A/N:I don't own Star Wars: Infinities, nor the Empire Strikes Back novelisation.
A Friend in Need
Bespin, Cloud City. 3 ABY.
Sitting beside Han, Leia gasped in awe as she could clearly see the Cloud City of Bespin through the cockpit window. It was immense, and Leia had an impression that it floated in the clouds. However, this impression vanished once she saw that the expansive city stood on a thin unipod rising from below. A large, round reactor was the base of the unipod.
Han veered the Millennium Falcon toward the landing bay the twin-pod cloud cars of the city guard directed him too, passing past the rising towers and spires of the city. Once he gently brought his ship in to land on platform 327, the captain and his crew saw the welcoming party approaching their ship. Lando Calrissian, a handsome black man perhaps the same age as Solo, and the baron of Cloud City, led the group. Dressed in elegant clothes, his blue cape flying up behind him like enormous deep blue wings due to the wind.
Han Solo and Princess Leia descended down the gangplank, Chewbacca and the droids followed suite. The two humans still wore their outfits from Hoth.
Finally, Calrissian spoke, squinting at Han. "Han Solo! Why, you slimy, double-crossing, no-good swindler. You have some nerve showing your face around here…"
"Whoa! Wait a sec! A lot has changed since I last saw you!" Han said quickly "I'm with the Rebellion now."
"The Rebellion?! You?!" Lando asked. He was still unsmiling, but Han and Leia could see that he was barely holding himself from laughing.
"Yeah, I know," the Corellian agreed with Lando, understanding his scepticism. "one minute I'm on the run from Jabba, and the next thing I'm fighting the Empire."
Lando then had his attention distracted from his old accomplice by the lovely vision of Leia.
"Hello. What have we here?" the city baron welcomed her admiringly. "Lando Calrissian, baron-administrator of this city, at your service. And who might you be?"
He then bowed formally and gently kissed the princess' hand.
"An enemy of the Empire is a friend of mine."
Han quickly wrapped one arm around Lando's shoulder and steered him away from Leia. "She's travelling with me, Lando," he told his old friend. "and I don't intend to gamble her away. we'll only stay long enough to get the Falcon fixed. Then we're gone."
"Why such hurry?"
"See…" Han hesitated to answer. "I'm going to train to be a Jedi knight."
This time, Lando could no longer himself and roared with laughter, which echoed across the city. "You?! A Jedi?!"
Leia interfered, standing before Lando with a furious frown on her face. "This isn't funny! Luke died giving Han that information for all we know, the fate of the Rebellion is standing right here." She said angrily, pointing at Han, while the Wookie roared in agreement.
Lando took deep breaths in order to calm down as his laughter diminished. Han, meanwhile, looked at the princess with an expression of surprise. He never expected Leia Organa, of all people, to defend and support him.
"My apologies, your Highness," he finally spoke. "it's just if you knew Han like I do, you'd find it a little hard to swallow." he then addressed Han. "I'll have my best people to work on the Falcon right away. Now if you'll follow me."
As they crossed the narrow bridge, Lando's assistant, Lobot, ran up to Calrissian and showed him a datapad, while whispering something in his ear. Both Han and Leia noticed that the baron was troubled for a minute, before smiling at his guests.
"Something business related?" Han asked him.
"Yes," Lando answered before opening the door to the guestrooms. "Please, make yourself comfortable, and let the staff know if you need anything. Now if you'll excuse me, I have another guest who's just arrived this evening."
Once the door closed after C-3PO, who was lagging a bit behind during the tour, Lando's smile faded and in a second, he spun around and walked away at a quick pace. Lobot barely caught up with him.
"How long has he been here?" he asked his trusted aide.
"His ship arrived shortly after the Falcon set down." Lobot answered. The two reached another door. Looking around, Lando pressed the button to open the door. A figure clad in Mandalorian armour sat behind his desk. His feet rested on the desk, while the helmet sat nearby.
"What are you doing here?" Lando asked in a deadly tone once he entered.
"Long time no see, Lando. I understand you have something I want."
The Baron of Cloud City knew this Mandalorian warrior very well; Boba Fett, the notorious bounty hunter in service to Jabba the Hutt. Not to mention that he was the son of another notorious bounty hunter, Jango Fett, who died right before the Clone Wars.
If Boba Fett was here, then this something had to do with Jabba, and Lando right now had no desire to deal with the Hutt clans. He retired from a life of crime and did not want to return to this life.
