After getting over her sudden nostalgia-induced shock, Padmé jerked when she saw her commlink glowing on her waist. Luke was still frozen before her, his eyes centered on the silhouette waiting ominously on the stairs. Ignoring the fact that her husband was standing right there and was radiating confusion and anger towards her, she pulled out her comm and studied it to see the message she had received. She allowed herself to breathe a little easier when she saw that Artoo had indeed found the others and that they were on their way to rescue Han.

     This was their chance. The others were safe and they could walk out of here before Vader could threaten them or trigger the trap Leia had been screaming about. However, based on Luke's body language, he wasn't going anywhere any time soon. He had been told that Vader killed his father and a bright hot need for revenge was coursing through the youth's blood. Not even Padmé's kind words could stop what was about to happen.

     "The Force is with you young Skywalker. But you are not a Jedi yet." Vader's voice echoed, the words lulling Luke to step further into the room with his blaster raised and his other hand on his saber. Padmé stalked after him, trying to keep her head down. Her vibroblade was practically humming in her hand, but she knew that if the time came, she couldn't hurt Anakin.

     "And you, Jedi. Do not think you can corrupt this boy to your ways. He is mine...and you are dead," Vader rumbled, glaring through his mask at the mysterious hooded figure. Despite his or her obvious Jedi status, the figure oddly carried a vibroblade, most likely to disguise their true identity.

     Their Force-signature was heavily blocked, yet it was indeed the same person who happened to be blocking Luke's presence from him as well. No matter who the Jedi was, he or she would pay for turning his child against him.

     Speaking of Luke, the boy had finally put his blaster away and moved for his saber, unhooking it and raising it high before igniting it with a familiar snap-hiss. Blue illuminated the orange-tinted room and Vader fought a scoff at the pathetic, attempted lightsaber form Luke was standing in. The hooded figure moved beside the boy, holding his or her humming vibroblade high as well, the entrancing black and silver glow of the blade placed in a defensive position. It was very much unlike Luke's obvious offensive and very incorrect stance.

     Knowing that it wouldn't take long to disarm and kill the hooded one and have Luke inside the carbon chamber and ready for freezing, Vader too ignited his saber, the blood red color much more somber and terrifying as it swooped down to meet the saber and vibroblade.

     Luke was the first to act, a battle cry leaving his throat as he swung forward at Vader, every move he made sloppy, which was a neon sign to how undertrained he still was. However, when the hooded figure stepped in, Vader was impressed to have met a worthy adversary. The vibroblade seemed to come from every direction, the wielder graceful with all of his or her steps, and the hood never once falling off. Vader rose his saber to defend, intrigued by the trickery the Jedi had given him by convincing him that he or she would be fighting in a defensive position the entire time to protect Luke, his or her obvious apprentice. Now Luke was almost amusedly standing to the side, his saber still raised but his face confused on how to intervene.

     Angry now, Vader stepped out of his own defensive position and sliced forward, smirking at the pained cry created and watching the Jedi grasp his or her arm. Luke jumped in almost as soon as it happened, his head back in the game and his skills somehow slightly improved in the past few seconds, most likely from watching his mentor. To Vader however, Luke was no threat, the blue saber almost comically slow in its blows.

     It didn't take long for the Sith to best the child, two quick moves allowing him to hook Luke's saber out of his hand and send it flying down the stairway. Another lightning quick move from Vader and Luke jumped back, his eyes wide at his now weaponless hands. The hooded figure rushed up behind him however, pushing Luke to the side and interlocking with Vader once more.

     "You have taught him much, but he is still weak like all Jedi," Vader taunted, watching Luke dart back down the stairs and after his lightsaber.

     The hooded figure's eyes were visible in the light for only an instant, brown irises wide with sadness. "He is not my student, but I do protect him with my life. You can be saved from pain if you just let us leave quietly." The voice was painfully familiar and finally allowed him to identify the figure as female, but Vader was too entrapped in his rage to fully pay attention to the sound of the voice for long.

