Your eyes show the strength of your soul ...

[twelve_not_fourteen]

What might surprise a person about the carbonite freezing process - since most people never get the pleasure of the experience - is the way you feel it freezing you on the inside at the same time as it's freezing your outsides. Even holding your breath, it enters your lungs fast. Harding everything you need to breathe. And the cold is so deep that it feels like every nerve is on fire.

If he'd had more than an instant, Han would have probably supposed that drowning feels like this, with less agony. All he really got to think about was the fact that this was going to be the end of him; while his friends were still in trouble ...

He could have lived with his early death if he knew that Chewie and Luke and, especially Leia, were gonna be okay. The best he could do was keep a brave face.

When Han Solo's body was extracted from the freezing chamber, it was clear that he had suffered. It had been quick. There were longer ways to hurt a guy, for sure, but the look on his face was impossible to escape. His hand held up in a pathetic defense from the gas. People were going to see that look on him forever.

~~~~~

All the scanning equipment showed that the smuggler was not dead.

The stormtroopers, many of them, were impressed by that fact because they were by far the most impassionate of all the people on the platform. The didn't hate the man the way his enemies did. Or loved him the way that his friends did.

Their boots pounded in an odd cascade against the catwalks of Besbin's mining facility. Helping a famous bounty hunter load up his prize into the old Firespray model ship.

Comments

[thecanarylives]

It hadn't taken long to track them. She knew the Empire's protocols well enough to be able to monitor relevant communications undetected, and chatter of Solo's capture and transport to Jabba the Hutt wasn't difficult to pinpoint, even on the most private of Imperial channels.

She could feel that itch in her fingertips, that familiar thirst for blood tugging at her insides as she maneuvered the jet towards Tattooine, stealing away in the shadow of a large freighter and landing in a commercial docking bay before stealing a transport to Jabba's palace. Fuck the Rebel plan. Fuck Skywalker and his patience. She was getting him back. Now.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

The palace of Jabba the Hutt is dark. Well fortified against the amateur intruders one might run into on Tatooine, naturally, but not so good at keeping out highly trained ex-imperial agents.

The hardest part of this, for someone like Sara, was trying to decide is she was going to bypass the security with tech or simply blow a hole through the durasteel door. Once past the door, she would encounter Jabba's goons. Most of whom could be outsmarted or outmuscled - working in the desert for a slimy gangster doesn't attract the most capable help, after all.

Han's carbonite prison is in the basement of the palace. Where it's less suffocatingly hot, but more unpleasant to the nose. It smells of stale alcohol and the bodily stink of about a hundred different species of sentient and beasts. The little cleaning that seemed to go on in this place doesn't get down to this layer.

He is against the far wall. Illuminated like a prized trophy. Or a warning of what happens when you upset the might Jabba the Hutt.

[thecanarylives]

Once the suns set and the chill of night settles in, it's easy enough to get around. The Hutt's aren't particularly tech savvy, so finding a way in that's lightly guarded only takes a few minutes, and all she needs is a knife and the element of surprise to start picking them off one by one.

Maybe it's wrong, that she feels nothing as she makes her way through the palace, a trail of blood in her wake. But if it means getting to Han faster, getting him out of this place and these shitty people, then so be it.

The majority of the palace is asleep, but that doesn't mean it's easy. Three, four, five at a time, even more once they start realizing they're under attack.

She's smeared in blood by the time she gets to the basement, breathless and disheveled but mostly unharmed. She stares at the slab of carbonate a moment, sickness churning in her stomach at the sight of it before she starts to fiddle with the programming. It hisses, thudding heavily onto the ground before it starts to melt.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

The beings working for a hutt aren't exactly the finest citizens. Mostly criminals. Jabba, in particular, runs the kind of outfit where being a sadist is seen as an admirable quality. Impassively extinguishing them all probably makes the galaxy a better place in the grand scheme of things.

Then again, people like Han Solo end up tangled in the web of the underworld too. You never know who you might be cutting down in order to help a friend ...

