Jo felt like she was floating. She was surrounded by blue skies and white clouds. A bird flew past her as she continued to rise upwards. She looked down to see her home on Earth grow smaller and smaller. Her ascension extended above the Earth's atmosphere and into the blackness of space. Oxygen no longer existed and she felt an unbearable pressure grow in her chest. Jo wrenched herself awake and hoped that everything she had experienced that night had been nothing but a dream. Instead of finding herself tucked away in her own bed, she found herself in the dimly lit matchbox. An actual honest to God wookiee had brought her to this tiny room.
Jo's stomach had calmed down considerably, but as soon as she took in her surroundings her anxiety increased. She placed a hand on her forehead and she collected her thoughts. She was on THE Millennium Falcon. She had thrown up all over Han Solo's boots. She clenched her jaw at the memory. She knew Luke. She knew Obi-Wan. The problem was none of this was supposed to be real. She suddenly felt a strong urge to just go stare at these people to assure herself of her sanity. She wanted to take all of it in. This couldn't be real.
She swung her legs over the side of the cot and counted to ten. She took a deep breath and stood up on shaky legs. It was now or never. She walked out of the small room and into a narrow hallway. The hallway was dark and on either side of her room were other doors to other quarters. She pulled her T-shirt down as far as it would go so it gave her bottom half more coverage. She sighed ad crept down the hall. She went out the opening and found herself in another hallway. She heard distinct voices coming from the left hallway. She followed the sounds until she was back in the Main Hold. She pressed her body against the entrance and peeked inside. There she found Luke Skywalker being mentored by Obi-Wan. It was a familiar scene that made her mouth fall open. She watched Luke follow the remote bot's movements with his blue lightsaber ignited. Obi-Wan softly gave him instructions. She leaned forward to hear what Obi-Wan was saying. Luke switched off the saber. When he did, Jo forgot that he was positioned facing the direction she was hiding in. They locked eyes and Jo gasped ducking out of the room. She cursed herself for being found.
"Okay, Jo. You're not crazy. You can do this. It's okay," she muttered to herself. She pushed her body away from the hiding place and walked slowly into the Main Hold. She kept her head down and heard the dejarik table sounds where Chewbacca resided with the droids. She clasped and unclasped her hands. She messed with her hair. She tugged on the bottom of her shirt and awkwardly held herself. It was many minutes before someone found the words to speak. She peeked up through the hair that had fallen in her face. Luke was already studying her. She blew the hair out of her face and focused on a spot above his head. What do you do when your childhood hero is standing right in front of you?
"Are you feeling better?" Luke asked politely.
"Yeah," she said clearing her throat.
"That's good." he gave her a genuine smile once she finally met his eyes again. "What's your name?"
"Jo." Luke's smile grew impossibly wider. She felt a blush spread against her cheeks.
"Hello Jo. I'm Luke Skywalker." 'I know.' she replied mentally. She gave him a tight smile.
Obi-Wan, who had chosen to stay silent through this exchange, stood up from his perch on the scanners. "Let's not overwhelm her, Luke. Try the seeker once more," he said with encouragingly. As Luke readied himself, Obi-Wan held out a hand to Jo. "Come, Jo. We have much to discuss."
Jo followed him to the Main Hold's entrance. It was a place that was out of Luke's earshot. The place gave Obi-Wan a good view of Luke's training if he should need him. he sounds of a lightsaber igniting echoes around them.
"Jo, where is your home?" Obi-Wan inquired with an all-knowing glint in his eye.
"That's a bit intrusive," she blurted out and instantly regretted it. She felt her face heat up and turned her attention completely on Luke. She watched as he cautiously followed the remote. Obi-Wan chuckled softly.
"How is it you know Luke?" he gently prodded. "Are you from Tatooine too, perhaps?"
"I'm not from Tatooine," Jo admitted stiffly. Luke swung at the remote and missed it altogether. His concentration was admirable.
