Death Star II Mobile Battle Station
Leia Organa was furious with Han. She couldn't believe that for the last year he had been keeping secrets from her. And it wasn't a little secret...it was huge. It was an enormous underhanded lie. Han argued that he never lied to her, but in her mind a complete omission of the truth was the same as a boldfaced lie! How Han managed to interact with her day in and day out without even a hint of deceptiveness was beyond her understanding. She was a politician prior to becoming a rebel. She was accustomed to dealing with professional liars. She prided herself on spotting deception, but she never once suspected Han was keeping things from her until stormtroopers arrived to their dignitary suite.
The guards had thrown them two duffle bags and told them to pack, stating their time on the battle station was at an end and they were to be moved to a more permanent location to serve out their sentences. Leia realized her time with Han was over and she may never see the man again. She was teary eyed and sobbing until she noticed Han's nonchalant expression. He loved her; of that she was certain. So surely, he would be brokenhearted that they were finally parting ways...but he wasn't. She couldn't imagine the man she loved was stoic about their impending separation, which meant he knew something she didn't.
She stared at her lover intently, and suspiciously, as they went to their shared bedroom to pack. As Leia tossed the few articles of clothing and toiletries in her bag she questioned Han.
"Why aren't you upset about this move?" When he gave her an innocent look she decided to change tactics. "I thought you loved me? Why aren't you upset over our upcoming separation?" Her bottom lip quivered at the thought and she broke down into ugly sobs which totally broke Han's composure.
"Leia, I do love you." He sighed deeply. "I made a deal with Luke. He said he will keep us together. He'll put us on some uninhabited planet with proper supplies in exchange for the Jedi artifact I found."
Leia was shocked at this information. She sniffed as she wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. "If that's true, why keep this a secret from me?"
He made a 'who knows' gesture. "I didn't know if Luke would come through. I still don't know. I didn't want to get your hopes up."
Leia's eyes narrowed. "He's Emperor why wouldn't he come through on his word?"
Han scoffed. "I thought you believed he was a Sith." He raised his brow daring her to deny it.
Now it was Leia's turn to sigh. She once believed her old friend had gone to the darkside, but over the last year her opinion had changed. While living on the Death Star they had access to incoming information on the holonet allowing her and Han to view the daily news reports. Luke was probably the most beloved leader in modern history. Emperor Skywalker was doing everything in his power to improve the lives of his constituents. On top of that, Luke had left her and Han together in luxury accommodations since before the trial. She eventually had to admit to herself that he was not evil.
Of course, much of her anger faded with the announcement of Darth Vader's death. She was able to watch the massive state funeral over the holonet. It wasn't like she had much choice; that was all the media talked about for months. The funeral was a galactic affair with the Sith Lord's body lying in state in the Royal Palace. During the five days of national mourning hundreds of thousands of people lined up to view the former emperor. Representatives of over ninety worlds attended the state funeral and later the internment of Lord Vader in a newly built Skywalker family crypt of which Vader would be the first to be interred.
At first seeing Imperials praise Darth Vader infuriated her, but as she listened to planetary leaders and diplomats praise specific reforms and actions taken by Emperor Vader she came to believe Luke had somehow changed his father.
Although Luke had made an effort to visit her and Han at least monthly, she had not seen him since his father's death. She couldn't blame Luke for his absence. He was mourning his father's demise and probably assumed she would be celebrating the occasion. She was, but she wouldn't say so to Luke. No matter how angry she was at the man, she couldn't kick him while he was down.
"Leia?" Han said, pulling her out of her musings. "Do you still think he is a Sith?"
She shook her head. "No...I am not sure what to believe...how Vader convinced him to betray the Rebellion I'll never know...but I don't think he is a Sith. If he is, he's the worst Sith in history."
Han chuckled. "I never thought he was a Sith."
She glared at him. "Then why did you keep this a secret? If you didn't think he was a lying Sith, then why wouldn't you want to get my hopes up?" When the smuggler didn't answer she asked him again hotly. "Why?"
He glanced up at her looking defeated. "I asked him to keep us together...for the forty years."
"What?" she gasped. "Why would you do something so stupid."
He frowned at that comment. "Because I want to be with you...because I love you."
She sat on the bed, her stomach churning sourly. "Han..." She pulled in a deep breath trying to center herself. "I have a forty-year sentence. What were you thinking?"
