Chapter Twenty-seven
The Hapan Navy intercepted the Wookiee Princess and the squadron leader, identifying himself as Commodore Brand, informed Corran they would be shot down if they attempted to land inside the Palace walls.
Another voice came over the speaker, "This is Rogue Leader," Wedge Antille's calm voice returned. "Shoot at that ship, Commodore and all hell will break loose."
"You are in Hapan space and you are unauthorized to be here," Brand responded hotly. "I strongly suspect all hell has already broken loose."
"Would you like to engage us, then?" Wedge said, spinning his X-Wing to put himself between the YT-2000 freighter and the Hapans. "My boys haven't been in a real tussle for a while, so we'd like the practice."
"Put your freighter down outside the Palace walls, then," the Hapan replied, annoyed and aware he was disobeying Prince Isolder's orders. It wasn't Isolder's hide that would pay the price, however. It was his squadron that would die for no reason other than keeping Queen Leia from visiting her child. It seemed like a worthless thing to die for. "I'm not interested in a bloodbath."
"It's nice to hear someone with common sense for a change," Wedge said, a smile in his tone. "Princess, you heard the nice man. Set her down."
"Copy that, Rogue Leader," Corran replied to his former flight squadron commander. "Appreciate the assist."
"We'll be waiting to do the same when you leave," Wedge responded, pulling his X-Wing up and away from the planet's surface.
With Corran in the pilot's seat and Chewbacca smashed in the too-small co-pilot's chair, The Wookiee Princess was set down in a field near the Palace. When they got close to Fountain Palace, Corran showed Leia the gun turrets that were pointed menacingly in their direction from the top edge of the Palace walls. It truly was more prudent to land nearby, rather than trying to avoid laser fire if they tried to land inside the Palace hanger.
Leia was unbuckling her restraining straps and rising from the navigator's seat when Han's pain hit her like a sledge hammer. Leia gasped and slid to the floor of the cockpit, crying out and moaning.
*Princess?* Chewie rose from his own seat, and knelt down beside Leia. *What is wrong?*
She shut her eyes against another agonizing wave of pain, taking deep, shuddering breaths. It took all her will-power to stay with Han, to make certain he understood he wasn't alone and they were coming for him. No matter how bad it got, she resolved not to break free and to give him her support through their Force connection. If she pulled back, he would die. She was certain of that. The guilt she felt over Han's illness and eventual death because of Vader's actions doubled when it suddenly occurred to her that Han was, once again, suffering because of people associated with her life.
"Maybe you should stay here," Corran told her as he put his arm under Leia to help her into a sitting position. "Chewie and I can head toward the Palace, and Luke and Mara are probably landing inside the Palace as we speak."
Chewie gave a startled woof. *Inside the Palace? They will not allow that!*
Leia gave Chewie a watery smile. "Luke told me through the Force a bit ago they won't know he's landing until he's set the ship down. He's shielding the Jade's Fire from anyone seeing them come in."
No matter how many centuries he lived, the tricks and abilities that Jedi displayed always would amaze the Wookiee. He also failed to understand why Han would refuse to access those abilities if it were really true he now was able to do just that. He stood up and grabbed his bowcaster from behind the co-pilot's seat. It was time to rescue Han or die trying.
"I'm going with you," Leia replied to Horn, clenching her teeth against the third wave of ever increasing pain while allowing him to help her stand. "I have to go. I won't let Isolder kill Ha… Evin. And I'm taking Isabell back to Corellia with me when we leave. I'm done playing nice with these Hapans."
Was he still screaming? Han wasn't too certain about anything at this point. He felt Leia's calming mental influence, which part of him wanted to cling desperately to, like a drowning man clings to a life preserver, and another part of him wanted to sever the connection to spare her what he was going through. The electrical charges stopped suddenly, although the liquid, fiery spice drug coursing through his veins remained, burning him from the inside.
He felt a splash of ice water in his face, then forced his eyes open. Isolder's sneering face was only inches from his own. "Enjoying yourself, Daysun? Don't you have any smart comments to make?" When Han didn't reply… unable to reply, in fact, as his mind was floating in a drug and pain-hazed fog, Isolder continued taunting, "That was only level two. According to my guards, your lover, bodyguard and your other Jedi friends are inside the Palace already, ruining our lovely, expensive murrwood doors with their vile lightsabers. I'm not waiting to send you to hell anymore. Let's move right on to the main event – level five."
As Isolder pressed the button on the control box, Han's muscles went rigid, his vision flashing blindingly white, and he sincerely believed he would not survive, even if Leia were already right outside the torture chamber's door.
