T W O
"Come on out, Solo!" exclaims Jabba the Hutt. Clary exchanges a worried look with Chewbacca before Han appears in sight, jaw clenched yet assertive as ever as he nods to his boss. Clary's gaze scans the pirates standing around Jabba and she suppresses the urge to grab her blaster and do away with them all. Han steps farther away from the corner he appeared from as he raises his arms. Jabba the Hutt turns to face him; he is a slimy, slug-like creature that disgusts Clary to many extents. She never hated anyone as much as she hates Jabba—she knew if her brother didn't watch his mouth (and he didn't, often) he'd be in trouble.
"I've been waiting for you, Jabba."
"I expected you would be," Jabba gurgles. Clary was taught his language by Han when she was younger—it was the only other foreign language she knew, besides Wookie-talk.
"I'm not the type to run," Han replies, smiling.
Jabba slithers closer to him. "Han, my boy, there are times when you disappoint me...why haven't you paid me? And why did you have to fry poor Greedo like that...after all we've been through together."
Clary shoots Han a look—of course he did away with Greedo. Any servant that Jabba sent to scare Han into getting more money never worked out the way he planned.
"You sent Greedo to blast me," Han retorts.
Jabba blinks, pretending to be surprised. Clary narrows her eyes, feeling disgust as he continues, "Han, why you're the best smuggler in the business—you and your pretty sister, that is. You both are too valuable to fry. He was only relaying my concern at your delays. He wasn't going to blast you."
Han scoffs, meeting Jabba's gaze evenly. "I think he thought he was. Next time, don't send one of those twerps. If you've got something to say to me, come see me yourself."
Clary turns her gaze away, climbing up the ramp into the Falcon. The last words she hears is Jabba calling out, "If you disappoint me again, I'll put a price on you and your sister's head so large you won't be able to go near a civilized system for the rest of your short, pitiful lives!"
Plopping herself down in the pilot's seat, Clary glances back at Chewbacca. He makes his way towards the cockpit, giving Clary a curious bark. She forces a smile, nodding to him.
"I'm okay, Chewie. Promise."
Chewie yelps something as he shakes his head. Clary narrows her eyes.
"Hey, don't give me that attitude. You know I'm always okay."
Chewbacca mutters something again, but before Clary has the chance to say anything back, he turns, exiting the ship. Clary lets out a groan as she leans forward, resting her elbows on the edge of the control panel. Staring out of the big mirrors of the Falcon, she spots Han telling Chewbacca a few directions before the Wookie takes off. Han then turns, glancing up at the window, noticing Clary watching before he gives a salute. Clary smiles, mimicking it as she raises her two fingers when Chewbacca returns, the blond boy and older man from before following after him.
"What a piece of junk!" Clary hears the boy exclaim; if he shouts it any louder, she can bet all of Tatooine will hear him. She huffs irritably, leaning back in the chair. Clary hears Han's reply from nearby the boarding ramp.
"We're a little rushed, so if you'll aboard, we'll get out of here."
Clary hears the clanging of shoes as the group races up the gangplank. In no time they arrive near the entrance of the cockpit. Clary's gaze locks with the blond for a moment before she turns away as Chewbacca pushes past him, taking a seat in the co-pilot's chair. He glances at Clary, jabbering quick instructions. Clary smiles, saluting him.
"Yes, sir." She turns to the engine, flicking a few buttons. The starship gives a gurgle before the engines rev up and become an all-familiar hum. Before she even has the chance to look up, Han is rushing into the ship, slamming on the button to close the loading ramp. He rushes into the cockpit, nodding to Clary. As she glances out of the window she spots Stormtroopers taking their aim at the Falcon. They had arrived too late, however, as the ship rises in the air and flies out of sight. Clary hears Han sigh loudly in relief from beside her as she glances his way.
"Were you worried the bad Stormtroopers were gonna get us?" she asks, pretending to pout. Han meets her gaze evenly, rolling his eyes. Clary smiles, looking back at the controls.
