Star Wars: Remix version
I'm Back! Again!
Chapter Thirty Four: Are we safe?
The Imperial fleet around Vader's ship was surrounded by the asteroid storm. Asteroids big and small pelted the vast exteriors of the menacing ships. One of the smaller Imperial vessels was hit by a huge asteroid and exploded in a brilliant flash of light.
The cockpit of the Millenium Falcon was quiet and lit only by the indicator lights on the control panel. Princess Anna sat in the pilot's seat. Suddenly, something outside the cockpit window caught her eye. The reflection of the panel lights obscured her vision until a soft suctionlike cup attached itself to the windscreen. Leia moved closer to see what it might be. Large, yellow eyes flashed open and stared back at her. Startled, she jumped back into her seat, her heart pounding. There was a scurry of feet and a loud screech, and in an instant the eyes were gone. The young princess caught her breath, jumped out of her chair, and raced from the cockpit.
The lights went bright for a second, then out again. Threepio and Chewbacca watched as Han finished with some wires.
"Sir, if I may venture an opinion..." Threepio began.
"I'm not really interested in your opinion, Threepio" Han muttered. Padme and Anna were sitting at a round table, watching Han work. Leia rushed into the cabin just as Han dropped the final floor panel into place.
"There's something out there" Leia said, breathlessly.
"Where?" Padme asked worriedly.
"Outside, in the cave" Leia told them. As she spoke, there came a sharp banging on the hull. Chewie looked up and barked anxiously.
"There it is. Listen! Listen!" Leia said.
"I'm going out there" Han said firmly.
"Are you crazy?" Anna asked, jumping to her feet.
"I just got this bucket back together. I'm not going to let something tear it apart" Han said, in frustration. Leia and Anna exchanged glances as Han and Chewie grabbed their breath masks off a rack and hurried out. Leia followed after a moment..
"Then I'm going with you" She said, grabbing a mask as well.
"I think it might be better if I stay here with Anna and Senator Padme" Threepio replied. Padme and Anna hid thier grins from the droid.
It was very dark inside the huge asteroid cave, too dark to see what was attacking the ship. Leia stamped her foot on the floor of the cave.
"This ground sure feels strange. It doesn't feel like rock at all" Leia muttered. Han knelt and studied the ground, then attempted to study the outline of the cave.
"There's an awful lot of moisture in here" He replied.
"I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this" Leia said, looking around.
"Yeah" Han agreed. Chewie barked through his face mask, and pointed toward the ship's cockpit. A five-foot-long shape could be seen moving across the top of the Falcon. The leathery creature let out a screech as Han blasted it with a laser bolt. "Watch out!" Leia jumped back as The black shape tumbled off the spaceship and onto the ground in front of her. Han bent 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" He ordered. Chewie nodded.
"Mynocks?" Leia asked.
"Go on inside. We'll clean them off if there are any more" Han said. Just then, a swarm of the ugly creatures swooped through the air. Leia put her arms over her head to protect herself as she ran toward the ship. Chewie shot another Mynock away with his blaster. Several of the batlike creatures flapped their wings loudly against the cockpit window of the Falcon. Inside, Threepio shuddered at their presence.
"Ohhh! Go away! Go away! Beastly little thing. Shoo! Shoo!" Anna and Padme stared out the window as Leia rushed in.
Han looked around the strange, dripping cave.
"Wait a minute..." Han muttered to himself. He unholstered his blaster and fired at the far side of the huge cave. The cavern began to shake and the ground started to buckle.
Chewie barked and moved for the ship, followed closely by Han.
The large wings of the Mynocks flapped past them as they protected their faces and ran up the platform.
As soon as they were on board, Chewie closed the main hatch. The ship continued to shake and heave.
"All right, Chewie, let's get out of here!" Han shouted. The Wookiee headed for the cockpit as Han, followed by Threepio, rushed to the hold area and checked the scopes on the control panel. Anna hurried after them.
"The Empire is still out there. I don't think it's wise to..." Han rushed past her and headed for the cockpit.
"No time to discuss this in committee" He snapped, cutting her off. And with that he was gone. The main engines of the Falcon began to whine. Anna raced after him, bouncing around in the shaking ship.
"I am not a committee!" She shouted.
Han was already in the pilot's seat pulling back on the throttle. The cave-quake had greatly diminished.
"You can't make the jump to light- speed in this asteroid field..." She began.
"Sit down, sweetheart. We're taking off!" Han said gruffly. Anna sat down grumpily, crossing her arms. As the ship began to move forward, Chewie barked. He noticed something out the window ahead. Anna saw it too.
"Look!" She exclaimed, pointing.
"I see it, I see it" Han said. Suddenly, a row of jagged white stalagmites and stalactites could be seen surrounding the entrance. And as the Falcon moved forward, the entrance to the cave grew ever smaller. Han pulle hard on the throttle, sending his ship surging forward.
"We're doomed!" Threepio wailed.
"The cave is collapsing" Anna whispered.
"This is no cave" Han muttered.
"What?" Anna asked in disbelief. Her mouth dropped open . She saw that the rocks of the cave entrance were not rocks at all, but giant teeth, quickly closing around the tiny ship. Chewie howled. The Millennium Falcon, zooming through the monster's mouth, rolled on its side and barely made it between two of the gigantic white teeth before the huge jaws slammed closed.
The enormous space slug moved its head out of the cave as the Falcon flew out of its mouth. The monster tilted its head, watching the starship fly away.
The Falcon raced out of the asteroid crater and into the deadly rain of the asteroid storm.