Part 2
Han and Chewbacca both disappeared to repair the hyperdrive and Threepio started to nag about Han's lack of repairing things in a good way. Artoo produced a pattern of beeping sounds and Christina thought that it didn't sound very friendly. She was right. Threepio started talking indignant: 'Watch your language, you vacuum!' and he hit the smaller droid on his dome, where after Artoo disappeared to do something useful, producing some beeping sounds.
'Would you like to have something to drink?' Luke asked Christina and she nodded. She smiled thankful when he came back with a glass of water and she started to feel a bit better. Luke watched her as she drank the moisture, looking concerned. 'I'm feeling better now.' She assured him, noticing the concerned look on his face. 'I'm just not used to these kind of things.'
She felt glad that Luke had come with them, for she'd become very fond of him. He was so kind and she knew she could always trust him. And the way he seemed to care for her made her feel warm from inside. The fact that he was a Jedi made him even more interesting.
She had never heard of the concept before, but she intended to get to know more about it. Luke had already showed some of his 'tricks' and she had turned from a skeptic into a 'believer'. She had watched his powers with big round eyes as he showed her how he could move objects without touching them. And his lightsaber was even more interesting. She was really impressed by the way Luke used it as he demonstrated how he fighted against a practice droid, using the sword with slight movements in an elegant way. At least he could protect her, in case of danger, she thought.
'I guess we won't make it for dinner.' Luke said sadly, seeing that it was already late in the afternoon. 'But don't worry, Christina, we've got food on board. There's enough for a long journey.' 'I hope we won't need it all.' She said, watching the many stars that could be seen through the cockpit window. She wondered where they were; she didn't know how far they had traveled, using the hyperdrive for only a few seconds. It must have been far, she thought, wondering how many days it would take to get back through normal space. 'Just try to be optimistic. Han is experienced in fixing the hyperdrive; it could be fixed in an hour or so.'
Luke looked hopeful at the entrance of the cockpit, but Han didn't appear yet. Nor did Chewbacca. The only thing they heard was the grumbling of Han and the moans of Chewbacca, followed by the voice of Threepio. 'I beg your pardon, but I thought it would be a good suggestion if you tried to.' 'Shut up!' 'Sorry sir, I was only trying to help!' Threepio's voice sounded offended, as far as it was possible for a droid to feel offended. Christina didn't expect droids to have any emotions. 'If you really want to help, get out!' she heard Han shout, really exasperated.
'Are you're sure I should be optimistic?' she asked Luke, who also started to look worried. Things didn't seem to turn out well and she started to get impatient. She had to work the next day; the security system of the main computer wasn't safe yet and she had planned to finish the new program in the end of the week. She probably wouldn't manage to do that this way. Well, at least it wasn't her fault. But it didn't change the situation.
Luke sighed and stood up, looking at the controls in the cockpit. 'We'd better warn Leia and tell her what has happened.' He suggested, taking the comlink. He messed a bit with the thing and started talking through it, but he didn't get any response. 'Well, that does it!' he cried out and he let himself fall back into his seat. 'It doesn't work for some reason. How are we gonna tell Leia?'
'We're stuck here! I should never have flown in this thing!' Threepio cried out from behind, who had probably watched Luke's effort to use the comlink. He was obviously even more pessimistic than Christina. 'No Artoo, I'm not going to shut my mouth! I have had enough of this!' Artoo continued beeping and after a while Han and Chewbacca entered the cockpit, both looking desperate.
'I can't fix the hyperdrive unless I've got the right parts to fix it with.' Han explained as he sat down in the pilot seat, followed by Chewbacca. 'But sir!' Threepio started again, but Han was too exasperated to let him speak, standing up right away to shut him off. 'I wish we'd left him in the hangar.' He grumbled, seating himself back in the pilot seat.
