A/N: This chapter contains a lot of dialogue taken from A New Hope. It is NOT mine.
Chapter Four
Leia stepped silently out of her room. Her med droids had just left--she saw them blinking down the corridor going the opposite direction as the rest of the flow of traffic. She knew that if she was caught out of bed, she would probably be strapped to it, so she waited until the sound of voices got softer before she moved.
She didn't know exactly where she was going, but if she kept the voices within earshot, she could follow them to the briefing room. She wasn't completely sure what was going on, but she knew it had something to do with the Death Star, and she'd burn before she'd let anything that might threaten the Empire's newest station. Especially since her father was on it.
With absolute calm, as though she had every right to be there, Leia stepped into the briefing room and stood with her back against the wall. She waited.
*****
*****
Grand Moff Tarkin stood with a decisively sour look painted on his pale face as he watched Stormtroopers scurry hurriedly about the station.Tarkin smirked slightly at them, rushing about as though they would take part in this mission even though they knew they wouldn't.
He turned his face back toward the clear square in the wall. Below him orbited the small moon of Yavin.He sighed in anticipation, wanting nothing more than for this mission to be over with so he could rest a bit.
He was getting too old for this kind of work.
*****
*****
With outward calm, Leia watched the activity around her. No one even noticed her leaning against the wall,. away from the commotion of trying to find a friend to sit next to. Vaguely she noticed that Luke sat in the very front, dressed in the ugly orange and grey of Rebel fighters. She also noticed that Han Solo was also standing in the back, with a smirk on his face. Leia smiled. Good. She knew that Han was not likely to refuse her anything, and she had every intention of leaving this moon in his ship, with or without him in it.
Suddenly everyone grew silent. Leia directed her attention toward the front of the room where Mon Mothma, Senator Organa, and some other human (Dodonna Something, or maybe it was Something Dodonna) stepped up. It was Dodonna who cleared his throat. Mon Mothma and Organa were there solely for looks.
An electronic screen flicked on behind him. Its image fluttered for a moment, then stabilized. Leia noticed, even without her Force powers, that there was an excited, restless mood rising in the room. Her stomach suddenly tied itself into knots as a large picture of the Death Star appeared.
"It's defenses are designed around a direct, large-scale assault," Dodonna said, not even bothering to tell everyone what they were there for. They knew.
Someone stood, scowling thoughtfully at the picture and the man standing next to it. "Pardon me for asking, sir, but what good are snub fighters going to be against that?"
Dodonna smiled tolerantly; Leia thought the smile made him look old and decrepit.
"Well, the Empire doesn't consider a small one-man fighter to be any threat, or they'd have a tighter defense. An analysis of the plans provided by Senator Organa has demonstrated a weakness in the battle station."
Artoo, who was parked next to the Senator, beeped and trilled. Leia sneered at the little droid and allowed herself a few immature thoughts on how good it would be to crush that hunk of junk into tiny metal cubes. Unbeknownst to her, Bail had noticed her and was now frowning at the look of pure hatred on the girl's face. He sighed and turned his attention back to Dodonna.
"You are required to maneuver straight down this trench and skim the surface to this point," the man started, pointing to a trench in the surface of the suddenly magnified Death Star. "The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station. Only a precise hit will set up a chain reaction. The shaft is ray-shielded, so you'll have to use proton torpedoes."
The only thing that covered Leia's cry of outrage was the cry of disbelief that rose from the pilots. Angrily, Leia crossed her arms in front of her and unconciously began to pinch herself harshly.
"That's impossible, even for a computer!" one pilot cried out in despair, and Leia found herself cheering for this lone man. At least on of them could see it!
"It's not impossible. I used to bull's-eye womp rats in my T-sixteen back home. They're not much bigger than two meters." Leia was not at all surprised to see that this new speaker was Luke Skywalker. She would enjoy killing him *much* more than she had enjoyed killing his family.
Without waiting for any more protests, Dodonna raised his head and commanded "Man your ships!"
Leia watched sourly as everyone scurried out of the room toward the hangar.
*****
*****
Luke followed Biggs as they shot out of the hangar and into the greying sky of Yavin. Behind him, Artoo beeped excitedly as they broke into space and stars. And although Luke had expected it, had known it was there, and had prepared himself for its ugly presence, he was still shocked to see the Death Star looming before his squadron.
