Luke borrowed the landspeeder long enough to drop the droids off within walking distance of Jabba's palace early the next morning. After a wait of several hours, it became apparent to Luke that Jabba was not in the mood to make a deal and he returned home.

"I suppose it's up to Chewie and me now," Leia said as Camie helped her into her disguise.

"With luck, we'll get Han and the droids out."

"Be careful." Camie wasn't a fighter, a warrior. She would be nothing but dead weight if she offered to go with them, but she still felt guilty she couldn't do any more. "You're going to stay to get the droids too?"

"If we can." Leia gave her a lopsided grin. "If we don't, Luke will go in after them even if we save Han. They're important to him- and the rest of us as well, I guess." Leia shrugged. "We've been through too much with them just to leave them."

"I understand." The droids that she had to work on the farm- the ones that her parents used on their hydroponics garden- were nothing like Artoo and Threepio. Those two droids had such personalities that they were like living beings. Camie couldn't imagine abandoning them either. And even if she could … "That totally sounds like Luke."

"Yes." Leia paused before putting on the helmet. "Camie … if the worst happens ..."

"It won't." She couldn't imagine anything happening to the legendary Princess Leia. She wouldn't. "Nothing will happen. If necessary, Luke will save the day. He's a Jedi, isn't he?"

Leia said nothing for a moment. "Yes," she said at last. "He's as true a Jedi as there's ever been. I really believe that."

"I believe that too." Camie smiled at her.

Leia reached out and touched Camie's face. "Camie … even in spite of Luke being a Jedi, just promise me that you'll look out for Luke if something happens to the rest of us. He's going to need someone."

"It won't happen," Camie repeated stubbornly. "But if it did … I would be there. For your sake." And she squeezed Leia's hand as the latter pulled back. "And for his."

"That's all I can ask." Leia put on the helmet that completed her disguise as Boushh the bounty hunter. The helmet distorted her voice. "May the Force be with you, Camie."

"And with you," Camie returned. She turned back to the Wookie who had stood silently by as she had talked to Leia. "Chewie ..."

The Wookie knelt down and embraced her.

"Thank you for the things you taught me," Camie told him. She hugged him tightly, afraid that she might never see the Wookie again. "Thank you so much."

..**..

Luke borrowed her landspeeder to take Chewie and Leia close enough to reach Jabba's Palace in a reasonable period of time. He was unusually somber when he returned. "Well, they're in."

"How long will you wait?" Camie asked him.

"Leia will have to wait until Jabba's crowd goes down for the night before she even tries to save Han. You can survive Carbonite freezing, but it's not exactly a wonderful experience, so Han will probably be in no condition to travel right away. I'll stay up all night in case they need a pickup. If I don't hear from them, I'll head out right before first light." He looked uncertain. "I'll need your landspeeder again."

"I'll go with you-"

"Camie, it's too dangerous."

"Not to Jabba's palace. I'm not stupid." She held up her hand. "But I'll drop you off. I can bring the landspeeder back and you can signal me for pickup if you need it."

"All right." Luke held up his hands. "I know when to admit defeat."

Camie smiled. "So … what shall we talk about?"

"Talk about?"

"You don't think I'm going to let you sit up by yourself, do you? Leia and Chewie are my friends too. I'm not going to be able to sleep until I know they're safe."

"All right then." Luke smiled. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Tell me about some of the worlds you've seen. What are they like?"

Luke smiled. "I've been on a lot of worlds since I left Tatooine, Camie. The Rebellion isn't able to stay in one spot for long, so sadly I've not gotten to do a lot of sightseeing." He frowned as he thought for a moment. "I've seen snow, Camie."

"Snow?" The word sounded vaguely familiar, but she could not remember what it meant.

"It's water, Camie. Frozen water. On a world called Hoth. It's so cold there that the water freezes."

"You're kriffing me."

"Swear to Maker, it's true." Luke held up his hand. "And there's another world- Dagobah- that seemed to be entirely a swamp."

"What's a swamp?"

"A place filled with water- and vegetation. Natural vegetation."

"You mean … no one takes care of it?"

"No. There's just water on the surface." Luke made a face. "Too much water, actually. Artoo still complains about mud getting into his interior."

Camie sighed. "I wish I could have seen that."

"You still can- someday."

"I don't think I'll ever leave Tatooine." Camie sighed. "Here- here I know how to live. Out there- on some other world- I'd be like a sarlacc out of its pit."

"You're a lot more adaptable than a sarlacc, Camie." Luke smiled at her. "Now tell me about what's happened since I left."

"Well, Fixer did pick up those power converters from Tosche Station you never collected," Camie told him with a smirk.

They spoke some more of the people that Luke had left behind with Tatooine. He told her of the things he'd seen and the people he'd met, and explained when he had to. It was fascinating to learn about other worlds … and disheartening too.

Luke had seen so many things … done so many things … so much that was beyond her own frame of reference.

He had grown so much more than she had.

Of course he would be fascinated by someone like Leia. Someone like me … Camie broke that thought off. "I'm sorry you had to come back to trouble, but I'm glad I got to see you again."

"Me too." Luke took her hands in his. "Me too."

..**..

Leia did not signal.

Camie let Luke drive the landspeeder over the desert to Jabba's palace. They were both silent. Camie carried her blaster rifle with her … just in case they ran into trouble before they reached it. Her heart was racing.

"This is as far as you go," Luke told her as he came to stop before a sand dune that looked the same as dozens of others they had passed. "I'll go on foot from here." He pressed a communicator into her hands. "And if I need you, I'll call."

"You don't want me to stay here?"

"Out in the desert- alone?" Luke shook his head. "You know better than that. Go back home where you're safe. When we're done here, we'll come back to let you know we're okay."

She wants to argue, but she knows that this is a place she cannot follow him. She could handle the drunken farm boys- even an occasional Tusken Raider or drunken Jawa, but she was no soldier. She would just get in the way if she tried to go into Jabba's palace with him- and they were going to have enough trouble as it was. "All right. I don't like it, but I won't argue."

Luke got out of the landspeeder and put up his hood. "Don't worry, Camie. Leia and the rest of us have seen worse, and we're still here."

"Just don't get cocky-" Camie began.

Luke smirked.

"What was that about?" Camie frowned in annoyance. Didn't he realize how much danger he was walking into? That Leia and the others already were in?

"Han said the same thing to me once." He smiled. "I think it's a good omen you say the same thing to me right now."

He reached out to touch her cheek- her scarred cheek- and Camie drew back.

"Camie ..."

She looked down. She did not want to see pity in his eyes. Not now. Not ever.

"Luminous beings are we," Luke took her chin and lifted her face. He lightly stroked her cheek. "You are so much more than your scars."

"Luke ..."

It would be so easy to kiss him know, she thought. She could kiss him, and maybe he would kiss her back. Maybe he would stay-

But no.

He couldn't do that.

She couldn't let him do that even if he would.

Leia. Chewie. The droids. Even the mysterious Han Solo.

They were all counting on him. They all needed Luke. They needed him so much more than she did.

And he belonged with them.

She pulled back. "Be careful, Luke. Just- be careful, all right?"

"I will." He stood up to his full height and walked away.

Camie turned the landspeeder around.

He did not look back.

She did.

He was already gone.

She headed home.