'So, what are we going to do now?' Christina asked with a sad face, expecting him to say something like ,,wait her till someone finds out that we are here or till we die". Han looked at her with pity, regretting it that she had to have a flight like this instead of a short nice flight and get back home safely again. 'Well dear sister, we're going to see whether there's a world in the area that's got the parts I need. There must be some world we should be able to go to.' He typed some things in the computer and something appeared on the screen, but it wasn't much. 'This place isn't on the map, I see... The only world in the area is close by. I really don't know what's out there, but we won't know if we don't go and check it out.'
Christina's face brightened a bit, thinking of standing on normal ground again, instead of sitting in a cockpit all the time. She felt like she really needed some fresh air. She'd never liked the idea of how the air in spaceships was recycled. She thought it wasn't healthy to spend days in the same air. The others seemed to feel the same way and so they decided so see what was out there.
Han started the engines and followed a course to the world they were going to visit, using the navigation screen. He hoped this world wasn't Imperial ground, because they would be in more trouble that way than they already were. He didn't speak out loud about these thoughts for he didn't want to frighten Christina. He didn't tell either that some other things in the Falcon had been damaged and that using the hyperdrive in combination with his new 'improvements' had almost cost them their lives.
There were too many other things to worry about now. They were still alive; he had acted fast and the engines were still working fine. He should be really careful next time, he knew that all too well. But right now he had to concentrate on the unknown world they were going to explore.
It took more than an hour to get there and they could eventually see the world through the cockpit window. It looked like a nice world; there was lot's of water and a few continents with a lot of green parts. There seemed to be a lot of nature and there weren't many settlements, as far as they could see. And at least there weren't any other ships in the area, what meant that they shouldn't be afraid of any Imperial forces. It also meant that they couldn't expect any help from ships of their own side.
The Millennium Falcon shuddered as it entered the atmosphere and Han prepared the ship for a landing. Artoo beeped excited as he saw the beautiful world and he turned his dome-shaped head happily round. Christina and Luke were a bit excited too, for the world looked even more beautiful than they had expected. At least it looked like there was life out there, seeing some villages, when they headed for the continent where it was day.
Han decided to land close to those villages so they wouldn't have to walk miles before getting there. But he also didn't want to land too close and arouse everyone. There wasn't any airbase to be seen so they probably weren't used to such things. But even if they didn't have any aircraft, Han thought it should be possible to find the materials he needed.
They were close to the ground now and Han looked at a nice spot to land. He eventually chose a spot in a little valley, between two hills. The land was smoothe with grasslands and hills and here and there were some woods. This seemed to be the closest spot near the village that was a bit covered from curious eyes. Han finally landed the ship on the soft ground and he checked the information that had appeared on his screen.
'According to the computer we should be able to breathe without a breathing mask here.' He said and he arose from his seat. 'But we may need Threepio.' He walked to the droid and put it on again. It began to babble right after he had put it on. 'We'll never get home again!' It cried out with panic, but no one paid attention and then Threepio noticed that they had landed safely and were about to depart the aircraft. 'Oh, where are we?'
'We're on an unknown world, Threepio.' Luke answered as he made ready to depart the Falcon. 'You could be of use here; we don't know what species lives here and what language they speak.' Christina followed Luke and Han outside and they heard Threepio saying how many languages he could speak in his well-known proud tone. Artoo beeped happily as he rolled down the gangway, followed by the still babbling Threepio.
Christina thought the air smelled really nice as she set foot on the soft soil and the temperature was like it was Spring. The sun shone on their faces, not too hot, but warm enough to feel good on their skin. The land around them looked peaceful and it had an air of rest over it and it looked unspoiled like no one had heard of machinery or any other form of culture. Between these surroundings the Falcon looked like it didn't belong there.
*Well, we won't let it stay here long.* Luke thought, *If only we can get the parts here that Han needs.* Han didn't look hopeful, but they had no choice but to see and explore the place. The materials could be found in the village, at least they hoped. And otherwise there could be other materials that could probably replace the needed parts.
