Chapter 14

Why does everything go wrong? General Solo asked himself. First Luke was babbling about Vader. Then, they could not capture a couple of stormtroopers without starting a messy and very loud chase. And now Leia was missing. What would go wrong next? He was starting to have a bad feeling about this.

How the hell was he supposed to know that the minute they had captured the two guards, four more would arrive? Leia and the kid had followed them in hot pursuit and then Luke had come back.

Alone.

If he hadn't been so angry with him, he could have pitied Luke, such was the look of regret on his face. But what had he done instead of starting the search? He had just dropped to the ground and sat there, eyes closed and legs crossed, oblivious to the rest of the universe.

As soon as he agreed on a rendezvous point with his troopers, he turned back to him. "Luke, have you finished napping?" he asked brusquely.

The Jedi shook his head, but his eyes remained closed and his posture unaltered. Han Solo rolled his eyes.

At last Luke spoke. "She's alright. She's found some friends."

"Friends? What friends?" The smuggler frowned. "Hey, you were poking in her mind? She won't like that, you know!" He added, angrier now.

Luke Skywalker shrugged. Ignoring his allegations, he continued. "I'm not sure who they are, but she's safe."

The older man shook his head. "If you say so..." He remarked ironically. "Chewie, you coming?" He bellowed. Without looking back, he started in the general direction Leia had gone before.

Great, Luke thought, standing quickly and following him. Just what I need now. Overprotective Han.

He had felt Vader's – no, not Vader, father's – presence upon arriving in the system, and he was sure that he knew exactly where they were. He was just waiting for his son to come to him. Again.

Anyway, he had to find Leia before anything else, and talk to her before it was too late. Then he would be free to go to Vader.

Look at the big oafs! They are as loud as a pack of jreekins! The Chief Ewok said to his second in command, his stripped fur crawling in disgust.

They're so ugly! Nasty hairless faces! His friend agreed, wrinkling his nose.

Yeah... The giant looks a little more normal, though, but I can't understand what's he doing with them... See? They're walking straight into the trap.

His bright black eyes suddenly blinked in delight. Hey, are you in the mood for having some fun? He asked. They ruined our hunting party after all...

What do you mean?

Let's take the golden droid and...

He kept whispering for a while and his friend kept trying to suppress laughing.

"Chewie," Luke whispered, taking advantage that Han was a few meters ahead of them and could not hear him. "Have you heard them? They're all around us..."

The Wookiee nodded.

"When I tell you, you start acting as idiotic as you can, understood? There's no danger, I can feel it. They'll bring us to Leia."

The Wookiee nodded again.

"Now!" The Jedi ordered. Chewbacca run following the smell of fresh meat.

They dropped to the ground heavily, Chewie almost crushing his human companions with his body, the heavy droids on top of them.

"Watch it, you overrated tangle of circuits!" Han protested, rolling Artoo away from his chest. It was then that he noticed the myriad of shiny eyes looking at him from behind the pointy spears. His hand went automatically to his blaster, but Luke stopped him before he could draw.

"Don't." He ordered. Since when Luke gave him orders? But before his hand could move, though, the Jedi was covering it with his own. "Look."

His eyes sled to the spearheads, and then Han saw it. The oily gleam in the sharpened stones. "Poison?"

"I think so," Luke answered, looking straight into the eyes of the little furball that seemed to be the chief of the party.

Han Solo grinned through his teeth. "My mistake," he said raising his hands. "Hey, Chewie, I think we found your lost cousins!"

The creatures talked briefly between them. The chief signaled Threepio and the ones that were not guarding the three prisoners bowed before him.

What the...?

This was completely ridiculous. Did the little furballs really intend to roast them?

"Luke, you better do something quick," Han growled, watching wearily the flames that were too close for his liking. And stupid Goldenrod was doing nothing but sitting in that makeshift throne and playing god, even if he could talk their language. Unbelievable!

A familiar voice was raised over the chatting of the natives. "But these are my friends!"

"Leia!" Han and Luke yelled at the same time.

You've carried the joke too far, my friend, the Medicine man told Chief Chirpa, watching Princess Leia struggle to free herself. Free them already!

Just a little more, he answered, using the hunting language that the droid could not translate.

The Princess tried to get to her friends' side, but a dozen hands stopped her.

"Threepio, tell them if they don't do as you wish, you'll get angry and use your magic," Luke instructed.

"But Master Luke, what magic?"

What happened next surprised Ewoks, humans, droids and Wookiee alike. The wooden throne with See-Threepio on top started rising in the air and slowly turning.

You were right, Logray, Chief Chirpa agreed, giving quickly the orders to liberate the captives. These are powerful strangers.

Han Solo hit the floor and in a second he was on his feet and running to Leia, gathering her in his arms like if he never intended to let her go. He found himself suddenly kissing her fervently. There was nothing more important in the galaxy to do at the moment. Yet in the back of his mind, a little voice kept repeating: Luke made Threepio fly.

Luke Skywalker stepped on the bridge that joined two of the several sections of the darkened Ewok village. In its way, it was a beautiful, peaceful place. He did not want to leave, but he had to. At least Han would have now all the help he needed.

