They have Lucas!

Lumina's words echoed in Leana's ears like thunder, exploding and roiling through her head. It couldn't be true, not at all. Lucas couldn't be...couldn't be in carbonite. He couldn't be. It just...couldn't be true.

They put him in carbonite!

"No," Leana said aloud, partly to stop the voices. Disoriented, she spun, trying to find the slab guided by the Imperial that she had seen earlier. But she couldn't see it.

"Come on!" Luke shouted, grabbing Leana's arm and pulling her forward. Instinctively, she yanked back against his grip, tugging her arm free. "Leana, we have to go after them."

Right. Vader's trap. He's through that door.

But what about Lucas? Why would they put him in carbon freeze? Especially if they already put Han in carbonite! He was only the test subject! And where would they be taking Lucas? There's no bounty on his head, and the only thing he's done wrong is be a Rebel – the same as Lumina, and she's with the others!

Could it just be part of the trap? Since Lucas is with Luke's friends, could Vader have just looped him in with them?

But again, why? Why the carbonite?

"Luke, it's a trap," Leana stated, stepping away from him. "You walk through that door, you'll be transported right to Vader. He's going to try to put you in carbon freeze so he can take you to the Emperor. It's a trap."

Incredulous, Luke just looked at her. "Leana, you saw the others! I felt their pain, and I have to save them."

Leana shook her head. "Good luck with that. I'm going after my friend."

"I thought you said it was a trap!" Luke called as she turned away.

"Your friends are," Leana shot back over her shoulder. "Not mine. Try not to fall down any shafts."

Then she was sprinting down the hallway, hell bent on finding Lucas and freeing him. Luke could face Vader just fine on his own – she didn't need to be there. He'd live, even if he would lose a hand.

But Lucas in carbonite...that wasn't part of the script, and so Leana had no idea how that was supposed to turn out.

Skidding around the corner, Leana scanned wildly for some sign of Lucas and his escort. Movement at the far end of the hallway caught her eye, a door closing, and Leana poured on all of her speed, her boots pounding on the white floor. She slammed her hand against the sensor, prompting the door to slide meekly open, and bolted through, igniting her lightsaber in the dim light.

But there was no sign of a carbonite slab or any Imperials.

Leana stopped, staring around the room, feeling her desperation change into foolishness. Her cheeks burned as she realized she had done just what she had warned Luke not to do. She had walked right into the trap.

"So," a long-familiar, deep voice boomed. The breathing Leana had heard ever since she was a kid filled her ears, rasping, rhythmic. "You are the fourth disturbance, the one the Force fixates on even now."

Slowly, Leana turned to face the Sith Lord, who was standing in front of a set of lift doors. His masked eyes regarded her impassively, but she could sense his malevolent curiosity.

"What do you mean?" she asked cautiously, holding her lightsaber lowered and pointing away from her. Her fingers tightened around the hilt, the light from the green blade reflecting eerily off of the black reflective surfaces of Darth Vader's suit.

"You caused a disturbance in the Force," Vader stated, not moving. "I sensed it, as did the Emperor. A new Force-sensitive, arriving on the scene."

Leana had to wonder if Vader knew how much of that last sentence was literally true. "What have you done with my friend?" she inquired, keeping her voice quiet and controlled. "Lucas, what have you done with Lucas?"

"Only what he deserved," Vader uttered, and Leana couldn't help it; she lunged.

Vader stepped backward, igniting his red lightsaber, and Leana's green blade slammed into it. She sensed distantly the lift doors sliding shut behind her, locking her in the lift with the Sith, before Vader forced her back against the wall and pinned her there. The lift rose upwards, soft, unassuming music playing in the background.

The doors opened and Vader drew back, giving Leana time to stagger out of the lift onto a platform. The chamber was dim, with very little light to see her surroundings by. But she had a gut feeling – and a spoiler alert – that this was the carbon-freezing chamber, where Vader wanted to freeze Luke to transport him to the Emperor.

A chill ran down Leana's spine. Does he also want me in carbonite?

"Leana!" she heard, and turned slightly to see Luke moving swiftly toward her, snapping his lightsaber on.

"I hope you are ready for a fight," Leana said to him, raising her lightsaber in a defensive position as she watched the lift doors.

"A fight with whom, exactly?" Luke muttered, lifting his blue lightsaber into a similar stance as Vader appeared out of the shadows by the lift doors.

"With him, exactly."

"Neither of you are Jedi yet," Vader pronounced, striding toward them, his red blade lowered to the side. As he approached them, he swung his blade up and Leana and Luke both charged him.

Vader easily parried both their attacks as Leana ran everything she knew about lightsaber strategy through her brain. Dooku always held off two at once, but he was a Form II Master – that was never Anakin's style. I don't remember what the name of his style was – although he dressed like some sort of emo. I'll stop wearing black when they make a darker color – yeah, that was Annie.

Leana moved back, shifting to the side and striking at Vader's arm. The Sith only stepped back and to the other side, his blade deflecting Leana's as Luke landed a blow on his shoulder.

Twisting back, Leana could feel the fury rising in Vader. Without further ado, he unclipped a second lightsaber from his belt and ignited it, the green blade filling the chamber. Then he moved toward them, swinging both lightsabers at once, and Leana and Luke were hard pressed to keep from being shoved backwards.

