Force & Resistance: a Han & Leia love story

7. Troopers, Heroes, Lovers

Content Warning: a kid gets scared but he'll be okay.

The rouge troopers come through the door in an arrowhead formation, blasters out, pushing the frightened but unhurt little boy ahead of them at the point, using him as a shield.

Din Djarin calls out, "If you want to live, leave the boy with us and go!"

To his credit, one of the troopers is smart enough to turn and run. The rattle of his plastisteel armor as he skedaddles is almost comical. Din clears his throat and takes aim.

The rest of the troopers are not as wise. As predicted, all are focused forward on Maz and Djarin. The ones in the back don't think to swivel and look behind them as they come through the door.

It's nothing at all for Luke to spin out from behind them and cut two down in a blaze of burning green death. The smell is horrid. So is the sound of their bodies hitting the ground before they even know they're dead.

Han and Chewie pick off two more with precise shots from their blasters. One dead. One is only hurt. He goes down yelping. A head shot from Din finishes his cry of pain. Five out of six eliminated.

The hostage screams in terror. The trooper with the kid in his arms is desperate now. He holds a blaster to the child's side and keeps moving, turning, crouching, not presenting an easy target.

"Give me all the credit chips in this poodoo cantina or else!" the trooper demands. "Pay up now, Maz!"

Mando raises his arm, keeps him in his sights. Considers all available shots. Too risky. Might hit the boy, who is in full panic. The child's fear is making the trooper unpredictable. Things could go real bad, real quick.

Luke holds up a hand, sending a wave of calm over the poor boy.

Maz's plasma gun is only for show at this range. It could take out a Tie Fighter outside, but in here, it'll blast the front wall out. It's for intimidation, but only useful as a last resort. Han and Lando can't take him out cleanly with blaster shots either.

But.

Suddenly the trooper's black gloved hands drop his blaster, which skids away to Luke as though pulled by a string. Then his fingers scramble at his cracked and dingy helmet. He makes choking noises. Ripping his helmet off and releasing the boy in one frantic movement, he reveals a pale, humanoid face, a shock of short, bright aqua hair. The little boy turns and kicks him straight in the codpiece. Hard. He falls to his knees. The kid runs to Han and Lando. The trooper's cheeks are growing purplish red and his eyes bug. His hands fly to his throat in the universal gesture of "oh shab, I just pissed off the wrong Jedi."

Luckily for everyone, especially the grocer's son, Leia doesn't take orders, baby or no. She's escaped Chewie, popped up out of the basement shelter, and hidden from view, she is Force choking the lead trooper. He's dead in four heartbeats. Then she's stepping out of hiding gracefully and blowing Han a kiss. He tosses her a cheeky salute.

When the last trooper drops, Luke and Din are running out the door, sweeping the grounds for others. There could be a whole battalion of troopers out there somewhere. These guys could be scouts, ahead of a larger group. Luke uses a Force assisted jump to reach the roof. From up there, he sees nothing, no more coming. Din jogs off on patrol, circling the compound. Luke watches him go, distracted by that swagger once more.

Han and Chewie deliver the kid back to his folks. They find the grocer and their husband badly frightened but unhurt, just tied up, and their store a bit looted. Luckily for them, all the stuff that was taken is sitting in the half broken down hovercraft the dead troopers left outside Maz's. They're very happy to see their boy is okay. He tells them the story with great gusto.

Han feels like a hero again for a moment and what a rush. The good guy business is the best. They trot back to Maz's Castle grinning, Chewie's arm over Han's shoulders.

.

.

.

.

After the skirmish, after the bodies have been drug away to be burnt and the tables turned back to rights, Maz lets the friends have their drinks on the house. Everyone gets properly drunk, all but Leia and the Mandolorian.

If you've never seen an intoxicated Wookie, just know, they're quite loud, overly friendly, and they want to arm wrestle everyone. Don't take them up on it. Chewie wins 500 credits from a dozen sentients who really should have known better.

A drunk Lando would also like to wrestle, but with a slightly different outcome. He has an arm around each half of the engaged couple and an invitation to sleep on the Falcon tonight. He'll probably convince them to stay on his ship instead, as his bed is bigger and its sheets sky blue silk.

The cantina band is hot tonight and the whole village turns up after a while to hear the story, assess the town's damage, and thank the heroes for getting rid of the mob of troopers. Everyone gets pulled into the dancing and the celebratory mood. The place is packed by sunset and Maz is shoveling in the credits.

It turns out to be a kriffing good engagement party after all.

The Mandolorian and the Jedi circle each other for a while and then some quiet words are exchanged.

"Your fighting style is admirable," the Mandolorian's warm rasp of a voice behind him.

Luke turns to see Djarin has approached. He hates that he blushes. But he's tipsy and brave. He goes for a lopsided grin.

"Thank you," Luke says, and he tries to strike a relaxed pose, "I admire your style as well."

"What is your name, outsider?" the Mandolorian asks, words and body language direct. Interested.

Luke is always quick to doubt himself, but this time, he's sure he isn't mistaking the energy coming from within the armor. He tries to project attraction back.

"Luke Skywalker," he answers. Luke would normally use an alias. His real name raises alarms, after all. There are still people out there who would hunt the Jedi to extinction, he knows. But this time, Luke tells the truth. His large blue eyes are vulnerable but trusting.

"Luke Skywalker, Din Djarin," the voice as warm as caff says back, and Luke's heart pounds. He doesn't say Luke's name like he's heard of it. That's interesting.

Luke isn't sure why, but he feels a strong push to give the mysterious metal man a data chip with his base locations stored on it. Against all his customary caution, Luke pushes it across the bartop to Din and says, "If you need to find me."

The helmet nods slowly and a gloved hand takes the chip. The moment having passed without significant humiliation, Luke leaves at once before he makes a lurdo of himself.

He hurries back to Leia and Han who are (not subtly at all) grinning and giving him thumbs up.

Lando, Chewie and Maz take over the dance floor at one point. A man with a cape needs to swirl, after all. Lando was born to flourish. Chewie just picks Maz up and holds her in his arms, spinning to the music.

At last, it's the night's final toast. Maz climbs up on the bar and rings a bell, voice calling out, "To the bride, the groom, and their baby on the way! To all of you! To the Alliance! To freedom!"

The crowd cheers. Han and Leia kiss for the thousandth time tonight.

Then the merry day is done. Even Maz Katana has to sleep sometime. Preferably curled up on Chewbacca's soft, warm chest, if she gets her way.

Time to love and rest.

May the force be with you.