Chapter 40
Misery's Medicine

"This is the Sandfish, identification Two-Five-Lima-Eight-Six-Foxtrot-Hotel, requesting landing coordinates." Ahsoka's voice was cool as she spoke with Alliance Flight Control on this unidentified moon of a gas giant. She had flatly refused to allow Anakin to pilot. "I've lived through a few of your landings, SkyGuy. You're not touching my ship."

"But you let Luke fly."

"He likes to fly fast, but he isn't insane. He also respects that this is our home and if it crashes, we won't have another one. You, on the other hand." She had said no more, as though that final fragment had been all the statement needed.

Anakin bristled. Why did everyone constantly twit him about a few spectacular failures and not credit him with his numerous successes?

"Give it up, Dad," Luke had said. "Once she makes up her mind, you can't change it with a proton grenade."

"Sandfish, your codes check out. You are cleared to land. Coordinate transmission commencing. Remain with your escort."

"Acknowledged, Control." Slowly, they soared into the imposing stone pyramid in which the Rebels housed their hangar bays. Ahsoka touched down with a feather-light landing, then shot a smirk in Anakin's direction. "You couldn't have done better, SkyGuy."

"Judging from the last landing he made, he would have done a lot worse," muttered Obi-Wan.

"For the last time, it wasn't my fault the landing was rough. I did the best I could with that damaged wing."

"So you keep saying, Anakin, but your previous record speaks against you." Obi-Wan heaved a sigh.

"Does Dad really crash that often?" asked Leia. "I mean, you always said he was a great pilot, Uncle Ben."

"Yes, well, maybe he isn't a terrible pilot." Obi-Wan avoided Anakin's eyes shiftily. "He just found himself making unfortunate landings more often than seemed reasonable."

"Yes, and I would point out that most of them were not my fault." Anakin crossed his arms and scowled. "Usually someone else messed up the ship, and then I had to save the day."

"I suppose you mean the Invisible Hand," Ahsoka said, spinning her chair to face them, lips twitching. "Does Obi-Wan still turn green every time it's mentioned?" She rose to lead the way out of the cockpit.

Obi-Wan heaved himself to his feet with a grimace. "Believe me, Ahsoka, it was gruesome. The entire ship broke in half. It was on fire. The only guidance systems available were the maneuvering thrusters and the surface flaps." He turned at the cockpit hatch to wave his hand airily at Anakin, who was bringing up the rear behind the twins. "And Anakin sat there practically grinning as we bumped and slid our way onto the ground. I believe his exact words were, 'The ability to pilot this thing is irrelevant.'"

"It was entirely irrelevant. And may I remind you that I set it down—"

"That is far too genteel a description. At best you guided its crash."

Anakin gave his back a dirty look. "I set it down without casualties to any of the passengers or threatening the civilian population. The holoreporters called it 'a miraculous landing and a spectacular rescue.'"

"Well, perhaps we could have done without the rescue in retrospect." Obi-Wan's expression abruptly turned somber. He pressed the boarding ramp release.

"Yes. I suppose so." Anakin sighed deeply as they waited for the ramp to lower. "I wouldn't have seen it that way then, though."

They descended the ramp to be met by a youngish man in a mismatched uniform with lieutenant's pips on his chest. "Welcome to Yavin. I'm your escort to General Dodonna and Senator Mothma."

Following him across the vast hangar bay, which was redolent with the sharp odors of starfighter fuel and engine grease, Anakin reflected uneasily that not all that long ago he would have pounced on this hard evidence of Mon Mothma's rebellious activities.

Leia reverted to the previous topic. "What's the Invisible Hand?"

"You've never heard of the Invisible Hand?" Luke demanded. "It was only the most spectacular landing in the history of the galaxy. Where have you been?"

"Tatooine, smart aleck." She wrinkled her nose at him. "Excuse me if I haven't heard all the Core gossip, but I had actual work to do, not just a cushy life flying around and sparring with Aunt Ahsoka."

Luke grabbed her arm. "Hey, I had work to do," he said indignantly. "It's not easy keeping a ship in flying condition when you live in it too. We do maintenance all the time. And stand watch. I bet you didn't have to stay up all night to monitor the ship's systems. Or worry that a hull breach from your last encounter with pirates might open your ship to vacuum."

