From a Certain Point of View
When Han had finally made his way outside, he saw the transport warming up for departure. Frenzied masses of Jedi were pushing their way up the lowered gangway, overwhelming the startled platform attendant. Han cursed as he watched the madness, scanning each bobbing head for Leia.
Catching sight of Chewbacca and Artoo making their way towards him, Han met them halfway. "I lost Leia. Have you seen her?"
Chewie's fur ruffled and he growled in response, [No.] His eyes joined Han's in a frantic search while Artoo warbled mournfully.
Han watched the crowd of Jedi dwindle as they slowly disappeared into the ship, leaving Orren, Roman and Seth standing at the edge of the lowered platform at the other end of the clearing.
"Is she on the ship?" Han asked Chewie in desperation.
Chewie inclined his head for a moment and then said, [I can't tell. There's too much commotion. But she is near…and her mood is unsettled.]
"Go back to the Falcon, I'm almost done with the code. Get her in the air and come back here."
[Your best bet may be that transport.] Chewie grunted as he tilted his head toward the ship.
Han looked at the ship and then back at Chewie. "If she's on it…"
Chewie lowered his heavy paw onto Han's shoulder. [Don't worry about me. I'll get out of here on the Falcon.]
Han nodded in agreement before he tore off toward the transport, leaving Chewie and Artoo scrambling off in the direction of the Falcon.
"Is Leia inside?" Han yelled at Orren, Seth and Roman over the sound of the ship's repulsors.
Roman moved to speak, but it was Orren who answered, "We can't be sure, but we think everyone's on board."
Han shot up the ramp, pushing past the gangway attendant as the young man yelled at Han for his name. Two long strides and Han stopped in his tracks and whirled around, grabbing the datapad from the young man's hands.
"Leia Organa. Did you check in Leia Organa?"
Han's eyes scrolled through the names on the list as he said, "A short, pregnant woman. Did you see a short, pregnant woman?"
The young man answered, "I don't remember, sir. But I can tell you that I didn't get everyone, it was too rushed."
Han threw the datapad back at him; Leia's name was not on the list. He shoved his way down the hallway, crowds of Jedi that had been in such a furious hurry to board the ship just moments ago, now rambled around aimlessly through its corridors.
Han nearly knocked someone over and catching their arm, exclaimed, "Zacari."
"Captain Solo!"
"Have you seen Leia?"
"Uh, yes, I think I saw her heading to the medical bay," Zacari answered as he pointed down the hallway to the turbolifts. "I've lost Meisha and Shanel." The boy added nervously.
"Don't worry, you'll find 'em," Han replied as he ruffled the boy's hair and tore off toward the turbolifts.
As he exited the lift the mechanical voice of the PA system announced: "Please prepare for liftoff in two point three minutes."
Han grabbed the arm of a uniformed man walking leisurely down the corridor. "Why are we taking off?"
The man shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Captain's orders."
Han bounded down the hallway.
"Please prepare for liftoff in one point forty-five minutes."
Han entered the empty med ward and immediately realized that his search had been in vain. "Leia Organa?" He shouted out anyway to a startled attendant.
"We've admitted no one to the ward as of yet, sir."
"Where's Dr. Vail?"
"I haven't seen him."
Han cursed under his breath. If Leia was not on this ship then where the hells was she? He spun around, and made for the turbolifts.
When he exited the turbolifts back on the lower level, the mechanical voice warned, "Please prepare for liftoff in forty-five seconds."
Han pushed his way down the corridor, finding the young attendant with the datapad standing in front of the closed access door that led to the gangway area.
"Let me through," Han growled at the young boy as soon as he was within earshot.
"Sir, the access way has been sealed, we are preparing to liftoff."
As if in confirmation the mechanical voice came on and said, "Please prepare for liftoff in thirty seconds."
Han drew his blaster and pointed it at the young man while he reached his hand out and pressed the release button on the access panel.
"Stand aside," Han replied through gritted teeth.
The young boy paled and slid along the corridor almost in perfect timing with the opening of the access door. Han entered the now empty room, sealed the door behind him and ran towards the exit.
"Please prepare for liftoff in fifteen seconds."
He reached the exterior wall of the ship and palmed the access panel open to lower the gangway. His heart pounding in his chest, it was the first moment that he allowed his thoughts to catch up to him. This transport was more than a dozen stories high and Leia could be anywhere inside of it. A part of him, at that moment, wanted to stay with the ship and search it more thoroughly for her, but the better part of him urged him to take his chances on the ground, hoping that if he was wrong the Falcon could catch this ship if he absolutely had to.
