Part 2 (1/2)

Two of the X-f0 wings peeled off from their formation and angled toward the Falcon Falcon. Laserfire streaked through s.p.a.ce, peppering the hull. The s.h.i.+elds held- but they wouldn't for long. Han took the s.h.i.+p into a steep dive, then veered to port full throttle, hoping to get below the X-f0 wings. But the small s.h.i.+ps were too maneuverable, and they shadowed him every step of the way.

”Engage hyperdrive!” Han shouted, as a blast slammed into the primary sensor array. ”Let's get out of here.” They weren't shooting to kill, but they were still shooting, and sooner or later, he was going to have to shoot back. And if it came to that...well, there was no way he could ever return to Yavin 4.

Not that I'm ever going back, Han reminded himself, as the s.h.i.+p bucked and shuddered beneath him. Not ever. Another volley of laserfire streaked toward them, and Han steered the s.h.i.+p into a 360 degree loop, aiming straight for the X-f0 wings. They scattered at the last minute, darting out of his way, but quickly swiveling around to take aim at the starboard s.h.i.+eld projector.

”Why aren't we in hypers.p.a.ce yet?” Han growled.

Chewbacca yelped in alarm.

”Whaddaya mean mean it's not working?” Han asked, glaring at the temperamental hyperdrive controls. ”Weren't you supposed to fix that?” it's not working?” Han asked, glaring at the temperamental hyperdrive controls. ”Weren't you supposed to fix that?”

Chewbacca barked angrily.

”I know know you had to come rescue me,” Han admitted. ”It's called mult.i.tasking.” you had to come rescue me,” Han admitted. ”It's called mult.i.tasking.”

The Wookiee snorted, then turned back to the tangled nest of frayed wiring that controlled their s.h.i.+p's hyperdrive. He warned Han that getting it up and running could take several minutes. ”We don't have have several minutes,” Han snarled. A barrage of laserfire raked across the s.h.i.+p. There was a spurt of fire from the port dorsal engine. A couple more hits like that and the engines would cut out all together, leaving them dead in s.p.a.ce like a sitting kaadu. ”We may not even have several several minutes,” Han snarled. A barrage of laserfire raked across the s.h.i.+p. There was a spurt of fire from the port dorsal engine. A couple more hits like that and the engines would cut out all together, leaving them dead in s.p.a.ce like a sitting kaadu. ”We may not even have several seconds! seconds! ” Han whacked the hyperdrive controls in frustration. ” Han whacked the hyperdrive controls in frustration.

There was a soft whirring noise, and then the darkness of s.p.a.ce flashed blinding white. Stars streamed past the window, twinkling points stretching to long, glowing strands that turned the galaxy into a tunnel of light.

”Huh,” Han said, staring in surprise at the palm of his hand. ”Guess I should have tried that sooner.”

They had entered hypers.p.a.ce; they were safe.

Safe from the Rebel Alliance, Han thought sourly. Never thought I'd be on the Never thought I'd be on the run from run from them. them.

They flew for several long moments in silence. Then, finally, Han couldn't stand it anymore. ”Go ahead,” he ordered Chewbacca. ”Say it.”

The Wookiee barked innocently.

”You know what,” Han said, leaning back in his seat. A drop of grease from the leaking cooling tubes splattered onto his head. He'd been planning to repair the thing later that week.

Maybe this was all for the best, he told himself. He'd gotten too comfortable, hanging around with Luke and Leia, pretending he was one of them. He'd gone soft.

Chewbacca was still playing dumb.

”C'mon, say what you've been thinking ever since we left the moon,” Han urged him, irritably. He could tell when the Wookiee was holding out on him. ”Go on; get it off your big, hairy chest.”

Chewbacca sighed, then growled.

”Well, I couldn't very well protect Luke from the inside of a jail cell, could I?”

Han retorted.

Chewbacca growled again.

”No, I don't know how I can help him from up here, either, fuzzbrain. I do know that if I don't pay back Jabba, I'm not going to be helping anyone any time soon. Hard to help when you're dead,” Han said, groaning at the thought of how angry the Hutt crime lord must be by now. ”We've wasted too much time playing war games. We need to rack up some credits. And in the meantime, if we happen to dig up something that'll help Luke-”

Chewbacca cut in with an insistent yowl.

”Why should I care about clearing my name?” Han scoffed. ”They want to think I'm a traitor, after all I've done for them? Let 'em.”

The Wookiee hooted.

”Leia?” Han forced a laugh. ”Why would I care what Her Royal Wors.h.i.+pfulness thinks of me?”

Chewbacca opened his mouth as if to disagree, but Han had had enough.

”Just fly the s.h.i.+p, will ya?”

I didn't turn my back on Leia or the Rebellion, he reminded himself, taking an inventory of all the instruments that had been damaged by the Rebel attack.

They turned their backs on me.

Light. Noise. Pain. Dark.

This was Luke's reality. He opened his eyes, grasped at a familiar voice, a face, something something to hold onto, that would keep him from drifting away. But he could never hold tight enough; life was a jumble of sound and color that made no sense. He didn't know where he was; he barely knew to hold onto, that would keep him from drifting away. But he could never hold tight enough; life was a jumble of sound and color that made no sense. He didn't know where he was; he barely knew who who he was. He was a body that breathed, a body that hurt. And then his eyes would shut and the darkness would claim him again. A body that slept. he was. He was a body that breathed, a body that hurt. And then his eyes would shut and the darkness would claim him again. A body that slept.

Time had no meaning in the world of pain. It could have been hours, it could have been years.

And then it was over. He opened his eyes, and he was returned to himself.

And she was waiting for him.

”Easy,” Leia said quietly, as Luke struggled to sit up. ”You need to rest.”

”What happened?” Luke croaked, his throat dry and cracked. But even as he spoke, he was remembering: the speeder. The explosion.

The dark warning from somewhere inside of him-or from outside? From the Force Force? The warning that had saved his life.

”Someone tried to kill you, Luke,” Leia said. ”If you hadn't jumped off that speeder when you did...”

”Old Ben was right,” Luke murmured, amazed. ” Let go of your conscious self Let go of your conscious self and act on instinct. and act on instinct. ” ”

”What?”

”Nothing, Just something an old friend once told me.” Gingerly, Luke tested out his arms, his legs. All seemed to be in working order.

”You were injured in the blast,” Leia explained, ”but you've been immersed in bacta for the last few days, and you're making a full recovery. Everything should be back to normal soon.”

There was a strange look in her eyes. Luke didn't understand it, but he knew that nothing was back to normal. ”What aren't you telling me?”

She rested her hand on his. ”Later,” she said. ”When you're stronger.”

She was always trying to protect him. But he was stronger than she thought.

To prove it, Luke pushed himself into a sitting position. He swallowed hard, and when he spoke, his voice was clear. ”Who set the explosives?” he asked.