Coruscant

Two months later

Luke was parrying Leia with lightsabers in a large empty room while Han sat on the floor in a corner, leaning against the wall. The flash and hiss of lightsabers filled the room, while both siblings concentrated on Force-inspired moves. Luke finally stepped back and turned off his saber. "You're doing great, Leia," he encouraged her with a smile. "This is really coming naturally to you. I told you it would."

"Thanks," Leia replied, wiping sweat off her forehead. "All this training sure is making me get in good shape."

"Just don't cut off anything important, Luke," Han called over. "Like her head."

"At least my head is important, laserbrain," Leia yelled back to him. "Yours might be expendable."

"We both know which part of me you think isn't expendable, sweetheart," Han shot back with a smirk.

Leia rolled her eyes as Luke burst into laughter. He was glad to see his friend return to his teasing ways - as far as Luke was concerned, it was a good sign. Leia had confided in him that Han's nightmares were becoming less frequent with the passing weeks, the days he was depressed fewer, and further apart.

"Let's go eat lunch," Luke suggested. "There is this really good cafe Wedge told me about, and I want to try it."

Inwardly, Han cringed. He still hated eating in public, even though he had gone out with Leia several times. Both times, Han had insisted he sit at a table facing a wall so others could not watch him. He still felt very self-conscious about the minor problems he had with eating. Luke noticed Han's reaction, but before Han could protest, Leia spoke up, "That's a good idea. But first we both need a quick shower."

Leia headed off to the women's refresher while Luke walked over to Han. "Do you want to wait here, or come with me in the locker room?" Luke asked

Han shrugged. "I'll wait here. You won't be long." After Luke left, Han wandered around the edge of the large room, idly running his fingers across the smooth walls. His thoughts focused on Leia, and how much he loved her. He wanted to ask her to marry him, but his insecurities held him back. She deserved so much better than a blind ex-smuggler. People would say she married him out of pity, and he married her for the financial security. Besides, Solo was worried that he would become a political liability to her future career.

Han also found himself missing Chewie. Lando and Chewie had left about a month ago to try and make the initial contacts with smugglers interested in becoming legitimate shippers. It had been hard on Han to say goodbye to his long-time partner at the docking area, and it bothered him to know that Lando was now piloting the Falcon. The reports that the pair had been sending back to Coruscant indicated they weren't having much success convincing smugglers to turn legitimate. Han wasn't at all surprised by this information. He sincerely doubted he would have met with anyone attempting to convert him if he were still in the smuggling business.

Lost in his musings, he was startled when, without warning, a sharp edge of a blaster stuck in his neck. Han froze.

"Make one move Solo, and I'll kill you," a raspy voice whispered. "And then I'll kill your pretty Princess."

Han remained still. "Who are you?" he asked quietly, trying to keep fear out of his voice. He wished he had his blaster with him. Lando and Chewie had taken him a few times to a target practice facility, but Han still didn't feel comfortable enough with his skill level at this point to wear it regularly. He had genuine fears about getting into a difficult situation, and accidentally killing an innocent bystander.

"What? You don't remember me?" the voice asked sarcastically. "We were such good friends, Solo. Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Dengar. Now do you remember me?"

Han felt his heart drop to his boots. Dengar. His old enemy turned bounty hunter. "I remember you," Han said softly. "What do you want?"

"That's a good boy, Solo," Dengar hissed. "Walk in front of me, and don't try anything, or you die."

Han felt the hunter remove his comlink from his belt and toss it on the floor. Then he was given a hard push and stumbled quickly in the direction he was pointed. Han tried to keep track of the direction they were headed, but Dengar prodded him in the back with his blaster, down a corridor were he'd never been. A door swished open, and the outside breeze ruffled the Corellian's hair. His fear level made a huge leap upward. The outside walkways of Coruscant were a deadly place for a sightless man, dropping thousands of feet down to the bottom levels. Han kept his voice steady and said, "If you're planning on collecting a bounty, there won't be much left of me to identify if you have to scrape the pieces off the bottom of Coruscant."

Dengar only gave a wicked laugh, then struck Han across the back of his head with the butt of his blaster, laughing harder as the unconscious Corellian dropped to the sidewalk. Dengar quickly dragged his victim into his waiting air speeder and headed for his destination - the lowest levels of Coruscant.


Leia came out of the refresher, her braided hair still damp. She looked around the empty room and gave a mental shrug. Han was probably in the men's locker room with Luke, she reasoned. A small glint of metal caught her eye, so she walked across the room to see what it was. A comlink. Puzzled, she picked it up, identifying it as Han's comlink. Perhaps he had dropped it. Leia turned as Luke came out of the men's locker room, and walked toward her. "Luke?" she asked, feeling a sudden sense of unease. "Is Han with you?"

"No, he said he'd wait here," Luke replied, frowning. "What are you holding?"

