Thank you all! Love to read what you guys enjoy about the story and sometimes the comments crack me up (finest human specimen comments were great!).
It's about to get more interesting...
###
Chained to the wall in a stone room that was empty, save for ten Wookiees and one other human, Han sat close to Chewbacca, who had refused to leave his side for the past six weeks. Wookiees had come and gone as they had been smuggled in or purchased, usually in groups of six or more. Human slaves were not in high demand, and Han wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
Every time the slavers came to take away a group of Wookiees, Chewbacca growled low in his throat to him that he could not be taken, he had to serve out his life debt. Each time, Han rolled his eyes and said nothing. A life debt did not sit well with him. But, at the same time, something inside him did not want to see the Wookiee go. He had grown used to his company, had developed an attachment that he hadn't felt in a very long time.
Remaining with Han, separate from the other Wookiees, seemed to do the job. The slavers tended to count off a group to be taken, and the count never made it as far as Chewbacca.
Noise came from the heavy, stone door, the sound of the electronic bolt sliding aside. It creaked open and a group of Gamorreans huddled in the doorway, blasters drawn. One lumbered inside, came up to Han and squealed at him.
Han, who understood many languages, translated in his head. 'Get up. Some little lady wants you as a boy toy.'
Han blinked. Had he misunderstood? He must have misunderstood. Another Gamorrean came forward and unlocked his chain from the wall. He pulled on it roughly and it choked Han until he was gagging. Swearing with a guttural growl, he stood up. Blaster trained on him by one, the other pulled him forward towards the door.
From behind him, Chewbacca let out a mournful howl. He needed to fulfill his life debt and wanted to go with Han. A surprising pang squeezed his heart and Han wished he could take the big lug with him.
He was maneuvered roughly into a 'lift and he felt it rise several floors then stop with a mild lurch. At least this gave him some hope. Locked in the dungeon, there had been no hope of escape. The only problem now was the implant.
They spilled from the 'lift into a low-lit chamber where a hulking Jablogian rested on a repulsor that looked quite a bit like a throne. Was this the head of the slave operation?
The group of slavers who had brought him in were enjoying some beverages in murky looking glasses. The one he had argued with sneered at him.
"Ready for some action, Solo? You're a lucky man. Your buyer's a good lookin' little lady."
He hadn't misunderstood. A snarl burrowed into his stomach. This was insane. A sex slave?
"Look," he said in his most confident voice. "I don't even belong here. This is all a mistake. Let me go and we can forget the whole thing."
A bellowing laugh escaped the Jablogian's throat. "Your new owner is on her way now."
His stomach sunk a little lower. Behind him, he heard the 'lift open and he spun, chains straining at his hands and neck. From inside, a trio stepped forward.
In the middle was a small, human woman, dressed in a tight-fitting black jumpsuit and flanked on either side by a human male. But, it was the woman that captured his attention.
The contrast of her dark hair, pale skin, and huge, deep brown eyes riveted him. She was quite beautiful. This tiny woman was buying him?
He was yanked from his reverie when the Jablogian spoke again. "This is our finest human specimen." He gestured towards Han.
Her eyes met his and she gazed at him for a long moment. For a split second, there was uncertainty in her eyes and he was confounded by it. Then, her gaze swept over the length of him and he suddenly knew what it was like to be a slab of nerf meat at the market.
When she spoke, he had no problem believing she was buying him. Her voice was full of confidence and command, as if she were used to getting her way.
"This is your best specimen?"
Dumbfounded, Han's mouth spilled open. "Hey!" he called out indignantly.
"You find him lacking?"
Han's eyes were on the woman's full lips as they pursed together. "He'll do."
I'll do? Who was this lady? She looked barely old enough to be out by herself.
"One hundred thousand credits," came the coarse voice to his left.
"Five hundred thousand." Her voice was challenging.
The obese being laughed, deep and grating. "You must be kidding. One hundred thousand!"
"Eighty thousand."
This girl had nerve. Or she had no idea what she was doing.
The Jablogian leaned forward, brow furrowing and increasing the wrinkles between his eyes. "One hundred thousand. And stop wasting my time. Or maybe you're not serious. Maybe this is all some sort of set-up."
All sound halted and it was suddenly deathly quiet. Han's eyes drifted to the young woman's two companions. They looked stiff and tense. When he looked back at her, her head had risen and her eyes had hardened.
"I assure you, I am quite serious. One hundred thousand then. I'll need a secure channel to transfer the funds."
"Charky!"
That infuriating human stepped up.
"Take the girl to transfer the credits. And get her the remote."
"Sure thing, Boss." He led the three outsiders to the 'lift and they disappeared.
A Gamorrean removed the collar from Han's neck but left the binders on his wrists. He continued to hold onto the chain attached to them.
How was this happening? How was he being sold as a sex slave? He couldn't fathom what was going to happen next.
