The Rebel pilot’s face is set with determination. “Tol Ado it is.”
“We’ll go to the visitor center first,” Gideon says.
“Visitor center?” Luke exclaims. He has never heard of such a thing for an Imperial prison. “Are you kidding?”
“The Parnell considers his prison the artwork,” Sidney explains. “He has built the suitable display case.”
“Yeah. And it’s a reminder of what you can expect if you get out of line. It’s a great place to go for a quick reconnoiter and planning pass.”
“Okay,” Luke says.
“Sidney and I’ll take my Rockcan,” Gideon suggests. “You can follow us. Two ships just might come in handy.”
Luke smiles mischievously. “I don’t think that would be smart,” he says. “My ship’s an X-wing.”
Both Gideon and Sidney raise an eyebrow. Most pilots know the X-wing is the Alliance’s favorite starfighter. Sidney asks, “If you came in the X-wing -“
“Don’t ask the boy questions he can’t answer,” Gideon interrupts. “But we sure as a nova can’t leave that thing here. I don’t doubt Parnell will be back.”
Sidney offers a plan. “40,005 Milton is close, and has many deep craters and old mines. I recently stopped there to repair the repulsor actuator. Nobody has touched its surface for decades.”
“It sounds fine,” Luke says. “Lead the way.”
When Luke returns to his starfighter, Artoo is full of warnings and questions about the Imperial general. As he prepares for launch, Luke patiently explains what happened and that he intends to rescue Erling. Artoo pops and whistles, flashing comments across the vidscreen so fast Luke can barely read them.
“You actually like the idea?” Luke lifts off. Gideon’s box-shaped prospecting scow already hovers above Henryson. “Remind me to have your motivation circuits overhauled,” Luke says lightly. “Besides, you’re not going.”
Artoo chirps and hisses angrily.
“Because I said you’re not, that’s why,” Luke answers. “What I’m doing is bad enough. General Dodonna would flip if you got damaged.”
The Droid remains silent for a long moment, then displays a short message on the vidscreen.
“That’s blackmail!” Luke exclaims. “You wouldn’t dare.”
The message remains.
Luke sighs. “Okay, but I’m definitely having your motivation circuits overhauled. Who ever heard of a Droid with a thirst for adventure?”
A short while later, Gideon leads the way down to a rock 30 kilometers on a side and roughly square. They descend into a small black crater, no more than 20 meters across. Lights suddenly glow on the front of the Rockcan. The crater is actually a deep tunnel leading into the asteroid interior. Luke admires Gideon’s skill and confidence. The prospector’s ship has barely two meters clearance on a side.
Finally, after three tense minutes, they reach a widening in the tunnel and Gideon turns his craft around. Luke sets the X-wing down, buckles up inside his vacsuit, then helps Artoo up the Rockcan’s entrance ramp.
The interior of Gideon’s scow is dark without being gloomy. Like most prospecting ships, Gideon’s ship consists mostly of a huge, beat-up cargo bay. The repulsor engines, slow but powerful, sit directly aft of the cargo bay. The crew quarters, which Gideon maintains immaculately but without extraneous decoration, are organized for both comfort and efficiency.
“Why you bringing that along?” Gideon demands, pointing to Artoo.
“It’s a long story,” Luke says. “But he might come in handy. I’ve used this little guy in similar situations.”
Gideon grunts, unimpressed. “I don’t care much for Droids, myself.”
Artoo whistles sharply.
“What’d he say?” Gideon demands.
Luke shrugs his shoulders. “I can’t understand him unless he’s plugged in.” In this case, Luke is confident that he’s just as happy the Droid cannot be understood.
Gideon closes the airlock and directs Luke to a seat. A fe moments later, they leave 40,0005 Milton and lumber toward the Tol Ado tourist center.
Remember that Luke left his fighter on the asteroid “Milton.” He may need it later.
Click Here