     "Fool," He hissed. "What pain can you save me from if I am already constantly going through it?"

     "More than you know," The Jedi said, her hands shaking.

     "Luke's destiny lies with me." Vader steamed, pressing forward and watching the woman's boots catch on the step, her balance wavering. She glared up at him through the shadows of her hood once more before Vader lunged forward, sending her tumbling painfully down the stairs. She gasped as her ribs began to ache, her vibroblade clattering out of her hand as she tried to get to her feet.

     Luke watched in horror as Padmé fell, his lightsaber now returned to his hand and his eyes murderous. "Leave her alone!" He screamed, darting forward as Vader jumped down the flight of stairs and landed beside Padmé's head. He kicked her firmly in her already injured ribs and glared up at Luke.

     He stepped forward and allowed the youth to stalk forward, him obliviously walking closer and closer to the carbon chamber. Vader was able to make a full rotation around the chamber before he whipped forward with his saber, startling Luke enough to make the boy react instinctively and incorrectly. His lightsaber fell from his hand again, but his scared reaction of pushing the Force outwards did manage to send Vader stumbling back a few feet. Frustrated now, Vader jumped forward and shoved Luke backwards, watching his eyes go wide as he pinwheeled his arms and then fell deep into the chamber.

     He hit his head firmly on the metal underneath and groaned, seeing dark spots in his vision and only able to think about Padmé. "All too easy. Perhaps you are not as strong as the Emperor thought." Vader reached out with the Force to pull the lever when an arm yanked his hand back, a knee coming up to jam him in the torso and making him wheeze through his suddenly stuttering respirator. He spun dazedly to see a vibroblade at his eyes, the Jedi glaring down at him through her hood.

     When steam began to rise from the chamber though, both Vader and Padmé whirled in surprise to see a wayward Ugnaught hiding behind the control panel and tugging the lever the rest of the way down. He let loose a yelp of surprise when he saw he had been spotted and darted away and out of the chamber. Padmé, now distracted, cried out in panic and went to peek over the side of the chamber.

     Vader shakily got to his feet and held his side, ready to kill the Jedi and take his son far away from Bespin. He stalked forward with his saber to stab the distracted woman from behind when the clanging of hydraulic pipes hanging from the ceiling caught his attention.

     Luke was crawling amongst them, hanging from a few like an animal and struggling to not fall. The Jedi noticed him too, her shoulders slumping in obvious relief. Luke, despite his lack of training, had managed to jump fifteen feet in the air and cling to the pipes pouring the liquid metal into the chamber, a chamber that was going to take another few minutes to restart.

     Which meant Vader was going to have to do this the old-fashioned way.

     With a snarl of anger, he reached out to kill the Jedi, cursing under his breath as the vibroblade rose to meet the saber instantly. Luke managed to jump down as well, using a pipe as a swing and landing in a roll before calling his saber to his hand.

     Vader's first objective was the woman, so he quickly diverged from his main fighting style and kicked out a leg to stun her, watching her flail and land back near the steps, her blade clattering away again. Luke still fought with determination however, his eyes ablaze with anger...an emotion Vader was proud to see. "Obi-Wan and this Jedi have taught you well. You have controlled your fear...now release your anger."

     A guarded look blossomed on Skywalker's face, his legs propelling him back towards his teacher...or protector...whatever she was. But if she wasn't his teacher, then who had taught the boy after Obi-Wan had perished? 

     Luke was suddenly on the defensive again, desperately blocking random attacks and trying to keep up before he could be chopped in half. Narrowing his eyes and thinking hard on Ben, Yoda, and Padmé, Luke ducked under the ruby saber and returned to the offensive, pushing Vader closer to the edge.

     "Only your hatred can destroy me." Vader taunted despite his sudden struggle to keep up his defense.