Luke sighed, briefly wondering if Han would be there when he got back. He'd managed to convince the smuggler to stay, at least until the battle with the Death Star was over. After all, he'd said, if they lost, Han might be needed to help get people off the planet. Han wasn't happy, but a few threatening growls from Chewie had set him straight.
*But then again* Luke reminded himself. *I may not come back.*
Now that was something Leia would say, not him. But ... could it be true? He hadn't really thought about it. He'd just gotten into his X-Wing and taken off. But come to think of it, what chance did he really have? He was just a farm boy from an out of the way planet. He'd only been in one other fight, on the Death Star, and that was a whole other kind of fight. What made him think he'd be able to make it through this?
*Luke, the Force will be with you.*
Luke jumped, glancing around. What the...? With a frown, he tapped at his earpiece, but he knew that the voice hadn't come from it. In fact, Luke would have sworn that it was Old Ben Kenobi's voice he'd heard!
*That's because it was.*
The statement came unbidden to his head, but he shook it off, ignoring Artoo's concerned bleeps. There was no way he'd heard Ben's voice. Ben had died weeks ago on the Death Star. And that was all there was too it.
"You ready, Luke?" Biggs asked, a smile in his voice.
"You bet," Luke said instantly. He put all thoughts out of his head and focused on the Death Star. They would win this. They had to.
*****
*****
Leia sidled up to Han silently, casually. For a moment, he didn't notice her: his eyes were riveted on a screen. There was a small red dot, the Death Star, making its way slowly but surely toward Yavin's moon. Leia smirked.
"Stand-by alert," an intercom voice suddenly crackled to life, startling everyone. "Death Star approaching. Estimated time to firing range, fifteen minutes."
A crazy thought skipped abruptly across Leia's mind: she might be on the next planet the Death Star attacked. She didn't even mind all that much either.
*Now isn't that just the definition of irony?* she asked herself, giggling. Han looked down at her, frowning.
"Something funny?" he asked sharply, which made Leia laugh even harder. "And shouldn't you be in bed?"
She groaned. "Oh, I've been in bed *forever,*" she said flirtateously. "Maybe for once I wanted to come to you."
Han's eyebrow raised a bit. "You know we're all about to die, right?"
"Maybe..." she shrugged, fingering the sleeve of his shirt. "But we don't have to you know."
"Oh? How do you mean?"
"We could leave."
Han didn't look convinced.
"I'm serious," Leia went on. "You don't owe them anything."
"I promised Luke..."
Leia snorted in disgust. "You *certainly* don't owe him anything! And he's a fool if he thinks he's coming back--as are you if you believe him. So let's leave. You and me, right now."
Han glanced over at Mon Mothma and Organa uncertainly. Then he looked down at Leia. *Sith, Solo, what choice is there? Stay here on this hunk of rock and die or accept a beautiful girl's offer? What kind of idiot even has to consider it?*
He offered her his hand. "Well, Sweetheart, what are you waiting for? Let's go."
Grinning triumphantly, Leia took his hand. She cast one last look at Bail Organa before disappearing around the bend.
*I'll be seeing you again, Organa. You and that whiny kid. You can bet on it.*
*****
*****
"All wings report in."
The sound of Red Leader's voice in his ear started Luke back into reality. He'd been zoning out for a while, his eyes and mind focused on the Death Star hanging before him. Now the sound of voices grounded him where he should be.
"Red Three standing by." Luke grinned at Biggs' voice. He sounded so professional, not at all like the kid Luke used to hang out with, who got his kicks out of putting dents in other people's droids.
"Red Nine standing by."
"Red Two standing by."
"Red Eleven standing by."
Luke sucked in a deep breath. "Red Five standing by."
A feeling of elation passed through his body. He was in this for the long haul now, and nothing short of a herd of mad banthas was going to stop him from taking the Death Star down. This was his moment; he *knew* it.
"Lock S-foils in attack position." Luke manuvered his X-Wing a bit, hitting the toggle that unfolded the wings and locked them into position. "We're passing through their magnetic field."
There was a slight jolt as they did just that; from then until they hit the trench, it was smooth sailing. They glided slowly, cautiously toward the Death Star and once again, Luke was overcome by the sheer *enormity* of the thing. He couldn't even imagine what it had taken to build it.
Again, Red Leader's voice cut into his thoughts. "Accelerate to attack speed. This is it, boys!"