Han walked around the bed and sat down next to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to his body. "I was thinking I was going to spend the next forty years with the woman I love."
She turned and placed her head on his chest as she cried. "You are crazy."
He leaned down and dropped a kiss on top of her head. "Crazy in love." .
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Imperial Light Cruiser 'Immortal Seer'
After they had packed their bags the stormtroopers escorted them along with their KX-series
security droid to the docking bay. Han was happy that the security droid was coming with them. He was never a fan of droids, but the security droid, who he nicknamed Kayex, had grown on him over the months. The droid had a soothing deep male voice with a Coruscanti accent, not that he talked much. He was more of a good listener. The few times Kayex did initiate a conversation was to break up arguments between Han and Leia and try to smooth out the relationship bumps. Han was certain that was not standard programing for a security droid, and he often wondered if Luke had downloaded some couple's counseling programing into the droid. Another nice thing about Kayex was the droid was far less annoying than Threepio. Han couldn't imagine spending the last year with that protocol droid. He was so happy he had pawned him off on Chewie when the Wookiee went home for his Life Day celebration.
From the Death Star they were transferred first to an Imperial Shuttle and then they rendezvoused with an Imperial Light Cruiser oddly named the Immortal Seer. The name was odd only because it was not the normal cold-blooded Imperial warship name like Devastator, Agonizer, Assassin, Nemesis, or Blood Rage. Han tried to ask his escorts about the ship, but they were tightlipped.
Once aboard the Immortal Seer they were ushered into another dignitary quarters on the cruiser with Kayex pulling guard on the inside of the cabin and stormtroopers on the outer door.
Han turned around in a circle looking at their new prison. It was smaller than the apartment on the Death Star, but it was decent. He went to the small kitchen and was surprised that the usual inventory of ale and hard liquor were still available.
He took a Corellian beer out of the cooling unit and held it up. "You want one?"
Leia shook her head. Her eyes were still rimmed red from crying. Han shrugged as he twisted the cap off and took a long swig. He knew Leia would be pissed, but he also knew she would forgive him...eventually.
"Hey Kayex," He said to the droid standing in the corner. "Do you think you can find out where we're going?"
The droid walked over to a computer terminal located in the sitting area and placed a hand over an information port. Unlike Artoo who had to physically plug into a dataport, Kayex could usually access information remotely using a wavelength transmitter. The droid hovered his hand over the port for a few seconds before turning back to Han. "Captain Solo, like the holonet and computer on the Death Star, the information you are allowed to access is limited. No destination data is available."
Leia sat down on a sectional couch in the apartment and sighed deeply. "I heard somebody in the corridor mention Hydian Way." She turned to Han and frowned. "If Luke was going to put us on an uninhabited planet along the Hydian Way hyperspace lane that leaves limited options."
Han took another sip of his ale before sitting down next to her. He thought about it and then groaned. "Oh kriff."
She nodded solemnly. "Yeah...oh kriff. I can only think of two places: Mustafar and Polis Massa. One is a lava planet, and the other is an abandoned base on a large asteroid."
Han grimaced at the thought. "Maybe there will be air conditioning on Mustafar...or maybe it is a dry heat."
Leia closed her eyes and sighed. "Han when the temperature is over a thousand degrees, I really doubt the amount of humidity will be a factor." She returned her gaze to him. "But you are probably right, there has to be cooling devices there. I was told it was once home to the Separatist Council and the council consisted of a variety of species—many that thrived on cold or temperate planets."
Han nodded. "Okay, and what about Polis Massa? I don't know much about the base."
"It started out as an Archaeological Research facility. For a short time, it was a Rebel base. It was raided by the Empire several times and eventually the Imperials forced the Rebels off the planetoid. I don't know if any of the buildings survived. Perhaps Luke was rebuilding the facility and that is why we stayed on the Death Star for so long."
Han took another swig of ale. "That makes sense." He put his free arm around her as he continued to drink. "As long as we're together. We'll be fine."
She shook her head. "Han...after your sentence is over you should leave. If you have to live another thirty years in captivity you will grow to resent me."
He finished his drink and then leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. "We'll have ten years before we have to think about that. During that time you can relax knowing you have a good looking guy like me as a captive audience." He grinned widely. "Maybe at the end of forty years it will be you asking Luke to extend both of our sentences to guarantee we're together forever."
She rolled her eyes. "You truly are a stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder."