     Panting now and not noticing Padmé slowly getting up behind him and watching in prideful awe and fierce worry, Luke suddenly jumped in the air and somersaulted over Vader, landing behind him and catching him off guard. Finally, the Sith lost his balance and tumbled over the edge, a cry of surprise leaving his vocoder as he fell out of sight. Luke looked down in shock at his own success and pressed the button on his saber to lower the sapphire blade back into its casing.

     Before thinking about jumping over and going after Vader, Luke turned back to Padmé to see her looking worriedly at him. "What?" He asked, confused. Was she not happy that he had just beat Vader in a fight? Or was it that she had known Vader and that this fight was hard for her...but the Sith had killed her husband! Didn't she want revenge? Well, revenge was of the dark side... Luke suddenly stared at his father's lightsaber in his hand, still humming with energy despite it being off. He shuddered and closed his eyes tightly, listening carefully to Padmé's next words. 

     "We should go. Artoo commed me and said he found the others. We can still escape while there's time," Padmé pleaded, still shaking from having been so close to Anakin after all those years. 

     Once Luke's eyes opened again, his azure eyes were deeply troubled, yet determined. "He killed my father. I...I have to face him. It's my destiny."

     "But you aren't ready." Padmé stepped forward, her own weapon back on her belt and a few bruises now forming on her face, it still concealed by the shadows of her hood. It was a troubling sight not to see her face, the unnerving feeling of being watched through darkness all too similar to Vader's mask.

     "I have to try. I can't be sure that Vader won't use my friends against me again. They're strong but vulnerable compared to him. You saw Han. I...I can't let their sacrifices be in vain. As a member of the Rebel Alliance, a legacy of the Jedi Order, and the son of my murdered father, this is my life's meaning," Luke said, fumbling with his frayed jacket and his blonde hair now dark with sweat and pasted to his forehead. 

     Padmé sighed, finally lowering her hood to allow her son to look at her properly. "Then you must be prepared for whatever happens next. Obi-Wan and Yoda warned you...as have I. I want you safe...and Vader won't harm you...I can see he wants you alive, but you must understand the consequences of jumping into this too early."

     Luke swallowed tightly and moved towards the older woman, smiling tightly. He reached back behind her hair and gently pulled the hood back over her head. "You know Vader better than I do and I trust you. But whatever happens...I won't regret it. This is for the sake of not only my father, but the galaxy."

     Padmé smiled lightly, knowing Luke couldn't see it with her hood back on. "You'd be surprised how often the galaxy seems to need saving, dear."

     Luke managed a small laugh despite himself. However, it didn't take long for him to somber up once again. "We can beat him Padmé. Both of us. Alone, my chances may be lower, but with you..."

     "I can only do so much. You forget I'm not a Force-sensitive, just trained in the arts," Padmé said slowly. 

     Luke nodded in understanding. "We must hurry. I know if we don't go after him soon that he'll come up here for us."

     Padmé squeezed his hand in preparation and let him lead the way, his feet sprinting down the stairs and dropping him down into a tunnel. With a deep breath, Padmé followed after him and hoped that their plan would work. After Mustafar...she wasn't sure what Anakin was capable of anymore. 

      And based off his behavior, he was very suspicious of her...she had to tell him, but she couldn't. Not with hers and Luke's lives on the line. She could only hope the others were having more luck than them.

     With that, she withdrew her vibroblade again and followed Luke's retreating back down the lit-up tunnel, her gut churning and the dark presence of a Sith Lord swirling in the back of her mind. They cautiously approached the reactor room where Luke swiftly moved to the side and gestured her forward. She moved to his side and held out her blade, nodding at him to have his saber ready.

     Footsteps could be heard from around the corridor, and both mother and son tensed in preparation. However, unlike when they had been hiding from the group of prisoners and their guards, the footsteps faded away with no figure ever appearing in their vision. 

     Confused, Luke stepped out first and near a large, circular window, his blade humming loudly...too loudly. 