"Han's comlink." Her pulse quickened. "Something's wrong."

"Don't panic," Luke said, trying to keep his sister calm. "Maybe he just didn't want to go out to eat in a restaurant. He's still uncomfortable eating in public."

"No, he wouldn't just leave without saying anything," Leia argued quickly. "He's never walked out in public alone, either."

"Stay calm, Leia," Luke admonished his sister. "I'll try using the Force to locate him." Luke immediately shut his eyes and reached outward for his friend's unique Force-signature. He could only locate a weak, unaware signal. He opened his eyes to look directly at his sister's worried face. "Something is definitely wrong," he concurred.


Dengar's airspeeder descended quickly but could only go so far down, and Dengar intended to go much, much further down. Once he had landed at the lowest possible point, he pressed a signal button. A door opened and two gaunt, rag-covered Gamorreans stumbled out of the hatchway, shielding their eyes from the unaccustomed brightness of the outside world. Dengar quickly signaled his new employees to drag Solo into the lift. From that point, each level they went down became darker and dirtier. They needed to switch lifts several times, before finally using broken metal stairways to reach one of the bottom-most levels. Once there, the Gamorreans deposited their limp burden. Dengar removed a few credit chips and handed them each their payment. The Gamorreans quickly left the scene, for even they were uneasy down at this level.

When Han regained consciousness he was pretty sure someone was beating on his head with a hydrospanner. Groaning, he sat up and felt the large blood-caked lump at the back of his skull. "Have a nice nap?" Dengar chortled.

Han winced at the sound of Dengar's voice. "Where are we?" he rasped through his dry throat. The place was damp, cold, and smelled rancid, with noisy pipes clanging in the distance. This was not a ship.

"We're in the charming underbelly of Coruscant, my friend. A real tourist destination." Dengar smirked. "It's here where my little game is to begin."

"Game?" Han asked warily.

"I have been hired to bring you to Jabba's relatives for revenge," Dengar supplied. "I may just do that, if you survive entertaining me."

Han didn't answer. He knew Dengar was all too eager to provide him with details, so he sat and waited, feeling his heart pounding in his ears. "My little game is a game of chase, with you as the prey and me as the hunter," Dengar continued gleefully. "I will give you a half an hour head start before I come after you. When I catch you, I promise I won't kill you, only incapacitate you and take you to Tatooine for the reward."

"What if I won't play your game, Dengar?" Han spat. "Either way I end up back at the Hutt's playground."

"If you refuse to play, I will leave you down here to rot," Dengar growled. "Then I will go after your woman...what I do to her won't be pretty."

Han tried to keep himself calm, knowing full well Dengar wasn't bluffing, and Leia meant more to him than his life. "When does this half hour start?" he questioned through clenched teeth.

"Right now, Solo," Dengar said darkly. "And by the way, I destroyed that cute little sensor that you had hanging on your belt. I don't want to make this too easy for you."

"You're all heart," Solo growled. Han struggled to his feet and stumbled his way down the dank, slippery corridor. Dengar's laughter echoed after him for a long distance.


Leia was biting her fingernails nervously as she followed her brother out of Carlist Rieekan's office. They'd run the entire way to report what they believed was Han's kidnapping. General Rieekan remarked the evidence was fairly thin, but he had dispatched Security nevertheless. "Do you think Security will find anything?" Leia asked her brother.

"Probably not," Luke reluctantly admitted. "Coruscant is too big. We're going to have to find him ourselves."

"How? If security can't find him, we don't have a chance."

"We have more than a chance, Leia," her brother reassured her. "We have the Force."

"Can you sense anything? Is he even on the planet anymore?"

"He's here, Leia," Luke answered with a faraway look. "I wish I had more training. All I can tell right now, is that he is down."

"Down?"

"Whoever took him, has gone down to the lower levels of the planet," Luke replied.

Leia felt sick with fear. She knew the stories of the kind of beings that lived far below. Living was a generous word - surviving was a more accurate description. If Han was down there, he was in a great deal of trouble. Leia leaned against a wall and shut her eyes. "I can't let him die down there, Luke," she whispered. "I love him."

"We need to start making our way down as quickly as possible," Luke informed her. "The closer I can get to him, the better I'll be able to track his exact whereabouts."

They began their descent .


Han couldn't tell how much time had passed since he left Dengar. He'd been moving as swiftly as he could, given his circumstances. He had tripped and fallen over trash and unknown obstacles so many times already he'd lost count. The palms of his hands and his knees were torn and bloody. The worst part was knowing he could fall into a crevice or off a ledge, and plummet to his death at any moment. The Corellian tried to change corridors and directions as many times as possible. Since he had no idea where he was, getting lost wasn't an issue.