"Just shut up and get us out of here," he instructs. Chewbacca chatters away, pointing to something on the radarscope. Clary glances at him before looking back ahead, pressing another button. "Clary—"
"Quiet, I'm working on it!" Clary snaps back, frantically typing information into the ship's computer as the Falcon pushes past the atmosphere of the planet; a few small beeps emit from the entrance of the cockpit, distracting her. Clary glances over her shoulder to see a small droid as it bleeps a little while longer before it turns, scurrying away.
"It looks like an Imperial cruiser," Clary states, glancing at the two huge Imperial star-destroyers that follow the Falcon in the black galaxy. She looks back at Han as he nods slowly, still leaning over his sister as he squints at the situation.
"Our passengers must be hotter than we thought." He glances back warily to the doorway of the cockpit before looking ahead once more. "Try and hold them off." He points to a lever as he adds, "Angle the deflector shield; do you think you can make the calculations for the jump to light speed or should—"
"I can do it," Clary replies, pulling the lever. Chewbacca flips another switch, yelping something in reply. Clary glances his way. "What? I said I can do it."
The Falcon continues to soar away from the Imperial ships. Before Clary has the chance to start the calculations in her head, she's interrupted as their passengers manage to squeeze their way into the cramped cockpit. Clary bites her lip as she starts and finishes her calculation in less than six seconds, muttering a few numbers under her breath. Inputting them into the control panel, she glances up as the two Imperial ships diverge so they're on either side of the Falcon.
"Stay sharp," she states. She leans forward, attempting to get a better look before pressing another button, speeding the ship but not jumping it into hyper speed. "There are two more coming in; they're going to try and cut us off." She glances at Chewbacca who nods in reply.
"Wait, you're the one flying this thing?" The blond boy stares at Clary, baffled. She glances back at him.
"Yeah? I've been flying since I was six. You have a problem with that?"
The boy bites his lip, meeting Clary's gaze evenly before glancing at Han. "I thought you said this thing is fast—why can't we just outrun them?" Without waiting for his reply, he looks back at Clary. "Maybe if she wasn't flying it—"
"You better watch your mouth, kid," Han snaps. Clary glances back at the two as he continues, "Or you're going to find yourself floating home. That's my sister you're talking about. She knows this ship like the back of her hand—I trained her myself," he adds proudly. "So if I say she can fly, she can fly. Got it?" Watching as the blond turns pink in the face, Clary turns, glancing back at the front of the ship. She presses the same button she had before and flips the switch near it.
"We'll be safe once we make the jump to hyperspace," she says glancing at Chewie. The Wookie barks in response as she looks back at the blond, meeting his gaze evenly. "Besides, I know a few tricks." Before she has the chance to turn, the Imperial cruisers start firing at the ship. The Falcon gives a sudden lurch at the ammo, shuddering as the explosion flashes from near the window. Han grins, leaning forward once more as he grips Clary's shoulder tightly.
"Here's where the fun begins! You ready, sis?"
Clary smiles, feeling elated from her brother's energy. "I always am."
The old man, who had been watching silently, finally speaks up. "How long before you can make the jump to light speed?"
"It'll take a few moments," Clary replies. "I just inputted the coordinates into the navi-computer."
At her words, the ship begins to rock violently as the lasers from the Imperial ships continue to hit. The blond scoffs.
"Are you kidding?" he exclaims. "At the rate they're getting—"
"You want to do the calculation again for me?" Clary interrupts, getting fed up with his attitude. She turns away from the front of the ship to meet his gaze once more as she adds, "Can you calculate the distance and time it will take in under five seconds in your head like I just did? I don't think so."
The boy opens his mouth to retort, but Han beats him to it.
"Traveling through hyperspace isn't like dusting crops, boy," he snaps. Clary nods in agreement, turning back to face the front of the ship.
"Without precise calculations we could fly right through a star or bounce too close to a supernova and that'd end your trip pretty quick, wouldn't it?" She doesn't bother to glance back at him as she adds quickly, "Don't doubt me."