The hissing sound of the gangway lowering mingled in and halfway covered the sound of the next warning.
"…se pre… for …toff … five …cond..."
Han watched the gangway lower slowly, more slowly than he had ever seen a gangway lower in his entire life. "C'mon, godsdammit!"
"Liftoff."
The massive repulsor motors of the large vessel drowned out the sound of Han's next curse as he ducked and scrambled down the gangway that was now slowly lifting off of the ground. Standing perilously at the edge of the platform, watching the earth of Yavin Four fall further and further away from him, Han felt a faint tug inside of him, a final doubt that perhaps Leia was onboard and it caused him to panic and hesitate.
Turning around to look at the empty bay behind him, he heard his words to Leia: 'If the Falcon isn't fixed by liftoff, then we're leaving on this frigate.' He turned around; he was slowly reaching a height that would make his decision an easy one. He lowered on his knees toward the edge, the wind whipping at his clothing and pelting his hair against his face. He shimmied down the platform and hung on by his fingertips as he heard Leia's words: 'The Force isn't steering me that way, Han. This frigate is not where I belong.' And then he let go.
Han hit the unforgiving earth hard, twisting his right ankle as he rolled to a stop. He watched as the ship lifted off above him, covering his face from the hail of rocks and dirt that the repulsor engines were stirring up around him. As the ship lifted further away, he sat up and looked around, rubbing his now throbbing ankle.
There was no one in sight. One last time, Han looked up toward the shrinking dot in the sky that was the transport and let a wave of terror seize his chest in a gripping panic as he wondered if he had just let Leia slip out of his hands once again. He stood gingerly, favoring his twisted ankle as he steadied himself, brushed himself off and headed toward the temple.
As he neared the entrance to the temple, Han saw a figure slumped against the steps, the white stone stained red all around it. Han ran towards the figure, fighting through the pain shooting up his leg as his ankle protested severely to the abuse. Han stopped, his chest heaving as he sucked in air, his body working furiously to keep up to the frantic beating of his heart. It was Seth.
The older Jedi lay crumpled against the temple entrance. Han dropped to his knees next to him and felt for a pulse, jolting back when Seth reached out and grabbed Han at the wrist.
"Sss-sss," he gurgled out through spurts of blood spewing from his mouth.
"What?" Han replied with a gasp as he caught the faint fluttering of Seth's pulse sputtering erratically beneath his fingertips.
"Ssss-sss, lliii-ghttt," Seth added with a gasp, causing him to cough up crimson chunks of blood that splattered against the stone in cold, wet slaps.
Han looked down to the belt where Seth's lightsaber should've been hitched, only to find it empty. His eyes scanned the immediate area with no luck. The absence of movement beneath his fingertips brought his eyes back down to Seth, but he was gone.
Han laid the Jedi's hand down on his chest and rose shakily to his feet. He looked down at the pile of brown robes, bones and blood that used to be a man, a Jedi. He thought for a quick moment that he should retreat and get Chewie, but the vision of what Leia might be going through and not wanting to add a second to the time it would take to find her, won over as he ran limply toward the temple, drawing his blaster in the process.
Han entered the main assembly area, the room serving as a hub to the entire temple with corridors leading from it like spokes in all directions. He spun around once, his eyes glazing over each entrance as he tried to determine which way he should go. His heartbeat was wild and erratic and he worked unsuccessfully on calming his nerves. He jumped at the sound of a blood-curdling scream and ran towards the corridor that led to the sound and the Jedi living quarters.
The first room Han entered was the large lobby that served as the common area for the living quarters. His eyes immediately landed on a slumped figure near the far corridor. The room was eerily quiet, the sound of that scream still echoing in Han's mind as he approached the fallen figure, his blaster at the ready. Han reached down and grabbed the figure by its shoulder and turned it onto its back. It was Orren, at least what used to be Orren. Like Seth, the Jedi was dead.
As Orren's body sprawled out lifelessly on its back, his lightsaber clanged to the floor as it rolled from within his bloody grasp. Han bent down and picked it up, clipping it to his belt. When he stood he heard a rustling sound in the corner and he pointed his blaster in the direction of the noise.
"Who's there?" Han asked gruffly as he walked toward a set of loungers at the far corner of the room.
"Captain Solo?" A timid voice replied as Han watched Zacari's head peek out from behind the lounger.
Lowering his blaster with a relived sigh, Han replied, "What're you doing here? I almost shot you."
Zacari stood, his body visibly trembling along with his voice. "I was looking for Meisha and Shanel. They never made the transport."
