“We‘ll find out soon enough,” Thrawn told him, turning to look over his shoulder. “Rukh?”
The silent gray figure moved to Thrawn‘s side. “Yes, my lord?”
“Get a squad of noncombat personnel together,” Thrawn ordered. “Have them collect all the ysalamiri from Engineering and Systems Control and move them down to the hangar bays. There aren‘t nearly enough to cover the whole area, so use your hunter‘s instincts on their placement. The more we can hamper Skywalker‘s Jedi tricks, the less trouble we‘ll have taking him.” —Dark Force Rising
----------------------------------------------------
Han, as it happened, was right again: it was just past twenty minutes when they felt more than heard the slight clank as the shuttle settled to the Star Destroyer’s hangar deck. “Now what?” Luke asked.
“Shh!” Han hissed, listening at the locker door. “Okay,” he said finally. “Sounds like they’re shutting down their systems and preparing for unloading. You recall anything else from your little trip aboard the Chimaera?”
Luke thought for a moment. “If this ship is anything similar, there should be a supply service area one deck down. It was pretty quiet when Mara and I rescued Karrde. It might be a good place to head for”
“Yeah, well, we won’t be going that far,” Han said. “Wait—that sounds like servomotors. They must already be starting the unloading process.”
Luke listened. A moment later he could indeed hear the sound of footsteps on the ramp outside. “You’re right. I sense three people coming aboard, plus the shuttle crew. Do you want to try taking any of them out?”
Han shook his head. “Let’s let them get started if we can. What we really need is some kind of disguise…” He broke off, a funny look appearing on his face as he stared at something over Luke’s shoulder. Luke followed his gaze; and noticed for the first time the pair of tech coveralls hanging behind him. “Perfect,” Han said, replacing the funny look with his usual grin. “Pass me one, would you?”
Luke reached up and handed one of the coveralls to Han. “This is your big plan?” he asked doubtfully, even as he started getting into the other one.
“Why not?” Han challenged, slipping one leg into the coveralls. “No one’s gonna think twice about a couple of maintenance techs down at the reactor levels.”
“I suppose,” Luke allowed doubtfully. It beat stormtrooper armor, anyway. “All done,” he said, tucking his lightsaber into his tunic and zipping up the front. The coveralls felt rather bulky over his usual clothes.
“Same here,” Han said, listening again at the door. “We’re all clear,” he reported. “Come on.”
Together they slipped out of the locker. The cargo hold was currently empty, but Luke could see the techs had already moved a couple of crates off the shuttle. “You sense anyone?” Han whispered back.
But Luke shook his head. “I’m getting too much interference from the ysalamiri to get a reading.”
“Well, we’ll have to risk it. Here, help me with this gravsled.”
Together the two of them grabbed the gravsled parked along the wall and started loading one of the crates up onto it. It took them only a couple seconds, and then Han was pushing the sled back towards the shuttle’s main entrance. “Remember: look casual,” he urged, putting on his best “innocent me” expression. “We’re just a couple of service techs going about our business. Nothing to be concerned about.”
They reached the end of the cargo hold and came up to the shuttle entrance. The ramp was already lowered, and as they started down Luke could spy a couple of other techs moving around on the deck below. “Hey!” someone called, and a young man in the uniform of the deck officer started hurrying towards them. “What are you two doing?”
“What’s it look like?” Han grumbled, putting on just the right mix of boredom and impatience. “We’re unloading the shuttle. Is there a problem?”
“There certainly is,” the deck officer said. “Shuttle crews are supposed to stay aboard their shuttles until the unloading is complete. Or did you forget basic fleet procedure?”
Silently, Luke berated himself. They’d had the same rule aboard the Chimaera when he and Mara had paid their little visit. He had, in fact, completely forgotten.
As usual, Han took it all in stride. “Yeah, we know. We got orders to help out anyway.” He shrugged. “But if you don’t want it, we’re happy to head back up and lounge around for the next hour.”
For a heartbeat the deck officer glared at him, and Luke was afraid he was going to take Han up on the offer. “We’re understaffed as it is, anyway,” he decided at last, waving them on. “This batch is going up to Deck 95. The lift’s the third door on your right.”
“We know where the lift is, thanks,” Han said, pushing the gravsled past the deck officer.
“Leia’s right, you know,” Luke whispered as they slid past. Even without the Force, he could still feel the deck officer’s eyes on them. “You really do have a way with people.”
“Hey, it worked, didn’t it?” Han countered. “He said third door, right?”
It took them only a couple minutes to summon a turbolift car and get the gravsled into the lift. “I take it we’re not really going all the way to Deck 95?” Luke said as Han keyed in their destination.
