Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. It belongs to Lucasfilm and Disney. The only characters I do own are Jon Solo and Dr. Revef Edoc. This is a purely fan-made story. It was written just for FUN, NOT PROFIT. No copyright infringement is intended.
It was nighttime in Jabba the Hutt's palace on Tattooine. This night would perhaps be the most important one in Jon Solo's fourteen years of life. Now, after a year, he and his father, Han, were finally about to be reunited. Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, whom over the past year, Jon had come to think of as his mother, Chewbacca, and Lando Calrissian, were all with him. The droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO, were back at the Millennium Falcon, awaiting the group's return.
The Carbonite-encased form of Han Solo hung on a wall in Jabba's throne room. Jon and the others walked up to it. Han's face was frozen in an agonized, silent scream. His hands were held out in front of him. It was just as Jon remembered from Bespin. He reached out to touch Han's face.
"Hey, Dad," said Jon. "It's me, Jon. I promised myself I'd find you. And here I am. We're all here." He gestured to Luke, Leia, Chewie and Lando. "None of us would give up on you, Dad." Jon's voice cracked as he spoke. But whether it was from the emotion of the moment, or his voice having recently changed, Jon couldn't tell.
"Ok, Jon," Leia whispered, her hands on the teenager's shoulders. "Set your father free."
"Sure, Mom," Jon replied with a nod. He quickly pushed a series of buttons on the control panel, which began the melting thawing process. The Carbonite heated up to give Han's body an orange-reddish glow, which was then replaced by a bright white light. Once that subsided, Han's skin and clothing became visible. First his hands, then his face. And more of his body, until he was completely free, only to fall to the floor of Jabba's throne room. The sound echoed around Jon, and he quickly looked around, afraid that the noise would wake Jabba or anyone else. But the coast was clear. Exhaling in relief, Jon rushed over to Han's side. The elder Solo was lying motionless, eyes closed, perhaps in sleep.
"Hey, Dad," Jon said quietly. He began shaking Han's shoulder. "It's time to wake up." Han wasn't stirring. "Get up, Dad. Quit playing around. I know you've been in suspended animation all this time, but you're not that tired. Dad? Dad, come on." He shook Han once more, really starting to get scared now. "You gotta get up. Dad?! We gotta go home!" Again, Han wasn't moving.
"Mom?" Jon asked nervously as he turned to face Leia and the others. "Luke, Chewie, Lando, Dad's not waking up. Why isn't he getting up? It's not supposed to happen this way." The three adult humans, and the Wookiee, rolled Han over on his back. Not only was he unconscious, he didn't appear to be breathing at all.
"Han, are you all right?" Leia asked urgently. "Can you hear me?" Han didn't answer her. Jon came to his mother's side. They both knelt beside Han. The young man leaned close to his father's mouth, hoping to find a breath, but he didn't. Jon was in full panic mode. He put his hands on the side of Han's neck, felt both his wrists, then finally put his ear to Han's chest, desperately searching for any indication that his father was alive.
"NO! NO! NO!" Jon repeated in exclamation. "Don't leave me, Dad! Not again! Not now, after I've finally found you! Wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP!" His pleas were punctuated by him pounding on Han's chest, until Leia pulled him away, and he felt Chewie's long, hairy arms envelop him. Leia, Luke and Lando all alternated in giving Han CPR. It wasn't easy, considering that they had neither a med-scanner, or a defibrillator.
*Jon, perhaps you and I should get back to the Falcon,* said Chewie.
"No, Chewie," Jon said defiantly. "I'm not leaving until Dad wakes up."
*I don't think your father is going to wake up, Jon,* said Chewie. And it pained him to say those words.
"What are you talking about, Uncle Chewie?" asked Jon. "That's impossible. You know Dad. He has to wake up."
After several minutes, Luke, Leia and Lando stopped the CPR. They had all come to the conclusion that Han Solo was dead. And none of them could believe it. The trio went over to Jon and Chewie. Leia looked the most distraught.
