A/N: Argh! Had to find something else to use for scene shifts as this darn thing won't take asterisks anymore! Thanks to everyone for your patience during this long wait for the next chapter.
Luke was lying on his side on the bunk in one of the ship's cabins, curled up into a semi-fetal position, his eyes staring blankly at the wall. Mara was taking a much-needed nap and Han took the opportunity to see for himself what Luke's condition was. His first glimpse of the kid generated shock and fear. Sith! Vader had taken his hand! What kind of monster was the Dark Lord that he could so maim an obviously inexperienced opponent?
"Kid? You okay?" he asked cautiously. There was no response. Han walked forward and gently laid a hand on Luke's shoulder.
Luke jerked as if in surprise and Han realized that the kid had not heard his whispered question, had not even known that Han was in the cabin. When he did speak, his voice was low and intense, causing Han to have to strain to hear him at all.
"He stole my father from me."
Han sighed. He remembered Kenobi had told Luke that Vader had murdered his father. Vader must have confirmed it.
"We'll make him pay for killing your father, Luke."
Luke roughly pushed Han's hand away from his shoulder and struggled to sit up, his empty eyes now blazing with anger.
"NO! He stole my father from me! I wish he had killed him! This is far worse, don't you see?"
Han didn't see, not at all. Luke wasn't making any sense.
"Your father's alive? Vader's keeping him prisoner somewhere?"
"Vader's prisoner…" Luke said, the anger melting into confusion. "Everything else is a lie. Why couldn't that be the truth?"
"Luke, I don't understand," Han said. He wanted to comfort the kid, but he didn't know what to say. Luke was talking in riddles, or at least not having the same conversation that Han was.
"Of course you don't understand. Only the Jedi are allowed to understand," Luke said and now his tone was bitter. "Stupid farmboys can't know the truth. We have to be lied to and manipulated and…and…"
As he spoke, Luke was waving his arms around wildly, a strange fervor in his expression. Han had to take a quick step back to avoid getting smacked in the face. Then, Luke's voice trailed off as he noticed his nonexistent hand, seemingly for the first time.
"He stole my father and my hand," he whispered sorrowfully. "What's left but my life? Or my soul?"
"We won't let that happen, Kid, I can promise you we won't let it happen!"
Luke laughed sardonically and Han winced. The noise sounded so wrong.
"There's nothing any of us can do, Han! Nothing! Vader will win because he's stronger, because I'm weak and foolish!"
"Don't talk like that, Luke. You're not foolish and you're certainly not weak. You're one of the strongest people I know."
Luke glared at Han fiercely. "Don't patronize me!"
Han gasped in surprise as an invisible hand suddenly pushed him across the cabin. He hit the opposite wall head-first.
"Owww!"
He looked up at Luke in shock. Had the kid done that? The scowl on Luke's face told him the answer was yes. Han hadn't really believed much in the Force that Luke and Kenobi had been so enthused about, but now that he'd felt it first-hand twice, he was beginning to think there might be something to it after all.
"Did you know?! Were you part of the lie, too?" Luke demanded as he swung his legs around to sit up on the edge of the bunk.
"I still don't know what you're talking about, Kid!" Han said, as he reached a hand up to gingerly touch a sore spot on the back of his head.
Luke stood and took a step towards him and Han knew a moment of fear, not unlike what he'd felt when he'd first seen Darth Vader standing on the other side of the table in that room in Cloud City.
"You did know, didn't you? Everyone knew but me! Ben, Yoda, him! You all knew."
Han brought his hand from the back of his head to look at it, and grimaced when he saw blood. He looked up at Luke again and was surprised to see an expression of bewilderment on the youth's face.
"Did I… Oh, Han, I hurt you. I didn't mean…" Luke's legs wobbled and Han jerked forward just in time to catch him as he fell to the floor. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Oh, Force, I'm just like him!"
"What happened in here? What's Luke doing out of bed?" Mara demanded to know from the doorway. She rushed forward to wrap her arms around Luke's shaking form as Han looked at her with a tinge of guilt in his eyes.
"I don't know what I said, but it must've upset him--"
"It's not your fault! It's me! This whole mess, everything that happened on Bespin…it's all my fault. Vader hurt all of you because of me!" Luke cried.