The boy, however, manages to stand on Clary's other side, squinting at the panel. "What's that flashing?" he asks, reaching forward. In an instant Clary reaches her hand up and smacks his. He retaliates, glaring.
"We're losing our deflector shield," she answers. Han nods, smiling.
"And what does that mean, lil' sis?"
"That our lovely guests should strap themselves in, unless they want to plummet forward once I hit light speed," Clary replies. Han practically glows with pride as he glances back at the old man and blond boy.
"You heard her." Before Clary can press the button, Han leans forward. "Better let me take the lead." Clary glances back at him, mouth open to make a retort, but meets his gaze. Letting out a sigh, Clary reluctantly unbuckles her belt, rising to her feet as Han quickly slides into the chair. Waiting for his sister to exit the cockpit and enter the main room, he flips another button. As if the universe were taunting her, the only open spot was to the right of the boy. He seems to notice this as well as his jaw clenches, glancing the other way. Trying to ignore the spiking anger she felt towards her brother at not letting her continue to fly into light speed (which was one of Clary's favorite aspects of the Falcon), she straps herself into her seat.
"Looks like you got your wish, pretty boy," Clary says, sitting a little straighter. She glances towards the blond as he meets her gaze, eyes widening slightly when he realizes what she meant. "Han has finally taken the lead."
"I didn't mean it like that—"
"Of course you didn't," Clary interrupts, leaning back against the wall. "I don't blame you—not many girls fly starships. Not a run-down piece of junk like this one, but hey." She pats the edge of the worn out seat as she smiles to herself. "She's home."
An almost tense silence follows her comment as the boy clears his throat. "I'm Luke. Luke Skywalker."
Clary glances at him once more, meeting his gaze. When she realizes his attempts to be sincerely kind, she smiles slightly. She holds out her hand.
"Clary. Clary Solo."
Luke returns her smile as he reaches forward, shaking her hand. His hands are warm and seem to envelop her smaller, cold ones. Feeling warmth burn against her cheeks, Clary's eyes meet Luke's once more. They are blue and sincere, the prettiest eyes Clary has ever seen.
The ship gives a sudden lurch, signaling that it has successfully commenced into hyper speed. Clearing her throat, Clary looks away staring at her hands. The small droid from before lets out a short beep, gaining Clary's attention. She glances at him and rolls her eyes, laughing under her breath.
"He's a cute one," Clary comments. "For a droid, at least." She glances back at Luke. Blinking, the blond nods, laughing slightly.
"Oh, yeah. His name is R2-D2."
R2 bleeps once again, sounding hyper as he rolls back and forth excitedly. Clary laughs again.
"He's got a personality."
Spending a few moments watching the two droids that had joined them on the journey (Clary learned the other to be named C-3P0, who enjoys talking and boasting about how he can speak around 6 million different languages—fluent in both, might he add) as Luke unbuckles his seatbelt, rising to his feet. Clary watches him thoughtfully as he retrieves the lightsaber the old man had used back at the tavern; tossing a small seeker robot towards him, Luke practices around, attempting to slice at the small droid as it floats around, beeping.
Glancing back at the older man, Clary gives a polite smile. "Clary," she introduces, holding out her hand. He glances at her, watching her for a moment before a kind smile appears on his face. He shakes her hand.
"Ben."
"Is that lightsaber yours, Ben?" Clary asks, nodding to Luke as he jumps around, growing agitated with the seeker droid as it continues to beep, taunting him. He slashes around recklessly, missing every time. Ben nods.
"It was, but now it belongs to Luke." Clary glances back at him in time to see his expression falter, paling in the face.
"Are you all right?" Clary asks. Luke stops slashing around with his lightsaber as he starts towards Ben.
"What's wrong?"
Ben glances up, shaking his head. "I felt...a great disturbance in the Force...It's as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced." He rubs his forehead tiredly. "I fear something terrible has happened." Seeming to drift off in a trance, his gaze fixes on Luke. "You'd better get on with your exercises."
As Luke turns, Han appears from the cockpit, grinning.
"Well, you can forget about your troubles with those Imperial slugs—I told you we'd outrun 'em."