Luke and Mara engaged the Hapan Guards inside the Palace as soon as they exited their ship. Back to back, they used their lightsabers to deflect the barrage of blaster bolts fired in their direction.
"It's been a while since we've had this much fun," Luke said over his shoulder.
"What's it going to take to convince your Force-denying best buddy he needs to train?" Mara snapped, sneering in contempt as one of the Hapan guards was dropped by his own fire that Mara directed back at him. "He could have rescued himself instead of relying on all his Jedi bodyguards."
"Han doesn't exactly deny the Force anymore," Luke said with a sigh as he, too, directed several shots backwards at the guards. "He's just not interested."
"Maybe being kidnapped off a high profile movie set on Coruscant will change his mind," Mara replied, annoyed.
"Maybe. Doubt it." Luke did a back flip over three startled guards, landing on their far side. "We need to meet up with Corran and Leia. Han's in a lot of pain and I don't know how much longer he can hold out."
Mara spun around, cutting down the three guards in one swing, and the remaining six, upon seeing the fate of their associates, turned and ran off. "Not exactly brave, are they?" Mara said, watching as they disappeared.
"They might be getting more backups," Luke replied, then waved his hand. "Leia's this way."
Luke and Mara rushed down several long corridors, skidding to a halt when Corran, Chewie and Leia rounded a corner. "It's about time you got here," Mara groused. "I thought we were going to have to do all the hard work without you."
"Sorry," Corran panted. "I had to cut through several layers of security walls just to get inside."
*And we were being shot at while trying to enter. Several Hapan guards are now lying dead by my bowcaster,* Chewie growled. *Where is my Cub?*
"I can't sense him anymore," Leia told her brother, her brown eyes betraying her intense fear. "The last thing I could sense was pain... pain so terrible..."
"He's not dead," Luke said, knowing it was the truth. Han had undoubtedly been aware of Leia's Force presence and cut her off from experiencing his ordeal. It would be another thing Luke needed to lecture Han about when this was all over. A Jedi didn't turn away assistance when it was required, even if you thought it was the noble thing to do.
Mara gazed over at Leia, who was holding a blaster and not a saber. "Why aren't you using a lightsaber?"
"When I practice, I train using Luke's weapon," Leia informed Mara. "I don't have my own lightsaber."
"I am going to rectify that situation very, very soon," Luke told his sister sternly. "I'm taking both you and Evin to either llum or Dantooine to get crystals to build your own lightsabers."
"Evin?" Mara asked with a tight smile. "Didn't you just finish telling me he'll never change his mind?"
"He's going, if I have to drag him kicking and screaming," Luke responded. Enough was enough, Luke decided on the spot. He sincerely doubted the Old Jedi Order looked the other way when they became aware of a Force Sensitive. As far as Luke had been able to discern, if you had the Force, you went to the Temple. Briefly, he wondered if the Old Order ever had to contend with someone as stubborn as Han Solo.
*I will assist you with the dragging, Luke.*
"Can we stop discussing lightsabers and find Evin?" Leia snapped. "In case you haven't figured it out by now, Isolder is killing him!"
*That is why I have already asked!* Chewie bellowed in disgust. *WHERE IS MY CUB?*
Luke nodded, chastised and feeling a rush of guilt. His friend was, indeed, slowly dying as they stood in the corridor talking. "This way," Luke said, following Leia as she led the charge toward the Hapan 'interrogation' room.'
Isolder walked up to inspect the unconscious Corellian. Neither cold water nor stim shots were rousing Daysun at this point. The Prince tried to recall when the last time he'd heard about someone being subjected to level five of the interrogation device. He shook his head, smiling; never, that he could remember. All the interrogated beings died at level four, if they even made it that far in the game. He glanced at the heart monitor. Daysun's vital signs were weak and erratic, but he still lived and drew breath. Isolder was rather impressed at the Corellian's endurance to the Hapan torture. Since he was still alive, that just meant his mind had been destroyed by now, which Isolder considered even better than delivering a corpse to his ex-wife.
The best news was that Leia was back on Hapes so he wouldn't even have to ship the body to Corellia. He could just present it to her now as a parting gift and as a warning never to return, or the same would happen to her.
His comlink beeped again. "Yes?"
"There are Jedi inside the Palace!" a panicked guard stuttered out. "They have weapons! Lightsticks that can kill from a long distance, and a snarling, huge beast with a bowcaster!"
The Hapan guards were not noted for their intelligence or bravery, Isolder thought with disdain. No wonder the Hapan women looked down at their men and took control of Ruling their worlds.
He was about to answer the communication when a blue lightsaber seared through the doorway, cutting its way around the perimeter while leaving blacken metal in its wake.
Isolder stood still in his terror, aware he had nowhere to hide, and nowhere to run.