Hugging the wall, he turned a corner. A deep rumble of some large, hungry creature filled his ears. Han froze in fear for a moment, wondering if backing away slowly would do him any good. The creature's growls became louder and angrier. Han listened as the sudden thunder of steps came crashing toward him. When he swore he could smell the being's fetid breath, he ducked and rolled, crashing his shoulder painfully into a wall. He heard the creature stop a short distance away, and knew it was turning around for another attack. Desperately, Han groped around on the slimy, junk filled floor. His hand located a metal tube object, and he pulled, but the pipe refused to come loose. The creature was only seconds away, so Han tugged again with all his strength. The pipe wrenched free, and Han twisted around and swung it in the direction of his attacker with all the force he could muster. A loud sickening crunch sounded and the being squealed in pain. Han lurched to his feet, and swung at his opponent again. This time he only connected with the wall. To his surprise, the grunts of the creature sounded further away, and as he listened, Han realized it was leaving. A second later he understood the reason. The sound of snapping and groaning metal filled the hall. Water gushed up around his knees and began pouring into his boots. Han tried to leave the corridor by wading in the opposite direction of the beast, but he didn't make it very far. An icy wall of water hit him from behind, sending him riding a tidal wave of liquid filth. The pipe he had pulled free apparently had been somewhat important.


Dengar was trying to track his prey, finding it a bit more difficult than he had anticipated. Although he had a bright light atop his head, the deep interior of Coruscant was a jumbled maze. Dengar had relied on the Gamorreans to get him to this point, and now he was alone. But not really alone. The hunter was acutely aware he was being watched by various creatures, most of which were hungry, and all of which were dangerous. The further he went into the jungle of dripping pipes and duracrete, the more nervous and jumpy he was becoming.


Luke and Leia had gone as far down as regular lifts could take them. Even though the lifts had moved fairly quickly, valuable time was passing. They were armed only with their lightsabers, but Luke felt confident that would be all that was necessary. And the twins had to waste more time stopping to purchase hand held lights. Leia had accused the sales droid of deliberately moving in slow motion, and hadn't waited for either a sales receipt or change.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Leia asked for the tenth time, as they climbed ever lower.

"As sure as I can be, Leia," Luke responded, trying not to let his irritation show. She was worried, and for good reason. The corridors were slippery and covered with generations of rust and mold. Loud clanks, groans and hissing sounds filled the corridors. Luke knew not all the sounds they heard were machinery noises.

"Can you tell if he's okay?" Leia pleaded with Luke.

"No, I can't tell," Luke lied, with more than a little bit of guilt. He didn't want to upset his sister any more than she already was. But Luke knew that Han was injured and scared.


Han tried to keep his head above the fast moving roiling wall of foul water, but his strength was rapidly waning. He guessed that the depth of the water was not particularly deep since his feet kept scraping the floor. At least he assumed it was the floor. Given his current state of disorientation, he wasn't certain which way was up, and swallowing large quantities of the revolting water wasn't helping. He had crashed several times into walls and loose objects kept smashing against him. He was certain he had broken several ribs. Crawling along the edges of the wall, he desperately tried to find something to stop his progress.

The rush of water finally deposited him down a twenty-foot drop off, and into a large, sludge-filled cistern. Gasping for breath, Han struggled to keep his head above the deep water. He had no idea how large the pit was he had been dumped into, and began swimming to find the edge. Nearly five minutes later, the exhausted Corellian reached a slimy metal wall. Han lifted his arm up, and to his dismay realized he couldn't reach the top of the wall. Just swell, he thought, I'm gonna drown in a pool of filth at the bottom of Coruscant. What an inglorious end, Solo.

Han didn't want to die. Stubbornly refusing to give in, he eased his way around the slick wall. Just when he thought his trembling limbs could no longer keep his head above water, his hand felt a metal strip. Grabbing at the metal, the Corellian's icy fingers groped the protrusion, trying to determine what it was. Two vertical metal strips, connected by horizontal strips, his addled brain informed him. A ladder! Han nearly sobbed in relief. He pulled himself up the slippery rungs very slowly. He didn't want to fall back into the basin, and his exhaustion would not allow haste. Reaching the top of the ladder, Han pulled himself on to a wet, rusty durasteel floor and flopped down on his side, shaking with exhaustion. It took only a few minutes for his queasy stomach to object to the disgusting liquid he had swallowed. He quickly got to his hands and knees, and vomited the vile water he had swallowed during his swim. "This day just keeps getting better and better," Han spoke aloud, still gagging.

"Hallo Mister," a tiny voice said from a short distance away. "Are you okay?"


Dengar was becoming angry. He could not believe a blind man was eluding him. The blasted smuggler had simply vanished, and Dengar was cursing under his breath. He should never have given Solo an entire half an hour head start. Ten minutes would have been adequate, and the trail would have been easy to follow. The hunter decided he hated the underworld of Coruscant. Perhaps Solo had fallen off a ledge and was already dead. If that were the case it was likely Dengar would never find the body. He would be out of his reward from the Hutts, and never have the enjoyment of torturing Solo and watching him die. The more he thought about that, the faster he walked. He simply had to find Solo.