Clary give a small smile but feels haunted by Ben's words. Luke doesn't reply as he continues to slash at the small seeker bot as it soars back and forth. Han's eyes narrow as he leans against the doorway, arms crossed.
"Well, don't everyone thank me at once," he scoffs. His gaze travels to the table farther left, where C-3P0, R2-D2 and Chewbacca sit, engrossed in a game where three-dimensional holographic figures move along a chessboard. Clary smiles at the group, watching as Chewbacca whimpers in annoyance.
Han lets out a sigh, gaining her attention, however, as he starts back to the cockpit. "Anyway, we should be at Alderaan in about...0-200 hours." He meets Clary's gaze and gives her a quick wink before disappearing into the cockpit once again. Clary's attention travels back to Chewbacca and the two robots sitting around him, looking pleased with himself. C-3P0 nods to R2-D2.
"Now be careful, R2."
Not listening to his friend, R2 immediately reaches up and taps the computer sitting at the edge of the table with his stubby claw hand, causing one of the holographic creatures to walk to the new square. Clary watches a frown appears on Chewbacca's face as he begins to howl in anger at the tiny robot.
"He made a fair move!" 3P0 retorts, defending his small friend. "Screaming about it won't help you."
"Let him have it," Clary interrupts, nodding to Chewbacca. "It's not smart to upset a Wookie."
Chewbacca continues to roar in frustration as 3P0 turns to face Clary. "But, miss, nobody worries about upsetting a droid."
Clary laughs loudly. She notices Luke glancing her way, lowering his lightsaber, as Han calls from the cockpit:
"That's 'cause droids don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose!"
C-3P0 appears to have a blatant look of shock (or as close to shock as a droid can get), as he glances back at Clary, as if waiting for her to confirm it. She shrugs, gesturing to the riled up Wookie.
"The only reason why he's not ripping you two apart right now is because he favors me and doesn't want me to see his bad side." She smiles as Chewbacca meets her gaze, whining loudly. "Oh, don't deny it Chewie, you know you love me more than Han." She glances to her left to see Luke still staring at her thoughtfully.
"That's a lie and you know it," Han states, gaining both their attention. He nods to the game as Chewbacca angrily throws the pieces to the floor, in a middle of a fit. "See, he's already starting his tantrum."
"That's because you walked in, Han."
Clary hears Luke laugh at her reply and she glances back at him, smiling slightly. She feels her cheeks warm again when his gaze locks with hers once more before the seeker droid buzzes in front of him, gaining his attention once more. He raises his lightsaber, watching the droid with concentrated eyes.
"I suggest a new strategy, R2," C-3P0 is saying, raising his arms to Chewbacca. "Let the Wookie win."
R2 bleeps back, sounding exasperated as it whirls its head. The humming of the lightsaber seems to buzz within the room as Clary glances back at Luke. She notices Han leaning against the doorway of the cockpit once again, watching the young boy with an amused, smug expression.
"Remember," Ben says, "a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him."
Luke's blue gaze flickers towards him. "You mean it controls your actions?"
Ben shrugs. "Partially. But it also obeys your commands."
Glancing back at the small chrome, baseball-like robot, the seeker hovers slowly at eye level in front of Luke. It floats from one side of him to the other, before making a lightning-swift lunge, stopping a few feet within Luke's face. When the young Skywalker doesn't move the ball backs off, slowly moving behind him, then makes another quick lunge, this time emitting a blood red laser beam as it attacks. The laser hits Luke square in the leg, causing him to tumble over, lightsaber still gripped tightly in his hand. Han laughs loudly as Clary shoots him a pointed look.
"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid," he states, ignoring Clary's narrowed eyes.
As Luke rises to his feet, he meets Han's gaze evenly. "You don't believe in the Force, do you?"
Han snorts. "Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other. I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe there's one "all-powerful" force controlling everything. There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny."
Glancing back at Ben, Clary notices a small smile creeping on his face. Han continues, not noticing this: "It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense." He looks at Clary. "Back me up, why don't you? You're the one who believes in all facts and logic."