"Red Leader, this is Gold Leader."
"I copy, Gold Leader."
"We're starting for the target shaft now."
Suddenly, the only sound Luke could hear was the thumping of his heart; surely the rest of his wing could hear it too! Thump-THUMP! Thump-THUMP!
*This is it!*
Luke jerked his X-Wing down in an extreme nosedive, beginning his own, personal attack on the Death Star. He resisted the urge to voice his terrified excitement with a howl.
"This is Red Five! I'm going in!"
Almost immeadiately, his fighter was engulfed in a ball of flame; Luke could feel its heat burning on his face. For a moment, he thought *This is the end; I'm dead.* but then the his world brightened and once again the Death Star loomed in front of him. He breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he would make it after all.
*****
*****
Leia and Han practically ran down the corridor toward the Millineum Falcom. The whole base was nearly deserted: anyone who was not engaged in battle in space was listening to it in the briefing room. They had an easy time getting by, although there was an occasion when Leia had almost used her lightsaber to dispatch a nosy droid.
"Chewie!" Han yelled as they neared the Falcon. Chewie poked his head out of the ship, howling in confusion.
"We're leaving," Han continued, pulling Leia up the ramp. "No arguments either! We've got things to do, buddy, and we can't do them by hanging around here!"
And before Chewie could roar in protest, Leia shot him a glare that stopped him where he was. He meekly turned and followed Han into the cock-pit.
Han didn't notice the look of alarm that crossed his first mate's furry face, nor the fact that his friend, who took orders from no one but Han, had been put into place by a seventeen year old girl.
Ten minutes later, the Falcon shot out of the hangar and disappeared into the sky.
*****
*****
Luke groaned as Red Leader's shot was declared a miss. He knew it wouldn't go in; they needed to be much closer in order to get a good shot!
"Red Leader, we're right above you. Turn to point..." Luke said helplessly, trying to spot Red Leader. "..oh-five, we'll cover for you."
"Stay there..." came Red Leader's voice in his ear. "I just lost my starboard engine. Get set to make your attack run."
*****
*****
Vader pressed the firing buttons on his control sticks.
"Rebel scum," he wheezed.
*****
*****
Luke watched in horror as Red Leader's ship shuddered. His thoughts raced. *No no no no no!*
Sudden laserbolts shot from one of the TIE fighters, connecting again with Red Leaders X-Wing. The last thing Luke heard before the ship was destroyed was Red Leader's scream of agony. Swallowing in an attempt to choke back a curse, he nodded his head once, decisively.
"Biggs, Wedge, let's close it up. We're going in. We're going in full throttle."
There was a moment of silence before Wedge began to move out. "Right with you, boss."
The two peeled off, diving for the Death Star. Biggs cleared his throat and asked, "Luke, at that speed will you be able to pull out in time?"
He didn't know. He didn't care. All he was worried about was destroying that monstrosity and everyone aboard it, thereby avenging not only Red Leader's death, but Obi-Wan Kenobi's as well. But he couldn't very well tell Biggs that. So he said the first idiotic thing that came to mind.
"It'll be just like Beggar's Canyon back home."
*****
*****
Mon Mothma unconciously reached out a hand to grip Bail's. The Senator looked up at his old friend, perhaps to try to comfort her. But when she looked at him, he saw something in her eyes that he knew she saw in his: fear.
But before either one of them could acknowledge the feeling, either silently or verbally, Wedge's voice floated to their ears.
"I'm hit! I can't stay with you!"
"Get clear, Wedge," Luke ordered. Bail puffed with pride. Luke didn't sound the least bit frightened; maybe they did have a chance.
*****
*****
Luke swerved left, avoiding yet another bolt coming his way. He was beginning to feel nervous.
"Hurry, Luke," Biggs yelled at him "They're coming in much faster this time. I can't hold them!"
*Don't worry, Biggs. I've got it.* Luke thought grimly, commanding Artoo to increase power. The TIE fighters were closing in.
He looked into his targeting device. For a moment, he moved it away as a surprising thought entered his head: What if he tried it without the computer?
"Hurry up!" Biggs yelled again. Luke looked over his shoulder to see the TIEs closing in on his friend. No, he couldn't take the chance of not using the computer. Not at Biggs' expense.
Suddenly, there was an explosion. Luke turned to see Biggs' X-Wing on fire. Oh, gods, no! Biggs' ship suddenly broke apart, litterally shattering into pieces.