     "Luke!" Padmé called, lunging as the red lightsaber came out of nowhere, arching downwards and glowing intensely on the black leather and armor of the Dark Lord's life support suit. The saber met her blade just as Luke stepped forward with a cry, slashing at Vader and causing the Sith to step back from his confrontation with Padmé. 

     He whirled and struck Luke's left leg, making the boy gasp and hobble backwards, yet his eyes were still steely focused on Vader and his weapon. Padmé jumped forward as well but tensed as an invisible force send her flying backwards and into the wall, Vader's hand raised and his helmet lowered dangerously. 

     Vader reached his hand up again and mentally removed a large piece of machinery from the wall. It flew forward and struck Luke heavily on the back before the boy could react. He cried out in surprise and pain and stumbled forward, his lightsaber wavering in his hand. He attempted to slash it in half with his blade just as another, if not larger piece came hurtling from the other direction. 

     He rose his hand in an equal display of the Force and managed to block at least one of the pieces with an invisible force shield. Padmé shook away her dazed state and stepped forward, helping Luke dispel the parts and also trying to get forward to distract Vader. However, a large pipe was suddenly the next flying piece, it coming at incomprehensible speeds and knocking Padmé clean on the head. 

     She stumbled back and gasped as her hood slightly fell, grateful when Luke held her steady from behind and pulled the fabric quickly back over. He may have not known Padmé's true relation to Vader, but he did know that the Empire thought she was dead and that having its second-in-command find her alive would condemn her instantly. Luke had even refrained from using her name around Vader just in case the Sith was to recognize her as the senator he presumed deceased for over 22 years. Padmé was risking a lot for Luke, and for that he was grateful. She was protecting him and he was gladly returning the favor. 

      Unfortunately, since Luke was distracted, Vader--not noticing the falter of Padmé's hood--was able to unlatch sparking wires from the wall and aim them at the duo. Along with the whipping wires, small tools and equipment began to bombard the two from all directions, each of them now almost impossible to deflect. It didn't take long for more bruises to form on both Luke and Padmé, even a trail of blood visibly leaking from Luke's sweat-caked blonde hair and into his eyes. 

     Vader stood to the side with a triumphant feeling, knowing he had finally beat the two Jedi. His last attempt at Force-throwing another heavy machinery at them to render them unconscious however, went over their heads as they dropped to the ground in a last-minute attempt to stay conscious. The machine rammed through the glass window and suddenly created a vacuum, sucking everything out onto the gantry which overlooked a deep abyss. 

     Vader quickly maneuvered and held tightly to a sturdy pipe, standing rocklike and solid as he watched the Jedi and his son struggle to find something to grab onto. With all the parts buzzing around haphazardly, it was only inevitable for one of the larger pieces of machinery to knock against the two and send them flying out the window. 

     Despite having been fighting them for the last few minutes, Vader still felt his gut lurch in sudden worry as Luke and the Jedi disappeared from sight. He was more worried about Luke of course, but he knew through the Force that they were both alive...just injured. That Jedi would pay for making him have to harm his stubborn son this way. It would've been much simpler if she had just let him put Luke in the carbon freeze. 

     'You can be saved from pain if you just let us leave quietly.'

     Vader thought deeply over the words, still trying to pinpoint the familiar voice. If it was a Jedi, then she definitely had to have been alive during the Clone Wars...had she known him as...Anakin?

     He shook his head firmly, focusing on his mission. He needed his son and he would go through anyone to get him. He had already proved that enough in the past few years of having known of the boy's existence. 

      Once the vacuum finally died down to a normal breeze, Vader straightened his flowing cloak and held his lightsaber firmly, moving toward the control room and waiting for Luke and the Jedi to come back from outside the gantry. He would be waiting...and surprise them with an attack that they couldn't escape from. 

***

"Han, try to follow my fingers," Leia urged, holding her hand above the Corellian's eyes and trying to direct his clouded hazel eyes. She grumbled in frustration as the irises followed nothing, simply darting around in a frantic attempt to see something. 

