The cockpit is quiet and lit only by the indicator lights on the control panel. Leia sits in the pilot's seat, while I was in the copilot's.
She runs her hand across the control panel. I saw her staring off into space, and I figures she was thinking of Han and the confusion he has created within her. Suddenly, I saw something outside the fly past the window. I tapped on her shoulder Oand tilted my head towards the window, she looked in my direction.
The reflection of the panel lights obscures out vision until a soft suction like cup attaches itself to the windscreen!
We move closer to see what it might be. Large, yellow eyes flash open and stare back at us! Startled, Leia jumps back into her seat, as I let out a little yelp. There is a scurry of feet and a loud screech, and in an instant the eyes are gone. The both of us catch our breath, jumps out of our chairs, and races from the cockpit.
We rush into the cabin Han and Chewie are fixing the lights, out of breath.
"There`s something out there," Leia informs.
"Where?" Han asks.
"Outside, in the cave,"
As she speaks, there comes a sharp banging on the hull. Chewie looks up and barks anxiously.
"There it is! Listen! Listen!" 3PO panics.
"I`m going out there," Han says.
"Are you crazy?!" I yell at him.
"I just got this bucket back together. I'm not going to let something tear it apart." He and Chewie grab their breath masks off a rack and hurry out. Leia and I follow.
"Then we`re going with you," Leia says as both of us grab breath masks.
"I think it might be better if I stay here and guard the ship." 3PO spoke.
We heard another mysterious noise "Oh, no."
It was very dark inside the huge asteroid cave, too dark to see what is attacking the ship.
I stamp my foot on the floor of the cave. It felt squishier than any rock I`ve ever heard of.
"This ground sure feels strange." I said.
"It doesn't feel like rock at all." Leia shifts her feet on the ground.
Han kneels and studies the ground, then attempts to study the outline of the cave.
"There's an awful lot of moisture in here."
"I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this." Leia said.
"Yeah, me too." I commented.
Chewie barks through his face mask, and points toward the ship's cockpit. I saw a five-foot-long shape moving across the top of the Falcon! The leathery creature lets out a screech as Han blasts it.
"Watch out!" He shouted to Leia and me. The black shape tumbles off the spaceship and onto the ground in front of us. Han bends down to investigate the dead creature.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Mynock. Chewie, check the rest of the ship, make sure there aren't any more attached. They're chewing on the power cables."
"Mynocks?" Leia and I say at the same time.
"Go on inside. We'll clean them off if there are any more."
Just then, a swarm of the ugly creatures swoops through the air! Leia puts her arms over her head to protect herself as she runs toward the ship. I try to follow her, but felt a hook grab a clump of my hair and yanked it like it was trying to scalp me! I let out a screech and felt the yanking stop as I heard a bang from Han`s blaster hit the creature. I ran for my life to the ship as Chewie shoos another Mynock away with his blaster. Several of the bat like creatures flap their wings loudly against the cockpit window of the Falcon. Inside, I saw 3PO shudder at their presence. "Ohhh! Go away! Go away! Beastly little thing. Shoo! Shoo!"
Han looks around the strange, dripping cave.
"Wait a minute..."
He unholsters his blaster and fires at the far side of the huge cave. The cavern begins to shake and the ground starts to buckle.
Chewie barks and moves for the ship, followed closely by the three of us. The large wings of the Mynocks flap past us as we protect our faces and run up the platform.
As soon as we were on board, Chewie closes the main hatch. The ship continues to shake and heave.
"All right, Chewie, let's get out of here!" Han said as he ran through the ship.
Chewie heads for the cockpit as Han, followed by 3PO, rushes to the hold area and checks the scopes on the control panel. Leia and I hurry after.
"The Empire is still out there. I don't think it's wise to-" Leia starts then Han rushes past us and heads for the cockpit and interrupts her.
"No time to discuss this in committee."
And with that he is gone. The main engines of the Falcon begin to whine. We race after him, bouncing around in the shaking ship.
"I am not a committee!" Leia shouted angrily and nearly tumbled into me.
Han is already in the pilot's seat pulling back on the throttle when we entered. The cave-quake has greatly diminished.
"You can't make the jump to light-speed in this asteroid field-!" I warned.
"Sit down, girly. We're taking off!" He shouted back at me.
As the ship begins to move forward, Chewie barks. He notices something out the window ahead. Threepio sees it too. "Look!"
"I see it, I see it." Han grumbles.
Suddenly, I see a row of jagged white stalagmites and stalactites surrounding the entrance! And as the Falcon moves forward, the entrance to the cave grows ever smaller. Han pulls hard on the throttle, sending his ship surging forward.
"We're doomed!" 3PO yelped in fear.
"The cave is collapsing!" Leia informed.
I squinted my eyes to take a closer look at the opening. It`s movements don`t look like a cave collapsing at all! "This is no cave." I said aloud.
"What?" Leia questioned. Her mouth drops open. She sees that the rocks of the cave entrance are not rocks at all, but giant teeth, quickly closing around the tiny ship. Chewie howls.
We zoomed out of the monster just in time before it snapped it`s jaw shut.
I let out a sigh of relief, only to realize that we were now in a deadly rain of asteroids.
