Transfixed, they both watched as the massive statue of the Emperor that had loomed over the plaza as long as Leia could remember toppled, the stone face shattering as a crowd of cheering protestors scattered away. The collapse shook the platform where they stood, bringing Han out of his near trance. A moment later, he flung himself towards Leia, knocking them both down as a volley of blaster fire sprayed the crowd. Pushing herself up on her elbows, Leia peeked out, seeing a line of stormtroopers assembling on a balcony opposite them.
"We have to get out of here," she said as Han got himself onto hands and knees. She gestured with her head at the cuffs still binding both their wrists. "Any ideas how to get these off?"
"Ideas, yes," Han said, rising to his feet and then leaning over to help Leia up. "Tools, no." He crouched down, keeping behind the low metal wall that enclosed the platform around the landing platform and hangar. The cheers of the crowd were quickly transitioning to screams as the frequency of blaster fire increased. Risking a glance, Han saw that the hordes of people who had filled the plaza were now crushing into side streets and buildings, trying desperately to get away from the growing onslaught from above.
"They're getting slaughtered down there," he muttered. Leia didn't react, realizing there was little to be done at the moment. "Let's head for the underground. We can figure out what to do next from there."
"The underground?" Leia waved her bound hands in front of him, as though he somehow could have forgotten their current situation. "We won't last five minutes down there like this."
"You want to just stroll up to some troopers and ask them to please unlock us?" he retorted. "It's not a great idea, I realize, but if you can think of anything better…." She pursed her lips but stayed silent. "I know people. We'll find someone to help us out."
"I know people too," she told him tersely. "I'm just concerned about what happens before we find them."
He stopped, resting back on his heels to give his aching legs a break. "Just trust me. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."
Her reaction was the last thing he would have predicted. She collapsed forward, breaking down in hysterical laughter. She tried to speak, but couldn't get the words out.
"Glad you can find this funny," he said, shaking his head in disgust.
"I….I'm sorry…." she said, her voice high with giggles. "I just…this…have you ever seen anything more ridiculous?"
"I beg your pardon?" he responded, imitating the Core accent and mannerism she sometimes affected when meeting with particularly obnoxious planetary leaders.
"Look at us, Han. We have no weapons and we're running around in binders in the heart of the Empire. What hope do we have?"
"We're better off than we were a few hours ago," he reminded here. "Let's have a little optimism here, okay? We've gotten out of tighter situations."
Breathing deeply to try to quiet her laughter, Leia looked into Han's eyes. She was surprised to see how intensely he was watching her. "You really think we're going to be okay, don't you?" she asked quietly.
"I'm damn well not giving up," he responded. "Not now."
"Okay." Leia pushed herself up, following him further along the platform. "If you say so. Let's go."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"There are a hundred places they could have gone," Lando said dejectedly, looking up at Chewie with a certain wariness. The Wookiee had reacted violently when Luke reported that Alliance high command wouldn't authorize a rescue mission for Han and Leia, and they had only recently gotten him calmed down. Thankfully the only casualty was Threepio, who had broken an easily replaceable joint when Chewbacca pitched him into a wall.
Luke sat quietly, his eyes closed, reaching out into the Force for any sense of his sister. He was certain she was still alive, but beyond that his only belief was that she was long gone from the Endor system. The Imperial ships that remained after the explosion of the Death Star had fled, and he presumed that she and Han were still being held with the fleet. He hoped they were at least still together.
"We can't go hopping all over the galaxy again," Luke said finally. "I don't know if we have the time for that."
"They wouldn't kill them," Lando insisted. "They're too valuable as prisoners at this point."
"So you just want to wait for a ransom note?" Chewie growled. "Coward."
Lando's hackles went up at the Wookiee's accusation. "I'm just trying to approach this in a way that isn't stupid," he said angrily.
"You're saying I'm stupid?" Chewbacca stood, making Lando immediately regret his words. Seeing that the situation was rapidly deteriorating, Luke stood between the two combatants.
"Fighting isn't going to get them back. Lando, you must know some people that can help us track the fleet?" Luke looked at him hopefully. "All we need to know is where ISD Chimaera went."
Lando thought for a minute. "I've burned a lot of contacts lately. I'm not sure if there's anyone…."
Chewbacca roared at him, pushing against Luke as he tried to keep the two separated.
