CHAPTER 11:
General Han Solo and Chewbacca sat on stumps of trees located on the farthest moon of Endor. With them was their team that waited patiently for Han to give the word that they would move on. Although time was being wasted—three hours so far—he just couldn't bring himself to move from their position until Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa returned . Against his order, Leia and Luke jumped upon one of the storm trooper biker scout's speeder bikes, and pursued the two that escaped. He knew they probably did not hear his command, and if that scout reached his destination, the team's surprise attack would be ruined. But they were on a time limit; if they didn't destroy that shield generator by the time the fleet reached the Death Star, the fleet would be helpless and unable to destroy it.
Han cursed himself for ruining their surprise attack on the small band of biker scouts they had run into. Had he not been brash and arrogant, they could have come up with a better plan—Leia did have a way of getting out of tough situations—and Luke and Leia would have helped him eliminate the threat. If it was not for him, they would probably still be here with the time.
Shall we go around? Leia had asked.
It'll take time. This whole party will be for nothing if they see us, Han had told her before he decided that he and Chewbacca could take care of their precarious situation.
Quietly, Luke had warned. There may be more of them out there.
He it's me.
Hey, it's me, Han regretted those words. Luke and Leia were anywhere in the forest with storm troopers prowling around because of his cocky arrogance. Had he not tried to sneak up behind one of the storm troopers, had he not stepped on that twig that alerted the biker scouts of his presence, and had he consulted his command team and figured out a quieter plan, they would not be here waiting for Luke and Leia to return. Because of him, they were wasting precious time. With the time they were wasting for Luke and Leia's return—if they could find their way back—it would have been better had he taken Leia's advice and went around the group of storm troopers.
And what was his team thinking about his leadership? Han had them sitting around waiting for Luke and Leia to return when there was a possibility that they would not. He should be thinking about the mission and leading his team to the bunker. That is what Leia would have wanted and expected.
"Oh, General Solo," Threepio called out. "Someone's coming."
With blaster ready, Han crouched down behind a tree and waited. He held his breath. If Luke and Leia failed to take out the biker scout, the biker scouts may now be in a position to ambush them, and the area would soon be swarming with storm troopers.
Moving at a slight jog and slightly out of breath, Luke stepped into the clearing, looked around, and saw no one. Did Han continue on the mission? That would have been the best thing to do. As it was, Luke was not certain how long he had been gone. He was certain that this is the place Han and team were last. Skywalker and the biker scout traveled in a straight line, and the Force had helped him find his way. So where were they?
"Luke!" Han called out, relieved. He stepped out of the clearing, resting his hands on his hips.
The Jedi's shoulders relaxed when he saw his friends. Luke looked around as did Han.
"Where's Leia?"
The relief Luke felt a moment ago faded into concern. "What? She didn't come back?"
Han's expression and voice darkened. "I thought she was with you."
"We got separated."
Han pressed his lips together, and Luke's stomach tumbled. She was alive, he felt her presence in the Force, but the forest went on forever, and finding her would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Their mission was crucial, and time being wasted, and they were putting the whole fleet in danger. As it was, it took Luke some time to get back to the group. Those speeder bikes traveled at a great speed. Who knows how far away Leia was? But if Luke had to choose between the mission and Leia, well, that was an easy choice. Luke looked at Han.
"We better go look for her," Luke said.
Han was a general now, in charge of a vital mission to the Alliance. If they did not get that shield generator down, the fleet—Lando and the Millennium Falcon—would come out of hyperspace and run into the shield. They would be sitting vlukes out there. The fleet was depending on him to do his job and do it before they arrived to attack the Death Star. He could send Luke out to find her…
But this was Leia, and Han could not just leave finding her to Luke. She could be lost out there, injured and helpless. Han swallowed. She could be dead. His chest tightened, and he pushed down the bile in his throat. He could not think that way. She was strong, resourceful. How many missions had he been on with her that she cheated death because of her adept skills and quick-on-her-feet thinking? How many times did her resourcefulness save him?
I can take care of myself.
