The Jon Solo Chronicles Book 3: Return of the Jedi

Chapter 14: Arrival on Endor

Han, Chewie, Luke and Leia all stood up from their seats. When Jon tried to do the same, Han held up a hand to stop him. Jon looked up at his father in confusion.

"Hey, what'd you do that for, Dad?" asked Jon.

"You're staying right here," said Han

"That's not fair, Dad!" Jon protested. "You let me come this far. When you gave me this poncho back on the cruiser, I thought I'd actually be allowed to explore Endor. And I told you I'd go wherever you went. But now you're telling me I have to stay here with the ship. Why? And don't give me any crap about how I'm "too young." or it's "too dangerous." Do you know what other other dangerous things I've experienced in my young life? Growing up as the son of a smuggler, for one thing! Always being on the run! Sure I had you, my father-which is one more parent than you had as a kid. And you love me. But it was still a dangerous life. The older I get, the more I realize that. And then when I was ten, you left me on Yavin IV."

"I came back for you" said Han. "Just like I promised I would." Han grabbed his camouflage trench coat, and put it on.

"Yeah, I know," said Jon. "And I'm glad you did. But sometimes, I can't help wondering what would have happened if you'd been just a second too late and the first Death Star had blown up the Rebel Base. And also, what if you'd made it back to Tattooine, but Jabba killed you. Had that been the case, and no one ever discovered you died, I would have spent the rest of my life believing you'd chosen to abandon me."

Jon's words struck a chord inside of Han. He remembered flying away from the Rebel Base four years earlier, and having those exact same thoughts and feelings. In fact, they were his catalyst in deciding to return for Jon, while also helping out Luke in the process.

"But none of that happened," Han countered.

"Then there was my thirteenth birthday," Jon went on. "And you gave me this, Dad." Jon touched his training blaster. "That night, there was the...incident. Remember when I almost shot you?" Han, Leia, Luke and Chewie all nodded silently. Each of them remembered that night very clearly.

"And afterwards, I kept saying how sorry I was for almost hurting you, Dad," said Jon. "In all honesty, my biggest fear is that you could have died at my hands."

"Jon, it's a training blaster," said Han. "One that's always set to stun. You couldn't have killed me with it."

"Yeah, well, you never know," Jon muttered.

"That explains some of Jon's nightmares," Leia realized.

"Huh?" asked Han. "Oh, you mean the nightmares Jon had about me dying. The ones where Vader killed me sounded really bad."

"Wait a minute," said Leia. "Jon told you that Vader would kill you in some of his bad dreams? Well, he told me that these dreams involved Vader handing his lightsaber to Jon, then he would be the one to kill you himself."