Part 8 (1/2)
Luke felt his stomach roil. Oh, no. They'd lost Dix.
Suddenly it wasn't a game. People were dying. Good people. He could never lose sight of that, not for a moment. It was only fun as long as n.o.body got hurt and that part never lasted. War was ugly. It got bad.
Now it got worse. The nightside Destroyer came around the terminator and began unloading its fighters. No more time to think, no time to worry.
Luke abandoned himself to the Force.
”Terminator coming up,” Dash said. ”And we're past the plateau's sensor station. Ready to go up top?”
”I was just beginning to enjoy this,” Lando said.
”But I suppose if we have to...”
They were approaching the nightside of the moon, and while the darkness wouldn't hide them from Imperial sensors, it would offer them some cover from curious eyes.
”We're about four minutes away from the s.h.i.+pyard,” Dash said over the comm. ”Any luck at all and the tooloos operating the scopes there won't notice us until we're a minute or so out. Time they get their fighters scrambled, we'll be right on top of 'em.”
”Copy,” Lando said.
Leia felt her stomach twist, go fluttery. The flight so far had been dangerous, but this was going to be a whole lot more so.
Lando shook his head, said, ”This was not my idea, right? I want it on record that this was not my idea.”
Dark shadows began to paint the rock, lengthening so fast they could see them move as the Falcon flew deeper into night.
”Going up,” Dash said.
The Outrider lifted from the canyon.
”Blast!” Lando said.
Directly ahead of them, no more than a few hundred meters and getting closer fast, the canyon ended in a wall of dark rock.
Chewie roared.
Lando didn't bother to answer as he pulled the Fal-con up in a climb that made Leia's stomach feel a lot worse.
They missed the collision by centimeters.
”Oh, better be careful,” Dash said as the Falcon rose into the night.
”Did I mention the canyon dead-ends pretty soon?”
”Just wait, Rendar,” Lando said. ”Next time I see you I'm going to punch you in the nose!”
”Yeah? You and what army?”
Chewie snarled.
Leia could figure that out easily enough.
Over the comm, Dash Rendar laughed.
Wedge's voice over the comm seemed calm, but there was a lot of emotion under it. ”Luke, we aren't going to be able to keep this dance going much longer. Once that second Destroyer sets up a south pole, we'll be in range of the big guns on one or the other.”
”I hear you,” Luke said. ”Artoo, would they have had time to make it to the yard yet?”
Artoo whistled. Luke glanced at his sensor screen, saw the translation of the droid's whistles. They could have made it, but barely.
”One more minute,” Luke said. ”Then let's make a pa.s.s at the daysider and get out of here.”
”Copy, Luke. You heard the man. Let's throw a few more rocks and keep 'em jumping.”
Around Luke, TIE fighters and interceptors swarmed like saurian hornets from a disturbed nest. The Rogues had taken out a score of them, maybe more, and lost one of their own, plus another one damaged. Good flying, but given the odds, they couldn't keep it up forever. He had to hope they had bought enough time.
A TIE fighter appeared in front of Luke, coming right at him.
Luke thumbed his own fire b.u.t.ton, and the two craft sped directly at each other. Neither pilot blinked.
The TIE exploded, and Luke flew through the fireball.
Artoo's exclamation sounded like ”Yeeooww!”
”You okay, Artoo?”
The droid whistled. Yes, he was okay. He had been better, however.
Luke smiled. The party was getting raucous. It was time to pack it up and leave.
There it is, dead ahead,” Dash said. The lights of the s.h.i.+pyard blazed in the darkness, a beacon visible for a long way. ”We'll pa.s.s right over your target in... thirty seconds.”
Leia leaned forward. Strained to see...
”There it is! There's Fett's s.h.i.+p!”
”Been fun, people,” Dash said. ”See you around.”
Ahead of them, the Outrider pulled up in a hard climb and rocketed toward s.p.a.ce.
”Where are you going?” Lando said.
”Hey, you didn't pay me to shoot, only to guide. I'm outta here.”
”Dash, blast you!”
”Never mind,” Leia put in quickly. ”We don't need him.” Chewie pointed at the sensor screen and said something.