Han knew she could, but she wasn't invincible. Those bikes traveled at high speeds; one wrong move and she could have been smashed against the tree. And Han had no doubt that she would have followed that biker scout until she finished him off. She could be miles away. The thought of Leia out there with storm troopers crawling around…general or no general, there was no way he was going to leave her in the Endor forest. He just couldn't.
Han waved at the commander. "Take the squad ahead. We'll meet you at the shield generator at oh-three hundred."
"Come on, Artoo," Luke addressed his most trustworthy droid. "We'll need your scanners."
"Don't worry, Master Luke," Threepio assured the group. "We know what to do." Then he turned to Artoo. "And you said it was pretty here."
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Princess Leia Organa stood frozen in place, waiting for the trooper whom she had knocked down with a good-sized branch to get up. But he did not. She had taken out the biker scout that was fleeing on his speeder bike with the blaster that the dead biker scout next to her had held to her head. When the scout did not get up, she exhaled and regarded her furry little friend with respect. He had not retreated in fear, but took up a brilliant position to surprise the biker scout. Leia was thankful.
But they were not out of danger. More biker scouts could be nearby and have heard the explosion when the speeder bike she hit with the blaster fire crashed into his the dead biker scout's partner's bike.
She held out her hand to the teddy bear-like creature. "Come on, we better get out of here."
Leia started off in the direction of where she thought she came from, though she did not actually know if it was the right way. She knew where the bunker was, and maybe if she could locate the fallen tree that the biker scout she was pursuing crashed into, she could find her bearings. It could not have been too far.
But Leia's little friend had other ideas. He tugged at her hand and drew her in the opposite direction. He would know this forest better than she did, but did she know where Han and the team were? Would he lead her there? Did he even know where they were? Probably not, and the creature was quite wary of her before she offered him food.
As the tiny creature led her through the forest, she took the time to take in her surroundings. The trees around her stretched so tall that they seemed to be swallowed by sky. She felt so small. The forest was so green and full of life at every turn, reminding her of the forests—however, humble compared to this one—on Alderaan where Carlist Reikken had taken her on camping trips. A cool breeze ruffled the stray locks of hair that escaped her intricate braids and dried the sweat on her forehead. Leia closed her eyes for a moment to enjoy it.
Weaving in and out of the trees, she allowed the creature to lead her. He definitely knew these forests. Leia wanted to ask him where they were going, but the only common language they spoke was their hate for the Empire. And rations. The walk was long, and she wondered what the creature was doing out here alone. Was he hunting?
Then the creature stopped and Leia looked around, her eyes wide with wonder. Above her, a village of thatched huts and bridges that stretched between the close-knit trees. The creature tugged on her hand and led her to a thick rope made of vines with knots tied at intervals. He motioned her to follow as he began to climb up the rope.
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Darth Vader strode out of the throne room after his discussion with the Emperor. He smiled to himself; Vader sensed the presence of Luke Skywalker with the small band of rebels he let pass through the shield. The Emperor did not. Perhaps the Dark Lord was right: the Emperor's powers were weakening.
Or Vader had a stronger connection to his son. Either way, these facts worked in the Sith Lord's favor. If the Emperor was becoming weaker, then overthrowing him would be easier. If his son truly felt compassion for him, then Luke there was a greater chance that Luke could be turned to the Dark Side and fight by Vader's side, overthrow the Emperor, and take control of the galaxy.
Luke Skywalker was a fool to have compassion for him. Could Luke's compassion lead to love? Could he, a monster be loved? Return love? No, Vader decisively thought; his heart had died when Padme died. He had no good left in him, and he would not make the mistake of loving anyone ever again. Not even his offspring which Padme had birthed. It was her, the Sith Lord believed, that kept his son's birth from him. He was certain of it. Obi Wan had turned her against him, and wow easily she was turned.
You were the Chosen One, Obi Wan had yelled at him, hurt and frustration coloring his voice. You were the Chosen One.