"The Force around you is rather peculiar. If you aren't from Tatooine, where is it you hail from? The way you are watching him just now-," Obi-Wan paused to study Luke as he faltered a bit with his saber. "it is as if you are watching an old friend." His words threw her off gaurd.
'In many ways, he is,' she thought to herself. Once she did, Obi-Wan turned to face her as if she had said it aloud. He frowned and opened his mouth to say something more when his face went slack. He stepped forward and faltered. Luke immediately switched off the lightsaber.
"Are you alright?" he asked in concern as Obi-Wan wearily made his way to a seat nearby. "What's wrong?"
"I felt a great disturbance in the Force," Obi Wan quietly said. Jo's heart dropped. "it's as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something has happened." He ran a hand over his face. For a bit, his eyes were lost. Luke gave Jo a worried look. Obi Wan was not there mentally. He finally returned his attention to Luke. "You'd better get on with your exercises."
Luke hesitated, but obeyed anyway. Jo watched as he turned into full jedi mode. Chewbacca and the droids' focus had not left the intense game they were immersed in.
"Well, you can forget your troubles with those Imperial slugs," Han Solo smirked as he sauntered into the room. He sighed as he lowered himself into a chair by the scanners. "I told you I'd outrun 'em." He flashed Obi Wan a smug smile and took off his gloves. Luke swung at a bolt the remote had shot out at him. Han's grin fell away. "Don't everyone thank me at once." Jo bit her lip in hopes that Han wouldn't look her way. Han Solo was a bit scary in person. She did not enjoy being yelled at.
"Anyway, we should reach Alderaan in about oh-two-hundred hours," Han swiveled around in his chair and locked in on Jo. "which will be the end of the line for you. I hope you like mountains." His shit-eating grin had returned. Jo's eyes narrowed. "What? Thought I wouldn't notice you? You, girl, are not very good at hiding." He ran a hand through his hair and leaned farther back in his chair. "Besides, it's hard not to notice you. Where's your clothes?"
Jo pulled on the ends of her tee. The white shirt only reached her knee. Pants were restricting in bed and it took bravery to wear a bra to sleep. She shrugged awkwardly. "I'm not - I'm not sure." she answered honestly. Han looked skeptical, but shrugged nonchalantly.
"You might want to find some then," he said disparagingly. "I hear Alderaan's a bit cold." and with that Jo was dismissed. She felt a strong urge to throw something at him. Chewbacca let out a loud wail.
"He made a fair move. Screaming about it won't help you." C-3PO chimed in defending R2-D2.
"Let him have it. It's not wise to upset a wookiee," interrupted Han. The remote whooshed past Jo's face.
"But, sir, nobody worries about upsetting a droid." Threepio said seriously.
Han laughed and leaned forward on the arm of the chair. "That's cause droids don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that." Han looked back at Jo. The warning seemed directed more to her than Threepio. Jo stared back defiantly. She would not back down. The look on her face clearly told Han Solo she was not scared. She huffed and looked back at Luke who had quit following the remote's movements.
Obi Wan stood and raised his hands. "Remember. A Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him."
"You mean it controls your actions?" Luke glanced his way.
Jo knew what was about to happen. She decided she was too close to Luke and walked to the side of the droids. "Hello there," Threepio took notice of her for the first time upon her arrival. "I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations. This is my counterpart, R2-D2." R2 beeped at his name.
"Hi," Jo smiled. "I'm Jo."
"It is a pleasure to meet you Mistress Jo." Threepio said cheerfully. Jo felt a surge of affection for the droid.
Luke abruptly let out a cry of pain. The little bot had blasted him in the side of the leg. Luke stumbled and caught Jo staring at him. His face flushed in embarrassment when Han laughed at his misfortune.
"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid." Han said with confidence.
'I know I've seen this before. but damn,' Jo seethed.
Luke switched off the blade. "You don't believe in the force do you?" he pouted.
"Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other. I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe there's one-all powerful force controlling everything. There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny." Jo rolled her eyes thinking just about Han's future destiny. "It's all simple tricks and nonsense."
