Star Wars_ Rebel Force 01_ Target - Alex Wheeler [5]
CHAPTER THREE
When they emerged from Base One, Chewbacca and the droids were waiting. "Come on, Chewie," Han said, barely pausing to collect the Wookiee. "Let's go."
"Go where?" Luke asked, hurrying after them.
"Where do you think?" Han asked, sounding surprised by the question. "I'm taking myself and my ship—"
Chewbacca roared indignantly.
"Of course, you, too, Chewie. What, you think I'd leave my copilot here to get blasted to bits when the Empire shows up? We'll jump into hyperspace and be halfway across the galaxy by dinnertime." Han stopped and turned to Luke, jabbing him in the chest. "And if you're smart, kid, you'll come along for the ride. I've got to admit, you're not a half bad pilot. A few sloppy habits, but you could come in handy once we get a little training into you…"
"Not half bad?" Luke repeated. "I could fly better than you blindfolded and with one arm tied behind my back!"
Han just laughed. "Kid, I was out-flying wannabe spice smugglers on the Kessel Run at point five lightspeed back when you were still picking up Bantha droppings on Tatooine."
"I was a good enough pilot to destroy the Death Star," Luke pointed out.
"Lucky shot," Han said. "Happens to the best of us—and the rest of us."
Luke fell silent. He knew Han was just teasing…but he'd managed to hit on Luke's greatest fear. Maybe he'd been meant to make that shot—maybe the Force had steered him toward his destiny, just like Obi-Wan had predicted.
Or maybe it was just dumb luck.
"Luke may be inexperienced," Leia admitted.
"Inexperienced?" Luke repeated in disbelief. So even Leia didn't believe in him?
"But at least he's not running away." Leia glared at Han, daring him to argue.
"Who said anything about running away?" he countered.
Chewbacca barked again, giving Han a pointed look.
"Hey, there's a difference," Han insisted. "I never said I'd be sticking around forever, did I? There's no money to be made here—and if I don't pay Jabba back soon, I'm dead.
But that does not mean I'm running away, Your Worshipfulness. Only cowards run away."
Leia looked skeptical. "So what would you call it?"
"I'd call it being smart."
"You?" Leia smirked. "Smart?"
Han ignored her bait. He turned to Luke, serious for once. "Look, kid, you heard the general in there. The Empire's gunning for you. Only thing to do now is disappear."
"The Empire's gunning for a mystery man," Luke pointed out. "No one knows that I'm the pilot they're looking for."
Han threw up his arms in disgust. "Kid, look around—everyone on this whole moon knows."
"The new security protocols will take care of that," Leia pointed out.
"You trust security protocols if you want," Han said. "I trust my gut. And my gut says when this many people know a secret, it won't be a secret for long."
"Master Luke, I'm inclined to agree with Captain Solo," C-3PO put in, sounding agitated. "When you say that the Empire is gunning for you…well, that sounds like a situation that could end rather unhappily, don't you think? Perhaps we'd be safer somewhere else, away from all this troublesome fighting."
R2-D2 let off a long string of beeps.
C-3PO looked infuriated. "That's all well and good for you to say," he told the droid,
"but some of us are designed for dignified intergalactic summit negotiations, not—" his voice took on a disgusted note "— space battles. I am, after all, a protocol droid fluent in over six million forms of communication and equipped with—"
"We know, Threepio," Luke said wearily. The droid gave some version of this speech at least once a day. "And I'm sorry I got you mixed up in this. But we're in it now. And I'm not running away, no matter how dangerous it may be. I'm a Rebel, and I'm going to stick around and fight."
That's what a Jedi would do, right, Ben? he thought. But of course there was no answer. At two crucial moments,