He placed his empty bottle on the side table then shifted his body to pull Leia into an amorous embrace. "You know what they say, 'better scruffy than stuffy.'"
"Nobody says tha..." she began before Han silenced her with a searing kiss.
.
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Imperial Light Cruiser 'Immortal Seer'
They spent days in hyperspace...long enough that Han estimated they were traveling to either the end of the mid-rim or perhaps the outer rim. That would correlate with going to Mustafar or Polis Massa. That was assuming they stayed on the Hydian Way hyperspace lane and didn't divert off onto another space-route. When analyzing a star map of the galaxy, they realized there were other planets that might be suitable. Crait was an uninhabited salt covered mineral planet only a short jump from the hyperlane. D'Qar was another possibility. That world was lush with vegetation, but it was also home to many dangerous and carnivorous animals. Both planets were inhospitable for various reasons, making Han wonder if he did the right thing. It was upsetting to see Leia agonizing about where they would serve their sentence. He went over to the couch where Leia was sitting and fretting about their future. He smiled as he sat down and put an arm around the princess. "Don't worry. I'm sure Luke will make sure we are safe."
Before she could answer Han noticed a change in the ship's engines. It was nearly imperceptible to most people, but Han spent most of his life in space and knew when a ship exited hyperspace. He leaned back into the couch cushions. "We exited hyperspace. Unless we do another jump, we are probably within sub-light travel to our new home."
Kayex, who had been standing silently into the corner suddenly looked to the couple and announce, "I was just informed that we should be landing planetside within two hours. You are instructed to pack and prepare to be transferred to a shuttle."
.
.
They were escorted down to the shuttle by two stormtroopers who steadfastly refused to answer any questions. Once in the docking bay, Leia craned her neck trying to sneak a peek of the world she would call home for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, The docking bay must have been facing away from the planet because all she could see beyond the bay doors was the starry black cosmos. They were loaded aboard an Imperial shuttle with the two stormtroopers sitting in the rear transport area with Han, Leia and Kayex. The shuttle's flight deck door was closed, limiting her view to the ship's Imperial gray bulkhead walls.
They left the Immortal Seer and dropped down into the planet's atmosphere. After a few seconds Han muttered. "It's not Polis Massa."
Her brow furrowed. "How do you know?"
"Just the feel of the shuttle. It's jostling like it is going through a thick atmosphere. You told me Polis Massa is a planetoid with no atmosphere. The base was constructed under domes."
Leia thought about it. "Mustafar, Crait, or D'Qar then?"
Han shrugged. "I guess we'll find out soon enough. If the boarding ramp comes down and we have to play the game 'The floor is lava' to get to our prison cell...then we'll know it is Mustafar."
Despite her depressed mood Leia laughed. "Or if we smell sea salt but there is no water...then it is Crait."
"Maybe if we are lucky, it will be D'Qar."
"If we're really lucky," Leia muttered under her breath. .
.
.
The shuttle landed after an hour of flight. The stormtroopers instructed Han and Leia to remain seated until the Commander of the Guard came to retrieve them.
"Does this Commander of the Guard have a name?" Leia asked the Stormtroopers.
"Yes," one guard said tersely. "Commander."
The central boarding ramp lowered, and Leia could hear the heavy footsteps of somebody walking up into the shuttle. Eventually a figure garbed in red armor and cape over a black body suit came into view. It was an unfamiliar uniform, but one reminiscent of Palpatine's Red Guard right down to the crimson full-face helmet which hid the sentry's identity. The newcomer was Han's height with broad shoulders and slim hips. Based on his gait and physical proportions Leia assumed this was a human male.
The stormtroopers jumped to attention when he entered the ship and called for the prisoners to do the same. Han rose, but Leia remained seated as a form of dissent. One of the stormtroopers took offense and moved toward her in a threatening manner. "Get up you Rebel scum!"
The red armored guard made a sharp shooing gesture with his gloved hand. At the same time, the Stormtrooper flew backwards into the shuttle bulkhead before crumbling to the ground. The trooper groaned before rising onto shaky legs.
The Commander of the Guard turned to the injured stormtrooper. "I will not tolerate mistreatment of my prisoners. Leia Organa may be a rebel, but she is also of royal blood. She is the daughter of a Queen and she will be treated accordingly."
The voice was transmitted through the helmet speakers, but Leia could clearly distinguish the man's rimworld accent and the fact that he was highly irritated with his subordinate.