"Mom?"asked Jon, but somehow, he knew what she was about to say.
"Jon, we did all we could," Leia began. "But it wasn't enough to save your father. I'm sorry." She hugged her son, who cried into her shoulder.
Dad's dead? Jon silently asked himself. How could this have happened?
"It's ok, Jon," Leia consoled. "It's ok. I got you. I'm right here. And I just want you to know that your father loved you very much."
"I-I know, Mom," Jon stammered as his body was racked by sobs. "But I really, really miss Dad. And I can't believe he's gone."
"We need to leave, right now," said Luke. They were the first words he'd spoken since coming here. "Because it won't be long before someone notices us."
"You're right, Luke," Lando agreed, also speaking for the first time that night. They, Chewie and Leia proceeded to go back up the steps of Jabba's palace that they'd entered through.
"Wait a minute, we're just gonna leave Dad's body behind?" asked Jon. He was appalled at the idea of not being able to perform traditional Corellian funeral and burial rites on his father.
"There's no time," Luke explained. "I'm sorry, Jon."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Jon screamed. He was still screaming when he awoke to find himself in the bed of his cabin on the Millennium Falcon, which was currently on Tattooine.
"That was a dream?!"Jon loudly asked in bewilderment. "Frinkin' frink! It felt so damn real!" He breathed deeply, doing his best to calm his racing heart. The door to Jon's cabin opened, letting Leia in. She sat down on the edge of her son's bed.
"Hey, let's watch the language, Jon," she scolded, recognizing the Corellian profanities.
"Hi, Mom," Jon said tiredly. "Sorry."
"I heard the screaming," Leia stated. "What was this nightmare about?" Jon's bad dreams had been an almost nightly occurrence since Bespin. And they, much like seeing Han get tortured on the scan-grid, then frozen in Carbonite, had taken their toll on the boy-in physical, mental and emotional ways. Jon raised his head to look at Leia. She saw the dark circles that ringed his hazel eyes. And also, the pale and sunken look to his complexion. In recent months, Jon's bright blond hair had darkened considerably, but blond highlights still appeared in certain places. And furthermore, this was most likely due to Jon just naturally getting older, than any stress he was feeling. He'd also done a lot of growing, to the point where he wasn't quite as tall as Han, but still taller than Leia. And this, at times, made her feel as if Han were still there. It helped her heal. And Leia, with the help of Luke, Lando, Chewie, the droids and countless others in the Rebellion, had all worked to help Jon, but he'd been impacted by Han's absence more than anyone else.
The nightmares were only one part of how Jon had been emotionally affected. He'd become moody and sullen. Not to mention, angry, which caused him to lash out sometimes. A big factor was how Jon did blame himself for loosing Han, and felt like a failure. It broke Leia's heart to see how much pain the boy was in. She and Jon both hated that some people thought of Jon's attitude as being just normal teen angst. The thing is, Jon really had tried to make his life in the past year as normal as possible. Just a few months ago, he'd celebrated his fourteenth birthday. He continued to study, and spend time with his friends, like Luke and Wedge. In the time he, Luke, Leia and the droids had been on Tattooine, Jon spent a lot of time in and around the Falcon. He'd really missed it. The joy he'd felt in finally getting to fly the ship he'd grown up on, his home, away from Bespin, was something he thought about often. But then he'd get sad when he remembered how Han hadn't been there to see it, even if Jon swore he'd heard his father's voice as he flew, giving him praise. There was no question or doubt that Jon really wanted to be reunited with Han. At the same time, though, he feared that things between father and son would never quite be the same as they were before everything at Bespin had occurred.
"Mom, my nightmare was about me, you, Luke, Chewie and Lando breaking into Jabba's palace," Jon explained. "Dad was still frozen in Carbonite. We freed him. Well, actually I did. But that's when things went to Hell, because Dad was...dead. And no matter how any of us tried to revive him, he wouldn't come back."
