"Watch your mouth, kid, or you'll find yourself floating home. There's too

many of 'em, for one thing. But, we'll be safe enough once we've made the jump

into hyperspace." He grinned knowingly. "Can't nobody track another ship

accurately at supralight speeds. Plus, I know a few tricks that ought to lose any

persistent stick-tights. I wish I'd known you boys were so popular."

"Why?" Luke said challengingly. "Would you have refused to take us?"

"Not necessarily," the Corellian replied, refusing to be baited. "But I sure's hell

would've boosted your fare."

Luke had a retort poised on his lips. It was wiped out as he threw up his arms

to ward off a brilliant red flash which gave black space outside the viewport the

temporary aspect of the surface of a sun. Kenobi, Solo and even Chewbacca did

likewise, since the proximity of the explosion nearly overrode the phototropic

shielding.

"Here's where the situation gets interesting," Solo muttered.

"How long before you can make the jump?" Kenobi inquired easily, apparently

unconcerned that at any second they all might cease to exist.

"We're still within the gravitational influence of Tatooine," came the cool

response. "It will be a few minutes yet before the navigation computer can

compensate and effect an accurate jump. I could override its decision, but the

hyperdrive would likely shred itself. That would give me a nice hold full of scrap

metal in addition to you four."

"A few minutes," Luke blurted, staring at the screens. "At the rate they're

gaining..."

"Traveling through hyperspace isn't like dusting crops, boy. Ever tried

calculating a hyperspace jump?" Luke had to shake his head. "It's no mean trick.

Be nice if we rushed it and passed right through a star or some other friendly spatial

phenom like a black hole. That would end our trip real quick."

Fresh explosions continued to flare close by despite Chewbacca's best efforts at

evasion. On Solo's console a red warning light began to flash for attention.

"What's that?" Luke wondered nervously.

"We're losing a deflector shield," Solo informed him with the air of a man about

to have a tooth pulled. "Better strap yourselves back in. We're almost ready to

make the jump. It could get bad if we take a near-burst at the wrong moment."

Back in the main hold area Threepio was already locked tightly into his seat by

metal arms stronger than any acceleration straps. Artoo swayed back and forth

under the concussion produced by increasingly powerful energy bursts against the

ship's deflectors.

"Was this trip really necessary?" the tall robot muttered in desperation. "I'd

forgotten how much I hate space travel." He broke off as Luke and Ben appeared

and began strapping themselves back into their chairs.

Oddly, Luke was thinking of a dog he had once owned when an immensely

powerful something wrenched at the ship's hull with the strength of a fallen angel.

Admiral Motti entered the quiet conference room, his face streaked by the linear

lights lining the walls. His gaze went to the spot where Governor Tarkin stood

before the curved viewscreen, and he bowed slightly. Despite the evidence of the

small green gem of a world entered in the screen, he formally announced, "We have

entered the Alderaan system. We await your order."

The door signaled and Tarkin made a falsely gentle gesture to the admiral.

"Wait a moment yet, Motti."

The door slid aside and Leia Organa entered, flanked by two armed guards,

followed by Darth Vader.

"I am-," Tarkin began.
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