The man was bloodied and pale, but his eyes were open. "You shouldn't have followed me," he rasped, struggling to breathe. "It's coming b-" He broke off into a fit of coughing. "This is where it li-" He exploded into more coughs, then fell backward, exhausted by the effort.

"What's he trying to say?" Han asked.

Sensing a familiar rumble beneath his feet, Luke drew his lightsaber. "I think he's saying, This is where it lives! This is where it lives! " he cried, as a reek burst into the cave. Leia flung herself across the wounded pilot, shielding him with her body. Han grabbed his blaster. " he cried, as a reek burst into the cave. Leia flung herself across the wounded pilot, shielding him with her body. Han grabbed his blaster.

The reek lowered its horn and charged.

"Blasting it doesn't work!" Luke complained. "Let me handle this."

"You had so much fun the first time?" Han shot back. "That was just a fluke. Keep out of the way and try not to get yourself hurt."

"But if you shoot that off in here, you'll-" Before Luke could finish, Han pulled the trigger, aiming for the mouth of the cave. Blasterfire ricocheted off the roof, dislodging a hail of giant rocks that rained down on the reek's head bringing it down in a heap.

"See, kid?" Han said triumphantly. "I told you I'd..."

He broke off as the ceiling continued to crumble, an avalanche of rocks tumbling down. They pressed themselves against the cave wall as clouds of dust billowed up from the ma.s.sive collapse.

Moments later, the thunder of falling rocks died away. The dust cleared. And a wall of solid rock blocked off their only escape.

"...handle it," Han finished in a weak voice.

They were trapped.

CHAPTER NINE.

"Don't you look at me like that," Han warned the others, as they turned to glare at him.

"It's not my fault!"

"Oh, really?" Leia said dryly.

"Look, Princess, I don't know what it's like where you come from, but where I come from, you shoot the giant scaly monster that's trying to eat you." As he spoke, Han ran his hands along the wall of rock, searching for an opening. If he could just pry a few of the rocks loose, he might be able to dig them out.

But hard as he tugged, none of the rocks would budge. They were wedged solid.

"I didn't have a choice," Han insisted, aware that he was getting dangerously close to whining. "What did you want me to do?"

"You could have let Luke Luke handle it, like he asked," Leia pointed out. handle it, like he asked," Leia pointed out.

"The kid and his glorified nerf-steak knife?" Han gaped at Leia. Was she crazy? crazy? "We'd all be reek feed by now!" He paused, glancing at Luke, who was standing off to the edge of the cave, his back to the rest of them. Probably practicing some kind of Jedi meditation trick. Luke always picked the strangest times to go all mystical on them. "No offense." "We'd all be reek feed by now!" He paused, glancing at Luke, who was standing off to the edge of the cave, his back to the rest of them. Probably practicing some kind of Jedi meditation trick. Luke always picked the strangest times to go all mystical on them. "No offense."

"Offense taken," Luke murmured, concentrating on whatever foolish thing he was doing.

Han turned back to the princess, who was still tending to the wounded pilot. If she would just let him explain explain what he'd been thinking... what he'd been thinking...

You weren't quite thinking, buddy, said an annoying voice in his head. That's the That's the problem. problem. He ignored it. He ignored it.

"Look, C-3PO's out there," Han said. "Maybe he'll be able to dig us out."

Leia didn't have to say anything, she just looked at him. Han sighed. "Fine. Then I'm sure he'll go get Chewie. A Wookiee is just what we need." The comlinks weren't working, thanks to all the magnetic interference, but surely the droid would figure out what to do on his own. "He's probably on his way back to the ship right now...unless he stopped to impress a reek with one of his six million languages," Han added under his breath. "Or fell in a ditch."

Leia glared. "If we die in here, I'll kill you."

Han opened his mouth to point out that didn't make any sense...but stopped himself just in time. "We're not going to die, Your Highness," he a.s.sured her. "I'm sure even you can get by for a few hours without your ladies-in-waiting, or whatever it is you princesses need to survive."

"Maybe I I can," she snapped, "but can," she snapped, "but he he can't." She nodded toward the injured man, lying in a pool of blood. "I've done what I can for him here, but the wound is bleeding out of control. We have to get him back to the ship. A few hours might be too long." can't." She nodded toward the injured man, lying in a pool of blood. "I've done what I can for him here, but the wound is bleeding out of control. We have to get him back to the ship. A few hours might be too long."

The pilot groaned. "That's some bedside manner you have there," he said.

Han arched an eyebrow at Leia. She scowled. "I thought he was unconscious!" she said, defensively.

"You're quite the medical expert," Han teased.

"I'd suggest you you take over," Leia shot back, "but you'd probably try to blast him back to health." take over," Leia shot back, "but you'd probably try to blast him back to health."

"Hey!" Han protested. But Leia turned her back to him, murmuring something comforting to the pilot.

"Some rescue attempt," the man complained, his voice weak.

"Try a little grat.i.tude," Han suggested. If he was strong enough to dish it out, he was strong enough to take it. "We're the ones doing you you a favor." a favor."

"A favor might have been letting me rescue myself," the man said.

Han snorted. "Yeah, you were doing a great job, lying here on the floor of the cave waiting to get eaten. Brilliant Brilliant plan." plan."

"Reeks are herbivores," the pilot said, in a superior tone.

Han hated hated superior tones. "Funny, I guess no one told that guy," he said, gesturing toward the definitely carnivorous reek lying dead on the floor of the cave. "Face it, buddy, if it weren't for me, you'd be lunch." superior tones. "Funny, I guess no one told that guy," he said, gesturing toward the definitely carnivorous reek lying dead on the floor of the cave. "Face it, buddy, if it weren't for me, you'd be lunch."

"You're right." His voice broke off into another coughing fit. " This This is a definite improvement." is a definite improvement."

