Asteroid Field
by Valerie Vancollie
"There's no time to discuss this in committee," Han yelled as he entered the cockpit of the Falcon.
"I'm not a committee," Leia shouted as she was knocked against the side of the narrow hallway before she ran for the cockpit. "Han, the Imperials are still out there. This is not a good idea, we should stay here."
"We're taking off sweetheart," Han said as the Falcon lifted off and he steered it through what he had earlier thought was a cave.
"Han!" Leia exclaimed as she was knocked off her feet into the navigator's chair. "What are you doing?"
Han briefly looked at Chewie as he echoed Leia's question.
"Look!" Han replied as pointing out the viewport.
"The cave is collapsing," Leia cried out as she saw the entrance of the cave shrinking.
"This is no cave," Han stated as he aimed the Falcon for the middle of the shrinking exit.
"What?" Leia asked confused.
"We're in some kind of asteroid monster," Han explained as the Falcon reached the teeth of the monster.
Leia was about to reply when the Falcon shuddered and Leia grasped the arms of her seat in order to avoid being tossed out of the chair.
"Damn!" Han swore then looked up as Chewie barked. "I know! I know!"
"What?" Leia asked as she scanned the asteroid field. "What's wrong?"
"You don't want to know," Han replied.
"If I didn't want to know I wouldn't have asked you," Leia snapped.
"That thing knocked our radar dish off," Han explained. "We now have no way of telling if there's a TIE on our tail or not, not until they fire anyway."
"Great!" Leia murmured as she leaned back in her chair. "How do you always get entangled in these kind of webs?"
"I joined the Alliance, that's how," Han replied.
"Now what?" Leia asked feeling a little guilty that she had insisted on Han staying.
"We get out of this asteroid field."
"But we have no hyperdrive," Leia stated. "Besides the Imperials are still out there."
Chewie roared his agreement and Han briefly looked at his firstmate.
"Look, I'm the Captain here," Han snapped as he turned his attention back to his flying. "I'll do what I want, besides I got us into this asteroid field when you guys said it was impossible, so be quiet and let me concentrate."
With this Han pulled the Falcon up and away from the asteroid they had been hiding on. Leia once again held in her breath as the Falcon started darting between asteroids, sometimes coming so close that Leia was sure she could reach out and touch the large rock as they flew past it.
Suddenly green laser streaked across space in front of them having just having missed the Falcon as it turned. Han swore under his breath as Chewie growled. Han then instinctively pulled the Falcon into a roll as laser fire hit the Falcon.
"Han!" Leia suddenly exclaimed. "Look out!"
Han's face paled as he saw the asteroid rushing at them. Immediately he tried to pull the Falcon out of the roll, but it was too late and the Falcon crashed head on into the asteroid, instantly killing its passengers.
* * *
Standing in front of the viewport on board the Executor Lord Darth Vader felt the deaths of Luke's friends.
"My lord," the Admiral Piett said nervously as he came up behind Vader. "It seems...." the Admiral stopped short as he gasped for air.
Instantly Piett brought his hand to his throat to try to free it from the invisible hand that gripped it, but he died before his hand ever reached his throat. Instantly two troopers came forward and quickly dragged away the Admiral's lifeless body.
The Admiral's death did little to satisfy Vader's anger, for now that Luke's friends were dead he'd have to find another way to lure his son to him and the dark side.
* * *
Standing on one hand Luke Skywalker concentrated, letting the Force flow through him.
"Good," Yoda praised from his perch on Luke's left foot. "Feel the Force."
Luke further relaxed himself when he suddenly felt a great disturbance through the Force.
"Han! Leia! Chewie!" Luke exclaimed as he lost his balance and fell to the ground.
"Hhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyy!" Yoda cried out, surprised, as he too fell to the ground.
But Luke didn't hear his master, all he could think about was what he had just felt, the deaths of his best and only friends.
Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? E-mail me at valeriev84@hotmail.com
March 1999