     "Leia, I'm sorry. I can't even make out shapes. Just...darkness," Han admitted, sounding drained. He had been through so much, and all for a cause he never really wanted to be a part of. She hated to watch him, normally so sure of himself, look so helpless and lost...like a small child. 

     "Normally carbon sickness only affects someone if they've been in the carbonite for too long. He couldn't have been in there for more than a few hours at most," Lando commented, still keeping watch along with Chewie at the corridor. 

     "Well it's affected him and the only cure is going to be time." Leia sighed, stroking Han's hands as he reached out to find her in his suddenly dark world. 

     "Leia, if I'm a burden then just leave me here. I'm not of real value, it's Luke you've got to get to. Vader's planning that trap and the kid'll be here any minute, I know him and that martyr streak Kenobi drilled into him--"

     "Han," Leia interrupted, putting her fingers to his soft lips, the flesh still cold from the carbonite. "Luke's already here. We don't know where he is exactly...but we assume he's with Vader." She winced as she saw Han blanch, his hands beginning to tremble. Lando looked over with his own worry, biting his lip and trying not to let the guilt build up too heavily in his chest. It was his fault...but he could still redeem himself if he could get them out of here safely.

     "I still don't know why you're trusting Lando," Han whispered, trying to take his mind off the image of Vader standing over Luke, the blonde bleeding, crying, and pleading for his life as Vader whisked down the carbonite chamber's lever and allowed the liquid metal to seep down around the boy, the biting cold making him feel as if he was burning from the inside out...and Han knew how it felt. He shuddered deeply and repressed a cry at the thought of the machine killing Luke yet sparing himself...how cruel would that be? And all of that because his friend betrayed them and allowed Vader to torture them to somehow let Luke know that they were in danger. The perfect trap for a self-sacrificing, naïve farm boy. 

     "I told you, he's helping us. Once we get out of here he can attest to his betrayal before the Alliance's High Command. And we will get out of here. I'm not leaving you here. I didn't rush all this way to save you just to let you die you nerfherder." Leia teasingly punched him and wilted in relief when a faint smile brushed his lips. At least she could make him smile. 

     "If you say so. Still don't know how you got me away from Boba Fett, but I'm still very impressed at your quick rescue princess," Han said slyly, teasing. 

     Leia rolled her eyes. "At least my rescues come well-equipped with an escape plan," She said before taking his hands and slowly helping him stand. His legs were quaking as he did so, but once he was able to stand without Leia's support he felt more comfortable. 

     Leia turned to Lando then, nodding firmly. "Alright. You lead the way to the docking bay and we'll follow." She adjusted her blaster in her hand so that she could help Han navigate and so she could shoot stormtroopers at the same time. With a reassuring squeeze to the Corellian's shoulder, they moved out, Artoo and Chewie in the back of the group and providing a rear lookout. 

     They ran without any confrontation for quite a while, concerned with the lack of retaliation but hoping that their escaping just hadn't been noticed yet. They tried to stay as conspicuous as possible, Lando finally turning down a corridor and releasing a sigh of relief.

     As they turned the corner they could glimpse the Millennium Falcon in the docking bay, sitting calmly and taunting them with a getaway. Leia thought about how quickly they had arrived and nervously thought of Luke, hoping against all odds that he would get away from Vader before the trap could be set...if it hadn't been already. 

     However, just as it seemed like everything would be alright, plasma laser blasts erupted on the wall and the blast door to the docking bay slid shut before them. The group whirled to find a squad of stormtroopers rushing them with their blasters blazing. Leia grabbed Han and pulled him behind the alcove, a shout of dismay leaving the man's mouth as he was jerked around. Leia whirled and helped Lando and Chewie fire at the Imperials, her aim deadly accurate and determined. 

     "Leia, Chewie, cover me! I'm going to try to get the door open." Lando shouted amongst the chaos, getting nods from the princess and the Wookiee before scrambling over to the door. The man fired a few more shots before fumbling with the controls, desperate. 