****

"I am so brilliant," Dan stated, laying his hand on his chest in admiration for himself as the group walked down yet another Cloud City corridor. Ben could see a corridor cross theirs up ahead and exchanged a glance with Lumina. Here they would see if Lando stuck to the script.

Please, please, please don't improvise here.

"Really?" Lando said absently to Dan. Ben could tell he wasn't really listening to the Imperial, and he hoped it was because he was planning on helping them escape.

Help us, Lando, help us get out of this mess.

Ben was suddenly reminded of the old Beatles song, "Help Me, Rhonda," and stifled a laugh. Lumina gave him a strange look, and he leaned over to whisper his thought to her. She lifted an eyebrow at him, but he could see the corner of her mouth quirking up in a smile. "Ben, the Beach Boys did that song, not the Beatles."

"Beach, beat, it's the same thing," Ben told her.

"Nope, it's not," Lumina countered. "And if Lucas was here, he'd give you a long lecture on why." She lapsed into silence, the lack of a lecture a stark reminder of Lucas' absence.

He better be okay. I hope he's okay.

"Of course!" Dan was replying to Lando enthusiastically, oblivious to their exchange. "Did you see how I gave those stormtroopers orders? I snapped my fingers and they fired at those attackers! I bet I'll be given a promotion."

"You better get promoted fast," Lando stated with disgust.

"Why?" Dan asked, looking genuinely curious.

"Because my time of cooperation is ended," Lando told him with a grin, just as they reached the intersection of corridors.

Lobot led a company of Cloud City guards toward the group from the intersecting corridor, blasters leveled at Dan and his stormtroopers, who immediately put their hands up. Dan gulped. "There goes that promotion."

"That's right, buddy," Lando said in satisfaction as he grabbed the stormtroopers' blasters and then took Dan's pistol, the Imperial watching it mournfully. Lando gave the pistol to Lumina and the four blasters to Leia and Ben.

"Security tower," Lando ordered Lobot tersely. "Stay quiet. Blast them if they give you any trouble." Dan swallowed at that. "Well done, Lobot."

Lobot gave Lando a grim nod and pivoted, leading the guards and the imprisoned Imperials off. Lando turned to Chewbacca, unlocking the stun cuffs. Ben, remembering what happened next, was about to warn Lando when the cuffs dropped to the floor and Chewbacca grabbed Lando's neck, roaring with anger.

"Were you stupid enough to even think that we would ever consider trusting you after what you did to us and Han?" Leia demanded, glaring daggers at Lando.

"She has a point," Ben told Lando. "Thanks anyway, though." He glanced at Lumina, who had bit her lip, her eyes trained on Lando. She had to be enjoying this.

"I had no choice," Lando gagged.

"Oh, so we understand, don't we, Chewie?" Leia said derisively. "He had no choice."

"I'm trying to help," Lando insisted. "If it wasn't for me...." He started gasping for breath.

"We wouldn't be in this mess!" Leia finished.

"Shut up!" Lumina yelled, startling Ben as she jumped forward. All eyes swung to her. "He's just trying to help, dammit! Yeah, you may have no good reason to trust him, but you have no reason to kill him right now! Especially after he just risked his life to save yours! Let him go! Is this how you Rebels repay aid? In that case, you're no better than the Empire!"

There was a long moment of silence, then Leia said, "Chewie," and the Wookiee let go of Lando.

"There's still a chance to save Han," Lando panted, taking deep breaths of air as he fell to his knees. "At the East Platform."

"Come on!" Leia exclaimed, and they took off down the corridor, Lando struggling to his feet and chasing after them.

****

It soon became quickly apparent that, since Lando was the only one who knew where the East Platform was, it made sense for him to lead the way. They bolted along the corridors, a stitch forming in Lumina's side. Her chest was heaving, but she couldn't stop running. There might be a chance they could save Han.

What about Lucas?

She had tried asking Lando, but he didn't know where Lucas had been taken. His route back to the Executor hadn't overlapped with theirs much; Lumina wondered why. Maybe it had something to do with the trap for Luke, and how Lucas wasn't really a part of that.

But he had been with them just enough, just about the time Leana and Luke showed up.

But how come we're not on the same path? We're both going to the Executor – aren't we?

C-3PO's voice jerked Lumina from her thoughts. "Artoo! R2-D2, what are you doing here?"

Lumina glanced back, slowing slightly as she saw the blue and white astromech droid. C-3PO continued, "We're going to save Han from the bounty hunter!"

R2-D2 whistled and headed after them as they continued on toward the platform. Lumina saw the exit up ahead and poured on as much energy as she had left. She thought wryly about how Leana would laugh at her poor stamina, at Ben, all red in the face. Leana would have outdistanced all of them easily.

Perhaps we take up track after this. You know, in case this running for one's life thing becomes a habit.

Reaching the exit, they raced out through the open doorway and onto the East Platform...just as the Slave I fired its engines.

"See ya, suckers!" floated to them on the wind as the Firespray took off. The Rebels skidded to a halt, panting as they watched Boba Fett escape with Han Solo.

"To the Falcon," Ben said grimly. "So we can save Lucas."

"Oh no!" C-3PO called. "Chewbacca, they're behind you!"

They spun, Lumina, Leia, Ben, Lando, and Chewbacca lifting their blasters and firing at the two stormtroopers. The troopers fired back, but Lumina and Chewbacca both landed blows right to their chest plates, sending them collapsing to the ground.

"Back inside!" Lumina yelled, running back for the entrance. "Lando, take us to Platform 327!"