Clary stumbles as she holds onto Han, guiding him with the help of Leia through the wind and storm. Sand billows around them, whisked up by the howling wind, and Clary squints, eyes burning from the small particles that make their way to her face.

"I don't know," Han yells above the noise. "All I can see is a lot of blowing sand!"

"That's all any of us can see," Leia replies. Han blinks, frowning.

"Then I guess I'm getting better."

Clary inhales sharply, saying nothing, as she stares at her feet, pushing against the wind that's threatening to push them back. All she can think about is the voice she had heard back on the sail barge — it had sounded so clear that for a moment, she was beginning to worry that it had been her own voice all along. She doesn't have the time to think more of it, though, as they finally reach the Millennium Falcon, crowding beneath it to serve as a blockade against the sandstorm.

"I've got to hand it to you, kid," Han says, turning towards Luke, who had been helping Chewbacca walk over with Lando. "You were pretty good out there."

Luke shrugs. "I had a lot of help. Don't think anything of it."

Han pulls his arm away from Clary's shoulder, attempting to stand a little straighter. "No, I'm thinking a lot about it. That carbon freeze was the closest thing to death there is. And it wasn't just like sleeping. It was a big, wide awake nothing!"

Luke merely nods, and Chewie lets out a small rumble of affection, pulling Luke into him and ruffling his hair. Luke struggles against his grip, but a smile manages to cross his face. He barely has time to steady himself once again before Leia hugs him tightly. Clary averts her gaze, staring at her feet, the sound of blasters still echoing in her head.

"Why don't you leave that crate and come with us?" Han asks, gaining Clary's attention. She looks up to see Luke and R2 heading towards one of the X-wings parked nearby. Luke turns.

"I have a promise I have to keep, first. To an old friend."

R2 lets out a string of beeps before he turns, gliding towards the X-wing. Luke starts after him but hesitates, glancing over his shoulder. He meets Clary's gaze and gives a small smile, holding out his hand. Clary pushes towards him, grabbing his hand, and he squeezes back just as tightly.

"Luke —" she starts but is cut off as he pulls her close to him, embracing her tightly. Taken aback, Clary stands, unsure of what to do. Luke leans back and reaches with a gloved hand, holding the side of her face gently as he forces her to look at him. Staring into his eyes, Clary feels how she always feels when looking at him: sad.

Suddenly, Luke sighs. "Stop looking at me like that, Clary."

"Like what?" Clary frowns.

"Like you're not going to see me again." Clary bites the inside of her cheek, eyes downcast, but doesn't say anything. When she finally dares to look back up at Luke, he's leaning forward and pressing his lips gently against hers, his hand cupping the side of her face, warm and secure. Although it lasts only for a moment, to Clary, it feels like a century, before he pulls away.

"I'll see you soon," Luke calls over his shoulder before turning and running towards his X-wing. Clary stands in the storm, the sand billowing around her, threatening to encase her forever. She can still feel the ghost of Luke's lips on her.

"Is this carbon freeze making me see things now?" Han yells suddenly. Clary turns, her face reddening as she sees him staring over at her in disbelief, having nearly forgotten that she and Luke hadn't been alone. "Did my baby sister just —!"

Leia tugs on Han's arm pointedly, cutting him off. Clary avoids their gazes as she heads towards the opening of the Falcon. Chewbacca has already disappeared into it, and before Clary can step into the shelter from the storm, Lando is standing beside her.

"Priceless," he says, gaining her attention. She glances towards him, huffing under her breath. "You know, Clary, I think you just gave Han a heart attack. He's not going to let you live this down."

"Don't remind me," Clary mumbles. Lando laughs, squeezing Clary's shoulder affectionately before disappearing into the cockpit. Han and Leia enter the Falcon last, and the door closes behind them. In an instant, the ship rises off of the sand, and Clary stumbles as it starts forward, zipping out of the dust planet.

Han grabs onto Clary's arm, steadying her, before his eyes narrow as he shoots her a pointed look.

"Are you going to tell me about this?" he asks. Clary meets his gaze, feigning innocence.

"About what?"

"About you and Luke!"