Chewbacca had decided to stay and guard the Falcon, but the others went to explore together. As they walked in the direction of the nearest village, Chewbacca closed the entrance of the Falcon so no one unwanted could enter it. He was going to try and fix some systems in the ship. That way they only had to repair the hyperdrive when they got back.
Han, Christine and Luke walked on the front, followed by the two droids, who were discussing the climate of the world. Artoo nagged about the ground, for his wheels deepened too much in the soft soil what made it difficult to roll on. It went a bit better when they found a path that seemed to lead to the village.
'Let's see if we can reach some living things here.' Han said, now leading the company. They followed the path between some hills and they eventually had to climb until they reached the highest place on the hill. From there they had a wide view on the village and everything that was there.
They were all silent when they had their first look on it; even Threepio didn't have a word to say. *Where are we?* Christine thought almost breathless. In front of her was the most peaceful village she had ever seen in her life; there were no real houses to be seen, but instead there were holes in the hills with round wooden doors and round windows. Some holes seemed to be really small as if it contained only one room, but others were impressive and big and probably had many rooms and compartments. There were beautiful gardens everywhere in the village with many flowers, ordered in a beautiful way. There were blossom trees in almost every garden and along every lane or path, blossoming fully and plentiful. There were lands full of vegetables and weeds and in between there ran many paths.
It was only after a little while when Christina found out the size of the people. They seemed to be rather small, although she couldn't be sure from that distance. But the size didn't seem right to her. It seemed short, but also thick. Their way of clothing was also different than she was used to. The women wore long dresses, made of cotton and lace and they all had long curly hair. The men wore pants that came just over their knees and they wore shirts of cotton. It all looked rather primitive.
There weren't any crafts to be seen, only a few wooden wagons here and there. It looked like they had landed in a time long before any piece of machinery had been invented. And it was like this simple folk made only use of simple materials, like wood and other natural things. No metal was to be seen and that was exactly the material Han was looking for. Of all the things Han had expected to find, this was the least expected.
-- To be continued --
Han and Chewbacca both disappeared to repair the hyperdrive and Threepio started to nag about Han's lack of repairing things in a good way. Artoo produced a pattern of beeping sounds and Christina thought that it didn't sound very friendly. She was right. Threepio started talking indignant: 'Watch your language, you vacuum!' and he hit the smaller droid on his dome, where after Artoo disappeared to do something useful, producing some beeping sounds.
'Would you like to have something to drink?' Luke asked Christina and she nodded. She smiled thankful when he came back with a glass of water and she started to feel a bit better. Luke watched her as she drank the moisture, looking concerned. 'I'm feeling better now.' She assured him, noticing the concerned look on his face. 'I'm just not used to these kind of things.'
She felt glad that Luke had come with them, for she'd become very fond of him. He was so kind and she knew she could always trust him. And the way he seemed to care for her made her feel warm from inside. The fact that he was a Jedi made him even more interesting.
She had never heard of the concept before, but she intended to get to know more about it. Luke had already showed some of his 'tricks' and she had turned from a skeptic into a 'believer'. She had watched his powers with big round eyes as he showed her how he could move objects without touching them. And his lightsaber was even more interesting. She was really impressed by the way Luke used it as he demonstrated how he fighted against a practice droid, using the sword with slight movements in an elegant way. At least he could protect her, in case of danger, she thought.
'I guess we won't make it for dinner.' Luke said sadly, seeing that it was already late in the afternoon. 'But don't worry, Christina, we've got food on board. There's enough for a long journey.' 'I hope we won't need it all.' She said, watching the many stars that could be seen through the cockpit window. She wondered where they were; she didn't know how far they had traveled, using the hyperdrive for only a few seconds. It must have been far, she thought, wondering how many days it would take to get back through normal space. 'Just try to be optimistic. Han is experienced in fixing the hyperdrive; it could be fixed in an hour or so.'
