Nebulous - Han Solo [2]

Chapter 22: Which Way

Tasha didn't know how she was going to get out of this, only that she had to. Jabba

Would just kill her. She knew it. And she no longer had her reputation to protect her.

She took a deep breath, steadying her thoughts, pulling herself out of the situation,

Thinking. Thinking. She felt something dance at the edge of her mind. A presence, but

Not an unwelcome one, stronger than it had been the last time she'd felt it.

Luke.

Tasha projected out to him, calling his name, making him focus on her.

Tasha.

She had to restrain her grin when she felt him project back to her. Thank god.

Please help me.

She was shocked by how shaky her voice sounded in her head, the soft sound reverberating through her mind, desperate to reach the young Jedi. His voice was missing her desperation when he replied.

Hold on.

Tasha began to fidget, her fingers tangling together through the binders that held her wrists together, trying to release the nervous energy caught up in her. Luke was close; she could feel it as they walked past a corridor.

He was there, her green eyes catching the movement of a blue and silver astromech behind a pillar. No one else had noticed it. Now was her chance.

GO!

The word shot through her head and Tasha bolted for the pillar, ducking behind it, trusting that the bounty hunter wouldn't give up his prize. The stormtroopers turned and fired, their shots barely missing her as Tasha gasped at their proximity, sinking to the ground to avoid their fire. She snuck a glance around the edge of the wall: two troopers were still there, still firing, Fett and the others had moved on. Her green eyes caught Luke as he fired back at the troopers, hitting them both with an accuracy he hadn't had before.

Tasha was stuck on the ground, frozen with the realisation of whata selfish thing she'd just done. She'd saved herself. She'd left him.

"Tasha, are you alright?" Luke said bending down to her and undoing the binders around her wrists, dropping them onto the floor beside them. She didn't look alright. Her eyes were wide, scared and shell shocked, her breathing heavy like she couldn't get enough air into her body, like what she had just done had stolen it from her. She nodded.

"I think so," she coughed out. It was hard to breathe with guilt pressing you down like that. Now wasn't the time, Tasha knew it wasn't, but right now she couldn't help it. "I left him." Her voice was quiet, and she let out another cough. Luke put his hand on her arm.

"He'll be fine, Tash," he said, hoping against hope what he said would help, "but right now we need to rescue the others. Where did they go?" the girl shrugged slightly, still appearing unusually shell shocked. Luke looked around for his droid, his movements quick and jerking and full of pent up energy and emotion coming off him in waves. They needed to get moving. He grabbed both the girl's hands. "Listen Tash, if we don't get going we're not going to be able to rescue Han or the others. This isn't your fault, okay? None of this is, and right now we need to move." The girl looked at him blankly. He wanted to kick something. He needed to do something. Anything.

Tasha couldn't move. She wanted to, needed to, she knew that, but her limbs were too heavy. Her breath was shallow and she couldn't focus, her eyes barely taking in the image of Luke. She heard his words but they didn't make sense, they were being shouted at her through water. He as angry with her, the raven girl could feel it coming him off in waves; anger, fear, anxiety, energy. The blond boy motioned over a small droid; it looked familiar. A blue compartment popped open on its side and Tasha cocked her head to the side. Her brain was foggy, slow. The boy placed a blaster next to her, saying something again before tearing off, his shiny boots skidding on the polished floor. Tasha stared at the black shape next to her, her eyes blurring the lines where it met the floor. Something sizzled into the wall above her and Tasha barely flinched. She seemed to know it wasn't coming even close to her. Her breathing had returned to normal. In...out. In...out. She picked up the dark piece of metal next to her, hand shaking as she pointed it at the white soldier that stood in front of her. Her finger squeezed down on the trigger, the motion feeling natural, yet she felt so detached from it, far away. The bolt shot from the barrel of the blaster, singeing a hole in the white figure. That seemed to do it.

Tasha's green eyes widened as the shot pulled her out from the fog of her thoughts, the feeling of being submerged leaving her. She cursed under her breath as she realised how bad this situation actually was. The green eyed girl ducked behind a nearby wall as she picked off the stormtroopers that were following her. That was close. 'Okay,' Tasha thought, 'lets not do that again.'

She stopped, breathing. Her hands ran through her hair distractedly, pushing back escaping strands and just breathing. The raven girl cursed angrily under her breath. That was really kriffing stupid, but she finally understood. Something had just clicked as she shot off the blasts in that gun. Realisation flooded through her. She breathed.

Something caught at the edge of her mind as a shrill voice echoed through the passageways.

Leia.

She set off at a run, her footsteps barely echoing on the polished floors, her blaster tucked into her hand, familiar, comfortable. I wont leave her again, she thought to herself as she threw herself around corners seemingly haphazardly, following the younger girl's presence like a magnet, pulling them together.

The screaming had stopped. Tasha breathed, the air in her lungs ragged with exertion. Must get to them. The silence filled the air in an ominous way, but Tasha could still feel the presence, feel the girl's confusion. Something was happening. Panic, urgency. What was-!

Tasha smashed headlong into something as she rounded the corner. She curled her finger around the trigger, squeezing slightly before she saw who she was aiming at.

"Don't shoot, don't shoot!" came the frantic voice of the traitor, holding his hands up in a surrender motion. Tasha growled, her finger still poised precariously close to the button that would end Lando's life in one carelessly placed shot.

"Why?!" Tasha spat, "give me one good reason why I shouldn't fill you with blaster holes right here and now!"

"Tasha!" said Leia's voice, rounding another corner. The raven girl didn't break her eye contact with the man in front of her, blaster raised. Leia looked between them: Lando's wide eyes and Tasha's scowl; his rapid breathing, the pounding of his chest and Tasha's calm breathing, controlled, purposeful.

"We're wasting time!" said Lando, and Leia wondered if his anxiety was born out of concern for Han or for himself.

"Tasha now's not the time!"

"Really?" said the older girl, "seems like a fine time to me."

"Tasha we can still save Han!" she snapped angrily at her sister. The green eyes faltered in their resolve.

"What?" she said, her voice still sharp, but it quivered slightly at the end.

"Tasha," Leia's voice was softer now, and she sat her hand on her sister's arm, "we can save him, but we need to go. Now." Tasha looked from Leia to Lando, Leia to Lando, and she let out a sound like a scream through gritted teeth, dropping the aim of her blaster in frustration. Lando didn't drop his hands.

"Which way?"