Mara's gaze met Han's over Luke's bowed head. He mouthed 'sleep tabs' at her and she nodded slowly.
Luke was quickly becoming hysterical, sobbing 'my fault, all my fault' over and over.
Somehow, they managed to get him back to the bunk and Mara convinced him to swallow the sleeping tabs. He looked at her with such abject despair in his eyes that it made her heart clench. After only a few moments, he was sleeping. Even if it was not exactly peacefully, at least he was calmer.
"My eyes are perfectly fine now and I'm not letting you pilot my ship for one more second, so get outta my seat!" Han practically roared.
"Fine! And you're welcome, by the way," Lando snapped back.
Han glared at him. "Don't start, buddy. We've got some things to discuss later."
The atmosphere in the Falcon's cockpit was decidedly chilly as the two former comrades stared each other down. Han was already in a bad mood after having seen what Darth Vader had done to Luke and to walk into the cockpit and have to take attitude from Lando…well, it wasn't making him any happier.
Lando, obviously not comfortable with that gleam in Han's eye, stepped aside with a sarcastic flourish and walked stiffly out the door. Han stood there for a moment, trying to push his anger down, knowing that it didn't do anyone any good at the moment. But, stang it, he really wanted to hit something!
He sat down in the pilot's chair and sighed. He didn't even have Chewie to complain to. The Wookiee was deep in the bowels of the ship, still trying to repair some of the systems damaged in the escape from Bespin. Mara was sitting with Luke, worried senseless because they'd had to give him the sleeping tabs.
Han closed his eyes, one hand coming up to rub at his temple wearily. He hadn't told Mara or Chewie about the headache that had never really gone away since the moment he'd taken that first breath. They had enough to worry about without worrying over him, too. He figured he could ask one of the medtechs about it when they got back to the fleet. Thinking about the scene with Luke a little while ago certainly didn't make the headache any better. The kid throwing me into the bulkhead didn't help it any, either, Han thought ruefully.
When had his life become so complicated? It was probably around the time he had agreed to take an old man, an impudent kid, and two annoying droids to Alderaan. His life had become more meaningful in those few years, though. He grimaced as he realized how sentimental he was becoming. But Luke and Mara and Wedge…they were important fixtures in his world now and his heart ached at the damage he had seen in Luke's soul. Mara was near to a breaking point worrying about him. Poor Wedge was no doubt insane with worry over all of them.
Well, it was about time he eased the burden from their shoulders. Han Solo took care of both his friends and his enemies. He would be damned before he let Darth Vader get his clutches on any of his friends again.
Arica was only a half-step behind Wedge as he skidded into the hangar bay. She could read the excitement mixed with apprehension on his face easily as the two of them began searching for the first glimpse of the familiar Corellian freighter. Realistically, they probably wouldn't be able to see it until it was almost docked with the Home One, but Arica had the feeling Wedge was nearly beside himself with worry and fear.
"Where do you think they've been?" she asked.
Wedge turned to her with a slightly surprised look on his face and Arica realized that he'd forgotten she was there. She was vaguely insulted, but pushed it aside.
"Right now, I don't really care where they've been. I just want to know why Mara asked for the medtechs to be standing by," Wedge replied, indicating the three young men and one woman who were waiting a few meters away with medical equipment and an anti-grav stretcher.
Arica followed his gaze and nodded silently. She hoped it wasn't Skywalker who was hurt. Her reasons were not as altruistic as the young Corellian pilot's, though. She just understood that Skywalker not being healthy would not please her Master, and Palpatine not being pleased translated into pain and punishment for her.
A voice crackled from a nearby comm station, informing everyone in the hangar that the Millennium Falcon would be docking with the Home One in approximately fifteen minutes. Wedge took a deep breath and blew it out again. Once more, Arica found herself having sympathy for this young man's pain and frowned as she tried to squelch it.
Those fifteen minutes seemed to take days, but finally they watched as the Falcon landed gently in the hangar bay. Arica could feel the tension in Wedge's body from where she was standing and for a moment she almost felt like she was intruding on a family reunion. She definitely squashed that feeling very quickly. She had a mission to accomplish and sentimentality was not going to get in the way of it.
