The Jon Solo Chronicles Book 3: Return of the Jedi

Chapter 3: Han Solo Returns

Once Jon and Leia returned inside Jabba's palace, he was given permission to go into the sleeping quarters. He also refilled his canteen with fresh, cold water. After that, he'd settled down for a nap. Sleep surprisingly came very easy to him. When he'd next woke, it was nighttime. Leia appeared, now wearing her bounty hunter helmet once more. She brought her finger to the the mouth of her mask, motioning for Jon to keep quiet.

Mother and son slowly went back into the throne room. Jabba was nowhere to be seen. The party was over. The stench of alcohol, sweat and who knew what else hung in the air. It made the throne room seem even creepier than it had in broad daylight. Leia had accidentally bumped into a wind-chime, which clattered. That made Jon nervous, but his mother quickly recovered, and the two of them continued on their way. Leia was careful to look around to see if anyone had spotted them, but no one had.

The Carbonite block that encased Han Solo loomed up ahead. This was it. At last, it was really happening. Jon was finally going to get his father back. The boy wanted nothing more than to rush up there and free Han. But he knew he had to remain patient and quiet. He followed behind Leia. She ducked into one side of the alcove. Jon took the other side.

Leia pressed a button near her, which lowered the Carbonite to the ground with a thud. Jon's heart thundered in his chest. That was pretty loud. Surely someone would have heard. But the throne room remained quiet. Jon made his way over to Leia. She pressed the buttons on the control panel to begin the melting process. Then she and Jon stepped back from the alcove as Han's body was lit up by a red glow. There was suddenly the flash of a bright white light. Slowly, Han's body became free. After that, he fell to the ground. Jon was reminded of his dream where this had happened, but Han had died. Was his worst fear about to come true in real life?

Leia knelt close to Han, checking for signs of life. She took hold of Jon's hand, placing it on Han's chest. That's when the boy felt it-the beat of his father's heart. Sure, it  seemed a tad quicker than Jon thought it should be, but he and Leia could worry about that later. What mattered now was that Han Solo was alive. Jon had gotten his father back. The boy helped Leia get Han into a sitting position. The elder Solo was shaking and trembling. He also panted as he tried to breathe. That's when it occurred to Jon that his father really would need some serious medical attention. And the best way for that to happen was to get Han back to the Falcon's sick-bay as soon as possible. 

"Just relax for a moment," Leia consoled. Under the mask of Boushh the bounty hunter, her voice was distorted. Jon wondered if that might scare his father. "You are free of the Carbonite. Shh. You have Hibernation Sickness." Leia was using the name of the condition Jon had told her about earlier. Han rubbed his eyes.

"I can't see," he said. On the one hand, Jon was so happy to finally his father's voice again after a year. But on the other hand, Han was indeed blind. Worry filled the boy once more.

"Your eyesight will return in time," Leia explained. The information Jon had looked up on the HoloNet about Hibernation Sickness had said that the blindness was only temporary. And now, he wondered when his father would actually be able to see again.

"Where am I?" asked Han. He still continued to shiver, but whether it was because of his illness, or the throne room having become considerably cooler in the the nighttime, Jon couldn't tell.