her concentration. They pulled free of the asteroid's weak gravity and
launched themselves headlong into space.
"Now, Jacen," she said through gritted teeth. "Send the signal!"
Jacen flicked on the comm system, transmitting on all bands. "Warning
to inconling craft! This is Jacen Solo on the Rock Dragon .
The bounty hunter Boba Fett is waiting in ambush. He has attacked us
and will shoot down anyone who comes into the Alderaan rubble field. We
are in desperate need of assistance-but beware of traps."
"Our enemy has found us," Tenel Ka announced.
Like a combat arachnid waiting for prey, Boba Fett's angular ship spun
out from where it had been hiding in the eclipsing shadow of another
asteroid. The Slave IV rocketed after them. The bounty hunter again
made no attempt at communication, but Jacen could sense the danger.
"I think he's mad at us," he said. "D'you suppose he knows we tapped
into his computer?"
"I'm afraid I didn't precisely attempt to cover my intrusion," Em Teedee
said. 'Was I supposed to7" As if in answer to the little droid's
question, Boba Fett blasted with his laser cannons, flaming through
their shields, damaging the Rock Dragon's hull plates.
He fired with no finesse this time-just brute force. It seemed that he
was through playing games.
"There goes our one good chance," Jaina said in dismay. 'He's not just
targeting our engines-he means to slag us.
"Oh, my-what are we to do?" Em @ee ciried.
Lowie growled about having no weapons as he frantically scrambled with
the controls. Jacen didn't want to know the details.
"I think we're out of options,' Jaina said.
"We bypassed all our attack systems, and we can't fight against his
laser cannons."
'I have an alternative." Tenel Ka took a deep breath and said grimly,
'We can ram "Let's think of a different option," Jaina replied,
wrestling with the controls to avoid crashing into an asteroid as they
dodged the bounty hunter's attack. "I'm open to suggestions."
Boba Fett fired again, clearly intent on destroying them this time.
Their shields had failed, and the burning energy of Fett's laser blasts
blew up their newly repaired port stardrive. The starboard engine
remained off line from the first attack.
The Rock Dragon shuddered and fell dead, coasting in space with nothing
but its altitude-control jets for maneuvering.
Most of their power systems went out, along with life-support
generators. Alarm lights flashed and sirens blared, and Em Teedee
suffered several short circuits just trying to process them all.
"We're dead in space,' Jaina said. 'This is it."
"Dad's not going to get here in time, is he?" Jacen said. "And there's
no one else to help us."
He looked over at Tenel Ka, wanting to say so much as he stared into her
cool gray eyes, which were wide open and filled with the many things
that she in turn apparently wanted to say to him.
"Hey, been nice knowing you," Jacen told her, forcing a lopsided grin.
In the asteroid field, Boba Fett's bounty ship circled the helpless
target, coming around for the kill shot. All of his laser cannons
powered up, bright points of light ready to fire.
Boba Fett spun the Slave IV around, heading straight toward his new
victims.
They had surprised him with their ingenuity. Given virtually no
resources or training, they had freed themselves from the avalanche and
repaired their ship. But if they thought they could escape from him .
.
. then they were much mistaken.
He would never allow them to warn Boman Thul.
If he meant to keep from alerting his quarry to the pursuit, he could
not let these others escape with the knowledge they had stolen from his
computer banks.
He had immediately discovered their scanning and slicing, of course, and
they would have to pay the price. No one could hold that much
information about Boba Fett and live.
His gauntleted hands squeezed the controls, centering the battered Rock
Dragon in his targeting sights. His weapons powered up to full
strength.
The young Jedi Knights had spoiled his ambush plans and warned Han Solo
. . .
but Boba Fett was flexible. All good bounty hunters were flexible. He
would destroy this small passenger cruiser and cripple the Millennium
Falcon as soon as it arrived, then proceed with the next step in his
hunt for Boman Thul.
He increased his speed, diving toward the Rock Dragon, then nudged the
targeting controls in his weapons systems.
He placed his thumbs over the firing buttons, waiting until exactly the
right moment. . . .
And then fired.
Jacen shielded his eyes, waitin for
.9
the final blast to come-but just as the bounty hunter took his shot,
another ship streaked past at high speed, a clunkylooking freighter
cobbled together from dozens of obsolete components.
'The Lightning Rod!" Jaina cried.
Old Peckhum's former ship used a tractor beam to grab the Slave IV and
yank it off course, spinning it away just as Fett fired. The deadly
laser bolts flew haphazardly into empty space, one of them striking and
vaporizing a small asteroid.
