Harry Potter and the Dark Lord of the Sith

Chapter 35.

When Hermione got back, she saw Jabba's guards lead Chewbacca away into the dungeons. So Leia's here, she thought. Sure enough, there was the masked bounty hunter Boushh--Leia's disguise. She reminded herself to ask, just out of curiosity, where the real Boushh was. Then--

Something tingled in her mind. Looking around, she saw Boba Fett talking to a tall, pale woman wearing a dancer's outfit. She's more than a dancer, it hit her. But what else is she?

Hermione milled about for a while, listened into a few conversations, but didn't find out anything useful. The strange woman disappeared somewhere, and eavesdropping on Boba Fett was useless, dangerous, and boring. But in a secluded corridor, she met up with Leia.

"You all right?"

"Fine," Leia said from behind her mask. "You?"

"Except for the smell, sure."

"Strange... talking to someone who isn't there."

"I'm here, Leia. You saw Han?"

"I'm getting him out tonight."

"Need help?"

"I'll be okay in the throne room. It's getting out of the palace that will complicate things. Just get the guards out of our way."

"You aren't asking for much, are you?" Hermione said. "Okay, I'll do it. Good luck."

A Gamorrean guard approached, and Hermione left... even a Gamorrean would decide that a voice coming out of nowhere was strange. She went to check on the Twi'lek girl, found her sleeping, and not wishing to disturb her, secluded herself in another chamber and summoned food from the kitchens. She needed energy... and she needed time to think. She suddenly wished that either Wedge or Ron were here. Ron... since he left with Lando and Chewie right after Harry's capture, they have not talked. He resumed his work in Intelligence, and although he did come to headquarters several times in recent months, they never ran into each other. She wasn't sure if she should consider that a good or a bad thing. What would he say? What could she say? They almost got the chance to talk last time he came... almost. If she hadn't been in a bacta tank at the time... but Wedge said he talked to Ron, although Ron asked him to keep the conversation secret. From his tone, however, Wedge didn't consider Ron an enemy... or even a rival for her love.

Love.

What an inconvenient time for it to happen. She wouldn't lie to herself--she loved Wedge. And she felt guilty over it. Guilty that she could feel happy while Harry... She couldn't blame Ron for that guilt, no matter how much she might want to. Ron simply said it with all the subtlety of a mad giant, but she would have felt that guilt regardless. Survivor's guilt, the older pilots called it. Wait a minute... that assumes Harry is dead. That's what was worst about it: she didn't know. She believed Harry was alive. She didn't think Ron would give up hope either. But her relationship with Wedge... she didn't have the strength to let it go, and she didn't have the courage to pursue it further... She took a breath. There was also a no small matter of Wedge being her commanding officer... although he hinted that that might not be the case for much longer. She sort of hoped it was true. At least that part of the problem would disappear.

Come on, Hermione. People have been struggling with love for millennia. You think you'll be able to figure it out? She sighed. She and Wedge would have a long talk when she got back to headquarters. Whether anything definite would come out of it... Right now, I'd better concentrate on getting out of this palace with everyone. She put the cloak back on, stepped out into the corridor, and headed back towards the throne room. Night had fallen on the palace, and she had to put in extra effort not to be heard.

She stood guard outside the throne room, ready to clear the way for escape. Holding her wand at the ready, she scanned the corridor. Everything was quiet... no one could imagine that hardly an hour before, this place was the site of the loudest party she'd ever seen...

Thump. Leia must have lowered the carbonite block. Come on, Hermione thought.

"Just relax," she heard Leia say. The voice was still Boushh's, however. Hermione remembered her time spent petrified in her second year. If Han went through anything similar...

"Your eyesight will return in time," Leia said. Eyesight? Han is blind? Oh, this is not good. Hermione stepped down several steps. Han and Leia might need quick help.

"Where am I?" Han asked. He sounds so weak... I hope he's okay.

"Jabba's palace," Leia said.

"Who are you?" Han demanded.

There was a pause. Then, Leia's real voice came over.

"Someone who loves you."

Hermione would have liked to talk about Wedge with Leia... but couldn't bring herself to it, knowing the pain it would cause the princess... If--no, when, she told herself--they got out, they would be able to do that...

And then, a very loud, very ugly laugh boomed through the throne room. Jabba wasn't sleeping at all... Hermione rushed down the stairs to see Leia and Han stand in front of the slug, Han supported by the princess. It took Hermione one glance to forego any attempt to escape. When she saved the Twi'lek girl, the room was full of people, and the guards were concentrating on protecting Jabba, not preventing escape. Now...