Gently, he called Leia in his mind, while subtly nudging Han to remain where he was and get about his business. For once, he needed her all for himself, just for a few minutes. Maybe the last they would have.

He hated to leave her like this, right after dropping the bomb. Luke kissed his sister's brow one more time, hugging her tightly, wishing he could help her through this difficult moment. But he could not. The time was ripe to do what he had to do.

Their foreheads touched and suddenly they knew that it was something they had done long ago, in the mists of their infancy. Silently, she spoke to him.

I don't want you to go, Luke.

I don't want to go, Leia, but I must.

Who's going to teach me if you don't come back?

I'll be always with you, no matter what.

The Jedi caressed the Princess' cheek one last time. Again, he nudged Han, this time to come to Leia's side. She should not be alone right now.

Han Solo watched Luke hug Leia and then... He could not believe his own eyes. Was Luke...? Was he... kissing her? Caressing her?

His heart sank deeper than the deeper Mon-Calamari ocean.

Leia Organa clutched convulsively the wooden railing, not even noticing the splinters that were drawing blood from her palms.

Father, why didn't you tell me?

The monstrosity that Luke had just dropped in her lap was almost too painful to think about. It stained everything, even the word for father, which she knew in her heart that she would never pronounce again without shivering. For a brief moment, the darkness below her wobbled and her eyes blurred. She tried to focus in the only good part of it.

Luke is my brother.

An image of a wounded young man in a med-center fled before her eyes.

I kissed my own brother.

The darkness wobbled a little closer.

"Hey, what's going on?" Han's deep voice interrupted.

"Nothing, I just wanted to be alone for a while," she answered without even thinking. She jerked away from the railing, her hands letting go of it as if it was burning.

Han was not buying it. He knew her too well. He knew those lines of tension over the bridge of her nose. He knew the sadness in her eyes.

"C'mon, tell me. What's going on?" He insisted, leaning on the opposite railing.

"I can't tell you," she stammered.

Those simple words impacted on his chest, shattering everything he had patiently constructed along the years, along the blissful weeks of the voyage to Bespin. Blistering rage erupted from his wounded core.

"Could you tell Luke? Is that who you can tell?" Han accused.

Hot tears were falling from her eyes down her cheeks, but she turned her face from him. She did not want him to see her moment of defeat.

He walked away, angry with her, with himself, with the universe that was so cruel to put what he wanted so close and so far at the same time.

He did not go very far, though. Her helpless crying stopped him dead in his tracks and made him turn around and come back.

I can't do this, he thought, watching her hunched shoulders tremble with each sob.

"I'm sorry," he blurted.

She turned tear-blurred eyes to him. "Just hold me," she asked, diving for the shelter of his chest.

"What's wrong?" Her lover muttered, stroking her hair.

She just shook her head.

"Where's Luke going?" He insisted.

"Vader..." She choked.

That's what's wrong.

I'm Vader's daughter.

Pushing him away, she leaned over the railing and vomited violently.

He brought Leia to the hut the Ewoks had prepared for them, and she let him, looking lost and disoriented. "Something I ate", she had said. Sitting on the bed, she suddenly noticed her backpack and reached for it.

"You want something to drink?" Han asked with concern.

"No," she answered distractedly. Taking something out of her pack, she pushed it into Han's pocket.

"Take it. Read it," she almost ordered. "We'll talk tomorrow."

She lay on the cot and assumed a fetal position, never letting go of the Corellian's hand. After a while, her breath was even and her face slacked, but the second he wanted to let go of her fingers, they tightened again.

"Don't leave me," she pleaded softly.

Sighing, he made himself more comfortable, leaning against the wooden wall. He remembered then what she had given him. It was the little datapad he had found in his cabin on the Falcon a few days ago. He fingered it on and started reading.

Dear Han.

It sounds weird, but it is the proper heading now, isn't it?

He smiled. Maybe it was not as bad as he feared. He kept reading, caressing her finger tenderly.

Still very worried about Luke...

Aha, interesting. So she really heard him.

Not-so-dear-anymore Han...

He winced.

I think I'm pregnant.

WHAT?

I'm not pregnant.

Irrationally, he felt some strange moisture in the corner of his eye. Blasted humidity.

Father told me more than once about the things Jedi could do, but I guess you sometimes have to see to believe. Luke let me watch him training today and what he can do is simply amazing. I couldn't stop watching him, he's simply fascinating...

He closed the file brusquely. That was it. He didn't need to read anymore. Everything was perfectly clear now. She wouldn't be the first woman physically attracted to one man, and in love with another. He had heard enough unfaithful wives claim exactly that. He understood that she had meant no harm, she was just so young...

But it was plain from her reaction to Luke's departure that she was deeply affected by it. Kriffit, he had kissed her before going! Maybe she was torn between the two. That would be typical of her, feeling some kind of weird obligation because she had given herself to him a few times. And that would be typical from the kid too, waiting for him to come back to take his chances with Leia. Stupid farmboy with the hero complex!

That's it Solo. You know what to do. She's feeling too miserable already. It was all a big mistake, wasn't it? You know what to do to make her happy.