Master Jedi - Han's Rescue
posted 15 November 2007, Thursday
Two days after arriving on the B-class Calamari cruiser, the Nekush, orbiting Mon Calamari Jina's parents were settled and getting used to their new surroundings. Thanks to Luke they were treated as special guests of the Captain and given a living space two times larger than what they actually needed. After experiencing a bacta tank for the first time Licia was recovering nicely. Hark now had a paying job as the rec-room entertainment director, which was a fancy name for musician, and Janaa wandered the ship content to know that her family was happy and safe.
Jina had been wandering the ship for an hour trying to find Luke whom she hadn't seen in over a day. I'm never going to find him in such a big ship, Jina frustrated before she slapped herself on the thigh feeling foolish for ignoring her training. Closing her eyes she focused on Luke and immediately felt his presence below her, but it felt wrong. An intense feeling of sadness and guilt was emanating from him. Worried, Jina rushed to where he was and traced him to one of the food storage rooms.
Jina opened the door and saw Luke sitting on a crate next to some half eaten food with his face buried in his hand. "What's wrong?" Jina blurted out in her anxiety.
Luke raised his head and began to wipe his eyes shuffling around on the crate obviously startled. "Nothing. I'm fine. How are your parents doing?" He tried to change the subject.
"I was looking for you when I sensed your presence... It didn't feel right." Jina got right to the point.
Luke began to laugh. "Sometimes I forget how far you've come along. I should have known you'd sense me."
"Why are you feeling so guilty and sad?"
"It's my friend Han. Pretty soon Lando is going to arrive and tell me he's found him."
Jina raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that good news?"
"It would be if it wasn't for the fact that I've known where he's been for a while now. I could have tried to save him, but..." Luke hung his head low.
"But what?" Jina was confused, curious and worried at the same time.
"Seeing the future can be a curse you know. You see things then you wonder if trying to change them would make things better or worse. In Hans' case it would have been foolish for me to try and save him, and that meant I had to let him suffer this long. He'll be fine eventually, but... just know that as a Jedi you're gonna have to make some tough decisions - even if you believe things will be okay in the end." Luke jumped off the crate and began cleaning up. "You know... I'm proud of how you handled things on Dagobah. You could have run off to save your family, but you didn't." He thought of the time he abandoned his training to save his friends.
Jina felt embarrassed and disappointed. "Did you really think I was going to run away?"
"I don't know, but I do know that you have a lot more control than I did when I was training--"
Over the intercom the voice of a communications officer blared interrupting everyone. "Paging Commander Skywalker! There is an urgent message for you. Please come to the comm room on deck 3 immediately." The message was repeated a few more times.
"That's Lando. Come on, let's go see what he says." Luke sighed.
Luke and Jina walked to deck three and met up with the communications officer that paged them. When he saw Luke he shoved a message disk in his hand and immediately went back to work. He clicked the small button on the side of the disk initiating the static ridden recording of Lando's voice. "Luke, we found your beacon on Tatooine and are now on our way to Republic space. We found Han and we're coming to get you!" Luke placed the disk on the console next to the officer and seeing how busy he was decided not to say thanks. "Come on, Lando and Chewie should be arriving soon. Let's go wait in the hangar."
"So I guess you have this all planned out." Jina remarked as they walked - thinking about his prescience.
"I wish I did, but I don't know what happens after they arrive. I know we safely rescue Han, but not how. And even if I did know things can still change. Our visions aren't the absolute future. If they were the Emperor would have destroyed the rebellion and still be alive today."
"If they're not absolute then how can we trust them? Maybe my family wasn't in danger?"
"First of all your family was in danger. The facts bore that out once we arrived. How much they were in is debatable, but they were in danger. Secondly, our visions are one dimensional--"
"One dimensional?" Jina interrupted.
"In other words they paint a picture of what might happen based on what we know and how we feel at that moment without taking into account the thoughts and feelings of others. So instead of getting the complete picture we are just getting a piece of it."
"That still doesn't answer my question." Jina frustrated.
Luke stopped and faced Jina. "If a vision becomes what drives your actions then you're better off not trusting them. It can consume you and give you a false sense of security or danger. As a Jedi your goal is, through experience and knowledge of the Force, to you use them as a guide to help you make better decisions about what might come to pass. In this case I saw a vision of Han being alright so I decided to be patient and let the Force show me the right time to act in order to see the vision through."
