The first sight that Anna had of Han was that he didn't look to be the man Leia described. Of course, part of that was being frozen in carbonite for so long, but still, she could tell that there was an impatient aura surrounding him. Sounds like someone else I know, she thought.

Han was being dragged across the audience chamber by guards, looking as though he was fighting them a little bit, with the little strength that he had. She was already standing before Jabba, being held by one of the guards rather tightly around her forearms. She was not used to the feeling of being captured, and she hated it. For too long she had felt helpless. Now she stood in front of Jabba, waiting for her sentence. Of course, she wasn't afraid. She knew that Luke had everything planned.

"Han!" Luke's familiar voice rang out behind her.

"Luke!" he returned.

"Are you all right?" Luke asked as he was pushed toward Jabba.

"Fine. Together again, huh?" Han asked.

"Wouldn't miss it."

"How are we doing?"

"Same as always."

"That bad, huh? Where's Leia?"

"I'm here," Leia said curtly, as the two other men and the Wookie were pushed to stand beside Anna. It was clear that Han had not yet noticed her, but she didn't care. They would have plenty of time to get to know each other once Luke followed through with his exit strategy.

Threepio stepped forward to address them while Jabba stared at the captives with amusement. Leia, who was still lying in her uncomfortable position, was also staring at them, but not in the amused way that her proclaimed "master" was, who was petting her with his tail. Instead, she showed visible worry for them. She was not aware that Luke had another plan for them to escape. Only him, Lando, and Anna knew about it.

"His High Exaltedness, the great Jabba the Hutt, has decreed that you are to be terminated… immediately," Threepio said.

"Good, I hate long waits," Han said, and Anna couldn't help but let a small smile emerge. The sarcasm in his voice instantly noticeable, and it made her initial impression of him change a little bit. For someone who thought he was about to die, the humour he found in the situation lightened her mood.

"You will therefore be taken to the Dune Sea and cast into the pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlacc," Threepio continued. Han turned his head slightly to where Luke stood, though his blank eyes were eerily fixed.

"Doesn't sound so bad," he said.

"In his belly, you will find a new definition of pain and suffering, as you are slowly digested over a thousand years," Threepio concluded. Han quickly made his comment.

"On second thought let's pass on that huh?"

Chewie barked, and Anna just kept her eyes forward, saying nothing.

Luke was not nearly as concerned as Han. "You should have bargained, Jabba," he said, his voice carrying a warning tone. Jabba just laughed at him, and the guards began to drag the captives away.

"That's the last mistakes you'll ever make," he called back as they were pushed away from the audience chamber that was cheering after them.

Anna looked over at Luke, seeing that he was smiling.

"This will end well," she said.

"What? Who's that?" Han said.

"Don't worry about it," Anna said. "It's not like we'll know each other for very long anyway."

"Luke, why didn't you tell me that you brought a girl along?" Han asked.

"Would it make any difference?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, of course," Han said.

"Sure it would, Solo," Anna said.

"How do you know my name?" he asked.

She couldn't help but smile. "Word travels fast, especially when you occasionally partake in smuggling," she said.

"So, you're a smuggler then, hey? Why don't I know you?"

"Occasionally," she said.

"How'd you get caught up with this newly-proclaimed Jedi Knight, then?"

"Because I'm one myself."

Han scoffed. "I'm frozen for a year, and all of this happens?"

"Time must fly when you're in stasis."

Han didn't respond, but he liked the fiery attitude that this girl was showing.

"I'd say 'hold onto this one', but not considering the situation," Han said to Luke, who just grinned. Anna didn't say anything either way.

Three ships floated above the endless sand dunes of Tatooine. The largest ship, Jabba's sail barge, flanked by two skiffs, was where Leia stood, watching her friends standing on the skiff. Jabba tugged her chain mockingly, and she turned gaze sharply at him. He was only amused at her reaction, and she turned back to watch the skiff.

None of the captives were moving very much, just looking out over the Dune Sea. Anna's long hair whipped around, and she glanced over at Lando, who stood just off to the side, still in disguise.

"I think my eyes are getting better," Han said, blinking. "Instead of a big dark blur I see a big light blur."

Luke smirked. "There's nothing to see," he said. "I used to live here, you know."

"You're going to die here you know," Han responded. "Convenient."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Just stick close to Chewie and Lando," he said, and turned to look out over the sand again. "I've taken care of everything."

"Oh, great," Han said. It was clear that the smuggler was not very trusting of whatever Luke was alluding to. Anna just smiled to herself, thankful that Luke still had a plan.

"And what about you, girlie?" he asked, and Anna turned to look at him.

"What about me?" she asked.

"What's your master plan?"

"Nothing," she said. Han, I swear if you blow my cover I'm going to strangle you as you fall into the pit, she thought to herself. Luke only grinned.

They suddenly stopped at a deep sand pit, and Anna cringed as she saw what was named as the Sarlacc. All she could see was the thousands of teeth that lined the walls of the pit, but she knew that whatever was at the bottom was probably not any more appealing.