Jo summoned all the courage she had left in her. She made direct eye contact with Han. "Lightsabers are better than blasters."
"Really now?" Han fired back. Obi Wan set Luke up with a helmet.
"Lightsabers require skill and expertise. Something you clearly don't know about." Jo didn't know why she felt the urge to say this. But if looks could kill, the look Han Solo had given Jo needed a blaster and a lightsaber to fend off.
"Are you calling me stupid?" Han asked dangerously.
'N-no," Jo gulped. "just very inexperienced in these matters." Yet.
During their argument, Luke had managed to be shot at again by the remote. His yell drew Han and Jo's attention away from one another.
"Stretch out with your feelings!" Obi Wan exclaimed. He threw the seeker back up in the air. It dove for Luke. Luke successfully deflected all of the bolts it fired. Jo turned back to Han with a smug grin.
"You see! You can do it." Obi-Wan praised.
"I call it luck," scoffed Han. He gave Jo a 'Go to Hell' look.
Jo shifted her smile to Luke. "It's not luck. You looked awesome!" Luke's nose crinkled at Jo's use of 'awesome'. The smile on her face ensured that it had meant to be a compliment.
Luke returned the smile tenfold. The smile made Jo feel starstruck all over again. She became increasingly aware of her appearance. She also became aware of the purple bruise forming under Luke's left eye. Jo winced and felt ashamed as she remembered the kicking incident.
"Looks like we're coming up on Alderaan." Han grabbed up Chewie and left for the cockpit. Jo woke from her stupor. Luke had already turned his back on her to talk to Obi-Wan. Jo felt her face grow hotter. She strapped herself in the booth by the gaming table.
Luke and Obi-Wan followed after Han. She thought it would be safer to evade the wrath of Han once the future events unfolded. Especially after he'd find out that he would be stuck with her a bit longer.
'Since Alderaan no longer exists and all.' she bitterly thought.
"Mistress Jo, I do not think this is a very wise decision," Threepio reprimanded. The Falcon shook as it flew through the remains of Alderaan. Jo could not breathe and paced the entirety of the Main Hold. The ship gave a violent jerk and threw Jo into Threepio's metal body. "Oh goodness me! Mistress Jo perhaps it would be safest if you secured yourself in the cockpit." Jo groaned and rubbed her elbow. She pushed herself off of the golden droid. The Falcon ceased its shaking. Jo froze.
'The tractor beam!' she grabbed Threepio's metal shoulders. "Threepio, something isn't right!" she exclaimed. She bit her lip considering her words carefully. "Something bad is coming! We have to-," she was cut off by Han and Chewbacca running into the Hold. Han scrambled over to where she stood and snatched her right arm roughly.
"We gotta move!" he yelled and jerked her forward. "Chewie. grab the droids!"
'What's going on!" Jo screamed trying to throw off Han's hold. This only made him strengthen his grip. He pulled her out of the room and into a corridor. He slid down to his knees and pulled her down with him.
"Empire. No time to explain!" he felt around on the floor for a latch. He gave a shout as he threw it open. A thick puff of white smoke drifted upwards. He looked at her expectantly. "Get in there and keep quiet if you want to live." Jo gave him a panicked look. Han understood it and for the first time, his eyes softened. He took a deep breath and rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I don't have enough room in my smuggling compartments for all of us. This is the Maintenance Access. They are more likely to find us than you. But we have to move now! I can't sit here and hold your hand!" Jo glared at him and crawled over to the open space. It was hot and Jo was certain that one wrong move down there would set off something toxic. She gave him a nod and he pulled her to the edge. She swung her legs over the edge and he put his hands under either armpit to slowly lower her into the scary cramped place. He said nothing more to her and slammed the hatch back into place leaving her in pitch black darkness. The only form of light were the tiny white flashes coming off of the appliances that kept the Falcon running. She wrapped her arms around her knees and tucked into herself. She was frightened and had no idea where she was in the Falcon. She thought about Finn and Rey crawling around under the floorboards of the ship. But they wore oxygen masks and she had nothing.
