Chapter Nine:

"He went WHERE?!" Leia Organa roared.

Han flinched noticeably. "Nar Shaddaa."

The smuggler did not need the Force to feel the waves of anger emanating from the brunette. Her eyes blazed like chocolate fire, making him grateful he wasn't Luke in that moment. The kid would pay dearly for giving his sister the slip.

"What the hell is he doing there?" Leia asked incredulously, the first tinges of fright seeping into her tone.

"Luke went to help someone, Leia," Han explained patiently. "Someone was in real trouble, and he was on pins and needles about it." He shook his head in recollection. "You should have seen him."

Leia pierced him with a fierce glare. "Yes, I should have."

Han thinned his lips. "Leia, he is an adult, and a Jedi."

"He's also reckless at times." Leia ground out.

"Not nearly as much as he used to be." Han countered mildly. "Leia, he's not the same boy I brought off that dust ball all those years ago. He's a grown man with a level head and a whole Force-full arsenal at his disposal. And hells; if he can take on Palpatine and Vader and survive, then I think he deserves a little more credit than you're giving him."

Leia sighed, her anger deflating along with her small frame as she collapsed onto the bed.

"I know, Han," she said softly. "I'm just scared for him. I mean, Nar Shaddaa of all places?"

Han joined her on the bed, wrapping her in an embrace. "I know; I had just about the same reaction. But we need to trust him to take care of himself."

"I do trust him," Leia assured Han.

"Then let him be."

"Only until he returns." Leia's voice was steel. "And if Luke returns alive, all the better… because I will kill him for sneaking off like this."

Han couldn't quite hide his snigger.

Don't say I didn't warn you, Kid.

00000

Luke rose from the pilot's chair and turned to Arica, who was just about asleep. He moved next to her.

"Would you like me to move you to one of the bunks?" he offered.

She cracked an eye open, and then nodded. "Yes please."

He gently hefted her light frame into his arms and carried her to the larger of the rooms, where a good-sized bunk waited with her name on it. He settled her in, and then carefully inventoried her injuries.

"I don't know what the med kit is like on board," he admitted. "I wasn't prepared for you to be so… injured."

"It's okay." She murmured.

Luke eyed her briefly, and then left the cabin to retrieve the medical kit. He also grabbed his backpack, recalling some medical supplies Han and Lando had sent along with him as well. When he re-entered Arica's room, he saw that she was staring blankly at the wall.

Something in her stance gave him pause, and is stride faltered. Biting his cheek indecisively, Luke wondered if he should give her a moment.

His mind was made up for him when she moved her legs and released a quiet noise of pain. Luke stepped up to her bunk, setting the med-kit and his pack on a nearby desk so he could peruse their contents.

There was only one air-splint, which meant she would have to decide which limb she wanted it on. On the brighter side, the kit looked like it had plenty of antiseptic and bandages for her other wounds. He glanced toward her to find that she hadn't moved.

"Arica?" he said softly.

She glanced at him, her gaze weary. And yet… there was something else in their emerald depths; a touch of self-loathing and despair left over from her time with Garris perhaps? Luke sighed inwardly, wishing he could take away her pain.

Almost as though she'd heard his thought, she finally turned her head and studied him openly.

He took that as a good sign, and continued. "I'd like to tend to your injuries, if you would allow me to."

She kept quiet for a long moment, and then nodded. "Do what you need to."

Luke hesitated. "I'll need you to remove your outer clothing again."

She sighed, but moved to do as he'd requested. Arica was still wearing her lingerie— having simply thrown Leia's clothes on over top to save time— so she wouldn't be completely nude. Even so, Luke vowed to work quickly and then find her the bra and panties he'd also borrowed from his sister.

I just hope they fit. Luke thought with a small amount of chagrin.

"I need help please." She murmured, and Luke saw that her pants were down as far as she could get them.

Luke reached out and carefully removed her pants, and then assisted her in the removal of her shirt. She used her wan energy to roll over so he could see her back, and Luke gasped.

He hadn't seen her lashings before now, since his attention hadn't been on her body so much as their escape. The lacerations crisscrossed her back from the base of her neck all the way down to her tailbone, red and angry looking. He gently probed them with his fingers, and realized that they were a few days old, and some had puss. Many of them looked infected.

Luke wasn't surprised by that, given the conditions Arica had been forced to live in. He set to work cleaning them out; apologizing softly each time she winced or hissed. He kept his movements as steady and gentle as he could in an effort to minimize her discomfort.

