Chapter 12 – Passage to Alderaan
Obi-Wan hurried through the busy streets of Mos Eisley, mentally adding the sum he had been carrying to that which he had managed to raise from selling his land speeder and a few other bits of equipment - two thousand credits total. Those items he had sold were worth more than the price he had accepted, but the presence of Imperial stormtroopers observing the market transactions had encouraged Obi-Wan to end the negotiations quickly. No matter, he now had enough to cover the up-front fee the pilot had agreed to, and he was certain the remaining fifteen thousand credits would be gladly paid by Bail Organa when they arrived on Alderaan… if they arrived on Alderaan. This entire morning the Jedi had been plagued by the feeling that time was running short, and he was certain that sense came from more than the increasing number of Imperial patrols he had to maneuver around.
Obi-Wan's endeavor to find passage to Alderaan had already taken much longer than he had anticipated, his search having been slowed by what seemed to be a conspiracy of events. First there had been the need to repair his landspeeder's left engine, overstressed from the extensive search for the droids in the desert's most intense heat. Entering Mos Eisley had been tedious as well, with Imperial checkpoints slowing traffic to a near stand still. Though, as a Jedi, he'd had no difficulty convincing the guards to let him pass, additional time had been spent finding secure, temporary lodging in which to hide the droids while he searched the local cantinas for a pilot. Nearly two days and half a dozen seedy establishments later, the Force had finally led him to an available pilot with acceptable scruples, sufficient skill and a ship that held promise for a speedy trip.
Now seeking out docking bay ninety-four with the intent of departing Tatooine at the pilot's earliest convenience, Obi-Wan spared little attention for the complaints of one of the droids struggling to keep up with him.
"Oh pardon me, sir," Threepio apologized for having unsuccessfully dodged yet another being in the cramped and crowded alleyways.
The malcontented Aqualish seemed unwilling to let the incident pass as an accident and began making a threatening advance on the droid. Obi-Wan was turning to intervene on Threepio's behalf when a large Wookiee suddenly barked and growled ferociously from a recessed door ahead. The aggressor turned to assess this unexpected protest then quickly backed away, deterred from any violence by the toothy snarl and the wicked looking bow caster held by the Wookiee.
"Thank you, Chewbacca," Obi-Wan said in genuine appreciation as a look of satisfaction spread across the big Wookiee's face. The Jedi could have easily handled the dispute, but the Wookiee's method was less likely to draw suspicion from any bystanders.
Chewie waved off the man's gratitude and gestured hurriedly to the entrance of the docking bay. Jabba had just left with his goons in tow, and the copilot was anxious to get his friend away from this place and in possession of this promised fare as quickly as possible before the Hutt changed his mind.
Obi-Wan could not completely interpret the string of soft barks and howls the Wookiee issued, but he was able to glean the desire for speed from Chewie's gestures and emotions. That suited Obi-Wan just fine given the distinct sensation of being observed he now felt. It was indeed time to leave this planet.
Hefting up again his small rucksack filled with what few of his belongings were worth keeping, Obi-Wan followed Chewbacca through the doorway and nearly stopped short when his eyes fell upon the much touted Millennium Falcon. There, nestled in the middle of the enormous crater that served as the docking bay, sat perhaps the ugliest ship he had ever seen in his life. Reviewing the battered and scarred hull, Obi-Wan began to wonder if the sum of seventeen thousand credits he had picked from the pilot's mind might be what was necessary to get this freighter spaceworthy again.
"Oh my! Surely I'm not expected to endure space travel on that scrap pile," Threepio muttered in dismay.
The ship's captain had been occupied with pre-flight checks under the belly of the saucer-shaped freighter when he heard the droid's complaint. Han Solo now dropped his attention away from his work to deliver the offender a nasty scowl. He couldn't care less about what that golden tin can thought, but the unsatisfied look on the old man's face required some attention. Han couldn't have his best and easiest chance of settling with Jabba suddenly decide to find another pilot.
"She'll make point five past light speed," Han boasted defensively to the old man, stepping out some to greet his passenger. "She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts. I've made some special modifications myself."
Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows in a dubious expression as he re-assessed the ship in light of the pilot's confidence. Somewhat mystified but sensing once again that this was the path he was to follow, the Jedi accepted the will of the Force and gave the cocky Corellian a nod of acceptance. Gesturing to the droids, Obi-Wan continued his approach to the Falcon's boarding ramp and met Han with a tight smile.
Returning the old man's smile with strained congeniality, Han swept his hand out in exaggerated gracious invitation, "But we're a little rushed. So if you'll just get on board, we'll get out of here."
Obi-Wan complied without words, quickly ascending the ramp with Artoo close behind. Threepio, however, hesitated just a moment to bow his head in reply to the pilot's invitation. "Oh. Thank you, sir," Threepio said politely before following his companions onto the Falcon.
Han rolled his eyes at the droid's apparent inability to decipher sarcasm and turned back to complete his pre-flight checks. He could barely believe he had stooped so low as to become a chauffeur for an old man and his droids. Then again, if the old man was crazy enough to pay so much for simple passage to a central system, who was he to pass up the deal? Despite the other man's allusion to difficulties with the Imperials, Han was certain it was nothing he couldn't handle. What possible trouble could such an old geezer get himself into?
Han was just about to let out a scoffing snort when his eye caught a glint of light reflecting off moving metal. Looking curiously in that direction, his expression quickly changed to stunned surprise as the first stormtroopers spilled into the bay, their weapons already drawn.
"Stop that ship. Blast them!" one ordered immediately, causing Han's expression to change again, this time to disconcerted alarm as the troops moved to fulfill their orders.
Quick and automatic reflexes compensated for Han's baffled surprise and put him in motion before the first of the shots were fired. His own blaster was drawn and used to provide scattering fire before the Imps could establish any strategic position at all, but there were simply too many of them for Han to do anything but run. Ducking the incoming blasts and cursing to himself, Han continued snapping off rounds to keep the Imps distracted as he bolted for the Falcon's ramp. "Chewie, get us outta here!" he screamed to his copilot, running full out for the cockpit the instant he made it on-board and secured the hatch behind him.
**
Obi-Wan had just gotten Threepio and Artoo settled when he sensed the Imperials storming the bay. Turning at first toward the ship's entrance in concern, he quickly redirected his efforts to strapping himself in as he heard the pilot charge up the ramp. The Jedi's time on Tatooine had come to an end. Now Obi-Wan knew he would soon discover if this ship was indeed capable of all that the pilot claimed.
**
Chewbacca had seen the brief fire fight but had concentrated on accelerating the power-up sequence rather than providing firepower back-up to a situation that was rapidly deteriorating. With Han now on-board, Chewie fired the repulsors to quickly maneuver the Falcon out of the bay and orient it toward space. He kicked in the main drive the instant the ship was clear of the crater's rocky walls.
The Falcon obeyed Chewie's commands with surprising grace and shot away with equally surprising speed, leaving the still firing stormtroopers far behind. However, no ship could outrun communication signals between ground troops and orbiting starships. The freighter had barely escaped the planet's atmosphere when sensors began reporting another ship in close proximity.
Han, still getting settled into his seat, acknowledged a stream of anxious barks from his co-pilot by immediately focusing on his sensor screen. "Looks like an Imperial cruiser. Our passenger must be hotter than I thought," he announced grimly.
"Try and hold them off," Han commanded Chewbacca, completely trusting his copilot's flying skills as he scrambled up to turn his attention to the navigator station. "Angle the deflector shields while I start the calculations for the jump to light speed."
Han's fingers flew over the console, entering the necessary data to initiate the computations with practiced efficiency. Once he was satisfied the process was underway, he turned back around to find his pilot's seat and nearly bumped into a presence that hadn't been there before. Shooting Obi-Wan a warning scowl, Han was nevertheless surprised by the intense look on the old man's face and the apparent ease with which he stood in the cockpit.
Obi-Wan backed into the unoccupied communication station to get out of Han's way but kept his eyes focused on the space outside. "There are two more coming in. They're going to try to cut us off," he announced calmly.
Han shot Obi-Wan a strange look, wondering just how the old man could possibly understand their situation within the few seconds he'd been in the cockpit. "I see 'em," he directed at Obi-Wan, pointedly commanding the passenger to stay out of his way. Then, realizing the old man was right, Han quickly slipped the rest of the way into the pilot's seat and applied his own flying skills to evading the forming trap. "Stay sharp, Chewie," he warned his co-pilot.