Clary's cheeks redden, but she doesn't avert her gaze as she retorts sharply, "Are you going to tell me about you and Leia?"

Han opens his mouth to retort, but stumbles, his entire face pinkening. "W-Well...that's not a secret!"

Leia pushes past Han pointedly, shooting him a glare, before heading into the cockpit. Clary raises a brow as Han looks between her and the princess.

"Clary —"

Before anyone can answer, Clary hears Luke's voice coming from the cockpit. She starts forward, ignoring her brother's protests, and moves to stand behind Chewbacca's seat. Leia is standing nearby, holding onto the commlink.

"Hurry back," she says. "The Alliance should be assembled by now."

"I will," Luke answers. Leia doesn't have the chance to say anything else as Han barges forward, grabbing the commlink out of her hand.

"Hey, Luke," he starts, voice sharp. Clary shoots him a pointed look, and Han holds her gaze for a moment before sighing. "Thanks for coming after me. I guess now I owe you one."

Clary hears Luke's light laugh over the commlink. "No problem."

"And one last thing," Han adds, leaning in closer before anyone can stop him. "You do anything to Clary and you're gonna wish you left me frozen."

Before Luke can reply, Han switches off the commlink, a smug look on his face. Eyes narrowed, Clary reaches forward and jabs him pointedly in his side, causing him to lean forward again, but this time in pain.

"Real mature," Clary mutters, glowering. Han holds her gaze, shrugging indifferently. Chewbacca lets out a roar in front of them, and Clary stares at him. "Not you, too!"

Chewbacca roars again, and Clary steps back, face burning.

"Chewie! Not funny!"

Han covers his mouth with his hand in attempts to hide a snigger, but it doesn't go unnoticed as Clary huffs irritably, avoiding the smiling gazes of Leia and Lando. Clary wishes she could smile back at them, enjoy the humor of Han's impulsive actions, but a heavy feeling weighs down in her chest, the words of the enigmatic voice ringing in her ears, the burning injury on Luke's hand, the vulnerability threatening to consume Clary's entire being.

Destroy what destroys you. She could never do such a thing. After all, what would even want to destroy her in the first place?

•••

Right when they arrive at the Rebel base, Cal is standing out on the main hangar to greet them. Clary's barely exited the Falcon before Cal is approaching her, an indifferent look in his eyes.

"Did anything happen?" he asks.

Clary sighs, averting her gaze as she starts forward. "Lots of things happened."

Cal shoots her a redundant look, but Clary ignores him as she pushes past a few rebels standing nearby, attempting to make her way to the conference room where Leia said they all had to meet. Unfortunately, Cal doesn't take her persisting silence as a sign to stop talking, and instead, presses her even further.

"What kind of things happened, Clary?"

Clary inhales sharply, feeling a sharp pang of annoyance course through her, but lasts for only a brief second before she forces a smile, turning to face Cal.

"Why don't you ask Lando or Leia?"

Cal blinks. "I'm asking you."

Clary narrows her eyes, but before she can retort, Han stops near them, glancing between the two before standing next to Clary, glowering at Cal.

"Something I can help you with?"

Cal is unfazed by Han's sharp tone, meeting his gaze evenly. "No, nothing you can help with."

Han grits his teeth, annoyed. "Listen, kid, we don't have time for this so why don't you leave my sister alone and go bother Lando or some other poor rebel." He doesn't wait for Cal's reply as he grabs onto Clary's arm, assertive yet gentle, guiding her away.

"Remember, Clary," Cal calls after them. Clary slows her pace, turning to look over at him as he adds, "I'm your friend. You can trust me."

Han snorts, stopping as well, before he turns, glaring dangerously in Cal's direction. "Yeah? Well I'm her brother. And I don't trust you at all."

An indescribable look flashes in Cal's eyes, but before Clary can even attempt to decipher it, Han is dragging her out of the hangar and into the hall, pushing past rebels running back and forth between their stations. Han doesn't even glance over at Clary as they make their way to the briefing room, the muffled sound of small Corellian battleships echoing above them. He doesn't have to say anything, and neither does Clary. He understands. He'll always understand.