Biggs' dying scream echoed in Luke's head, bringing tears pricking to his eyes.
"No," he growled softly. He was *not* going to let it end like this! These deaths would not go unavenged! Not a single one of them. Grimly, Luke looked back into his targeting device as the leader of the TIEs focused in on him. He carefully lined up the yellow cross-hair lines on the screen preparing to fire.
*Use the Force, Luke.*
Luke's head jerked up. Ben again? What was going on? He shook his head and stared back into his targeting device. No time. No time to worry. He had a battle station to destroy.
*Let go, Luke.*
Again, Luke looked up. The voice sounded so real! Could it be...? Maybe. He didn't know, but he didn't have enough time to dwell on it. Too many lives were at stake. He looked again into his targeting device.
*Luke, trust me.*
"Now that's a low blow," he muttered softly as he reached over to flip the switch that sent the targeting screen away from his face. "This had better work."
"Luke, you switched off your targeting computer," Bail's voice came over his headset. "What's wrong?"
Luke let out a long sigh. "Nothing. I'm all right."
A sudden wail from behind him caused Luke to glance around. Artoo was now just a hunk of metal attached to his ship for the ride. Great.
"I lost Artoo!"
*****
*****
Tarkin looked down at the moon with contempt.
"Rebel base in range," the intercom voice said.
"You may fire when ready," was his terse reply.
"Commence primary ignition."
*****
*****
Luke growled at the three TIEs that never once broke formation behind him. He took a deep breath and tried to calm the shaking in his hands.
One of the TIEs took aim, unleasing a volley of fire. Luke closed his eyes and waited for the fire to consume him.
But then one of the TIEs exploded into flame! Luke looked frantically about. What...?
And then he saw it: the Millineum Falcon! Luke broke into an ecstatic grin as the Falcon headed right toward the two remaining fighters in a collision course. Briefly, Luke thought of the games of Terror he and Biggs used to have in their speeders, coming at eachother full speed until one of them was forced to swerve away. That was exactly what Han was doing now: daring the TIEs to move or be hit!
And that's exactly what one of them did. The TIE, panicked by Han's pirateship flying at them, swerved frantically. It knocked the other TIE's side, sending in careening into space with a damaged wing. The other TIE crashed into the side of the trench and exploded.
"You're all clear, kid," Han said over the headset. "Blow the thing so you can go home!"
"Aren't you going back?" Luke, no longer in danger, was momentarily distracted.
"Nah," Han said casually. "I've got some things to take care of. But when that's done, who knows?"
Luke smiled. "All right Han. I'll see you soon."
"Yeah kid."
The Millineum Falcon pulled away, then shot into hyperspace. For a moment, Luke frowned and another voice from the Falcon hit his ears: Leia! Han had taken Leia with him!
"Luke!" Bail shouted over the intercom. "The exhaust port!"
Oh! Right. The exhaust port. He'd forgotten for a moment what he was supposed to do. It was just that Leia's voice had startled him so, and he couldn't figure out why she'd sounded so outraged.
But that was neither here nor there. With a smile, Luke concentrated and fired his torpedoes. He thought briefly that he'd missed: the shots seemed to disappear. Then, with a certainty that Luke guessed came from the Force, he knew he had not missed and that the torpedoes were rocketing their way toward the reactor. He pulled out of the trench and hightailed it back toward the base.
*****
*****
Inside the Death Star, a soldier ran to the controls and pulled the attack lever.
"Stand by to attack Rebel base."
A satisfied smile crept over Tarkin's face. Finally, the Rebel Alliance would be destroyed and he could *get some rest!*
Suddenly, the station shook. Tarkin stumbled, a look of realization dawning on his wrinkled face.
"Oh, fu--" he started.
The Death Star blew.
*****
*****
Bail waited patiently as Mon Mothma placed a medal around Luke's neck. The boy looked delirously happy, and honestly, Bail couldn't blame him. He knew how much the kid had wanted to prove himself.
Mon Mothma smiled brightly and stepped back until she was standing next to Bail.
"Any sign of her?" she whispered.
"No," Bail sighed. "Presumably, Leia left with Captain Solo."
The conversation stopped; there was nothing more to say.
Luke turned to face the assembly. Everyone bowed slightly to Luke before errupting into applause.