"And what is it you want, Fett?" Calrissian asked, crossing his arms. Though, he already knew what the bounty hunter wanted, or rather, who.
"Solo." Boba answered. "I know he's here. You see, my employer has unfinished business with him, and it's in your best interest to cooperate."
"You've got some nerve here, Fett!" Lando protested, pointing his finger at him. "As the administrator of this facility, I suggest you leave before I have forcibly removed you."
His rant came to a halt when Boba pointed his carbine rifle at Calrissian's chin. "You misunderstand, Lando. I'm not asking. I'm telling." he threatened. "My employer is on the way here and you don't have a chance."
Lando suddenly smiled, raising his hands in defeat.
"When you put it that way, it makes a lot more sense. I've never been one to argue with a blaster to my head."
Once released, he made way towards the door, opening it. "Follow me. I'll take you to Solo." Lando told Fett before giving a wink to Lobot, whose cyborg headband send a signal, while he smiled.
"One false move and you're both dead." Boba warned him.
Soon, they approached a large door leading to a hall. The door automatically opened and both Lobot and Lando dashed while a roaring Chewbacca, covered by Bespin Wing guards, charged at the Mandalorian bounty hunter. Boba tried to fire, but the Wookie smashed him against the wall.
"Give it up, Fett. This is over. Now!" Lando demanded, with Han standing alongside him, sneering. Surrounded by guards, Boba stood up.
"Drop your weapon!" one of them ordered the bounty hunter, who just stood there silent.
"I said drop it!" the guard repeated, only to be killed along with some of his comrades after Boba released munitions from his vambrace. Boba then turned on his jetpack and flew towards Han Solo, who fired his blaster at him, only to miss. The Mandalorian bounty hunter grabbed the smuggler and together they smashed to a wall.
"Get off…" Han said as he struggled to break free from Boba who held him. Thankfully, Chewbacca came to rescue, grabbing the bounty hunter, and wrapping his arm around Fett's neck, pulled him away from his friend before throwing him to a window. Smashing the glass, Boba flew through the window, falling down towards the planet's surface. Han, Chewie, Lando, Lobot and the Bespin guards relaxed, thinking that the infamous bounty hunter was dead, not knowing that he activated his jetpack to fly towards his ship, Slave I.
Lando then dashed towards Han, checking him for injuries. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, wonderful." Solo answered before asking. "Do you mind telling me what this all about?"
"He was here for you!" Lando explained ecstatically. "Said his employer had some business with you!"
"Jabba…" Han whispered in realization.
"That's exactly what I was thinking." Lando agreed with him, before adding. "That's not all. He said he was on his way here."
"Jabba?! Coming here?!"
"Yeah, and you can bet he won't be alone." Lando added. "We've got to get you out of here! I'll tell my men to speed up with the repairs."
Elsewhere, Boba Fett returned to his vessel as he flew on his jetpack. Once he landed he immediately contacted his employer. The tall hologram of Darth Vader appeared.
"Lord Vader, this is Boba Fett." Fett bowed before the Dark Lord of the Sith. "I report that the Millennium Falcon is being repaired in the Cloud City on Bespin. Administrator Calrissian is hiding them from the Empire, he is an old friend of Solo."
"What about Young Skywalker?" the Sith lord asked. "Is he with them?"
"I have not seen him yet, but it may be possible he is with them." Boba answered honestly before pressing the buttons on his forearm. "They are repairing the ship now, here are the coordinates."
"Very good, bounty hunter." Vader praised the Mandalorian. "Leave the city, I will be arriving to Bespin. We will discuss your payment once you will return to my flagship."
Boba nodded as they finished their conversation. Proud of himself, Boba entered the Slave-I and prepared for take-off. Being well-known for his extremely ruthless methods, he was summoned by Darth Vader onboard the Executor along with the other bounty hunters. considered the possibility of Captain Solo and his friends escaping during the battle, and Fett gave him credit for that. While listening to the Dark Lord's brief on the assignment, Fett and some of the others, heard of Captain Piett's disdain towards them, but Boba ignored him.
"There will be a substantial reward for the one who finds the Millennium Falcon." Lord Vader promised back then. "You are free to use any methods necessary, but I want proof. No disintegrations."
Using his knowledge of the Corellian smuggler, the knowledge that the Imperials did not have, Boba assumed that Han Solo could possibly ask his old friend Calrissian for protection, and he was right.
Sometime later, night descended on Bespin as the Millennium Falcon was ready for travel. The mechanics were leaving just as they finished their job, passing Han, Leia and Lando while Chewie entered the vessel followed by the two droids.
