“We’d better take the shortcut,” Han says. “I hope Leia appreciates what we’re doing to clean up her mess.”
He enters the instructions into the nav computer. A few minutes later, the Millennium Falcon activates her hyperdrive. As they accelerate, the stars in the forward viewport assume a red tinge, then blur into brilliant streaks. The ship has entered hyperspace.
“I’m worn out,” Han says. “Time for a nap.” He punches the automatic pilot and leaves the cockpit. Chewbacca, also exhausted, groans and abandons his seat.
For the next four days, Han and Chewbacca do little but sleep, work on the Falcon, and ask each other who Alfreda Goot might be. Try as they may however, neither smuggler can hazard a guess as to Alfreda’s identity. She is an unknown quantity – and, like all good gamblers, Han dislikes unknown quantities.
Late on the fourth day, as Han and Chewie are listing all the female smugglers they know for the fiftieth time, the hyperdriev cut-out alarm sounds. Han scurries into the cockpit. They are approaching Mon Torri. If he has miscalculated their course, the hyperdrive cut-out has activated because it detects the planet’s gravity well in the their path, in which case they will be lucky to escape with their lives.
After checking the nav computer however the Corellian breathes a sigh of relief. The sensors have detected several small wells, and dropped out because of their proximity. The larger gravity well of the planet still lies 10,000 kilometers aheard.
“Nothing to worry about, Chewie,” Han calls. “It looks like it’s just some asteroids and a rogue moon.”
The Falcon decelerates and enters real space. There is a momentary flicker in all the ship’s systems as the freighter automatically hooks in a new power cell to replace the one it has just drained. Han switches his attention to the flight computer, preparing to take manual control of the freighter.
Chewbacca groans, his face glued to the viewport.
“What is it?” Han continues plotting asteroid locations. “Hey, that moon’s accelerating!” he mutters. “And there are three more asteroids behind us!”
“Uuugggh!” Chewbacca roars.
“I’ll be there in a bit,” Han returns impatiently. The numbers flashing across his screen don’t make sense, so the Corellian glances at the sensor’s holodisplay. Wait a – who’s ever seen a triangular moon?”
The Wookiee’s response is instantaneous and deafening. Han looks out the viewport.
It takes a moment to find the tiny pinpoints of light which have excited Chewbacca. When he does, Han also gasps in alarm. Two pinpoints circle a larger fireprick. Every few seconds, bright light needles stab at the larger gleam. A still-larger lightpoint comes into view, also firing at the beleaguered gleam.
Han turns his attention to the flight computer. Now the numbers make sense. “It looks like two TIE fighters and a combat shuttle attacking a single corvette,” he reports. “It must be an Imperial boarding action.”
Mon Torri, its snowy surface brilliantly reflecting the light of it’s distant yellow sun, hangs to starboard. Seven rings, each a different color of the rainbow, encircle the great orb. “The corvette must have been running for Mon Torri’s rings,” Han concludes. “What are Imperials doing here? This sector is supposed to be deserted!”
A low warning rumbles in the Wookiee’s throat.
“You’re right. This is no time for questions.” Han studies his instruments. “The three asteroids behind us are the TIE fighters, too. And that moon – it’s a Star Destroyer! What did Leia get us into?”
Chewbacca moans miserably.
The radio receiver crackles. “Attention, Corellian freighter: prepare for boarding. The Star Destroyer Eradicator approaches; resistance is futile!”
“How did he get a fix on us so fast?” Han asks.
Mumbling, Chewie points to the subspace transmitter. The activation switch is stuck open.
“I thought you fixed that!” Han exclaims, slapping the malfunctioning activator to the “closed” position. He also closes the receiving channel, and then studies the rear sensor screen a moment longer. “It’s not as bad as I thought,” he says eventually. “We can probably polish off those three TIEs behind us before the Eradicator get here.”
“Aaoogh?” Chewbacca asks.
“You’re right,” Han grumbles, shifting his attention forward. “Maybe we should rescue the corvette.” He returns to his instuments and does a couple of quick calculations. “The TIEs on our tail won’t catch up for a few minutes, and the Eradicator isn’t much closer to the corvette than she is to us.”
Han hesitates. A few minutes isn’t much time to destroy two TIE fighters, an unarmed shuttle, rescue the corvette’s crew, and then escape. If something goes wrong with the forward attack, he will be trapped between the approaching Eradicator and the three TIE fighters. On the other hand, no matter what he does, he has to fight – either the three TIEs on his tail, or the two TIEs and the Imperial shuttle ahead.
Han and Chewbacca drain one power cell from the Falcon’s batteries of power cells and power cores during the hyperspace jump. Keep track of the number of power cells they use during the adventure.
If Han helps the corvette, Click Here
If Han engages the three TIE fighters on his tail, Click Here