AN: Thanks as always for reading and reviewing!

"Without a Heart"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 9

Han's body was washed, his teeth were brushed, and his face was shaved. He was clean. After going so long without his captors caring about his hygiene, it almost felt like he was dreaming. Maybe he was dreaming – maybe he was about to wake up still strapped down and grimy.

Now one of the stormtroopers grabbed Han by the underarms and yanked him to a sitting position, sending a whirlwind of dizziness into his head. His eyes automatically closed, but his head kept spinning as it dropped to his chest like a doll's, bending his neck tube, his damp hair sending drops down to his lap. He ground his teeth, squeezing his eyes, willing the dizziness to go away, but all that did was make his head spin faster.

He felt the stormtroopers pull on his limp arms and slip them into something soft and narrow, one arm at a time, then pulling it over his head . . . his shirt! They were actually dressing him, but even the prospect of not being naked anymore wasn't enough to open his eyes. He remained limp and passive as the troopers eased him into his clothes.

The dizziness didn't subside enough for him to open his eyes until he was dressed. He opened them just in time to see the troopers tying knots at the ends of his left sleeve and left pants leg, covering his stumps as if they were too shameful to be displayed. His shirt was open at the top, giving the neck tube enough room to maneuver.

"So . . ." he said, "do you guys have my shoes too? I only need one of 'em now – you can keep the other one." He tried to give them a charming grin. "How 'bout my jacket? Leia likes it."

Yet again there was no answer – did he really expect anything else? – but yet again he kept trying. "Don't get me wrong – I appreciate what you guys are doin' here, but I'd like to know why."

Still nothing. Han was beginning to think that Ben had ordered all the stormtroopers to never say anything to him in hopes that it would drive him insane. Somehow that wouldn't surprise him.

Two of the stormtroopers wrapped their arms around his back and hoisted him to a standing position – or rather, to a barely upright position where his single foot and his stump dragged against the floor. Even through the knot, the floor felt hard against his stump, as if it were banging right up his leg. Maybe it was because that area was normally attached to a foot and thus didn't usually come into contact with things like floors.

The troopers dragged him out of the room much like how other stormtroopers had dragged him away after the switchboard torture so many years ago, only this time one of the troopers was holding his wrist stump so he wouldn't slip off. Once they entered the bright corridor, the lights glared into Han's eyes, forcing them shut. His body slumped over as they kept dragging him to who knew where.

He had a bad feeling about this.

. . .

Luke was Rey's father.

It had been two days since Luke gave his news and Rey had been avoiding him as much as possible since then. She needed to sort out her thoughts – at least that was what she told herself. Fortunately, Luke seemed to understand – he didn't pressure her to talk to him at all. Right now she was allowing herself some solitude in Pooja's bathtub, lounging back in the sudsy warm water. A warm bath was a luxury back on Jakku, so she intended to savor this for as long as she wanted.

Finn was still in a coma.

Even in Coruscant's best hospital, his condition was unchanged. Maybe he wouldn't wake up for years . . . or maybe he wouldn't wake up at all . . . because of Rey's cousin. Just the thought made her teeth grind together. Like she did every morning, she had been to see Finn this morning and once again she had promised to make Kylo Ren pay for what he did . . . but she couldn't bring herself to tell him about her parentage.

Han might – might – be alive.

Several Resistance fighters – Poe and BB-8 among them – had already been sent out in hope of tracking Snoke's location, but so far there were no results. Luke and Leia spent most of their time in meditation, trying to follow that tremor in the Force Leia had felt, but again they hadn't had any results. It was as if Han's life strand had burst back into the Force only to disappear again.

Rey sank back into the water, her hair flowing behind her, only her face sticking above the surface. Had Han known she was his niece? Was that why he'd offered her a job as soon as he learned her name?

If so, why didn't he tell her?

Luke was her father . . .

She gazed up at the pink tiled ceiling, her eyes tracing the pattern of shapes. What was she supposed to do? Try to connect with her newly-found father? Yes, she probably should . . . but just the thought made her stomach twist even in the soothing water. The father she'd always ached to find . . . but also the father who'd left her . . . and still the father she barely even knew.

Maybe she should have asked to be sent off with the scouts. At least she would be helping out then.

Maybe she would have even found Han . . .

Of course, that was assuming Han was actually alive.

She had seen the lightsaber go through his body . . . how could he possibly survive that?

Her eyes closed and her breath slowed. Her father may have refused to train her in the Force, but that didn't mean she couldn't try to use it, did it? She had already used it, after all, even if it was when she was in a desperate situation.

Well if Han was alive and suffering, as Leia felt, then this counted as a desperate situation.

She listened to the water rush past her ears, concentrated on every breath, pressed Han's face into her head. She didn't know how to put herself in a meditative trance, but she was Force-sensitive . . . and Luke Skywalker's daughter. Maybe if she concentrated hard enough . . .

After several minutes, she hadn't managed to get in a meditative trance, but she thought she saw something in her mind for the tiniest of seconds.

A large, darkened chamber.

Several stairs leading up to a throne.

And Han.

. . .

The stormtroopers dragged Han into a large room where the only light came from the hallway behind them and the windows near the ceiling, showing the night sky. They threw him into a chair that faced a set of stairs so tall that he could barely make out the throne at the top. Ben stood facing him at the bottom of the stairs, his eyebrows down, but his body giving a slight tremble.

"Hey son," said Han, though Ben gave no answer.

"So," a low, sinister voice bellowed, sending a shiver through Han's body and causing him to instinctively grab his wrist stump, "you're Han Solo."

Han swallowed, barely making out the figure on the throne. "And . . ." he forced himself to say, ". . . you must be the guy who took my son away."

"Your son came to me willingly," Snoke said in a casual tone. "I gave him what you never could." Though Han couldn't see Snoke's face, he imagined a sinister grin forming as the First Order leader spoke his next words. "A purpose."

"You made him your puppet!" Han retorted, desperately wishing he could still shout. "That ain't much of a purpose."

Ben snarled at him, but still said nothing.

"Your mouth is as big as your reputation indicates," Snoke said calmly. "But that's not why you're here."

"So why am I here?" Han exclaimed, still squeezing his stump. "I can't say I'm fond of your hospitality, so it might be nice to know what I'm doin' here!"

There was a lingering silence before Snoke answered. "Several reasons, in fact. One is to make Kylo Ren stronger."

Make Kylo Ren stronger. With those words Han bared his teeth up at the throne, wishing with all his heart that he still had his left foot and could run up those stairs to attack Snoke. "You're gonna pay for what you did to my boy," he hissed.

Ben's hands were clenching, but he still remained silent. It was as if Snoke's presence had taken his ability to speak.

Snoke, meanwhile, ignored the threat. "How does it feel to be so crippled, Han Solo? You are indeed making your son stronger. However, that's not the main reason why you're here."

"Then why?" Han pressed.

Once again Han could imagine Snoke's sinister grin as he spoke.

"Thanks to you, soon we will have Luke Skywalker's daughter."