Yay! The next chapter of Destiny's Pawn is here! Thanks to everyone who is following this story! I appreciate it! :) This one is doing better than the previous fanfic, so thank you all!

By the way, sorry in advance for all the time jumps, but there wouldn't be much happening if I didn't include them! Hope they don't throw you off too much! :P

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I only wish I did. However, I do own my OC(s), so please don't' steal them.

Chapter 4: The Attack

Morning came quickly and Serena woke with her head resting on her brother's shoulder. She didn't remember what happened after she broke down and Han comforted her. She must've passed out after. The girl shook her head, inwardly scolding herself for losing it on Han like that. She knew he wasn't comfortable with tears, and always tried to spare him that. Still, she couldn't deny she felt a lot better after crying—almost like there was a weight lifted from her shoulders.

However, that peaceful feeling immediately was crushed as she glanced down to Luke. He was doing a lot better compared to when they found him lying unconscious in the snow, but from what she could tell, it didn't look like he had woken up yet, either. Seeing him like that bothered Serena. Luke had always been strong and brave. He never got himself into situations like this, because he was always smart about how he planned his missions. And to think, this wasn't even his required patrol, so if he declined it, he wouldn't be in this mess. She should have insisted he stayed with her. He might have been angry with her, but it was better than seeing him like this—sick and freezing, while Serena and Han had no idea if he was actually alright.

She placed her hand on Luke's forehead. He was feverish, but he felt much less hot than he had last night. He was no longer mumbling to himself about 'Dagobah' or 'Ben'.

Come on, farm boy. I know you're tough. Just hold on a little longer. Leia'll send patrols out soon. She thought desperately. She knew it would only be a matter of time until some Rebel contacted Han on his communicator.

At the thought of Han, Serena heard her brother start to wake up. The smuggler looked around groggily, before instantly becoming aware of their situation. He moved over to Serena and asked, "How's the kid doin'?"

"Better, but only barely. We need to get him back to the base."

"You're tellin' me."

Neither of the Solo's mentioned what happened last night, content to leave it unsaid. Serena was relieved, though not surprised, that Han decided to just pretend it didn't happen. She was somehow alright with that, knowing her brother meant no offense by it. It was just his way.

"Do we have any more blankets in the kit?" She asked after a moment's pause.

"No. I made sure to give the kid all of 'em. That's all we got." As he spoke, Han glanced at his sister in concern. She had dark circles under her eyes, showing her concern and exhaustion. He hoped she would at least try to relax while the waited. They couldn't do anything more for Luke at the moment, "Sis, take a break. The kid'll be fine. Lie next to him if you wanna help keep him warm."

Serena attempted to smile at her brother's last comment, and she did manage a small one, but it faded quickly. She listened to Han and actually rested her head next to Luke's, hoping her body heat would keep him warmer. This was what she had planned to do last night, but instead she'd passed out on her brother's shoulder.

The Solo's were silent as they waited for help to arrive.

It had been a few hours. His sister had dozed off next to the kid and Han was left alone. He had to stay awake to listen for any attempts made by Rebel scouts to contact them. Han was cold and getting more exhausted by the minute—the cold temperatures were draining his energy quickly, even while he was in their makeshift shelter.

Just then, he heard a voice, "This is Rogue Two, this is Rogue Two. Captain Solo, do you copy? Lieutenant Solo, do you copy? Commander Skywalker, do you copy? This is Rogue Two—"

It sounded like the pilot had been saying this for awhile, and Han wasted no time in responding, with his usual snarky attitude, "Good mornin'. Nice of you guys to drop by."

He could hear the smile in the man's voice as he said, "Echo Base…this is Rogue Two. I found them. Repeat, I found them!"

Han rushed over to Serena, quickly shaking her awake. She groaned and pushed his hands off of her arm. The smuggler sighed and spoke, hoping that would get her to move, "Come on, sis. They found us! We gotta get ready to move!"

This woke her up, and she quickly jumped out from under the covers. She ran out of their shelter with Han only to be hit with the freezing temperatures of Hoth, though she had to admit it wasn't as cold as it had been earlier.

They only had to wait for a few moments before they caught sight of the snowspeeder rapidly making its way towards them. Han waved to get the pilot's attention and the man quickly made his way over, hopping out the second it was safe for him to.

