“Get behind me,” Luke snapped to Han and Mara, stepping back to the gap between the two northern pillars and focusing on the mass of Imperials standing and crouching between him and the southern pillars. They were suddenly aware that they had an unexpected threat on their flank, and a few were already starting to bring their blasters to bear on him.
With the Force to guide his hand, he could have held out against them indefinitely, blocking their blaster shots with the lightsaber. Mara had been right, though: the ysalamiri effect did indeed extend this far outside the forest, and the Force was still silent. —Heir to the Empire
----------------------------------------------------
They could hear the faint blare of klaxons as they stumbled out into one of the main corridors. Luckily the alarms seemed distant and far-off; Luke and the others must have gone several hundred meters from the detention block by this point.
The corridor was empty as Luke scrambled after the others through another hole he had cut in the service tunnel wall. “Okay,” Page said, casting a look around. “Which way?”
“Left,” Luke said, thinking back. If the limited schematics he’d been able to review before they’d left Coruscant were correct, there should be a lift about one hundred meters further down the corridor. “Come on,” he added, switching off his lightsaber and hooking it to his belt. “We better hurry.”
They half-jogged, half-ran down the hallway. They didn‘t come across anyone as they went, except for a solitary MSE-6 repair droid rolling along in the opposite direction. “Everyone must be converging on the detention block,” Page observed.
“Or else they’re busy setting up an ambush,” Han countered. “You picking up anything, kid?”
But Luke’s Jedi senses couldn’t detect anyone nearby. “We’ll just have to hope it’s the former,” he said. “Look, there’s the lift.”
There it was, all right, waiting for them at the end of the corridor. “Par’tah?” Luke called into his comlink as they came to a stop. “Syl’va? Is anyone there?”
[We are here, Jediy Skywalker,] Pa'rtah replied. [What iys iyt?]
“We’ve reached the lift back to the docking bay,” he told her. “We need you to unlock the turbolift cluster for—where are we?” he asked the others.
“Unit one-six-four,” Page offered. “Did you get that?” Luke asked.
[We got iyt,] Par'tah confirmed. There was a brief hesitation. [You are aware that once we unlock the turboliyfts iyt wiyll alert the Iymperiyals to your locatiyon.]
“That’s just a risk we’re going to have to take,” Luke said, reaching out again with the Force. There was still no one nearby. But further back down the corridor… “And you better make it quick. I think someone may be approaching.”
There was an almost-sigh of defeat at the other end, and then a quiet beep as the lift came on. [Turboliyfts unlocked,] Par'tah said.
Chewbacca pressed the key to summon a car. “We’ll be there in ten minutes,” Luke said, and signed off.
It was a tense couple minutes as they waited for the turbolift car to make its way from the main hub to their station. There was no mistake about it now, Luke realized as he probed down the corridor with his senses: someone was definitely approaching. Four or five someones at least. “Come on,” he muttered under his breath, trying to will the car to arrive faster.
Finally the door slid open; the lift had arrived. “Let’s go,” Luke said, waving the others on.
Hurriedly they all crowded onto the lift. Han keyed for the landing bay level, and with a whirr they were off. “How much longer before they realize we’re not in the detention center, do you think?” Page asked.“I think there’s a good chance they already do,” Luke said. “Right now I can sense maybe half-a-dozen groups fanning out from the detention block. They’re still distant; but they’re getting stronger. We’ll be lucky if we make it to the ship before they do.”
A moment later the car came to a halt. “Here we are,” Luke said as the door slid open again.
Everybody filed off. Luckily this corridor was as empty as the one below it; but Luke knew that couldn’t last. Par'tah was right; unlocking the turbolifts was like announcing their location to the base commander. Nerid probably already had a couple squads moving in on the landing bays, and it was only a matter of time before they got here. That was time Luke didn’t intend to give. Leading the others, he hurried down the corridor towards Bay Eight.
They didn’t encounter any more Imperials by the time they reached the doors to the bay and ducked inside. What they did encounter was an impatient-looking Par’tah waiting at the foot of the Fireflower’s entry ramp. [Come!] she waved them on urgently. [You must hurry!]
“What’s the rush?” Han asked sarcastically.
[Syl’va has sliyced into the Iymperiyals’ radiyo chatter,] Par’tah explained. [Neriyd has iynstructed all forces to converge on our posiytiyon. The lockdown has slowed them, but only a liyttle. They may already be on thiys level.]
