Chapter 2
"Solo, you awake?" Zapp poked Han's bunk. Han turned over,
"What do you want? We have to be up early to do routine shifts!"
"Sorry, it's just that- I can't sleep anymore, after what happened at Mandalore." Zapp's eyes peered at the ground.
"Yeah, I understand. Just try to take it easy, we got a lot of rounds to do- the foreman wants all the Wookies accounted for. Just go back to sleep alright?" Zapp nodded his head. Han turned onto his back and fell soundly into sleep. He was dreaming about his family,
"I can't believe you're actually doing this. Han please!" Han remembered his father's face, full of plead. His mother sniffled her tears into a handkerchief, "Look at your mother Han, please don't do this to us." Han turned away from his father,
"I'm not doing it to you, I'm doing this for me! I want to be apart of something larger than myself. I don't want all of this." Han motioned his hands referring to the great hall of the castle. "I want to be a pilot, I'm leaving for The Executor tomorrow morning. There's nothing you can say to stop me." Han burst into his room, and sat on his bed, he stared at the ceiling.
"What in the blazes is wrong with you! You idiot!" Thracken abruptly entered Han's room. "The Empire is evil, they're trying to take away our independence!"
"Are you the idiot? The Empire is trying to help us! Actually I don't have to justify anything to you- you're as ignorant as the rest of them." Han retorted,
"Oh really? I'm ignorant? Sure, let's go with that- but when you come crying back to mommy and daddy, I'll be on that throne; NOT YOU!"
Han awoke, sitting up- he was sweating. Han put on his uniform, the snugness of the armor was always his least favorite part. He sighed as he put his helmet onto his head and grabbed his E-11 blaster. The Kashyyyk sun was scorching, the humidity of the planet never agreed with him. He quickly passed the food station- he grabbed a spice roll and a pouch of water, he stuffed them into his pocket. He walked through the outdoor corridors of cells. Whole Wookies were kept in them, Han heard the faint sounds of their roar through the durasteel cages. He opened the slit of one of the cages and passed the roll and water to a small child. The Wookie child was barely 10, Han had a soft spot for the beast.
"There you go buddy, eat up- that's all I could muster today. I'll get you more tomorrow." Han rose from the slit in the cell, he walked down to his station, perched up high in a tower, overlooking the slave camp. Zapp joined him a few moments later,
"How's it looking?"
"How's what looking… oh you mean; this." Han motioned over the vast camp, "It looks fine I guess." He shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the side of the perch.
"You guess? Well the foreman told me to tell you that he needs all hands on deck- they're moving Groups A, G and N to Sector 12E. He specifically asked for your help."
"You're kidding."
"Unfortunately for you; I'm not." Zapp put his hand on Han's shoulder, "You should head over there." Han shooed Zapp's hand away and made his way down the perch. He treaded through heavy mud, it had poured yesterday and the ground was still slick. He made his way to the middle of the slave camp, the group of Wookiees were shackled together like cattle. They're faces said it all- despair, grief, hopelessness. Even their slow murmurs and growls had a sadness to them. They were herded by stormtroopers armed with electro staffs- old ones, Han remembered his castle guards armed with such weapons. Han kept pace with the herd as they marched together, nearing Sector 12E, Han knew where these Wookiees were going… reconditioning and processing. Han became lost in thought- remembering what his father once said:
"All beings are to be respected. For they are as great as us."
Han thought about Mandalore, he murdered innocent people, he was rounding up women and children to be killed now. He snapped back into reality, beads of sweat dripped down his forehead, his helmet was fogging up from the humidity. He heard a rustle in the shackles behind him. Then a great roar,
"RWWAAARRRRR!" He turned to the sound, a massive Wookiee hurled a stormtrooper into the air, sending him flying into a ray shield fence.
"Hey. pilot- we need your help, get over here!" A trooper called Han over, they circled the Wookiee. The beast had brownish fur, and ravenous eyes- he bared his teeth at the soldiers. Han set his blaster to stun and shot the Wookiee. A stormtrooper commander hurried onto the scene,
"Get this thing into the reconditioning unit, we can't have another outburst like that again. You two!" He pointed to two rookie troops, "Work on this… now!" The two soldiers dragged the beast's limp body ahead of the herd, the onlooking Wookiees merely glanced at there befallen brethren, simply staring as he was dragged away. Han remembered his eyes- blue with a tint of green. He felt a feeling of compassion towards the beast. "Pilot, you take the watch today- I'll send a guard after dark." The commander relayed to Han,
"Yes sir." He responded, Han entered the reconditioning zone, the building was dark and gloomy. The electrobraces dimly lit each chamber in a blue hue. Han watched the troopers drag the Wookiee and suspend him with four electrobraces. Han slumped down into the desk chair, the two troopers exited the building. Han sat there for what seemed like an eternity, his eyes fell heavy, slowly he embraced the soft tranquility of sleep. He awoke without warning. He looked around the room in a panic. No one was with him, he sighed in relief. He heard a howl from a chamber, it grew louder and louder. Han rose and walked toward the sound, the Wookiee he stunned was finally awake. The Wookiee's face grew dark, he bared his teeth at Han. The Wookiee's tone was dark and ugly,
"I'm sorry, I know your people are suffering- I'm just following orders." Han pleaded with the beast. The Wookiee roared in disagreement, "I can't just do that. They'll kill you… and then me." Han removed his helmet and placed it on the floor, "You see? I'm just a man- I'm not a Jedi. I can't fight them even if I wanted to."