Rounding a corner, Dengar found himself facing a dozen filth-covered Ugnaughts. Some were crouching down and tearing at what appeared to be a bloated corpse. Dengar's lamp blinded the ones looking directly at him, and they raised their arms to shield their light-sensitive eyes. Snarling, the Ugnaughts started to approach the intruder, and Dengar raised his blaster, firing at the nearest one. The Ugnaught instantly dropped dead, a large hole smoldering in his chest. For a second, his companions stared in shock at their deceased friend. Then, with an angry roar, the mob rushed the Hunter.

Dengar wildly fired off several more shots, turned and ran as fast as he could.


Leia and Luke were heading down yet another disgusting hallway, when they heard the sound of blaster fire. They exchanged a quick look before rushing in the direction of the noise. Running a corner, Leia collided with a large man, and went tumbling backwards. The man staggered slightly, then looked over his shoulder before attempting to continue running. Using the Force, Luke tripped the man, sending him crashing into the wall. Skywalker spun around, ignited his lightsaber and faced the oncoming mob. Luke didn't want to harm these beings, but he was prepared to defend himself and Leia. The maddened Ugnaughts didn't slow their rush, not even facing a lightsaber.

"Stop!" Luke yelled. He tried to use the Force to sway their attack, but the effort failed. When the nearest crazed being reached Luke, the young Jedi swung his saber down and across, cutting the creature in half. Yet still they came. Luke swung a second time, in the opposite direction, severing the head off the next one. The body dropped and the head bounced across the hall. A pale green saber ignited next to him, and he realized Leia was getting ready to help him. Leia's saber came down on the next Ugnaught. He staggered backwards before falling dead. The remaining beings slowed and stopped, suddenly realizing they could not reach their enemies. "Leave!" Luke ordered them in the unexpected lull.

Looking at each other with wide eyes, the Ugnaughts turned and ran away. Instantly Luke turned toward the fallen human, blocking the stranger's blaster shot at his unguarded back with his saber. Reaching out with the Force, Luke pulled the weapon from the stunned man's hand.

"Who are you?" the hunter asked in awe.

"My name is Luke Skywalker," the Jedi calmly replied. "And I am far more interested in who you are."


Han, still sitting on the floor, slowly turned toward the voice that had spoken. He wasn't at all sure his legs would support him. "Hello?" he responded. "Who are you?"

The silence went on so long that Han started to believe he had hallucinated the voice. "My name is Trella," the small voice finally answered.

"Trella," Han said. "That's a pretty name, Trella. My name's Han. How old are you?"

"Eight, I think."

A child. Han could scarcely believe a child was living down in this hellhole. "Do you have parents, Trella? A mom or a dad?" Han asked softly.

"I used to have a mommy, but they kilt her."

"Who killed her?" Han asked quietly, not wanting to frighten the child.

"Some peoples," she responded simply.

Han tried a different approach. "Have you always lived down here?"

"No, mister. My mommy and me used to live up where there was warm and sun. But her boss person got mad and dragged us down here."

"What kind of job did your mommy have?"

"I dun know," the child replied. "She would work at night. Lots of men comed over, but they only stayed a little while. Sometime they would hurt mommy."

Han felt as though his heart were breaking for this child. She was alone, yet somehow had survived living in the worst possible conditions. "I'm sorry about your mommy, Trella," Han spoke tenderly. "Have you been down here very long?"

"I dun know. A long whiles," she guessed. Han could understand why Trella wouldn't know. Time down here was meaningless. Nights were endless.

"I would like to help you, Trella," Han said to her. "But I can't see, so we might be able to help each other, do you think?"

"Why can't you see?" she asked, sounding perplexed.

"That's a long story, Trella," Han told her. "But if you help me, I'll try an' get you out of here. Would you like to see the sun again?"

"Yes!" she said happily.

"Do you know where to go up?" Han inquired, pointing above his head.

"Kinda, but mean peoples don't let anyones go up," she informed Han. "But I can take you to my safe place!"

Han smiled. "That would be nice, Trella. I'd really like to go to your safe place."


After removing any remaining weapons the man had hidden on his body, Luke looked down at his defiant captive. He knew this man had been the one who'd kidnapped Han. The man kept staring at Leia, and Luke was certain he recognized his sister. "What's your name?" Luke repeated his question.

The hunter stared sullenly at the Jedi. "My name is Dengar, and I am a bounty hunter."

Leia took a quick gasp. "Who hired you?"

"I ain't answering that!" Dengar shot back.