     "Han, stay back there!" Leia screamed, shifting her gaze back and forth between the troopers and the scared blind man she was slowly falling in love with.

     "Blast!" Lando cursed loudly, his fists clenched. "The security codes been changed!"

     Chewie roared in frustration until Threepio chirped from the Wookiee's back. The protocol droid turned towards his astromech friend, whom was hovering near Captain Solo to protect the man, and called, "Artoo! You can tell the computer to override the security system!"

     Artoo shifted his photo receptor towards the computer socket located on the control panel Threepio was gesturing at and beeped in understanding, rolling forward and nudging Lando's legs until the man and blinked and moved to the side to allow the droid to work. He looked up to see Leia blasting away the last trooper and took the precious time he had of not being shot at to move towards the city intercom he had caught sight of.

     Leia watched him curiously as he pulled out the device and turned it on, taking a deep breath before speaking as calmly as he definitely didn't feel. "Attention! This is Lando Calrissian. The Empire has taken control of the city. I advise everyone to leave before more Imperial troops arrive." The entirety of Cloud City looked up, startled at the announcement, and several of them panicking as the word began to settle. All of them knew of the threat the Empire posed after the entire galaxy had heard of Alderaan's demise three years prior.  As soon as the intercom cut off in fact, the citizens of the city scattered to their homes to gather their belongings and flee before the Empire could come for them.

     Lando sighed and replaced the intercom device, running his hand over his hair and turning to see Artoo messing with the control panel. He stood over the astromech and held his blaster, still scanning to wait for any more troops that would inevitably show up. However, a loud metallic scream suddenly left the droid as his circuits lit up, his domed head spun wildly, and smoke began to seep out from underneath his servos. Chewie reacted first and pulled the small robot from the panel, stroking its metal casing and rumbling in concern as Artoo let out a mournful whistle. 

     "What was that?" Han questioned, still blinking heavily and trying to make out what was happening. He was ignored for the time being as Leia walked up to the panel and looked up at Lando desperately. The man bit his lip and then lit up with an idea. 

      "There's another entrance to this bay. If we hurry we can get there before they close that door as well." Lando said, sounding a bit more hopeful. Leia nodded without question and grabbed Han, pulling him along as gently as she could. He stumbled after her and sighed, hating to be such a burden. 

     As they hurried down the next hall, Artoo was the last to follow, the droid beeping out several foul words in binary as Threepio scoffed at him. "Don't blame me. I'm an interpreter. I'm not supposed to know a power socket from a computer terminal."

     As soon as the group of rebels moved down the next corridor, they were bombarded by fleeing citizens, several of them carrying boxes and packages of belongings. Some were even shooting at troopers in their own form of rebellion while others hid, terrified and unsure what to do. But the rebels couldn't stop to help despite how much guilt they had for leaving innocents like that. 

     Chewie, Leia, and Lando all fired at troopers as they ran, their hearts racing as they knew they couldn't avoid the shots forever. Once they reached the next door to the landing platform, they slumped to find it closed but let Artoo shove his way forward. At least this time there actually was a computer terminal for the small droid to work with. 

     As they fired at the troopers, Artoo beeped incomprehensibly to the humans and the Wookiee present. Unfortunately, no one heard Threepio's berating of the astromech--as they normally ignored him anyways--and were equally too busy with avoiding blaster bolts and firing at the same time. 

     "What are you talking about? We're not interested in the hyperdrive on the Millennium Falcon. It's fixed! Just open the door, you stupid lump." Threepio shouted at Artoo, getting an annoyed whistle in response but satisfied as the smaller robot opened the door. The group turned at the lifting of the door and started retreating backwards, still firing as they moved out to the platform and towards the lowered ramp of the ship. 

