After their time spent traveling by plane and car, the spacers were more
than happy to see the Millennium Falcon waiting for them in the Egyptian
desert.
"She's never looked better," Han said with a smile.
"Which is pretty sad," Luke jested, earning a half-serious glare from his brother-in-law.
"Still amazes me," Indy said as he took off his fedora and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"There, you see," Han said. "At least someone has some sense."
Leia sighed and casually entered the ship, calling over her shoulder, "If any of you men decide you'd like to stop talking shop and start traveling, I'll be inside where it's cool." This prompted the three men to follow her into the Falcon. Their eyes adjusted, with pleasure, to the soft lighting.
Happy to be out of the bright sun and the heat, Indy plopped down onto the cushioned seat, as the others headed for the cockpit. There was a rumbling sound which seemed terribly loud to him and he tensed.
Han poked his head around the corner. "You gonna strap yourself in back here, or you wanna come up to the cockpit?"
"Oh, yeah, I was just coming," Indy said with a fair amount of false bravado. He willed himself out of the seat and quickly followed Han to the front of the ship, where he strapped himself into one of the back two seats. Luke was in the co-pilot's seat, flicking switches which started the repulsor-lifts. Han slid casually into the pilot's seat and eased a lever- and they were off.
Indy had briefly been in space on the Falcon before, but it was never quite like this. The earth sank away at an alarming pace once the ship had lifted from the ground, creating a somewhat dizzying effect. In a matter of minutes, they were in the pitch-black calm of space. And Indy was gripping his chair.
Han looked back with a smirk on his face. "What's the matter, Jones," he taunted, "Suddenly developing a fear of flying?"
"It's just a little overwhelming," Indy replied.
"Ah, you get used to it. Now, let's find our secret passageway." He quickly scanned through several menus on the navicomputer and found the one he was looking for. After glancing over the information briefly, he piloted the craft toward the destination.
"There it is," Leia said somewhat apprehensively as the dark well became quite visible in front of them. Indy sucked in his breath slowly but deeply. Han grinned like a kid in amusement.
Luke had forgotten most of his trepidation about the dangers of this kind of travel. Right now, he longed only to be out of this strange Force- shadowed galaxy and back in his familiar surroundings where he could feel what was going on around him. "Let's just go," he said.
Throwing him a sideways glance, Han nodded. "Make sure you're buckled in," he warned. Indy's safety belt was already tight, but he decided a few more notches couldn't hurt. As the spaceship began to hurtle toward the black hole faster and faster, he closed his eyes and waited for whatever mysterious universe waited on the other side.
*******************************************
The Falcon rocketed out into space at breakneck speed. Han had finally gauged how to slow the ship easily without causing everyone aboard whiplash. He prepared for the asteroid field he knew would be right in front of them when they exited.
But there was nothing. No asteroids, no other black holes, no Kessel Run. Only a blanket of star speckled space stretching out in all directions. Han looked nervously to Luke, who had his eyes closed and was breathing deeply. "Um, kid," he said softly.
Luke slowly opened his eyes, breaking himself from reveling in the feel of the Force once more surrounding him. He looked first to Han, and then followed his nod out the viewport. For a moment, he stopped breathing. They were not in the right place. Frantically, he looked back to Leia, who had the same shocked expression on her face. Then, his stomach turned sickeningly at the realization that they had no idea where they were, or indeed perhaps when they were.
Indy was sitting behind Luke quietly gazing out at the stars. But even his awe of the scene didn't keep him from noticing how nervous his companions were. After a few moments of silence, he spoke up. "Um, is there a problem?"
Han let out a long breath. "Yeah. We're, uh, not in the right place."
"What do you mean?" Indy asked, starting to get worried himself.
"Well this is most definitely not where this black hole is supposed to come out," Han said, running a hand through his hair.
Leia sighed angrily. "Perfect. This is just perfect. I knew something like this was going to happen!"
"I'm sorry, Leia, how was I supposed to know!" Han said defensively.
"I told you this was a bad idea, Han."
Han was beginning to get angry. "No, you said it was a bad idea to bring Indy with us, but this would have happened anyway!"
"Yes, but now we have to figure out how to get him back as well as ourselves!" Leia shouted.
"Calm down!" Luke said loudly but without anger. He sent a few calming waves through the Force, and looked at Leia in rebuke. She remembered what he had told her about a Jedi controlling their emotions, and especially not allowing themselves to get angry, and calmed herself. "Now," Luke continued in an even, commanding voice, "yelling isn't going to solve anything. Yes, we're in a bind, but it's important that we think through this logically. Obviously the black hole has shifted somehow and has dropped us somewhere else in space." He paused before adding, "And there's the possibility that we're also in a different time. But, let's take this one step at a time. I suggest we find the nearest planet and learn more about our situation before we rush to any conclusions."
Han sighed deeply, and shook his head. "You're right kid, sorry." He punched some buttons on the navicomputer and found a planet. "There's a planet not too far from here, in the other direction. Actually, we should be able to see it." He took the helm and turned the Falcon around in a wide arc.
"So, I guess this means a change of vacation plans?" Indy said with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood.
Han grinned back. "Yeah, sorry to impose on your fun, Jones."
"It's fine. I seem doomed to never have a free minute anyway. If it's not one thing, it's another. At least a change of environment is nice." Han couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's undying sense of humor.
The Falcon skirted around the black hole and now the space on the other side was becoming visible. "I just hope we ended up somewhere and sometime reasonable. I really hope it's not the future, because Force knows I don't want to see myself as an old man."
Han's banter was cut off by a sharp gasp from Leia. The planet was now in full view, large and blue-green in the viewport. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She didn't know whether it was a good or bad fortune that had brought them here. She could only stare in utter astonishment. In a soft whisper that was almost inaudible, she gasped, "Alderaan."
