chapter thirty

       AMORA WAS NO STRANGER to fear. The everlasting anxiety gnawing at her insides, infecting her brain with baseless claims of paranoia that did more harm than good. It was almost more comforting to be afraid than think she was safe. At least when she was afraid, she wasn't delusional.

       However, she was a stranger to the complete and utter loneliness that her escape entailed.

       Now, that wasn't always true. Amora, for years and years before, had taught herself to accept an isolated life of survival over pleasure. It was Kavi who preached the concept, wanting her to be prepared for the worst even when he was alive. He taught her to think realistically instead of basking in hope-filled daydreams that would only get her killed. The only person you can trust is yourself. That's all she knew. It was out of love, of course, but that didn't make it any less harmful.

       But that felt so long ago. She'd now grown too comfortable with the idea of friendship and trust and love, everything Kavi told her was unsafe. So naturally, here she was paying the consequences for her error, her emotional vulnerability fogging the strong memories of isolation that kept her alive. It made her more afraid than she already was. But that fear only made her more determined to leave this planet.

       And really, it didn't matter how scared she was in this uncertainty. If that was the price to pay for love, then so be it.

       Her stomach was churning and her palms were sweaty. Every turn she took was a mystery and a risk. Amora didn't know the layout of the city. She hadn't recognized any of the halls she'd passed. Finding the Falcon would be near impossible at this point, let alone finding her own ship. There had to be a better plan than running around blindly, but she had no leads. As far as plans went, all she knew was to stay out of sight from the Empire and find a way out, by herself. There was nothing she could do about her other friends in trouble. She could worry about that later. This was a time when she needed to choose herself.

       Unfortunately, the plan went astray fast when she wasn't being careful enough. Amora, blinded by her hurry to leave, rounded a corner too quickly and suddenly found herself face to face with four patrolling stormtroopers. Her eyes widened and her breath hitched in her throat.

       "Hey!" one of the front troopers shrieked in surprise. "You shouldn't be-"

       In a mad panic, Amora immediately pointed her blaster and fired two shots, quickly taking down the two troopers in front. But before she could take aim at the second two, they had already reacted, taking their own shots that she jumped out of the way to avoid.

       Yet by jumping out of the way, she accidentally jumped too close to one of the troopers, who rushed to grab her arms and twist them behind her back. She used that support to give her leverage, leaning backwards to send a strong kick to the chest of the other trooper. He was sent to the ground in stunned pain, but Amora didn't care about him. With her feet on the ground, she snapped her head back and bashed it into her trooper's head. In a daze, he lost control over Amora's arms. She whirled around and stepped behind him to grab his neck in a chokehold.

       The sound of footsteps alerted Amora to look to her right. Four more stormtroopers came running around from the far end of the hallway in a hurry to join the fight.

       Maybe I shouldn't have used the noisiest attack first...

       With her right arm occupied, she raised her blaster with the left and fired sporadically, quickly pulling her arm back in to put a laser in the head of the trooper she held.

       Out of the four shots fired down the hall, only one of them hit a stormtrooper in the chest. He toppled to the ground and his friend behind him, with no time to react, tripped over his limp body and tumbled down. That was just one less trooper she had to worry about right now.

       As she was focused on the new squad, the trooper farthest from her attempted to take advantage of the distraction by taking aim at her, but Amora knew better. She ducked just as a laser soared over her head, lunged forward, and swept her leg across the floor to take the trooper off of his feet. He fell to the ground with a yelp and she wasted no time with shooting him in the head.

       That stormtrooper was dead, but Amora had overestimated how far away the other two were. She turned around and was only narrowly missed by a laser that could have easily hit her torso. They were already here, right in front of her. She took a swift sidestep away from their range and shot at them three times, but they were all a miss. So instead, she stepped around their backs and took a swing at the head of one of the troopers. Yes, the punch hurt her hand, but it was worth the win. With him a little dazed, she pushed him to the ground and sidestepped again to secure the other trooper in a different chokehold.

       Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the clumsy trooper from earlier. He was finally on his feet and hurrying to the fight. Amora, however, was not going to let that happen. She shoved the stormtrooper she held into the wall and aimed her blaster down the hall. She was even able to fire a few shots and kill the trooper, but she just couldn't lower her arm fast enough. The trooper she had thrown to the floor earlier, recovering much quicker than expected, had risen discreetly and shot a laser that landed perfectly in the back of her hand.

       "Agh!" she cried sharply, the pain shocking her just enough for the blaster to slip out of her unclenched fingers.