"Come here, Jon," Leia said, pulling him into a hug. "I know you're scared that your father could possibly die from the effects of the Carbon Freeze. I, myself, am worried about that, too, honestly. But it doesn't mean that something like that will happen."
"You don't know that, Mom," Jon countered. "Even if we get Dad out of the Carbonite, it's still unclear what kind of condition he'll be in. Most people have died. If Dad can become one of the few people ever to survive Carbon Freezing, that would be great. But not even Doctor Edoc is sure of how to treat him."
"I understand your concerns, Jon," said Leia. "But first we have to find your father. Then we can take things from there. Right now, though, I think you should get back to bed, son. I mean, neither of the suns on this forsaken planet have even risen yet."
"They'll be up soon enough," said Jon. "I really like watching those suns rise. And when they set, too. It feels peaceful. Actually, I don't feel like going back to bed. I'm not in the mood for more nightmares."
"Well, do you want to tell me about these nightmares, Jon?" asked Leia.
"Why? What's there to talk about?" asked Jon. "I mean, you always hear screaming because of what I dream about."
"But what, exactly, happens in your nightmares, Jon?" asked Leia. "That's what I'm curious about. Can you tell me?"
"The specifics always vary from night to night," Jon answered with a yawn. "But most of them have a recurring theme of me seeing Dad in pain, or yes, like last night's one, dying For the longest time, I dreamed of Bespin. Bad stuff would always happen, though. Well, worse than what actually happened, I mean. Like Dad really had died when he was frozen. Sometimes, I dream about being back in the torture chamber."
"And these dreams are about your father being killed on the scan-grid, correct?" asked Leia.
"Some of them are, yes," Jon admitted. "Others are a bit more...sinister."
"What, you mean that you get tortured on the scan-grid?" asked Leia, wincing as she imagined this.
"No, of course not," Jon reassured his mother. "In fact, the scan-grid isn't even used at all in these types of dreams. Instead, Vader hands me his lightsaber. 'You know what you have to do,' he tells me. 'Kill your father.'" Leia gasped loudly. She knew just how evil Vader could be. But goading a teenage boy into killing his own father-albeit in a dream-was a new low.
"What happens next, Jon?" asked Leia. "What do you do?"
"I take Vader's lightsaber from him," Jon answered. I hold it out in front of Dad. I say nothing. He says nothing. The silence between us speaks volumes. Dad makes a move to knock the lightsaber out of my hands, but I'm always quicker in igniting it. Then I impale him. The lightsaber pierces Dad through the chest, and out the back. I then wrench the lightsaber out of Dad, and he falls to ground, dead. I always wake up after that. I don't understand it. I'd never do anything to hurt Dad or anyone else I love. I don't want him to die. I just want him back. So, why do I keep having these dreams?"
"They're just dreams, Jon," Leia said gently. "They can't hurt you."
"There's another lightsaber-related nightmare I have," Jon continued. "But it happens very rarely, and is perhaps the strangest one of all. I see flashes from a red lightsaber. But it isn't Vader's, because it looks...different."
"How do you mean, "different?"" asked Leia.
"Like I said, it's a red lightsaber," Jon answered. "But whereas Vader's had just one blade, this new one has a long blade, and two smaller ones coming out of the sides of the hilt."
"Oh, like a cross-guard?" Leia questioned. "Because I've never heard of a lightsaber like that."
"Neither have I," said Jon. "I've asked Luke about it, since he's a Jedi, and probably knows a lot more about lightsabers than you or I do. He said the design I described dates back thousands of years."
"Are you saying you dream about a person from thousands of years ago, Jon?" asked Leia.
"I have no idea," said Jon. "To tell you the truth, I've never actually been able to really see this person clearly in my nightmares. But at the same time, I also somehow know that it's not Vader. And you know what else, Mom? I'm starting to get a bit hungry."
"It's too early for breakfast," Leia admonished.
"No, it's not," Jon countered. "It's nearing seven. See?" He pointed to the chrono on his desk, which read 6:45AM. "The suns will be up at any minute."