She slapped his hand away. "Yeah, well, I bet you didn't have to worry about Sand People raiding your home or kidnapping you when you went to town for supplies. You didn't have to repair vaporators every day and scrape sand out of your bed before you got in it, either."

"Luke, Leia, that's enough." Obi-Wan twisted his head to send them a sharply reproving look. "Your lives were different, but you don't need to jockey over who had the harder life. Both had their challenges. Now, Anakin and I need to speak with the commander of the base immediately. Listen to Ahsoka and stay out of trouble."

"Oh, no, you don't," said Ahsoka. "I'm coming with you." When Anakin opened his mouth, she raised her hand. "I'm the only one with direct ties to the Alliance. I know why you left me babysitting on Tatooine—"

"Hey!" the twins cried in unison, undaunted by her stern look.

"—but the fact I'm not human doesn't apply here. You're not leaving me out again. The kids will be safe—the base is secure, and they'd benefit from some time to themselves."

They had entered a large room filled with a motley collection of screens and computers, which fit poorly into the space. The only virtue of the arrangement appeared to be that the equipment could be packed up expeditiously, to be unpacked again in some other ill-suited space. Rebels in assorted uniforms—or no uniforms at all—scurried from station to station or studied data with an air of absorption to the accompaniment of beeping monitors and earnest conversations. The atmosphere was a far cry from the disciplined, orderly professionalism of Scarif.

As they reached a modest door set into the stone wall, Anakin looked from the faces of the twins—torn between bored resignation at the prospect of another meeting and covert curiosity about the activity around them—to Ahsoka's firm expression. "Oh, very well."

"Would you mind finding a place for Luke and Leia to wait?" Kenobi asked the lieutenant. He gave the twins his own stern look. "I repeat: Stay out of trouble. Don't cause problems. And remember your shielding."

"Yes, Uncle Ben," and "Okay," the twins chimed together.

The lieutenant made a gesture that was probably distantly descended from a salute and led them away.

Inside the small conference room, General Dodonna and the senator for Chandrila rose to meet them. "We understand Bail Organa sent you?" Mon Mothma said quietly.

By previous agreement, Obi-Wan spoke for the group. "I believe a few introductions are in order first. Though, in fact, we have met before. I am Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"General Kenobi," she exclaimed in delighted astonishment, holding her hand out. "I believed you were dead."

"No, Senator," Obi-Wan's smile was faint as he clasped her hand. "I have merely been occupied with something and keeping my head down, so to speak. However, recent events have caused me to return to a more active role in the galaxy." He gestured toward his right. "This is Ahsoka Tano. She is one of Bail's agents—you may know of her by her code name, Shriek-Hawk."

"I regret I cannot say I have heard of you, Lady Tano, but welcome to Yavin IV."

"You have no reason to know of me, Senator. I was not yet a knight when I left the Jedi, and I have done little more than occasionally carry messages for Bail Organa's network."

Mothma's elegant eyebrows rose. "You're a Jedi? It is indeed good to see the Jedi returning to the galaxy."

"I am not a Jedi. As I said, I left the Order and was never knighted. But I did grow up in the Temple, of course."

"I see." Although it was obvious Mothma did not see. She nodded toward Anakin. "I'm quite sorry. I do not recognize you at all. Are you also a Jedi?"

"This is Anakin Skywalker," Obi-Wan said serenely.

"Knight Skywalker! This is indeed a magnificent surprise." Mothma welcomed him with a broad smile.

Anakin wanted to squirm. In lieu of that, he hooked his thumbs in his belt. "Not Knight Skywalker, if you please. I am no longer a Jedi."

With an inquiring tilt of her head, she said, "Very well, General, if that is your wish."

"I'm not a general either. Please—just Anakin. Or Skywalker if that is too informal." He dropped his hands.

Again her eyebrows rose, but she nodded affably, resuming her habitual placid expression. "Now, what is this information you bring?"

Obi-Wan looked at Anakin, who gestured to Artoo to come closer. "My droid is carrying the plans for a new superweapon. Have you picked up intelligence on the Death Star? Or possibly Project Stardust?"

