Disclaimer: All characters and situations from Star Wars are properties of Lucasfilm, Ltd. and 20th Century Fox. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: Sorry for the epically long wait. Life decided to sneak up behind me and swallow me whole. Here's the long over-due update, though. Hopefully it'll tide you over for a while, because I'm going on a much needed vacation and won't be able to update for at least 2 weeks.

Thanks again for all the reviews. They really help me to get these updates up.

As time passed in Sannginivut, Han spent nearly all of his time with Yoda. They dug the escape tunnel between meal time and when they put out their toilet buckets, and trained the rest of the day. Han was a quick study in the ways of the Force. He always new that, when he was motivated, he could accomplish anything. Escape was a big motivation.

It took Han a while to get started, though. The first exercises Yoda did with him involved Han, blindfolded, holding a stick, while Yoda threw pebbles at him. Han couldn't focus at all, as he kept remembering the similar drill that Luke and the old man did on his ship all those years ago.

"Just STOP!" Han yelled, frustrated after bring hit in the head for the fifteenth time. "I can't do this. Why don't we just focus on digging?"

"Dig, hmmm?" Yoda asked, "And balance the Force with some dirt, you will?"

"I'll balance your face," Han muttered.

Yoda pretended not to have heard him. "Confused, I am. Terrible at this you are, yet skilled at using the Force already are you. Sense there is a reason, I do."

"You sense there's a reason?" Han asked, incredulous. "A blind dianoga could see there's a problem! Why do you always have to sense everything? You're always trying to make yourself seem so spectacular."

"The problem, what is it?" Yoda pressed.

"That kriffin' Skywalker is the problem!" Han yelled. "I don't wanna be standing here, playing the same little games that guy who sent me here did!"

"Too much anger in you, there is," Yoda sighed. "Train you well, I cannot."

"Well I guessed I won't be trained then," Han said. "Too much has happened for me not to be angry. I'll escape with you, but when we're out, the whole balancing the Force thing can be your problem."

"Too old, I am. Unable to defeat both Skywalkers, I will be," Yoda said.

"Both Skywalkers?" Han repeated. "What are you talking about? Luke's family was killed."

"Killed? No. Consumed by Darth Vader," Yoda said.

"Consumed…" Han thought for a second. "You mean, Darth Vader is…Luke's dad?"

"Yes," Yoda said, "Working together, they are now."

Han was stunned. Finally he managed, "The muja doesn't fall far from the bush."

"See now, do you?" Yoda asked. "Together, very powerful are they. To defeat them, young and strong, one would have to be."

"Two of them, eh?" Han asked. "Well, never let it be said that Han Solo backed away from a challenge."

"Good," Yoda smiled. "Now back to work we will go."

Yoda restarted the exercise, but this time he had Han imagine he was flying his ship. Whenever Han flew the Millennium Falcon, he would empty his mind, and just go with the flow.

"Flow?" Yoda seemed to appreciate that sentiment, "Yes. Feel the Force flowing through you."

With his mind empty, Han was able to sense the pebbles flying at him, and easily bat them away. He found it much less difficult than navigating an asteroid field.

From there they moved on to more difficult exercises. Han was soon able to use the Force for movement, and allow it to propel him through the air, while doing flips. He was also a natural at levitating objects, having no problem with moving things around Yoda's cell, or keeping them in the air for infinite periods of time. The one thing Han did have problems with, however, was lightsaber combat.

"I don't see the point of this," Han groaned after failing to execute another simple maneuver. "I'll just use a blaster. It's a lot faster, and easier."

"Remember the pebbles," Yoda reminded Han. "Able to deflect the bolts, Skywalker will be. Useless, a blaster will be."

"This is all such ancient stuff," Han said. "And it's all about control. We both know that's something I don't have buckets of."

"True, that is," Yoda sighed. He knew that Han would never be able to attain complete control, but he also knew that Han was the galaxy's last hope. Going against everything he had ever believed in, Yoda decided to try a new tactic. "Use your anger, you will. Give you power and focus, aggression will."

Han grinned, "Now you're talking."

