CHAPTER TEN
The Fortune’s Son
Toah could not believe his luck.
Here he was, sitting in front of Lando Calrissian, famed hero of the Rebellion and the man who had helped destroy the second Death Star. Beside him was R2-D2, the astromech droid of Luke Skywalker himself. Toah had told Lando about what had happened back on Dantooine, about the bounty hunters that had captured Luke, with R2 corroborating the details to show Lando that he was not making it up or had gone crazy. When he was done, Lando stared at Toah, and he felt himself shrink in his seat at little under the older man’s hard gaze.
After a long moment, Lando finally spoke, and his words caught Toah off-guard. “Well, this is a conundrum.”
Toah frowned in confusion. “How is it a conundrum?” He then quickly added, “Um, General Calrissian, sir.”
Lando waved off the addendum. “Two things,” he said. “One: We don’t have any idea of where these bounty hunters could have taken Luke. Two: We’re in the middle of a pretty important mission. If we abandon our position now, it could jeopardize it and make Admiral Ackbar very upset with us.”
Nien Nunb, his Sullustan companion, said something in Sullustese that Toah couldn’t pick up, not being familiar with the language. Lando shrugged in response.
“More upset, I mean. Which is just as bad as a death sentence, if you ask me. Maybe even worse.”
Toah cleared his throat. “If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly is your mission here.”
“Whoa there, kid,” said a Duros commando—Toah thought his name was Shriv. “That’s classified intel and we still don’t know for certain that you’re not an Imperial plant.”
“Hate to say it, but he’s right,” Lando said. “Believe me, I want nothing more than to drop everything now and rescue Luke. He is a good friend, after all. But the timing of all of this is not ideal.”
“He is a Jedi, isn’t he?” asked a pink-haired woman named Isolde. “I’m sure he can handle himself.”
“There is that.” Lando then rubbed his chin. “Honestly, this might be something we should alert Princess Leia about.” He looked over at R2. “Why didn’t you go to her first?”
The astromech twittered at him in response and Lando’s eyes widened slightly. “You couldn’t get a hold of her? That’s strange….”
“He did say yours was the closest ship he could get into contact with,” Toah said.
“Right, that does make sense.” Lando continued to rub his chin. “Of course, that does leave just one other person. Have you tried contacting Han, Artoo?”
Toah felt his heart skip but he did not dare get his hopes up about meeting the one and only Han Solo. R2 beeped again, sounding a bit sheepish, and Lando nodded understandingly.
“Yeah, I think I have an idea of where he is. After Mindor, he talked about going on a mission of his own; something personal to him, he said. I’m sure he would drop it to help out Luke, though.”
R2 trilled excitedly while Lando turned to Nien Nunb. “You think we can get an encrypted transmission out to the Falcon that won’t get picked up by the Pentastar?”
Nien responded in the affirmative in his native tongue. Lando then turned back to Toah and flashed him that charming smile that he knew the Hero of Endor for.
“Don’t worry, kid. We’ll get everything sorted out and find our Jedi Knight. Just leave it all to Lando.”
Takodana
Han Solo took a slow sip of the drink in his hands. He then puckered his lips as he winced at the taste. “Yeow. That’s strong stuff.”
“You’ve told me it’s your favorite,” said Maz Kanata, sitting across from him.
“Eight years ago, maybe. I’m not so young these days.”
The two of them sat in a small alcove of Maz Kanata’s castle on Takodana, a peaceful forest world far out in the Western Reaches, largely untouched by the conflict that continued to rage across the galaxy. Through the stone walls, Han could still hear the laughter, cheers, and taunts of the other denizens, but Maz had made sure they had a private space to talk, away from any distractions or interruptions. There were few people that Maz was willing to make such accommodations for, and Han knew how much of an honor it was to be held in such high respect by her.
The little orange-skinned lady, who might as well have been as old as the castle itself if not older, adjusted her over-sized goggles as she regarded Han with that piercing look of hers. “You’ve changed, Han,” she said.
He scratched the stubble forming around his chin. “Yup. A lot more roguish than I used to look, huh?”
“That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it.”
Han sighed as he took another sip of his drink. It didn’t taste any better the second time. “I never thought it would happen in a million years, but I’ve settled down. Close to it, anyway. Once this war is finally over, I’ll be a married man and a retired general. A war hero. Me. Who would have thought, huh?”
Maz folded her hands and rested her chin on them. “Any children?”
“Not yet.”
“Not yet,” Maz echoed. “So there are plans, then?”
“Did I say that? No, I didn’t say that.”
Maz simply smiled as she shook her head. “While we’re on the subject of relationships,” she then said, “where’s that lovely Wookiee friend of yours?”