"Hints. But vague ones. And apparently exaggerated."

"They are not exaggerated."

Mothma and Dodonna stiffened.

Anakin gave them no opportunity for shock or questions. "We obtained the plans a few days ago. Regrettably, I do not have access to the equipment necessary to analyze them. We asked Bail Organa for help, and he sent us here."

Mothma gnawed at her lower lip and exchanged a long, inscrutable look with Dodonna. "We have heard no rumors of an action against the Empire recently. How could you 'obtain' something like this so quietly? If this weapon really is so revolutionary."

Obi-Wan snorted. In response to Dodonna's curious look, he said, "Our operation was not quiet. However, the Empire has a vested interest in suppressing the news. And they may not even know what we took."

"Yet," Anakin said, in the interests of accuracy.

"Yet," Obi-Wan echoed. "I realize you would like more confirmation of this intelligence, but there really isn't time."

"There is no time at all." Anakin placed his hand on Artoo's dome. The droid tootled. "If you could show me to your analysis facilities at once. The more time that passes, the more time we give the Emperor to bring the station online."

"Hm." Dodonna crossed his arms. "What's your estimated deadline?"

Anakin shook his head. "I don't know." He pursed his lips. "Soon. Very soon."

Dodonna and Mothma exchanged another glance. "Is this deadline confirmed intelligence or a hunch from the Force?" she asked.

Her tone was neutral but Anakin bristled anyway. Obi-Wan tightened his lips infinitesimally.

At the unspoken rebuke, Anakin clenched and released his fists before saying in a carefully measured tone, "The station will be operational shortly, although we do not know the exact time frame." When Dodonna and Mothma hesitated again, he said, "If you are unwilling to allow me to use the equipment, say so. Otherwise, I need to get started. Even minutes may make a difference in the end."

With one last considering look, Dodonna pressed the intercom button. "Very well. I shall have someone conduct you."

Anakin surveyed the makeshift briefing room, a sea of eye-watering orange and white flight suits broken up only by occasional reefs of beige or blue uniforms scattered around the edges. It had been nearly two decades since he had delivered a mission briefing, and then his audience had all worn the same face. This ragtag bunch of rebels looked nothing like the disciplined, sharply dressed troops to whom he was accustomed. Could they do it? Could this motley collection of misfits, anarchists, and idealists face all the ruthless might of the Imperial war machine?

Uncertain all of a sudden, he caught Obi-Wan's eye. The other man looked ever-so-faintly ridiculous in the slightly ill-fitting fluorescent suit, scraggly stubble lining his chin and his lightsaber hanging incongruously from his belt. Anakin resolutely refrained from dwelling on the figure he himself must cut, his own flight suit washing out his pallid skin and ropy scars.

Obi-Wan leaned closer with a twinkle. "I never expected to wear the uniform of either combatant, let alone both in such a short span of days." He gestured wryly at his neon garb.

Ahsoka, perhaps the one least flattered by the harsh hue, leaned in from the other side to mutter out of the corner of her mouth, "I never thought I'd say anything approving about old Sheev, but I have to admit the other side has better fashion sense."

Anakin couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled up. Fortunately, before the three of them could lose their dignity entirely, General Dodonna called the room to attention.

"The Alliance has received confirmed intelligence regarding an Imperial battle station that is nearing completion. This station has the capacity to destroy a planet." A choked gasp went up from the assembled pilots. Dodonna ignored it. "The plans have been analyzed and a weakness has been found. Due to the nature of the target and the difficulty of the shot that will be required to destroy it, the Council has determined to accept the offer of three former Jedi to lead this mission." He gestured toward the little group to his right. "Obi-Wan Kenobi. Anakin Skywalker. Ahsoka Tano. They all fought in the Clone Wars, and some of you may know their legendary exploits. The Alliance is grateful that they were willing to risk their lives to bring us such vital information. Commander Skywalker will lead this strike. If you would, Commander?"

Anakin had been reluctant to use a rank of any kind, but Dodonna had insisted he have an official role in the chain of command if he planned to lead the attack. He had flatly refused to take a permanent Alliance commission or to use the title general,and so had grudgingly accepted a brevet rank of commander. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, untroubled by hidden identities or a guilty conscience, had agreed to use their Clone Wars titles, although without formally joining the Rebellion.