One of the guards pushed Luke forward, unclasping his bonds and out onto a plank that extended over the sand pit. The Sail Barge had also halted, and Anna looked over at it. You really have no idea what's coming for you, she thought, thinking of the slug that lay inside.

Luke rubbed his wrists as he looked over the edge of the pit and at the monster that nested in the sand. He made a face of disgust, and glanced up at the Sail Barge, waiting. Anna glanced back at Lando, who placed his hand over the fold in the uniform that kept her lightsaber hidden. She turned back to face the Sail Barge, not having any interest in look down into the pit. Threepio's voice suddenly rang out from the ship through a com-link.
"Victims of the almighty Sarlacc: His Excellency hopes that you will die honourably," the droid said. "But should any of you wish to beg for mercy, the great Jabba the Hutt will now listen to your pleas."

Han stepped forward, holding himself in a rather arrogant position, and threw his head back.

"Threepio!" he shouted. "You tell that slimy piece of worm-ridden filth, that he'll get no such pleasure from us!" He turned to look over at Chewie. "Right?"

The Wookie growled in agreement. Luke, however, also had something to say.

"Jabba!" he called out. "This is your last chance. Free us, or die."

Anna could hear the laughter of the Sail Barge as Luke's words rang out. She just shook her head. They had no idea what was coming.

"Move him into position," Jabba said, still chuckling to himself.

One guard pushed Luke in the back, and he walked forward to the edge of the plank. He only looked over at Lando once and nodded before turning to face in front of him. The way he was standing exuded confidence, something that Anna had not seen from him in a long time. Luke gave a salute to the Sail Barge, and Anna glanced up. From the rail at the top, she could see the top of the dome of Artoo's head, and smiled.

"Put him in," Jabba said.

Luke didn't waste any time and jumped from the plank. There were triumphant cheers that sounded from the Barge, but they were silenced a seance later. Luke twisted around in midair, trapped the edge of the plank, which bent considerably under his weight, then catapulted him up into the air. He flipped up onto the deck of the skiff, and held his arm out. His lightsaber fell directly into his palm, and he wanted no time in igniting it and swinging at the guards. Anna raced over to Lando, who was standing at the back of the skiff.

"Right on time," he said, using his weapon to cut through her bonds. She smiled as he handed her the prized weapon she loved.

She nodded to him and ignited the double blades behind her. One guard rushed at her, and she swung the two blades around, catching the guard easily, sending him into the pit of the waiting beast below.

Luke was busy freeing Han and Chewie from their bonds, and with the other skiff bearing down on them, Anna decided that it was time to act. She ran to the front of the prisoner's skiff and blocked the majority of the blaster fire that was sent their way. However, she didn't take into account that there was a gunman on the deck of the Sail Barge, and with one shot, it hit the skiff, sending her falling to the deck. A little bit stunned, she was slow to get to her feet. This was, after all, her first true lightsaber fight.

Behind her, she heard frantic cries for help, and they didn't belong to any of Jabba's minions. She glanced around the deck quickly, seeing no sigh of their disguised guard. "Lando?" she called.

"I've got it," Han called to her. "Go help Luke!"

She didn't need to be told twice. Luke was facing off against the bounty hunter whose name she knew all too well, Boba Fett. She instead decided to focus her energy on the other skiff, who was still firing at them. The canon on the balcony was too strong for her to block, even with her saberstaff.

As she was hurrying across the deck again, the skiff took another direct hit, and her step faltered, but she was able to stay standing and block a shot that was aimed right at her. She spun the sober around in her hand and leaped across the gap. In that moment, she knew that she had to believe that she was ready for this. This battle, how to wield, how to avoid, how to attack. Everything was laid out for her, she just needed to utilize it.

The guards on the other skiff ran at her, but with her saberstaff, it was near-impossible to get out of the way. Behind her, she heard Luke also jump up onto the skiff. She kph the blades moving constantly, her fingers twisting the hilt around as fast as she could, hoping to hit one of the guards in the process. Her other hand was switching off, trying to seem as unpredictable as possible.

Luke quickly moved to the other end of the skiff and began taking out the rest of the guards. The white and green flashes of light seemed to compliment each other nicely, and within moments, the skiff was free of guards.

"Stay here, help Lando," he said. "I'm going on the Barge."

She nodded and turned in time to see another direct hit on the opposite skiff. The rope that Lando was holding onto broke, and Han was barely staying on the skiff himself. Chewie, who was visibly wounded, grabbed hold of Han's feet and held him. She jumped across onto the skiff again, and dissented her lightsaber. At the same time, Han was holding a blaster up, aimed at the tentacle of the Sarlacc who was starting to drag Lando into the pit. She winced as Han fired, but the smuggler's aim was better than she had expected, and the Sarlacc withdrew itself instantly.
"Chewie, Pull us up!" Han called to the wookie. "Come on! Okay, up, Chewie, up!"

The wounded Wookie started to pull the two smugglers on board the skiff. She knelt beside the wookie.

