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Chapter 14
Sabé and Luke darted quickly through the old growth forest, their companions stumbling behind in the darkness. Only muffled curses from his friends broke the silence and Luke did not have to strain to hear the clear commands in his mind, the soft sure voice guiding each step. Sabé had not questioned his sudden familiarity with the terrain nor had she questioned his plan. She kept up Luke's quick pace, never wasting time to turn and ask Luke to explain himself.
He felt he could see the exact place hiding Leia and Ryoo. He heard the directions, understood the plan of attack, and yet could not have hoped to explain to Han and Lando what was going on, and he could just imagine their derision if he confessed he was responding to a voice in his head. I hope I can explain it to myself when this is over.
"Here," he finally whispered to Sabé and she nodded in agreement. They stood before a nearly imperceptible grate, a tunnel into the unknown catacombs. "Someone stays behind," he commanded. A slight roar from Chewie indicated that he, for one, would not be staying behind and Han better not either. Luke had no intention of leaving his cousin by herself so he appealed to the only other option.
"Lando, look, we're going to go in this way and we can't take our things. We may have to get out of here in a hurry." A snort from Han interrupted this line of thought but Luke persisted.
"So, will you stay here? Or meet us when we contact you?" Luke had once again turned into the cross between appealing earnest farmboy and fearless respected commander of the Rebellion. Lando looked at Luke in the darkness and sighed.
"Yeah, sure, Luke," Lando agreed finally. "I'll wait."
"Take only what is essential," Sabé instructed everyone.
"Funny, I though that's all we brought anyway," Han muttered but he obeyed without further question.
Luke smiled and turned back to the grate. Size matters not, he thought, the material used to construct this grate matters not...I hope. He shook the slight pessimism away. There is no try. There is no try...With a creaking sound that rattled down the tunnel, the grate pulled away and Luke set it on the ground.
"All set," he murmured. "Be ready, Lando."
"You got it, Luke."
xXx
"How do you know what to do, again?" Ryoo asked in a hoarse whisper. Leia hushed her cousin, focusing on the Force, reaching into the corridor for a loose object to dash against the control for her cell, a delicate Force maneuver she had not yet attempted. I am strong with the Force...
"I heard...a voice."
"So, you hear a voice and we're supposed to do what? Break out of these cells, subdue an Imperial garrison and rescue ourselves?"
"Yes. Stop distracting me," the Princess upbringing returned to Leia. Probably later she would regret speaking to the Queen of Naboo, her own cousin, in that fashion but at that moment it required all her strength to simply remember everything Luke had been teaching her, and to listen to the voice that directed her so quietly and reassuringly. Han will never believe this.
Suddenly, with the momentum throwing her back against the far wall, she succeeded. The cell barrier dissipated. Leia brushed herself off and caught her breath. She approached Ryoo's cell cautiously. She hit the control, impatient to meet the next task.
xXx
They crawled for what seemed like hours. Luke wanted to give encouragement to his friends but the quarters were so dismal and cramped that he thought it best just to hurry. At least there's no rancor...
Sabé led the way, her quick and efficient military style putting the younger members of the rescue mission to shame. Pooja tried valiantly to keep up but as they came to the end of the tunnel she rolled out onto the hard cave ground in relief. Chewie lifted up one of her arms, assisting her as best he could. She patted his arm gratefully before dusting herself off and asking Luke, "Where do we go now?"
"This way," he directed, assuming the lead from Sabé. They hurried down the stone corridors, ignoring the ancient runes and inscriptions. The presence of many minds assaulted Luke and he whispered, "Stormtroopers."
Chewie and Han readied their weapons and rounded the corner. A dozen troopers looked up in surprise as the heavy barricade to their quarters fell on two of their own. Luke, lightsaber gleaming in the darkness, met them first with Han and Chewbacca close behind him. Sabé and Pooja added their own shots to the melee and within seconds it was all over. The alarm sounded from every direction, any element of surprise lost.
Luke hurried ahead as Han, Chewie, Sabé and Pooja dealt with the swarming troopers. He followed the call, the unknown guide, into the large, makeshift throne room.