"Ok, Jon," said Leia. "I'll start getting breakfast ready."
"And I'll be in the cockpit," said Jon. "Because it's the best place on the Falcon to watch the suns rise. See you later, Mom."
"Bye, Jon," Leia said as she watched watched him leave his cabin. Jon went into the cockpit, at first pausing by the door to touch where his and Han's initials were carved into the cockpit's door, this having become a ritual since reuniting with the Falcon, before sitting down in his father's captain's chair. He stared out the view-port, looking off into the horizon. The sky gradually began to lighten. Then the twin suns of Tattooine rose. Jon smiled at the sight.
"I tell you, those suns are pretty much the only beautiful thing about this planet." Jon turned as Luke Skywalker entered the cockpit, sitting down next to him. He was dressed all in black, a contrast to Jon's white pajamas, which, like everything he wore now, was covered by Han's blue jacket.
"Oh, hey, Luke," Jon greeted. "Good morning."
"Good morning, Jon," Luke replied.
"I told Mom about my nightmare that you and I have discussed-the one about the cross-guarded lightsaber," said Jon. "We also talked about the others, where my dad dies. Because I had one of those last night. They're only dreams. I know that. But they still scare me."
"Don't be afraid, Jon," said Luke. "We'll get your father back. And everything will be fine. Also, don't forget that you have a big part to play in this rescue plan."
"Yeah, I know," said Jon.
"Jon, breakfast is ready!" Leia called.
"Ok, Mom!" Jon called back. "Thanks! Me and Luke will be right there! Let's go eat, Luke. I'm starving."
"So am I," said Luke. The two friends joined Leia in the dinning area. Their breakfast was comprised flat-cakes, toast and bacon.
"Well, now I need to take R2 and 3-PO with me for an errand," Luke said after eating. "We shouldn't take long. And once we return, Jon, that's when you and the droids will set out for Jabba's palace. Now, Leia, I know you have your reservations and concerns. But this really is our best course of action. Besides me, Jon is the only other person among us who understands Huttese. Plus, he's actually met Jabba before."
"That was a long time ago," Jon said matter-of-factly. "I'd only been ten-years-old at the time, but I still remember Jabba giving me the creeps. And do you think he'll even recognize me now, Luke?"
"I couldn't tell you, Jon," said Luke. "But your task is to find out where in Jabba's palace your father is being kept. And also, whether he's still frozen in Carbonite or not."
"Oh, I think Dad is still frozen in Carbonite, Luke," Jon quipped. "Jabba doesn't seem like the type of creature who'd know how to unfreeze someone."
"Time for me, R2 and 3-PO to get going," Luke said, standing up from the table.
"Where are the three of you even going, anyway, Luke?" asked Jon.
"There's something I need to take care of," Luke replied. "But again, I'll be back soon."
"Ok, take care, Luke," said Jon.
"Thank you, Jon," said Luke. "Take care of Leia. And may the Force be with you both." Luke, R2 and 3-PO left the Falcon. Jon and Leia cleared the table and cleared the table and washed the dishes. These were both tasks that Jon had become very proficient in during the past year.
"Go get dressed, Jon," Leia told her son when they'd finished. "And brush your teeth, too."
"Sure, Mom," said Jon. "And afterwards, I need to look up something on the holo-net."
"That's fine," said Leia. Jon went into his 'fresher to quickly brush his teeth. Then he went into his cabin, and got dressed. He changed into to a black t-shirt and black pants, before again putting on his blue jacket.
"I know how attached you are to that jacket," Leia said when she next saw Jon. "And you have so many new outfits. So, what's the deal with you wearing mostly black clothes over these past few months?"
"I like black," Jon answered. "And these are some of my new clothes, Mom. Well, apart from the jacket, of course."
"Well, good," said Leia. "Because Mon Mothma and I went through a lot to get those clothes for you."
"You just had to say that woman's name, didn't you?" Jon asked with a scoff.
"Jon, Mon cares about you," said Leia.