Obi-Wan leaned in closer between the two pilot seats, his face drawn into a look of intense concentration as the pursuing Star Destroyers closed the distance between the ships.
"Don't worry," Han told him. "We'll be safe enough once we've made the jump to hyperspace. Besides, I know a few maneuvers. We'll lose 'em."
As if in defiance to Han's prediction, the first of the three Star Destroyers opened fire and began rocking the freighter with powerful blasts. The explosions from the shots that were absorbed by the shields and the bright flashes from the numerous near misses that lit up the space outside the cockpit combined to give the distinct impression that the freighter was mortally imperiled.
"Here's where the fun begins," Han smirked sarcastically with a spreading grin as he spun the Falcon almost recklessly to prevent the other ships from obtaining a targeting lock.
Obi-Wan realized the pilot was actually enjoying this challenge on some level and had to admit he was impressed with the man's demonstrated skill. "How much longer before you can make the jump to light speed?" he asked with only mild concern.
"It'll take a few a minutes to the coordinates from the navi computer," Han replied just as calmly, once again surprised by the old man's coolness under the continuous barrage they were taking.
As good a pilot as Han was, there was little he could actually do to escape the targeting of the closing Destroyers without breaking off of his exit vector. It was simply a race between the speed of his navigation computer and the accuracy of laser shots that were striving to drain the Falcon's shields as quickly as possible. The Imperials' pursuit continued for only a few moments longer before a blaring alarm accompanied by a flashing red light filled the Falcon's cockpit.
"Damn. We're losing a deflector shield," Han cursed, suddenly very serious. Fortunately a tone from navigator station announced at the same time that the computer's calculations were complete. "Go strap yourself in. I'm going to make the jump to light speed," Han snapped at his passenger as he turned to lock in the coordinates.
Not worrying if he had given the old man sufficient time to comply, Han immediately turned back to reach for the hyperdrive controls and smoothly pulled back on the levers. The surrounding space immediately stretched into magnificent starlines as the hyperdrive engaged, and the Millennium Falcon streaked safely away from Tatooine.
******
"I cannot agree with this arrangement, Lord Vader," Tarkin spoke sternly. He had interpreted Vader's request for a private meeting as a sign that the Princess's interrogation had begun yielding results. Instead, he had been stunned by the Dark Lord's request to allow the Princess to be handed over to Arkus, an inexperienced subordinate with questionable motives at best. "She'll be practically unguarded."
"Relax, Governor. I assure you Darth Arkus can handle her. You should not underestimate him," Vader warned in reply.
Tarkin furrowed his brow deeper at Vader's apparent confidence in this fledgling Sith. He wasn't sure which situation was more disconcerting – for Arkus to be an untrained and incompetent Sith, or a skilled Sith lacking the maturity and discipline Lord Vader demonstrated. Tarkin had believed Vader to be last member of this religion, the last one capable of wielding the mystical power that no one else understood and few believed even existed until receiving a demonstration, as Motti had. That the Emperor had found another and brought him into Imperial service had been a most unwelcome surprise.
"Are you certain another interrogation session wouldn't be more useful?" Tarkin asked, mostly to verify that this decision of Vader's was based on solid reasoning and not some influence from Arkus to satisfy a conflicting agenda.
"Her resistance remains quite strong even after our second session. I believe it is now prudent to pursue an alternative method," Vader stated confidently, leaving no room for argument.
"Perhaps you are right, Lord Vader," Tarkin finally capitulated, knowing he would get no further explanation and quickly deciding to use the opportunity to introduce his own strategy. "I have been considering an alternative approach myself."
"What do you mean?" Vader asked suspiciously.
"Only that it is time to demonstrate the firepower of this station, and I believe we can do so in a fashion that is doubly useful. The Princess may be more forthcoming when her home world is threatened," Tarkin put forward.
Vader paused at the suggestion then responded with a guarded tone, "You may find she has a stronger conviction than you believe."
"Nevertheless," Tarkin continued, waving off the skepticism in a manner that made it clear it was his turn to accept no arguments. "I have already ordered Admiral Motti to set course for the Alderaan system. Arkus can have her until then."