"Rwarrrawrr." The Wookiee motioned his head over to the blast shielded window, Han walked over to it and opened it, a giant hangar emerged in the image. Cages, upon cages of Wookiees, trapped in packs- guarded by heavily armed troops.
"Mother of Moons." Han felt his heart sink into his stomach. He raced out of the room, the Wookiee roared after him. Han moved swiftly through the corridors, he finally realized what Thracken meant all those years ago. He opened the door to the control room, there were three technicians working the console, no soldiers in sight. "Uhm, the commander wants to see you- all of you. Something about a data leak in the system?" The technicians looked at each other in wonderment,
"Are you sure? There's no reading on our charts." One of them said,
"Hey, I'm just the messenger." Han lied, his pulse was pounding with adrenaline. The technicians rose and exited the control room. Han waited for them to be out of earshot, the giant window overlooked the hangar, he knew what he had to do. Han shot the control pads, they burst with an electrical surge. Han watched as the cages opened and the hangar was flooded. A red light started to flash- then the emergency siren blared. Han sprinted out of the room, the technicians were running down the hall with their blasters drawn,
"Halt!" They called after him. Han ran back to the chamber of the Wookiee he befriended, the beast was missing. He picked up his helmet and raced for the door. It was dark out now, chaos was laid across the sector. Wookiees threw soldiers into the air, hurling them with ease. Han ran through the carnage and into the maze of cages.
"HALT YOU ANIMAL!" He heard Zapp's voice, he raced to the sound, Han halted. Zapp was beyond his reach, the Wookiee that Han talked to was standing between them. The beast turned around and growled at Han. He removed his helmet and tossed it to the side,
"It's me." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Zapp raising his blaster, Han pushed the Wookiee aside and shot Zapp dead center in the chest, he collapsed like a ton of bricks. The Wookiee's tone was somber and grateful. "What? Fine, fine- c'mon we gotta get out of here!" The two rushed towards a landing pad, sounds of blaster fire rang in the background. A single Imperial shuttle stood there, basking in the Kashyyyk moonlight. "Do you know how to fly?" The Wookiee nodded his head, "Go and prep the engines." Han lowered the boarding ramp. The Wookiee strided up the ramp,
"I thought we were brothers." Han heard a voice behind him, Zapp.
"I can't do it anymore Zapp. The Empire, they're evil. I can't be apart of this." Han's eyes met Zapp's.
"You know I have to do this." Zapp raised his blaster, "I'm sorry." Han grabbed his blaster and fired into Zapp's chest. He stumbled backward, "You always did shoot first." He fell to his knees and toppled over.
"I can't believe I just did that." Han slumped over the landing pad controls, he released the tether and sprinted up the boarding ramp. Han rushed into the cockpit, the Wookiee was sitting in the pilot seat, "I usually fly first." The beast gave him a look and rolled it's eyes and switched chairs. Han flipped switches and engaged the engines, he lifted the craft off of the ground and sailed it into the sky.
"You are unauthorized to exit the system, turn back now." The comm channel opened.
"I'm just gonna switch that off." Han reached for the switch, the Wookiee ripped the comm out from the dashboard. "Well, that works too I guess." A single Star Destroyer hovered over the planet, Han spotted TIE Interceptors disembarking from the ship. The Wookiee sounded a nervous roar,
"Rwwwarrawr."
"I have a bad feeling about this, hold on!" Han twisted the controls, the shuttle spun into the crowd of Interceptors. The broadside cannons fired at the shuttle, Han evaded the green projectiles with ease, maneuvering through the volley of crossfire. Han glanced at the radar, three fighters were on his tail. Han banked right and headed right for the Star Destroyer, the Wookiee debated this move,
"Raarrawwrar!"
"Look, I know what I'm doing! Blasted, they fired missiles!" Han put the shuttle into a barrell roll as they made a beeline for the bridge of the Destroyer, the missiles were closing in, mere feet away from the bridge, Han banked upwards, the missiles landed a hit directly into the bridge, Han leveled the shuttle out and engaged hyperspace. He slumped back into the seat. The Wookiee was praising him.
"Alright, alright! So, you never told me your name." The Wookiee responded with a quippy roar, "Chewbacca, huh? Alright Chewbacca- where do you want to be dropped off? Because I am never going back there again!"
"Arrarrwar!"
"What do you mean wherever I go?" Han sat up straight in his chair, the Wookiee sounded once more,
"A life debt… to me? You must be hanging out with them Gungans." Han got up from the pilot seat and walked into the main space, Chewbacca followed behind him.
"Rwaarwar."
"Your custom? Well, I have no idea where I'm going so… are you sure you wanna do this?" The Wookiee nodded his head. "I'm Han Solo, I think this is the start of something new."