Hello everyone! I am so so so sorry for the ridiciously long wait! I haven't really had much spare time with college and work, but I'll definitely try not to make you all wait so long again! I hope I haven't lost too many of you!
Don't worry—this story will still be written. There just may be longer breaks than before for a while. I hope you all enjoy this chapter regardless! Thanks for reading! J
To make up for the super long delay, I made this chapter longer than normal. ;)
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. Just my OC('s)
Chapter 11: A Turning Point
Serena remembered hearing blaster fire and Chewbacca's angry roar, and then someone grabbing her arm and dragging her away from the center of the landing platform. She barely registered what she was doing when she ducked out of cover to shoot down a few of the stormtroopers. Leia had the same single-minded focus as Serena, as the two girls vented their grief on the many stormtroopers who attempted to stop them. She didn't even notice as Lando made a break for the elevator, frantically attempting to get the doors open in time for the rest of the Rebels to escape.
While the Rebels were a formidable group, there were too many stormtroopers for them to take out. Fortunately, Lando was able to get the elevator running quickly, and motioned for the others to run. They all made a break for it, still firing with deadly accuracy.
Somewhere, in a darker part of Serena's subconscious, she was enjoying the fight. They deserved it for what they allowed to happen to her brother. A small part of her relished watching the stormtroopers fall one by one. As the made it to the elevator, and the doors closed behind her, however, she seemed to snap out of her murderous daze, and simply felt nothing. She was exhausted—both physically and emotionally.
Leia turned to glance at Serena, and in the princess's eyes, Serena knew she felt exactly the same, but Leia seemed so in control. Serena summoned the rest of her strength, inspired by Leia, and the group continued forward, no one—not even Threepio— daring to break the tense silence.
Xxx
They continued the same routine—Lando unlocked the doors, while Leia, Chewbacca, and Serena would fire at the Imperials pursing them. They were almost to the Falcon when they heard Lando curse and smack the console, "The security codes have been changed!"
"Artoo, you can tell the computer to override the security system!" Threepio ordered the small droid.
Artoo rolled to the console quickly, and began hacking into the security system. The stormtroopers continued firing at the fleeing Rebels, and Serena knew they would evnetually be trapped if Artoo didn't get that door open quickly.
Lando, meanwhile, didn't join in the combat. He instead moved to the intercom to issue a warning to the remaining residents of Cloud City, "Attention! This is Lando Calrissian. The Empire has taken control of the city. I advise everyone to leave before more Imperial troops arrive."
Just as he finished his message, Artoo let out a victorious whistle and the door opened quickly. However, it must have had some kind of security system, as Artoo sparked as he was shocked by the computer. His head spun and smoke began rising from his head.
"You alright Artoo?" Serena questioned.
The little droid let of a pained squeal, which let her know he was mostly alright.
Chewie dragged Artoo behind them while the little droid recovered, and the others followed Lando through the now opened door. It didn't take long for Artoo to recover, and he vocally announced it to Threepio, who the little droid was beeping at angrily.
"Don't blame me. I'm an interpreter. I'm not supposed to know a power socket from a computer terminal." Threepio shouted back, ignoring the angry beeps still being directed his way.
All around them, they saw panicked Cloud City residents attempting to flee the city. Some were carrying boxes, others nothing as they ran or fought against the stormtroopers. A few were seen hiding, hoping they would be able to sneak away when the fighting stopped. Serena hoped that Lando's warning was enough for them, but she knew not all of them would escape. She couln't help but feel a little guilty, as she knew another reason Lando warned them was to slow down the stormtroopers pursing their group.
At least now they had a good chance of escaping the planet. As they ran and occasionally turned and fired back at the Imperials, they were once again blocked by a locked door. Artoo didn't hesitate, and immediately began hacking into the system, while beeping something to Threepio.
"What are you talking about? We're not interested in the hyperdrive on the Millennium Falcon! It's fixed! Just open the door, you stupid lump."
They were forced to hide behind the next corridor while Artoo worked, but sure enough, the droid managed to get the door open fairly quickly.