“Don’t worry, we’re ready to go,” Luke assured her. “Come on, everybody inside.”
Even as he said it he felt a change in pressure on the back of his neck, and heard behind him the sound of the bay door swooshing open. Spinning around now he turned, just in time to see not four or five, but a full twelve-man squad of stormtroopers burst through the opening. “Stop that ship!” one of them ordered, and simultaneously they all opened fire.
The lightsaber was out and activated in an instant, flashing angrily in Luke’s hands as it moved almost of its own accord to intercept the incoming blaster bolts. Meanwhile over his shoulder he could hear the sudden cacophony of Han's and Chewbacca’s blasters as they returned fire from where they were crouched behind the ramp. “Go on, get going,” Luke called, diverting as much of his attention as he dared from blocking the stormtroopers’ shots. “I’ve got this under control.”
“It’s okay,” Han told her, placing a hand on Page’s arm. “Come on, Page, Luke can handle himself.”
They all scurried up into the Fireflower. Meanwhile Luke returned his full attention back to the barrage of blaster fire that was coming at him. Par'tah had good reason to be concerned, of course: the stormtroopers by now had moved into deep cover positions behind various crates and consoles scattered across the bay, and their blaster fire was intensifying. But Han was right. With a lightsaber in his hands and the Force to guide it, Luke could have held out against them indefinitely.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to. “Han!” he called back.
From where he was hiding at the top of the ramp, Han understood. There was the sudden whirr of servomotors as Han activated the controls and the Fireflower’s entry ramp started lifting up. Luke could sense the stormtroopers’ sudden desperation as they realized their prey was going to get away—but there wasn't much they could do about it, either. Luke held out another couple seconds; then spun, and turned, and with all the speed of Force-enhanced muscles sprinted up the ramp after Han and the others. Then the ramp was closed, and they were safely inside, and Han was busy sealing the hatchway. “Let’s go,” he said to Luke once he was finished. “Par’tah’s waiting for us on the bridge.”
Par’tah was indeed waiting by the time they made it to the Fireflower’s bridge, along with Chewbacca and Page and everybody else. Ma’nee already had the repulsorlifts fired up, and the ship was lifting up from the deck and heading towards the exit. There was only one problem. “Uh, Par’tah?” Han started.
[We see iyt,] Par’tah assured him, staring out the viewport at the huge metal entry doors that were currently sealed shut. [Syl'va?]
But Syl’va shook her head. [Iy cannot get the door commands to respond,] she said, her headtails bobbing. [Iyt seems the Iymperiyals have fiynally managed to kiyck me out of theiyr system.]
[Then we wiyll just have to do iyt the old-fashiyoned way,] Par’tah decided. [Ma'nee: fiyre.]
There was a shudder, and then a pair of proton torpedoes went streaking away from the Fireflower. There was a spectacular flash as the torpedoes made contact, followed by the deep symphony of multiple explosions and disintegrating metal; and then the smoke cleared, and they could see the dark skyline of Dromond through a jagged hole in the doors.
[And there’s our exiyt,] Par’tah said. [Punch iyt.]
Ma'nee kicked in the sublight engines, and again the Fireflower went rocketing through the opening. Once they were in the open air Ma'nee did a tight one-eighty, whipping the ship in a tight loop around the base and then blasting off in the opposite direction in an attempt to throw off any potential pursuers.
Fortunately there didn’t seem to be any. “Is that it?” Page asked as Ma'nee brought the engines to full throttle and the Fireflower started climbing for deep space. “Are we clear?”
[Not quiyte,] Syl’va said darkly, pointing at her scanner. Luke leaned in to see what she was talking about. On the center of her scope, sitting in high orbit where it had just come out of hyperspace, was a Victory-class Star Destroyer. “Explains why they didn't bother launching any ground forces,” he noted. “Any idea where it came from?”
Chewbacca barked a suggestion. “Yeah, or else Nerid called it in,” Han guessed. “Can we outrun it?”
[We can try,] Par’tah said; but she didn’t sound convinced, and Luke took another glance at the scanner. At that high up the Star Destroyer could easily move into any intercept position it needed and come down on top of them. Indeed Luke could see their captain was already moving to block the Fireflower’s current escape vector. He looked at the estimate on Par’tah’s display… “We’re not going to make it, are we?” he asked softly.
