Ghost - A Star Wars Fanfic

Chapter 20

"This is a horrible idea, Han," Lando worried as he watched his friend drag two unconscious stormtroopers up the ramp of the Falcon, Luke and Leia's figures following the shadowed figures of Padmé and Vader off in a distance before they turned the corner and disappeared. 

     Han simply glared up at him, pointedly ignoring the twins leaving and huffing with exertion from carrying the dead weight of the trooper. "And your plans are any better?"

     Rolling his eyes, Lando pushed down the guilt of Bespin and quickly snarked back at the Corellian, "All I'm saying is that putting together this lavish rescue plan for a couple of droids is a bit excessive." Han scoffed at that. "Besides, I thought you hated droids."

     The second and final stormtrooper dropped onto the metal, grated floor of the Falcon with an echoing thump, Han wiping his sweaty brow and brushing off his pants as he moved to look up with exasperation. "Of course I hate those damn scrap piles. But Luke and Leia insisted I get them and...and I wasn't gonna say no to them," Han bit his lip and then kicked the stormtrooper towards Lando. "Now put that armor on, we only have so much time."

     Lando fought a smirk and just barely heard Chewie's bark of a comment as he came stomping up the ramp. "Shut up, furball," Han grumbled, ripping the armor off the other trooper and beginning to secure it over his own clothes.

     "You have it bad for those two, don't you?" Lando teased, getting another glare.

     "Don't you join Chewie now, he's hard enough to deal with by himself. Luke and Leia are my friends, I just...I care for them, that's all," Han snapped, his voice hesitant on the word 'friends'.

      Putting his hands up in mock surrender, Lando went to putting on the armor as he had been instructed, but he didn't skip out on the chance to share  another amused look with the Wookiee.

     Han slid on the armor with ease, unnerving familiarity of wearing it triggering muscle memory as he latched each part together. Once both men were secured in the armor, Lando instantly complained at the feeling of the tight armor and how everything was too small, him obviously having a much harder time than his companion. Han simply chuckled as he watched Lando struggle, thinking back to Luke so many years ago--stars, had he really been only 19?--struggling just the same with the much too large armor on his thin frame, "The kid and I did this back on the Death Star a few years back," He commented lamely as he slid his helmet on, "Our undercover plan worked then, so it can work now."

     "It barely worked then," Chewie grumbled, fumbling with buttons on the Falcon and making sure she was ready to fly at a moment's notice.

     "Yeah, but we made it, didn't we?" Han countered, grabbing a blaster from the ground and unlocking the safety. "Rescued Leia and everything."

     "The princess would argue that she rescued you and Luke," Chewie countered.

     "Point of view. Unimportant," Han said in embarrassment.

     "Leia can take plenty care of herself, I'm not surprised that she ended up looking after you, Han," Lando teased, not letting Han respond as he turned back to Chewbacca, "Comms all set, Chewie?" Chewie growled an affirmative and Lando followed Han's suit by sliding on his helmet and grabbing a blaster. Static instantly entered his ear from the hacked commlinks connected through the Falcon where they could each communicate with one another.

     "Alright then. Off to save the droids then. No problem," Han sighed.

     "See you on the other side, Chewbacca," Lando called before he and Han darted down the Falcon's ramp and out into the ongoing battle. Their mission was their main priority, but all the mention of the twins sent Han's mind into the thoughts he had been trying to avoid. His brain, the traitor, flashed images of Luke and Leia off confronting the Emperor, both of them holding sabers and quaking before the massive Sith. Han could even swear that he could feel both of the twins emotions' deep in the back of his mind, their fears and worries blending with his.