"It's Zekk," Jaina said. 'He found us."
The Lightning Rod took advantage of the element of surprise and whirled
about, hammering down on Boba Fett's ship, which was still spinning out
of control from the tractor beam. Zekk unleashed five rapid laser
blasts from the Lightning Rod's newly installed weapons systems-a
precaution Peckhum had agreed to only after being shot down by Shadow
Academy fighters. The blasts pounded the Slave IV, sending it reeling
under the sudden barrage. Knowing that the Rock Dragon had no
functional weapons systems, Boba Fett had not been expecting an attack
from any direction.
"Oh, thank the maker, we're saaaaved!"
Em Teedee said, his voice slightly slurred from the numerous short
circuits he had recently suffered.
Apparently finding himself damaged and possibly even outgunned, Fett
turned about, ignited his engines, and flew away into the labyrinth of
the asteroid field, where he could hide and do repairs.
"I can't believe it-Zekk came to rescue us!" Jaina said, absolutely
elated. 'Jacen, get on the comm system. We've got to talk to him."
But as she watched in dismay, the Lightning Rod roared past them and
continued in its flight, pursuing Boba Fett. Zekk kept firing, but the
Slave IVs more powerful engines rapidly stretched out the distance.
Still Zekk wouldn't give up. He streaked ahead and was soon lost in the
complex orbital paths of the rubble field.
"Where is Zekk going?" Jaina cried. "He'll get himself killed. He may
have had the element of surprise, but the Lightning Rod can't seriously
fight against Boba Fett once he gets his systems up again."
"I sure hope Zekk comes back for us," Jacen said. "Our life support's
out, and we've only got a few hours before it gets very uncomfortable in
here."
Without power, and with only the backup batteries left to run their
communications systems and send their automated distress call, the young
Jedi Knights sat and waited.
And waited.
All alone in space.
----------------THE ROCK DRAGON drifted powerless in space among the
shards of Alderaan. Jaina bit her lower lip and stared out the front
viewport, her mind temporarily numb. Her thoughts seemed as unable to
function as the ship's blasted control systems.
"We're dooooomed," Em Teedee said in a warbling, distorted voice.
"Dooooomed." "Hang in there, Quicksilver," Jaina said, trying to sound
calm and reassuring. "We're not done for yet.- She turned to look at
Jacen and Tenel Ka.
"Think Boba Fett's gone for good?" she asked. Her voice came out
strained and raspy. 'Why doesn't Zekk come back?"
"I sense that the bounty hunter has withdrawn," Tenel Ka answered, "but
I cannot be certain how far or for how long."
"Hey, are all bounty hunters this persistent?" Jacen asked.
Lowie gave a low woof.
"Since Master Lowbacca's experience with members of that unsavory
profession is extremely limited, he has very little data on which to
base an assessment of the personal attributes of bounty hunters," Em
Teedee translated, though Jaina had been perfectly capable of
understanding Lowie's comment, which might have been more directly
translated as, "I don't know," or "Beats me."
A plaintive growl issued from the yo-. Wookiee as he tried in vain to
access any of the Rock Dragon's controls. He checked out the heat and
air remaining in their ship, now that the life-support systems had been
deactivated.
Jaina prodded herself back into action.
"Jacen, Tenel Ka, see if you can hail the Lightning Rod."
"We've been trying," Jacen said. "So has Em Teedee. So far, no
response-not to direct signals, not to our automatic distress beacon."
Jaina felt her gut clench, fearing that Boba Fett might well have
rounded on the Lightning Rod, fired a retaliatory blast . . .
and possibly destroyed Zekk.
'Much of our equipment is malfunctioning," Tenel Ka pointed out. "We
suffered severe hits, and our transmitter repairs were makeshift and
unreliable at best."
Jaina knew that her friend was trying to keep her from thinking about
Zekk. They all had enough problems without adding another worry. "What
do you say, Lowie?"
she asked. "Can we fix the ship without landing somewhere?"
"Oh no, not again," Jacen muttered.
Lowie shook his shaggy head and rumbled a discouraging report on the
damage the Rock Dragon had sustained during battle.
Em Teedee heartily agreed from where he was hardwired into the control
systems.
Jaina's heart sank. The situation sounded impossible.
But Jaina had promised her father they would get back to Yavin 4. Han
Solo had trusted in their resourcefulness, and she wasn't about to give
up without a fight.
"Well," she said with. forced cheerfulness, "we're Jedi trainees, and
it's time to prove just how much Master Luke has taught us. Besides, we
have another thing to thank your grandmother for, rene! Ka-a plentiful
supply of spare parts."