With Han able to use his anger, and release it, he soon became very skilled with his lightsaber. Yoda knew that this road could lead Han to the Dark Side, but, ironically, also knew that Han's need for revenge would prevent him from going down that path. Han would defeat the Skywalkers, and, as his final show of vengeance, bring the Force away from darkness forever.

"Fighting who, were you?" Yoda asked, after Han had again defeated him in a practice duel, using sticks.

"Who do you think?" Han said, helping Yoda back onto his feet.

Without needing Yoda to answer, Han continued. "You know, I've been thinking. When we get outta here, how are we going to find Skywalker? I mean, if he's working with Vader now, he's gotta be pretty well protected. I don't care how powerful the Force is, it's not going to get us up close to the Emperor's pets."

"Find Skywalker first, we will not," Yoda said. "To Ticrest, we must go. A hidden Jedi temple, on the moon, there is. Find everything we need, we will."

"Ticrest?" Han asked, "Never heard of it."

"Hidden, it is," Yoda explained. "Deleted from the galactic archives, it has been. Know of it, only the high Jedi masters did."

"Go to an ancient temple on a hidden planet," Han said. "Sounds like a good time." With, Han launched into another attack, and he and Yoda continued the training.

2 years later, with Han's training almost complete, he and Yoda began focusing all of their attention on digging their tunnel. Yoda's health became an increasing concern. Han worried about Yoda's harsh breathing, and slow movements, but whenever he would comment, Yoda would reply, "Wait until 900 years old are you, and see how well you are!"

Finally, over 4 years after Han and Yoda first met, they reached a breakthrough.

"Roots!" Yoda exclaimed, pointing at the fibers emerging from their tunnel walls. "Closer to the surface than I thought, we are."

Han, for the first time in 14 years, laughed. "Yes!" He began crawling through the tunnel in the opposite direction. "I'm going to go get more-"

Han was cut off by a loud rumbling sound that could only mean one thing.

"YODA!" Han turned around, but he was too late. Yoda was already buried beneath a pile of dirt, the result of the cave-in.

Crawling as fast as he could, Han grabbed Yoda, cradled him against his chest, and carried him back to the cell. He laid Yoda on the stone floor, and tapped him lightly on the face, pleading that he regain consciousness.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Yoda's eyes opened. "Han…" he rasped.

"Don't try to talk," Han said, desperately trying to keep his voice level. "You're gonna be alright."

"No," Yoda whispered. "Ticrest…remember…Ticrest Moon…"

"I can't escape now," Han said. "The tunnel caved in."

"You will," Yoda smiled. "But more…tell…I do. Luke…Leia…"

"I know, I know," Han tried soothing Yoda. "I'll stop Luke, I'll help Leia."

"No…" Yoda said.

"It's okay," Han said, his voice shaking.

"The Force…" Yoda tried again.

"I know. I can use the Force," Han smiled. "You were a good teacher."

"For good…only."

Han shook his head. "You know that I'm gonna use it for revenge."

"After…" Yoda's eyes slipped shut, and his breathing slowed.

"Yoda!" Han slapped Yoda hard in the face. No response. He tried again, "YODA!"

Yoda's breathing finally stopped. For a few seconds, Han just stared at the still body of his only friend in 14 years. Before he could do anything, though, he heard the familiar scraping of Stormtrooper armor approaching the door.

The Stormtrooper with the food cart stopped in front of Yoda's cell door. When hand reached out for the proffered plate, the Stormtrooper banged on the door. When he again received no response, he yelled, through his helmet filter, "Come on!"

Finally, the Stormtrooper entered the code, and unlocked the door. He froze when he saw the little body on the floor.

"Kark," he muttered, as he turned back toward towards the main office, locking the door, out of habit, behind him.

He came back with another Stormtrooper, and a hover-casket. "Are you sure he's not sleeping?" the second Stormtrooper asked.

The first shook his head as he unlocked the door, "He never sleeps."

The second Stormtrooper bent down to examine the prone body. "He's pretty dirty, isn't he?"

"They're all dirty," the first replied. "Now help me load him up."