"I never doubted you for a second. Wonderful!" Threepio rejoiced, as the door opened. Artoo whirred quietly, no doubt insulting the golden droid subtly. Fortunately, Threepio didn't hear.
With that, Artoo released a fog that hid them from the stormtroopers slight briefly, allowing them to run through the door without the need to worry about being hit.
There is was. Han's ship. She felt that familiar lump in her throat as the thought about Han once again. However, she couldn't afford to be distracted. The group raced to the ship as the stormtroopers finally made it past Artoo's fog, and began firing once again. Lando and Leia turned back when they were near the entrance, holding off the stormtroopers while the others ran inside. Chewbacca entered the ship and immediately dashed for the cockpit, dropping Threepio, much to the droid's complaint. Serena ran in after him for the gun turrets, wondering if it would be possible to shoot at the stormtroopers who followed them in the docking bay.
She distantly heard Lando and Leia run in, but by that time she was already climbing up to the turrets. The last time she'd used one of these was when they were escaping the Death Star three years ago. Luke and Han had both been with her then. She immediately stopped that train of thought, knowing it would only upset her if she continued thinking like that.
Serena powered up the turret and pointed it at the stormtroopers, firing without mercy and taking down many of them. They began backing off as she did so, considering they had no real way to fight back. Lando and Chewie managed to get the Falcon up in the air, and flew away from the docking bay, and escaped Cloud City.
She slumped back in her seat as she saw the docking bay getting smaller and smaller. Unable to move, she simply stared blankly as the ship flew away. Numb, she climbed out of her seat and down to the center of the Falcon, where she saw Leia and a complaining Threepio being fixed by Artoo. She walked over to Leia and stood beside her friend. Leia looked at her, looking just as Serena did—numb, confused, desperate. And Serena sat by her friend, letting her know she felt exactly the same by hugging her. Leia returned the hug, shaking slightly as if she were holding back sobs.
"Thanks." Leia said, turning away and sniffing slightly.
Serena nodded, noticing her own eyes were filling with tears, "I know how you feel." Her voice cracked at the end of her last statement, and she looked away. Somehow, she was unable to cry at the moment, even though she wanted to.
They both sat in silence then, just taking comfort in the fact that they were not alone in their pain. The ship was silent, aside from Artoo whirring occasionally and Threepio complaining as the little droid attempted to put him back together.
Serena couldn't hear Lando and Chewie. The two must have been focused on getting them away from Cloud City as quickly as possible.
"Leia…"
Leia and Serena both jumped, glancing at eachother in confusion.
"That sounded like—"
"Luke." Leia finished, glancing around, "But where—"
"Serena…" Luke called out again.
"He's not here." She almost whispered, "I don't know how we're hearing him, but…"
"You're right." Leia nodded, "We have to help him!"
Without waiting for another word for Serena, Leia ran to the cockpit. Serena wasted no time and followed her friend, anxious to find help for Luke. She was not going to lose anyone else today.
"Turn around!" Leia shouted as the door to the cockpit slid open, with Serena right behind her. Lando and Chewbacca looked back, giving the two girls identical looks of confusion.
"I think we're fine where we are." Lando replied, still looking at the two strangely.
"We have to go back! Luke's in danger!" Serena argued, desperate for Lando to agree.
"Even if we do go back, what are the chances that we'll find him before the Empire does?" Lando argued, clearly not eager to return after he betrayed the Empire.
"I think I know where he is." Serena explained, "Leia does too. Don't ask how. Please just listen."
Lando shook his head, "I can't believe I'm doing this." He turned to Chewie, "Let's head back."
The wookiee roared in agreement, and he began pushing buttons, while Lando turned the ship around, heading back to Cloud City.
"Where do you think he is?" He asked, as they moved closer to the city. Serena could almost feel where Luke was, and she could see Leia glancing in the same direction, "Fly under the city."
Lando followed her instructions, though he looked doubtful that Luke would be there. Serena didn't really care what Lando thought, as long as he listened. Even though he seemed sincere about redeeming himself, she didn't know if she'd ever feel comfortable around him after his betrayal. It cost her brother his freedom.