"You okay, Chewie?" she asked, and got a pained roar in response. He managed to pull Han up on board, and she offered her hand to Lando, who was still holding on for dear life. He reached for it, and together, the wookie and the Jedi Knight pulled Lando up onto the deck of the skiff, panting heavily.

He sat up. "You've got some skill with that thing," he said, gesturing to the lightsaber that she was holding. She just smiled.

"I'm not near as good as I had thought," she said. "This battle was harder than I thought it would be."

"Where's Luke?" Han asked.

"On the Sail Barge," she answered. "Come on, let's get ready to get out of here."

Suddenly, Anna winced and squeezed her lightsaber tightly. Luke had just been struck.

"Are you okay?" Han asked.

"Yeah, fine," she said. "Luke just got hit."

"You can feel it?" he asked.

"I'm a Jedi for a reason," she said, straightening up and looking bucket the Barge. Luke was swinging over with Leia in his arms.

"Let's go, and don't forget the droids," Luke said, landing with a bit of flair.

Lando, who was now standing, smiled at him. "We're on our way," he said. The Sail Barge was beginning to explode, and Anna grinned. And that is why you don't underestimate the underdogs, she thought.

Lando steered the skiff over to where Threepio's legs were sticking out from the sand, and Artoo's periscope was also above the sand. The skiff lowered two electromagnets to the sand, and began to pull the droids up. Anna held onto the rail as the skiff sped away from the exploding Sail Barge. She turned to look over at Luke.

"I'm sure that could've gone a lot smoother than it was," she said.

"It worked," he said. "After all, that's all you wanted from me, isn't it?"

She smiled, turning away from him. "Sure," he responded. "I did learn one thing, though."

"What's that?" he asked.

"I'm not nearly as good at combat than I thought I was," she said.

"You'll get better," he said. "You just need to figure out your style."

Anna smiled, glancing down at her saberstaff. It was definitely tough to wield properly, considering the range on it, and that when she twisted it around, there was the fear of hitting someone innocent that happened to be standing too close, or herself, which she was worried about. She could hold the saber with two hands, but it would be more difficult to maneuver around. As if he knew what she was thinking, Luke placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't get style points when you're fighting for your life," he said with a smile, and she just grinned at him.

"Maybe you can help me out," she said.

"If we have the time," he responded.

One thing that Tatooine was known for was its powerful sandstorms. After a long fight that did not go as planned, all the others wanted to do was to get back to the ships and get off of the desert planet. However, sandstorms didn't wait for anyone.

Artoo and Threepio led the way, with Han, Leia, and Anna walking behind, followed by Luke and Lando, who were helping Chewie limp along the sand. The wind was blowing so hard that they had to shout to be heard, and Anna had been tuning them out most of the time, however, she couldn't ignore it when Han answered a question that she didn't hear.

"I don't know. All I can see is a lot of blowing sand!" he yelled, most likely to Leia.

"That's all any of us can see," she responded to him, and Anna grinned to herself. Leia was on the opposite side of Han, with Anna on the other side. They were both guiding him.

"Then I guess I'm getting better," he said, blinking.

The ships were visible in the distance, and they all huddled underneath the Falcon, which blocked the wind a little bit. Threepio activated the gang-plank started to lower.

"I've got to hand it to you kid, you were pretty good out there," Han said, turning to Luke.

"I had a lot of help," Luke responded. "Think nothing of it."

"No, I'm thinking a lot about it," Han said. "That carbon freeze was the closest thing to dead there is, and it wasn't just sleepin'. It was a big wide awake nothing!"

Chewie growled in an affectionate tone to Luke, who smiled at him. The wookie ruffled the Jedi Knight's hair, and Leia walked over to him, giving him a hug.

"I'll see you back at the fleet," Luke said and turned to go to his ship. Anna didn't say anything to him, or make a move. She was still wary of her feelings, even though they were undeniable. It was no time to engage in any relationship right now, especially with the Empire gaining more and more ground. Not to mention that Luke was the main man they were after, and if she got caught up with him, her name would be all over the Imperial's most wanted list, if it wasn't already there.

Anna watched as Luke walked over to his X-wing, which had been waiting for him while they had prepared themselves before they went into Jabba's palace. He turned back to nod at her with his usual smile, and she just gave him a small smile in return.

"You okay?" a rough voice asked, from behind her, and she turned to see Lando standing behind her.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she said, pulling her cloak around her tighter. "Let's just get out of here."

Lando nodded, and the two walked up the gang-ramp and into the Falcon. Behind her, she heard Luke firing up his X-wing, and she caught one final glimpse of it before the gang-plank started to raise.

Second update in three days? I've hit a creative patch, probably because of NaNo withdrawals. Anyway, we're now in Part II of this story, which is probably super exciting, because now we start the real action between Anna and Luke. Chapters will also be longer, probably around this length. I'll try to catch as many errors as I can before updating (Scrivener really doesn't like some of the Star Wars vocab and autocorrects it, so it's difficult to catch everything), but I try to skim it at least twice before updating.

Hope you all liked this chapter!