*****
*****
THE END
No, not really. Stay tuned for Part 2.
Chapter Four
Leia stepped silently out of her room. Her med droids had just left--she saw them blinking down the corridor going the opposite direction as the rest of the flow of traffic. She knew that if she was caught out of bed, she would probably be strapped to it, so she waited until the sound of voices got softer before she moved.
She didn't know exactly where she was going, but if she kept the voices within earshot, she could follow them to the briefing room. She wasn't completely sure what was going on, but she knew it had something to do with the Death Star, and she'd burn before she'd let anything that might threaten the Empire's newest station. Especially since her father was on it.
With absolute calm, as though she had every right to be there, Leia stepped into the briefing room and stood with her back against the wall. She waited.
*****
*****
Grand Moff Tarkin stood with a decisively sour look painted on his pale face as he watched Stormtroopers scurry hurriedly about the station.Tarkin smirked slightly at them, rushing about as though they would take part in this mission even though they knew they wouldn't.
He turned his face back toward the clear square in the wall. Below him orbited the small moon of Yavin.He sighed in anticipation, wanting nothing more than for this mission to be over with so he could rest a bit.
He was getting too old for this kind of work.
*****
*****
With outward calm, Leia watched the activity around her. No one even noticed her leaning against the wall,. away from the commotion of trying to find a friend to sit next to. Vaguely she noticed that Luke sat in the very front, dressed in the ugly orange and grey of Rebel fighters. She also noticed that Han Solo was also standing in the back, with a smirk on his face. Leia smiled. Good. She knew that Han was not likely to refuse her anything, and she had every intention of leaving this moon in his ship, with or without him in it.
Suddenly everyone grew silent. Leia directed her attention toward the front of the room where Mon Mothma, Senator Organa, and some other human (Dodonna Something, or maybe it was Something Dodonna) stepped up. It was Dodonna who cleared his throat. Mon Mothma and Organa were there solely for looks.
An electronic screen flicked on behind him. Its image fluttered for a moment, then stabilized. Leia noticed, even without her Force powers, that there was an excited, restless mood rising in the room. Her stomach suddenly tied itself into knots as a large picture of the Death Star appeared.
"It's defenses are designed around a direct, large-scale assault," Dodonna said, not even bothering to tell everyone what they were there for. They knew.
Someone stood, scowling thoughtfully at the picture and the man standing next to it. "Pardon me for asking, sir, but what good are snub fighters going to be against that?"
Dodonna smiled tolerantly; Leia thought the smile made him look old and decrepit.
"Well, the Empire doesn't consider a small one-man fighter to be any threat, or they'd have a tighter defense. An analysis of the plans provided by Senator Organa has demonstrated a weakness in the battle station."
Artoo, who was parked next to the Senator, beeped and trilled. Leia sneered at the little droid and allowed herself a few immature thoughts on how good it would be to crush that hunk of junk into tiny metal cubes. Unbeknownst to her, Bail had noticed her and was now frowning at the look of pure hatred on the girl's face. He sighed and turned his attention back to Dodonna.
"You are required to maneuver straight down this trench and skim the surface to this point," the man started, pointing to a trench in the surface of the suddenly magnified Death Star. "The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station. Only a precise hit will set up a chain reaction. The shaft is ray-shielded, so you'll have to use proton torpedoes."
The only thing that covered Leia's cry of outrage was the cry of disbelief that rose from the pilots. Angrily, Leia crossed her arms in front of her and unconciously began to pinch herself harshly.
"That's impossible, even for a computer!" one pilot cried out in despair, and Leia found herself cheering for this lone man. At least on of them could see it!
"It's not impossible. I used to bull's-eye womp rats in my T-sixteen back home. They're not much bigger than two meters." Leia was not at all surprised to see that this new speaker was Luke Skywalker. She would enjoy killing him *much* more than she had enjoyed killing his family.
Without waiting for any more protests, Dodonna raised his head and commanded "Man your ships!"
Leia watched sourly as everyone scurried out of the room toward the hangar.
*****
*****
Luke followed Biggs as they shot out of the hangar and into the greying sky of Yavin. Behind him, Artoo beeped excitedly as they broke into space and stars. And although Luke had expected it, had known it was there, and had prepared himself for its ugly presence, he was still shocked to see the Death Star looming before his squadron.