"Yeah, well it doesn't feel that way most of the time," Jon complained. He would only admit it to himself, but there was another reason Jon was so eager to come on this mission other than just rescuing Han. It was because, more and more, he kept feeling like he no longer fit in at the Rebellion. In fact , he sometimes wondered if he'd ever really belonged there at all. With exceptions like Mon Mothma and General Madine, most people treated him as kindly as ever. However, a lot of them still saw and treated Jon like a little boy. He was fourteen-years-old. What would it take for people to see that he was growing up?
Jon went into the lounge, sitting down at the computer. He had research to do. It wasn't easy to find information about what happened to people who had been frozen in Carbonite. The things he did learn though, really worried him.
"Mom! Mom!" Jon exclaimed, rushing off to find Leia. She was in her cabin, the closet of which was open when Jon appeared. And he thought he caught a quick glance at a strange-looking helmet before Leia closed the closet's door.
"What is that, Mom?" asked Jon.
"Oh, it's nothing, Jon," Leia answered hurriedly. "So, uh, what's up?"
"Most people frozen in Carbonite died, just like I was afraid of," Jon explained. "But those who survived developed something called Hibernation Sickness. And the symptoms of that include exhaustion, weakness, dehydration, memory loss and temporary blindness."
"Go back to the memory loss thing, Jon," said Leia. "Is that only temporary, too?"
"I don't know," said Jon. "None of the sources I looked at said if it was temporary or not. But I'm really hoping it is. Because the last thing we need for Dad to never be able to remember us."
"I know, I know," Leia comforted. "When we get your father back, he'll need a lot of help. Not to mention, based on what you just told me, some much-needed medical attention when we regroup with the fleet. But things are going to be fine." She hugged Jon.
"Thanks, Mom," said Jon. "Now that brings up a new question; how's Dad gonna react when he hears me calling you "Mom?""
"You're right, Jon," Leia replied. "That is an excellent question. And it's just another thing we'll deal with when the time comes." But secretly, Leia herself often wondered how Han would react to learning that Jon saw her as a mother. Especially, considering that it wasn't until after they'd lost Han on Bespin when Jon had actually called Leia "Mom" for the very first time. And any time Leia looked back on their journey to Bespin, she remembered a very strong family dynamic building between her, Han and Jon. And she knew it would take much work for the three of them, plus Luke, Chewie, Lando and the droids to rebuild their family.
"Leia! Jon!" came Luke's voice as he, R2 and 3-PO reentered the Falcon. "We're back."
"Welcome back, Luke," said Jon. "And hey, R2, 3-PO. How are you two doing?"
"Very well, young master Jon," said 3-PO. R2 beeped in agreement.
"You three had better get going now," said Luke.
"Yes, sir," said Jon.
"Jon, I'm your friend," said Luke. "You don't have to be so formal with me."
"Uh, sure, Luke," said Jon.
"Jon, I think you should put on different clothes before you head out," said Leia.
"Why? What's wrong with these?" asked Jon.
"Black shirt, black pants and a blue jacket," Leia reminded him. "On a desert planet, no less."
"But Luke just went out wearing all black," Jon protested. "And nothing happened to him. I'll be just fine, Mom. Trust me."
"If you say so," Leia conceded. "But I want you to at least take a canteen of water with you, just in case." She quickly found a canteen, filled it with water, and handed it back to Jon.
"Thanks, Mom," Jon said as he put the canteen in his left jacket pocket. "See you later. I love you."
"I love you, too, sweetie," said Leia. Then Jon, R2 and 3-PO left the Falcon to begin their journey to Jabba's palace.
End of Prologue.
Author's Notes:
1.) Welcome to my version of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. It's kinda funny how I've gone from my favorite Star Wars movie, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, to ROTJ, which is my boyfriend's favorite one.
