Fame and Fortune

Chapter Twenty-eight

Chapter Twenty-eight

The Prince fumbled for his blaster in order to defend himself, belatedly realizing he should have taken it from his belt the moment he noticed the lightsaber burning through the door panel. He was still fumbling when the doorway slid open and a large, enraged Wookiee burst inside the interrogation room, roaring at the top of its lungs, baring its fangs as its blue eyes took in the condition of the Corellian strapped to the board.

Before any of the Jedi could react, the Wookiee grabbed Isolder by his arm and flung him with ferocious strength across the room. The Hapan Prince screamed in pain, only dimly aware of his tendons tearing from bone, his shoulder slipping from its socket before his head collided with the wall and blackness overcame him.

Leia pushed past Chewbacca, who was still roaring in grief, and rushed over to Han. A wave of relief swept through her when she saw he was still breathing. I would have felt his death. "Luke! Help me get him down!"

"The needles have to come out before we take the binders off or they'll tear his flesh," Corran wisely pointed out, his eyes taking in his employer's dire condition.

The Princess started to attempt to remove a needle but her hands were shaking so badly that Mara pulled her aside. "Leia, let Corran and Luke handle this. You're too upset."

"She's right," Luke said, projecting tranquility toward his sister and Chewie. "We all need to stay calm."

*He needs clothing,* Chewie woofed, his tone instantly quieter.

Mara's eyes scanned the small area and saw a bundle of dark clothes that had been haphazardly tossed in the corner and pointed. "That's probably what he was wearing."

"I wonder what they were injecting Evin with," Corran said worriedly as he worked with Luke to remove the needles. "Chewie, can you take one of the vials that still has something left inside? The medics on Corellia will need to analyze it."

Leia stood, holding the clothing, feeling useless. Han, can you hear me? she whispered through the Force. There was no response.

Finally free of needles and binders, the unresponsive Corellian was gently lowered to the floor. Immediately, Chewie took the clothing from Leia's grasp and started to pull pants on his friend while Luke, kneeling next to Han, lifted each eyelid to check for a response, then felt his neck for a pulse.

"Han's not in there anymore, is he?" Leia whispered, her voice catching. "We got here too late. His mind is gone."

Luke sat back on his heels and looked up. "He's not gone, Leia. He's slipped into a coma, probably to protect his sanity. It might be up to us to bring him back to reality."

"Should we use the Force to wake him right now?"

"No," Luke quickly decided. "It will be too much of a shock to bring him back to awareness right away. He'd be in too much pain, and it's not necessary. His body needs to heal... his mind needs time to heal. Let's allow him to rest for right now."

"I need to find Isabell," Leia declared, suddenly slipping into her 'take charge' mode. "Chewie, you and Corran get Han back to the Princess. Luke will help me rescue my daughter."

"I have a better idea," Mara said. "The Fire is much closer since we set down inside the Palace, and he needs medical attention as quickly as possible. Corran and Chewie can take my ship and we'll take the Princess back to Corellia."

"That's a great idea," Luke concurred. "Give Corran the access codes so we can get this second rescue underway."

Mara told Corran, "Use Code "Greeneyesredhair" first letter cap the rest small, and the hatch will open for you. Any questions?"