"I don't think I understand."
"Seeing the future isn't something apprentices should worry about so I don't expect you to, but in time you will." Luke put his arm around Jina and they continued to the hangar.
After thirty minutes of waiting the Millennium Falcon touched down in hanger number two. Chewbacca could barely wait to jump out, and rushed Luke as soon as he saw him. [We found him! We found him!] he barked as he hugged Luke tightly.
"Alright! Hey! Good to see you too Chewie! What happened? How did you find him?" Luke coughed gasping for breath.
"I got friendly with an insurance company who happens to specialize in giving people back their freedom." Lando casually walked up - looking tired and old. "It cost me a pretty penny too."
[You know we'll pay you back!] Chewbacca growled.
"What's with you? You know I didn't mean it like that?" Lando shook his head wondering why his money always seemed to be a problem.
"You guys look tired. Why don't we get something to eat while you tell me all about it." Luke said.
[We don't have time! We have to save Han!] Chewbacca growled again.
Luke petted Chewbacca, "Don't worry. We're going to save Han, but you're no good tired and beat up."
They walked to a nearby lounge where they got some food and discussed everything that had happened. Chewbacca was ready to charge into the rescue. Lando was ready for a long vacation. Jina observed quietly trying to take in everything that was going on. "I talked with Wedge, and he's set everything up for us. We have to rendezvous with the Colossus - my old ship when I was with the special forces. They'll contact us as soon as they reach orbit around Tatooine. We can't take the Falcon though. She's too big and there won't be a place for her to dock," Luke explained.
"So what will we take? Your ship is almost as big." Lando asked.
"We'll be shuttled over and dropped off. Don't worry, I've taken care of everything," Luke replied.
[It looks like you have! If you hadn't left that beacon for us we would never have found you,] Chewbacca commented.
"It's like you knew we were coming for you." Lando gave Luke a curious look.
"I had a feeling," Luke stared at the table for a moment unable to forget his guilt then stood up. "We'll probably be leaving in a few hours so I suggest you guys rest up." Luke abruptly walked out of the lounge. Jina went after him. "Are you going to be okay?" She asked Luke as she caught up to him. "You're worrying me."
Luke threw an uninterested glance Jina's way. "I just want all of this to be over with already. Now let me be alone for a while." At his words Jina just stopped in the corridor and watched him walk away. I hope this ends well, she thought.
After some intense meditation Luke boarded the small transport with the others and began the trip to the Colossus. No one talked, and Luke couldn't help but wonder if his behavior wasn't the cause. The Emperor told me that my friends were my weakness, and I can't agree with him more, Luke thought. I can't allow myself to get shaken up like this anymore. Now Jina has noticed and it could only be a bad example. God I hope Han gets through this!
"Vessel 9362C this is scheduled transport T-001. Please confirm," The pilot said as their ship came out of lightspeed and began making its way into Tatooine orbit. Everyone except Luke peered out the window anxiously as a streamlined, jet black ship came into view. They docked quickly in one of the small hangars that could hold no more than a handful of E-class ships, then were immediately escorted to the bridge. Just inside a short Calamari with spotted dark brown skin greeted them. "Welcome to the Colossus! I am Lieutenant Colonel Nuuwek Gan and I will be in charge of this mission."
"So they have Colonels commanding naval ships now? Times have changed." Lando said humorously.
"I am not the commander of this vessel. I run the special forces operations--"
"We know what you do old man!" Said Luke as he came out from behind Chewbacca and approached Nuuwek. Luke still didn't feel like his usual self, but seeing an old friend lifted his spirits.
"Luke! They didn't tell me you would be here!" Nuuwek gave Luke a big hug.
"It's good to see you Gan," Luke always called him by his last name. "It's too bad we have to meet under these circumstances."
"Speaking of which - I have some things to show you in the operations room. Follow me!" Nuuwek said.
In the operations room a hologram of a rock formation rotated in the center with detailed screens and data on all four walls. "This is where Han Solo is being kept," Nuuwek quickly explained. He didn't like wasting time, and his job only reinforced his mentality. "It's a dorinium mine so most of the structure is probably underground. That means we have to hit them really fast and really carefully. We don't want to risk collapsing the mine and injuring ourselves or the target."
"Man, you guys work fast." Lando replied amazed at all of the information they had gathered.