"Help you?" the second asked. "He looks like he weighs as much as your thumb. It seems like a waste of a hover-casket to me."

"Just throw him in," the first instructed. "We can ask Dorleac when we get him."

The two Stormtroopers lifted the lid off the casket, threw Yoda's body in, and went to get Dorleac, once again locking the door behind them.

That's when Han emerged from his tunnel.

He rushed over to the casket, pushed the lid off, and slowly picked Yoda up and out of it. "This is for you," Han sighed.

He quickly crawled through the tunnel that led back to his cell, put Yoda there, then returned to Yoda's cell. He threw himself into the casket, and slid the lid back in place, just as the second Stormtrooper, with Dorleac, returned.

"Alright, let's go," Dorleac said, indicating for the Stormtroopers to activate the remote on the hover-casket. "We might as well use the casket. It's easier than carrying the thing up all these stairs."

The Stormtrooper followed Dorleac out of the prison-fortress, and up to the edge of a nearby cliff.

Meanwhile, back in the prison, the first Stormtrooper was continuing to distribute meals. He couldn't believe it when he again got no reply, this time, at Han Solo's cell.

He unlocked the door, and for the second time that night, froze at what he found.

The second Stormtrooper was adjusting the settings on the remote of the hover-casket, so it would be susceptible to gravity as it moved over the edge of the cliff. Suddenly, he heard a hiss in his helmet comm-unit. "Admiral Dorleac," he said, "someone's trying to contact me."

"What does he want?" Dorleac asked impatiently.

"There's too much static," the Stormtrooper replied. "Can you get it on your comm.-unit?"

Dorleac turned his on, and switched to the appropriate channel. He too heard only static. "It must be these cliffs," Dorleac reasoned. "They're magnetic."

The Stormtrooper nodded, as he again began to move the casket towards the cliff's edge.

"Whatever it is can wait until we get back," Dorleac said. "Now throw it over, already!"

Three things then happened all at once.

The Stormtrooper moved the hover-casket over the cliff.

Han pushed the lid off the casket and grabbed Dorleac by the tail of his coat.

And both Han and Dorleac fell off the cliff, into the water below.

By the time the casket hit the water, Han had already managed to jump out of it. He, as Yoda instructed, let the Force flow through him, and slowed his descent, allowing himself, to gracefully slip into the water.

As Han began swimming away, Dorleac resurfaced. Stunned, the Admiral opened his mouth to call for help, but Han got to him first. Han covered Dorleac's mouth, and shoved him underwater. Dorleac tried to fight back, but was no match for Han. He had the Force on his side.

His anger over 14 years of beatings allowed Han to focus, and he kept Dorleac underwater until he stopped moving.

When he was satisfied, Han laughed loudly, and full he relief. He began swimming, out into the open sea. He swam for hours, until his malnourished body had enough, and he passed out.

Han woke up, cold tired and damp, but lying, for the first time in 14 years, on a soft surface. Confused, he opened his eyes, but quickly shut them. The brightness of the sun assaulted his senses after an eternity of living in a dark cell.

Suddenly, Han regained full consciousness, and remembered what had happened. He stood up, laughing, and began running across the beach on which he had washed up. He stopped, however, when he turned his head, and found a large group of menacing individuals from a multitude of races staring at him.

"Bring him here," a voice commanded.

Two Rodians rushed over to Han, grabbed his arms, and dragged him over to a short, robust man. He seemed to be their leader.

"So, my friend," the man said, smiling, "I would ask who you are, but in view of your shredded clothes, long beard, dirty hair and the fact that the Sannginivut prison is just over the horizon... what's the point?"

Han grimaced slightly, but did not comment.

The man continued without reply, "As for me, I am Luigi Vampa, a smuggler and a thief. My men and I have come to this planet to bury alive one of our number who attempted to keep some stolen gold for himself instead of sharing it with his comrades. Interestingly enough, there are some of his more loyal friends who are insisting that I grant him mercy. Which, of course, I cannot do, or I would quickly lose control of the whole crew. That is why you are such a fortunate find."

"How come?" Han asked, interested despite himself.