Stepping forward, Anakin pressed a button on the remote he held, and a schematic of the Death Star's exterior flashed onto the archaic screen behind him. "The most exploitable weakness is the reactor system, which has the potential to destroy the entire station in a single chain reaction. However, the bulk of this system is inaccessible deep within the superstructure."

He clicked the button again, and the image zoomed in on the station's northern pole, four arrows pinpointing the target. "An exhaust port, two meters wide, leads from this trench into the reactor system. A direct hit should, therefore, be capable of igniting that chain reaction." A crude representation of a torpedo traveled into the center of the schematic and the Death Star collapsed in a stylized representation of an explosion. "The port is ray shielded, however, so only projectile weapons will be able to penetrate it. All fighters on this mission will be carrying the maximum load of proton torpedoes."

He restored the image to show the full Death Star. "Blue and Grey Squadrons are assigned to hang high over the surface, spotting and providing cover for Red and Gold Squadrons, which will engage the surface defenses. Saber Flight—General Kenobi, Commander Tano, and myself—will attack the exhaust port." He paused to emphasize his next point. "However, the destruction of the station is more important than who gets the credit. If you find yourself in a position to take the shot, do so."

Anakin studied the faces before him. Some looked stunned. Others had already shunted those feelings to one side and were sharp and focused.

"What sort of defenses can we expect?" a squadron leader asked.

"Surface and air." Anakin highlighted hangar bays and weapons systems on the schematic. "Cannon emplacements line the surface, while the Death Star itself has accommodations for sixty squadrons of TIEs." Another rumble of dismay swept the room. He lifted a hand and the murmuring died away. "It is doubtful the station is fully manned yet, although it will not be unprotected. As of our most recent information the construction site is patrolled by three Star Destroyers, each with the full complement of one wing each."

Someone muttered, "We could be facing seventy-eight squadrons!"

Anakin spoke louder before the grumbling could take root. "As grim as these numbers sound, we have several advantages. First, the Empire is not expecting an attack. Second, the flaw is minor enough that either no one in the Empire has discovered it or their analysts have dismissed the possibility of anyone exploiting it. If we fly fast enough, we should be able to get into the trench before the station's personnel discover our objective. Third, the station is enormous. It will take time for the TIEs, even once launched, to fly around it to engage our ships." His eyes drifted over the mass of orange and white.

"I cannot promise success," he said softly, "but I can promise that if we do not succeed, the consequences will be dire. No populated planet will be safe once this station is operational."

He gave the pilots a moment to absorb the gravity of the mission before continuing, "Your fighters have already been armed and fueled and your astromechs seated in their ports. It is T minus fifteen to launch, when we will rendezvous with New Hope for the trip to Geonosis."

"May the Force be with us," said Dodonna. "Dismissed."

An incredulous babble rose from the shell-shocked pilots as they made their way from the briefing room. Anakin turned to Ahsoka and Obi-Wan. "Are you ready? Let's find the twins."

Ten minutes later, he had to concede they weren't going to be able to locate Luke and Leia in all the confusion. At least they had seen the twins briefly before the briefing. Mothma had agreed to host them at the base until Anakin and the others returned. That would have to suffice for their farewells.

Reluctantly, Anakin climbed the ladder into his assigned X-wing. Glancing over the controls, he was grateful he had flown Z-95 Headhunters a few times during the war. At least the Incom layout was not completely foreign to him. He wished he had been able to squeeze in some sim time, but the looming deadline he could sense thundering closer allowed no extra margin in the time table. Sighing, he ignited his engines and initiated the liftoff sequence.

On the edge of the Geonosis system, far enough out that Imperial scanners wouldn't notice their presence, a large freighter drifted just beyond the hyperspace lane, engines on standby, its only energy output the passive scans Solo and his first mate were running. Cody, already wearing his stormtrooper armor and holding his helmet loosely under one arm, poked his head into the cockpit. "Time's up. Skywalker's on his way."

