Yavin IV
by Valerie Vancollie
"Remember the Force will be with you, always," Ben's eerie voice said as Luke let out a relieved sigh.
He had done it! He, Luke Skywalker farm boy from the backwater planet of Tatooine, had just saved the entire Rebellion with a single shot! He would be a hero! Let Han laugh at this.
But even as he thought of that he realized that the pirate would be laughing as it had been Han who had saved him from the TIE fighter that would surely have destroyed him. A frown slid across his face as he thought of this, but then his face brightened again as he thought of the Princess.
He had saved her and he was sure that she would be impressed, perhaps she'd even kiss him again like she had done just before they had swung across the abyss together. Smiling at the thought Luke turned on his com.
"Hey Wedge, you all right?"
"Yes," Wedge replied immediately. "Great shot Luke, you saved us all."
"That he did," General Dodonna's voice added. "You're a real hero Skywalker. You've definitely inherited you father's excellent piloting skills."
Father? The General had known his father? He made a mental note of talking with the General later knowing that half the Alliance was probably listening in on this conversation.
"Thank you, Sir," Luke replied.
"No, thank you Luke," Leia's voice said over the com. "And you to Antilles, Chewbacca, and Captain Solo."
Luke's smile grew as he heard the dislike in Leia's voice as she spoke Han's name. He had nothing to worry about, Han might like Leia, but Leia definitely didn't like Han. Luke's smile quickly faded however as his X-wing entered Yavin IV's atmosphere and started shaking violently.
"Luke what's wrong?" Wedge's voice asked almost instantly.
"I don't know!" Luke replied frantically scanning the controls, but all the lights were green. "The fire I received from that TIE fighter must have caused more damage then Artoo said."
"What exactly is wrong?" General Dodonna's voice asked with more then a hint of worry.
Luke was after all their hero, besides they had lost enough good pilots during the actual attack, they couldn't afford to lose another one now.
"I don't know," Luke repeated. "All the lights are green, but I've got minimal control."
"We'll clear the outside landing pad," General Dodonna said. "Try to land in the center of it."
"Okay," Luke replied as sweat poured down his face. "I'll try."
"Come on Luke," Wedge's voice said. "You can do it, you managed to avoid a direct hit from Vader, don't let one of his near misses take you down."
Vader? That had been Vader in that TIE fighter? Vader, the man who had betrayed and murdered his father! He would not let that man kill him too, no he would kill Vader and so avenge his father's murder.
Another wild jerk of his X-wing brought him snapping out of his thoughts.
"The landing pad is clear," General Dodonna's voice stated.
"I can see it," Luke replied as he slightly changed the coarse of his X-wing.
The landing pad was to the right of the huge Massassi temple the Alliance used as its base. Guiding his X-wing as best he could Luke headed in the direction of the landing pad. As he approached it he could see that there was a rescue crew waiting just in case he did crash.
Suddenly Luke found himself wishing he'd stayed on Tatooine. That he had stayed there and that his uncle had never bought those two stupid droids.
"Just a little further," Han's voice suddenly said over the com. "Come on, you can do it kid. Heck you just blew up the Death Star, this should be simple."
Smiling at Han's words Luke concentrated even harder. He was just bringing making a final adjustment to his coarse when he suddenly lost all control over his X-wing. Even as he pulled it right the X-wing turned left, straight towards the temple!
"Luke!" Wedge exclaimed. "Turn right!"
"I'm trying!" Luke replied frantically. "It's not working! The controls aren't responding!"
"Luke noooooooooooo!" Han cried out just before Luke's X-wing crashed head-on into the massive Massassi temple.
* * *
"Nooooooooooooooooooo!" Leia exclaimed as she exited the temple just in time to see Luke's X-wing crash. "Luuuuuuuuuuuukkkkkkkkkkkkkeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Why did this have to happen? Why Luke? He was supposed to be a hero. He had saved them all only to die uselessly before he had even had a change to be congratulated for his heroic deed. Why? Why? Why? Why? She had just lost her entire home planet and everyone she had ever loved and now another of her friends was gone.
Leia felt tears run down her face as she watched pieces of the burning wreckage break apart and fall from the spot where Luke had crashed into the temple.
Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? E-mail me at valeriev84@hotmail.com
April 1999
