Leia continued to stare at Han, starting to feel angry at him. "You've been a Jedi all this time? How could you do this to me?"
"I had no choice, Leia."
"No choice? No choice? You lied to me for three years, Han. There's no excuse for that. You pretended to love me…"
"That wasn't a lie," Han said quickly.
"I trusted you, Han. Luke looked up to you and then you…how could you do this to us, to your friends? You might've even done more for the Alliance…"
"Leia, I couldn't…"
"You certainly could've told us. Maybe I should just surrender to Vader…"
"Leia, would you let me explain?" When Leia made no reply, Han continued. "About ten years ago, my mentor and I were assigned the mission to face Darth Vader and kill him. We thought for sure we had the advantage, but something went wrong." Han paused for a second. "Vader was too skilled, too prepared for us. My mentor and I fought with all we had, but it wasn't enough. We were both fatally wounded and Vader left us for dead." Han traced the scar on his chin. "He gave me this."
Leia, at a loss for words, gazed into his eyes.
"As my mentor lay dying, he made me promise never to reveal my identity as a Jedi to anyone…until the time was right. My mentor died and I should've too, but I didn't."
"But why did you reveal yourself when you did?" Leia asked in a whisper.
"I had to save you, Leia. There was no way I could let Vader take you like that." Han paused, studying her reaction. "I want you to understand. If Vader knew…he think I'm dead, Leia, but if he knew I was still alive…it would only put you in danger. He would've killed me during the torturing, if he knew. I'm sorry I deceived you all this time."
"I understand" Leia replied softly. "Your secret's safe with me."
Han grinned gratefully at her. "There's just one more thing."
"Now what?"
"You've got the potential to be a Jedi too, Leia."
"Me?" Leia gasped. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah, which is why I've got to get you out of here," Han said, fixing his attention on the door. "If Vader finds out, well, you get the idea." The sound of numerous footsteps came towards them. Han stood, blaster at the ready.
"Han, if something happens, I want you to know… I love you."
"I know," Han replied. "It doesn't take a Jedi to know that."
Leia leaned forward to kiss him, but the moment was broken when Boba Fett and the stormtroopers blocked the door.
Han aimed his blaster to fire, but Fett shook his head mockingly. "Hey Solo, you shoot and the princess gets it." Han noticed Fett's blaster trained on Leia with a shot impossible for Fett to miss.
"Drop the blaster and send it over here"
Han met Leia's eyes for a brief second. 'I'm not going to let them get you, Leia.' He let the blaster fall from his hand and kicked it over to Fett.
Being careful not to let his aim stray, Fett bent down to grab the blaster. "Got any more ideas about escaping, Solo?"
"None that come to mind," Han replied grudgingly. The stormtroopers herded Han and Leia down the hall towards the ship's detention cells.
Leia glimpsed the ship's hangar from far off and a plan began to form in her mind. 'If only we could distract them somehow…"
"Bounty hunter, I told you to take your pay and go," came a voice from behind.
Leia swallowed hard as she turned to face Vader.
"You said to take them to your ship," argued Fett.
"This is my ship, isn't it? You've done your job, now get out."
Fett regarded Vader briefly before replying. "They'll try to escape again."
"Not with me, they won't," Vader hissed. He turned to address the stormtroopers. "Escort the bounty hunter off the ship and see he gets paid."
Darth Vader strode down the corridor but stopped abruptly when he sensed something. "Calrissian, where are Captain Solo and the princess?" he demanded when he saw the administer approach.
"On the ship, as you wanted"
"I sense Skywalker has fallen for the trap. He is here. I can feel him." Excitedly, Vader went to the landing platform where his Imperial Cruiser waited. As he entered the ship, he drew more heavily on the force to determine where Luke was. "I have you now, Skywalker. There'll be no easy escape for you as there was last time.'
Leia watched Fett and the stormtroopers leave, somewhat hopeful. Then, she turned back to Vader and any plans she had were quickly forgotten.
"Just try escaping and see what happens" Vader challenged. "Follow me."
