Endor was a forest moon, the land mass completely covered by gigantic, primeval trees. They loomed around us like massive brown towers, the leaf canopy far above tinting the sunlight green. The going was easy, there was very little underbrush compared to Dagobah, and the air had a spicy, woodsy smell that was oddly soothing.
Artoo whistled. "Pretty!" Threepio said indignantly. "I don't think it's pretty here at all. It's dangerous!"
"You're both right." I said softly. "Now be quiet."
We took our bearings and moved out; Han, Leia, Chewy and me at point, the strike team trailing behind and my two droids bringing up the rear. We didn't get far before running across a pair of Imperial scouts poking around a little dell right in our path.
"Should we try and go around?" Leia whispered.
"It'll take time." I answered. And time was something we didn't have a lot of.
"This whole party will be for nothing if they see us." said Han, then the General made up his mind. "Chewy and I will take care of this. You stay here."
I had a vivid flashback to the Death Star and a certain pair of cocky smugglers blasting everything in sight. "Quietly!" I warned. "There might be more of them." It was hard to tell, stormtroopers tend to be strangely weak in the force and difficult to sense. I had occasionally wondered if they started out that way or if it was something the Emperor did to them.
Han gave us his best roguish grin. "Hey....it's me."
Why did he think we were worried? Leia and I exchanged a commiserating look as Han and his big hairy shadow snuck away through the bushes.
It wasn't really Han's fault that he stepped on that twig - alerting the scouts - and it wouldn't have mattered if there hadn't been two more of them lurking nearby mounted on speeder bikes. They took off and Leia threw herself onto the remaining bike to chase after them - I just managed to jump on behind her before she took off.
"Quick! Jam their comlink, center switch." I gasped, then hung on for dear life.
No question but my kid sister was a chip off our family block. She wove expertly through trees, treefall and underbrush quickly overtaking our quarry.
"Move closer!" I ordered. She gunned the engine and the distance closed. "Get alongside that one." She did, so close the two bikes scraped vanes. Damn but she was good! I'd have to get her into a fighter some time and see what she could do.
I jumped from the back of my sister's bike to the scout's and threw him off - right into a big tree - then got control of the bike and sped on side by side with Leia after the second guy. Then we flashed past another pair of Imperial scouts - how many of these guys were there? - and they took off after us, opening fire. A glancing bolt rocked my bike. These things were armed? How could I have missed that?
"Keep on that one! I shouted to Leia. "I'll take these two."
I slammed on the brakes, letting the two Imps whiz past me, then shifted back to forward mode and started shooting. I got one quickly enough but the other presented a bit of a challenge. He was a pretty good pilot too; he managed to jam my vanes when I came alongside and propel my bike right into a tree. I jumped free and when he circled around to finish me warded off his fire with my lightsabre than slashed off his control vanes and sent him tumbling into one of the ever present. trees.
It was a good thing Endor was so damp or all these exploding bikes might have started a major forest fire. I caught my breath, deactivated my sabre, and headed back to where I'd left General Solo and his strike force.
I found Han sitting morosely under a tree, he started up at the sight of me. "Luke! Where's Leia?"
My heart sank. "She didn't come back?"
"I thought she was with you!"
"We got separated."
We looked at each other. "We'd better go look for her." I said.
Han turned to his lieutenant. "Take the squad ahead. We'll meet at the shield generator at oh three hundred."
I didn't dare reach out with the Force to find Leia, not with our father lurking nearby. I could feel his presence faintly at the back of my mind and I must not lead him to her. Whatever happened to me Leia had to be kept out of Father's hands. "Come on, Artoo. We'll need your scanners."
"Don't worry, Master Luke, we know what to do." Threepio assured me, adding acerbicly to his counterpart; "And you said it was 'pretty' here!"
Artoo tracked the speeder exhausts to two wrecked bikes. I found Leia's helmet nearby. She was all right - she had to be all right. I'd feel it if she were wounded and I'd have felt her die. She had to be alive and safe - but where?
"Luke! Luke!"
I ran ahead to join the others by yet another charred wreck. Han looked the way I felt - sick with worry.
"Oh, Master Luke." Threepio was upset too - you could hear it in his voice.
"There are two more wrecked speeders back there. And I found this." I tossed the helmet to Han and he clutched it like a talisman.
"I'm afraid Artoo's sensors can find no trace of Princess Leia." Threepio told us apologetically.
Han looked at me. "I hope she's all right."
I looked steadily back. 'She is, you know she is.' I said silently through the Force. 'We'd have felt it if anything had happen to her.'