"Thank you for your help." Leia told Lando.
"It was my pleasure, your Highness." Lando bowed in response, not missing a chance to flirt with the princess. "My crew wasn't able to finish all the repairs, but the Falcon's hyperdrive should be working."
"Thanks pal. I'm sorry about the disturbance." Han told his friend sincerely as she shook Calrissian's hand.
"You should be." Lando asked with a grin. "You should be. Now get outta here before you cause any more trouble."
Lando then stood and watched as the Falcon flew off into space. "Good luck, Han." he whispered.
"Set course for Dagobah, Chewie." Han told his co-pilot and within seconds, the Millennium Falcon went into hyperspace jump. And right on time it did. Thirty seconds later, a Star Destroyer jumped out of hyperspace above Bespin.
"Baron Calrissian?" a Bespin guard ran into Lando's office with worry on his face. The administrator was busy observing the datapads, holding reports on the mining operations. "We've just received a transmission from a ship in orbit for someone by the name of Boba Fett."
Lando still held the datapad in his hand, but rose his head to look at the guard. He knew that Fett's employer, Jabba the Hutt, was on his way, but he did not thought that he would arrive that soon. Still though, Solo was long gone and Lando had no desire to make deals with the Hutts.
"Hm? No Fett here. Tell them to go away."
The guard, however, stood still. He gulped with worry. His next words caught Calrissian off-guard.
"Uh, you don't understand…" he stammered. "They're Imperials, sir. I think you better take this one."
"The Empire?!" Lando exclaimed as he rose up from his chair. Blast it, he should've expected this. Han claimed to join the Rebellion and out of all people, he brought Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, whose planet was destroyed by the Empire's dreadful superweapon three years ago.
"I thought he was working for Jabba!"
Still though, the guard was right. It would best not to ignore the Empire and so Lando pressed a button to accept the call from the Star Destroyer. As if that wasn't enough, of all the high-ranking Imperials, it was Darth Vader. This was not good. Not good at all.
"Baron administrator," Lord Vader's hologram addressed him. "You will patch me through to Fett immediately. He is on a mission for the Empire and I will not tolerate further delays."
Lando was never so afraid before. He was so afraid that he wasn't unsure what to answer. Thankfully, he quickly remembered what he was planning to tell Jabba and so answered.
"Lord Vader… um… Fett is unavailable at the moment. Er… what I mean to say is… he left unexpectedly."
"Do not toy with me, administrator!" Vader boomed in rage. "The rebel Han Solo and his crew were tracked to this facility. You will turn them over now."
"You just missed them. They left right before you showed up." Lando told him honestly.
"Most unfortunate." Vader simply answered. "Fett assured me you would detain Solo. As you have not, I can only assume your city is a Rebel base of operations and so must be destroyed!"
"No! Wait!"
He didn't get to plead as the whole facility shook with the sound of explosions. Facing the window, Calrissian watched in horror as squadrons of TIE's flew through the city, bombarding it. Acting quickly, Lando grabbed his commlink and ran out of his office.
"Attention! This is Administrator Calrissian. The city is under attack by Imperial forces. Evacuate the city immediately! Evacuate!" he yelled into his device as the city continued to shake while explosions were heard.
The whole city was in chaos as citizens ran, shoving each other in order to escape the Imperial attack. Lando knew that all of them were making way towards to the ships that would take them to safety. Some people fell and were even crushed on the way. The only thing Lando and his men could do was to help them get to the landing platforms, while helping those left behind.
"Hurry everyone! Hurry!" Lando cried at one of the landing bays, with citizens passing him to get into one of the transport ships. The TIEs have bombarded the city for a few more minutes until they suddenly left, returning to the Star Destroyer. Some people even stopped once they saw that. Was it over? Did the Empire decide to give them mercy?
But Darth Vader knew no mercy.
Everyone watched in horror as the Imperial cruiser above them opened fire at the city's repulsorlift generators. The whole city shook violently, way more than during the initial air raid.
"They have hit the repulsors!" Lobot cried to Lando in panic, but Calrissian already knew that. Another explosion occurred and the only thing Lando Calrissian could stay and watch in horror, as he, the people left and the city fall to their doom. Detached from the unipod, the Cloud City bent sideways and began to fall down towards the planet's surface.
Those onboard the transport ships were no lucky either. Watching as their city collapsed with horror, they soon endured the shots from Star Destroyer's cannons.