"Yeah, okay," Solo said. "Here goes nothing. I hope these codes are good." His shoulders heaved with the force of his bracing breath and he pulled the lever for the microjump. As the ship dropped back into real space a few seconds later, he turned to his copilot with concern. "You ready, Chewie?"

Chewbacca grunted and rose. He followed Cody into the passageway where the other men, already armored except for their helmets, waited.

Cody still felt uncomfortable around the Wookiee, but he spoke steadily enough. "I apologize for this."

Chewbacca gave a shrug and bent down so Dash could snap the inactive collar around his neck. The reminder couldn't be easy for him, but he straightened and held out his hands for the binders without any detectable sign of discomfort.

"This is Freighter 2279 requesting docking clearance," Solo said into the comm. "Transmitting orders and clearance code now."

From the cockpit, a female voice responded crisply, "Acknowledged. Code confirmed, Freighter 2279. You are half an hour early for your assigned docking time, but I am clearing you to land immediately."

"'Assigned docking time'?" Hex whispered. "But—how did they know we were coming?"

"I don't know," Cody said slowly. Apprehension sparked in his gut.

"I thought all Skywalker gave us was a code and coordinates." Scratch looked around the group for confirmation. "Weren't we planning to pretend there had been a mix-up with the orders? Did he change the plan?"

Rex scratched his chin. "I don't see how he could have."

In the cockpit, Solo had been thrown off his stride. "Uh—great. That's, uhhh, great news. We—uh—I guess we are early. We had a—um—faster trip than we expected. Uh—thanks for accommodating us so quickly."

The clones cringed and exchanged uneasy glances. Solo might as well have broadcast that something shady was afoot.

Astonishingly, the controller didn't seem to care. "It's just as well, Freighter 2279. Command is rushing to prepare for the final checks. You are instructed to load your cargo as expeditiously as possible. You have immediate clearance for departure once it's all aboard."

"Acknowledged, Control." Solo sounded a little more professional now that they had resumed the usual the script. "Initiating docking sequence."

Cody tapped his fingers in a rapid cadence against the helmet under his arm. "Even if the plans have changed, we'll have to play along now. I don't know if this is going to make things easier or harder, but it doesn't matter." He forced his hands to stillness. "Chatter, will we be able to maintain a private comm channel?"

Chatter, leaning against the wall casually, straightened. "Yes, sir. It's ready to go. Unless the station starts jamming frequencies, but I don't know why they would."

"That helps." Cody noticed he had begun tapping his fingers again and wrapped his hand around his helmet. "If we can, we'll follow the original plan, but we'd better have a backup." He took rapid visual inventory of his comrades, sorting through what he knew of their expertise and working relationships. "Rex, you're on standby to take over the extraction if I can't lead. I'm sure you know what to do, but review it for my peace of mind."

Rex gave a tolerant grin. "If you want. Ask where to deliver Chewbacca for the work gangs. He explains the situation to the Wookiees and we escort them back out. I tell anybody who asks that General Romodi ordered a prisoner transfer ahead of the station's commissioning. All while avoiding shooting anybody or starting a ruckus."

"Right. Now for the rest of us. The bigger the escort squad, the better the optics. However, we can't create suspicion in the docking bay. So—everyone else—be prepared to jump either way. To load cargo or join Rex and Chewbacca. And no matter what you're doing, be discreet. No pranks." Cody gave Chatter a stern look. The other man ducked his head and muttered acknowledgement.

Cody turned to Chewbacca. "I know your people are likely to be angry, and I know their reputation. Make sure they understand they have to cooperate. If they start a riot, we'll all be trapped here."

Chewbacca growled what sounded like assent.

The freighter shuddered as the docking tractor beam caught it. Chewbacca led the group to the boarding ramp.

"Be alert," Cody cautioned one last time, peering out the viewport in the hatch as they were towed into the largest shipboard hangar bay he had ever seen. "Solo already made a gaffe. We can't afford another."

There was a chorus of agreement. Cody barely heard it, distracted by the sight of a lone lieutenant waiting on the deck against a backdrop of a large group of Wookiees guarded by a company of stormtroopers. That could make things much simpler. Or more complicated, depending on why the Wookiees were there.