The Millennium Falcon soared under Cloud City, somehow not attracting the attention of any Imperial ships. The Rebels all searched for Luke, not sure where they were expecting him to be. Lando seemed skeptical that they would find him, but Serena could feel that he was still alive, but he seemed to be in pain. She hoped they would make it to him in time.
After what seemed like a lifetime, they finally spotted a small figure struggling to hold on to a beam. Immediately, she knew that figure was Luke, "Hurry, Lando." She ordered, and Lando didn't hesitate, flying below Luke.
"Chewie, keep us here. I'll go get him!" Lando ordered, quickly getting up and running to the location of the hatch on the top of the Falcon.
Serena followed closely, catching up in time to see him rise up to the top of the Falcon. She continued watching until Lando was out of sight. However, he wasn't gone for long, as the hatch lowered and she saw him supporting a weakened Luke, as Lando struggled to keep Luke from falling over.
She and Leia were immediately at Luke's side, taking Luke from Lando and hugging him tightly. Luke gripped them tightly, as if holding onto a lifeline. Serena heard Chewie bark out with relief that Luke was alive.
"You've got to lie down, farm boy. You look terrible." She attempted to joke, but it fell flat, and they all forced a laugh.
As they placed Luke on the cot, Serena examined him for any serious injuries. He was exhausted, a sheen of sweat covering his face. She dabbed away the sweat, hoping to make him feel more comfortable, when she finally noticed what was bothering him.
"Leia," She froze, staring in horror, "His hand."
The Princess made her way over and her eyes widened when she noticed the stub of where his hand used to be. Leia closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. Serena could see just how exhausted Leia really was then, but, as quickly as it came, Leia stood tall once again, and with a determined look upon her face said, "We have to get him back to the Rebel fleet. They'll be able to help him."
Serena could only nod mutely, resting her hand on Luke's arm in an attempt to comfort him. There was a moment of silence as the two girls simply watched Luke as he attempted to rest, though he was still clutching his burnt hand to his chest.
She felt a familiar rush of anger as she thought of Vader slicing off Luke's hand, and guilt for knowing that Luke only came to Cloud City to rescue them. She attempted to comfort him by resting her hand on his chest, letting him know she was there for him.
Unable to see Leia's reaction, Serena didn't realize how uncomfortable Leia seemed to be. The princess was thinking about Han, and suddenly felt like she was intruding.
However, before Leia could find an excuse to leave, they heard a loud crash, and the Falcon veered to the right, almost knocking both of the girls over. They looked at each other in concern, but before Serena could say anything, Leia spoke.
"Stay here with Luke and make sure he's alright. I'm going to go see what's happening!"
Serena attempted to find something to hold on to in case another blast shook the Falcon again. She knew Vader must have been able to catch up to them somehow. Feeling her heart beginning to race, she attempted to both keep herself calm, and also calm down Luke, who was sweating and mumbling something under his breath.
The ship shook again, but this time Serena was prepared, gripping the cot and holding herself steady. She was about to return to comforting Luke when she could hear a voice, quietly muttering something.
She thought she'd just imagined it, but then it returned, much louder and insistent, "Luke…"
Vader. Her eyes widened when she realized who was speaking. But how?
It must have been a product of her over-stressed mind. Still, she'd hadn't imagined Luke's voice calling for help earlier, and couldn't help but wonder if she was imagining this voice as well.
Suddenly, Luke looked out of the small window near his cot, clearly looking at something, and muttered, "Father..."
The horrible revelation caused Serena to stumble back into the wall. She leaned against it for support, hardly believing what she'd just heard.
Luke's father...He's Luke's father...No...He can't be -
It wasn't possible. How could someone like Luke possibly be related to that monster? He'd tortured and frozen her brother in carbonite. He'd interrogated Leia and Serena, and destroyed Leia's home planet. She forced herself to breathe in deeply, attemping to remain calm. She wondered if she was actually hearing anything. Hearing voices was a sign of insanity, but she'd definitely heard Luke, and he definitely said 'father'.
