Star Wars_ Rebel Force 06_ Uprising - Alex Wheeler [9]
He landed his X-wing beside Leia's. She was grinning.
"I can't believe that actually worked," she said, climbing out of the starfighter.
"What was that about my genius plan?" Han joined them, looking incredibly proud of himself. "I didn't quite hear you."
Leia ignored him. "Let's just worry about the hostages," she said, "so we can all go back to normal."
"I'll get Artoo," Luke suggested. "I bet he'll be able to figure out how to turn off the electricity and release them."
He flipped opened his comlink to summon the droid.
"I don't need some tin can to tell me how to flip a switch," Han said, heading for the prisoners' pens. "I'll just—ahh!"
The earth exploded beneath his feet. He flew backward, landing with a hard thud.
Luke and Leia ran toward him, as the explosions continued. The ground beneath the prisoners' pens lurched and buckled, as if wracked by a series of massive groundquakes.
Or underground mines, Luke realized with horror. Chaos erupted, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Hostages screamed as they were thrown through the air by explosion after explosion. The electrified field failed, and prisoners fled across the red dust, terrified and bloody. Surrounded by wounded, desperate survivors, Luke lost sight of his friends. All he could see were the faces of frightened strangers, begging for his help.
One of them, a slim man with a pale, narrow face, limped toward Luke. Blood trickled from a wound in his forehead and flowed freely from a gash in his right leg. "Please," he whispered. "Help us."
"I will," Luke promised, hoping he could follow through.
The man threw his arms around Luke in gratitude.
"It's going to be okay," Luke said quietly.
"It will now," the man said. "Now that you're here. Luke. "
Alarm shot through Luke. He reached automatically for his lightsaber. But his hand had barely closed over the hilt when a force pike suddenly materialized in the man's hand.
It slashed through the air, landing hard on Luke's back. A concentrated nerve impulse shot through his body. As Luke's limbs went completely numb, his legs gave out beneath him.
The man lowered him gently to the ground.
"Soresh…" Luke croaked as his throat closed up, choking off his words.
"A pleasure to meet you," Soresh said.
Luke tried to stand. He tried to reach for his lightsaber. He tried to call out, to warn his friends, to do anything. But all he could do was lie still as screams ripped the air.
Darkness crept up on the corners of his vision, blotting everything out. Luke battled to stay conscious, but the force pike had overwhelmed his nervous system. The last thing he saw was Soresh's ghoulish smile.
And then the darkness won.
CHAPTER FIVE
Luke opened his eyes. He found himself lying in a dark cell. Stun cuffs wrapped around each wrist were attached to the wall by thick chains. He was trapped.
Every muscle in his body screamed in pain, and when he tried to rise on his knees, his legs wobbled beneath him. The blow from the force pike had left him too weak to stand, nearly too weak to move. He knew the effects would wear off…but then what? Once he got his strength back, he was still chained to a wall. And even if he could escape his bonds, thick durasteel bars stood between him and freedom.
Luke reached for his lightsaber—its blade could slice through durasteel like it was bantha butter. But the lightsaber was gone.
He sagged back to the ground, hope fading away. A true Jedi never let his lightsaber out of his sight. But Luke had never felt less like a Jedi in his life. He had failed. Failed at rescuing the prisoners, failed at warning his friends, failed at saving himself. He should never have tried to trick Soresh. Who knew how many hostages had died because of his pride?
"Well, well, well," a familiar voice said. "So this is the famous Luke Skywalker, the man who destroyed the Death Star, who bested my best assassin. I have to admit, I thought you'd be taller."
Luke used all the strength he had to drag himself off the ground and meet Soresh eye to eye. The chains were