Clary bites her lip, uncomfortable with all the attention on her now. She can't seem to tear her gaze away from the lightsaber, though, as she watches the glowing blue light, the hum almost a melodic tune in her head.
"I wouldn't completely call it out..." As her voice trails off, Han scoffs ("Are you even a Solo?" he retorts) and Ben rises to his feet, taking the seeker as it continues to buzz.
"I suggest you try again, Luke," he says. Holding the seeker with one hand, he retrieves a helmet with the other, placing it on the boy's head, covering his eyes. "This time let go of your conscious self and act on instinct."
Luke laughs in disbelief, his hand reaching up to touch the helmet.
"With this blast shield down, I can't even see," he exclaims. "How am I supposed to fight?"
"Your eyes can deceive you," Ben replies. "Don't trust them."
Han snorts, obviously skeptical about the whole situation as Ben throws the seeker into the air once more. Clary watches, completely interested in the event as Luke swings his lightsaber blindly, missing the seeker as it hits the ground like a rock. The seeker spits out another red laser, hitting Luke from behind. He lets out a painful yell as Clary attempts to hide her giggles as he swings the lightsaber around, attempting to hit the droid.
"Stretch out with your feelings," Ben advises. Luke calms at his words, standing in once place now, seemingly frozen. Clary watches carefully, the seeker making a dive at Luke. Before it can hit him again, Luke manages to deflect the bolt. The ball ceases fire and moves back to its original spot, hovering in front of the blond.
"You see," Ben smiles, "you can do it."
Han rolls his eyes. "I call it luck."
"I call it the Force," Clary says, glancing his way. Han gives her a look.
"It's luck."
"The Force."
"Luck."
"The Force."
Ben chuckles, glancing at Clary with smiling eyes. He nods to Han as he says, "In my experience, there's no such thing as luck."
"Going good against remotes is one thing," Han says, "Going good against the living? That's something else."
Clary remains silent although she can feel his gaze on her—she remembers this lecture Han had given her a while ago. After all, he taught her everything she knows. She shouldn't believe in such things as the Force. But after watching Luke's skirmish with the seeker ball until he finally succumbed to letting the Force guide his actions and win against its lasers, she feels conflicted. She blinks, distracted from her thoughts as a small light flashes on the far side of the control panel. She immediately rises to her feet as Han starts to the cockpit as well.
"Looks like we're coming up on Alderaan." He glances back as Chewbacca and Clary follow after him. Passing Luke, she meets his blue eyes. He smiles uncertainly, pressing on the lightsaber as the blue light disappears. Clary nods to him, smiling awkwardly before disappearing past the doorway.
"Never knew you'd have a thing for farm boys," Han says as he takes his seat in the pilot's chair. Clary scoffs.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Han snorts, rolling his eyes as he glances back at his sister. Clary holds his gaze, expression not faltering before he turns and flips a switch on the control panel, the bright light still flashing. Clary sighs, leaning against the wall of the cockpit. There was no use arguing with Han—he was her brother, and he knew her like he knew his own mind. (Vice versa with Clary; it's what happens when you're stuck on a starship with each other for the past several years).
"Stand by Chewie," Han states, "Here we go. Cut in the sublight engines." He pulls a lever on the control panel. Outside the window, stars begin streaking past, decrease in speed, and then stop altogether. Suddenly the starship begins to shudder loudly and violently shake, causing Clary to lose her footing. She stumbles before regaining her balance, glancing out of the window of the cockpit once more. Asteroids begin to race towards them, battering at the sides of the ship.
"What the...?" Han curses as he presses a button. "Aw, we've come out of hyperspace into a meteor shower." He squints around before adding, "Some kind of asteroid collision." He frowns, squinting at the computer screen. "It's not on any of the charts."
Chewbacca barks as he flips off several controls—despite having a temper, he always managed to remain cool and collected in emergencies. Luke stumbles his way into the cockpit, standing beside Clary.
"What's going on?"
