Chapter 97
AN: Thank you to everyone for your patience and kind words.
Just a short distance from the deck gun, she saw a sight that made her freeze. Lando was hanging from the edge of the skiff, precariously hanging from a rope, not far from the Sarlacc's awaiting mouth. Luke had just sliced Boba Fett's blaster and Ari could not look away, holding her breath.
The deck gun shot at the skiff again and both Chewie and Han ended up on the bottom of the skiff. Whether they fell or if Chewie was protecting Han from most of the blast, Ari did not know. Either way, they were both down and even from this distance, the young woman could see Chewie holding his leg and howling in pain.
Luke also glanced at them and the moment of distraction cost him. The bounty hunter shot a cable out of his armored sleeve and Luke was wrapped in it, arms pinned to his side. Luck, or the Force, was with him though, because he was able to move his arm enough to cut the cord, freeing himself.
Another shot from the deck gun brought her back to her mission. She had to stop the guards from shooting at them. It was a powerful gun. Even though she was glad to see that it caused Boba Fett to fall, she knew that it was going to get even more dangerous.
She rushed to the guard and, using the Force for help, pushed him out of the way. The gun attached to the deck. She turned it so that if it did go off, no one would be hit by it. She frantically worked on tugging it off the railing, the gun heavy enough to hinder her movement, but that did not stop her. She had to get the gun off the deck, and hopefully she could destroy it. A thought came to her then, and she changed her path, going back to the rail. She knew she should throw it over the edge and if she threw hard enough, it could be digested over the years by the Sarlacc.
With both hands needed to hold the large gun, Ari felt a bit awkward with the gun. However, at the railing, she knew if she could get enough momentum, the gun would quickly disappear, rolling down the sandy slopes. She moved her arms back and just as she moved them to swing the gun over the edge she was grabbed roughly by the shoulders and yanked back so quickly she almost lost her footing. The only reason she was able to stay up was because of the large hands that were bruising her bare shoulders with their tight grip.
"I guess the little dancer is a traitor," a gruff voice spoke. It was full of malice and even under the hot suns, Ari shivered. She was turned around and was all of a sudden face to face with the humanoid from before. Ari held back a groan. This could not have come at a worse time.
He ripped the gun from her hands and handed it back to a guard with one hand, the other still gripping her shoulder. She moved to twist away, but then the vice like grip was on her wrists, to the point of it being painful. She heard a shout from the skiffs and she turned to see what was going on, but a hard tug on her wrists caused her to stumble closer to the vile male.
"Your friends can't help you now," he growled. The man's blue tinted skin seemed almost comically out of place on a planet where not even the sky seemed very blue.
Over his shoulder, Ari saw that the gun was once again in place and it shot at the skiff. She heard a few shouts and she saw skiff with Lando, Han and Chewie tilt dangerously to the side. "No!" she shouted and pulled hard to free herself from the grip the man had on her.
He did not let go though. Instead, she felt one of his hands on her throat. Ari's now free hand went to try and pry away his hand. She could not die, not like this. She had survived the assault on the Death Star and the evacuation of Echo Base. Somehow she had made it through an encounter with Boba Fett with only minor injuries. She was not about to let this being do this to her.
She reached out with the Force even though breathing was now much more difficult. Ari Luke's voice could be clearly heard. Are you alright?
I will be she answered as she used the Force to move quicker than she ever had, sweeping her leg out, tripping the leering being. The man fell onto the deck hard. However, he did not lessen his grip and she fell over top of him, head light from lack of air. Ari was not a heavy person, but she purposely moved her free arm when she fell so that it hit his throat with some force. He was gasping for air and released her as his hands went to his neck, trying to breathe deeply.
Free from his grasp, she stumbled away from him, breathing in the dry, hot air. She welcomed it there, coughing for a moment as her lungs tried to adjust after being deprived of air.
Unfortunately, Ari's relief was short lived. The amount of time it took for her to recover was all the time that her opponent needed to catch his breath as well. The smirk that he had worn had turned into one of anger, and the flash in his eyes was only second to the gleam of the suns on his large vibroblade that he pulled off his belt.