Luke sighed, briefly wondering if Han would be there when he got back. He'd managed to convince the smuggler to stay, at least until the battle with the Death Star was over. After all, he'd said, if they lost, Han might be needed to help get people off the planet. Han wasn't happy, but a few threatening growls from Chewie had set him straight.
*But then again* Luke reminded himself. *I may not come back.*
Now that was something Leia would say, not him. But ... could it be true? He hadn't really thought about it. He'd just gotten into his X-Wing and taken off. But come to think of it, what chance did he really have? He was just a farm boy from an out of the way planet. He'd only been in one other fight, on the Death Star, and that was a whole other kind of fight. What made him think he'd be able to make it through this?
*Luke, the Force will be with you.*
Luke jumped, glancing around. What the...? With a frown, he tapped at his earpiece, but he knew that the voice hadn't come from it. In fact, Luke would have sworn that it was Old Ben Kenobi's voice he'd heard!
*That's because it was.*
The statement came unbidden to his head, but he shook it off, ignoring Artoo's concerned bleeps. There was no way he'd heard Ben's voice. Ben had died weeks ago on the Death Star. And that was all there was too it.
"You ready, Luke?" Biggs asked, a smile in his voice.
"You bet," Luke said instantly. He put all thoughts out of his head and focused on the Death Star. They would win this. They had to.
*****
*****
Leia sidled up to Han silently, casually. For a moment, he didn't notice her: his eyes were riveted on a screen. There was a small red dot, the Death Star, making its way slowly but surely toward Yavin's moon. Leia smirked.
"Stand-by alert," an intercom voice suddenly crackled to life, startling everyone. "Death Star approaching. Estimated time to firing range, fifteen minutes."
A crazy thought skipped abruptly across Leia's mind: she might be on the next planet the Death Star attacked. She didn't even mind all that much either.
*Now isn't that just the definition of irony?* she asked herself, giggling. Han looked down at her, frowning.
"Something funny?" he asked sharply, which made Leia laugh even harder. "And shouldn't you be in bed?"
She groaned. "Oh, I've been in bed *forever,*" she said flirtateously. "Maybe for once I wanted to come to you."
Han's eyebrow raised a bit. "You know we're all about to die, right?"
"Maybe..." she shrugged, fingering the sleeve of his shirt. "But we don't have to you know."
"Oh? How do you mean?"
"We could leave."
Han didn't look convinced.
"I'm serious," Leia went on. "You don't owe them anything."
"I promised Luke..."
Leia snorted in disgust. "You *certainly* don't owe him anything! And he's a fool if he thinks he's coming back--as are you if you believe him. So let's leave. You and me, right now."
Han glanced over at Mon Mothma and Organa uncertainly. Then he looked down at Leia. *Sith, Solo, what choice is there? Stay here on this hunk of rock and die or accept a beautiful girl's offer? What kind of idiot even has to consider it?*
He offered her his hand. "Well, Sweetheart, what are you waiting for? Let's go."
Grinning triumphantly, Leia took his hand. She cast one last look at Bail Organa before disappearing around the bend.
*I'll be seeing you again, Organa. You and that whiny kid. You can bet on it.*
*****
*****
"All wings report in."
The sound of Red Leader's voice in his ear started Luke back into reality. He'd been zoning out for a while, his eyes and mind focused on the Death Star hanging before him. Now the sound of voices grounded him where he should be.
"Red Three standing by." Luke grinned at Biggs' voice. He sounded so professional, not at all like the kid Luke used to hang out with, who got his kicks out of putting dents in other people's droids.
"Red Nine standing by."
"Red Two standing by."
"Red Eleven standing by."
Luke sucked in a deep breath. "Red Five standing by."
A feeling of elation passed through his body. He was in this for the long haul now, and nothing short of a herd of mad banthas was going to stop him from taking the Death Star down. This was his moment; he *knew* it.
"Lock S-foils in attack position." Luke manuvered his X-Wing a bit, hitting the toggle that unfolded the wings and locked them into position. "We're passing through their magnetic field."
There was a slight jolt as they did just that; from then until they hit the trench, it was smooth sailing. They glided slowly, cautiously toward the Death Star and once again, Luke was overcome by the sheer *enormity* of the thing. He couldn't even imagine what it had taken to build it.
Again, Red Leader's voice cut into his thoughts. "Accelerate to attack speed. This is it, boys!"
"Red Leader, this is Gold Leader."