Luke looked hopeful at the entrance of the cockpit, but Han didn't appear yet. Nor did Chewbacca. The only thing they heard was the grumbling of Han and the moans of Chewbacca, followed by the voice of Threepio. 'I beg your pardon, but I thought it would be a good suggestion if you tried to.' 'Shut up!' 'Sorry sir, I was only trying to help!' Threepio's voice sounded offended, as far as it was possible for a droid to feel offended. Christina didn't expect droids to have any emotions. 'If you really want to help, get out!' she heard Han shout, really exasperated.
'Are you're sure I should be optimistic?' she asked Luke, who also started to look worried. Things didn't seem to turn out well and she started to get impatient. She had to work the next day; the security system of the main computer wasn't safe yet and she had planned to finish the new program in the end of the week. She probably wouldn't manage to do that this way. Well, at least it wasn't her fault. But it didn't change the situation.
Luke sighed and stood up, looking at the controls in the cockpit. 'We'd better warn Leia and tell her what has happened.' He suggested, taking the comlink. He messed a bit with the thing and started talking through it, but he didn't get any response. 'Well, that does it!' he cried out and he let himself fall back into his seat. 'It doesn't work for some reason. How are we gonna tell Leia?'
'We're stuck here! I should never have flown in this thing!' Threepio cried out from behind, who had probably watched Luke's effort to use the comlink. He was obviously even more pessimistic than Christina. 'No Artoo, I'm not going to shut my mouth! I have had enough of this!' Artoo continued beeping and after a while Han and Chewbacca entered the cockpit, both looking desperate.
'I can't fix the hyperdrive unless I've got the right parts to fix it with.' Han explained as he sat down in the pilot seat, followed by Chewbacca. 'But sir!' Threepio started again, but Han was too exasperated to let him speak, standing up right away to shut him off. 'I wish we'd left him in the hangar.' He grumbled, seating himself back in the pilot seat.
'So, what are we going to do now?' Christina asked with a sad face, expecting him to say something like ,,wait her till someone finds out that we are here or till we die". Han looked at her with pity, regretting it that she had to have a flight like this instead of a short nice flight and get back home safely again. 'Well dear sister, we're going to see whether there's a world in the area that's got the parts I need. There must be some world we should be able to go to.' He typed some things in the computer and something appeared on the screen, but it wasn't much. 'This place isn't on the map, I see... The only world in the area is close by. I really don't know what's out there, but we won't know if we don't go and check it out.'
Christina's face brightened a bit, thinking of standing on normal ground again, instead of sitting in a cockpit all the time. She felt like she really needed some fresh air. She'd never liked the idea of how the air in spaceships was recycled. She thought it wasn't healthy to spend days in the same air. The others seemed to feel the same way and so they decided so see what was out there.
Han started the engines and followed a course to the world they were going to visit, using the navigation screen. He hoped this world wasn't Imperial ground, because they would be in more trouble that way than they already were. He didn't speak out loud about these thoughts for he didn't want to frighten Christina. He didn't tell either that some other things in the Falcon had been damaged and that using the hyperdrive in combination with his new 'improvements' had almost cost them their lives.
There were too many other things to worry about now. They were still alive; he had acted fast and the engines were still working fine. He should be really careful next time, he knew that all too well. But right now he had to concentrate on the unknown world they were going to explore.
It took more than an hour to get there and they could eventually see the world through the cockpit window. It looked like a nice world; there was lot's of water and a few continents with a lot of green parts. There seemed to be a lot of nature and there weren't many settlements, as far as they could see. And at least there weren't any other ships in the area, what meant that they shouldn't be afraid of any Imperial forces. It also meant that they couldn't expect any help from ships of their own side.
The Millennium Falcon shuddered as it entered the atmosphere and Han prepared the ship for a landing. Artoo beeped excited as he saw the beautiful world and he turned his dome-shaped head happily round. Christina and Luke were a bit excited too, for the world looked even more beautiful than they had expected. At least it looked like there was life out there, seeing some villages, when they headed for the continent where it was day.
