Shards of Alderaan

19

With the stones and debris finally cleared from the mouth of the cave, and knowing that Boba Fett lurked somewhere out in the rubble field, waiting for Han Solo, the young Jedi Knights prepared the Rock Dragon for a last desperate dash toward freedom.

Jaina sat in the pilot’s seat, frowning and tense as she checked the control readouts for the tenth time.

“What we really need is a Mon Calamari star cruiser for what we’re about to do,” Jacen said, looking over at his sister.

“This is a fact,” Tenel Ka said, “but Master Skywalker taught us that a Jedi makes use of the skills she possesses—not the resources she wishes she had.”

“Well, here we go.” Jaina fired up the Rock Dragon’s repulsorjets, and the battered ship rose, blasting rock dust from the floor and walls. More pebbles trickled down, bouncing and sliding as the engine vibrations shook the asteroid. “Hang on.”

“Be careful,” Jacen said. “That hole we carved isn’t going to be very stable. It could collapse at any minute.”

Jaina shrugged. “So there’s no point in sticking around any longer.” She looked over at the Wookiee in the copilot’s seat. “Punch it, Lowie.”

Taking a deep breath, Jacen readied himself at the comm system, prepared to send his warning message the moment they burst free from the shielding rock walls. Once they were out of the cavern, even their weak jury-rigged transmitter should send a discernible signal. He knew their father might already be on his way to rescue them—and that Boba Fett would be waiting to ambush the Millennium Falcon.

With its meager engine power and its sublight drives strained to the maximums, the Rock Dragon shot through the broken opening. Perspiration rolling down her face, Jaina gripped the controls, entirely focused in her concentration. They pulled free of the asteroid’s weak gravity and launched themselves headlong into space.

“Now, Jacen,” she said through gritted teeth. “Send the signal!”

Jacen flicked on the comm system, transmitting on all bands. “Warning to incoming craft! This is Jacen Solo on the Rock Dragon. The bounty hunter Boba Fett is waiting in ambush. He has attacked us and will shoot down anyone who comes into the Alderaan rubble field. We are in desperate need of assistance—but beware of traps.”

“Our enemy has found us,” Tenel Ka announced.

Like a combat arachnid waiting for prey, Boba Fett’s angular ship spun out from where it had been hiding in the eclipsing shadow of another asteroid. The Slave IV rocketed after them. The bounty hunter again made no attempt at communication, but Jacen could sense the danger.

“I think he’s mad at us,” he said. “D’you suppose he knows we tapped into his computer?”

“I’m afraid I didn’t precisely attempt to cover my intrusion,” Em Teedee said. “Was I supposed to?”

As if in answer to the little droid’s question, Boba Fett blasted with his laser cannons, flaming through their shields, damaging the Rock Dragon’s hull plates. He fired with no finesse this time—just brute force. It seemed that he was through playing games.

“There goes our one good chance,” Jaina said in dismay. “He’s not just targeting our engines—he means to slag us.”

“Oh, my—what are we to do?” Em Teedee cried.

Lowie growled about having no weapons as he frantically scrambled with the controls. Jacen didn’t want to know the details.

“I think we’re out of options,” Jaina said. “We bypassed all our attack systems, and we can’t fight against his laser cannons.”

“I have an alternative.” Tenel Ka took a deep breath and said grimly, “We can ram him.”

“Let’s think of a different option,” Jaina replied, wrestling with the controls to avoid crashing into an asteroid as they dodged the bounty hunter’s attack. “I’m open to suggestions.”

Boba Fett fired again, clearly intent on destroying them this time. Their shields had failed, and the burning energy of Fett’s laser blasts blew up their newly repaired port stardrive. The starboard engine remained off line from the first attack.

The Rock Dragon shuddered and fell dead, coasting in space with nothing but its altitude-control jets for maneuvering. Most of their power systems went out, along with life-support generators. Alarm lights flashed and sirens blared, and Em Teedee suffered several short circuits just trying to process them all.