"This is a fact," Tenel Ka said.
"Except parts for the transmitter,' Jacen reminded them glumly. "And
there aren't any spare engines."
"Oh, my!" Em Teedee said. "I seem to be receiving another
transmission-but I can't make any sense of it. The words don't
translate well in my language data banks. I do hope it's not another
bounty hunterif it is, I'm afraid we're done for."
"Put it on speaker," Jaina said tersely.
Instantly she heard a delighted whoop, and a loud "Yeee-haa!" resounded
through the cockpit, accompanied by a wordless Wookiee roar. 'Kids,
this is the Millennium Falcon comin' in for a little inspection. I got
your warning, and we're ready for anything. Do you read me, Rock
Dragon?"
"Dad!" Jaina yelled. "We're fine, but we sure need some help."
"That's no bounty hunter, Em Teedee, Jacen laughed.
"I'm only getting your distress beacon, Rock Dragon," Han Solo's voice
came over the speaker again, "and it's pretty weak ' P9
He was interrupted by a couple of loud Wookiee barks. 'Right, Chewie,"
"We've got you on visual now. Here we come."
After a moment, they saw the familiar shape of the Falcon approach, its
pronged metal disk arrowing through the rocky debris. "Hey, looks like
you took some pretty heavy hits to your engines. We're going to take
the liberty of towing you to one of the larger asteroids to make
repairs."
A tractor beam locked on to the Hapan passenger cruiser, and the ship
lurched.
"We've got ya-just sit tight."
After a few moments of joyous greetings between Han, Chewie, and the
young Jedi Knights on the asteroid, they quickly got down to business
making the much-needed repairs to the damaged passenger cruiser.
"How did you know to come after us, Dad?" Jaina asked. "You got here so
fast."
Han shrugged one shoulder and studied the damage to the Rock Dragon's
repulsorjets. "NMen you didn't make it back to Yavin 4 after three
days, like you promised, I figured you were trying to collect half the
planet ofalderaan and reassemble it for your mom's birthday. She's due
at the Jedi academy any day now, and I didn't want to wait any longer.
I guessed you might need some help." "So it wasn't Boba Fett's message
that lured you here?" Jacen asked.
"Naw, we didn't even get that until we dropped out of hyperspace, but
your warning put us on our guard." He smiled and glanced at Chewie. 'We
still know a thing or two about evading bounty hunters."
Jaina swallowed hard. 'I sure hope Zekk does. He followed Boba Fett
after our fight, and we haven't heard from him since."
Han Solo gave his daughter a sympathetic look. "I'm sure he's fine,
Jaina."
"I wish I were so sure," Jaina said, feeling despair creep up on her.
Her father raised a hand to point at something over her left shoulder.
"Well, maybe you'll believe your own eyesunless I miss my guess, that's
the Lightning Rod coming in for a landing right now."
Though Zekk stood stiffly and uncertainly, Jaina gave the dark-haired
boy a quick hug as soon as he stepped out of the Lightning Rod. He
blushed in the dim light, then relaxed enough to hug Jaina back. They
held the embrace for several seconds more.
Jacen and Han hurried over, while Chewie, Lowie, and Tenel Ka remained
where they were, continuing the repairs on the Rock Dragon.
"We'll be safe, for the moment," Zekk said, as if reluctant to step too
far from his ship. "I followed Boba Fett until he dodged into
hyperspace. I scored a few solid hits before his ship escaped. Don't
know how much damage I caused, but I think he'll need to make some
repairs himself before he tries to come back."
Han shook his head in bewilderment.
"As far as I know, there aren't any bounties out on me anym
ore. What
was Boba Fett after?"
"We're not sure," Jaina said, "but it had something to do with Raynar's
father. He thought you had some information about his whereabouts. He
wanted to use us as bait."
Han Solo looked surprised. "Bornan Thul?
I wish I did know where to find him. Why would there be a bounty out on
him? He's just a member of the trade council."
Jacen said, "Boba Fett seems to think Raynar's father knows about
something that he's looking for, some sort of missing cargo. 17
"Em Teedee managed to slice into the Slave IVs computers, so we've got a
little background information," Jaina said "Things Boba Fett probably
doesn't want us to know."
"He's working for Nolaa Tarkona," Tenel Ka said.
Han gave a low whistle. "And Boman Thul disappeared right when he was
sup posed to meet with her at that trade council.
I thought that @lek woman @ghtve been behind his disappearance, but it