~How it All Began: Part 6~

To say Luke was nervous was an understatement. This was the biggest moment of his life, not that there was much on a moisture farm in Tatooine that could top rescuing a princess from a Imperial planet-killing space station.

He tried to act casual, which was difficult escorting a giant Wookiee.

The lift was taking too long. Luke could feel every pair of eyes that passed boring into his back. He could feel cold sweat on the back of his neck.

Han, on the other hand, played off his role smoothly and Luke wondered if this was his first time impersonating a Stormtrooper. His normal confident demeanor gave Luke a boost of his own confidence and he stood a little straighter.

  He even managed to moisten his dry mouth enough to comment, "I can't see a thing in this helmet."

Han's shoulders shook with silent laughter before he pushed an Imperial officer out of the elevator, explaining through gestures that they had a dangerous prisoner with them and they were to be in the lift alone.

Now alone in the rapidly moving elevator, Luke adjusted the binders so that Chewbacca could easily break free.

  "This isn't going to work," Han muttered.

So Han's confidence was a fluke, the boy realized with disappointment as his own confidence deflated to exasperation.

  "Why didn't you say so before?"

  "I did say so before."

Remembering, Luke scowled under his helmet. 

He didn't understand this guy. Scratch that. In the few hours that he had known the smuggler, Han had been a pretty easy person to read. Not the personal things, no, Han obviously wanted that stuff to stay private. But within a day of being around him, Luke learned that the space pirate was cocky, but that hid a lot of uncertainty. He was a leader and quick on his feet as well as an amazing pilot and expert shot. Of course, he couldn't forget Han's lack of belief in the Force, as well as he only cared about money, his precious ship, and his co-pilot.

He did understand Han. He just didn't know how he felt about him. A lot of times, Han irritated him. The way he treated Ben, his lack of belief in the Force, his snarky comebacks, and caring about no one other than himself. But many times, Luke found himself looking up to Solo. Han was almost everything he wanted to be, almost. Luke dreamed of flying across the galaxy in his own ship. He probably wouldn't be a smuggler, too much trouble and selfishness and bounties. Maybe a navigator like he once thought his father was. Han was also a good leader, a good shot, and potentially a good man. 

Luke believed that there could be more to Han than money. Perhaps this act of heroism will change him, even though he was only convinced by the promise of reward.

His thoughts were interrupted by the hiss of the doors opening, though nothing seemed to have happened. Then Luke realized he was facing the wrong direction and turned around sheepishly, glad that he wasn't the only one who had to.

Coolly, Luke and Han stepped into the detention block with their towering prisoner between them. All eyes turned to them as the superior officer approached them, gazing at Chewbacca up and down with distaste.

  "Where are you taking this... thing?"

  "Prisoner transfer from block 1138," Luke lied smoothly. Han would be proud. He had years of experience of lying to Uncle Owen.

  "I wasn't notified," the officer replied skeptically. "I'll have to clear it."

The moment he turned around, Chewbacca decided to spring. With a great roar, he broke free of his restraints and swung his arms at his two guards.

  "Look out! He's loose!" Han shouted, not very discreetly tossing Chewie his bowcaster.

  "He's going to pull us apart!" Luke cried, enjoying this a bit too much.

Luke and Han deliberately shot wide of the Wookiee, hitting cameras, laser gate controls, and security guards.

So far, his hastily put together plan was working beautifully. Now to find a princess...

* * *

The last trooper come running from out of the hallway of cells. He trained his blaster on Luke, and Han noticed right away. 

  "Look out!" Han quickly pointed his own blaster and fired. The Stormtrooper tumbled down the stairs and lay still.

Eerie silence fell over the detention block. His ears ringing, Han let out the breath he held when that last trooper threatened Luke. He knew the kid would get himself killed if he wasn't there to help. 

After a moment, both boys sprang back into action. Han swung around the control console and quickly skimmed over the list of prisoners. There were very few and he quickly found the princess of Alderaan.

  "Here it is... Your princess is in cell 2187. Go get her—I'll hold them off."

Luke nodded and scampered off. Yanking off his helmet, relieved he could see again, Han noticed a flashing red light. That never meant anything good.

  Finding his best yes-I-belong-here voice, Han pressed the button next to the flashing light and spoke into the speaker. "Everything is under control. Situation normal."

  "What happened?" the voice on the other end demanded.

  "Uh... we had a slight... weapons malfunction, but, um, everything is perfectly all right. We're fine. We're all fine here, now, thank you. How are you?" 

He cringed.

  "We're sending a squad up."

  Kriff. "Um, ah, negative, negative. We have a reactor leak here now. Give us a few minutes to lock it down. Large leak, very dangerous."

  "Who is this? What's your operating number?"

  Han shot the already smoking comm. "Boring conversation anyway." He cupped his hands over his mouth and called, "Luke! We're going to have company!"