Plumes of smoke filled the air as the Falcon vented gasses and everyone in the hangar bay moved forward as the hatch slowly opened. A couple of the medtechs took a hasty step back as the first one off the ship was Chewbacca. Most of the rebels who knew the giant Wookiee trusted him implicitly, but to those who weren't familiar with him, Chewie was an awesome sight.
It didn't help when he roared at the techs angrily, gesturing up the ramp to the interior of the ship. Even someone who didn't understand Shyriiwook could tell that he was agitated and wanted the techs to help whoever was hurt quickly. Wedge dashed up the ramp to Chewie. He didn't grasp the Wookiee's language quite as well as Han or Luke, but Wedge and Chewie understood one another.
"Chewie, what happened? Who's hurt?"
[We will explain everything later, Wedge. Right now, Luke and Han need medical attention immediately.]
"Luke and Han?" Wedge gasped.
"I do not need any help! You guys get your butts up here and help the kid!" Han's irritated voice drowned out Wedge's question and everyone looked past Chewbacca to see Han moving slowly down the ramp. Behind him, moving just as cautiously, were Mara and a stranger. They were supporting Luke between them.
Arica quietly glided closer to the group, trying to get a better look at her quarry. The Hero of the Battle of Yavin certainly didn't look very heroic at the moment. He was pale, battered and bruised, and even Arica winced when she noted his missing hand. She wondered how that had happened. Luke seemed to be in a daze, not truly aware of where he was or what was going on around him. She was mentally cursing as she calculated how much longer this was going to delay an already stalled mission when he looked straight at her.
Arica stiffened as something electric instantly charged between the two of them. It was as though everything else faded away and she was intensely aware of Skywalker, and not only his physical self. She could sense the turmoil his emotions were in, his pain and despair.
She had suspected from the start that the boy was a Force-sensitive, especially since her Master wanted him alive, and now she no longer had any question about that fact. Still, she had never felt this strong wave of emotion with any of her other targets, even the few she'd had that were Force-sensitives. No wonder her Master wanted Skywalker so badly.
Arica barely had time to wonder why the idea of Palpatine getting his hands on this young man was growing ever more distasteful when the moment was broken by the medtechs moving between them to lead Luke down to the anti-grav stretcher. She nearly gasped aloud at the sudden impression of loss her senses registered.
She glanced around quickly, but none of the others seemed to have any awareness of what had just happened. Even the redhead--and Arica was well aware of the strong dislike that Mara bore for her--didn't pay her any heed. Luke and his injuries commanded all their attention, which was a stroke of good luck for her. Perhaps they would say something that might be of help to her in their distracted state.
"Arica? What are you doing here?"
She turned to meet the slightly suspicious eyes of Han Solo. He didn't look altogether healthy himself, the signs of great strain obvious in his face and in his stance. He was leaning on a pile of crates nearby as he looked expectantly at her.
"I was having lunch with Wedge when your comm came through," she explained. "I came to see if I could help."
"Oh, having intimate little meetings with Antilles, are you? Do I have some competition for your affection?" Han teased with a suddenly roguish grin.
Arica froze him with a glare. "I'd hardly call the cafeteria an 'intimate' setting, Solo. And I don't have affections for you to compete with Antilles for."
"You're a woman, aren't you? Men are always gonna compete for your affections. Just remember I'm Corellian, too, and I'm a lot older and more experienced than Wedge," Han said with a sly wink.
She intensified her glare and turned to stalk away from him when a shout from one of the medtechs caught both their attention. Skywalker had suddenly pushed one of the techs away from him with a hoarse cry.
"Why did you bring me here?! He'll find me here and he'll kill you all! I have to go away!" Luke fought with renewed strength as the techs tried to get him to the stretcher.
Mara shouted his name, attempting to get his attention, but he was beyond hearing even her. Everyone flinched when a hydrospanner carelessly left lying on the floor abruptly flew up into the air and then crashed into the hangar wall. Suddenly, tools and datapads and other equipment around the hangar bay began to shake and fly dangerously around their heads. The medtechs and several pilots and mechanics who had been observing the situation shouted and tried to duck the dangerous objects.
