Han & Leia | Galaxy of Us

Chapter 10

"Listen, Your Worshipfulness, let's get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person: me!" – Han Solo, Episode IV

Leia bit down on her lower lip worriedly as the fleets landed in the docking bay; they were missing one and had lost a few men that day. The Empire had been ready for them this time, grown accustomed to the attacks; they must have predicted where they'd go next because this day hadn't gone well. Luke hobbled out from his damaged aircraft, coughing slightly as smoke issued from the back, his face half unrecognizable with blood.

Leia hurried over to him, "Luke! What happened?"

"It was an ambush," he coughed, swiping at his matted hair, "They knew we were coming."

"You're bleeding," she said, then called out to the medical personnel that had arrived, "We need to get him to the medical bay immediately."

"It's not as bad as it looks," Luke protested but Leia replied sternly, "You need to get that checked out before it gets infected, how did you manage to get it in the first place? I doubt a blaster left that."

"It was the bounty hunter...from before," Luke muttered, as he was helped to the medbay. "The one that got away...he had a dagger and came up from behind me...Han shot him the back before he did any worse."

Speaking of Han...Leia swivelled around, but there was no sight of him, Chewie or the Falcon. "Damn you, you get back here right now," she mumbled distractedly, looking up into the clear bright sky above. If they lost Han today...if she lost another friend, another person she cared about...

The Millennium Falcon zoomed into view, making a not-quite clean glide into the bay. The ramp opened and Chewbacca lumbered out with one furry arm under Han's, supporting him. Leia let out a sigh of relief. The man certainly wasn't dead though he looked a little worse for wear. His face was wan though he looked fine elsewhere...unless...

"Han, your jacket," she demanded as soon as she reached them.

He raised an eyebrow, "I knew the day would come that you'd be wanting my clothes off, Princess, but-"

"Stop being an idiot. Where are you hurt?" she opened the flap of his jacket, the side that he seemed to be holding out at an awkward angle and gasped. There was blood seeping through his side, but it didn't seem as though the blaster had grazed him. It had made a clean hole.

"We need to get him to the medbay now," Leia nodded at Chewie, who growled back in agreement, "Let's put him on a stretcher," she beckoned to one of the staff standing by.

"Hey, I'm not so bad off that I can't walk by myself," Han objected feebly, just before his legs collapsed beneath him. Leia and Chewbacca helped him onto the stretcher and accompanied him to the medbay. "Can't wait to see me with my shirt off, Princess, can you?" he winked, then immediately winced in pain despite himself.

"Well, at least his vanity's intact," Leia rolled her eyes at Chewie, "He'll live alright."

"That's no way to talk about a man injured in the line of duty," Han muttered.

Leia stifled a snort. Truth be told, she was feeling very thankful that he was alive. Not that she'd tell him, of course.

Han lay back in the medical bay feeling heartily sick of bedrest. A thick gauze bandage covered the wound in his right side; other than that, he'd escaped unharmed. He should have known this raid looked too easy to be real. He'd lost too many men today, Luke had almost been killed and now he was stuck in this stuffy, white place. The only good thing that had come out of the whole venture was that he'd gotten rid of that Lal Inquor...except the dying man's words had been a bit of a downer.