Luke ignited his lightsaber. He had no intention of actually using it on the man, but he wasn't above a little intimidation. Dengar's eyes grew wide and he drew away from the glowing rod. "Answer her question!" Luke commanded.

"Letti the Hutt, Jabba's nephew!" he spat at Luke. "Hutts don't like humans to get the better of 'em."

"Where is Han now?" Leia questioned, her eyes flashing with anger. Leia, Luke cautioned her through the Force. Anger is of the Dark Side! Leia took a deep breath and attempted to calm herself.

"I wish I knew!" Dengar snapped at the Princess. "I wanted to play a little game of chase, but the blind fool got away. I hope he fell off a high ledge and died...slowly."

Leia glared at the man, sincerely wishing that using the Force to choke him wasn't against the rules. Luke put his hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. "Can I at least hurt him, just a little?" Leia asked with a guilty smile.

"No," Luke replied with a grin of his own. "Afraid not." Luke turned toward the hunter. "Getting back to the upper regions with no weapon will be quite a feat, Dengar. I hope you're well trained in hand-to-hand combat. And if you do happen to survive, security personnel will be waiting for you."

"You're gonna leave me here, with no weapons?" he asked incredulously.

"You have your eyesight, Dengar," Leia snarled at him. "That's a lot more than Han has."

Both young humans set off, leaving the bounty hunter staring after them in shock.


Luke and Leia had gone a short ways down the twisting and turning halls, when Luke noticed his sister resting her hand on her abdomen, frowning in concern. Luke tried his best to be casual as he said, "Your babies are fine, don't worry."

Leia stopped short, her eyes wide with surprise. "How... how.." she stuttered.

Luke turned to his sister, smiling. "I've known for about a week now. Your babies are so strong in the Force, it was impossible for me not to feel them."

The Princess was stunned. She'd only known about her pregnancy for a little over a week herself. "I haven't even told Han yet." Tears formed in her eyes. "Now I may never get the chance."

"Han is alive, Leia," Luke reassured her. "We're going to find him, I promise. He's been hurt, but he is nowhere near dying."

"Hurt?" she asked fearfully.

"Leia, listen to me," Luke said. "He is fighting like a Bakuran tiger to stay alive. Think about that."

A slow smile spread over Leia's face. "He doesn't want to die," she said as comprehension dawned on her.

"I don't think he ever really did want to die. For a while there, he thought he had nothing to live for, until he realized how much he has left." Luke looked pointedly at his sister.

"I can't wait to tell Han about his babies," Leia said with renewed determination. "He has even more to live for now."

Luke put his arm around Leia as they continued their quest.


The child's small hand felt warm against Han's chilled fingers. He was shivering so hard it was difficult to keep his teeth from chattering, and his broken ribs throbbed in his chest. He followed her placidly through corridor after corridor, up and down crumbling stairways and across narrow chasms. They walked until his feet hurt and he felt as if he were on the verge of passing out. Finally they turned down a hall that felt warmer and far less odorous than any place Han had been in since his arrival. "This is my safe place," Trella whispered to Han. "All the others are scared to come here."

"Scared?" Han asked. "Why would they be scared?"

Trella lowered her voice further. "Ghosts."

Han almost laughed, but the last thing he wanted to do was to offend the child. Instead he just asked, "Why aren't you afraid of the ghosts?"

"They like me," she confided. "They keeps the bad peoples away." She dropped his hand and pulled with both hands on a heavy round latch. The steel door swung slowly open with a loud creak. "Come on, we have to get inside 'fore the bad peoples see us." She took his hand again and led the Corellian into a room. Han heard the door shut and click behind them, even though Trella was standing in front of him and nowhere near the door. Han suddenly felt nervous, annoyed with himself for feeling jittery over ghosts, which he emphatically did not believe in.

"What's this room?" Han asked her. It wasn't cold or damp. In fact, it felt rather comfortable. "Can you describe it to me?"

"I dun know what it is," she answered truthfully. "It's really big and has high walls, with lots of things stacked up the sides on high shelves."

"Things? What kind of things?"

"Square things," she replied. "They are all kinds of colors and sizes, and they're real pretty."

Han frowned, trying to think of what she might be describing. He suddenly felt dizzy from pain and exhaustion. "Trella, I need to sit down."

"Okay," she said easily and led him to a soft, if bit dusty, chair. Han sank down in the comfort of the chair, instantly falling asleep.


When Han woke a short while later, he was surprised to find he had been covered with a blanket. His clothes were still damp, but at least he was no longer cold. Listening carefully he heard a child's voice whispering.

"They won't hurt him, will they?" Trella asked. Han felt his body tense, waiting for the response. "They will help him go home?" she questioned. "I hopes so." Han became puzzled, since he couldn't hear anyone answering the child. Then Han understood - the child was "talking" to her ghost. It felt as though he were eavesdropping, so he stirred in the chair and coughed. Han heard her walking over to him. "Han, my friends would like to say hellos to you," she beamed.