"We don't waste time here," Nuuwek replied. "Anyway, we have another problem. See this hole here on top of the formation? It's recent, and we've confirmed that it came from outside--"
"Meaning someone was trying to get in," Luke interrupted.
"They didn't try. They made it in and caused significant damage." Nuuwek brought up detailed images of the hole and the damage inside. "We believe whoever caused this is already long gone, but there is only one way to be sure. We'll be sending down four teams, and we'll be doing it in an hour so get ready."
What if I go in alone, Luke was about to ask before he stopped himself realizing his feelings was getting the better of him - pushing him into a rash decision.
Fifteen minutes before launch they gathered around the Low Orbit Quick Deployment system, and got the rundown from one of the lieutenants. "This is the 'locked' system as we like to call it. It's designed to get your ass down on solid ground as quickly and quietly as possible."
"Why don't we just take a shuttle down?" Asked Lando as he looked at what he could only presume was a hellish ride.
"Because it's too slow and too damned comfortable!" The Lieutenant laughed. "Anyway, the only two things you need to know are hold on tight, and remember to take your vomit shot. We can't have you barfing on everyone."
"You gonna be alright Chewie?" Lando asked hoping he wasn't the only one worried.
[We should be down there already,] Chewbacca grunted with an angry look in his eyes. Clearly the ride didn't bother him.
They all strapped into the four small, windowless cylinders that held six soldiers and the gear for a typical commando squad. The seats were tiny metal plates, and on the floor in between the legs of each man was a holster for a weapon. Luke was assigned to team one, Lando to team two and Chewbacca to team three. Luke had Jina stay on the ship which was a relief to her after hearing about their method of descent.
Looking around Lando couldn't find any control system and became even more worried. "How do you fly this thing?" He asked out loud as he scoured the walls for a control panel.
"You don't!" Replied one of the men. "It's all automated. Just hold on and enjoy the ride."
"But what if something goes wrong?"
"Say your payers man!" The commando laughed.
Before Lando could tilt his head back to imagine his death the pod detached and began the ride down. Hitting the atmosphere began the violent shaking and jolting. Luke thought his jaw was going to fall off, but he was too busy feeling depressed to care. The heat from the friction turned each pod into an oven extracting large amounts of sweat from everyone. Ten minutes into the ride the shaking stopped and the stabilizer wings snapped into place with a metallic thunk. "We're almost there boys!" cried one of the soldiers.
Just before landing the pod's engaged their repulsor systems and the long fall from orbit ended in a high G controlled crash that knocked Lando out for a minute. As soon as the doors opened everyone immediately grabbed their gear and raced towards the side of the rock they were about to enter. "CS! This is team one. All four teams are on the ground," the commanding officer reported. Without another word the four teams climbed the rock formation to the hole on the top. With hand signaled orders from the CO one of the men leaned over the hole and checked the inside, and satisfied that it was clear rappelled down. After another check the four teams entered and took positions behind the rocks and metal scraps that were left by the explosion. Leaving team four behind to secure their escape a mix of tunnels and hanging metal walkways brought everyone down to a large room full of destroyed consoles, computer equipment and dead bodies. "The people who hit this place were professionals," Luke said as he broke formation to check the consoles.
"I didn't tell you to break rank!" The young CO yelled in a whisper.
Luke looked at the CO wishing he was on this mission with his old friends, but he had no idea where they were now. "I doubt whoever hit this place left anyone alive, but if they did they probably aren't in any shape to put up a fight." Just as Luke finished, a faint rumbling caught everyone's attention.
"An explosion?" One of the men blurted out.
"Or a mine collapse!" Lando worried.
"We don't have time to waste! This place is unstable!" Luke turned and ran down one of the tunnels. With a roar Chewbacca raised his arms and ran after him happy that the pace was picking up.
"Dammit!" The CO yelled as he lost control of the situation.
As Luke ran down with Chewbacca the explosions that were causing the tremors became apparent. With his lightsaber drawn Luke rushed through the maze of tunnels jumping over bodies and debris in search of any route that lead him down. After descending for a good while they came to a hub that clearly marked the mine shaft and the holding cells. "Chewie go to the cells and look for Han!" Luke ordered Chewbacca knowing that he was desperate to save his friend. Down the mine shaft tunnel light from the explosions flashed like a warning beacon, but Luke wasn't thinking about escape.