"Where's Commander Skywalker?" The pilot, now recognized as the Rogue pilot Zev, questioned frantically.

"Here, follow me!" Serena rushed over inside their shelter and showed Zev where Luke was. Zev instantly lost his excitement at finding the three of them and she saw he grew concerned about his Commander's well-being.

"Quick. Captain Solo, help me carry Commander Skywalker to the snowspeeder."

Han obliged, and together they carried Luke into the snowspeeder, making sure he was comfortable. Serena climbed in next, sitting next to Luke, and Han after her, squeezing himself in last. Zev jumped into the pilot's seat and quickly started up the speeder, heading back to the base as quickly as he could, "Do you know what happened to the commander?"

Han sighed, looking frustrated, "No. We just found him lyin' in the snow. It looks like somethin' attacked him." The smuggler guessed, glancing at the scratches on the kid's face.

"Well, we'll get him back safely." After that last comment, Zev immediately contacted the Base, informing them that Luke would need immediate medical attention when they returned.

"I hope so." Serena added, grabbing Luke's hand and squeezing it gently, hoping to reassure him, even though she knew he wouldn't be able to feel it.

When the speeder finally landed, it was swarmed with Rebel doctors who gave Serena and Han no time to think or react to their presence. They immediately grabbed Luke and carried him off to be placed in a bacta tank. Serena was grateful that they were so serious about helping him. Once Luke was in the bacta, it would hopefully help him recover fully.

She began moving to follow the doctors, but Han placed a Han on her shoulder, gently stopping her.

"What are you doing?" She angrily questioned, turning to look her older brother in the eyes.

"Sis, I know you're worried about the kid—I am too—but he'll be out for a few hours, so we should take the time to recover a little."

She relaxed. Han was right, and even though she wanted to wait for Luke to recover, she'd just be spending hours worrying and not doing anything productive. Serena sighed, and nodded, not saying anything. The extent of her exhaustion hit her and she just wanted to rest her head somewhere warm. The hostile Hoth conditions had drained the Solo's of energy, but just as they were about to recover, they heard Leia's voice calling out to them, "I'm so glad to see you're both alright! Where's Luke? I heard on the transmission that he needed medical attention."

"They took him to prep for placement in a bacta tank. I think he'll be alright." Han responded, while Leia hugged the both of them. Chewie, finally making his presence known, grabbed both the smugglers in a hug, crushing them to him.

Serena hugged Chewie back, even though his grip was a little too strong, "We're okay, Chewie."

"Yeah, furball, we're alright. Now put me down." Han retorted, though he had a smirk on his face.

The wookiee obliged after a moment longer. Suddenly, he looked at the Solo's with a stern expression in his stance, "Do not ever leave without me again."

Serena smiled, "Wouldn't dream of it, Chewie."

Leia smiled, as well, more relieved than she'd been all night. Unlike Serena and Han, she and Chewbacca hadn't slept at all last night. They were both too worried to sleep. Leia just remained by the consol, hoping she would hear from one of them. She hadn't been the one to make contact, but she still felt elated when Zev sent word back that he found them and they were all safe and alive.

Serena noticed the dark circles under Leia's eyes, and that she just looked exhausted. She didn't really seem to be worried about herself very much, but it looked like the Princess hadn't slept much last night. Not that Serena could blame her. She wouldn't be able to sleep either if she'd been in Leia's place.

"Leia, you look exhausted." She said with concern.

Han glanced at Chewbacca. He didn't seem to have much energy, as well, "Same with you, fur ball. Come on, let's get some sleep."

Leia shook her head, "No, I can't sleep now. I have to help run the Rebellion, and I want to be here when Luke wakes up."

"Leia, it'll take a few hours for Luke to wake up, at least. We all need sleep, but you and Chewie need it the most. Take some time off. I don't think they'll mind."

Leia looked like the wanted to argue, but she kept her mouth shut. In all honesty, she was exhausted and knew sleep would help her recover. She finally sighed but followed Serena towards their rooms. Both girls fell asleep instantly.

Approximately four hours later, Serena was woken up by Leia who was shouting something about, "He's awake!" It took Serena a moment to register the information. Who's awake? What happened exactly?

Leia rolled her eyes. Serena was still disoriented a bit, so Leia grabbed her arm and lifted her up from the bed, "Luke's awake! Come on!"