Han rolled his eyes. “On Kashyyyk, spending time with Malla. You know, his wife?”
“I hope she knows that she’s the luckiest woman in the galaxy.”
“Oh, she does. Trust me, she does.”
The two of them sat in silence for a while, enjoying the view the window gave them of Nymeve Lake. Maz let out a wistful sigh before turning back to Han.
“Why are you really here, Solo? Something tells me you’re not just here for a drink and a quick catch-up.”
“You read me like a book, Maz,” Han muttered. He set down his drink and leaned forward in his seat, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial tone. “I’m looking for details on Crimson Dawn.”
Maz’s forehead creased in surprise. “They have not been heard from since before the civil war, Han. Black Sun pretty much overtook them as the bigger crime syndicate.”
“I know. But with Xizor gone, Black Sun is pretty much in shambles. The Hutt Clans aren’t any better off either with Jabba out of the picture. I worry that Crimson Dawn may take the opportunity to make a resurgence.”
Maz readjusted her spectacles again, her brown eyes boring into Han’s. “I haven’t heard of any such rumors, and if I haven’t heard them, then I doubt you have. I think this is about something else, Han. Or rather, someone else.”
Han scowled as he avoided eye contact. “This isn’t about her, if that’s what you think.”
“Isn’t it? I’ve seen the holofilm.”
“Come on, Maz. It was a load of bantha fodder and you know it. I just wanted to make a quick credichip from some royalty checks as well as get some of those historians off my back. It more or less got the gist of everything, but I let them do whatever they wanted with details of my personal life. You know how I actually met Lando and won the Falcon, you know how I made the Kessel Run… and you know that there is no Qi’ra.”
“There was,” Maz said simply.
“Well, okay, yeah, but not like that. I didn’t even meet her until… well, at the very least, our relationship wasn’t like that. Besides, Bria was my first love.”
“Perhaps. But you’ve had other paramours. And Qi’ra was one of them.”
“If we’re counting one-time flings that didn’t last longer than a single night, then yeah, sure. Let’s go with that.”
Maz continued to regard Han for another long moment before sighing. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything for you, Han. There has been no word of Qi’ra or Crimson Dawn for a very long time.”
“It was worth a shot, I suppose,” Han grunted. He considered taking another drink from his glass but decided against it. Instead, he pulled back his chair and got up from the table. “Well, thanks for having me, Maz, but I’d better get going.”
Maz nodded. “I understand. Being a war hero calls for a lot more responsibility than being a smuggler, doesn’t it?”
“It sure beats having a death mark on your head,” Han muttered. “Not that I don’t still have those to worry about.”
“Even with Jabba gone?”
“Jabba might be gone but the Empire isn’t, and they’re still not happy about my role at Yavin. Or Endor, for that matter.” He heard a beep come from his comlink and he dug it out of his pants. “Solo, here,” he answered. “What is it?”
“Han, old buddy,” came a familiar voice. “I’ve got urgent news for you.”
Han’s eyebrows furrowed. “Lando? Aren’t you and your commandos supposed to be on a mission?”
“I am, which is why I’m calling you. Some kid just showed up on my corvette flying in Luke’s X-wing with Luke’s astromech.”
His frown deepened, dread filling his heart. “Where’s Luke?”
“Isn’t that the question of the century? Kid says he was captured by a gang of bounty hunters on Dantooine. No idea where they could have taken him.”
“Does Leia know?”
“That’s the other problem; Artoo’s been unable to reach her,” Lando replied. “He was able to get in touch with Threepio, though, and I think the droid said something about her having been in a meeting with Moff Panaka.”
“Panaka.” Han tried the name to see if it rang any bells. It did, but they were faint. “What warlord does he work for, again?”
“None. He stills answers to the Ruling Council—or Isard, whoever’s supposedly calling the shots. He oversees the Chommell sector, near Lankin’s territory.”
“Right.” Han ran a hand through his hair, his mind racing. “And does Threepio know where she went?”
“Only that she and a pilot named Shara Bey took an unauthorized leave aboard some freighter. By his calculations, it was in the direction of the Chommell sector.”
“Then I’ll head there right away,” Han said. “Whoever captured Luke must be the reason Leia’s gone radio silent. The Falcon should take me there in no time.”
“Good luck, pal,” Lando said. “Wish I could be there with you, but…”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you around.” Han clicked his comlink off and turned to Maz to bid her farewell, but the pirate queen merely waved her hand.
“What are you waiting for? You have a princess to save… again.”
Han smirked as he nodded before rushing for the castle’s exit.
* * *
“Tarr, what in the nine Corellian hells are you doing?”
