CHAPTER 6:

Han rushed to the cargo hold once he shut down the engines of the Falcon. Leia had already helped Luke to the make-shift medicenter and was now struggling to help Chewbacca to his feet. Han quickly positioned himself under Chewie's other arm and held most of the Wookie's weight as they walked him down the corridor.

"How ya' doin', Pal?" Han peered into Chewie's face.

Chewie moaned, and Han gave him a sympathetic look, "Yeah, you certainly have had better days." Then he stretched his neck to see Leia, "How's Luke?"

"He's pretty banged up," Leia grimly reported. "Where are we?"

"About two hundred kilometers outside of Vasulo."

Leia nodded, "That's probably where they'll take the non-humans."

Han frowned, "What's that gotta do with us?"

"We can't just leave them to the Imperials," she argued.

"There's not much we can do for them."

Chewbacca cut off Han's angry answer with a grunt, causing Han to clamp his mouth shut.

"Well, we won't be leavin' any time soon," Han said after a moment of thought.

"Why is that?" Leia glanced into Han's eyes.

"One of the snipers managed to get a good shot in," Han answered and Chewie moaned. "We'll have to do some repairs before we take off."

Chewbacca's countenance darkened and he bellowed. Han's face scrunched in protest, "We are not always doin' repairs, you big hairy oaf."

The princess raised and eyebrow, "Are you sure about that?"

"No one asked you," Han snapped as they entered the medicenter.

"Hey, you guys," Luke's smile looked painful, and Leia winced. "That was some rescue!"

Leia picked up the scanner and walked over to Luke, "My idea."

"My piloting," Han lifted his chin, "and my ship."

Luke rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Leia as she scrutinized his bruises and cuts. She handed the scanner to Han and grabbed a tube of bacta gel.

"You're left side is pretty bruised up," she told him, "but nothing is broken."

Han watched the princess tenderly wipe bacta gel on the cuts and bruises on Luke's face. She then helped Luke off with his shirt and spread the bacta gel over the large angry blue bruise on his flank. Luke winced as her fingers moved over his wound, but Han didn't notice his young friend's pain. His eyes focused on Leia's fingers as they made large gentle circles upon Luke's skin, and Han found himself wondering how her fingers would feel upon his own skin.

Chewbacca grumbled, pulling Han out of his musings.

"Sorry," Han mumbled as he ran the scanner over the large Wookie. Han's eyes squinted as he read the scanner. "Lookin' pretty good, Pal."

The princess and Luke looked up.

"Really?" Leia looked optimistic.

"Just some burns, but nothin' a slatherin' of bacta gel won't fix," Han gave her a small smile.

Without a word, Leia stepped over to Chewbacca and tended to the Wookie's burns. Han leaned against the wall, crossed his arms over his chest, and watched her work.

"What needs to be done?" Luke asked as he pulled on his shirt.

"Huh?"

All eyes turned to Han. Leia's brow creased, "I suppose you should be asking if it's possible to fix whatever's broken, Luke."

"Fix what?"

Chewbacca grunted and groaned as he slapped Han upside the head, inciting a stifled giggle from Leia.

"Hey!" Han held up his hand in defense. "Of course it can be fixed. The hyperdrive got a little fried. Nothin' too serious. We should be in good shape in about a half a day."

"That doesn't give us a lot of time to rescue the non-humans," Leia pointed out.

Han scowled, "We need to get outa here as fast as possible."

Leia narrowed her eyes, "I thought you hated slavery."

"Don't go there!" Han wagged a finger at there, glaring into her dark icy eyes. Then he sighed, "I think you're forgetting that you're a hotter commodity than those non-humans."

"And they're in this predicament because of me!"

Chewie grumbled, and Han threw his hands in the air, "I got some work to do."

Chewbacca, Luke, and Leia watched Han storm out of the small medicenter. Luke's large blue eyes gazed upon the irate princess, but she paid him no mind.

"I'll go see if he needs any help," Luke hopped off of the bunk, and without a word, Chewie followed him.

Leia bit her lip as she watched them disappear down the corridor. Leia had something to fix, but it wasn't the Falcon, and she obviously wasn't going to get any help. Maybe it was better that way. She left the medicenter and headed to the cargo hold where she had left her carry-all.