Serena's eyes suddenly opened, her tiredness fading when she finally realized what was happening. Her smile came instantly, "What are we waiting for? Let's move!"

The two Rebels ran through the halls quickly, not stopping for anything. They'd almost run into a few people on their way, but that didn't slow them down. It didn't take them long to find the recovery room, and slip inside.

They were welcomed by a tired-looking Luke and a smug Han.

"Well, your Worship, looks like you managed to keep me around for a little while longer."

Leia looked at him haughtily, not amused by his smug attitude, "I had nothing to do with it. General Rieekan thinks it's dangerous—"

Serena tuned them out, focused on the very much alive Rebel Commander in front of her. She smiled and ran up to him, wrapping her arms around him, "I was so worried."

He was startled by the hug, but returned it easily, "I'm alright."

She backed away to look him in the eyes, "Don't do that again." She just held him for a few moments, relieved beyond words that he was alright.

Luke was ready to respond when he heard Han respond to Leia, totally ignoring the couple, "That's a good story. I think you just can't bear to let a gorgeous guy like me out of your sight."

Serena and Luke glanced at each other, rolling their eyes. Here they go again.

"I don't know where you get your delusions, laser brain." Leia crossed her arms.

Chewie was amused by Leia's comment, and snorted a bit. Han turned at his best friend in slight irritation, but his smugness returned quickly, "You didn't see us along in the South Passage."

Serena and Luke were listening with interest, wondering where Han was going with this. Neither of them had been present for that argument, and were interested in what he was about to say.

Han put his arm around Leia, still looking a smug as ever, "She expressed her true feelings about me."

Serena laughed, "Right." She said skeptically. They're both to stubborn to admit their feelings that easily.

Leia wasn't so amused. In fact, she stuttered a bit, unsure of what to say, "Why you half-witted…scruffy-looking, nerf-herder!"

Han pretended to be offended, though he seemed to be enjoying himself, "Who's scruffy lookin'?" He addressed Luke, who seemed slightly amused by the exchange, "I must've hit her pretty close to the mark to get her all riled up like that."

Leia looked at Han for a moment differently than she usually did. Her irritation faded somewhat, as if she was considering what he said. However, that reaction only lasted for a moment before she glared, glanced at Luke for a moment, shook her head and stormed off, shouting, "I hope you feel better Luke!"

The remaining friends just glanced at each other in shock, except for Han, who looked frustrated, "She's so—"

"Cute when she's angry?" Serena couldn't help but cut in, and she saw Luke crack a small smile at the comment, while Chewie just snorted again.

Han glared at her, "Not funny, sis."

There might have been more conversation if the alarms hadn't suddenly gone off, causing all of them to jump.

Han and Chewie quickly jumped into action. Before leaving, Han spoke to Luke one more time, "Take it easy, kid!"

"Wait a second!" Serena called as they left the room, leaving her and Luke alone for a moment. She looked at him sadly, "I really want to stay, but I should see what's going on. Leia might need help and—"

"It's okay, Serena. Be careful." He ordered very seriously.

She leaned in and kissed him, quickly but forcefully, "You too."

She left the room, and with one last glance at Luke, Serena found herself racing back to the control room, hoping to catch up to her brother and Chewie, and find Leia to help her out.

The Lieutenant found them all in the control room, looking nervous as they spoke with General Rieekan. She rushed over to the group, and though she missed a portion of the conversation, listened to what the General had to say.

"Send Rogues Ten and Eleven to station three-eight."

"What's going on?" She cut in, before they would all disperse.

"We've picked up something outside the base. It could be a threat."

Serena frowned, "How did they find us?"

"We've gotten too comfortable here. Clearly, we should've left a long time ago. I think it's time to leave this base." The General ordered. Serena couldn't help but agree. She wasn't a huge fan of this planet, and the idea of moving seemed like a good one. Hopefully, the Rebels picked a warmer location this time.

Han and Chewie both decided to leave and check out the signal. Before they left, Han turned to Serena, "Sis, be careful."

"You too, big brother. Chewie, don't let him do anything stupid."

The wookiee nodded, laughing as only a wookiee could.

"You be careful too, big guy."

With that, the two best friends walked off together to prepare to investigate the disruption outside the base.