Clary frowns, watching the computer screen. She finally sees what Han is talking about. She glances back at Luke.
"Our position is correct...except no Alderaan in sight."
"What do you mean?" Luke questions. He looks at the window of the cockpit into the empty space. "Where is it?"
"That's what Clary's trying to say, kid," Han states. "It ain't there. It's been totally blown away."
Suddenly the disturbance Ben was speaking about makes sense to Clary. She stares blankly ahead—what was used to blow up an entire planet? Chills shiver down her spine as she glances at Luke as Ben enters the cockpit while the ship settles down, finally out of the asteroid shower.
"Destroyed," he says, "by the Empire."
"The entire Starfleet couldn't destroy the whole planet," Han retorts. "It'd take a thousand ships with more fire power than I've..." His voice trails off as a signal flashes on the control panel, a muffled alarm humming.
"There's another ship coming in," Clary says, squinting at the screen. Her brow creases in confusion as she glances at her brother.
"Maybe they know what happened," Luke suggests. Ben shakes his head.
"It's an Imperial fighter."
Chewbacca barks, sounding concerned. Clary makes her way towards him, only to stumble backwards as a huge explosion bursts against the cockpit window, shaking the ship violently. Clary collides into Luke, causing him to back against the wall of the cockpit—Ben remains near the doorway, holding onto it tightly. Clary feels her face flush as Luke grabs a hold of her arm, staring ahead. She follows his gaze as they regain their balance, watching as a tiny finned Imperial ship races past the cockpit window.
"It followed us!" Luke exclaims, starting forward. Ben shakes his head again.
"No, that's a short range fighter." He looks back at Han as he struggles with the control panel.
"There aren't any bases around here," he states. He squints at the Imperial fighter as it continues to zoom around the Falcon. "Where did it come from?"
"It sure is leaving in a hurry," Luke comments. "If they identify us, we're in big trouble."
Clary tries not to comment on how obvious his statement is as she looks at her brother. Chewbacca barks something at Han as he glances his way. Clary remains quiet for a moment, ideas racing through her head before one becomes prominent within her blurred thoughts. She races forward, leaning over her brother as she nods to the Wookie.
"Chewie, jam its transmissions."
"It'd be as well to let it go," Ben says. "It's far too out of range."
Clary glances back at him. "Not for long." She reaches forward, pressing a button as the ship zooms over into the vastness of space, racing after the Imperial TIE. The speed of the Falcon slowly gains on the tiny fighter—glancing back at the window, Clary notices a star becoming brighter. She squints, gaze flickering back to the TIE fighter before she realizes it's heading towards the bright star. Ben had made his way over, standing beside Clary.
"A fighter that size couldn't get this deep into space on its own."
"It must have gotten lost," Luke comments, standing on the other side of Clary. His arm brushes against hers and Clary feels her face flush as he adds, "Been part of a convoy or something."
Han flicks a switch on the control panel, eyes on the Imperial TIE fighter. "Well, he ain't going to be around long enough to tell anyone about us."
The Imperial fighter continues forward, however, causing the bright star to gain better vision on the Falcon; it takes the form of a small moon or planet.
"Look at him," Luke says. "He's headed for that small moon."
Clary squints at the object before them. The longer she stares at it, the more it doesn't look like a moon.
"I think I can get him before he gets there," Han says. "He's almost in range."
As the Falcon pulls closer to the TIE fighter and "moon", Clary's eyes widen at the sight of the so-called planet. She rests her hand on Han's shoulder immediately, squeezing it tightly.
"Han, wait—that's no moon."
Han frowns, glancing at Clary before resting his eyes on the scene before him. Slowly, the dark figure begins to take the shape of a much larger, sphere-like station.
"It's a space station," Ben claims.
Han shakes his head. "It's too big to be a space station."
Clary feels a heavy shadow cloud her thoughts as Luke states her feelings out loud: "I have a bad feeling about this."
"Han, turn around," Clary says urgently.