“We’re dead in space,” Jaina said. “This is it.”

“Dad’s not going to get here in time, is he?” Jacen said. “And there’s no one else to help us.”

He looked over at Tenel Ka, wanting to say so much as he stared into her cool gray eyes, which were wide open and filled with the many things that she in turn apparently wanted to say to him.

“Hey, been nice knowing you,” Jacen told her, forcing a lopsided grin.

In the asteroid field, Boba Fett’s bounty ship circled the helpless target, coming around for the kill shot. All of his laser cannons powered up, bright points of light ready to fire.

Boba Fett spun the Slave IV around, heading straight toward his new victims.

They had surprised him with their ingenuity. Given virtually no resources or training, they had freed themselves from the avalanche and repaired their ship. But if they thought they could escape from him … then they were much mistaken. He would never allow them to warn Bornan Thul.

If he meant to keep from alerting his quarry to the pursuit, he could not let these others escape with the knowledge they had stolen from his computer banks. He had immediately discovered their scanning and slicing, of course, and they would have to pay the price. No one could hold that much information about Boba Fett and live.

His gauntleted hands squeezed the controls, centering the battered Rock Dragon in his targeting sights. His weapons powered up to full strength.

The young Jedi Knights had spoiled his ambush plans and warned Han Solo … but Boba Fett was flexible. All good bounty hunters were flexible. He would destroy this small passenger cruiser and cripple the Millennium Falcon as soon as it arrived, then proceed with the next step in his hunt for Bornan Thul.

He increased his speed, diving toward the Rock Dragon, then nudged the targeting controls in his weapons systems.

He placed his thumbs over the firing buttons, waiting until exactly the right moment…. And then fired.

Jacen shielded his eyes, waiting for the final blast to come—but just as the bounty hunter took his shot, another ship streaked past at high speed, a clunky-looking freighter cobbled together from dozens of obsolete components.

“The Lightning Rod!” Jaina cried.

Old Peckhum’s former ship used a tractor beam to grab the Slave IV and yank it off course, spinning it away just as Fett fired. The deadly laser bolts flew haphazardly into empty space, one of them striking and vaporizing a small asteroid.

“It’s Zekk,” Jaina said. “He found us.”

The Lightning Rod took advantage of the element of surprise and whirled about, hammering down on Boba Fett’s ship, which was still spinning out of control from the tractor beam. Zekk unleashed five rapid laser blasts from the Lightning Rod’s newly installed weapons systems—a precaution Peckhum had agreed to only after being shot down by Shadow Academy fighters. The blasts pounded the Slave IV, sending it reeling tinder the sudden barrage. Knowing that the Rock Dragon had no functional weapons systems, Boba Fett had not been expecting an attack from any direction.

“Oh, thank the maker, we’re saaaaved!” Em Teedee said, his voice slightly slurred from the numerous short circuits he had recently suffered.

Apparently finding himself damaged and possibly even outgunned, Fett turned about, ignited his engines, and flew away into the labyrinth of the asteroid field, where he could hide and do repairs.

“I can’t believe it—Zekk came to rescue us!” Jaina said, absolutely elated. “Jacen, get on the comm system. We’ve got to talk to him.”

But as she watched in dismay, the Lightning Rod roared past them and continued in its flight, pursuing Boba Fett. Zekk kept firing, but the Slave IV’s more powerful engines rapidly stretched out the distance. Still Zekk wouldn’t give up. He streaked ahead and was soon lost in the complex orbital paths of the rubble field.

“Where is Zekk going?” Jaina cried. “He’ll get himself killed. He may have had the element of surprise, but the Lightning Rod can’t seriously fight against Boba Fett once he gets his systems up again.”

“I sure hope Zekk comes back for us,” Jacen said. “Our life support’s out, and we’ve only got a few hours before it gets very uncomfortable in here.”

Without power, and with only the backup batteries left to run their communications systems and send their automated distress call, the young Jedi Knights sat and waited.

And waited.

All alone in space.