Han looks at Chewbacca, already dreading the Wookiee’s response to his next order. “Overload the sublight drives, Chewie.”
Chewbacca surprises the pilot by easing the dampeners open without protest. He merely sighs.
“We’ve got to beat those TIEs to Leia,” Han explains. When he friend still does not offer a protest, Han returns his attention to piloting the Falcon. He feels almost cheated.
The Falcon enters the comet’s hazy dust tail behind one TIE and ahead of the other. Although the tail is not dense, its dust particles emit a brilliant ghostly glow. Han feels as tense as if he was flying without instruments into a planetary cloud.
Once every three or four seconds, a shot from the TIE behind flashes past. Each bolt quickly dissipates, leaving a red streak of fluorescing dust in its wake. Han pays the spurts no attention; the opposing gravities of Aldo and Spach keep him too busy to worry about potshots.
Chewbacca bellows an exclamation.
The pilot has not time to reply. The lead TIE fighter suddenly reverses course and flies straight for the Millennium Falcon. Han jerks hard to starboard. The Faclon responds even more quickly than usual, and within a millisecond they have escaped the TIEs.
When Han tries to correct the course, the ship adjusts its attitude sluggishly. The Corellian hazards a glance at Chewbacca’s sublight output monitor. It reads eight-five percent. “What’s wrong?” Han asks. “Why aren’t the drives at full power?”
Chewbacca moans an explanation. He sounds alarmed.
“They can’t be worn out!” Han snaps. Not now!”
Chewie reports that drive output has fallen to sixty-eight percent, and that the engines are, indeed, worn out. Han sinks deeper into his seat, and the freighter slips further from the comet’s heart.
Han jams the throttle full open. They are caught in Spach’s gravity well! He refuses to believe that his beloved ship would let him down at a critical time like this.
The Falcon hangs as still as the twin suns for five long seconds. The temperature display flashes its danger warning, and the drive output slips to sixty-two percent.
Then something rumbles deep within the aft. The sublight drive cuts out altogether and the Millennium Falcon begins a two-million kilometer fall toward the fiery surface of Spach.
Han jumps from his seat. “We’ve got to fix those drives,” he says. “Or we’ll get a heck of a sunburn!”
How long will it take to fix the sublight drive? Will the smugglers be able to escape the tremendous gravity well of the star in time? Han and chewie will eventually get out of this mess, but for now their adventure is over. Click Here to return to the beginning.