"How long, exactly, were you in that room?" Luke asked once he'd finished bandaging her back and helped her roll back over.

He felt her tense; sensed her hesitation in the Force. She deliberated for a time on how much to tell him, and Luke didn't press her as he continued to minister to her injuries. He felt her gaze track him the entire time, so he was extra careful not to stare or allow his touch to linger any longer than was necessary.

Her voice, when she spoke, was soft and slightly hoarse. "I don't have an exact number, but I think about two weeks, give or take."

Luke's brow shot up. "Oh." Was all he could manage to say in that moment.

He completed tending to each superficial and skin-deep injury, then set aside the antiseptic and the tiny amount of leftover bandages. He pursed his lip in thought, eyeing her ankles and wrist.

"Well, I only have the single splint, and since your left ankle is broken I'm going to use it on that limb," Luke observed. "Your wrist is not broken, just seriously sprained. And your right ankle I already bandaged."

"Okay." Arica had her eyes closed, and her breathing was a lot steadier now, much to his relief.

Luke pulled a bacta shot from the kit and gave her a dose before setting the splint. That left only her wrist. But he didn't have enough bandages to wrap it properly. He glanced at his shirt, and made a decision.

Pulling his tunic from his pants, Luke tore off enough of it to securely wrap her limb. The sound of ripping fabric snapped Arica's eyes open, and she turned wide eyes on him as he stepped forward in his ruined tunic.

Luke set about wrapping her wrist after giving her limb a shot of the healing bacta as well. At last he finished and settled back to observe his handiwork. He managed to stifle a grimace: she looked like a mummy now that she had so many bandages on.

Arica looked upon herself as best as she could, and then lay her head back down. Luke nodded, satisfied that he had not missed anything. He put the medical equipment away and then left the cabin to retrieve the remainder of the clothes he'd brought for Arica.

"I don't know if you want to change into these, I brought them just in case." Luke told her when he walked back into the room.

He saw her eyes light up with fervent relief upon seeing the much more modest undergarments he offered, and she struggled into a sitting position. She fumbled for the clasp of her lingerie top, causing Luke to blush and back away, averting his eyes respectfully.

"I'll give you your privacy."

"Wait."

Luke paused, not looking up lest he see something she didn't want him to. Through his peripheral vision, he saw her continue to struggle against her outfit, and felt her frustration that she was so helpless. His heart went out to her. Luke knew he would probably be just as frustrated as she if their roles were reversed.

"Blast it!" she finally cursed. "I can't get my arms to work with all these kriffing bandages. They won't bend enough for me to take my top off." She turned tortured eyes his direction, and Luke finally met them. "Please help me… again."

Luke nodded, wondering at her mood swings. He shook off his uncertainty though, passing it off as her way of coping with her ordeal. Luke settled behind her on the cot, where he could help her without getting a full view of her anatomy. He sensed she didn't want that, and the last thing Luke desired was for her to be forced into more unnecessary discomfort.

Luke was gentle in removing her top, carefully shifting the intricate straps over her bandages so as to not bump them. When at last the contraption was free of her body, she snatched it from him and promptly ripped it to pieces.

Luke smirked, giving her a mental thumb up. He took the bra in his hands and held it out before her from behind, and she slipped her limbs through the simple straps. Luke clasped it for her, and then pursed his lips.

"Uh… is that too tight?" he asked gingerly.

"No, its fine thanks," she assured him, patting his arm. "You have no idea what a relief it is to finally have some support up top after two weeks in that thing." She gestured to the tattered remains of her lingerie top.

"Uh… if you say so." He ventured timidly, not wanting to upset her.

She snickered at him. "So modest."

Luke blushed, but she grasped his hand as he left the bed. "Thank you for coming for me."

He gave her a genuine smile. "Of course."

She glanced down at her bottoms. "Ah… if I could embarrass us both again, I need help finishing dressing."

Luke noticed she was shivering, and so he closed his eyes, drew her panties down, and peeked only long enough to get her legs inside the fresh pair. The pants and shirt went back on, and then Luke produced a pair of socks.

She sighed contentedly, settling into her cot with the most serene expression he'd seen on her yet. She still shivered a little though, so Luke grabbed a second blanket from a cabinet under the bed.

He tucked it around her and she smiled drowsily at him. The next thing he knew she was fast asleep.