"Sure, there's ten of them with the stormtroopers at the base of the ramp--help yourself," Leia nodded dryly, edging forward.
It had been no contest at all. No one was expecting them to be free, let alone armed, and by the time they'd stood back up from crouching down on the ramp, the only one left standing was the Bothan prisoner.
Lando fumbled on one of the stormtroopers for the keycard to their binders, sliding it over his own before throwing it to Leia, who released the broken remains of her binders before turning to Chewie.
"Quickly," Leia ordered. "There'll be reinforcements on the way." They'd been pretty fast, but hardly quiet.
Lando had bobbed down again to help himself to a blaster, and when he he stood he met the wide eyes of the shocked Bothan prisoner, its fur rippling every which way as proof of its confusion.
"Your lucky day, pal," Lando said with a wink, making Leia roll her eyes as she handed the keycard to the Bothan.
"Lando, we're leaving," she prompted, as they set off out of the bay to lose themselves in the bustle of the spaceport, leaving the Bothan staring after them, open-mouthed, still holding the keycard.
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Leia was still stood in the street,aware that she probably looked out of placce in padded cold-weather gear on the dry, arid planet, when Lando stepped silently up behind her, making her jump.
"One comlink, sweetheart."
"Don't call me that," she scalded, thoughts instantly turning to Han as she tried to concentrate on re-tuning the comlink. "This is nine-nine-two-zero-five, I need immediate evac, repeat, immediate evac. Contact me on this channel as soon as possible."
She shut down the channel and turned to Lando's expectant eyes.
"What do we do now?" he asked.
"We wait," she replied simply.
Lando frowned. "For how long?"
The comlink buzzed in Leia's hand and she arched perfect eyebrows at him. "Not too long."
They spent the afternoon sitting quietly in some smoky dive nursing drinks which Lando had bought, Leia's powerful enough that it actually seemed to be evaporating in the glass, thus saving her the trouble of explaining why she wasn't drinking it. Early evening was giving way to night in the Lucky Dug Cantina in Cat Dato spaceport. It was hot and it was gritty, which was very much what she felt like herself right now as she waited for their ride to turn up, hesitantly contemplating voicing her worries.
The band started up with relentless gusto and she glanced over before turning back to the sabacc game unfolding before her. Lando was playing--where he'd gotten the credits from she didn't want to ask; probably the same reluctant donor as their comlink.
Leia hunched over to rest her chin on her fist, watching Lando bet high, prompting everyone to throw in their cards in frustrated response. Two of the players rose to leave the table despite Lando's protestations, likely having seen they were about o get fleeced by a pro.
He should have played Luke some time; everyone said Luke was a natural at sabacc. Even Han wouldn't play him anymore
"Touched by 'The Lady'," they said; Lady Luck.
She laughed sourly into her warm drink...but apparently not. Not when it mattered.
"Did you ever...talk to Luke, Lando?" she asked as casually as she was able.
Lando glanced up from rearranging the new chip-cards in his hand. "Luke? No, didn't really get a chance. Seemed a nice kid, though."
"He is." She nodded slowly. "He is..."
"Sure chooses his enemies though," Lando added distantly, stacking his credits one-handed.
Leia nodded, lost in thought... "Did...Vader ever mention him to you?"
"Vader?" That turned Lando's head, his voice uneasy now, uncomfortable with the subject. "No, not really. Just to say that he wanted him back--and that Skywalker'd come to Bespin if you three were there."
Leia set her head on one side, aware that Chewie had turned to follow this conversation. "That he wanted him back?" she emphasized, wishing to be sure.
Aware of her seriousness, Lando considered, searching his memory. "That it was time for him to come back," he corrected, uncertain what she was getting at. "Why?"
Leia shook her head quickly, turning away. "Nothing. No reason."
Chewie howled a long sentence, turning Lando's head.
"He wants to know, are we...heading back for them?" Lando translated, clearly not sure he'd like the answer either way.
"As soon as we can," Leia confirmed, looking to Chewie now. "But we need backup first--and a plan."
"Not wanting to put a damper on your fun, but remember you said the nice Imperial pilot told you Han'd be out soon enough."
"And you should always believe what stormtroopers tell you," Leia scorned. "And anyway, what about Luke?"
Whilst in the cockpit, the first pilot's blaster a reassuring weight in her hands, Leia had risked a few moments to quiz the second as he keyed the release for the restraints in the main hold. "The two men who came in with us, why aren't they on the transport?"
"Who?"
"The Corellian--where is he?"
The man's eyes stayed on the blaster. "He's in the Palace--the Commander's keeping him there, I heard."
"Why?"
"I don't know." He'd leaned back as Leia jammed the blaster forward in silent encouragement. "I don't! I'm not even supposed to know that! They wanted...they needed him for something, I don't know what. They were gonna release him, I think--they were gonna release him pretty soon."
"And the other, what about the other prisoner?"
"Other?" The pilot frowned, unsure. "There's no...there was no other."
"Luke Skywalker!" Leia had said through gritted teeth.
The man only shook his head, eyes on the snout of the blaster.
"He came in on the shuttle with us! He was on a medi-sled."
"There was no..." The man looked up as his confusion was replaced by realization. "Oh. Yeah, I bet you'd like to get your hands on him." There was something in the way he said it--some kind of wry amusement, though he'd obviously misunderstood her intent. "Chalk that one up to experience," the pilot had said at last, making her frown.
Then Lando had opened the cockpit door, leaning warily in. "Leia, time to move. Chewie's getting kinda antsy out here."
When she still didn't move, staring at the pilot, Lando had taken her arm, to pull her gently back as he prompted, "... Kinda in a rush here...?"
The strident buzz of her comlink pulled her back to the moment and the dubious surroundings of the Lucky Dug as she snatched for it. "Nine-nine-two-oh-five," she said simply; open comm channels weren't for names.
"Go to docking bay forty-two, South Pitch," came the reply. "We'll make contact there."
"On our way," Leia said, glancing to the others. "Let's move."
She rose, finally sure what she would say when she got back to Alliance Command, which was, quite simply, nothing.
It was all a lie of course. It had to be. She wasn't stupid. It was all lies to undermine Luke, and she wouldn't say a word. She wouldn't play their games, whether she understood them or not. They had wasted their time, and when she got Luke out of there, she'd tell him all about it and they'd laugh at the outrageous claims. They'd chosen the wrong dolt if they were hoping she'd even consider selling Luke out just on their word.
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To be continued...
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Chapter 8
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CHAPTER EIGHT
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It was amazing how quickly routines were established. By nightfall Luke was sitting patiently, waiting for Palpatine to arrive. Waiting for the redhead to come in and announce it.
Like clockwork the doors cycled through their staged lock release, Luke counting how many bolts there were for the first time. She walked in with a face like thunder, and he smiled into those cold eyes. "Hey, Red."
"The..." She floundered, momentarily taken off-guard, but quickly found her stride again. "The Emperor commands your presence."