Star Wars: Remix version
I'm Back! Again!
Chapter Thirty Six: Lando
The fleet around Sky's Star Destroyer now included Captain Needa's Star Destroyer, the Avenger.
"Apology accepted, Captain Needa" Sky said darkly. Clutching desperately at his throat, Captain Needa slumped down, then fell over on his back, at the feet of Dark Sky. Two stormtroopers picked up the lifeless body and carried it quickly away as Admiral Piett and two of his captains hurried up to the Dark Lord.
"Lord Sky, our ships have completed their scan of the area and found nothing. If the Millennium Falcon went into light-speed, it'll be on the other side of the galaxy by now" Piett explained. Sky was not happy.
"Alert all commands. Calculate every possible destination along their last know trajectory" He commanded.
"Yes, my lord. We'll find them" Piett said quickly.
"Don't fail me again, Admiral" Sky said, walking away. Piett uneasily turned to one of his aides.
"Alert all commands. Deploy the fleet" He said, keeping the nervousness out of his voice. No one on Needa's ship or on Sky's was aware that, clinging to the side of the Avenger, was the pirateship, the Millennium Falcon.
"Captain Solo, this time you have gone too far" Threepio grimaced. Chewie growled at him. "No, I will not be quiet, Chewbacca. Why doesn't anyone listen to me?" Leia rolled her eyes.
"The fleet is beginning to break up. Go back and stand by the manual release for the landing claw" Han said, ignoring Threepio. Chewie barked, struggled from his seat, and climbed out of the cabin.
"I really don't see how that is going to help. Surrender is a perfectly acceptable alternative in extreme circumstances. The Empire may be gracious enough..." Padme reached over and shut off Threepio, mid-sentence.
"Thank you" Han said, gratefully.
"What did you have in mind for your next move?" Anna asked.
"Well, if they follow standard Imperial procedure, they'll dump their garbage before they go to light-speed, then we just float away" Han told the women.
"With the rest of the garbage. Then what?" Padme asked.
"Then we've got to find a safe port somewhere around here. Got any ideas?" Han asked.
"No. Where are we?" Padme asked.
"The Anoat system"
"Anoat system. There's not much there" Anna mused.
"No. Well, wait. This is interesting. Lando" He said suddenly. He pointed to a computer mapscreen on the control panel. Padme slipped out of her chair and moved next to the handsome pilot. Small light points representing several systems flashed by on the computer screen.
"Lando system?" Leia asked.
"Lando's not a system, he's a man. Lando Calrissian. He's a card player, gambler, scoundrel. You'd like him" Han winked at her.
"Thanks" Leia said dryly.
"Bespin. It's pretty far, but I think we can make it" Han said.
"A mining colony?" Padme asked.
"Yeah, a Tibanna gas mine. Lando conned somebody out of it. We go back a long way, Lando and me" Han said. Padme smirked. She knew exactly how long ago he had met Lando.
"Can you trust him?" Anna asked.
"No. But he has no love for the Empire, I can tell you that" Han told her. Chewie barked over the intercom. Han quickly changed his readouts and stretched to look out the cockpit window. "Here we go, Chewie. Stand by. Detach!"
As the Avenger Star Destroyer moved slowly into space, the hatch on its underbelly opened, sending a trail of junk behind it. Hidden among the refuse, the Falcon tumbled away. In the next moment, the Avenger roared off into hyperspace. The Falcon's engines were ignited, and it raced off into the distance. Amidst the slowly drifting junk, Boba Fett's ship appeared and moved after the Falcon.
In the clearing behind Yoda's house, Luke again stoodsupside-down, but his face showed less strain and more concentration than before. Yoda sat on the ground below the young warrior. On the other side of the clearing, two equipment cases slowly rose into the air. Nearby Artoo watched, humming to himself, when suddenly he, too, rose into the air. His little legs kicked desperately and his head turned frantically, looking for help.
"Concentrate... feel the Force flow. Yes. Good. Calm, yes. Through the Force, things you will see. Other places. The future... the past. Old friends long gone" Yoda informed him. Luke suddenly became distressed.
"Han! Leia!" He cried out. "Mother"
The two packing boxes and Artoo fell to the ground with a crash, then Luke himself tumbled over.
"Hmm. Control, control. You must learn control" Yoda said, shakng his head.
"I saw... I saw a city in the clouds" Luke explained.
"Mmm. Friends you have there" Yoda said calmly.
"They were in pain" Luke said.
"It is the future you see" Yoda told him.
"Future? Will they die?" Luke asked. Yoda closed his eyes and lowered his head.
"Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future" Yoda said softly.
"I've got to go to them" Luke said. Yoda nodded.
"You must" He said. "And I will go with you" Luke stopped and faced the Jedi master. He nodded and they began preparing for the journey.
The powerful pirate starship blasted through space as it headeds\ toward the soft pink planet of Bespin.
It was down on the gaseous planet. Huge billowing clouds formed a canyon as the ship banked around them, heading toward the system's Cloud City. Suddenly, two twin-pod cloud cars appeared and moved toward the Falcon. The cloud cars drew up alongside the starship. One of the cloud cars opened fire on the Falcon, its flak rocking the ship. Chewie barked his concern.
"No, I don't have a landing permit. I'm trying to reach Lando Calrissian" Han said.
"Permission granted to land on Platform Three-two-seven" a voice over the intercom said.
"Thank you" Han snapped. "There's nothing to worry about. We go way back, Lando and me" He told the ladies, but they didn't look convinced.
"Who's worried?" Padme said softly.
The clouds parted to reveal a full view of the city as it bobbed in and out of the cloud surface. The cloud cars and the Falcon headed for the gleaming white metropolis. With the cloud cars still guarding it, the Falcon landed on one of the Cloud City's platforms.
Han, Anna, Padme and Leia stood at the open door, armed. Behind them, Chewie, also armed, surveyed the scene warily.
"Oh. No one to meet us" Threepio said.
"I don't like this" Anna said, concerned.
"Well, what would you like?" Han was a little irritable.
"Well, they did let us land" Threepio said, trying to think positive.
"Look, don't worry. Everything's going to be fine. Trust me" Han assured them.
Lando Calrissian, a suave, dashing black man in his thirties, lead a group of aides and some Cloud City guard rapidly toward the landing platform. The group, like the other citizens of the city, was a motley collection of aliens, droids, and humans of all descriptions. Lando had a grim expression on his face as he moved onto the landing platform.
"See? My friend" Han said. Lando wasn't sure what to do. Why did Han have to show up here of all places. He forced a smiled and threw his arms around his long-lost friend and embraced him.
"How you doing, you old pirate? So good to see you! I never thought I'd catch up with you again. Where you been?" The two old friends embrace, laughing and chuckling.