"Son, come with me." Vader's voice returned, coldly demanding.
Serena glanced at Luke, noticing how resigned and helpless he looked, as he moaned, "Ben, why didn't you tell me?"
Oh, Luke...
Serena was immediately at his side, awkwardly embracing him as he lie on the cot, exhausted and beaten. Luke didn't say anything, and he refused to look Serena in the eyes.
"Luke." She looked at him, frowning when she noticed her attempt to avoid eye-contact, "Luke, please look at me."
Reluctantly, Luke's eyes met hers. They were filled with shame, confusion, and grief. She grabbed his good hand and squeezed, letting him know that she understood. That she didn't think less of him.
"Did you hear that?" Luke muttered, once again looking anywhere but at Serena.
She hesitated, but that hesitation was all Luke needed to hear to know the truth. He deflated, and returned to lying on his back as he said quietly, "I need to be alone."
"Luke, I -"
"Please, just leave me alone." Returning his attention to the window, he effectively ended any further conversation.
Feeling hurt and rejected, Serena nodded, and left the room quickly. She knew Luke would need time to adjust to this new information, if it was even true. She knew she certainly would - it made everything more complicated.
The ship swayed once again, and Serena carefully made her way to the cockpit, still feeling a slight weakness in her leg from her previous injury.
As she made her way through the Falcon, she couldn't get the image of Luke's worn-out expression from her mind. It seemed as if he'd already given up. The Luke she knew never gave up.
As the ship swayed once again, she finally made it to the cockpit, seeing Leia and Lando all frantically attempting to get the ship away from the Star Destroyer.
"Where's Chewie?" She shouted, noticing that Leia had taken the wookiee's place.
"The hyperdrive's damaged. He's trying to fix it. I don't know if we're gonna make it out of this one." Lando replied, frantically flipping switches.
"See if he needs any help!" Leia ordered, attempting to assist Lando as much as she could.
Serena nodded. She wouldn't have a clue how to fix the hyperdrive, but she'd help as much as she could. She ran to the hyperdrive as quickly as possible.
It didn't talk long before she found Chewie roaring in frustration. Clearly, he was struggling to fix the hyperdrive, and she rushed over to him in concern.
"Chewie, you alright?"
The wookiee growled a response that she couldn't quite make out, but he seemed fine for the moment. She also could see Artoo frantically attempting to fix Threepio, and could hear the golden droid's complaining.
Suddenly, Lando's voice came over the intercom, clearly demanding that Chewie hurry, "Chewie!"
In a second, Artoo left Threepio and ran over to the circuit board, ignoring Threepio's angry shouts, "Artoo, come back at once! You haven't finished with me yet! You don't know how to fix the hyperdrive. Chewbacca can do it!" Still, the astromech droid ignored him, as he continued to shout, "I'm standing here in pieces, and you're having delusions of grandeus."
"Shut up, Threepio. I'll try to help you." She growled, irritated with the droid's complaining, "Just let Artoo fix the hyperdrive. We need to get out of here."
She glanced at him, seeing that only his one leg wasn't attached. Grabbing the leg, she attempted to figure out how to attach it to the rest of his body. However, she didn't have much time before Artoo let out a 'whoop' of excitement and the ship unexpectantly entered hyperspace, causing her to fall onto Threepio and crash into the wall. Fortunately, Threepio cushined the blow somewhat, and she groggily attempted to regain her feet, ignoring Threepio's outraged complaint.
Artoo had fallen on top of Chewbacca, who growled with irritation as he lifted the droid out of the hyperdrive c ompartment and climbed out himself.
"You alright, Chewie?" She asked, noticing how the wookiee rubbed at his head. Artoo must have landed directly on him. Fortunately, wookiee's were much more durable than humans, and the most he would have from that would be a small headache.
The wookiee nodded, and simply returned to the cockpit, presumably to assist Lando now that they were safely out of danger. Artoo wheeled back over to Threepio, who gleefully allowed the astromech to finish repairing his leg.