"Han, leave the poor man alone," Leia said angrily. "He needs his rest."

"Me?" Han asked, incredulous. " He He started it." started it."

Leia shook her head. "I know you have the mind mind of a five year old, but that's no reason to act like one." of a five year old, but that's no reason to act like one."

"You-! How can you-? I-!" Han sputtered, searching for the perfect response.

Finally, he told himself it wasn't worth it. He turned to Luke, who was fumbling with his lightsaber over on the far end of the cave. "How about you? Don't you want to tell me what I'm doing wrong?"

Luke offered up a serene smile. "Actually, I was thinking I might get us out of here...unless you two aren't done arguing yet?"

Leia looked up, surprised. "You can get us out of here?"

"He's bluffing," Han said confidently. Then he took a closer look at Luke. "You're bluffing, right?"

Ignoring him, Luke strode toward the wall of rock blocking their exit, and plunged his glowing lightsaber into the pile. It sliced through the rocks like they were made of air. "I tested it first," Luke explained, "to make sure the beam was strong enough-and to make sure it wouldn't just cause the rocks to cave in even more."

"Thinking before you act," Leia said, giving Han a pointed look. "Imagine that."

Luke began cutting through the rock, methodically working the saber back and forth to carve out an opening. It was slow going, and Han could see it was going to take a while-but it would work.

"Good thinking," he said. Luke was a little clueless some of the time-okay, most of the time. But Han had to admit it: The kid came through in a pinch.

"I told told you the lightsaber was a valuable weapon," Luke said. you the lightsaber was a valuable weapon," Luke said.

"Hey, don't get ahead of yourself," Han argued. "Slicing and dicing a pile of rocks doesn't exactly qualify something as a weapon weapon. It's no blaster."

"Lucky for us," Luke pointed out.

Han grimaced. "If you're going to keep throwing that back in my face every time I-"

"Not to interrupt," the pilot interrupted, "but less arguing and more cutting would probably be-" He broke off abruptly.

"Probably be what?" Han asked irritably. What made this guy think he could tell them what to do?

"He's out cold," Leia said, concern filling her voice. "Luke, you've got to hurry! We have to get him back to the ship soon soon or..." or..."

She didn't finish, but she didn't have to.

Han joined Luke's side, pushing rocks out of the way as Luke's glowing blade widened the opening. He'd seen men lose that much blood before, and he knew what it meant. That pilot had to return to the ship soon-or he wouldn't be going anywhere at all, ever again.

CHAPTER TEN.

Leia rested a hand gently on the pilot's forehead. He was still so pale, but at least the fire no longer burned beneath his skin. They had brought him back to the ship and soaked his wounds in bacta, but beyond that there was little they could do for him. The Millennium Millennium Falcon Falcon was equipped with only the most basic medical provisions. was equipped with only the most basic medical provisions.

As Han, Luke, and Chewbacca worked to put the weapons systems back online, Leia had sat by the anonymous pilot's bed, waiting for him to wake up. It had been nearly a day.

We don't even know who he is, Leia thought, watching his eyeb.a.l.l.s twitch faintly beneath his lids. If he dies out here, no one who loves him will ever know what happened. If he dies out here, no one who loves him will ever know what happened.

She tried not to think about it. After all, his pulse was strong. His wounds were healing. There was no reason to think he wouldn't make a full recovery.

If he ever woke up.

They owed him so much, she thought. He'd saved them from certain death at the hands of the Empire. Whoever he was, whatever his motives, there was no escaping that truth.

They owed him.

"But if you want us to pay you back, you're going to have to wake up," she murmured.

"You drive a hard bargain."

Leia started in surprise, jerking her hand away from his forehead. "You're awake!"

"Seems that way." He smiled, and tried to sit up, groaning at the effort.

Gently, she pushed him back down to the bunk. They were in a cramped room just off the main hold, where Han had stored his meager medical supplies. "Easy," she told him.

"You lost a lot of blood."

He grimaced. "That wasn't part of the plan."

"What plan?"

A strange, blank look flashed across his face, and then it was gone, so quickly that Leia thought she might have imagined it. Especially when he smiled. His eyes sparkled with good humor, and some of the color seemed to come back into his face. "The plan where I rescue the fair maiden and reap her eternal grat.i.tude."

Leia suppressed a grin. This was still a stranger, she reminded herself, and they were at war. You couldn't trust every would-be hero with a charming smile. Just look at Han Just look at Han, she thought. Hero one moment, scoundrel the next.

The galaxy could be a confusing place.

"If you're well enough to flirt, you're well enough to answer some questions," she said sternly. "Want to tell me what you were doing out there, fighting someone else's battle?"

"Is that your way of saying thank you?" the pilot asked. "Because if so, you and your blast-happy friend have some work to do on the etiquette front."

Leia sighed. " Thank you. Thank you. Now...what were you doing out there?" Now...what were you doing out there?"

"What were you you doing out there?" he countered. "Who are you people, anyway?" doing out there?" he countered. "Who are you people, anyway?"

"I asked first," Leia said, biting down hard on the corners of her lips to trap another grin.

"Indeed you did." The pilot looked thoughtful for a moment. "Truth?"

"That would be nice."

He raised a hand, wincing at the effort. She shook, being careful not to squeeze too hard. "Tobin Elad," he told her. "Dissident, guerilla warrior, exile, orphan, and rather atrocious poet. Though not in that order."

"Leia," she said, keeping her surname to herself.

"Professional damsel in distress?" he suggested, when it was clear she wouldn't be offering any additional information.

"I prefer to rescue myself myself, thank you very much."

"I'll keep that in mind for the future," he said lightly. "Wouldn't want to overstep."

"You call yourself a warrior," Leia said. "That means you have an enemy."