Threepio and Artoo were also in the room, attempting to translate the transmission. The fact that neither of the droids were able to understand what was being said indicated that the transmission was not Alliance. Serena swore softly. This was a terrible time for the Imperials to find them. They weren't even prepared to retreat.

"Captain Solo and Chewbacca are out there right now. We'll just have to wait and hope we're wrong." Leia informed the General and Serena, who were both standing behind her praying that whatever was out there wasn't an Imperial.

The long moment the three had to wait was suddenly cut short when they heard Han speak, "Afraid there's not much left."

"What was it?" Leia responded, already knowing it wasn't going to be good.

"Droid of some kind. I didn't hit it that hard. It must've had a self-destruct."

Leia's eyes widened, obviously knowing what kind of droid Han was talking about, "An Imperial probe droid."

"It's a good bet the Empire knows we're here."

"We'd better start the evacuation." Rieekan responded, instantly running over to the terminal and setting the evacuation alarms. Every Rebel was taught to recognize that this alarm meant to retreat, and Serena could hear the sudden commotion as the Rebels prepared their ships and gathered their supplies.

The Empire had already started to attack them. Serena couldn't help but be impressed by their efficiency, even though they were her enemy.

Serena glanced at the holo camera placed near one of the entrances to the base. Her eyes widened, and she could feel the adrenaline pumping when she announced, "There's stormtroopers lined up at this entrance! They're already breaking in!"

Han was frantically attempting to repair the Falcon. This was a hell of a time for the Imperials to attack. He and Chewie were skilled with repairs, but even they didn't know if they'd be able to finish before the Imperials entered the base.

"Damn it!" Han shouted in frustration as he struggled to fix a broken wire on top of the Falcon, "Look, Chewie. We're not gonna be able to fix everything but let's see if she'll work."

Chewie growled in affirmation and moved in the ship. They both turned on their com-links and Han spoke to the wookiee, "You ready?"

Chewie growled, "Yes."

"Okay, that's it. Try it…" His excitement quickly faded as the Millennium Falcon began smoking and a minor explosion shook the ship, "Off! Turn it off! Turn it off!" He panicked. If something happened to his ship, Han would be seriously angry. He wouldn't leave the Falcon here for the Imperials to confiscate. He wouldn't.

"The right lifter's busted! We gotta fix that! Get outta there, Chewie, and help me out!"

The wookiee grumbled, knowing Han would only get more agitated the longer he had to repair his ship. Chewie climbed out, and saw Luke making his way towards them. The Commander looked a bit nervous as he made his way over to the smugglers.

Chewbacca looked at Luke questioningly, knowing Luke was coming over to say something important, possibly to wish them a safe trip.

As Luke neared the wookiee, he glanced up at Han, who had grabbed a repair droid and was shouting at it needlessly to fix his ship. The former farm boy smiled at Han, knowing the smuggler well enough to know that anything that got in the way of him and his ship would pay.

He returned his attention to Chewbacca, the wookiee looking questioningly at him. He smiled softly, "Chewie, take care of yourself, okay?"

The wookiee grunted, looking a bit upset. Still, that wasn't what caught Luke by surprise. He was suddenly grabbed in a fierce bear-hug, the wookiee squeezing him tightly. Luke returned the hug, knowing he would miss the wookiee when they were gone.

He returned his attention to Han, who just noticed Luke's presence, "Hi kid." Suddenly, the repair droid seemed to anger the smuggler severely, "There's gotta be a reason for it! Check it at the other end! Wait a second," He noticed Luke's somewhat nervous posture, "You all right?"

"Yeah."

"Be careful." The smuggler ordered, looking at Luke seriously. Han was very perceptive, and knew what Luke was planning to do.

"You too." He smiled at the smuggler. He would miss Han's snarky attitude and smart comments. He really was a good friend when you got past his rough exterior. He wished the best for the both of them.

As Luke was walking off, he suddenly stopped and turned around, "Make sure to tell Serena goodbye."

Han smirked, "'Course I will, kid. Now quit worryin' about us and get movin'."

Luke nodded and smiled at the smuggler one last time before heading into his snowspeeder, ready to hold off the Imperials until the others could escape.

Sooo, I know this chapter was a little slow, but it had to be written, and it was getting kind of long (8 full pages on Word!) so I figured I should cut the next part for the next chapter, which I hope will be much better! :)

If you enjoyed it, why not leave a review? They help a lot! Thanks for reading! :)