Chapter 8: Balloon Travel
Wedge arrived at the ice cream cart.
"Hello." Wedge said. "I'd like some ice cream."
"Oh, what do you want?" The vender asked. "Chocolate? Vanilla? Rum banana?"
"Raspberry." Wedge said.
"Whoa, buddy." The vendor said with a laugh. "I may not know you that well, but I wouldn't wanna be rude to you."
Wedge chuckled with the vendor.
"Anyway, raspberry for me, and a cherry ripple for my friend." Wedge said.
"You got it." The vendor said as he handed Wedge the ice cream.
"Thanks." Wedge said.
"Anytime." The vendor replied.
()()()()()
While Wedge and Luke were busy, Han and Leia were walking around when Leia saw a few balloons as she looked at her wallet, and there wasn't a lot of money as she turned to Han. She was a sucker for balloons, though she'd never really figured out why.
"Alright, Leia." Han said. "Alright. I'll get you a balloon, but you have to pick the color. Red or green?"
"Can I give ya a word of advice?" The balloon salesman asked?
"What?" Han asked.
"Why not take both?" The salesman said with a smile.
"What a wild idea!" Han called out excitedly.
"Yeah, a beautiful babe like that deserves two balloons." The salesman went on.
"Oh, stop." Leia chuckled in a way that meant the exact opposite of what she just said.
"No, he's right!" Han insisted, not understanding Wanda's tone.
"I've got a bunch of guys coming through here; sometimes they get a bunch of balloons for their girls." The salesman said. "They go gaga for them."
"Gaga?!" Han repeated. "I'll take the whole bunch!"
"Uh… Han…" Leia began as she felt that all the balloons were a little much.
However, Han already gave him the money, and the vender gave Han the balloons.
()()()()()
Luke was looking around the festival, having lost track of the others in the crowd.
"Han?" Luke asked. "I wonder where he went. Uh… Wedge?"
"Luke!" Wedge called out as he came up with two ice creams. "Oh hey, Luke."
Wedge then looked around.
"Where's your ginger friend?" Wedge asked.
"Well I'm not really sure." Luke said. "She said she was coming with us for ice cream, but-"
"Yoo-hoo!" Mara called as she rushed to the two in casual clothes and holding a suitcase. "Here I am! Here I am! I'm packed! I'm packed!"
"I can see that." Luke said. "What for?"
"You said I could come with you." Mara said, confused.
"Yeah, to buy ice cream, not to Hollywood." Luke said.
"Hollywood?!" Mara called out. "I just thought you were headed to Disneyland! Please, let me come!"
"Well…" Luke said. He did feel like one more person wouldn't make a difference. They still had a fair amount of time, and plenty of seats. "Sure."
Just then, Leia rushed up in a panic.
"Guys!" Leia called out. "It's terrible! Awful, all my fault, and we just wasted ten credits!"
"What?" Luke asked.
"It's Han!" Leia said. "I talked him into buying me a balloon, and the guy that looked like Richard Pryor talked him into buying the whole bunch!"
"And?" Luke asked.
"The balloons floated him away." Mara answered.
"You telepathic?" Leia asked.
"Yes." Mara said. "But he's also floating over us."
Luke looked up and sure enough, Han was floating in the air, holding onto several balloons.
"Han, what are you doing?!" Luke asked in alarm.
"About seven naughts!" Han answered.
"We'll follow you!" Luke called to the rapidly disappearing Han. "To the car, Wedge!"
"Yes sir!" The three then rushed to the car.
"Han, we're coming!" Luke called out to Han.
()()()()()
The group quickly chased after Han, with Leia and Mara working together as navigators.
"Step on it, Wedge!" Luke called out.
"Yes sir!" Wedge replied.
"Oh, Luke." Mara said with a smile. "You're a born leader."
"Now where is he?" Luke said after blushing a little at Mara's remark.
"Up ahead near a wheat field." Leia said quickly.
()()()()()
Han was floating along quite contentedly, looking over the world and God's creations.
"Oh, isn't this great?" Han said to himself. He wasn't that worried since he had practiced free falling as a kid. "Here I am, floating in space… Or the air, rather. Either way, this is the place to be!"
()()()()()
Down below, Luke got a look at Han as he began floating off due to the wind.
"Wedge, bare left!" Luke called out.
"What?" Wedge asked.
"Bare left!" Luke repeated.
Wedge turned to look at Leia. She wasn't bare.
"No, turn left!" Luke groaned.
"Oh, right." Wedge said. "I knew that."
()()()()()
Han was still in the sky as he saw the car driving by, looking like a toy.
"Wow, look at our little car down there!" Han called out. "It's like flying! Oh wait, it is flying."
Just then, Han noticed another car following theirs.
"Hey, who are those guys?" Han wondered to himself.
()()()()()
Back on the ground, Haako and Gunray were following the car as Haako looked up with binoculars.
"Hey Nute, isn't that the human up there?" Haako was having trouble getting a clear look at the figure, and he didn't see the guy's face until after he had already asked the question.
"No, that's the human up there!" Nute called out, exasperated.
()()()()()
Luke and the others were so focused on Han that he and Wedge failed to recognize Gunray's car.
"He's caught in the cross-winds, Wedge!" Luke called out. "We're gonna lose him!"
"Oh no!" Han called out in alarm.
"I'm gonna try and steady him out." Mara said as the balloons seem to drift back to the road, against the wind.
()()()()()
Meanwhile, Haako noticed Gunray pulling out a blaster riffle.
"Ah!" Haako called out in alarm. "What are ya doing, Nute?!"
"I'm going after the tires." Gunray responded plainly.
()()()()()
Mara's plan had worked, and Han stayed on course until the wind began working with them.
"Thanks Mara." Luke said. "We're okay now."
"Phew." Mara said.
"Wait a minute!" Luke said. "I think he's beginning to come down. Stay with him, Wedge!"
"Right!" Wedge called out.
"He's right above us!" Leia said as she forced the top of the car off, making it fly off into the fields.
"He's okay." Luke sighed.
"Yeah, hi Han!" Wedge said as he opened the door.
"WEDGE, GET BACK IN HERE!" Luke shouted.
"Huh?" Wedge asked.
"I said get back-" Luke began, but too late. The car slammed into a billboard for a pie factory, launching a pie filled with whipped cream into the air as it landed on a car just behind them.
()()()()()
Haako was so caught off guard by the pie flying at them that he broke right there as it landed right on the car, covering it in whipped cream as Gunray's shot went wild, obliterating all but two of the balloons Han was holding onto as he began literally falling.
()()()()()
"Oh… Crud!" Han called out as he fell, getting caught telekinetically by Luke, Mara, and Leia and gently set into the car.
"Gun it, Wedge." Luke said, having noticed Gunray's car when he looked at the pie crashing into it.
"Yes sir!" Wedge called out, and they drove off.
"Well, that was fun." Han said happily.
"Is he coming with us too?" Mara asked.
Everyone nodded, sighing with relief about the rather nerve raking day being over.
()()()()()
Back at the stopped car, Gunray was yelling at the top of his lungs.
"COME BACK, YOU!" Gunray called out. "NO HUMAN'S GONNA MAKE A MONKEY OUT OF ME!"
Haako sighed and had some of the whipped cream, which wasn't half bad.
()()()()()
Back at the carnival, several girls in bathing suits rushed out of the changing tent as Chewbacca rushed out as well.
"I've just gotta catch up with those guys!" Chewbacca remarked as he rushed down the road.
And so that's the end of that chapter. Sorry it took so long. I kinda got busy with other things.