Chapter 8 Preparations
Bob wearily guided the ship down on one of the tiny green moons of Yavin. Lark had worn him out, and he'd enjoyed every minute of it. The feel of the Force flowing through him was amazing, sporadic as his control was. Lark had assured him it would come with time and training.
"There." Leia pointed to a spot where they could land. "The base is a short distance away."
Bob nodded and gently set the Falcon down. As they disembarked, they were greeted by Rebel Troops and escorted to the headquarters in an armored speeder. Lark wiped at a strand of hair that was sticking to her cheek. It wasn't that it was hot; it was just so humid! The wind caused by the speeder felt good on her sweaty face.
The speeder stopped in a huge spaceship hangar, and the commander of the Rebel forces, Willard, rushed up to the group.
"You're safe!" he exclaimed, giving Leia a hug. "We had feared the worst. When we heard about Alderaan, we were afraid that you were lost along with your father."
Lark felt her throat tighten, but Leia gave no sign of emotion.
"We don't have time for our sorrows, Commander." She said. "The battle station has surely tracked us here." She gave Han a sidelong look. "It's the only explanation for the ease of our escape. You must use the information in this R2 unit to plan the attack. It is our only hope."
He nodded and left with Leia following. Lark made a move to follow, but suddenly she stopped. All her senses were screaming at her. She turned.
It's not possible." She whispered.
Standing nearby, waiting for Leia to finish the formalities, were Lark's parents. In an instant Lark had crossed the room and was in her father's arms. Only now did she fully release her emotions, and Jesse held her as she cried.
"Sorry." She sniffed, letting go of Jesse and embracing her mother.
"We were so worried." Kimmy murmured.
"So was I." Lark pulled back. "How…"
"Shortly after you left, we came here to help prepare for the attack." Jesse explained.
Lark glanced over to where Luke, Han, and Bob were trying to be inconspicuous while waiting for someone to notice them and direct them somewhere.
"Oh, there's someone you need to meet." Lark pulled Jesse and Kimmy over to the trio. "Dad, this is Bob, the youngling you saved…"
"From the temple." Jesse finished, shaking Bob's hand. "You certainly have grown up. How's Shey?"
"Fine. He's on a run with some others."
"Why did we never meet?" Lark demanded of her parents.
"It was risky." Kimmy said. "Besides, Shey's rarely around anyways."
"Don't I know it. I grew up in hyperspace." Bob said. He paused. "I wanted to thank you for…"
"Don't mention it." Jesse interrupted. "It was the least we could do. Especially now that you've helped save Lark."
Lark leaned against her mother, relishing the fact that they were alive. "What happens now?" she asked.
"Now we prepare for an attack." Jesse answered.
"Hey, could you tell me who's in charge of the money here?" Han asked.
Lark rolled her eyes while Jesse studied the pirate. "What do you need help with?" he asked.
"This is Luke and Han, dad." Lark explained. "They want their reward so they can get out of here before things get dangerous." She glared at them.
"I…" Luke began, but he was cut off by Han.
"I'm not running from danger, missy, I just have better things to do than fight for a lost cause."
"The only lost cause is the one nobody fights for." Lark retorted.
Jesse held up a hand. "I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you." Han said, walking away. Chewie growled and followed.
"I'm not leaving." Luke told Lark, glancing over to where Leia consulted with various commanders.
Lark smiled a bit, but she was too annoyed by Han to really appreciate what he'd said. She turned to Bob. "And you?"
Bob shifted. "Um… I'm not sure." He looked away.
"What?"
"Lark, I'm supposed to stay with Han."
Lark snorted. "You look old enough to make your own decisions. But I'm not one for pushing a guilt trip, even if the people who saved your life are involved." She spun and walked away.
"So much for not pushing a guilt trip." Bob muttered. He caught Luke's gaze. "What?"
"You were meant to be a Jedi. How can you walk away?"
"I…" Bob sighed. "I don't want to."
"Then stay."
"I can't. Luke, I don't feel like I belong here."
"Belonging has nothing to do with it."
"Yes, it does. I belong with Han. For now. It's who I am."
Luke turned and walked away too. Bob sighed. Should he stay or not?
"Sir?" Luke asked the commander. "I'd like to stay and help."
"Good." The commander looked pleased. "We're going to have a meeting in a couple minutes. One of the…"
"Luke!" a young pilot came up behind them.
"Biggs!" Luke greeted him enthusiastically.
"So you made it off that rock after all. You here to stay?"
"You bet." Luke said.
"Come on, I'll get you suited up before the briefing." Biggs looked to the commander for approval. He nodded. "This way."
> > > >
Lark stood next to her father as the commander briefed the group of rebels. On the wall was a large electric display, featuring the death star. She looked up to see Han, Bob, and Chewie standing in the back. They must not have gotten their reward yet.
"The battle station is heavily shielded and carries a firepower greater than half the star fleet. It's defenses are designed around a direct large-scale assault. A small one-man fighter should be able to penetrate the outer defense."
Gold Leader made a motion with his hand. "Pardon me for asking, sir, but what good are snub fighters going to be against that?"
"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 Princess Leia has demonstrated a weakness in the battle station. The approach will not be easy. You are required to maneuver straight down this trench and skim the surface to this point. 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."
A murmer of disbelief ran through the room.
"Only a precise hit will set up a chain reaction. The shaft is ray-shielded, so you'll have to use proton torpedoes."
"That's impossible, even for a computer." One of the pilots muttered.
"It's not impossible." Luke said. "I used to bull's-eye womp rats in my T-sixteen back home. They're not much bigger than two meters."
Lark ginned. At least Luke was on their side.
"Man your ships!" the commander said. "And may the Force be with you!"
The group rose and began to disperse. Lark made a beeline for Bob and Han.
"Didn't get your reward yet?" she taunted. "If you couldn't tell, we're a little busy."
"Actually, we're on our way to pick it up right now." Han gave her a superior look and left.
"You might as well go with him." Lark said to Bob. He gave her a hurt look that made her half regretful of her harshness, but in an instant it was gone. She turned and walked away, feeling betrayed.
There!Now all the people who've been yelling at me for 'killing' Jesse and Kimmy can review and tell me that they didn't mean it. Because I had planned that from the beginning, and I got some hot reviews for it.
By the way, I updated Child of Darkness, and the second chapter is much longer than the first, so I should be getting some reviews here.