       It clattered to the ground and was quickly nudged a few feet away by the trooper who fired the shot. Amora gasped softly as she clutched her hand, hesitating just a second too long. A stormtrooper from behind managed to kick her lower-back and force her harshly onto her knees. She gasped again, the wind knocked out of her, and lurched in the direction of her lost blaster. But it was too late.

       The same, horrid trooper gripped a handful of her hair and yanked backwards, pulling her back to her knees and leaving her absolutely powerless. The force stung her scalp and made her awfully angry, but she was more infuriated with the fact that she lost. In a fight against less than a dozen stormtroopers, she lost.

       The trooper let go of her hair and secured a tight grip around her bicep, using his other hand to press the barrel of his blaster to her temple. The three of them were frozen as they panted heavily and tiredly, but Amora was more than ready to have another round. She was weak and weaponless, but that was irrelevant. If she just had another chance, she wouldn't blow it this time.

       Adrenaline was still pumping through her body along with the passion for freedom, a fiery temper she struggled to push down. She was so close. Her plan (if you could even call it that) only failed because of stormtroopers. Stormtroopers! She'd killed more of them than she could count! And now was the time she messed up so badly? Her whole escape needed to be reworked and fast and-

       "What should we do with her?" the stormtrooper opposite Amora asked his partner.

       He tightened his grip on her arm and answered, although he sounded unsure of himself. "Vader wanted her back in the freezing chamber... shouldn't we head there?"

       Just hurry up...

       "But that's such a long walk," the first trooper complained. "Can't we just kill her now and get it over with? That's what he's gonna do, anyways."

       Amora was, quite frankly, insulted by how lazy and clueless these stormtroopers were. These were really the two that she couldn't kill?

       "Vader wants me alive," she rolled her eyes in frustration. "If you kill me, he'll kill you."

       The troopers glanced at each other briefly and Amora could sense their hesitancy. They must know that she's right. They weren't that stupid.

       They were awkwardly silent before the trooper across from her spoke up. "She's lying."

       Amora's face went blank in absolute astonishment. They had to be joking. This was such a waste of time. She could feel the blood dripping down her hand from her painful wound, but she tried to ignore it. These stormtroopers were more worth her time.

       "Don't you realize I'm more important to Vader than any of you are?" she questioned exasperatedly. "You're all just numbers to him! Now, will you please hurry up and take me back?"

       Another gap of silence. They stared at her stupidly and Amora nearly screamed. She could've started another plan by now! All they needed to do was go! But here they were, lounging in the hallway, waiting silently until the trooper holding her spoke.

       "I think we should-"

       "Hey!" a powerful voice cut in, booming from down the far hallway loudly.

       Amora snapped her head to the source of the voice, but her eyes widened when she did.

       This is very, very bad.

       It was Boba Fett. He was stopped a short distance away from them in front of two imperial officers and two stormtroopers. The officers had their hands on a large, floating block that Amora knew to be Han.

       She didn't think she'd have to worry about them. They had left some time before her escape. But they could have easily made some sort of detour or took a longer path to the ship. Amora scowled at herself for not thinking of that. She should've known better.

       Fett raised his hand, signaling those behind him to follow, before walking down the hall towards her and the troopers. "Where are you taking the girl?"

       The first stormtrooper yanked her up to her feet as the other shifted into a stiff, poised stance and answered. "Back to the carbon-freezing chamber. She must've escaped."

       What happened to killing me? Amora internally huffed. He's all talk and no show.

       "Change of plans," Fett replied instantaneously, which perplexed Amora. "I'll take her off your hands."

       What?

       The first trooper shifted uncomfortably and protested. "Vader was insistent on keeping-"

       "Change of plans," he repeated firmly, pointedly moving his finger onto the blaster's trigger as a threat.

       The stormtroopers didn't need much else encouragement, or at least the second one. He reached out and grabbed Amora's other arm, passing her off to the guards that Fett already had. They didn't grab her, luckily, but watched her carefully and cautiously.

       She definitely took note, though, of how easily the trooper gave her up. His once confident attitude was reduced to cowardly obedience in the presence of the intimidating bounty hunter. He was weak, playing up his strength when, in reality, he never would have killed her. How could the Empire be so powerful when this was all they were made of? Was Vader really strong enough to single handedly turn nothing into something? Amora didn't want to know the answer.

       Fett nodded at her former-guards, signaling them to continue their patrol. The duo immediately did as requested, heading off in their original direction, and soon enough, Amora's new group was back in action. They continued on down the hall to wherever Fett's ship was parked.