'I'm going to die here.' she felt her eyes water as she thought about the stormtroopers. Facing Darth Vader would be far worse than any wookiee pulling her arms out of their sockets.
For several long minutes, all Jo could hear was her own breathing and the soft whirs of the machines. Then the tiny area vibrated as the sounds of boots storming into the ship echoed above her. She let a startled sound escape her and she clamped a hand over her mouth. The boots thumping overhead grew louder. Jo let a few tears escape her eyes. The tiny space she was in felt like it was closing in on her. She covered her ears and tried to make herself smaller. She was sure they were going to find her. A loud slam echoed throughout the Falcon and Jo jumped. How would Darth Vader kill her? Would he choke her to death? Sever a few of her limbs?
Light flooded her hiding spot and she wrenched her head from between her knees to look up. Instead of a stormtrooper looming menacingly above her, Chewbacca was leaning over the side. He caught the tears running down her cheeks and she furiously swiped them away. Chewbacca reached his long hairy arms down to her to pull her up. She stood slightly and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her up carefully and sat her on the ledge. As soon as her bottom met higher ground, a wad of clothes slammed into the side of her face.
"Put those on!" Han demanded. He and Luke were currently dressing in stormtrooper armor. She unfolded the wad in her lap. Han had given her a pair of pants and a jacket. The pants looked huge and they were obviously Han's. Han watched as she stretched out the pants just to see how big they were. He tossed her a belt. "Put them on." he growled.
She blushed when she remembered her state of dress. "Um...I can't." Luke and Han shared a look.
"Well, turn around kid!" said Han. Luke turned pink and whirled around as Han did the same. Chewbacca took the opportunity to inspect some discarded blasters.
Jo double checked to make sure Obi-Wan and the droids weren't around. She threw on the brown leather jacket over her white shirt. She hurriedly shimmied into the pants. The pants were blue and felt like silk against her legs. They were too big, but she tied the belt around her waist to hold them up. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Ready." she said nervously.
Han turned back around and took in her change in appearance. "Nice," he said unimpressed. Luke looked on the verge of laughter. She knew she was probably a sight. The jacket hung loosely around her and the sleeves covered her hands. Despite her pants being held tightly at the waist by the belt, the blue pant legs covered her bare feet.
"It was either this or let you be found in what you wearing before," Han said bending over to pick up a stormtrooper helmet that laid at his feet. "Alright, lets get this over with." Luke made a sound in agreement and put on his helmet.
Han walked over to Jo and a hand on her shoulder. "Stay here. It wouldn't be such a good idea to have you tagging along with us. There are two guys knocked out on this ship and once they wake up, everybody in this damned place will probably find out about us. Stay hidden. Stay alive. You and I still haven't talked about your little stowaway stunt." Han gave her shoulder a little uncomfortable pat.
"But what if they catch me?" Jo's voice quivered. Thoughts of Darth Vader had returned.
"Easy. Don't get caught." he then gave her his classic smirk.
"Han, we have to go. They keep asking about our posts!" Luke said anxiously.
"Okay, kid. Go out there already!" Han said over his shoulder. He turned back to her. "Lightsabers may require a lot of 'expertise', but a blaster is more conventional. And no offense, girl, but I really think you couldn't handle either." He was right. She smiled sadly. "There's one in the holster of that belt if you need it anyway. ONLY use it if you need it."
She nodded and his hand slipped away from her shoulder. He put on his helmet. "I better go before that old man gets us all killed."
With that, he swaggered out of the ship. Jo was left on her own again with all of her knowledge of this world and Han Solo's blaster strapped to her side.
A/N: Hello! I really hope everyone is enjoying this story so far. I was very nervous about posting it and writing it. My biggest fears are messing up certain terms or making a character OOC. Especially the OOC character. I feel like I should know these characters very well, so if one is out of character please let me know!