Jedi’s Honor – 18

Artoo selects a poorly mapped and sparsely catalogued quadrant of the Sil’Lume Belt to investigate. Luke turns the starfighter toward the coordinates Artoo indicates, then accelerates to a quarter the X-wing’s maximum velocity. Although he can safely fly much faster by using the X-wing’s active search sensors, Luke prefers to trust his own instincts. The active search sensors would broadcast his presence to all military ships in the vicinity, and his recent experiences suggest the only nearby military craft are Imperial.

Like many other asteroid belts, most of the Sil’Lume Belt is not so thick that it is dangerous to fly. In fact, without navigational instruments, a pilot might not realize he had entered an asteroid field. Though the belt contains more than a million hunks of rock, it is spread over several tens of millions of kilometers. Inside the thin parts of the belt, a pilot can seldom see more than one asteroid at a time. The greatest navigational hazard lies in unexpected gravitational influences. As long as he moves slowly, Luke’s passive sensors will provide enough warning to avoid any asteroid’s weak gravitational field.

Occasionally, the belt thickens into denser rings as asteroids bunch up. Luke hopes to find just such a cluster for the Rebel base. Cluster asteroids occasionally collide, and their overlapping gravity wells are tricky to negotiate. The risks will keep nosy prospectors at bay, but pose no great threat to a combat-equipped Rebel base and its crack pilots. The cluster would also serve as a defensive barrier against against heavy Imperial starships, which cannot maneuver quickly enough to enter its crowded confines.

Artoo interrupts Luke’s revery with a frantic whistle. Luke drops his eyes to the instruments. “What is it?”

A distress signal crosses the vidscreen. “24 Tredway in dire need of assistance. Approach with caution.”

Artoo beeps a query.

“I don’t know,” Luke replies, trying to weigh his response. “This is bound to mean trouble, and we have our orders.”

The Droid chirps insistently.

If Luke answers the distress signal, Click Here
If Luke ignores the distress signal, Click Here