With Chewbacca running off to save Han Luke jumped down the rusty, metal stairway that led to the shaft and after a sharp left turn saw a short, fat man clicking the fuse of a mine explosive then tossing it down one of the shafts. With a burst of Force-speed Luke bolted down towards him as he reached for another explosive and with an upward swing sliced his right arm off at the shoulder. He followed up with a kick into the rib cage that knocked the man down then stood over him with his lightsaber directly in his face. "Where's Han Solo!" Demanded Luke before he caught a whiff of the man's horrible stench and began to cough.
"He's dead! I killed him!" Ansala began to laugh and cough.
Luke wanted to reply, but the fear that his friend could be dead froze him.
Just inside the holding pen the obvious signs of explosive damage littered the ground and blocked any form of easy passage. For every two steps Chewbacca had to spend two minutes moving large rocks or chunks of metal. The intent to kill was clear, but the moans and pleadings for death gave some hope that Han could still be alive. Cell by cell Chewbacca dug and searched for his best friend, but he couldn't find him. A third of the room was buried under rock, and with each minute hope faded.
"Did you find him?" An uplifting voice came from behind Chewbacca. Luke had joined him.
[No. Everything is buried under rock. There's no way I can move all of it.]
"Let me see if I can find him." Luke said as he closed his eyes and began to concentrate. Like a hand sifting through the rubble he reached out hoping to sense Han's presence. All around him the feeling of death and pain was overwhelming, and made the moans of the crushed and dying more horrible. Chewbacca waited on Luke helplessly hoping for good news. "Wait!" Luke shouted. "Over here!" The both ran to the cell at the edge of the collapse and looked at an enormous slab of rock that couldn't possibly be laying there without absolutely crushing everything underneath. "He's under there somewhere Chewie! We've got to hurry!"
With his lightsaber Luke began to cut through the solid rock. Team one had made it down and were supporting the rescue of those still alive. More help was on the way, including engineers, to dig out those few who survived. What started out as a small operation was now a major rescue with the life of Han Solo a priority. Three hours in Luke was still cutting away wishing he had enough room to simply Force-lift the rock away. Chewbacca clawed at the rock wishing he could pound it into dust in order to reach his friend.
At the fifth hour the yells of "we found him" brought everyone over to Luke and Chewbacca. In a small ditch underneath the slab Han's body laid. After cutting the appropriate hole Chewbacca pulled Han's lifeless, skeletal body from below and offered a mourning cry that echoed through the tunnels. "He's not dead!" Luke yelled as he checked his vital signs and began Force-healing him. The medics quickly came down and took over.
"So what happens now?" Jina asked Luke as they stood in front of Han on board a Republic medical ship. His thin, limp body was floating in a bacta tank recovering.
"We go back to training and hope that he gets better soon." Luke said staring at his friend.
"I was talking about your sister. Will she come back now?" Jina explained.
Before Luke could answer Lando and Chewbacca walked in - Lando dressed in his usual, expensive attire. "Has anything happened?" Lando asked.
"No, and you shouldn't expect anything for a while. The doctors have him on a thirty day cycle. He's been through a lot and they can't rush the healing process." Luke replied.
"Damn the son-of-a-bitch who did this." Lando cursed.
Luke turned to Lando, "By the way, do you know what happened to the man we captured down in the mine?"
[He's being held for questioning. I wanted to get my hands on him, but they didn't let me see him.] Chewbacca answered.
"He's probably your best bet to finding the person behind all of this. Are you going to follow up?" Luke looked at Lando.
"Whoah!" Lando raised his hands defensively. "I just spent six months running around the galaxy. I think I deserve a vacation. Besides, I think Han will want to deal with this subject himself when he gets better."
"You're right. Han's safe and that's all that matters right now. I need to ask you to stay with him, though... until I tell you." Luke said.
"What are you talking about?" Lando shook his head.
"Han's not set to be well for a while, but I need you to watch him and keep him here in case he recovers faster than anticipated. His location also needs to be kept secret. I already talked to Wedge about it, but I need your help too in case something goes wrong. Leah is coming back soon, and we have to keep him away from her." Luke explained.
[Why?] Chewie asked.
"Because she and I have some unfinished business that needs to be taken care of. You guys know what happened to her, and if you have any hope of seeing her come back you'll do what I ask.
Lando sighed his disgruntled acceptance.
Outside as Luke and Jina walked to their ship she brought up Leah again. "You're going to fight her aren't you?"