Han carefully sat up. His side that had broken ribs felt like it was on fire. "All right," Han played along to keep the child happy. "Hello, ghosts. Nice to meet you." He gave a half-hearted wave.

A warm breeze stirred past him, and the burning pain in his ribs immediately eased. Han felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"The ghosts like you too, Han," she said to him, very pleased. "They says your friends are coming."


"He's close, Leia," Luke told his sister. "I can feel it." Luke shut his eyes and concentrated. He could sense Han, but what was strange to him were the other swirling Force presences he felt. When he tried to focus on them, they seemed to elude him. It was like trying to grasp a misty trail of fog.

Leia bit her bottom lip and watched her brother's face, noting his confusion. "What's the matter, Luke?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I'm getting such strange sensations. I can't make any sense out of them."

They came to the end of a tunnel that branched off in two directions, and stood still for a moment while Luke decided which direction to take. "This way," he indicated toward the left.

As they headed off, Leia asked, "If Han is hurt, how do you suppose he got this far? We've been walking for hours. I can't imagine doing this injured and sightless."

Luke shook his head. "I honestly don't know." Luke stopped dead in his tracks, nearly causing Leia to run into his back. "Down here," he pointed down a dark, narrow walkway. Leia squinted into the gloom and gave her brother a shrug. They headed into a hall that was so narrow their shoulders touched the sides.

"This place isn't as smelly as the other corridors," Leia commented. "I wonder why?"

The hallway widened and came to a dead-end at a solid, bare wall. "There isn't anything here, Luke," Leia said in disappointment.

"There has to be!" Luke exclaimed. "I feel it!" Luke put his hand on the wall and ran his hand down the sides while Leia frowned at her brother's odd behavior.

"Luke, there's nothing here," she repeated. Already, so much precious time had passed that Leia didn't want to waste a single minute on dead-ends.

Luke turned around to face his sister. "I can't explain what I feel, Leia. But I'm telling you, this is the place. It has to be!" He turned back to the wall and nearly jumped in surprise. A heavy durasteel door with an old fashioned handle had appeared, directly in the center of the wall where there had been nothing a second before. Luke turned back to Leia, wondering if she was seeing the same thing. The stunned look on her face told him she did.

"Where did that come from?" she whispered.

"I have no idea," Luke admitted. "But I'm going to assume it's an invitation to come inside."

Luke pulled the handle and the large door swung easily open. They stepped inside a quiet, still room. Several large chairs faced the opposite wall. Shelves were stacked high with dusty cube shaped objects. A movement caught their eye, and a man stood up from one of the chairs. "Han!" Leia shouted, and ran over to the man she loved, throwing her arms around his waist. "You're alive!" Leia could barely keep from sobbing in relief.

"Leia," Han whispered in happiness. "Sure took you long enough to find me!" When she tightened her arms around him, he gasped and clutched his ribs.

Leia quickly released him and sized up his condition. He was wet, cold, and covered with cuts and bruises. Not to mention filthy. "You smell like a cesspool," she informed him, unable to stop herself from teasing him.

"Very funny," Han groaned dramatically. "Here I get whacked over the head, bust up my ribs, almost get torn to shreds by a really big, nasty creature, practically drown in sewage, and all you can say is I smell like a cesspool."

Leia laughed and unable to stop herself threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, not caring what he smelled like, as long as he was safe.

Luke spoke up, "What is this room?"

"I don't really know. It's Trella's safe place. She brought me here. Trella?... Trella?"

"Han," Leia said gently. "There's no one else in this room."

"There has to be," he insisted. "Trella is the little girl who brought me here." Han turned around and called again, "Trella? These are my friends. You don't have to hide."

Luke put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Han, I'm really sorry, but there's no little girl in this room. I would sense her, even if she were hiding somewhere. I could sense that you were behind this door, but I never felt anyone else."

Han took a step back from Luke, frowning. "I'm not lying. She was here."

"I believe you, Han," Leia said soothingly, as she exchanged a worried look with her brother. It was very possible that Han was having hallucinations brought on by the blow to his head and his near drowning. She didn't want to upset him further by expressing her doubts about the little girl.

"No, you don't," Han argued. "You think I'm crazy."

"No one thinks you're crazy, Han," Luke said softly. "I believe someone or something brought you here, and for a reason."

Luke went over to a shelf while Leia insisted that Han sit back down, even as he continued to insist that Trella was real. The Jedi picked up a blue-green iridescent cube about five inches across, and turned it over in his hand, regarding it thoughtfully. Shaking his head in puzzlement, Luke placed the cube on a table. A light shot up from the cube and an image of a robed human female Jedi appeared. Luke stepped back in surprise and Leia stopped fussing over Han to stare at the holo-image. The image spoke, "Class, this is the history of Jedi Kinl Lezbroz, a Weequay from Coruscant. We begin his story when.."