       Now, this wasn't at all what Amora expected. Forming a new plan to defeat two stormtroopers was one thing. Having to fight off a bounty hunter and his guards was another. Just when she thought things couldn't get worse, they did. And it made her even more scared.

       At the very least, Amora was glad that the stormtroopers had stepped forward instead of remaining behind Han. She didn't think she could handle the sight of him right in front of her, close enough to make out every terrible detail that was frozen in time. Instead, she walked behind Boba Fett, close enough to speak to him. So she took advantage of that.

       "Why do you even want me?" she questioned from closely behind him, but she received no answer.

       Not that she was expecting to in the first place, but it was still worth a try. She gave it another shot.

       "Wouldn't I know if I had a bounty?" she persisted. "Do I or do I not?"

       "You think someone like you isn't worth a lot?" he responded gruffly, but ultimately left it at that, no other words spoken.

       He definitely only answered to get her to stop talking.

       To be honest, Amora didn't know what that meant. Rebellion hero? Friend of famous people? Young, attractive female?

       But the curiosity dimmed just as soon as it sparked, undeniable frustration brewing. Why should she care about that? It didn't matter. She was captured. That's what mattered. She had her chance, and she blew it. And she was pissed off.

       "Does your daddy know you stole his things?" Amora mocked, attempting to get a rise out of him.

       Boba Fett showed no acknowledgment to her insult, which provoked the already aggrieved Amora.

       "Too scared to tell him?" she continued irritatingly.

       Again, no answer.

       "When Vader finds out you took me," she began in an attempt to sound threatening. "He'll put a price on your head."

       But Amora was smart enough to sense just how weak her words sounded. It simply wasn't true. She sounded like an idiot with her empty threats and meaningless comments. Boba Fett didn't care.

       Amora finally decided to shut up and walk in silence instead of making a fool out of herself, yet she regretted it instantly. The quiet was intimidating, tense, and only made her thoughts louder than they should've been. Boba Fett really didn't care. Not about her opinion, not about her life or death. Unlike Vader, he could kill her. One toe out of line and he would kill her without batting an eye. After all, what use did he have for an annoying girl who talked more than she breathed?

       In an instant, Amora regretted her regrets. The quiet was fine. It made her more likely to survive.

       The stuffy atmosphere didn't last too much longer, though, as they walked down a small set of stairs, arriving in front of a door that was similar to the one she entered through after landing. This was probably the landing platform. Boba Fett's ship was just beyond these doors. Amora's small chance at freedom would be ripped further and further away with every step.

       As expected, when Fett pressed a few buttons on the panel on the wall, the door slowly rose and revealed a long runway that was home to a giant ship Amora hadn't seen before, not even the model. Maybe it was one of a kind and Fett stole it. That wouldn't be a surprise.

       They began walking the length of the platform and, although she knew she should've been focused on the destination that was Fett's ship, Amora was genuinely distracted by the gorgeous sunset draped behind it. The sky was a giant blur of rosy pinks and warm oranges and golden yellows. The pastels blended seamlessly and shouldn't have been as clear as they were. It was rare to see such a stunningly natural act of nature in an industrial hotspot like this, but nevertheless, she wasn't one to turn down pretty things.

       It turns out she was actually too distracted, however, as Amora accidentally walked right into the back of Boba Fett. Startled by the sudden stop and cringing, she stepped back as quickly as possible and placed all her attention on the people around her. He grunted slightly, but otherwise ignored her entirely, then guiding them all up onto the ship's ramp.

       Fett looked at the imperial officers and ordered. "Put Captain Solo in the cargo hold."

       Until this moment, Amora didn't realize just exactly how afraid she was. This wasn't exactly common for her. She had never been captured before. She'd fought loads of battles and been on a variety of missions, but none of them ended up like this. What was going to happen when she stepped into this ship? There was no way for her to know if she'd even survive the trip. As the officers pushed Han up the ramp and into the unknown, Amora looked away restlessly, choosing the sky over her friend's lifeless body.

       As she admired the beautiful sight, perhaps the last pretty thing she'd ever see, Amora couldn't help but remember another instance right before her assumed death, the time they were almost crushed in the trash compactor. Because even though she was so sure she would die in that disposal, death didn't seem so bad at the time. She remembered staring into Luke's eyes and feeling like, if this was all her life amounted to, if these were the very last seconds of her life, she'd be fine. What was once a terrifying memory now brought a smile to her face.