"I hope it doesn't come to that, but it probably will. If you're thinking of joining in you can forget about it. Is that why you keep bringing her up?"
"No... I'm just wondering if everything is going to be okay. That's all"
"I hope so..."
To Be Continued...
Jina had been wandering the ship for an hour trying to find Luke whom she hadn't seen in over a day. I'm never going to find him in such a big ship, Jina frustrated before she slapped herself on the thigh feeling foolish for ignoring her training. Closing her eyes she focused on Luke and immediately felt his presence below her, but it felt wrong. An intense feeling of sadness and guilt was emanating from him. Worried, Jina rushed to where he was and traced him to one of the food storage rooms.
Jina opened the door and saw Luke sitting on a crate next to some half eaten food with his face buried in his hand. "What's wrong?" Jina blurted out in her anxiety.
Luke raised his head and began to wipe his eyes shuffling around on the crate obviously startled. "Nothing. I'm fine. How are your parents doing?" He tried to change the subject.
"I was looking for you when I sensed your presence... It didn't feel right." Jina got right to the point.
Luke began to laugh. "Sometimes I forget how far you've come along. I should have known you'd sense me."
"Why are you feeling so guilty and sad?"
"It's my friend Han. Pretty soon Lando is going to arrive and tell me he's found him."
Jina raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that good news?"
"It would be if it wasn't for the fact that I've known where he's been for a while now. I could have tried to save him, but..." Luke hung his head low.
"But what?" Jina was confused, curious and worried at the same time.
"Seeing the future can be a curse you know. You see things then you wonder if trying to change them would make things better or worse. In Hans' case it would have been foolish for me to try and save him, and that meant I had to let him suffer this long. He'll be fine eventually, but... just know that as a Jedi you're gonna have to make some tough decisions - even if you believe things will be okay in the end." Luke jumped off the crate and began cleaning up. "You know... I'm proud of how you handled things on Dagobah. You could have run off to save your family, but you didn't." He thought of the time he abandoned his training to save his friends.
Jina felt embarrassed and disappointed. "Did you really think I was going to run away?"
"I don't know, but I do know that you have a lot more control than I did when I was training--"
Over the intercom the voice of a communications officer blared interrupting everyone. "Paging Commander Skywalker! There is an urgent message for you. Please come to the comm room on deck 3 immediately." The message was repeated a few more times.
"That's Lando. Come on, let's go see what he says." Luke sighed.
Luke and Jina walked to deck three and met up with the communications officer that paged them. When he saw Luke he shoved a message disk in his hand and immediately went back to work. He clicked the small button on the side of the disk initiating the static ridden recording of Lando's voice. "Luke, we found your beacon on Tatooine and are now on our way to Republic space. We found Han and we're coming to get you!" Luke placed the disk on the console next to the officer and seeing how busy he was decided not to say thanks. "Come on, Lando and Chewie should be arriving soon. Let's go wait in the hangar."
"So I guess you have this all planned out." Jina remarked as they walked - thinking about his prescience.
"I wish I did, but I don't know what happens after they arrive. I know we safely rescue Han, but not how. And even if I did know things can still change. Our visions aren't the absolute future. If they were the Emperor would have destroyed the rebellion and still be alive today."
"If they're not absolute then how can we trust them? Maybe my family wasn't in danger?"
"First of all your family was in danger. The facts bore that out once we arrived. How much they were in is debatable, but they were in danger. Secondly, our visions are one dimensional--"
"One dimensional?" Jina interrupted.
"In other words they paint a picture of what might happen based on what we know and how we feel at that moment without taking into account the thoughts and feelings of others. So instead of getting the complete picture we are just getting a piece of it."
"That still doesn't answer my question." Jina frustrated.
Luke stopped and faced Jina. "If a vision becomes what drives your actions then you're better off not trusting them. It can consume you and give you a false sense of security or danger. As a Jedi your goal is, through experience and knowledge of the Force, to you use them as a guide to help you make better decisions about what might come to pass. In this case I saw a vision of Han being alright so I decided to be patient and let the Force show me the right time to act in order to see the vision through."
"I don't think I understand."
"Seeing the future isn't something apprentices should worry about so I don't expect you to, but in time you will." Luke put his arm around Jina and they continued to the hangar.
