The Way It Should Be
Chapter 6
The last kick to his side had almost sent him into unconsciousness. As Solo lay gasping for breath on the floor, he could only hope the next blow would not do so. He had lost count of how many times he had been battered to the floor, only to struggle painfully and slowly to his feet each time. In spite of his exhaustion and pain, he knew he had to continue getting up. His mind wondered and for a moment, he suddenly thought he heard Luke. In that moment, he remembered that Luke seemed to have an uncanny ability to reach him if he was hurting. 'Well,' he thought wryly to himself, 'this certainly qualifies.' Luke! he didn't question how he knew the kid could hear him; he just tried to reach him. Where are you? Never mind. Mentally he shook his head. Help Leia!
Han had managed to pull himself to his feet during this exchange and his attention was not on the next blow. So when it was delivered, he hadn't prepared for it at all, and with the pain that burst through his side, his vision blacked out briefly and the next thing he knew, he was flat on his back again, with no memory of how he'd gotten there and whatever link he'd had to Luke, broken. As he lay on the floor with his vision swimming, gasping for breath and trying to find the will power to get up once more, his mind seemed to wander where it wanted to go, and he couldn't find the strength to stop it. . .
Not sure if he was dreaming or what, he seemed to be back in the cell, his arms still around Leia, drowsily trying to determine if it was morning or not. As he lay still, listening to the sound of her breathing, he thought back to the way they had given into their exhaustion, sharing the warmth and comfort of the cot and each other's company. Though he had wanted nothing more than to just enjoy the moment, the door had abruptly burst open.
Han bolted upright at the first sound, pushing Leia behind him, afraid for her. His head still throbbed, but not as badly as it had before he'd gone to sleep. Still, he fought to keep from wavering from the dizziness he felt with his sudden movement. Once his vision cleared, he saw that Trave and Jimson were back, with a third man. It was this third man that immediately held Han's attention.
He was simply put, huge. From Han's sitting position, he seemed almost as big as Chewie, and probably every bit as strong. But it wasn't just his obvious strength that suddenly turned Han's insides to jelly. It was the lack of anything resembling humanity in his eyes. At least Jimson and Trave had exhibited signs of amusement and even greed and lust, things Han could recognize and deal with. This man simply looked empty, and there was something else that Han couldn't quite place, but that made him gulp slightly and shift back toward Leia. Han wasn't often afraid, having been in too many dangerous situations to waste much time worrying about his safety. It only took him a moment to realize what was so disconcerting.
The man's eyes followed him like he was some kind of helpless prey, resting on him and seeming to weigh him, trying to decide how much trouble it would be to trap him like a wounded animal. After a moment of this scrutiny, the giant's mouth curled in something resembling a smile, but without any hint of normal pleasure. Solo heard Leia gasp from behind him, and decided on the spot that he would die before he let this monster get anywhere near the Princess. Hardening his resolve, he got to his feet and leaned nonchalantly against the wall, hoping to disguise his continued unsteadiness. "Well," he drawled in his best 'I don't give a damn voice,' "You come to let us go already? That's right thoughtful of you."
Trave narrowed his eyes, trying to judge how much of Solo's bravado was put on and how much was real. Smiling, he replied, "Why no, Captain. We're here for the entertainment." "Really?" Solo shot back. "And here I thought we'd be bored with nuthin' to do all day." Trave burst out laughing at this remark, seeming to find it extremely funny. "I'd like you to meet my, ah, 'friend,' Captain; he's here to facilitate today's festivities. This is Pix and I have a feeling you're going to get to know him very well; very well indeed."
Trave turned toward Jimson and gestured toward Leia, who was still seated on the cot. "Keep her here," he said shortly. "Captain? If you would please," and he indicated with a wave of his arm that the Corellian was to precede him out of the cell. However, Han just raised an eyebrow and didn't move until the giant, after a lingering look at the Princess shuffled out ahead of them. Only then did Han move, glancing at Leia on his way out and trying to communicate with his eyes that he didn't want her to try anything.
