Scoundrel’s Luck – 21

The shuttle laser cannons flare. A violent jerk tells Han the Falcon has suffered a hit. He returns fire, but cannon see any results.

“Wait until I get my hands on Leia!” Han growls.

Chewbacca bellows in alarm.

“What do you mean, if I get the chance?” Han demands.

The Wookiee points to a life-support alarm indicator. The cabin pressure is falling! “Can you stop it?” Han asks, turning away from the shuttle.

Two more laser bursts strike aft. Something creaks ominously and the whistle of air rushing into vacuum follows.

“Ooogh, oooaunh,” Chewbacca answers.

“What kind of tech are you?” Han asks. “A little leak like that.”

Another hit jolts the Falcon. The whistle turns to a scream. A breeze rushes past Han’s face toward a hole somewhere in the back of the Falcon. Han jumps up to leave the cockpit. “We’d better get into our vacuum suits.”

He rushes for the airlock, where he keeps the suits stowed. Already, he feels dizzy from the loss of air. Chewbacca follows, wheezing heavily. A chill has crept into the Falcon’s cabin.

Han opens the airlock and withdraws Chewbacca’s suit from the overhead compartment, then tosses it to the Wookiee. His hearing has grown faint, and he finds it difficult to bend his fingers in the cold. He turns back to the locker and pulls out his own suit. It requires all of his concentration to step into the pant legs.

The growing wind in the Falcon is making it impossible to stand. The corellian gives up trying and falls to the floor. As he slowly rolls aft, he struggles to slip his arms into the suit sleeves.

Chewie, mostly zipped into his suit, crawls toward Han. The pilot smiles his thanks, then his vision fades. He feels as though he is falling from a great height.

“Wait until I see Leia!” he hisses.

Will Chewie manage to get Han into his vac-suit? Will the Imperials investigate the holed freighter? Whether the smugglers manage to repair the Falcon enough to limp into port, or the Imperials capture them, Han and Chewie have lost the race, and reached the end of this adventure. Return to the beginning and try again.