The idea of being a slave was horrifying. He looked around the room, a sense of desperation seeping in. There had to be a way out of this. But, he saw nothing that might help.
There were too many of them and his hands were bound, useless. The 'lift was the only way out. And that wouldn't get him very far.
He, who always had some reckless, impulsive plan in mind, came up empty. There was no way out. He would just have to wait until he was away from here. How hard could it be to outwit the young woman and her friends?
Chatter and laughter filled his ears but did not penetrate his mind as he stood, now forgotten by everyone in the room. Eventually, he heard the 'lift descending and turned just in time to see Charky and the trio step out.
"She made payment," Charky called loudly.
"Very good," the Jablogian said. He gestured towards Han. "He's all yours. Enjoy!" He leered in the woman's direction. "Oh, and your remote."
One of the humans stepped forward and handed a small, rectangular remote to her. She stared down at it, seemingly confused.
"What is the remote for?"
"Your slave," the human replied.
A small crease appeared between her eyebrows. "What does it do?"
The Jabloigian laughed heartily. "There's an implant inside your slave. It insures he won't run away. Although I can't imagine why he would want to." His small eyes ran over the woman's petite frame. "If he does run away though, just press the button and he will be destroyed."
Han was watching her carefully. A brief flicker of horror tinged her expression for just a moment. Had he not been watching so closely, he would have missed it. He was surprised by it, but before he could give it much thought, her features settled into a hard mask again.
"And how will he be destroyed?"
"It blows him up!" Charky said from nearby, snickering. His companions chuckled along with him.
"I see," she answered steadily. She was impossible to read. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you." With a gesture of her chin, she indicated to one of her men to take Han's chain. Looking infinitely nervous, the younger man did so.
With Charky in the lead, they filed into the 'lift. Han cooperated. What else could he do? As the 'lift ascended, a sinking feeling settled in his stomach. He had a feeling his life had just been changed forever.
###
Outside, on the city streets, amidst the sleaze and grime, Han was taken aback when the small woman instructed her companion to remove the chains from him. The older man came to him, removed a cutting tool from his belt, and buzzed through the metal binders at Han's wrists.
Han yanked off the binders, chain still attached, and tossed them into an alley behind him. "Thanks," he said shortly, uncertain what to expect next. He turned to face the woman. Up close, he realized that she looked younger than he had initially thought.
"You're free to go," she said with a dismissive wave.
Han stared down at her, uncomprehending. "Free?"
"Yes." She gestured to the older man and he handed the remote to Han, who took it dumbly, mouth hanging open.
Was she playing with him? "You're just setting me free? Just like that?" He shoved the remote in his pocket.
Her lips compressed and her brow wrinkled in irritation. "Yes. You speak Basic, don't you?"
His head snapped back and now he was angry as well as confused. "Listen, Sister, I don't know what your game is, but stop messing with me and tell me what's going on here!" He pointed a finger directly in her face and she glared at it then him.
Her expression grew hard and angry. "I am not 'messing with you.' I said you are free to go and that's the truth." With a haughty spin on her heel, she began striding away from him, her two companions following closely.
A moment of stunned disbelief later and Han was at her heels. "So, you're tellin' me, you bought a slave just to let him go. That's what you're saying?"
The older of the men traveling with her turned and placed a rough hand on Han's arm. "You need to get going! We don't have time for—"
The young woman cut him off with a hand on his arm. "Raymus, it's okay." Her voice was suddenly softer. "Who knows what this man has been through?"
At this, the man stepped away from Han and he couldn't help but wonder who she was that she commanded over this older man.
She turned back to Han, eyes far more kind than they had been. "I'm sorry. I know this must be difficult for you. Suffice it to say that I needed to purchase a slave for reasons I can't explain. But, it was the last thing I wanted to do. I abhor slavery."
Han had no idea what to think. He stared down at her, one leg bent, hands on hips in a defiant stance. Her sudden shift in attitude had thrown him completely. "So, this is for real? You're really letting me go?"
"Yes."
Their gazes held for a long, intense moment, unease brewing in his stomach. He really looked at her for the first time, took in her delicate features. Her dark eyes looked enormous as they gazed up at him in sympathy; beneath the graceful slope of her nose were full, pouty lips that suddenly captivated him, dimming their surroundings from his awareness.
With some effort, he forced his attention back to the situation at hand. "Thanks," he grumbled, still uncertain.
"Princess, we must go." The older man stepped close to her, voice urgent.
Princess? His mouth fell open as he watched her toss a venomous glare at the other man.
"Wait a minute," Han said loudly. "Who are you?"
"It's none of your concern," she said sharply, turning and starting to walk away from him. The men followed closely.
He watched her retreating back for a moment then quickly chased after her, catching up with two long-legged strides. There had to be more to this girl's story. He highly doubted that 'Princess' was this man's pet name for her.
