Part 5 (1/2)

”Yeah,” Fixer agreed. ”Whoever's running the galaxy, the suns will keep rising and the vaporators will keep sucking moisture. Vader can't bring water to the desert, any more than the Rebels can tame a krayt dragon. Tatooine will always be Tatooine.”

”Fixer's right,” Camie said, slipping her arms around her fiance and nestling her head on his shoulder. ”It's not our problem.”

Luke shook his head. ”You don't understand. If you knew what was really going on out there-”

”Like you you know?” Jaxson scoffed. ”You think you're so much smarter than us because you left and we stayed? You walk away from your responsibilities to run around the galaxy playing s.p.a.ce pilot, and you want to come back here and tell us know?” Jaxson scoffed. ”You think you're so much smarter than us because you left and we stayed? You walk away from your responsibilities to run around the galaxy playing s.p.a.ce pilot, and you want to come back here and tell us we we don't understand?” don't understand?”

”That's not what I meant,” Luke protested.

”You think you're so special, just because you can pilot a s.h.i.+p,” Jaxson jeered. ”But I'm a better pilot than you any day.”

Luke scowled. ”I've seen you fly,” he retorted. ”You couldn't drive a skyhopper twenty meters without tras.h.i.+ng into a dune.”

”Oh yeah?”

”Yeah!”

”You think you're so much better? How about you prove it!” Jaxson challenged.

”Anytime, any place,” Luke said.

”Tomorrow. Race in Beggar's Canyon. We'll thread the Needle. At least, one one of us will.” of us will.”

Luke hesitated.

”Scared?” Jaxson jeered.

”Scared for you you, maybe.” Only two people had ever successfully threaded the Needle. Luke was one of them; Jaxson wasn't the other.

”Jaxson, don't be crazy!” Camie squealed.

”Yeah, you got nothing to prove,” Windy added. He'd been in the c.o.c.kpit the first time Luke had threaded the Needle, and he still looked traumatized by the memory.

Jaxson ignored them, keeping his eyes fixed on Luke. ”You in?”

”Tomorrow at sunset,” Luke said. ”If you're crazy enough to go through with it.” He stalked out of the station without waiting for a response. A moment later, Leia came up behind him and gently rested a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged her off.

”I'm fine,” he said, and turned around. There was nothing gentle in her expression.

”I wasn't going to ask if you were fine fine,” she snapped. ”I was going to ask if you were crazy crazy. We came here to keep you safe, and what's the first thing you do? Start a stupid fight over nothing!”

”It's not nothing,” Luke protested. ”You heard him.”

Leia shook her head in disgust. ”I thought you knew better than that,” she chided him. ”You were acting like a child in there. No, worse, you were acting like Han Han.”

Luke brightened. ”You think so?”

”That's not not a compliment.” Leia rubbed her hands across her eyes in exhaustion. ”This isn't like you.” a compliment.” Leia rubbed her hands across her eyes in exhaustion. ”This isn't like you.”

”Maybe that's the point,” Luke said. ” Han Han never runs away from danger. But here I am, hiding out here like a scared profrogg.” never runs away from danger. But here I am, hiding out here like a scared profrogg.”

” Han Han ran away from ran away from us! us! ” Leia pointed out. ”Or are you forgetting?” ” Leia pointed out. ”Or are you forgetting?”

”He had his reasons,” Luke said, wis.h.i.+ng he knew what they were. ”And that's not the point. The point is, I'm not running away again. Especially not from the Needle. That doesn't scare me.”

”Why do I get the feeling that it should?” Leia asked. ”What is it?”

Luke told her about the canyon, a long, jagged gash in the desert that had once been a part of the old Boonta Eve Cla.s.sic Pod race circuit. With its alarmingly sharp twists and turns, it made the perfect training ground for aspiring pilots. Luke had spent plenty of hours out there, practicing his maneuvers and using womp rats for target practice.

Then there was the Needle.

”The Stone Needle's nearly twenty meters high,” Luke explained, ”and most racers go around it. But if you can manage to slip through the eye of the Needle, you can shave four, maybe five seconds off your time.” Not to mention, prove that you were the boldest and best pilot around.

”So why doesn't everyone go through the Needle?” Leia asked, like she already knew the answer.

”Well...lots of people try try,” Luke admitted. ”But it's risky. If you're off by even a meter...”

As he spoke, Leia's lips pressed tighter and tighter together. Her cheeks blazed red.

”No,” she said, shaking her head. ” No. No. That's too risky.” That's too risky.”

”Aw, it's no risk for me,” Luke said. ”I've done it before. It's a piece of pika cake. After what I've done? The Podrace on Muunilinst? The Death-”

Leia silenced him with a look, and cast a meaningful glance over her shoulder. Luke tensed, as the hairs on the back of his neck stood to attention.

He was suddenly convinced that someone was watching them. But the streets of Anchorhead were deserted.

”Anyway, that was different,” Leia said impatiently. ”You were risking your life for something important. Not to show off.”

” This This is important,” Luke insisted. ”It's not about whether I'm a better pilot. It's not even about me. You know who was the first person to ever thread the Needle? Biggs. This is for is important,” Luke insisted. ”It's not about whether I'm a better pilot. It's not even about me. You know who was the first person to ever thread the Needle? Biggs. This is for him him. Maybe I can't tell anyone how he died-I can't prove that he died a hero. But I can do this. I can do this for him.”

”This Jaxson guy...” Leia shook her head. ”That's some friend you've got there.”

Luke bristled. ”He's not my my friend. We never used to hang around with him, but...I guess a lot's changed since I left.” friend. We never used to hang around with him, but...I guess a lot's changed since I left.”

”Not that much,” Leia said, offering a half smile. ”He's still not your friend.”

Luke laughed hesitantly, not sure if that meant she wasn't angry anymore.

”You're telling me that you really believe if you beat Jaxson in a skyhopper race, you'll be proving that Biggs is a hero?” she asked, dead serious again.

Luke nodded.

”And that if you don't race, or if you lose, it will mean to all of your friends that Jaxson's right about the Alliance and about Biggs?”