"I copy, Gold Leader."
"We're starting for the target shaft now."
Suddenly, the only sound Luke could hear was the thumping of his heart; surely the rest of his wing could hear it too! Thump-THUMP! Thump-THUMP!
*This is it!*
Luke jerked his X-Wing down in an extreme nosedive, beginning his own, personal attack on the Death Star. He resisted the urge to voice his terrified excitement with a howl.
"This is Red Five! I'm going in!"
Almost immeadiately, his fighter was engulfed in a ball of flame; Luke could feel its heat burning on his face. For a moment, he thought *This is the end; I'm dead.* but then the his world brightened and once again the Death Star loomed in front of him. He breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he would make it after all.
*****
*****
Leia and Han practically ran down the corridor toward the Millineum Falcom. The whole base was nearly deserted: anyone who was not engaged in battle in space was listening to it in the briefing room. They had an easy time getting by, although there was an occasion when Leia had almost used her lightsaber to dispatch a nosy droid.
"Chewie!" Han yelled as they neared the Falcon. Chewie poked his head out of the ship, howling in confusion.
"We're leaving," Han continued, pulling Leia up the ramp. "No arguments either! We've got things to do, buddy, and we can't do them by hanging around here!"
And before Chewie could roar in protest, Leia shot him a glare that stopped him where he was. He meekly turned and followed Han into the cock-pit.
Han didn't notice the look of alarm that crossed his first mate's furry face, nor the fact that his friend, who took orders from no one but Han, had been put into place by a seventeen year old girl.
Ten minutes later, the Falcon shot out of the hangar and disappeared into the sky.
*****
*****
Luke groaned as Red Leader's shot was declared a miss. He knew it wouldn't go in; they needed to be much closer in order to get a good shot!
"Red Leader, we're right above you. Turn to point..." Luke said helplessly, trying to spot Red Leader. "..oh-five, we'll cover for you."
"Stay there..." came Red Leader's voice in his ear. "I just lost my starboard engine. Get set to make your attack run."
*****
*****
Vader pressed the firing buttons on his control sticks.
"Rebel scum," he wheezed.
*****
*****
Luke watched in horror as Red Leader's ship shuddered. His thoughts raced. *No no no no no!*
Sudden laserbolts shot from one of the TIE fighters, connecting again with Red Leaders X-Wing. The last thing Luke heard before the ship was destroyed was Red Leader's scream of agony. Swallowing in an attempt to choke back a curse, he nodded his head once, decisively.
"Biggs, Wedge, let's close it up. We're going in. We're going in full throttle."
There was a moment of silence before Wedge began to move out. "Right with you, boss."
The two peeled off, diving for the Death Star. Biggs cleared his throat and asked, "Luke, at that speed will you be able to pull out in time?"
He didn't know. He didn't care. All he was worried about was destroying that monstrosity and everyone aboard it, thereby avenging not only Red Leader's death, but Obi-Wan Kenobi's as well. But he couldn't very well tell Biggs that. So he said the first idiotic thing that came to mind.
"It'll be just like Beggar's Canyon back home."
*****
*****
Mon Mothma unconciously reached out a hand to grip Bail's. The Senator looked up at his old friend, perhaps to try to comfort her. But when she looked at him, he saw something in her eyes that he knew she saw in his: fear.
But before either one of them could acknowledge the feeling, either silently or verbally, Wedge's voice floated to their ears.
"I'm hit! I can't stay with you!"
"Get clear, Wedge," Luke ordered. Bail puffed with pride. Luke didn't sound the least bit frightened; maybe they did have a chance.
*****
*****
Luke swerved left, avoiding yet another bolt coming his way. He was beginning to feel nervous.
"Hurry, Luke," Biggs yelled at him "They're coming in much faster this time. I can't hold them!"
*Don't worry, Biggs. I've got it.* Luke thought grimly, commanding Artoo to increase power. The TIE fighters were closing in.
He looked into his targeting device. For a moment, he moved it away as a surprising thought entered his head: What if he tried it without the computer?
"Hurry up!" Biggs yelled again. Luke looked over his shoulder to see the TIEs closing in on his friend. No, he couldn't take the chance of not using the computer. Not at Biggs' expense.
Suddenly, there was an explosion. Luke turned to see Biggs' X-Wing on fire. Oh, gods, no! Biggs' ship suddenly broke apart, litterally shattering into pieces.