Han decided to land close to those villages so they wouldn't have to walk miles before getting there. But he also didn't want to land too close and arouse everyone. There wasn't any airbase to be seen so they probably weren't used to such things. But even if they didn't have any aircraft, Han thought it should be possible to find the materials he needed.
They were close to the ground now and Han looked at a nice spot to land. He eventually chose a spot in a little valley, between two hills. The land was smoothe with grasslands and hills and here and there were some woods. This seemed to be the closest spot near the village that was a bit covered from curious eyes. Han finally landed the ship on the soft ground and he checked the information that had appeared on his screen.
'According to the computer we should be able to breathe without a breathing mask here.' He said and he arose from his seat. 'But we may need Threepio.' He walked to the droid and put it on again. It began to babble right after he had put it on. 'We'll never get home again!' It cried out with panic, but no one paid attention and then Threepio noticed that they had landed safely and were about to depart the aircraft. 'Oh, where are we?'
'We're on an unknown world, Threepio.' Luke answered as he made ready to depart the Falcon. 'You could be of use here; we don't know what species lives here and what language they speak.' Christina followed Luke and Han outside and they heard Threepio saying how many languages he could speak in his well-known proud tone. Artoo beeped happily as he rolled down the gangway, followed by the still babbling Threepio.
Christina thought the air smelled really nice as she set foot on the soft soil and the temperature was like it was Spring. The sun shone on their faces, not too hot, but warm enough to feel good on their skin. The land around them looked peaceful and it had an air of rest over it and it looked unspoiled like no one had heard of machinery or any other form of culture. Between these surroundings the Falcon looked like it didn't belong there.
*Well, we won't let it stay here long.* Luke thought, *If only we can get the parts here that Han needs.* Han didn't look hopeful, but they had no choice but to see and explore the place. The materials could be found in the village, at least they hoped. And otherwise there could be other materials that could probably replace the needed parts.
Chewbacca had decided to stay and guard the Falcon, but the others went to explore together. As they walked in the direction of the nearest village, Chewbacca closed the entrance of the Falcon so no one unwanted could enter it. He was going to try and fix some systems in the ship. That way they only had to repair the hyperdrive when they got back.
Han, Christine and Luke walked on the front, followed by the two droids, who were discussing the climate of the world. Artoo nagged about the ground, for his wheels deepened too much in the soft soil what made it difficult to roll on. It went a bit better when they found a path that seemed to lead to the village.
'Let's see if we can reach some living things here.' Han said, now leading the company. They followed the path between some hills and they eventually had to climb until they reached the highest place on the hill. From there they had a wide view on the village and everything that was there.
They were all silent when they had their first look on it; even Threepio didn't have a word to say. *Where are we?* Christine thought almost breathless. In front of her was the most peaceful village she had ever seen in her life; there were no real houses to be seen, but instead there were holes in the hills with round wooden doors and round windows. Some holes seemed to be really small as if it contained only one room, but others were impressive and big and probably had many rooms and compartments. There were beautiful gardens everywhere in the village with many flowers, ordered in a beautiful way. There were blossom trees in almost every garden and along every lane or path, blossoming fully and plentiful. There were lands full of vegetables and weeds and in between there ran many paths.
It was only after a little while when Christina found out the size of the people. They seemed to be rather small, although she couldn't be sure from that distance. But the size didn't seem right to her. It seemed short, but also thick. Their way of clothing was also different than she was used to. The women wore long dresses, made of cotton and lace and they all had long curly hair. The men wore pants that came just over their knees and they wore shirts of cotton. It all looked rather primitive.
There weren't any crafts to be seen, only a few wooden wagons here and there. It looked like they had landed in a time long before any piece of machinery had been invented. And it was like this simple folk made only use of simple materials, like wood and other natural things. No metal was to be seen and that was exactly the material Han was looking for. Of all the things Han had expected to find, this was the least expected.
-- To be continued --