The trooper looked down at the deck, sufficiently chastised. "Yes, Commander."
He gestured at the two guards. "Stay with the shuttle and return to your ship." He pointed to Leia and Han. "Follow me."
Leia considered resisting the command but decided there was no point. The red guardsman was obviously a Force user. If he could fling a stormtrooper back with a wave of his hand he probably could float her out of the shuttle with ease. She rose and followed the commander with Han and Kayex trailing close behind. When they exited the shuttle, she shielded her eyes from the bright sunlight and then spun around on her heel checking out their location. The shuttle had landed in the middle of a large courtyard surrounded by the stone walls of what looked like a citadel. Her head turned and she focused on movement in the sky. It was a flock of birds. She could also make out the smell of flowers and pine trees. This had to be D'Qar.
They followed the red guard until they were far enough from the shuttle for the ship to safely take off. Once the shuttle was a speck in the sky and the sound of its roaring engines diminished the guard turned to address them. "Emperor Skywalker regrets being unable to greet you and provide a tour of your new home in person. The Empress is getting close to her due date and her doctors recommended she not take long spaceflights. Understandably, Emperor Skywalker does not wish to be apart from the Empress during this time."
Leia nodded, knowing from the holonet that Luke and his wife were expecting their first child. "Where exactly are we?"
"You are on Naboo."
Before she could ask another question, he turned quickly, his cape billowing out allowing her to see what weapon he was carrying: a lightsaber.
Leia's brow shot up as she followed the man through large wooden double doors and into a... palace. She stopped so suddenly that Han bumped into her.
"Hey," Han yelped as he stumbled forward and would have fallen on top of her if it wasn't for Kayex grabbing the back of his tunic. He regained his footing and looked up noticing the luxurious interior. "What the...". He looked to the guard. "Let me guess, we are to occupy the dungeon suite."
"Only if the Princess decides to put you there," the guard responded with no mirth in his tone. He turned gesturing to the ornate corridor and entranceway. "This will be your home. You will have free rein of the facility. There are security droids and holonet surveillance on the exterior of the building. There are no security cameras in the living areas, but your KX-series security droid will remain with you inside the structure. We will give you your privacy unless you attempt to escape or try to tamper with your security droid."
Leia gestured toward Kayex. "I guarantee Han won't touch Kayex. He finally taught the droid to play Sabacc. He wouldn't want to accidentally delete that feature."
Leia couldn't see the guard's face through the smooth faceplate, but she suspected he was rolling his eyes. The man gestured her to follow. They moved down the long corridor into a great room with vaulted ceilings. The room had a huge sectional couch surrounding a holonet projector, there was also a wet bar stocked with an assortment of liquors and wine. Along one wall was a large fireplace. As they moved through the great room, they came to a sizable kitchen with a KT8 cooking unit. They turned a corner and passed a formal dining room, a grand foyer, a library, study and then came to a closed door. The guard swung the door open and entered a huge bedroom with dressers, a second fireplace, large walk-in closets, a master bath, and sauna.
The guard didn't comment on the bedroom, but simply let them look around before walking back out the way he came in. "There are other bedrooms further down the hallway."
"Is that for all the houseguests and entertaining we'll be doing?" Han said sarcastically.
The Commander stopped and turned to face Han. "The emperor might visit." There was a slight pause. "He considers you family."
He pushed open another pair of doors that led out to a second courtyard. This time it was Han that stopped suddenly. There in the center of the courtyard was the Millennium Falcon. "What the hell?" he muttered as he went to his ship running a hand lovingly over the hull. "I thought it would be forty years before I would see her again."
"It lacks fuel," the guard said before pointing to a large chain around the landing gear. "And it is equipped with a fortified infraction restraint...but you will be allowed to conduct any repairs or upgrades you desire during your stay." He gestured toward another building with large roll-up cargo doors. "There is a fully equipped repair garage available for your use. In ten years, the restraint will release, the ship will be refueled and you, Captain Solo, will be allowed to leave."
Han's head jerked toward the man, anger narrowing his eyes and stiffening his jaw. "Skywalker and I had a deal. I get to stay with Leia for the forty years."
The guard rocked back on his heels as he crossed his arms across his armored chest. "Emperor Skywalker's father had rejected that arrangement and altered the deal."