Leia didn't have a clue what to try, even if she hadn't been blocked by Jimson from making any kind of move. She looked up at Han, with fear, determination and regret warring for domination in every line of her face. A soft sigh escaped her lips and she seemed to settle on regret. Han wasn't sure if she was still blaming herself for the mess they were in, or might possibly be regretting the fact it appeared they wouldn't be spending more time together anytime soon.
As soon as they went through the adjoining door, it was slammed and locked behind them. Han didn't like the idea of Jimson being left with Leia, but didn't know what he could do about it, and at least the giant of a man wasn't alone with her. Of course, he didn't much like the idea of being locked in a room with him either.
"Captain, you've got one chance to tell me who you are," Trave said in a conversational tone. "Go to hell, Trave," Solo responded without even considering the man's words. "I figured that's what you'd say. So, let me tell you the rules of this next little game. See, even though Vader has said he'd take the Princess dead or alive, everyone knows he'd prefer her alive, and to my way of thinking, that means he'd prefer her undamaged as well. However, if necessary, I won't hesitate to hurt her, or even kill her. I need to make sure you understand the truth of that. For that reason, Jimson will remain with her, to ensure your cooperation, shall we say." Han's eyes were cold as he glared at Trave, but he didn't say anything in return.
Trave continued, "I also see that she seems to care a great deal about what happens to you, so though I'm sure you won't be inclined to talk, maybe she will if she doesn't like what's happening to you. And I'm thinking that anything the Princess has to share, say about the rebellion? … would be information that might be most welcome to Lord Vader and could substantially increase my reward. So, please keep that in mind. I don't suppose there is anything you'd want to tell me right now is there?"
Solo just glared at him, knowing his silence meant he was undoubtedly in for some major punishment, but he was determined not to say anything that might jeopardize either Leia, Luke, Chewie or any of his friends back on the hidden base. He knew he'd rather die first. He wondered briefly just when all these people had become more important to him than his own well being. Chewie and he had always had each other's back, but he wasn't used to having to worry about others in his life. He was even more startled when he realized that most anyone in the rebellion would do the same for him, especially Luke, Leia, Wedge and some of his closer pilot buddies. He only hoped they wouldn't threaten Leia directly; he knew she would also die rather than betray the alliance, but he didn't think he could just stand by and watch anything happen to her. In fact, he knew he couldn't. Han realized that whatever it took he had to keep the attention focused on him. He couldn't hope to keep quiet if they tried to hurt Leia.
"I didn't think so Captain. Which brings me to the next part of the 'rules.' You see, I suspect that you'd do almost anything rather than let the Princess be hurt. Your behavior to date has certainly shown that. Why, you scared Jimson nearly to death when you tried to choke the life out of him, and he just wanted to have a little fun, poor man." Trave chuckled, an evil sound indeed, and Han began to realize he wasn't much more humane than the man known as Pix. He had a sinking feeling Trave was going to enjoy whatever was coming next way too much. "So, Captain, here's the thing. I'm going to let Pix do whatever he wants to with you – and his specialty is simply beating things to death, by the way. For some reason, he enjoys that more than anything else, and I have to admit, I don't mind letting him have his way, I find it very entertaining. But he gets most annoyed if his victims don't cooperate. And none of us like it when Pix gets annoyed."
Trave actually chuckled, an evil sound to Han's way of thinking. But he didn't let on how unsettling the whole thing was. Trave continued, "So, if you don't cooperate – that is, if you give up too quickly, why then I'll let Jimson have his way with the Princess. No matter how often you go down, I expect you to get right back up and take whatever Pix deals out without so much as a whimper. I realize that eventually, you'll probably either pass out or die; but if you do it too quickly, then the Princess suffers. Do we understand each other?"
