breath as he looked around Yoda's small hut. He closed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair, struggling to control his emotions. "Just a dream. It was just a dream," he muttered.
"Never 'just a dream' with Jedi, young one."
He started as Yoda spoke to him softly and turned to gaze at his Master. Yoda seemed to be looking right through him and it made Luke very uncomfortable.
"I didn't mean to disturb your sleep, Master."
"Hmm. Hard to sleep when a Jedi has dreams such as yours. Control, you must learn. Tell me of your dreams, you will."
"I…it was very confusing, Master. I saw…heard…children crying. I saw a young woman with long, dark hair and she was crying also. Then, I saw--" he broke off as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him again. "I saw Mara. Someone was taking her away. And then Han…Han was dead," Luke finished in a whisper. "What does it mean, Master?"
The small Jedi Master closed his eyes briefly and heaved a sigh. "Had this dream many times, have you?"
"Almost every night for the last two weeks. But this is the first time I saw Mara and Han. Before it was just the children and the other woman. What does it mean?" he asked again, hoping that Yoda would give him a straight answer for once.
"Hmm. The past and the future, you see. Cloud your mind, they do, when on the present and your training, it should be."
"The future? Does that mean Han is going to die and Mara is going to be…taken away?!" Luke asked in dismay.
"Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future." Yoda turned and moved back towards his bedroom. "Sleep now, you must. Much to do tomorrow."
Luke stifled his impatience and his questions, knowing from past experience that his Master would tell him nothing further tonight. He rolled over to his side with a dispirited sigh. Utterly disconsolate, he stretched out with the Force, trying to sense Mara's presence, but wherever she was, she was too far away. He closed his eyes, hoping that the dreams would not come again this night.
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Darth Vader paused as he strode towards his chambers aboard the Executor. For just a moment, he had felt something…a questing presence in the Force that bore the familiar signature of his son, but it swiftly vanished. Frustrated, he reached out himself, but could find no trace of the boy now.
He barely managed to contain his growl of rage as he stalked the rest of the way to his quarters. No matter. He will soon be mine. Fett will help me see to that. At least, he'd better, he thought to himself grimly. He had expected to hear from the bounty hunter before now. It had been almost six weeks and no word. No sign of Luke himself either until that brief, tantalizing contact. It was as though the boy had disappeared from the galaxy.
Always before, since he had discovered Luke's existence, he'd felt a glimmer of his son's presence in the Force. Never quite enough to track the boy down, but Vader had known he was there. For the last six weeks, however, nothing. It was very disturbing. He felt certain that Luke wasn't dead. No, he would know if that had happened. He would know.
It felt strange, not being able to sense the boy. Over the last two years, he had grown somewhat accustomed to that ghost of a presence that was always with him. To be suddenly without it, left the Dark Lord feeling somehow…bereft, almost abandoned. Stubbornly, he pushed those feelings away. He wanted Luke by his side to rule the galaxy and bring order out of chaos. There was nothing sentimental involved, not at all.
When he reached his quarters, he was immensely pleased to discover a message awaiting him from a certain bounty hunter. Typical of Boba Fett, the message was terse and brief, as well as being a little vague. Behind his mask, Vader was tempted to roll his eyes at Fett's sense of drama.
The message simply said, "Vader, ever been to a Tibanna gas mine?"
***************************************
Mara awoke from a troubled sleep in the rooms that Lando Calrissian had provided for them. She didn't understand where this indistinct feeling of unease was coming from. She couldn't complain about the accommodations the Baron had provided. It had been quite some time since she had stayed in lodgings this luxurious. Certainly not since she had become actively involved in the rebellion. Probably not since the last time she had been home on Alderaan. She cut those thoughts off quickly, not wanting to distract herself with feelings of grief at the moment.
There was something not right about this whole situation, but she could not put a finger on what it was. Worry over Luke suddenly loomed heavily in her mind and she wondered where that had come from. Yes, she had been concerned about him ever since they'd parted on Hoth, but suddenly it was so intense as to make her breath catch in her throat.
She needed to talk to Han. True, he may laugh off her worries, but often, Han trusted his gut instincts and she hoped that this time, he would trust hers. They needed to be out of this place, if not immediately, then as soon as possible.
She got up and headed to the 'fresher. Lando's people had provided both her and Han with fresh clothing and, after a soothing real water shower, she dressed in the outfit that had been laid out for her. The dress was an emerald green with a filmy white cloak that floated around it. She arranged her hair in a single braid that fell halfway down her back. Taking one last look in the mirror, she smiled ruefully. It had also been quite a while since she had been able to take such care with her appearance. War didn't exactly leave time for dressing up.