       While she'd much rather see Luke's eyes one last time, the sky would suffice.

       But Fett made sure that memory didn't last long when he grabbed her arm and tugged her away from her daydreams, emotionally and physically. She hadn't even seen the officers exit the ship, but they and the stormtroopers must've already left while she was turned away. She was alone with Fett now. He dragged her into the darkness of the ship, where the sunset's light could no longer reach, and completely demolished her view of the outside world with the press of a button.

       In the darkness, Amora could not make out a thing. There was no lighting in the front passage and she wasn't familiar with the ship model. Fett probably knew his way around from years and years of muscle memory, but she simply did not. He pulled her to the right, to which her feet followed unwillingly, but they pedaled her right into a wall. Fett did not care.

       She struggled to stay upright as he brought her down a steep set of stairs and down another hallway, eventually stopping at its end in front of (what she assumed was) a door. She could hear the sound of Fett's rustling armor for a few seconds before a beep was heard and the door slid open. Although not much brighter, a small amount of light seeped into the passage and revealed what was kept in the room. There were lines of dirty cages that looked like they should keep wild animals, but instead, they held a collection of strange, unfamiliar creatures and rusty droids. That's what they appeared to be, at least. Amora had to squint to even make those assumptions, but if she was correct, they seemed to be prisoners that could all kill her in an instant. There were low growls filling her ears, even some sort of manic laughing coming from the far corner cage, not to mention the rancid scent of unwashed aliens and rotting flesh. Yet again, she was scared.

       Fett pushed her forward into the room and led her over to an empty, open cage in the middle of the row. It was too close to the other criminals. She didn't want that cage. She didn't want to be anywhere near it. But Fett still didn't care. He threw her into it like a rag-doll and she was barely oriented enough to stand up.

       "Wait, wait," Amora panicked. "Is there nowhere else you can-"

       He slammed down on a button on the outside of the cage, causing a red force field to zap up in replacement of a door. He left without another word and the door banged shut a moment later.

       Amora wasn't ashamed to admit that she was absolutely frightened. She was surrounded by monsters that would probably love to rip her apart. She was nothing compared to them. Was she even safe from them? How strong were these bars? At that thought, she stepped as close to the center of the cage as she could.

       Not long after he left the prisoners' hold did the ship vibrate and rumble disruptively. A small drop in her stomach told Amora that they had lifted off the ground, permanently leaving Cloud City and heading to... where? Han was meant to go to Jabba the Hutt. Where was he? Tatooine? She was pretty sure it was Tatooine... but that was getting cloudy. Either way, would she be going there as well? Or did Fett have something else planned? No, she would probably be sold to Jabba... that would make sense... but how was she supposed to escape from that? The Hutt clan was dangerous and well protected! And would she be responsible for Han's freedom as well? Oh, who was she kidding, of course she was! Who else would be? Certainly not himself. He wasn't conscious. And it's not like there was anyone else who could help.

       She stepped back to slump against the freezing wall of the ship, any remaining hope slowly draining from her body. She had believed they could escape from this mess. She had believed that hope was strong enough to get them out.

       It wasn't.

       Amora's already-dim vision was blurred even more when a fresh layer of tears brimmed in her eyes. There was no point trying to stop them. The tears leaked from her eyes ceaselessly and were accompanied by small hiccups that she could not suppress. She didn't even try to. The release of her pain made her feel the tiniest bit of good. If anything, this was the best she felt since their troubles began.

       There was no way for Amora to know how long she spent weeping miserably. Was it five minutes or twenty minutes? Her sense of time was completely broken. Everything inside her was completely broken. She was tired, hungry, battered, and stressed. The blood coating her hand had mostly dried by now, but the injury was still throbbing terribly. But worst of all, she had no idea how her friends were coping, if they were even alive at all.

       She leaned her head against the wall with her eyes closed, just wanting to drift off and forget about her troubles for a little bit. But she couldn't even do that before she heard a sudden, unexpected voice.

       "Amora..."

       Her eyes shot open as she inhaled sharply, heart nearly skipping a beat. She knew that voice. It was Luke.

       Amora stumbled off the ground and frantically grasped for the bars of her cage, squinting her eyes to make out any face in the darkness. Her fears of her cell mates vanished. She'd run into all of their cages if she could.

       "Luke?!" she cried out blindly as she desperately scanned the grubby faces of criminals and droids.

       They moaned and groaned, glaring at her bitterly and scowling at her random yelling. But she didn't care. She knew what she heard.

       "Luke?!" she shouted again. "Where are you?!"