Trembling, Luke picked the cube up and the image disappeared. Luke picked up a second cube and placed it on the table. This time it was no surprise when a second image of a long-ago Jedi appeared and began his lecture. He turned to his sister and said in an awe struck whisper, "I think we just figured out what this room holds. It's a hidden library, containing a personal history of all past Jedi."


Two days later

Han sat on the edge of the hospital bed pulling on his boots. He hadn't wavered in his belief that the little girl, Trella, was real and not a figment of his imagination. Still, he was reluctant to tell anyone else about his strange experience in the bowels of Coruscant. "Thanks a lot for telling Dr. Deckat about Trella. She only thought I was crazy before."

"Dr. Deckat doesn't think you're any crazier now than she did before," Leia replied, trying to keep from laughing.

"I still don't know why I had to stay here for two entire days. I didn't have anything wrong with me," he continued to grumble to Leia. "Unless this is the mental ward, and nobody told me."

"Honey," she said with a syrupy sweetness, "If I had confined you to a mental ward, you can be sure the walls would be well padded and the bed would come with straps."

"Are you planning on trying out for the New Republic Comedian of the Year?"

"No, I think you pretty much have that award sewn up, Han, " Leia answered smoothly. "As far as being locked up in this evil hospital, you had broken ribs, a mild concussion and plenty of cuts and scrapes," Leia answered his complaint while shaking her head in exasperation. "They needed to treat you with bacta to prevent infection from all those cute little germs and bacteria that got into your system when you decided to swim in a sewer."

"Hey!" Han objected. "Swimming in a sewer wasn't my idea. You should try swallowing that stuff."

"No, thanks," Leia said with a laugh. Just the idea nearly made her gag. "I'll pass on that, since I'm nauseated enough lately." She regretted the words immediately, putting her hand over her mouth - that was not how she had intended to tell him the news. She'd decided to tell him about her pregnancy over a nice quiet dinner this evening. Leia hoped Han wouldn't pick up on her slip, but no such luck.

"What?" Han asked, frowning in concern. "Why are you nauseated? Are you sick?"

"I'm not sick, nerfherder," she answered gently. "Many women get nauseated in the first trimester." Leia watched his reaction with trepidation. The fact he was still adjusting to his blindness was the main reason for her delay in telling him about her pregnancy. Becoming a father would be still another huge adjustment for him, and frankly, Leia was afraid all the changes happening in his life would simply overwhelm him.

"Tri..trimester?" Han stumbled over the word. "You're going to have a baby?"

Leia stepped in front of Han and put her palm against the side of his face. Her hands were trembling in anticipation of his reaction. "Babies," she corrected him. "We are going to have twins, darling."

Han threw back his head and gave a very loud, very happy Corellian war-whoop. Leia felt an enormous burden lift from her spirit when she saw he was thrilled with her pregnancy. Then he sobered, and frowned. "I always thought children should have married parents, Leia. I guess it's 'cuz I never had parents growing up."

"Are you proposing to me, Solo?"

Han swallowed a lump in his throat. "I want nothin' more than to ask you to marry me. But you deserve better than me, Princess. What can I offer you? I'm a blind ex-smug..."

Leia interrupted his protest with a lingering kiss. When she drew back she asked him, "Do you love me?"

"Leia," he answered sincerely, "If someone offered to restore my sight, but the price I had to pay was losing you, I would tell them to go space themselves out of an airlock in half a heartbeat."

Leia felt a rush of tender emotion sweep over her at his ineloquent but heartfelt expression of love. "Then you're offering me the only thing I want from you, Han," she whispered against his lips. "The answer is 'yes.'"


Arriving back at the apartment, Han was immediately enveloped by a pair of strong, hairy arms. "Chewie," he tried to mumble into the Wookiee's fur. "When did you get back?"

*Just a few hours ago, cub,* Chewbacca barked in joy. *I can't go away for even a little while and you get yourself into trouble! *

"Hey!" he managed to protest as he took a step back from his friend, "It's not my fault!" Everyone in the room burst in laughter, much to Han's chagrin.

"Lando? Luke?" Han asked. "You here too?"

"Yes, I am, Han," Lando answered. "I figured you'd want a report on our smuggler contacts."

"That sounds fine, but first Leia an' me need to make an announcement," Han stated happily. "You want to tell 'em sweetheart?"

Leia put her arm around Han's waist and led him over to where Luke was standing. She wrapped her other arm around Luke, thinking, This reminds me so much of how we stood together on Yavin, after the Death Star was destroyed. So much has changed since then, it doesn't seem possible.

"We're engaged," she proclaimed with a joyful smile. Leia was quickly caught up between Luke and Lando as they hugged and kissed her.