Han looked at the boy. "Did you see who did this?" He asked pointing to what was left of Orren.
Zacari nodded, tears falling down his cheeks.
Han walked over to him and knelt in front of him. "You need to be brave and tell me what happened."
The boy shook his head back and forth and cried, "It was them! I was looking for them! It was them! They killed him!"
Han pulled the boy into his embrace and held him as he wailed. "It's alright," he reassured the boy as he stood up and looked toward the corridor where Orren's body lay.
"Did they go that way?" Han asked.
Zacari sniffled and nodded. "Roman was with them."
The blood ran cool through Han's veins. "What about the Princess?"
"He had her."
Han looked toward the dark hallway and turned to Zacari and said, "You stay here-"
"No!" The boy screamed, terror in his eyes as he grabbed Han by the wrist. "Please don't leave me alone."
Han breathed out calmly and taking the boy's hand, said, "Alright, stay close."
Han and Zacari meandered through the hallways of the temple passed the living quarters and into an abandoned section of the ruins. The corridor that they found curved wildly and continued to slope further down into the ground as the walls closed tightly around them. Han had almost decided to give up and turn around when the distinct sound of lightsabers hissing and crackling in the distance refueled his resolve. He felt Zacari's grip wind tighter around his hand as they continued.
As the sound of the lightsabers grew closer, the pair came across another lifeless body, this time of a woman. Han held Zacari back, not wanting the boy to see one of his mentors slain maliciously and left for dead. Zacari crouched against the wall, trembling in fear as Han turned the body over.
Han had to catch the weight of his body with his arm against the wall as he gasped, his knees buckled beneath him and he covered his mouth in utter shock. A cool burst of perspiration painting his forehead as he suddenly felt nauseous and faint. It was one of the hags that had kidnapped him. Memories of his terror and torture at her hands left him speechless and shocked as his heart sped back up into a panicked gallop.
"Who is it?" Zacari whimpered from down the hall.
"It's not Meisha or Shanel," Han whispered absently to Zacari as he realized in that instant that in actuality it was Meisha or Shanel – which, he couldn't be sure. But the Jedi twins who spoke in unison and sometimes completed each other's sentences were in fact those same hags that had tortured Han to the brink of death. They had been here the entire time, somehow altering their appearance.
Han wiped his sweaty brow on his shirtsleeve and pulled himself together. He heard a voice scream in terror, "I didn't sign up for this!"
It was Dr. Vail. He pushed the hag back over, shielding her deformed face from the boy.
Dr. Vail's voice squealed again, "You'll kill her! I wo-"
"C'mon," Han held his hand out to Zacari as he got up and hobbled as fast as he could on his injured ankle toward the sound of the doctor's now muffled cries.
Han and Zacari arrived at the opening that was more of an archway than a door. Han leaned against the curved wall of the entrance and looked in. The area inside was cavernous and cave-like with rounded, craggy walls and a ceiling that was littered with stalactites, dripping down like sharpened teeth toward the floor below. It reminded Han of the prison that he had lived in during his kidnapping and torture. The room had a familiar smell, of rotten flesh and stagnant water. The air was so thick Han had to struggle to breathe it in.
There was a large ledge around the entire room that surrounded a canyon-like opening in the middle that was the size of the maw. Large pieces of earth shot up out of the canyon, tremendous formations of stalagmite, like fingers stretching up from a dark grave. Some pieces were chopped off at the top and flattened, most were so pointy their tips shined like the edge of a vibroblade. The opening caused the sounds of the room to echo, lending an eerie edge to the scene set out before him.
To the right, he saw Leia struggling to battle with the other hag. Leia was swinging a lightsaber in her hands clumsily, lucky to even produce a defensive move, much less an offensive one. Her moves were jerky and lumbered as she tried to maneuver her pregnant body against the thrashing blows of the hag's flailing lightsaber. She stumbled backwards and away from the hag's persistent attack. The hag looked wounded but in better shape than Leia was as she pummeled Leia's lightsaber relentlessly and continued to gain ground.
On the far side of the room to the left, Han saw a medical gurney. The white sheets and shiny durasteel legs stood out like a mirage among the filthy walls of the cave. Dr. Vail was slumped against the gurney, blood pouring out of his neck. The distinct smell of soldered flesh wafted toward Han as he turned away in disgust. Not far from Dr. Vail, almost directly across the cave from Han was Roman, also slumped over and bleeding. Han couldn't tell if he was dead or alive.
Zacari whispered from behind Han, "The Princess has Roman's lightsaber, she must've overpowered him."