It's kind of funny that being thawed from carbonite is somehow worse than being frozen. Everything is hazy when his consciousness begins to stir. There's no thought to anything reasonable - like 'what danger am I in' or 'how have I survived' - he just feels awful. Fluish, almost, but all of his senses are dull. Apart from sight. He simply can't see at all.

Trembling, sweaty, it finally dawns on him that something has happened. He got let out. And is on the ground. Someone has to be there with him. It's just that he has no idea if he's in the company of a friend or foe.

[thecanarylives]

Knowing that the bulk of the palace's inhabitants are scum is a good excuse for burning the place to the ground. Maybe if she had more of a conscience, maybe if the Empire hadn't warped her into who she was now, she'd care a little more about the blood trail she leaves behind. But right now, all that's on her mind is Han. Anyone who's had even a breath of responsibility for what had happened to him deserved what they got.

He's shaking as he starts to come to, and she tugs him into a strong hold, keeping his head off the ground and stroking back his hair. He's drenched in sweat and whatever melted carbon residue still clings to his skin, and she pulls his head into her lap to try and get him to relax.

"Hey... hey, you're alright. You're safe."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

The first thing that Han notices is that someone is grabbing at his head. Which is a bit shocking when you're as out of it as he is right now. His impulse is to swat it away, not realizing initially that the touch is a kind one, and that the person offering it is a friend. Perhaps it's good luck that his hand is shaking so hard he can't defend himself.

The voice ... When his mind has had time to catch up with what his ears had heard, it's not instantly familiar. Not the way it would have been if it was someone he was close to. Not unfamiliar either, though, which doesn't particularly make him feel better.

"Who are you?" He says, swallowing at a lump in his throat and trying to ignore the twisting feeling in his guts. "Where are my ... friends? Where's Leia?"

[thecanarylives]

Instinctively, she reaches out to take his hand, holding it tightly to try and ground him, try and insist that she's not a threat. Maybe it'd be a little more convincing if there wasn't blood smeared all over her palms, but it's likely he's too disoriented to notice.

Still, she'd taken two blows to the ribs and an electric shock to the leg, and somehow the murmur of the princess's name on his lips stings the most.

She puts on a small smile, even if he can't see it, sitting him up just a bit.

"Forgot about me already, Captain Solo?" she teases, though her gaze is scanning his features sharply, watching him blink without really seeing. "And here I thought I'd left more of an impression on you than that."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

The hazel eyes of the roguish smuggler aren't focused on anything. At this point, with him able to talk coherently and at least attempting to keep his guard up ... his eyes should be trying to gaze at his rescuer or at least look around the room.

"Sara."

That's a bit of a surprise. Not that the woman wasn't capable of leading a rescue attempt, but she wouldn't have been his first guess. Probably wouldn't have been his fifth guess, either.

Han noticed how she ignored his question about his friends. The fact that she didn't seem to address them at all makes him want to know where they are and what happened to them that much more. There'd ... be a time and a place to get caught up on that, he supposes.

"I can't see."

[thecanarylives]

She's no expert on the carbon freezing process, but from what she's heard it's not exactly a pleasant process. She'd half expected to rescue him from a cell or some kind of torture chamber, but apparently he'd pissed off just the right amount of people to warrant an extra special capture.

She frowns as he starts to realize his vision's still lacking, digging into one of her pockets for a small flashlight and waving it in front of his face to check the response of his pupils. Nothing.

"Hibernation sickness," she mutters, pocketing the flashlight and sitting up a bit. "We need to get you back to your friends for treatment, make sure it doesn't get any worse. Can you stand?"

[twelve_not_fourteen]

There. His friends. She mentioned them and it does make him feel better to know that they're alive. For a few moments. The longer he thinks on it, though, the more he has to wonder why they aren't here.

They were the last thing on his mind when he went under ... and ... now he's starting to realize that he has no concept of how long he's been imprisoned.

"With help." He says after taking a moment to really think it over. "I could lean on the walls."

[thecanarylives]

She's fairly sure there's no real rush to get out of here, considering there's no one left standing in a five mile radius of the place. But he can't exactly tell at this point, and she's not about to offer the information up voluntarily.

Hitching his shoulder over hers, she hoists him to his feet with likely more strength than he's expecting, glancing around and guiding him slowly towards the stairs.