Arica drew in a sharp breath as she realized that Skywalker was the one responsible for the confusion, although he didn't seem to be doing it consciously. She staggered backwards as that odd connection from a few minutes before was suddenly blasted wide open again and she was bombarded with images and emotions from Luke.
A dark room filled with steam…FEAR…a glowing red blade locked with a vivid blue one…HATE…a dark, menacing figure forcing him backwards, threatening everything he held dear…PAIN…agony jolting up his arm and throughout his entire body…DESPAIR…the sensation of falling, falling, certain that it was never going to end…
Arica saw blackness begin to dim the edges of her vision and she struggled to breathe, feeling panic that wasn't her own rapidly overcoming her. She was vaguely aware of someone--Solo, perhaps?--holding her up by the shoulders, shaking her slightly and calling her name. With great effort, she managed to focus on him and was surprised by the intense look of worry on his face. She tried to push Skywalker's pain away from her and succeeded in at least containing it somewhat.
"Are you okay?" Han was asking her.
"I…I'm fine. Just dizzy for a second there," she mumbled.
"Leave me alone!" Luke cried desperately as he continued to fight against the medtechs and Mara. They both turned to look. Arica understood immediately that Han wanted to go and help, but that he was unwilling to leave her by herself. She was about to tell him where he could put that concern when he shouted at the Wookiee.
"Chewie! Hold him so they can give him a sedative, dammit!"
Chewbacca grumbled at Han's irritated tone and in fact, had already been heading towards the melee to assist the struggling medtechs. He stepped forward astonishingly smoothly for a being his size and wrapped his massive arms around the besieged youth. He was able to hold Luke still just long enough for one of the quick-thinking techs to give the boy a sedative in a hypospray.
The effects were immediate as the tools-turned-missiles dropped to the ground and Luke's body stilled, although his breathing was still harsh. Chewbacca looked down at the friend in his arms and tried to comfort him.
[Relax, Cub. Everything will be all right now.]
Luke gazed up at the Wookiee and the grief on his face was plain for everyone to see.
"All right? It's not all right. It will never be all right again," he murmured sadly.
Mara moved forward and gently stroked Luke's forehead as his eyes closed and his body relaxed, the sedative doing its work. She cleared her throat before speaking to the medtechs in an admirably professional tone.
"Commander Skywalker is ready to go to the medcenter now," she said, her voice quiet, but strong.
Arica watched as the techs got Luke's limp form onto the anti-grav stretcher and began to check his vital signs. Jade turned to glance at Han, and Arica saw a frown cross her face. Then she realized that Solo was still holding her by the shoulders. She abruptly shook his hands off her with a shrug and took a step backwards. Since Skywalker had gone unconscious, the overwhelming emotions had ceased.
Solo and Jade nodded at one another and Arica realized a lot of information had passed between them with only a glance. She returned the cool look the redhead gave her with one of her own. Jade's eyes narrowed and she spun around to follow the techs taking Skywalker to the medcenter.
"You all right?"
Arica returned her gaze to Solo, again giving him a glare at his temerity in asking her such a question.
"I said I was fine, Solo. It's not your concern."
"Well, Sweetheart, something about you just begs me to be concerned about you," Han said with a lazy drawl and he gave her another one of those cocky grins that she supposed he thought was charming. "And that little fainting spell you had is not what I would call fine."
"I did not faint," Arica bit out impatiently. "If you'll excuse me, I have more important things to worry about than your opinion."
She started to walk away from him, wondering why an insolent smuggler was able to rile her so. She had really been among these rebels too long. They were beginning to affect her normal equilibrium.
"You can protest all you want, Darlin', but I'm gonna be keeping my eye on you." His tone of voice said he was teasing, but Arica's training as the Emperor's Hand surged to the surface. She chose not to dwell on the fact that it had started to become submerged in the first place.
When she turned to stare at him, it was with her hunter's face--the one that had been many of her marks' last view while they had still been breathing--and she had the satisfaction of seeing a glimmer of uncertainty in that arrogant expression he'd been giving her.
"You do that, Solo. Of course, you could end up very much regretting it," she said, her voice deceptively soft, with an underlying durasteel core.
When she walked away this time, he let her go without saying a word.