DAGOBATH
With Yoda strapped to his back, Luke climbs up one of the many thick vines that grow in the swamp. Panting heavily, he continues his course - climbing, flipping through the air, jumping over roots, and racing in and out of the heavy ground fog.
"Run! Yes. A Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side. Anger... fear... aggression. The dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice." Yoda told.
"Vader. Is the dark side stronger?" Luke, out of breath, asked.
"No... no... no. Quicker, easier, more seductive."
"But how am I to know the good side from the bad?"
"You will know. When you are calm, at peace. Passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack."
"But tell me why I can't-."
Yoda interrupted. "No, no, there is no why. Nothing more will I teach you today. Clear your mind of questions. Mmm. Mmmmmmmm."
R2 beeps in the distance as Luke lets Yoda down to the ground.
Breathing heavily, he takes his shirt from a nearby tree branch and pulls it on.
He turns to see a huge, dead, black tree, its base surrounded by a few feet of water. Giant, twisted roots form a dark and sinister cave on one side. Luke stares at the tree, trembling.
"There's something not right here." Yoda sits on a large root, poking his Gimer Stick into the dirt. "I feel cold, death."
"That place... is strong with the dark side of the Force. A domain of evil it is. In you must go." Yoda answered.
"What's in there?" Luke asks.
"Only what you take with you."
Luke looks warily between the tree and Yoda. He starts to strap on his weapon belt.
Yoda stops him. "Your weapons... you will not need them."
Luke gives the tree a long look, than shakes his head. Yoda shrugs. Luke reaches up to brush aside some hanging vines and enters the tree.
TREE CAVE
Luke moves into the almost total darkness of the wet and slimy cave. The youth can barely make out the edge of the passage. Holding his lit saber before him, he sees a lizard crawling up the side of the cave and a snake wrapped around the branches of a tree. Luke draws a deep breath, then pushes deeper into the cave.
The space widens around him, but he feels that rather than sees it. His sword casts the only light as he peers into the darkness. It is very quiet here.
Then, a loud HISS! Darth Vader appears across the blackness, illuminated by his own just-ignited laser sword. Immediately, he charges Luke, saber held high. He is upon the youth in seconds, but Luke sidesteps perfectly and slashes at Vader with his sword.
Vader is decapitated. His helmet-encased head flies from his shoulders as his body disappears into the darkness. The metallic banging of the helmet fills the cave as Vader's head spins and bounces, smashes on the floor, and finally stops. For an instant it rests on the floor, then it cracks vertically. The black helmet and breath mask fall away to reveal, Luke's head.
Across the space, the standing Luke gasps at the sight, wide-eyed in terror. The decapitated head fades away, as in a vision.
SEVERAL MILES AWAY
The ship shudders as flak explodes near the cockpit window. 3PO checks a tracking scope on the side control panel while Leia and I watches tensely out the window.
"Oh, thank goodness we're coming out of the asteroid field." 3PO says.
Chewie barks excitedly as the rain of asteroids begins to subside. A bolt from the StarDestroyer sets up a fiery explosion on the back side of the Falcon, causing it to lurch to one side.
Han corrects the angle of his ship.
"Let's get out of here. Ready for light-speed? One... two... three!"
Han pulls back on the hyperspace throttle and - nothing happens. Flak bursts continue to rock the ship.
"It's not fair!" Han says, frantically. Chewie is very angry and starts to growl and bark at his friend and captain. Again, Han desperately pulls back on the throttle.
"The transfer circuits are working. It's not my fault!" Han argues. Chewie puts his head in his hands, whining.
"No light-speed?" Leia asks.
"It's not my fault."
3PO cuts in "Sir, we just lost the main rear deflector shield. One more direct hit on the back quarter and we're done for."
Han pauses for a moment, makes a decision, and pulls back on a lever.
"Turn her around."
Chewie barks in puzzlement.
"I said turn her around! I'm going to put all power in the front shield."
"You're going to attack them?!" Leia shouted.
"What the hell are you thinking?! That`s suicide!" I yelled almost in his ear.
"Sir, the odds of surviving a direct assault on an Imperial Star Destroyer-."
"Shut up!" Leia and I hollered at him together.
DAGOBATH FOREST
Luke stared at the ground in deep thought. He was worried about all of his friends, especially Cerise. He was eager, yet afraid to tell her what he saw in that cave. As he was staring off into space, Master Yoda noticed this.
"What thinking are you, young Padawan?" He asked.
Luke snapped out of his thoughts and shot his head up to look at Yoda, who`s eyes fell onto him.
"Oh, just a very good friend."
"Friend hmm, perhaps lover?"
Luke was slightly taken aback. "Y-yes, how did you know?"
A smile almost spread across Yoda`s face. "Sense it in you, I can. Feelings of love and affection towards her."
Luke slightly nodded, still amazed at how he could read his mind.
Yoda shook his head "Feelings of love and desire for others are forbidden, they are."
"Master Yoda, what are you saying?" Luke askes, having a thought of the phrase.
"Too dangerous to become Jedi if carrying feelings for others, it is. Let go of loved one, you must."
Luke held his breath and froze. He couldn't be with Cerise.
"Master Yoda, is there any way I can stay with her and become a Jedi."
Yoda shook his head once again "Impossible, it is. The same fate under Dearth Vader, it fell. Lost someone special, he did."
Luke dropped his head back down to the ground. What was he going to do?