"This is so kriff'd up! I want to talk to Luke," Han said heatedly. "I can't believe he would let Darth Vader change our agreement."
"The deal was changed for your benefit," the guard bit out with irritation. "The original deal was to leave you two abandoned on a desolate world. You will be held at this facility instead." He turned and started walking again. "When your ten years are up, Solo, you may take your ship and come-and-go as you please."
"That's not what...," Han paused, his jaw slack. "What did you say? I can come and go as I please?"
The guard stopped and turned to face Han. "You may. Emperor Skywalker would not keep you from the princess."
Han opened his mouth to talk but then shut it. He looked at Leia questioningly, before turning back to the guard.
"Wait," Han said slowly. "If I can come and go in my ship...what's preventing me from leaving with Leia?" His eyes went wide. "We're not injected with explosive transmitter chips that will detonate if we leave this place are we?"
The posture of the guard changed, and Leia got the impression that he was outraged at the suggestion. "Emperor Skywalker would never do something so...horrific."
Han scrubbed a hand over his face before asking. "So...what prevents me from taking Leia and leaving."
The answer surprised Leia. "Absolutely nothing other than it will result in you two forever being on the run from authorities."
"That is better than forty years in prison." Han gestured to the surrounding building. "This may be a palace, but it is still a prison."
Leia heard the guard sigh under his armor. "Do you really think Emperor Skywalker is not considering a pardon or parole? The public has a short memory and, in your case...they have no knowledge of your arrest and conviction. Ewon Klanto will be blamed for the Dreadnaught attacks. In ten years, people will have forgotten about the rebellion." He turned and addressed Leia. "You can quietly be released on parole and stay a free woman unless you decide to continue acts of rebellion."
The thought of a parole was thrilling, but Leia wasn't sure if she should believe him. "How does a guard know all of this?"
"I am Commander of the Emperor's Guard. The emperor confides in me."
"You acting as the emperor's confidant worries me." She pointed to his lightsaber. "I assume you are a former Inquisitor trained by Darth Vader."
The man shook his head. "I was trained by the Jedi Order."
She wasn't convinced. "The Jedi are dead."
"No, the Inquisitors and Sith are all dead." He unclipped and activated his lightsaber allowing her to see the blue blade. "Sith have red blades."
Leia laughed at this pathetic attempt of persuasion. "So? You have a lightsaber with a blue crystal. That doesn't prove anything."
The guard deactivated his saber and clipped it back on the belt. "A Sith lightsaber does not have a special red crystal. Any saber, no matter the color, will eventually turn red when brandished by a dark force user. The process of changing the color is called bleeding. Negative emotions and the use of the darkside damages the kyber crystal giving it a distinctive crimson hue."
Leia knew nothing about kyber crystals and had no way of verifying the man's story. "If you are a Jedi, then what's your name? My father knew many of the Jedi. Perhaps he mentioned you."
The man took a step toward her. "All you need to know is... I am the person who interrogates prisoners, not the other way around." Leia glared back at the faceless helmet unflinching. After a long moment the man's posture relaxed and she thought she heard a chuckle coming from under the helmet. He motioned toward the ship. "Your astromech droid is inside. The emperor has also provided a medical droid and a protocol droid within the premises. If you need anything, within reason, let the protocol droid know and arrangements will be made for delivery."
Leia took a deep shuttering breath of relief. She was expecting the worse, but Luke did everything thing in his power to make her and Han comfortable including not extending Han's sentence. She had misjudged him terribly. When a tear rolled down her cheek the red guard cocked his head to the side questioningly. "Is there a problem?"
Leia wiped the tears away and shook her head. "No, this is just a bit overwhelming. Please tell Emperor Skywalker 'Thank you' on our behalf."
The guard gave a curt nod of his head. "I will pass on that message." He turned and walked back to the building leaving Han and Leia in the courtyard.
Leia gazed up at Han. "Can you believe this?"
He gave her his classic lopsided grin. "Yes. Luke cares for you." He paused before adding. "I think he loves you...or at least he had a major schoolboy crush on you before he met his wife."
Leia shook her head. "If he did, it was fleeting. He never expressed any romantic feelings."
"That's probably because he knew that with me as the romantic rival, he had no chance at wooing you successfully." Han said lightheartedly. "After all, how can he complete with a gorgeous guy like me."
Leia groaned as she threw up his arms in a dramatic show of frustration. "This is going to be a long forty years."