"She's never looked better," Han said with a smile.
"Which is pretty sad," Luke jested, earning a half-serious glare from his brother-in-law.
"Still amazes me," Indy said as he took off his fedora and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"There, you see," Han said. "At least someone has some sense."
Leia sighed and casually entered the ship, calling over her shoulder, "If any of you men decide you'd like to stop talking shop and start traveling, I'll be inside where it's cool." This prompted the three men to follow her into the Falcon. Their eyes adjusted, with pleasure, to the soft lighting.
Happy to be out of the bright sun and the heat, Indy plopped down onto the cushioned seat, as the others headed for the cockpit. There was a rumbling sound which seemed terribly loud to him and he tensed.
Han poked his head around the corner. "You gonna strap yourself in back here, or you wanna come up to the cockpit?"
"Oh, yeah, I was just coming," Indy said with a fair amount of false bravado. He willed himself out of the seat and quickly followed Han to the front of the ship, where he strapped himself into one of the back two seats. Luke was in the co-pilot's seat, flicking switches which started the repulsor-lifts. Han slid casually into the pilot's seat and eased a lever- and they were off.
Indy had briefly been in space on the Falcon before, but it was never quite like this. The earth sank away at an alarming pace once the ship had lifted from the ground, creating a somewhat dizzying effect. In a matter of minutes, they were in the pitch-black calm of space. And Indy was gripping his chair.
Han looked back with a smirk on his face. "What's the matter, Jones," he taunted, "Suddenly developing a fear of flying?"
"It's just a little overwhelming," Indy replied.
"Ah, you get used to it. Now, let's find our secret passageway." He quickly scanned through several menus on the navicomputer and found the one he was looking for. After glancing over the information briefly, he piloted the craft toward the destination.
"There it is," Leia said somewhat apprehensively as the dark well became quite visible in front of them. Indy sucked in his breath slowly but deeply. Han grinned like a kid in amusement.
Luke had forgotten most of his trepidation about the dangers of this kind of travel. Right now, he longed only to be out of this strange Force- shadowed galaxy and back in his familiar surroundings where he could feel what was going on around him. "Let's just go," he said.
Throwing him a sideways glance, Han nodded. "Make sure you're buckled in," he warned. Indy's safety belt was already tight, but he decided a few more notches couldn't hurt. As the spaceship began to hurtle toward the black hole faster and faster, he closed his eyes and waited for whatever mysterious universe waited on the other side.
*******************************************
The Falcon rocketed out into space at breakneck speed. Han had finally gauged how to slow the ship easily without causing everyone aboard whiplash. He prepared for the asteroid field he knew would be right in front of them when they exited.
But there was nothing. No asteroids, no other black holes, no Kessel Run. Only a blanket of star speckled space stretching out in all directions. Han looked nervously to Luke, who had his eyes closed and was breathing deeply. "Um, kid," he said softly.
Luke slowly opened his eyes, breaking himself from reveling in the feel of the Force once more surrounding him. He looked first to Han, and then followed his nod out the viewport. For a moment, he stopped breathing. They were not in the right place. Frantically, he looked back to Leia, who had the same shocked expression on her face. Then, his stomach turned sickeningly at the realization that they had no idea where they were, or indeed perhaps when they were.
Indy was sitting behind Luke quietly gazing out at the stars. But even his awe of the scene didn't keep him from noticing how nervous his companions were. After a few moments of silence, he spoke up. "Um, is there a problem?"
Han let out a long breath. "Yeah. We're, uh, not in the right place."
"What do you mean?" Indy asked, starting to get worried himself.
"Well this is most definitely not where this black hole is supposed to come out," Han said, running a hand through his hair.
Leia sighed angrily. "Perfect. This is just perfect. I knew something like this was going to happen!"
"I'm sorry, Leia, how was I supposed to know!" Han said defensively.
"I told you this was a bad idea, Han."
Han was beginning to get angry. "No, you said it was a bad idea to bring Indy with us, but this would have happened anyway!"
"Yes, but now we have to figure out how to get him back as well as ourselves!" Leia shouted.
"Calm down!" Luke said loudly but without anger. He sent a few calming waves through the Force, and looked at Leia in rebuke. She remembered what he had told her about a Jedi controlling their emotions, and especially not allowing themselves to get angry, and calmed herself. "Now," Luke continued in an even, commanding voice, "yelling isn't going to solve anything. Yes, we're in a bind, but it's important that we think through this logically. Obviously the black hole has shifted somehow and has dropped us somewhere else in space." He paused before adding, "And there's the possibility that we're also in a different time. But, let's take this one step at a time. I suggest we find the nearest planet and learn more about our situation before we rush to any conclusions."
Han sighed deeply, and shook his head. "You're right kid, sorry." He punched some buttons on the navicomputer and found a planet. "There's a planet not too far from here, in the other direction. Actually, we should be able to see it." He took the helm and turned the Falcon around in a wide arc.
"So, I guess this means a change of vacation plans?" Indy said with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood.
Han grinned back. "Yeah, sorry to impose on your fun, Jones."
"It's fine. I seem doomed to never have a free minute anyway. If it's not one thing, it's another. At least a change of environment is nice." Han couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's undying sense of humor.
The Falcon skirted around the black hole and now the space on the other side was becoming visible. "I just hope we ended up somewhere and sometime reasonable. I really hope it's not the future, because Force knows I don't want to see myself as an old man."
Han's banter was cut off by a sharp gasp from Leia. The planet was now in full view, large and blue-green in the viewport. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She didn't know whether it was a good or bad fortune that had brought them here. She could only stare in utter astonishment. In a soft whisper that was almost inaudible, she gasped, "Alderaan."