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"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 inconling 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 to7" 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 @ee ciried.

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 "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,