Han's gloved fingers flew over the controls. Chewbacca growled a question, his bowcaster pointing at the door.

  "I just jammed the doors," Han informed him. "They won't be able to get in–"

At that moment, the universe, or the Force, decided to prove him wrong. A muffled buzz sounded from the other side of the elevator door. The terrifying noise made his skin crawl.

  "Get behind me! Get behind me!" The duo pulled back to the edge of the dark hallway Luke had raced down. The doors exploded and Han turned his face away to avoid the shower of shrapnel. Countless Stormtroopers poured in through the hole they had cut. Han fired back, but was barely able to hit anything while in the open, dodging enemy fire and blinded by billowing smoke.

Backpedalling down the row of cells for cover, Han felt himself nearly collide with someone. Not Luke. This person was even smaller and not wearing armor.

  "Can't get out that way," Han informed the newcomers.

  "Looks like you've managed to cut off our only escape route."

She was small, but her voice was powerful. Her words cut him immediately down to his core. She wasn't like the kid, whom he could exchange wisecracks and win (and sometimes loose, to the kid's credit). The princess' snarky remark flared anger in him instantly and put him on the defensive.

  "Well, maybe you'd like it back in your cell, Your Highness?"

Make it clear to her that he wasn't here to rescue her out of the goodness of his heart. As he turned back to snap at her face, he had to admit, in his anger, that it was a pretty face. One of the loveliest faces he had ever seen. She was young, maybe the same age as Luke or a few years older. Her skin was pale and visibly soft. Her dark brown hair was rolled up into tight coils around her ears in the Alderaan fashion with some strands sticking out in all directions. Her dirty white dress flowed down her figure in a modest but flattering manner, unlike the girls in all the spaceports and cantinas he visited.

But her eyes—those brown eyes held a storm. They were cold, strong, calculating, and could pierce your very soul. Han found it alarmingly straining to hold contact with them. Finally, he met a worthy opponent. He was too stubborn to back down and she was also too stubborn to let go. Those brown eyes were as powerful as her voice. As helpless as she was on this space station, she was a very dangerous woman.

Their eye contact was finally severed as a blaster shot hit too close for comfort and Luke dragged them both into an alcove. As Han returned fire, Luke yanked his comlink off of his belt. Han noticed he wasn't wearing his helmet anymore either.

  "C-3PO! C-3PO! Are there any other ways out of the detention block? We've been cut off!... What's that? I didn't copy!"

Luke put the comm to his ear to hear over the roaring battle. Han just focused on cover fire, though it frustrated him that he could barely hit anything from their position and with all the smoke.

  "There isn't any other way out," Luke relayed grimly.

  No. Of course there wasn't. "I can't hold them off forever!" Han warned. "Now what?"

  "This is some rescue," the princess remarked sarcastically. "When you came in here, you didn't have a plan for getting out?"

  "He's the brains, sweetheart." Han shifted the blame, jerking his shoulder in the kid's direction. Make him the target of the princess' piercing gaze.

  "Well, I didn't–" Luke was about to defend himself, probably shift some of the blame back on Han, when the princess snatched Luke's blaster and fired right by Han's leg, creating a hole in the grate big enough for even Chewie to squeeze through.

  "What the hell are you doing?!" Han demanded.

    "Somebody has to save our skins!" She stepped out of cover for only a second, sending two shots down the hall, then moved to stand by her handiwork. "Into the garbage chute, flyboy!" She tossed back Luke's blaster and disappeared into the inky blackness.

Okay. Maybe not so helpless after all. Not only was she built with weapons, she knew how to handle other ones, too. Judging by the two dead troopers, she was a good shot.

Chewbacca sniffed the hole and whined pitifully.

  "Get in there! Get in there, you big, furry oaf! I don't care what you smell!" He gave his co-pilot a kick, sending the reluctantly Wookiee down the dark chute. "Get in there. Don't worry about it."

With his returned blaster, Luke aided Han in their cover fire. The kid was a bit too excited. Han guessed this was his first real firefight. Thank the stars he was a decent shot though, or he wouldn't live to experience another one.

  "Wonderful girl," Han yelled over the din. "Either I'm going to kill her or I'm beginning to like her!"

Luke sent Han an exasperated look for a brief moment before continuing to use up his charges. Han realized that Luke intended to wait for him to go first and then follow. Or he was expecting Han to up and leave, using the kid as cover. Well, he intended to be the last. And Luke needed cover to get to the other side anyways.

  "Get in there!" Han yelled as soon as there was a break in the enemy fire. With a surprised and hesitant expression, Luke rushed over to Han's side and jumped down the opening.

Giving Luke some distance, Han fired a few more times to create more cover smoke, then dove headfirst down the chute with a yell.