Han glances at Chewbacca. "You heard her, full reverse! Lock in the auxiliary power." Chewbacca yelps in response as he begins to flick numerous buttons and switches. The Falcon gives a loud shudder as the TIE fighter continues forward towards the enormous battle station. However, the ship doesn't cease as it continues forward slowly.
"Why are we still moving towards it?" Luke asks. Clary feels her heart sink as Han slams his fist against the control panel.
"We're caught in the tractor beam! It's pulling us in."
Luke stares at him. "There's gotta be something you can do!"
"There's nothing I can do about it, kid," Han snaps. "I'm in full power."
"Shut it down," Clary says. Han glances back at her, smirking.
"They're not getting me without a fight," he states, turning back to the control panel. Before he could press any buttons, Ben rests a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
"We can't win," he states, "But there are alternatives to fighting."
Clary grins as she looks back at Han who lets out a sigh. As the Falcon continues to be pulled in she glances back at her brother.
"They're going to search the ship," she says. Han nods.
"You know what to do."
Clary gives a quick nod, pushing past Ben and Luke as she jogs out of the cockpit, leading the way to the hallway. She gets on her knees, pulling off the loose tile to two areas. She glances back at Luke and Ben who watch her curiously. Chewbacca appears from the cockpit with Han following close behind.
"Want to climb into my secret fortress?" Clary asks, meeting Luke's gaze. He smiles, flushing slightly as Clary climbs into the space. Luke follows after her as Chewbacca climbs in last. Clary reaches up, pulling the tile across their heads as the ship is lowered with a loud clang. When she lowers her hands and turns, she's pressed closely to Luke. She had forgotten how small the smuggling lockers could be. Clearing her throat awkwardly, Clary turns away from Luke, feeling her face warm.
"What do you use these for?" Luke asks, striking a conversation. He lowers himself to sit on the ground. Clary follows after him as Chewbacca sits down with a huff.
"Han and I store what we smuggle in here."
Luke examines her. "You don't seem like a smuggler."
"And you don't seem like a Jedi," Clary retorts. Luke looks down and stares at his hands.
"I'm not, yet. But I will be."
A silence follows and Chewbacca gives Clary a look. She narrows her eyes at the Wookie before looking back at Luke. The lack of space from the large warrior makes her feel pressed against the blond. She clears her throat.
"Sometimes I'll climb down here and sit. And sometimes I'll try to remember the different places Han, Chewie and I have been to and draw them." She reaches forward, nodding to Chewie as he mumbles, turning to retrieve the small black journal. Taking it, Clary flips it open, shifting through the different papers. Luke stares at it, eyes wide. "Sometimes I'll draw the galaxy, too, if I feel like it," Clary comments, stopping on her latest drawing. It was a mix of colors, and most likely her favorite; it was the starry universe she had seen two nights ago, sitting in the co-pilot seat with Han taking a quick snooze. She was quite proud of her designs. Smiling at it, she remembers the peace and serenity she felt while hiding away in the lockers, unknown to Han that she spent most of her time down there instead of helping organize other things.
"Beautiful." Clary feels Luke's eyes on her and she smiles slightly, feeling herself blush as she closes the journal.
"They're nothing, really, just a bunch of sketches." A silence follows as Chewbacca mumbles a yelp, holding out his paw. Clary hands him the journal as he flips through it, nodding. He barks with content as he reveals the sketch of himself—it was one of Clary's first entries. She grins, shaking her head as a laugh escapes her. She looks back at Luke. "As you can see, I'm quite the artist—realistic, too."
Luke laughs, glancing at the drawing; Clary can recall the first time she drew it. During a smuggling mission, Han had retrieved several items, including the journal. Clary was around eight at the time and had stolen it off the items and drew the first thing that came to mind: her favorite Wookie warrior, Chewie.
"On Tatooine, just before the two suns would vanish into night, I would watch them," Luke says after a moment of silence. "Right when they were close enough and look out. I'd just spend time thinking."
Clary nods—she can recall doing such things while staring at the black and ever-continuing universe, with bright stars to dot its horizon.
"How'd you meet Ben?" she asks. "Is he your father?"