He took a few steps toward Ari then lunged. If not for the Force, it would have been enough to kill her, or at least severely injure her. The man's attacks were fast and swift and while he managed to give her a superficial cut on her arm, the Force helped her dodge his attacks.
However, without a weapon such as his, she could not fight back. Instead, she was dodging his attacks and forced to give him ground, backing up and changing her direction sporadically. She knew she had to be closer to the edge than she wanted to be, but could not risk looking over her shoulder to check.
A flash of green caught her eye and she looked over to its source. It was Luke. She could not just feel the Force flowing through him, but could see it in ever move. While she knew she could become a Jedi, she had no doubts in her mind that Luke would go on to be one of the greatest Jedi of all time.
This distraction was all the man needed. He slammed into her with the bulk of his body and Ari gave a small strangled yelp as she found herself falling backward, and she found no floor beneath her feet anymore. All that was around her was air. She was falling over the edge of the skiff and in less than a second, she had her hands out, grabbing for some type of hand hold. When she felt one hand brush over a rope that was hanging over the edge, she grabbed it. She fall was stopped by a sudden jerk that caused a pain to rush through her shoulder. Gritting her teeth, Ari's other hand grabbed the rope, holding on tight, feet unable to gain a purchase that would allow her to climb back aboard the sail barge.
She started to attempt her climb up, but it was proving to be more difficult than she thought.
Ari! Are you alright? she heard Luke's concern clearly.
Yes. I grabbed a rope she answered. I am climbing back up now
There was a slight pause and Ari saw another guard falling from the sail barge and down the steep slope to the awaiting creature. No. You are on the other side of the barge. Swing off and onto a dune. Then get to the skiff with Lando and the others.
But- Ari started to protest.
Don't argue Luke's reply came and Ari frowned, but knew she would do as he said. Without a weapon, she would not be helpful. She longed to hold the familiar metal cylinder in her hands again. To feel the Force flow through her and to her lightsaber, connecting them to each other.
Using her legs, she swung them forward and then back, quickly creating a swinging motion. She felt nervous when she reached her peak of momentum over the Sarlacc, knowing that one move would send her to a slow and painful death, being digested over many years. Then she forced that feeling away and felt only calm and determination as she continued her movements.
She let go when the rope was at its peak in the other direction, by some sand dunes. She let go of the rope and fell onto the sand, feeling it slide as she rolled a few feet down slightly. She ended up on her side, coughing on sand. She was alive though, and without any serious injuries, though her shoulder was aching painfully.
She did not focus on that though. Instead, she got to her feet, noting with a wry smile that she had sand in her boots and would probably be finding it in her hair. Shaking her head to clear it, she then trotted around the pit, making sure to keep a good distance between herself and the Sarlacc.
While most would find running on sand difficult, especially with such boots that did not allow for much traction, Ari had a lot of experience moving fast through the sand. She quickly was on the other side of the pit, now by the skiff where Han and Chewie had just helped Lando back on board.
"Hey, do you have room for one more?" she called. She was so relieved to see that her friends seemed to be unharmed that she found herself able to joke, even though Luke was still battling many of the guards aboard the sail barge.
"Ari?" Lando asked as he looked down at where she was. He looked over his shoulder to the sail barge where he thought she still was.
"Long story, we don't have time," she reminded him. Lando nodded and, finding the rope he had been tangled in before, he dropped it down to her. While her hands were sore from the rope just moments before, she grabbed it and Lando, along with some help from Chewie, had her aboard in just a few moments.
Letting out a deep sigh, she sank to the floor, back against the control panel of the floating vessel. Now that she had stopped moving, she noticed that her shoulder was very sore. It could wait though. Her attention quickly went to Luke when she thought she heard him shout out. Was he hurt?
