Sacrifice - A Star Wars Fanfic

Chapter 13

On a hill, the helmeted Rebel contingent silently made its way up a steep trail. Leia and Han were slightly ahead of Chewie, Anakin, and Luke, and the troops of the strike-team squad followed with Artoo and Threepio bringing up the rear.

Up ahead, Chewie and Leia reached a crest in the hill and dropped suddenly to the ground, signaling the rest of the group to stop. Han, Anakin, and Luke crawled up to take a look.

"Oh, I told you it was dangerous here." Threepio muttered.

Not far below them, two Imperial scouts were wandering through bushes in the valley below. Their two speeder bikes were parked nearby. Anakin noted their location in case they needed a getaway.

"Shall we try and go around?" Leia whispered.

Han bit his lip. "It'll take time. This whole party'll be for nothing if they see us."

Leia motioned for the squad to stay put, then she, Han, Luke, Anakin, and Chewie started quietly down. Once they got close enough, the five of them got on their stomachs behind a log.

"Chewie and I will take care of this. You stay here." Han said suddenly, sliding his blaster out of his holster.

Luke reached over Leia and Anakin to suddenly pull Han back down from his standing. "Quietly. There might be more of them out there." Luke hissed under his breath, noticing how full of energy his friend seemed to be.

Han just smirked. "Hey...it's me!" With that, he clambered off through the brush, staying low to the ground. Both Leia and Luke rolled their eyes at the same time, and Anakin fought a smile. Now that he knew, they really did look and act like twins.

The Skywalkers' watched Han by peeking over the log. He was currently behind a tree, his blaster gripped tightly and ready to fire at a moment's notice. He stealthily snuck up behind one of the scouts, his face set in a determined look. Anakin saw what was about to happen, and was about to give away their position, when Han stepped on a twig and the scout whirled around instinctively, knocking the Corellian into a tree. Han, dazed at the sudden motion, barely registered the scout shout for his companion. "Go for help! Go!"

The second scout quickly jumped on his speeder bike and took off, but Chewie reacted faster and managed a shot off his crossbow, causing the scout to crash into a tree. The first scout noticed his companion's demise and suddenly attacked Han in a fist fight. Han blinked in surprise at the scout tackling him, and instantly began to turn the pounding fists back on the imperial.

"Great." Anakin muttered sarcastically. "Wonderful taste in men, Your Majesty."

Leia blinked and Luke rolled his eyes. "Come on, we have to help him!"

Luke jumped to his feet and ran down the clearing, Anakin and Leia not far behind him.

Luke and Anakin started for the scuffle between Han and the scout, followed by Leia with her laser pistol drawn. As they ran through the bushes, Leia suddenly stopped and pointed to where two more scouts were sitting on their speeder bikes...with two unoccupied bikes parked nearby.

"Over there! Two more of them!" Leia called, catching Anakin and Luke's attention. She immediately ran towards them, planning on shooting the scouts out.

"Wait, Leia!" Luke cried, racing after his reckless sister.

Anakin looked between his children and the Corellian, and swore. "Sorry Solo."

It was probably a good thing Han didn't hear him, as he continued to tussle with the stubborn Imperial scout. However, the man did look up to see his companions leaving him, and he angrily slammed the scout to the ground, sighing in annoyance. "Wait for me? Nah, it's okay."