"So, you're a Princess, but you're not here to buy slaves? What the hell other reason would you have for being in this area?"
She didn't break her stride. "That's none of your concern either."
It occurred to him suddenly that, if she really was a Princess, she might be able to help with what was nagging persistently at his conscience. "Hey, wait. I wanna ask you something."
Still walking hurriedly, she spoke over her shoulder. "Go ahead, ask."
"Maybe you can help me with something."
"I don't have time to 'help you.' I've lost too much time already."
"I'll make it worth your while."
"No, you won't." Her pace quickened.
"Hear me out!"
"Sorry, there's nothing I can do for you."
Impulsively, he grabbed her by the arm and yanked her to a stop. Both of her men drew their blasters on him. That didn't faze him, but when the young woman lowered her eyes to inflict a withering glare on the hand gripping her, he felt as if he had been reduced to pond scum. He let go of her arm.
His eyes were suddenly earnest and his mouth formed a jutting look of regret. "Look, I left someone back there. Someone I don't want sold into slavery."
Her hard expression softened. "I'm sorry to hear that." Her tone was sincere. "But, I can't help you. I have a lot at stake right now."
"If you can get him out, I'll do whatever you want. I'm a great pilot, I can fly for you. And I'm the quickest draw this side of the galaxy. I could be your bodyguard. Or anything else you want me to do."
Han couldn't believe he was doing this. He was signing his life away for someone he barely knew. But, somehow, the thought of leaving Chewbacca behind disgusted him to no end. He couldn't stomach it.
A tiny light lit in her eyes. "You're a pilot?"
"Yeah. And a helluva good one, too."
"Your Highness-," the older man began, but the woman raised a hand to silence him.
She stared up at Han thoughtfully. "What would you be willing to do, if I were to…free him?"
He had a sudden feeling he was going to regret this but forged ahead. "Anything."
"Would you be willing to commit treason?" she asked softly.
Puzzled, his head tipped to one side. "What do you mean, treason? Who are you?"
Her mouth opened slightly but she hesitated for a moment. He heard one of her men groan in frustration. "We're with the Rebel Alliance."
The Rebel Alliance? He snorted. "No, really. Who are you?"
Her eyebrows became angry slashes. "We're with the Rebel Alliance!"
"Isn't the Rebel Alliance, like, ten people?"
"Never mind," she muttered and started walking again.
"Wait!" he called after her, too many thoughts zipping through his mind. "You're serious? You want me to fly for the Rebel Alliance?"
She halted and turned a death glare on him. "Would you keep your voice down?" she growled.
He practically skidded to a stop to keep from crashing into her. In a low voice, he asked the question again. "You're really serious?"
She stared up at him with a hard, unwavering gaze and Han realized that she was.
This was crazy. This Princess, whoever she was, was fighting against the Empire? It was a fight that couldn't be won. And now, he was supposed to get mixed up in it?
His thoughts went back to the Wookiee he had been shackled to for the past six weeks and guilt flooded him. He didn't know why he felt a sense of responsibility towards him. He should have learned his lesson after what happened the last time he had tried to save him. He should just take his freedom and run.
An image came to mind, the massive Wookiee bellowing to the sky in outrage and fury, as he railed against the chains that bound him. It tore at him, and his mind tried to reject the image, but it persisted.
"All right," he finally said quietly. "I'll work for the Rebellion if you can free my friend." Friend? When had that happened?
"How do I know you'll keep your word?"
He reached into his pocket, removed the remote, and handed it to her, stomach sinking. "You keep this. That's how you know."
Her hand received the remote automatically, but her eyes remained on his.
"I don't like this," one of the men grumbled.
He was ignored as Han and the young woman just stared at each other until she finally spoke.
"This is a lot of money that is being exchanged. How long will you stay with the Rebellion?"
He was highly aware of how much money she was spending on this. Was she using her own personal money, or the Rebellion's?
"What do you think is fair?"
Dark, serious eyes still on his, she was pensive before answering. "Three years," she said with a degree of hesitation.
Three years? Three years of his life. Could he do this? It was almost like being a slave, being owned.
Chewbacca's tale of how he and the other Wookiees had been captured battered his conscience. One of their first few nights together, he had told Han the story, breathing harshly as the words rushed from his mouth in growls and grunts of frustration and fury.
He knew he couldn't say no. "Why are you agreeing to this?" he asked suddenly.
Reluctantly, she replied. "The Alliance needs pilots. Desperately. Something vital is on the horizon. And we need all the help we can get." She paused meaningfully. "Why are you doing this?"
Han didn't have an answer to that question. "I just am," he replied defensively.
She gauged him for a moment then nodded, seemingly satisfied.
The older man standing behind her grumbled under his breath but the girl ignored him and spoke over her shoulder.
"We're going back."