2.) I intentionally designed the first half of this Prologue to be a fake-out, making the readers think I had started with Han's rescue from Jabba's palace, with a few obvious changes, such as Leia not being in her bounty hunter disguise, Luke, Lando and Chewie being there, Jabba not catching them, Han having died, etc. before revealing that it was all just a nightmare Jon was having. And yes, the part of the dream where Jon goes "Dad? Dad, come on. You gotta get up. Dad?! We gotta go home!" while trying to wake up Han was a reference to The Lion King. And I think it's pretty clear what specific scene from that movie I was referencing. Another thing that Jon said during his dream was "I can't believe he's gone." This is of course a callback to what Luke says while mourning Obi-Wan's death in A New Hope. The way I use it here was just a dream. But once I get to The Force Awakens, it's something Jon will actually say, after Han dies. I just wanted to say that now, even though I can't give too away much regarding the exact moment in TFA Jon will say that line.
3.) One of Jon's other nightmares involves the appearance of a certain red lightsaber with a cross-guard. Hmm. I wonder what *THAT* could mean. Yes, Jon mentioned that he'd never really been able to see the person who holds that lightsaber in his dreams. But I think you all can figure out that the two of them will have a very close connection. And that this particular lightsaber is going to play an important part in a defining moment of Jon's future. Also, according to the TFA Visual Dictionary, the design of that lightsaber is one that's thousands of years old.
4.) You'll have noticed that Jon has developed a fondness for black clothes. No, he isn't going through an emo phase. The reason is actually more symbolic. I did it as a parallel to Luke's black clothes in ROTJ. And of course, Jon still has Han's blue jacket, which he's been wearing since towards the ending of ESB. I had him hold onto it all this time because it comforts him.
5.) How Han is going to react when he hears Jon call Leia "Mom" is a major question I know will need answering eventually. But right now, I can tell you that it won't happen as soon as Jon and Leia free Han from the Carbonite. Nor will it take place during the night Jon, Han and Chewie spend in Jabba's dungeon. And it's because I think Jon would have some initial reluctance to tell his father how he now sees Leia as a mother, because he's worried about how Han might take it. Additionally, one reason Jon will be thrown into the dungeon after Han's rescue is so he will have as little exposure to Leia's infamous gold bikini as possible. Plus, it gives Jon a chance to reconnect with his father after a year apart, while also letting me explore the extent of Han's Hibernation Sickness in a way that the actual ROTJ movie glossed over. And yes, once they all regroup with the Rebellion, I will show Han undergoing medical treatment like I did when he and Luke were rescued from the blizzard in ESB. Given the state Han's in at the beginning of ROTJ, he really needs it. Oh, let me just tell you now that the moment when Han hears Jon calling Leia "Mom" will take place at some point between the escape from the Sarlacc pit, and the arrival on Endor. But you'll just have to wait to see when it actually happens.
6.) The errand I mentioned Luke doing with R2 and 3-PO was that he went to a cave near Obi-Wan's dwelling to construct his new, green lightsaber. This really was a deleted scene from ROTJ, one that was implied in the movie's novelization, by James Khan. I'm saving Jon seeing the green lightsaber until the moment it makes it first appearance that we all know and love from the actual finished movie, the showdown at the Sarlacc pit.
7.) That strange-looking helmet Jon catches a quick peak of in Leia's closet is of course the one she wore for her bounty hunter disguise.
8.) The scene in ANH where Luke watches Tattooine's twin suns set is the most iconic and defining image in all of Star Wars. So much so, that it was later recreated with baby Luke, Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru as the final scene of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Having Jon and Luke watch the suns rise here seemed like such a full circle moment for Luke, and also, a nice chance for him and Jon to bond.
9. The temporary blindness is the one symptom of Han's Hibernation Sickness that we all remember best. And I do plan on showing the exact moment where he fully regained his sight. But according to both Wookieepedia and Tom Angleberger's book, Beware the Power of the Dark Side!, which is a retelling of ROTJ, the other side effects Han experienced when he was freed from the Carbonite did indeed include exhaustion, weakness, dehydration, dizziness and memory loss.