Han shook his head. “Engineering levels for us, kid. I figure we can find a convenient storage closet to dump this stuff into along the way.”
The main reactor was located in the aft of the ship, several decks below the command and systems control sectors and not too far from the Star Destroyer’s brig and detention center. Fortunately the main hangar bays were also located in the ship’s aft, and it couldn’t have been more than five minutes before their car finally came to a halt. “Here we are,” Han said as the lift door slid open. “Last stop.”
Together the two of them pushed the gravsled off the car and into the main corridor. “Which way?” Luke asked, casting a look around. He could see a handful of crewers, pilots, and maintenance techs moving in either direction, but nobody paid them any particular mind.
Han cast a look of his own. “This way,” he decided, gesturing to their left. “If this Star Destroyer’s anything like the ones I’ve seen, there should be a supply room about a hundred meters down.”
Luke glanced at him. “When were you ever in Star Destroyer’s engineering levels?”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, kid. Come on, let’s get moving.”
Quickly they set off, the gravsled gliding between them. Luke risked a surreptitious glance at some of the Star Destroyer’s crew as they went, searching for any signs of suspicion. But there was none he could detect. Han had been right: no one seemed to be thinking twice about a couple of service techs moving about the reactor levels.
Eventually they came to the supply room Han had in mind. Thirty seconds to drop off the gravsled in an inconspicuous corner, and then they were back in the main corridor. “See?” Han said, pulling out a data pad that had been in one of his pockets to consult a ship schematic. “Couldn’t be easier.”
“We’re not out of it yet,” Luke reminded him. He glanced over Han’s shoulder at the data pad. “Which way now?”
“Still to the left, looks like,” Han said, pointing. “Right now the main reactor’s below us. We should be able to get in through one of the service entrances along here.”
They started back down the corridor, occasionally consulting the data pad for guidance. Dimly Luke wished Mara was with them. Whatever her faults, she seemed to know the layout of a Star Destroyer like the back of her hand.
“This is it,” Han finally decided, consulting the data pad one last time as they came upon an unmarked door. He looked at Luke pointedly. “You getting anything on the other side?”
Luke hesitated. “There’s definitely a couple people moving around on some of the lower levels,” he said, “but we should be okay for the time being.”
Han nodded. “Then let’s get to it,” he said, handing Luke the data pad for safekeeping. Han hit the door panel, and then slipped through as it slid open. Luke followed after.
It was, not surprisingly, impressive. Luke had never seen the main reactor to an Imperial Star Destroyer before, though he’d seen the equivalents on smaller ships many times; and he had to admit those other ships couldn‘t hold a candle to the flagship of the Imperial war machine. Twenty meters wide and at least seven stories high, the reactor descended down into the depths below them like an artificial abyss. Moving his gaze downwards Luke could see a myriad of cables and conduits at various levels, branching off the main column in all directions. “This is it?” he asked, though there was no doubt in his mind.
“This is it,” Han agreed, waving him on. “You take this level, I’ll head a couple decks down. Remember to plant the charges a good distance away from each other or we won’t get the full effect.”
Without another word he started off down one of the catwalks that crisscrossed the chamber. Luke watched him go, an uneasy feeling stirring in the back of his mind. Han knows what he’s doing, he reminded himself. Setting the data pad aside, Luke sprinted towards the reactor and got to work.
Han had said it should take only ten minutes to plant the charges, but it must have taken Luke at least fifteen: finding a good place among the jumble of cables took a lot more effort than Luke had expected, and of course it was hard work to begin with, leaning over the railing and stretching across the catwalk. But plant his charges Luke eventually did, and he was just about to call Han on the comlink when… “Hold it!” a filtered voice ordered behind him.
Luke did just that, his emotions somewhere between frustrated and confused. How had someone managed to sneak behind him? “Hello?” he called tentatively, though he had a pretty good idea what to expect.
“Turn around,” the voice commanded.
Luke did just that, being sure to keep his hands visible. He wasn’t disappointed: four stormtroopers stood staring back at him, a little more than an arm’s length away. All of them, Luke noted, had blasters drawn—and all four of those blasters were currently pointed at him.
“All right,” the closest stormtrooper said, keeping his blaster trained on Luke. “Only authorized personnel are allowed in this area. What are you doing down here?”
“I was sent down,” Luke protested, taking the moment to scan the surrounding area with the Force. But he couldn’t sense anything nearby. “Some problem with the static damper,” he continued, indicating the data pad he had set aside. “I’ve got the work order for it right there.”