He didn't pretend not to hear but I was surprised when he answered in the same manner. 'I don't dare reach out to find her. I can feel something watching, listening.'
'It's Vader.' I told him. 'He senses my presence, but not yours or Leia's, you're not bonded to him as I am.'
"But he'll hear me if I call.' Han's face had a remote, focused look I'd never seen there before. Even his sense was different; serene and centered - like a Jedi.
'Probably.' I said, staring fascinated at my friend. It was like I was looking at another man, a shiver ran down my spine, the man the Jedi had been training him to become - not the cocky rogue he'd turned himself into.
Then Chewbacca jerked us out of our communication with an excited bark and instantly Han was back to being the man I'd always known; calling after his partner as Chewy plunged excitedly into a stand of dense brush.
We followed him to a little clearing with a dead animal of some kind impaled on a stake in the middle of it. It was obviously bait for a trap. Obvious that is to anybody but a spacer who'd probably never hunted in his life.
"I don't get it." Han said puzzled. Then he shrugged. "Neh, it's just a dead animal, Chewy."
Then Chewy, who should have known better, reached for the meat. I dove for him; "Chewy, wait! don't -" but I was too late. The trap sprung and the lot of us; men, Wookiee and droids alike, were swept up into a net and hoisted high in the air where we spun slowly.
"Nice work. Great Chewy, always thinking with your stomach!" Han said acidly.
"I'm sorry alright! I couldn't resist - you know how I hate that concentrated dreck
you humans call food!"
Terrific. See the mighty Jedi knight on a mission to save the universe from the Dark Side swinging in a game trap! Sometimes I think the Force has a sense of humor - a low one. "Will you take it easy." I said to the bickering partners. "Let's just figure out a way to get out of this thing." I struggled to free an arm - failed. "Han, can you reach my lightsabre?"
"Yeah, sure." the net jounced as Han wriggled around trying to work a hand up to my belt.
Suddenly Threepio said: "Artoo, I'm not sure that's such a good idea. It's a very long dro-o-op!" On the word the net gave way and we fell heavily into the scrub below.
I sat up, rubbing the back of my head which had impacted painfully with a root, and saw that we were surrounded by spear wielding natives. I was less impressed by this than I should have been since they were only three feet high, chubby and covered with fur, with big liquid eyes and round ears on top of their heads.
They were adorable. They were also - I realized a second later - allies. Mentally I apologized to the Force. As usual It had known exactly what it was doing when It guided us to this place. Even if It had little regard for a Jedi's dignity.
Han too had been grinning at the cute little guys, until one poked a spear in his face. He shoved it aside. "Hey! Point that thing someplace else."
A furry warrior barked an order and the spear returned to its former position. Han grabbed at it and reached for his blaster.
"Han, don't. It'll be all right."
He didn't look like he believed me but he followed my lead, tamely giving up his pistol, though not without a dark glower in my direction. Chewy was even more reluctant, getting into a tug-a-war with one of the little warriors that reminded me absurdly of Yoda and Artoo's fight over my lamp. "Chewy, give them your crossbow." He growled but obeyed.
Threepio sat up. "Oh my head." then he saw our company. "Oh my goodness!"
But his astonishment was as nothing compared to that of our captors. A universal gasp arose, followed by a few seconds of excited chatter. Then they all started chanting and bowing rhythmically in Threepio's direction. Though understandably taken aback my droid addressed them in growls similar to the ones they had been using. There was another gasp then most resumed their bowing and chanting while a few conversed softly together.
"Do you understand anything they're saying?" I asked.
"Oh yes, Master Luke!" Threepio said happily. "I am fluent in more than six million forms of communication."
Like I could forget.
"What are you telling them?" Han demanded.
"Hello, I think...." Threepio's confidence wavered and he sounded almost apologetic as he continued. "I could be mistaken. They're using a very primitive dialect. But I do believe they think I'm some sort of god."
I had trouble keeping a straight face at that - Han didn't even try. "Well why don't you use your divine influence and get us out of this."
Threepio drew himself up. "I beg your pardon, General Solo, but that just wouldn't be proper."
"Proper?" Han echoed incredulously.
"It's against my programming to impersonate a deity." Threepio said primly.
I couldn't really blame Han for going for him - Threepio can be infuriating - but it was a mistake. Instantly the cuddly warriors sprang to the defense of their 'god'. Surrounded by bristling spears Han backed off, raising his hands placatingly. "My mistake. He's an old friend of mine."