"Congratulations, sister!" Luke shouted in glee, slapping Han on the back. "I figured I might have to give Han a scare with my lightsaber to convince him to do the right thing!"

"Kid, I always do the right thing." Han shook his finger in Luke's direction before amending, "Eventually."

Lando stood back for a moment, puzzled. "The 'right thing?' Am I missing something?"

"I'm pregnant, Lando," Leia answered. She didn't think it was necessary to keep this news a secret, now that Han knew. Besides, she didn't want to keep it a secret - she wanted to shout it from the rooftops. "With twins," she added with a grin.

Chewie let out another huge roar, and caught Leia up in an embrace, spinning her around. Lando just chuckled and said, "I guess this is double congratulations, then. Twins, huh?" he addressed Han, "You think you can handle twins?"

"After the other day, I'm thinkin' I can handle anything," Han said with a grin as Lando grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously.

After a few more moments of celebration, Luke suggested they all have a seat in the living area. Once seated in the comfortable and spacious sitting room, Lando cleared his throat and began his report. "Chewie and I convinced two smugglers to meet with you, Han," he said unhappily. "I'm sorry we didn't have better success."

"Two is better than none," Luke answered. "How many did you contact?"

Lando sighed. "Almost forty."

"Which two?" Han asked.

"Talon Karrde, and Salla Zend," Lando replied, carefully watching Han's reaction.

"Salla!" Han shouted in disbelief. He started to stand, but Leia put a hand on his arm and restrained him. Han sank back down in the soft cushions and scowled in Lando's direction. "Why in all hells did you even contact her? I could kill you sometimes, Calrissian."

"Who is this Salla Zend?" Leia asked curiously. A simple observation of Han's reaction told her she might not like the answer.

Han's face flushed and he didn't supply Leia with an answer, forcing Lando to answer the Princess. "She's an old girlfriend of Han's." Chewie added a prolonged woofing explanation, which Han stubbornly refused to translate. Lando only mouthed the word 'later' to Leia.

Leia rolled her eyes. "I suppose meeting old girlfriends is something I'd better get used to, right nerfherder?"

"She hates me," Han groused. "There's no way she's gonna switch over. This is some sorta female revenge thing."

"What about Talon Karrde?" Luke asked, deciding to try and move away from the subject of old girlfriends.

"I don't know Karrde that well," Han admitted. "But he's a long-time smuggler, and well-respected among other smugglers. If he switches, it could convince others to try it."

"When can you set up meetings with these people, Lando?" Luke questioned the gambler.

"Whenever it's convenient," Lando replied. "I have their private contact signals."

"Let's wait until after the wedding," Leia suggested. "Things are going to get very busy, and I want to go along with you on these contacts. Well, one especially."

Han gave a snort. "I can't imagine which one."

"I'll bet you can't, dear," she shot back smoothly and patted his hand. Han just sighed and shook his head. He didn't even try to argue.


The Wedding

Six weeks later.

Luke escorted his sister down the aisle of the Great Hall of Coruscant, as guests stood on both sides of the ornate, pillared room. Leia was radiant, dressed in a shimmering ivory gown that sparkled with crystal beads. Han stood at the front of the room, looking handsome dressed in uncomfortable, but extremely nice, formal wear. A groomed and gleaming Chewbacca stood by his side.

Before starting her walk, Luke had kissed his sister and told her how beautiful she looked. Leia blinked back tears. "I wish Han could see me, if only for today." Halfway down the aisle, Luke concentrated. Using the Force, he projected an image of Leia into Han's mind. At the front of the room, Han tensed for a moment, then broke into a huge grin.

"Luke," Leia whispered. "What did you just do to Han?"

"I sent an image of what you look like, right now in your wedding gown, into his head," Luke admitted under his breath.

Leia smiled. "Do you think you can teach me that trick? Someday I'd like to show him our children."

"I'd love to teach you," Luke whispered back.

Arriving at the front platform, Chewie gently guided his friend and partner to the Princess's side. Then Luke and Chewie stepped back. The couple held hands and knelt to take their vows. Luke could feel the joy and love radiating from them. Life would never be easy for his sister and brother-in-law, but they would always have each other to lean on for strength and support. Life was so much more than just surviving - life was about living. He was certain that Han and Leia would give new definition to the word life.


Letti the Hutt watched the Holo-newscast of the wedding of Princess Leia Organa and Han Solo with disgust. The bounty hunter Dengar had failed him, and disappeared without a trace. This was cause of great annoyance to the Hutt, since Dengar had come so highly recommended. The Hutt sighed. He had made such careful preparations in anticipation of 'entertaining' Han Solo.

Suddenly Letti began to chuckle, then his chuckles became great, deep laughs. After all, he was a Hutt. He had nothing but time, money, and a galaxy of bounty hunters waiting to replace Dengar.