Nervously, he punched the release code into the hatch and waited for the ramp to lower. "Confidence," he reminded himself under his breath, so softly his helmet's pickup didn't catch the sound. With all the precision he would have used to meet Darth Vader himself, he led the way out of the freighter, bolstered by the presence of the others in formation behind him.

The lieutenant stepped forward briskly, frowning in displeasure at Chewbacca. Peevishly, he said, "Another of the beasts? You can't leave it here. You're supposed to transfer them all off the station."

The apprehension already crawling through Cody's gut flared up into outright alarm. This was too convenient. "Yes, sir. Of course, sir. We couldn't leave him unguarded on the ship. If you'll expedite matters, we'll be on our way. I understand time is of the essence."

Snubbing him with silence, the lieutenant gestured impatiently to the stormtroopers, who herded the Wookiees toward the freighter. Cody was appalled by their condition. They were dreadfully thin and bowed, their fur matted and bloodied in places. Yet he thought he spotted a spark of defiance in several eyes. He was suddenly very grateful that Chewbacca was on their side. The clones parted to allow the Wookiees to board the freighter.

"They're your problem now, trooper," the lieutenant said. He extended a small device. "This is the control for their shock collars. The frequencies are already plugged in." He smiled nastily. "Don't hesitate to use it early and often."

Cody didn't want to even touch the poisonous thing, but he disciplined himself to accept it without flinching. It took perhaps three minutes to complete the transfer and seal the ramp behind the debarking Imperials. No sooner had it closed than the freighter lifted off the deck.

Rex didn't even wait for the freighter to clear the magnetic containment field at the entrance of the docking bay before he pulled his helmet off to say, "Did that seem too easy to anyone else?" He gestured vaguely to include the entirety of the past several minutes.

The other vod'e shed their helmets in a chorus of agreement. Chewbacca was already addressing the Wookiees with lively gesticulations. Cody briefly stepped into the cargo hold to give him the remote control but did not linger among the fierce glares of their new passengers. He hoped Chewbacca managed to persuade them the clones were allies, not enemies.

He returned to the passageway and removed his own helmet. "Wait here. I'm going to talk to Solo." Tucking his helmet under his arm, he entered the cockpit to stand just inside the hatch. It rushed closed with a rattling hiss. "Something isn't right with this, Captain."

"You're tellin' me." Solo checked the navicomputer, but it didn't have coordinates yet.

"We have to find out what's going on," said Cody tightly.

Solo looked over his shoulder with narrowed eyes. "I ain't being paid to investigate. I'm being paid to get those Wookiees off the station and take them to the refugee center." The navicomputer chimed. He turned back and pulled the hyperspace lever.

Cody stepped forward to study the course readout. "This is the wrong way. Alderaan is the other direction." Without conscious decision, he started to lift his blaster. "Are you double-crossing us, Solo?"

Solo swiveled his chair and pointed at Cody. "Put that down. Flight Control told me to take this route and I ain't arguin' with them—especially since that was way too easy. I want to get out of there and I want to do it fast."

Conceding his good intentions, Cody lowered his blaster back to his side. "We have to go back. The General will be there in an hour. He needs to know they're up to something."

"If he can't figure that out for himself, it isn't my job to tell him that."

"He paid you a hefty fee—"

"Yeah. And I'm doing the job he paid me for. I didn't sign up to fly right back into the rancor's maw once I had escaped."

"You must have realized this would be dangerous—"

"'Course I did. And I put my neck in the noose and successfully pulled it back out. I'm not putting it back in just because you say so."

Cody lowered himself into the navigator's seat and set his helmet on the console with deliberation. "Look—that thing is a top secret project," he said slowly and clearly. "They've been working on it for twenty years. And we showed up in the system, you gave them one code, and they just let us board. Now they've told us to leave. In fact, they practically chased us out of the system."

"Yeah, but I ain't lookin' a gift traladon in the mouth. I'm just glad to get out of there with my head," said Solo truculently.

"Think, Solo." Cody wanted to grind his teeth but forced himself to speak reasonably instead. "It's top secret. SOP would be to conduct an inspection of our ship, check ID, at least make us wait until our assigned docking time. But they didn't. Which means…"

Solo scowled at him. "Which means Imps are careless and stupid."