"Okay, let me see what I can do," he said finally.
"I'll see what I can glean from people around here," Luke added. "Let's meet up back here in an hour."
"Don't know what I can get in an hour," Lando mumbled, avoiding eye contact with the still-seething Wookiee.
"Me neither," Luke assured him, "But we have to try."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"I have a bad feeling about this." Leia stood in the door of the lift, making no move to get out. The door chimed, protesting her inaction as it tried to shut repeatedly only to bounce back when it sensed the princess in the way. Han stood outside, wishing he had a better way to disguise the binders that were hobbling his ability to defend himself against any comers.
"Just pretend it's a garbage chute," he said impatiently, coughing in the dank air. "Really not that different if you think about it."
"At least we had weapons then," she sighed, stepping towards him. They kept their backs to the wall as they made their way into the bustle of the underground street, which seemed unaffected by the unprecedented events several hundred floors above. Still wearing her poncho, Leia was able to wrap the cloth around her hands, making her look slightly less defenseless. "Where to, hotshot?"
Han bit his lip. He hadn't been lying about having contacts in the underground, but his information was out of date. Normally he'd saunter into a watering hole and make inquiries, but he could hardly do that in his current condition, much less take a pretty young woman along with him. "Let's see if we can find something to pick these with," he told her. "Look for a thin piece of metal."
"Aren't they magnetic?" Leia protested. "How can you pick an electromagnet?"
"I can try, can't I?"
Leia sighed. "Sounds like I'm not going to be able to talk you out of it."
Side by side, they walked into an alley, scanning the ground for any bit of debris that might be useful in freeing themselves from their bonds. Han stopped every few meters and scanned the surrounding area. Denizens of the underground were skilled at sneaking up on unsuspecting victims, and the last thing they needed was to get jumped by some thug.
"Here." Leia bent over, grabbing out a long pin that was protruding from a pile of trash dumped around a cardboard box that was leaned up against a wall. "Will this work?"
Han walked over to her, taking the pin and looking at it closely. "Worth a try. Gimme your hands."
"Don't poke me," she warned as he found the clasp and began fiddling with the latch. "I hate to think of what sort of germs might be on that thing."
"Doin' my best," he responded tightly as he wiggled the pin, not willing to yet admit that Leia's analysis of the situation had been correct. He knew some people had gotten out of magnetic cuffs by purposely electrocuting themselves, but that strategy often went badly. He leaned in close, trying to see how the cuffs latched together, when Leia suddenly cried out in surprise.
"What?" he asked, looking up as Leia fell backwards, landing on her rear as a shadowy figure yanked her downwards. He lifted his hands, planning to use the heavy metal cuffs as a weapon, then grunted as something small and heavy slammed into his stomach, knocking him backwards as well.
"Mine!" A high pitched voice screeched into Han's ear as a pair of sharp clawed, furry paws wrenched the pin from his hand. Han used his feet to swing himself upright, staring into the eyes of a ratlike creature that was continuing to scream angrily at him. "Mine! Mine!"
Han shoved it away. "Fine, it's yours. Go away."
"Han," Leia said with trepidation. She was staring over his shoulder. "What are they?"
He twisted around, watching as moving shadows coalesced into more of the little creatures. Smaller than Jawas, the creatures had rodent-like noses and matted fur, and sniffed the air as they approached the two humans. He couldn't help but cringe as one of them examined his cuffs, bringing its nose in close as it peered at the metal.
"Mine."
"Hey, buddy," Han said, "If you can get them off, they're all yours."
"Mine." Another of the creatures stepped forward, circling Leia suspiciously and occasionally reaching out to touch the binders around her wrists. A soft squeaking noise from the cardboard box caught her attention, and she looked over to see three smaller versions of the creatures—babies, it appeared—peeking out at her.
"I think that was their treasure pile," she said softly. "What do we do?"
"No sudden moves," Han told her. One of the creatures began sniffing his face, its whiskers inching down towards his nose. Without warning, he sneezed violently.
Immediately the rodent pack fell on them, some trampling their companions and others shoving through to grab at the two shiny sets of binders. Leia swung her arms, trying in vain to push them away as she disappeared beneath a pile of the creatures. Han stood momentarily before being yanked to the ground, his arms wrenched over his head as a group of the creatures collaborated to drag him off into the darkness.