Star Wars_ Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor - Matthew Woodring Stover [110]
“It blocks comm frequencies,” she said. “You’d need the comm suite of a capital ship to even have a chance of punching through.”
“Oh, is that all?” Luke found himself wearing a half smile very much like the one he imagined he’d be seeing on Han’s face right about now. He began toggling switches and striking keys. “Give me a minute, here.”
“I’m telling you it won’t help.”
“This ship was the personal vehicle of a commanding general in the Alliance of Free Planets.” He completed the sequence, and a hatch opened in the rear bulkhead to display an enormous state-of-the-art comm unit. “He resigned his commission, but Han’s just not the type to give back upgrades, you know? This unit can punch a signal all the way to the galactic rim. It’ll draw most of the power from the reactor core, but we’re not going anywhere anyway.” He looked up at the comm unit. “Leia? Are you there?”
Still no response. Luke frowned and clicked over to Han’s setting. “Han? Han, do you read? Han, come in! It’s Luke!”
The comm channel sputtered. “General Skywalker! We heard you’re in a bit of trouble.”
Luke frowned. “Lando? What are you doing in this system?”
“Asking myself that same question about sixty times an hour. What’s your position?”
“I’m not sure. Underground somewhere. I’m trying to find Leia—I could feel her in the Force near here, but I can’t anymore.”
“We lost contact with Han and Leia only a few minutes ago. Han said something about being in a cave. That’s why we’re monitoring his comlink setting. Listen, you’re not the only ones in trouble here. We could lose the whole task force.”
“We’ll lose more than that,” Luke muttered.
“Sorry? Didn’t copy that. Can you repeat?”
“No. Never mind.”
“Luke, I’m doing the best I can, but we really need you in this fight. How soon can you resume command?”
“I—can’t. It’ll take too long to explain. You run the battle, Lando. You’re a better general than I’ll ever be, anyway.”
“Couldn’t prove it by today. Keep me apprised; you just say the word and command is yours. Listen, there’s someone here who wants to speak with you.”
“Oh, oh, Master Luke! Oh, thank goodness you’re all right!”
“All right is a bit of an overstatement,” Luke said. “But it’s good to hear your voice, Threepio.”
“Oh, Master Luke, I’m most concerned! The Princess and Captain Solo are in terrible danger—and so are you!”
“I know,” Luke said. “But how do you know?”
“I have been monitoring the communications of their attackers—despite their perfectly barbarous diction. I am fluent in over—”
“You’ve told me before. What attackers? Where are they?”
“Please hurry, Master Luke—Artoo may have already been destroyed!”
“Threepio, tell me where they are!”
“Quite nearby, actually—no more than fifteen meters away, directly outward along the planetary radius.”
“They’re right above us?”
“Oh, yes. Their attackers have located you precisely—they’ve been discussing whether to, ah—the phrase translates roughly as imprison, or sequester, but it’s clearly some form of attack—whether to attack you now, or if they should pursue the Half-One, whoever that may be.”
Luke was no longer listening; he frowned dubiously up at the ceiling of smooth black stone above the cockpit. “Fifteen meters—that’s an awful lot of rock to cut through, even with a lightsaber.”
“That’s not ordinary rock,” Aeona said. “It’s meltmassif.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“Then your friends are lucky I’m around, because I do. Which is something I hope you’ll explain to them when we find them, because I have a feeling they might be a little cranky with me.”
She reached over to the antipersonnel system and triggered the hull chargers. “Take it up,” she said. “Nice and slow.”
“Oh,” Luke said, understanding as the stun charge crackled over the Falcon’s skin. “I would have figured that out. Eventually.”
“Sure, I know,” she said sympathetically. “You’ve had kind of a tough day.”
“That’s one way to put it.” The ship rose to touch the