The stormtrooper paused—probably, Luke reflected, checking Luke’s story via his helmet comlink. “I’m not aware of any work order,” he said at last. “Let’s see some identification.”
“Sure thing,” Luke said. Keeping an eye on the stormtroopers, he reached a cautious hand into his coveralls.
Inside was his lightsaber.
The green-white blade flashed into existence, taking down the closest stormtrooper with a single swipe. Another swing and the next stormtrooper wasn’t far behind the first, collapsing to the deck before he even got a shot off. Luke got his lightsaber into a defensive position just as the remaining two dropped down and opened fire, their initial blasts bouncing wide. But even as they aimed for a second salvo a new sound punctuated the air—the higher pitch of a different model blaster—and then the two of them also slumped to the deck, dead.
Luke was just breathing a sigh of relief as the welcome figure of Han Solo came jogging up behind the fallen troopers, a still-smoking blaster in his hand. “Luke!” he called, giving him a concerned once-over. “You all right?”
“I’m fine,” Luke assured him, switching down his lightsaber. “You get your charges planted?”
“Just finished,” Han confirmed, moving his examination from Luke to the stormtroopers. “What happened here?”
“Just some surprise guests,” Luke said, tucking the lightsaber back into his tunic. “I guess they didn’t like me trying to blow up their ship.”
“Guess not,” Han agreed, a small frown on his face. “How’d they sneak up on you, anyway?”
“I’m not sure,” Luke admitted, glancing around…and for the first time noticed the small gray-brown creature hanging from a conduit above them. “Ysalamiri,” he breathed.
Han followed his gaze. “Looks like ysalamiri, all right,” he said. “Funny place to put them. You gotta start paying better attention, kid.”
“No argument from me,” Luke agreed. Now that he thought to look for them, he could see several of the creatures scattered around the room. “Do you want to try to hide the bodies?” he asked Han, bringing himself to the more immediate issue.
Han shrugged. “I think beating a path out of here is a better plan at this point. Those charges have a thirty minute timer on them.”
“And it’s going to take at least twenty to get back to the hangar,” Luke finished, scooping up the data pad. “Okay. Then let’s get going.”
* * *
They’d made back to the lift without incident and were halfway down the corridor to the hangar bay when the first of the alarms sounded. They were distant at first, so distant Han thought for a moment he was imagining them; but a second later the overhead speaker started blaring, too. “I guess somebody finally stumbled on our handiwork,” he observed.
“Or else someone at Command got suspicious when four stormtroopers didn’t report in,” Luke said, looking up at the speakers. “How much time do we have left?”
Han checked his wrist chrono. “Eleven minutes. It‘s gonna be close.”
“Just be glad we ditched the lift when we did,” Luke suggested, consulting the data pad. “Lift cars are designed to lock down during an intruder alert.”
Han raised an eyebrow. “I take it you have some personal experience with that?”
The kid smiled. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Han. Come on, looks like we’re here.”
They came up on the archway to the supply hangar and ducked through. The area was still jammed with shuttles and unpacked crates, but there was no sign of that deck officer anywhere. Or anyone else, for that matter. “Looks deserted,” Han noted, reaching into his coveralls and getting a grip around the blaster hidden there. “Everyone must have been pulled somewhere for the alert. You picking up anyone?”
Luke was quiet for a moment. “I don’t sense anything,” he said, a concentrated frown on his face.
“Perfect,” Han said, checking his chrono again. Eight minutes. “Follow me.”
He slipped past the arch and started jogging across the deck towards the welcome maw of the waiting shuttle. “Han—wait!” Luke hissed behind him, but it was too late. Han had barely made it halfway before a dozen stormtroopers suddenly appeared in a ring around him, emerging from where they’d been lurking behind the bay’s supply crates.
“Nice job, kid,” Han muttered, being sure to keep his hands were the stormtroopers could see them. A quick glance at the nearest trooper told him what he’d already suspected: all twelve had ysalamiri backpacks slung over their shoulders.
“I did tell you to wait,” Luke reminded him, coming up slowly behind him. He put on his best innocent/unconcerned expression. “Hey, what’s the problem here?” he called out. “Why are all the alarms going off?”
The stormtroopers didn’t answer; but a second later the familiar figure of the deck officer strutted out behind one of the service crates, another ysalamiri-equipped stormtrooper following behind him. “Well, well,” he grinned, a satisfied look on his face. “This is certainly a surprise. Luke Skywalker, I presume?”