       But there was nothing. He wasn't answering. Why wasn't he answering?!

       "I don't-"

       "...Amora..."

       She rushed to the other side of the cage and peered through the bars. He was here! She knew what she heard! But where?!

       "Luke, I don't know where you are!"

       She found herself cluelessly spinning around herself in total bewilderment and urgency. The tears were so close to spilling again. Why wasn't he telling her?!

       She was about to yell again when a separate voice came from across the room. "Stop that hollering, girl!"

       Amora stopped spinning around and took one last look around. "But..."

       It didn't make sense. Didn't they hear him, too? It was clear as day! Weak, but clear! And why wasn't he answering? Couldn't he hear her? Why wouldn't he answer? Unless...

       Amora took a shaky breath and looked down.

       He's not here.

       Her lower lip quivered as she forced back the tears. It had been a long day. She was tired and not in the right state of mind. Her head was playing tricks on her.

       Amora collapsed onto the floor pathetically. She felt like such an idiot. Of course he's not here. That didn't make sense.

       Luke was still at Cloud City stuck in a trap and Leia, Chewie, and Threepio were prisoners on Vader's ship and Han was unconscious in a block of carbonate to be sold by a bounty hunter and the rebellion was severely underprepared for the Empire's next attack and Amora was the fool who was stuck in a cage while hearing the imaginary voice of her lost love.

       "...please... Amora..."

       No...

       Amora clutched the sides of her head, drearily shaking her head as her breathing increased in speed.

       "Please just stop," she whispered to herself with her eyes squeezed shut.

       This was torturous. It was bad enough that her mind made her feel worthless for failing so bad, but this was just cruel.

       He wasn't here. He wasn't here and he wasn't going to be. She didn't want to hear him. She didn't even want to think about him. Not now, anyways. It hurt too much.

       Similar to loneliness, this was a feeling she thought she'd escaped from, the despairing hopelessness that only existed in the whispers of nightmares. But this wasn't a dream. She wouldn't wake up in a rebellion bunker to find Leia arguing with Han over absolutely nothing and Chewie trying to teach the droids mechanics and Luke waiting for her with a bashful smile. Right now, she was alone. It was almost as though the last three years of her life didn't exist. After all, they might as well not exist. She was back to stage one. No friends, no freedom, no security, no-

       No, Amora suddenly interrupted her own thoughts. Just no.

       Why was she suddenly so woeful and pessimistic? Why should the absence of others change her entire view of the galaxy? She may have relied on others in the past to fulfill her faith and trust, but that time was over.

       Amora had at least been right about one thing; she was alone. And yes, she may have ended up in one of the worst possible outcomes, but that didn't mean she had to act like it. It wasn't pathetic that she was captured and worn down. This was pathetic. Sitting here in a pool of self-pity as if her problems will solve themselves. She was stronger than this. If she was capable of staying alive this long, then she was capable of fighting for her life a little bit longer. She didn't have to passively accept imprisonment. She didn't have to wait around for the Force to take her side. This was only an unfortunate obstacle that she had the power to overcome. It wouldn't allow her to lose sight of what she really cared about.

       In that moment, in that flashing burst of hope that motivated her to keep fighting, Amora vowed to get herself out of this mess. She would make it back to her friends if it was the last thing she did.

~  ☼  ~

author's note -

long author's note ahead!

so thats the end of act two!! rewrote it before publishing so it took longer than expected. but next we'll dive right into rotj and i rly can't wait. oh and id like to clarify! amora does not have the force, but force sensitive people can communicate with non sensitive people. plus since leia wasnt originally supposed to be lukes sister, he was supposed to be communicating with a non sensitive person anyways. but for the sake of the story, amora can't necessarily "feel where he is" and leia can because its a force thing. more clarifications: id imagine that the prisoner cages on bobas ship have the same rotation technology shown in the mandalorian so thats not addressed and also in rotj leia's blaster wound has blood so yeah theres blood here too. anyways about the elephant in the room, sorry about getting amora captured LMAO. thats like the one thing i knew from the beginning that i was definitely going to do bc ✨angst✨ so there was just no stopping it lol. oh and im just loving how far amoras come?? she started off with no hope or optimism but then she got some cuz of her new friends but it was kinda reliant on them and now that shes by herself shes forced to create her own hope with no help from them. ok this is getting long so just thank you for reading! tell me what you think of the story so far i love to hear from you guys. :) (but im guessing ur not too happy cuz i separated amora and luke even longer🤪🤪)