Chosen for what? Certainly Anakin Skywalker was not chosen for the Jedi. Perhaps he was chosen to bring about the demise of the Jedi, and no one—not even Yoda—sensed it. Just as they did not sense Chancellor Palpatine's ambitions to take over the government. The Jedi were weak. They lied to him and tried to convince him to spy on his friend, the Chancellor. The Chancellor was a Sith, the puppet master behind the scenes. When the Chancellor was revealed this information to Anakin, Anakin was repulsed and knew he had the duty to arrest his friend and turn him over to the Jedi. But when the Chancellor revealed that he could teach Anakin how to prevent death, Anakin could not resist. His dreams of Padme dying seemed to be more a vision than a nightmare. Obviously, the Dark Side was more powerful. There was no war between good and evil, and the Force was just a tool, a tool Vader had chosen to wield for his own purposes just as the Emperor did.
Darth Vader entered his shuttle that would take him to the moon of Endor. Soon his son will come to him. He just had to have patience.
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Han Solo and Luke Skywalker followed Artoo through the heavy foliage. Because of the dense forest, Artoo moved at a slower pace than Han expected. Or maybe it felt like he was moving at a slow pace because Han worry for Leia was rising, and he was anxious to find her. Anxious to find her alive and well. What if she was badly hurt? They did not think to bring a medi-kit. They just rushed off to find her. What if she lay somewhere dying?
What if Leia had died already?
"She's alive," Luke said. "I can feel it."
Luke with his Jedi powers, Han thought.
"Does the Force tell you if she's hurt or captured? Or where she even is?" Han asked, his tone full of frustration.
Luke gave him a look, though it was more apologetic than angry. "No," he answered. "I'm sorry."
"I didn't mean—"
"I know. You're just worried about Leia." Luke gave his troubled friend a small smile. "Me too."
"At least you know she's alive," Han mumbled.
"I do." Luke looked over his shoulder with Han, his large blue eyes steady and confident, before returning his attention to the path Artoo was taking them on.
Luke had done some pretty amazing things when they battled Jabba the Hutt and his lackeys. Maybe there was something to the Force, Han thought, but it was hard to put faith in something he did not believe.
Still focusing on the path ahead, Luke spoke again, "Did I tell you how Leia found me on Cloud City?"
"No. She just told me where they found you."
"If it wasn't for her, I would have been dead." Luke passed for a moment, and a dark cloud hovered over his heart.
I am your father.
He pushed Vader out of his mind and focused on Leia. "Through the Force, I tried to contact Ben."
"The old man?" Han asked confused. Contact a dead guy?
"Yeah," the Jedi hesitated, unsure if he should continue on, but he thought it better if Han knew. He would eventually know Luke's relationship to Leia, though Luke wasn't ready to talk about that now. He had not even told Leia. He worried about having that conversation with her, how she would react to him.
"Ben had appeared to me several times before Cloud City, and he appeared to me after," Luke admitted.
"Like a ghost?"
Skywalker could hear the skepticism in Han's voice and chuckled a bit. "Something like that. Sometimes it's just his voice." He inhaled. "Like when I was about to send the torpedoes into the Death Star's exhaust pipe. Ben guided me, told me to use the Force."
Han stayed silent.
"Before I went to Cloud City to rescue you…" he lowered his head. "Ben said he couldn't help me." Luke stopped and turned to Han, running his hand along the gloved fingers of his other hand. "That's when I called out to Leia through the Force."
"Leia?" She was not Force sensitive, Han thought. She believed Luke had powers, but she never told Han outright that she believed in the Force as strongly as Luke.
"Yeah." The Jedi kept his eyes on his hands before looking up at Han. "I called her through the Force."
"And she heard you," Han stated or asked, he was not sure.
"Yeah. She told Chewie to turn around. She knew where to find me."
Han did not know what to say.
"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true."
Han stared into his friend's eyes and thought for a moment. "I believe you," the smuggler told him and was stung by a pang of jealousy. Luke could mentally communicate with Leia. Han was not sure how he felt about that.