"Just take it easy, okay? If you pass out, I'd really rather not have to carry you out of this place."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

There isn't any reason to tell him and the rest of his senses are sharp enough to detect the lack of opposition around here. He has no idea where here even is. If, for instance, he knew that they were at Jabba's palace - he'd be far more unsettled by the fact that there was nobody around ...

"I've had years of experience not passing out when people expect me to."

He doesn't feel great about the fact that she's gotta hold him up, but considering the circumstances ... he'll deal with it.

"Is the ship far?"

[thecanarylives]

"Yeah, that's usually what people say when they're about to pass out," she counters, smirking a bit as she leads him slowly up the staircase and towards the large entry hall. The door's still open, guards still scattered along the ground, and she keeps him walking up against the wall for support as they head out into the open air.

"Not too far. Short ride to the hangar, and then we'll get you back to base."

Maybe he's familiar enough with the heat, the sand, the dry air that's characteristically Tattooine. Then again, maybe he's too disoriented to notice - though she should likely give him more credit than that.

They approach her speeder and she eases him towards it, helping him get settled before hopping on and starting it up.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

He can sense that it's dry and hot, but without the ability to see, he can't tell that it's Tatooine over any other desert planet. Being transported to while he was frozen means that he could be anywhere for all that Han knows.

"A speeder?"

That he'll know even if he was dazed. Having spent his teenaged years as a semi-professional racer, it just feels natural, even now. He doesn't have a problem balancing on the back even feeling as out of it as he does.

That said, he doesn't hesitate to hold onto her when he feels her body settling in front of him.

[thecanarylives]

She takes a moment to make sure he's steady behind her on the speeder before she kicks it on, putting as much distance between them and Jabba's palace as quickly as she can.

It's not a long journey back to the hangar, but it does take some time to get him back to her ship unnoticed. She at least had the forethought to bring tunics and head wraps for them both, hoping that'll at least help them maintain a low profile so they can make it back to base with ease.

Soon enough, she's helping him ease down into the co-pilot chair before she preps the ship for take off.

"How you feeling? Strong enough not to throw up in hyperspace?"

[twelve_not_fourteen]

There are signs that some aspects of the sickness are wearing off.

His feet are steady when he walks up the gangplank. His head turns in the right direction to hear the sounds that he's picking out in the background. His skin has regained most of it's color. But ... his eyes still don't appear to be tracking the way they would if he could see.

"I know you didn't ask Captain Han Solo if he could stomach a trip through hyperspace." He murmurs, as his hands reach for a seatbelt or harness of some sort. The man's intiuion for ships serves him well and he's not groping around for very long.

[thecanarylives]

She can tell he's at least a little less disoriented as time goes by, but there's still a furrow in her brow as she helps him strap in. The faster she can get him to the the Alliance's medical team, the better chance he has at full recovery.

She buckles in, offering a faint smirk at his remark as she preps the ship for takeoff.

"Alright, but if you hurl all over my control panel, you're cleaning up all by yourself, Captain."

Easing the ship out of the hangar, she mutes the ship's comm channels just as ground control starts to realize they're not exactly sanctioned for take off, and the ship lurches forward into take off.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

It hasn't dawned on Han that his sight might not come back, yet. He simply had to wait a little longer. Everything else seemed to be normalizing. It didn't even occur to him that this ordeal might leave him blind ...

"Fine, fine." Han says settling back into his seat and listening to the sounds of the ship lift off. He finds that the hum from of the sunlight engines firing well makes him feel a little bit better.

"Say, I want to thank you for coming to get me." He says, purposely stopping the thought there and wondering what she'll say on the matter.

[thecanarylives]

They settle into a comfortable kind of quiet as she pilots them out of the planet's atmosphere and jumps them into light speed. Her gaze flits to the radar every few moments to make sure they're not being followed, because the moment someone discovers what's left of Jabba's palace, there'll be a bounty on her own head faster than the man beside her can make the Kessel run.

She glances over at him when he speaks, shrugging off the sentiment and punching in coordinates for the base Skywalker and the Princess were last holed up in.