Leia started after him, firmly resolved to escape somehow. Glancing back at Han, Leia noticed him lagging behind. 'Does he have a plan?' Leia wondered. They walked on further and Leia took note that was no one else around. There was only Vader left to deal with and then…all at once, Vader was gone. Leia spun around. Han had stopped walking and was leaning against the wall wearily. Leia glanced up and down the hall but they were the only ones there. "Han, we've got to get to the hangar." She took his hand and found it cold. "You're shaking."
"I'll be alright in a few minutes." Han noted the confusion in Leia's face. "He was just a force-ghost, Leia."
"You did that?"
"Did it work alright? I mean, it's been awhile since I've done anything like that and never that complicated."
Leia smiled. "You had me fooled."
"Good" Han replied with a smug smirk. "Fett fell for it anyway. Now where'd you see the hangar?"
"Further down" she said, pointing forward.
"Okay, let's go."
Darth Vader pursued Luke down past the detention cells and nearly to the other end of the ship. Reaching out with the force again, he sensed that Luke was just in front of him. Slowly he rounded the corner, wanting to take Luke by surprise…
They were just a few feet from the hangar when Han stopped suddenly, his danger sense tingling. "Leia, don't move," he warned as he tried to trace the source.
"Han!" Leia grabbed him and yanked him down a second before a flurry of blaster bolts sliced through the empty air. Her eyes suddenly widened when she realized what had happened.
"Told you, you were a Jedi." Han caught a blaster from one of the stormtroopers. "Hey, catch!"
Leia looked up in time to see the blaster. "You have to teach me that trick." She set her aim on one of the stormtroopers and fired. He fell to the floor with a groan and another stepped forward to take his place.
Within a few moments the battle had ended.
"Stormtroopers couldn't shoot any target, let alone a moving one."
"Han, hurry up before their friends come!" Leia said, backing towards the hangar.
As he neared his target, Darth Vader heard a gunfire then a sudden ominous silence. Heading for the hangar were his prisoners, but oddly Luke wasn't anywhere in sight. Then Vader realized. He raised his hand and caught one of the blasters. Han didn't bother to try to stop him. He stood, staring down Vader with his hands clenched at his sides. Vader slowly advanced, his hand drifting to the lightsaber at his belt.
Leia glanced down the hall hastily. Any moment, another squad of stormtroopers would come and they're escape opportunity would be lost. Though, things weren't looking very positive with Darth Vader.
"A pity I didn't manage to kill you on Coruscant," Vader spoke at last.
"Yeah, too bad. Now you've got to kill me all over again," Han replied in an equally cold voice.
"Arrogant as ever, I see."
Leia couldn't stand it any longer. "If you kill me and Han, we're no use as bait to you," she said, slowly inching towards Han "and if you kill Han, there's no guarantee Luke will risk his neck just to save me. So wouldn't it be better to just put aside the death mark until Luke falls into the trap?"
Vader turned towards her. "He didn't tell you sooner, did he? And why I wonder…"
Leia fought to keep her expression steady, but Vader sensed her feelings.
"I thought as much. Did you ever wonder why, Princess Leia? Because he was too afraid he would face me in revenge. I personally cut down his mentor, you know." Vader turned back to Han. "So all these years he has assumed another identity, thinking I would never know. But I do know."
Han glared at Vader, but made not reply. Consciously, he forced himself to recall the Jedi Code. This wasn't the time, nor place to challenge Vader. His first duty was to Leia.
Vader glanced at Leia to see her reaction and suddenly felt he'd seen her before but it hadn't been her. Her face, her manner, reminded him of someone he'd known long ago, before he'd become a Sith lord. He could feel the name in his mind, but the answer had been long forgotten.
Han pulled a small thermal detonator from his pocket and thrust it at Vader. "Hay, Anakin, try this on for size!"
The use of his old name brought back shadows of memories he wasn't ready to face. Enraged, Vader felt ready to kill that annoying apprentice once and for all, bait or no bait. He dove out of the way as the detonator exploded. When he looked up again, a single ship was taking off from the hangar. Rather than pursue them, Darth Vader contemplated his confusion about Leia. He reached out towards her with the force and sensed her feelings for Han, but also different feelings for Luke. "So, they're twins," he said to himself. "Obi-Wan was wise to hide them from me, but now his failure is complete." He smiled in spite of his defeat. "If one will not turn to the dark side, perhaps the other will"