"You provide me with a way to show a little mercy to Chewbacca - that

furball you see tied up over there –"

Han's heart almost stopped in his chest at the name, but he managed to keep his face impassive.

Luigi noticed nothing, and continued "while at the same time not appearing weak. And as a bonus, the lads will get to see a little sport as well."

Dragging himself back into the conversation, Han asked, "How am I gonna do all that?"

"We watch you and Chewbacca fight to the death. If Chewbacca wins, we welcome him back to the crew. If you win, I have given Chewbacca the chance to live, even if he did not take advantage of it, and you can take his place on the ship."

"Well," Han pretended to weigh his options, "What if I win and I don't wanna be a smuggler?"

"Then we blast you, and we're a bit shorthanded," Luigi smiled dangerously.

Han paused, thinking, then grinned. "Well, then, smuggling is the life for me, and I'd be happy to kill your friend, the furball."

Luigi nodded, expecting this. He stood up, then turned back to Han, "Oh, and by the way, Jacopo is the best fighter I have ever seen."

Han winked, "Maybe you should get out more."

Luigi laughed, then turned to his crew, "Release Chewbacca, and let them games begin."

As soon as he was untied, Chewbacca rushed over to where Han was circled him, and got into the traditional fighter's stance.

Han distance himself from Chewie, and also got into the stance, but focused more of his attention of studying his friend. He couldn't understand why Chewbacca hadn't recognized him yet. It was definitely the same Wookie, Han verified. The same size and same eyes. But, the eyes were slightly different now. Not in colour or in shape, but there was a sort of lingering sadness behind them. He had no more time to think about what might have caused it, however, as Chewbacca attacked.

Han barely dodged the Wookie fist in time, and decided to fight first, and analyze friend later. He emptied his mind, and again felt the Force flow through him. Han was suddenly emboldened, and began moving around Chewbacca with new vigor. He focused on only dodging blows, as he didn't want to hurt his best friend.

Said best friend, however, had no problems with wanting to hurt Han. Chewbacca lunged forward, faster and more often, desperately trying to get a piece to Han, but falling short every time.

Han allowed the fight to last a lot longer than it should have, not wanting to embarrass Chewie in front of the crew. Finally, after another dodged blow, Han grabbed Chewie's right arm, and, with more strength than a human should have, pinned it behind Chewbacca's back, forcing him to the ground. He moved his knees up to pin Chewie, and placed his hands on the Wookie's neck.

He bent low, and whispered in Shyriiwook in Chewie's ear, "If you move one hair, you're dead."

All Chewbacca could do was nod.

Han turned his head towards Luigi. "Alright!" He shouted. "New deal, we let the Wookie live."

Luigi opened his mouth to say something, but Han cut him off.

"If you let Chewbacca live, I promise I'll join your crew. Then you've got everything covered. The guys who wanted to see some sport saw it, the guys who wanted mercy for the Wookie will get it, and you'll have an extra smuggler on your crew."

Luigi thought for a moment, then smiled, "I like your style. Welcome aboard!"

Han smiled graciously.

"You'll need a name though," Luigi said, "I assume you won't be using your old one."

"Not preferably," Han agreed.

"We shall call you…Zatarra!" Luigi announced.

"Sounds powerful," Han said.

"It means driftwood," Luigi laughed.

Han shook his head, and began to lift himself off Chewbacca. As soon as he released the Wookie's arms, however, he found himself enveloped in fur. It took him a few seconds to realize that Chewbacca was hugging him.

"I swear on the souls of my dead fathers," Chewbacca promised "I will protect your life with mine, forever."

Han smirked, and spoke again in Shyriiwook, "I know, you've made this promise before."

Startled, Chewbacca pushed Han away, held him at arms length, and stared at his face. Han winked.

Chewbacca howled, and tears began pooling in his eyes, and streaming down his cheeks. "Cub! How did you…?"

"Shut up, shut up," Han said, "You're making a scene."

Chewbacca glanced around, noticed some onlookers, and quickly pulled himself together. "But how…?" he asked again.

"It's a long story, I'll explain later."