"You're welcome," is all she says, checking the radar again before settling back in her seat.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

There's so much going on that Han isn't aware of for one reason or another. Right now? He is literally and metaphorically in the dark - which is something that would really bother him in most other circumstance, but he's still processing everything.

Really, he wishes he could see the look on her face, in that moment. (He always was better at reading the faces of people at the sabacc tables than most.) Han has no idea what to make of her short reply. Other than she probably doesn't want to talk about this.

He leans back in the seat and closes his eyes. Figuring that if she doesn't want to talk then he may as well sleep. Strange that he can feel the lids pulling closed and yet, be in just as much darkness as he was an instant ago ...

[thecanarylives]

She's never been much of a talker in any situation, and right now is no exception. She'd known the consequences of coming to get Han without the rebels officially behind her. Known that she wouldn't be able to stick around when she got him to safety - that she'd take the heat if it meant getting him the hell out of that place.

She'd stay on base long enough to make sure he'd make a full recovery. After that... well, she's sure the princess will take care of him well enough.

She casts a glance back at him, watching him settle back into his seat and close his eyes.

"There's a cot in the back," she murmurs, flipping on the radar to alert her of any ships in their vicinity. "You'll be with your friends by the time you wake up."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

"My friends ..."

Han listens to the words hang out in the relative quiet of the cockpit. His friends that he would have died to protect were nowhere to be found right now, were they? He thought at least Chewbacca would have tried to help him, but then again ... he did tell him to watch over the princess.

"You seem in an awful hurry to get me back to them." He murmurs, eyes still closed. "Like you want to leave. Did ... somebody pay you to get me? Is there someone that wants me more than Jabba?"

He can't imagine there was, but he's been out of it for a while. A lot can change when a man is frozen in carbonite.

[thecanarylives]

She stops as he starts to muse, frowning and glancing over at him from her chair. Sure, maybe it wouldn't be surprising if she'd merely picked up a bounty on him and rescued him for the cash. He had no way of knowing that no bounty hunter in the galaxy was so desperate for cash that they'd steal a prize like that from Jabba the Hutt - or maybe he should.

"I don't want to leave," she says quietly. "And nobody's stupid enough to put another bounty on your head. Just... figured you'd want to get back to them, that's all."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

He had no way of knowing just about anything right now. Which is a lousy situation to be in and he hates feeling so out of touch - but it beats being frozen in carbonite. Just about anything does.

"I don't know." He says with a shrug. Then he opens those eyes that don't seem to be focused on anything. "I ain't the type that's ever had a lot of friends."

There's the thought that perhaps his friends aren't as loyal to him as he thought they were. He's also, very obviously, misinterpreted the fondness Sara has for him. "Whatever the case, I don't want you to just dump me somewhere and take off, unless you gotta."

[thecanarylives]

"Trust me. You're doing alright with the friends you do have." The smile she gives him is a little wry, maybe a touch sad. He's lucky, really. To have people as loyal to him as he does. Not to mention the fact that one of them's an honest to God princess with resources beyond just about anyone in the rebellion.

She furrows a brow when he speaks again, surprised at his ability to pinpoint exactly the plan she's been formulating in her head a few moments ago.

"I'm not 'dumping you somewhere'," she shrugs, shifting to face him a bit. "Chewie, Skywalker, and the Princess have been putting together a tactical mission to get you out for weeks. Hell, even Lando's chipping in. And with all the medical tech they've got access to, you'll be back to your old self in no time."

She glances at the ground.

"You'll be in good hands, Han."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

He thinks he has good friends. You have to admit, though, it is a little disconcerting to have none of them there for your rescue. That's why Han is so perplexed by the situation. Besides Sara being involved in the operation at all ...

"I can't let you just leave."

He probably couldn't stop her, honestly. Not before being frozen and not right now, while he's still trying to kick the effects of hibernation sickness. Yet, there's something about the tone of the words that suggests that he thinks he could make difficult.

"Not without knowing why you risked you neck for me. Why you came after me on your own ..."

[thecanarylives]

The corner of Sara's lip tugs upwards a bit at that, and she leans a shoulder against the back of her seat, considering him a moment.