"Sometimes. But not with this. The Emperor takes a personal interest in this project. So if they're not following SOP and they're prepping to run—" He broke off, then swore a blue streak. "Turn this bucket around, Solo! Now!"

"No. I told you. I did what I was paid to do and I'm not going back to let the Empire catch me or Chewie."

"There isn't time to argue about this."

"There is when you insist on doing something stupid. And making me do it with you. What's so important, anyway?"

"Because it's going to destroy a planet!" Cody shouted.

"That's impossible." Solo gave a laughing scoff. "Who told you that?"

"General Skywalker."

"And you believe him?"

Cody leaned toward Solo. "Flight Control said Command was rushing to perform the final checks. The only sort of final checks I can think of are the weapons and propulsion systems. Skywalker said it wasn't operational yet, but I would bet every credit he's paid you that it's about to be."

"That still doesn't mean it can destroy a planet. That's impossible." He turned his back to Cody. "Now—I got systems to keep on eye on. You can stay there or—"

Cody shoved the barrel of his rifle against Solo's shoulder, ostentatiously switching it to the stun setting once he had the captain's attention. "We are going back to Geonosis. You can pilot us, or I can stun you and have my men do it."

Solo reached for his pistol.

"Don't." Cody knocked the barrel against his shoulder again. "Now what's it going to be?"

Solo met his hard eyes incredulously. "Are you hijacking me? Again?"

"As I recall, Skywalker didn't hijack you. He paid you a fat charter fee without ever once drawing a weapon. And believe me, if he had really intended to take your ship, he wouldn't have bothered negotiating, let alone given in to your exorbitant demands." Cody reached down to pull the hyperspace lever, but his eyes and weapon never wavered as the ship shuddered and dropped back into realspace. "I, on the other hand, don't have any scruples about knocking you out when the fate of the galaxy is on the line."

Solo sank against the back of his seat, eyes suddenly wary. "What are you talking about?"

"We stole the plans for that station last week. By the skin of our teeth and one of Lord Vader's old codes. That's why we were looking for a charter to Alderaan. So he could analyze the plans and figure out how to destroy it. But if he shows up at the station and they capture him…" Cody didn't want to finish that sentence. He leaned toward Solo's mesmerized eyes. "You don't want to see what will happen to the galaxy once it's operational. The Emperor will not hesitate to use it. Skywalker needs every scrap of information he can get—it could make all the difference."

"You're serious. It can actually destroy a planet?" Solo's expression had become progressively more dismayed as Cody spoke. He turned back to his console. In one smooth motion he banked the freighter until it pointed back the way they had come. "All right," he said as the stars stretched out around them, "I hope I don't regret this."

Cody lowered his blaster and locked the safety back on. Just in time, because Chewbacca opened the hatch with a growled question, the rest of the clones crowding behind him.

"Did we just turn around?" Rex asked.

"He—" Solo jerked a thumb toward Cody with a scowl "—said that station can destroy a planet and insisted we go back to warn Skywalker about the strange reception we got."

Chewbacca growled. He shouldered his way through the men at the hatch. Even through the bulkheads, they could hear him roaring, answered by a clamor of Wookiee voices. He barreled back into the cockpit to clamber awkwardly into the copilot's seat, which had definitely not been constructed with Wookiees in mind.

Solo looked at him expectantly, and they conversed animatedly for a couple of minutes.

"Son of a Hutt," Solo whispered. He snatched at the hyperspace lever and the chaotic threads of orthogonal space were replaced by the chill darkness of the interstellar void.

Cody lunged toward him. "What are you doing?"

"Back off," Solo snarled. "I believe you. The Wookiees confirmed it. I'm adjusting our vector so we can exit hyperspace near Conus. The planetary mass will muffle their energy readings on our arrival. Fingers crossed that they're in enough of a hurry not to be paying close attention."

Cody slowly moved back to the navigator station. "All right."

"Chewie, full sensors engaged, even before reversion. You—" he jerked his head at Cody— "Be ready on the comms in case they do spot us. I hope you have a good lie ready." Which Cody thought was a bit rich, given Solo's earlier difficulties improvising.

Rex caught Cody's eye.

Cody slumped into his seat. "Skywalker, you better hurry," he whispered.