𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖎𝖘𝖕 𝖘𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘, 𝔩𝔲𝔨𝔢 𝔰𝔨𝔶𝔴𝔞𝔩𝔨𝔢𝔯

𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

TURNING A SHARP corner, Theora slammed into Han's frame as he dodged blasts of red from their oncoming wave of attackers. His eyes widened as he laid them upon Theora's frazzled state, but there was no time to argue as another blast came their way.

Han reached out and gripped her upper arm, pulling her along as Chewie ran ahead and guided them back through the halls.

"What the hell are you doing here, Theo? I told you to go back to the ship!" Han shouted as they dodged blasts left and right.

She shook her head, ducking as she said, "I couldn't let you guys do this alone. We're a team, remember?"

Chewie growled in agreement, to which Han responded with a nod, releasing her arm as he said, "Yeah— you're right, a team."

They ran through the winding corridors, trying to find their way back to the ship. Theora could only hope that Luke and Leia had made it in time, that they were safe and that soon, they could all get off the blasted space station.

The pounding footsteps of the Stormtroopers made Theora's skin crawl and cause the hairs on the back of her neck to stand tall, but beneath all that, there was an inkling of determination kindling within her. It surged through her veins with each step she took, determined to outrun the guards and make it back to the Falcon in one piece.

"Close the blast doors!" A voice from behind said, distorted from the bulky helmet all Stormtroopers wore.

Han swung around, shooting at the band of guards who had gained an increasing distance on the three of them. In her peripheral vision, Theora saw the blast doors begin seal, with each corner closing in. She watched as Chewie ducked through the doors, following suit as she leaped through them, with Han darting through shortly after, narrowly escaping the door as it clamped shut.

With adrenaline coursing through her, Theora followed Han's lead the remainder of the way with a skip in her step. She had always loved the rush she received after a daring adventure with her family.

Though, her smile faltered a fraction as her mind wandered back to a brief time when there was a fourth member to their crew, although it was only for a brief moment as they got tangled in situation forged by a group of rival smugglers on the planet of Coruscant. Pushing the images of kind eyes and a bright, though secretive, smile, the three of them came to a halt.

Eyes falling upon the figures before them, a wave of relief crashed into Theora as she barrelled into Luke's outstretched arms.

"Thank the Maker," he mumbled, his arms circling her waist. "I thought something might've happened when you weren't with Threepio or Artoo."

A rosy hue blossomed across Theora's cheeks as she pulled back a slight, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, saying, "I told you I'd be okay, didn't I?"

Catching Han's gaze as he ensured everyone was out of sight from the Stormtroopers who remained stationed by the entrance of the Millennium Falcon, Theora raised a brow at his narrowed eyes. Whatever seemed to be circling through Han's mind, however, stayed there as he held his tongue and awaited for Threepio's signal.

When the golden droid beckoned Artoo to follow him to the ship, Han nudged Theora's arm and whispered, "Now's our chance, go!"

Following suit, they trailed Han's long strides as they made sure to stay out of sight. Leia's steps were feather-light as she glided across the main hangar.

The metallic boarding ramp seemed to be only a few feet away as Luke halted, his gaze trained on a commotion occurring in the corridor opposite.

"Ben?"

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

ALARMED, THE FOUR of them whirled around to find Luke swaying towards the fight. Following his gaze, a flare of fear snaked down Theora's spine as her eyes fell upon who Ben was duelling with.

Darth Vader.

Having only seen the image of the infamous villain plastered across various propaganda— which seemed to be strewn across the many planets Theora had passed through, the prospect of seeing him in person had never been considered.

His silhouette of death and despair froze her to the core, unable to move or process any thoughts as she found herself blindly stumbling towards Luke, whose eyes were wide as the blazing red lightsaber danced with Ben's.

Seeming to sense them, Ben glanced back with a grave expression.

Turning to face his opponent, Ben's chin was high as he brought his glowing blade towards him, illuminating his features in a pearlescent shade of blue. Darth Vader, sensing the opportunity, brought forth his lightsaber and sliced Ben clean through.

Theora stared in horror, both she and Luke immobile as Ben's robes descended to the ground, his body vanishing into thin air.

"No!"

Luke's cry alerted the nearby Stormtroopers, who raised their sinister weapons and shot wildly.

"Theo! Get back!" Han shouted from behind her.

She could barely register his words as she tugged at Luke's sleeve, urging him to follow. His face twisted, crumpling as he ignored Theora's pleas and instead aimed his blaster towards their attackers.

"Luke, come on," she planted her feet, wrapping her hands around his bicep as she pulled with all she had. Beneath her fingertips, his muscles tensed. "We've gotta' go, Luke. I know you're hurting but—" briefly dodging a blast, she looked back to him with wide eyes. "It's not safe here, please, come on!"

Glancing to her, Luke's glossy gaze softened as he nodded, lowering his weapon. Together, they dived for the boarding ramp, pausing only as Luke delivered a final blow towards the controls for the doors and effectively sealing Darth Vader inside the corridor.

Bounding into the Falcon, Theora paid no mind as Han and Chewie rushed to the cockpit to prepare for take off. Theora quietly ushered Luke into the main hangar, pulling him into the circular booth beside her.

Her heart ached as he slumped across the surface, burying his face in his palms. Soon, Leia joined them both, her eyes scanning their faces with a sad gaze.

Theora had no words that could comfort him, or to tell him that everything would be okay. All she could do was be there for him and hope that it was enough.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

hi im back !

thank u all for being patient with me as i took a small hiatus to focus on school and such!

also to those who have read my han fic 'anchor', did u guys catch the reference to zu ??

anyway, i hope you all enjoyed and thank u again for reading!! don't hesitate to let me know what you think! <3