"You say that like you have a say in the matter."

Still, it's probably the first time in years anyone has genuinely cared about where she was or what she did that didn't pertain to a mission. She chews on her lip, shrugging her free shoulder.

"They were taking too long. Didn't like the idea of you sitting in a carbon block somewhere, just... waiting for them to get organized."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

He seems to be looking at her. His face pointed toward her as if he could still stare instead into her eyes, but his own aren't meeting hers like they should. He can't see, but yet ... he doesn't look sad or helpless.

"I didn't think you cared so much."

Which makes him examine how much he cares for her. It was never a matter of not being fond of Sara, but he kinda presumed her interest in him was meant to be a brief one and that it had passed. In the meantime, he had been swept up in the wake of keeping Luke and Leia out of trouble. Which was a hell of a job because they hadn't developed a well defined sense of self preservation the way Han had.

[thecanarylives]

Even though he can't see her, it's hard for her to meet his gaze. When she does manage it, she puts on a smile, shrugging a shoulder again.

"About you being frozen in carbonite? Even I'm not that heartless."

She shifts a little in her chair, considering him a moment before getting to her feet. Reaching out a hand to tap his, she takes hold of it and tugs him out of the cockpit and towards the cot in the back of the ship.

"C'mon. You should lie down, at least. I've got some food - it's not great, but it'll tide you over until we get there."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Han seems to shift easily enough out of the chair and on to his feet. His balance and that natural swagger coming back to him. "We don't need to ..."

... leave the cockpit, but he doesn't finish the thought. It's not as if being at the controls of a starship is an uncomfortable place for a man who considers himself - above all things - a pilot.

"I'm fine, sweetheart." He murmurs. The tone suggests, very faintly, that he might be trying to convince himself of that. It also suggests that he doesn't really mind her doting over him that much. "I just need a little time to shake this and I'll be good as ever."

[thecanarylives]

"Sleep'll help," she murmurs, helping him through the narrow hallway and towards the cot in the back. It's small - not exactly built for a man his height, but she supposes he's used to that by now. Helping him in, tucking a pillow under his head, she crouches next to him, pushing back his hair.

"You should try and get some sleep."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Han isn't going to argue. He's feeling better than he did when he was broken out of Jabba's, sure, but it's not like he's feeling great. Laying down seems like a nice idea all things considered and besides, it's nice to be looked after by someone.

"How long is our jump, sweetheart?" His head settles down on the pillows, while his eyes appear to be looking through her ... instead of at her. "Because I've spent a lot of time alone over the last few ... weeks, I guess ... not keen to be alone right now."

[thecanarylives]

"Should be there in a few hours," she murmurs, fingertips stroking through the short crop of hair behind his ear. The corner of her lip tugs upwards a bit at his words and she shifts, climbing into the cot next to him.

"Scooch," she mutters, and even if there's not a huge amount of room, she manages to fit in flush up against him.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

"Oh good."

There's a faint smile that touches his lips when she doesn't hesitate to join him. She doesn't hesitate to press right up on him, either, which is extra nice. A little worse for wear, a little smelly, a little dirty and she still doesn't hesitate to squeeze herself in beside him.

"Looks like we got just the right amount of space for us."

[thecanarylives]

She knows that smile. The genuine one. The kind he doesn't have to put on - it's natural and easy and sweet. She curls in a little closer, stroking his hair back and watching him curiously a moment.

"Yeah. Looks like it."

She considers him a moment, leaning up to brush her lips lightly against his.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

It's a bit of a challenge for some people to discern Han's true smiles from the fake ones, because a lot of people never see the genuine ones. That said, when you've seen both, the difference is very clear. There's often a sneer in the eyes if not the lips. As if he can't completely contain the sarcasm that wants to ebb out of him.

But Sara has correctly identified this one as 'real' and the affection is plain to see. When it comes to the kiss? He can feel her moving in, the slight puffs of air from her nose teasing his face, so his first blind kiss doesn't catch him off guard all that much. He eases into the gesture and takes his time in it. The Corellian has always been an above average kisser.

He sighs, contented or perhaps relieved, in the kiss.