Once they enter the room, they're greeted by a flurry of rebel soldiers, all of different sizes and species, conversing hurriedly with one another. Amongst the crowd, Clary manages to spot out Wedge Antilles and Dana Del Fin sitting next to each other, immersed in conversation. Upon their entry, Dana looks up, locking gazes with Clary. She gives a small wave, short-handed and awkward as always. Clary smiles back at her.

Leia is standing nearby next to Chewbacca and 3PO. She glances over, motioning with her hand for the two Solos to join them. Clary starts forward first, with Han trailing after her, but he stops suddenly, turning at the sight of Lando coming over at his right. Clary glances over as well and notices a brand new, shiny silver insignia on his chest.

"Well, look at you!" Han exclaims bemusedly. "A general, huh?"

Lando laughs, a glimmer of pride flashing in his eyes. "Oh, well, someone must have told them about my little maneuver at the battle of Taanab."

Han hesitates and Clary smiles, remembering how animated Han was about relaying Lando's victory to Leia. She glances over at the princess to see a small smile has graced her face as well.

"Don't look at me, pal!" Han says finally. "I just said you were a fair pilot. I didn't know they were looking for somebody to lead this crazy attack."

Lando's smile doesn't fade. "I'm surprised they didn't ask you to do it."

Han smirks. "Well, who says they didn't? But I ain't crazy. You're the respectable one, remember?" He reaches forward, pushing Lando against his chest good-naturedly. Before Lando has the chance to reply, Mon Mothma, the leader of the Rebel Alliance, approaches the center of the room, and a quickened hush silences the room, cutting Han and Lando's conversation short. Leia reaches forward, tugging on Clary's arm, and Clary moves back, sitting beside her. On her other side, Han makes his way over to sit down, followed by Chewbacca. 3PO sits down next to Clary, but before he can say anything to her, Mon Mothma raises her hand, signaling for attention.

"The Emperor has made a critical error and the time for our attack has come."

The silence that once engulfed the room is thrown back into uproar as rebels alike turn to one another, muttering their various gratitude and concerns. Mothma glances behind her at the holographic model of the Death Star, waving with her hand to move it to the center of the room, glowing brightly. Another hologram appears showing the Endor moon nearby, followed by the protecting deflector shield circling around the entirety of the creation.

"The data brought to us by the Bothan spies pinpoints the exact location of the Emperor's new battle station," Mothma starts. "We also know that the weapon systems of this Death Star are not yet operational."

Clary wrings her hands together nervously. Glancing forward, she spots Cal standing near the entrance of the briefing room. He leans against the edge of the opening, arms crossed, holding her gaze evenly. Clary looks away, her mind racing.

"With the Imperial Fleet spread throughout the galaxy in a vain effort to engage us, it's relatively unprotected," Mothma continues. "But most important of all, we've leanred that the Emperor himself is personally overseeing the final stages of the construction of this Death Star."

An eruption of chatter starts once more, this time more frenzied than the first. Clary glances over at Leia and Han, exchanging looks with one another. Chewbacca barks, also voicing his amazement at this sudden information. Ever since the rise of the Empire, the Emperor has been hidden away, orchestrating everything behind puppets and dark façades. Mothma had been right — there was no greater time than now to strike.

"Many Bothans died to bring us this information," Mothma says solemnly, her eyes downcast. She hesitates before composing herself, nodding to Ackbar standing behind her. "Admiral Ackbar, please."

Ackbar steps forward, blinking before pointing at the Death Star's force field and the moon of Endor.

"You can see here the Death Star is orbiting the forest moon of Endor." Clary sits a little straighter, straining in attempts to see past two rebels who have moved to stand in front of her. "Although the weapon systems on this Death Star are not yet operational, the Death Star does have a strong defense mechanism. It's protected by an energy shield," he gestures again to the deflector shield, "which is generated from the nearby forest moon. The shield must be deactivated if any attack is to be attempted. Once the shield is down, our cruisers will create a perimeter," Ackbar motions to the screen and mock fliers show up on the projection, visualizing what he's narrating, "while the fighters fly into the superstructure and attempt to knock out the main reactor."

A concerned murmur ripples throughout the crowd. Clary can hear Dana voicing her concerns to Wedge and another rebel sitting next to her.

