"Han!"

Somewhere from beyond the void, someone was yelling his name. He knew this voice, he had heard it call his names many times before.

But from where, Han had no idea.

"Han!" The voice was becoming clearer now, more recognizable.

There was a sudden pressure around his shoulders, something was gripping him. He felt his upper body start to shake back and forth as this pressure around him tightened. The darkness he had been surrounded in started to fade, giving way to the light.

Han gasped, coughing out for air. He shielded his eyes from the brightness around him, squinting to make out the two figures hovering over him.

A new figure came into view, licking his face all over with its tongue.

"Hey!" Han pushed the dog aside, wiping the drool off with his sleeve. "I'm okay, Chewie!"

"We thought you were dead!" Luke exclaimed.

"What happened? Where's Leia?" Lando asked, looking around the destroyed den. The sofa had a giant burn in it. The wall was covered in scorch marks and one large black hole near Han. Glass was scattered all over the carpet from the broken coffee table.

Han grimaced at the memory. He might have been knocked out for most of it, but he had heard enough to know what happened. "She was taken by Vader."

"I told you something was wrong!" Luke declared, pointing at Lando.

"What- What do you mean?" Han struggled to his feet, using the nearby wall to steady himself.

"A feeling came over me. A bad one," He started to explain. "Something was telling me Leia was in trouble."

"So that's why you decided to come here," Han realized with a frown. "Where were you this entire time? We could have used your help, ya' know!"

"I- uh, First, I went back to the ranch. Or what was left of it. Found this in the ashes." Luke pulled out a lightsaber hilt in perfect condition. Free of any burn marks, it was as if it hadn't even been caught in an explosion. "It still works, surprisingly."

"I went looking for him," Lando interjected. "Found him at the bar, downing his third drink. I'm lucky I showed up when I did. Otherwise, we might not have made it here."

Han nodded, barely understanding anything his friend had said. "We have to get her."

"Of course, she's my sister!" Luke cried out.

"The problem is what if they're already gone? Like long gone?" Lando argued.

"Doesn't matter," Han stated, shaking his head. "We're going after her."

"How exactly?" Lando crossed his arms, watching as Han began pacing around the room.

"We can use the ship!" Luke piped up.

"We don't even know if it's ready."

Han stopped his pacing, crushing a piece of glass under his boot with a crunch. "We'll have to risk it then."

"Are you serious?" Lando scoffed. "We could die before it even takes off!"

Han narrowed his eyes, irritated by his friend's continuous doubt. "Like I said, we will have to risk it. I would rather die trying than do nothing."

His voice was full of unwavering conviction, something he had never displayed before. Even Luke and Lando couldn't help but gape at the dramatic change that had come over him.

Han regarded the men with his steely gaze. "So. Are you coming with me or not?"

~

The drive to the ship was a wild and bumpy one. Han never considered himself a tortoise on the road, but now he was tearing through the dirt and burning rubber. Lando had to even tell him to slow down before he got them all killed.

But they arrived at the ship in one piece. A little shaken up, but in one piece nonetheless.

Now they faced a bigger problem. One that was much more substantial than Han's reckless driving.

How were they going to start the ship?

Ever the realist, Lando was the first one to bring this up.

"We can't just start pressing random buttons!" He gestured to the control panel.

"Why not?" Han shrugged.

Lando blinked. "Are you kidding me, Solo?"

"Well, do you have any better ideas?" He retorted, already marching up to the panel. "One of them is bound to be the power button."

Lando wiped an aggravated hand over his face. "Fine. I'll be down in the engine in case you accidentally eject yourself from the cockpit!"

As Lando headed down into the engine room, Luke came up behind Han, looking over his shoulder worriedly.

"Han... are you sure this is going to work?" He asked. "Because this has a very slim chance of working."

"Never tell me the odds!" He instantly slammed his hands on the buttons, pressing each and every one.

The control panel began to glow, spreading its life to the rest of the ship. The interior lit up in a fluorescent brightness, making the already blinding white even harsher on the eyes. From below, Han could hear the engine start up with a low whir.

"Well, I'll be damned!" Lando popped out of the floor panel. "You actually did it!"

"I did," Han said breathlessly, looking at the panel in awe.

"I hate to rain on your parade," Lando suddenly frowned. "But how are we going to fly this thing?"

"Damn it, Lando! Why you always gotta be so negative?" Han snapped his head towards his friend.

"Well, can you fly it?" Lando glared. "Cause I sure can't!"

"Um," Luke interrupted in a shy voice. "Maybe I could try?"

Han and Lando both stared at the young man. "You?!"

"Why not?" Luke moved towards the pilot's chair. "Maybe the Force can help me. This technology was created by beings like me. I'm your best chance."

Lando sighed, relenting to the suggestion. "That is true."

"Alright, hot-shot." Han took his seat behind Luke while Lando took his shortly after.

Luke carefully pressed a button and a voice immediately spoke, startling all three men.

"Hello, Leia," the computer greeted. "Welcome back to the Tantive IV. What is it you want to do?"

"Uh, fly," Luke answered.

"I am sorry. I cannot recognize your command," it said.

Han groaned. "Oh my God! Fly to space, you stupid thing!"

"Understood," it stated. "Countdown to launch commences in 10, 9..."

"Oh shit, that actually worked?" Han raised both his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Everybody, strap in!" Luke ordered, placing his hands on the control wheel.

"6, 5..." Han and Lando quickly buckled their straps over themselves.

"I just realized something," Lando muttered, looking to Han.

"What?!" Han noticed he had grown ashen.

"3, 2..."

"Our bodies aren't trained for the g-force!"

"English, please!"

"I mean we are probably going to pass out!"

"1. Commencing departure," the computer finished.

No sooner had the ship lifted off, the g-force Lando was talking about interrupted both the men's terrified screams, culling them into silence. Only Luke was still awake and functional, completely oblivious to his friends' limp bodies.

"Whoa," He beamed as he looked out the window. Before him, the stars twinkled as if to welcome him back to his place among them.

"Are you guys seeing this?!" He cried, seeing the night sky change from blue to black in a matter of seconds. The stars only grew brighter as the ship continued out of Earth's atmosphere, sparkling all around him in abundance. He only wished he could see below the ship, imagining what the Earth must look like as he left it.

But another object caught his attention when it soon came into view. This large, round sphere was sitting just to the side above the planet.

At first, Luke thought it must be the moon due to the proximity and the shape of it.

Yet, he realized this couldn't be the moon.

Because the moon doesn't spin.

And the moon doesn't have just one large, crater-like hole at the top of it.