Serena glanced over to the med bay, wondering if Luke would still ignore her if she entered. She was worried about him. He wasn't taking Vader's revelation very well. Though, if she was honest with herself, she couldn't really blame him. It was difficult for her to believe as well, so she could only imagine what he was going through.
Deciding that confronting him about it now would only upset him more, she walked away from the med bay and sat near Threepio and Artoo, watching disinterestedly as Artoo repaired Threepio's leg.
It didn't take long for her thoughts to wander once again, and she couldn't keep her brother out of her thoughts for long. What if Jabba killed him after he was delivered?
Will I ever see him again? She thought miserably, attempting to relax but finding it increasingly difficult to do so now that she had no distractions. Her throat still ached from Vader's abuse of it, and the rest of her didn't feel much better. She sank to the floor, not caring about finding a bed, and it didn't take long for unconsciouness to claim her.
"Is she alright?"
Serena's eyes opened slowly, and she winced as she was immeiately blinded a bright white light. Blinking rapidly in an attempt to adjust her eyes, she turned to the source of the voice she heard.
"She's just exhausted. It's been a dificult time for her, "There was a slight pause, "For all of you. Leia, you really should -"
"I'm alright, Doctor."
Doctor? Aren't we still on the Falcon?
The man sighed, but didn't press the issue. He seemed familiar with Leia's stubbornness and knew arguing with her would get him nowhere.
"Leia...?" She questioned, looking at the Princess directly. The man standing beside her was dressed in a white coat, and Serena knew he was the doctor. He was an older man, with a kind face. He was looking at Leia with concern, which quickly changed to surprise when he saw she was awake.
"Serena," Leia said, sounding incredibly relieved as she ran to her friend's side, "I'm so glad you're awake. I was getting worried. You've been unconscious for two days."
"Two days?" Serena groaned and sat up.
"Lieutenant Solo, I wouldn't recommend you do anything too quickly. We need to make sure you're fully recovered." The doctor said, immediately moving to check the medical equipment for any signs that indicated she was still recovering.
"I feel fine." She said stubbornly, throwing off the cover sheets and standing up. She swayed slightly, and Leia quickly grabbed her arm to ensure Serena didn't fall.
The doctor frowned, "I can't force you to stay. Your vitals are perfectly normal, but I strongly recommend you wait a bit longer before you leave."
With that, he left the room, knowing he was no longer needed.
"You should listen to him." Leia said.
"Would you?" She retorted, giving Leia a knowing look. The Princess had refused aid so far, and Serena knew she would continue to do so.
Leia sighed, but knew she couldn't argue that one, "Luke's fine. They even replaced his hand." She answered the question before Serena could even ask.
"What about Chewie?"
Leia frowned, "Chewie and Lando took the Falcon. They went to go look for - for Han." She still seemed to be struggling with accepting that Han was gone.
"What?" Serena growled, "They just left? They didn't even wait? I need to go with them. I need to find him."
"They didn't want to lose Boba Fett's trail. You were unconscious for two days. They were only here for a few hours before they went after him."
Serena knew she was being unfair. Though she was still furious with Lando, she knew that Chewie would have wanted to wait for her to wake up, but she also knew he was bound by his life-debt to Han and would not hesitate to leave to rescue his best friend. Still, she couldn't help but feel abandoned by the wookiee. She hadn't been apart from him or her brother since she was small, and she didn't know how long it would be before she saw either of them again.
"Where is Luke? I need to see him."
"He's probably in the dining hall. He recovered pretty quickly, even with all that happened..." She didn't seem to want to talk about it anymore.
She stood up, this time without Leia's help, and waited a moment to make sure she was fully recovered, "I really need to talk to him."
Leia nodded, "I understand. I'd go with you, but Mon Mothma wanted to meet with me soon. I should get ready."
"See you around, Leia. Don't work too hard." Serena said, hoping Leia would at least listen to a friend if she wouldn't listen to the Doctor.
With that, the two girls both left the medical room. Serena headed toward the dining hall, praying she'd find Luke quickly. He'd been so upset two days ago, and she knew he needed someone to talk to. She just hoped he'd actually talk to her this time.