"General Calrissian has volunteered to lead the fighter attack," Ackbar says, gaining Clary's attention. She looks up, eyes wide, before glancing towards Lando, who has moved to stand by Han and Chewie. Han glances at him as well.

"Good luck," he says. Lando nods, and Han smirks, "You're gonna need it."

"General Madine," Ackbar continues, ignoring their exchange. Madine steps forward from behind Ackbar.

"We have stolen a small Imperial shuttle, disguised as a cargo ship, and will use an Imperial code. A strike team will land on the moon and deactivate the shield generator."

"Oh dear," 3PO says from beside Clary, shaking his head. "Sounds dangerous."

Leia nods in agreement, an apprehensive look crossing her face. "I wonder who they found to pull that off."

"General Solo," Madine says, turning to look at Han. Clary's eyes widen as she turns to gawk at her brother. "Is your strike team assembled?"

Leia, too, shoots Han a surprised look coupled with slight admiration. Han shifts awkwardly in his seat, his arm resting behind Leia.

"Uh, my team's ready," he says. "I don't have a command crew for the shuttle."

Chewbacca raises his paw in an instant. Han glances at him, but before he can say anything, Clary's hand shoots up as well. Han glances between the two.

"It's gonna be rough," he says. He looks at Chewie as he adds, "I didn't want to speak for you."

Chewbacca growls, offended that Han appears to not believe he's capable of handling such a matter, while Clary sighs exasperatedly, her hand still raised. Han glances back over at her, eyes narrowed.

"Well that's one."

"Han —" Clary starts pointedly, but Han cuts her off in an instant.

"No, no way. It's too dangerous. You're not coming."

Clary opens her mouth to retort, but Leia rests a hand on Han's arm. "Um, General, count both Clary and I in."

"I'm with you, too!"

A voice calls out in the distant, and everyone turns in the direction it had come from. Peering through the crowd, short cheers begin to break out as four commanders step aside, revealing Luke. Clary notices Cal still standing by the entrance, a dark look crossing his face, but it lasts only for a moment as Leia stands up, moving to Luke and embracing him tightly. She pulls away, peering at him curiously before Luke smiles, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly before moving Han and Chewie.

"Hi Han, Chewie," Luke greets. Chewbacca lets out a short bark of greeting and Han merely nods. Clary rises to her feet, standing behind Luke, her heart racing. It doesn't take long for him to turn, facing her.

"Where's my greeting, pretty boy?" she asks, crossing her arms. Although Luke's smile doesn't fade, Clary notices something else — something hesitant, something bothersome. She frowns. "What's wrong?"

Luke shakes his head, reaching for her as he pulls her close, holding her tightly. "I'll tell you later," he whispers, lips lingering near her ear.

Clary frowns, confused, but isn't able to question him any further as R2 rolls in behind her, nudging her gently, letting out a loud string of beeps. Clary tears herself away from Luke's embrace, smiling at the droid. She reaches down, rubbing his head.

"Hey, Artoo," she greets. "Are you feeling ready?"

R2 beeps excitedly, almost in a singsong manner, while 3PO shakes his head, worried as ever as he rises to his feet.

"'Exciting' is hardly the word I would use," he murmurs. R2 lets out a sharp beep and 3PO moves his bronze arm to hit the top of R2's head, metal clanging against metal. "You take that back, Artoo!"

Clary laughs, glancing over at Luke to see he's smiling as well. Before she can say anything else, however, a hand rests on her shoulder. She turns to see Cal standing behind her, brow narrowed.

"We need to talk, Clary."

His voice is gruff and urgent, but loud enough to be heard despite the chatter echoing in the briefing room. Clary frowns.

"About what?"

Cal glances around at the rebels surrounding them before gesturing to the entrance with a nod of his head. "Not here. Somewhere more private."

Clary's eyes narrow, suspicion growing. "Anything you need to say to me can be said in front of everyone else."

Cal hesitates, gritting his teeth as glances at Luke, who stares back at him, confused.

"What's going on?" he asks, his hand brushing against Clary's gently. His fingers linger on hers, lacing them together, as he holds Cal's gaze evenly. "You're Cal, right? From Cloud City?"