"...too late for that, Solo," Hermione heard Jabba say. "...smuggler... you're Bantha fodder."

"Look..." Han began, but Jabba cut him off.

"Take him away," he said. Guards pulled Han away from Leia and pushed him towards the dungeons.

"Jabba, I'll pay you triple! You're throwing away a fortune here, don't be a fool!" Han yelled, but the slug ignored him.

"Bring her to me," he ordered, gesturing at Leia. The guards did so... one of them, Hermione then noticed, was Lando...

"We have powerful friends," Leia said defiantly. "You're going to regret this."

"I'm sure," Jabba mocked her, and pulled Leia towards him.

"Ugh!" was all the princess could manage. Hermione was so disgusted that she was ready to start wrecking havoc, consequences be damned. The slug pushed her back into the arms of the guards and gave an order Hermione didn't quite understand. Something about "preparing." As she turned to leave, she got a glimpse of the pale woman. What is she doing here? And is that... No way. It couldn't be... But the woman quickly covered it up by the carefully designed dancer's outfit. Nevertheless, Hermione has seen enough not to mistake anything else for a lightsaber. I was wrong, she decided. Boba Fett is not the only serious threat here.

She left the throne room, but the woman already disappeared. Hermione spent several hours looking for her, and finally gave up on it and decided to get some sleep. Tomorrow would be a busy day.

XXXXXXXX

The warding spells still worked, so Ron wasn't afraid of an Imperial ambush as he entered their hiding room. But unlike his previous visits, he was ambushed. By an awake Jan Ors armed with her blaster.

"Oh, Ron, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I should have knocked, or something. Rest well?"

"I guess so. How long did I sleep?"

"I'm not sure. My chrono was broken when they arrested me."

Jan stared at him. "Long story," he said. "That was early morning--still dark. I met up with you about two hours later." Has it really been that fast? "And," he continued, "it took us twenty minutes or so to get here. You slept all day and all night--dawn was an hour ago. So there you have it."

"And you?"

"Magic can help in that area. "Don't worry. I'm not about to collapse."

He dug into his bag and handed Jan a ration bar. "Hungry?"

"Thanks," Jan took it. "How much do we have?"

"Not that much. Most of my supplies were in my ship. You?"

"Same. They impounded it."

When Ron didn't answer, Jan continued. "When I came for it, they were waiting."

"Good thing I didn't try it. I saw the ship gone and didn't even approach that landing pad."

"You're smarter than I am."

"Nonsense. You want to know how I got arrested? Oldest trick in the book. My contact either was a double agent, or they caught him and managed to get all the information needed to fool me. I pick up the datacard and get ready to leave, when he pulls a blaster on me. And I wasn't ready for it."

"How did you get away?"

"Oh, that's even better. I jumped down."

"Huh?"

"Just as they were leading me to a speeder, I jumped, summoned the broomstick as I fell, and flew off. The imps didn't count on magic, obviously."

Jan laughed.

"What? Reconsidering your assessment of my intelligence? Don't be afraid to admit it. Half the time, I think I'm crazy myself."

Jan smiled. "Remind me to tell you some of the things I did back in the day... including openly admitting myself as a Rebel to an Imperial officer who believed the Rebels killed his family."

"Kyle Katarn?" Ron guessed, but he already knew. "Where is he now?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, Kyle. And he... well, he started looking into who exactly killed his father."

"It wasn't the Rebellion, like he thought?"

"It was an Imperial attack designed to look like a Rebel raid. Beyond that, we don't know. Kyle thinks it was something more--and his hunches are usually right. I offered to help, but he joked and said he'd contact me when he'd head into real danger. How's your friend, Hermione?"

Ron didn't bother trying to hide his discomfort at the question. "Why?"

Jan frowned. "Has something happened? Is she okay?"

"Yeah," Ron growled. "Something happened."

"Well? You sound like you think it was your fault, even though you know it really wasn't," she offered.

Ron stumbled. "Are you some kind of mind reader?"

"Well, there may have been a Jedi on my mother's side of the family a few generations back... but really, no. I've just heard that tone before. So I guessed. I think Hermione is my friend, too. I want to help, if I can. Come on, tell me."

Ron's first impulse was to try to think of a polite way to tell Jan to mind her own business. Since he couldn't, and since he didn't want to repeat what happened with Hermione with Jan, he took the only possible option. He told her. He told her what happened in the aftermath of Bespin, and then he told of his last visit to the fleet before heading to Coruscant.