After thirty minutes of waiting the Millennium Falcon touched down in hanger number two. Chewbacca could barely wait to jump out, and rushed Luke as soon as he saw him. [We found him! We found him!] he barked as he hugged Luke tightly.
"Alright! Hey! Good to see you too Chewie! What happened? How did you find him?" Luke coughed gasping for breath.
"I got friendly with an insurance company who happens to specialize in giving people back their freedom." Lando casually walked up - looking tired and old. "It cost me a pretty penny too."
[You know we'll pay you back!] Chewbacca growled.
"What's with you? You know I didn't mean it like that?" Lando shook his head wondering why his money always seemed to be a problem.
"You guys look tired. Why don't we get something to eat while you tell me all about it." Luke said.
[We don't have time! We have to save Han!] Chewbacca growled again.
Luke petted Chewbacca, "Don't worry. We're going to save Han, but you're no good tired and beat up."
They walked to a nearby lounge where they got some food and discussed everything that had happened. Chewbacca was ready to charge into the rescue. Lando was ready for a long vacation. Jina observed quietly trying to take in everything that was going on. "I talked with Wedge, and he's set everything up for us. We have to rendezvous with the Colossus - my old ship when I was with the special forces. They'll contact us as soon as they reach orbit around Tatooine. We can't take the Falcon though. She's too big and there won't be a place for her to dock," Luke explained.
"So what will we take? Your ship is almost as big." Lando asked.
"We'll be shuttled over and dropped off. Don't worry, I've taken care of everything," Luke replied.
[It looks like you have! If you hadn't left that beacon for us we would never have found you,] Chewbacca commented.
"It's like you knew we were coming for you." Lando gave Luke a curious look.
"I had a feeling," Luke stared at the table for a moment unable to forget his guilt then stood up. "We'll probably be leaving in a few hours so I suggest you guys rest up." Luke abruptly walked out of the lounge. Jina went after him. "Are you going to be okay?" She asked Luke as she caught up to him. "You're worrying me."
Luke threw an uninterested glance Jina's way. "I just want all of this to be over with already. Now let me be alone for a while." At his words Jina just stopped in the corridor and watched him walk away. I hope this ends well, she thought.
After some intense meditation Luke boarded the small transport with the others and began the trip to the Colossus. No one talked, and Luke couldn't help but wonder if his behavior wasn't the cause. The Emperor told me that my friends were my weakness, and I can't agree with him more, Luke thought. I can't allow myself to get shaken up like this anymore. Now Jina has noticed and it could only be a bad example. God I hope Han gets through this!
"Vessel 9362C this is scheduled transport T-001. Please confirm," The pilot said as their ship came out of lightspeed and began making its way into Tatooine orbit. Everyone except Luke peered out the window anxiously as a streamlined, jet black ship came into view. They docked quickly in one of the small hangars that could hold no more than a handful of E-class ships, then were immediately escorted to the bridge. Just inside a short Calamari with spotted dark brown skin greeted them. "Welcome to the Colossus! I am Lieutenant Colonel Nuuwek Gan and I will be in charge of this mission."
"So they have Colonels commanding naval ships now? Times have changed." Lando said humorously.
"I am not the commander of this vessel. I run the special forces operations--"
"We know what you do old man!" Said Luke as he came out from behind Chewbacca and approached Nuuwek. Luke still didn't feel like his usual self, but seeing an old friend lifted his spirits.
"Luke! They didn't tell me you would be here!" Nuuwek gave Luke a big hug.
"It's good to see you Gan," Luke always called him by his last name. "It's too bad we have to meet under these circumstances."
"Speaking of which - I have some things to show you in the operations room. Follow me!" Nuuwek said.
In the operations room a hologram of a rock formation rotated in the center with detailed screens and data on all four walls. "This is where Han Solo is being kept," Nuuwek quickly explained. He didn't like wasting time, and his job only reinforced his mentality. "It's a dorinium mine so most of the structure is probably underground. That means we have to hit them really fast and really carefully. We don't want to risk collapsing the mine and injuring ourselves or the target."
"Man, you guys work fast." Lando replied amazed at all of the information they had gathered.
"We don't waste time here," Nuuwek replied. "Anyway, we have another problem. See this hole here on top of the formation? It's recent, and we've confirmed that it came from outside--"
"Meaning someone was trying to get in," Luke interrupted.