When Han first saw Luke with his light saber training with the training droid on the Falcon. The old man was teaching the kid to use his light saber with the blast shield of Luke's helmet over his eyes. Han was impressed that Luke was able to block the lasers, but Han chalked it up to luck. He knew Luke had practiced with that training droid often and reflected the zaps of energy more often than not in the three years he knew the kid, but Han never thought he would witness what Luke could do now, as he witnessed when they fought Jabba's lackeys.
"Can you call Leia now and find her?"
"I can't here. Vader's coming here. I don't want him to find us."
"You can sense him, too?"
"Unfortunately."
Luke nodded and gave Han a closed-mouth smile. There was something sad about that smile, something secret. Han guessed if he could sense Darth Vader the way Luke could, he would not be too happy about it either.
Artoo beeped and Threepio translated, "Artoo demands that you keep following him. I'm terribly sorry about the demand part." Threepio kicked Artoo and he beeped some more. "A droid should not demand anything of his Master."
"It's alright." Skywalker continued on.
With his hands in the pockets of his camouflage trench coat, Han followed Luke and the droids with Chewbacca not far behind. He looked back at his best friend whose nose was in the air.
"Any sign of her Chewie?" Han asked.
Chewbacca groaned and shook his head. Han's lips pressed together in a grim line. Would he be willing to risk Vader knowing about their presence on Endor if Luke would use the Force to contact Leia?
General Solo thought about it. He had a team of men to look out for, not to mention the entire fleet. Could he risk all those lives on one person? Even if it was Leia?
Artoo entered a clearing, and his dome head swiveled around. Luke wandered into the clearing. She obviously was not here. Why did Artoo stop? Maybe Leia was hidden in the foliage. Luke started toward the surrounding forest, Han went the opposite direction. Luke closed his eyes and tried to conjure up a vision of her, but to no avail. Nothing came.
Artoo stopped and began to beep. Luke opened his eyes, and that's when he saw it, a rebel helmet that could have only belonged to Leia. Relief tempered by concern filled Luke's chest; she had been here. He turned the helmet in his hands. She was here, but where was she now?
"Luke!" Han called to him.
The Jedi jogged over to Han. Next to the smuggler was a wrecked speeder, twisted and mangled and almost unrecognizable, and a dead biker scout burnt and melted into the speeders .
"Oh, Master Luke," Threepio lamented.
Luke frowned. "There's two more wrecked speeders back there," he said, injecting some hope. "And I found this." He tossed Leia's helmet to Han.
Han stared at the green helmet, and his heart sunk into his stomach.
"I'm afraid Artoo can find no other trace of Princess Leia," Threepio translated for the droid.
With his heart in his stomach, Han's gut churned. He stared at the helmet as Luke did earlier, his face crestfallen. He recognized the etching of her name inside the helmet. It was definitely hers. Han pressed his lips together. Was this all that was left of her? Or was Leia captured?
"I hope she's alright," Han lamented.
There still was the possibility that Leia was alive and nearby, but in the dense forest and not knowing which way Leia went, it seemed hopeless. Han had lost her, and not to the Empire, not to a blaster shot like he figured it would happen. He lost her in a forest and would never know her fate.
Han looked up. Almost all of the forest looked the same to him, and he relied on a map to navigate his way toward the shield bunker. Leia was good with directions, and she did study the map. Could she find the bunker on her own? Damn! If only she stayed here, stayed in one spot. If only she did not get separated from Luke.
Chewbacca growled and arrrauhed.
"What, Chewie?" Han's hope perked up. "What?"
With his nose in the air, Chewbacca lumbered toward what he smelled? Han's hope started to replace the sick feeling in his stomach. Chewie knew Leia's scent intimately. Han, Luke and the droids followed the Wookie.
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Han Solo's mouth fell open as he saw Threepio, who sat on a crude throne of sorts, rise in the air and float over the Ewoks. Solo was currently tied on a spit, and fortunately, the tiny creatures were more afraid and fascinated by Threepio's "magic" than firing up the hearth beneath Han.
Threepio, tell them if you don't get what you wish, you'll get angry and use your magic.