[We may yet,] Par’tah said. [We shall see just how fast thiys shiyp iys.]
They all stood quietly for a moment as the distance between the Fireflower and the Star Destroyer grew smaller. “Freighter Rapier,” the comm suddenly crackled, “this is the Star Destroyer Adamant. We have received word that you are carrying an Imperial fugitive onboard your ship. Shut down your engines and prepare to be boarded.”
Nobody on the Fireflower’s bridge bothered to respond. “Freighter Rapier,” the Star Destroyer tried again, “we have you on an intercept course. You cannot escape. I repeat: shut down your engines and prepare to be boarded.”
“Would somebody shut him up?” Han asked.
With a jab Syl’va switched off the comm. On her display they could all see the Star Destroyer gaining ground. Standard Star Destroyer tactics were typically to lurk behind the planetary umbra and then come up on its prey from behind. But this one was moving in at an almost ninety-degree angle, cutting directly across the Fireflower’s vector to block its escape. And it looked like it was going to work: Ma’nee’s estimate still had the Adamant in position before the Fireflower slipped past. “Doesn‘t look good,” Han muttered in Luke’s ear. “Maybe we should have brought the Falcon after all.”
And then, unexpectedly, the estimate on Ma’nee’s board suddenly recalculated. [What iys the new ETA?] Par’tah asked nervously.
[Twenty seconds,] Ma’nee answered, her voice just as nervous but with a tinge of hope. [Iyt may be enough.]
Outside now they could see the angled front of the Star Destroyer moving in on their left, while on their right blazed the bright horizon of the Dromond sky. Ten seconds… [Here we go!] Ma’nee called. [Iyt wiyll be close!]
The Fireflower shot across the Star Destroyer’s bow, rocketing past its forward batteries. Through the viewport the Star Destroyer’s prow loomed uncomfortably close, so close Luke could make out the tiny windows on its side; then somehow, miraculously, the Fireflower was past, speeding away on its original course with the Star Destroyer behind.
“We made it!” Page exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Don’t break out the Menkooro just yet,” Han suggested, stepping over to Ma’nee’s display. “Are they moving to follow?”
[Iy do not thiynk so,] Ma'nee said, her voice strange…and Luke took another look at her display himself. He could understand her confusion. With its prey now safely past, the Star Destroyer was indeed altering its course, spinning around on its axis to bring its prow along in pursuit. Or rather, trying to. “What’s going on?” Luke asked.
[Iy am not sure,] Ma'nee admitted.
“They’re caught in the planet’s gravity well,” Han realized, the traces of a lopsided grin starting to appear on his face. “They cut too close to the planet. See?”
Luke looked down at the display again. Han was right, he realized. The Star Destroyer was turning too sluggishly, pulled by the force of Dromond’s gravity well. Already it had fallen several kilometers behind. “So that’s it, then?” Page asked.
“So that’s it,” Han confirmed, watching as the Adamant fired its engines at full throttle in an attempt to pull itself out of Dromond’s gravity. “Unless you feel like going back and saying goodbye to your friends?”
“No, thanks,” Page said, settling down in one of the nearby seats. “By the way, thanks for coming after me.” He turned toward Par‘tah. “You, too…”
[Par‘tah,] she offered for him. [And there iys no need for thanks. The twenty-fiyve thousand your Republyic has paiyd us iys more than thanks enough.]
“Twenty-five thousand?” Page repeated, an embarrassed look on his face. “I had no idea I was worth that much.”
“You aren’t,” Luke teased him, looking at Han. “So what‘s next?”
“First, we head back to Obsidian Station and get my ship,” Han said, and beside him Chewbacca growled his agreement, “assuming the local police haven’t already impounded it. Then we get to Coruscant just as fast as the Falcon can take us there. Who knows what Grand Admiral Thrawn’s been up to while we’ve been gone. Par‘tah?”
[Of course,] Par’tah said, nodding at Ma‘nee. [Ma‘nee, plot a course for Obsyidiyan Statiyon.]
Ma‘nee got to work. “Sounds good,” Page said, getting up. “In the meantime, I could use a shower. You got a ‘fresher on this ship, Par’tah?”
“Not so fast, Lieutenant,” Han said as Ma‘nee finished laying in the coordinates and activated the hyperdrive. “First, we’re gonna need your report.”
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