"They didn't try. They made it in and caused significant damage." Nuuwek brought up detailed images of the hole and the damage inside. "We believe whoever caused this is already long gone, but there is only one way to be sure. We'll be sending down four teams, and we'll be doing it in an hour so get ready."
What if I go in alone, Luke was about to ask before he stopped himself realizing his feelings was getting the better of him - pushing him into a rash decision.
Fifteen minutes before launch they gathered around the Low Orbit Quick Deployment system, and got the rundown from one of the lieutenants. "This is the 'locked' system as we like to call it. It's designed to get your ass down on solid ground as quickly and quietly as possible."
"Why don't we just take a shuttle down?" Asked Lando as he looked at what he could only presume was a hellish ride.
"Because it's too slow and too damned comfortable!" The Lieutenant laughed. "Anyway, the only two things you need to know are hold on tight, and remember to take your vomit shot. We can't have you barfing on everyone."
"You gonna be alright Chewie?" Lando asked hoping he wasn't the only one worried.
[We should be down there already,] Chewbacca grunted with an angry look in his eyes. Clearly the ride didn't bother him.
They all strapped into the four small, windowless cylinders that held six soldiers and the gear for a typical commando squad. The seats were tiny metal plates, and on the floor in between the legs of each man was a holster for a weapon. Luke was assigned to team one, Lando to team two and Chewbacca to team three. Luke had Jina stay on the ship which was a relief to her after hearing about their method of descent.
Looking around Lando couldn't find any control system and became even more worried. "How do you fly this thing?" He asked out loud as he scoured the walls for a control panel.
"You don't!" Replied one of the men. "It's all automated. Just hold on and enjoy the ride."
"But what if something goes wrong?"
"Say your payers man!" The commando laughed.
Before Lando could tilt his head back to imagine his death the pod detached and began the ride down. Hitting the atmosphere began the violent shaking and jolting. Luke thought his jaw was going to fall off, but he was too busy feeling depressed to care. The heat from the friction turned each pod into an oven extracting large amounts of sweat from everyone. Ten minutes into the ride the shaking stopped and the stabilizer wings snapped into place with a metallic thunk. "We're almost there boys!" cried one of the soldiers.
Just before landing the pod's engaged their repulsor systems and the long fall from orbit ended in a high G controlled crash that knocked Lando out for a minute. As soon as the doors opened everyone immediately grabbed their gear and raced towards the side of the rock they were about to enter. "CS! This is team one. All four teams are on the ground," the commanding officer reported. Without another word the four teams climbed the rock formation to the hole on the top. With hand signaled orders from the CO one of the men leaned over the hole and checked the inside, and satisfied that it was clear rappelled down. After another check the four teams entered and took positions behind the rocks and metal scraps that were left by the explosion. Leaving team four behind to secure their escape a mix of tunnels and hanging metal walkways brought everyone down to a large room full of destroyed consoles, computer equipment and dead bodies. "The people who hit this place were professionals," Luke said as he broke formation to check the consoles.
"I didn't tell you to break rank!" The young CO yelled in a whisper.
Luke looked at the CO wishing he was on this mission with his old friends, but he had no idea where they were now. "I doubt whoever hit this place left anyone alive, but if they did they probably aren't in any shape to put up a fight." Just as Luke finished, a faint rumbling caught everyone's attention.
"An explosion?" One of the men blurted out.
"Or a mine collapse!" Lando worried.
"We don't have time to waste! This place is unstable!" Luke turned and ran down one of the tunnels. With a roar Chewbacca raised his arms and ran after him happy that the pace was picking up.
"Dammit!" The CO yelled as he lost control of the situation.
As Luke ran down with Chewbacca the explosions that were causing the tremors became apparent. With his lightsaber drawn Luke rushed through the maze of tunnels jumping over bodies and debris in search of any route that lead him down. After descending for a good while they came to a hub that clearly marked the mine shaft and the holding cells. "Chewie go to the cells and look for Han!" Luke ordered Chewbacca knowing that he was desperate to save his friend. Down the mine shaft tunnel light from the explosions flashed like a warning beacon, but Luke wasn't thinking about escape.
With Chewbacca running off to save Han Luke jumped down the rusty, metal stairway that led to the shaft and after a sharp left turn saw a short, fat man clicking the fuse of a mine explosive then tossing it down one of the shafts. With a burst of Force-speed Luke bolted down towards him as he reached for another explosive and with an upward swing sliced his right arm off at the shoulder. He followed up with a kick into the rib cage that knocked the man down then stood over him with his lightsaber directly in his face. "Where's Han Solo!" Demanded Luke before he caught a whiff of the man's horrible stench and began to cough.