     "I never doubted you for a second, Artoo. Wonderful!" Threepio exclaimed, shifting happily in his net-pack. Chewie grabbed Han from Leia's protective grasp and moved towards the Falcon to shove his cub up the ramp and safely inside the ship. Artoo went after the Corellian and Chewie ducked after him, growling as Threepio hit the rim of the ship and began shouting his complaints, "Ouch! Oh! Ah! That hurt. Bend down, you thoughtless... Ow!"

     The Wookiee ignored the protocol droid and ducked down a bit lower to bound up the ramp and immediately towards the cockpit. He was happy to see Han had found his way to one of the cots to sit, but his expression still radiated worry as Leia was not yet on the ship and still outside firing at the troopers with Lando. 

     Both of them were ducked under parts of the ship for cover and fired relentlessly, the ship's engines suddenly rumbling behind them and the repulsorlifts firing up in preparation to take off. A hail of shots began to surround the duo and Lando gestured for Leia to go first while he covered her. Despite his previous betrayal of them, Leia trusted him at the moment and darted across the side of the ship and towards the ramp. Lando was quickly behind her and firing as they both ran up and inside. 

     They sighed in relief as Lando palmed the ramp closed and darted towards the cockpit to help Chewie. Leia moved towards where Han was sitting and stroked his light brown hair with a relieved smile. "We made it," she whispered. 

     Han reached for her hand on his face and stroked it absently, a fond look in his eyes. "I can see a bit better now, if any. Go help them in the cockpit, I'll be alright."

     "Are you sure, Han?" Leia asked, worried about leaving him alone. Just as she spoke though, voices came from around the corner to reveal Artoo dragging the disassembled Threepio across the grated floor, not caring as the protocol droid's head consistently banged against objects and machinery on the floor. 

     "I thought that hairy beast would be the end of me," Threepio was saying, sounding relieved to finally be away from Chewie. Artoo beeped and Threepio made a sound of disgust. "Of course I've looked better!"

     Leia stifled a smile and looked into Han's slowly healing hazel eyes. "You see? I got the droid to keep me company," he said. Then he paused, his grin fading. "You really think Luke will be alright?"

     Leia hesitated, knowing they couldn't go back now. The ship was already humming with the feeling of being in the air, Cloud City gradually disappearing behind them. "I...I don't know."

     Han took a deep breath and then patted Leia on what he was pretty sure was her shoulder but was actually just her forearm. She smiled weakly at him and pressed a small kiss to his cheek before standing and moving towards the cockpit. As she arrived, she looked to see Chewie in his natural co-pilot position and using the throttle to fly. Lando turned at her presence and looked at her grimly.

     "We've got TIE fighters in pursuit. Think you can run gunner?" He asked, working with Chewie to input hyperdrive coordinates. They would have to deal with the Imperials until they could get the coordinates set for a proper hyperspace course, and the only person eligible to shoot at the moment was Leia. 

     She bit her lip and nodded firmly, her eyes focused on the viewport and the sight of Cloud City, less marvelous than when her, Han, and Chewie had first arrived. "Just tell me what to do," She said determinedly, all her worries shoved back as she focused on her task at hand. 

     A true soldier.

***

A/N

 Wow, this was a hard chapter to write. Action is a very difficult thing to put into words, but here it is! Of course, the whole Padmé/Vader/Luke fight scene isn't over yet. The really angsty stuff is coming up, don't worry. XD

Any who, no, Vader doesn't recognize Padmé yet, but don't you think that familiar voice would confuse him just a bit? And of course his stubborn son (who's oblivious as always. i love him so much.) won't join the dark side and kill Palpatine with him. Ugh, sith lord problems. XD 

Love you guys and hope you enjoyed. 

PS - so uh, guess who might be meeting Carrie Fisher in October? That's right...me! I'm freaking out...she's coming to a convention i'm going to and...omg. I can't breathe...Carrie Fisher...Princess Leia!!! Ok, I'm just gonna go cry now. 

May the Force be with You, 

- lucky_ducky_123