He seemed to be hurt for a moment, and then went on fighting. That was Luke though. It seemed that every time he faced a loss or pain, it made his resolve even stronger. Even in the midst of battle, Ari felt her heart start to race, and it was not from the adrenaline coursing through her veins from the battle. It was from something else. Something else that she often felt when she glanced at the man who was dressed in black, lightsaber a blur of movement. The same man who, just a few short years ago, had been a dreamy eyed boy. It was hard to see how they could be the same. It was still Luke though. He had grown up into a hero and a Jedi.
She watched as Leia pointed the main barge gun at the deck and Luke grabbed one of the rigging ropes that attached to the mast of the main sail. He grabbed Leia with his other arm and she wrapped his arms around his neck. While it might have made her jealous before, for some reason, Ari did not feel any of that now. She wondered when that might have changed.
The duo swung onto the skiff easily after Luke kicked the trigger of the gun. Han was looking over Chewie's leg wound, Lando at the controls.
"Let's go, and don't forget the droids," Luke instructed Lando before looking down at Ari. She gave him a small smile to show that she was alright.
"We're on our way," Lando grinned and the skiff moved quickly, the sail barge aflame with more explosions resounding throughout the interior.
Ari looked over the edge and saw Threepio's legs and Artoo's periscope showing above the sand. She had to laugh at such a sight. It was apparent that the two had jumped overboard, but she had to wonder just how willing Threepio had been to do such a thing.
Lando lowered two large electromagnets and with a metallic clang, both droids were lifted out of the sand. As the magnets were raised, and with some help of the Force, Luke, Leia and Ari managed to pull the droids onto the skiff. With one nod from Luke, the skiff took off quickly across the sand as the barge erupted in one large explosion, debris scattering everywhere. Then they were free, flying over the desert sands.
"Woohoo!" Lando gave up a cheer and everyone seemed the need to hug each other. However, when Ari winced, Luke frowned. "What happened?"
"I think I just hurt my shoulder a bit," she answered, averting her gaze. When he did not answer right away, she frowned slightly, knowing he was not going to let it go that easily.
She dared a look back up and saw a stern look on his face, one that her father might have had when she did not tell how a droid had really become broken.
"Let me check," Lando suggested and Luke took over control of the skiff, slowing the speed slightly. They had escaped and it was apparent that no one would be coming after them.
While Leia went over to check on Han and Chewie, giving the former a big hug, Lando knelt down and motioned for Ari to sit down as well. He touched along her shoulder, noticing when she winced.
"If you tell me some Jedi saying about not feeling pain…" she managed to joke with Luke, who just gave her a small amused smile in response.
"It is nothing too serious. I think you just relocated it. Want me to fix it for you?" Lando offered.
Ari looked at him for a moment, considering the offer. She trusted Lando, but had to admit she was a bit uneasy as to what his solution would be. Her decision was made though after he touched another area and she gave a small hiss through clenched teeth. "Alright," she nodded.
"Just try not to scream," he warned as he put one hand on her shoulder, the other on her back. In one quick motion he moved her shoulder back into place with a crisp popping sound. Ari, had given a small cry of pain, and then let out a deep breath she did not know she had been holding. The pain subsided quickly and she moved her shoulder in a circle, first forward then back, smiling at Lando. "Thanks."
"Anytime," he answered, going back to take his position back from Luke.
"Do you feel better?" Luke asked her and she nodded.
As he moved his arm, she noticed some wiring around his wrist. "Are you alright?" she asked.
He nodded, pulling the glove down over his hand again then flashed a smile that made a shiver go through her entire body. "I'm fine. I can have it looked at when we get to the rendezvous point."
Ari gave him a skeptical look, though it was a teasing one. The suns showed him quite well from where she was sitting, and for a moment he looked like a hero from holovids that people watched.
The sky was bluer than usual and it seemed to go well with him. Then Ari frowned as she looked up at the sky a bit more, then she glanced over at Luke. "I sense it too," he announced.
"Sense what?" Lando asked. Ari noted that the other three were looking over at them as well.
Luke was still looking at the sky before saying the word that most Tatooine natives came to dread "Sandstorm."