Luke heard Cad Bane’s voice come from the cockpit of Tarr-Nar-Mal’s ship but was unable to see the Duros bounty hunter’s hologram from where he sat aboard the Cerean’s ship. Tarr’s response was calm and collected compared to the ire in Bane’s tone.
“I am delivering the Jedi to Naboo so that Moff Panaka may retrieve him.”
“Our contract wasn’t with the Moff, but the dignitary. Unless you’ve been keeping secrets from us?”
“No secrets, Bane. While our contact was negotiated with Lady Greejatus, the Moff was also a signatory. Delivering the Jedi to him fulfills the contract all the same.”
“In that case, why not take the Jedi straight to him? His Star Destroyer is still on Chommell Minor.”
“I have a personal matter to address regarding the Jedi. Once I am done with him, then may the Jedi be delivered.”
“That’s not how we do things, Tarr. Turn your ship around now before I—”
Bane’s words abruptly cut off as Luke heard Tarr end the call. He then felt the ship lurch as it jumped into hyperspace, destined for nearby Naboo. He imagined the trip would be a short one, giving him, Leia, and Shara a limited amount of time to plan their next course of action.
They were deprived of that chance when Tarr stepped into the main hold where they were sitting. The Cerean’s one good eye passed over Leia and Shara before landing on Luke, although the bounty hunter did not say a word.
Luke regarded him evenly. “You want me to teach you the ways of the Force?”
“You are the last Jedi, are you not?” Tarr replied. “I was denied the chance to become one. You are my only hope.”
“You were rejected by the Jedi?”
“They said I was too old. My Force-sensitivity developed late in life and by then the galaxy was already embroiled in the Clone Wars. When the Order fell, I accepted my lot in life and used my nascent skills to become a hunter of Jedi. Why become one when they were outlawed by the Empire?” Tarr reached for the other lightsaber hanging from his belt—not Luke’s but the one he had seen on his belt during his capture. He pressed the ignition switch and a blue blade sprang out. “I took this from the first Jedi I ever killed. Many more have fallen to its blade.”
Luke glared at the Cerean. “You expect me to train you as a Jedi after you’ve killed so many others?”
“I never said I wanted you to train me as a Jedi,” Tarr corrected him. “I simply want you to teach me the ways of the Force.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then I will kill all three of you,” Tarr said simply. “I would think the choice is obvious.”
Luke continued to stare at the Cerean, not taking his eyes off the bounty hunter. He then leaned back in his seat. “What do you want me to teach you first?”
Tarr smiled with satisfaction and deactivated the lightsaber, reattaching it to his belt. “Well, first of all, I’ve always had a problem with using the Force to summon things to my hand. It would be incredibly useful for my profession.”
“I imagine so.” Luke glanced furtively at Leia, touching her mind at the same time. She responded in kind and he was glad to know she was on the same page as him. He only hoped that Tarr did not pick up on their connection. “The key to using the Force in any scenario is concentration. You need to focus your mind, clear it of any and all distractions.”
Tarr nodded in understanding. Luke looked around the hold and his eyes landed on an empty pack laying on the floor. He nodded to it and Tarr followed his gaze. “Let’s use that as an example.”
“Of course,” Tarr said. He was already closing his one good eye and extending a hand towards the empty pack. “Concentration,” he murmured.
“Yes,” Luke said. He saw Leia mimicking the Cerean’s movement, closing her eyes and reaching out with her hand. Luke did the same as well. Shara looked between the two but kept quiet, figuring they knew what they were doing.
“Clear you mind,” Luke continued. “Ignore all distractions. Focus only on the object you are summoning.”
“Yes,” Tarr murmured, sounding in awe as if he was already feeling the Force running through him. Luke could tell he had potential, but he wasn’t really focused on nurturing his abilities at the moment.
“Once your mind is clear,” Luke said, “reach out… and pull it towards you.”
“Yes!” Tarr exclaimed, and immediately the empty pack went flying off from the floor and into his awaiting hand. At the same time, the two lightsabers hanging from his belt disconnected from his belt and shot into the awaiting hands of Luke and Leia. Luke ignited the green blade of his lightsaber while Leia drew the blue blade of the other. The Cerean turned around in surprise and dropped the pack as he reached for a holstered blaster that he also kept on his person… only to decide against it, his arm falling to the side.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said with a shrug. “This changes nothing.”
“What do you mean?” Leia demanded.
“The current continues to flow unimpeded. The fires will burn nonetheless.”
“What fire?” Luke asked. “What are you talking about?”
The bounty hunter simply smiled, saying nothing as his ship traversed the blue void of hyperspace towards Naboo.
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