It didn't take her long to find the dining hall. The space station they were currently on was not very large, and it was obvious that the dining hall was the largest room in the center of the station. She opened the door, and was surprised to see that there were not many people inside. There was only about a handful of Rebels eating or simple taking a break at the moment. Mon Mothma must have been working them harder since the attack on the base. She groaned at the thought of more demanding shifts as she continued searching for Luke.
She spotted him quickly, in the far corner of the room. He looked like he'd just finished eating. He was sitting alone, clearly still not exactly in the mood for company. Still, she couldn't let him ignore her forever and marched forward. He didn't notice her presence until she stepped in front of him.
Instead of the smile she expected to see, all she got was a look of surprise, "I didn't know you were awake."
Her face fell at his lack of a reaction, "I just got up a little while ago."
"I see." He said, noticeably frowning now. Clearly, he still didn't want to talk to her about what happened with Vader.
Determined to not back down a second time, she pressed on, "How are you?"
"Fine." He said shortly, seeming conflicted about something, "Look, can I talk to you? In private?"
Her eyes widened at his sudden change of mood, "Uh, yeah. Sure."
"Good. Follow me." He wasn't looking her in the eyes, and she had a sinking feeling in her stomach as she followed him to his room. It didn't seem like she was going to like what he was about to say. With all that happened - losing Han, being interrogated by Vader - she didn't know if she could handle more bad news.
When they were both in Luke's room, he shut the blast door behind him, clearly wanting some privacy as he spoke to her. He refused to look at her directly, instead staring at the wall behind her. Something wasn't right.
"Luke? What's wrong?" She asked, moving closer to place her hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.
He backed away, "No. Don't - you're just going to make this more difficult."
She stepped back as well, "Make what more difficult?" But she was already catching on, and couldn't quite hide the pained look that was surely on her face.
"Serena, I -" Only now did he look at her, just briefly. He must have seen her expression because he only looked at her for a moment before it seemed to be too much for him and he was forced to look away.
"Don't drag this out, Luke." She said, suddenly wishing she'd never followed him to his room.
"I don't think we should be doing this anymore."
She took a breath quickly, holding back what she knew were going to be tears. Why was he doing this? And now of all times? All she wanted him to do was hold her and tell her everything would be alright. Had he changed his mind about them while they were separated? Did he realize he didn't care about her anymore? Or was it because of Vader?
"Is this about your father?" She glared, sudden anger making her snap, "I can't believe you think so little of me. I don't care who he is. I lo-" She froze, refusing to admit what she felt now. He clearly didn't deserve to hear it.
Luke looked devastated, and grabbed her hand, clearly not realizing what he was doing, "No, this - this isn't about him."
She wrenched her hand away, not in the mood for his excuses, "I can't believe you. Give me a reason, Skywalker. Just tell me why." She glared, angry tears filling her eyes. Suddenly, everything that happened was becoming too much for her to handle. She'd already lost Han - and now she was losing Luke too.
Luke froze, attempting to find the words to explain to her that why he needed to do this, "This isn't easy for me! I'm doing this to protect you."
She scoffed, "I don't need protection, Skywalker. Not from you." She marched over to the door, and glanced back, seeing the guilty look on his face. She stormed out of the room, and as the door slid shut, she muttered quietly, "Not anymore."
And she stormed off, trying - and failing - to hide the angry tears falling down her cheeks.
Ughhhhh, I hated writing that last scene. Luke and Serena both definitely aren't in a good place right now. Serena's grief is overwhelming her right now, and she clearly wasn't emotionally ready to hear what Luke had to say. And Luke. Ugh - he's just doing what he thinks is best for her. He didn't go about it in the best way, but he's only doing this because he thinks it's the only way she'll be safe.
I hope I was able to make their reactions realistic. I did hint in an earlier chapter that Yoda was actively discouraging their relationship while he trained Luke. There will be more on that in a later chapter! ;)
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, regardless of the rather depressing end. Don't worry - I'll try not to take three months to write the next one! Thanks for reading, and sticking with me so far!