She walked out into the common lounge that connected the rooms she, Han and Chewbacca had been staying in. Han and the Wookiee were already there waiting for her and when they heard her door open, they turned from where they had been admiring the view of Bespin. Han gave a low whistle as he caught sight of her.
"Nice outfit, Jade. Bet Luke would love it," he teased.
Mara scowled and blushed, inwardly cursing her fair complexion and Han's smart mouth. "Han, we need to get out of this place. How soon will the Falcon be ready?"
"Why so anxious? We could look at this like a little vacation."
"In the first place, I don't feel comfortable taking a 'vacation' while the rest of the Alliance is struggling to escape Vader and in the second place, I don't trust Calrissian. I've got a very bad feeling about this."
"Now you're starting to sound like the kid. Don't you know that just jinxes us? I admit that Lando may be a little, ah, shady, but I think we can trust him to fix the Falcon. It did used to be his ship once and he couldn't bear to mess it up," Han said with a roguish grin.
"I'm not worried about the Falcon. It's this place. Something is just not right here," Mara said with a shudder.
Han sighed and walked over to place his hands on Mara's shoulders. "Look, Red, I didn't rescue you from Hoth just to get you in trouble here. Everything's gonna be fine. But if this place bugs you that much, let's go see Lando now and tell him to put a rush on it, all right?"
Mara nodded as she looked up at him. "That would make me feel--"
"Good morning! I hope you all slept well," Lando proclaimed with a big smile as he swept into the lounge. Mara and Han turned to look at him, neither of them moving for a moment.
"Did I interrupt something?" Lando asked with a raised brow as he eyed Han's hands on Mara's shoulders. Mara flushed again as she shrugged away from Han's hold.
"No. Is the Falcon ready?" she asked abruptly.
"You're not so anxious to leave that I can't give you a small tour, are you? I'm quite proud of this facility and I would love to show it off a bit," he said, his smile ingratiating.
"We don't really have the time--"
"I insist," Lando interrupted her and again that small sense of unease skated up Mara's spine. She saw no graceful way out of it, however, and with a small glance at Han, she nodded.
Two hours later, Mara had to grudgingly admit that Lando had quite an impressive operation. He had explained the process of the gas mining, and Mara found it interesting, although she noticed that Han had pointedly stifled a yawn once or twice. Mara had a hard time believing that Emperor Palpatine didn't want a piece of such a rich and lucrative pie, however. When she voiced that question, Lando gave a suave smile.
"We're an independent station and therefore we don't fall under the jurisdiction of the Empire."
"Well, yeah, but that's only because the walking corpse doesn't know about it, does he? What are you gonna do if he ever finds out?" Han asked skeptically.
Lando's smile seemed to lose some of its polish and tiny lines of tension appeared around his eyes. Mara's bad feeling flared up like a supernova.
"I've just made a deal that will keep the Empire out of Bespin forever," he said. "If you'll follow me, I've had a lunch prepared."
The sense of dread that permeated Mara's being seemed to grow with every step they took. Years of ducking and running, and listening to her gut instincts, with the Alliance had her on edge. She had to restrain herself from grabbing hold of Han and Chewie and taking off in the opposite direction of wherever Lando was leading them. She tried to tell herself she was just being paranoid.
Moments later, as she stared in shock at the sight that greeted them in the ornate dining room Lando had shown them into, she wished she had listened to that impulse. She was frozen with fear, the interrogation on the Death Star looming up in her memory, as she stared at Lord Darth Vader on the opposite side of the room. Chewbacca howled angrily as he understood they had been betrayed by one they had considered a friend.
Han was just as shocked, but he recovered much quicker, drawing his blaster and firing at the Dark Lord. The look of dismay on his face was almost comical as the bolts reflected harmlessly off Vader's outstretched hand and then Han gasped as his blaster was yanked away from him and flew through the air towards his target. He noted Boba Fett standing beside Vader and had a sudden insight as to how the Imps had found them.
He jerked his head around to glare fiercely at Lando. The Baron's face showed resignation and a little guilt, but Han ignored that.
"I'm sorry. They landed in the middle of the night. They already knew you were here," he said with a touch of regret in his voice.
Vader's hissing respirator sent a shudder through Mara and Han turned to look at her in concern. She flinched as the Dark Lord spoke calmly.
"We would be honored if you joined us."
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