Solo gulped, he hadn't expected this turn of events. He was fairly confident he could keep from spilling any secrets, but if he had no idea how long he was expected to last before Leia was hurt, it was going to make this much more difficult than he had anticipated. He didn't doubt what Trave was saying for one minute, the longer he spent with the man; the more he realized he was one of those individuals who thrived on other people's pain and humiliation.
Apparently he hesitated too long to suit Trave, because before Han could blink, he saw him make a gesture toward the one way window in his cell and the next thing he knew, Leia was being brought in to stand before him. Han saw the way Jimson was holding her tightly by her arm, and stiffened, but didn't make a move toward her at that point. Trave just smiled again, and said "Perhaps you didn't think I was serious, Captain. Jimson?" Jimson turned the unsuspecting Princess toward him and struck her four hard blows across the face in quick succession. Her head snapped back and in her surprise, she couldn't keep tears from pooling in her lovely eyes. Once again, Han didn't stop to think; as before when she had been threatened, he simply reacted. In one move, he had crossed the distance between them, had Jimson by the arm, whirled him around and hit him with a mighty right hook that sent him spinning, then flopping to the ground, rubbing his sore jaw in amazement. Han was set to dive on top of the man and finish him off, when he felt his arms grabbed from behind and pulled up behind his back.
He continued to struggle, still so angry over Leia's treatment that he wasn't thinking straight. Before he knew what was happening, he felt his arms being pulled higher, and even as his mind told him to stop, his emotions wouldn't let him. Instead, using the man behind him as leverage, he lashed out toward Jimson with his feet, striking the man on the chin with a boot heel and watching with satisfaction as his head snapped back sharply and he slumped to the floor. As quickly as that victory took place, Han was aware he'd made a mistake. A vicious wrench of his left arm and hand, along with a twisting motion, and he felt as well as heard a bone in his wrist snap. He grunted as the pain registered, but it also served to clear his head and he realized he wasn't going to do any good by continuing his attack on the hapless man now cowering at his feet. He purposely relaxed, closing his mouth tightly to keep from expressing the pain that raced along his hand and arm.
Leia had recovered from shock of being hit by now and shouted at Trave, "Stop it. Make him stop," pointing at the giant that still held Han in a vice grip. She started to advance, but Han shook his head and said "No, Leia, leave it." The sudden grimace of pain on his face as Pix tightened his hold on Han's arm stopped her in her tracks.
Trave smiled again, and said, "Now that went well, don't you think? Jimson, get on your feet, take the Princess back to her cell and try not to let her overcome you, do you think you can manage that?" Jimson got to his feet and glared at Solo. "This isn't over, you scum. You'll pay for that. Pix will make you pay." He grabbed the Alderani none too gently and marched her out of the room, slamming the door behind them.
Trave looked at Solo again and said "All right Pix, you can let him go now." Pix immediately released his hold on Solo, who had to quickly bite his lip to keep from crying out as his arm fell forward. He grasped his left wrist with his right hand, but made no sound, instead looking at Trave with murder in his eyes. "Now Captain, one more time, do you understand the rules? You must get to your feet each time you fall until I say otherwise, you must attempt to keep from making a sound, no matter what Pix does to you and by the way, any measure you take to defend yourself whatsoever will result in the immediate and severe punishment of your Princess. Well?" Han continued to glare his defiance, but immediately nodded his head, not wanting to risk another demonstration that might cause Leia any more pain.
"Wonderful," Trave smiled congenially, as if Han had just accepted an invitation to spend a carefree evening eating dinner with him. "Shall we begin? Pix? If you would, and please try to keep blows to his head at a minimum, I don't want him losing consciousness too soon. Oh, and Captain, at any point if you wish the 'entertainment' to end, you have only to signal your willingness to share information with me. Information of the kind Vader desires of course." Han noticed he hadn't indicated Leia could stop things in a similar manner, and wondered briefly at that, until the first blow that Pix struck him sent him reeling. He realized he'd better keep his thoughts focused, or he would break some of Trave's "rules" and then Leia would pay a price, something Han wanted most adamantly to avoid.