Star Wars_ Rebel Force 01_ Target - Alex Wheeler [33]
"Han!" Leia rushed to his side—but froze just before she reached him. She looked up, a puzzled expression on her face. Then she toppled to the ground.
"Poison darts," Elad said, tilting his head to look for a sniper in one of the buildings that rose above them. "We should—" Without warning, he dropped. Chewbacca followed a moment later, with a growl and a deafening thud.
Duck! The command seemed to come from within, but Luke obeyed it. As he did, a dart whizzed past, skimming his hair as it blew by.
"That was close, Master Luke," C-3PO said worriedly. "We must seek cover before—"
Luke darted to his left, just as another dart streaked past. Something, his instincts, his senses—the Force?—was warning him of the danger a split second before it arrived. But he couldn't dodge darts indefinitely. He had to find a way to help his friends.
They're just unconscious, he assured himself, looking away from their still bodies and pale faces. They can't be—
"You're a quick one," a voice said from behind him. Luke whirled around to find himself face-to-face with a white-armored face mask. "Not quick enough."
The stormtrooper raised a force pike and jabbed him in the chest. Luke's body shuddered uncontrollably as the electric shock blazed through him. There was an explosion of pain, and his legs collapsed beneath him.
The massive shock paralyzed his nervous system. He lay on his back, unable to move, staring up at the stormtrooper. Helpless.
Luke prepared himself to die.
The force pike struck again.
More pain.
And then, only darkness.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Luke opened his eyes. It was pitch-black. Binders around his wrists held his arms above his head. Similar bolts wrapped around his waist and ankles, pinning him against a cool stone wall.
Everything hurt.
He struggled against the restraints, but they held fast. There was no hope of reaching his lightsaber, which, as the world came back into focus, he saw was still attached to his belt. No hope of escape. Luke tried not to panic.
He was a Jedi, he reminded himself. He should be able to think his lightsaber into his hand. But he had no idea how to do so.
"Take it easy, kid," Han's voice floated out of the darkness. "Your eyes will adjust soon enough."
Chewbacca yowled from a few feet away. Luke thought he could make out a hulking shadow that might have been the Wookiee.
"Of course he's all right," Han said. "I wasn't worried."
Chewbacca growled something back.
"Only because it took him so long to wake up!" Han said defensively. "It's not my fault he has a weak constitution."
"Hey!" Luke protested feebly. The lingering effects of the force pike made his muscles feel like jelly. Even if he could escape from the binders, Luke feared he might not be able to stand, much less fight.
"I think we've been here for several hours," Tobin Elad said. "It's unclear what they're waiting for."
"Did the droids escape?" Luke asked. "Maybe they can help us."
"Maybe," Leia said, but she didn't sound particularly hopeful. Luke, his eyes still adjusting to the dark, peered across the room at her shadowy figure, pinned against the wall. He began struggling against the restraints again. Being trapped was bad enough. But imagining Leia dangling helplessly, while he could do nothing to save her? That was intolerable.
"Or maybe they're already scrap metal on some Imperial construction project," Han said. "Probably more pleasant than whatever's in store for us."
A door swung open, letting a shaft of bright light into the room. Luke winced at the sight of his friends chained to the walls. A trickle of dried blood ran down the side of Leia's face.
The stormtroopers white armor gleamed. "I've been ordered to ask if you're thirsty."
"Sure," Han said. "How's about you unlock these cuffs and you and I can go grab a drink? Get to know each other a little."
The stormtrooper crossed the room, stopping inches from