Lucas narrowed his eyes as he and Chewbacca walked into the Cloud City junk room. He knew they would find C-3PO's remains here. At least, they would if everything had gone according to script.

Chewbacca barked at Lucas, making him laugh. "Yeah, couldn't agree more," he said, flicking his eyes over the multitude of scrap piles. "We better start looking, though."

Lucas moved forward, tilting his head as he listened for the sound of the furnace. That was where they would find C-3PO, and they had to make sure they found him before he was smelted. Chewbacca followed him, scanning the heaps of scrap parts.

I could build so many different things from these scraps. So many things.

Glancing around, Lucas sighted the conveyor belt. He stopped and gestured toward it, looking back at Chewbacca. "Listen to the furnace, Chewie. We better check over there."

The Wookiee barked in agreement, grunting out something else at the end.

"Yeah, I think the old droid will be pretty ticked, too, if we let him get melted down to slag," Lucas affirmed. "He'd tell us we should have made sure he was recycled. Come on!"

He and Chewbacca hurried around the scrap piles, jumping over pieces that cluttered the narrow walkways as they headed toward the furnace and the conveyor belt leading right into it. A cluster of Ugnaughts gathered around the belt, the small aliens rummaging through the metal scraps being carried toward the powerful fire. And, right where Lucas had expected them to be, were C-3PO's head, torso, and limbs.

"Chewie, look!" Lucas pointed. "We have to hurry!"

They both picked up speed, running toward the conveyor belt as fast as the surrounding scrap heaps would allow. Lucas reached the conveyor belt first and shoved through two of the Ugnaughts, snatching C-3PO's torso up off the belt. Chewbacca bounded up and swiped at the clump of scraps the limbs were in, sending them all crashing to the floor.

There was only one piece unaccounted for.

C-3PO's head.

Lucas and Chewbacca both turned to the Ugnaught who was holding the protocol droid's golden head. The Wookiee growled, and Lucas scowled at the alien. "Come on, hand it over."

The Ugnaught pulled the head closer to him and shook his head.

"Give it back," Lucas insisted, holding out his hand.

Instead of complying, the Ugnaught whipped the head toward one of its fellows. Before Lucas really knew what he was doing, he had hurled himself in between the two Ugnaughts, his eyes trained on the golden head as it flew through the air. He jumped, his head colliding with C-3PO's, and prevented it from ending up in the alien's hands. Chewbacca snatched it out of the air as Lucas landed, staggering as his vision blurred, his head spinning.

"Owwwwwww," Lucas moaned, stumbling to a halt as he gripped his head. It throbbed with pain. "Oh, that hurt. This is the reason I don't do headers in soccer."

Chewbacca barked at him, holding up the metal head as the Ugnaughts jabbered at them angrily in their language.

"You're right," Lucas agreed, closing his eyes against the rush of pain. "That was a good header."

****

Lumina stood as the door opened, admitting Lucas and Chewbacca into the apartment. The Wookiee carried a case full of C-3PO's parts.

"What happened?" Leia demanded, she and Lumina approaching the table as Chewbacca slung the case down onto it. Han rose from the couch, furrowing his brow.

"A lot," Lucas stated, pressing a hand against his forehead. "Found the parts in a junk room. Wish that I'd found some aspirin, too."

"You okay?" Lumina asked him, frowning.

"I headed Threepio's head," Lucas said, nodding at the case of parts and instantly flinching, closing his eyes.

"Oh, my," Leia said, staring at the pieces. "What a mess. Can you fix him, Chewie?"

"Lando's sure to have somebody who can fix him," Han remarked, frowning at the case of parts.

"No," Leia said adamantly, turning to him. "I told you, I don't trust him!"

Lucas held up his hands, wincing. "Don't worry. I'll fix him. I've had a lot of experience fixing things." He narrowed his eyes at the parts. "At least, I'll help Chewbacca fix him."

The door slid open and Lando stepped into the room, flashing his white smile at the group. "Hello. Is everything to your suiting?"

"Do you have any aspirin?" Lucas asked, closing one eye as he glanced at Lando, who only gave him a strange look.

"Everything's fine," Leia told him coolly.

"Except for your plan to betray us," Lumina muttered.

Lando flicked his eyes over at her, his smile stagnating, before he looked at the case of protocol droid parts. "Is something wrong with your droid?"

Leia shot a look at Han, who told Lando, "No. Why do you ask?"

"Uh – because he's in pieces?" Lando replied, lifting an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah," Han laughed awkwardly. "Um, funny story."