Luke laughs, shaking his head. "No...he's, uh, someone I knew a while back. The two droids—R2 and 3P0—were sold to my uncle and he sent me to clean them up. Turns out the R2-D2 unit had some plans to a spaceship and a message played by this really beautiful girl asking for Obi-Wan Kenobi's help."
Clary nods to show she's been listening but she feels her heart sink. She was hoping he was speaking of her when he called her beautiful, but it was obviously her drawings. She tries to push her feelings aside as Chewbacca tucks the journal away in its corner again, listening to Luke's story as well.
"It turns out old Ben was Obi-Wan and she told him to bring the plans to Alderaan. And that's how we ended up here." Clary meets his gaze as he gives a small shrug of his shoulders.
"Where is your uncle?" Clary asks. "Why isn't he with you?"
Luke glances at his hands once again. "He's dead. Along with my aunt."
Clary looks away, eyes downcast. "Oh, I'm sorry..." Her voice trails off as she realizes his parents must be dead too if he's been living with his aunt and uncle. An awkward silence seems to follow as Chewbacca whimpers something, glancing Luke's way.
"What about you?" Clary glances at him.
"What about me?"
"Uh, your family...why you're smuggling..." Luke's voice trails off as he looks at Clary sheepishly. A small smile crosses Clary's face as she shrugs, leaning against the wall of the locker.
"What's there to tell? I travel with my brother and Chewie through hyperspace, smuggling goods to make sure we don't get killed."
"What about your parents?"
"My father died when I was really young—I barely remember him."
Luke nods slowly. "And...your mother?"
Clary glances at her hands. Chewbacca emits a noise that sounds sympathetic as he watches the girl, all-knowing of the story of her non-existent mother.
"I don't have one," she says. "I mean, biologically, yeah, I did. But physically? Mentally? She never existed. I have no memories of her taking care of me...Han won't tell me anything—I doubt he knows, either."
"I'm sorry—" Luke is cut off from his empathetic apology as the ramp of the starship is opened. Clary feels her heart rate accelerate as she immediately grabs onto the closest thing near her for comfort: Luke's hand. She regrets her reflex but Luke doesn't pull away, and instead, squeezes her hand reassuringly as the sound of Stormtroopers and other soldiers running up and down the ship echo in their ears. Clary tries to breath as little as possible as the footsteps bang against the tiles. She feels her mind racing yet her pulse slows down—Luke's grip is strong yet comforting. She glances at him to see that he's staring up at the tiles, eyes narrowed. Counting in her head, Clary glances back at Chewbacca who watches the two in silence. She holds out her hand for the Wookie and he reaches forward, his paw large. Clary grips onto his furry outstretched arm, making sure to avoid his long claws as the soldiers finally stop searching the ship, standing right above them.
"There's no one here!" shouts one of them. The last of the troopers run through the hallway, heading for the ramp as they exit the starship. Clary lets out a sigh as silence follows their departure, signaling that it was safe to reveal themselves. Rising to her feet, Clary listens to the muffled sounds of an officer giving orders finally fade as they leave the Falcon alone. Reaching up, Clary pushes the loose tile away, hauling herself up as she stands. Han and Ben stick their heads out of the other two lockers before hauling themselves up as well.
"Boy, it's lucky you had these compartments."
"Use 'em for smuggling," Han replies.
"I never thought we'd be smuggling ourselves in them," Clary jokes. Han meets her gaze, forcing a laugh before looking around the ship.
"This is ridiculous," he mutters, shaking his head. "Even if I could take off, I'd never get past the tractor beams."
Ben smiles. "Leave that to me." He starts towards the ramp as Han shakes his head after him.
"Damn fool," he exclaims. Ben glances back at him.
"Who's the more foolish? The fool or the fool who follows him?"
Clary smirks, glancing at Han who shakes his head, muttering under his breath. Chewbacca barks in amusement as Clary reaches forward, patting his back. Glancing back at the ramp as Han gathered his blaster, tossing the other to Clary, she stares blankly ahead.
It was time to conquer the Death Star.