Biggs' dying scream echoed in Luke's head, bringing tears pricking to his eyes.
"No," he growled softly. He was *not* going to let it end like this! These deaths would not go unavenged! Not a single one of them. Grimly, Luke looked back into his targeting device as the leader of the TIEs focused in on him. He carefully lined up the yellow cross-hair lines on the screen preparing to fire.
*Use the Force, Luke.*
Luke's head jerked up. Ben again? What was going on? He shook his head and stared back into his targeting device. No time. No time to worry. He had a battle station to destroy.
*Let go, Luke.*
Again, Luke looked up. The voice sounded so real! Could it be...? Maybe. He didn't know, but he didn't have enough time to dwell on it. Too many lives were at stake. He looked again into his targeting device.
*Luke, trust me.*
"Now that's a low blow," he muttered softly as he reached over to flip the switch that sent the targeting screen away from his face. "This had better work."
"Luke, you switched off your targeting computer," Bail's voice came over his headset. "What's wrong?"
Luke let out a long sigh. "Nothing. I'm all right."
A sudden wail from behind him caused Luke to glance around. Artoo was now just a hunk of metal attached to his ship for the ride. Great.
"I lost Artoo!"
*****
*****
Tarkin looked down at the moon with contempt.
"Rebel base in range," the intercom voice said.
"You may fire when ready," was his terse reply.
"Commence primary ignition."
*****
*****
Luke growled at the three TIEs that never once broke formation behind him. He took a deep breath and tried to calm the shaking in his hands.
One of the TIEs took aim, unleasing a volley of fire. Luke closed his eyes and waited for the fire to consume him.
But then one of the TIEs exploded into flame! Luke looked frantically about. What...?
And then he saw it: the Millineum Falcon! Luke broke into an ecstatic grin as the Falcon headed right toward the two remaining fighters in a collision course. Briefly, Luke thought of the games of Terror he and Biggs used to have in their speeders, coming at eachother full speed until one of them was forced to swerve away. That was exactly what Han was doing now: daring the TIEs to move or be hit!
And that's exactly what one of them did. The TIE, panicked by Han's pirateship flying at them, swerved frantically. It knocked the other TIE's side, sending in careening into space with a damaged wing. The other TIE crashed into the side of the trench and exploded.
"You're all clear, kid," Han said over the headset. "Blow the thing so you can go home!"
"Aren't you going back?" Luke, no longer in danger, was momentarily distracted.
"Nah," Han said casually. "I've got some things to take care of. But when that's done, who knows?"
Luke smiled. "All right Han. I'll see you soon."
"Yeah kid."
The Millineum Falcon pulled away, then shot into hyperspace. For a moment, Luke frowned and another voice from the Falcon hit his ears: Leia! Han had taken Leia with him!
"Luke!" Bail shouted over the intercom. "The exhaust port!"
Oh! Right. The exhaust port. He'd forgotten for a moment what he was supposed to do. It was just that Leia's voice had startled him so, and he couldn't figure out why she'd sounded so outraged.
But that was neither here nor there. With a smile, Luke concentrated and fired his torpedoes. He thought briefly that he'd missed: the shots seemed to disappear. Then, with a certainty that Luke guessed came from the Force, he knew he had not missed and that the torpedoes were rocketing their way toward the reactor. He pulled out of the trench and hightailed it back toward the base.
*****
*****
Inside the Death Star, a soldier ran to the controls and pulled the attack lever.
"Stand by to attack Rebel base."
A satisfied smile crept over Tarkin's face. Finally, the Rebel Alliance would be destroyed and he could *get some rest!*
Suddenly, the station shook. Tarkin stumbled, a look of realization dawning on his wrinkled face.
"Oh, fu--" he started.
The Death Star blew.
*****
*****
Bail waited patiently as Mon Mothma placed a medal around Luke's neck. The boy looked delirously happy, and honestly, Bail couldn't blame him. He knew how much the kid had wanted to prove himself.
Mon Mothma smiled brightly and stepped back until she was standing next to Bail.
"Any sign of her?" she whispered.
"No," Bail sighed. "Presumably, Leia left with Captain Solo."
The conversation stopped; there was nothing more to say.
Luke turned to face the assembly. Everyone bowed slightly to Luke before errupting into applause.
*****
*****
THE END
No, not really. Stay tuned for Part 2.