"He's annoying," Lucas told Lando matter-of-factly, like that somehow made sense of the disassembled droid.

"Right," Lando said, giving Lucas another strange look. "Anyway, I am here to extend an invitation for you to join me for some refreshments."

Lumina stiffened. This is it. She shot Han a warning glare, catching his eye.

Han saw the glare and turned back to Lando. "Sure," he drawled casually. "We'll be glad to join you."

"All right, then," Lando said, sounding pleased that his evil plan was off to such a great start. "Let's go."

"Nice job," Lumina muttered to Han, scowling at him as Lando stepped toward the door. "Your demise will come through your arrogance."

"You think you're so smart," Han sneered.

"Wait and see," Lumina retorted hotly. "You'll be sorry you didn't listen to me."

"That'll be the day," Han said, rolling his eyes.

The only thing Lumina could think of was the line from the Buddy Holly song, "That'll Be The Day," and decided to quote it, changing only one word. "That'll be the day that you die."

They all left the apartment, following Lando into the corridor. Lucas and Lumina exchanged glances, Lucas dropping his hands to his blaster and his stolen lightsaber hilt in preparation for what was coming next.

"We are a small operation, so we don't fall under the jurisdiction of the Empire," Lando was telling Han and Leia.

"So you're part of the mining guild?" Leia inquired.

"No," Lando replied, tilting his head. "We are small enough not to be noticed. That is a big advantage for us, as our customers don't like being noticed by – bigger – associations."

"You know, you can just say Empire," Lucas told him. "We all know who you're talking about."

"There have always been risks," Lando continued, ignoring Lucas as they approached the white double doors that would send them into the hands of the Empire. "But I have just made a deal. A deal that will keep the Empire out of here forever."

The doors in front of them slid open and Lucas and Lumina tensed at the sight of Darth Vader, at the other end of the room, as Han, Leia, and Chewbacca stopped dead in astonishment.

Two Imperials stood at attention behind Vader, one with a ruddy complexion and the other with bright blonde hair. Boba Fett stood to one side, holding his blaster in a relaxed grip as he bobbed his head, as if in tune with nonexistent music. His presence was expected.

Ben's, on the other hand, was not.

Lumina felt a surge of astonishment course through her veins at the sight of her best friend, the friend she thought she had lost forever, standing to the other side of Vader, his red hair disheveled, his orange g-suit the worse for wear. "Ben!" she exclaimed, involuntarily starting to run forward, but Lucas grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"Lu," Ben said softly, grinning at her.

"Ben?" Vader repeated, looking confused.

Lucas laughed slightly. "You're alive," he stated.

"Apparently so," Ben confirmed. "Death can't hold me forever! You thought the Death Star was the end of me, but there's nothing strong enough to hold Obi-Wan Kenobi, to hold old Ben down!" He glanced at Vader. "That's what some people called me, after you made me go into exile."

Lumina jerked her head back, furrowing her brow. She glanced at Lucas, but he looked just as confused as she did. Why did Ben refer to himself as Obi-Wan? And why did Vader seem to be buying it?

"Vader," Leia breathed, her eyes wide. Han drew his blaster, firing at the Sith Lord, but Vader only deflected the lasers into the wall before yanking Han's blaster to him with the Force.

"Believe me now?" Lumina asked Han, turning to him. She couldn't be as angry as she wanted to be, however, because the knowledge that Ben was alive made her glad they had come down for refreshments.

"Sure, why not?" Han replied sarcastically. "A lot of good that does us. Why didn't you just tell me Vader was here?"

"I told you Lando would betray us," Lumina replied. "Look behind you."

Han glanced over his shoulder and saw stormtroopers, standing silently in the entrance behind them. Lobot stood with them, which made Han, Leia, and Chewbacca all look to Lando with mixed expressions of consternation and accusation.

"I had no choice," Lando said, his tone grim. "They arrived right before you did. I'm sorry."

"Flat leaver," Lumina scoffed, as Han stared at Lando in disbelief. "There's always a choice. Siding with the Empire doesn't pay."

"For some people," Vader returned mockingly. "See, Fett here? He's getting paid quite well."

Fett nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, man. In fact, getting paid was the one thing my old man and I agreed on."

The doors closed behind them, locking them into the conference room with Vader and a tray containing a pitcher, glasses, and some light refreshments.

It doesn't have to end this way, she realized. Lucas, Ben, and I are all here to change this story. So dammit, let's change the story!