"He's dead! I killed him!" Ansala began to laugh and cough.
Luke wanted to reply, but the fear that his friend could be dead froze him.
Just inside the holding pen the obvious signs of explosive damage littered the ground and blocked any form of easy passage. For every two steps Chewbacca had to spend two minutes moving large rocks or chunks of metal. The intent to kill was clear, but the moans and pleadings for death gave some hope that Han could still be alive. Cell by cell Chewbacca dug and searched for his best friend, but he couldn't find him. A third of the room was buried under rock, and with each minute hope faded.
"Did you find him?" An uplifting voice came from behind Chewbacca. Luke had joined him.
[No. Everything is buried under rock. There's no way I can move all of it.]
"Let me see if I can find him." Luke said as he closed his eyes and began to concentrate. Like a hand sifting through the rubble he reached out hoping to sense Han's presence. All around him the feeling of death and pain was overwhelming, and made the moans of the crushed and dying more horrible. Chewbacca waited on Luke helplessly hoping for good news. "Wait!" Luke shouted. "Over here!" The both ran to the cell at the edge of the collapse and looked at an enormous slab of rock that couldn't possibly be laying there without absolutely crushing everything underneath. "He's under there somewhere Chewie! We've got to hurry!"
With his lightsaber Luke began to cut through the solid rock. Team one had made it down and were supporting the rescue of those still alive. More help was on the way, including engineers, to dig out those few who survived. What started out as a small operation was now a major rescue with the life of Han Solo a priority. Three hours in Luke was still cutting away wishing he had enough room to simply Force-lift the rock away. Chewbacca clawed at the rock wishing he could pound it into dust in order to reach his friend.
At the fifth hour the yells of "we found him" brought everyone over to Luke and Chewbacca. In a small ditch underneath the slab Han's body laid. After cutting the appropriate hole Chewbacca pulled Han's lifeless, skeletal body from below and offered a mourning cry that echoed through the tunnels. "He's not dead!" Luke yelled as he checked his vital signs and began Force-healing him. The medics quickly came down and took over.
"So what happens now?" Jina asked Luke as they stood in front of Han on board a Republic medical ship. His thin, limp body was floating in a bacta tank recovering.
"We go back to training and hope that he gets better soon." Luke said staring at his friend.
"I was talking about your sister. Will she come back now?" Jina explained.
Before Luke could answer Lando and Chewbacca walked in - Lando dressed in his usual, expensive attire. "Has anything happened?" Lando asked.
"No, and you shouldn't expect anything for a while. The doctors have him on a thirty day cycle. He's been through a lot and they can't rush the healing process." Luke replied.
"Damn the son-of-a-bitch who did this." Lando cursed.
Luke turned to Lando, "By the way, do you know what happened to the man we captured down in the mine?"
[He's being held for questioning. I wanted to get my hands on him, but they didn't let me see him.] Chewbacca answered.
"He's probably your best bet to finding the person behind all of this. Are you going to follow up?" Luke looked at Lando.
"Whoah!" Lando raised his hands defensively. "I just spent six months running around the galaxy. I think I deserve a vacation. Besides, I think Han will want to deal with this subject himself when he gets better."
"You're right. Han's safe and that's all that matters right now. I need to ask you to stay with him, though... until I tell you." Luke said.
"What are you talking about?" Lando shook his head.
"Han's not set to be well for a while, but I need you to watch him and keep him here in case he recovers faster than anticipated. His location also needs to be kept secret. I already talked to Wedge about it, but I need your help too in case something goes wrong. Leah is coming back soon, and we have to keep him away from her." Luke explained.
[Why?] Chewie asked.
"Because she and I have some unfinished business that needs to be taken care of. You guys know what happened to her, and if you have any hope of seeing her come back you'll do what I ask.
Lando sighed his disgruntled acceptance.
Outside as Luke and Jina walked to their ship she brought up Leah again. "You're going to fight her aren't you?"
"I hope it doesn't come to that, but it probably will. If you're thinking of joining in you can forget about it. Is that why you keep bringing her up?"
"No... I'm just wondering if everything is going to be okay. That's all"
"I hope so..."
To Be Continued...
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