Even out of the corner of his eye Han saw Luke’s grimace. “What are you talking about?” he tried anyway. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Please,” the deck officer waved a hand. “Who else would the Rebellion send on a mission to Myrkr?” He moved his gaze toward Han. “And that must make you Han Solo. The official holo images really don’t do either of you justice.”
“We’ll be sure to get them updated,” Han promised, studying the ring around them. “So you know who we are. Now you want to get out of our way before you get yourself hurt?”
The deck officer’s grin faded, replaced by a much harder expression. “Pardon me, Captain Solo, but we’re quite familiar with how ysalamiri work. Skywalker’s Jedi tricks are useless here.”
“You think they are, anyway,” Han agreed, but it was so much bluster on his part. Even he wasn’t a hundred percent sure how the ysalamiri affected Luke’s abilities. “You willing to bet your life on it?”
For a moment the deck officer hesitated, and Han caught the flicker of doubt that passed across his face. “Enough of this. Both of you will hand over your weapons and submit yourselves to our custody. If you resist we will be forced to fire on you.”
“We’re giving you one last chance,” Luke pleaded with him. “Let us go before—”
He was interrupted by a sudden beeping coming from Han’s wrist. “Too late,” Han sighed.
The deck beneath them suddenly shook violently as the first of the charges went off. The explosion rocked the entire ship, knocking most of the stormtroopers onto their backs. They started to scramble up, just as a second round of detonations sent them to the deck again. “What are you waiting for?” the deck officer screamed at them. “Blast them!”
But Han and Luke were no longer there. As soon as the first charges had gone off Han was half-crawling, half-sprinting across the deck towards the waiting shuttle, Luke not far behind him. A quick hand into his coveralls and Han had his blaster out and firing, catching the nearest stormtrooper square in the chest and knocking him to the deck for good. His second blast clipped the shoulder of another stormtrooper and sent his own tracking shot wide. Han threw his arm back, firing blindly behind them—
“Han!” Luke panted beside him, “the ysalamiri!”
Han understood. Pulling up, he took careful aim along his sights and fired. The single blast sizzled past the stormtrooper’s shoulder, sputtering against his backpack in a flash of sparks. There came a tiny shriek from the ysalamir slung there—
“Look out!” one of the stormtroopers cried out, but it was too late. With a snap-hiss Luke’s lightsaber sprang to life, bathing the hangar bay in its green-white light. A handful of blaster fire went off in Luke’s direction, easily deflected by the lightsaber humming in his hand; the next salvo was sent ricocheting back to its unfortunate originator. Another shot from Han’s blaster, and another ysalamir winked out…
“Pull back!” the deck officer instructed, his own blaster clutched in his hand. “All of you, pull back!”
The stormtroopers started scurrying back towards the hangar exit, laying down a carefully-executed cover fire. “That’s it, kid,” Han said, holstering his blaster and coming up beside Luke. “Let’s get out of here before they reconsider.”
Luke nodded, shutting down his lightsaber and following Han up the shuttle ramp. It took them only a minute to get the ramp closed and sealed. The command deck was empty, but luckily the shuttle’s pilot had kept the engines on standby; and it took Han even less time to get the engines fired up. “We all strapped in?” he asked Luke, fastening his own restraints.
Luke nodded. “Then let’s go. Sit tight.”
Han got a tight grip on the flight controls and pulled, and the shuttle lifted up off the deck. “Hang on,” he said, and then hit the throttle.
The shuttle bolted forward, passing through the atmospheric barrier with a jolt and dropping through the entry port into deep space. And not a moment too soon. The chrono on Han’s wrist started beeping again, and there was a flash as a third round of explosions went off behind them. “Nothing like cutting it close,” Luke observed.
“No argument here,” Han agreed, bringing them on a long loop around and watching as the detonations began engulfing the Star Destroyer’s stern. “Let’s do this again some time, okay?”
For a moment the two of them sat there quietly, watching out the front canopy as the Star Destroyer began drifting helplessly out of orbit. “They’re launching escape pods,” Luke noted, pointing towards a new group of signals starting to appear.
“And fighters,” Han added, watching as the drive tails of a couple TIE fighters appeared out of the forward bays. “We might as well get going.”
“Sounds good,” Luke said, turning his attention back to his monitor. “Are we heading back to Coruscant?”
“Not quite,” Han told him, typing in a few coordinates in the navicomputer. “I figured since we’ve now got our hands on a shiny Imperial shuttle, we might as well have some fun with it. You ever been to the Imperial supply depot in the Wistril system?”
It took the navicomputer only a couple minutes to get the course laid in. Reaching over to the hyperdrive levers, Han sent them rocketing off into hyperspace.
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