Han opens the drives to maximum, pulling up hard into the path of the TIE fighter targeting on his top side. The two starships hurtle toward each other. Surprise at the bold maneuver seems to have frozen the Imperial pilot, who stops firing but fails to initiate evasive action. The lower TIE follows blindly behind the Falcon, still blasting red bolts around the Corellian freighter.
Grimly, Han holds his course. The range between his vessel and the forward TIE closes startlingly fast. And as it closes, the chances of their dyeing, either from a point-blank laser blast or from a head-on collision, increase.
At last, the Imperial fighter wavers, then slews upward, narrowly avoiding a ship-to-ship crash – and climbing straight into an oncoming laser bolt from his fellow pilot.
Han crows as the TIE flashes blindingly white and expands into a ball of plame. The closeness of the explosion rocks the Millennium Falcon badly.
Chewie interrupts the smuggler’s gaiety with a hurried damage report.
“Who cares?” Han replies. “Why do we need flux stabilizers, power converters, cooling systems, and – what else?”
“Sssoogh arrrogh.”
“Not the sensor array!” Han exclaims. “Now that makes me mad.” He pushes the Falcon into a belly loop that brings him face-to-face with his remaining attacker. Not bothering with the targeting computer, Han directs the gunwells manually and opens fire. The surprised Imperial releases a few shots in return, but they go far wide of the Falcon.
A moment later, the TIE erupts into a ball of fire. “That sensor array cost us 5,000 credits, fella,” Han explains to the fast-fading flames.