"Is that Seth's lightsaber?" Han asked, looking at the hag – another wave of nausea crashing over him at the sight of his other nemesis.
"Yes, I believe so." Zacari crawled up next to Han quietly, neither Leia nor the hag had been alerted to their presence yet.
Han watched Leia battling the hag as she ran out of real estate behind her. He drew his blaster and raised it toward the hag, but the erratic movements of both her and Leia never afforded him a clean shot.
"Captain Solo, I've ranked highly in my lightsaber training. Give me Orren's lightsaber and I can help the Princess."
Han kept his blaster trained in the direction of the fighting as he let his eyes glance down at the young boy cowering beside him. How could he send a child to fight this battle? A scream from Leia drew his attention back to the other side of the room as he watched the hag slice her lightsaber against Leia's bicep, causing Leia to stumble back precariously close to the cliff-like drop in the center of the room.
Seizing the moment of weakness, the hag lifted her hand and raised her lightsaber in what would surely be a fatal blow.
Blind with fury, Han raised his blaster and fired at the hag, hitting her in the shoulder, derailing her aim but not totally thwarting the blow. He watched as the hag's lightsaber slashed Leia's thigh, knocking her off of her feet. Han watched in horror as Leia slumped down near the edge of the cliff, her lightsaber rolling out of her outstretched hand and falling silently into the abyss.
Wounded but still alive the hag cackled and raised her hand toward Han and Zacari. Han recognized the maneuver and shot off two blasts as the hag sent a Force shove in his direction. He watched as his shots hit the hag, one in the hip and one in the arm, flinging her lightsaber across the room and sending her sprawling against the cave wall behind her. In the same instant, Han and Zacari were hit with her Force shove. Han's blaster flying out of his hand as he was thrown halfway across the room and pounded up against the wall to one side and Zacari thrown off to the other.
Han fought off his body's urge to lose consciousness as he coughed up chunks of blood. The pain in his head, his ribs and hips tore through him but he struggled to get up, pushing himself against the jagged wall behind him for support, ignoring the tearing flesh on his back. The hag was no better off than he was as he watched her pulling herself along the floor by her fingernails toward her fallen lightsaber.
Looking in Leia's direction, Han noticed Roman had come to and was crawling towards Leia. At a single touch from Roman, Leia writhed in pain and screamed out.
"Stay away from her." Han yelled across the cavernous room toward Roman. His voice much more forceful and loud in his head than the garbled words that actually came out of him.
"Throw me the lightsaber!" Zacari called to Han.
Han looked toward the boy across the room from him, who was now standing up propped against the wall on trembling legs.
"No!" This call came from Roman and Han spun around to look at him. Roman was fighting to get on his feet as he said, "Do not trust him."
The snap-hiss of a lightsaber brought Han's attention back to the hag. She had reached her lightsaber and was stumbling across the room toward Roman and Leia.
"Now, Captain Solo!" Zacari yelled.
Roman stood calmly, Leia's body stretched out at his feet. Stretching his hand out toward Han, he said, "I am not your enemy, Captain Solo. Give me the lightsaber."
The hag stumbled and fell and Han pushed himself up to his feet, slumping against the wall and bracing himself as his bones protested and his muscles ripped in pain. Thoughts swirled violently through his mind. Leia's voice saying that she trusted Roman. Zacari telling Han that Leia had been on the transport. The fact that both of them had access to the Falcon's engineering console. Memory after memory, one more piece of the puzzle always cancelling out another.
Han blinked as a warm liquid trickled in his eye and blurred his vision. The hag was crawling toward Leia, struggling to get to her feet. Han looked at Zacari who was now walking toward him, clutching his abdomen as his hand ran along the rough wall for support.
Han's eyes fell back on the older Jedi as Roman sighed and said, "Please, I would not hurt her." Then added firmly, "I love her."
Han winced in pain as he unhitched the lightsaber from his belt. "Are you trying to convince me to trust you or kill you?"
A scream tore from Leia. The hag got back on her feet and was stumbling toward her.
"You're running out of time! Captain Solo, please!" Zacari pleaded, the boy still several yards away.
Han shut his eyes, the warmth of Leia's presence wrapped around him. Inhaling a deep, cleansing breath he opened his eyes as another scream from Leia prompted him into action. Hitching his arm back, Han threw the lightsaber.
Never before in his entire life had Han wished to have the Force, but he did in that moment as he watched the lightsaber hurl toward its intended target. Han wished he could call it back and send it elsewhere as the terror of making the wrong decision gripped him by the throat and he braced himself to face the consequences.